Now that Lee Gilyoung had calmed down—or, at least, as far as Kim Dokja could tell—the most important thing was seeing how their arrival on the second floor would go. After all, that's where the real challenge would start.
Normally, the maximum level all skills can reach is 10. Beyond that, you would have to learn a better skill, or 'transcend' like the returnees. Yet, this skill is level 11.
As he lands, Dokja takes note of how strong he feels, even though that move had completely depleted even his level 90 Mana. For a moment, he begins to truly have the awed realization of just how strong Kyrgios truly is before he's unceremoniously interrupted by the words of the severed head behind him. Tentacio, somehow not dead yet, is confused by how Dokja has the status of a constellation and the martial arts of a returnee, demanding to know what he is. Turning back to his normal size as he sheathes his sword, Dokja lets his grumpiness take over as he reminds Tentacio of what he said earlier. "What do you mean? You said I was Yoo Joonghyuk."
As Dokja looks down on him, Tentacio asks if he knows what it means for an incarnation to become a constellation. As Dokja responds with confusion, the demon declares that 'Joonghyuk' will regret telling Tentacio his name. Opening his mouth, the demon earl activates his skill, [Death Scream], and spreads Joonghyuk's name throughout Dark Castle.
"Wait, that's really the limit?" Jung Heewon asked in surprise, glancing over at Yoo Joonghyuk as she did. "That seems so low…"
"Don't underestimate it; reaching the maximum level of a skill, no matter which one, is difficult," he replied seriously.
Kim Dokja knew he was right, but at the same time, he had read through the lives where Yoo Joonghyuk had blown past those limits over and over again. Hell, in the 81st regression, he had somehow managed to transcend through cooking, of all things. Though he hadn't actively participated in the scenarios the same in that life, he hadn't completely hung up his sword either.
It had been hilarious to see monsters and incarnations alike getting beat up by a chef—sometimes even with a frying pan if his sword was too far away. Their bafflement had cured some of Kim Dokja's depression.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' approves of pushing past one's limits.]
[the constellation 'goryeo's first sword' is curious about the true power of the returnee 'kyrgios rodgraim'.]
"Ahjussi, did you do the transcend thing too?" Shin Yoosung asked eagerly, clearly hoping for an affirmative answer. Unfortunately, Kim Dokja had to shake his head.
"I'm just borrowing his skill here—the real Kyrgios' skill level is far beyond mine," Kim Dokja admitted. Sure enough, that one move had completely drained him of mana, which only showed how risky it was to use at that level. No wonder tls123 had never written Kyrgios into any scenes; he would have broken the scale of the story just by showing up.
Yoo Sangah gasped as Tentacio's disembodied head began to speak, somehow. It was really unnerving, but after Han Sooyoung's avatar doing the same thing at the beginning, it really shouldn't have been that surprising.
Lee Seolhwa narrowed her eyes. "Are demons' vocal cords further up, perhaps…? How is he talking right now?"
Ah, demon biology. That was a field where Kim Dokja genuinely didn't know the specifics past their weak points most of the time, and all he could do was shrug at her.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the pathetic head of the demon earl 'tentacio'.]
As Kim Dokja retorted his question by reminding the demon that he had been the one to decide that he was Yoo Joonghyuk, Yoo Mia scoffed. "He would never make that mistake if he had actually met my oppa."
That was very true. Yoo Joonghyuk was the kind of man who was unforgettable—in fact, Kim Dokja wouldn't doubt if people who had only seen him in passing were still unable to stop thinking about even the smallest of glimpses of his perfect features. Now that he was real, Kim Dokja just knew that the protagonist would haunt his dreams, but probably mostly his nightmares.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is wishing that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' was here.]
It would have been nice because then Kim Dokja could have sat back and watched as the protagonist made quick work of Tentacio. What a shame…
Unfortunately, his musing was cut off almost immediately as Tentacio remarked that he shouldn't have given away his name.
"But Dokja-ssi didn't—" Lee Hyunsung began, only for him to cut off his words as Tentacio used his skill, essentially cursing Yoo Joonghyuk in his final moments.
