Beyond the Eternity

[You have obtained a total of five new cards.]

[Cards in Possession: The Fool, Queen of Swords, Knight of Wands, King of Wands, Knight of Swords, Ace of Cups.]

It has already been a few hours since we started the trial but I had five cards minus the default card. It was a good start.

After I took the cards from Lee Dokho, he suddenly left saying he had something to do first.

Everyone would have been alerted by the change of group ownership so maybe Lee Dokho must have gone to settle things down.

Surprisingly enough, my real name was not mentioned in the ownership announcement.

The system only said that the cards are now in the possession of the Soo Jinyoung's company manager. It was good since I can continue my act as Soo Jinyoung.

Jung Yunhee and Angelica were surveying the surroundings so I was left alone as a result. Finally, I was able to process my thoughts in silence.

The moment I leaned against a wall, my mind subconsciously wandered.

Lee Dokho. He was a variable that did not exist in the World of Nightmares. The station was supposed to be controlled by the Sword Breaking Saint. But the story has changed because Lee Dokgo was involved.

Did he kill her? No, he would be foolish if he killed her.

Several questions lingered in my head, but one question stood from the rest. It was a question that I've been thinking ever since I became aware of the readers.

If Lee Dokgo was a reader, does he have the novel file? To begin with, was that even possible?

After the emergence of the Nightmare Trials, the novel Song of the Fall simply disappeared from this world. It wasn't a simple story of a story being deleted from the platform; If it were, my previously saved file wouldn't have vanished without a trace. It was as if the novel had gone through a thorough process of 'absolute erasure'.

So was it possible that somebody still possessed the file for that novel?

I highly doubted it. If the file was erased from my phone by some greater power then that would be case for everyone else that read the story.

Secondly, how many readers of Song of the Fall are there?

The World of Nightmares was not a popular story. In fact, it was a story that had a fraudulent 'status' since some parts were similar to a very popular story. Even though there were many differences between the two works, but the similarities were still present. Additionally, the popular one was obviously a better written story between the two.

So how many readers will continue such an unpopular work? Not too many but I don't have an accurate idea of their total numbers.

And for my third question, what kind of ability did they have? Was it the same ability as mine?

There was a certain popular story where the main character suddenly found himself into the world of his favourite novel and met the protagonist, the regressor that regressed over a thousand times. That person had a 'Wall' that protected him from everything in the story like a stubborn parent.

Would the readers also have such a protective wall? If yes, then things were going to become problematic for me.

Despite reading the novel to the end, I didn't have a protective wall. The Omniscient Wall was not related to the Fourth Wall since it was a Wall of Information and Knowledge. And it would be wrong to carelessly assume the readers possessed a skill related to the Fourth wall as well.

When I tried to view Lee Dokho's information, my skill was not repelled by another skill so there was no strong reaction. Meaning, Lee Dokho's case was similar to Angelica.

I massaged my temple. There were too many questions with no answers.

Maybe the readers possessed a firewall, maybe they didn't. Maybe the readers possessed the novel file, maybe they didn't. The possibilities were endless so it was driving me crazy.

How many minutes has gone by? Where the heck was that person anyways?

I walked around the station, swinging my head here and there before something caught my attention.

"Your aim is not bad. Now aim for the middle of the target."

"I'll do my best."

"Your posture is too stiff. Relax your body a little and focus on your sword."

"Like this?"

Several people had gathered around a small training ground. Some of them were sparring under supervision, some were practising their swordsmanship by hitting a scarecrow and some were practising with bows and arrows.

How could they be this organised in just a few days? It was completely different from the age of kings where the 'slave' class was abundant.

I started to feel a sense of unease. If my group was this organised, then maybe I wouldn't have to live as Soo Jinyoung.

Finally, I spotted Lee Dokho standing alone and staring into the empty space. What was this person looking at?

I moved faster than the eye and appeared infront of his face.

"What are you doing?"

"Ahhhh!"

Lee Dokho screamed and jumped back like a frightened cat. He really looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Sigh... Geez, don't scare me like that."

"What were you looking at?"

"H-Huh, it's nothing."

Lee Dokho immediately straightened his posture and wore a faint smile. I recognised that smile. It was the same smile I used to hide my 'anxiety'.

I felt a sense of discomfort. Just what on earth was this 'person' hiding from the world?

"Jinyoung-ssi, follow me. Let's meet the representative."

Lee Dokho guided me to a medium sized tent located in the middle of the platform. The station was connected to the southern part of Sindaebang-dong, which has various shops so there was many resources to go around.

Before I entered the tent, my gaze shifted towards Jung Yunhee and Angelica.

Once they noticed my gaze, they turned their head and nodded. They already knew what to do without me telling them.

'Stay here and watch. Don't cause any problem.'

'Understood.'

I followed Lee Dokho inside the tent and noticed that the interior was rather luxurious. It was better than the shabby old warehouse we used as our main base of operation.

There were multiple stolen goods that were arranged in an orderly manner such as a black carpet, a bed and even a vending machine. Then there was a round table positioned in the middle and chairs circling around it.

Then I shifted my gaze and noticed someone sitting on one of those chairs with their eyes closed. It was a young woman wearing a kimono that emitted a dignified yet peculiar aura.

She appeared to be taller than the average woman, but she also appeared to a few inches shorter than Lee Dokho who was 178 centimetres. Her hair was tied into a long ponytail and she was a hugging a sheathed Japanese sword over two meters long.

What would this type of person be called in Japan?

[Exclusive skill 'Omniscient Wall' has activated.]

