[many constellations want to know what happened to the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
[several constellations are demanding an explanation.]
Kim Dokja exhaled deeply, knowing that there was nothing he could do to get the answers to those questions right away. As much as he wanted to rage and force this frustrating scenario to tell him if his friend was okay, he couldn't. They were completely at this scenario's mercy, learning information only when it decided to give it to them.
He just hoped that it wouldn't take too long, considering the woman's growing anxiety. She deserved to know her own fate.
Huh? Something's strange… Why is the resurrection message not popping up?
The screen seems to show Dokja's first person perspective and, every time he blinks, he can see a blurry view of a firm chest clothed in black. After blinking for the last time, a clear view of Joonghyuk looking over Dokja with a frown, comes into focus. At the same time, Dokja gets a notification telling him that he can't receive a reward for his use of level 3 because of the unstable connection.
Ah, that surprised me.
Seeing that he's not speaking, Joonghyuk bluntly asks Dokja if he's dead. As he asks this, Dokja's eyes drift shut once more and the view zooms to focus on his slightly sunken stomach. It hurts, and Dokja finally realizes what's wrong.
Ah, I got it now—I never died in the first place. I was just hit really hard on the solar plexus, just enough to be near death.
Jung Heewon's eyes widened in surprise, glancing over at Yoo Joonghyuk. "So you really didn't kill him?"
Huh. Apparently not. Yoo Joonghyuk didn't respond, but his brow twitched in irritation nonetheless.
Kim Dokja admitted that he was surprised, though not as much as he could have been. Yes, the Yoo Joonghyuk sitting near him had adamantly declared that he wouldn't do such a thing, but that was this Yoo Joonghyuk. They might be the same person, but he couldn't reasonably assume that they'd respond the same way anymore.
As he watched himself slowly rise from his near-death state, Kim Dokja felt a sense of relief upon seeing Yoo Joonghyuk's unfairly muscular chest in front of him.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is extremely pleased to see the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"Aww, no reward," Shin Yoosung lamented with a sigh. "Maybe you only get a skill when you're dead?"
Well, damn. That made his idea slightly less tactically viable—he wanted to get something out of putting himself in that position—but he'd still do it if he had to.
Kim Dokja shot a teasing grin at the protagonist. "Aw, so you do care. It might have been better if you had actually just killed me, though. That looks like it hurts like hell."
Yoo Joonghyuk glared at him immediately, looking incredibly displeased. "You fool. You just got more lives, stop trying to throw them away every other scenario."
Han Sooyoung coughed loudly and Kim Dokja thought he heard her say 'six months' between them. Right. It wasn't even an official bet or anything, but he also didn't want to prove her right because she would be insufferable. Maybe it was a good thing that he hadn't used one of them up right after getting back to Seoul.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is shocked by the thoughts of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Lee Seolhwa winced after they got a view of the damage, and by that alone, Kim Dokja got a very good idea of just how severe the damage actually was.
"Were you actually trying to kill him, you sooty bastard?" Lee Gilyoung demanded, glaring viciously at Yoo Joonghyuk.
Lee Seolhwa hummed, sounding troubled. "Joonghyuk-ssi, I know you said you wouldn't do it, but looking at Dokja-ssi's injury… I can't be sure that's true."
The protagonist's eyes widened in shock for a moment, looking at her with a baffled expression before he composed himself. Lee Hyunsung looked much the same, but he actually decided to speak up. "Um, how so, Seolhwa-ssi?"
"It looks as though Joonghyuk-ssi was trying to follow through with Dokja-ssi's request," she admitted pensively. "I can't be certain, of course, but it seems to me as though he either held back unconsciously or he changed his mind at the last moment."
Oh. That was unexpected. Kim Dokja found himself surprised, even as Yoo Joonghyuk looked extremely conflicted. It was still strange to think that the future Yoo Joonghyuk, who didn't know the truth, would decide against killing him when he had the perfect opportunity to do so. Honestly, it was kind of touching, even if it was confusing.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is narrowing his eyes thoughtfully.]
As Dokja uses all of his brain cells to attempt to figure out why Joonghyuk didn't actually kill him, Joonghyuk calls his name again before going silent and looking down at Dokja's body with an inscrutable expression. With [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] level two, Joonghyuk's thoughts show that he's wondering if he should have just killed Dokja from the start, thinking that everything was derailed by him and that this regression is so different from the others that his own information is limited. 「I won't be able to save the world at this rate.」
Dokja mentally sighs, a split screen showing the different yet similar exhaustion in their eyes, as he recognizes that Joonghyuk's regression depression is acting up. As Joonghyuk's mental state spirals—his thoughts consumed by the 'Salvation Church' and the fact that his mistake was training for a hundred years in a 'time fault' in the last round—Dokja wonders if it's linked to the previous mental attack.
