[many constellations are concerned.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is frowning worriedly.]
Kim Dokja gulped in a breath, trembling and trying to hold onto the kids to keep himself grounded. He had admitted it, even though he hadn't wanted to. Logically there wasn't any point in keeping it a secret—they would have just found out in a moment anyway and then gotten mad at him for not saying anything. Still, it had been hard, but maybe… maybe it was the first step, but—
"Dokja."
A woman's garbled voice emerges from the darkness as a shaky view of the bottom half of a very injured face is shown on the screen, and it's exactly the same scene as the first time Dokja experienced the [Welcome Prison].
Dokja's heart beats sound as loud as thunder as he and the 'King of Wanderers' look at each other. Just as Dokja is about to be dragged under by the iron grip this woman has on his psyche, Sooyoung steps in front of him and asks what's wrong, forcing him to snap out of it. When she repeats herself and asks if he's okay, Dokja says it's nothing in an attempt to brush it off.
That was even more of a shock than meeting Song Minwoo earlier.
'There's only one person in this world who has traumatized me more than him,' Dokja thinks as he looks down with a self-deprecating expression.
Jung Heewon stiffened, tensing up her entire body as she gritted her teeth and placed a hand on her sword, ready to draw it.
"Wasn't that…?" Lee Hyunsung muttered in horror, recognizing the scene from earlier. "Oh god."
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is baring his teeth at the 'king of wanderers'.]
Even Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to be glaring at the screen, and Kim Dokja didn't know what to make of it as he desperately tried to follow Lee Seolhwa's quiet instructions to breathe in and out in time with her own deep breaths.
"Fuck," Han Sooyoung muttered under her breath before whirling around and staring at the woman who had been sitting silently in the corner until now. "What the fuck did you do to him!?"
The entire group froze, even the kids, as they realized that the 'King of Wanderers' had been watching everything all along. Kim Dokja curled into himself and clasped his hands over his ears.
Don't acknowledge her don't talk to her because that would mean that she's real real real—
Lee Jihye jumped to her feet and drew her sword, pointing it in the woman's direction. "Hey, get talking. What did you do to ahjussi?"
She scoffed, and Kim Dokja flinched at the sound of her voice—something he hadn't heard in ages. "I don't need to listen to you. What happened is none of your business."
Yoo Sangah grabbed Kim Dokja's hand and tried to gently talk to him, but he could tell that she was periodically glaring over his shoulder at that woman behind him. He couldn't hear her words through the garbled mess that was his head as all his remaining attention was focused on the other conversation.
[several constellations wonder what could be more traumatic than what happened with the incarnation 'song minwoo'.]
They didn't know, they couldn't know, they had no idea—
Jung Heewon seethed, drawing her blade as well. "The hell it isn't! You hurt him, and that's all that matters."
No no no no no no no—
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is feeling protective of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"I did what was necessary," she said, her voice as cold and distant as ice. "Dokja understands."
Yoo Sangah looked up with a snarl at the familiar form of address, doing everything she could to avoid gripping Kim Dokja's hand too tightly. He flinched violently, and that seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for the kids, who sent matching glares in her direction.
He could feel her gaze boring into his back, pinning him in place and trapping him within the web of her lies. Kim Dokja wanted to yell, to scream, to curl into a ball and vanish from existence.
Yoo Joonghyuk moved to stand in front of Kim Dokja, his sword half-drawn. Although Lee Hyunsung was the shield of the group, in that moment, Yoo Joonghyuk's broad back was protective as he once again saved Kim Dokja from the things that haunted his every step.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is glaring at the 'king of wanderers'.]
Her disapproval was almost radiating throughout the room, and Kim Dokja didn't know what to do.
"Don't get any closer," Yoo Joonghyuk growled, brandishing his sword in front of him to emphasize his threat, the moment she began to move.
Kim Dokja heard her scoff and he couldn't help but shudder.
"Move aside, Yoo Joonghyuk. Dokja needs to come back to reality now."
"This is reality now," Han Sooyoung interjected, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't know how you know about any of this, but what he does is none of your business."
