How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

A story that Na Yu-han told me a while ago came to mind.

“Just so you know, the recorder is our mother. She has a contract with some being to observe everything in the world and record meaningful things. Maybe those records are being processed into something like a game and provided to cosmic beings.”

What’s going on? Is it because I’m an irregular that they’re bothered by me?

Suppressing the prickly feelings in my heart, I smiled and replied positively.

Just then, I spotted the grand mansion’s door. As Na Yu-ri opened the door for me, I asked her, “When should I come by to see you?”

“Uh… she says right now?”

Right now?

Both of us had surprised expressions at the sudden request. What is this madness?

But seeing Na Yu-ri looking uncomfortable as she glanced at me, I decided to just smile and go along with it.

Walking through the neatly organized interior of the mansion, we soon arrived at a large door.

“Please give me your suitcase! After you talk with my mom, we can head to my room together.”

“Okay. Thanks!”

Na Yu-ri, who took my suitcase, hesitated for a moment and then whispered in my ear.

“Um, she’s a bit unique, but she means no harm, so please don’t misunderstand…”

“…? Okay!”

What kind of person is she?

I handed the suitcase to Na Yu-ri and, feeling slightly tense, pushed open the large door in front of me with both hands.

As I did, I felt an unknown force pulling me in.

This is…

It felt like the sensation I experienced when entering the space of the Black Scales—

Before I could think any further, my vision was swallowed by darkness.

Even when I closed my eyes or opened them, my sight remained pitch black, as if something was trying to prevent me from seeing anything.

My vision began to change only after I heard someone’s voice.

“Oh, welcome.”

As soon as I heard the voice, the darkness that enveloped my eyes receded.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a grand library where books and papers flew about.

Brilliant colors reminiscent of the stained glass of a magnificent cathedral poured down from above, illuminating the vast library made of golden and white pillars.

The person who spoke to me was sitting in a chair at the center of the library, a huge chair that looked like a throne.

She sat comfortably with her legs crossed, and the height of the chair forced me to tilt my head back quite a bit to see her.

“…Yu-ri’s mother?”

“Hmm, rather than that… call me Na Yu-ram. Yes, Na Yu-ram, or you can call me the Recorder.”

“Recorder-nim.”

“Hmm, the title is a bit ambiguous, but… it’s fine.”

She wore a displeased expression for a moment, but then tapped her cheek a few times with the tip of her quill, adopting a nonchalant look.

That nonchalant expression seemed to cling to her face like gum that wouldn’t come off.

However, when her gaze met mine, that expression soon transformed into a peculiar smile filled with interest.

“So, you’re the self-proclaimed male-oriented heroine?”

“Excuse me?”

“In my view, your type fits that description. A new genre mix of fantasy extra possession and some fresh twists. Plus, that ‘why are you doing this to me?’ sentiment. How about slowly realizing you’ve become the protagonist?”

“…What are you talking about?”

This person is strange. What does she mean by possession and fantasy?

“I’m just giving you some advice. I actually like you. I’m a fan! By the way, I’m part of the Dandum faction. Men should have a steadfast charm, you know? Besides, since you’re another soul, you’re technically a different existence, but the fact that the real Na Yu-han loved another woman before the possession is a bit of a problem.”

What can I say… She talks as if she’s not a part of this world, like she’s observing me from a distant place.

I feel like I’ve had this sensation before.

Right.

In the comment section shown by the meta system.

“Ahem, well! In any case, if you acknowledge that you’re the master of your own story, you will become stronger than anyone else.”

The Recorder, who records the entire world. A being that processes it into stories and provides it somewhere.

Has she come to understand the entirety of this world through stories?

That seems like a pretty plausible hypothesis.

It makes sense that she knows that the current ‘Na Yu-han’ is a different soul from the past one.

What surprises me the most is that she knows the nickname ‘Dandum’ that I only referred to in my mind.

Does a being that reads hearts and knows everything in this world really exist?

…Well, then I should act accordingly. There’s no need to be prickly with someone who’s favorable to me.

I smiled brightly and said, “Thank you for the advice! After all, I’m the protagonist of my life!”

However, rather than looking at me, she sighed deeply while reading a piece of parchment that had flown to her.

“Hm, you didn’t understand, did you? Well, it can’t be helped. Every story needs to go through the necessary processes. If everything suddenly ended because of a cheat like me, it would be awkward in its own way. If you fail, the world might perish, but that too would be fate… so it’s fine as it is!”

She laughed heartily as she said this.

The nonchalant expression she had shown when we first met was nowhere to be seen; instead, her laughter was boisterous.