As Joonghyuk's self deprecating mental rant continues, the cogs seem to burst into existence behind him, moving forwards slowly before jerking back to where they were. Just as he starts to think about how he should have gotten the Absolute Throne and regressing to start over in a world where he can predict things, Dokja feels fear strike him as he lurches forwards with a yell. "It hurts so much that I feel like I'm going to die, you bastard!"
Clutching his stomach and repeatedly whispering 'ow', Dokja moves to stand while the protagonist's thoughts go silent. Frowning again, Joonghyuk states in a subdued voice that he did what was asked of him before confirming that the matter was resolved. Dokja just responds that the urgent fires have been put out, and proceeds to start sharing more information after seeing Joonghyuk's solemn face. Unfortunately, due to the pain, he still has to hold his stomach all the while.
"Ahjussi, you might want to reply to Master soon or else he's actually going to think you're dead," Lee Jihye told him, sounding unimpressed. He'd get to it eventually, okay? Kim Dokja was kind of preoccupied recovering from a hit that had almost killed him.
As soon as his skill began broadcasting the protagonist's thoughts again, Kim Dokja sighed. What had he expected, really?
"I can't believe this," he groaned. "You stupid sunfish bastard. I was gone for like twenty minutes and you're already getting depressed? You're the one we should be worrying about here, not me."
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is greatly concerned by the thoughts of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is distraught by this turn of events.]
"Ah, so the attack triggered this, just like in the theatre dungeon?" Yoo Sangah observed, sounding worried for Yoo Joonghyuk. That made the most sense, really—the man had been caught in a prison of his worst nightmare, and then had immediately been asked to kill his companion without any explanation. Okay, so Kim Dokja might just understand what went wrong there.
Yoo Mia cuddled into her brother again, and he held her tightly even as his jaw clenched further.
"You trained for a long time, oppa," she said quietly, trying to keep her emotions in check. "It was worth it, I think."
Instead of saying anything, Yoo Joonghyuk hugged her closely. It was probably nice to be told that all his efforts had paid off, even if this round had already gone completely off the rails.
[a constellation who likes swords is extremely curious about the training done by the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
As much as Kim Dokja wanted to know too, he cursed as soon as his sunfish senses started tingling. That bastard was seriously thinking of regressing and taking the throne despite (somehow) knowing it was a trap? What was that moron doing?
"Wow, great distraction there," Han Sooyoung drawled sarcastically as Kim Dokja jolted into action, possibly exaggerating his pain just a bit to snap the protagonist out of his depressive state. Kim Dokja just rolled his eyes; it's not like he had much to work with there in the first place.
Upon Kim Dokja saying that the urgent fires were put out, Jung Heewon winced slightly. "Sorry again about that…"
Shaking his head, Kim Dokja said, "Don't apologize. It's all Nirvana's fault anyway."
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is waiting for the incarnations to stop talking and go hunt down the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
As the hwarang monitor and aid the new incarnations, Joonghyuk asks what Dokja will do now after Dokja finishes his explanation—without mentioning his skill, of course. Massaging the back of his neck, Dokja states that he hasn't thought about it yet, but that the things seem optimistic.
Then, Joonghyuk asks about Sangah's rescue, deeming that she must be important to Dokja and should be his highest priority, as he guesses that Nirvana is holding her captive. In the background, an image of her surrounded by Nirvana's glowing skill tendrils takes over the screen. Seeming way less concerned than Joonghyuk expects, Dokja brushes it off with barely a shrug, simply stating that that's probably the case, as well as that he's hopeful about the situation.
When Joonghyuk doubts that anything is hopeful, Dokja grabs onto his shoulders with both hands and declares, "Joonghyuk-ah, we can save the world. You know that, right?"
Thankfully, it didn't seem that his explanation took all that long, but Kim Dokja found himself frowning as he stared at the screen while the protagonist asked him what he'd do after that. For once, he wasn't entirely sure what his future self would prioritize. There was so much to be done, and nowhere near enough manpower to accomplish it—
Wait, that was stupid. The first thing he'd have to do is gather everyone who had been scattered, and then see what was most feasible from there.
