[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is wondering what the incarnation 'kim dokja' will do.]
Kim Dokja tensed up, a little bit nervous, as he watched the next segment begin. They only had one chance to delay the meteorite from hatching, but even then, that would only buy them a few more days. They were fucked either way, but he desperately hoped that they could get whatever time they could to better prepare themselves.
Also, if Yoo Joonghyuk could be back in fighting shape, they would stand a much better chance than before. Hell, even if he only got a single day of rest then it would be better than nothing, despite the fact that he wouldn't have completely recovered yet.
As Dokja runs to a window, ready to jump out, he notices a crowd of people chasing down a group of Sooyoung's avatars. Their focus on Sooyoung alone means that they don't notice Sangah, who leaps across and up onto the wall as she pulls a thread in front of them. Screams echo down the street and blood flies as their ankles are severed and, when they fall, what meets them is another thread which separates their heads from their bodies.
As Sangah jumps to land beside Sooyoung, the shorter woman comments that she was brutal. Sangah spits back that Sooyoung has no right to say that, causing the author to smile slyly.
Even more so than I expected…
'Those two are really attuned to each other, aren't they? There's still a mutual aura of murderous intent though,' Dokja thinks as he looks at the two women while running.
"For two people who don't particularly like each other, you sure do work well as a team," Jung Heewon teased, grinning at the other two women.
Han Sooyoung rolled her eyes, and Yoo Sangah smiled shakily. They still weren't entirely comfortable with each other or with the situation they were witnessing, but it was better than before by a long shot, and that was all Kim Dokja could ask for.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is cheering for the incarnations.]
"Unnie is so cool, and ahjumma is too, I guess," Yoo Mia said, her ears blazing red. Yoo Sangah sent the girl a gentle smile while Han Sooyoung played up her griping about being an afterthought.
With a sigh, Han Sooyoung glanced at Yoo Sangah. "Hate to admit it, but you're doing a good job of watching my back there."
"And you're playing the role of the distraction very well," Yoo Sangah acknowledged in return.
Lee Hyunsung nodded eagerly, finally relaxing now that they weren't constantly at each other's throats anymore. "Dokja-ssi even sees it in the future, but now that you're getting along, I'm sure your teamwork will get even better!"
Honestly, considering how well their future selves were cooperating while hating each other, Kim Dokja was both eager to see and afraid of how terrifyingly capable they would be if they got along.
Turning a corner, Dokja catches sight of the 'Disaster Meteorite', which still has people praying on the ground around it. His attention is pulled away when a woman's voice asks who he is. Looking over, the speaker is a woman with stark white hair and red lips in a blood stained robe.
Pure white hair, and lips like a red flower blooming on snowy mountains.
'One look is all I need to know,' Dokja thinks, certain of Joonghyuk's tastes, as he identifies the woman as Seolhwa.
There are three ways to awaken a disaster meteorite. The first is to allow the meteorite to hatch at the scenario's pace.
A chibi Bihyung appears on the screen, announcing the scenario as a meteorite cracks with a pop and a cartoonish star effect.
And the second is to prematurely draw out the power of the disaster meteorite.
A low quality human figure is shown pressing their hands on a meteorite as they demand power.
The third way is the fastest, and it entails supplying the disaster meteorite with mana artificially.
The people praying are shown as mana flows from them into the meteorite. Dokja mentally labels this last method as the Rite of Hatching since people's prayers carry mana, and that this method was the reason why Seolhwa chose this location due all the ties to religion.
Lee Seolhwa's eyes widened as Kim Dokja's voice described her appearance. "That's how I was described in the novel?"
Kim Dokja nodded. "You were often described as being very beautiful, and you're truly someone who—" is worthy of being the protagonist's lover.
Ah shit, right, she didn't want to be in a relationship in this turn—even though that fact was slightly disappointing to him, he had to respect her choice. Fuck, how could he salvage this?
"—has intelligence in equal measure!"
Nailed it.
Lee Seolhwa chuckled slightly. "Thank you for the compliment, Dokja-ssi. I suppose I owe the author my thanks as well."
