Ch.72Chapter 72 – Trying to Rewrite This Novel’s Ending (3)

“Master…!!”

The first to notice the strange change that happened to Bing-yeon was his beloved disciple, Bi-wol.

According to the plan, after Bing-yeon rescued the girl named Bing-seol-hwa from Shub-Niggurath, she was supposed to immediately operate the device that would trigger an avalanche.

“This can’t be happening…”

“How could I not have foreseen this future…?”

Soon, the other disciples also noticed what had happened to Bing-yeon and couldn’t hide their shock. His figure had been swallowed in an instant by the maw of the Outer God and disappeared.

“It seems our plan has gone awry.”

“We should activate the avalanche device now. Bi-wol, why are you hesitating?”

Among them, Kim Hyul and Sieg-hardt assessed the situation coldly. Having faced Shub-Niggurath once before, they instinctively knew that he could no longer be saved.

“No, if we do that, we won’t be able to save Master…”

Bi-wol’s hand, gripping the end of the handle, couldn’t stop trembling. Rationally speaking, it would make sense to trigger the avalanche now to defeat the monster before them.

Her survival instinct was screaming at her to kill this enormous mass of flesh with goat legs and horns, disgusting mouths and tentacles, large enough to block the sun in the sky.

But…

“…I must save Master.”

Bi-wol rejected such rational judgment and acted emotionally. She let go of the device she had been holding and ran to rescue Bing-yeon.

Her body moved before her mind could decide.

“…!!!”

Seeing Bi-wol dash toward the massive Outer God without a moment’s hesitation, the other disciples could only follow her movements with their surprised eyes.

“A true hero protects the weak and saves those who are precious to them!”

“I should go rescue Brother too. I can’t just let her earn all the points by herself.”

Verdandi and Azazel looked at each other and nodded. As people who had received much kindness from Bing-yeon, they couldn’t just stand by and watch.

It didn’t matter if the opponent was an Outer God. Whether it was a deity from outer space or the creator of this world, right now it was a being that had swallowed their precious master in one gulp.

– Azazel, are you really going to fight Shub-Niggurath?

Morgidian whispered to her after seeing Verdandi and Azazel rush forward. Having noticed her true intentions, he wanted to stop her.

– This world you live in might be a lie. The man called Bing-yeon might be the one who made you all miserable.

Morgidian conveyed his words with a hint of concern, wriggling his black tentacles, but…

“Are such trivial facts important right now?”

Azazel smirked and didn’t stop her advance toward rescuing Bing-yeon. For her, her master had become someone irreplaceably precious.

“Even if Brother created this world and made me miserable, the feelings I have right now are not fake.”

She had been suspicious since the traces of the Outer God remained on her back. For an ordinary human, the difference in their levels was so great that not only would their body explode, but their very existence would be erased.

– Azazel…

“That’s all that matters, isn’t it? Besides, Brother still tried to save us despite all that. Like a saint taking on original sin in the Bible.”

In the past, she wouldn’t have thought this way. She had been enchanted by that strange man, Kang Si-woo, and had chosen the wrong way to love.

“That’s right! Even if Master were a demon lord, it’s a hero’s job to turn him good again!”

Verdandi, who had been secretly eavesdropping on Azazel’s conversation, chimed in. She had originally resented the world for giving her such an ability.

Eyes that showed truth and lies in people’s words without any filter, and whether a person was good or evil.

Some might call it a dogmatic and biased ability, but it was her master, Bing-yeon, who had corrected her perspective.

Through meeting him, Verdandi learned that good and evil in this world shouldn’t be judged hastily. By getting to know Bi-wol and Azazel, she was able to live like an ordinary girl.

“Above all, Master isn’t the type of person who would deliberately do bad things!”

Verdandi believed in the character Bing-yeon had shown rather than the evidence she had noticed. Even if his words were lies, he must have done it to protect them.

“My sister is right. How could there not be a shadow in my brother who shines like light?”

Azazel heard Verdandi’s words and raised the corners of her mouth gently. He was a person before being a master. It was impossible for him not to have light and shadow.

Besides, catching his weakness like this might be advantageous in future love rivalries. After all, secrets are best kept in one’s heart.

“Then we should move too. No need to avoid a fight.”

“I dislike when plans go awry, but I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Watching them, Kim Hyul and Sieg-hardt also began rushing toward the Outer God. Fighting against the feelings of helplessness and defeat that tried to grip their bodies, just as they were about to close the distance—

BOOM—!

Something appeared, causing a tremendous sound that shook the ground and drew everyone’s attention.