"Optimistic, huh?" Han Sooyoung muttered with a sigh. "Where the fuck do you pull this bullshit from anyway?"
[several constellations are wondering if the incarnation 'kim dokja' actually knows what the word 'optimistic' means.]
Wow.
Yoo Sangah turned bright red as Yoo Joonghyuk assumed that she would be Kim Dokja's first priority. "Um, while I appreciate the thought, I doubt that's the case, Joonghyuk-ssi."
Kim Dokja nodded along with her words. As worried as he was, he wouldn't be able to do anything without more information in the first place. He had no idea where she was, or what her situation could be past 'bad'. He wasn't stupid enough to charge into unknown danger (most of the time), so he would have to prioritize figuring out where Nirvana was likely holding her after finding everyone else. After all, any rescue attempt would go better if they had more people for more creative and versatile plans.
"Sangah-unnie is strong, so she's probably okay for now," Shin Yoosung said, shooting an encouraging smile at the older woman. Naturally, Yoo Sangah returned it, seemingly feeling a bit better after that vote of confidence.
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' has confidence in the willpower of the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is flailing around in excitement.]
Kim Dokja smiled and glanced over at the protagonist as his future self declared that they could save the world. "I know things might not seem too hopeful, but trust in me, okay Joonghyuk-ah? I promised to get you to the end of the scenarios, and I keep my promises."
Yoo Joonghyuk looked back at him with an impassive expression, but his eyes burned with an emotion that Kim Dokja wasn't confident enough to name. Slowly, he nodded. "You will help us get to the end of the scenarios."
'Us'. It was a word that Yoo Joonghyuk didn't normally use in TWSA, especially as his regressions increased in number. More often than not, in rounds where he had companions, he would say 'my companions and I' instead. Maybe, for him, it had been a way of putting a bit of distance between them so it wouldn't hurt as much when they inevitably died.
And yet, Yoo Joonghyuk had made a point of including him in that statement, and it made Kim Dokja feel strange. Maybe an 'us' wouldn't be so bad, at the end of it all.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is smiling fondly.]
After hearing that, Joonghyuk pauses for a moment before glaring and asking what he's talking about. Looking away awkwardly, Dokja tries to salvage his obvious attempt to keep him from thinking of regressing by pointing out that the Nirvana he knows wouldn't lay their hands on Sangah.
Joonghyuk's eyes widen in shock, and he asks if Dokja knows about the reincarnator as well. When Dokja tries to slowly back away while dodging further questioning, Jiwon walks over and remarks that they're very familiar with each other. Thankful for the save, Dokja turns to her and replies that he's just a friendly person, as well as asking if she's ok.
She thanks them for saving her, which prompts Dokja to ask for her help in finding his companions who have all been scattered, hopefully before they have a chance to encounter and be infected by the Salvation Church. In particular, Dokja is worried about Jihye getting infected and using [Ghost Fleet] to turn Seoul into heaps of wreckage.
Only a moment later, the screen cuts away from their conversation to show scenes of hwarang finding Jihye walking alone on a street, the two kids fighting as usual, and Pildu, who has declared an abandoned storefront as his property. Looking quite miffed, Pildu grumbles about wanting to stay in 'that land'. As Dokja is being hugged by the still-bickering children, he asks if Pildu meant Peace Land, and the man curses after being called out.
Fortunately, everyone wasn't too far away.
Before Kim Dokja could say anything, Han Sooyoung groaned loudly. "I fucking cannot stand you two. The one fucking time this asshole reaches out, and the bastard doesn't even do shit!"
Jung Heewon nodded sagely. "Really dropped the ball on that one, huh?"
Kim Dokja wanted to roll his eyes. If they seriously thought that Yoo Joonghyuk would respond with anything other than confusion or threats of violence, they didn't know him that well. Of course he'd be confused by Kim Dokja making a statement like that out of nowhere, especially because he only had a suspicion that Kim Dokja could read his mind.
[a few constellations are relieved to hear the good news about the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
Letting out a sigh of relief, Yoo Sangah looked somewhat more relaxed than before. "You really don't think they'd do that?"
Kim Dokja shook his head. "My guess is that Nirvana is currently trying to get information out of you, but they never used physical torture or anything in TWSA. You're probably not having a great time, but I don't think your safety is at risk."
At least, he really hoped so.
Lee Seolhwa giggled a bit at Yoo Joonghyuk's surprise, but she only looked more amused by Kim Dokja's attempt at deflection as Min Jiwon approached them.
"A friendly person? You?" Lee Jihye asked doubtfully. "You're only really super friendly when you're trying to scam someone."
