[several constellations are curious to see how this scenario will develop.]
Kim Dokja took a deep breath to calm himself, knowing that he had to make sure he was feeling rational again. He couldn't jump to conclusions, no matter how easy the leap would be. The only thing that would determine the fate of this scenario was what they were being shown.
However, his conviction didn't shake as he allowed himself to fall into a carefully constructed facade of calmness. He knew what he would have to do, if the worst case scenario came to pass.
As the incarnations stand around, confusedly discussing who the strongest could be, the dokkaebi decides that it's too boring to watch. With a snap of his fingers, a hint appears, declaring Jihye as the tenth strongest in the Seoul Dome.
Jihye screams and messes up her hair while exclaiming that she can't only be tenth. Behind her, both Gilyoung and Pildu look less than impressed. As the dokkaebi vanishes, many start glancing over their shoulders towards Dokja's group.
As Joonghyuk's depressive and regressive thoughts ring out once more at the emergence of yet another scenario he doesn't recognize, Dokja hangs his head and facepalms while mentally pleading for the protagonist's mental stability. Lifting his head once more, he glares over at Joonghyuk's frowning face.
Damn it, what's going to happen to me if you regress.
"I guess it would be boring to just watch everyone talk for a while," Jung Heewon admitted with a sigh. "But are hints really going to do that much…?"
Unfortunately, they would. Kim Dokja already knew that the first hint would set a baseline against which everyone else could measure themselves and each other. It would be easier the more names were revealed, slowly narrowing the pool of possible incarnations. Glancing around the room, Kim Dokja honestly figured that—with the exception of Nirvana—most of them would be in this room right now. After all, they were significantly stronger than most incarnations in Seoul and, barring any surprises, that should still hold true.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is surprised by the revelation.]
"Me!?" Lee Jihye gasped, pointing to herself as her jaw dropped. "I'm only the tenth!? Huh? Seriously?"
"That's still awesome, unnie!" Shin Yoosung exclaimed excitedly. "There are only nine people stronger than you in Seoul!"
Lee Jihye blinked for a moment as she processed what that meant before a confident smile stretched across her lips. "Ha! Your unnie is pretty awesome, right?"
Wow, she sure switched that up quick. Funny what a single comment could do.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is declaring that tenth isn't anything special.]
As Lee Jihye cursed out the constellation under her breath, Kim Dokja narrowed his eyes at the way many incarnations started looking over at them. It seemed that very few people didn't know who they were at this point, and it was a reasonable assumption that they'd rank among the top spots.
Yoo Mia took a deep breath as she curled a bit closer to her brother. "It's gonna be okay, oppa. That ahjussi will help."
Yoo Joonghyuk nodded silently, but the expression on his face was grave. Clearly, he was putting the pieces together too and realizing that there was a high chance that he could be the strongest anyway.
However, when Kim Dokja's thoughts rang out in the room, the protagonist stiffened and looked over at Kim Dokja worriedly—and he wasn't the only one.
Of course, he had already explained that the world could end if Yoo Joonghyuk regressed, so it made logical sense to Kim Dokja that he and everyone else would be so concerned. However, the sheer amount of barely hidden panic in Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes was unprecedented, and Yoo Sangah also looked far more worried than expected.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is sitting tensely.]
"Dokja-ssi…" Yoo Sangah said quietly, her voice tinged with concern, and Kim Dokja blinked at her in confusion.
Why did he have the feeling that she was getting the wrong idea here…?
"Don't do stupid things, you fool," Yoo Joonghyuk hissed.
Kim Dokja looked back at the protagonist in confusion. The man was clenching his fist, sitting ramrod straight, and staring at Kim Dokja with breathtaking intensity. Through his utter bafflement, Kim Dokja raised a brow. "... I won't?"
The protagonist seemed satisfied with that, so he nodded, but he seemed to keep a watchful eye on Kim Dokja anyway. Something was definitely going on here.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is barely holding back her tears.]
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' says that he doesn't like tragedies.]
Later, Jihye sheathes her sword as she stands over the corpse of a monster, declaring that they can finally take a break. Behind her, the children and Pildu all look much more tired than her as she asks if the next wave should be in four hours.
It's only been the first wave, but one tenth of the people in the Seoul Dome died.
