Beyond the Eternity

By the time we arrived at the warehouse, it was already too late.

Black smoke and the foul smell of something burning filled the air. Infront of us was the burning building of what used to be our base of operation. The warehouse was already ruined.

I stood frozen, watching the flames consume what was left. The party members were beside me, but I didn't meet their eyes. They were likely thinking the same thing I was.

How long did we stand like that? Minutes, perhaps. It was only then that I began to process the scene before me.

Soo Jinyoung's company had been attacked by a ruthless party. The man responsible called himself 'Kim Suwon.' But without Lie Detection, I couldn't be sure if that was his real name. He also claimed to be the 'King of Apostles.' One thing was certain—he had inflicted significant damage.

I was angry. Even if I felt somewhat wronged, it was impossible to do anything in a situation where the enemy was unknown and it was stupid to jump in blindly into a fight.

"Tck."

I clicked my tongue in an irritated manner.

That bastard, Kim Suwon. When did he infiltrate our ranks? Was it back when the real Soo Jinyoung was leading the group? And how did he orchestrate everything so seamlessly? Did he have someone helping him?

Such questions emerged uncontrollably and my mind soon became chaotic. Let's calm down and talk about important points one by one.

I exhaled and took a deep breath. Such a simple action managed to clear my mind to the point where I could think calmly. I started to arrange my thoughts one by one.

From the information I have gathered, that person had a strange personality. It was difficult to know what he was thinking. In fact, his expressions were unreadable and my hidden cards did not work on him.

Just what kind of cards was he hiding? And It seemed to be strong enough to negate my Endless One and the Omniscient Wall.

The Omniscient Wall cannot view the private information of the readers outside the story. That's a truth I already know, but to think my Endless One would be rendered useless as well.

Perhaps it was because of his benefits as a reader. Lee Dokho was given the streamer attribute as a reader's benefit. If that was the case, it was safe to assume that every reader has their own unique attribute and skill set.

But what kind of private information would someone who has read the story to the end possess? Could such a person be called the omniscient reader?

My eyes closed as I thought about that probability.

When my eyes opened again, I noticed Angelica looking towards my direction. It seemed like she wanted to say something but no words came out.

I shifted my gaze and noticed Jung Yunhee was staring at the burning warehouse with a blank expression. I wondered what she was thinking at this moment.

[The character 'Jung Yunhee' is feeling indifference.]

Indifference? At a moment like this? I could understand not caring about the other people, but even Lee Jongho as well. It was strange until I remembered her unique situation.

Jung Yunhee was originally a person with two personalities. One was feminine while the other was masculine. No one knows why she was born with such an absurd condition but that was her story. However, due to an accident, the balance between the two personalities has been broken.

What exactly changed in the existence known as ''Jung Yunhee' was currently unknown since the author left that out, but it was theorised that a third personality was being developed.

A sudden, subconscious thought flickered in my mind: If I was part of the people that were hit, would she feel the same about me?

I quickly shook my head, pushing that useless thought into the abyss. It was a useless thought so it had to be put away with immediate effect.

It was too unreasonable to think that way. To Jung Yunhee, we were just people she met by chance. It hasn't been long since she has known us so it's difficult to get attached in such a situation.

"Kim Jakga."

Angelica finally spoke, her voice a quiet whisper that only I could hear.

She continued, "Do you think everyone is dead?"

I shook my head, "I don't think so. If they truly died, I would have received a notification."

"Is that really the case?"

"I believe so. I've already planned for such a situation where we would be overwhelmed. If the others survived then they would have mostly gone to that station."

"What are you saying?"

I ignored her question and spoke out loud, "Everyone, we're heading to Sadang Station."

"Huh? Why there?"

"I have my reasons. Just follow me."

I was the first to move, with the party members following one by one. It was wise to be prepared for any situation. Fortunately, I had instructed Lee Jongho to take charge of the others and relocate in case of an ambush.

But there's also the possibility that they would be wiped in a single whoop even if the chances of that happening was completely low. Even so, I had no choice but to put my faith in the Giant Soldier.

We soon reached the entrance of the Sadang Station and entered without hesitation. As we moved, some people suddenly blocked the way and raised their weapons.

"Who are you? Wait, are you..."

As the people blocked the way slowly lowered their weapons as they saw our faces.

"Soo Jinyoung-nim!"

Thos people approached upon confirming my identity as Soo Jinyoung. I recognised them as members of the New Wave group.

I studied their bandaged bodies one by one and opened my mouth.

"Explain everything that happened while I was away."

* * *

A few minutes passed since then and we walked inside the station. The people staying on the platform slowly came into view.

Angelica frowned and mumbled, "It's worse than I thought."

"Yes," the New Wave leader explained. "Most of our fighters were caught in the explosion, and others stayed behind to buy us time. We left in a hurry, so we only have limited supplies."

