My youth story cannot be a knight war

No wonder he had that reaction when he handed over the signature paper. He remembered the slightly nervous expression on his face when he handed him the remaining pages of the Book of Omniscience and Omnipotence, and the clear joy in his eyes when he reached out to take it without any abnormality.

He looked down at the Book of Controlling All Living Things in his hands, his eyes flickering.

So at that time... you had already confirmed that I was qualified?

Possess the qualifications to become a Kamen Rider.

"Masked Rider, teller."

Xu Guoliang recited the name in a poetic tone. This was the name of his own Kamen Rider.

This was transformed from the remaining pages of the Book of Omniscience and Omnipotence after absorbing Xu Guoliang's own characteristics. It is the name of his own fantasy driving book based on his own ability characteristics.

Teller, in Chinese, means cashier, ATM, and vote counter. It also has another more niche meaning, referring to the person who "says...", that is, the narrator of something.

The essence of the ability of this book that controls countless living beings is not the same as what it means literally. It is not a kingly ability that can control countless living beings in the world. Its real ability is to compile stories belonging to those ordinary living beings. This is an ability determined by Xu Guoliang's own characteristics, and it also determines his own knight name.

Therefore, the meaning of the name Kamen Rider Teller is actually - the teller of the story.

"Although I'm still unclear about your exact purpose, you once said that you hoped to be the first person to read the story I wrote...right?"

Xu Guoliang raised his head and looked above himself and said softly.

"So after reading this story that I started, what do you think of it?"

No one answered. In this space with only one person present, the atmosphere was as quiet as ever.

But vaguely, Xu Guoliang heard laughter ringing in his ears, and then it disappeared in a flash.

"Hmph."

The corners of his mouth curved slightly, and he shrugged his shoulders, covering the cover of the book "Control of All Living Beings" with his right hand.

A white light shone out, and at the same time, the surrounding scene began to change rapidly. The edge of the space glowed with golden light and was divided into countless sections, like a thick book.

There was a rustling sound like pages turning, and the golden transparent pages flipped rapidly in the void. With each page turned, the surrounding scenery also changed rapidly. Sometimes the steps of the Great Wall, the tall and towering Pharaoh Pyramids in Egypt, the Statue of Liberty in New York appeared... At this time, the scenes of all the famous attractions in the world switched rapidly, but Xu Guoliang was the only one sitting there without any change, and his eyes were full of curiosity as he watched the series of changes around him.

As expected, unlike special effects works that are limited by funding, it is truly amazing to witness the space in reality constantly changing like a book being flipped through.

Finally, when the book stopped turning, the images of all the world-famous attractions around it disappeared, and were replaced by a classroom.

It was the kind of classroom commonly seen in domestic high schools, with wooden single chairs arranged in four rows, each row with about ten seats. Behind the podium, there was a black writing board with unerased mathematical formulas and a few pieces of chalk remaining on the edge of the board. There was also a floating red flag hanging by the door at the exit of the classroom, telling others that this classroom was an excellent class.

Xu Guoliang was stunned when he looked at the classroom, and subconsciously looked to the left. The familiar weathered exterior wall of the boys' dormitory appeared outside the classroom window, forming a sharp contrast with the bright exterior wall of the newly built dormitory building exclusively for girls diagonally across the street.

“The place that has the deepest meaning in my heart is actually here?”

The corner of his eye twitched. This was the classroom where Xu Guoliang had spent three years in high school. Of course, this was not the real classroom, but a scene created by controlling the book.

This is one of the abilities of this book. It can create an exclusive space through the user's will, similar to a small fantasy world.

When Xu Guoliang used this ability, he created the place that impressed him the most, and the result was this high school classroom.

"Why here? I finally graduated after three years of hard work, and now I want to come back here? I'm not a masochist."

Xu Guoliang spontaneously found his seat and sat down, muttering as he sat down. He subconsciously turned his head to look at another seat next to him and said.

"Old Du, do you think I have a mental problem? The thing that impressed me the most is..."

