My consciousness grew fainter and fainter. It felt as if all of my five senses had been cut off.
What was I doing?
[Moving to another world…]
Oh, yeah… Thanks… For… Letting… Me… Know…
[Moving to another world…]
Until now, I had done countless dimensional movements. It was to the point I was extremely familiar with it. A sensation of floating as if I was swimming in nothingness…. Not sure what this feeling is called? Anyone who has ever ridden a Gyro Drop or a Roller Coaster Express or a Viking might understand me. And, when you multiply those sensations by maybe 100 times, that's what I feel like when moving between dimensions.
Then, suddenly, a thought passed my mind. I want to eat kimchi ramyeon with kimchi. Kimchi ramyeon was literally kimchi flavoured ramyeon, but if you eat it along with the real kimchi, it's really amazing. Oh, I also want to eat jajangmyeon with sweet and sour pork. Actually, I don't like jjajangmyeon, but since Taylor liked it, I ended up eating lots of it.
By the way…
Why am I thinking of all of this stuff now?
The process of moving across dimensions was supposed to be completed in 1 second at the shortest and 10 seconds at the longest. But something is odd… Why does the dimensional shift feel so long?
[You are moving around the world.]
Flash!
The moment I had that thought, I unknowingly opened my eyes and had no choice but suck in a deep breath.
'Ah…!'
In front of me, the universe unfolded. An endless galaxy-a feast of beautiful constellations, which was stupendous no matter where one looked, unfolded in front of my eyes. As if they were trying to emphasise their 'attractiveness' to me, their lights kept flickering.
Wooosh-!!
A wave of starlight touched me and then moved away.
WOOOOOOO-!!
A humpback whale made of stars soared above the waves of starlight and then disappeared beyond.
All the constellations in the world were spinning around me. Even if I tried to describe the sight in front of me, I would always fall short for words. It could only be summarised in one word: Beautiful.
'Is this the same space I know?'
The space I knew was nothing more than a place with dark sky all over. Even if it feels like there are many constellations in the night sky, when you actually go out into space, there are more spaces without stars than space with stars, so it is normal to feel as if there is nothing in darkness.
But why are there so many stars here?
-Each of these stars is a 'world'. They are appealing their presence to you, who has become the centre of the story.
"Huh? Reina? Are you Reina?"
-That's right, Seodam. It's been a long time.
"No, no, no…. We were always together, weren't we?"
– That's right…
We've been together all along, I just didn't know that she's Reina.
"Have you been well?"
-I'm fine. Every time I wake up in the morning, I start my day by pouring out a cup of hot Americano. My laptop is also updated to the latest version. But, since I'm not good with that kind of stuff, I can't really understand what my laptop has become after each update…
"Is that so? hahahahha…."
-Can I tell you something strange? All the stories in the world flowed into me. Therefore, throughout my time working here, I was able to see a lot of the world and learn both sad and happy stories. There are times when I burst into anger while watching a world with a Makjang romance story.
These were really nonsense and unproductive conversations. It's just a daily conversation with friends. However, I was so happy that I could have such a conversation with Reina. It made me a little sad though, as this might be the last conversation I will ever have with her.
Reina kept telling me about her life. Since she already knows what I've been up to, I just listened to her in silence and smiled. However, at some point, her happy storytelling ends. Then,
-·······You will soon find yourself in a void in the story.
"I know. If I get farther away, the 'story' won't progress any more, right?"
In other words, I would find myself in a condition where I will be neither alive nor dead. Moreover, I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. The only future which awaits me is wandering through this darkness forever.
However, the silver lining is, as I am the only protagonist in all the worlds right now, all other protagonists have become 'sub-protagonist', therefore the world will not be destroyed no matter what they do.
After all, I have all their probability.
"As it is, I just have to wait until all probability accumulated in my body disappears. It's not a big deal."
-…
But, how long do I have to wait until that happens?
-You may have to wait thousands or even tens of thousands of years. By that time, your existence…
"I do not care. I was already happy enough."
-Is that so….
As Reina's voice subsided, I hurriedly asked.
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"What happened to Earth?"
-Fortunately, the invasion of Hell Gate was prevented. Since you are still alive, your probability progressed the story of Earth into the 'waiting for Yoo Seodam to come back alive' episode.
