Chapter – 01
‘Chronicles of Istalinia’ is a novel that concludes with a sad ending.
At least when it comes to the ending, there is no dream or hope to be found.
Thanks to the sacrifice of all his comrades, the protagonist fights with all his might against the final boss he finally faces, but ultimately, he is defeated.
And that final boss, the mastermind, succeeds in his goal of destroying the world.
I was the author of that novel.
I blink my eyes several times.
My body is lying on a soft bed.
I stare blankly as a person nearby, who met my gaze, startles and opens their mouth.
I simply couldn’t grasp the situation.
“H-he’s awake!”
Hearing those words, someone approached me.
It was an old man with graying white hair.
Judging by his face, he seemed to be around seventy or eighty.
His body appeared incredibly healthy and robust for his age, exuding a sense of vitality.
Beyond just being sturdy, his physique gave the impression of a well-crafted work of art.
His white hair was tied up comically like a candle,
he wore a white martial arts uniform that revealed his shoulders and arms,
and he wore wooden, Eastern-style sandals.
Overall, he had an eccentric aura.
That old man came closer and asked me,
“What in the world happened?”
“Eh?”
In my dazed state, I hoarsely and foolishly repeated his question like an idiot.
What else could I do?
When I opened my eyes inexplicably, I was in ruins, and outside was hell.
Hell split open with a creeeak and an eyeball emerged, and I lost consciousness.
If this were a dream, I wish it had ended there.
But even when I woke up and came to my senses, the place I was in wasn’t my home.
I began to feel anxious gradually.
It wasn’t because I was experiencing strange events in an unfamiliar land, but because this situation felt cruelly familiar.
I desperately pretended not to know.
It was a clear case of escaping reality.
But the old man’s following words were more than enough to forcibly pull me out of my escapist slumber.
“I forgot to introduce myself. I am Gared. Though lacking, I serve as the representative of the swordsmen. May I ask your name?”
We were clearly meeting for the first time.
But I knew this character.
Sword Star Gared.
A master swordsman who had reached a realm where his sword could touch the stars, so peerless in swordsmanship that he would resent being called second best.
His age at his appearance in the work: One hundred twenty-six.
A creepy old man whose specialty is a slick, ingratiating manner that gets on people’s nerves.
Head of the association, Punglimhwasan (Wind Forest Fire Mountain).
These were the personal details I had set for him.
It can’t be.
Unable to answer for a moment due to the shock, as if I had been hit on the head with a giant hammer.
Meaningless words continuously spilled out of my throat.
The man who first announced I was awake looked at me with pity and said to the old man,
“Sir, there are two survivors. One is the black-haired young man you met earlier. That young man was saying incomprehensible things, so I had placed my hopes on the other survivor……”
It seems this one is also…
Snapping out of it as my mood soured from them talking arbitrarily.
It was hard to believe, but I refused to be treated like a madman just for slapping my cheeks a bit to clear my head.
I stopped muttering and fixed my gaze on the old man.
“My name is… Lee Woo-hyun.”
“I had guessed you weren’t from the continent, but which planet are you from?”
Origin. Planet.
These aren’t words you’d typically hear in a first question.
If this were the world I had lived in, that is.
I pretended to be naive, wearing a mask of innocence.
“…Planet? …Earth, of course.”
“Earth. That young man from earlier… what was his name again?”
As I remained silent, the man to my left said,
“Sir. He said his name was Kang Joo-hyuk.”
Hearing another familiar name, I gave up on denying reality any further.
The eyeball covering the sky, the procession of wraiths and skeletons.
Sword Star Gared.
The name Kang Joo-hyuk.
All the circumstances I experienced since opening my eyes were leading me to one fact.
That this is the world from the book.
I know it’s an absurd story.
It’s so childish it’s top-tier.
Frankly, even now, I feel like if I just blink, I might be collapsed in a one-room apartment somewhere in Seoul.
But where does such a realistic dream exist?
To dismiss it as an illusion, the touch of the bed against my body and the people I’m conversing with were all too vivid.
“Yes. It was Kang Joo-hyuk. That young man also said he was from Earth. Could there be some connection?”
