"I'm a reader."
The Void looked at me doubtfully.
The Void's left eye showed red sparks coming from it. It could only happen if—
[ THE VOID HAS ACTIVATED LIE DETECTOR ]
Lie Detector, an SS-rated skill used for detecting lies and truth. I'll get caught at this rate..!
The red sparks in the Void's left eye burst like a firecracker. He was startled by it and got up.
[ LIE DETECTOR GOT CANCELLED ]
How is it even possible?! A skill getting canceled?!
[ Huh…?! ]
The Void looked at me with a surprised and slightly murderous expression. A sword suddenly teleported into his hands. It was the 'Vow of the Fallen,' a sword that could even slay monarchs.
He lifted the sword and pointed it at my neck. Basically, it was touching my neck.
"K-Kh...!"
[ I must eliminate you here. You are a mere lower being, yet you're fooling around. ]
I mustn't panic.
I raised both my hands as a sign of surrender. I need to do this calmly; otherwise, I'll die... wait, I'm already dead.
...
Never mind.
"V-Void, listen to me!"
[ You people who know the future must be eliminated ]
[ You are the reason why everything is getting ruined ]
Void was right. The future is being rewritten, and the one responsible for it is none other than me—the writer and the read—wait, are my readers also trying to do the same thing as me?
"...Lie Detector got canceled because I know how to do it!"
[ What do you mean? ]
"I'm talking about the glitch! The glitch in the system that helped me to cancel any skill!"
The Void seemed surprised at my words.
Well, why wouldn't he be? There's nothing more dangerous than a human who knows multiple glitches in the system. And this time, it isn't just one human. There are thousands.
[ How'd you know such a gl— ]
The Void fell silent.
He put his sword down.
[ You know it because of the book? ]
"T-That's right!"
[ Just how much do you know? ]
"Unfortunately, before I was able to complete the book, I fell into this endless dream."
[ How many chapters did you read? ]
I smirked.
"I've read till Chapter 547."
[ How many chapters are there? ]
"1855."
[ You don't know much. ]
"That's right, but I'm the only one with this much knowledge. Everyone other than me dropped the story."
[ How'd you know that? ]
"Because I saw everyone dropping this story and calling it 'boring.'"
[ Didn't you find it boring? ]
I always wondered. What if I were the reader of this story? Then how would I have pursued it? Would I have also found it boring?
Probably.
I need to give a proper answer.
"Yes, I did."
[ Why? ]
But why would I hate the story? What would make me say "I hate it"?
The comments of my readers flashed through my mind. They said I killed too much.
Killing a character feels too good for a writer, but for the readers, it's just heartbreaking.
Maybe I can relate a bit.
"...killed"
[ Hm? ]
"Everyone was killed. No one survived."
That's right. I need to give a proper answer.
I'll merge both lies and truth.
[ What about me? ]
"... Dreamer's Delusion, Divine Delusion, Demon's Delusion. Everyone is a part of it. No one can escape from it no matter how much they resist. You're a part too."
There are multiple delusions going on in different realms.
Demon's Delusion in the demon realm, Divine Delusion in heaven, Dreamer's Delusion in the human realm, Heavenly Demon's Delusion in Murim.
All of this happens only for one reason:
To eliminate everyone. Of course, the Void won't be excluded.
[ Aren't I free from these delusions? ]
"Corrupted Delusion."
The Void's eyes widened at my words.
Corrupted Delusion is for the Void and the corrupted souls devoured by him.
It starts after the Third Dreamer's Delusion. So there's still time before it happens. The Void was the only survivor of this Delusion, so there's nothing for him to worry about.
But I'll make him worry about it.
The Void looked up at the sky.
[ Aren't those always the same? I clear them every time, so won't it be easy? ]
I smirked.
I knew. I knew you would say that.
"It won't be the same this time."
He looked at me. Expressionless.
[ Then what will change this time? ]
"Everything."
[ I don't know if I should trust you or not. Lie Detector won't even work on you, so how would I confirm that you're telling the truth? ]
"Things don't stay the same, do they?"
[ It stays the same in my case. ]
"It won't anymore."
That's right. I'll change it. I'll change this whole dream.
The Void felt bored with the world because everything was the same. People dying, no one surviving... everything was the same.
The Void wanted to see someone actually survive.
But will it stay like this now?
Of course not.
"Everything will change."
[ How? ]
"I, the reader of that book, will change the whole dream."
[ And how? ]
"The author of the book is the only one who knows the whole fate of this dream and will definitely try to keep it the same."
[ Why would he do that? ]
"Because he loved the ending."
Lie.
"He loved the ending and the whole book, so why would he let it change?"
Lie.
"He knows everything, so he will use every glitch, every hidden quest—literally everything—to stop his readers from changing this dream."
True.
"The readers hated the whole book, so they will try to change everything, and the author will oppose it by... killing the readers."
Void made an interested expression.
[ So what you mean is... ]
"Yeah, I'll kill the author."
[ How would you do that? You're so weak. ]
"That's why I need your help."
[ Don't tell me... ]
"Yeah, sign a contract with me! Help me find the author and let's create a dream that will entertain you!"
[ A dream that can entertain me? Hahaha, you're delusional. ]
"I'm serious right now... I killed a person backed by the Demon King."
The Void looked at me with a surprised expression.
[ How? ]
"I killed him because of the knowledge of this story... you can use Lie Detector for this."
[ THE VOID HAS ACTIVATED LIE DETECTOR ]
I won.
[ LIE DETECTOR HAS CONFIRMED THAT YOU'RE TELLING THE TRUTH ]
How did it work this time?
[ I'll accept your words. ]
"So you—"
[ Will it be different this time? ]
"It definitely will be different! Trust me. I won't let the author make this dream the same. I'll create a dream that won't bore you."
The Void made a satisfied smile.
[ I trust your words. I'll sign a contract with you. But don't you dare think that you're at the same level as me just because you signed a contract. You're a lower being and will always be a lower being. ]
"Yeah. I'm the weakest lower being you've ever met."
[ CONTRACT ]
[ — THE VOID WILL PROVIDE SUPPORT TO KANG HONG ]
[ — THE VOID WILL PROTECT KANG HONG ]
[ — THE VOID WILL PROVIDE 2000 COINS PER WEEK TO KANG HONG TO FINANCIALLY SUPPORT HIM ]
[ — KANG HONG WILL SHOW LOYALTY TOWARDS THE VOID AND WON'T SIGN ANY OTHER CONTRACT WITH ANYONE IN HIS LIFE ]
[ — KANG HONG WILL DIE IF HE MAKES THE VOID BORED ]
[ — CONTRACT WILL BE BROKEN IF KANG HONG DIES OR THE VOID ATTACKS KANG HONG ]
〆 Authors are both writers and readers at the same time.
— Coffee Shirone