Around them, people cling to the dead, crying out for the loved ones who can no longer hear them. Others call out for anyone to aid the injured. Seemingly appearing out of nowhere, Seolhwa rushes out with a first aid kit in hand. Joonghyuk is watching the scene from a short distance away, and Dokja begins to feel a bit nervous as he watches Joonghyuk.
Recalling what the dokkaebi said about the sacrifice of the strongest incarnation, Dokja walks up to Joonghyuk, asking if they can talk. While they walk up the stairs of a nearby building, Dokja activates [Character List], viewing Joonghyuk's [Character Summary].
[Name: Yoo Joonghyuk
Constellation sponsor: ???
Personal attributes: Regressor <3rd Round> (Mythical), Pro Gamer (Rare), Supreme King (Heroic)
Exclusive skills: Eye of the Sage lvl. 9, Close Combat lvl. 10, Advanced Weapons Mastery lvl. 10, Advanced Mental Barrier lvl. 3, Hundred-Step Divine Fist lvl. 9, Red Phoenix Shunpo lvl. 8, Cooking lvl. 10, Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship lvl. 8 …
Stigma: Regression lvl. 3, Transmission lv. 5]
Lee Gilyoung groaned upon seeing that they were still fighting off monsters. "Ugh, this is going to suck."
That was an understatement, unfortunately. At least they'd have four hours to rest and plan before the next wave would begin, but it would inevitably get significantly worse the longer they waited.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is sad that the fighting was skipped.]
[several constellations of the korean peninsula are saddened by the deaths of the incarnations.]
Lee Hyunsung's eyes filled with tears. "One tenth…"
It was a disaster already, and though this would be the weakest wave of monsters, that many people had already died. Honestly, Kim Dokja wouldn't be surprised if two more waves brought them up to the required half anyway, considering just how significant a single grade of difference could be, especially with a large number of monsters at once.
Lee Seolhwa seemed relieved to see herself helping out, having rejoined them at some point. However, she still seemed nervous as she said, "We only get the hints every four hours too, right?"
"Yeah," Han Sooyoung sighed. "It's bullshit. By the time the strongest person gets announced, the monsters will be too hard to deal with anyway, so it's relying entirely on fucking peer pressure to get them to reveal themself. Of course, we don't even know how they'll know they're the strongest."
That was true—the dokkaebi had implied that the strongest would know who they were, but with both Yoo Joonghyuk and Nirvana in Seoul, the answer wouldn't be obvious to everyone else. It was possible that one of them had received a notification somehow.
[a few constellations are curious to know if the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' is the strongest.]
Glancing over at Yoo Joonghyuk, Kim Dokja wondered if he would reveal such a thing, if he had received one. Then, after narrowing his eyes for a second, he shook his head. If he had gotten a notification, that bastard would keep it to himself and then go off and regress somewhere, Kim Dokja was sure of it. That was just the kind of sunfish that Yoo Joonghyuk was, after all.
"At least the two of you are talking about this," Yoo Sangah sighed, looking much more relieved than before. It was pretty nice that the protagonist was willing to work together with him at least this much, even if it was only really because of the circumstances.
Upon Yoo Joonghyuk's summary opening again, Han Sooyoung groaned. "Ugh, you and your bullshit skill levels."
What had she been expecting? The protagonist was the protagonist, after all.
'I still can't see who his 'sponsor' is,' Dokja thinks as Joonghyuk opens the door to the rooftop.
And I know the reason why. Even TWSA never revealed who Yoo Joonghyuk's sponsor was, even at the very end. I hoped that maybe it would appear in the epilogue, but, unfortunately, I couldn't read the epilogue of TWSA.
As they walk out onto the empty roof, Dokja contemplates how his sponsor must have more resistance to the rules of probability than any known constellation, as well as the fact that they have the power to turn the wheel of time while deceiving even the most powerful constellations.
An image of a blank figure appears behind Joonghyuk as he turns towards Dokja. Not listening to what the protagonist says, Dokja keeps contemplating. 'A constellation who never provided any stigma beyond [Regression] to Yoo Joonghyuk, even until the end of TWSA. Just what sort of being could it be, and what could they want to gain from Joonghyuk?'
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is sighing in disappointment.]
[many constellations are dismayed that the sponsor of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' has not been revealed.]
Even Yoo Joonghyuk looked tense, but that was understandable. After all, he had no memories of even picking his sponsor, though it had clearly happened at some point. Even more than Kim Dokja, Yoo Joonghyuk was the one who wanted those answers the most in the entire world.