[Information related to this character will be revealed.]

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[ « Soul Status » ]

Name: Kagura Kuroi

Age: 21

Contracted Constellation: Leader of Heavenly Knights

Primary Attributes: Saint (Legend)

Skills: Demon Slaying Lv. 3, Silent Observation Lv. 3, Language Translator Lv. 4, Intimidation Lv. 2, Sword Breaking Swordsmanship Lv. 6, Sense Evil Lv 3, Reinforced Body Lv.

3

Divine Authorities: Angel Transformation, Lightning Manipulation

Overall stats: Physique Lv. 25, Strength Lv. 30, Agility Lv. 25, Magic Power Lv. 20

Description: A person with great talent in channeling lightning but something has been distracting her lately and her mind can't be as ease. If this continues any further, she might not reach her full potential.

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Kagura Kuroi. Despite being from a foreign country, she was one of the top ten strongest humans in Seoul.

If I remembered correctly, this 'person' suffered from great discrimination because of the bad history between Korea and Japan.

How did Lee Dokho manage to tame this beast?

I couldn't help but to be shocked. It was because this person was almost as difficult as Soo Jinyoung.

"General, you have a guest."

The woman, Kagura Kuroi opened her eyes for the first time and turned her head towards this direction.

"Ah, you must be Soo Jinyoung. It's nice to meet you."

The black haired beauty stood up and extended her hand for a handshake.

"My name is Kagura Narukami and I'm the captain of this station."

"I see. But you're a foreigner?"

"That's correct. I moved into Seoul a few moments before the start of the Nightmare. I used to visit Seoul most of the time so I spent most of my life here than Japan."

A soft smile formed on her lips. In a way, I found her similar to Jung Yunhee. As a matter of fact, both of them would make great friends since they were both swordsman.

I stared at the hand she was extending. Her introduction was good. Too good, it almost sounds rehearsed.

"I want to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"Why did you surrender your general rights? You're strong enough to lead he people on your own."

"W-What? What are you saying?"

"It's useless. I already know you're not the general. You're the queen, aren't you?"

"T-That..."

Kagura was too stunned to speak properly. She glanced at Lee Dokho's direction as if asking him what she should say in this situation.

Lee Dokho's eyes shook. He probably didn't think that Soo Jinyoung would find out. He stared at the empty space for a while before he sighed.

"So you knew from the beginning."

"I have good eyes. You are the real power of this station. You had this person act like the general while you controlled everything from behind the scenes. Isn't that right?"

"Yes."

"How many people know?"

"Only the important pieces. It's almost scary how you figured out everything on your own."

"I didn't figure out everything on my own. I had a little help from a mutual friend."

"A mutual friend? Wait, don't tell me..."

Lee Dokho frowned. Indeed, he was thinking unpleasant thoughts. He must be probably thinking I extracted the information through the use of torture.

Crack—

Suddenly, yellow sparks cracked around Kagura's body. She was not Soo Jinyoung. She deeply cared for her companions so she quickly misunderstood the meaning of my words.

"You, what did you do?"

Kagura Narukami glared at me and released the great pressure of the Sword Breaking Saint. It was hostility born from a misunderstanding.

[The character 'Kagura Kuroi' has use Intimidation Lv. 2]

It was a good amount of pressure but it was just severally lacking compared to those people. No, those two monsters that I have to deal with.

How would Soo Jinyoung respond in such this situation?

She would definitely use violence. Since I was living as Soo Jinyoung, I should use an equal amount of violence to match this person.

[You have used the Divine Protection 'Monster Exterminator']

[The power of the Monster Exterminator is dominating your body.]

"What?"

An overwhelming aura erupted from my shoulders and Kagura Narukami along with Lee Dokho crumbled to the ground. My target was only the Japanese woman but Lee Dokho got caught in the crossfire.

"Ugh..."

"W-wait, p-please wait..."

Both of them were trembling under the mightly aura of the monster exterminator. I decided to tease them a little before deactivating the dream.

"Hah, hah..."

"Hah, hah...."

Once freed by the pressure, both of them struggled to catch their breath. They looked as pale as a ghost.

Kagura Narukami raised their head and looked at me. There were still resentment but there's also a hint of fear.

For some reason, there was this suddenly sense of satisfaction. Was I really turning into Soo Jinyoung?

I shoved that thought at the back of my mind and looked at the people infront of me.

I spoke with a cold voice matching Soo Jinyoung.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding. I didn't torture Kim IIho. However, that doesn't mean you're my ally. You people will be working under me from this moment forward."

Then my gaze focused on Lee Dokho.

"Isn't that why you called me here? You seemed to already knew my identity before I came to this station."

I stared into Lee Dokho's eyes. It was like I could really see the depths of his soul.

Lee Dokho trembled under my gaze and muttered something under his breath. My hearing has already improved so I heard everything he said.

「 You are really Soo Jinyoung 」

He looked at Kagura Narukami and spoke.

"Kagura-ssi, go outside. I have something important to discuss with this person. And set up that 'thing' as well."

"... Yes."

Kagura glanced at my direction before she finally exited the tent. After a few moments, I sensed something enveloping the tent. A barrier?

"Seems you already noticed. That person created a sound barrier so nobody can listen to our conversation."

"Let's get straight to the point." I spoke impatiently. "Who are you exactly? And why did you call me here?"

Lee Dokho took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

"Soo Jinyoung-nim. I called you here because I have an offer that would be beneficial for the Soo Jinyoung's Company and everyone else here."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I'm someone that's aware of the future events. As such, you can call someone like me an Apostle."