My name is Kim Sohyun. I'm 28 years old and work as an ordinary office employee. The routine I've followed all this time has been incredibly mundane-and boring. Wake up, breakfast, work, eat, work some more, sleep, wake up, breakfast, and so on.
Sometimes, I stave off the boredom by reading novels. Out of all the novels I've read, there is only one that I fell absolutely head-over-heels in love with.
The novel, titled 'Never Ending Story', is an apocalyptic tale set in a kingdom.
Head-over-heels, huh?
Could my obsession with this novel be the reason I've ended up inside it?
That's clearly impossible.
[You have successfully survived the First Disaster!]
[You have gained 50 points!]
[You have gained 5,000 gold!]
The blue holographic screen floating before my eyes is the answer to all the questions swirling in my head. Isn't this just like a game system? Even when I try to touch it, my hand passes right through, as if it were transparent.
[Welcome, Reader! The system guide is currently undergoing maintenance. You will be provided with the old system guide for the time being.]
[Would you like to view the system guide?]
[Yes] / [No]
A system guide? This is really giving me a headache.
"Here, Lady. Have a drink."
The beautiful woman with long black hair-the one who helped me earlier-hands me a bottle. After defeating all those orcs, they had extracted the mana stones from the orcs' bodies and left.
I am currently at their base.
"Hmm? I've never seen you before. Are you a foreigner?"
The woman scrutinizes me from every angle. Her gaze makes me incredibly uncomfortable. On top of that, I still can't believe I've actually entered my favorite novel.
"Your clothes are strange, too. Hmm..." She starts poking at my arm.
Stop it...you're scaring me.
"Oh? How is she doing, Eve?"
One of the men who had killed the orc suddenly walked in. He was large and muscular-hardly surprising, given his immense strength.
Wait... did he say 'Eve'?
"Oh? Lei. She's fine. No serious injuries, and she's mentally stable, too."
That name sounded familiar. I must have come across it in the novel. There were so many characters in NES (Never Ending Story Novel) that it was no wonder I didn't remember them all. But Eve wasn't just any ordinary side character.
[Special Skill 'Genius Reader' activated!]
Huh...?
Suddenly, memories of the novel came flooding back with perfect clarity.
「The Ziert Organization was a band of villains, which is why Kael decided to wipe them all out. In Kael's eyes, villains were obstacles to be eliminated so they wouldn't hinder his goals.」
「Yet, among them all-amidst the dozen or so blood-soaked corpses lying on the ground-there was one person he deliberately spared.」
「Her name was Evelynn Lawyen. An assassin who wielded the most powerful poison magic.」
It all came back to me. Kael had let Eve live because of her extraordinary poison abilities.
"What's your name, Lady?"
Whoa, that startled me.
"I'm Kim Sohyun."
"Kim... Sohyun...?"
Ah, I shouldn't have used a Korean name.
"Just call me Kim."
"Kim, huh? Sounds exotic, yet unique!" Eve smiled brightly.
Was she always this cheerful? Eve's past hadn't been detailed in the novel-understandable, since she wasn't the female lead. It was hard to believe that the woman with such a bright smile would become Kael's ultimate weapon.
"My name is Evelynn! We're from the Ziert Organization!"
"The Ziert Organization?"
In this situation, I had to play the part of the innocent.
"Oh, you don't know? That Ziert Organization is..."
"Stop it, Eve. You shouldn't be saying too much to a spy." The man named Lei glared at me. I knew he must be deeply suspicious of me.
He was likely one of the members of the Ziert organization that Kael had killed.
"Lei, she isn't a spy. Why do you keep suspecting strangers?" Eve puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
"The world has changed, Eve. We can't trust anyone here anymore."
"But she's just a victim!"
How long were they going to keep arguing? Things could get troublesome for me if they went on like this.
"I'd like to ask-whose region is this?"
Their argument stopped instantly, and they turned to look at me. Eve answered right away, her tone friendly.
"This is the Southern Region."
So, it was true. If this was the Southern Region-the place where the orcs appeared-did that mean the First Cataclysm was already over? The system had also told me that I had successfully survived the First Cataclysm.
[Skill 'Genius Reader' activated!]
The First Cataclysm marked the beginning of the Apocalypse itself. That meant I was at the very start of the story-probably around Chapter 40—the point where Kael was likely in the middle of wiping out the Ziert Organization.
Kael had also been in the Southern Region when the First Disaster broke out.
...Wait. Kael... in the Southern region?
"You said your name was Kim, right? You'd better tell the truth about who you really are... right now!" Lei exuded an aura so powerful it made shivers run down my spine.
This guy...! So, this is how he's going to threaten me, huh?!
Unfortunately, I had no power to protect myself. I hadn't even had the chance to learn about the system that had appeared before my eyes.
"Lei, stop it!"
"Step aside, Eve."
The energy radiating from Lei's body intensified, and the pressure mounted along with it.
[Special Skill 'Reader's Protection' activated!]
...What?
The magical pressure that had been piercing my skin vanished instantly.
"You...! How are you still standing when you don't even have defensive magic...?!"
This is bad. His magic is swelling. Even the tent, reinforced by Eve's magic, was starting to come apart.
"Lei! I said stop!" Eve suddenly stepped in front of me, and a thicket of brambles instantly sprang up before us, acting as a barrier against Lei's magic.
That was Eve's special skill.