Kim Dokja did have to wince only a moment later when Joonghyuk's tastes were brought up, especially since she seemed to wilt slightly at the reminder.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is wishing to reassure the incarnation 'lee seolhwa'.]
Lee Gilyoung thankfully ignored the awkwardness as he looked up at Kim Dokja. "Hyung, there are really that many ways to hatch the disaster?"
"That's right," Kim Dokja confirmed, "and Seolhwa-ssi is using the third. With the location and the amount of people praying… we probably won't have more than a few hours before it hatches if we can't stop it."
No one looked comfortable with that thought, and the atmosphere grew extremely tense as a result.
He asks Seolhwa to stop the hatching, saying this will kill them all. As he does so, Dokja thinks frantically, confused as to why she's doing this since she only borrowed power in the novel and was never foolish enough to attempt to awaken it.
Seolhwa asks what he'll do if she doesn't stop, prompting Dokja to start to draw his sword as he says that she'll die. Seolhwa raises a hand as a signal, and Dokja notices a group of people who have already transformed into insectoid forms due to the meteorite. This confuses Dokja, since he's fully aware that the disaster meteorite shouldn't give her the power to mutate anyone.
As they rush at him, he changes
Seolhwa glances at the meteorite as Dokja wonders why it seems like she wants to wake the Disaster itself rather than harness its power. In an attempt to figure it out, he activates [Character Profile].
[a constellation who is worried about the degradation of oriental medicine is extremely worried about the current events.]
His future self was right—why was she suddenly trying to awaken it instead of just borrowing power like usual? Something was incredibly wrong here, and Kim Dokja wasn't sure what that was just yet.
"Ewwww," Yoo Mia exclaimed with a grimace as the transformed incarnations flew into frame. "That's so gross."
Lee Gilyoung looked incredibly displeased, but Kim Dokja wasn't sure if he wanted to defend the insects or insult them for attacking Kim Dokja like that.
"They would be better if they were real insects, those look stupid," Lee Gilyoung muttered with his arms crossed over his chest. "Hyung, you need to bring me next time and I can make them do what I want so they don't attack you."
The answer was all of the above, apparently.
[a constellation who likes grasshoppers is agreeing with the incarnation 'lee gilyoung'.]
"Yeah, that is weird," Han Sooyoung said with a frown before looking at Lee Seolhwa. "And also, you're acting off."
Kim Dokja's eyes widened as a sudden thought came to him. "You're right, Seolhwa-ssi is acting weird."
Yoo Joonghyuk stared intently at the screen, and Kim Dokja belatedly realized that he had been doing that for a while now. It made sense—he knew her the best out of anyone here, and he had probably realized that fact long before he or Han Sooyoung did.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is paying attention to the actions of the incarnation 'lee seolhwa'.]
[Name: Lee Seolhwa
Age: 26
Constellation Sponsor: Divine Doctor Guam
Personal Attributes: Skilled Physician (Rare), Poison Expert (Rare)
Exclusive Skills: Weapon Mastery lvl. 7, Femme Fatale lvl. 4, Deadly Poison Administration lvl. 5, Novel Poison Preparation lvl. 4, Detoxification lvl. 5…
Stigma: Deadly Poison Claw lvl. 4, Thousand-Spirit Poison lvl. 4, Crossroads of Life and Death lvl. 3
Overall Stats: Stamina lvl. 44 (+10), Strength lvl. 42 (+10), Agility lvl. 44 (+10), Mana lvl 35 (+10)
Overall Evaluation: A complete evaluation is currently in progress
*Currently, this character has been infected by a 'Parasite'.
*A 'Parasite' has this character's body under its control
*Some of the abilities of 'Parasite Antinus' will be transferred to this character.]
Dokja focuses on the additional lines in surprise and in anger.
Damn it. Don't tell me it's exactly as I feared…!
"Whoa, those are some cool skills," Jung Heewon exclaimed, and Lee Seolhwa smiled gratefully in return.