Kim Dokja didn't know what to say to him at that moment, especially given the circumstances. How must it feel for him to know that it was never revealed? His constellation was clearly powerful—they had already determined that—but their motivations were frustratingly unclear. What did they want with him? Why did they sponsor him? For what reason was Yoo Joonghyuk forced to suffer like this for eternity?
"Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk said suddenly, and Kim Dokja looked over at him with surprise written all over his features. "Stop thinking too much. If we clear the scenarios and end the Star Stream, then it won't matter anyway."
That… that was true. There were so many stars sparkling up in the night sky, so Yoo Joonghyuk's sponsor had to be one of them. If the sky eventually went dark after the last constellation fell, then they'd know for sure that his constellation was gone too. Was that what the protagonist was trying to imply?
"I suppose that's true," Kim Dokja replied with a slight laugh. How could that bastard make him feel more optimistic about the entire situation with only a few words?
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is narrowing his eyes at the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is pensive.]
As Dokja tunes back in, just in time to hear Joonghyuk asking about killing Nirvana, his face immediately falls as he laments how impatient the man is even when he's supposed to be taking a break. Putting on a smile to keep his zen, Dokja walks to the wall at the edge of the building while talking about taking in the view and taking a moment to stop and breathe. As Dokja asks him to admire the beautiful scenery, it cuts to the blood-spattered, trashed, and shattered road full of monster corpses.
After a pregnant pause, Dokja lets out a dry laugh as he mentions that it used to be beautiful. Joonghyuk states that those are all things that will one day disappear anyway. Dokja looks over at him with a hint of pity in his gaze before he looks out at the street once more. "But those are things that you have to protect."
When Joonghyuk tries to brush off Dokja's words by stating that he doesn't know anything, Dokja rebukes that immediately.
"Joonghyuk-ssi, the scenario will only get harder from here, so please take breaks when you can get them," Lee Seolhwa chided with a disapproving frown on her face.
She was right; there was no point in overworking themselves when they only had a limited time to rest anyway.
As Kim Dokja walked up to the edge of the roof and started talking, Yoo Mia made a point of leaning out of her brother's protection for just long enough to stare judgmentally at him. "Ahjussi, you have terrible taste."
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is snickering.]
[a few constellations think that broken concrete is an acquired taste.]
… Okay, so maybe the scenery was pretty shitty, but he was trying to be uplifting!
"Maybe check that the words match the picture first next time," Jung Heewon laughed. The overall situation wasn't great, but it was scenery that they were unfortunately used to by now.
"You're right, Dokja-ssi," Yoo Sangah said softly, "we still have to protect this broken world as best as we can."
It wasn't going to be easy, but it was something to hold onto.
As Yoo Joonghyuk remarked that Kim Dokja didn't know anything, Lee Gilyoung scoffed. "It's the sooty bastard who didn't know anything in the end!"
Technically, he wasn't wrong, and Kim Dokja was only slightly amused by the protagonist's brow twitching in irritation.
Yoo Joonghyuk's purpose was 'prevent the destruction of this world'. Paradoxically, he was able to 'give up on this world at any time' for that purpose.
Leaning against the wall, Dokja explains that since the protagonist can regress, that makes 'death' meaningless. Because of that, the value of life also disappears in his eyes. When Joonghyuk tries to argue back, Dokja cuts him off with a scathing tone. "Yoo Joonghyuk, get a grip. I'm telling you not to delude yourself into thinking that things will improve if you keep repeating everything. Who knows, you might be able to do better in the next regression, but that could also not be the case."
As Joonghyuk's eyes widen in surprise, a flashback appears when Dokja reminds him of their experience in the Theater Dungeon. Joonghyuk cuts him off to state that the next regression will be better due to the unexpected events this time around. As the man frowns further, Dokja questions if it's because he'd know about another future.
His vague belief that he could do better in the next turn by collecting more information from previous ones. His impulsive tendency to easily give up in the face of the slightest change or 'mistake', that was the precursor symptom of 'Regression Depression'.
"That does seem pretty fucking hypocritical," Han Sooyoung remarked. "But I guess it fits since you were a gamer before. Did you do any of that speedrunning stuff or whatever?"
Yoo Joonghyuk's brow twitched again. "I did not."