Looking at the empty tables and chairs next to him, Xu Guoliang, who was speaking, suddenly froze, his eyes fixed on the empty seat next to him, his gaze almost frozen.

Suddenly, he understood why this was the place that left the deepest impression on him.

The heavy workload in domestic high schools makes study life almost isolated from the word "beautiful". Students' memories of the classroom are basically only the teacher's lectures and the rustling sound of ballpoint pens writing on paper. Xu Guoliang is naturally no exception in this regard. He can't say that he has any positive feelings towards this classroom where he has stayed for nearly three years. The boring study life occupies 90% of his memory.

But among the only 10% of memories that remain, he has his best friend.

He transferred here in the second semester of his first year in high school. At that time, Xu Guoliang was arranged to sit in the corner of the last row of the classroom based on his final exam results. Teachers usually called the seats in the last row the exile seats.

Just as the name suggests, students sitting in this position are basically exiled. They will not receive much attention and care from the teachers, and even their names will not be remembered, because the teachers have already given the time to remember names to the students with good grades. Unless your test scores drag down the class average, you may only realize the existence of such a student when taking graduation photos.

But Xu Guoliang was very happy to be assigned to this position, because he would not be cared about by the teacher. When the teacher often encouraged him in class to set high ambitions, get into a good school, find a good job after entering society, and become a pillar of the country's development, Xu Guoliang and his last friend huddled in an unnoticed corner, talking about the plot of special dramas, favorite heroes, and the concept of the script, and other topics that had nothing to do with work and dreams.

It was precisely with these memories, which were considered useless by teachers and parents, as fuel to warm himself that Xu Guoliang was able to support himself through the rest of his high school life in an unfamiliar place. This was their little kingdom.

It's quite ironic to think that one of those students who was not valued at the beginning became a 985 prestigious university student after the college entrance examination. The student with the best grades in the class was arrogant and did not study hard, which led to failure in the exam and had to repeat the year. In the second year's exam, he performed poorly due to excessive psychological pressure, and finally could only finish his high school career with the score of an ordinary second-tier university (a true story in the high school class next door).

And now that prestigious university student is back, back to the classroom where he was once not valued.

But the other person who once discussed hobbies with him will never come back.

"I want to say..."

Looking at the empty seat, Xu Guoliang felt empty inside, like a novelist who couldn't find the person he most wanted to listen to the story he wrote, and even his voice sounded inexplicably lost.

"I have already fulfilled our dream."

He held his own driving book tightly in both hands, holding his certificate as a Kamen Rider and said.

"I've really become Kamen Rider, and I even made a remake of our favorite Kamen Rider, using your original idea."

"I did it. After I had enough money, I made a movie about our own knights... I really did it."

Something seemed to have fallen on the cover of the book "The Control of All Living Things", splashing brief transparent ripples, while Xu Guoliang looked up at the dusty rotating fan on the ceiling of the classroom and did not speak for a long time.

After a long time, he lowered his head and looked at the book in his hands, his eyes a little dim.

"...Now that it's already been filmed, as an original shareholder, you should at least watch the preview and give your opinion."

"This is the ending that the audience hasn't seen yet. You are the first person besides me to see it..."

Xu Guoliang held his driving book in one hand, covered the cover with the other hand, and closed his eyes.

A white light bloomed from the book of control, activating another ability according to Xu Guoliang's wishes.

The book controlled by thousands of living beings can allow everyone to see the development of another world line. At the same time, as long as the user wants, he can also see the ending one step ahead.

And now Xu Guoliang activated this ability. He planned to use the ending of the story he created as a sacrifice to dedicate to his most——

"—"

Xu Guoliang's body suddenly stiffened, and his closed eyes suddenly opened, with an incredible look in his eyes.

No, nothing—he could see no image of the ending of this “story.”

——In its place, there is endless darkness.

The boundless darkness rolled over like the dark waves of the sea, covering the entire world and swallowing up everything. The light dissipated completely, leaving only the silence that enveloped everything.

In the future of this "story" that he saw, darkness enveloped everything. What he heard was the wailing of countless living beings. What he felt in his heart was the despair that destroyed all that was beautiful. The surging darkness covered everything.

