Amidst the fire and death in cabin 3707, a man in black boots and a long coat approaches the window dividing his cabin from cabin 3807. He's barely shown as he peers through the window, but everyone can somehow tell that he's incredibly attractive. On the other side, in cabin 3807, he sees nothing but chaos as people scream about catching something.
When the first scene appeared on the screen, Yoo Mia's eyes went wide and she pointed at the man pictured there.
"Oppa, it's you!"
Honestly, it was hilarious that she could identify him from his boots alone. Did he seriously dress like that all the time before the apocalypse like some kind of edgelord wannabe? At least the coat was from the scenarios so that couldn't be held against Yoo Joonghyuk, but the all-black attire and combat boots?
"Master!" Lee Jihye exclaimed with a grin. "You already look so cool there, how do you do it?"
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't bother answering, but Kim Dokja knew the truth. Because he's the protagonist, that's how.
"Sorry, I work alone," Dokja tells Namwoon honestly, back in cabin 3807. The teenager just sighs, disappointed.
"Well, that's a bummer."
If I team up with Kim Namwoon, my survival would be guaranteed for now. If I hadn't read TWSA, I probably would have made a different choice, but I am a reader who knows about him and his future. And after seeing him in person…
Namwoon pushes past Dokja, ready to go back and kill the grandmother, even referring to her as a bug he caught. However, Dokja catches his wrist and stops him.
"Are you trying to act like a hero now?" Namwoon asks, frustrated. "Jeez, you know-it-alls are all the same."
... I realized how much I hated his character in TWSA.
Namwoon yanks his wrist out of Dokja's grasp and narrows his eyes. "People like you make me sick."
[Kim Namwoon despises you.]
[Your affinity towards Kim Namwoon has slightly decreased.]
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is impressed by the detailed information provided by the skill.]
Kim Dokja didn't regret the decision he made back then, but looking at it from an outside perspective… hating his character seemed like a petty reason for wanting him dead. Of course, there were other reasons, too, but he really hadn't been able to stand Kim Namwoon in most of Yoo Joonghyuk's regressions.
"Kim Namwoon could have been useful for some scenarios," Yoo Joonghyuk told Kim Dokja, unimpressed. "You acted rashly."
Kim Dokja rolled his eyes. "I think I acted in self-defense, actually. The guy was crazy."
When Yoo Joonghyuk didn't seem to budge on the matter, Kim Dokja sighed. "Didn't you prefer having people who you could predict and control as companions?"
He did, and Kim Dokja knew it, but Kim Namwoon was a powerhouse at the start of the scenarios that would help carry the group forward. In many regressions, Yoo Joonghyuk had debated about the benefits and drawbacks of recruiting the teenager, considering his unpredictability, but he would inevitably do so anyway.
Yoo Joonghyuk crossed his arms. "I never had any issues with him."
And somehow, every single time, Kim Namwoon would decide that Yoo Joonghyuk was the object of his hero worship and become almost as devoted to the man as Lee Jihye was for a few reasons that Kim Dokja didn't feel like revisiting in his mind. It was infuriating.
Damn protagonist aura.
"I said move!" Namwoon yells as he throws a punch towards Dokja's head, his fist glowing with a dark purple energy on instinct alone. He seems impressed that Dokja could dodge it, but thankfully, Namwoon is exactly as Dokja imagined. He's predictable.
The teenager throws another heavy punch that Dokja manages to block with his arm, and he recognizes the move as the skill of the [Edgelord] attribute.
[Grimdark Awakening lvl. 1]
'He's already activated his skill!' Dokja thinks as he just barely dodges another heavy punch that leaves a dent in the metal floor of the subway cabin.
Namwoon cackles, already drunk on the feeling of power. "What's this? I'm so fucking strong!"
'This is probably why the protagonist still recruited him even though he's like a psychopath,' Dokja realizes, seeing just how much power the boy has even in the first scenario.
[Your understanding of Kim Namwoon has increased.]
As Dokja tries to figure out what he should do, a new window pops up in front of his face that leaves him confused.
[You have unlocked level 1 of your exclusive skill, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint!]
Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint? What exactly is that?
"Omniscient, huh?" Han Sooyoung said before she sent Kim Dokja a knowing glance. "Rather appropriate, considering the situation."
"Ahjussi, what does omniscient mean?" Shin Yoosung asked, glancing innocently up at Kim Dokja. Before he could answer, however, the plagiarist cut in first.
