Everyone watched eagerly as the next big event began, even as Kim Dokja continued dismissing any extra indirect messages. Internally, he clicked his tongue, knowing that he wouldn't be able to rely on the scam his future self was planning after getting out of this scenario since all the constellations would know the trick.
Really, it sucked. All his brilliant planning, and it would be revealed like it was something mundane. Such a waste…
[many constellations are urging the hidden scenario to hurry up.]
Stars twinkle brightly in the night sky as a window appears, announcing the second
"...Ahjussi," Yoosung says breathlessly, "you're like a Christmas tree."
Gathered around Dokja is an astronomical number of stars, practically giving him a spotlight and drawing the attention of all the nearby incarnations.
The number of stars above my head are the number of constellations who want me as an incarnation for the second
Dokja messages Bihyung, asking if he followed Dokja's instructions. The dokkaebi says that he did, but that he's still worried about it before he complains about Dokja making the promise in the first place. As he wishes Dokja good luck, an image of Bihyung's channel profile—complete with a headshot of the smiling dokkaebi as the profile picture—shows a subscriber count of 9,781.
"That's beautiful," Lee Seolhwa breathed, looking at the screen in awe. Kim Dokja had to admit that she was right—the falling stars were something beautiful in this hell. Unlike the last time with the meteorites, these weren't harbingers of calamity, so he allowed himself to enjoy the sight.
[many constellations are excited for the event to begin.]
When Shin Yoosung remarked that he looked like a Christmas tree, though, Kim Dokja frowned in confusion. What was that supposed to mean?
Then, the scene changed and he had to fight to keep his jaw from dropping. The sheer number of stars gathered around him was unforeseen, and honestly… that was more than he expected. Well, maybe he shouldn't be so surprised—he had goaded them into believing that they actually stood a chance at being chosen as his sponsor.
Begrudgingly, he had to admit that Shin Yoosung did have a point with that Christmas tree comment.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
"Ooh, cutting it close ahjussi," Lee Jihye teased, glancing over at him with a wink. Well, the number was much higher than it had been before. Kim Dokja felt somewhat proud of Bihyung for that; his channel was really growing quickly, and that meant more donations and coins for him.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is waving his stick in anticipation.]
Dokja looks at his list, feeling a little guilty about having to reject the three constellations who have supported him since the beginning—'Secretive Plotter', 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband', and 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon'—once again. However, he also wonders why the dragon showed up in his list again instead of Sooyoung's.
As for the others, there were plenty of constellations from the Korean peninsula including 'King Heungmu the Great' and 'Goreyo's Top Swordsman'. Scrolling further down, he also notices that Dionysus has joined his list, and the fact that he can't remember all the modifiers in the entirety of TWSA, so there are a few constellations he can't recognize.
Kim Dokja winced. Ah, shit. Did he really have to voice that he didn't intend to pick them so early?
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' declares that he will not give up.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is carefully watching for the final decision made by the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is confused.]
Yeah, Kim Dokja was confused too, and judging by her extremely irritated expression, Han Sooyoung was not very happy to see the dragon there.
"I thought you wanted me," she grumbled, shooting a glare at Kim Dokja. Hey, it's not like he wanted that chuuni as a sponsor in the first place! Blame the dumb dragon for trying for Kim Dokja again, dammit. Maybe he was just trying to put his name in the hat for a few incarnations, just in case? Weird decision, but whatever.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is raising a glass to the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Even Dionysus? Wow. Still, even if he was planning on choosing a sponsor, it wouldn't be anyone affiliated with Olympus.
"There are so many names!" Shin Yoosung exclaimed, looking captivated by the sheer number of sponsor hopefuls watching Kim Dokja. Honestly, it was baffling to him too, but this meant that it would work out better than expected.
Suddenly, a name catches his eye, and he stares at it for a moment before looking absolutely shocked. Instantly, he leans in to double check once more. 'Scribe of Heaven'…..?!'
He is one of the most powerful constellations among those on the side of Absolute Good, and outranks all the other angels, including Uriel in terms of authority. The self-proclaimed second-in-command of Heaven…
An image appears on the screen of an ethereal looking man with pure white wings emerging from his back. Behind him appears to be a golden stained-glass background depicting a sunrise, with the sun itself forming a halo around his head. His long platinum hair drapes down his back and over his upper wings, and his eyes are closed behind a pair of chained glasses that attach to his pristine robes. In his hands are a long scroll and a delicate plumed pen.
