The possibility of a nebula.
I read the message over and over again.
My heart was beating deeply. Even though there is no incarnation that has become a constellation yet, there is a 'possibility of a nebula'.
Perhaps this is also the influence of the newly developed story?
The voices of the group rejoicing were heard from afar.
"They say a new story is sprouting?"
"This can't be—"
"It was worth including a panda every time I repaired a story fragment."
"Is it really because of that?"
This is a story that neither I nor Han Sooyoung can write.
It was a story that was not found in 'Ways of Survival' or 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' and could only be created by those who read it.
The story was now slowly sprouting before our eyes.
「 People who wanted to see the story of a very 'big house'. 」
I felt certain that it was fate.
Someday I will transcribe their stories. The emotions and scenery of this moment will be sketched out in crude sentences.
I held on to 'Unbreakable Faith'.
"Yoo Jonghyuk, please protect the brick house."
For the story that will be written someday, I must hold the sword now.
We must protect this moment.
As I slowly blinked, the sound disappeared from my ears. Instead, all I could hear was the sound of stories talking.
[Exclusive attribute effect activates!]
Some stories were familiar and some were unfamiliar. There were disturbing stories, and there were also sad stories.
「 I hate pandas 」
「 I want to be like a panda too 」
「 All you have to do is defeat the southern guys and steal their stories. 」
「 Actually, I don't want to do that. 」
And there was a story floating around about bears.
A story that incites the bears' desires.
[Story fragment 'Fanning' continues its storytelling.]
「 Fanning. 」
It was the identity of the story fragment that moved the bear beastmen.
Someone must have used this story fragment to fuel the bears' desire and lead them here.
I looked closely at the way the fragments of the story had been spread.
While the constellation 'A bear that saves Ones life if Onepretends to be dead' and other bear beastmen are all affected by this 'story fragment'—
「 There was one bear that was unaffected by this 'story fragment'. 」
The moment our eyes met, he turned his back to me and started running away.
[The item 'Sylphid's Leap Boots' activates!]
[The item's performance is halved due to the scenario effect.]
It doesn't matter if it's halved.
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' opens its eyes!]
[The constellation 'Reclining Dragon' admires your judgment!]
Fortunately, he wasn't that fast.
Dead end street.
Without hesitation, I swung my 'Unbreakable Faith' at him. With a popping sound, the bear's appearance changed.
There was a 'rat' the size of a small child.
[The constellation 'Nail-Eating Rat' is looking at you!]
「 The zodiac. 」
It was definitely true.
He is a 'rat', one of the Chinese zodiac animals, belonging to the 'characters'.
I tensed and held the hilt of the sword tightly.
If that is really the
The 'bear that will come back to life if you pretend to be dead' that was talking in the vacant lot was also a constellation, but it was not of the level of a proper great-grade.
But the
A proper 'great-grade constellation'.
It was a difficult opponent for me now. All kinds of thoughts flowed quickly through my head.
I expected that the
Should I run away?
Or should I give it my all and give it a shot before it shows its true power?
What if we use stories?
What if we use Kim Dokja's story from 「Heir of the Eternal Name」?
Or-
[Now, wait a minute—]
Unexpectedly, it was the rat who spoke first.
[Don't hurt me! I didn't come to fight!]
"What?"
Something was strange.
The use of mantras and indirect messages, as well as the sensations felt, were clearly from a constellation. But the constellation barely has this level of status?
[I was just watching! I'm curious about what kind of guys you are—]
If you think about it, it was strange that a proper constellation appeared with its incarnation in tow, but there was no repercussions.
This is the eighth scenario area. If a 'great-grade constellation' had unleashed its true power, the scenario should have exploded a long time ago.
However, there were no signs of a probability aftermath in the surrounding area.
"Don't lie."
[It-it's true!]
After buying some time by saying something, I observed the guy.
The incarnation of the 'Nail-Eating Rat' is a small, small rat.
No matter how much I tried to sharpen my senses, I could barely feel any fighting power. At this level, it was safe to say that it was almost below a symbolic body.
What is his purpose? Why on earth did he appear here in such an incarnation?
I narrowed my eyes.
The scream of a brown bear was heard behind me.
Finally, the group began to herd the bears. I said, looking back at the bodies of the dead bears.
"That's what you guys did. You used story fragments to control the bears. Are you going to act like a fool?"
[Well, that might be so! But I didn't order it! I swear!]
[The constellation 'Nail-Eating Rat' shouts that it is real!]
A strangely fearful 'Nail-Eating Rat'.
I glared at that guy and said.
"You didn't do it?"
The 'Nail-Eating Rat' nodded enthusiastically.
"Then why were you here?"
[I told you earlier! I just want to see you in person—]
"Say it straight."
As I took a step closer and aimed with 'Unbreakable Faith', the 'Nail-Eating Rat' made a 'hissing' sound and quickly continued speaking.
[Yes, actually, I came to ask for an alliance. You guys are also going up to the next 'floor', right?]
"Alliance?"
The eyes of the 'Nail-Eating Rat' rolled to both sides.
[You guys are planning to fight against the Zodiac. Right?]
"You are also part of the Chinese zodiac."
[That's true, but I'm a little different. So, I…]
At that moment, I had a strange feeling.
Rat eating fingernails.
Come to think of it, this constellation was one of the constellations that had been watching us from the beginning.
A constellation that even appeared in my 'behind the scenes selection'.
In other words, this guy has been watching the story of me and my companions for a very long time.
That means.
"You-"
A puzzle that slowly comes together in my head.
