Chapter 83
[How interesting.]
At the top of the building, in a pitch-black space where nothing was visible, a voice echoed.
It was not a sound made by the throat, but rather, a feeling of the soul emitting a cry through vibration.
The owner of the voice did not hide his interest that rose as he recalled a Teller he had been watching until a moment ago.
[Wasn’t he the newcomer who appeared recently?]
He remembered because of the rumors.
He revealed his appearance as soon as he appeared, and he was a Teller belonging to the Storytelling Department, but he gave up his protection and fought with a weapon in his hand.
The rumor spread like wildfire in the Celestial Corporation.
It also reached the ears of the chairman who was sitting on this high throne.
Rothpiut, the King of Rumors
The founder and chairman of the Celestial Corporation, and a Teller who had existed since the beginning.
He hid his figure in the darkness, and recalled a Teller who had looked up at him a while ago.
He probably thought he was too far away to be seen, but Rothpiut saw everything.
His eyes that looked up at him, and the flame of desire that flickered in them.
He realized that a very faint spark had lit up in his dried-up emotions, and chuckled as he laughed.
He had collected and created stories of this hybrid world while searching for them, and he had seized various stories.
Because of that, he had been indifferent to any ordinary story for a long time.
[It’s been a long time since an interesting guy showed up.]
There were always newcomers who were expected, but they were not as interesting as this time.
Rothpiut wondered suddenly.
What kind of story would that Teller named Kang Yoo-hyun show him, and how far would he try to climb?
Of course, he had no intention of interfering with him.
He was just a watcher who sat in a high place.
[I hope you make a very splendid story that will shine this hybrid world. Young Teller.]
Rothpiut, the first Teller, muttered that as he recalled Yoo-hyun’s face.
***
“Ugh. I feel cold all of a sudden.”
[Cold? You weren’t like that until a while ago. Are you nervous or something?]
“No. I felt like someone was watching me when I entered the building.”
[Oh, that? It wasn’t an illusion.]
“What?”
I was shocked by Baek-ryeon’s words.
He said it casually as if it was nothing.
[You know, the top floor you were looking at earlier. I felt a gaze from there. I thought you knew and ignored it since you didn’t say anything. I guess not.]
“Wow.”
Could it be that what I felt earlier was not an illusion?
Wait a minute.
Does that mean that the person who looked down at me from the top floor was the chairman?
Chairman Rothpiut.
His existence was something that anyone who belonged here could not ignore.
He was the founder and the top of the Celestial Corporation.
But more than anything, what surprised me was that he was a being with a different level of history and story than ordinary Tellers.
‘The first Teller. There are only four in the world…’
I don’t know much either.
It was just information I picked up by chance in my previous life, at the end of the apocalypse.
No one knows how the origin of the race called Tellers came to be.
Even most spirits would probably say they don’t know if they were asked about the origin of Tellers.
The race called Tellers was shrouded in mystery.
One of the well-known information among them was the four Tellers who existed first.
Rothpiut, the King of Rumors
Damcheon, the King of Banquets
Catharsis, the King of Tragedies
And Oello, who was the only one among them without a king’s title
‘Among them, those who are called kings have their own factions as Tellers.’
Rothpiut has the Celestial Corporation.
Damcheon has a Comedy Company.
Catharsis has Exodus.
Only Oello has no king’s title or faction. I heard he is such a free being that he doesn’t belong anywhere or create any affiliation, and wanders around somewhere in this hybrid world.
‘That’s not important. Rothpiut watched me?’
The first Teller is obviously huge enough to have an unimaginable amount of stories accumulated.
Most spirits ignore Tellers, but if it’s someone like him, he might be on par with the first generation spirits.
He is a being who can stand on the same line as Satan and Michael.
I got goosebumps without realizing it when I thought that he was watching me.
‘No. Let’s think positively.’
At least he wouldn’t try to swallow me up like Satan.
He’s a Teller from his own company, so he might look at me nicely, but he wouldn’t be hostile.
He might even be interested in me. I’m not bragging, but I’m a pretty famous guy in many ways.
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‘Besides, I don’t think there’s much benefit for me if he’s interested in me.’
Rothpiut is the head of an organization.
It didn’t seem like he would give me any favors or benefits by showing me kindness.
He was the chairman of the Celestial Corporation, wasn’t he?
The Celestial Corporation is a place that advocates free and desperate competition. And he didn’t think that the chairman who created such a system would do anything to harm the competition.
Even if he was interested in me, he wouldn’t reach out to help me.
Rather, he would watch and see what I would do.
‘Now that I think about it, it’s not so bad.’
Still, it was a big gain that the chairman remembered me, who was still close to the bottom.
It meant that I was worth his attention.
‘Is this where the promotion ceremony is held?’
There were already various Tellers inside.
They looked at me as I opened the door and entered, and focused their eyes.
Since I had Baek-ryeon on my back, it was practically telling them who I was.
“That guy.”
“He’s getting promoted to Assistant Manager this time? That’s a fast pace.”
“Did he really give up his protection? He even has a sword on his back…”
They all murmured like that.