'Archangel Metatron…! Even this guy came?! Damn, just what kind of guys have their eyes on me?' Dokja thinks as he looks up towards the timer above, and for once, he looks genuinely intimidated.
Wait… that couldn't be…
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is gasping in shock.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is flabbergasted.]
Metatron!? What the fuck!?
Yoo Mia's eyes went wide as she gaped at the elegant figure shown on the screen. "Whoa…"
"Is that guy Uriel's boss or something?" Jung Heewon asked in shock, unable to hide her sheer disbelief. Honestly, Kim Dokja was in exactly the same boat.
He couldn't remember a single incarnation ever getting 'Scribe of Heaven' as their sponsor in TWSA, so his appearance here… it was honestly terrifying. Maybe he had attracted too much attention with his stunts…
Well, it's not like this hidden scenario wasn't attracting any more. Hell, some even more fearsome constellations were absolutely lurking in the dark. Zeus had already appeared once, and where Persephone was, Hades was sure to be close behind. Two out of Olympus' three Myth-grades had their eyes on this scenario, and Kim Dokja had to force himself to put that out of his mind before he could start spiralling and overthinking everything.
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is looking at the incarnation 'kim dokja' with a pleased smile.]
At the three minute mark, he quickly asks Bihyung how many subscribers there are now, and the dokkaebi says that there are 9,816. When the intermediate dokkaebi announces the remaining time out loud, the constellations of the Korean Peninsula start showering Dokja with coins to draw his attention. This relieves Dokja, as he can see that the battle has ignited for sponsorship.
Promising to keep my word only after going over 10,000 subscribers wasn't just to escape the situation.
The more powerful constellations start chiming in with their donations, including 'Scribe of Heaven' who drops 30,000 coins, drawing the ire of 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' since the Great Sage's own donation had only been 5,000 coins.
Dokja smiles at the amount of coins coming in, once again proving that he is absolutely a capitalist scammer. At the two minute mark, Dokja asks the number from Bihyung once more.
[9,973….76, 77…] the dokkaebi dutifully counts as the scene flips back and forth from the timer, to the subscriber count. At five seconds left, the dokkaebi delivers his final count. [9,999…]
The number of subscribers kept climbing, and the level of tension in the room rose along with it. On the plus side, the constellations were equally nervous.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is narrowing his eyes.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is biting his fingernails anxiously.]
"A battle for sponsorship?" Lee Hyunsung wondered in confusion.
Kim Dokja nodded. "They're trying to tempt me into picking them by sponsoring me."
"Ah, I see," Yoo Sangah said like she had just had a revelation, "it's like an auction, and they're hoping that Dokja-ssi will pick the highest bidder."
… was he the item to be won, in that case? Still, he wouldn't be tempted that easi—
[many constellations are baffled.]
"Thirty fucking thousand!?" Han Sooyoung screeched, turning to look at Kim Dokja with a crazed look in her eyes. "What the actual flying fuck!? This is not fair, goddammit! Why in fucking hell does that asshole get showered with coins for fucking breathing while the rest of us are scrounging for coins by killing shitty monsters!?"
Was it just him, or did she start getting more creative when she was pissed off?
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is smiling serenely.]
Still, holy shit.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is snarling at the constellation 'scribe of heaven'.]
Lee Gilyoung stared up at the screen in shock as the donations kept rolling in as quickly as the subscribers kept joining the channel. They were getting so close, and Kim Dokja tried not to let his anxiety—or his glee—show.
They were cutting it really close. While he'd have preferred that they didn't hit 9,999—for more plausible deniability, of course—the constellations were very eager. He should have expected this.
Tensely, Dokja watches as the timer finally ticks to 0:00. After a moment of silence, the screen still only shows 9,999 subscribers—just one short of the promised number. Dokja's group members look at him curiously, and Bihyung tries to hide his own nerves.
