Beyond the Eternity

The First Fragment, which was the goal of the Fourth Fable, to build my 'Theme' was obtained.

[The constellation, Primordial Mother of Dragons is satisfied with the violence.]

[The constellation, Judge of War and Wisdom is satisfied with your justice.]

[The constellation, Architect of Destruction is pleased with your performance.]

[Majority of the constellations has spread your story to other channels.]

[You have received 50,000 coins from the constellations.]

[Your reputation is spending across <Fate>]

[Your Legend is being constructed... You have received Faith from several Incarnations.]

[Congratulations, you have obtained the exclusive skill 'Divinity' rank (E-)]

[You have gained the attention of majority of the constellations.]

It was a long list of notifications.

Not only was my 'Theme' being constructed, I also received the skill 'Divinity' which was only exclusive to the Constellations. It was a perfect performance where the main 'Evil' was defeated.

I'm sure everyone was pleased with such an ending. But am truly happy with such a conclusion?

Keikoku Amane was indeed the villain of this Fable but he was not the main villain. The true villain was the one who manipulated everything from the shadows for their own benefit . Perhaps Keikoku's demise was also part of the plan.

"Oi!"

There was the sound of a stupid voice and an heavy impact on my back. Did someone just punch me?

I turned around and saw Park Joonhyuk behind me.

"... Joonhyuk?"

"You video-game like bastard... I thought you were dead. Don't you know I cried for you?"

Says the shameless fellow who kicked my corpse.

"Stop talking nonsense. Don't you know what my card is?"

"Card...?"

Park Joonhyuk's confusion lasted only a moment before realization dawned on him. "Ah, that's right. There's only one card with the ability of resurrection. Tch! What a scam of an ability. Of course, a bastard like you would have chosen that card.

Maybe I shouldn't have gone with The Devil card after all."

"It's not that great since there are only a limited times of usage. But it's still a scam."

There was no use hiding it since Park Joonhyuk was a reader. However, the Fool card had a fatal weakness.

The Joker's power to overturn death can only be used for a total of seven turns. Since I had died once and resurrected, there are only six turns left.

Even then, the ability of resurrection itself was not the real scam.

'Status window'

Upon command, the system interface containing my information appeared infront of my retina.

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[ « Soul Status » ]

Name: Jakga Kim

Age: 25

Primary Attributes: ■■

Innate Abilities: Zero One ■■, Omniscient Wall ■■

Skills: Soul Purifying Sword Lv. 10, Weapons Mastery Lv. 5, Marksmanship Lv. 8, Divinity Lv.1, Dimensional Transmission... Omitted.

Overall stats: Physique Lv. 3, Strength Lv. 3

Agility Lv. 3, Magic Power Lv. 1

*All stats has been permanently reset due to the penalty of The Joker

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I looked at the status window with a frown. It was as exactly as I feared.

The Joker card (0) had the power to reverse death. Meaning, it reset the user's physical attributes upon resurrection. In essence, it was more of a rebirth, where everything was returned to its weakest state.

That was the main drawback of The Joker.

"Tch! What a pain in the ass."

I clicked my tongue and scratched the back of my head. Thinking about the whole ordeal was enough to make me upset.

Park Joonhyuk was filled with doubt about his card, but The Devil card was the most useful in a practical scenario since it had no major drawbacks.

I slowly looked around.

Gangdong-gu was a wreck. Crumbling buildings, debris littering the streets, and thick clouds of smoke still rising from distant fires. On top of that, the air was thick with toxins, making it hard to breathe. Just because the disaster was gone didn't mean the radiation would vanish with him. There was no survivors. Everything was thoroughly destoryed by the disaster before he left this world.

A heavy sense of dread and hopelessness hung over me.

I glanced at Soo Jinyoung who was looking at the same scene as me. She must have seen something like this in one of her previous lives. Is that why she was able to look at the scene with a straight face without a hint of emotion?

In that moment, I realized this was only the beginning.

Park Joonhyuk asked. "Hey, what are we going to do now?"

"Isn't that obvious? We can't remain here. Let's get..."

I trailed off as my attention suddenly shifted elsewhere.

"Angelica...?"

There was no response. Concerned, I walked over to Angelica, who was kneeling on one knee, using her sword for support. She looked like she had been crying. No... that wasn't it.

