Ch.82Chapter 82 – The Ending We Chose (1)

Yoo Seol-hwa couldn’t believe the scene unfolding before her eyes.

No matter how much she rubbed her eyes, the scene with characters that she and Han Do-hyeon had created wouldn’t disappear.

“You’re all characters that Do-hyeon and I created. How on earth did you get here…?”

Moreover, this place was inside Shub-Niggurath’s body. A space that couldn’t be entered unless one was willingly devoured.

“…Don’t tell me you were all victimized by an Outer God like me?!”

Not knowing Shub-Niggurath’s true intentions, Seol-hwa couldn’t help but misunderstand the situation. To her, an Outer God was an evil entity that had stolen and controlled her body.

“No! I tried my best to help you defeat the Outer God…! If this happens, we won’t be able to save Do-hyeon…!”

Seol-hwa clutched her head and spoke with a sobbing voice. Her disheveled hair showed just how much stress she had been under.

Reborn in another world with a different body, unable to even speak to the lover she cherished, she had been unable to escape from the Outer God’s grasp until now.

“…Please calm down! Other Mother!”

“Mother…?”

It was Verdandi, with her bright and positive personality, who calmed the panicking Seol-hwa.

“Shub-Niggurath set this up to reveal the truth to us! The bad one is the Outer God called Yog-Sothoth!”

Like a large Golden Retriever approaching a person, she embraced Seol-hwa to calm her down. In those arms, Seol-hwa gradually found comfort.

“…Is that true?”

“Yes! If it weren’t, how could we have met you, Mother! If Shub-Niggurath had been serious, everyone here would be dead by now!”

Verdandi spoke only the truth without a hint of deception. While she typically didn’t lie anyway, at this moment she was showing sincerity more than anyone else.

“That’s right. We’ve watched both your past and Bing-yeon’s… or should I say Brother Han Do-hyeon’s? We’ve observed everything from a third-person perspective.”

“…And with the cooperation of Shub-Niggurath, who seemed least likely to help. It seems she wants to see the new ending we create.”

Azazel and Bi-wol each added their thoughts.

Azazel clasped Seol-hwa’s hands as if delighted by this meeting, while Bi-wol maintained her guard, standing a step away.

“Then, could it be…”

Seol-hwa trailed off as if realizing something.

If they knew about her and Han Do-hyeon’s past rather than Bing-seol-hwa from the novel, there could only be one explanation.

“Yes! We’ve all learned that we were characters in a novel!”

That was the fact—they had discovered they weren’t real people but fictional characters.

However,

“Don’t you… hate us? After all, we never finished the novel and discontinued the series. You’re in this situation because of us…”

Something seemed strange.

Verdandi was discussing such an incredible revelation without any hesitation, and the reactions around them didn’t seem to show any resentment toward Seol-hwa or Han Do-hyeon.

“At first, I was angry! All the hardships I endured were merely decided by your fingertips!”

Verdandi furrowed her brows at Seol-hwa, giving her a slight glare, but soon softened her expression.

“But in the end, you didn’t do it with malicious intent! You also did your best to save us!”

Verdandi patted Seol-hwa’s back reassuringly as she spoke. The past of the original creators that they had witnessed was darker and more gloomy than anyone else’s.

“If it were Master, he would have forgiven you. So we’re just doing the same.”

Bi-wol bit her lip as she recalled Seol-hwa and Han Do-hyeon’s past. A relationship so close that no one could intervene.

Because of that, it was a pure love that was fragile and easily tainted by an Outer God’s manipulation.

This made Bi-wol envious of Seol-hwa.

She had claimed the romantic relationship Bi-wol couldn’t have, and left an indelible wound by ending her life through suicide.

‘But I won’t let anyone take Master’s side now…’

Bi-wol made a resolution in her heart, planning to keep Seol-hwa in check going forward. To do this, she decided it would be helpful to appear as gentle as possible.

“I am Master Bing-yeon’s most cherished disciple.”

“…I see. Do-hyeon is indeed different.”

Seol-hwa took Bi-wol’s outstretched hand and rose to her feet with a faint smile.

She couldn’t just sit there. She still hadn’t rescued Bing-yeon—no, Han Do-hyeon—from Shub-Niggurath’s grasp.

