Beyond the Eternity

I blinked. Then I blinked again.

I thought I was imagining things, but did the Black Box just… greet me?

[The "Black Box" greets its master.]

The same message flashed again.

It wasn't an illusion. It wasn't my imagination.

The Black Box was communicating with me.

Did this mean it had a consciousness of its own?

[The 'Black Box' is looking at you.]

My thoughts stumbled over each other as I tried to process what was happening. Finally, I found my voice. "Wait… you could talk this whole time?"

「 Yes.」

"Then why didn't you say anything before?"

「 We were waiting for you to acknowledge our presence. 」

"Waiting? For me? Why?"

「 it would be no fun if we revealed ourselves unprompted. 」

I frowned at the nonchalant response.

The Black Box must have noticed my irritation because another message quickly appeared.

「 You shouldn't be upset. 」

I scoffed. "It's a little hard not to be upset when my own damn skill suddenly starts talking like this is normal."

「 Communication was only possible because you acknowledged our existence. 」

I paused at that. "Explain it in simpler terms."

「 We exist because you recognized 'us'. Without your awareness, we are nothing more than a dormant fragment. Your recognition awakened our connection. Until now, you were only accessing the basic functionality of 'our' power. 」

"…So you're saying you could talk because I noticed you? That makes me uneasy."

「 We are somewhat unique. 」

"…And why do you keep referring to yourself in plural? Are you more than one entity?"

「 We are a singular existence. This is simply our unique manner of speech. 」

"Well, it's strange."

「 You've adapted faster than expected. 」

I let out a dry laugh. "Adapted? My brain's still trying to process the fact that I'm currently talking to a skill!"

「 We understand and suspect you must have many questions. 」

"Oh, believe me, I do. But let me sit down and catch my breath first."

I glanced around, looking for a chair or anything to sit on, but of course, there was nothing. That's when I remembered that I hadn't bothered to bring furniture into this space.

This was my work area, where most of my time was spent standing, shooting targets, or observing test subjects. Seating never seemed necessary before now.

Realizing my oversight, I frowned in displeasure and clicked my tongue two times.

"Ugh." With a resigned sigh, I activated the skill «Drafting» and "drafted" a chair out of thin air.

A few seconds later, a well-polished wooden chair appeared behind me, and I lowered myself onto it, finally allowing my legs a moment of rest.

As I leaned back against the chair and rubbed my temples, another message appeared before me.

「 The Black Box observes: So, master's imagination has grown to this level. 」

I arched an eyebrow. "Do you know anything about that?"

「 We have been observing you. 」

"Of course you have," I muttered, leaning forward with a serious expression. "Let's start from the top. What are you?"

「 We are... just one skill. 」

That slight hesitation didn't escape my notice. "A skill, huh? That's a vague answer for something with a personality."

「 We are merely a skill, albeit one far more advanced than most. 」

「 You must be familiar with the concept of individual skills. Yes? 」

"I already know. So, you're my unique skill?"

[The 'Black Box' nods.]

「 'We' are a skill born from your seven aspects and deepest desires. 」

I frowned. "…My seven aspects? And desires?"

「 This information is irrelevant. Simply put, we were born from you, making you our host and master. 」

"I see..."

Despite my initial confusion, the Black Box's words were surprisingly straightforward and easy to understand.

Exclusive skills were abilities born from the users. Therefore, they were phenomena that couldn't be explained using logic or reasoning. Examples came to mind: Shin Jinhyuk's Blood Demon Aura and Ryu Yeji's Luck.

I scratched the back of my head. "At least that answers one question. For my next question, what exactly can you do?"

[The 'Black Box' processes the inquiry.]

「 In response to your question: We are the Ultimate Defense Mechanism, manifested to shield the 'Master' from the influence of this fictional world. 」

「 For our primary function and characteristics, we automatically block any and every magical phenomena. 」

"So, you're some kind of anti-narrative safeguard?"

「 That is an acceptable interpretation. 」

"… And you're also the reason why I can't learn magic, skills, or martial arts? Is that the side effect of your ability?"

「 We're ... sorry. 」

I blinked.

Instead of confirming with a simple 'yes,' it apologized.

As if it was begging me not to hate it.

I exhaled. What was I supposed to say?

To think my own skill was preventing me from learning anything… But on the other hand, it was also the reason I had survived this long.

If it hadn't been for this skill, I probably wouldn't have even made it past the «First Story.»

Even so, there was still a bitter taste in my mouth from not being able to learn anything because of this skill.

By the way, there was one question that had been lingering at the back of my mind for some time now.

Given the fact that the Constellations couldn't hear this conversation due to the effects of the Silence Stone, it felt like the perfect opportunity to ask about sensitive subjects that would otherwise attract unwanted attention.

I also suspected that the skill might not be able to do this often, which made me more determined to get all the answers I could at once.

Taking a deep breath, I asked, "Are you a skill born because of the Reader's Privilege?"

[The Black Box tilts their head.]

「 Are you asking if we are something similar to the Fourth Wall? 」

I stiffened. "…So there really is something like that."

「 All readers are granted a 'wall' as part of their privilege upon entering the story. The strength of this 'wall' depends on the last chapter they reached in Song of Nightmares. 」

…It knew about the readers.

It knew about Song of Nightmares.

My suspicions were right.

