NOVEL NEXT chapter 594 - Unutterable Words (1)
When was it again? Was it around the time I was writing the Catastrophe of the Deluge episode?
When Kim Dokja was beaten senseless by Shin Yooseung in the 41st regression, his guts ripped apart, Yoo Joongyoo said something like this:
「“Author-nim. Isn’t it a bit implausible for him to still be in his right mind with a hole in his stomach?”」
What did I answer back then?
Something along the lines of:
In fantasy, even if your limbs are cut off and your belly’s pierced, your mouth is still alive.
And above all—
「“Kim Dokja has the [Fourth Wall], doesn’t he?”」
Even without the [Fourth Wall], the important thing was willpower.
Back then I thought that willpower could overcome anything.
If something couldn’t be overcome, it was because you lacked willpower.
If I could go back to that moment now, I’d smack myself hard on the back of the head.
I’m sorry, Kim Dokja.
I was wrong.
It must have hurt like hell.
Writhing in pain that felt like my body was being torn in half, I begged Kim Dokja over and over again. How long did I keep begging like that, before someone finally answered?
「…… …… ……」
It was the faintest of voices. I couldn’t make out the words, but I knew for certain they were woven from a language warm and merciful.
The pain ebbed away little by little.
Through my blurry vision, I saw threads binding my torn abdomen tight. I reached out toward that warm skein of thread.
Beyond those drifting strands, brown hair scattered like petals.
「…… ……」
I wanted to ask.
Who are you?
Where is this place?
Why did you save me?
「…… …….」
My consciousness flickered, the words slipping further away.
When someone clasped my hand, something inside me welled up, breaking open. [Agitation] or whatever—one corner of my heart crumbled.
I wanted to speak.
I can’t do this alone.
By myself, I can’t change this world, can’t protect anyone.
Please help me. Please protect the people. That’s what I wanted to say.
And then, from beyond the threads, that person’s lips moved:
「You mustn’t.」
***
“Inho-ssi! Inho-ssi!”
When I opened my eyes, Gyeong Sein and Jung Heewon were right in front of me.
“He’s awake! Inho-ssi is awake too!”
Chungmuro.
It seemed I had safely returned to where my original body was.
Unthinkingly, I glanced down at my stomach. My skin was intact.
“What on earth happened? Everyone collapsed all of a sudden, and you just wouldn’t wake up…”
Jung Heewon gripped my shoulders tight and let out a heavy sigh.
The way Gyeong Sein furtively avoided my eyes told me no one had explained to her what we’d just gone through. Perhaps that was the sensible choice.
“Inho-ssi, are you all right? You didn’t hit your head or anything, did you?”
“Yes. I’m fine. Thank you.”
Jung Heewon pressed her hand against my forehead, then stood up.
“Stay here a moment. I’ll bring you something to drink.”
The moment she left, Gyeong Sein and Uncle Dansoo hurriedly scooted close.
“Inho-ssi, you really were there, right?”
“Yes… but wait.”
I closed my eyes briefly to organize what had happened.
From that “theatre,” I had managed to gather four key pieces of information:
First, in that theatre, “Little Kim Dokjas” were watching the situation unfold.
Second, the “Representative Kim Dokja” harbors hostility toward Kim Dokja.
Third, the “Representative Kim Dokja” is a character.
Fourth, someone saved me from the “Representative Kim Dokja.”
Each fact was shocking, and hard to string together coherently.
But one thing was certain: the “Representative Kim Dokja” was scheming something, using us.
And then…
「…Company!」
I remembered hearing that word right before my consciousness faded. What happened after that, I couldn’t recall.
All I knew was that someone had pulled me out of that place.
Several guesses rose in my mind only to scatter again.
「Could it be…」
When I opened my eyes, Gyeong Sein piped up, as if waiting:
“Inho-ssi, it must have been that guy who brought us here, right? The Representative Kim Dokja.”
“Yes. Circumstantially, that seems likely.”
“I can’t believe it. I really admired him… I must have read his ORV Encyclopedia dozens of times—”
I almost told her that this Representative Kim Dokja was different from the one she knew, but I bit my tongue.
It wasn’t important right now.
“Well, at least he said if we somehow stop the apocalypse, he’ll send us home…”
Would the “Representative Kim Dokja” really keep that promise?
I couldn’t say.
If my suspicion was right, he was a divine entity of another world, and we had effectively entered into a covenant with him. The promise would hold—provided we averted the scenario’s destruction.
“You worried us, not waking up for so long. Nothing else happened to you, right?”