I nodded in understanding. Earth would be stuck in that episode for a long time. After all, the episode would only progress once I return alive. Which means, Earth won't be destroyed anytime soon.
And since I already left many things on Earth: Magic, science and different kinds of martial arts, many people will remember me. Even if I disappear like this, I am incredibly happy to know that there are so many people who will still love me.
After all, for me, who was once just an F-rank hunter, who could just die anytime in some random corner of the world, hoping more than this was nothing but greed. This much was already something I didn't deserve.
-Would you like to see the colleagues you've been with for the last time?
"…" I tried to say no, but I couldn't, since Reina, who stared into the air without saying a word, suddenly brought up a holographic screen.
Taylor was the first to appear on that screen. She was still in the Pacific Ocean. Sitting on some kind of chair.
From time to time, she would doze off. However, she would jerk up and look back at the spot where the Hell Gate's entrance used to be before falling asleep once again while looking at the night sky where a meteor shower was falling.
"Show the others too."
Next was Yekaterina. She was in her office. I noticed that there was a large picture of me hanging in the back which wasn't there the last time I was there. It seems like she was the one who hung it there.
It seems like, before she could mourn over my disappearance, she was caught up in the hustle and bustle of work. The thick dark circles under her eyes prove that.
Yekaterina suddenly turned her attention to the TV that was playing in the corner of the office.
– Chichik! Breaking news! The monsters of Hell Gate, who lived in hiding in the 'Mirror World', have started pouring out! The Murim League is responding quickly, but it is happening all over the world at the same time…!
-According to the opinion of experts, the remaining monsters of Hell Gate will make their last move, and that this will truly be the last war of mankind.
After all the cleaning we did, there's still some mirror worlds left? Just how many are there… Though, it doesn't look like humanity would lose. Because those monsters were nothing but remnants in the end. Perhaps, Another League will play a big role here as well, and it will become a world-class guild.
As I thought so, the screen showed other guild members of the Another League. Ha Sun-young, the swordmasters, magic researchers, and even the spirits. They seemed to be getting along well, so I was relieved.
"Can you show Noonim?"
Seol Jungyeon noonim appeared on the screen as I finished my words. She still had her pale blonde hair, resembling a snowy mountain in the sunset, and she was wielding her sword at the forefront of the battlefield. As always, she was beautiful and radiant.
– My lord! Are you okay?
-I'm okay. Just dispose of all the bodies.
-Ha!!
Noonim, who flicked the last bit of blood in the tip of her sword, turned her back quietly after putting an end to the battlefield. But for some reason, there was no emotion in that expression. Her eyes were empty. Her previously perfect doll-like appearance looked artificial because of those soulless eyes. If she just stood still, those who saw her would think she is a really well-made, pretty mannequin.
There were also a few dark circles around her eyes, something which shouldn't be possible for someone once they reach the height Noonim had reached.
So why…
– My lord. Please rest now! It's already been six months. No matter how strong you are, it can be really dangerous…
Shin Hye-ji appeared and said to Noonim, half-screaming.
Six months? That much time had passed?
-Well… If I die, that will be my destiny.
– Lord, please don't say things like that…
It was my misunderstanding that she seemed to be living well. Noonim wasn't living properly because she couldn't forget me. I tried to rack my brain for a method to ease her pain. But I couldn't find anything. After all, I will be stuck in this situation for a long time…
-Seodam… Would you like to see those from another world?
"Yes please…"
The screen flickered and showed a huge spiral world. It was the world of 'Arash', where you have to climb through stages while being broadcasted to the constellations. Somehow, the four people I had helped appeared on the screen. They were holding a certain trophy. It seems like they finally cleared all the 50 stages.
-Make your wish, human.
-Our wish is… to bring back the human world. Just like before, back to those days when we lived in peace.
-Huh? You could wish to be a constellation or become powerful to rule over all humans. Are you really going to give up those for that wish?
-Yes. Because that has always been our goal!
-Alright, then. I'll return your world to how it used to be.
Click-!!!
The screen ended with the world breaking. They finally achieved their wish.
"Ha… Those guys were stupid at first, but seems like they pulled through."
Next, the island of dreams appeared. Marilyn and Sarylene. They used to be close friends, but now, as sisters, they were preparing for war between the islands by developing elemental skills.
