What is death?
Is it when someone's heart stops?
When all their vital functions stop functioning?
When their souls leave their bodies?
Some more philosophical interpretations would be: when someone's existence is forgotten by everyone.
Or when their soul stops existing.
Does someone's soul have to be brought to the afterlife to count as a 'death'? Then, what about Kim Dokja who resurrected? Did his soul go through the afterlife?
Lenoch restarted his heart, regaining consciousness.
"Cough! Cough, cough!"
Around him, instead of the place he was previously in, were ruins.
He had been expelled from the scenarios.
'It worked.'
He had been able to fake his death to the Star Stream.
More precisely, he had indeed died. He had shut down all his vital functions for a moment, and his heart was pierced.
However, that didn't mean he was safe now.
He was still in an extremely dangerous situation.
His heart required urgent care, he had lost too much blood, and more importantly…
Lenoch started to understand the true meaning of 'being expelled from the scenarios'.
[Your tales are currently in a precarious state.]
[Find a scenario area before your incarnation body dies.]
A flurry of notifications assaulted his eyes.
Nevertheless, even without seeing it, he could feel it clearly.
Something called 'stories' being broken and leaving his body in real time.
He let out a hollow laugh.
At this rate, he was really going to die…
Drinking some potion bought in the Dokkaebi Bag, he took a step forward.
Leaning on his cane, he slowly advanced through the ruins.
***
[You have entered a scenario area.]
How much time had passed since then?
[The Returnee Scenario is postponed.]
"Kill the Evil Sophist!"
"You scammer, die!"
…It was quite lively.
Adjusting the mask on his face, Lenoch ignored the people holding forks around him and headed to a nearby bar.
He took a seat next to a young woman with short brown hair and a lazy temperament. A glass in front of her, she was asking questions to the bartender.
"A secret child? Did that lunat- Gehrman Sparrow have an affair?"
Was she about to say 'lunatic'? Did she know him?
The young woman seemed oddly excited, as if wanting to note it down but something seemingly preventing her from doing so. Fear?
Lenoch sent her a strange gaze.
After asking all her questions, the woman paid and disappeared from her spot.
The bartender finally noticed him.
Placing his order and giving him coins, Lenoch inquired about the current situation.
"Are you new here?"
Although he knew that his questions could seem suspicious, Lenoch didn't care. Apparently, someone joining mid-scenario was common here.
In summary, what he learned was that people were ganging up to defeat the '10 Evils'.
"Why are they called the '10 Evils'?"
"Because they're all pieces of trash."
The bartender then started to criticize these incarnations, explaining the consequences of their actions. Apparently, some received more support than others.
"…But it's undeniable that they're indeed the closest to reaching the end of the scenarios," the bartender concluded.
After satisfying his curiosity, Lenoch asked the most important question.
"Do you know any doctor that could repair stories?"
The bartender shrugged.
"I have no idea. However, the 10 Evils could know."
They were the strongest incarnations here.
They had gathered from overseas to complete this scenario.
"And where can I find them?"
"Just follow the ones trying to kill them."
Lenoch nodded and left the bar.
Soon, he saw the '10 Evils' in question.
There were some familiar faces.
His gaze sweeping over Cheon Inho, whom he had seen at the Constellation Banquet, Lenoch tilted his head.
…What was this person doing here?
From afar, Han Sooyoung was standing among the 10 Evils, her arms crossed.
Shaking his head, Lenoch approached them and grabbed everyone's attention by targeting one of the 10 Evils.
In one gesture, without anyone knowing how it happened, one of the 10 Evils died.
Lenoch grinned arrogantly, putting on an act.
"The 10 Evils are weaker than I thought."
Given the lack of sense of companionship among them, they weren't likely to get angry at this person's death.
In the contrary, from what he knew about Cheon Inho's personality…
"What did you say?! Who are you?"
"Victor," Lenoch stated, his tone as rude as before.
"You-"
As Cho Jinchul got fired up by his provocation, the Evil Sophist stopped him.
Cheon Inho turned toward Lenoch.
"We need all the help we can get. Judging from how you killed him, it proves your qualifications. I am Cheon Inho, nice to meet you."
Lenoch ignored his handshake.
"Get to the point."
Cheon Inho kept a smile on his face, as if he weren't offended.
"Would you like to join us?"
"What would I get from joining your small club?"
Lenoch looked at them disdainfully.
"Is there anything you wish in exchange?"
"Then…"
His demand for a doctor that could repair stories was met in exchange for helping them with the current scenario.
He learned that they were facing the giant nebulae.
That was a good opportunity.
Coming into contact with more important people would get him closer to the truth of this world after all.
He had to go back to his companions in WORLD 3.0.
"Won't you take off the mask?" Cho Jinchul complained, irritated.
Of course not, that was Victor's trade mark. Adjusting the black obsidian mask on his face—although a bit different in design from the one he originally had—Lenoch ignored him.
***
Klein walked, turning the monsters in his way into marionettes while holding Shin Yoosoung's hand.
He looked at the ruined Seoul.
The familiar skyscrapers. The phones. The roads. The clothes. Technology.
He traversed the streets of modern Earth.
If he went to China, would his parents be there? Would Zhou Mingrui exist?
He pushed aside the thought.
His gaze paused on Shin Yoosoung.
He didn't regret resurrecting her.
However…
'I want to go home.'
His heart clenched.
Eventually, once he succeeded, they would have to part ways.
Klein did not belong to this world.
The Tarot Club was waiting for him.
Although thousands of years had passed, it was still his planet, and the apocalypse was coming.
That's why he did not want to become too close to people and put on Gehrman's persona to keep others at a distance since the beginning.
「He couldn't keep his promise.」
He would have to leave.
"Ahjussi?"
At Shin Yoosoung's call, Klein did not show his thoughts.
「He had to save his world.」
He only smiled.
「What would happen to Shin Yoosoung once he left?」
Shin Yoosoung smiled brightly in return.
"The rats found survivors over there."
「One only notices that someone got too close once it's too late.」
Gehrman nodded to Shin Yoosoung.
"Let's go."
***
"Don't push yourself for the time being."
After getting his incarnation body fixed by someone specializing in stories, Lenoch walked around the city, illusions hiding him from sight.
'It's far less destroyed than I thought…'
He sat against a wall and removed his mask. He had kept Van's face under it just in case.
Then, he took out a cigarette and watched the people passing by.
"…"
Strangely, seeing modern Earth like this felt foreign.
He had become too accustomed to streets in Vulcan filled with advertisements, the more advanced technology, and the airships covering the sky.
How were his colleagues at the Magic Tower doing?
Why had he ended up in this world this time?
Footsteps stopped right next to him.
Then, a familiar voice resounded.
"Do you want a vegetable?"
He habitually took the carrot she handed to him and froze.