"Ah~ too bad," Dokja says in a light tone, a scammer smile which shows absolutely no remorse plastered on his face. "Just when I was going to choose someone once we hit 10,000…"
Naturally, the outraged constellations want to know who he would have chosen, but Bihyung—acting like an idol's manager—states that the information cannot be revealed for privacy reasons. Thunder rumbles and probability crackles as the constellations riot, causing Bihyung to try to placate them with an intriguing suggestion: [As an apology, let's have a compensation event.]
Everything goes silent, giving Bihyung a chance to insult Dokja on behalf of the constellations, and the dokkaebi reassures them that he will be severely punished for once again refusing to pick a sponsor. With probably the worst acting possible, Dokja lets out an 'Ohh nooo' as he gasps and brings a hand up to his face.
"You're lucky, Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk said, looking at him with a softer expression than usual. Well, as much as he'd love to chalk it up to luck, it was more careful planning than anything else.
[several constellations are dismayed by the results.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is sighing and shaking his head.]
"Wow, way to rub the salt in the wound," Jung Heewon laughed when Kim Dokja let loose his inner scammer.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is growling.]
Wow, Bihyung was actually being helpful and deflecting? That was more than Kim Dokja expected, if he was being honest, but it wasn't unwelcome. The constellations were definitely pissed off though—and thankfully the ones here were less invested financially, so they were significantly less angry.
"Hyung, what does he mean by a compensation event?" Lee Gilyoung wondered with a confused frown on his face.
Ah, yes. The compensation event. While he couldn't be certain about what exactly that would entail, he understood the theory behind it—better to distract them with something else that was new and shiny so that they would forget about what was making them angry in the first place.
Kim Dokja laughed awkwardly. "I think I'm probably going to have to start running soon."
Lee Jihye shot him an extremely confused look, and Kim Dokja looked away as though it would save him from the responsibility of having to explain anything.
[constellations who like the theatre are unimpressed by the acting of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Ahjussi, never do that again," Yoo Mia drawled with a grimace. "Your acting sucks."
Well, Kim Dokja had never claimed to be good at it, now had he?
Yoosung asks why he didn't choose a sponsor, and Dokja states that he just didn't feel like it, but mentally admits that the appearance of Metatron caused him to waver. He then instructs Sangah to take the children (and Donghoon) with her and hide as he assures her that he has a plan. With a serious tone, he tells them not to come out without his signal.
A large red arrow with a skull on it appears above Dokja's head as a bounty scenario activates, designating him as the target. With a time limit of 20 minutes and a base reward of 40,000 coins—with the chance of more depending on how gruesome Dokja's demise is—many incarnations nearby react in shock.
As Sangah leads the kids away, Yoosung looks back in worry, only for Dokja to smile and wave at her in a carefree manner. He then turns and prepares to draw his sword when the group of incarnations frantically call out for others to help in stopping him, freaking out over the reward amount.
Shit, yeah, Metatron would cause anyone to waver. He couldn't blame himself for that at all—but you know who could blame him for it?
[the constellation 'king heungmu the great' is intensely displeased with the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Give it a rest, you were never even an option in the first place.
"Dokja-ssi…" Yoo Sangah muttered, looking concerned. "I don't have a very good feeling about this…"
"I'll be fine, and I'm sure you'll be able to keep the kids safe," Kim Dokja reassured her, relieved that he was making sure the kids were kept out of this mess. He didn't quite know what Bihyung had planned, but there was no doubt that it would get chaotic quickly.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is watching the current events in amusement.]
The bounty scenario appeared, and Yoo Joonghyuk's expression soured immediately. "Kim Dokja…"
Ah, he was pissed.
"Joonghyuk-ah, I'm sure I planned for this…"
"You fool," the protagonist spat out, "do you have no self-preservation?"
On the contrary, Kim Dokja wouldn't pull something quite this risky unless he knew he'd be fine.
Laughing awkwardly, Kim Dokja glanced around at the others, only to see them all looking at him with varying degrees of disappointment. Jung Heewon looked particularly ticked off, and he flinched under her intense stare, even as Lee Hyunsung looked at him with sympathy. However, there was one person who looked more amused than anything else.
"Damn… Hey idiot, you think your karma points are all filled up?" Han Sooyoung asked, raising a sly brow at him. While he couldn't be certain, there was a good chance of it, considering all the people he saved during the fight against the Disaster of Questions.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is curious about the idea of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
"Why do you want to know…?" Kim Dokja asked cautiously, not liking the way her grin widened at that.
