[All six participants have been eliminated.]
The players stared in shock, an uneasy silence settling over the crowd. But this silence was more than uncomfortable than the awkward stillness of an elevator. It was heavy, almost suffocating, like the air had thickened with blood.
"W-what... Those guys were eliminated?"
"That's impossible!"
"But It hasn't been five minutes since they entered!"
"What the hell is happening?"
The realization of the situation hit hard, and panic spread like wildfire.
It was understandable. Those players weren't weaklings. Even if they weren't the strongest, they were certainly above average. For all of them to be taken out so quickly defied reason. In such a situation where there was no information or lone survivor to tell the tale, the Sixth Fable beca an unspeakable horror for the people.
This was the consequence of diving into the Fable without any information or preparation.
While the panic escalated, Aurora appeared less concerned and more irritated.
[Tch! Those idiots! They couldn't even last five minutes? What a waste.]
"Miss Fairy, what exactly happened in there?"
[Huh? Are you talking to ?]
"Yes, you're the moderator, right? You must have seen what happened, then?"
"That's right. Why are you keeping the Fable's details to yourself? How are we supposed to survive if we don't even know what's going on?"
The crowd's attention shifted to Aurora, who hovered above them. Although they had once been wary of her, their panic had completely overshadowed any lingering fear.
It was obvious that, as the moderator, Aurora had full knowledge about the Sixth Fable. Yet, she refused to speak.
In truth, even if she wanted to share it, she wouldn't be able to.
Hearing the growing complaints, Aurora rely shrugged.
[Once you enter the Fable, you'll understand its contents. Besides, the Sixth Fable is not that hard.]
"Not difficult? Then why did six people die in under five minutes?" a player protested.
The complaint was certainly valid, but the player seed to be missing a key crucial point.
Just because the Fable wasn't difficult doesn't an you couldn't die. Even in an easy ga, lack of knowledge could still lead to death.
[Well, since those players are gone, new participants will need to be selected.]
Aurora casually flicked her finger, causing the randomizer to whirl into action.
「 The randomizer was a plot device used to select the participants of the Fables 」
As it spun, so in the crowd prayed, while others sobbed or despaired. Even the mbers of the King's Faction looked uneasy.
Aurora watched the randomiser with a detached expression, clearly uninterested in the unfolding chaos. The device glowed faintly, with its chanism whirring as it ca to a stop, revealing the next set of nas.
[Selected participants: Kim Seojin, Choi Yuna, Lim Haeun...]
The voice of announced the next six participants, and the crowd's nerves settled sowhat. However, the players whose nas were called erupted in panic.
"W-what? My na is there?"
"This ans I have to go?"
[Stop being noisy and enter the portal already...]
Aurora said impatiently
"No! I don't want to die!"
So clung to optimism, while others were gripped by fear and tried to run. But Aurora's authority quickly caught those attempting to flee.
Whether they were willing or reluctant, all six participants stood before the portal. Before they entered, Aurora spoke up:
[Since the previous group t such a pathetic end, I figured I'd give you all a proper warning. The Sixth Fable is a ga of wits, not strength. Think carefully, alright? Fail like the others, and I'll make sure to punish you a hundred tis!]
The selected players nodded, paying little attention to her antics, and stepped through the gate one by one.
[The selected participants have entered the gate.]
[The Sixth Fable is now in progress...]
[No one may enter until the Sixth Fable is cleared, or all participants perish.]
With that, the gate closed, leaving the crowd in uneasy silence.
The party mbers grew tense in the eerie silence. Finally, Lee Suhye broke the silence. "How long will this last?
"Maybe until everyone dies."
"Ha ha! That's... a nice joke. You really say that so casually?"
"Who said I was joking?"
"W-what?"
"The selection could continue until everyone's gone. Haven't you heard of stories like that?"
"Y-you're scaring now."
Lee Suhye's face was pale with sweat. It was amusing, though I couldn't bring myself to laugh given the circumstances. Find your next read on m_v l|e-
Even so, I managed a small smile. "You don't have to worry. Everything will be fine... probably."
"That doesn't reassure at all, you bastard!"
Angelica spoke after Lee Suhye, looking directly at . "Do you know anything about the Fable?"
"It's... complicated."
"Hmm?"
She looked at , confused. But it wasn't sothing I could talk about openly, especially not with the constellations watching. Instead, I used private communication.
It was an item that enabled ntal communication, allowing users to connect multiple people at once and form a group chat.
The perfect item to avoid the eyes of the Constellations.
Kim Jakga– The Sixth Fable is part investigation, part horror. We'll be searching through a house for clues while avoiding deadly traps.
Lee Suhye– Wait... how did you obtain this information? Wasn't the contents of the Fable concealed?
Kim Jakga– The fairy gave a hint. I had to spend a lot of my coins, but it couldn't be helped.
Lee Suhye– Ah, I see. I guess that makes sense.
Of course, my words were a lie. This was information I already knew from Song of Nightmares.
Lee Jongho– What is this? Why am I hearing Jakga-nim and Suhye-ssi voices inside my head?
Angelica– It's an item from the shop called Private Communication. Jakga purchased it soti ago when you were unconscious during that ti.
Lee Jongho– Ah, is that so?
Jung Yunhee– Mister Kim, what happens if we beco seperated?
Kim Jakga– Not all of us is going to be chosen, that much is inevitable. But you don't have to worry about that.
Upon pouring out those words, I checked the ti on the stopwatch. It should be ending around this ti.
[The character 'Kim Seojin' has entered a state of shock.]
[The character 'Choi Yuna' has entered a state of panic.]