Is it because of their outstanding talent? They were able to block any attack from any other island. An impeccable heavenly fortress that does not allow any invasion. That was the island of dreams.
Next world was the Murim.
Baek So-hwi, who became the protagonist of that place, had only one goal: to remain in the world and exterminate all the demons which were plunging the world into chaos.
She had more willpower than any other protagonist I had met, even more than me. She was the first and last woman to reject the fate of the protagonist. Had that woman been in my place, things might have been a lot different from now.
In front of Baek So-hwi, a huge demon with red menacing horns, which were taller than Mount Tai, wider than the sea, and hotter than lava, had fallen. It was the Archdemon Ragrezion.
-Baek So-hwi! We did it! We defeated the last demon!
-Yeah…
The sword in Baek So-hwi's right hand began to chatter. The sword's name was Lianghon. He was a mascot in charge of cuteness and a guide who soothed Baek So-hwi's heart.
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-It was an honour to be able to fight alongside you, Lianghon. Thank you for all your hard work.
-What are you going to do now?
-Now…
Baek So-hwi looked at the distant mountain as if thinking of someone.
-I should go to the world that man said. I can't stay in this world now.
Finally, the screen changed again, and I was able to see another world. At that moment, realisation dawned at me. I really had travelled through many worlds and made many connections along my journey.
The screen showed Malea, who climbed the tutorial tower again to find me, Yerina, who became a full-fledged empress in the Muscle World, and Elaim, who succeeded in saving the world as an archmage.
However, they were people who I was no longer able to meet. I will just remember them in my heart.
At that moment, the screen blurred together with some static sound.
-Seo… Dam. You are too far away… My voice can no longer reach you…
"Reina… You've been through a lot." Reina's voice gradually faded away. I felt like something was clogging my throat and a lump of something was suffocating my heart. However, I still tried to smile.
"So, you should rest now."
-Thank you… Yoo Seodam.
With those last words, even Reina's voice disappeared.
I found myself In a place where nothing was left, even the constellations were moving further and further away from me. The space had turned black, and no light could be seen anymore.
I closed my eyes.
Because there was nothing to see, the sense of sight was not important.
I closed both my ears.
Because there was nothing to hear, the sense of hearing was no longer necessary.
And, I decided to constantly repeat my thoughts.
It was because I don't want to forget about my hometown in case someday all the probability accumulated in my body disappears, and I am able to return.
'Haha… by that time, it must be too late to go back.'
In a place where time, space, and even stories do not exist. I alone recalled happy memories that I can't get back to. That's how I fell into my own world.
[Protagonist Are Murdered By Me]
[Thank you for loving 『Protagonist Are Murdered By Me』.]
Chiijijik-!! Chijijik-!!
Thud-!!
"Huh···?"
When I opened my eyes to the loud roar, I could see the space was being torn. Due to some pure white pillar, the empty space was collapsing. The darkness dispersed into fragments, and they all became a constellation and began to illuminate this empty space.
And, there…
A jet-black hair pushed through.
"Professor…"
"Ara…celli…?"
I mumbled.
And with a beaming smile, she finally opened the space enough for her body to push through.
"I told you, didn't I?"
"Uh, huh?"
As Aracelli stepped her foot into the air, a series of shimmering fragments of space formed under her feet to connect to me.
With each step she took, waves of light spread out and she reached out to me with an elegant gait.
"Wherever you are…"
Then, she smiled brightly.
"I'm going to find you."
"Ah…"
At that, I felt my expression changing between absurdity and happiness. And when I held her hand which she stretched out to me, the world suddenly turned brighter. The constellations that disappeared had returned to my side again. The twinkling stars in the distance were also calling me again.
"You know, Professor. There are so many worlds in this universe, and there are many places where stories don't exist."
"…I didn't know that."
"From now on, we will travel to such places together. We will buy and eat skewers on the street to our heart's content. Sometimes eat buffet-style meals, sometimes roll around in the mud like a beggar, sometimes become rulers and rule an empire. We will do all that, until we erase all the probability inside you.."
Chijijik-!!
And shortly after, someone else walked in from the broken space. With her silver hair that sparkled even more than the constellations, Empress Sahar walked gracefully and said.
"And maybe one day, you can go back to your hometown."