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is snickering in amusement.]
Well, she wasn't entirely wrong, but he could be friendly if he really wanted to!
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is pleased to be of help.]
Lee Hyunsung perked up immediately as Min Jiwon agreed to send out her hwarang to help look for everyone, seemingly relieved to know that he and Jung Heewon would likely receive some kind of medical assistance soon.
"A good plan," Yoo Joonghyuk murmured, his eyes narrowed as Kim Dokja expressed his concern for Lee Jihye in particular.
Jung Heewon was dangerous under the influence of [Thought Infection], but Lee Jihye would be absolutely devastating—at least Jung Heewon only had so much range, even with her powerful stigma. She was also only one person, while Lee Jihye would mean facing down an overpowered version of the [Ghost Fleet] on an already treacherous river. Just getting to her would be horrific.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is looking away sheepishly.]
His incarnation did the same, but at least she let out a loud sigh of relief as the group slowly got gathered together. Unsurprisingly, the kids were bickering again, but that was better than being in trouble. Kim Dokja patted both of their heads, and was rewarded with matching grins. They were so cute when they weren't at each other's throats.
Jung Heewon snickered as they watched Gong Pildu get coaxed out of the building he had tried to claim for his own. "He's been back all of a day, max, and he's already doing this?"
A landlord was going to be a landlord in the end, it seemed.
[the constellation 'defense master' is annoyed that his incarnation keeps getting denied his own property.]
Unfortunately, this moment of calm is ruined when some incarnations decide to request that Joonghyuk accept them as part of his group, claiming to admire him. Joonghyuk's expression immediately darkens as he considers that even 100 trucks' worth of these people wouldn't be able to save the world. When his thoughts return to regression, Dokja immediately jumps in and tells the incarnations to buzz off because their 'Supreme King' is in a bad mood.
When some of the incarnations question who he is, another pipes up, pointing out that Dokja is apparently the 'Ugliest King'. As Dokja freezes in shock and offense, Joonghyuk unexpectedly decides to speak up. His voice sounds rather melancholy as he tells them to become someone useful if they want to join him—it's clearly an insult, but the incarnations are so in awe of him that they take it as some kind of encouragement. Then, one of them asks if Dokja is stronger than Joonghyuk, since Dokja was the one who drove off Nirvana, but the other incarnation retorts that Joonghyuk overpowered him in a single hit.
While the newbies debate over whether Joonghyuk or Dokja are stronger, Jihye does nothing to hide her laughter over the new title Dokja has acquired. Grabbing onto his hands Yoosung states that she thinks he's handsome, while Gilyoung—attempting to be helpful—tells him that looks aren't everything. Dokja despairs internally again, thinking that Yoosung is the only one on his side, but he also expresses his confusion since, despite all the bullying he endured, no one had ever called him ugly before the apocalypse. He groans, thinking that even though Yoo Joonghyuk is the one who is depressed, he's the one suffering instead.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is astounded by the stupidity of the incarnations.]
Kim Dokja nearly laughed. Did they seriously think that approaching Yoo Joonghyuk was a good idea? Sure, he was strong and reliable, but there was also no way in hell he was ever accepting a dead weight. Yoo Mia snickered too when her brother's annoyed thoughts were broadcasted yet again, but she fell silent as they turned to regression.
Unfortunately for Kim Dokja, his amusement instantly turned to shock and dismay as he was insulted right to his face. Han Sooyoung barked out a laugh, but he couldn't even care. Ugly? He wasn't ugly, dammit! Certainly not enough to be called the 'Ugliest King'!
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing at the bad taste of the incarnations.]
[a few constellations are greatly amused by the new title of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"I know I look blurry, but seriously!?" Kim Dokja yelped, looking absolutely offended as he stared at the screen. Fuck, he knew he wasn't half bad—pretty, even, if Secretive Plotter was to be believed—but looking at the situation again, Kim Dokja felt even more despair. He was standing next to Yoo Joonghyuk, the epitome of male beauty, so of course his blurred face would look like nothing more than a slug in comparison!
Yoo Joonghyuk just seemed intensely displeased by the annoying incarnations, which was never a good sign. He was frowning and glaring at the screen, and Kim Dokja could only hope that he wasn't memorizing these incarnations' faces to take them out early and avoid the situation entirely.
It got even worse when the protagonist made a flippant remark to try and dissuade them, and they took it as encouragement. Seriously? Was his protagonist halo that strong? Or was it a mix of the halo and his face's probability that turned rudeness into something good?