“Bug or whatever, when everyone else vanished, I was left there alone for a while.”
“Inho friend, by any chance…”
Uncle Dansoo suddenly grasped my hand. I gently returned the grip, shaking my head.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t find Jiyoon.”
“Ah.”
His face clouded over at once.
“It’s not time to give up yet. I saw many kids around Jiyoon’s age, ones I couldn’t even approach.”
“Really?”
In truth, there hadn’t been that many. But telling him that now would do no good.
Gyeong Sein added quickly:
“Exactly, ahjussi. And remember, this world is ORV. Even in the worst case, there are always ways.”
“Sein-ssi is right.”
This world was Ways of Survival.
Even if someone died here, it didn’t necessarily mean eternal death.
This world had constellations who ruled over the underworld, and the dead would pass there.
But could we, readers like us, go there as well?
What if, like Shin Yooseung of the 41st regression, we became lost, unable to go anywhere—drifters between timelines?
The thought sent a shiver through me.
「Where have all the readers who already died gone?」
I found myself staring blankly up the stairs, when Seventh Apostle Ye Hyunwoo descended with several others.
“Inho-ssi. You’re awake?”
He rushed up to greet me, and I gave a slight nod.
Glancing about, he whispered low:
“You were there too, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Shame. If I’d known your face, I would have greeted you there.”
So Ye Hyunwoo had been in the theatre as well. Which one had he been? I couldn’t tell. Some of the readers I thought I recognized…
“Well, maybe next time. More importantly, what’s happening?”
The group from upstairs was in a frenzy—shouting, hauling supplies, rushing about.
“Ah, that…”
Judging by Ye Hyunwoo’s grim expression, something had gone wrong while I was unconscious.
“Inho-ssi!”
Jung Heewon came running with water, her face pale.
As I began to rise, confused—
[All ‘Green Zones’ within the station have been destroyed. Main Scenario system is destabilizing.]
An unexpected message rang out.
[Difficulty level will be automatically adjusted to match the remaining scenario schedule.]
No. This couldn’t be happening now.
[Scenario contents updated!]
+
Type: Main
Difficulty: B-
Clear Condition: With all ‘Green Zones’ destroyed, monsters scheduled to spawn over the remaining days will surge forth at once. Survive against the flood of monsters for the duration.
Duration: 8 hours
Reward: 2,000 coins
Failure: ―
+
I recalled the description of the Emergency Defense Battle from ORV.
「Once the Green Zone scenario goes out of control, all the monsters that would have spawned over time are disgorged at once.」
This was earlier than when Kim Dokja had faced it.
Which meant we would be up against even greater numbers than described in ORV.
Gyeong Sein, pale as a ghost, muttered at me:
“In-Inho-ssi. What do we do?”
In ORV, it had been Kim Dokja’s group that destroyed all the Green Zones, triggering the battle.
But here in Chungmuro, Kim Dokja wasn’t with us.
So why had the scenario begun?
[The ‘Green Zones’ were destroyed too quickly.]
[Difficulty of the ‘Emergency Defense Battle’ is being adjusted.]
[Access to this station is now restricted.]
[The ‘Emergency Defense Battle’ will begin in 5 minutes!]
At least we had prep time.
I quickly looked over my companions.
“It’s all right. Everyone, calm down.”
Even with higher difficulty, the core of the battle was the same: holding back swarms of 9-grade subterranean ‘Mole Crickets’ and 8-grade subterranean ‘Grolls.’
That meant the situation wasn’t hopeless.
Thanks to Ye Hyunwoo’s efforts, we had Gong Pildu’s cooperation. And above all—
“We have the strongest card, don’t we?”
Ye Hyunwoo’s °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° eyes lit up.
“You mean you’ve been hiding a trump card?”
“I mean Yoo Joonghyuk.”
The Yoo Joonghyuk of the 41st regression.
A monster who could smash a Rhinoceros Beetle at the very start. With him and Gong Pildu together, the Emergency Defense Battle would be nothing.
Well, whether Yoo Joonghyuk would actually help us was another matter, but judging by the atmosphere so far—
“Brats, get moving! No time to be lazing around! Damn it. This is why I told you back then…”
Gong Pildu’s voice boomed.
People hurried to fortify the platform with sandbags and makeshift barricades.
But… where was Yoo Joonghyuk?
“Inho-ssi.”
Ye Hyunwoo’s face had gone grim.
“I never got to explain why I was fighting with Yoo Joonghyuk.”