Aracelli and Empress Sahar looked at the horizon of the constellations we were about to depart to, and said so.
"Now…."
"You have a lot of time to spend with us, don't you?"
I smiled at that question.
Epilogue – The Completed World
Six months had passed since Yoo Seodam disappeared along with the Hell Gate. And as per the regulation, if a hunter does not return for six months from beyond dungeons or rifts, they would be considered as 'dead'. So naturally, Yoo Seodam was presumed dead.
Woosshh-!!
In early summer, it was unusual for any rain showers to occur. However, this summer, water was pouring without stopping from the sky.
[In memory of Yoo Seodam, the hero who saved the world.]
Was it a coincidence that it rains on this sad day, or was it due to the flow of the story?
Yoo Seodam left his name as the greatest superhuman in history. His funeral was to be held in a needlessly grandiose manner. Thousands of people and world-famous giants gathered, and it was going to be broadcast in real time to countries around the world.
However, Yekaterina did not want that at all. She just wanted to escape from any pretentiousness and grieve quietly.
"You should use an umbrella."
"…"
Yekaterina placed a long umbrella over Taylor's head, who was standing in the rain while staring blankly at Yoo Seodam's tombstone.
[2020-2054]
[Yoo Seodam]
[When I die, put the rice cake soup on the altar!]
On the tombstone was written the joke that Yoo Seodam had always said. It was none other than Taylor who had suggested it. Back when they still fought together everyday on the battlefield, Yoo Seodam had once made a joke that if they were to die, they should write a nice quote on their tombstones.
'I wish I could write something similar to Einstein's sayings.'
'Einstein?'
'Yeah! Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. Do you know this?'
'I know, but… are you going to copy it and use it as it is?'
'Of course not. I'll change it a little.' Yoo Seodam laughed. 'Only the life lived for myself is a life worthwhile.'
'What is that? You look like a bad guy.'
'I mean, why should I live my life for others? I'm going to starve to death right now.'
'That's… true?'
Taylor and Yoo Seodam laughed raucously after sharing such a joke.
Thinking about that moment, Taylor bit her lips tightly. "How good it would have been if he just lived selfishly until the end…"
Contrary to the belief he hugged tight on his early days, Yoo Seodam chose to be annihilated together with Hell Gate. How he did it, and what he was thinking, was still unknown to anyone
Taylor Nine stood there blankly for a while. It was hard to even stand still. But she felt that if she just turned away from this place, she thought her heart would break again.
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Tuk, Tuk Tuk!
Days passed as Taylor kept standing in front of the tombstone. With each passing day, less and less people came to the tombstone. Even less were those who stood there for days like her.
"How about using an umbrella?"
"There was an albino who was saying the same thing a few days ago."
Taylor answered without turning his head. Seol Jungyeon, who gave her an umbrella, didn't expect her to look at her either and simply looked at the grumpy picture of Yoo Seodam on top of the tombstone. The two stood silently and stared at the tombstone for a long time, and it was Taylor who broke the silence first.
"Do you think you will ever be able to forget that motherfucker?"
Seol Jungyeon thought for a while without saying a word and then shook her head. "No. If I had even the slightest feeling to be able to do that, I wouldn't have stepped down from my position."
On the same day that Yoo Seodam was presumed dead, Seol Jungyeon stepped down from her position as Murim Lord. After all, being a Murim Lord was something she had done for the sole purpose of helping Yoo Seodam. So, without him, why should she still stand there?
"From now on, how are you going to live?"
"Well… I don't even know what it means to live anymore."
"Me too, me too…… Yes. I still don't understand… I want to be a little happier, I want to live a good life… But he…"
"…"
Taylor sobbed, and Seol Jungyeon patted her shaking shoulders. After a really long time, Taylor was able to raise her head again. Seol Jungyeon silently waited for her.
"Now… it's over."
"Did you get it all out?"
Taylor shook her head. She wasn't able to. Her heart was still breaking. Probably, it wouldn't even heal for the rest of her life. However, for now, for the very least, she would be able to take one step forward.
Taylor turned back and smiled towards Seol Jungyeon, trying to assure her that she's fine. However, a moment later, her facade crumbled as someone entered her view.
"Uh, uh…?"
