< Episode 21. Things That Cannot Be Changed (1) >
「"…Captain, what did you just say?"」
I came to my senses because of Shin Yoosung's voice, full of disbelief.
「"Say that again. What did you just blurt out? What? Comrade?"
"······."
"Are you saying that person is your comrade?"」
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't answer to that voice filled with mistrust.
…Even I was surprised, so I could only imagine how shocked Shin Yoosung must be.
I never thought that prideful Yoo Joonghyuk would ever call me a "comrade."
「"Yes."」
…Suddenly, I felt a pang of fear.
No matter how I thought about it, there was no way that bastard would call me a "comrade"…
Isn't he going to see me resurrect and immediately try to kill me later?
[Seongjwa, 'Marine War God' is moved by your camaraderie.]
[Seongjwa, 'Bald Militia Commander' is touched by your camaraderie.]
[You have received 500 coins in sponsorship.]
…Ah, now it makes sense.
Yoo Joonghyuk—he was definitely angling for sponsorship.
It's a bit strange that Uriel, who loves camaraderie, isn't visible, but anyway, this was clearly a godly move aimed at getting sponsorship.
Seeing him shout with a solemn voice, bleeding profusely, my suspicion gradually turned into certainty.
And considering Yoo Joonghyuk is still in the 3rd run, calling me a "comrade" isn't entirely impossible. Even in the early runs of the original story, he had used the word "comrade" when Lee Hyunsung or Lee Seolhwa died.
Thinking about the huge amount of coins he must be receiving right now made my stomach churn.
Any sense of sentiment I had was immediately gone.
Damn it, I should've been the one to say that line.
「"Captain… how can you say something like that?"」
Of course, not knowing Yoo Joonghyuk's true intentions, Shin Yoosung's face looked like the world had ended.
It's no wonder.
Especially considering 41st-run Shin Yoosung…
She had never, not once, heard Yoo Joonghyuk call her a "comrade" during that run.
Kwagagagak!
Shin Yoosung's fist collided with Yoo Joonghyuk's blade.
Even though this was a fight between body and weapon, the one sustaining damage was Yoo Joonghyuk's sword. The SS-grade sword, Jincheonpae. Even without special options, the sword's durability and strength were outstanding—but now, it writhed under Shin Yoosung's bare fist.
Kkwad-deudeudeuk.
Eventually, unable to withstand the impact, Jincheonpae's blade bent. The otherwise invincible sword wrapped in Pacheon energy bent helplessly.
「"How… how dare you stand before me like this!"」
She hadn't even used any special skill. Just a single strike, condensing her Ether to the extreme.
Kwaaaang!
That strike sent Yoo Joonghyuk flying backward, bleeding.
In every aspect—attack, speed, variation—Shin Yoosung surpassed him.
Even Yoo Joonghyuk's prideful [Jujak Shinbo] and [Pacheon Sword Art] paled in comparison at this moment.
With the horrific sound of flesh tearing, Yoo Joonghyuk's face kept spinning.
It wasn't a matter of talent—it was a matter of time.
No matter how much she descended weakened in this run, 41st-run Shin Yoosung had grown close to the limits of what she could achieve as a [Beast Lord]. In contrast, this run's Yoo Joonghyuk was only the early-run version of himself at best.
「"Why do you call that person a comrade? Just because they sacrificed themselves for you? Is that really enough?"」
Blood vessels bulged violently, pulsing and bursting with emotion.
Even so, Yoo Joonghyuk did not falter.
He didn't falter and continued swinging his sword.
That idiot—why is he even fighting?
Watching Yoo Joonghyuk spout blood from head to toe, I gradually felt frustrated.
If he knew he was at a disadvantage, he should've run away already, right?
He usually handles things so well—why not now?
Shin Yoosung threw another punch and spoke.
「"Then what about the rest of us? Sister Ji-hye, Hyunsung oppa, and Sister Seolhwa? The people who fought just for you—what were they to you?"
"I… don't know what you're talking about."
"What?"
"There is only one thing I know."