But it was. It was, and that was the part that Kim Dokja struggled to handle. She had ruined his life, had driven him to take drastic measures, but in the end she still held power over him. He didn't even know what kinds of situations they were imagining when they wondered what she had done all those years ago, but he knew that they were probably wrong.
"Leave ahjussi alone!" Shin Yoosung yelled, snuggling in closer to Kim Dokja, and Lee Gilyoung echoed her sentiments. "Yeah, hyung isn't yours!"
She hummed, ignoring their words, and stared directly at him instead. "Dokja-yah, you aren't going to introduce me?"
Kim Dokja trembled even more, trying to grasp his own self-control and failing. All he could feel was the isolation of a cold gaze through glass, and the echoing silence of an empty room. The aching pains of bruises deep under the skin and the awful burn of alcohol in the air. The creaking of a closet door, the sirens cutting through a quiet evening, a cacophony of voices surrounding him and hounding him, the squeak of a window frame and it was
all
too
much—
"He will not," Yoo Joonghyuk stated firmly. "If you come near him, then I will cut you down where you stand."
The protagonist's deep and rumbling voice cut through the layers of distress like his sword cut through adversaries, and it was enough that Kim Dokja snapped out of his panic. He stared at Yoo Joonghyuk's back in bewilderment, completely and utterly blindsided by his words. But… the possible penalty for violence… Why would he risk that?
[many constellations are anticipating a fight.]
[the constellation 'founder's mother' is sadly watching the current events.]
Before anyone could make any further moves, the recording began to play once more. Still, Yoo Joonghyuk never once looked away from the perceived threat.
Someone who can affect me to this extent, despite [The Fourth Wall].
The group of wanderers begin to walk away, with the 'King of Wanderers' taking up the rear. Her coat and hair blow in the breeze as he watches them go.
So just as I thought, you survived…? I didn't realize you were in Seoul.
A sound catches Dokja's attention, causing him to look to the side to see a group of survivors carrying food in their arms. They walk forward and watch with thankful gazes as the wanderers leave, making him realize that these were probably the people who the werewolves had captured.
I had forgotten that having a flag and sitting on the throne wasn't the only way for people to consider someone as a King.
Both Sooyoung and Dokja watch in silence with serious expressions until the group is out of sight.
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't sit back down, and instead he stood staring at the woman the entire time. It was like he was a guard dog—no, a fierce wolf would probably be a better description. Kim Dokja wasn't sure what to think about it, either.
Yoo Joonghyuk had been his personal protector for a very long time, not that he was aware of it. Still, why would he make that choice here? Was he trying to protect Kim Dokja as a source of knowledge for the upcoming scenarios?
[several constellations ponder the relationship between the incarnation 'kim dokja' and the 'king of wanderers'.]
Han Sooyoung grumbled but she moved to sit a bit closer to Kim Dokja than before. "Seriously, none of this is adding up. If she fucked you up this bad, then why the fuck would she just leave you the stone?"
It did add up—Han Sooyoung just didn't have all the pieces. Kim Dokja had them all, and he held those close to his chest, even though he wanted to bury them sometimes.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is narrowing his eyes.]
"Dokja-ssi? You don't have to say anything," Yoo Sangah told him, with a glance at Han Sooyoung. "Sooyoung…ssi… is just frustrated, I think."
Were they getting along now that they had a common enemy? Ironic, maybe, but that might not be a bad thing.
Still, he felt like he had to say something. Kim Dokja exhaled nervously, his voice coming out like a whisper. "I do know her. Very well."
Or at least, he did, once.
A while later, Dokja's hand rests against the outside of the meteorite as it crackles with energy. He's in awe that the power he feels coming from it is exactly as it was described in the novel as he retracts his hand and clutches it to his chest.
The Moonstone—that's what this meteorite is called. It was once an asteroid that used to orbit the stars of other dimensions. This yellow meteorite holds the power to fight against the disasters.
A window pops up, stating that the stone wishes to give Dokja the power to evolve. Dokja immediately refuses, mentally explaining that it would likely turn him into a werewolf if he accepted, but that's not all it does.
