Only One Knew

[10:08 PM | Scenario Space: The Author's Labyrinth – Room of Abandoned Drafts]

[Boss Battle Initiated: The Author's Hand – Prologue Guardian][Time Limit: 14:59]

The scroll ignited with shadowy fire. Black ink peeled from its edges, coiling in midair like smoke with purpose. The substance twisted, folding into a towering shape—a faceless, humanoid entity with grotesquely elongated fingers dripping with glimmering script.

The Author's Hand.

Jae-hwan stepped back as the air thinned. The world around him groaned as if resisting the presence of its original creator.

[Trait Effect Triggered: Chaos Seed – Origin Fragment suppressing Conceptual Anchor][Effect: Narrative manipulation immunity temporarily active. Duration: 5:00 minutes]

Jin-hee swore under his breath. His face, usually unreadable, tightened as the Hand flexed its ink-drenched claws.

"This is bad," he muttered. "That's not a boss—it's a concept."

Jae-hwan didn't take his eyes off the Hand. "What does that mean?"

"It doesn't fight. It edits."

The Hand lifted one finger and drew a glowing word into the air: ERASE.

[You have been targeted for Narrative Deletion.][Countdown: 00:08]

A chill cut through Jae-hwan's core.

[Warning: You will cease to exist in this scenario unless a counter-narrative is established.]

Jin-hee yelled, "Say something! It has to be a line the story can't erase!"

The countdown ticked.

7.

6.

Jae-hwan's mind screamed. What could stop a word?

5.

[Skill Unavailable: Edge of the Author – 00:38:02 cooldown]

4.

He clenched his fists. "I am not part of your story!"\

The word ERASE flickered.

3.

It bent. Warped.

2.

Then became: REVISE.

[Narrative Deletion Interrupted. Conceptual Dispute Engaged.][You have resisted deletion through raw narrative resistance. Temporary immunity granted for 90 seconds.]

The Hand hesitated. Then it lurched forward, each step deleting grammar and scenery alike.

Books burst into flames. Shelves unstacked themselves in reverse time. Paragraphs unwrote midair.

Jae-hwan ducked as a claw swept past.

[Skill Activated: Ghost Step – Evasion Successful]

"Keep it confused!" Jin-hee shouted. "Make it contradict its own logic!"

The Hand raised a second finger, scribbling another word into existence: REGRET.

Jae-hwan froze.

Memories swelled—of him finishing the last chapter of the novel alone in a dark room, whispering the ending to no one. The hopelessness of knowing the story was over, and the world hadn't changed.

[Mental Check Failed – Willpower reduced by 20%]

His knees buckled.

Above, the Hand etched the final word: END.

Jin-hee's voice cracked. "Now! Use the letter!"

Jae-hwan fumbled through his inventory.

[Item: Sealed Letter – Status: Reacting to scenario anchor][Letter Opening Conditions Met]

He tore it open.

Inside, a single sentence glowed with defiance:

"They cannot end what was never theirs to begin."

He shouted it aloud.

The Hand twitched.

The word END split down the middle.

The Hand screamed.

[Narrative Overwrite Detected. The Author's Hand destabilizing.][Boss Integrity: 72% → 45% → 28%]

Jin-hee summoned a glowing red pen.

[Skill Activated: Editor's Last Strike – Scene Correction Lv. 2]

"Write your own ending!" he roared.

Jae-hwan's voice carried into the shuddering void:

"This story is mine now."

[System Override Accepted. Prologue Guardian collapsing.]

The Author's Hand disintegrated into pages that bled white ink.

[Victory Achieved. Scenario Complete.][You have earned: 1x Manuscript Key – Chapter One Access Granted][Trait Awakening Triggered: Narrative Sync Lv. 1][Level Up! Lv. 9 → Lv. 11 | Stat Points +8 | Trait Enhancement Available]

Jae-hwan dropped to his knees. Jin-hee leaned beside him, panting.

"You fought a literal hand of god and won," the editor groaned. "Next time, I'm staying in footnotes."

Jae-hwan didn't answer.

He stared at the fading words on the crumpled letter in his palm:

"They cannot end what was never theirs to begin."

He wasn't just a reader anymore.

He was becoming something else.

To be continue...