Yoo Joonghyuk wiped the blood from his lips and spoke.
"You killed my comrade in this run. Therefore, you will die too."」
Damn it. This time, I couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
[Due to excessive immersion, some functions of 'The Fourth Wall' are restricted.]
Even if it's acting, that level of performance would be convincing enough.
Yes, this is exactly why I read 'Melsalbeop'.
Thinking back, when Yoo Joonghyuk had said something similar to the deceased Lee Hyunsung, I think I had welled up with tears too.
Suddenly, I felt all fluttery inside.
A mere reader like me—has become a "comrade" of Yoo Joonghyuk, the protagonist.
Shin Yoosung looked at Yoo Joonghyuk as if she had lost everything.
「"You must not… do this."」
An ominous aura was encroaching upon her surroundings.Emptiness turned into betrayal, and betrayal twisted into rage.
「"Changing like that now—I can't forgive it."」
A terrifying amount of Ether gathered around Shin Yoosung's fist.
I considered watching a little longer—it was almost satisfying to see him get pummeled—but a sense of danger washed over me. This couldn't go on.
[Due to excessive immersion, the proficiency of 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' increases drastically.]
At this rate, Yoo Joonghyuk might actually die.
And if that happened, I'd really be screwed—no way forward, no way back.
I quickly switched the mode of 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.'
From third-person observer perspectiveto first-person protagonist perspective.
[Switching perspective to first person.]
...
[Failed to switch to 'First-Person Protagonist Perspective.']
What? Why?
[The conditions for perspective switching have not been met.]
It felt like I'd been struck on the back of the head.
There were two conditions to use 'First-Person Protagonist Perspective.'
First, I had to be dead—existing in an out-of-body state.Second, both I and the target of possession had to be thinking about each other at the same time.
The first condition was already satisfied, so the problem had to be the second.
There was no way it wasn't met.
Was that bastard not thinking about me right now?
Then what was all that raging about revenge just now?
Watching Yoo Joonghyuk, frantically pouring out sword strikes, my mind went blank for a moment.
「"I'll kill you. I will definitely kill you."」
...That bastard—does he seriously have nothing on his mind at all?
As Shin Yoosung silently watched Yoo Joonghyuk, she opened her mouth.
「"…This won't do. I was planning to end it quickly, but I've changed my mind."」
A demon-like smile crept across Shin Yoosung's lips.
「"I'll end your world in the most horrifying way possible."」
Shin Yoosung's gaze shifted—not toward Yoo Joonghyuk, but somewhere else.The moment I followed her line of sight, my heart sank.
Damn it. I really can't just sit and watch anymore.
If not Yoo Joonghyuk, then anyone else—I just need to possess someone…
At that moment, a sharp sensation brushed across my mind.
Someone completely unexpected was thinking about me.
...I can possess this person?
That shouldn't be possible.
Ah.I see.
Because Yoo Joonghyuk just said that earlier...
Yeah. Maybe possessing this one would be better.
I don't know—let's just try it.
I began projecting all of my mental power onto that person.
And shortly after—
My vision shook, and a dizzying wave of nausea washed over me.
[Switching perspective to first person.]
The world flipped upside down, and my consciousness was dragged somewhere else.
"Comrade?"
The instant she heard that word, Shin Yoosung doubted her ears.
A comrade.How could such a word even exist?
And from anyone else—but Yoo Joonghyuk?
Shin Yoosung couldn't understand the turmoil rising deep within her chest at that moment. It stirred an emotion she had forgotten over the course of a thousand years.
That Yoo Joonghyuk—calling someone a "comrade."
She didn't know what had happened to him. But if those words were genuine, then perhaps—if it was this Yoo Joonghyuk, in this run—then maybe, just maybe, even to me...
Kwaaaang!
Without realizing it, Shin Yoosung slammed her fist into the ground.
'Pathetic.'
That was what she thought.And because she thought that—
"This is your last chance."
She could not forgive herself for harboring such pathetic thoughts.
"Take it back now, and I'll send you off without pain. Say it yourself. Say that you have no comrades—that you're someone who only knows himself. Say it. Right now."
