NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28
As I descended the mountain range with my disciples, I began to ponder the insignia etched into my back.
– I believe this world must end according to the ‘original story’, Do Hyeon.
First of all, this person is calling me ‘Do Hyeon’ instead of ‘Bing Yeon’. Only a handful of people knew that name from before I was dragged into this world.
Even if someone wrote it as a joke, they wouldn’t know that this place is a world from a novel.
– Someone who loved your writing dearly.
Secondly, they referred to themselves as someone who loved my writing, while hiding their identity, almost like begging for recognition.
‘Could it be a fan from abroad?’
I suddenly held my breath, two names flashing into my mind.
One is a devoted reader who followed my unfinished works. An enigmatic person who claimed to show their sincerity by trapping me in Bing Yeon’s body.
Since Azazel also mentioned that a foreign entity was residing within me, this might indeed be a mistake by some deity.
‘A foreign entity being a web novel reader? Honestly, it doesn’t make much sense.’
I immediately began questioning the logic of it all. Thinking in reverse to see if this was possible—it’s a habit I developed since becoming a writer.
If it’s truly a foreign entity, then they could potentially possess me and knowing my real name wouldn’t be impossible.
Messing up my hair, I squeezed my eyes shut.
An entity that governs the outer universe causing chaos over a mere stop in the serialization of a creation made by a being less than an ant?
“Do you have any idea who wrote this, Azazel?”
“This distinctive pattern… I can only think of it as a trace of Shub-Niggurath.”
Azazel let out a long silence, then slightly gagged as she uttered the name of the foreign entity.
Shub-Niggurath.
Known as the mother of black goats, it was said that due to her peculiar and promiscuous breeding habits, she even had children following her.
To craft Azazel Blackheart’s setting, I had no choice but to delve deeper into the Cthulhu Mythos, which I was already interested in.
But why would such a foreign entity leave a mark on my body?
As I sorted through my thoughts, Azazel sensed something odd and raised her voice to question me.
“Why did you refer to yourself as ‘someone’? If you were truly the Great Mother, you wouldn’t need to present such a riddle…”
“That’s true. Given that the pattern belongs to Shub-Niggurath, there would be no need to refer to yourself as someone.”
I nodded at Azazel’s question. After all, Shub-Niggurath isn’t a minor foreign entity like Azazel.
She’s renowned as an Outer God famous for corrupting human minds and trampling upon them, frequently appearing in creative works.
If someone were to leave a sign asking for recognition this way, there could very well be another reader aside from the devoted one.
“Can you tell me what the handwriting looks like?”
“It’s round and small. Not rough, so I’d say it has a feminine touch?”
Yoo Seolhwa.
The first love and girlfriend I could only remember through photos and memories, who had tragically jumped off a hospital roof after becoming paralyzed from a car accident.
“Could I see it myself?”
I remembered the handwriting I saw in Azazel’s dream. It was that of Seolhwa’s, which others often described as cute.
“If someone here can use magic…”
“I can do a bit! Master!”
Verdandi beamed and raised her hand. My novels fell into three main categories, and the final bosses primarily used different things from each genre.
For Biyeol, it was qi and martial arts.
For Verdandi, it was mana and magic.
For Azazel, it was divine powers and authority from foreign entities.
Each one was a novel of martial arts, fantasy, and game possession, respectively.
The experience of writing in different genres stemmed from Seolhwa’s suggestion rather than mine.
– Do Hyeon, want to know why your writing isn’t improving?
Once, she had given me such advice.
Seolhwa genuinely loved a drama called [Wansung], which focused on Go. Even into adulthood, she would recite lines from it.
– When I read your work, it seems too bound by rules and examples.
The reason I thought of Go in my clash with Biyeol was that she once told me life is like a struggling ant trying to survive.
– Of course, you need to research developments and market trends, which is natural…
This was something said when I had previously tried to lessen the distinct flavor of the writings I originally used to get published.
At that time, I had suffered repeated failures and was riddled with low self-esteem, wondering what exactly the problem was.
More precisely, writing had become terrifying and daunting.
The fear of being criticized and not meeting my own expectations was overwhelming.
– After long consideration, I must say, I preferred your first works.
In such moments, Seolhwa supported me through her writing. There was a power in her words to move hearts.
– Ultimately, the unchanging truth I believe is that writing must be entertaining. Of course, that includes happy endings for all characters.
That was the value she constantly preached. Our lives can be tragic and sad enough.
At least within fictional works, I believed everyone should have happy stories.
The reason I sought to accept the final bosses as my disciples and help them find happiness was also thanks to Seolhwa.
– So what you need now is to break the mold. Also known as breaking the rules.
Just like letting a captured Go stone die without saving it, I wrote a new work without going through a remake of a failed one.
– Hmmm, is that too complicated? To put it in gaming terms, your experience bar is ridiculously oversized. You’ve outgrown your beginner phase and your growth has slowed down.
To write better, having completely new experiences was something Seolhwa taught me.
– So, the first thing is to write a lot. I recommend trying to write in a different genre! After all, experience is more important than theory.