Dokja looks up as Sooyoung calls out to him, asking if he's found anything. Behind her, some of her avatars are taking care of the survivors. Dokja quickly realizes that she's pandering to the angels for coins, and he calls her ability useful.
Throughout the course of the segment, their entire group gathered closer together, surrounding Kim Dokja completely. It was weird, and he didn't know how to feel about it. Kim Dokja wasn't used to being protected by real people, or anyone caring.
"Ahjussi, can that stone really help?" Yoo Mia asked, shuffling in next to him with a curious look. It seemed that she was almost filling in her brother's spot in the circle as he continued to have a pointless staring contest with her.
"Yeah," Kim Dokja muttered. "You just need to awaken it."
[a few constellations are curious about the plan of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Lee Jihye glanced over, finally sheathing her sword again after shooting one last suspicious glare in that woman's direction. "So this one doesn't have a monster in it, then?"
Technically no, but the guides weren't exactly human either.
[the constellations of the absolute good alignment are praising the incarnation 'han sooyoung' for her good deed.]
Yoo Sangah glanced over at Han Sooyoung. "It's good… that you're helping people, I mean."
Han Sooyoung glanced back, half in surprise. "Not going to lecture me for pandering? He's right, you know."
Yoo Sangah looked down at her hands, and Kim Dokja was genuinely curious about what she was thinking.
"Even if you're doing it to get coins, you're still helping," Yoo Sangah whispered. "You're not all bad."
The corners of Han Sooyoung's lips quirked up. "You're not so bad yourself sometimes."
Oh thank goodness. Kim Dokja wasn't sure he'd be able to handle much more of their hostility towards each other on top of everything else going on.
Sooyoung then asks about the connection Dokja has with the group from before, clearly still bothered by the fact that she can't see anything about them. Dokja tells her that the 'King of Wanderers' isn't someone who read the novel. Confused, Sooyoung asks how she could possibly know enough about what happened in TWSA to be on par with the Apostles.
"Because I told her the story myself," Dokja states calmly, causing Sooyoung's eyes to widen as she questions why he would tell her about such a boring story.
Dokja's expression is blank and it seems like he's looking somewhere far away as he answers her. "Because I needed something to talk about when I was with her, and I couldn't think of any other topic of conversation then."
Sooyoung wonders if it's alright to leave her be, considering that she also knows the future and could interfere with their plans, but Dokja just interrupts by stating that he'll awaken the moonstone.
"What? Awaken it?" Sooyoung asks incredulously. "You're going to awaken the Disaster!?"
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is wondering about the source of her knowledge.]
"Yeah," Jung Heewon wondered, glancing over at Kim Dokja, "how does she know all that?"
Ah, right.
Kim Dokja winced when he watched himself explain, and he already knew that it would only bring up more questions.
"Dokja-ssi…" Lee Hyunsung said in a pity-filled voice, and Kim Dokja wasn't sure if he wanted to know what kind of situation the man was picturing.
Back then… Kim Dokja had needed to fill the silence, and what better to fill it with than with the only thing that was keeping him alive?
"Are you okay, Dokja-ssi?" Lee Seolhwa whispered in concern, and he nodded once.
"I will be. Can we just… can we move on?"
He didn't want to talk about this any more. There was just too much baggage, and he was exhausted.
Fabric rustled as Yoo Joonghyuk took a seat nearby, still blocking her view of Kim Dokja. He didn't look over, but Kim Dokja nearly felt himself crumble nonetheless. He really couldn't handle much more of this right now.
Later, Dokja and Sooyoung sit on the ground next to the stone as Dokja says that they'll inject mana into the moonstone to hatch it, estimating it will take 10 hours to do so. He decides to split the time with him taking 4 hours and Sooyoung 6. When she complains, he states that she should have a higher Mana level than he does, using the pledge to learn that it's level 55.
Dokja's mouth drops open in shock. He had suspected it would be at least level 40, considering how many avatars she can make, but now he wonders if she just dropped all her coins into Mana over Strength and Stamina. This makes him gleefully change their shifts to her taking 8 hours while he takes 2. When she protests and reminds him that she's almost out of Mana, he provides her with
Naturally, Sooyoung is suspicious and claims that his constellation must be a big spender to buy that many, and only half-jokingly asks if he drugged them. In a completely unimpressed tone, Dokja informs her that he paid for them himself.
