[An “entry keyword” is set on this room.]

At the unexpected message, I frowned. I wondered if I couldn’t enter here either, but fortunately, there was a hint.

[Would you like to check the keyword “hint”?]

When I nodded, the hint immediately floated up.

[Answer the true name of the recorder who created the great “Record Archive.”]

The owner of the great Record Archive.

It was an unbelievable coincidence.

【King Wei Long.】

The moment I answered, a strange tension rose.

Considering the room’s entry condition, there was a high chance there would be information here that was even more usable than I expected.

Because it meant the “recorders” inside this room were, at minimum, “those {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} who know the true name of the Heavenly Flying Fox.”

[In this “Room of Narrative,” the use of “skills,” “stigmas,” and “tales” for the purpose of harming the other party is restricted.]

A warning message floated up in front of my eyes after that. Restricting [Skills], [Stigmas], and [Tales] that harm each other meant that disputes between recorders were forbidden in here.

For me, it wasn’t a restriction that particularly put me at a disadvantage.

[Entering the “Room of Narrative.”]

When I blinked, sentences floated up over a pure white background.

「A recorder is, in other words, an existence that shows its butt to other people.」

A sentence written in one flowing stroke.

The moment I read the grade embedded in the sentence, I realized. This was something the Heavenly Flying Fox left behind.

「Therefore, there are two ways to become an outstanding recorder. Either make a pretty butt that’s fine to show to anyone, or make it so your butt doesn’t look like a butt.」

It was a bizarre theory of writing. If Big Bro Fortuitous were beside me, they would have nodded along as well.

As expected, the recorder who wrote 『The Strongest 100』 was different.

The background brightened. In the white room, chairs were lined up around a long table that occupied the center.

Each chair had a different shape. Some looked like chairs executives at a company would sit in, while others looked like convenience store chairs. There were also ones that were closer to benches than chairs.

I recalled the tale related to those chairs.

「Seoul 7 Kings Conference」.

When the “Seoul 7 Kings” were decided in Ways of Survival, each king sat on those chairs and discussed Seoul’s future.

In other words, the Heavenly Flying Fox created this place with that “kings’ conference” as its motif.

If this counted as an homage, then it was an homage in its own way.

As expected, three dolls (human figures) were sitting in the room.

【Then we’ll begin the exchange…… huh?】

The first to react was a recorder wearing a yellow mask. They were wearing a peculiar mask—more precisely, rather than wearing a mask, their entire face looked like a single symbol.

That was…… a “scale,” was it?

【A newcomer, for once.】

The next to speak in a soft voice was the orange mask. It looked like a mask shaped like a mountain. Something like clouds drifted above the mountain, and interestingly, the rays of light flowing out of the clouds looked like they were tightening around the mountain.

【…….】

Last, the owner of the red mask looked at me. That mask had the shape of an entire head resembling a spherical monitor. A mask like a red-glowing screen—somehow, that ominous light made my spine go cold.

Receiving the three dolls’ pouring gazes, I calmly examined the three again.

Yellow scale.
Orange mountain.
Red monitor.

Just from the pressure I could clearly feel, I could tell they were recorders of a different grade from “Unchanging One.”

Their mask colors were yellow, orange, and red respectively. In other words, they were recorders in the top three ranks of the seven-tier “red-orange-yellow-green-blue-indigo-violet.”

In particular, the grade of the orange mountain and the red monitor felt no joke even at a glance.

Of course, it wasn’t the same level of pressure as when I faced the Heavenly Flying Fox, 40th-round Cheon Inho, or Asmodeus, but…….

【A white mask?】
【Was there a mask color like that?】

While the scale and the mountain muttered, I walked over casually and sat down in a chair.

The chair I chose was a transparent-colored chair. A “transparent chair” so transparent you couldn’t even tell whether you were sitting or not.

When I picked that chair, the red monitor opened their mouth as if interested.

【How did you enter this room?】

A true-word tone like a broken television.