[The character 'Lim Haeun' is currently experiencing the negative effect status 'Fear'.]
[....]
[Kim Seojin's status has decreased by 30% due to shock.]
[Choi Yuna's status has decreased by 30% due to panic.]
[Lim Haeun's status has decreased by 30% due to fear.]
[...]
A stream of notifications, visible only to , began to appear. It was clear that the others were being overwheld by the horrors of the Sixth Fable.
It was yet another benefit of the ■■ Attribute. Sohow, I could see the ntal states of the other characters.
I'd always wondered what my Main Attribute was, but it seems it was one born from writing Song of Nightmares in my own image, and creating the story, Dream of Nothing.
Could my Main Attribute really be Plagiarist?
No, It couldn't be that, and it couldn't be Author either, since I wasn't the one who wrote Song of Nightmares.
In any case, it wouldn't be long before the selected characters t their end.
Right on schedule...
[All six participants have been eliminated.]
There was an announcent from the system.
As expected, all of them died. This ti, only two minutes has passed.
"Impossible! They're all dead?!"
"Only two minutes has passed though!"
"Why did they fall so much faster than the last group?!"
The people who had just regained their composure imdiately lost their minds upon hearing that ssage.
The Vice Chairman, Nam Gun-seok, had reached his limit. Glaring at Aurora above, he shouted:
"What is the aning of this madness? Just what is happening in there?"
[Don't bother . It's not like you can change anything about it,]
Aurora replied with icy indifference.
"How can you say that when people are dying like this?"
[They died because they didn't listen or think things through. How is that my fault?]
"Your fault? If you're going to send people into the Fable, at least pick those who are capable."
[Oh, is that right? And what if I left it to you to pick the participants? You all would just turn on each other like you did before!]
"Are you still holding onto that? I get that you're upset, but don't you think blaming all of us for the mistakes of two people is a bit unreasonable?"
As expected of the Vice Chairman, his words were reasonable and echoed the sentints of the crowd.
However, simply speaking reasonable words wasn't enough.
Should I step in?
As the crowd grew louder and louder, Aurora's patience snapped, and she shouted, clearly frustrated:
[Silence, all of you! I'm choosing the next participants, and if I hear any complaints, I'll blow your heads off!]
That shut the crowd up instantly. Scowling, Aurora impatiently activated the randomizer once more.
... She has a cute face, but she really wasn't graceful at all. Wasn't that a waste?
I sighed.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the Moon Jiyeon, with her gaze fixed steadily on the spinning randomizer. Unlike the others, she showed no signs of nervousness.
How was she able to remain so composed in this situation?
Without the Black Box suppressing my emotions, I knew I would be on edge right now. I wondered if the reason for her composure was the [High Priestess] or a ntal skill.
Could it be that she had already glimpsed the future through divination? That would explain why she seed so unfazed.
I shifted my gaze back to the stilling spinning randomiser.
Thinking about it, the randomizer was simply an item based on probability. Following that logic, it could also be manipulated through probability.
It also ant that soone capable of turning any probability into a possibility could manipulate it at will.
I licked my lips. At the sa ti, I activated one of my exclusive skills.
[Personal skill, 'Rewriting' has been activated.]
I silently focused the power of probability into the randomiser and manipulated its results.
In the next mont...
[The next participants of the Sixth Fable has been chosen.]
The randomizer chid with a sharp "ding" and projected the nas of the story participants into the air.
[Selected Participants: Kim Jakga, Soo Jinyoung, Moon Jiyeon, Miyuki Kuroi, Yoo Rin, Ryu Yeji.]
Everyone gazed at the list in silence, with eyes lingering for a long ti. Aurora scrutinized it with narrowed eyes, clearly suspicious. She glanced over at , but I feigned a look of surprise.
I knew she might suspect because I can use Deux Ex Machina, but I was confident she'd never be able to prove it.
[So constellations are suspicious about the list of participants.]
[A few constellations are looking at you.]
Aren't you satisfied with this outco?
"So I wasn't chosen after all...?"
The voice of Lee Jongho trembled as he spoke.
Poor guy... he must have wanted to be part of the Fable. But having too many of my party mbers involved would have drawn too much suspicion.
In the end, I could only give his shoulders a comforting pat.
"Don't feel too bad. There's always the next Fable."
"Ha ha! I guess you're right... but it still stings."
"I get it. By the way, have you gotten stronger? Your muscles have really bulked up."
"So you noticed. I was transported to a place teeming with terrifying monsters, so I earned a lot of coins."
Lee Jongho flexed his massive muscles with a proud smile. It was good to see him growing stronger. At his current growth rate, he'd soon be able to use Giantification at its full potential.
Just before I left with Miyuki, who playfully stuck her tongue out at the visibly annoyed Yoo Jinsung, Angelica leaned in and whispered in my ear.
"Don't die."
I whispered back. "Don't worry, I have no intention of dying."
"That's what you said last ti."
"Ah, well... that situation was beyond my control, so it couldn't be helped."
"I'm serious this ti."
Angelica's expression was as serious as her words. It's not as if I planned on dying intentionally. Besides, dying was painfully unpleasant, definitely not sothing I enjoyed.
Who in this world would actually enjoy dying?
Unless you're so kind of masochist, I can't imagine any reasonable person wanting that.
"I promise, I won't die."
Curses. I was so focused on Angelica that I accidentally raised a death flag, but at least it seed to calm her down.
"Okay. I'll wait for you."
Seemingly satisfied with my answer, Angelica returned to where the other party mbers stood. For so reason, her back seed rather lonely.
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