I stared silently at the single door that had formed at the far end of the waiting hall.There should have been seven.Was this still the 41st round of Annihilation Method as it was supposed to unfold—or had something changed because of my and the readers’ interference?If this were the original progression of Annihilation Method, the Annihilation Method skill should have activated around now. But it remained quiet.That could only mean one thing. The scenario had been altered.Someone deliberately changed the development.But would the readers I knew really interfere that recklessly?Uncle Dansoo, Kyung Sein, Ye Hyunwoo, KillerKing, LiteratureGirl64, Gu Seonah, Kim Kyungsik…Even as I went down the list, none of them struck me as the type who would cause a scenario upheaval.Readers had one advantage over the characters—information.They’d never risk destroying the plot’s flow when their greatest weapon was foreknowledge of it.In other words, the readers weren’t the culprits.Then who had changed the scenario—and triggered an event like “the collapse of the museum,” which didn’t exist in the original?A hypothesis took shape.If somewhere in this world there were people who didn’t want the scenario to proceed as written—If there were those who would grow disadvantaged the longer Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint stayed on course—Then the outline of the culprit became clearer in my mind.But it was still too early to be sure.“...Mister.”Shin Yooseung’s trembling voice pulled me back.The reason for it was everywhere.Corpses carpeted the waiting hall floor so densely there was barely space to step.A battle had already taken place here.I put an arm around Yooseung’s shoulders and carefully stepped forward, scanning the faces of the dead.Part of me dreaded recognizing one.Uncle Dansoo.Kim Kyungsik and Gu Seonah.Or my editor—wherever she might have possessed someone.A chill ran down my spine.I ducked on instinct, pulling Yooseung down with me.Three daggers sliced through the air where my neck had been and embedded themselves in the far wall.When I narrowed my eyes, I could see figures rising among the corpses—assassins.“Tch. Missed.”Newbie Hunters.Instead of entering the dungeon, they waited in the lobby to ambush new arrivals.There had been similar types in the original ORV too.I hid Yooseung behind me and activated the fable.[Fable, “Tenacious Martial Master,” fumbles through its story.]The martial master’s qi-sense sharpened, and I felt the presence of hidden foes brushing faintly against my skin.Around twenty in total. Enough to count as a small “group.”“Hm? That brat—”Some of them seemed to recognize Yooseung; I saw them whispering.I asked quietly, “Do you know them?”“…Yes.”The faint tremor in her voice came through my sleeve.“People you’d rather not know anymore, I take it?”After a pause, she nodded.“…Yeah.”I switched my Preoccupation to Broken Conviction, preparing for the worst.The assassins were already muttering among themselves.“That’s her, right?”“No way she cleared that dungeon alone.”“Told you, kids are tougher these days.”So they were the “Union” adults who’d tried to recruit Shin Yooseung.One of them stepped forward, sliding his dagger back into its sheath.“Do you have a group?”“Yes.”Claiming otherwise would only make me a target.But they didn’t seem particularly fazed.“Yet you came here alone?”“I’m confident in my ability.”It was a provocation, but to my surprise, a few nodded.“If he crossed with that girl, they’re probably from a solo dungeon.”“Solo dungeons are tougher.”“Worth recruiting.”Their leader finished gathering opinions and nodded.“We respect skill. Leave your current group and join ours.”Ah, right—Yooseung had said the Union valued strength above all.“You and that kid. We’ll take you both. Looks like you’ve grown quite close.”His tone reeked of condescension.I narrowed my eyes and activated a skill.[Exclusive Skill, “Character List,” activated.]Not a reader.+〈Character Summary〉Name: Wi JoonghunAge: 35Supporting Constellation: Legendary AssassinExclusive Attributes: Assassin (Normal)Exclusive Skills: [Ambush Lv.3], [Concealment Lv.3], [Weapon Sharpening Lv.2] …Stigmata: [One-Hit Kill Lv.1], [Shadow Bullet Lv.2], [Veil of Shade Lv.2]Overall Stats: [Stamina Lv.20], [Strength Lv.25], [Agility Lv.25], [Magic Power Lv.21]Overall Evaluation: Incarnation under the “Union.” Acts as operations leader for one of Seoul’s Seven Kings.+A new name. Must’ve been one of Annihilation Method’s background extras.His Supporting Star—Legendary Assassin.A constellation that never appeared in the original ORV.[Exclusive Skill, “Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World,” activated!]Good. The Annihilation Method skill had finally kicked in.Legendary Assassin. The title sounds grand, but there’s no constellation without a ‘legend.’ A standard hero-class constellation, nothing more.Typically attached to assassins, like the “Lord of Small Fry,” spreading contracts to random incarnations and collecting them later as followers. Occasionally rents out trained assassins to other constellations as mercenaries.Got it.If it had been a myth-grade Supporting Star, I’d have held back—but this was manageable.“Sorry, but I’m not joining your group.”“You’re refusing even the group of one of Seoul’s Seven Kings? You’ve heard of the Union, I trust?”The Union.Could this be the same group Ye Hyunwoo mentioned?I nodded. “That’s where the Tyrant King is, right?”The man grimaced slightly. “We’re under the Assassination King.”Assassination King?No such name existed among the Seven Kings I knew.