The Main Characters That Only I Know

Chapter 421:

Yuhyun felt a powerful wave of dizziness as the scene before him distorted.

Soon, when the surrounding landscape returned to the familiar library, he was finally able to steady his staggering body.

“So, the protagonists of this world are actually usurpers who stole the roles of the previous protagonists. And the Bookworms, the monsters in the myths we know, were actually those whose roles had been stolen…”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“How do you even know all this?”

“Do you think of me as a usurper as well?”

Yuhyun nodded. There was no other way Praytion could have known this information.

Though it might have seemed a rather rude gesture, Praytion didn’t get angry; instead, he nodded as if Yuhyun’s assumption made sense.

“Indeed, you could see it that way. Perhaps I, too, unknowingly stole someone else’s role.”

“To answer that, I first have to tell you my story. You’ve heard a bit about me from Oello, haven’t you?”

“Yes… As the King of the Last Story, the fifth and youngest. And that you held the special affection of Logos.”

“Haha. ‘Affection,’ huh? I suppose that’s how Oello would see it.”

“Are you saying that’s not true? Oello said you betrayed your father’s trust.”

It was said that Logos had given Praytion, alone among the five kings, the authority to handle the Codex.

Yet Praytion had torn that Codex to shreds and scattered it across the universe.

Oello was enraged, saying it was an unforgivable act of betrayal against both their father and the world.

At that, Praytion let out a bitter smile.

“That’s how it must look to him.”

Praytion slowly approached the false Codex at the center of the hall, lightly brushing the book’s surface with his gloved fingertips.

“Yes, it’s true that Logos gave me the authority to use the Codex. Lotfiout, Damcheon, and Catharsis were tasked with weaving stories out of the letters in this world. Oello was to discover and collect existing stories. And my role, the final role, was to gather those crafted stories and engrave them in the Codex, to complete the tales. At first, I thought nothing of it, but as I read the Codex, I began to grasp the true nature of this world.”

“And so… you tore up the Codex?”

“Tore it up? No, that’s not it. I didn’t tear the Codex by my own will.”

“What?”

“Did you ever find it strange? Even if I’m the King of Stories, simply having the authority to use the Codex shouldn’t mean I could rip it to shreds. I don’t consider myself that powerful. The Codex, on the other hand, is the foundation of this world, filled with countless eons of history condensed into a single form. Just by sheer level alone, it would be impossible for someone like me to even open it.”

Yet, Oello believed Praytion had torn apart the Codex.

How? And why?

The reason was simple.

No, there was only one reason.

“It wasn’t I who tore the book. It was Logos.”

“…What?”

“I didn’t know at first, either. But yes, for him, it was something he had done countless times. Every time a new universe began, Logos tore the Codex and scattered it across the world. Once a certain volume of stories accumulated within the book, he would begin his work in earnest.”

Each time a universe began anew, Logos created five beings to aid in his work.

These five beings would later be called the Tellers of Origin, the kings of all Tellers.

Each king gathered stories in their unique way, engraving them into the Codex. When the stories of a new universe reached a certain threshold, Logos would tear the Codex and scatter its pages across the universe.

“Oello thought I was the one who did it. And it wasn’t just him—my other siblings thought so too. Who would ever suspect that our father, the owner of the Codex, Logos, would do such a thing?”

The fragments of the Codex would wander the universe, responding to new stories.

Each fragment would observe, record, and remember ‘special’ stories, eventually transforming into small books of their own.

And when enough stories accumulated in the fragments…

Logos would begin his harvest once more.

“Tearing and scattering the Codex was like sowing seeds. It was a well-established part of Logos’ plan, a familiar process by now.”

The scattered seeds would react to stories and sprout, each in its unique way.

This was the stage of germination.

Those sprouts would grow, develop, and reach a level where they ripened beautifully.

Praytion called this the stage of heading.

“Do you know what happens to the ears of grain once they’ve finished heading?”

“…They’re harvested.”

“Exactly. When the story’s fruit ripens fully, only one step remains.”

The stage of harvest.

This was the end of the countless cycles of this world, the moment when the scattered Codex fragments would gather to become a complete Codex once more.

“Then, the movements of the Shrine and the rapid gathering of fragments…”

“The time of harvest is approaching. The Shrine is an instrument Logos created to control the world according to his will. It’s like an extension of his hand, a tool to carry out his forceful will.”

“What happens when the harvest is over?”

“The existing world becomes part of the Codex, transforming an entire universe into a single new page of the great book.”

This signified the end of the current universe.

And the beginning of the next.

“Why did Logos leave you alone?”

“To him, I’m nothing more than a trivial being he can eliminate at any time. The kings of stories were created solely to ease his tasks. They’re not the Great Tellers of ancient times; they’re just tools he created to make his work more manageable.”

The so-called Kings of Stories, the so-called origin of all Tellers, were nothing more than tools created for Logos’ convenience.

In Praytion’s voice, Yuhyun detected a single emotion.

It was not the voice of someone who had despaired and given up after witnessing all the truths of the world.

“So, you’re planning to resist him?”

“Yes.”

To defy his creator.

It was something impossible, with a success rate close to zero.

But Praytion harbored no doubts about the matter.

“Though to Logos, my betrayal is likely nothing more than a bit of seasoning to spice up his work. So I made sure to prepare thoroughly. I gathered those who were abandoned, the Bookworms, and assembled a force. I used those bearing fragments to break free from the predetermined future.”

“That… was Jin Cheong-woon, wasn’t it?”

The false prophet, Jin Cheong-woon.

Only now did Yuhyun realize why Jin Cheong-woon had seemed to know so much more than expected.

Ultimately, Jin Cheong-woon was the chosen candidate of Praytion.