Huh. Kim Dokja actually didn't know anything about the man's career other than the fact that he was a gamer, but it was odd that he hadn't done that. His regression kind of functioned a lot like speedrunning, and he'd simply restart if he ever went too far off his planned route. Maybe he should consider doing that after the apocalypse was over, if the world was able to recover.
[constellations who like philosophy are beginning to debate the meaning of 'life' and 'death'.]
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes shook as Kim Dokja began to lecture him about life, death, and his own perception of his regressions. He was probably experiencing the same internal crisis that his future self was going through, but for Kim Dokja, this was just pure catharsis. These were thoughts that he had had for a long time, expressed only through comments and half-written notes in a notebook that he had had since he was younger.
"If I don't believe that the next round will be better, then what can I even hope for?" Yoo Joonghyuk asked, sounding far less harsh than Kim Dokja would have expected. "Tell me, Kim Dokja. Why should I go on when I can't tell myself that it will get better with every new try?"
Yoo Joonghyuk looked at him desperately, as though Kim Dokja held all the answers to his very existence.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is sobbing.]
[the eyes of the constellation 'secretive plotter' are trembling.]
Feeling like there was a lump in his throat, Kim Dokja stared directly into the inky depths of Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes. When he spoke, it was soft. "Joonghyuk-ah, maybe the next round will be better, but maybe it'll be worse too. You can't know until it happens, but most worlds aren't completely hopeless either."
He took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady even as Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes and spirit shook. "I know that sometimes regressing is out of your control. You're a fighter, so you're going to get hurt often and you're going to die sometimes. But some of these worlds can still be salvaged, even after things go wrong, you know that right?"
As his regression depression had gotten worse throughout the scenarios, Yoo Joonghyuk had regressed over the tiniest things. In one regression, he had been so distraught and so deep in his depression that he had ended his own life before even getting off the subway. Maybe that, too, was a world where he could have reached the end.
[many constellations are looking at the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' with pitying gazes.]
Dokja agrees that it might get better ten or twenty regressions down the line as he sees more scenarios and more of the future. However, he then turns it around to state that, when Joonghyuk does eventually save the world, will he really believe that he'll be able to say that he has saved the world at that point? Dokja presses further asking if he can really think that way after regressing hundreds of times.
Joonghyuk scoffs, stating there's no way he'd regress that many times. Feeling pressure, he turns to see Dokja looking at him with a deadly serious expression. His eyes widen as a thought dawns on him. 「Don't tell me…」
Dokja speaks up calmly, asking if he's still having nightmares. "Even if you save the world, you won't be saved. The moment you save the world, the worlds that you have forsaken will come to overwhelm you. So live a proper life this 'turn'."
Ah, it was kind of embarrassing to hear his future self say something similar to what he had just said, yet not quite the same.
Lee Jihye was sobbing into her hands, and Lee Hyunsung was doing the same. At the very least, he had Jung Heewon patting his back much less awkwardly than before.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is groaning from his headache.]
Yoo Sangah nodded sadly. "It makes sense, Dokja-ssi. No matter how much Joonghyuk-ssi succeeds, his memories of his past failures will always haunt him."
Yoo Joonghyuk was silent, but it seemed that everything that he said—both in the future and here and now—was slowly getting through to him.
"It sucks knowing that 'hundreds' is lowballing it too," Jung Heewon sighed as Kim Dokja continued talking. It was hard to truly conceptualize just how long and arduous 1863 lifetimes truly were, after all. For Yoo Joonghyuk who had only regressed three times, even a hundred seemed horrifying.
"In other words, 'live in the present'," Han Sooyoung said with a teasing grin. She was rewarded with a harsh glare from the protagonist, and Kim Dokja rolled his eyes. He had been trying to purposefully avoid using that wording for a reason, but it was unfortunately accurate.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is nodding in agreement.]
As Dokja speaks, the scene flips around to show Seolhwa tending to the wounded before changing to Jihye, Pildu and the kids behind the door to the roof. Jihye holds her finger to her lips, hoping everyone will stay quiet as they eavesdrop while Pildu looks towards the viewer like a character on 'The Office'. With the final sentence, the scene returns to a top down view of the two men, seeming like they're the only two people in the universe.
As Joonghyuk stares at him, wide eyed, Dokja explains that Joonghyuk's mental state is worse off than 41st Yoosung's. He then asks the protagonist to compare how different he is now when compared to how he was before the scenarios. When Joonghyuk looks down in silence, Dokja reminds him once again not to be deluded into thinking that regressing will make things better the next time. "This turn you're planning to abandon might be the only turn where you'll be able to see the end of the world as a 'human'."
