Kim Dokja felt extremely uncomfortable, but the last thing he wanted to do was draw any further attention to himself right now. If he focused enough on regulating his breathing—on inhaling, holding his breath for a few seconds, and then slowly letting it out—then even she wouldn't affect him too much.
He didn't know just how much she knew, or even what she could be thinking right now, but that didn't matter. Nothing really did, in comparison to the extremely dangerous enemy in front of his future self.
"Sooyoung-ssi, maybe there's also the possibility of it not seeming like the 'present' for Dokja-ssi because he finished the novel?" Yoo Sangah wondered. "After all, if Dokja-ssi is thinking as far ahead as the 1863rd turn, then maybe it would make sense for this 3rd turn to not seem like the present..."
Kim Dokja blinked in confusion as he glanced over at where the women seemed deep in thought. At least they were being creative?
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is declaring that he is tired of all the talking.]
As the indirect message dinged, Han Sooyoung glanced up from her discussion with Yoo Sangah and a few others and sighed. "Okay, fine. For all I know, that asshole thought that was just something he could say to look cool and it doesn't mean a thing anyway."
Maybe it would be better for her to believe that, too.
Skidding back, Nirvana asks what Dokja just did. Answering cooly, Dokja states that it's the power of the story, throwing Nirvana's words back at themself. Dokja continues driving the metaphorical knife deeper by saying that it's Nirvana's fault for not leveling their close combat skills and instead only aiming for Joonghyuk's weakness. Unfortunately for them, Dokja knows that by doing so, they can never win against him considering his immunity to mental-based attacks.
There's a pause before they proclaim that they know Dokja's name. Using Nirvana's full name in response, Dokja remarks that they finally feel like talking. Landing on the ground, Nirvana stops glowing and becomes eerily shadowed as they speak, "Some Nebulae warned me to be wary of you. Of course, I didn't know that you would appear at this time."
To think they were able to compose themselves this quickly. They're not a reincarnator for nothing.
"Well, at least they have no idea what you just did either," Jung Heewon sighed before tossing an amused smile in Kim Dokja's direction.
That was true, and Kim Dokja nodded along with his future self as he remarked that Nirvana would never be able to win against him with the way their stats were set up.
"Ahjussi, you're only strong in physical skills because you used coins, not because you actually earned it," Lee Jihye teased with a grin. "You came with your overpowered wall skill so I can't complain about that one, though."
She was right, but Kim Dokja really didn't want to verbally acknowledge that.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is reminding the incarnation 'kim dokja' that training is important.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is agreeing with the incarnation 'lee jihye'.]
Unfortunately, Kim Dokja had to admit that if Yoo Joonghyuk had his immunity to mental-based attacks, the protagonist would probably be too OP. That was basically his only weakness, especially at this stage of the scenarios where he vastly outleveled most people stats-wise. Plus, he had the innate skill with a sword that Kim Dokja simply lacked, as everyone loved to point out.
Yoo Joonghyuk's frown deepened as he glared at Nirvana. "So it was the Nebulae. Pathetic."
It was a bad sign that they were already interfering to that degree. While he had expected it, to some extent, Kim Dokja had thought that they would have moved a lot less conspicuously at this point. Either they simply didn't see him as enough of a threat to cover their tracks, or they were already concerned to the point where they didn't bother.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' spits on the cowardly nebulae for their actions.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' disapproves of using such underhanded tactics.]
Based on Nirvana's words, Dokja is able to gather that he's certainly drawing a lot of attention. Nirvana then asks how Dokja was able to gain such a powerful mental barrier, exclaiming that only Anna Croft was able to resist their [Thought Infection] skill until now.
This catches Dokja's attention and an image of Anna Croft appears, her demon eye staring straight at the viewer as he realizes that those two have already met. Dokja then brushes it off, remarking that it makes sense since she would sell her own soul in order to save the world. Nirvana's eyes narrow as they correctly identify that Dokja knows the prophet.
As the carnage continues around them, Nirvana asks if Dokja is also a regressor. At Nirvana's hypothesis, 'Secretive Plotter' quietly contemplates the situation.