“And even if we’re fake, aren’t the emotions Brother taught us real?”

Azazel spoke in a voice steeped in joy, as if this scene were sacred.

Until now, she had constantly doubted. If this world was false and her existence merely virtual, then what was this beating in her heart?

“…Love, that noble emotion, doesn’t fade even in the face of worldly hardships.”

It was love. The warmth of the world that Bing-yeon had shown his disciples.

What saved girls trapped in cold and painful pasts was one man’s ocean-like love.

“The reason we’ve gathered here like this is also thanks to Brother’s love.”

Azazel spoke while thinking of Han Do-hyeon, who must be somewhere here. This sinful man had already charmed four innocent women who only knew themselves.

– [Yes, that is indeed the ending you have chosen.]

At that moment, someone’s laughter echoed as a shadow rippled. A seductive woman with writhing tentacles and goat horns attached to her head.

“…Shub-Niggurath?”

– [Yes, this is our first face-to-face meeting. Nice to meet you, co-author.]

Seol-hwa could immediately recognize who this powerful being was. After all, she was the Outer God who had held her soul hostage and continuously threatened her boyfriend.

– [Our cute final bosses have also admirably approached the truth.]

She was Shub-Niggurath, also known by the epithet “Mother of All.”

“…So you weren’t really trying to harm me and my boyfriend?”

Seol-hwa asked the Outer God with a trembling voice.

There must be a reason why a being that could drive humans insane or kill them just by revealing its true form was showing such a different appearance.

“Then why didn’t you let me meet Do-hyeon until now, and why did you use troublesome methods like holding my soul hostage or trying to use the protagonists?”

If Shub-Niggurath truly had no malicious intent, her previous actions didn’t make sense.

– [Hmm, you seem to misunderstand something. The love of an Outer God is twisted and distorted beyond human comprehension.]

Shub-Niggurath tilted her head at Seol-hwa’s question and tapped her chin.

– [The author Han Do-hyeon discontinued his series three times. As a devoted reader, shouldn’t I teach him a lesson so he wouldn’t do it again?]

She wasn’t the one who had done wrong first. As a reader, she had fulfilled her duty by following an author who had discontinued his series three times.

– [Of course, I have my faults too… I revived Yoo Seol-hwa according to this world’s causality and made the situation more interesting.]

Shub-Niggurath spoke with a smile curving her lips, as if she found the current situation very enjoyable.

She had also been curious about what would happen if the novel’s protagonists met the author.

– [So, how was the twist I prepared? Was it fun?]

Shub-Niggurath looked at them slowly, waiting for their evaluation. She had essentially “reader-influenced” the narrative, manipulating the story as she pleased.

– [I was dying to know the latter part of this novel. So I decided to leave it in your hands.]

In the end, convinced that she would never see the end of the novel otherwise, Shub-Niggurath had used her power to set up this entire scenario.

“…May I say something!”

The first to raise her hand was Verdandi.

– [Yes, child born to be a hero but destined to become a demon lord. What are you thinking with such an unhappy expression?]

Shub-Niggurath looked at Verdandi’s face, reminiscing about the past. After all, she was the final boss of Han Do-hyeon’s second discontinued work, “I Need To Kill The Hero.”

“…To be honest, it’s super trashy!”

Verdandi’s statement was so honest and shocking that it seemed she had forgotten she was speaking to Shub-Niggurath.

– […May I ask why you think so?]

Shub-Niggurath’s eyebrow twitched slightly. She thought she had tied up all loose ends and revealed the narratives of all hidden characters.

What could possibly be unsatisfactory enough to make her expression so displeased?

“I want to cut off that bastard Yog-Sothoth’s head!”

At that moment, Verdandi expressed what she wanted most with the brightest smile.

“Heh, heheh, hahahaha…!! Yes, that’s what was left! It’s also my husband’s fault!”

Hearing this, Shub-Niggurath couldn’t help but laugh loudly, holding her stomach and shedding a tear.

Who else could say they wanted to scold an Outer God’s husband?

Only Verdandi, the purest hero from “I Need To Kill The Hero,” could make such a statement.

“…Then, I’ll give you a chance for revenge. After all, the love of Outer Gods should have violent aspects of killing each other.”

Shub-Niggurath smiled brightly, deciding to grant the final boss’s wish.