My Lord

There was no time to linger in sentiment. A blue window flared open before our eyes, and the moment we saw the message, we began preparing to head back down.

"You stay here with Yoo Joonghyuk."

"You sure that's okay?"

"Even if you go down now, you won't be any help."

"And if that girl wakes up, that's a whole other problem."

"Just let me know the second she comes to."

"So I can smack her in the back of the head one more time."

But I paused mid-step.

"What is it, mister? You got something to say too?"

"…When Yoo Joonghyuk wakes up, tell her this for me."

"No matter how endless the days may seem, an end always exists."

"Huh? What does that even…"

I didn't wait for Jihye's reaction. I followed Dokja, who had already started down ahead of me.

Not like I was wrong, though. He wasn't exactly the hardworking type.

The constraints of Probability had probably affected Bihyung as well.

He really did everything we asked of him.

"Dokja-ssi, are you tired? I'll carry Gilyoung."

"Ah, I'd appreciate that."

Jung Heewon took Gilyoung with a faintly uncomfortable expression. It was about time to press her on it.

"I'll head down first. You two talk it out and come down when you're ready."

"Huh? Hayeon-ssi, what do you mean…"

"Heewon-ssi."

The moment Dokja called out to Jung Heewon, I descended to the lower floor. Once I'd gone far enough that their conversation was out of earshot, I released the Proxy identity.

"Haa… I'm exhausted…"

Too much had hit me all at once. My past. New equipment. The strain of the identity. The fatigue from all of it crashed over me in a single wave. I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes right then and there — but I couldn't. The scenarios wouldn't wait for me to recover.

I quietly downed the Enkephalin. The fog that had clouded my mind cleared in an instant.

"Fuu… Now I feel like I can actually live…"

Lately, the drain on my mental strength had been far too severe. Even with Enkephalin, I was burning through it far too often. Was there really no other way…?

What? A Fable? All of a sudden—

"Ghk— Gaaaaaah!!!!"

A searing agony erupted from the right side of my back. A bizarre sensation, as if a new part of my body were sprouting, accompanied the pain as it gradually subsided.

"Hah… hah… What the hell is…"

Catching my breath, I looked back over my shoulder. A pair of black wings studded with enormous yellow eyes had grown from my back. Wings I knew all too well. The E.G.O Gift obtained by suppressing the Apocalypse Bird in Lobotomy Corporation. Weathered Dark Twilight had sprouted from my back.

"…Are you kidding me?"

"Hayeon! I heard a scream just now — what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠happened…?"

"…Hayeon-ssi… right?"

Jung Heewon and Dokja came rushing down the escalator, drawn ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by my scream. Their eyes locked onto my wings.

"…Wings?"

"Hayeon-ssi, what on earth is that?"

"I… well…"

Honestly, I didn't know either. The wings had simply appeared along with a message saying a Fable was answering its master's wish. And they moved exactly as I willed them to.

"It's probably… an effect of the Fable."

"A Fable? Did you just say Fable?"

Dokja answered as if she couldn't believe what she'd heard. Fair enough. Almost no one obtained a Fable before the Fourth Scenario even began.

"Yeah. I think it's related to my past, but…"

"I still don't really understand it."

"…Haa. Alright."

Dokja let out a deep sigh and started walking again.

"Let's get back. Sangah-ssi and Hyunsung-ssi will be waiting."

"…Yeah."

I pushed myself up and followed after her. Jung Heewon carefully drew up beside me and spoke.

"Hayeon-ssi."

"Yes? What is it?"

"About Dokja-ssi. She said she knows the future."

"What she said up on the rooftop was bothering me, so I asked her. That's what she told me."

"I know."

"What? You already knew?"

"With the things she says, what other explanation is there?"

"…I figured as much."

Figured as much? Had she predicted this answer?

"What do you mean by that?"

"Dokja-ssi said so. That Hayeon-ssi would already know about her."

I flinched. That, I hadn't expected. She'd probably pieced it together from everything I'd said and done so far.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"Nothing. More importantly — do you know, Hayeon-ssi? About my future."

"No. I don't know either."

A lie. I knew at least as far as the near future. But saying that here wouldn't have been right.

"So stay sharp at all times."

"In a world like this, it wouldn't be strange for someone to die at any moment."

"…You're right. I said something unnecessary. Forget it."

Jung Heewon quickened her pace and pulled ahead. I followed behind them as we left the dungeon.

The first thing we heard upon returning to Chungmuro was the sound of people shouting.

"Where the hell did that Kim Dokja go?! Spit it out already!"

Lee Hyunsung and Yoo Sangah were trying to calm the furious crowd.

"Lee Hyunsung-ssi, Yoo Sangah-ssi!"

"Dokja-ssi!"

"There she is! That bastard, where the hell has she been hiding until now…!"

"Hahaha. Everyone, been well?"

Bihyung appeared alongside the message window floating before our eyes.

"Looking at those faces, you all seem nice and peaceful!"

"What the hell are you here for this time!"

"Obviously for the Fourth Main Scenario announcement."

"Now, now! Don't get so worked up — just listen."

Bihyung continued with a leisurely expression.

"The Fourth Main Scenario requires you to work together with other stations."

"A thoroughly exciting story awaits, so I'm sure you'll all be very satisfied!"

"Identity Equipment."

Knowing what scenario was coming, I equipped an identity in advance.

"However, to proceed with this scenario, you must first complete a prerequisite task."

"If you just throw a bunch of people together, it'll only turn into chaos, right?"

"So you need someone to take command. In other words—"

"Each station needs a Representative!"

"The game from here on is a 'preliminary round.'"

"You could also call it a warm-up."

"The rules are, well, as you can see."

A stand appeared inside the station, a flag planted firmly in it.

"Everyone get out of my way!"

Gong Pildu charged the moment he laid eyes on the flag.

"Gong Pildu, get down!"

At Dokja's command, Gong Pildu dropped flat to the floor. She casually stepped over him and seized the flag.

"Take the flag! As long as you grab it within five minutes…!"

"Bulgawiya — none shall defy. They cannot stop this."

Fwip—

The heads of those charging at Dokja hit the floor.

"Hayeon-ssi?"

"You switched again? What is it this time…"

"Chief of the Mao Branch, Park Hayeon. I present myself before my Lord."

As the words left my mouth, my knees hit the floor. Dokja stared down at me with a blank expression. This was exactly why I'd chosen this identity.