The information filtering should've gradually started being lifted by now. The constellations would've already started to hear about the regressor and the reincarnator. Those higher-ups affiliated with the Great Nebulae probably already knew about this.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is smiling mysteriously while sipping his wine.]
When Nirvana asked how Kim Dokja got such a powerful mental barrier, Han Sooyoung sighed. "Seriously, what the fuck even is your attribute that it gave you something so goddamn broken?"
Hell, Kim Dokja seriously wished he had the answer to that question too. He had no idea, and he couldn't even think of any complete explanation for how his skill worked the way it did.
However, as soon as Nirvana mentioned Anna Croft, his brow furrowed as he glared. Ugh, seriously? She was the last person Kim Dokja wanted to be compared to. Yoo Joonghyuk looked even more pissed off than he did, as expected, and it wasn't a surprise to see that Yoo Mia was matching her brother's energy to glare at the screen as well.
"Wait, if Nirvana met her already, does that mean that they were in America somehow? Or that they had a joint scenario before?" Lee Hyunsung wondered, looking confused. That was a good question, actually—had they met in person, or was Anna Croft doing her weird visitation thing to peek into other people's heads?
[a few constellations are laughing at the question of the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
A regressor? Him? No way. One lifetime was awful enough, thanks.
Yoo Sangah's eyes widened. "The filtering is getting lifted already? Does that mean that the constellations would eventually find out about the novel even without this scenario revealing it?"
Kim Dokja narrowed his eyes, looking down at the floor thoughtfully. That was very much a possibility, and not one that he was particularly pleased by. While now it might just be the existence of regression and reincarnation, he really couldn't say if or when the Star Stream would decide that everyone would get to know about TWSA.
[many constellations are feeling conflicted over the words of the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is curious to find out if the novel's existence would ever be revealed.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is thinking intensely.]
"If I had to guess, then I don't think that the novel's existence would be revealed to everyone until the latter half of the scenarios," Kim Dokja admitted. "But even then…"
Lee Seolhwa hummed. "I understand, Dokja-ssi. It would be very hard to believe, even in a world like ours. We only came to terms with it so easily because we were faced with indisputable proof, after all."
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is agreeing with the incarnation 'lee seolhwa'.]
In the end, they could only speculate. The truth would be revealed to them eventually, assuming that this scenario went on for that long in the first place. Or that they survived long enough for that to happen, too.
Nirvana smiles and labels Dokja as intriguing while they begin to glow once more. Dokja dismisses them, claiming that they talk too much and even going so far as to cite that as the reason why they'll never be able to get Joonghyuk to join them. Nirvana laughs and states that they'd be glad to accept Dokja as a member of the Salvation Church. Dokja slowly backs away while respectfully declining the offer, looking at a message that just arrived. He smiles and informs Nirvana that one of the constellations who sponsors him hates the reincarnator's sponsor.
Nirvana blinks and asks why the monkey king is pursuing him. When Dokja replies that he doesn't know, they spread their arms wide and demand that both he and Joonghyuk become their subordinates.
Dokja refuses, point blank. Looking manic once more, Nirvana tries to entice Dokja by trying to pique his curiosity in the secrets of the world, claiming that they can help Dokja survive even after the world falls, regardless of whether or not he fails the scenario.
Yoo Joonghyuk shot Kim Dokja a judgemental look after his declaration. "Them talking too much is not the reason I won't join them."
"But Joonghyuk-ah, it could definitely be a contributing factor, couldn't it?" Kim Dokja teased, grinning slyly at the protagonist. "You're a man of few words most of the time, so it would make sense for you to not enjoy overly chatty people. Plus, most of what they say is bullshit anyway, so you'd just see it as wasting your time, am I right?"
[a few constellations are greatly amused by the irony of the situation.]
What irony?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is declaring that it's simply a sign of a strong companionship.]
"Oh my fucking god," Han Sooyoung groaned. "You are actually a moron."
Yoo Joonghyuk looked incredibly exasperated as Jung Heewon snickered at him. "Yeah, if talking too much was really a dealbreaker, I think things would have turned out very differently."
And now Yoo Joonghyuk looked like he had a headache. Well, that wasn't any of Kim Dokja's business, so he just shrugged.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is holding his head in his hands.]