Kim Dokja blinked. "What…?"
"I don't know what that does, but the sooty bastard can deal with it," Lee Gilyoung muttered, but Kim Dokja could only half agree. Yes, the protagonist would be able to deal with it just fine, but he also had his sister with him and he wasn't expecting something like this.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is baffled by the actions of the demon earl 'tentacio'.]
"Oh shit, is that a curse?" Han Sooyoung wheezed as a grin threatened to overtake her expression. "How the fuck did you manage to do that three times!?"
It wasn't intentional! Fuck, Kim Dokja didn't want to get murdered over this, so he glanced over at the protagonist anxiously. Oddly enough, Yoo Joonghyuk seemed more exasperated than angry.
His eyebrow was twitching, but it wasn't in the way that usually preceded violence. Not that this one didn't proceed violence in all scenarios, either, but it was statistically less likely. After a moment, Yoo Joonghyuk let out a long-suffering sigh.
Kim Dokja reasoned that he was probably safe. Probably.
The viewpoint then follows the vestiges of the scream, passing by countless demonic rankers within the Castle whose eyes glow ominously as they howl out blood-curdling screams. While all this is happening, notifications relay to Dokja that the name 'Yoo Joonghyuk' will be remembered by them and that the rankers are now hostile towards him.
Scratching the back of his head with an unaffected look, Dokja remarks that it certainly wasn't what he was expecting, only feeling a bit sorry since he hadn't expected or intended for that to happen.
Ah, well. Even Yoo Joonghyuk should suffer a bit.
As Joonghyuk pulls his sword from a dead demon and sheathes it, Mia runs up to him from where she was standing at a safe distance. Looking ahead, Joonghyuk thinks about what he'll need to do in order to proceed—namely, recruiting the strongest rankers in Dark Castle while avoiding one of the 10 evils on the second floor—as he steadily walks forward while his sister trots behind him. His thoughts are interrupted when a notification loudly makes its presence known and declares that his name has been spread through [Death Scream].
As the screen showed the effects of [Death Scream], Kim Dokja found himself getting paler and paler. Yeah, there was no way he was surviving this, even if Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't jumping to murder right away. There was no doubt that he would if it got his sister injured, after all.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is protesting the unfair turn of events.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is chuckling in amusement.]
"Oh dear…" Yoo Sangah muttered with a grimace. "Hopefully Joonghyuk-ssi will understand the circumstances…"
Even though his current self had all the context, his future self absolutely didn't. Oh god, this was a disaster.
It only got worse as his future self just brushed it off, which made Yoo Joonghyuk's brow twitch again as Han Sooyoung collapsed into another bout of laughter. That was it, Kim Dokja was dead.
"You should feel more sorry than that, ahjussi," Yoo Mia huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she did. "You're causing trouble for my oppa again."
Kim Dokja hung his head and sighed. "I'm sorry, Joonghyuk-ah. Really, I am—"
"Stop being foolish, Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk retorted, effectively shutting him up.
Ah, right. Yeah, this wouldn't have happened if he had clarified what his actual name was instead of joking around. Really, he shouldn't have taken the whole situation so lightly. Yoo Joonghyuk was right about that.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is curious to see what the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' is doing.]
Kim Dokja flinched as the screen suddenly showed the protagonist finishing up after killing a demon on the second floor. He was moving along at a good pace, and since his thoughts were on display again, everyone got to see just how far ahead he was actually planning. He was so confident that it was impressive, and Kim Dokja felt a bit envious. All of his confidence was genuine, while Kim Dokja functioned on essentially being 90% fake it till you make it.
Lee Seolhwa's eyes darkened for a moment and she looked away. "One of the 10 evils is there as well…?"
Right, she was probably remembering that she could have ended up as one of them, if Kim Dokja hadn't managed to cure her possession. Though they were never a formal group, in the sense that most of them never met each other to actually communicate or collaborate, they were still difficult opponents in their own right.