Amidst the chaotic words, I maintained a smile and stared at her.

After a while, as she stopped laughing, she looked at me with a faint smile.

“Okay, do you have any questions? I’ll answer just one. I’d love to give you more, but I only have one allowance.”

“…A question?”

“Yeah. I’m the Recorder. I know a little about everything. No questions? If not, should I tell you a story? The tragic love story of the real Na Yu-han?”

“No, thank you.”

I quietly fell into thought, pondering what I was curious about.

Suddenly, a question that had crossed my mind a few days ago resurfaced.

‘In the game, it was Yggdrasil that caused the disaster to flood.’

“…Does Yggdrasil want to annihilate humanity?”

Upon hearing this, the Recorder paused for a moment to pick at one ear with her pinky finger before bursting into a loud laugh.

“Uha, uha ha!”

The Recorder, who had been laughing uncontrollably while banging on her throne, wiped away her tears and looked at me.

“It’s a story of a successful yet failed route! Well, I’ll answer you. The answer is ‘no.’ In every route, Yggdrasil wants to save everyone. It might be a bit extreme, but that’s what makes it charming! I actually like it!”

“Then why…?”

“That’s all for the answer. The rest, you’ll have to figure out for yourself. I’m looking forward to an enjoyable story.”

As I watched her looking pleased, I suddenly recalled another question and brought it up.

“…You haven’t mentioned your relationship with Yu-ri.”

At my words, the Recorder’s expression transformed into one of boredom, as if she were listening to an uninteresting story.

It felt as if she was speaking about Na Yu-ri as if she were someone else.

“Ah… is that necessary? Anyway, that vessel is a different person. Hm, I’m not really interested in friendship. I prefer the protagonist’s romance. Love love! I’m especially interested in your romance!”

“Romance…?”

Romance for me? I’m too busy trying to survive.

I concealed my reluctance and forced an awkward smile.

Yet, even that awkward smile was taken away by her final words.

“Anyway, do your best. Good luck, protagonist of the third run.”

“What do you mean by—”

“I have nothing more to say! Goodbye.”

Just as I was about to respond to her whims, my vision was once again enveloped in darkness.

When I came to my senses, I found myself standing in an empty room with nothing in it.

As I opened the door and stepped out, Na Yu-ri greeted me with a bright smile, as if she had been waiting for me.

“Na-hyun! Were you okay?”

“Ah, yeah! I was fine!”

“That person, as you might know from experience, tends to ramble on about some unexplainable things…”

“Really? No, they were quite interesting.”

“Then that’s a relief!”

Na Yu-ri seemed reassured by my words. However, she paused for a moment and cautiously asked me,

“Um, would you mind telling me what kind of story you shared?”

I hesitated at that question, unsure of how to filter what had happened inside.

But Na Yu-ri seemed to interpret my silence as a negative response, her expression darkening momentarily as she mumbled just above a whisper.

“Guess I really am unreliable…”

“Yu-ri, that’s not—”

“No, it’s okay. I won’t ask any more questions if it makes you uncomfortable! Let’s play cards when we get to the room!”

I couldn’t bring myself to ask her again about the words I had just heard as she looked at me with a bright face.

“…Okay!”

I was curious about the relationship between Na Yu-ri and the Recorder, and I felt a bit worried about her, but for some reason, I just silently followed Na Yu-ri.

A vague unease lingered in my heart.

After we reached the room, we played cards and chatted away.

Soon enough, the conversation had overshadowed the card game.

Before long, the sun began to set, and the other kids joined us.

Once everyone had gathered, an excited Na Yu-ri pulled out several board games that hadn’t even been unwrapped.

She mentioned that we had played board games during our last seaside trip and that she had brought some back because she had such a great time.

“Jae-yoon’s deserted island!”

“Ugh…!”

“Yu-ri, give me some money.”

“Na-hyun, why are you so thorough…?”

We spent our time playing Monopoly, which imparted the truth about money.

Even though there were still plenty of board games left to play, as we chatted while playing Monopoly, everyone’s attention gradually shifted entirely to the conversation.

We settled down, opened bags of snacks, and sat in a circle, exchanging amusing but nutritionally void stories.

In the midst of this, Min Jae-yoon, who was munching on snacks while discussing random topics, suddenly brought up a cult.

“Hey, I got approached by a weird religious group on my way here.”

“A religion?”

At Shin Ba-ran’s question, Min Jae-yoon nodded and replied.

“It was called the Towerism. They said we need to liberate the tower to survive.”

“Liberate the tower?”