Serpent Hide Shield.
It was still low-level, but its durability was impressive. In the novel, the skill eventually evolved to achieve the highest level of defense.
To think I'd see that skill in person. It was amazing.
"You really have no heart! Can't you see he's trembling with fear right now?!" Eve shouted angrily.
...Who's trembling? Me?
"I admit he's weak, weaker than an insect, but this could just be a ploy to manipulate us!"
...Weak? An insect? Are they talking about me?
"Seriously, why are you being so stubborn?!"
"You're the one being stubborn, Eve!"
...What is wrong with them?
BOOM!
A massive explosion rang out; the shockwave made me shudder.
"Aaaarrgh! Run!"
"Monster!"
"We're going to be killed!" Shouts from outside rang clearly in my ears.
"Lei! Come on, hurry!" Eve immediately ran outside with Lei.
...Has the Second Disaster already appeared? Impossible, it shouldn't have happened this soon.
Or perhaps...?!
[System Update Successfully Applied!]
A blue holographic screen suddenly appeared before me again.
[Main Quest Arrived!]
What...?
.....
...
More than ten bodies lay lifeless on the blood-soaked ground. The scent of iron and death mingled in the air, suffocating anyone standing there. The wounds on their bodies were clean-too clean for an ordinary battle.
It was all the work of a single person.
With every step, the man pressed down on the earth as if bearing the weight of the world. The aura radiating from his body was so dense it made the ground tremble slightly; tiny cracks spiderwebbed outward from beneath his feet.
"You bastard!" Lei charged in first.
He shot forward like a bullet, his fist flashed as the surrounding air distorted from sheer physical force. The fist drove straight toward the man's chest, but before it could connect, a sword rose in a single, simple motion.
A deafening clash rang out. A shockwave rippled outward, forcing Lei to leap backward several meters, his feet crushing the ground behind him.
"What the hell kind of power is that...?"
"Who are you?!" Eve shouted sharply, her twin blades already in hand. "What did you do to our members?!"
The man didn't answer.
He simply kept walking forward, as if Eve's question wasn't even worth a response.
"Guess you aren't the type who listens to reason," Lei muttered, raising his clenched fists. His arm muscles tensed, and the iron armor plating creaked softly. "Fine. We'll do this the other way."
Lei vanished from sight. In a flash, he appeared at the man's left side, his fist striking from a blind spot. Yet, the man's second sword rose to intercept the attack with almost no effort. Before Lei could even pull his arm back, the man twisted his wrist, nearly snapping the bone.
Lei forced himself to leap backward.
Before he could catch his breath, he lunged again, this time unleashing a barrage of attacks. Right fist, left fist, elbow, knee-all aimed at vital points. Yet, the man moved minimally, dodging with small, efficient steps, as if he had read Lei's entire attack pattern from the start.
"Damn... he isn't even serious yet," Lei hissed.
That was when Eve made her move.
She appeared behind the man in an instant, her twin blades swinging in unison toward his neck and waist. But the man pivoted slightly and drew his second sword, catching both of Eve's blades in a single, crossed-sword block.
Metal clashed, sending sparks flying.
The resulting recoil sent Eve flying backward, she landed on one knee.
Lei and Eve gave him no respite.
They attacked simultaneously.
Lei attacked from the front with brute force, while Eve struck from the side with swift, precise movements. Yet, the man stood firm at the center of the assault, blocking, parrying, and dodging without a trace of panic.
Eve leaped backward and extended her right hand.
The ground beneath the man trembled.
A small, dark green snake emerged from a fissure in the earth and coiled around the man's body, its scales exuded a hissing, toxic fluid.
"Now!" Eve shouted.
Lei lunged forward, his fist driving straight toward the man's head.
But the man raised both swords, catching Lei's fist squarely between the metal blades. The impact was powerful enough to shove him back a few steps-the first time he had truly been forced to budge.
Yet, his expression remained impassive.
With a single, swift slash, he severed the body of Eve's snake. The venom evaporated into the air before it could take effect.
In the blink of an eye, the man was right in front of Lei.
His swords danced.
Slash after slash rained down without a single opening, forcing Lei into a purely defensive stance. Occasionally, the blades struck his iron armor with a terrifying clang. Had it not been for that iron plating, his arm would have been severed by the very first strike.
Eve moved again.
Her body vanished-the Silent Step skill activated.
She reappeared directly behind the man, her knife aimed at a lethal point. But before the strike could land, the man stopped abruptly and spun around; his sword intercepted Eve's blade just centimeters from his neck.
Their eyes met.
Cold, vacant, and devoid of emotion.
Lei seized the opening and swung his fist. But the man shoved Eve away with great force and leaped backward, dodging Lei's attack by a margin that seemed nearly impossible.
"Damn..." Lei panted. "He's incredibly strong."
The man then fully unsheathed one of his swords.
A dark aura instantly enveloped the surrounding area. The air grew heavy, as if Death itself stood before them.
A relic blade linked to destruction and the end of all things.
The Blade of Oblivion.
"Now," the man said flatly, raising his sword, "comes the time of judgment."
The pressure of his aura made Eve and Lei feel as though an invisible weight were crushing down upon them.
"Stop! Kael!"
The voice shattered the oppressive atmosphere.
A woman appeared between them, standing tall even as an aura of death surged around her.
Kim Sohyun.
And for the first time since the battle began, Kael stopped moving.