Extra's Perfect Ending

Chapter 159: Tumidus Epilogue (1/3)

Reeva had always wondered what kind of ending the author desired, to shove four people from Earth inside his book. Was it for them to save the world? Or was it to give them a chance, however slim, to create a better story than the one he’d written?

By Reeva’s standards, the novel was going great—right up until the final ten chapters. The story had progressed smoothly, and from Reeva’s perspective, it had been an enjoyable ride. But there was something here, something he couldn’t quite grasp.

Was it headed for a bad ending? Reeva couldn’t help but question that. When Klad was holding up the world in those final moments, Reeva thought it should’ve been easy, at least from the way the narrative had built up to it. But after experiencing the mystic force firsthand, he had his doubts.

It was troublesome enough just to manage the mystic energy within his own body—he couldn’t even begin to imagine holding up an entire world with it. To do that, you’d have to fuse with the world itself, make it part of you, which seemed insane in Reeva’s opinion.

He’d never planned to go down that path. He wanted to return home, relax, and make money with his 21st-century knowledge. But the author had led him here, like a shepherd guiding a lost lamb.

And Reeva had fallen for it—the motivational words, the promise of something greater. The author had hooked him. Still, Reeva didn’t regret any of it.

He glanced out the window, spotting a familiar face—Jenny, his first employee, flipping burgers like before, but now in a completely new setting. The restaurant had just finished construction. A lot of time had been spent perfecting the interior, and it had definitely paid off.

The restaurant had a modern, vintage coffee shop vibe, standing out against the medieval or Victorian-style eateries of the area. It was the kind of place that invited people to experience something different, something fresh.

Reeva was proud of it. This place was modeled after his favorite coffee shop from the past, and just thinking about it made him nostalgic for those simpler times, when happiness had seemed so abundant.

The mood could have been better, though, if Reeva weren’t under constant watch by the two priests monitoring his every move. Beside them stood Hilda, in her usual maid outfit, as serious as ever.

"Aren’t you guys tired of watching me?" Reeva asked.

"...."

Neither priest responded. They weren’t interested in conversation, and Reeva could only sigh and return to watching his restaurant operate. With his current state of house arrest, unable to actively manage things, he’d been forced to transfer some of his shares to Jenny to keep the place running.

She nearly cried—no, she did cry—when Reeva proposed the idea, saying it was too much money for her. But he talked her into it, assuring her it would be good for her baby to have such a stable income. With that, Reeva gained another happy person in his life.

At this rate, he might actually get the perfect ending he sought... Oh? What’s that? Reeva suddenly remembered an important message the author had tried to send him. Since the beginning, the author of The Divine Twig had always presented him with a challenge:

To create a perfect ending.

Naturally, the author must have known that every person has their own version of a perfect ending. For Reeva, what comes after Klad holds up the world is simple—Klad survives, and everyone smiles because he survived, and they all live happily ever after.

That was his grand vision. The realization hit him after suffering through this cult incident. Not because he was some hero who saved the day—honestly, that part didn’t matter much—but because, when he looked out the window, he saw people smiling while eating his burgers.

Smiles from employees who could now feed their families.

Smiles from people walking freely outside, no longer fearing demons lurking in the shadows.

Even without the yellow fog doing its thing, the happiness of those people was infectious. His own mouth couldn’t help but curve into a smile when he saw theirs. And in that moment, he knew exactly what kind of ending he wanted—an ending where everyone smiles.

Whether or not he could achieve that was another question. It would be a hard path to tread, but eh, Reeva was willing to go the distance. After all, he’d come this far. Might as well finish the course.

Gring... Gring...

As Reeva sat at the table, an unexpected sound came from his phone—a ringtone he hadn’t heard in a while. He glanced at it, confused, and looked around. No one else seemed to react.

"Did you hear something?"

"..."

The priests remained as silent as ever, and Hilda quietly shook her head. Reeva decided to reach into his pocket and pull out the phone. Glancing around again, it was clear no one was reacting to this artifact being used.

That confirmed it. There was definitely something up with the author. Reeva pressed the button to receive the call.

"Took you long enough to pick up," said the voice on the other end.

"What are you calling for?" Reeva asked, immediately on edge. Hearing the author’s voice was never a good sign.

"What? Maybe I missed you so much that I just had to call."

"Bleh."

"Hahaha," the voice on the phone laughed. "You seem rather pissed! You’re the only one who’s made contact with me so far, so why the attitude? Other people would love to talk to me, you know."

"I don’t know, maybe it’s just your voice."

"Oh really?" The voice shifted into something more familiar—it became Hilda’s voice. "Maybe if it was this voice, you’d want to talk to me more."

"Change it back or I’m hanging up," Reeva said, a hint of anger in his tone.

"Hahaha!" The voice laughed again, switching back to its annoying, original tone. "That was a good prank, right? Enough with the games. Today, I’ve got a gift for you. To celebrate the completion of your first story arc!"