“…Where do you think you’re going? I’m your opponent.”

It was Kang Si-woo, the protagonist of “I was Possessed In Idle Game,” who had been defeated by Azazel’s fist at the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament.

“Kang Si-woo, you trash…”

Azazel gritted her teeth upon seeing him. She had definitely broken his bones so he wouldn’t be able to get up for weeks, so how could he move around so normally?

She had never predicted this future. Originally, the future she had seen was Shub-Niggurath swallowing the entire Ice Dragon Fate Sect, erasing its very existence.

“Get out of my way. I don’t have time to deal with someone like you.”

CLANG—!

Bi-wol drew her sword to cut down Kang Si-woo. Immediately after, the sound of clashing metal rang out.

“Hey now, you’re just a side character too, so why act like this?”

Kang Si-woo mockingly pulled out his smartphone, and a swordsman with light blue hair appeared to counter her attack.

“That’s… the Sword Saint who was our comrade, isn’t it?”

Azazel couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw the swordsman Kang Si-woo had summoned. He had been a comrade who had fought alongside her in the game world before coming to this world.

Heroes gathered to defeat the demon lord. Although they existed in the limited space of an idle game, at that time, they truly believed they could save the world.

“How did you do this? The respected Sword Saint would never follow the words of trash like you…!”

Azazel rushed at Kang Si-woo, ready to throw a punch. She had subdued him using the same method last time.

However…

“Shub-Niggurath gave me new power. She told me to hold you all back as much as possible.”

As Kang Si-woo pulled out his smartphone again and held it forward, this time a martial artist appeared and blocked Azazel’s technique.

“Let’s see who the real protagonist is.”

Kang Si-woo looked at everyone present with a twisted smile. Despite being a character in a novel himself, he was thoroughly misunderstanding the situation.

“Only third-rate villains say things like that!”

With an innocent expression, Verdandi charged at Kang Si-woo, holding her holy sword.

* * *

I regained consciousness in a dark space where I couldn’t see an inch in front of me. I had definitely been eaten by Shub-Niggurath, and when I opened my eyes, I found myself here.

‘That’s right…! Where is Seol-hwa…!’

Fortunately, Seol-hwa was sleeping peacefully in my arms. Even though the Outer God had left her, she seemed to have no health issues or physical problems.

“Thank goodness…”

I sighed in relief as I looked at Seol-hwa’s face.

Though her face and our relationship had changed much from my previous life, I could always give my life for her.

—[It’s been a while, author No-name.]

At that moment, a voice began to echo in my head, accompanied by pain as if bugs were gnawing at my brain.

“Urgh… What is this…?”

It knew my pen name. I had chosen the name “No-name” because I failed to save Yoo Seol-hwa, making me “No-life,” and because I hadn’t left behind a single proper work, making me “No-name.”

—[Do you know how it feels when a work you’ve been following well until yesterday gets discontinued?]

I could immediately recognize the voice. It was Shub-Niggurath, an avid reader of my web novel.

—[Have you ever felt the helplessness of never being able to see the ending of the protagonist and heroine you were most curious about?]

She was directly implanting mantras into my mind as if reproaching me. I deliberately bit my tongue to awaken my consciousness through pain, trying to respond to the Outer God’s level.

“It was a precious work to me too…! No matter how much I discontinued it, what author doesn’t feel pain for their work!”

I poured out my sincere feelings to Shub-Niggurath as if defending myself. It wasn’t just a hobby. I had put my life into it to keep the promise I made with Yoo Seol-hwa to become a novelist.

I had works I prepared for as short as half a year or as long as over 10 years, and times when I spent all my part-time job money on covers or illustrations.

“I just wanted to let more people know about the traces of Seol-hwa’s life…!”

That’s why I had secretly prepared a remake. Keeping the narrative and characters the same, but transforming it into a different work by changing the central material.

“Even though I discontinued the serialization, I tried to give the protagonist and final bosses a proper ending…!”

That was this world, created by gathering the works I had discontinued.

I was spewing out words in an anguished voice, blood flowing from my eyes, nose, and mouth. Even after coming to this world, I tried to save them and as many people as possible.

As a creator, I had a duty to properly finish the ending of this novel. And to make it a happy ending for everyone.

—[Then, let’s ask your children directly if they think the same way.]

Shub-Niggurath let out a slight laugh, as if she had a good idea, and bound me with black tentacles.

—[The accident involving the girl named Yoo Seol-hwa was partly my fault for not stopping your husband.]