Ch.29Chapter 29 – The Protagonist and the Final Boss (2)

If my suspicions are correct, and if Seol-hwa’s body is possessed by an Outer God, then everything makes sense.

‘Seol-hwa always loved solving puzzles like this.’

She was such a fan of literary theory that one of her favorite concepts was “Chekhov’s Gun.” To summarize, it means that every plot element introduced in a story must be used.

The moment unnecessary plot elements or materials are inserted, they become a waste of narrative and create meaningless parts in the story.

‘This is especially critical in web novels where the continuation rate is crucial.’

With published books or movies, people tend to finish them since they’ve already paid for them. Unless the work is truly terrible, few people abandon it halfway.

However,

Web novels are a field where you fight within a limited word count.

‘There was no need to mention someone or the original story. Why did she leave such a message on my body?’

I racked my brain trying to find the hidden meaning in Seol-hwa’s message. If she had been completely consumed by the Outer God, she wouldn’t have left such traces for me.

The reason I thought this way was partly because I had such a strong aversion to gods.

If there were gods, I believed they wouldn’t have plunged me into misery.

At least I’d lived thinking they wouldn’t take Seol-hwa away from me.

‘…My problem is that I’m too negative.’

I ran my hand through my hair. She used to say I had a rebellious streak.

Even when I seemed to go with the mainstream, she said my writing would eventually break down as I searched for my own color.

“Excuse me, what exactly do you mean by ‘the original story’?”

Verdandi, who had used the Holy Sword to remove the Outer God’s influence, was smiling proudly, feeling she had done her first proper job as a Hero.

Azazel had collapsed from exhaustion after being influenced by Shub-Niggurath and was now sleeping. I was carrying her on my back as we descended the mountain.

“It’s the predetermined future this world was supposed to follow.”

I readily told Verdandi the truth in response to her question. They must have questions about who I really am.

“I actually possess abilities similar to a prophet.”

Misunderstandings and distrust that arise from a lack of proper communication pile up like sediment, eventually destroying relationships.

I regretted that if I had known about Seol-hwa’s anxiety earlier, I might have been able to prevent her suicide.

“Is that why you suddenly wanted to take on disciples? I thought your behavior was suspicious, unlike your usual self.”

“Yes, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

Bi-wol spoke as if she had known all along. She must have felt something was off when I headed west.

My usual lifestyle was to run a small martial arts sect and keep a low profile.

Bi-wol had observed this closest. She was like a daughter to me, a self-proclaimed favorite disciple who lived by the teachings I had imparted.

“I glimpsed a future where the Heavenly Demon stains the sky with blood, the Hero kills all life in the world, and the Saintess summons an Outer God.”

I didn’t want to lie to Bi-wol anymore. She needed to know something about her fate now.

“That’s why I wanted to take you all as my disciples. I couldn’t turn a blind eye knowing innocent children would go down the wrong path.”

I spoke with an expression of mixed emotions that I couldn’t hide.

Fortunately, Azazel was asleep. Her hope that she still had a connection with Kang Si-woo would have been shattered.

“So that’s why you said those things before.”

Bi-wol nodded slowly with a gentle smile. She didn’t seem shocked by the truth.

Rather, it was as if she had known all along and had been pretending not to notice for my sake.

“I had some suspicions when fighting my Inner Demon. It told me that my fate, written in the stars, was to kill you.”

“……”

Bi-wol told me about the vision shown by the Star of Heavenly Murder. It was a future where I died with my neck cut by her, the Heavenly Demon, just like in the original “Diamond Fist King.”

I swallowed hard. A cold sensation like a blade at my throat made goosebumps rise all over my body.

“He’s not lying! Master!”

Verdandi seemed to have been judging the truth of our conversation. She meant that Bi-wol wasn’t making things up to get my attention.

“Yes, if the future truly is like that… why would the person I know leave such a memo?”

I tried to understand Seol-hwa’s intentions.

Since she was a co-creator of this world, she would have anticipated how I might act if she knew I was here.

– Do-hyeon, what do you think a human anthem is?

If so, there was only one reason she would send such a message.

– No matter how extreme the situation, it’s about not losing your humanity. That’s why we gave Azazel a kind Outer God named Morgidian.

That was Seol-hwa, who devoted herself to rehabilitation therapy with a smile even as her body gradually stiffened. She was the one who said she would somehow endure with optimistic stories that hope would come someday.

‘Is she telling me what Shub-Niggurath wants?’

Seol-hwa once told me that the perspectives of authors and readers are different.

Readers don’t really care if the author is sick, has personal issues, or is experiencing writer’s block.

An author provides a service of quality writing to readers. The difference between professionals and amateurs is delivering serialized content no matter what happens.

‘What the Outer God couldn’t see was the ending of this world…’

Why, when reading web novels, might one want to know the original ending of a discontinued work?

