[a few constellations are wondering if the incarnation 'michio shoji' is scared.]
Kim Dokja had a bad feeling about all of this, and it was making him re-evaluate what he had been able to figure out about his own plans. If he was right about the scenario penalty, then Michio Shoji was being hit with it just for standing against the other incarnations with the intent of stopping them, or he had simply spent too long in the scenario without doing anything.
Either way, it was bad news.
As Michio just stands still, Yoosung frantically asks why he froze, wondering if he chickened out. Dokja doesn't answer, but his eyes narrow as he looks at Michio, clearly wondering about something. The two men pass Michio, patting him on the shoulder as they grin and declare that they're getting started. Michio can only stand there, gritting his teeth and looking both furious and distraught, knowing that he can't do anything to stop them. Maruyama uses a stigma to cause the battlefield to erupt with explosions of blue flames, tossing tiny soldiers into the air as Amano slashes through them with his axe.
Yoosung looks enraged as she tries to jump into the fray, but Dokja stops her, grabbing onto her shoulder and telling her to watch. As he says this, he looks towards an old soldier dressed in golden armor who has rallied a bunch of cheers from the army as he stands ready with a longsword.
Yoosung exclaims that he seems different from the rest, and Dokja confirms this while saying that just because the residents are extremely small in comparison, that doesn't mean that they're weak.
"That's really strange," Lee Hyunsung muttered, frowning slightly. "Is he okay?"
Kim Dokja honestly couldn't say. If it was the penalty affecting him, then he should be mostly fine, but there was always the chance that something else was wrong.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is scowling at the japanese incarnations.]
Lee Jihye clenched her hand into a fist. "They're just walking past him like he's not worth worrying about? And he's just letting them!?"
"He might not have a choice," Kim Dokja told her seriously, narrowing his eyes as he did. "He looks really upset about it."
Jung Heewon's eyes widened, and she looked over at Kim Dokja like she just had a realization. "Wait, are you saying that he can't fight them? Like… maybe he swore an oath to follow them, or something."
"Maybe he knows the difference in their strength as well, and is prioritizing his own safety…?" Yoo Sangah wondered as she thought critically about the situation. Well, that might also be partly the case, considering this man's uh… less than impressive stats.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is frowning at the incarnation 'michio shoji' for not taking initiative.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is sighing and shaking his head.]
"This is awful," Shin Yoosung whimpered as the two other incarnations began massacring the small people. She grabbed onto Kim Dokja's sleeve and looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Ahjussi, we have to go help them!"
As much as he wanted to, now was not the time, and Kim Dokja knew it. It was awful that he was just letting so many of the small people die, but he couldn't afford getting slapped with the penalty too early, either.
He was a terrible person, though, so this shouldn't be a surprise.
"We will eventually, Yoosung-ah," was all he could say, trying not to disappoint her too much. "It's important to make sure we fully understand the situation before jumping in."
"But—!"
"Kim Dokja is right," Yoo Joonghyuk said firmly, glancing over at their little group, "to do otherwise would be foolish."
Lee Gilyoung looked extremely conflicted between wanting to vocally disagree with Yoo Joonghyuk on principle, and wanting to agree with Kim Dokja. Honestly, the resulting expression on his face was pretty funny. Still, Kim Dokja patted both of their heads.
"Yoosung-ah, Gilyoung-ah… we can't save everybody, even if we want to."
That was a truth they all knew, even if it was hard to admit.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is scoffing at the uncool armor.]
[a few constellations are wondering what the old man will do.]
"I guess he has powers like us?" Yoo Mia wondered curiously as she looked at the tiny incarnation. "The other people look like they're just normal, though."
That was the one odd thing about the Peace Land scenario—the sheer lack of constellation sponsors, despite experiencing their own version of the apocalypse.
The old man's eyes glow golden before he leaps across the field and past many small craters created by the two Japanese incarnations. He then leaps up onto the head of Amano's axe and does a beautiful twirling slice into the man's forearm. Unfortunately, he's then swatted away like a fly by the man's other fist.
As Amano swears in annoyance, the soldiers exclaim that the disaster is bleeding. Their morale increases as they realize that they have a fighting chance against their foes. A soldier gives a signal to attack, and the archers let loose a barrage of arrows at Maruyama. He swats away the arrows, but he can't stop other soldiers from beginning to climb both him and Amano using their clothes.
Yoosung's face is a lot calmer as she starts to think that maybe the little people could manage a win, while Dokja is watching the climbing tactics with vague amusement and interest. As the local constellation cheers on the little people, who are rallying with a war cry for 'the tiniest creed in the world', their messages reveal that the old man's name is Gillemium.
