I Can See the Comments on the Doomed Novel - Chapter 174



A Story No One Knows

With a thunderous roar, the ship landed on the island.

In fact, it would be more accurate to say it was half-wrecked upon the ground.

As it touched down and came to a halt, the ship disintegrated into particles and vanished.

As soon as they landed, Hyena and Eve collapsed, exhausted.

Yuri, too, seemed to barely sit up, using her sword as a prop.

Everyone had exhausted their strength to the limit.

“Just, just hold on a little longer!”

Eunbyeol poured healing energy toward Hyena and Eve.

Both of them were in a state far from normal, having drawn their magic to the brink.

Yet, as they received Eunbyeol’s healing, they began to feel a bit better.

‘But if another ambush comes from here…’

The spheres of light that had been blocking us earlier had all vanished.

But there might still be remnants left.

Even if it’s just one or two, it would be fatal for the two in their current state.

“Jihoon, I’ll protect this place, so don’t worry.”

As if she read my mind.

From noble mtl dot com

Eunbyeol, who was healing, spoke to me first.

Her face looked trustworthy, as if to say she would handle it.

“…….Are you sure?”

“Of course. I’m not weak either. I have enough strength to protect my friends.”

With that, Eunbyeol broke into a bright smile.

“I believe that meeting Jihoon that day at the church was the greatest fortune of my life. So…”

As she spoke, Eunbyeol suddenly paused.

She seemed to be holding something back, her lips quivering, but eventually, she opened her mouth.

“Go… and save the world.”

“…Thank you.”

I nodded firmly.

The only reason I had made it this far was because of my friends.

They had each played their part well.

Now it was my turn to show the results.

“Hey, Lee Ji-hoon. Wait a second.”

“Hmm? Whoa!”

Yuri suddenly threw a sword at me.

It was the sword of the Möbius Knights.

A sudden, unpleasant memory from the beginning flashed in my mind, causing me to tense up slightly.

“Hey, is it okay for me to take this?”

“If it weren’t the Möbius Knights, it would be a proud sword that would refuse you, deeming your soul’s worth insufficient. But now, it should be fine for you, right?”

Indeed, I had been recognized by Yuri and acknowledged as a member of the Möbius Knights.

As for the worth of my soul… I still didn’t fully understand it, but I was sure it had risen significantly since the beginning.

It was different from when I first fought wielding only a baseball bat at school.

If I were to compare myself now to then, I would undoubtedly see growth.

As I grasped the sword Yuri had given me, it suddenly became a tangible reality, coursing through my skin.

“Don’t forget. The Möbius Knights never lose.”

“Right.”

With the sword in hand, I dashed forward.

The island had transformed into something resembling a noble’s castle.

Fortunately, unlike outside, there were no gatekeepers to be found.

As I ran past the corridors, I soon arrived at a vast plaza.

There stood a hat maker, motionless.

“…Isn’t it beautiful?”

Before him, a massive light shimmered.

That golden glow radiated quietly, yet with a definite presence, illuminating the space around it.

That must be Pandora’s box.

No, it must be the ‘editorial authority’ that can change the world.

“Isn’t Pandora’s box supposed to have that kind of function?”

“No, it’s different. This is merely how I’ve modified it. In a little while, it will activate.”

“Are you really planning to repeat destruction?”

“Do you want to say that’s a bad thing?”

“If we’re talking about right and wrong, then yes. Countless billions will die again.”

“They are not human. They are characters in a story.”

“…….What?”

The hatter turned his head and spoke.

“We are at best mere characters. Born to fight in this world, to bring joy in the process. Everyone else is the same. Even the nameless extras who die, even the gods lying there. They were born knowing nothing and lived knowing nothing. Just to bring joy to people.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“It’s a story about the value of existence. This world is an apocalypse. A monster that kills countless people and quests. We were born to oppose that. Beings born to bring joy in the process of transcending it. We exist for this story.”

“……”

The hatter’s face was serious.

It seemed like he was holding back despair or fierce anger.

“If that’s the case……. what should we do when the destruction ends? What if the author decides we are no longer needed? Are we… beings that can disappear without a care? Should we vanish once our roles are over?”

The hatter continued speaking.

His voice was calm yet passionate.

I could sense how much he had agonized over those words, how many times he had asked himself.

“Are we going to repeat tragedy? Of course! Are we going to make people die again? Naturally! We were born for that! We’ll keep facing destruction over and over! To prove our value of existence!”

The hatter looked at me.