[several constellations are curious about the '10 evils'.]
Then, as the protagonist walked along, the fateful notification appeared and Kim Dokja felt his soul leave his body. He was so fucked.
Looking at the onslaught of messages, the protagonist frowns ever so slightly as he tries to figure out the situation. He hasn't killed a demon with that skill yet, so he knows something is off. Seeing that he's stopped walking, Mia asks her brother what's going on. His brow furrowing, Joonghyuk tells her that it's nothing before hesitating and saying, "...It seems that fool is doing something bothersome again."
When Mia curiously asks who he's talking about, Joonghyuk replies, "There's this guy."
Immediately, Mia successfully guesses that he must be referring to Dokja, though she calls him ugly in the process. Even though her brother had spoken in a cold voice, Mia knows him well enough to notice that there's a small difference in his tone from usual. Blinking innocently, Mia speaks as bluntly as children often do. "You look happy when you talk about that ahjussi, oppa."
Turning away sharply at the call-out, feeling embarrassed at the way his sister is smiling knowingly at him, Joonghyuk declares that she must be mistaken. In return, Mia laughs and asks, "Is that so?"
"Um, Joonghyuk-ssi, you don't think you're going to try to kill him again, right?" Jung Heewon asked nervously, and Yoo Joonghyuk's brow twitched again.
This time, he seemed genuinely irritated and even downright offended. "I would not. He is my companion."
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is praising the good nature of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is wiping a tear of joy from her eye.]
"You're so dead," Han Sooyoung snickered, "I bet he'll know you did it without any clues."
Shit, he wouldn't figure it out that easily, right? It wasn't like Kim Dokja had tried to get him cursed!
Not even ten seconds later, Kim Dokja groaned and buried his face in his hands as the future Yoo Joonghyuk remarked that he was doing something bothersome again. Bothersome. Was that all Kim Dokja was to him? A bother?
Fuck, he should just end it right now, it would be less humiliating than this.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is looking at the incarnation 'kim dokja' with a concerned expression.]
"I'm fine," he groaned, trying to pretend that it was true. "I'm just. Ugh."
This was awful.
To make matters worse, Yoo Mia decided to pry more, and Lee Jihye looked like she had just won the lottery when Yoo Joonghyuk said something completely normal. Or, at least, normal for him.
Kim Dokja despaired. Was he just a 'guy' to Yoo Joonghyuk now, too? He didn't even say 'companion' or—god forbid—'friend'. Nope, Kim Dokja was nothing but a bothersome guy. This is why he didn't bother getting his hopes up.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing at the words of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Couldn't everyone see that he was having a terrible time right now? Why was everyone laughing?
"Master, I'm so proud of you!" Lee Jihye exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. "I never thought anyone actually said stuff like that in real life!"
What the fuck was she even talking about?
Han Sooyoung was laughing so hard that she was gasping for breath, and it only got worse as she began to wheeze when Yoo Mia immediately knew who Yoo Joonghyuk was talking about, and called him an ugly ahjussi. Jung Heewon was snickering too, and wiggling her eyebrows in their direction for some reason, while Yoo Sangah and Lee Seolhwa looked vaguely amused.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is very pleased by this turn of events.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is requesting for the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' to mind her volume.]
Kim Dokja was momentarily shocked out of his complete and utter misery as Yoo Mia made a few observations about her brother. His tone sounded exactly the same—cold and disapproving. What part of that seemed happy to her!? It made no sense!
Yoo Joonghyuk's ears were reddening and oh, was he… flustered? Was his sister's words actually managing to embarrass him somehow? He definitely wouldn't be angry at her, so it couldn't be the complete and utter fury that Kim Dokja had assumed it was.
Huh. Well, just because he was potentially flustered in this one situation didn't mean that was true for all of them; Kim Dokja was pretty sure that TWSA had mentioned his ears reddening when he was angry too.
"You don't deserve hyung," Lee Gilyoung hissed, clinging to Kim Dokja even tighter as he glared at Yoo Joonghyuk.