Kim Dokja had to agree. Not only was Lee Seolhwa the only person capable of making the
Kim Dokja had written his comment that day through a curtain of tears.
Still, it would be a massive advantage if Lee Seolhwa decided to join them officially, and Kim Dokja could only hope that she would.
[several constellations are concerned by the status effect of the incarnation 'lee seolhwa'.]
Parasite Antinus?
"A parasite?" Lee Gilyoung wondered with a frown. "Noona, if you're a doctor, then can't you just get rid of it with medicine stuff?"
Kim Dokja wanted to facepalm in second-hand embarrassment. Antinus wasn't that kind of parasite!
"Gilyoung-ah, the parasites are another race from Chronos," Kim Dokja explained as quickly as he could. "She's been possessed by the guide."
"Oh," Lee Gilyoung said quietly. "Sorry, noona."
Lee Seolhwa handled that whole situation with a surprising amount of grace, waving away his worry with a gentle smile. "It's alright; the situation is definitely something concerning."
She was still paler than usual, though, and Kim Dokja couldn't blame her for that. After having experienced a constellation possession gone wrong, he couldn't imagine that this situation felt much better.
Lee Jihye glanced over at Lee Gilyoung for a moment. "Hey, ahjussi? Are the parasites sorta like bugs though? Couldn't Gilyoung use his power on it and get the bug out of her real quick?"
That… Kim Dokja honestly didn't know. He couldn't be certain if [Interspecies Communication] would work on them, but maybe it would be worth testing in the future.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is hoping to see a cool fight.]
Words appear as Dokja's attribute enhances his memory of the novel, recalling all he can about the inhabitants of Chronos. Dokja speaks to 'Seolhwa' about the Fifth Scenario, casually bringing up the topic of the day Chronos was destroyed. As he speaks, an image of 5 figures—including Lycaon—appears as he talks about the heroes who were chosen to come and help here on Earth.
As 'Seolhwa' is shocked about his knowledge, Dokja addresses her again. "Queen of the Parasite Race, 'Antinus'. You are not 'Lee Seolhwa'. What you want to do isn't 'Guiding' at all."
Black hexagonal spots appear in the whites of Seolhwa's eyes as Antinus morphs the woman's body to more closely resemble her original insectoid form as she glares at Dokja. Like this, her face looks horrific and alien, complete with bared and sharpened teeth. Dokja inquires as to why she infected people and why she's trying to awaken the Disaster that destroyed her homeworld.
"Yup, definitely possessed," Kim Dokja remarked with a grimace. "I'm really sorry about this, Seolhwa-ssi."
She shook her head. "It's alright. This is an incredibly difficult situation to be in."
As she spoke, she never once looked over in Yoo Joonghyuk's direction. It killed him inside that he had to watch everything crumble like this, but Kim Dokja knew that it was what she wanted. It didn't matter what the reader wanted if the characters refused, after all.
[many constellations are alarmed by the actions of the guide 'antinus'.]
When her face began morphing, Kim Dokja instinctively clutched the kids closer as they cringed and looked incredibly bothered. It was definitely unnerving at best, and a degree of body horror at worst.
Yoo Sangah reached out with a comforting hand, and Lee Seolhwa took it. It was relieving that they had someone like Yoo Sangah on the team, because her ability to help people feel better was second to none at times like these.
"That disaster is the one that destroyed Chronos?" Lee Hyunsung yelped anxiously, looking incredibly pale. "Why would the guide want to wake it up instead of keeping it asleep for as long as possible?"
Kim Dokja wasn't entirely sure, but he had a really bad feeling that it had to do with revenge. He hated to steal Han Sooyoung's lines, but that was a common cliché for a reason.
As he speaks, Antinus leaps at Dokja with her claws poised to attack. Dokja blocks with his sword before grabbing her robe and throwing her to the side as he demands to know why she's trying to destroy this world.
"This goes against your mission. It's not yet too late, so get out of her body right now. Fulfill your mission as a 'Guide' properly, Antinus!" Dokja walks up and points his sword at the fallen woman's neck.
