"Joonghyuk-ah, it's not that serious, right?" Kim Dokja asked, his voice a bit higher pitched than he'd like, feeling his cheeks blazing with heat. Just what was the protagonist doing!? It absolutely did not help that Han Sooyoung and Jung Heewon were doing awful jobs at hiding their snickering, either.
Yoo Joonghyuk just scoffed and crossed his arms, somehow ignoring Lee Jihye nearly screeching at a pitch that would only be heard by dogs. "Kim Dokja, if you keep fighting like a fool, then you're going to end up hurting yourself."
Well he had enough stats that he should be fine, but… Yoo Joonghyuk just looked so disappointed that Kim Dokja felt like he should be squirming under the weight of his stare. Goddammit, how did he do this with a single look?
[constellations who like martial arts nod in agreement with the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
'I'm going to beat that damn dokkaebi within an inch of his life,' Dokja's thoughts say, revealing what he was thinking the moment he laid his hands on 41st Yoosung's shoulder before she disappeared.
Suddenly, Paul chokes as Dokja's leg slams into his torso in a powerful kick, abruptly cutting off the flashback. With every hit, 500 coins are deducted, but Dokja shows no sign of stopping.
Paul pleads pathetically for Dokja to stop as he sputters out his words due to the blood and loose teeth in his mouth. Dokja pauses, causing the dokkaebi to look up with hope in his eyes, which is immediately dashed by Dokja's next words. "Did you stop?"
Paul looks up at Dokja in confusion as he continues, "When Yoosung asked you to stop, did you?"
Paul looks down before staring at the sky in resentment and yelling out that it won't change anything—she's dead. Dokja goes on to say that she would have done this, and that any of his companions would beat him up as well. Below them, Yoosung barely holds in her tears while Jihye and Gilyoung egg Dokja on.
Shin Yoosung trembled a bit, but she buried her face into the robe. "Ahjussi, thank you for promising something like that."
Ah, so that's what he had said to her. It was a good promise, and he'd have no qualms carrying that out. To comfort her, Kim Dokja patted Shin Yoosung's head affectionately, and she leaned into the touch.
[several constellations are touched by the declaration of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Yes!" Lee Gilyoung cheered upon seeing the dokkaebi get kicked clear across the meeting space. Kim Dokja found himself smiling, already getting caught up in the moment.
Somehow, this was different than when he had beaten up Song Minwoo. He didn't see himself as a terrible person for doing this, but rather the opposite—maybe it was because he was doing this to stand up for someone other than himself. Maybe it was just because the dokkaebis were unconditionally evil and universally hated, and maybe it was because they were not and had never been human.
Lee Jihye, however, winced as she glanced over at Yoo Joonghyuk. "Oh ahjussi, you really do need Master's help."
Huh? He had thought that was a pretty good hit, though…?
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is sighing and shaking his head.]
Yoo Joonghyuk frowned. "This is exactly what I meant earlier, you fool. When kicking, you don't want to kick from the hip. The momentum should come from the snapping motion of your calf."
Uh…
"Also, commit to a kick. I can't tell if that's supposed to be a front kick or a roundhouse," Yoo Joonghyuk scolded. "Your foot is turned too far to the side and the impact zone is wrong for a front kick, but your stance is completely incorrect for a roundhouse."
Han Sooyoung snickered behind her hand, looking entirely too amused by this situation. Even Jung Heewon was betraying him by the laughs she was struggling to hold back, and Lee Hyunsung was nodding along with Yoo Joonghyuk's words.
Kim Dokja's face was paling more with every new critique that came from Yoo Joonghyuk's mouth. Was it really that serious?
"Joonghyuk-ah, really, I—" he began, desperately trying to get the protagonist to stop, but he was cut off by a sharp glare.
"Stop being foolish, Kim Dokja. These are only the basics so you don't pull a muscle and incapacitate yourself," he said firmly. Then, his lips curved into the slightest smirk. "And, if I can't beat up the dokkaebi myself, then I will ensure that you do a passable job."
Passable. Not even good.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' insists that proper technique is important.]
Okay, okay, fine. Kim Dokja sighed in defeat.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is hoping that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' will give the incarnation 'kim dokja' a personal demonstration.]
He had no doubt that the protagonist would demonstrate the correct technique exactly once and then spend the rest of the training session staring at him in disapproval while correcting each mistake, one at a time. With any luck, he wouldn't take a 'personal demonstration' as a free excuse to kick Kim Dokja so he could experience them for himself because that would fucking hurt.