"I see. So are you similar to the Fourth Wall?"

「 We are similar yet different at the same time.]

"Please elaborate."

Just because something was similar doesn't mean it was the same. The next message that appeared only reinforced that truth.

「 Like we said, we are similar, yet fundamentally different. 」

「 If a 'wall' is built on denial, then we are built on rejection. 」

「 To put it simply, we reject all ideas and principles that do not align with the Real World. Anything that falls into the category of illusion is immediately crushed and rejected. 」

"I see. That's rather interesting." I muttered thoughtfully while rubbing my chin.

Truly, being in denial of something and rejecting something were two similar yet different concepts.

Hearing the explanation of the Black Box, I have concluded that it wasn't related to the concept of a 'wall'. Instead, it was something entirely different.

A Mystery that rejected all Mysteries.

As a random thought surfaced, I couldn't help but ask, "Wait, you said the power of rejection is your basic function?"

[The [Black Box] sighs.]

「 Rejection is not our basic function, but merely one of our aspects. 」

"One of your aspects?"

Something clicked in my memory, and my eyes lit up. "Oh, right. Now that I think about it, you were capable of other things, weren't you?"

[The [Black Box] nods.]

「 Those abilities fall under their various aspects. 」

"And what exactly are these aspects? How many do you have in total?"

A moment of silence followed before another message appeared.

[The 'Black Box' smiles figuratively.]

「 Why ask when you already possess a basic understanding, Jakga Kim-nim? 」

It called my name. A skill called me by my name!

More importantly, was it possible that the skill was reading my thoughts?

Considering its behavior since the start of our conversation, that seemed like the most logical conclusion.

After all, it was a sentient skill capable of perceiving thoughts. So what was stopping it from reading mine?

I reclined in my chair, and slowly processed everything.

The aspects that represent the Black Box, huh?

Could those aspects be related to the Seven Deadly Sins?

Now that I thought about it, several messages containing words like "Greed," "Envy," and "Gluttony" had appeared whenever the Black Box activated. It wasn't far-fetched to assume there was a connection.

The Seven Deadly Sins. The archetypes of human flaws that represented the seven ways one could bring about their own destruction:

Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth.

From what I had gathered so far, I had a rough idea about the authorities associated with a few of these aspects.

«Envy» extracts the personal data and information of a target, and displayed it as a system window.

«Greed» penetrates a target's mental defenses and reveals their thoughts in the form of texts and lettering.

«Gluttony» devours individuals, breaking them into fragments and absorbing everything they contain, such as skills and stigmas.

As for the main aspect, I wasn't entirely sure whether it was «Wrath» or «Pride», but I knew one of them controlled the power of rejection.

For the rest, their functions were still a mystery. Perhaps I hadn't fulfilled the conditions necessary to wield those authorities.

... Hold on.

As the thoughts swirled in my mind, a lingering question resurfaced, and I quickly voiced it:

"If you're different from a 'wall', how come you can't penetrate the 'walls' of the readers and extract their information?"

[The 'Black Box' hesitates before answering:]

「 It is complicated. 」

"Try me. I'll do my best to understand."

[Due to master's insistence, the "Black Box" offered an explanation.]

「 It is difficult to extract information from the readers due to the unique nature of their existence. 」

「 Unlike the real people who were drawn into the fiction and became 'characters,' the readers existed 'outside' the story as «Extrafictional Entities» before crossing into the 'Inside.' 」

「 They retain a powerful shield known as the «Wall» that prevents them from being fully absorbed into the narrative. This 'wall' is a safeguard that preserves their status as readers and protects them from transformation into characters while inside the Stories. 」

「 As such, their information is usually inaccessible, and influencing them is nearly impossible. 」

After skimming through the lengthy explanation, I finally asked,

"What about the readers who stopped early and dropped off? What happens to them?"

「 They lose their 'unique characteristics', and eventually become characters. 」

That reminded me of a peculiar incident during the raid on the World's personal space.

I had encountered a reader named Shin Joonkyung and attempted to extract his information, only to fail. However, when a character update notification appeared, I tried again, and succeeded in extracting his information.

The character update must have occurred because he reached the exact 'point' where he had dropped off early in the novel. It was at that moment he lost his 'Wall', and with it, his reader's privilege.

... Wait.

A dreadful premonition coursed through my body like icy water, tightening around my chest like a sponge wrung dry.

Forcing the words out, I asked, "When does a real person become a character?"

「 It depends on the individual. Although they may not hold the status of a 'reader,' some possess higher resistance to story assimilation than others. A notable example is the individual known as Angelica Thompson. 」

At that name, my body trembled.

Damn it. Why was that name called? I forced myself to stay composed.

"...Is there a way to prevent story assimilation?"

If there were individuals capable of resisting story assimilation, then surely, there was hope to stop it permanently.

... Or so I thought.

That fleeting hope shattered with the next message:

「 Though a few exceptional individuals exhibit strong resistance to story assimilation, they cannot attain the level of a reader with a «Wall.» 」

"Surely, there have to be exceptions, right?"

「 There are no exceptions. 」

「 Those who have never read the narrative cannot defend against it. How can one hope to defy a force they do not understand? 」

「 In the end, whether they are 'real people' or 'readers who dropped off early', all will be consumed by the story and become characters. 」