Shin Yoosung nodded eagerly. "Yeah, he's ours."
Kim Dokja didn't even have the willpower to reprimand them. Yoo Mia had to be mistaken, just like what her brother was saying in the future. After all, though it was depressing to remember, he wasn't quite the brother she remembered anymore either.
"I can't believe this," Yoo Sangah sighed, shaking her head in exasperation. "I thought Dokja-ssi was bad, but how are they both like this…?"
Kim Dokja had no idea what she was talking about, but the way Han Sooyoung's laughter was turning from entertained to hysterical was getting concerning. Had she finally lost it?
[several female constellations are wondering why men are stupid.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is downing another bottle of wine.]
As they continue to walk, a line of light appears just behind them, not escaping Joonghyuk's notice. Turning back, the protagonist threatens the person to stop eavesdropping and show themselves or else he'll kill them. The light suddenly splits the air, revealing Sangah who apologizes for eavesdropping, but looks at him with a serious expression.
Joonghyuk remarks that she has inherited a good story, and pulls out his sword, intending to take it from her. Though he saved her, that was only because he had been asked to do so—he doesn't want to have too many elements of uncertainty, and Dokja is enough of one on his own. Holding her hands up passively, Sangah tells Joonghyuk that she isn't here to fight, and asks for his help. Before the details of her request can be heard, however, the scene cuts away.
[several constellations are surprised by the appearance of the light.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is wondering if this is an ambush.]
"Be careful, Joonghyuk-ssi," Lee Hyunsung gasped, looking nervous as he did. Kim Dokja was definitely concerned too, mostly for Yoo Mia's sake, but something about that didn't seem like it was an ambush.
Naturally, Yoo Joonghyuk noticed it almost immediately, and Yoo Sangah paled dramatically as she stepped out from this portal. That was almost guaranteed to be another one of Olympus' stigmas, but Kim Dokja couldn't recall which one it was off the top of his head.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I would be spying on you," Yoo Sangah said hurriedly. "I'd guess that I'm trying to follow you because I don't know where the others are, and there's strength in numbers…"
It made sense, but even though this Yoo Joonghyuk had calmed down more, the future one hadn't. He had rescued her before, but that was only because Kim Dokja had asked him to as a dying wish. His future self, who had basically no ties to Yoo Sangah and who considered her a threat already, wouldn't have any qualms with killing her except for the fact that Kim Dokja would be upset.
[the constellation 'lover of the abandoned labyrinth' is glaring intently at the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Jung Heewon's eyes blazed with fury as Yoo Joonghyuk began threatening to take Yoo Sangah's story and unsheathed his sword. "What the fuck do you think you're doing!?"
Yoo Joonghyuk's expression was blank as he replied, "Removing a potential threat. I will not take any chances with Mia's safety."
Okay, that was fair. Kim Dokja glanced down at the kids, who were still glaring at the protagonist, and he knew that he'd likely do the same thing if they were the ones in danger. He had already stepped in once, after all.
"Fuck that," Han Sooyoung hissed venomously. "What makes that asshole's uncertainty okay while hers is just dangerous, huh!?"
It was simple—Kim Dokja had information that he would need. Plus, since Anna Croft was also sponsored by an entire nebula, his skepticism and distrust of anyone else contracted to a nebula was naturally higher.
Thankfully, Yoo Sangah was a quick thinker and a good speaker, and she made sure to get straight to the point. Unfortunately, the screen cut away before she could actually reveal any details of what she was there for.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is curious about why the incarnation 'yoo sangah' is requesting the help of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
[many constellations are dismayed by the sudden scene change.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is disappointed that there wasn't a fight.]
Back on the first floor, Dokja obtains [Bug Slaughter] after defeating Tentacio, which appears as a large glowing orb of blue light in front of him.
Starting from the 'Dark Castle' scenario, the participants are able to kill those who possessed fables and steal them. This was why Tentacio was making every effort to collect fables.