"If this happens again later, I call dibs. You die, the constellations are entertained, you resurrect or whatever, I get coins, profit," Han Sooyoung listed off, sounding far too thrilled about the whole idea.
Kim Dokja looked pensive for a moment. Well… if she split the coins with him 50-50…
"No," Yoo Joonghyuk declared firmly and darkly.
Or Yoo Joonghyuk could veto it. That could also happen.
Ah, was this about the protagonist's declaration that he would kill Kim Dokja himself? Of course it was—Kim Dokja should have figured that the man would be pissed off because of Han Sooyoung's joke.
While the constellations are already delighted with just this, Bihyung pipes in that they can place extra penalties on Dokja by sponsoring coins to him. An egotistical constellation immediately jumps on that opportunity, giving him a 'Speed Penalty'.
This causes Dokja to pause, suddenly moving slower than before, and deliver a shallow slice across the chest of a man attempting to cut him down. Dokja then runs again in what is more of a leisurely jog as an 'Attack Penalty' is added, which thankfully means he doesn't have to be as careful with his strength in order to avoid killing people anymore.
[Bihyung, what are you playing at?] another dokkaebi calls out in annoyance. Bihyung states that this is just the appetizer before the main course, looking down on them.
Actually, Bihyung's subscription number not going past 9,999 in the end was because of a loophole—in other words, it was rigged. From the very start, Bihyung's channel was made to never fit more than 9,999 subscribers.
"Dokja-ssi, you're really taking penalties? Isn't that dangerous?" Lee Seolhwa wondered in a worried tone as they watched him drastically slow down.
Well, that wasn't ideal, but it was a way for them to milk the situation for even more coins. Honestly, that was a smart idea.
Kim Dokja shrugged. "Guess so."
[several constellations are cheering for the demise of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[constellations who like chase scenes are thrilled.]
And his stupid narration just had to give away the scam. Goddammit.
Flinching under the sudden barrage of angry indirect messages, Kim Dokja dismissed as many as he could. He really couldn't give a shit about what most constellations thought, and the rest of the group was either completely dumbfounded, or they were laughing so hard that he was honestly worried for them.
Well, if Han Sooyoung choked on her candy and died because of laughing too much, that would not be his fault.
Yoo Joonghyuk, however, just had an expression that perfectly mixed irritation with exhaustion. It looked kind of ridiculous, but he still looked handsome anyway. Goddamn protagonist genes…
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is applauding the incarnation 'kim dokja' for a well-planned scheme.]
At least he had one constellation on his side in all this.
Bihyung worriedly messages Dokja, stating they'll be charged for breaking the rule of plausibility if they get caught. As arrows fly past him, Dokja replies that this is why they're doing this bounty event as a distraction. Bihyung is surprised that it's working, but Dokja knew all along that it would because this was something that was often done at Minosoft to distract players when there was a problem.
As Dokja runs towards the river, a 'Defense Penalty' is added. Many incarnations yell gleefully as they think that they've finally cornered him. However, Dokja just jumps into the water without a second thought. People wonder if he's crazy as the ichthyosaurs all begin to target him. With a look of determination on his face, Dokja pulls out [Bookmark] and prepares for the next phase of his plan.
Yoo Sangah looked flustered when their old workplace was brought up, looking away awkwardly. Was she ashamed because of scummy business practices that had nothing to do with her? Honestly, Kim Dokja wouldn't be surprised if that were the case.
Well, did it really matter much when it worked?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is concerned for the safety of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
He was heading for the river…? That was dangerous because of the ichthyosaurs, so… wait a minute. The ichthyosaurs?
Suddenly, a thought crossed Kim Dokja's mind and he glanced down at Shin Yoosung, wondering if he could really be about to do what he was thinking of.
"Ahjussi?" Shin Yoosung asked, noticing his gaze on her.
Kim Dokja ruffled her hair. "I think you're about to help me out a bit, Yoosung-ah."
The girl beamed, and Kim Dokja felt far more confident about this whole mess than he had a few moments ago. Everything would turn out just fine—for this part, at least.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is unable to sit still.]