Even in his mangled state, Yoo Joonghyuk did not respond.
One of his arms, struck by Shin Yoosung, was shattered. His legs were torn apart, muscles ripped to shreds. And yet, the lofty light in Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes was still alive.
Shin Yoosung stared at him for a moment—
Then ground her teeth together.
"Restrain Yoo Joonghyuk."
At Shin Yoosung's command, the Grade-6 monsters [Sulfur Mummies] that had come through the [Monster Gate] moved. Their pure white wrappings coiled tightly around Yoo Joonghyuk, stretching his limbs as if they could tear apart at any moment. Shin Yoosung spoke to him.
"I'll kill them one by one, Captain. Right before your eyes, in the most painful ways imaginable."
Leaving Yoo Joonghyuk bound, Shin Yoosung walked toward the outskirts of the island.
"Kill them! That girl is the disaster!"
The Awakened beings who had spotted Shin Yoosung began crawling out of the water, one by one. She flicked her hand lightly from left to right toward them.
Shchaaah!
With just a light motion, the rushing Awakened were torn apart like wet newspaper—no time even to scream. A massacre in silence.
"Overflow."
At that single command, monsters poured out from the [Monster Gate]. Among them, the two strongest ones stood behind her like guards.
Grade-5 aquatic species, King Masswood.Grade-5 monster species, Heavy Metal Kong.
Monsters capable of reigning as "sub-disasters" in a single world.
Before her voice could continue, a sharp attack came from the side.
"Where do you think you're going?"
A gleaming sword flashed. A slender skirt, black zip-up hoodie. Shin Yoosung immediately recognized who it was.
From Lee Ji-hye's furious eyes, [Kwisal] flared.
"Daring to make Master look like that?"
Her entire body radiated the authority of a hero-class Astral Seat—the strongest maritime Awakened. Shin Yoosung noticed the Saint's Mark Ji-hye was about to use. Of course—this was a river, after all.
"...To me—"
As she muttered the hand seals, streams of water from across the Han River erupted, forming transparent ships.
"Twelve vessels still remain…!"
With a bold display of aura, twelve ships appeared atop the river's waves. A sight that would make anyone's blood run cold just by facing it.
Chungmugong's Saint's Mark: The Ghost Fleet.
Even amidst the waves of pressure from the approaching ships, Shin Yoosung only smiled, as if recalling a fond memory.
"...Right. That was your specialty, wasn't it, sister?"
"Sister? She looks older than me, what are you talking about!"
"But you're not done yet. The captain should be on the ship, not here."
Shin Yoosung, who had suddenly closed the distance in an instant, placed her hand on Lee Ji-hye's cheek. There was no time to resist—it happened in a flash.
"Poor sister. You know nothing."
"What the hell? What speed is this…!"
"You wouldn't understand. Yoo Joonghyuk—how he uses you, how he'll discard you. How you'll die."
Lee Ji-hye's blade flew toward Shin Yoosung. She lightly caught it and continued speaking.
"You, who spent your whole life wanting Yoo Joonghyuk's approval, will die in the sea you loved so much. Your maritime prowess will be brutally torn apart by the Japanese you despised so much."
"All ships, fire!"
At Lee Ji-hye's desperate cry, the twelve ships simultaneously opened fire. Watching the incoming cannonballs, Shin Yoosung laughed.
"You know what Yoo Joonghyuk said after losing someone like you?"
The cannonballs pounded her body. A thunderous roar exploded. When the smoke cleared, Shin Yoosung continued speaking.
"Naval battles will be a bit tougher from now on."
The barrage of countless cannonballs didn't even scratch her white gloves. Shin Yoosung's unique skill, one of the strongest defensive abilities, [Beast King's Sensitivity], kept the white fabric surrounding her pristine and unblemished, radiating supreme poise.
"Don't worry, sister. That won't happen this run."
Shin Yoosung smiled, bright and white.
"I'll make sure you go without pain."
< Episode 21. The Unchangeable (1) > End