There were several constellations that showed behavior patterns that were clearly different from 'Ways of Survival' or 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' that I had suspected from the beginning.
The 'Nail-Eating Rat' was one of them.
The 'Nail-Eating Rat' must have found some hope in my tone of voice and shook his head fervently.
[Yes, that's right. I am also like you. Me too.]
The guy with his eyes tightly closed seemed to have decided on something and started talking.
[I am a reader like you—]
"I found you, Kim Dokja."
A voice that flutters cold blood. Killer King was there, covered in bears' blood.
Killer King spoke while aiming a bow gun filled with black magic power.
"Get out of the way. I'll kill that rat."
[Heeeeeeeeek!]
The rat, startled, quickly hid behind me.
I continued speaking while stopping Killer King.
"Wait a minute, Killer King-ssi. This is—"
"The 'Nail-Eating Rat'. He is from the zodiac."
"I know that, but he—"
"Possessed people like us."
As if he already knew, Killer King did not withdraw his bowgun. An unusual anger was boiling all over his body.
"This guy is the 'Misreading Association'."
Misreading Association?
"Have you already forgotten what happened at the Edge of Darkness?"
I didn't forget. Of course I remembered it.
The place where I first met the Killer King siblings. There, I fought against the incarnations sent by the constellations of the Misreading Association.
The guy who sent those incarnations back then was also a 'rat'.
[Oh, no. I am not a tyrant! Really!]
"It's a lie. They know we can't use [Lie Detection] here, so they're deceiving us."
[Because it's not! It's really unfair!]
"I saw you exchanging indirect messages with the Misreading Association constellations in the past."
At Killer King's words, the 'Nail-Eating Rat' once again rolled its eyes.
[Oh, no. is it so. I did talk to them a bit! But really, I'm not from the Misreading Association!]
"Questions and answers are useless. Die."
[Eeeeeek!]
The moment I thought about whether I should stop Killer King, the white-faced 'Nail-Eating Rat' crouched down and shouted.
[Shit! It's ruined! The 'Misreading Association' you know is already ruined!]
For the first time, Killer King stopped moving.
"What does that mean?"
[After all, there is no such thing as the 'Misreading Association' that you know! So, stop targeting us!]
If you look at it that way, the constellations on the side of the 'Misreading Association' have not been visible at all recently.
Killer King, who had been staring at the guy for a while, slowly lowered his bowgun.
"Explain."
The very excited 'Nail-Eating Rat' started saying things like "This is why I didn't want to come" and then started crying and screaming.
[I feel really unfair. I didn't really do anything! I'm not the one who moved the beastmen! I, I just want to let you guys know, how much I—]
It was at that time that I heard a thump and a vibration echoing from somewhere.
[How much, how much, ah, ah, ugh—]
The 'Nail-Eating Rat' that was licking its lips suddenly started violently eating its own fingernails.
[Oh, it's coming. Come. He's coming. The guy is coming.]
What?
[Wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow.]
The 'Nail-Eating Rat''s eyes turned white and he soon collapsed.
Killer King checked the guy's pulse.
"He's not dead. But—"
"Something is strange."
The sound of weapons that filled the vacant lot until the end of the war could not be heard at all. The screams and shouts of the prisoners disappeared.
Killer King and I ran toward the clearing.
The prisoners waving their weapons at each other were still there.
They all had their weapons laid down on the floor, their heads buried in the ground, and their palms turned toward the sky.
As if they were worshiping their god.
Even the 'bear that saves One's life if One pretends to be dead' was lying quietly on the floor as if he were dead.
A disturbingly strange sight.
"Kim Dokja."
Killer King's voice trembled.
He was looking at the sky and pointed at something with his finger. A swirling portal was visible high in the sky.
The portal to the upper floor was open.
It was a portal that also appeared in 「The Three Little Pigs」. At that time, the symbolic body of the pig constellations came through that portal.
So what happened this time?
I heard someone approaching from behind.
[Student .]
Lycaon, who had always been in the lotus position while maintaining a small incarnation, returned to his original form.
[Run away right now.]
And then, from somewhere, I started hearing a story.
「 …"I won't eat you." 」
A voice from a very old story.
「 ...delicious. 」
I felt a chill as if someone had grabbed my heart.
So far I have met several constellations. I fought against an Outer God, and even saw 'Ares', a narrative-grade constellation.
So, deep down, I thought I wasn't afraid of things like the Chinese Zodiac.
However.
「 Give me a piece of rice cake. 」
The moment I saw the shadow of a huge constellation that seemed to be about a hundred meters tall, I cursed my poor imagination.
Above the distant shadow that covered the ground, glowing red eyes were looking down at us.
Is that really a
「 I won't eat you. 」
Its pattern burns like a flame.
A story heard occasionally and intermittently.
I thought I knew who this guy was.
A shadowy pressureslowly raised its head towards me.
Sparks exploded violently in the air, and cold sweat formed on the back of my neck. I felt like my heart was being squeezed and blood was flowing from my nose.
I knew it instinctively.
「 That is God. 」
There was a great-grade constellation that descended in a form close to its true body.
But how?
How was it possible for that constellation to descend to this place, where even the pig constellations had to come as symbols?
It was impossible without a probable cause.
「 Probability justification. 」
I raised my head, biting my lip. The guy's eyes were right in front of my nose.
"The Tiger Eating Rice Cake…"
Only then did I realize.
The reason he was able to come here.
"Do you want to take me to the 'Zodiac Ball'?"
It was because of me.