"Wait, is she..."

"Yeah, she passed out a while ago. Maybe the shock of seeing you alive, exhaustion, or both," Park Joonhyuk said with a shrug. "She really pushed herself. You should take better care of your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend."

"If you say so."

What was that supposed to mean? I wanted to say something but the words at the tip of my tongue won't leave my lips.

"Forget that, I'm leaving. You can stay here if you want."

"Hey, why are you so cold all of a sudden? Are you still trying to deny the truth? By the way, what's your relationship with that woman anyways?"

With Angelica on my back, I made my way toward the only intact bridge, while Soo Jinyoung and Park Joonhyuk followed close behind. But for some reason, Park Joonhyuk kept bombarding me with questions I struggled to answer.

* * *

After entering Jungnang-gu through the Cheonho Bridge and finding a safe position, I excused myself from the party members.

Jungnang-gu had also suffered from the tremendous shockwave and a few high-rise buildings had already collapsed. Even so, It was better than Gangdong-gu which had become a toxic wasteland.

More importantly...

"Aurora."

Silence followed before something 'small' appeared infront of me. It was the depressed Aurora, the fairy that allowed such a destruction to occur.

It was not entirely her fault though, but if those people would have the same reasoning was the question.

"You were at the Administration Buseau, right? What did they say?"

[They surprisingly let me off the hook this time. The disaster, Keikoku Amane wasn't supposed to be summoned for the Fourth Fable.]

"He wasn't?"

[Yes. There was an error in the <System> when I forced the Unknown God back to slumber. A Wanderer was supposed to be summoned, but It seems to have been outside interference that forcefully altered the Fable.]

Outside influence? Something that can forcefully change the conditions of the Fable?

"What kind of interference are we talking about here?"

Aurora, who was floating in the air by rapidly flapping her wings, hesitated for a moment before answering. [The kind that only high-ranking constellations like the Hadou Gods can pull off.]

"What? That doesn't make any sense. The Hadou Gods wouldn't interfere with the Major Fables of a minor world like Earth. The Law of Causality won't ignore such a significant change. Do you know the identity of the culprit?"

I asked seriously enough. But Aurora nonchalantly raised her hands and opened her little mouth.

[How am I supposed to know that? This is a matter for a big constellation—there's no way the Bureau would bother telling someone like me anything. Honestly, it's all political nonsense. In the end, it's pointless to worry about such things anymore. You killed the disaster and obtained a happy ending, right? I heard you're becoming more popular with the constellations while I was knocked out.

You'd be surprised by the number of constellations currently in the channel—more than 5,000, can you believe it? Hehehe! At this rate, a promotion is not just a distant dream!]

Aurora buzzed with excitement about her channel's growth, floating around happily with drool spilling from her mouth.

5,000 constellations? It's no wonder she would be excited. Most small channels don't have that many viewers. If she obtains around 10,000 subscribers, she would be to evolve into a Great Lackey.

Even so, why did it seem like she was trying to change the conservation?

She's hiding something, isn't she?

I had to remind myself of my place in the hierarchy: I was merely a player, while Aurora held the position of a low-ranked admin. There was no she would tell me information exclusive to the Administration Buseau.

Explore stories at m,v l'e-NovelFire

It's not that she needs to inform me; I already know the identity of the culprit behind this disaster.

The one who manipulated Keikoku Amane and claimed his soul upon his death. In fact, the Fifth Fable through the Tenth Fable revolves around that very constellation.

I said. "Sigh... I was going to buy an item but I changed my mind. Just give me the special reward."

[Ah, yes. Oh, silly me. I'll prepare it right away.]

Aurora clicked her tiny fingers, and in the next moment...

[You are the largest contributor of the Fourth Fable.]

[You have the first choice of a special reward.]

I saw a red catalogue floating infront of me. Not everything was a tragic story.

[Choose an item from the list below. Be careful, you can only pick one item and no refunds is allowed.]

Apollo's Boots (Replica) — SSSSS grade.

Gungnir (Replica) — SSSSS grade.

Watcher's Dimension Star Coat — SSSSS grade.

Three items with the SSSSS grade rating.

