First-Person Protagonist's Point of View (5)
A writer.One of the very few professions in the entirety of Annihilation Method capable of acquiring the Avatar ability.
If this guy really was a writer, then at least some of the abnormal miracles he'd performed could be explained.
At my words, the First Apostle's lips twisted subtly.
"A writer… I see. You mean the creator of the 'Revelation,' don't you? Clever of you to figure it out. That's right. I'm the one who wrote that 'Revelation.'"
That wasn't what I meant by the question, but this bastard suddenly started spouting nonsense.
There was no way for me to verify whether what he said was true or not.
I briefly glanced toward Yoo Joong-hyuk, who was watching us.
[Activating exclusive skill, 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.'][Character 'Yoo Joong-hyuk' is currently using 'Lie Detection Lv.6.']
I knew it. Thorough to the end, that guy.
I asked again,
"You wrote the 'Revelation'?"
"That's right. And at the same time, I'm its sole owner."
Seeing his smug smile, a hollow laugh escaped me.
Really? Let's see about that.
[Character 'Yoo Joong-hyuk' activates 'Lie Detection Lv.6.'][Character 'Yoo Joong-hyuk' has confirmed that this statement is true.]
…What?
So he really does possess the text?
For a moment, panic struck, and my thought process tangled itself into knots.
No matter how I thought about it, it made no sense.
Suppressing my confusion, I asked again,
"What exactly is this 'Revelation' you're talking about?"
"You already know. Why ask? A grand epic containing the myths of the future."
[Character 'Yoo Joong-hyuk' has confirmed that this statement is partially true.]
…Strange. Only partially true?
"Now it's my turn to ask. How did you know about my plans and those of the
"You said you wrote the Revelation yourself. And yet you don't know?"
"An omniscient creator is boring, don't you think?"
He laughed it off like a relaxed villain, but thanks to that, I managed to regain my composure.
No matter how I looked at it, this guy wasn't the author of Annihilation Method.
If he truly were, there was no way he wouldn't recognize me—the one who'd been given the text directly.
"Still, this is interesting. I thought the woman in Seodaemun Prison would be the
"…Seodaemun Prison?"
"Heh, looks like you don't know yet. Let's make a deal. Reveal your identity, and I'll share some information with you."
"Not sure. I don't think you have any information I'd want."
"You seem awfully full of yourself just because you managed to suppress me for a moment, but this isn't even my real body. Just a bit of bad luck, that's all…"
"I know information about the future."
I deliberately cut him off.
If this were Yoo Joong-hyuk, he'd be weighing things carefully right about now. Time to start seasoning the bait.
"And far more of it than you do."
[Character 'Yoo Joong-hyuk' has confirmed that your statement is true.]
The First Apostle's expression stiffened.
"Bullshit. There's no way you know more of the story than I—"
In that instant, something flickered across his eyes.
"Wait… don't tell me?"
At the moment he realized something, I realized something too.
This bastard—could he be that guy?
Right now, there are five truths I know.
First, he has read Annihilation Method.Second, his profession is 'writer.'Third, he is not the writer who authored Annihilation Method.Fourth, he possesses a 'text' containing the future.Fifth, the contents of that text are only partially true.
All the events I experienced while reading the 3,149 chapters of Annihilation Method.
As far as I knew, Annihilation Method wasn't popular enough for illegal copies to exist. But if the guy in front of me was the one I suspected…
Then it would explain both why he had a text and why he knew so much about Annihilation Method.
I spoke casually, as if tossing the words at him.
"Does it feel good, living off someone else's work?"
"W-What?"
His eyes wavered.
No doubt about it. This guy was him.
"I didn't think you'd still be living like this. 'Revelation,' huh… Does it feel good? When I think about what happened to the real 'creator of Revelation' because of you, it makes my teeth grind."
"What are you—!"
"I knew something felt off. The information you use—it's always been kind of shallow."
His complexion grew paler by the second.
"You've sucked enough value out of other people's work by now, don't you think? Even with the world in this state, you're still pulling the same crap?"
"Yoo Joong-hyuk!"
His eyes darted desperately toward Yoo Joong-hyuk.
"Yoo Joong-hyuk! Cooperate with me!"
Oh, please.
"Like I said earlier, I know all the revelations. In this world, I'm the only one who can take you all the way to the end of this path!"
[Activating exclusive skill, 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' Stage 2!]
[Current fatigue is too high to activate 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' Stage 2.]
Damn it, now of all times?
"Think carefully! Scenario 46 can't be cleared alone. If you want to face Anna Croft or that Zarathustra guy, you absolutely have to join forces with me!"