In the original novel, the Poison Beauty became one of the 'Ten Evils' only after the parasite infection. If her infection can just be taken care of, I can put an end to this without having to kill her.
"Be careful, ahjussi," Shin Yoosung pleaded nervously as they began to fight.
Kim Dokja would definitely try his best, and thankfully he knew that he didn't have to worry about the poison for the most part. Still, a guide was much stronger than a regular incarnation, and he knew he wouldn't be able to hold out against Antinus for long.
If he was Yoo Joonghyuk then maybe he would be capable of that, but unfortunately, he was just Kim Dokja.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' disapproves of the actions of the guide 'antinus'.]
"Wait, Seolhwa-ssi was one of the Ten Evils?" Yoo Sangah asked, surprised. To be fair, even though the protagonist had mentioned that earlier, Kim Dokja hadn't expected anyone to remember or connect those dots.
Lee Seolhwa looked uncomfortable with that revelation, and Kim Dokja internally felt bad for her. He knew from way too much experience (thanks to this damn scenario and from before) that having everything about you hung out in the open for anyone to see was extremely invasive and violating.
"She wasn't always, just when she got infected," Kim Dokja muttered. "In others, she was a trustworthy ally. I hope we can make sure that's the case this time too."
Thankfully, the woman seemed a bit relieved after hearing those words, and she sent him a small smile.
Even if she wasn't interested in the protagonist right now—or ever—Kim Dokja knew that he would need her unique talents in the future. Lee Seolhwa was the only person who had ever managed to talk Yoo Joonghyuk down from a rampage before in the novel, and he had always tried to avoid hurting her if he could. Even in the rounds where they weren't lovers, he still cared about her and he was more protective of her than the average person.
Kim Dokja had realized something by the time that TWSA had reached the 100th regression—in his opinion, Lee Seolhwa was the key to the protagonist's sanity. Without her, it just kept getting worse, and if he wanted to make sure that Yoo Joonghyuk made it to the end of the story this time, then she would be a crucial piece on the board.
Suddenly, Dokja gets a notification from his conversation with the protagonist.
[Midday Tryst
Joonghyuk: Kill her.]
Dokja's eyes widen in surprise before the scene changes to show Joonghyuk watching from a nearby roof, supported by one of Sooyoung's avatars. He's expressionless as he continues to message Dokja, and it's clear that he's shut off all of his emotions to act as objectively as possible.
[Midday Tryst
Joonghyuk: The survival of the world is more important than her life.]
"Master!?" Lee Jihye exclaimed, turning around to stare at Yoo Joonghyuk with wide and terrified eyes. "Why are you saying something like that!? Ahjussi just has to cure the parasite and everything will be okay, so—"
"Joonghyuk-ssi is right," Lee Seolhwa said coldly. "My life is not worth the destruction of the world."
Kim Dokja felt panic begin to rise up in his chest. How could she just say such a thing!? She had no idea how crucial she really was to their success, and she had no idea just how badly things could go without her.
"But—" Kim Dokja began, intent on protesting, but he was cut off.
"Dokja-ssi, I understand that you don't like this idea, but please understand that I don't want to be the reason that Seoul or the world is destroyed. Right now, we can't be sure that you have a way to cure me, and I'm a danger to all of you," Lee Seolhwa told him firmly. "Kill me."
[many constellations are shocked by the conviction of the incarnation 'lee seolhwa'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is touched by the good intentions of the incarnation 'lee seolhwa'.]
He knew that, he knew it, but—
Yoo Joonghyuk leveled his gaze at Kim Dokja and it was painfully blank. He couldn't figure out what the protagonist was thinking at all, but Kim Dokja had the feeling that he was suffering on the inside.
"Kim Dokja, you of all people know that sacrifices have to be made for the greater good."
She scoffed from behind them, and Yoo Joonghyuk immediately turned to glare at her as Kim Dokja stiffened.
"Dokja-yah, you know that this man would sacrifice others in a heartbeat, including you."