There was no one who dared to approach me.
Maybe they were wary of me.
The announcement for the start of the promotion ceremony came soon.
The candidates were told to move to the side of the podium, so I went there and stood.
Usually, the number of Tellers who wanted to be promoted would easily exceed two digits, but this time, there were only five, including me, because it was pulled forward by a special case.
Probably, the other four were also just filling in the blanks.
-We will now begin the promotion ceremony. The candidates will come up to the podium.
I moved according to the guide of the conductor.
The podium was quite lavishly decorated.
As I stood there, I felt eyes from all directions.
-The four who are promoted to manager, including Garang, have been confirmed as promoted at this time and we hope you will continue to work hard for the endless development of our company.
The conductor’s voice filled the entire hall.
He mentioned the name of Garang, who had the highest rank, but the interest in me was so great that there was no one who didn’t look at me among those who gathered here.
[They’re all looking at you.]
‘Well, of course. I did something so flashy.’
In fact, this place was practically made because of me alone.
Everyone who came here knew that. It was natural that the attention was focused on me.
‘This is the first time I’ve received so much attention from so many Tellers.’
More than anything, the chairman of this place was interested in me.
If I had been my old self, I wouldn’t have received the attention of any Tellers, let alone the chairman. It was actually like that.
I was ignored and looked down on.
Even at the moment of death, there was no one who remembered me.
-Let’s all applaud for the promotees.
Clap clap clap clap.
The hall was filled with applause.
The applause sounded like a hymn for those who were promoted this time.
Everyone looked only at the dazzling protagonists.
No one wanted to see the person who was suffering under their huge shadow.
They say there is no meaningless death in the world, but I don’t think so.
For those who have nothing, life and death have no meaning.
Their good deeds and their evil deeds.
They are all meaningless.
“…….”
I closed my eyes and recalled that time.
The time when I tried desperately to catch up with the protagonist, but eventually gave up in despair.
If only.𝚗𝗼𝘃𝒆𝙡𝘣Ꭵ𝔫.𝚗ℯ𝐭
Just if only.
‘If I hadn’t given up then and tried my best to die, could I have changed?’
Even if I didn’t come back to the past like now, even if I didn’t get a chance to correct my old mistakes.
If I really clenched my teeth and went all the way, would I have met the same ending as then?
‘It’s a meaningless assumption.’
It’s all over.
If I had done that then, if I had done this at that time.
It’s all a vain dream of things that can’t be changed.
In the end, we have to wake up from our dreams and live in reality.
All I have to do is do my best right now while I’m awake.
‘No, no. At least not for me.’
Although my existence changed, I came back to the past.
The terrible apocalypse that happened in my previous life, and the people who died endlessly were still things of the future for me.
I can change the mistakes and errors of the past.
So let’s keep going.
From now on, as I am now, or even harder.
Let’s enjoy at least as much as the applause that comes to me in this place.
This is a gift for me who has been given another chance.
It’s a hymn for those who have risen from all their failures.
“Thank you.”
On top of the podium that was like a dazzling stage, I answered like that to the Tellers who clapped their hands for me.
***
As soon as the promotion ceremony ended, Tellers who had been eyeing me tried to approach me.
I knew it would be like this, so I quickly left without even making an excuse.
The moment I delayed here a little bit, I might be surrounded by Tellers’ walls and pressured to come to their department.
[Why? Isn’t it good?]
‘Well, it’s nice to realize that I’m recognized, but it’s still annoying.’
I didn’t intend to belong anywhere in the first place.
I would keep doing Storytelling Department as it is, but I didn’t think of any particular place for my department affiliation.
I avoided other people’s eyes and left the hall, and headed for a place in my memory.
A place where no other Tellers would come, but where there was a Teller I had to meet.
“The Record Archive.”
It was still quiet without any Tellers coming.
No, it was so empty that it gave me goosebumps.
The storage boxes that looked alike filled the space densely were suffocating no matter how many times I saw them.
In the center of it, a Teller with a dragon-like appearance saw me and smiled.
And he also had a book that was like a brilliant sun.
“Hehehe. This is really. Should I say it’s been a long time?”
“Would it be about a month?”
“That’s unbelievably fast. Right. You got promoted to Assistant Manager this time?”
“Did you know?”
“The rumor has already spread widely. It would be strange if I didn’t know. So how do you feel?”
“The best. Do I need to say it?”
“Kukuk. I asked a stupid question.”
We had only met twice, but somehow it felt like meeting an old friend who had been apart for a long time.
It seemed to be the same for the old man. When people who get along well meet, is this how they feel?
“So you came back here because of the promise you made then?”
“I can’t keep calling you old man, can I?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Come on, old man.”
“Kukuk. I’m kidding. Well, I can’t not tell you my name to a newcomer who bothered to come to this space to hear it.”
The old man laughed playfully and told me his name.
“Galiaz. My name is Galiaz.”
“Galiaz…”
I repeated his name a few times and suddenly remembered one of my memories from my previous life.
‘The Guardian of the Dragon King, Galiaz!’
The being in front of me was the protagonist of that story.