The term 'SSSSS' was an overexaggeration. They were basically EX-grade items, meaning they are items outside the standard numerical scaling used by the <System>.

For instance, if an A-rank item with a modifier (+) has a value of 100, and an A-rank item with a modifier (++) has a value of 200, then the numerical value of an Ex-grade item would be (?).

They were weapons at the pinnacle of the hierarchy, boasting exceptional performance that surpassed even the Heroic Relics of the constellations. However, some Heroic Relics of major constellations like Zeus, Odin and Poseidon were stronger than EX-grade items while most Historical Gods and Narrative Gods were utterly useless.

I quickly read the information of the items displayed on the catalogue.

Apollo's Boots (Replica) drastically increases the agility by tenfolds and allows the user to run on clouds.

Gungnir (Replica) had the special effect of bypassing all defenses and penetrate the heart of a target once thrown. However, the effect can only be utilized once per day.

Finally, Watcher's Dimension Star Coat was capable of holding an unlimited number of items without affecting the coat's weight or appearance. It also has automatic 'Self-Repair' option too.

Honestly, I couldn't decide because they were all amazing items.

With Apollo's Boots, I didn't need to learn the Sky Wind skill. Gungnir would allow me to one-shot any opponent once a day, and then there was the Watcher's Dimension Coat with unlimited storage capacity.

There were all items that could take me to the 50th Fable if I used them properly. However, there was only one item that stood out above the rest.

[You have chosen your special reward.]

The empty space distorted and something descended from the air. It was a void black coat shimmering with faint cosmic energy as if the very fabric were woven from the embers of dying stars. It was a coat filled with the essence of the Watchers.

Aurora looked as me as if she was surprised. [So you chose that item, I see. I thought you would choose Gungnir. Even if it's just a replica, It's the legendary weapon of Odin you know.]

"I would have chosen it if it was not a replica. Besides, I'm not a fighter so it would completely useless in my hands."

[That makes sense I suppose. By the way, wear the coat and put your hand inside the pocket to activate the special effect.]

"Special effect?"

[Just do it, Okay?]

I didn't know what was so special about it. In any case, I nodded before wearing the void coat and checked the pocket as she said.

[The special feature of the Watcher's Dimension Star Coat has activated.]

"What?"

I was shocked as the coat reduced to fit my body and turned from void black to deep crimson. Was there a feature like this?

Aurora wore a satisfactory smile as she saw my shocked expression. [Amazing, isn't it? The coat is made using the essence of a dying star. As such, It changes Itself in order to match the user's aura or should I say the user's soul frequency. What was that called again? Wasn't it called 'colour?']

"But why did it change colour though? Red in particular."

[Don't you know? The colour 'red' is associated with anger, passion and bloodshed. One colour can represent multiple things, you know. The watcher's coat must have sensed something within you and changed according to match that. Don't worry, you can change the colour of the coat from the setting if you want. But it would inevitably return to the colour 'red'.

That's how it is.]

"I don't know if I should find that amazing or concerning."

I checked the information of the item.

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[Item Information]

Name: Watcher's Dimension Star Coat

Rank: SSSSS

Description: A coat made using the essence of dying stars. As such, it was given the SSSSS rating for its unlimited storage capacity and defensive properties. All items are kept in a suspended animation until they are removed from the storage space and has an automatic 'self-repair' feature. Additionally, It also increases the user's thought processing speed and senses by up to 30%.

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I looked at it again as if I couldn't believe my eyes. Indeed, I was right for choosing this item.

Apollo's Flying Boots were useless apart from speed and Gungnir (Replica) can only bypass defence once a day unlike the real deal. Therefore, the Void Watcher's Dimension Coat was only answer.

In any case, this coat was mine.

— Also, you need to be careful.

I suddenly heard Aurora's voice inside my head.

The fact that she's using private communication instead of saying it out loud meant that it was something important.

— What do you mean?

— Because of your recent advancement, you have gained the attention of some huge constellations.

— Huge constellations?

— Yes. I'm under a pact so I can't reveal anything about them or intervene in their business. So you should be careful especially around those around you.

Leaving those words, Aurora's body distorted and disappeared without a trace. There was nobody there anymore, but I continued to stare at the empty space for a long time.

I sighed.

"It looks like I have to continue living as a 'Jakga'."