Chapter 298:

Chapter 298:

Yu-hyun silently lifted the glass in front of him and took a sip of the drink.

He didn’t know what it was made of, but as soon as it touched his tongue, a refreshing sensation spread from his mouth to his whole body.

Thanks to that, he was able to keep his sanity even after witnessing a shocking existence.

Or maybe.

‘I had anticipated this situation from the beginning.’

Even so, it was hard to accept that the young-looking boy was one of the original Tellers and one of the four Kings of Stories.

But appearance didn’t matter.

That wasn’t his real form anyway. J

ust like the Divine Spirits created their own avatars, the blond boy’s appearance was also just a part of Oelo.

“You don’t seem surprised. I thought you would freak out.”

“I expected this to happen someday.”

“Of course, you’re not an ordinary Teller. Well. You have a fragment of Codex, so it’s natural, right?”

“Codex? Is that the real name of the Book of Genesis?”

“Yes. Is this the first time you’ve heard the name?”

“Yes, it is.”

He had almost heard a trace of that name before, but this was the first time he heard the complete name.

He didn’t expect to hear it so casually.

“So why did you want to see me, Oelo?”

“Look at this guy. Honestly, I was watching you with interest, but you were the one who sent me a signal to meet first. I just responded to that.”

“You must have responded because you needed something from me.”

“You’re sharp. But you’re not wrong. That’s right. Just as you want something from me, I also want something from you. That’s why I said it’s a deal. A deal between you and me only.”

A deal with Oelo, who was equal to Chairman Lotfiout.

Yu-hyun objectively assessed the situation and inwardly clicked his tongue.

He had never seen the chairman’s face, but he was sure he was a huge being that would make him breathless.

It was a dream that Yu-hyun of the past couldn’t even dream of, to make a deal with Oelo, who was called a brother of the chairman.

“What do you want?”

“Wait a minute. Before I tell you, I want to know what you want first.”

“Really? What if I just listen and shut my mouth?”

“Is that what you want?”

For a moment, Oelo’s eyes glowed eerily.

As he faced them, Yu-hyun felt more pressure than when he faced Chulapantaka.

He felt like he had seen his true form beyond the small boy.

In the abyssal space of the universe, something huge and indescribable looked down at him.

Yu-hyun quickly shook his head.

“Do you think I’m crazy enough to betray someone who is equal to the chairman?”

“That’s right. You’re that kind of guy. You always show unexpected sides of yourself, but in this aspect, you stick to your standards strictly. That’s why I’ve been keeping an eye on your story. By the way, since we’re on the topic, do you know how much I’ve sponsored you?”

“Uh, I don’t know?”

“Look at this. Oh man. I’m such a sucker. How much? More than 500 thousand points. Of course, some of that went to Lotfiout’s son as commission, but you must have gotten a lot too.”

“Considering your wealth, Oelo, that’s nothing, right? Besides, how did you get the same authority as the Divine Spirits?”

“That’s because I’m special. I’m freer than anyone else and can go anywhere.”

That’s why he was called the King of Freedom.

Oelo didn’t belong anywhere and didn’t make any organization with his own hands.

This small factory was also just for fun and hobby, not his real purpose.

“I mostly look for cool and interesting stories to move around. If I had to choose a preference, I guess I’m similar to Damcheon. But while Damcheon is somewhat selective about stories, I accept all genres well.”

“Is that so.”

“I used to enjoy watching the stories that were called Hall of Fame. But these days they’re not like that at all. The lineage is broken. The Divine Spirits are the same. What’s with this cider? They always talk about cider. If they’re a little frustrated or bored, they talk about sweet potatoes. Cider-pass kids.”

“That’s proof that the world has changed.”

“The world is always changing. I just don’t like the way those bastards act as if they are right in the midst of that change. This story is a bit far-fetched, isn’t it?”

Oelo smirked mischievously, resting his chin on one hand.

“What you want is information about the Codex, right?”

Yu-hyun nodded.

That was the only reason he came to see Oelo.

He needed to know what this Codex was.