Anyway, whatever that was aside, Kim Dokja was just glad to see himself using the Great Sage as a perfect excuse to turn Nirvana down. After all, he had been receiving donations from the constellation for far longer, and even if joining the Salvation Church wasn't an absolutely horrific idea on so many levels, Kim Dokja knew that he would be hard-pressed to give up that kind of support.
"Hyung is never gonna join you," Lee Gilyoung huffed angrily, looking far more murderous than a kid rightfully should. Well, it was just Nirvana, so it was probably okay.
"And neither will my oppa," Yoo Mia added on in a hurry, leaning a bit more against her brother. She was clearly still extremely worried about him, especially knowing what he had been through.
Of course, Nirvana proceeded to make an offer that Kim Dokja was sure would be extremely tempting to anyone who wasn't him. It was almost laughable, really.
Shin Yoosung scoffed and looked at the screen with a surprising amount of disdain. "Ahjussi doesn't need your stupid help; he already knows everything."
Well, not everything, but damn near close to it.
[a few constellations are intrigued by the offer of the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
Oh, isn't that somewhat tempting?
"I will allow you to become 'one' with me as well!" With a flourish, the large mandala reimmerges behind the reincarnator.
Of course, that'd only be the case if I wasn't a 'Reader'.
Ghostly faces—their expressions seemingly eternally frozen in sorrow and pain—slowly emerge from the mandala while silently crying out. Dokja knows that they are people who became 'one' with the reincarnator as he goads them to attack by calling them a pervert.
With a smirk, Nirvana states that if he won't come willingly, it will have to be by force. As Nirvana grasps one of the heads, tearing the 'skull' from the 'flesh', Dokja assesses the situation and how he must end the fight quickly because of Nirvana's vastly superior wealth of combat experience. If he doesn't, then they'll be able to read his moves and he'd end up with a disadvantage.
Activating [Miniaturization] to avoid the attack, Dokja rushes forward as notifications inform him that he only has two minutes due to his low skill level. Nirvana jokes that it's a petty trick, causing Dokja to respond by utilizing his [Bookmark] of Kyrgios.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is groaning that he wants to see more fighting already.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is sticking out his tongue at the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
Jung Heewon recoiled with a grimace on her face, looking extremely uncomfortable as she inched slightly closer to Lee Hyunsung. "I still don't know what the hell 'becoming one' means and I really don't think that I want to."
Of course, her revulsion only turned to horror as the faces of those who had accepted appeared behind Nirvana, looking like they were in agony. The kids whimpered and Kim Dokja held them close, knowing full well how unsettling it was. Those people must have been desperate for any kind of solution, and had ended up paying the price for it.
"That's awful," Lee Hyunsung gasped as he stared wide-eyed at the people on the screen.
[several constellations are still wondering about the process.]
[a constellation who likes harems is curious why the incarnation 'kim dokja' called the incarnation 'nirvana moebius' a pervert.]
Did it really matter? Kim Dokja would never let that happen to himself or Yoo Joonghyuk.
"You're right," Yoo Joonghyuk remarked gruffly after Kim Dokja came to the conclusion that he had to end the fight as quickly as possible. "However, don't make rash moves either. Run if you must."
Why the fuck would he run when Yoo Joonghyuk was right there, still suffering? No way in hell.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is passionately declaring that the incarnation 'kim dokja' would not abandon his companion.]
[constellations who enjoy strategy are approving of the use of the 'miniaturization' skill to dodge.]
Yoo Mia looked over at Kim Dokja suspiciously for a moment. "Are you just copying what my oppa did when he shrunk while fighting the snake?"
And so what if he was? It was a good tactic—even the constellations thought so!
With the aid of [Electrification lvl. 10], which he can only use due to being physically similar to his chosen character, Dokja zips past the reincarnator in a crackle of lightning. It happens so quickly that, before Nirvana can even react, a bloody hole is blown wide in their side. Nirvana's eyes widen as everything finally processes and they turn to look at Dokja with wide eyes.
"Pray you'll be born as a human again," Dokja says with finality before his eyes widen upon seeing that Nirvana is somehow still alive despite their fatal injury. Dokja watches in shock as they spit up buckets of blood while he tries to figure out how this is possible as they shouldn't be stronger than Kyrgios at this time.