“That might be possible. I will inform everyone.”
Moreover.
Crucially, in the corner of my field of vision, a small, blue, blinking envelope icon.
The moment I focused on it, a blue holographic window filled my view.
『 Load.
A New World.
‘Greetings.’
Dream. Hallucination. Or a phantom. You’re probably thinking such things.
Please don’t be too flustered.
First, please stop being agitated and read through to the end.
Greetings. You are the 24,792nd guest invited to the continent of Istalinia.
Affiliation: Earth.
I’ve been meeting many people from Earth lately.
I understand.
You must be confused.
But remember.
The world you are facing now is entirely that of reality itself.
Well, if you don’t mind falling behind others, escaping might not be a bad choice either.
That’s enough for the introduction. It’s sudden, but I’d like to make you a proposal.
It wouldn’t be bad to call it a mission either.
In the center of the continent lies the World Tree, 『Yggdrasil』.
It’s also called the foundation of the continent…
This World Tree bears fruit only once every thirteen centuries.
Although it’s called a fruit, it’s actually something like the essence of the World Tree.
To tell you its efficacy. Hmm.
Everything.
All.
Yes. Literally, you can do everything.
You could become a billionaire,
wield absolute power,
possess martial prowess second to none,
have a beauty so captivating that no one could escape upon seeing you once,
or, a bit cliché, achieve immortality and eternal life…
If you wish, you could even become a god.
…Huh?
What? Home?
Your original world?
You’re such a simple human, aren’t you?
What a waste.
That doesn’t even make the list of wishes.
Of course, it’s possible.
If you’re quick, you’ve probably realized that the proposal is exactly that.
Try to obtain the fruit of that World Tree.
And then do as you please!
Of course, you don’t have to.
If you are satisfied with life in this new world, there’s no need to cling to such a thing.
.
.
.
Haha. My temper is a bit on the nasty side.
I just threw it out there.
I am convinced, you see.
That you will desperately seek the 『Fruit』 and embark on a journey.
I only invited ‘those’ kinds of people.
Well then, I wish you good fortune.
In this mysterious green land encompassing Ki and Mana, divinity, may your talents blossom.』
It’s the first message received by those called ‘Immigrants,’ summoned to Istalinia from another world.
I waved my arm gently, and the holographic window vanished with a poof.
The appearance of the hellish landscape, Gared, the protagonist’s name Kang Joo-hyuk.
If someone were trying to trick me, achieving that much realistically was possible enough.
Frankly, it’s a matter of using sophisticated CG and preparing skilled actors, isn’t it?
Of course, that alone is far-fetched, but if we’re arguing whether it’s possible or impossible, the weight falls on the former.
But the existence of the ‘Message’?
Is this something that can happen in the reality I know?
I quickly finished organizing the situation.
It seems I’ve really fallen into the world of the book.
The one I wrote myself.
It’s a headache, but I had to quickly acknowledge what needed to be acknowledged.
I knew this world the best.
It’s a world fundamentally different from the hometown I originally lived in.
Meaning it wasn’t peaceful.
It’s a place where monsters attack humans indiscriminately,
an era where blades are closer than the law,
so if you don’t acquire means to protect yourself, be it strength, money, or people, you’ll be left behind in an instant.
This wasn’t a situation to gawk at as if it were a dream.
『Oops.
I forgot to ask one thing.
Please tell me quietly, just for me.
If you obtain the fruit, what wish will you make?』
A second message appeared on the blue hologram, asking playfully.
I narrowed my brows.
Although the message seemed playful, if I answered carelessly, I would surely regret it greatly later.
Because, that is the first question through which one receives their Trait.
A settlement gift prepared by the world for the ‘Immigrants’ invited from other planets, in this continent devoid of dreams and hope.
That is the existence of Traits.
As the meaning contained in the word ‘Trait’ suggests, there are trivial ones like ‘you become able to enunciate clearly,’ as well as useful ones like ‘swordsmanship achievement speeds up,’ ‘your body becomes tougher,’ or ‘your memory becomes exceptional.’
