A fable refuses a name?
Is that even a thing?

"Hmm."

Han Sooyoung stared at my fable for a long time, like someone who’d found an interesting piece of material.

"Has this happened before?"

"No, it’s the first time."

[Your 'Giant Fable' refuses the touch of the 'Director of the False Epilogue'.]

Looks like it’s got a pretty strong sense of self. Did another one like Eternity get born?

[A fable, 'Successor of the Eternal Name', giggles and laughs.]

Han Sooyoung watched my fable’s reaction for a moment, then sank into thought as if she were troubled. Then she let go of my wrist and asked.

"How far have you completed 'beginning, development, turn, and conclusion'?"

Beginning, development, turn, and conclusion (Ki Seung Jeon Gyeol).

To clear the final scenario in <Star Stream> and see one’s own ■■, you had to complete the 'beginning, development, turn, and conclusion' based on a 'Giant Fable'.

「The 'beginning' of beginning, development, turn, and conclusion is completed the moment you obtain your first 'Giant Fable'.」

In Kim Dokja’s case, he completed the 'beginning' when he cleared the 'Demon King Selection' and obtained his first giant fable, 「Spring of the Demon World」. But even though I had obtained a giant fable, I had never once received a message saying I’d completed the 'beginning' of beginning, development, turn, and conclusion.

Up until now, I’d thought it might be because my fable’s name hadn’t been decided, but……

"I haven’t even received the message that I completed the 'beginning' yet."

Han Sooyoung nodded as if she’d expected that.

"You might not be able to complete beginning, development, turn, and conclusion."

*

I listened to Han Sooyoung talk about the beginning, development, turn, and conclusion she had built up. It was an unfortunate incident that happened because I couldn’t cut off a conversation that started with "Back in my day," but in the end, it wasn’t something bad for me to hear.

Because she was someone who had built up beginning, development, turn, and conclusion through a completely different route than Kim Dokja.

And after listening to the story to the end, my impression was clear.

"I don’t know what I should say, but…… you’re incredible."

Just listening to it made me feel overwhelmed.

A succession of scenarios that wouldn’t have been strange for me to give up on long ago if I were her. Fables she could never have built up without being Han Sooyoung with [Predictive Plagiarism].

But it seemed the person herself thought differently.

"In the end it turned into this, so it’s nothing to brag about."

I understood what Han Sooyoung meant.

There are almost no writers who are satisfied with the 'story' they wrote. But most stories get completed however they please, and the writer has to accept that.

Since the topic came up, I briefly told her about the scenarios I’d gone through as well.

Han Sooyoung nodded, or let out a light sigh, and listened to my story to the end.

"That’s incredible. In the 41st round, even surviving itself would’ve been hard. Yoo Joonghyuk there is way weaker than the one here, right?"

"No. Yoo Joonghyuk in the 41st round is pretty strong too."

"Oh? Are you covering for your Yoo Joonghyuk because he’s Yoo Joonghyuk?"

For the first time in a while, I thought about Yoo Joonghyuk of the 41st round.

I wonder if that bastard’s doing well.

Since we parted when the apocalypse region closed, he would’ve returned to Earth by now.

At first, I was even scared to meet his eyes, but now I was worrying about how he was doing. Was that, in its own way, a huge improvement?

"But what do you mean I might not be able to complete beginning, development, turn, and conclusion?"

"Did you listen to my story for nothing until now?"

"…Pardon?"

"Do you think I’d have babbled about the fables I’ve built up so far because I was bored?"

Han Sooyoung let out a deep sigh and shook her head.

"Even your journey is a nonstop series of insane hardships by normal standards. Considering the volume of adventures you’ve gone through, it wouldn’t be strange at all if you’d obtained a 'Giant Fable' multiple times already."

I reflected on what I’d been through. Now that I thought about it, there were quite a few events that could probably be called 'big events'.