Suddenly, the darkness seemed to notice him as the peeper, and it surged from all directions in front of Xu Guoliang's view as if it had life...

Thousands of living beings rode on books and dropped them onto the floor tiles. The crisp sound broke the original silence of the classroom.

Xu Guoliang clutched his chest with his right hand, gasping for breath as if he had asthma, cold sweat gushed out from his forehead, and his eyes trembled violently.

For the first time in his life, Xu Guoliang experienced the horror beyond death in the darkness he saw.

If he had been even a second slower in stopping the use of his ability, the darkness would have spread here with himself as a beacon, and the subsequent development of the situation would have been simply unimaginable!

He lowered his head stiffly, looking at the driving book that had fallen to the ground, his expression of disbelief evident in his eyes.

“What the hell is that!?”

51. A Village Swallowed by Death (5K)

【Nagano Prefecture, Nagano City. 】

【04:54 PM】

[Sotoba Village is a small village located in Nagano Prefecture, near Nagano City and Chikuma City, and adjacent to Suzaka City.]

This is a village surrounded by fir trees, opened up by lumberjacks. It has 400 households and a population of about 1,300 people.

This village is so isolated that even official maps can't find it. It's divided into two parts, upper and lower, with a total of seven tribes: Upper Outer Field, Middle Outer Field, Gate Front, Lower Outer Field, Outer Field, Water Mouth, and Shan Ru.

[Aside from a national highway leading to the outside world, this village has no access to the outside world. It is surrounded by mountains and dense forests. In this nearly isolated village, many traditional customs are still preserved, especially the custom of burial.]

This village has become almost urban legend-like in Nagano Prefecture and several neighboring prefectures, comparable to the villages of Kaio and Sakamoto in Yukishige's Kamo Town, Tsuyama City, both of which were the site of murders that shocked Japan.

Among the many rumors circulating online about Waichang Village, one adjective describing the village stands out: "A village devoured by death."

Because burials were prevalent in this village, it was surrounded on all sides by fir trees, which were used to make ritual objects for the dead. Therefore, the endless fir forest could be considered the kingdom of the dead, and so the village surrounded by death was Waichang Village.

Outfield Village, Lower Outfield, Muto Family.

"Hey? It's our village!"

Muto Toru, who had short golden-brown curly hair and was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and shorts, was stunned when he saw the introduction of the village he was familiar with appear on the screen, and then he immediately became excited.

He stretched out his hand and hooked the neck of another blue-haired boy wearing white sleeves and black pants next to him. Due to the large movement, he hooked the boy who was concentrating on looking at the screen and made him stagger.

"Xia Ye! Look, it's our village! Our village is covered with a light curtain!"

"...I saw it! Let go of me! Are you trying to strangle me?"

Natsuno Yuuki, who was strangled by his friend and was a little breathless, grabbed the arm that was stuck around his neck and shook it off with a stern face. He touched his neck and looked at the excited Toru Muto with a bad temper.

"Isn't it just that the village appears in this weird and strange image? Why are you so excited?"

"Tsk~ The way you speak, everyone knows you're a bookworm who knows nothing but books. Haven't you always wanted to get into university in Tokyo? After all, we're living in the age of smartphones now, so why not check out the internet and learn about the world?"

Toru Muto rolled his eyes speechlessly, then took out his mobile phone, opened the browsing history of the web page, and went straight in front of Natsuno Yuuki.

"Look, Sobu High School's popularity has reached a point where it's almost on par with internationally renowned schools like MIT, thanks to its frequent appearances on the light screen. Based on this level of popularity, they might even be able to open several additional branch campuses next year."

"Even the music school Kitauji that the girls from the light music club transferred to is the same. Although it's not as good as Sobu High School, because it also appeared in the light curtain, the school's website traffic has doubled compared to before. Many students from all over the country hope to be admitted to this school. Now the principal has come out to promote it to increase enrollment. He directly extended an olive branch to the girls from the light music club, saying that as long as they are old enough, Kitauji will welcome them to enroll at any time, without even taking an exam!"

