The Protagonists Are Murdered by Me

My consciousness grew fainter and fainter. It felt as if all of my five senses had been cut off.

What was I doing?

[Moving to another world…]

Oh, yeah… Thanks… For… Letting… Me… Know…

[Moving to another world…]

Until now, I had done countless dimensional movements. It was to the point I was extremely familiar with it. A sensation of floating as if I was swimming in nothingness…. Not sure what this feeling is called? Anyone who has ever ridden a Gyro Drop or a Roller Coaster Express or a Viking might understand me. And, when you multiply those sensations by maybe 100 times, that’s what I feel like when moving between dimensions.

Then, suddenly, a thought passed my mind. I want to eat kimchi ramyeon with kimchi. Kimchi ramyeon was literally kimchi flavoured ramyeon, but if you eat it along with the real kimchi, it’s really amazing. Oh, I also want to eat jajangmyeon with sweet and sour pork. Actually, I don’t like jjajangmyeon, but since Taylor liked it, I ended up eating lots of it.

By the way…

Why am I thinking of all of this stuff now?

The process of moving across dimensions was supposed to be completed in 1 second at the shortest and 10 seconds at the longest. But something is odd… Why does the dimensional shift feel so long?

[You are moving around the world.]

Flash!

The moment I had that thought, I unknowingly opened my eyes and had no choice but suck in a deep breath.

‘Ah…!’

In front of me, the universe unfolded. An endless galaxy-a feast of beautiful constellations, which was stupendous no matter where one looked, unfolded in front of my eyes. As if they were trying to emphasise their ‘attractiveness’ to me, their lights kept flickering.

Wooosh-!!

A wave of starlight touched me and then moved away.

WOOOOOOO-!!

A humpback whale made of stars soared above the waves of starlight and then disappeared beyond.

All the constellations in the world were spinning around me. Even if I tried to describe the sight in front of me, I would always fall short for words. It could only be summarised in one word: Beautiful.

‘Is this the same space I know?’

The space I knew was nothing more than a place with dark sky all over. Even if it feels like there are many constellations in the night sky, when you actually go out into space, there are more spaces without stars than space with stars, so it is normal to feel as if there is nothing in darkness.

But why are there so many stars here?

-Each of these stars is a ‘world’. They are appealing their presence to you, who has become the centre of the story.

“Huh? Reina? Are you Reina?”

-That’s right, Seodam. It’s been a long time.

“No, no, no…. We were always together, weren’t we?”

– That’s right…

We’ve been together all along, I just didn’t know that she’s Reina.

“Have you been well?”

-I’m fine. Every time I wake up in the morning, I start my day by pouring out a cup of hot Americano. My laptop is also updated to the latest version. But, since I’m not good with that kind of stuff, I can’t really understand what my laptop has become after each update…

“Is that so? hahahahha….”

-Can I tell you something strange? All the stories in the world flowed into me. Therefore, throughout my time working here, I was able to see a lot of the world and learn both sad and happy stories. There are times when I burst into anger while watching a world with a Makjang romance story.

These were really nonsense and unproductive conversations. It’s just a daily conversation with friends. However, I was so happy that I could have such a conversation with Reina. It made me a little sad though, as this might be the last conversation I will ever have with her.

Reina kept telling me about her life. Since she already knows what I’ve been up to, I just listened to her in silence and smiled. However, at some point, her happy storytelling ends. Then,

-·······You will soon find yourself in a void in the story.

“I know. If I get farther away, the ‘story’ won’t progress any more, right?”

In other words, I would find myself in a condition where I will be neither alive nor dead. Moreover, I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. The only future which awaits me is wandering through this darkness forever.

However, the silver lining is, as I am the only protagonist in all the worlds right now, all other protagonists have become ‘sub-protagonist’, therefore the world will not be destroyed no matter what they do.

After all, I have all their probability.

“As it is, I just have to wait until all probability accumulated in my body disappears. It’s not a big deal.”

-…

But, how long do I have to wait until that happens?

-You may have to wait thousands or even tens of thousands of years. By that time, your existence…

“I do not care. I was already happy enough.”

-Is that so….

As Reina’s voice subsided, I hurriedly asked.

“What happened to Earth?”

-Fortunately, the invasion of Hell Gate was prevented. Since you are still alive, your probability progressed the story of Earth into the ‘waiting for Yoo Seodam to come back alive’ episode.

