The Main Characters That Only I Know

Chapter 11:

Chapter 11

I continued to walk along the corridor of the Hall of Fame with the old man. 

On both sides, the stories displayed in the Hall of Fame passed by like a panorama.

Each story contained a different life.

The story of a hero who defeated a great evil.

The story of a revolutionary who fought against injustice and changed the world.

The story of a dreamer who never gave up on his dream even after losing everything.

All the stories here had a passion that made the viewers’ hearts burn.

“This is the end.”

The corridor that seemed endless came to a halt. 

Inside the last glass wall, there was nothing.

It felt very empty, considering how the previous halls were filled with intense energy.

“Is this the last one?”

“Yes. This is where the Hall of Fame stories end.”

I looked at the year written below the hall.

The last Hall of Fame was 30 years ago.

There were at least two or three every year in the beginning, but as time went on, the frequency decreased and eventually stopped.

For 30 years, until now.

“Why did you bring me here?”

“Because I hoped someone would remember this place.”

The stories that were once brilliant were now buried deep in a warehouse, without anyone knowing them. 

The old man said he was sorry for that.

“I can’t live forever. And when I disappear from this world someday, I was sad that no one would know this place. So I brought you here. You’re the only guest who came to this shabby and old space.”

“I see.”

“Do you see? The Hall of Fame that was once the envy of all tellers is now cut off from its source.”

I nodded as I looked at the empty hall.

“Now tellers don’t think about the Hall of Fame. They just try to earn more points, always repeating the same stories. The times have changed. The old stories that used to warm our hearts are now outdated and childish. I’ve retired from this business, but I can’t stand it.”

‘Of course,’ he continued.

“If this is an inevitable change of times, then there’s nothing we can do about it. But I believe. These stories of the past should not be cut off yet. Someday, there will be a time when we need these stories again.”

That’s why he brought me here and showed me this place.

I looked at the empty glass wall and suddenly thought.

If Choi Do-yoon had survived after I died and overcome his trials, would he have been in this Hall of Fame?

Maybe he would have. 

He was a chosen protagonist, and he had a knack for surprising everyone. 

If he had stayed alive, it would have been possible for him to adorn this glorious place.

This place was for protagonists.

As I thought of Choi Doyoon, I naturally compared myself and him in the past. 

And the more I did, the more I felt that I was nothing back then.

But.

‘It’s different now.’

This place was a honorable space where only glorious stories were displayed.

Only chosen protagonists could come here.

‘I got ambitious.’

I wanted to be like this too.

I wanted to stand here too.

That burning desire wrapped around my body like a flame.

I turned my head and looked at the old man. 

As our eyes met, and as I read his strange expectation in his pupils, I couldn’t help but smile.

You seem to expect a lot from me, considering we just met today.

“Old man.”

“What is it?”

“Thank you for giving me a good experience.”

Actually, even without this, my goal would have been the same.

But through this opportunity, I was able to remind myself once more what I wanted and what I wanted to do.

Yes. I wanted to be in a place like this Hall of Fame.

“Hmm. Well, it doesn’t seem like much what I did. But if you say so, then it must be so.”

The old man said as if it was nothing, but his eyes were smiling.

There was less than a minute left.

We only glanced at the footsteps of the hall, but 10 minutes passed in an instant.

I looked at the time that was counting down by seconds and asked him.

“What is your name?”

“You’re curious about that now?”

The old man smiled playfully at me. 

It was an innocent smile that didn’t match his old appearance, as if he still had a childlike heart.

“It’s no fun to tell you right away. How about this? If you come back here again, I’ll tell you then.”

At that, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I’ll see you soon.”

With that farewell, the time ran out and the voice announced it.

My body disappeared as if it was pulled by the mysterious force of the Genesis System.

***

The first thing I noticed when I arrived was the back of Kang Hye-rim, who was swinging her sword diligently in an empty lot. 

Looking around, it seemed like we had come out to the outskirts of the city where no one was.

Kang Hye-rim didn’t even notice that I had arrived and kept swinging her sword. 

She looked like someone who was obsessed with the sword.

‘As I expected.’

Kang Hye-rim just swung her sword. 

No one had taught her how to do it properly, so it was natural. 

But every time she swung her sword, her swordsmanship became sharper and more refined.

It was noticeable enough that I admired her in my mind.

‘She’s not called the Sword Master for nothing.’

The trait she had was the best for someone who handled a sword. 

The name [Goryeo Era Sword Master] seemed like someone had jokingly given it to her, but there was no lie in that trait.

It was a trait that contained the [story] of Cheok Jun-gyeong, who had shown a martial arts level performance in the real world.

‘If I had to pick a trait that was equal to [Goryeo Era Sword Master], it would be [Lion’s Heart] and [Reversal Breakthrough].’

And on top of that, Kang Hye-rim had two more traits related to swords. 

Just by swinging her sword alone without anyone’s guidance, she would have gained a lot of experience.

I knew that, so I told her to swing her sword.

‘Well, she’s doing as I told her.’

Considering our first meeting, I raised my evaluation of her a little.

“Huh?”

Kang Hye-rim, who was swinging her sword continuously, seemed to notice me belatedly and looked at me with surprise.

“Uh, when did you come?”

“A little while ago.”

“You should have said something.”

“I didn’t want to interrupt you since you were so focused.”

“Heh, hehe. Really?”

Kang Hyerim blushed slightly and smiled shyly. 

I wondered what part of my words made her react like that, when a system window that only I could see popped up in front of me.

[Mission-Official Employee of Story Room]

You have finished all your tasks as a new employee and decided on your career path. But all these processes were just a stepping stone for the start, and your real life as a teller begins now.

As an employee of Story Room, your future path will be tough. Gather what you need for your journey ahead and create your own story.

Objective: Open a library.

Success: Personal library acquisition.

Failure: None.

Time limit: None.

The new mission was to open a library. 

There was no time limit or penalty for failure. 

It was inevitable, because a library was essential to gather spirits and show them stories.

But.

‘I also need to name the library. Is this it?’

Just like a work had a title, a library that showed stories needed a name. 

I wondered how to name it.

‘Should I refer to other tellers’ libraries?’

I clicked on the library list button and checked the library lists.

[SSS-Class Story Collector]

[I Alone Have Infinite Fates]

[Collector with 999999999 Combat Power]

[The First Son of a Chaebol Family is a Collector]

[Collector Who Doesn’t Hide His Power is Too Strong]

[Unprecedented Fates Keep Happening!]

[I Became a Collector with Cheat-Level Skills but I Have a Pet and I’m Also Popular with Girls and I Don’t Know What to Do]

‘This is crazy.’

As I saw all kinds of bizarre titles, I felt dizzy.

The names of the libraries were only visible to the spirits, so I didn’t have that knowledge when I was human in the past. So this was the first time I saw them, but what the hell was this?

‘Well, I kind of get it.’

I understood that they wanted to attract the attention of the spirits with provocative names. 

After all, they had to get the spirits in first before they could do anything else. 

It would be hard to get the interest of the spirits with bland and ordinary library names.

But if everyone did this, it would be no different from a competition of absurdity.

‘What should I do?’

I closed my eyes slightly and thought about the name of my library.