Joonghyuk looks conflicted, like he wants to say something but the words aren't coming to him.
Yes, Joonghyuk-ah, think about it. Do you have any idea what would happen to me if you regress?
Kim Dokja sighed as he saw the group behind the door eavesdropping on his heartfelt conversation. Seriously? They were only gone for a few minutes…
"What?" Lee Jihye asked suddenly, shooting him a suspicious glance. "You and Master don't normally go off by yourselves; of course we're curious!"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is vehemently agreeing with the incarnation 'lee jihye'.]
"And we don't trust the sooty bastard either," Shin Yoosung declared in a half-whisper as Lee Gilyoung shot a glare at Yoo Joonghyuk.
These kids, seriously…
That didn't explain what Gong Pildu was doing there, but he wouldn't be surprised if that guy was basically a gossiping ahjussi at a farmer's market.
Han Sooyoung looked a bit annoyed and rolled her eyes as the scene focused entirely on the two men, but Kim Dokja couldn't pay too much attention to it when Yoo Joonghyuk looked so conflicted by the idea of comparing himself to what he was like before the scenarios started. There was sorrow in his eyes and maybe he was mourning the person he used to be.
Just like his future self, the protagonist was lost for words as Kim Dokja told him to finish this turn as a human, and it looked like the point had finally hit home for him. That was a good thing, probably. It likely wouldn't completely eliminate any sunfishy thoughts, of course, but if it could reduce them even a bit, then it would be worth it.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is silent.]
[constellations who like philosophy are beginning to debate about what it means to be 'human'.]
Unfortunately, as Kim Dokja once again thought about his own fate in the case of Yoo Joonghyuk regressing, Yoo Sangah looked at him nervously again. This time, however, Jung Heewon and Lee Seolhwa were also shooting him anxious looks.
He could ignore those well enough, but it was the kids glancing up at him with wide, nervous eyes that made him crack. He patted them on the head with a sigh, wondering just why they were so upset.
Ah, wait. They couldn't actually be thinking that he would….?
No, they totally would. He had thought that the kids hadn't realized it before, but apparently they had put the pieces together at some point too.
Kim Dokja wasn't going to do something stupid if something happened to Yoo Joonghyuk. It's not like he would get the chance if the world would simply cease to exist anyway.
As Joonghyuk looks at Dokja, his eyes clearer than before, a notification appears and declares that his mental state has been slightly restored. The wind ruffles their hair as they look out over the ruined city together, and Dokja reminds Joonghyuk that things will return to the scenarios he knows after that, as well as the fact that there are plenty of hidden pieces that only Joonghyuk knows about.
Ruining the moment, the slam of a door and a girl's screech interrupts their conversation as the door swings open and all four of the eavesdroppers fall to the ground. Unfortunately, Pildu is at the bottom of the pile, Jihye is stuck in the middle, and the two younger children are on top of them. As they scramble back up, Jihye yells about being pushed before chastising Pildu for being the only one to listen in because she wanted to hear too.
In response, Pildu declares that they shouldn't interfere in conversations between men. When 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire' lights up with excitement, the four intruders look at the two with blank looks, and the two kids slowly back further behind the door frame.
While Dokja gives them a judgemental look—mentioning that he's not in the mood for joking around right now and that he's disappointed that they were trying to eavesdrop when the two of them weren't even talking for that long—Uriel sends a message expressing her sadness. Dokja just thinks that her being upset doesn't matter because Joonghyuk is the only important person right now.
Kim Dokja nearly let out a sigh of relief upon finding out that Yoo Joonghyuk's mental state was doing better, and he wasn't the only one. Yoo Mia hugged her brother even tighter, but she took the time to nod once in Kim Dokja's direction, almost like a non-verbal thank you. It was oddly touching, coming from her, but it made sense. She truly loved her brother more than anyone else in the world.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is feeling endeared by the current events.]
It was nice, just getting to talk to the protagonist calmly like that. It wasn't a scene that Kim Dokja ever would have imagined before, but it was one that he wouldn't mind getting to see again. Of course, Kim Dokja couldn't have nice things, so it was interrupted by the eavesdroppers literally falling through the doorway.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is distraught that the touching moment was interrupted.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is happy that the boring sappy stuff is over.]