"See? You are handsome, ahjussi!" Shin Yoosung insisted, tugging on his sleeve. "Future me says so too!"
Future her was definitely just trying to make him feel better, but he appreciated the thought nonetheless. Lee Gilyoung on the other hand… he'd given it an attempt, that's for sure. It wasn't a particularly good one, though.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is laughing while refilling his wine.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is reassuring the incarnation 'kim dokja' that his face is nice when it is not blurry.]
Thankfully, on behalf of Dokja's self-esteem, a large monstrous wolf appears and lets out a deafening howl. Immediately, both Dokja and Joonghyuk prepare for combat while assessing the monster and the situation.
The seventh scenario, 'Monster Hunting', is an event scenario for new incarnations and incarnations that couldn't participate in 'Peace Land'.
Dokja looks up, wondering if a Grade 6 monster ever appeared in the Seventh Scenario. The confusion is quickly cleared when Jiwon explains that the Seventh Scenario wrapped up already, and that the Peace Land group must have returned right as everyone was receiving their rewards. She also points out that Nirvana received the highest reward.
As more of them join and the others launch into fighting, Dokja questions what's going on since Grade 6 monsters shouldn't be moving in packs. Instantly, everyone—including Pildu—jumps into action and starts attacking. Even after they've collectively fought off ten monsters, Dokja realizes that there are still more coming. Looking around, he calls for everyone to come his way.
Something's off. This sort of development didn't appear in the original Third Regression in the novel. It also wasn't in the Fourth, Fifth…. Or even the Tenth Regression.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is yearning to see your reasoning in action.]
It feels like I'm missing something important. Think, Kim Dokja. When did this scenario appear in the novel?
"Oh shit," Jung Heewon cursed as any amusement from the previous scene dropped off her face. "Where the heck did that come from?"
Kim Dokja didn't know, but it was putting him on edge. It looked weirdly powerful for the current scenario, and he had a very bad feeling about that. Still, he had to try and encourage everyone that things would be alright. "Don't worry, we dealt with worse over in Peace Land anyway. I know we'll be able to take it down without too much trouble."
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is thrilled by this turn of events.]
"Monster hunting…" Yoo Sangah mused. "I suppose that's what we were supposed to have been doing while you were gone."
Well, that's what would have happened if Nirvana hadn't shown up and fucked everything up. He didn't know how long it had taken the reincarnator to dismantle everything, but given what he did know, Kim Dokja could be certain that his allies hadn't gotten any particularly good rewards since they were probably targeted first. Dammit.
"Ew, they stole all the best rewards?" Lee Gilyoung griped, looking extremely unhappy about that. "Hyung, they really suck."
That was an understatement.
[several constellations are questioning the strange behaviour of the monsters.]
Han Sooyoung narrowed her eyes, and so did Yoo Joonghyuk. The three of them knew that this wasn't normal at all—monsters didn't just change their habits like that. Something was clearly pulling the strings again here, and Kim Dokja didn't like it one bit.
"At the very least, everyone is doing a great job!" Lee Hyunsung said in an encouraging tone, managing to lift the mood once again. He was really good at that, and Kim Dokja couldn't appreciate him enough for it. Everyone was much stronger in the future than they were now, and it was really a testament to all of their hard work.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is watching the current events curiously.]
As Dokja slices through one of the beasts, his eyes glow a subtle blue as words rush past his gaze. As if to answer the question, an intermediate dokkaebi appears to declare that the start of the next scenario has come. In an apologetic tone that didn't match their smiling face, the dokkaebi states that they couldn't give the incarnations some time to rest since this scenario is automated and not controlled by the dokkaebi.
As he says this, a scenario window appears in front of all the incarnations. It introduces the eighth main scenario—'The Strongest Sacrifice'—which can be cleared by surviving the wave of monsters, and that the clear conditions will update with hints every four hours. Dokja stares at it, realizing immediately that this isn't the name of the eighth scenario that he knows.
The dokkaebi then explains that every four hours, the grade of the monsters appearing will go up. One incarnation asks about a time limit, which causes the dokkaebi to laugh, stating that this scenario has no time limit and that it appeared because everyone became too strong.
The sudden appearance of the leader of the Salvation Church, Nirvana. Yoo Joonghyuk, as well as his group, had gotten much stronger than they were in the original third regression. I remember something like this happening in TWSA once.