It was a woman with sparkling golden hair and golden eyes that looked like they were dripping honey. And even though she was wearing a black suit, a sign that she was mourning, she was undoubtedly a woman with a golden brilliance shining all over her body.
"Reina?"
The next action that Taylor did as soon as she realized who the woman was purely came out from her instinct. She grabbed Reina by the neck, and she, too, had her sad eyes down.
"You, you… are you Reina? Oh my god… That motherfucker is right …!"
"Long time no see, Taylor."
"You, how are you…"
"Let's talk about this."
Taylor came to his senses and stepped back. Seol Jungyeon, who came running behind her, also looked at Reina with her bewildered eyes.
She rarely saw Yoo Seodam with his childhood friends except Taylor. But the woman with golden hairs who was standing in front of her right now looked exactly like Reina she had seen in a photograph Yoo Seodam had shown her that one time.
"How the hell are you alive?"
"You are too much. Is that really something you have to say to a friend who you haven't seen in a long time?"
"Answer quickly!!"
Thud-!!
As she shouted, a small shock wave spread around her. Reina sighed and spoke mournfully,
"Hasn't Yoo Seodam told you anything?"
"Then, did that bastard really break into the Hell Gate to save you…?"
"Yes…"
"Then… What happened to that bastard?!"
"He didn't die…"
At Reina's words, not only Taylor, but also Seol Jungyeon's eyes shook wildly.
"He isn't dead, what did that mean……?"
"What are you talking about? Explain it so I can understand please…."
"After destroying Hell Gate, Yoo Seodam had two options."
Will you watch the world perish because of you? Or, will you disappear from this world?
And Yoo Seodam chose to disappear. He will be floating around in the blanks of the story that even Reina was not aware of.
Which means, he didn't die.
"However, he suffered something worse than death."
Reina's words destroyed all the hope Taylor and Seol Jungyeon had felt seconds earlier. Taylor eventually fell to the floor.
"Then… Can you find his whereabouts?"
"I am currently looking for him, but it's not that simple…."
"Is there really no way?"
"Even if there is, it is impossible for Yoo Seodam to come back." Reina answered with a gloomy and sunken face.
"Is that so… I'm sorry, you must be sad too. Sorry for showing an ugly side like this…"
"No, it's fine."
Taylor turned and disappeared with her shoulders drooped. Reina followed her receding figure with sad eyes.
Seol Jungyeon bowed her head to Reina and passed by her shoulder.
"If there is a way to find him."
Whing-!!
She disappeared into the wind and rain, leaving her last words.
"Please tell me too."
Everyone is leaving. There was only one person left in the funeral home, Reina.
Reina's day begins with waking up in the morning and opening the window so the sunlight could pour into her room.
"Uhhhhh…"
After staring at the dazzling sky for a moment, she pours a cup of hot Americano and combs her frizzy hair. Once she is presentable enough, she heads straight to her studio and opens her laptop. The leftovers of whatever she was editing yesterday stands before her eyes.
"Is this also… serialization suspended?"
In this world, there were a loooooottt of protagonists. And, something very special was happening to them. As someone had taken on all of their probability, most of them, who no longer needed probability, were giving up on being the protagonist.
Which means, in those countless worlds, the existence of the protagonist was no longer needed. That was a positive phenomenon, and it was good to say that Reina's job was already finished.
Still, Reina sipped on her coffee and looked at her laptop. Maybe it was because she had already been doing it for 9 years, it was hard to suddenly stop doing it..
Nine years ago, in 2043.
Reina Ju was sucked into the 'super-giant rift' and died. But that day, Reina did not die. Because Earthlings didn't know that the super-giant rift was none other than the gate leading to the Hell Gate.
She was able to survive to some extent inside the Hell Gate. Even in the midst of her body rotting, she had persevered with her unbreakable spirit. Then, the person who reached out to her was none other than the 'Will of Hell Gate'.
The Will of Hell Gate, which Reina jokingly called 'the boss', was very curious about Reina's existence, and suggests that she join her in his plan. Reina accepted because she had to live for now, and she felt her head light up when she heard of his future plans.
'And, what happened…'
By chance, Yoo Seodam came to Hell Gate two years later. His lifespan was at the limit. It was then that Reina decided.