Looking at the fable he gathered, Dokja then frets about whether feeding the dokkaebi egg with a demon from a fable would cause her to get a bad disposition. Dokja then receives his reward from 'Lady of the Sleeping Brocade', which turns out to be the fable [Silla-Tang Alliance]. Less than impressed with it, Dokja decides that it would be better to feed it to the egg.
With the help of Sooyoung's avatars, the others get back to standing on their feet. With Sooyoung's support, Hyunsung asks how Dokja became so strong, as well as asking if all the other demons on the second floor are on par with Tentacio. Just as Dokja declares it's uncommon, he learns that Tentacio was the 10th place ranker in the Castle.
Shit, it cut away back to them? Damn it, Kim Dokja also wanted to know what Yoo Sangah had to say. She looked rather agitated, which was uncharacteristic of her. The situation must be really bad if she was affected that much.
[several constellations are excited to see that stealing stories is now allowed.]
Lee Hyunsung looked a bit anxious, probably worried that people would target his [Steel Transformation] story, but he shouldn't be. Not only was that an insane defensive story, but if it did get stolen, then he'd be too dead to care.
As soon as Kim Dokja received the story from Tentacio, however, he felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking down, he was met with Lee Gilyoung's expression of betrayal.
"Hyung, you won't crush any bugs with that, right?" he asked quietly, and Kim Dokja shook his head.
"I don't think I like that one all that much, so I might just give it away," he remarked, though he agreed with his future self's concern. It would be bad if he fed the egg a story like that and she ended up becoming cruel in the future. Maybe it would be better if he held onto it and didn't use it unless he had to…?
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is flustered.]
[Silla-Tang Alliance]... That wasn't that good of a story in the first place, so what did it matter? At least, if he fed it to the egg, it would be useful in some way.
"Ugh, at least that fight is over," Han Sooyoung groaned as she watched herself help the others get back to their feet.
As soon as it was mentioned that Tentacio had been ranked 10th, Lee Jihye's jaw dropped. "What!? I was 10th in Seoul, so why couldn't I fight him!?"
"Because the rankings here are different," Kim Dokja replied with a sigh. "Of course you can't match up to a demon who's been killing things in Dark Castle for 200 years."
Though the girl moped, she seemed to at least understand.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is reassuring his incarnation that she's doing well so far.]
Responding to Hyunsung once more, he informs the man that there are at least nine stronger and probably some others on a similar level. Looking a little down, Hyunsung remarks about Dokja's strength, prompting Dokja to explain that Hyunsung can certainly be as strong as them once he finishes succeeding his fable, and that Dokja can't guarantee his own victory against the stronger demons.
Scoffing, Sooyoung tells him to stop the humble-bragging bullshit. Turning to her, Dokja states that she could have fought him off at her full power, and points out that she's also working on succeeding a fable from her sponsor. Looking away, Sooyoung calls the contents of the fable cringey before turning on a dime like a cat and blowing up at Dokja for not stopping her from choosing 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' as her sponsor.
Completely unbothered by her yelling, Dokja tries to remember the fable in question, but can guess what it would be like due to the dragon's previous sponsorship of Namwoon. Internally, he remarks that it's probably a shameful story that would annihilate the soul just by inheriting it.
"Hopefully you won't run into any more of the demons on that level just yet," Lee Seolhwa said in a gentle voice, smiling at the group who were about to proceed to the second floor.
Yeah, especially since Kim Dokja couldn't be certain that he'd win. Kyrgios' bookmark was powerful, but it wasn't good for repeated use—especially not with that level of mana consumption. With his mana drained, Kim Dokja wouldn't even be able to activate his sword's affixes easily.
[the constellation 'master of steel' is expressing his faith in his incarnation.]
"I'm not humble-bragging, I'm being honest," Kim Dokja deadpanned at Han Sooyoung, and his expression only became more unimpressed as his future self reminded her that she was working on a fable of her own.
The Abyssal Black Flame Dragon's stories were powerful, even if they were all a bit… uh… Well, the less said about them, the better.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is throwing a tantrum.]