I answered calmly.

【I got the answer to the question right.】

【Who told you that answer?】

It seemed the Heavenly Flying Fox’s true name was a piece of information that was kept fairly hush-hush among recorders.

I shrugged and said,

【Isn’t this a place to trade information? If you want to find something out from me, you’ll have to pay the corresponding price.】

At my reply, the yellow scale looked surprised, and the orange mountain looked interested.

The red monitor replied in a cold voice.

【I have no intention of exchanging with someone whose identity I don’t even know.】

【Not knowing each other’s identity is the same for all of us, isn’t it? Looking at how everyone’s wearing masks, it doesn’t seem like you gathered to talk about what’s deep inside, either.】

At my answer, the three recorders all flinched at the same time.

Watching the reactions of the three, I added with a small smile.

【I’ll answer the first question for free, specially. As for how I came to know the Heavenly Flying Fox’s true name—】

If I wasn’t going to fight right away here, there was no need to stoke excessive hostility until I got the information I wanted.

So I could answer this much honestly, with broad magnanimity.

【I just already knew it.】

[Someone is activating ‘Lie Detection’!]

It seemed that since [Lie Detection] wasn’t a skill that caused direct harm, it could be used here, too.

[‘Lie Detection’ has confirmed that your words are true.]

At the confirmation message of [Lie Detection], the three recorders each showed a different reaction.

The yellow scale, shrinking their shoulders like they were surprised again. The orange mountain, crossing their arms as if even more interested.

And.

【You “just already” knew the true name of the owner of the Record Archive? You’re telling me to believe that right now?】

A spark crackled across the screen of the red monitor.

The orange mountain quickly cut in.

【Stop it, Recluse. Since they answered the room’s question and entered, we have no right to sanction them.】

Recluse. Was that the red monitor’s nickname?

The orange mountain then turned to me and said,

【And white fox, you also came here to get information, right. We had no intention of hazing you. Instead, I apologize.】

Hadn’t they said a recorder’s true-word tone was influenced by the tales they recorded?

The true-word tone of the orange mountain had a strangely gentle part to it, and the rhythm I felt in that gentleness brought some kind of longing to mind.

【A newcomer came, so let’s introduce ourselves for once. White fox, you have at least a nickname too, right?】

Nickname?

Before I could even ask, the yellow scale, who had their shoulders hunched tight, opened their mouth.

【Please call me “Morality.”】

The yellow scale with that strangely unpleasant low posture—“Morality.”

Hearing their true-word, I thought for a moment.

Unlike “Unchanging One,” the three recorders in front of me were existences of a somewhat higher tier. If so, just like the Heavenly Flying Fox or Asmodeus, they might also be one of the characters from Ways of Survival.

Next, the one to reveal a nickname was the “orange mountain.”

【Please call me “Cloud Mountain.”】

The orange mountain with a clear, gentle true-word—“Cloud Mountain.”

It was an intuitive nickname that suited the mask well.

I tried recalling figures related to “mountains” or “clouds,” but there were too many such people in Ways of Survival, so it was hard to infer their identity.

【“Recluse.”】

Lastly, the red monitor—“Recluse.”

When I heard the keyword “Recluse,” one person did come to mind for a moment. But I didn’t have room to think about it deeply. Because now it was my turn to answer.

【A nickname, huh. I can just make up anything, right?】

I thought maybe something like “Friend of the Kid Who Eats Dirt” or “Disciple of the Transcendentally Pretty Girl Writer” would do, when Recluse crackled sparks and said,

【What nonsense is that? Did you not read the entry statement on the way in?】

【Entry statement?】

【In here, you have to make a nickname that’s related, even a little, to your “tales.”】

The moment I heard Cloud Mountain’s addition, something clicked.

「Either make a pretty butt that’s fine to show to anyone, or make it so your butt doesn’t look like a butt.」

I see. That was what the entry statement meant?