At the very least, his future self was speaking the truth that literally everyone else would gladly join in on the beating if they had the option to do so.
With another hit, the dokkaebi flies further away, spitting out blood, and he tells Dokja that this won't earn him any coins. Dokja walks forward and looks down upon the one who had spent so long relishing in his power, telling him that he's doing this because he has nothing to gain from it. This greatly confuses Paul, who can't understand that reasoning whatsoever.
On autopilot, Dokja goes back to wailing on Paul, and the only sounds left are the cracking of bones and the splattering of blood, offset by the dings of the coin deductions.
Ultimately, all you dokkaebis can only think about gains and losses.
"Humans are creatures who find meaning in life by doing something like this," Dokja informs him, and that earns him 500 coins from 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband'—the constellation is offering him a free hit. Dokja side-eyes the message and tells the constellation that he isn't putting on a show this time and returns the coins, to the Great Sage's embarrassment. This action also intrigues the 'Secretive Plotter'.
"Oh yeah, while getting coins would be awesome, the satisfaction of beating him to a pulp is so much better," Han Sooyoung said, looking pleased with herself and grinning. "Still, if it were me, I'd have free-for-all coin donations! I'm sure there are a few constellations who would want to punch that guy, even if it's by proxy."
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing at the idea of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is cheering excitedly.]
That was all well and good, but that wasn't why he was doing this. Kim Dokja already knew that he didn't want any kind of coin donations, even if that seemed out of character for him.
"Speak for yourself," Kim Dokja said with a shrug. "I'm not doing this for the money."
Despite his opportunistic nature, there was a time and a place for it, even if Han Sooyoung didn't have the same scruples. She just shrugged and muttered about missed opportunities.
"As cruel as this is, he deserves it," Yoo Sangah muttered, looking slightly bothered by the blood, even if she was happy to see Paul getting punished for his actions.
Jung Heewon nodded, but she looked surprised when Kim Dokja returned Sun Wukong's donation. "That's why you returned it?"
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is shocked.]
"Yeah," Kim Dokja confirmed. "I'm doing this entirely for my own satisfaction. I couldn't give a shit whether the constellations were watching or not."
"Good," Yoo Joonghyuk muttered as he stared intently at the screen. "This isn't for them."
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is smiling in approval.]
After another round of beating the dokkaebi until he could only groan, Dokja picks up Paul by his neck, uncaring that the dokkaebi is stuttering as he begs for a 'mere incarnation' to spare him. Dokja orders Paul to answer all his questions truthfully if the dokkaebi wants to get out in one piece.
"Exactly where is Shin Yoosung's soul?"
The sphere in the sky that acted as the stage for Dokja's revenge slowly dissipates as the one-on-one concludes, and the enforcers get a good look at the aftermath of the dokkaebi's beatdown. They laugh and mock Paul about how he's been roughed up even before facing discipline—Paul's face is smashed in and bloody, both eyes are so swollen that he can barely see out of them, and many of his teeth are missing.
"It looks like you've done a number on him," Lee Seolhwa observed, raising a brow. Yeah, it was pretty clear that Paul would be covered in bruises under his fur in a short while, and Kim Dokja didn't regret that at all. He had ruined all those plans in one fell swoop, and he had caused 41st Shin Yoosung to die pitifully.
[many constellations are curious.]
Kim Dokja clenched his jaw. Finding her soul would be difficult, but if he could, then maybe he could save her from being used like this again.
"You'd better find her if you can, ahjussi," Yoo Mia said firmly, staring at Kim Dokja all the while.
He would certainly do his best.
"Hell yeah! He looks so beat up!" Lee Jihye cheered before turning to Kim Dokja and giving him a thumbs-up. "Good job, ahjussi. Your skills might suck but at least you hurt him real bad."
Kim Dokja was going to choose to ignore the part of that statement that was an insult.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is roaring with laughter.]
[many constellations are mocking the dokkaebi 'paul'.]
After 20 minutes of beating up a dokkaebi without breaking a sweat, Dokja lands back on the ground and gives Yoosung a head pat while making sure that Bihyung returns all the donations, since he doesn't want them. When the dokkaebi confirms that he did, he also worries that Dokja spent too much. Dokja simply tells him that he still has more. After all, Dokja only hit Paul 124 times, so he has almost 144,000 coins left.
Dokja's gaze moves from Bihyung to the enforcers who have created another portal to leave through.