Right. I hadn’t heard the story, since I was suddenly dragged away by the Representative Kim Dokja.
“It wasn’t because I wanted to fight. I’m a completionist—why would I pick a fight with that monster?”
“Then why—”
“That bastard was trying to smash every last Green Zone in Chungmuro.”
A chill ran down my spine.
By the 41st regression, Yoo Joonghyuk had to know that destroying all the Green Zones would trigger the battle.
“Where is he now?”
“He went upstairs. While we were unconscious, he destroyed the remaining ones too.”
Ye Hyunwoo ground his teeth.
At that moment, someone tapped my shoulder.
“Oh, ahjussi. You’re up?”
It was Lee Jihye.
“Master told me to pass along a message. Ahem.”
Hands on her hips, she cleared her throat and mimicked Yoo Joonghyuk.
“If you’re really Cheon Inho, then this much you should be able to handle alone.”
I didn’t need to ask what “this much” referred to.
[The ‘Emergency Defense Battle’ is beginning!]
Lee Jihye smirked.
“Then I’ll be over there watching.”
With that, she hopped up the stairs.
Honestly, I wished she’d help—but I had no time to convince her.
Gong Pildu’s roar shook the air.
“It begins! Everyone, gather!”
At least we had that man on our side.
Beside me, Ye Hyunwoo muttered quietly:
“Don’t worry too much. I’ve been preparing for this since day one. A little earlier than planned, but…”
He clambered atop a sandbag wall, standing tall like a captain as he shouted orders.
“Take your positions! Just like we drilled this morning!”
The crowd moved with precision, no panic—already trained into formation.
I couldn’t help but be impressed.
It was a completely different atmosphere from Geumho Station.
They moved like a disciplined army.
What had united them like this?
“Who protects our land?”
“We protect it!”
Then I remembered.
Right. This was Chungmuro.
The fortress ruled by landlord Gong Pildu, where the “Union of Building Owners” held sway.
Now Ye Hyunwoo commanded that fortress.
“By my calculations, the Invincible Lord Tech Tree is already at stage 4. With the synergy of the Invincible Siege Formation, the Emergency Defense Battle is nothing. Well, we’re only at stage 3 right now, but soon—”
How was this man still only the Seventh Apostle?
Killer King should give up his Second Apostle seat immediately.
“We’ll fight too.”
Gyeong Sein and Uncle Dansoo gripped their weapons, exchanging a look.
“Inho-ssi.”
And at the front, Jung Heewon.
“Don’t try to show off. Just hide behind me.”
Shield raised, she strode forward. Gyeong Sein held his staff, summoning insects.
And Ye Hyunwoo, coordinating formations alongside Gong Pildu.
That was when I recalled the Representative’s words:
「“All he cares about is the survival of the .”」
He wasn’t entirely wrong. In the end, what Kim Dokja had saved was only the . And even that—not fully.
But his story was recorded. Passed on. And there were readers who read it.
People who remembered better than anyone how they fought, how they lived.
「That is why this story isn’t over yet.」
From afar came the shrill cries of mole crickets, and a shudder through the tunnels.
Ye Hyunwoo roared:
“Defend only your own ground! The rest, Gong Pildu and I will handle!”
Through the darkness, mole crickets swarmed like cockroaches.
With [Private Property] and [Armed Zone] in place, Ye Hyunwoo signaled:
“Fire!”
The Emergency Defense Battle had begun.
***
From below, the mini-turrets thundered.
Crack. A woman bit down on her candy.
Dusting her hands, she stood.
“It’s started. We should be going too.”
[Constellation, the ‘Sneaking Schemer,’ asks if you really won’t help them.]
“Why would we? Helping them isn’t our goal. You haven’t forgotten, right?”
[Constellation, the ‘Sneaking Schemer,’ hesitates, then nods.]
“Not that we have time to help anyway. You saw where that damned sunfish ran off to.”
The woman in the white coat glared toward the stairs above.
[Constellation, the ‘Sneaking Schemer,’ sighs, saying these dark ones are always trouble.]
She slipped another lemon candy into her mouth.
“He’s growing faster than I expected. If he gets any stronger here, we may not be able to control him.”
[Constellation, the ‘Sneaking Schemer,’ murmurs darkly.]
“This is our only chance. If he’s gone there, he’ll have to show an opening.”
She cast one last look downstairs.
Cheon Inho and the people of Chungmuro, fighting and bleeding.
She fixed the scene in her eyes for a moment, then sharply turned away.
“This is where the 41st regression ends.”