"But I’ve only participated in the 'Giant Fable Scenario' once."

"You can obtain a giant fable without entering a 'Giant Fable Scenario'. And even if it isn’t a giant fable, you can still complete the 'beginning'."

She was right. Even Kim Dokja in the main story had once filled part of beginning, development, turn, and conclusion with a 'myth-grade fable'.

"I do have one myth-grade fable."

I hunted the Otherworldly Divinity called the 'Founder of the Absolute Throne' and obtained 「Successor of the Eternal Name」.

But even that fable wasn’t myth-grade from the start, and after that I had never obtained another myth-grade fable.

Still, there were a few events where I’d expected I might obtain a fable on that level.

For example, when I defeated the constellations of the Great Nebulae in Ginnungagap together with the 'Demon King of Salvation'.

When I faced the constellations of the Great Nebulae at the Recycling Center and called forth the 'The Nameless Mist'.

When I met the <Kim Dokja Company> that came from another world line, or when I met the absolute being 'Jaehwan' who came from outside <Star Stream>.

Events even Kim Dokja in the main story had never experienced.

But even while going through all of those events, a 'Giant Fable' didn’t sprout.

"Your first 'Giant Fable' was born too late."

I obtained my first 'Giant Fable' only after entering the apocalypse region.

"Is it because I entered the 'Giant Fable Scenario' late?"

"No. Your 'Giant Fable' wasn’t something you got by clearing a place called the apocalypse region. That was just the trigger."

"Then……"

"There’s a high chance it had been getting completed from before that."

Before that, then since when?

"Maybe from the moment you first 'possessed' that body."

From the point when I possessed Cheon Inho’s body?

It wasn’t a ridiculous idea.

Just like Jang Hayoung of the Demon World, in <Star Stream>, 'possession' was used as material for scenarios or fables.

Then was <Star Stream> viewing everything from the moment I possessed Cheon Inho up until now as a single 'Giant Fable'?

Then, something suddenly came to mind.

"I received a strange message related to my 'Giant Fable' once."

Right after I cleared the apocalypse region, I definitely received a message like that.

"It said my fable held the possibility of a 'Super Giant Fable'."

"A super giant fable?"

"Have you ever heard of it?"

Han Sooyoung shook her head.

That made sense. The concept of a 'super giant fable' didn’t appear in Ways of Survival, and it didn’t appear in Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint either.

"You know what a 'Giant Fable' is, right?"

"Isn’t it a term referring to a fable that contains a unique worldview?"

"Right. Then what would a 'Super Giant Fable' be?"

"Does it mean it contains an even bigger worldview?"

"Well. Is the size of the worldview really the issue?"

"…Pardon?"

"Giant fables also have quite a few categories inside them. I don’t think something would stop being a giant fable concept just because its worldview is bigger than other giant fables, you know."

Han Sooyoung was right. Just because a 'worldview' was bigger didn’t mean it would get called a 'Super Giant Fable'.

In fact, it was hard to say my 'Giant Fable' was larger in scale than Kim Dokja’s 「Sacred Flame That Swallowed a Myth」 or 「Season of Light and Darkness」, too.

"This is what I think. A 'Super Giant Fable' might be a concept meant to write a story with a different nature from a 'Giant Fable'."

"A story with a different nature?"

"Like."

Han Sooyoung, wearing a blank expression, went silent for a moment as if she were thinking about something. Maybe she was using [Predictive Plagiarism] or something.

"A story that can only begin after a single story ends."

I parted my lips for a moment. Han Sooyoung added, looking awkward.

"I’m just saying, for example. It’s just an expression that popped into my head, so don’t mind it."

"Why did something like this happen to me?"

"I don’t know that either. Maybe <Star Stream> decided your story isn’t suitable to be written in the form of beginning, development, turn, and conclusion."

Han Sooyoung twitched her lips slightly and added,

"Well, you’ll find out sooner or later. Either way, once that 'Giant Fable' is completed, you’ll find your own ■■ too."