The results of that running brought me here.
In martial arts web fiction, [King of Diamond Fist], the Heavenly Demon, Biyeol.
In fantasy web fiction, [The Hero Must Die], the Hero, Verdandi.
In game possession web fiction, [I Got Trapped in a Game], the Saint, Azazel.
They were like daughters created together with Seolhwa.
“…It’s definitely Seolhwa’s handwriting.”
The small, cute letters carved into the white snow; with Verdandi and Azazel’s help, I could transcribe the writings on my back.
“Do you know this person, Master?”
“I know them all too well, which is the problem.”
A bitter, hot sensation surged up as if my stomach was in reverse.
The last image I recalled of Seolhwa was during her spinal cord injury, with all parts of her body slowly turning to stone.
When I was in the military, she had lost all hope in life and jumped off a hospital rooftop to end it all.
“Azazel, can you take a glimpse into the future?”
“…Why must I do that? If it’s a future related to Shub-Niggurath, all I see is despair and darkness.”
Azazel seemed reluctant to see the future, continuing to keep her gaze down. When I tried to force eye contact, she turned her head away.
“I’m asking because I need to check something important.”
“……”
Azazel maintained a brief silence. The future she could see isn’t perfect and can always change with actions.
Having finally let go of her feelings for Kang Si Woo, the one she had a crush on, she resolved to come under me and become a disciple.
“This will be the last time. I won’t help again in the future. This is all for Si Woo, you know.”
Sighing deeply, Azazel lightly pressed her forehead, finally meeting my gaze. A rainbow-like brilliance glimmered.
“…Thank you.”
I barely nodded and expressed my gratitude. If Seolhwa truly left a mark on my body, I could potentially learn something through foresight.
Someone from reality was also dragged into the fictional world.
Was it not possible to resurrect someone who was already dead? From the start, one shouldn’t try to understand the behavior of foreign entities.
“……Huh?”
“What’s wrong, Azazel?”
Azazel stared into my eyes, then let out a groan, as if something was amiss.
“Unlike before, I can’t see the future. It’s as if someone is blocking it.”
“Could Shub-Niggurath be casting spells…?”
I couldn’t hide my disappointment and let out a sigh. It meant something significant had shifted, changing the course of the future.
At that moment.
“Then let’s take a look at the closer future─.”
Beeeeep!
A sound like a mechanical beep when a heart stops resonated between Azazel and me, sending chills down my spine.
“Ah, aaah….”
With a thud and a dull sound, blood flowed from Azazel’s eyes, as if she had seen something unspeakable.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to peek! Please forgive me, just spare my life, please, please…!”
“Azazel! Snap out of it!”
With her hands clasped tightly together, Azazel prayed, wailing. Her voice mixed sounded like a scream and a lament, unclear if she was seeking the foreign entity or the deity.
‘Damn it, what was the problem?’
I assumed it was fine since I was trying to glimpse into the future with Biyeol and Verdandi present. Furthermore, if it’s Seolhwa I know, she has an affectionate personality towards the characters in her stories.
I didn’t think she’d attack them this way.
‘Could it be…?’
I squinted without realizing it, as a spark of thought flashed through my mind.
The original story of this world has the protagonist defeating all the final bosses. I had transferred my bleak past onto them through this medium from the very beginning.
– Do Hyeon. The views of the reader and the author differ. No matter how hard or painful it is for you, the reader only sees the end of the story.
– Even if I make excuses for my pain, ultimately, the readers will leave me. So, I must show them sincere effort.
In that moment, a memory rushed back, and Seolhwa would never harm Azazel as if she were her daughter.
But,
‘What if Seolhwa also got possessed like I did and encountered something terrible?’
Just like Azazel, if she has a foreign entity residing within her?
In the first place, foreign entities are beings that transcend human perception. The case of Morgidian residing within her is the only relatively benign one.
Since she deliberately turned me into a ticking clock, there’s no guarantee she didn’t do anything to Seolhwa.
If, by any chance,
If Seolhwa really exists in this world,
“Verdandi, quickly purify her with the Divine Sword…!”
“Understood!”
I prayed that what I was worried about wouldn’t come true.
*
“Alright, everyone is here. I almost took too long because of a pesky matter.”
Bing Seolhwa, having briefly closed her eyes, clapped her hands. She looked at those around her with a grin, indicating she found this situation enjoyable.
“……”
A black-haired man with bandaged fists was none other than Kim Hyul, the protagonist from the novel [King of Diamond Fist].
“Wait, do we really have to kill someone?”
A man with blue hair scratched his head in confusion, the protagonist of [I Must Kill the Hero], Zikhart.
“Yeah, no matter what, the Azazel I knew wouldn’t be so bad….”
A man holding a smartphone and scratching his chin was Kang Si Woo, the protagonist of [I Got Trapped in a Game].
“Yep, that’s what our ‘dedicated reader’ desires.”
Facing the protagonists, Bing Seolhwa smiled creepily, throwing her arms wide open towards the sky.
As if to serve the god above this sky.