I nodded in understanding. Earth would be stuck in that episode for a long time. After all, the episode would only progress once I return alive. Which means, Earth won’t be destroyed anytime soon.

And since I already left many things on Earth: Magic, science and different kinds of martial arts, many people will remember me. Even if I disappear like this, I am incredibly happy to know that there are so many people who will still love me.

After all, for me, who was once just an F-rank hunter, who could just die anytime in some random corner of the world, hoping more than this was nothing but greed. This much was already something I didn’t deserve.

-Would you like to see the colleagues you’ve been with for the last time?

“…” I tried to say no, but I couldn’t, since Reina, who stared into the air without saying a word, suddenly brought up a holographic screen.

Taylor was the first to appear on that screen. She was still in the Pacific Ocean. Sitting on some kind of chair.

From time to time, she would doze off. However, she would jerk up and look back at the spot where the Hell Gate’s entrance used to be before falling asleep once again while looking at the night sky where a meteor shower was falling.

“Show the others too.”

Next was Yekaterina. She was in her office. I noticed that there was a large picture of me hanging in the back which wasn’t there the last time I was there. It seems like she was the one who hung it there.

It seems like, before she could mourn over my disappearance, she was caught up in the hustle and bustle of work. The thick dark circles under her eyes prove that.

Yekaterina suddenly turned her attention to the TV that was playing in the corner of the office.

– Chichik! Breaking news! The monsters of Hell Gate, who lived in hiding in the ‘Mirror World’, have started pouring out! The Murim League is responding quickly, but it is happening all over the world at the same time…!

-According to the opinion of experts, the remaining monsters of Hell Gate will make their last move, and that this will truly be the last war of mankind.

After all the cleaning we did, there’s still some mirror worlds left? Just how many are there… Though, it doesn’t look like humanity would lose. Because those monsters were nothing but remnants in the end. Perhaps, Another League will play a big role here as well, and it will become a world-class guild.

As I thought so, the screen showed other guild members of the Another League. Ha Sun-young, the swordmasters, magic researchers, and even the spirits. They seemed to be getting along well, so I was relieved.

“Can you show Noonim?”

Seol Jungyeon noonim appeared on the screen as I finished my words. She still had her pale blonde hair, resembling a snowy mountain in the sunset, and she was wielding her sword at the forefront of the battlefield. As always, she was beautiful and radiant.

– My lord! Are you okay?

-I’m okay. Just dispose of all the bodies.

-Ha!!

Noonim, who flicked the last bit of blood in the tip of her sword, turned her back quietly after putting an end to the battlefield. But for some reason, there was no emotion in that expression. Her eyes were empty. Her previously perfect doll-like appearance looked artificial because of those soulless eyes. If she just stood still, those who saw her would think she is a really well-made, pretty mannequin.

There were also a few dark circles around her eyes, something which shouldn’t be possible for someone once they reach the height Noonim had reached.

So why…

– My lord. Please rest now! It’s already been six months. No matter how strong you are, it can be really dangerous…

Shin Hye-ji appeared and said to Noonim, half-screaming.

Six months? That much time had passed?

-Well… If I die, that will be my destiny.

– Lord, please don’t say things like that…

It was my misunderstanding that she seemed to be living well. Noonim wasn’t living properly because she couldn’t forget me. I tried to rack my brain for a method to ease her pain. But I couldn’t find anything. After all, I will be stuck in this situation for a long time…

-Seodam… Would you like to see those from another world?

“Yes please…”

The screen flickered and showed a huge spiral world. It was the world of ‘Arash’, where you have to climb through stages while being broadcasted to the constellations. Somehow, the four people I had helped appeared on the screen. They were holding a certain trophy. It seems like they finally cleared all the 50 stages.

-Make your wish, human.

-Our wish is… to bring back the human world. Just like before, back to those days when we lived in peace.

-Huh? You could wish to be a constellation or become powerful to rule over all humans. Are you really going to give up those for that wish?

-Yes. Because that has always been our goal!

-Alright, then. I’ll return your world to how it used to be.

Click-!!!

The screen ended with the world breaking. They finally achieved their wish.

“Ha… Those guys were stupid at first, but seems like they pulled through.”

Next, the island of dreams appeared. Marilyn and Sarylene. They used to be close friends, but now, as sisters, they were preparing for war between the islands by developing elemental skills.

Is it because of their outstanding talent? They were able to block any attack from any other island. An impeccable heavenly fortress that does not allow any invasion. That was the island of dreams.