The power that becomes the most fundamental for an Immigrant living in this world.
It is an acquired, bestowed…
another name for talent.
I knew which Trait would bring what power, what ability, and what events it would trigger.
I knew which Traits were more useful,
and which ones were more suitable for me, even.
What should I choose?
There were several candidates.
For example, Hyacinth’s <Water-Fire Confluence> who later becomes a Grand Mage,
or Hibiki’s <Foresight at the Spear’s Tip>,
or the Mercenary King’s <Seething Conviction>.
Others like <Friend of Nature>, <Guardian>, <Extra Life>, <Second Sun>, <Faithful Soul>, <Blessing of the Night Crow>…
Trait.
A weapon only Immigrants possess.
It enables a bumbling mage to realize world-shaking grand magic solely through steadfast dedication to utilizing their Trait,
turns someone who just picked up a spear into the continent’s greatest spearman in just eight years,
and raises the dead, reduced to white bones, to carry out divine will once more.
I could also choose the most overpowered Trait in the story, <Genius>.
The protagonist Kang Joo-hyuk’s Trait.
It allows him to apply a brilliant intellect to everything he does, ultimately helping him become the sole adversary against the destruction.
It was while I was continuing my thoughts like this.
I realized I was caught in a massive delusion.
It could also be called a misstep or a fatal error.
What must I do?
What is my goal?
I am twenty-four years old.
It’s a promising age with more days ahead of me than I’ve lived.
I didn’t desire much.
I just didn’t want to die a dog’s death.
That was the most basic survival instinct of any living being.
Hiding away in some remote mountain valley because I don’t want to die would be the worst choice possible.
Because,
as I said,
the world is about to be destroyed soon.
For me to survive, I must first save the world.
Only I can save the world from the abyss of destruction.
Because I am the only one who knows why the world is heading for destruction.
To accomplish what is impossible for any character, including the protagonist,
a more fundamental approach to the problem was necessary.
<Genius>, huh.
I shake my head.
What was his final outcome?
What about the other characters?
What was the result of the ending where they entrusted everything to the protagonist, even sacrificing themselves?
Wasn’t the result that Kang Joo-hyuk was defeated and the world was destroyed?
Then, why did they fail?
I knew.
Because I wrote it that way.
Because this novel, Chronicles of Istalinia, was structured from the very beginning to meet such an ending.
Content designed solely for the novel’s tragic conclusion.
The appearance and actions of the protagonist, main characters, supporting characters, and extras.
Their paths and all events were created solely to make the ending of the world’s destruction shine.
The world is heading for destruction.
Humans and non-humans, living beings and non-living beings, all are cooperating with the destruction, regardless of their own will.
Every element within the novel was a material for destruction.
To change that, what must be done?
The answer isn’t difficult.
Something from outside the novel had to be brought in.
“…….”
Suddenly, I recall a past event.
A question I received from a reader after the novel was completed.
A story that remained only as a setting, only in the name of ‘what if’.
In response to the question, ‘What could the protagonist’s party have done to save the world?’, I answered after some serious thought.
[Well, if there had been a character like this, the ending would have been completely different. They would have to be an Immigrant, and they must give a special answer to the first question. One that no other Immigrant has given…]
“I… never give up.”
It was a riddle.
Literally, like catching at clouds.
An improper soliloquy as an answer to what wish one would make upon obtaining the fruit.
However.
If this is truly the world I created.
Answer me, O World.
『Load.
A Shortcut Towards Your Wish.
‘A token of sincerity.’
Suddenly. I apologize for summoning you to Istalinia without any permission.
Living in a world where everything—lifestyle, culture, supernatural abilities—is different from what you’re used to cannot be easy.
To you, I would like to offer a little help to forge through your journey.
-
Trait, <Indomitable> acquired.』
『Load.
Basic Process Completion.
I’ve given you a goal, and I’ve given you a gift.
Now you must rise from your seat and live in this new world.
Whatever you do or achieve on the continent of Istalinia is all your own will,
and I will watch over you and display appropriate messages.
Now, the time has come to begin your adventure.』
The world had responded to my question.