"Well damn," Han Sooyoung whistled, genuinely impressed. "The old dude's got moves."
Kim Dokja exhaled as he watched grimly. For a citizen of Peace Land, he was exceptionally strong; however, between the sheer size difference and massive gap in stats between the Japanese incarnations and this one man… his impressive attack might as well have given them papercuts for all the damage it actually did.
The fact he got tossed aside so easily made them all grimace, and Kim Dokja genuinely had to wonder what the incarnations would do in retaliation.
[the constellation 'bald general of the peasant's army' is rooting for the small people to win.]
Lee Hyunsung nodded sagely. "At the very least, they need to keep morale up, no matter what."
Clearly, judging by his pleading expression and tense posture, the lieutenant was very much cheering them on. It was good to see, and it gave Kim Dokja confidence that at least his team would go down the same path that Kim Dokja was planning for.
In all honesty, his biggest concern was Gong Pildu and Han Sooyoung, because he would not put it past either of them to just comply with the scenario for simplicity's sake.
"As much as I want to cheer for them, I don't think they'll succeed here," Lee Seolhwa admitted quietly. "They simply can't do enough damage, and the incarnations can take out many of them at once."
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the small people climbing on the clothes.]
[many constellations are admiring the ingenuity of the 'small people'.]
"For the tiniest creed in the world…" Lee Jihye muttered, sounding far more emotional than Kim Dokja would have ever expected. "That's so adorable."
It was pretty cute, if he had to admit it. Still, not even their heroic incarnation would be enough to stand up against the much larger incarnations. Kim Dokja had a very bad feeling about how this would end.
Ganul then speaks up once more as she says that things are getting more interesting. [The more desperation within a small ray of hope, the more beautiful a story becomes. That being said…]
A black oozing aura emerges from the two men as she states that she's lifting a portion of the penalties placed on the disasters. With a smile, she tells them that by being a 'disaster', they will unlock some extra buffs and snaps her fingers with a crackle of probability to activate it.
The two men immediately sneer—and the sheer sliminess of those expressions is incredibly reminiscent of both Inho and Paul—as they joke about how there should be a limit to how easy it gets, since the dokkaebi just made it boring for them. The camera angle changes to look up at these newly powerful disasters from the perspective of the tiny soldiers, watching their faces become shadowed with glowing eyes as they crush soldiers in their hands with ease.
"Oh fuck off!" Han Sooyoung griped, flipping off the dokkaebi. "Nobody cares!"
Ah, she was about to fuck the little people over, wasn't she? Kim Dokja should have expected that, and he grimaced as he realized what was about to happen.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is enraged by the injustice.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is glaring at the dokkaebi 'ganul'.]
"She's buffing them!? But why!? They're already winning!" Jung Heewon hissed, staring at the screen in disbelief.
Kim Dokja sighed and looked down. "Because the scenario called for a complete genocide. This is a scenario for the constellations who want to see a one-sided massacre—not the constellations who want to see hope triumphing over despair."
It was awful, but it was the truth. There would always be a demand for something like that—a predictable scenario that would provide the constellations with a story that was the equivalent of consistent, empty junk food. It was something reliable and enjoyable, like a treat for themselves. It didn't have to be gourmet or even good, it just had to be.
"That's not fair!" Yoo Mia basically yelled as tears gathered in her eyes.
It wasn't fair. Nothing was, anymore.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is scoffing at the japanese incarnations.]
Yoo Sangah's face paled dramatically as they looked up at the horrifying sight of the 'disasters' from the perspective of the tiny army. "Oh god…"
From their hiding spot behind the tree, Yoosung has put a hand over her mouth as she looks on in horror. Behind her, Dokja places his hands on her shoulders in comfort while carefully watching the scene in front of them. All that's left is a massacre—piles of bodies scattered everywhere, and anyone still living is heavily injured.
The soldiers look up in devastation as Gillemium—their hero—is squeezed in Amano's hand. As a few constellations declare that they want to see his limbs torn from his body, the incarnation happily grabs the small man's arm between his thumb and index finger and snaps it like a child would an action figure.
As he does this, the local constellation, the 'little constellation of the little planet' cries out and begs for the disaster to stop. Yoosung grits her teeth and stands up, telling Dokja that she can't bear to let them get away with this any longer. Dokja just holds her arm carefully and explains that by opposing them, the scenario will become leagues harder.