"Oops," Lee Jihye laughed sheepishly. "Don't be too mad, we were just curious."
Such a nice moment, completely ruined.
"Sorry, ahjussi," Shin Yoosung murmured upon seeing his unimpressed expression.
He'd forgive her, but he had to sigh. They weren't even talking about anything that interesting to anyone else, especially without the added context of Yoo Joonghyuk's stigma. Actually, thinking about it, would anything they said have even made sense to that group at all?
"Eavesdropping really isn't polite," Lee Hyunsung said, sounding disappointed in them, and honestly that was probably more effective than anything Kim Dokja could have said. Disappointing Lee Hyunsung was like denying a puppy a treat—you just didn't do that.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is fidgeting sheepishly.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is sighing and shaking her head.]
Without knowing what Dokja is thinking, Joonghyuk declares that they were only formulating plans. As he quickly exchanges a look with Dokja, confusing him and creeping him out a bit, Joonghyuk goes on to mention that the scenario will only end with the death of the strongest incarnation and that they were brainstorming about it.
This leads Jihye to ask who the strongest incarnation is, to which Joonghyuk point blank responds that it's him. Looking exhausted while in the clutches of the children, one of whom is severely unimpressed with the protagonist, Dokja sighs at his pridefulness.
Suddenly, something clicks in Dokja's mind and his eyes snap wide open as he realizes that Joonghyuk is planning to die to save everyone. When he confronts the other man about this suicidal plan, and Joonghyuk retorts that the scenario will stop if he dies, it leads to Dokja biting his thumbnail in jealousy about how he can make his depression seem cool, as well as mentioning that he's moved by Joonghyuk's noble mindset. Through 'Dokja vision', Joonghyuk suddenly becomes a lot sparklier and his hair fluffs just perfectly as his suddenly more prevalent lashes caress his cheeks when he closes his eyes.
"Plans?" Han Sooyoung scoffed, raising a brow. "What plans?"
Yeah, why was Yoo Joonghyuk making stuff up? They hadn't even started talking about anything like that, though they probably would have if they hadn't been interrupted. Also, that look that the protagonist was sending him was creeping him out a bit; what the hell was that bastard even thinking?
No, wait—
[a few constellations are wondering if the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' is correct.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is pulling out more wine for the show.]
Unfortunately, there was a decent likelihood that the strongest person in Seoul was actually Yoo Joonghyuk. Kim Dokja didn't know how to feel about that thought rising inside him yet again, and he wondered how his future self was coping with it so well. Was [The Fourth Wall] active in the background to keep him from overthinking things or being too affected by the protagonist's possible impending death? Was he making contingency plans?
"Oppa no!" Yoo Mia shrieked in horror, her eyes going wide as her grip on her brother tightened, like she was afraid he'd disappear if she let him go.
"You can't just do that, Master!" Lee Jihye cried, looking almost as panicked as Yoo Mia did. Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung looked extremely anxious despite their dislike of the man, and the rest of the group wasn't doing much better either.
Fuck, the protagonist really was dead-set on sacrificing himself for the sake of others. Kim Dokja couldn't let that happen.
Clenching his jaw, Kim Dokja shot a vicious glare in his direction. "You sunfish bastard! How can you say something like that when we just talked about living in this round!?"
It felt like a betrayal, in a way. It hurt just as bad as one, after all.
[many constellations are concerned about the current events.]
"If that's what needs to be done, then I will do it," Yoo Joonghyuk declared firmly, looking more confident than he had any right to. Still, his hand shook almost imperceptibly as he held his sister tightly.
"I won't let you do that," Kim Dokja hissed. Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't regress. He couldn't.
Jung Heewon glanced at Kim Dokja worriedly. "Dokja-ssi, I don't want him pulling anything like that either, but what if he knows he's the strongest?"
Kim Dokja's hands tightened into fists, but he didn't respond. He didn't know what he could even say.
Lee Hyunsung's eyes widened as a thought came to him. "If Joonghyuk-ssi, really is the strongest… you wouldn't… right?"
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is feeling conflicted about the priorities of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Dokja-yah," she said all of a sudden, making Kim Dokja freeze as her voice sent an unpleasant chill down his spine, "that man is not worth the lives of half of Seoul's population."
[many constellations are shocked by the declaration of the incarnation 'lee sookyung'.]
[the constellations of the absolute good alignment are aghast.]