Just as I thought, the dokkaebi were handed over custody of the 'Beast Lord Shin Yoosung' from a demon, and the roots of that handover process can be traced back to the demon's power.
"I-I don't know anything. B-Because you borrowed the power of the archangels, our contract was terminated…" the dokkaebi barely gritted out as Dokja got his answer. Paul tried to grin and let out a laugh, telling Dokja that her wretched soul will return to the labyrinth and that he'll never get her back.
"You 'only' hit him 124 times," Han Sooyoung deadpanned, shooting Kim Dokja an exhausted look. "Damn, why didn't you go for 125? Didn't want to ruin your nice coin total?"
Kim Dokja shrugged. "Maybe I just ran out of time?"
"Ahjumma is right, you should have hit him one more time," Lee Gilyoung said begrudgingly. It looked as though he hated to agree with Han Sooyoung, but he really wanted to see even just one more punch.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is happy to see righteous punishment.]
Ah, so it was the Demon of the Horizon… that wasn't going to be easy. Still, the contract was terminated, and that was potentially both better and worse at the same time.
Shin Yoosung flinched. "Ahjussi, he means the same labyrinth where she was stuck for a long time, right?"
"That's right," Kim Dokja confirmed quietly, looking saddened when the girl wilted.
Lee Hyunsung was almost in tears as he looked at the screen. "The poor girl."
"Wait, did I use Uriel's power to basically burn the contract too?" Jung Heewon asked in shock, pointing to herself awkwardly.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is smiling sheepishly.]
"It's not either of your faults," Kim Dokja told them. "Since it came from the power of a demon, the contract itself was deemed 'evil' as well, and Uriel's power would naturally burn that away. You freed her from it, and I think there might still be a chance to find her soul now that she's not bound to the dokkaebi or the demons anymore."
Jung Heewon's shoulders relaxed at that, and she seemed really relieved to know that she hadn't unintentionally doomed the girl's soul to wander forever.
Back in the present, Bihyung tells Dokja that he's going to the Bureau and asks him not to stir up trouble, even going so far as to squint at him while doing the 'I'm keeping an eye on you' hand gesture.
When all is calm once more and the dokkaebi have all left, Dokja turns to Sangah and asks if she can summon the 'Abandoned Lover of the Labyrinth'.
Right before Shin Yoosung's death, I made her some promises through our shared [Sentiments of the Beast King].
'Don't worry, you won't die,' Dokja tells her, making 41st Yoosung ask what he means. 'I'll help revive you. I've done it twice, and it's not as hard as you'd think. I don't know how long it'll take, but if you wait for me—if you don't lose hope—I will definitely bring you back to life.'
"Wow ahjussi, he knows you really well," Yoo Mia remarked bluntly.
Just what was that supposed to mean?
"Yeah," Han Sooyoung teased, "he knows you'll probably try to fuck some shit up while he's not here."
… Okay, he couldn't actually deny that one—especially not when he immediately turned to Yoo Sangah and asked her to get in contact with an Olympian constellation. The promise he had made with the 41st Shin Yoosung only cemented what he was most likely planning, and it was an extremely risky gamble to make.
If he was right, then Olympus really were the only ones who could help him. Still, it was a bit awkward considering Yoo Joonghyuk's hatred of them. Hopefully, he'd understand why Kim Dokja was doing this.
[the constellation 'abandoned lover of the labyrinth' is narrowing her eyes suspiciously.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is greatly amused by the current events.]
"That's a good promise, Dokja-ssi, but won't it be difficult to accomplish?" Lee Seolhwa wondered, looking at him worriedly.
Kim Dokja shrugged. "That doesn't matter to me. I'll find a way."
He would, no matter what it would take.
Dokja looks pensive and worries about how he won't be able to get her soul if it's released back into the 'Labyrinth of Worlds', meaning that he has to retrieve it before then. He turns back to Sangah, who has begun to glow, with a determined look.
Even if they're from a different worldline, all souls must pass through the 'Underworld' before leaving this world. If there's a way to curry favour with some constellations with ties to the underworld… Now, it's time to keep my second promise.
"Olympus, I'd like to make a deal with you. Allow me to meet the Underworld's king."
He could do this, even if it meant making a (likely losing) deal with Olympus. There wasn't a price he could put on her soul, so there was an inherent risk of them asking for something completely unreasonable in return. Still, Kim Dokja didn't have a choice if he wanted to do this right.
"The Underworld?" Yoo Sangah asked curiously, narrowing her eyes. "So you asked me to contact Olympus because…"
"That's right," Kim Dokja confirmed. "I want to cut a deal with them to see if I can bring her back to life."