Shin Yoosung started crying quietly as she buried her face in Kim Dokja's robe. He could only watch and hold her a bit closer as her shoulders shook and trembled, and she looked genuinely distraught by the sight on the screen. Her future self, however, looked horrified, and Kim Dokja wondered if he had made a mistake by bringing her.
"This is horrific," Lee Seolhwa gasped as the view of the battlefield became clear—or rather, what was left of it.
"This is the apocalypse," Yoo Joonghyuk said without wavering once, even though Kim Dokja could detect the faintest notes of sorrow in his tone. "It will just keep getting worse from here."
When he said that, Yoo Joonghyuk looked intently towards Kim Dokja. While he knew that the protagonist likely meant it as a reprimand for bringing the girl, Kim Dokja still trusted her to do well even under these circumstances. It was a trial by fire, but he had faith in her. Still, it was hard to focus on that when Yoo Joonghyuk's full attention was on him, sending shivers down his spine.
Before he could get drawn in too deeply, though, Kim Dokja forced himself to look away.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is sighing at the current events.]
"No!" Lee Hyunsung yelled as soon as he saw what was happening to Gillemium. Though they had only just met the tiny yet mighty man, Lee Hyunsung was just so good that he had simply gotten attached already. Maybe he found himself relating to the man's struggles somehow, or Gillemium reminded him of someone he knew.
Lee Gilyoung gritted his teeth in anger. "Hyung, it doesn't matter if the scenario gets harder. It's not right for us to just sit there and do nothing."
"And if it gets harder, it just means that we have to work even harder than them!" Shin Yoosung argued frantically.
He was so proud of them, even as he struggled to keep his serious expression from breaking into a fond smile.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is confident in the declarations of the incarnations 'shin yoosung' and 'lee gilyoung'.]
Even Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to approve of their dedication, and that fact made Kim Dokja's heart race just a bit more.
"But even if it's harder, we can still clear it, right?" she lashes back. Dokja pauses a moment before agreeing with her, and she declares that she'll do it. With feral eyes not unlike the beasts she commands, Yoosung glares at the two incarnations as their buff runs out. Just as they start to complain about the time being over already, an explosion erupts nearby, and the force of the shockwave causes Gillemium to be thrown out of Amano's grasp as he grabs his weapon instead.
Dokja dashes into the battlefield, catching the small man and holding him close to his chest as the Star Stream warns him not to attack disasters like himself while he runs off. Carefully, Dokja places Gillemium down by the base of the tree, letting him lie there to rest. The 'little constellation of the little planet' looks at him, first with disdain before noticing his careful actions and donating 10 coins while clinging to hope.
Dokja immediately glares as he returns the coins and lectures the constellation to not do such a thing if he really cherishes his planet unless he wants the tragedy of the planet to be made into a story for profit and amusement. The constellation looks embarrassed before falling silent.
"Yes! Go for it!" Jung Heewon cheered as Shin Yoosung stood up and made her passionate declaration.
Kim Dokja wasn't sure what to expect from her, but she was his incarnation, and he would support her in any way he could.
"I believe in you," Kim Dokja whispered to her, and he watched as her expression brightened to the point where it might as well have been blinding. Shin Yoosung's grin was wide, and she looked absolutely thrilled to see his confidence in her.
[many constellations are cheering on the incarnation 'shin yoosung'.]
A sudden explosion rang out, and Kim Dokja had to look away from his incarnation to pay attention to the screen once again. When Gillemium went flying, he nearly closed his eyes and looked away, not wanting to see the poor man be unable to catch himself.
The sensation of the wind rushing past your face—that moment of weightlessness that lasted for an eternity when you could almost pretend you were just flying—and the lump forming in your stomach as you watch the ground rush up to meet you, knowing that it would be the end, was not one that anyone would ever be able to forget. If Gillemium survived this, then Kim Dokja knew that this moment would haunt his nightmares for the rest of his life.
At a certain point, maybe it would be a mercy if he didn't survive.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is letting out a sigh of relief.]
Kim Dokja did too—one he didn't even know he was holding in. Seeing himself sweep in and catch someone who was falling felt weird, but deep down inside, it was a relief. Sometimes, people could be caught. Sometimes people wouldn't have to close their eyes before the impact and then have to live with that memory, or die with it.
"Holy shit, you madman, you just dashed out there and snagged him from midair!" Han Sooyoung cackled, but she was clearly just as relieved as everyone else to see that the tiny incarnation was safe.