He clenched his hands into fists in his lap and looked down tensely with a scowl on his face. What did she know? If the world would cease to exist after Yoo Joonghyuk regressed, then everyone in the entire world would die anyway. A few thousand people wouldn't matter that much in comparison.
Kim Dokja refused to answer again. Maybe it would confirm his intentions to everyone else, but he had no other choice. The world aside, Kim Dokja knew that a story simply could not end without its protagonist. If he regressed, Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn't get to see the end that Kim Dokja promised to him, and he'd continue fighting in a new world where Kim Dokja might or might not exist.
Maybe it was all for self-preservation in the end, but Kim Dokja wasn't going to let everyone else's looks of utter horror get to him. They'd have to understand it eventually.
As they walk down the stairs, Dokja asks if Joonghyuk's being too hasty since there's no guarantee he's the strongest. When Dokja puts himself forward as an example for another candidate, Jihye attempts to smother her laughter before giving up completely and laughing to the point of tears. As they walk outside, he explains that Nirvana might be stronger than Joonghyuk because they had a hard time fighting the reincarnator earlier.
As Jiwon walks over to talk to Dokja, Joonghyuk confirms that what he said was true, using the fact that their abilities are opposite each other as his reasoning for why he was beaten by them. While Jihye is in complete disbelief, Jiwon asks what the criteria could be for the ranking, wondering if it's by combat power itself or who would win in a fight. Dokja nods, agreeing that the dokkaebi could have some sort of power measurement system, and that rankings could change after a fight.
This reminds Jiwon of the phrase the dokkaebi said earlier, that the strongest incarnation knows that they are the strongest. Her words cause many of them to turn and look at the protagonist, leading her to ask if anything unusual happened—such as a dokkaebi telling him something. Joonghyuk clenches his hand into a fist and slowly replies that he hasn't heard anything. In response, Dokja states that they should consider this a blessing since none of them want Joonghyuk to die, and that they should assume that the strongest is Nirvana for the moment.
When Jiwon seems uncertain, asking what they should do if Joonghyuk is actually the strongest, Dokja declares that they'll figure it out when the time comes.
"Ahjussi has a point though," Lee Jihye said quietly. "What if Master isn't the strongest anyway?"
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is wondering if the incarnations need to just fight.]
When Kim Dokja suggested that he might be the strongest, he wasn't even surprised that everyone seemed to find the idea as funny as the future Lee Jihye did. However, Kim Dokja had to narrow his eyes. He might be cocky at times, but it was usually only when he had a plan in mind. He would never suggest himself unless he had a reason for it.
Suddenly, Kim Dokja started to wonder, but did everything he could to keep his expressions under control. If they thought it was just a joke for now, that was probably a good thing. If his suspicions were correct, then the scenario would be over before Yoo Joonghyuk could even think of sacrificing himself again.
[a few constellations think that the incarnation 'nirvana moebius' is the strongest.]
"That's true, but I don't think that Nirvana would offer themself as a sacrifice either," Yoo Sangah sighed in dismay. It was a very real concern, and it wasn't like they had too many things they could do to convince them to do so.
"Jiwon-ssi is right," Lee Seolhwa remarked quietly, "we don't know what ranking this is based on."
It could be based on who was strongest in a fight, but Kim Dokja knew that was unlikely. Out of everyone here, he was the one who knew the Star Stream the best, and that meant that everyone else was overlooking one key factor—in the world of the Star Stream, stories themselves had power.
If Kim Dokja's suspicion was correct, then this ranking was actually based on the strength of the stories that the incarnations had accumulated so far. In that case, the top 10 wouldn't necessarily make sense to everyone else if they were thinking about it strictly in terms of combat power. After all, Lee Jihye was ranked 10th, but if she truly gave it her all and had water around to use her stigma to the fullest, there weren't that many members of their group who would be able to beat her one-on-one.
[many constellations think that a battle royale is a good idea.]
Yoo Joonghyuk tensed his jaw when his future self revealed that he hadn't been given any specific indicators that he had received anything, and Kim Dokja let out a small sigh of relief. In that case, there were only two options left, but it would be best to assume that the strongest was actually Nirvana, just in case he was wrong. He didn't want someone else to realize his train of thought if it wasn't accurate.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking suspiciously at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
All they could do now was wait and see what would happen. With any luck, Yoo Joonghyuk would never receive a notification that he was the strongest, and then nothing drastic would have to be done.