Chapter 7: The Author’s Gambit

Chapter 7

Sublime Resolve

Upon returning home and examining it, Han Dokyeom found that the awakened skill was not one that offered direct effects, such as an offensive or defensive ability. Rather, it appeared to be more akin to a title.

It was undoubtedly a skill he had never encountered before. Upon clicking the skill, ‘Sub-Skills’ were listed beneath it, much like subtitles.

“It’s not that skills with sub-components don’t exist at all….”

Such skills were typically acquired by defeating boss monsters or were manifested by S-rank Hunters. The probability of obtaining one was considered even lower than striking it rich by sheer luck.

In essence, it was a rarity.

What’s more, the skill Dokyeom had manifested bore a lengthy name. The name visible on the surface was merely an abbreviated version.

[Sublime Resolve – The Fated One Who Witnessed Destiny]

[A skill granted to the Fated One who witnesses the target’s destiny. Allows entry into the target’s destiny.]

A total of three sub-skills were listed.

: Human bonds, akin to heavenly connections, possess an undeniable emotional depth and moral imperative. The ‘Fated One’ who enters the target’s destiny, by virtue of this celestial connection, gains an invincible counter-right against all skills and attacks of the ‘Destiny-Bound One’. This is effectively ‘Nullification’.

: The ‘Fated One’ can seize one ‘destiny’ from the ‘Destiny-Bound One’. This ability can only be used once per ‘Destiny-Bound One’. Cooldown: 15 days.

: The ‘Fated One’ can probabilistically acquire understanding and experience regarding the abilities of a ‘target’ who has the potential to become a ‘Destiny-Bound One’. (Random success rate: 0.6%~60%). Can be used on multiple ‘targets’. Cooldown upon success: 15 days. Cooldown upon failure: 1 day.

[Destiny-Bound One]

The name ‘Geon Ita’ written beneath the skill felt strangely unfamiliar.

Dokyeom surmised that this ability might have manifested because he was the original author. He could only speculate that such a skill had arisen from his knowledge of the targets’ futures, or perhaps because he was akin to a parent who had created their destinies.

However, the phrase ‘entered the target’s destiny’ begged interpretation. Did it mean their destiny had already changed because of Dokyeom, the ‘Fated One’? Or that it could change in the future?

Perhaps it was a sort of ‘original author’s buff’.

Furthermore, all the awakened skills were unranked. This implied they were the most perfect skills in this world, so exceptional that their rank was irrelevant.

“An invincible counter-right certainly seems quite useful.”

It was ‘Nullification’, after all. If nullification applied to all skills and attacks of those designated as ‘Destiny-Bound Ones’, it meant Geon Ita’s abilities, at the very least, would no longer affect Dokyeom.

This was due to the celestial connection, akin to that between parent and child, or siblings.

Tap, tap.

Lost in thought, Dokyeom tapped his pen against his notebook. Suddenly, memories from before he began serializing his novel flickered in his mind.

Dokyeom had a habit of scribbling in his notebook to organize complex thoughts whenever he had to make a decision. From this habit, whose origin he couldn’t recall, emerged ‘The Supporting Character’s Shackles’, a work often dismissed by the public as a poorly written novel. It was both Dokyeom’s debut and a practice piece.

Thus, Dokyeom knew better than anyone what he, as Han Dokyeom, needed to do. While the year and a half of serialization hindered him from remembering every detail, the major events remained vivid in his mind.

Among these, the most crucial task was changing Han Dokyeom’s destiny.

“If the original story proceeds as written, that gate will likely appear soon….”

Soon, Han Dokyeom would become trapped within a gate. This incident led to his disappearance, a brief episode that effectively erased him from the novel. The focus of the event at the time was not even from Han Dokyeom’s perspective; he was merely an extra caught up in the unfolding events.

From this point forward, Dokyeom’s task was to alter that trajectory, much like switching railway tracks.

To achieve this, he needed to ascertain the ‘exact’ timing of the gate’s appearance. Unfortunately, Dokyeom could not recall the specific date; he only had a vague notion that it would be ‘soon’.

He had to keep a close watch on the surrounding events and devise a way to locate the gate.

Thump.

The pen, which had been tapping repeatedly against the notebook, stilled. The scattering of black dots it had created shifted his thoughts to a different subject.

The second most important matter, after Han Dokyeom’s destiny, came to mind.

What was the reason and catalyst for Dokyeom’s arrival here? Moreover, why had both authors, who shared the same worldview, ended up in this situation?

At a point when the novel remained unfinished, the story of this world was effectively erased and abandoned. It was unclear whether he ought to complete it or simply stand by and observe.