"Ah, fuck, are they really that bad?" Han Sooyoung muttered with a grimace. "Damn it."
Yeah, they were that bad, but she was the one who had chosen him. It would be pretty funny if she specifically avoided choosing him in their future just to avoid having to deal with the cringe.
"I'm sure it's not that bad, ahjumma," Lee Jihye said with a laugh. "I mean, you're pretty cringe yourself sometimes."
Han Sooyoung gasped in offense, but she resorted to grumbling when Yoo Sangah giggled.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is greatly offended by this slander.]
Just then, the rankings for 'Dark Castle' based on their contributions appear in front of them, placing Dokja in 11th. Looking at the others, Dokja mentally remarks that their expressions are like they're receiving their CSAT scores. Snooping at his screen, Sooyoung asks if she'd get 11th by killing him. Not telling him her own rank, she declares that it's at least higher than the rank belonging to the unconscious Yongpal, who gets labeled with the lovely rank of 101,123rd. The ranks of the other unconscious members—now including Jihye—are displayed before Hyunsung declares that seeing that his rank is 636th motivates him to try harder. When Dokja smiles and turns to Yoosung, the girl looks nervous as she hides her rank like an elementary school student hiding her report card from her dad.
Crouching down, Dokja reassures the girl that her current rank doesn't matter, and that there's more time for her rank to improve once they move up to the second floor depending on her effort. Thinking over his words, Dokja immediately feels old.
When he continues to reassure her that she can become as strong or stronger than him, Dokja receives notifications about his stigma blossoming. Inwardly, Dokja thinks that she'll grow explosively once a fable can be transmitted to her before correcting himself and declaring that she's essential to the second floor even without a stigma. As he thinks this, an image of Yoosung kneeling while petting enormous and shadowed creatures appears on the screen.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is curious about the rankings.]
Oh, he was that high up already? That was a surprise.
The rest of the group looked apprehensive, especially considering the expressions on their faces as they looked at their rankings. Clearly, they weren't great, but Kim Dokja hoped that the reminder he had given Lee Jihye earlier would reassure them that it wasn't actually that bad.
Yoo Mia snickered a bit when Kim Yongpal's extremely pathetic rank popped up, and Kim Dokja couldn't blame her. At the very least, it was a benchmark that everyone else could use to make themselves feel a bit better, he supposed.
"I'm going to try harder from here on," Lee Hyunsung declared confidently, doing his best to turn any disappointment he felt into motivation. He was good at stuff like that, really.
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is approving of the good work ethic of the incarnation 'lee hyunsung'.]
Shin Yoosung, however, looked pale and nervous. "I'm sorry, ahjussi… I'll do better."
Kim Dokja ruffled her hair with a soft smile. "It's okay. Remember, you're going to train on the second floor, so all of your ranks will improve."
It was kind of embarrassing to once again have his future self say almost the same thing immediately after, but it was true. Thankfully, the girl seemed to recover a bit, even though Lee Gilyoung looked irritated because his future self was still unconscious.
"Just wait, when I wake up, I'm gonna get a higher rank than you," he hissed, only for her to glare right back.
"Yeah, right. Just try it, bug boy. Ahjussi says that I'm required for the second floor!"
As they started squabbling again, Kim Dokja sighed and patted their heads. "You're both needed, but Gilyoung-ah, you're not awake for my future self to tell you that."
They looked down miserably, but grumbled out an 'okay'. Crisis averted, for now.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is eager to see the children improve their skills.]
Hyunsung then asks why rankings were given at all, leading to Dokja standing and preparing to explain. He's interrupted, however, when some Demon Kings send indirect messages to show their interest in him. As he stares down at the messages, all light vanishes from Dokja's eyes. The others all get the same types of messages too and, in particular, Sooyoung is shaking because of previously being cursed by a Demon King.
The apex of all demons, the 72 Demon Kings. The small group of demons who were equal to the Fable-Grade constellations in terms of status. At the end of this scenario, we must fight them.