"I don’t even really know what kind of fable I’m making."

"Not knowing what kind of story the story you’re writing will become is the same for {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} any writer."

"……"

"No matter how plausible a blueprint is prepared, the story doesn’t always flow exactly the way you want."

Han Sooyoung took another cigarette out of her pocket, lit it, and said.

"And your fable, I didn’t think it was bad."

"……"

"It’s confused, dizzy, and messy, but……"

Through the lightly drifting smoke, Han Sooyoung’s two eyes were looking at me.

"I could strongly feel the urge to tell that story to someone."

"……"

"Who are you trying to see the end of the world for? If you know that, you might be able to guess, at least a little, the name that’ll be attached to your 'Giant Fable'."

Who am I continuing this story for?

The first faces that came to mind were the other 'Kim Dokjas'. Uncle Dansoo, the Killer King, Ye Hyeonwoo, Gyeong Sein, Ms. Yerin, and the other readers.

To send them back to their original world, I had continued this story. I definitely had.

"I don’t know."

"You don’t know?"

"At first, I thought I knew, but now I don’t really know. There are too many people who got hurt because of the fables I made."

Sometimes I thought about it.

What if the person who went through all these fables wasn’t me? If it were Kim Dokja of 51%, wouldn’t he be able to carry this story much better than I could?

Then Han Sooyoung said.

"Of course not everyone is going to like your fable. It’s a cliché, but you can’t write a story everyone loves. Some stories make enemies just by being written, and they earn hatred too."

I thought about the other readers I’d met while going through fables. I thought about the Misreader Alliance, Gu Seonah, and the 'Kim Dokja of the snowfield' who had glared at me.

"But there will also be people who support your fable. There are definitely people who believe in the story you’ve built up, and who want to complete that end together with you."

Along with those words, the lonely face of Yoo Joonghyuk of the 41st round came to mind.

"So you write it to the very end. If even one person likes your story, then not giving that up to the end is what makes a writer."

The side of her face as she said that was dazzling.

If I finish this story someday, will I be able to make the same expression as her?

I don’t know right now. The sentence I could write right now was, at most, a single line to tease Han Sooyoung.

"So that’s why you wrote Ways of Survival for Kim Dokja for ten years."

Han Sooyoung, crumpling her expression miserably, dropped her cigarette as she said.

"I told you I’m not writing that crap. The author of Ways of Survival is an 'enormous baby'."

I replied with a bitter smile.

"Are you still saying that? You’re the one who ends up writing Ways of Survival. And the 'Oldest Dream' who read that story and made it reality is……"

"Kim Dokja. Right?"

I gaped, shocked.

"You knew?"

"I suspected it might be. Ever since you kept going on about tls123."

"Then you know everything now."

Han Sooyoung nodded.

"But don’t you think something’s strange? What on earth is Kim Dokja that he became something that great? Why, why was it only Kim Dokja in this universe who was chosen as the 'Oldest Dream'?"

"That’s……"

"Why was it only Kim Dokja’s imagination, among so many people, that gave birth to <Star Stream>?"

It was a question I couldn’t know the answer to.

Why did only Kim Dokja’s imagination have that kind of power?

Looking into her eyes where faint starlight had gathered, I suddenly thought that maybe she had already used [Predictive Plagiarism] once.

"This is what I think."

And so, maybe she had found the clue to how all of this story began—

"Somewhere in this universe, there definitely is an 'enormous baby'."

*

From that day on, every day I learned and practiced various techniques from Han Sooyoung.

From one to ten, she told me everything I asked in detail. The way to communicate with fables, the way to train skills, and even the way to deal with scenarios.

In a short amount of time, I learned a lot from her. Honestly, if I could, I felt like I wanted to bow in the old way and offer her formal respect.

「And 20 days passed.」

And so, 20 days.

The day of the duel dawned.