Beyond the Eternity

But that wasn't the case at all—how could we possibly explain that to them? Would they even believe us? They might instead start to suspect us.

When the stage was viewed from an outside perspective, it made perfect sense.

Two strangers had appeared out of nowhere, choosing to sleep in the same warehouse as the rest. They had even offered food, perhaps as a gesture to earn their trust and divert suspicion when the inevitable happened.

Naturally, the survivors would think that way; it was a conclusion that made sense within the limits of ordinary logic. But that was only because they knew nothing about Fate or the Stories.

Would they still think that way if they understood how Skills and Divine Authorities truly worked?

Maybe or perhaps not.

The possibilities were endless, and the outcome was unknowable—after all, I wasn't a Deity.

Why was I even contemplating such trivial matters?

Perhaps my thoughts were merely a reflection of my own insecurities and the underlying distrust I felt toward those around me. It would be troublesome if the very people I sustain turned against me.

"Jakga." Angelica, who had been walking beside me, suddenly called out.

"Hmm. What is it?"

"A penny for your thoughts?"

"Nothing, really. I'm not thinking about anything important."

For some reason, she looked displeased. "Is that so? Hard to believe you when you're just staring off into space with that blank look on your face."

"Is it that obvious?"

"It's hard not to notice when your expression gives everything away."

Damn. So that's how it was. Maybe I should invest in a poker face skill.

I hated how my expressions betrayed my thoughts, but if I really bought that skill, wouldn't I be giving up the last bit of my humanity?

With the [Black Box] already tampering with my emotions, the thought of buying another skill to suppress my humanity didn't sit well with me.

Regardless of my own thoughts, Angelica continued with her monologue. "Are you still thinking about what happened?"

"It's hard to erase such a tragedy from memory. I'm sure it's the same case for the victims. Speaking of victims, how are the twins?"

"Ah, about them..."

Angelica's voice trailed off as she glanced back at the twins, who were trailing slowly behind us. Their dull expressions made it all too clear what was on their minds.

In truth, those who had died were not the only victims of that tragedy.

Could they probably recover from this?

Probably not.

But there was no time to mourn. The story would move forward regardless of their feelings, so they could move forward whether they wanted or not.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

There was only the sound of footsteps as the survivors trailed behind us.

We were currently in Gwangjin-gu.

The initial plan was to reach Seongdong-gu, but the Seongsu Bridge and surrounding bridges had collapsed under the devastating power of the Disaster of Storms, making it impossible to cross the Han River.

In other words, we had no choice but to travel through land and find an alternative route.

Or that was what a normal person would think.

As we arrived on the broken Seongsu Bridge, Angelica and the other survivors looked puzzled, as if struggling to comprehend the situation. Their thoughts were clear enough without the need for mind reading.

"Um, forgive me for asking, but what exactly are we doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're going to cross the Han River."

"But the bridge is broken. How exactly are we supposed to cross? Wait… you're not seriously thinking about swimming, are you?"

"...."

Angelica's face went pale with horror at the thought.

I understood her concern. The water levels of the Han River had risen, but it wasn't due to a natural cause. It was the result of the large number of Sea Serpents lurking in its depths. If we tried to cross the river by swimming, we would be completely devoured in an instant.

She asked again as if to deny something. "We aren't going to swim, right?"

"No, we're not swimming. We'd probably be eaten if we tried, and I have no intention of becoming someone's lunch. Besides, I doubt I'd even taste good."

"This is not the time for jokes!"

"Ha ha! Sorry about that. Actually, we don't need to swim to cross the Han River."

Angelica gave me a deadpan look. She clearly didn't understand what I was getting at, nor did she seem interested in figuring out my plan.

Thinking outside the box was always a good approach—assuming you had enough information about the situation. If Park Joonhyuk was here, he'd probably understand exactly what I was plotting… and then call me crazy for it.

A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I turned my gaze toward the emptiness and called out, 'Aurora, are you there?'

Before long, Aurora's voice emerged inside my head, but it was noticeably different from her usual tone.

[Yes, is there something I can assist you with? Are you interested in purchasing something from the Exclusive Shop? I can offer you a great discount.]

What's with the sudden shift in tone? Was she some kind of office worker?

I knew why she was acting this way, but it was still unsettling.

'Can you please stop that? It makes me feel uneasy.'

[Whatever are you talking about, dear player?]

'You know what I mean. Acting nice does not fit you.'

[Tch. Of course, I'd get a response like that when I'm just trying to be nice for a change. So, what is it that you actually want?]

'Lend me some probability.'

[Probability? I know I'm going to regret asking, but why do you need probability?]

'Well, It's actually quite simple... I want to use a Deus Ex Machina.'

Then the expected reaction emerged.

[You what?! Are you out of your mind? No, you're definitely crazy! Do you even realize what you're saying?!]

'What's up with that reaction? It's not that much of a big deal.'

[It's not a big deal, you say? You're really delusional. Only the Constellations can use the 'plot device' to alter the flow of the story to their desires, and you're claiming you can do that? Even if, by some miracle, you manage it, the aftereffects will tear you apart.]

'That's why I need your help with probability. What I'm planning won't require much. Besides, even if something goes wrong, I won't die. If you've seen the previous Fables, you should already know that, isn't that right?'

[...]

Aurora remained silent.