“I guess so. You must be curious if you’ve already collected more than ten fragments. I chose you because you had the most fragments among them.”

“What is the Codex, the Book of Genesis?”

“It’s the source of this world. The beginning and the end of all stories.”

“That’s a very metaphysical expression.”

“Of course. If not, I wouldn’t have told you this.”

“What do you want from me?”

“To find Praytion. And to collect all the torn fragments.”

The answer he had expected to some extent came back.

But why?

Why would a Teller of the Beginning ask him, who was nothing more than a Teller, for that?

Oelo smiled bitterly as he read the disbelief in Yu-hyun’s eyes.

“Yeah. It must feel strange to you. Why I don’t move myself when I know everything, and why I ask you for that.”

“To be honest, yes.”

“It’s because I can’t do that.”

“What?”

“The Codex is not something I can find if I try to. The torn fragments can only be collected by the ones they choose. It’s that kind of book. The ones who can collect them, and who can find them, are ultimately you. You’ve already collected more than ten fragments.”

“So you’re saying I’m perfect for this. But how do you plan to find that Praytion?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. He will show up to you on his own, even if you don’t try to find him.”

“What?”

“I don’t know what his exact purpose is, but Praytion, that bastard traitor, doesn’t want the Codex to have its original form. That’s why he tore it up and spread it across the universe. So naturally, as you collect more fragments, he will also try to stop you.”

“...So maybe he’ll come after me if I collect them all.”

“That’s right. That’s why I’m telling you this. You might be able to collect them all, and then that hidden traitor will appear. I’m waiting for that moment.”

He meant to use Yu-hyun for an undercover investigation.

“It won’t be bad for you either, right? You were going to collect all the fragments anyway.”

“That’s what I thought. But now I know that if I collect them all, a transcendent Teller who existed from the beginning will come after me to kill me.”

“So you’ll stop?”

“I’m not sure. But let me ask you one thing. If I collect all the fragments, what will happen then?”

“The world will change.”

Yu-hyun frowned.

“I don’t like such abstract answers.”

“What can I do? I can’t be sure either. Even if you collect them all and the torn book is reunited, I don’t know what will happen. There was never such a case before.”

“So this is all unprecedented?”

“But, you can predict it. Maybe, all the laws of the world will change. Faster and more intensely than anything else. They say a new era is opening.”

“A new... era.”

Yu-hyun felt slightly uncomfortable with that word.

To him, a new era meant nothing but the end of the world that brought him despair.

Even if the earth changed now, the memories of that time still remained like a nightmare and annoyed Yu-hyun.

“It’s not like a big bang will happen if you make it. Maybe, you could become the owner of a new book. The owner of a book that can rewrite the foundation of this world.”

“...Isn’t Logos the owner anyway?”

Oelo smiled bitterly at Yu-hyun’s words.

“Father has been hiding in his own space since he lost the book. He must have lost interest in the world’s affairs because of the shock of betrayal. But he still created the Genesis Foundation to maintain the minimum work he used to do.”

“...Does the foundation replace the role of the Book of Genesis?”

“Yes. That’s why the three companies that showcase Sihwa send their stories to the foundation regularly. But that’s ultimately an incomplete thing. The original universe was made by the existence of Codex.”

“So you want me to recover the fragments?”

“Right.”

Yu-hyun stroked his chin at that word.

Oelo had taught him many truths he didn’t know.

He answered everything Yu-hyun asked kindly and without omission.

But Yu-hyun felt something was wrong.

There was something else, something he didn’t realize and missed.

‘What did I miss?’

Was Oelo lying? If so, could he verify it?

It didn’t stop there.

‘Yes.’

Yu-hyun recalled what Satan had said.

And he also remembered what Jin Cheongwoon had said.

Oelo’s words were certainly filled with the hidden truth of this world, but it was the truth that Oelo saw.

He had watched the fragments scatter, so he must have known more about this situation than anyone else, but Yu-hyun felt strangely that he was lacking compared to Satan.

‘There’s something else.’

Something else related to Codex that Oelo didn’t know.