"So this did happen in the novel?" Yoo Joonghyuk asked suddenly, casting a glance in Kim Dokja's direction. All he could do was nod in response and hope that his future self was able to find the answer soon enough because he couldn't recall it off the top of his head.
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is intrigued by the automated scenario.]
Yoo Mia frowned, her brow furrowing as she did. "How does it work if it's automated?"
Ah. Shit. Kim Dokja's eyes widened as he suddenly recalled something similar happening, even if it wasn't an identical scenario.
"Think of it like a hidden scenario," Kim Dokja said, trying to conceal his nervousness. "It only gets triggered when specific conditions are fulfilled. I just don't know which conditions they were in this case."
The scenario window suddenly appeared, and Yoo Sangah looked around nervously. "I don't like the name of this scenario…"
Hm, that didn't look good. The entire scenario had been replaced with something he didn't recognize.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is hoping that this scenario isn't too confusing.]
"Wait, if the grade of the monsters goes up every four hours and there's no time limit, does that mean that we'll have to fight 1st grade monsters eventually?" Jung Heewon asked in shock, and Kim Dokja grimaced. That seemed likely, but the Bureau had to know that would be impossible. There had to be some kind of catch.
As the dokkaebi announced that the scenario was triggered because the incarnations got too strong, Lee Jihye blinked at the screen. "Was this our fault?"
Thinking back over how much stronger everyone in this room had become in such a short amount of time, Kim Dokja winced. "... Maybe."
[a few constellations are entertained by the misfortune of the incarnations.]
[Oh dear, it's become unbalanced due to only the Korean incarnations being overpowered. This scenario automatically occurs when the incarnations of certain domes become too strong.] The dokkaebi smiles and declares that there are only two ways to complete this scenario, bringing in another pop-up which informs everyone that option one is for half of the incarnations in the Seoul Dome to die. People immediately lash out, cursing the dokkaebi for this situation and angrily wondering why the dokkaebi is telling them to go die.
To quell their anger, option two appears—the strongest incarnation in Seoul Dome must die. People immediately start demanding that the dokkaebi tell them who that is, causing the dokkaebi to devolve into laughter once more as he declares that it wouldn't be fun to just tell them.
[Well, that person would know best that they're the strongest. Then, try your best to find them.] As the dokkaebi's words conclude, several incarnations murmur and immediately turn to look at Joonghyuk nervously. When he looks up from the scenario window, the screen highlights Joonghyuk's glare that seems to perfectly fit his handsome face.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is protesting the new scenario.]
In other words, their group had gotten so strong that they were outlevelling other domes by a significant amount. Most incarnations in Seoul were still fairly weak, but it made sense that this was happening. Between the fiasco with the prophets earlier—where the Tyrant King had gotten so strong so quickly that he had been under constant watch by the dokkaebi, until his untimely death, at least—and their group literally killing a constellation in Peace land, they really had walked right into this.
"So basically, what we have to do is make sure we clear the scenario before the monsters get too strong for us to handle," Han Sooyoung remarked flippantly. "Sounds simple enough, but there's got to be some kind of bullshit they're pulling in the background."
The first way to clear the scenario appeared only a second later, and Kim Dokja sighed. There was the bullshit.
Lee Seolhwa's eyes widened as she gasped. "One half of the incarnations have to die…? That's horrible."
[several constellations are looking forward to the slaughter.]
"Fuck that," Jung Heewon hissed. "What the hell is the second way?"
The second one wasn't much better, and Kim Dokja felt a shiver go down his spine. The strongest… had to die?
His mind raced as he processed what that would likely mean. Everyone in the dome would inevitably vote for that option, especially because there were very few reasonable candidates for the position. They'd all feel reassured by the fact that they'd have the chance to live just by sacrificing a single life.
Logically, it made sense—it was one life weighed against thousands. Who wouldn't pick such an option? However, Kim Dokja's gaze flickered over to Yoo Joonghyuk for a moment, and he didn't like the conclusion he was coming to. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't even want to think anything like this, but deep down he was praying that Nirvana was stronger than the protagonist.
He could hear everyone talking, nervously debating about who the strongest could be, but their words were nothing more than garbled gibberish to his ears. He could tell that the kids were anxious, especially Yoo Mia, but all Kim Dokja could do was hold his two a bit closer and hope that they weren't talking to him.
Even as the constellations joined in on the debate, messages popping up rapidly in front of them, Kim Dokja couldn't process anything.
Instead, there was only one thought in his head.
Yoo Joonghyuk would not die here, and Kim Dokja didn't care what he'd have to do to make sure of it.