Sooyoung worries about what it means to do this before the main scenario, and about the chance of getting probability warnings. As Dokja infuses mana into the moonstone, he reminds Sooyoung that it doesn't contain a disaster, telling her to remember what came at the start of the Fifth Scenario. This prompts her to pull out her phone and search through her file, causing her to look at the moonstone in surprise.
"Ugh, you need to increase your Mana too, you know," Han Sooyoung muttered as she rested her cheek on her hand. "8 hours… what a scam."
"You're getting mana potions that I paid for, apparently," Kim Dokja retorted, a bit of his usual snark finally returning to his voice. He just had to… ignore everything else. Block it out. It would be fine.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is impressed by the mana level of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
"You'd better be," Han Sooyoung said pridefully. Ah yep, there was her usual confidence.
When she commented about them being drugged, Kim Dokja just shot her a bewildered look. "Do I look like the kind of person who would do that?"
Han Sooyoung shrugged. "Normally, no, but I don't doubt you would if you had to."
Okay, fair. That was probably true.
"So if it's not a disaster, then what's in it?" Lee Hyunsung wondered, and Kim Dokja couldn't help but let a small smile onto his face.
"Just wait and see, I think you'll be surprised."
10 hours later, multiple empty bottles litter the ground as Sooyoung calls for a sleeping Dokja to wake up. The moonstone in front of her rumbles and cracks, and the two watch on in awe as a bright light erupts from within.
Dokja is granted [Otherworldly Comprehension lvl. 1] in order to speak with the being within. A large werewolf wearing a roman-style garment emerges from the cracked stone, clutching its head. As it begins to speak, the
A creature that was over three meters tall. One of the dominant races from another world, 'Chronos', that can transform by night with the power of the 'Moonstone'.
In a deep and rumbling voice, the creature introduces himself as part of the five great races, the Great First Wolf. Dokja just looks at his size with a slightly dumbfounded yet vigilant expression.
They are fighters who can harness wind, with the stamina of monsters and the power of giants. In Chronos, one of the first wolves was known as 'Imyuntar'.
The wolf moves his arm away from his face, revealing clear blue eyes. He looks quite handsome, adorned with golden accessories, and is most definitely furry bait. The wolf introduces himself as the Imyuntar, Lycaon.
[a constellation who likes wolves is in awe of the guide 'Lycaon'.]
"Whoa…" Lee Gilyoung gasped. "He's so tall!"
Reading that he was over three meters tall and actually seeing that were totally different things. This was so damn cool! Kim Dokja couldn't help but feel a bit of childish glee well up inside of him, knowing that he was about to learn one of the most useful skills at this point of the scenarios.
Shin Yoosung giggled. "Ahjussi, you look so surprised!"
Of course he was, who wouldn't be!?
"Okay, I admit it," Jung Heewon said in amusement, "that is pretty cool."
[Name: Lycaon Isparang
Age: 371
Constellation Sponsor: Shadow of a Ruined World
Personal Attributes: Noble Imyuntar (Heroic), Survivor of Humiliation (Rare)
Exclusive Skills: Way of the Wind lvl. 9, Advanced Weapons Mastery lvl. 9, Battle Cry lvl. 8, Sagely Insight lvl. 4, Steeled Skin lvl. 8, Smokescreen lvl. 4…
Stigma: Guide Through Ruin lvl. 1
Overall Stats: Stamina lvl. 75, Strength lvl. 75, Agility lvl. 75, Mana lvl. 75
Overall Evaluation: One of the five dominant species of the ruined world, Chronos. He entered the Star Stream and became a guide for the scenarios after losing his world. He is characterized as someone who always gazes at the world with eyes full of regret.]
For the Fifth Scenario, there are five disasters and five guides who can lend the power needed to stop them. One of those guides is right here—Lycaon.
Lee Seolhwa relaxed slightly. "It's reassuring to know that we aren't alone for the next scenario. Are there guides that correspond to each disaster?"