Dokyeom already knew the end of this story. However, that knowledge stemmed from his time as an ‘author’ who had forcibly reined in a struggling work and brought it to completion. Once a work leaves its author’s hands, no one can predict whether it will proceed as intended or veer off course.

This world’s conclusion presented a dilemma: it would be problematic if it unfolded according to the predetermined ending, and equally problematic if it did not.

[‘Oriax’, the demon of ‘Lemegeton’, tilts their head at you.]

He froze.

In that instant, white text appeared before his eyes. Dokyeom stared openly at the words, which contained a message. Oriax, the demon, would appear whenever Dokyeom seemed to forget about them, asserting their presence and abruptly attempting conversation, as if craving attention.

And a demon, no less.

Oriax, the demon, was a divine being who held the 59th rank among the 72 demons of Lemegeton.

This world was currently being manipulated, serving as a playground for a game called ‘Mythic Revival’. The orchestrators were demons and angels, collectively known as ‘Divine Beings’. Mythic Revival, quite literally, referred to the reenactment of their individual histories, both grand and minor, upon this earth.

Three factions existed within this framework.

[Distorters], who desired ‘Historical Distortion’.

[Reenactors], who desired ‘Historical Reenactment’.

And [Bystanders], who enjoyed ‘things as they were’.

The lines between good and evil were blurred. In this world, both demons and angels were merely beings seeking to fulfill their selfish desires. To heighten the drama of their comedy, these demons and angels scattered their powers across the earth.

The ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ and the ‘Seven Heavenly Virtues’ were part of this:

Greed, Sloth, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, Pride.

Courage, Forgiveness, Hope, Love, Trust, Mercy, Passion.

The original story’s objective was to gather these powers to distort or reenact the ‘histories’ of the Divine Beings. For their amusement, angels and demons selected ‘contractors’ and lent them strength and abilities by bestowing their ‘seals’.

These contractors were the .

Of course, the ‘games’ of the Divine Beings did have a certain purpose. They constantly sought to elevate their status, and they achieved this through their contractors. Naturally, this came with the promise of ‘rewards’.

Specifically, it was the task of seizing the ‘Divine Artifact’ that awaited at the end of this game.

Though merely a legend, it was said that ‘Divine Artifacts’ possessed personalities, and their forms were generally not concrete. They could manifest as a dilapidated goblet, an elegant antique comb, a radiant brooch, or even a gentleman’s glove.

Such ‘Divine Artifacts’ were a type of throne that elevated the status of Divine Beings. They were the ultimate reward of this game, and, due to the infinite power said to reside within them, were also known as the Golden Throne.

Thus, the race of the Divine Being who claimed a Divine Artifact would hold that dominion until the next ‘game’ commenced.

Naturally, there were also those who participated purely for amusement. Oriax, the demon contracted with Han Dokyeom, was precisely one such entity.

They remained a demon who would support Han Dokyeom no matter what transpired. A demon who would never betray him.

Click.

The notebook, where his pen had repeatedly tapped, had long been marred by a scattering of black dots. Dokyeom clicked the pen shut and gazed up at the small window, where the sunlight was beginning to fade.

As he blinked slowly, motes of dust drifted into his vision. Quiet thoughts began to intrude.

Thoughts about what lay ahead.

To prepare for what was to come in the nearest future, he couldn’t simply sit idly by. The story of this world had only just moved past its prologue. This was the optimal introductory phase for twisting the original narrative.

To do so, yes. Obtaining information was paramount, more than anything else. And specifically, high-level information.

****

Hunter Stability Support Center.

The Stability Support Center was a nationally accredited employment agency established five years ago with the goal of providing stable job opportunities for Hunters. It primarily assisted lower-ranked Hunters who were not affiliated with guilds, helping them secure placements in guilds or private companies.

To this very place, where numerous Hunters, burning with job-seeking zeal, wore down the threshold with their constant comings and goings, a young man arrived bright and early one morning. He settled himself at a consultation desk and began spouting nonsense.

“So….”

Heo Gyeongchan, a counselor at the Stability Support Center for nearly three years, suppressed the irritation rising from his gut. He asked again, his expression utterly dumbfounded, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was beyond exasperating now.

“So, you want me to submit your resume to the great, the magnificent ‘Sahyeon Guild’?”

“And not just once, but one every hour until they reply?”

“Yes.”

This was already the tenth time, to be precise. Counselor Heo Gyeongchan finally let out a string of exasperated laughs, tossing the resume he held onto the desk.

“Look here, E-rank Hunter. Are you out of your mind?”

“Did you get rejected so many times from other places that your wits are scattering? Have you forgotten your own rank now?”