From an outside perspective, my request was nothing but unreasonable.

Deus Ex Machina was a weapon wielded by the Constellations to shape the story according to their will. Even the Heroic Constellations would struggled to control the plot device, so it should be impossible for a player like me to use it at will.

However, there was a way—a shortcut to make it possible.

From the very beginning, wasn't it the writers who held the power to use Deus ex Machina?

[Personal skill, Zero One has activated.]

[The power of the Sequence '1' will take effect.]

Crack! Crack!

A massive surge of power coursed through my body, causing the surrounding space to warp and twist. Angelica took a cautious step back, likely sensing the shift in the air around me.

I could feel the eyes of the survivors focused on my back, but there was no time to acknowledge them.

Instead, I channeled the power surging through my being into my words.

"The Deux Ex Machina 'Phantom Bridge' shall be created."

At that moment, the voice of the world was heard.

[Someone has used the power of Probability.]

[The Deux Ex Machina shall take effect based on the probability provided.]

Along with the voice, an ethereal bridge materialized across the Han River, stretching from the broken Seongsu Bridge to the opposite bank. The survivors stared in disbelief as they gazed upon the impossibility before them.

A miracle that could only be brought into existence by a writer's hand.

Ding!

Suddenly, a red system window floated infront of me.

+

[Deus Ex Machina— Phantom Bridge]

Description: A bridge formed by an unregistered power. Due to its instability, it won't last long. The bridge will disappear as soon as the ten-minute timer expires.

+

I smiled bitterly. The bridge would only hold for ten minutes—that was my limit. Still, it should be enough time for everyone to make it across.

"Ack!"

A low groan slipped from my lips as I felt an unseen force tearing at my flesh. This was the penalty of bending Fate, and my body was paying the price for defying the natural order.

It would be fine. As long as I turned possibility into plausibility, I could overcome this pain.

[The constellations gaze upon you in shock.]

[They question how a mere player could wield the power of Deus Ex Machina.]

[The constellations are questioning your identity.]

[The constellations are.... ]

As the Constellation messages flooded into my blurred vision, Aurora's voice surfaced in my mind once again.

[The channel is going crazy! You... You actually did it. Just what kind of being are you?]

'Stop with the obvious questions and give me the probability.'

[T-That...]

Aurora fell silent, as if she'd suddenly realized something. In the next moment, the burden on my body eased. As I expected, now that the misunderstanding was in place, I could manipulate this foolish fairy for a while longer.

I looked at the stationary survivors and shouted. "Are you waiting for a cookie or something! Run Damnit!"

"!"

The survivors snapped out of their daze and rushed toward the ethereal bridge. Their disbelief was replaced by a desperate urgency to cross before the bridge vanished.

Angelica, who was running beside me, asked with a voice tinged with disbelief, "Jakga... Did you really create this bridge?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I kept my focus on running, with the aftereffects of using the Deus Ex Machina still clinging to my body. The pain wasn't as intense as before, but it still throbbed relentlessly. Even so, I focused on running ahead, pushing aside the gnawing sensation threatening to drag me under.

Angelica asked with visible concern. "How long will the bridge last?"

"It should last long enough. Ten minutes. After that, it's gone."

"But after that—"

"We don't have time to worry about that now."

It was because something with bad intentions was heading our way.

Ku Ku Ku!

The Han River below began to churn, its waters parting as dark shapes surfaced from the depths. Dozens of predatory eyes fixed on us, radiating killing intent. The creatures had the body of a serpent, but their heads resembled those of Dragons.

These were the Sea Serpents from myth. Each of them was a grade 7 Nightmare.

"Ahhhh! Monsters!"

"Continue running! Don't look back!"

I shouted at the frightened survivors to continue moving. At the same time,

"Hssssssssssssss!"

The serpents hissed and swung their heads like a hammer at incredible speed. Damn it—I couldn't form a barrier due to the lack of probability.

I pulled out the magic gun from my coat, and fired off shots that struck the heads of three Sea Serpents in an instant.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Meanwhile, the surrounding space was filled with swords summoned by Angelica, who fired them like projectiles and killed the Sea Serpents one by one.

Grade 7 Nightmares weren't particularly strong, so we managed to dispatch them with relative ease.

But that wasn't the real problem.

The problem was the bridge Itself. Once the timer expired, It would vanish—and if we didn't cross in time, we'd end up as lunch for the Sea Serpents.

Fortunately, only a minute had passed, and at our current pace, we'd reach the other side in time.

I thought I had everything under control, but the Goddess of Misfortune—and the universe itself—seemed to enjoy kicking me in the nuts.

[Several constellations watch the scene with displeasure.]

[Some constellations have used their probability to intervene.]

I had forgotten.

[The contents of the Deus Ex Machina have shifted.]

[The time limit has been reduced to five minutes.]

[Time Remaining — 4:55]

"W-what? The time limit just dropped!"

"Why? Why did it change?!"

The survivors noticed the change in the Deus Ex Machina, and panic began to ripple through the group.

Not everyone would like the story I wanted to create.

After all, story without tragedies was a dull story.

In the first place, wasn't Deux Ex Machina a tool for the Constellations who loved tragic stories?

Angelica's shaking eyes met mine.

We were still a long way from the opposite side, and with the time limit halved, reaching it before the timer expired seemed impossible.

In the end, someone had to kick the bucket.