"This is what they call the 'idol effect'! Xia Ye, do you understand?!"

Throwing the phone aside, Muto Toru said with excitement in his eyes, grabbing Yuuki Natsuno's shoulders with both hands.

"If we can seize this opportunity, our village might just develop! We might even be able to develop tourism in the future, which would give us more money to build roads. Then, even this desolate place like ours could become a famous tourist destination!"

"First of all, this is your village, not ours. I don't have any expectations for Waichang Village to develop."

Yuuki Natsuno calmly shook off the hand that was tightly gripping his shoulder and spoke in a calm tone.

"Also, I actually know about Kitauji as well, and I know more than you do. For example, the private Sakuragaoka Girls' High School, where the girls from the light music club originally attended, has been arguing with Kitauji over this matter, accusing them of stealing their original students."

"Students and teachers from both sides had previously posted messages on each other's official websites, sparking a war of words. The discussion became increasingly heated, and finally, due to a message that allegedly insulted the former prime minister who was shot dead two years ago, officials intervened. Now, all accounts discussing this topic have been banned and their posts have been deleted."

"Secondly, the reason these two schools, along with Sobu High School, have become so popular is because they're where the protagonists Zaimokuza Yoshiki and his group, as well as the supporting cast of the light music club, attended. People are so drawn to these schools because they want to get up close and personal with the protagonists of these blockbuster movies, thus satisfying their own empathy."

"Third, even if Waichang Village could appear within this light curtain, it wouldn't be able to develop. After all, the previous places are all within prosperous urban areas, while this village can't even be found on satellite maps. Transportation is also inconvenient, with only one bus arriving on Saturday mornings. Other than that, no one comes here at all. 'Nothing' is the best way to describe it. Aside from the initial rush of people trying something new, places like this will soon fade into obscurity."

"Tell me, how can a place like this with no resources develop? Does Waichang Village have any other unknown advantages?"

"Uh...ah! There's another advantage!"

Faced with Yuuki Natsuno's calm questioning, Muto Toru was choked. After hesitating for a long time, he clapped his hands loudly with a bright smile on his face.

"What advantages?"

Seeing the other party's confident look, Yuuki Natsuno also became a little uncertain. Could it be that this Waiba Village really has some advantages that he doesn't know about?

"Ruins! We are very close to the ruins on Jiulangyue!"

Muto Toru said with a smile, turning around and pointing to a hand-drawn map of the nearby area pinned to the wall in his room with thumbtacks. The location of the mountain marked with the name "Jiurōdake" and "Gaiban Village" were surprisingly close on the map.

If measured in a straight line, it only takes about six or seven hills to reach the area of ​​Kurodake from Sotoba Village. In actual distance, it is even closer than the urban area of ​​Nagano City.

“——This village is only this far away from Kuro-dake and the ruins!???”

Looking at the distance difference between the two on the map, Yuuki Natsuno's originally calm expression was suddenly broken, and he said in barely suppressed astonishment.

"That's right! Because this place is so remote, it's not even marked on the official maps. So the maps are all drawn by people specially hired by the village. Xia Ye, you probably haven't bought one, right?"

Muto Toru twirled his fingers triumphantly, his teeth showing in his smile, sparkling in the sunlight, extremely dazzling.

"So maybe in the future we can build a road directly to Jiulangyue. By then, countless people will come to this village to stay overnight! By then, the development of Waichang Village will definitely be—Hey, hey, hey? Xia Ye, where are you going?"

Before Toru Muto could finish his words, he turned his voice into a cry of astonishment, because Natsuno Yuuki in front of him simply waved away the light curtain in front of him with one hand, and was quickly standing up and walking out of the room with an extremely ugly expression on his face.

After being called, Natsuno Yuuki stopped in front of the door of the room and uttered a few words without turning back under the sight of Toru Muto.

"…go home, call the moving company, and get ready to move immediately!"

"W-why??? And don't your parents like this place very much? How could they agree to your request to move?"

"—You idiot! Do you really think now is the time to consider those two people's opinions!?"