Next world was the Murim.

Baek So-hwi, who became the protagonist of that place, had only one goal: to remain in the world and exterminate all the demons which were plunging the world into chaos.

She had more willpower than any other protagonist I had met, even more than me. She was the first and last woman to reject the fate of the protagonist. Had that woman been in my place, things might have been a lot different from now.

In front of Baek So-hwi, a huge demon with red menacing horns, which were taller than Mount Tai, wider than the sea, and hotter than lava, had fallen. It was the Archdemon Ragrezion.

-Baek So-hwi! We did it! We defeated the last demon!

-Yeah…

The sword in Baek So-hwi’s right hand began to chatter. The sword’s name was Lianghon. He was a mascot in charge of cuteness and a guide who soothed Baek So-hwi’s heart.

-It was an honour to be able to fight alongside you, Lianghon. Thank you for all your hard work.

-What are you going to do now?

-Now…

Baek So-hwi looked at the distant mountain as if thinking of someone.

-I should go to the world that man said. I can’t stay in this world now.

Finally, the screen changed again, and I was able to see another world. At that moment, realisation dawned at me. I really had travelled through many worlds and made many connections along my journey.

The screen showed Malea, who climbed the tutorial tower again to find me, Yerina, who became a full-fledged empress in the Muscle World, and Elaim, who succeeded in saving the world as an archmage.

However, they were people who I was no longer able to meet. I will just remember them in my heart.

At that moment, the screen blurred together with some static sound.

-Seo… Dam. You are too far away… My voice can no longer reach you…

“Reina… You’ve been through a lot.” Reina’s voice gradually faded away. I felt like something was clogging my throat and a lump of something was suffocating my heart. However, I still tried to smile.

“So, you should rest now.”

-Thank you… Yoo Seodam.

With those last words, even Reina’s voice disappeared.

I found myself In a place where nothing was left, even the constellations were moving further and further away from me. The space had turned black, and no light could be seen anymore.

I closed my eyes.

Because there was nothing to see, the sense of sight was not important.

I closed both my ears.

Because there was nothing to hear, the sense of hearing was no longer necessary.

And, I decided to constantly repeat my thoughts.

It was because I don’t want to forget about my hometown in case someday all the probability accumulated in my body disappears, and I am able to return.

‘Haha… by that time, it must be too late to go back.’

In a place where time, space, and even stories do not exist. I alone recalled happy memories that I can’t get back to. That’s how I fell into my own world.

[Protagonist Are Murdered By Me]

[Thank you for loving 『Protagonist Are Murdered By Me』.]

Chiijijik-!! Chijijik-!!

Thud-!!

“Huh···?”

When I opened my eyes to the loud roar, I could see the space was being torn. Due to some pure white pillar, the empty space was collapsing. The darkness dispersed into fragments, and they all became a constellation and began to illuminate this empty space.

And, there…

A jet-black hair pushed through.

“Professor…”

“Ara…celli…?”

I mumbled.

And with a beaming smile, she finally opened the space enough for her body to push through.

“I told you, didn’t I?”

“Uh, huh?”

As Aracelli stepped her foot into the air, a series of shimmering fragments of space formed under her feet to connect to me.

With each step she took, waves of light spread out and she reached out to me with an elegant gait.

“Wherever you are…”

Then, she smiled brightly.

“I’m going to find you.”

“Ah…”

At that, I felt my expression changing between absurdity and happiness. And when I held her hand which she stretched out to me, the world suddenly turned brighter. The constellations that disappeared had returned to my side again. The twinkling stars in the distance were also calling me again.

“You know, Professor. There are so many worlds in this universe, and there are many places where stories don’t exist.”

“…I didn’t know that.”

“From now on, we will travel to such places together. We will buy and eat skewers on the street to our heart’s content. Sometimes eat buffet-style meals, sometimes roll around in the mud like a beggar, sometimes become rulers and rule an empire. We will do all that, until we erase all the probability inside you..”

Chijijik-!!

And shortly after, someone else walked in from the broken space. With her silver hair that sparkled even more than the constellations, Empress Sahar walked gracefully and said.

“And maybe one day, you can go back to your hometown.”

Aracelli and Empress Sahar looked at the horizon of the constellations we were about to depart to, and said so.

“Now….”

“You have a lot of time to spend with us, don’t you?”

I smiled at that question.