He had lived his entire life unhappy and had no choice but to die unhappily… Let's make the man she loved the most the happiest person in the whole universe. Even if ruin awaits at the end, it would be better if he could enjoy a good life before dying rather than to die just like that.
'Reina? Hmm, interesting.'
Hell Gate's will was slowly acquiring the 'human language' from Reina. He was still clumsy and couldn't even make his own figure properly, but it was enough for him to communicate.
'I like that man too. Just like you.'
Some time has passed since then.
"…Perhaps the story you know has unfolded."
「F-rank Hunter Yoo Seodam, wins with special performance!」
From the point in time when he was chosen as protagonist, his story was already being written like a novel.
It wasn't bad in Reina's point of view because Yoo Seodam had gained a loving bond and trusted colleague. She had also allowed him to travel around countless worlds, make him see and hear many things. For the first time in his life, he found happiness, and he was able to laugh.
Reina liked it. Even if she couldn't be with him, she was still satisfied looking at him being happy like that.
"…"
Reina, who suddenly remembered the boss, put down her coffee and got up. Although the boss's goal was to destroy and unify all the worlds, she and the man she loved could be happy because of him. In a way, it can be said that the boss was their benefactor.
As Reina opened the door to the bedroom where the boss was sleeping, something squirmed inside.
"Reina?"
"Have you lost your form already?"
"Yeah… it's become a hideous mess, so please don't look at me."
"I don't like something ugly either so I won't look for long."
"Haha. You are really, really…"
The boss' voice still resembled Yoo Seodam's. But since he couldn't keep his figure anymore, he simply hid from Reina under the blanket.
"Can't you just let go of everything? Why are you so obsessed with that figure?"
"I have one last thing to do. No one else could do it, except me."
"Are you trying to stabilize Hell Gate?"
"Haha… Yeah."
Hell Gate was still unfinished. Even the sun in the sky was nothing more than an imitation. On top of it, there were no natural phenomena nor no physic laws.
So, Yoo Seodam's sacrifice was necessary.
"Do you also think I'm wrong?"
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"It's not a matter of wrong or right in my opinion. Humans are inherently selfish after all."
"I am not human. I just do it for me."
"That makes you human."
"What?"
The boss who was hiding under the blanket, popped out slightly, turning only his eyes and looking at Reina.
"You don't need anything else to be human. If you act selfishly just for yourself and for the things you love, that means you have become a human being."
"Right…"
"Yes. You are a wonderful human being."
Many people were already born in Hell Gate and were walking around. They all have a will of their own, although they don't even realize that the world they were living in was a created one, not a natural one.
"Reina… what will happen to me now?"
"Well, don't you know already? You will die."
"That's really too much……."
Reina looked out of her window. It's a really weird feeling. Since Hell Gate could no longer absorb any world, the details of the Hell Gate will not be improved. But for some reason, that sun feels 'real'.
"Reina."
"Please speak."
"…if I disappear, you too will return to your world. There is no hope here now. If my will is extinguished, this world may no longer be able to endure and it will degenerate again."
An unfinished world.
A world without any story.
There was no way such a world could exist without the will. With Yoo Seodam, the 'protagonist of all worlds', leaving this world, this world will soon crumble.
"Yes, I think so too."
"I'm very sorry for everything I did to you till now. Did I overdo it?"
"It's fine. But the salary here is too low."
"Sorry…"
At that moment, Reina felt a certain aura surrounding her own body. Realizing its true nature, a 'road' that connects this world to another world, she had goosebumps all over her body. Until now, it was the ability that she could only use by borrowing the boss's hand. It was the key to dimensional movement. However, it was now possible to do it by herself.
"Th-this is…"
"It's your severance pay. Even if I don't have money, at least I can do this for you…"
"Thank you."
Reina said so sincerely and lowered her head. The boss coughed loudly, and then he laughed.
"Well then, I hope you are happy. Reina."
With those last words, the blanket slid down. The shape of the boss had completely disappeared. And as the 'will' that maintained this world disappeared, the world would soon follow. The death of this world was inevitable.
"…" Reina had a gut feeling that it was time for her to return. But before that, she still needs to take something from her workroom.
It was her laptop.
The laptop not only contained the stories of countless worlds, it was also the link that allowed her to always be with Yoo Seodam. After all, through this laptop, she always watched Yoo Seodam. Feeling his joys and sorrows.