With the introduction of the Demon Kings, a black and white moving image of a skeletal figure commanding an army of boned creatures appears, and the starkness of the blood red accent colour adds to the ominous feeling that comes with the title.
"I wonder what my ranking is," Jung Heewon remarked thoughtfully. "I kill demons quickly, after all."
Kim Dokja wouldn't be surprised if her ranking was fairly high up, but there was a smaller chance of her stumbling across someone as powerful as Tentacio. He'd guess that she was probably in the top 200.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is glaring intently at the messages from the 'demon kings'.]
[the constellations of the absolute good alignment are feeling extremely hostile towards the 'demon kings'.]
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes narrowed dangerously as he realized that one of the demon kings who was interested in Kim Dokja was Asmodeus, and Kim Dokja desperately hoped that they'd never cross paths with that bastard. He was extremely powerful and, at their current level, there was no way they could stand up to him. Plus, after what he had done to Yoo Joonghyuk in the 2nd round, it would be disastrous if the protagonist had to face him again so soon.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is feeling extremely displeased by the current events.]
Han Sooyoung cursed under her breath, but Kim Dokja couldn't even fault her for it. After getting cursed—which was entirely her fault, by the way—she definitely didn't want their attention on her.
"What do you mean that we have to fight them!?" Lee Jihye asked nervously. "That's not fair!"
At first glance, it would seem like it, especially considering how powerful they were. Technically, while they would have to fight a demon king, their opponent wouldn't be one of these insanely powerful ones. That would be too unfair of a scenario, and the entertainment of watching incarnations get torn to shreds without a challenge would get old after a while.
[many constellations are nervous for the incarnations.]
[several constellations are eagerly awaiting the bloodbath.]
Just as Dokja declares that they're going to the second floor, the scene transitions back to Joonghyuk and Sangah where information has clearly been exchanged. Putting his arm out protectively in front of his sister, Joonghyuk asks for clarification on what Sangah just told him. With a desperate expression Sangah repeats her plea. "If you don't do anything, then Dokja-ssi will truly die during this scenario."
"We'll do our best on the second floor," Kim Dokja reassured everyone, hoping that seeing themselves improving as they fought more demons would raise their moods.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is excited for more fights.]
However, instead of showing them arriving, the scene suddenly cut back to where Yoo Sangah, Yoo Joonghyuk, and Yoo Mia had run into each other on the second floor. Judging by Yoo Joonghyuk's expression, whatever she had said was serious.
"Sangah-ssi, your expression is rather grim…" Lee Seolhwa muttered nervously, and Yoo Sangah took a deep breath.
This wasn't going to be good.
Sure enough, as she opened her mouth to make her desperate plea, Kim Dokja grimaced. Fuck, why was it about him again!? Couldn't someone else get in trouble for once?
[many constellations are flabbergasted by the words of the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is feeling suspicious of the information provided by the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is fretting nervously.]
As the kids shifted anxiously, Kim Dokja's eyes narrowed. Her wording implied that this would be a permanent death, even though he had [Eight Lives], and that was somewhat worrying. Now that he thought about it, could it have something to do with that 'fate' that King Oedipus had mentioned during the banquet? Since it was a fate read by Olympus, then there was the chance that Yoo Sangah could have been informed of it…
Still, why would they want to warn him of something like that? Was it because he was a Singularity?
Kim Dokja allowed himself to drown in his thoughts and theories because it was easier than acknowledging everyone's sudden worry and disbelief. He couldn't look at them right now, not after having to watch them attend his literal funeral earlier, and he absolutely refused to look back at her and see how she felt about this situation.
No, it was better to overthink than to do that, or to look over at the protagonist and see whatever microexpression was on his face.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is frowning.]
With any luck, this would be something avoidable. From the way Yoo Sangah was wording her plea, she genuinely believed that Yoo Joonghyuk would be able to save him somehow.
Even as he looked down at the floor pensively, Kim Dokja couldn't help but relax a bit. Yoo Joonghyuk had always managed to save him when it mattered before, whether he knew it or not, so why wouldn't that be the case this time as well?