“Lee Ji-hoon, I will make you a proposal at the end. Let’s join forces! If it’s you, who has always been at the center of events, reading the comments, you could write an even more magnificent story! The next tale could be longer! If we combine our strengths! We can exist forever!”

“I refuse.”

I answered without hesitation.

Having already watched my friends fight, I had made my decision.

The hatter narrowed his eyes as he looked at me.

“Then let me ask the opposite. What do you plan to do about this?”

“What?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. You already understand. The activated Pandora’s box cannot be stopped. It must be used in some way. And now, the only ones who can handle this are the two of us. Let’s say you defeat me. Then how will you use this?”

I opened my mouth after a moment.

Surprisingly, it was easy to say.

“If I could turn back time, I would. But destruction is the end. The world will become a little more peaceful. A world where no one dies… a world like that.”

“Who would like such a story!”

The hatter shouted passionately.

“Lee Ji-hoon! You must feel the same way as I do! You thought it didn’t matter what happened to this world! You wouldn’t have cared if it perished right now! That’s why you possess ‘metafiction’! Characteristics and professions are influenced by one’s past and tendencies! You didn’t become the protagonist because you have metafiction. You became the protagonist of this chapter because you have metafiction!”

I had anticipated that to some extent.

Hye-na and Eun-byeol were also influenced by their specialties and environments.

“You had no reason to live, yet you kept fighting and surviving! In doing so, you gained so much! Because of ‘destruction,’ you, an ordinary human, could stand here! You, who had no friends, met such a beauty and even received love from a goddess! You gained that much wealth and power!”

“……..”

“You were given something precious when you had nothing to protect! And now you want to erase that? You want to return to that empty self?”

“Yes, I will do that.”

I replied in a still unexcited voice.

“A story of just over 170 chapters. Through that, I have definitely changed. I’ve come to care for many people. If I go back to the past, and if destruction ceases to exist… I might find it hard to reconnect with those kids.”

I might not be able to meet them.

Even if I do, it wouldn’t be the same as our current relationship.

Perhaps we are destined to part forever.

Just thinking about it makes my heart ache.

That’s how precious those kids are to me now.

“Still, it’s okay.”

“What?”

“They… have lost so much on their way here. As you said, I was a nobody. Honestly, I wouldn’t have regretted dying right now. But they are different. They had families they wanted to protect, places they cherished. They had daily lives and memories they didn’t want to lose. And destruction… took all of that away.”

I cannot forgive that destruction.

Even if it’s thanks to that, we were born.

I will deny ‘destruction’ time and time again.

Even if I’m just a character in a novel, if I was born, I have the right to be happy.

“It doesn’t matter if no one wants it. Even if, at the end of it all, it becomes a story with no readers. Just the fact that there’s a world where those kids can smile again and live, that alone makes it worth calling that place heaven for me.”

I don’t dislike the hatter.

In fact, I can understand him.

Perhaps it’s an emotion that only the two of us can empathize with in this world.

Still, I cannot condone his actions.

I want them to be happy, no matter what happens.

“Ha.”

The hat maker’s shoulders slumped.

His face seemed to reflect a resignation to something.

“I thought you and I were alike. But fundamentally, we are different.”

“No, I think you’re similar to me. If there’s anything different…”

We drew our swords simultaneously.

I absorbed the spirit sword into the blade that Yura had given me.

The sword rang with the surging magical power.

I could feel the sword of the Möbius Knights acknowledging me.

“Do you know? This space was specially created by me. In case of any interference, it minimizes damage. So within this realm, no trait or class retains its effect. It means the ‘metafiction’ that once protected you is gone.”

“Does that even matter?”

“It doesn’t.”

We had both said what we wanted to say.

We understood that we could not understand each other.

We realized that we shouldn’t understand.

What remained was to face each other seriously and fight.

If one side doesn’t die, the other will.

Only the victor gains everything and achieves their own fulfillment.

Yet, even the one who wins will only fall back into solitude once more.

I chuckled bitterly at that truth.

“In the end, it has come to this. We’re just returning to where we each belong.”

The hat maker’s sword was sharp at a glance.

I couldn’t tell whose renowned warrior had wielded it.

But if the hat maker chose it as his weapon for the final battle, it must be anything but ordinary.

Of course, I wouldn’t be outdone when it comes to weapons.

As I thought that, I suddenly understood.

The time I had fought and survived beyond Chapter 170.

Was merely for this one fight.

“Whether I die or you die, this ‘story’ will come to an end. Without anyone remembering it. Ah, yes! You and I, we suit this side!”

I and the hat maker both stamped our feet at the same time.

The duel that would determine the world’s end began in a square where no one was watching.