They'd likely be intrigued. After all, Persephone had been fairly invested in this scenario already, and Hades—despite being a silent observer—would be completely aware of the situation as well. Maybe this would get enough of their attention to secure their cooperation if this happened again later.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is smiling mysteriously.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is curious about the plan of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[many constellations are astounded by the audacity of this request.]
After saying this, Dokja crosses his arms and waits for the answer. Sangah stops glowing and Dokja asks what her sponsor said when he sees that she looks down, wondering if they were saying harsh things that are making her sad. She tells him that the 'Father of the Rich Night' isn't someone anyone can seek an audience with so easily.
'Father of the Rich Night'. This is the modifier for Hades, the King of the Underworld, and one of the three main Olympian gods.
A man with long black hair sits shrouded in darkness on a throne. His eyes are glowing purple and he wears a robe that does nothing to cover his large pecs and only half of his six-pack. His arms also appear to be blackened by some kind of power. Behind him, a hill of skulls gives off a faint purple aura that resembles smoke.
Dokja muses that a Historical-grade constellation like Ariadne could never reach someone with a far higher status than she could ever hope for. Sangah then asks if his questioning means 'that' is possible. Dokja realizes that she knows he's trying to revive 41st Yoosung.
"I'm sorry I can't be more helpful," Yoo Sangah lamented, looking down at the floor as she bit her lip. "Getting in contact with someone that important is extremely difficult."
That was alright. If Kim Dokja was understanding his future self's thought process, then it wouldn't matter if Ariadne was able to contact him or not. Just getting the word out that he was asking around was enough to pique the interest of the constellation he was actually hoping would be more helpful in the long run.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is comforting the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
Then, Hades himself appeared on the screen, and Kim Dokja had to suck in a breath. Wow.
Persephone was a lucky, lucky woman. The sheer presence that Hades was exuding, even through the screen, was almost suffocating. Honestly, he was one of the very few people who Kim Dokja believed could have a status as powerful as Yoo Joonghyuk's near the end of the novel. Maybe it said more about Yoo Joonghyuk and his intense training regimen that he was able to achieve enough levels of transcendence to match up to one of the most powerful Myth-grade constellations in existence who represented death itself.
[several constellations are feeling intimidated by the constellation 'father of the rich night'.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is giggling at the other constellations.]
In principle, reviving someone from the dead is impossible. If such indiscriminate resurrection from death was ever possible, Yoo Joonghyuk would never have any use for his Regression stigma in the first place. My own 'King of No Killing' privilege comes under probability correction effects as a special case. But, if I can retrieve her soul somehow…
As Dokja narrates, the effort of the incarnations to collect the dead from the battle and give them as much respect as they can is shown on the screen. Amongst them, some are covered with cloths, while others are still being brought in on stretchers. In some rows, people cling to the ones they've lost, crying and cursing their fate.
Dokja apologises and tells Sangah that he can't explain in detail, mentally adding that his plan can't be in full view for the constellations. As he begins to walk off towards the kids, he notices that Seolhwa is checking Heewon and Hyunsung, and Joonghyuk and Jihye seem to be talking off to the side of the road. Still, he has his plan, and he's just waiting for everything to fall into place.
Not to mention that due to how things turned out, there are more constellations who dislike me now. Well, I've prepared the bait… all I have to do is wait until they bite.
"Well, Dokja-ssi seems to have a habit for making the impossible happen," Lee Hyunsung laughed.
Kim Dokja supposed that was true. After all, not too long ago, he had thought that punching a dokkaebi was impossible.
Yoo Joonghyuk did look a little bit uncomfortable when his stigma was brought up, but he just sighed and glanced away instead of saying anything further. At least he didn't seem to be angry…?
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is mourning the fallen incarnations.]
"I wish I could have done more to help," Lee Seolhwa admitted quietly as she looked at all the injured incarnations. "Maybe I could have saved some of them."
Jung Heewon shook her head. "I'm sure you did your best, Seolhwa-ssi, but you can't save everyone. Don't push your limits too much."
At the very least, she seemed a bit pacified by the fact that she was looking after Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung in the future. She'd be alright, and her skills would only continue growing from here. There was no shame in being dissatisfied if it meant that she would strive for greatness as a result.
[several constellations are looking at the incarnation 'kim dokja' with disdain.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is watching curiously to see what the incarnation 'kim dokja' will do.]