Dokja flinches as the petals of a large lotus form around Nirvana, cradling them within. Dokja can't believe his eyes, thinking that they shouldn't have been able to use this stigma due to the probability cost. But, when Nirvana complains about using their memories in a place like this, Dokja realizes that this is [Fable Payment], in which they borrow power from their sponsor using fables as payment.
Shin Yoosung's eyes glimmered as she looked up at Kim Dokja in awe. "So that's why you took that skill, ahjussi? That's so smart!"
Laughing a bit, he ruffled her hair. "I would have been in trouble if I wasn't able to get that one."
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is applauding the well thought-out plan of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"That's amazing, hyung!" Lee Gilyoung cheered eagerly as Kim Dokja blasted a bloody hole in Nirvana's side, so Kim Dokja patted his head too.
Lee Jihye nodded vehemently. "Yeah! Actually, now that I think about it, they kinda look like you did earlier when you got zapped."
Ah… that was kind of true, wasn't it? Though 'zapped' wasn't exactly the word Kim Dokja would use. Yoo Joonghyuk clenched his jaw at that, but Kim Dokja couldn't pay attention for long.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is thrilled by the gore.]
"Well, fuck," Han Sooyoung said breathlessly. "You actually did it."
Kim Dokja rolled his eyes. "Of course I did. That should take care of the problem, at least."
However, Yoo Sangah made a confused noise, and he glanced over to see an anxious expression on her face. "Um… Dokja-ssi… I don't think they're dead."
Wait, why wouldn't they be— ah shit. He forgot.
Kim Dokja groaned and buried his face in his hands. How could he have forgotten how absolutely broken Nirvana was in terms of skills? Of course they'd use something like this to escape.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is greatly dismayed by the survival of the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
"If they're using fables or memories as payment, they can only use this a limited number of times, correct?" Lee Seolhwa asked, though she still looked nervous.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is confirming the hypothesis of the incarnation 'lee seolhwa'.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' reminds the incarnations that the incarnation 'nirvana moebius' likely has more to give than normal people.]
That was true—due to being a reincarnator, Nirvana had far more memories and stories than the majority of incarnations.
Dokja dashes towards the closing lotus, aiming for a small gap as Nirvana hoarsely tells him that he'll be punished in the worst way possible for daring to fight against the 'present'. From within the lotus, Nirvana gives a bloody smirk of victory before they disappear into a flurry of petals. Dokja looks upwards to where the petals are flowing with gritted teeth as he calls out for them to wait.
Non-possession. A stigma that discards part of the user's memories in order to escape from danger.
While Dokja looks upset about the outcome, 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is quite happy and sponsors 10,000 coins. Around them, the others have stopped fighting as the members of the Salvation Church begin to panic while calling out for their leader.
"Shit, get them!" Jung Heewon urged, glancing nervously between Kim Dokja and the screen.
Unfortunately, with some ominous last words, Nirvana vanished.
[several constellations are disappointed by the anticlimactic end to the fight.]
"Be on your guard, Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk advised as he glared at the screen again. "They won't fight fair next time."
That wasn't a problem, it's not like Kim Dokja ever had any intention of fighting fair in the first place. However, those final words were a bit worrying. Unlike other people who were too stupid to strategize or manipulate, Nirvana fell into the same group of people as Han Sooyoung when it came to how they operated. He had no doubts that Nirvana wouldn't hesitate to take hostages if they felt that it would be beneficial.
Glancing down at the kids, Kim Dokja felt his blood turn to ice in his veins at the very real possibility that they could be used against him in that way. If that damned reincarnator dared to lay a hand on his kids, there would be hell to pay.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is sighing and pouring himself another glass of wine.]
The new incarnations start to wonder who Dokja is before noticing his face and calling him the 'Ugliest King' in shock when [Miniaturization] wears off. A wobbly close up of 'Dokja?' is shown where his eyes have become slits and he smiles weirdly, looking like someone attempted to draw him in MS Paint with their non-dominant hand.