Wait… that sounded familiar. This bastard is spouting the exact line I used before.
Yoo Joong-hyuk shook his head.
"I've never even heard of a 'revelation.'"
"It's similar to a prophecy! Look at my traits—you know what I mean? And, I'm the last, remember!"
[Character 'Yoo Joong-hyuk' uses 'Eye of the Sage Lv.8'!]
Not to be outdone, I activated my own skill.
[This character's information cannot be accessed through 'Character List.'][This character is not registered in the 'Character List.']
Damn it… as expected, it doesn't work.
Yoo Joong-hyuk looked at me, having confirmed something with [Eye of the Sage].
The severed head kept talking.
"Kill him! You know how dangerous he is. Not only has he impersonated you, but he's seriously damaged part of the future. If you leave him alone, a catastrophic butterfly effect will occur, and all your plans will be ruined!"
I couldn't help but feel a little incredulous.
Is this guy really suggesting we all die together?
"…That goes for you too, doesn't it?"
"I'm different! Yoo Joong-hyuk, join forces with me. Oaths, whatever you want—I'll agree! I will never betray you!"
Wow… that's some serious energy coming off him.
Watching the scene unfold, Yoo Joong-hyuk finally spoke.
"I see. So you want to join forces."
A murderous glint began to appear in Yoo Joong-hyuk's eyes. I couldn't read his thoughts, and it was driving me crazy. He drew his sword and slowly advanced toward me. The First Apostle, now brimming with confidence, shouted.
"Kill him! Kill him now!"
"One is the prophet, the other the revealer…"
"I said, kill him!"
Thunk! Yoo Joong-hyuk stomped hard on the First Apostle's noisy head.
"Ugh… what the—?"
"If you really know the future, I'll ask just one thing."
"What?"
Before I could react, a blade moved silently, resting against my throat.
The same single-strike I experienced as Yoo Joong-hyuk—the one I had faced before—was now aimed at me.
A sharp sting followed by a warm trickle ran down my neck.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
Startled, Jeong Hee-won ran toward me.
I raised a hand to stop her.
I felt the chill too, but there was no reason to provoke Yoo Joong-hyuk here.
Yoo Joong-hyuk spoke to the First Apostle.
"I'll ask. Should I kill this one, or should I not?"
"What?"
"If you truly received a revelation of the future, you should know my choice as well."
…Seriously, this guy has terrible taste.
Again with that nonsense?
The First Apostle's face twisted with anguish. He was probably going through the same dilemma I faced at the "Even-Leg Platform." Surprisingly, his answer came quickly.
"Of course, you'd kill him! If it's you, that's inevitable!"
His expression radiated absolute confidence.
A haughty expression that believed the Yoo Joong-hyuk he knew would definitely act that way.
"Kill him now! And…!"
Whoosh—the blade moved.
But the sound that followed wasn't the tearing of flesh.
Crack!
The First Apostle's head was ruthlessly stomped and crushed.
Being an Avatar, he wouldn't actually die—but that would have been a huge psychological blow.
Yoo Joong-hyuk's sword had already returned to its sheath.
"So much for all talk."
I was a little dumbfounded.
Yoo Joong-hyuk chose to save me?
I felt slightly unsettled.
I wasn't entirely sure either…
Yoo Joong-hyuk glared at me for a moment, then suddenly turned and started walking away.
"Hey! Where are you going?"
This guy, he's probably thinking to himself how cool he is.
…Honestly, he's a little cool.
"Wait! Are you going to leave Lee Ji-hye behind?"
"The future has changed, so the plan changes too."
"We might as well do it together, right? I can help."
At that, Yoo Joong-hyuk turned to look at me.
His gaze was terrifying; my heart jumped reflexively.
"I've repaid my debt. Not taking your flag is my last favor to you."
Him? But I couldn't just back down here.
"Anyway, you can't leave the station unless I expel you from the group. Want to face [punishment]?"
Yoo Joong-hyuk's hand slowly moved toward the hilt of his sword. I quickly added:
"I know your plan. You're going to head toward Jung-gu to participate in the flag capture, right? Your goal is to complete the [Black Flag] by following the 'King's Path.' I'll help you."
"Honestly, it might be faster to just take your flag now."
"Then let's see. Let's see whose is faster—your sword or my tongue."
It was a gamble. Yoo Joong-hyuk could stab me before [punishment] even takes effect.
"No need to go to Jung-gu. Let's go north. I'll help you take the 'Tyrant King's' territory and flag. You'll get the flag and eliminate a rival—two birds with one stone, right?"
"I can do it alone."