Lee Seolhwa, on the other hand, was very clearly fretting over the severe injuries he had sustained, and was going over each and every one they knew of in her head. All Kim Dokja could hope was that she wasn't feeling upset with herself for not being there, considering the fact that he had no idea where she had ended up after entering the portal.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is agreeing with the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[a few constellations are looking sadly at 'the little constellation of the little planet'.]
"You returned the coins," Yoo Joonghyuk observed with a raised brow.
Though it might surprise some, it had nothing to do with the amount donated. Sure, it was pitiful and it would almost be insulting if it came from anyone else, but Kim Dokja had other motivations this time.
"Yeah. They shouldn't be contributing to this, let alone donating to the 'disasters' sent to destroy their world," Kim Dokja admitted, his gaze going distant as his future self explained his reasoning.
He could feel her eyes on him, which certainly wasn't helping matters considering the topic. Without even needing to say anything, Kim Dokja realized instantly that Yoo Sangah understood what he meant, judging by her sad gaze. Of course she would—she was the first to figure out all of those things, wasn't she?
As Dokja receives another warning to not make enemies of other disasters, he dons the
There's too much left still for me to complete here, in 'Peace Land'. I not only have to clear the scenario, but also hunt the 'Serpent' that Persephone was talking about.
Both scenario windows appear, highlighting their clear conditions, before it resumes Dokja's thoughts about being able to delay the penalty if Yoosung can deal with them instead, making their survival chances grow dramatically. Looking down at her, he tells her to settle it quickly. She nods and declares that he can leave it to her.
While the two men are bewildered by what just happened, Yoosung rushes in and leaves decent gashes on the Japanese incarnations' arms and legs with her dagger, landing gracefully behind them before whirling around while glaring fiercely. As the wind blows faintly, she looks at the two men like the pieces of trash that they are.
"Damn, they keep sending those warnings," Jung Heewon muttered, narrowing her eyes. "What are they going to do about it?"
Oh, that was certainly going to be a problem in the future, but Kim Dokja had to achieve certain things first.
Suddenly, Yoo Joonghyuk looked at Kim Dokja intently, his dark and intense gaze digging straight into Kim Dokja's soul. "You were considering killing them. Are you an imbecile?"
Wow, that was a new one from him. Had he finally been upgraded from 'fool'?
"Wait, Master, wouldn't it be a good thing if ahjussi gets rid of them, though?" Lee Jihye asked, confused. "Yoosung-ie shouldn't have to do it, right?"
He glanced over at his student for a moment, frowning deeper. "Not if it means that fool loses his [King of No Killing] attribute."
Ah, apparently not. Still, it was kind of nice to know that Yoo Joonghyuk sounded concerned, and that he valued Kim Dokja keeping the attribute over eliminating enemies in his path. It felt almost out of character for him, if Kim Dokja was being honest, but there was also the very likely chance that he didn't trust Kim Dokja to be able to keep himself alive without it.
On one hand that would be extremely insulting, but on the other… insurance never hurt, right?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking at the incarnation 'kim dokja' in confusion.]
[many constellations are wondering why the incarnation 'kim dokja' would consider doing such a thing.]
Okay, yeah, why was he considering— oh, wait. Wait just a second.
Kim Dokja suddenly ignored everything going on around him as he quickly broke down just what he would have to do to complete Persephone's task. If he was correct, then he would be losing that hard-won attribute in this scenario anyway, and he was strong enough that it wouldn't be a major loss even if he didn't have it for most of the scenario.
Of course, the real concern would be if he ended up with those penalties first, in which case, he might end up being a bit more helpless than he wanted.
"I'm gonna do it unnie, don't worry," Shin Yoosung declared. "It's my turn to protect ahjussi."
Well, that's not quite what it was, but Kim Dokja appreciated the enthusiasm anyway.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is gleefully hoping that the fight will be brutal.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is cheering for the incarnation 'shin yoosung'.]
[many constellations approve of the actions of the incarnation 'shin yoosung'.]
Kim Dokja nearly wanted to grin from the sheer amount of pride swelling in his heart. It was a weird and foreign feeling to him, but watching her like this… Kim Dokja truly got to see how much she had grown from the anxious girl who couldn't even tame a weak monster. Right now, Shin Yoosung wasn't in a desperate situation where she was fighting against both heightened emotions and a future version of herself, and she was still managing to handle it with far more maturity and composure than Kim Dokja ever could have expected.
As he watched the girl stare down her opponents, Kim Dokja realized exactly one thing: she was going to kick their asses, and it was going to be glorious.