I looked at the faces of the people one by one. According to the new wave group's report, most of Group 2 had been annihilated in the explosion, while a few members of Group 1 died trying to resist. The survivors here were the ones who managed to escape.

The reason for that was because Kim Hyunwoo's defences was overwhelmed from the inside. Someone had taken on the role of a suicide bomber and detonated themselves. The attack caught everyone off guard. In such a situation, it was impossible to prepare for an ambush.

"Tck."

I clicked my tongue in frustration and clenched my fist with all my strength. That bastard almost took out most of my fighting power and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

I recalled the words of that person and realised I was too arrogant. This was the battle for the holy grail. If I continued to hold back in such a situation, I was going to be swallowed by another group without hesitation.

...I had been too naive. Just because I'd read the story to the end, I thought I could navigate this hellish scenario without losing my humanity. Why didn't I attack other groups and take their points one by one. Why didn't I thoroughly check my own group for any intruders. I should have killed anyone I deemed suspicious. If I have been more careful then none of this would have happened.

I had the power to prevent this tragedy yet I let it slip through my fingers. How could I be so useless? Aren't I supposed to be the omniscent one? But what good is that if I can't even predict the obvious? Let's stop with the useless thoughts. It's impossible to predict everything just from reading a single sentence.

In any case, I can't undo my losses, but I won't lose again. That bastard may have won this round but I'll be the one to win the war in the end. No matter what it takes, even if I have to become a demon. I will have to.... hmm...

My thoughts trailed off as I remembered something. I had forgotten to ask an important question.

I looked at the lean man and asked, "Hey, how did you all survive the explosion?"

His expression darkened. "Someone sacrificed themselves."

"Sacrificed himself?"

"Yes. He was the first to notice the suspicious activity of that person and used his body to shield us from the explosion. His body suddenly expanded and became huge. His skill became tough like a steel wall. It really felt like he was a giant from the mythical ages."

A giant? Was he talking about Lee Jongho?

I swallowed my anxiety and opened my mouth, "Where is this person now?"

"Luckily, he survived. He's in one of the tents, but his condition is critical, and we're low on supplies."

"Take me to him."

"Ah, yes. Right this way."

The lean man led us to the tent where Lee Jongho was being treated. While it wasn't as well-equipped as Lee Dokho's station, it was impressive given how quickly they had set it up.

I allowed Angelica and Jung Yunhee to enter but stopped Lee Dokho and Kagura.

"You two stay here. This is personal."

Kagura nodded understandingly. "I see. Very well. I'll see how I can help the other survivors."

She walked off, and Lee Dokho just nodded, though he looked a bit disappointed. In any case, I entered the tent.

The design of the interior was simple and there was a futon. I also spotted Kim Hyunwoo sitting beside the unconscious Lee Jongho lying on the futon.

He didn't seem to have any serious injuries but Lee Jongho was a different story. Half of his skin was burned and his breathing pattern was rough. I was amazed how he was still alive in such a condition.

Kim Hyunwoo noticed us and his expression seemed to brighten. "So you guys came."

"How is he?"

"He's fine but as you can see, his condition is worsening by each moment. If it continues like this, he will really... Damnit, this was all my fault to begin with."

"No, this is not your fault. If it's anything you should blame, it's me. If I had paid attention to the group members, none of this would have happened."

"What?" Kim Hyunwoo's eyes widened, "How can you say such a thing? You had no way of knowing."

"True. In any case, let's do something about his condition first."

I summoned the system interface and bought a few items from the exclusive shop.

[20,000 coins has been consumed.]

[You have bought the Elven Forest Essences.]

The items were immediately transferred to my storage ring. I pulled out some elven essences and put them inside Lee Jongho's mouth.

His condition immediately improved. His breathing steadied, and the burn marks began to heal. He was still unconscious, but his injuries were mending rapidly.

"He's healing just like that? Wasn't he fighting death a few moments ago?"

The new wave group leader looked baffled as if he had seen a scene from a fantasy book. I approached him and handed the rest of the Elven Forest Essences to him.

He looked at the essences with a curious expression.

"What's this?"

"Give these to the survivors. It will heal their effects. It might heal their wounds but make sure to check for any abnormalities. If there are any abnormalities in their condition, report back to me or report to the deputy representative Kim Jakga."

"Kim Jakga? Who is that?"

"He'll enter the station soon. Now go and do what I said."

"Ah, yes. Thank you very much, Soo Jinyoung-nim."

The man left the tent immediately after that. I removed the white mask from my face and sighed. It was exhausting being someone else especially Soo Jinyoung.

"Kim Jakga?"

"Hmm?"

"What are we going to do now?"

I turned around and noticed everyone was looking at me.

The original base of Soo Jinyoung's company was destoryed and most of our fighting power was gone. In such a difficult situation, it was the leader of the group that would decide the next move.

My mouth moved and my next words shocked everyone.

"We will do nothing."