Yoo Joonghyuk nodded. "Their skills are tailored to defeating their respective disasters."
"Oppa, can't we just let them fight the disasters instead then?" Yoo Mia wondered curiously, and it was a question Kim Dokja had at first too. Of course, the guides couldn't confront the disasters directly, but they could pass on their skills.
"No, the incarnations of Seoul have to defeat the disasters," he responded firmly, glancing at his sister. "It would be too easy, otherwise."
Yoo Mia wilted slightly. "Oh… that sucks."
It did suck.
[some constellations are curious about the guide 'lycaon'.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
Lycaon looks up to the stormy sky before asking if they were the ones who awakened him, Dokja nods as Sooyoung looks confused about what he's saying, not understanding his language since she wasn't given the [Otherworldly Comprehension] skill.
Lycaon congratulates them for completing the tutorial before expressing his condolences for the approaching disasters, stating that he is a guide sent to prevent this world's ruin. He says he will train them and give advice, but asks once more if they were really the ones who woke him.
Looking at him, and at Sooyoung who's currently scouring the Dokkaebi Bag for [Otherworldly Comprehension], certainly doesn't instill much confidence in the guide. Dokja replies that they did, confusing Lycaon further as he states that all guides should have hatched together and asks about the Master of the Throne.
Originally, the five guides—including Lycaon—were supposed to assemble the moment the master of the 'Absolute Throne' was chosen.
"The tutorial?" Lee Gilyoung muttered in disbelief. "What's he talking about?"
"It's not true, all scenarios are equally important," Kim Dokja replied with a shake of his head. It was true that they would get more difficult as time went on, but the incarnations would get more powerful as well. The scenarios had to be balanced to be plausible, so they couldn't be too difficult or too easy.
[many constellations agree with the words of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' believes that the incarnations will go far.]
Thanks, Uriel.
Yoo Sangah blinked in surprise. "They were all supposed to be together?"
"Yeah, for easy access. Since I broke the throne, though, they were scattered," Kim Dokja replied with a small wince. That was the one major downside of breaking the throne, but the fact that he wasn't contracted with an outer god far outweighed the convenience of having all the guides awaken together.
"Man, why did you automatically get the translation skill and I didn't?" Han Sooyoung muttered with a sigh. It was probably because he had the talisman, but that also wasn't his problem.
Dokja states that they don't have a King, which prompts Lycaon to ask in disbelief whether their king has already died, before saying that that shouldn't be possible at this point. Dokja replies that there never was a 'Master of the Throne' in the first place.
"Nobody claimed the 'Absolute Throne', and we were able to clear the Fourth Scenario without it," Dokja states calmly. Lycaon's eye twitches and his veins bulge as he takes on a terrifying expression.
Dokja casually states that destroying the throne was always an option. Lycaon pauses to observe Dokja, and notices that he seems to be surrounded by stars. Realizing just how many constellations are keeping their gazes on this incarnation, Lycaon asks if Dokja was the one who destroyed it. When Dokja confirms this fact, looking oddly regal despite his disheveled state, the wolf looks extremely shocked.
"How could you do such a thing!?" Lycaon roars as Sooyoung, who can finally understand the conversation after purchasing the interpretation skill, flinches in surprise.
Jung Heewon blinked in shock. "His first assumption is that the king straight-up died? Did he never think that someone could break the throne?"
"Of course not," Yoo Joonghyuk huffed. "It seems like asking for a death sentence."
Okay, that was true. To anyone who didn't know the truth about the 'Absolute Throne', it would definitely look like he had just thrown away all chances for survival.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' believes that people should think outside the box more often.]
"Okay, that's cool," Yoo Mia admitted as she looked at the stars surrounding Kim Dokja. "Not too bad, ahjussi."
Hell yeah, finally a genuine compliment from her! If he wasn't squished in between two other kids and under constant supervision, then he might have pumped his fist in the air victoriously.
"Of course he's mad," Lee Jihye sighed. "Ahjussi, you'd better teach him a lesson!"
What the hell was he going to be able to do to a three-meter tall wolf man? Kim Dokja had no idea what she was even thinking.
[several constellations are curious to see what will happen next.]