'I can't see you anymore…'
With that in mind, Reina unintentionally opened her laptop.
[Hi, Na]
"Huh?"
To her surprise, she found a strange text floating on the laptop screen. With a trembling hand, she moved the mouse and clicked on it. Then the text was changed.
[Ar ou ell?l]
She wondered what the words were. And as soon as she knew the meaning behind the words, she typed her answer. She couldn't help but instinctively know who the sender was.
[Yoo Seodam?]
Then a reply came immediately.
[Yes]
Next,
[I'm do ine]
[ving well]
"Ahhh…"
After a moment of speechlessness, she wrote and sent a message as long as she could.
She's still doing well, though, her boss fired her, and now she can live freely.
However…
[… Read]
[H e ll o]
[Can't read it properly]
She got a reply saying he couldn't read it properly. Just as it was difficult for her to read the words of Yoo Seodam, it seems like he also had difficulty reading the message she sent.
There is only one reason for that.
'He's too far away…'
To be honest, it didn't make sense. Reina's laptop contains 'all the world'. And if Yoo Seodam was in one of those worlds, there is no way that Reina would not know, and the conversation would not be cut off like this.
But…
'If there is another world that I do not know about….'
If the place where Yoo Seodam left is not a blank space in the story, but a place where new stories are being written.
'Yoo Seodam is still alive!'
In other words, they could meet again.
Feeling her heart pounding at that fact, Reina concentrated her mind on the traces of the message as much as possible. She doesn't know what Yoo Seodam did, but delivering a message to her would probably be very hard. Perhaps, he must have used most of the lifespan he had earned.
Therefore, she couldn't waste this opportunity. Reina showed a superhuman concentration and chased Yoo Seodam's traces.
However, she found nothing.
But at that moment, she felt something tugging her heart. To put it in a picture, it was as if a butterfly was leading her into a dark road.
'I can go.'
On the laptop, the last message comes.
[Let's meet again someday.]
[All together.]
Finally, communication with Yoo D
Seodam was cut off, but the butterfly's path was already clearly engraved on Reina's golden eyes. It would never be gone. Ever.
'I have to leave right now…'
Reina, who was in a hurry, suddenly remembered the people left on Earth. In addition to herself, there were countless others who wanted to find Yoo Seodam.
And now, thanks to the power given by the 'boss', it would be possible to travel with a few people.
Reina, who was about to slam the office door with that thought, saw a strange sight.
"What…?"
With the Will of Hell Gate's death, the world should've originally collapsed. However, for some reason, everything was still the same.
Tuk-!! Tuk-!!
"Aww! it's raining!"
"What the… The Meteorological Agency didn't have such a forecast."
"Should I go to the convenience store and buy an umbrella?"
People on the street were startled by the sudden rain and started running around. Reina also had no choice but to panic, because the rain showers in this world would only fall when the 'boss' wants it.
An imperfect world. A world that would have remained unfinished forever if a being with a will did not refine it. Such a world had now become a 'completed world'.
"No way…"
Reina ran out into the street and looked over people's heads. There, she could no longer see the 'protagonist hashtag'.
"Hahaha…."
At the scene, Reina realized that the world no longer needed the Will of Hell Gate. This completed world, which doesn't need a protagonist, becomes completed only because everyone is the protagonist.
'The world that the boss wanted was only completed after the boss left.'
Back in her office, she sat at her desk and turned on her laptop. Now, she will never come back to this world again. But, at least, if this world had become 'real'.
Shouldn't she let people know that there were people who worked to make this world?
Reina checked the date of this 'Other World' where hunters, monsters, dungeons, superpowers, great wars, dungeons, cracks, and gates do not exist.
[Earth, South Korea]
[November 27, 2020]
[12:30 pm]
"…"
Tack, Tack!
She uploaded someone's story to her laptop. She really didn't know who would see it, however, she didn't care.
[The Protagonist Are Murdered By Me.]
[Upload]
Reina pressed the enter before draping her pink coat over her shoulders and ran out of her office. Then, she looked up. After looking at the sky for a long time, she politely bowed her head and said to those who might be watching her right now.
"Thank you for loving 'Protagonist Are Murdered By Me' until now."
:)