"Only 48 hours left until the fourth scenario ends. Can you control 20 stations and complete the [Black Flag] by then?"
Yoo Joong-hyuk's hand paused mid-motion toward the hilt.
Got him.
"Also… you must have a reason to go north. Could it be that in this run, you're abandoning your family?"
"…You."
"Calm down. I'm speaking in good faith. I really want to help."
Yoo Joong-hyuk's eyes, burning with rage, fixed on me for a moment.
How long that tense moment lasted, I couldn't tell. Then, the murderous intent vanished.
"There's no such thing as goodwill in this world. What's your condition?"
Of course. Our recurser moves fast.
I grinned and said,
"Simple. Just tell me one thing. That's my only condition."
"Speak."
"What's the trait name of the guy you just stepped on? One was probably 'The Last Resigned,' but what about the other one?"
After a moment, Yoo Joong-hyuk spoke.
About ten minutes later, I called Jeong Min-seop and Lee Seong-guk.
There was something specific I needed them to do.
But before I could speak, Jeong Min-seop asked first:
"So, what was that guy's identity, after all?"
I hesitated a moment before answering.
"Have you heard of the novel [SSSSS-Class Infinite Regressor]?"
"Oh, I've read that!"
Lee Seong-guk raised his hand.
"That's the novel that topped Textpia's Platinum ranking, right? I remember really enjoying it…"
"Oh, right. I just remembered it. How did it end again?"
Recalling old memories, the two of them started talking excitedly.
Of course. If they read Myeolsalbeop, they probably had a decent interest in web novels.
"It was a crazy mix of everything… but it was fun."
I had read that novel too. Back when I was deep into Myeolsalbeop, it appeared in the Today's Best section, so I clicked on it. Seeing the story and its setup, I was shocked.
A psychopathic regressor with infinite loops.
Support from transcendent constellations.
Streaming survival game system.
Absurd missions in a survival game.
All pretty common settings. But the problem was in the details of these familiar settings and how they were combined. I immediately left a comment:
"Isn't this plagiarized from Three Ways to Survive a Doomed World?"
I remember it clearly. Instead of criticism, I got flamed: "Where do you get off comparing it to that boring story? Chill, you picky reader."
I even sent a message to the author of SSSSS-Class Infinite Regressor.
I think the author said they were happy about the slight increase in views. Poor guy… I almost felt like crying thinking about it.
Lee Seong-guk asked:
"Why bring up that novel?"
"The First Apostle is the author of that novel, [SSSSS-Class Infinite Regressor]."
"What? That can't be true."
If the Myeolsalbeop author knew this, they'd be tearing their hair out.
Not only has the world been transformed into their story, but some plagiarist claims copyright over this world. And now they've even thrown in a ridiculous 'revelation' concept.
After a brief explanation, Jeong Min-seop understood and exclaimed incredulously:
"So, the novel was plagiarized?"
"Yes."
"Oh… now that I think about it, it does feel kinda similar… it's been so long I don't remember well. But why didn't I think of that novel first? It was way more famous."
"It's because of the Resigned perks. We only remember the parts we read. And that SS-whatever has so many similar stories that it's confusing."
"I see. Anyway, you're saying that guy is a plagiarist. So the text he has…"
I nodded.
"He probably has the manuscript of the story he plagiarized. Since he copied the original plot, he can roughly predict the future of this world by reading his own novel."
Not only did he succeed with a plagiarized work, but he's thriving in this altered world thanks to it. Justice needs to be served.
"So… does that mean it's impossible to beat him? If he copied the entire original story…"
"Not entirely. He only copied the beginning. That way, if a plagiarism controversy arises later, he can escape. So after some time, the information he knows will naturally run out."
"How do you know that?"
"I just do."
Of course.
After chapter 100 of Myeolsalbeop, I was the only reader.
"Excuse me, but how much of the original did you actually read…"
"More importantly, there's something you two need to do. Or rather, something we need to do together."
Hearing "need to do," the two of them stiffened.
"You mentioned before that the 'prophets' got played by the Tyrant King."
"Ah… even now, a few of them are probably having their info siphoned by him."
"Really? Well, that works out then."
"Yes?"
Only 48 hours remain until the scenario ends.
Defeating the Tyrant King by frontal assault alone is impossible.
"We'll disrupt their information."
If the Tyrant King is using the
"We'll scatter parts of the 'revelation.'"
"Eh? How…"
They didn't seem to understand yet, so I decided to explain kindly.
"From now on, we'll create and distribute the manuscript of [SSSSS-Class Infinite Regressor]."
When there are several annoying people, the best strategy is to make them fight each other.