Annoyed and in pain, but not willing to waste time arguing with them, Dokja plods his way over to Joonghyuk. The protagonist stumbles as he's released from his paralysis, and Dokja asks if he's ok. Instead of answering, Joonghyuk holds his head like he has a headache while asking what happened to Nirvana, and Dokja replies that they fled. Rather than being thankful, Joonghyuk calls him pathetic for letting them get away.
Disgruntled, Dokja remarks that Joonghyuk could have helped him before lamenting that the protagonist is never there when Dokja needs him the most.
Kim Dokja grimaced again. He knew that the others suspected that he was seeing how everyone else saw him, but that couldn't actually be it, right?
Lee Hyunsung shook his head with a sigh. "If only they knew…"
Clearly he wasn't bad looking, everyone had already said so. It still sucked to hear this blatant slander all the time, though.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is pleased that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' is one of the few who now knows of the true beauty of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking softly at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Ah… well… he wasn't sure what to think, honestly. It wasn't like he could match up to the protagonist, though, so it wasn't really a big deal that Yoo Joonghyuk knew. Sure, his compliments were very nice to hear, especially because they were so rare, but that was all.
Yoo Mia visibly relaxed as soon as she got confirmation that her brother was alright, and she hugged him tightly. She might have been crying, but Kim Dokja tried to give her as much privacy as she could get in public like this.
Lee Seolhwa sighed when Yoo Joonghyuk didn't answer Kim Dokja's question about his well being, and the women once again shared a strange look with each other.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is dismayed that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' is focusing on the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
It made sense to Kim Dokja—Nirvana was a massive threat, of course Yoo Joonghyuk would want to be updated on the situation. However, glancing over at the protagonist, he was very confused to see that the man looked almost irritated with his future self, and he only got more so when Kim Dokja remarked that Yoo Joonghyuk was never around when Kim Dokja needed him.
Han Sooyoung groaned loudly again, looking utterly done with everything. "You both suck, I hate you."
Wow, they hadn't even done anything this time.
"That will not happen again."
Kim Dokja glanced over in surprise, seeing the protagonist staring at him with determination. Where was this even coming from?
"It's fine, really. I was just frustrated, and there's no way you'd always be there or anything—"
"I will be," Yoo Joonghyuk said firmly, with the kind of expression on his face that said that he was daring Kim Dokja to contradict him.
Holding up his hands as though to pacify the other man, Kim Dokja laughed awkwardly. "Alright, alright. I get it."
Yoo Joonghyuk nodded once. "Good."
Han Sooyoung stared blankly ahead, almost as though she was wishing that she was anywhere else right now. Seriously, what was her problem?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is squealing in delight.]
Joonghyuk declares that they have to hurry after Nirvana because their goal isn't to clear the scenarios. When Dokja states that he knows this too, Joonghyuk doubles down, demanding to know why Dokja let them go because something bad will happen if they can't deal with Nirvana before the end of the 10th scenario.
They're interrupted when 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire' messages, having finally come to her senses. Dokja is suddenly reminded of the fact that Uriel is Heewon's sponsor, that she's here instead of being with Heewon, and that they've lost contact with her. Dokja's eyes shoot wide open as he looks at the desperate message before him.
[The constellation 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire' is in need of your help!]
At the end, the screen focuses on Uriel's plea and—for some reason—the bottom corner of the indirect message seems to be slowly burning away.
"Will it really be that bad if we can't defeat them before then?" Yoo Sangah asked nervously, and Kim Dokja nodded.
"We'll worry about that if we need to," Kim Dokja told her with a small smile. "For now, let's just hope that we beat them in time. We have three scenarios to do it, after all."
Yoo Sangah nodded, perking up a bit. "That's right! I'm sure you and Joonghyuk-ssi will manage something before then!"
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is approving of the optimism of the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
Suddenly, when Uriel messaged urgently, Kim Dokja's eyes widened. Shit, had something happened to Jung Heewon?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is panicking.]
Jung Heewon's voice was shaky as she spoke next. "I… I probably just need some backup or something, right? I mean, there's a chance I could be in trouble if my enemies aren't 'evil'..."
Uriel wouldn't be that panicked over something like that, and they all knew it. However, even though Kim Dokja knew just how unlikely that situation was, he hoped that whatever it was wouldn't be too dire.