“You clearly don’t understand what you’re being offered. We’re about to recover the Fourfold Calamity Sword and claim the Absolute Throne. No faction rivals us right now. You’d do well to choose wisely.”I nodded lazily.“Noted. But I’m not joining. We don’t want trouble, so kindly stand down.”Half-truth, half-wishful thinking.I was still a little worn from the Conch Hall, and even for me, taking down twenty assassins unscathed wasn’t easy.And above all—If possible, I didn’t want to kill people.Even if I could restrain myself with Incitement, there were limits. Killing, for any reason, never felt good.I was beginning to understand why early-story Kim Dokja had chosen to become the King of Non-Killing.Of course, these assassins—who had no idea who Kim Dokja was—weren’t inclined to listen.“Then you die here.”I smiled thinly.“No chance for negotiation? We’re all civilized, aren’t we?”“Civilization’s dead.”Whoever led the Union, they sure trained their members to sound like Kim Namwoon.“I’m still civilized.”“Then die civilized.”Couldn’t be helped.I began calculating.Should I use Incitement?Or strike first with Blade of Conviction?How to wipe them out quickly without hurting Yooseung—Just as I was about to move, Yooseung tugged at my sleeve.“Mister.”When I turned, golden light flickered in her eyes. A sharp pain stabbed my head, followed by a strange sensation.Hadn’t I felt something like this once before…?“I’ll finish it.”For some reason, she didn’t look like the Yooseung I knew at all.“Finish it? How?”“Like this—”The explosion came from deeper inside the hall.“Out of the way!”The door burst open, and a horde of figures poured in.“What—”A loud buuuuung echoed, and two assassins’ heads burst like fruit. The others screamed.“Wh-what the hell?!”They drew their blades in panic.But each time the air sliced, another fell. In moments, their numbers halved. Those still standing pressed against the wall, shouting.“Who’s there?! Who dares—!”Through the rain of blood, a new group appeared.At its head strode a hulking man, a gleaming steel pipe resting on his shoulder—an S-grade weapon at a glance.“The Gangster King!” someone screamed.Gangster King?No such title existed among the Seven Kings.Which meant—Someone who never appeared in the ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) original.I watched tensely. On the right flank, another slaughter was unfolding.Four butcher knives flashed, zigzagging through the air.“Ugh! The Heartless Mother and Daughter!”Another unknown title.A mother and daughter wielding paired knives in perfect, chilling harmony.But… they looked familiar.“Inho Faction! The Inho Faction’s back!”Inho Faction?“Graaaagh!”A few terrified assassins bolted toward the dungeon entrance—only to be cut down instantly.Barely five assassins remained.The one who’d threatened me earlier snarled.“Gangster King! We’re with the Union! You think you’ll get away with this?!”“If you’re all dead, who’s left to tell?”“There are witnesses—!”The hulking man’s subordinates turned toward the edges of the hall.A few incarnations had been watching from near the campfires.“You gonna talk?”The Gangster King’s question made them all shake their heads.“We saw nothing.”“N-no, wait—”Before the assassin could finish, the steel pipe crushed his skull.The big man spat.“Bah. Bastards.”“Looks like they were picking on newbies again,” one of his crew said.“Union trash, same as always.”I was honestly shocked. The Union was supposed to be the strongest faction right now—yet here was a rogue group brazenly standing up to them.Then the Gangster King spotted me and swaggered closer.“You alright there, pal?”Through the blood and grime, I finally recognized the slicked-back head of hair.Up close, I couldn’t help but laugh.So that’s why they were the Inho Faction.“…Huh?”The big man froze, eyes widening.My earlier assumption was wrong—he had appeared in the original.Because I already knew him.Someone who had changed the scenario, yet was neither reader nor part of the Old Readers’ Alliance.A man who’d been nothing but a minor thug—an expendable villain who’d died miserably in the original story.“…H-Hyungnim?”I nodded.“Bang Cheolsu.”The operations leader of Geumho Station.[The constellation ‘Lord of Small Fry’ greets you warmly.]Behind him came familiar faces—Dayoung and her mother, and the other incarnations of Geumho Station.People who, in the original, had murdered one another for their own survival—now standing together, protecting the weak.It hit me all over again: this wasn’t the Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint I knew.[A new “Vanished Record” is etched upon the Final Wall.]Beside me, Shin Yooseung watched the same sight, dazed.“Hyungnim! Uwaaaah! You’re alive!”“Inho Ajusshi!”As Bang Cheolsu grabbed my shoulders, and Dayoung and her mother waved from across the hall, I thought about stories.“You have no idea how long we’ve been looking for you!”I no longer believe, as my parents once said, that stories can preserve world peace.No matter how many good stories exist, people will still start wars and hate one another.But still, I keep telling stories because—[The constellation, “Demon-like Judge of Fire,” nods approvingly.][The constellation, “Prisoner of the Golden Goah,” says that sometimes stories like this aren’t so bad.][The constellation, “Black Flame Dragon of the Abyss,” twitches its lips in reluctant agreement.]Because at least someone out there changes when they read one.[The “Vanished Record” you inscribed bears fruit.][You have gained a new Attribute!]

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