‘I had such thoughts when I was a reader too.’

Like puzzle pieces fitting together, I began to see what I hadn’t seen before. Seol-hwa had no reason to hide her identity and mention the original story.

From the beginning, Seol-hwa had twisted the dark story from our middle school notebooks as much as possible.

The protagonist and final boss of this novel were both painful creations of hers and mine,

And her belief and motivation for writing was that everyone—whether reader, writer, or character—should be happy.

She wouldn’t show such a contradictory attitude.

‘A reader might not want the final boss to suddenly become good and live peacefully.’

I rested my chin on my hand, organizing my thoughts.

After all, having the final boss—built up through the title, material, and plot hooks—suddenly become good and do nothing would be no different from drifting (completely ruining the flow of the story) from a reader’s perspective.

It would be equivalent to tagging both pure romance and harem, or ending a story with a meteor collision.

“Verdandi, do you think evil people can’t change?”

“If you had asked me before, I would certainly have thought so!”

I asked Verdandi, whom I considered the most righteous person I knew, for her opinion. My own thinking might be wrong.

The Outer God, as a reader, doesn’t know about the unfortunate pasts or settings of the final bosses. I discontinued the serialization before revealing that in the story.

Some authors might provide short explanations to reveal the settings and backstory in such situations.

‘My novel was the last means to remember Seol-hwa.’

Just as a person’s life cannot be summarized in a short phrase, I simply wanted to end the story that she and I created properly.

Besides, authors must prove themselves through writing rather than words. No matter how awesome the setting and twist, they mean nothing if they don’t blend into the work.

“Then, if there’s someone who misunderstands you as evil, and that person is burning with a sense of justice, what do you think they would do?”

“They would try to kill me by any means necessary! Just as I would have done!”

Verdandi spoke brightly, but her face looked dark and gloomy—the opposite of her tone. She was afraid, not knowing what future I foresaw.

“Such people will appear at the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament. Heroes who were destined to kill you all.”

Since Seol-hwa would know about an event where the final bosses and protagonists gather, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t show up.

My hand naturally clenched into a fist, with veins protruding on the back of my hand.

“How can you call such villains heroes? They threaten the most precious person under heaven.”

“……”

Bi-wol showed a cold smile as if she was displeased.

The person who was supposed to fight her, the Heavenly Demon, was Kim Hyul, known as the “Diamond Fist King” for having an indestructible body that no blade or weapon could harm.

“That’s right! Nothing can kill a Hero anyway! Heroes always triumph over evil!”

The person who would fight Verdandi, who wielded the Holy Sword, was Sieg-hardt, the next designated Hero.

And the person who would fight Azazel, sleeping on my back, was Kang Si-woo, who had abandoned her and chosen her twin sister.

“Yes, then I’ll believe in that.”

Honestly, even I couldn’t judge who would win in this situation.

“Until the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament, I’ll help you compensate for your weaknesses as much as possible.”

There was still hope.

Hope that we could defeat the entity that had taken over Seol-hwa’s body and was trying to shake up my novel while claiming to be an avid reader.

* * *

Around the time Bing-yeon was returning to his sect to prepare for the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament, Seol-hwa began speaking to a certain man.

“…So, there’s a huge error in this world. If left alone, this world itself could be destroyed.”

“What is it?”

“The fact is, a man named Bing-yeon shouldn’t exist. His very existence is like a seed that will destroy this world.”

Bing-seol-hwa spoke slowly while sipping her tea. Her expression remained unchanged even as she talked about Bing-yeon.

“The North Sea Ice Palace’s successor, worth millions, was abandoned at the Five Poisons Sect, and someone who should have died decades ago from the Star of Heavenly Murder is still alive…”

“…Now that you mention it, it doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying! As an ‘avid reader,’ this is uncomfortable to see! Don’t you think someone needs to fix this? Obviously, he must be killed…”

At that moment, something felt off about one of Seol-hwa’s eyes. A warm, moist sensation dripping down.

“Huh…? Why am I doing this?”

Tears were flowing from one of Seol-hwa’s eyes. Her voice changed too, showing emotional turmoil.

“Why are you suddenly crying?”

Kim Hyul, the Diamond Fist King, sighed deeply and turned his head. This woman, Bing-seol-hwa, often behaved erratically like this.

“N-no, it’s just some dust in my eye…!”

“Aren’t you being too lukewarm toward the enemy?”

It was as if she had two souls in one body. With his innate sense, he could notice that mysterious gap.

“It’ll be fine after some time. Haha…!”

“Whatever. I’ll confirm with my own fists whether this Heavenly Demon is truly someone who deserves to die.”

Kim Hyul was one of the people who didn’t easily believe Seol-hwa’s words, and he left to train in preparation for fighting Bi-wol.