“He was indeed suitable, but I can’t say he was a savior who could change this world. He had talent, but his limitations were also clear.”

Yuhyun recalled Jin Cheong-woon’s appearance before he entered this place.

He had been greedy and had paid the price for it. He had dared to hope that perhaps he could make a difference.

“…He failed, didn’t he?”

“He couldn’t even face Logos. He tried, but he hit a colossal wall and barely managed to survive. I repeatedly warned him not to, but he didn’t listen.”

“So… you chose me next?”

“You were the choice from the beginning. To be precise, the fragment chose you.”

“The fragment…”

Yuhyun remembered the golden light he had last seen before his death.

“Before Logos tore the Codex and scattered its fragments across the world, I instinctively knew this was wrong and took a single fragment with me. As one with the authority to use the Codex, that was the best and only thing I could do.”

And so Praytion took a fragment of the book, a piece with no words yet written, and fled with it.

Logos hadn’t bothered to chase him. He found the futile struggle amusing and left him alone.

“I managed to bring the fragment, but I didn’t have the power to use it. All I could do was hold onto it. I pondered and pondered again how to use this fragment to oppose Logos. Although the Codex was written by Logos, in his obsessive attempts to fill it by constantly resetting the universe, I saw a kind of madness.”

In that last fragment, Praytion found hope.

Though he struggled to devise a plan, it did not take long.

“The fragment chooses its own master. In the end, without my intervention, the fragment’s own will led it to the ideal savior.”

“You’re saying… that’s me?”

“Yes. A man abandoned by another iteration of the universe, a tragic figure. The savior chosen by the final fragment, one who transcended time and space, is you.”

“Why me?”

Yuhyun realized that his regression was due to this fragment.

Or rather, it was no longer a regression. And because of this fragment, he’d gone through countless experiences he shouldn’t have faced.

The unprecedented power the fragment emitted had dragged him through every ordeal.

“I don’t know the will of the fragment.”

“Is that all you can say to me now?”

“But I do have one guess. You’re human.”

Human.

That word struck him as absurdly meaningless for the first time.

“A human?”

“Yes. A being that is neither god nor demon, yet who could become either. The great Divine Spirits

, praised across the Mixed Realms, possess powerful abilities, but even they are trapped within undeniable limits. Even the role of star-born beings is merely a role assigned by Logos for his convenience.”

In the end, Divine Spirits were simply constructs Logos created to control the world more easily. Once someone became a Divine Spirit, they were bound within an immense framework from which they could never escape.

But humans were different.

They were a weak species occupying a tiny fraction of the world. So insignificant that they weren’t worth Logos’ attention.

That Logos didn’t control everything was proven by the existence of humans.

The smallest human, beyond Logos’ gaze, paradoxically possessed the greatest “potential” in this world.

“I didn’t expect much, but the results you achieved were truly extraordinary. Far beyond my expectations. And your existence has even influenced others trapped within their respective frameworks.”

“You were watching the whole time…”

“Yes. That’s why I made contact with Jin Cheong-woon as well. Your growth was so rapid. It was desirable, but too much of anything becomes poison. Your overwhelmingly intense presence reverberated throughout the Mixed Realms, and not even Logos could ignore that.”

Even though Yuhyun was a Teller and not fully human at that time, the situation was the same.

The very title of Teller was forced upon him after being reborn in another universe, but he was human at his core.

“The powerful light of your fragment attracted fragments from across the universe. Fragments that should have sought stories befitting their nature converged on your single fragment.”

Praytion had never wanted this. This was all happening too quickly.

If things continued this way, the time of harvest would come before they were prepared.

Thus, Praytion had to make a choice.

“We needed at least five more years.”

“So that’s why Jin Cheong-woon shaped me this way?”

“Yes, I ordered him to. The situation was shifting so rapidly, everything went off course, but fortunately, thanks to the help of a Divine Spirit who perceived the truth of this world, we succeeded.”

That Divine Spirit was none other than Buddha.

Surprisingly, Buddha was neither a usurper nor connected to a previous universe.

He had simply ascended to that position in this universe through his own enlightenment.

But through endless contemplation and penance, he had come to understand that the world was fundamentally flawed.

Yet, already positioned as a Divine Spirit, he could change nothing.

Being subject to the system’s influence, he couldn’t even convey the truth to others.

What could he do? What should he do?

Buddha chose to seek one who held potential.

“It was remarkable. For one of this world to fully comprehend everything and sacrifice himself was not part of my plan. Buddha existed in previous universes, and the one before, yet… never was he as special as now.”

“Then… what about Satan?”

“He’s different. He’s from the previous universe. To call him a usurper is a bit ambiguous. He’s another of Logos’ victims. But he shares my goal of breaking free from this world’s cycle. That’s why he helped you.”

Yuhyun felt the weight of all the hopes and desires entrusted to him as he came this far.

And he understood the vast background hidden within it.

“What is it that you want from me?”

“Honestly, I’d like to ask you to stand against Logos and save us…”

Praytion gave a faint smile and shook his head.

“But I can’t recklessly make such a request. I don’t intend to force you to choose. While I may have guided you this far, all the decisions were yours alone. The same holds true now.”

Dark shadows slowly rose between the library’s shelves.

It was the familiar aura of the Bookworms. Still unformed, their white pupils in the writhing black mass all focused on Yuhyun.

The Bookworms. Beings from vanished universes, robbed of their names and roles.

They all waited for Yuhyun’s answer.

There was no sign of coercion.

Not even the slightest hint of hostility to force him into submission.

Simply by Yuhyun’s presence here, it was as if they had already achieved their wish, and their aura was at peace.

“The choice is mine alone.”

Salvation or ruin.

There were only two paths.

Whichever he chose, Praytion and the Bookworms were prepared to accept it.