Kim Dokja gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He was well aware of that, he had even told her that fact himself all those years ago, but Kim Dokja didn't care—his life had belonged to Yoo Joonghyuk for over a decade, and if he could offer it to the protagonist as the key to progressing further in the scenarios, then Kim Dokja wouldn't even hesitate.
"Don't speak of things you don't understand," Yoo Joonghyuk hissed, his hand coming back to rest on his sword again.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is feeling hostility towards the 'king of wanderers'.]
When Joonghyuk tells him to act rationally, Dokja tries to confirm if Joonghyuk is really ok with this. Dokja notices that Joonghyuk is only acting composed, even as he claims that he doesn't care.
But if Lee Seolhwa dies here, Yoo Joonghyuk will collapse someday.
An image appears on the screen of Seolhwa standing serenely with her eyes closed before a sea of white lilies. Slowly, blood splatters across them until it fully turns the screen crimson. With the sound of a ticking clock, turning cogs and gears emerge from the background, like they're rising out of a sea of blood as it drips off them past an upside down image of Joonghyuk. He's looking away, and his expression is blank and hidden, closed off just like his heart.
The deaths of the people around him will continue to stack up, gnawing at his memories, and wearing out his spirit.
Kim Dokja internally begged for the tension to dissipate as the staring contest continued, but thankfully she huffed and turned away enough for Yoo Joonghyuk to tensely look back at the screen. Despite that, though, Kim Dokja had no doubts that he could attack in less than a second if provoked.
"Unnie…" Lee Jihye muttered sadly as she looked at Lee Seolhwa's image on the screen. "I'm sure ahjussi has a plan so you don't have to die!"
Kim Dokja had an idea of what might work, and he really hoped it would since it was born entirely out of his own theorizing while reading the novel. Yoo Joonghyuk had never figured out how to cure her in TWSA, and had been forced to kill her whenever she was possessed. Kim Dokja would try his best to save her, but despite what he hoped, Lee Seolhwa seemed to have reached the point of acceptance about her own fate.
"It's alright. I'm sure that Joonghyuk-ssi will manage without me, if it comes down to it. He has other people to rely on in this lifetime, after all."
But that was the thing—Kim Dokja didn't want that to be the case. She had always been the one that Yoo Joonghyuk had trusted the most, and Kim Dokja couldn't fathom anyone else ever taking that place in his life. Kim Dokja wanted to make sure that the protagonist made it to the end with everyone. He deserved a happy ending, and so did all the companions who he had to watch die over and over throughout his long and tortuous life.
"I won't let that happen," Kim Dokja said firmly. "I'm sure I'll be able to save you."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is hoping that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will succeed.]
Lost in his thoughts, Dokja hesitates for a moment too long. This gives Antinues a chance to strike back, wounding Dokja with the [Thousand-Spirit Poison]. When Joonghyuk messages immediately after, asking if he has a way to fight against the poison, Dokja states that there is a cure for it.
Dokja asks if Antinus knows Seolhwa's sponsor before answering his own question, without even giving her a chance to respond, as he says that she would have never chosen Seolhwa if she knew. While saying this, Dokja pulls out an old book, which causes the 'Divine Doctor Guam' to pay attention to him. The cover reveals it to be the
"Ahjussi!" Shin Yoosung yelled in horror as he got poisoned, and Kim Dokja winced. Everyone looked extremely panicked, and Lee Seolhwa looked far more guilty than she had any right to. It wasn't her doing this, even if it was her body, so Kim Dokja couldn't understand why she looked so horrified.
Kim Dokja took a deep breath and glanced over at Yoo Sangah with a raised brow. "I'll be fine. Remember those pages I was collecting during the fourth scenario?"
She nodded, even though she looked confused. "I do, but what do those have to do with this situation?"
Kim Dokja allowed a smirk to pass onto his face as he gestured to the screen just in time for his future self to pull out the book.
"It has everything to do with it—that, everyone, is what will make sure I don't die in the process."
[the constellation 'Divine doctor guam' is extremely surprised by the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' approves of this clever plan.]