In other words, the “nickname” here was a kind of game the Heavenly Flying Fox created. Exposing an important clue about yourself, and guessing other people’s identities—a “game.”

So I had to choose a nickname that was related to me, and yet would never let my identity be found out.

【My nickname is…….】

If I thought about it, there was one nickname suitable at this point.

【“Kim Dokja.”】

Eight years since the apocalypse region’s destruction.

Even eight years ago, stories about “Kim Dokja fragments” had been spreading by word of mouth, and thinking back on my conversations with Jo Jincheol and Reinheit, it felt like the name “Kim Dokja” had become fairly common by now.

「“You, do you maybe think you’ve become ‘Kim Dokja’ or something?”」

It meant there was a high chance that, while I was gone, there were also figures who had been pretending to be “Kim Dokja” again.

In that sense, the name “Kim Dokja” was the best “butt” that could reveal my identity while perfectly hiding it at the same time.

【Kuh……?】

Maybe startled by my butt, someone let out a groan.

【What did you just say?】

【“Kim Dokja.”】

In truth, I didn’t choose the nickname “Kim Dokja” simply to hide my identity.

「Kim Dokja is the true name of the ‘Oldest Dream.’」

According to the settings of Ways of Survival, every high-ranked existence’s “true name” in <Star Stream> had restrictions placed on it.

In particular, low-ranked beings sometimes took a big hit just from mentioning the true name of a high-ranked existence, and it was probably in that same context that “Unchanging One” had fainted after learning the true name of the Heavenly Flying Fox.

But for some reason, only “Kim Dokja” never caused the speaker to take damage even if they spoke the name.

If you thought about it in common sense, since there was no constellation of higher rank than the “Oldest Dream,” an existence that spoke that name should have taken a blow close to extinction. But nothing like that had ever happened even once.

Because of that, I formed two hypotheses.

First, that the existence the name “Kim Dokja” referred to was not “one single person.”

Second, that the tales surrounding “Kim Dokja” and the “Oldest Dream” were so distant that no one could understand them correctly.

But that was the case for ordinary incarnations or constellations who didn’t know much. What about recorders?

High-ranked recorders like the Heavenly Flying Fox or Asmodeus could say the name “Kim Dokja” without hesitation, but what about other recorders?

【How dare you.】

With sparks flowing through the empty air, Recluse slammed the table down in a fit. A blood-red aura was swirling across their monitor.

They looked like they were about to attack me right away.

Of course, since I wouldn’t be attacked under the room’s rules, I watched Recluse for a moment, then looked at the other recorders.

Morality looked blank, as if they’d gone through something somewhat unsettling, and it was hard to observe any reaction from Cloud Mountain.

Cloud Mountain opened their mouth.

【Recluse. Calm down. It’s just a nickname.】

【…….】

【You’re an interesting person. You’re really going to use “that name” as your nickname?】

【Yes. Is there some reason I can’t?】

【There’s no reason you can’t.】

Unlike Morality and Recluse, who showed a strange aversion to the nickname Kim Dokja, Cloud Mountain seemed to show even more interest in me after hearing my nickname.

【Then now that everyone’s introductions are done, shall we reveal the keyword of the information each of us brought?】

【How about we start with the newcomer. Since we’re only saying the keyword, the order isn’t important anyway.】

At Morality’s words, the three recorders looked at me at the same time.

They said that, but it meant that if they listened to my keyword and thought it would be a loss for them, they wouldn’t respond to the exchange.

When I didn’t readily open my mouth, Cloud Mountain cut in.

【If it’s uncomfortable, I can speak first. Showing an example would be good too.】

【Would you do that for us?】

For me, it was something to be grateful for.

There was plenty of information I could use as bargaining stock, but before that, I needed to gauge how much information these ones knew, and what kinds of information they wanted.

【The information I brought is…….】

In that moment, Cloud Mountain’s mask felt like it was smiling.

【It’s about the Heaven-Breaking Sword Saint’s disciple—“Radiant Sword Emperor.”】