She smirked as she looked at all the kids. "Alright, lesson one of Han Sooyoung's writing classes: an omniscient viewpoint means that the story is being told from a point of view that can see everything—including other characters' thoughts, backstories, and actions—even if the point of view character isn't physically there."
Han Sooyoung, please stop. It wasn't hard to see that Yoo Joonghyuk was starting to seem distinctly uncomfortable with the idea that his thoughts could (and absolutely were) read, and even though they seemed to be on slightly better terms than earlier, Kim Dokja still had no desire to be skewered on a sword like a kebab once they got out of here.
Lee Gilyoung's eyes went wide as he looked at Kim Dokja like he was the second coming. "So, like a god?"
Kim Dokja immediately put his hands up. "No, please don't call me that—"
[Several constellations are offended that a mere human is being called a god.]
Yeah, that's what he was trying to avoid. Kim Dokja was no god. If he was, wouldn't he have given himself a less sad life?
"Well, I wouldn't want this guy as a god," Han Sooyoung retorted, rolling her eyes, "but the omniscient POV is sometimes considered god-like, or all-knowing in literature."
Yoo Mia, however, scrunched her nose at the thought. "Does that mean that the ugly ahjussi can spy on us whenever he wants?"
Why would he do that, even if he had the option to?
The other passengers are still searching for the escaped grasshoppers, but some of them get distracted by the fight taking place in the other half of the cabin. Namwoon swings wildly, his fists cutting through the air, but he can't land a hit and it's making him more and more frustrated. However, he won't be able to land a hit so long as Dokja's skill has activated.
Another punch comes flying towards him.
[Right shoulder]
Dokja leans to the left just in time for the punch to miss him. Next is an uppercut.
[In the face]
He leans back as far as he can, avoiding it, but falling backwards and landing on the floor.
As soon as my second skill, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, was activated, I knew what he was going to do. It was like I could read his mind.
"So you can read minds," Shin Yoosung murmured in awe. "That's so cool, ahjussi!"
Oh, they didn't even know the true extent of it.
Instead of replying, Kim Dokja just awkwardly smiled and laughed a little.
Yoo Sangah looked over in his direction. "That sounds very useful in combat, Dokja-ssi."
Oh, it absolutely was. Honestly, without it, Kim Dokja wasn't even sure he would have survived the first main scenario.
"It definitely helps," he agreed.
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' claims that is cheating.]
How is it cheating when it was the skill the Star Stream gave him?
"Oh fucking hell! You slimy little jerk!" Namwoon roars, fed up with getting dodged, as he advances towards the prone man.
'But all I can do is dodge his attacks. Retaliating isn't possible,' Dokja thinks to himself. 'I just need to hold on a little longer.'
"Two minutes left, kid," Dokja reminds him after glancing at the timer. Namwoon freezes and swears loudly, quickly glancing over at the old lady still trembling on the floor, heavily injured.
It's then that Dokja realizes one important fact. 'If that old lady dies, Namwoon will clear the scenario. Whatever happens, I can't let someone like him move onto the next scenario!'
He turns and rushes over to the lady, hand extended, but Namwoon smugly remarks that he knew Dokja would do that. Reaching into his blazer, he pulls out a knife and Dokja's skill reacts immediately.
[Heart]
Eyes wide and looking over his shoulder up at Namwoon, Dokja just barely manages to move enough for the knife to slash his shoulder instead, protecting the old lady. It hurts and it feels like his skin is burning, but Dokja stands up on shaky legs and carries the old lady away from there.
Death is just around the corner, and Dokja wonders if he will die here too if he loses to Namwoon.
"Don't die… don't die…" Lee Jihye chanted as she watched the screen anxiously. Shin Yoosung just grasped onto him tighter.
Kim Dokja looked at her strangely. She did realize he was literally right here, didn't she? Why was she so worried?
"Don't worry," Lee Gilyoung said proudly. "Hyung was super cool and won."
Wow, spoilers.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' dislikes spoilers.]
Hey, you were literally watching the first main scenario? How is that a spoiler?
Yoo Sangah couldn't help but giggle, and even Lee Hyunsung cracked a smile. Yoo Mia just looked at everyone like she was done with the world. Same kid, same.
This is a world that is simply based on the survival of the fittest. No, the world has always been like this. According to the law of the jungle, the strong prey on the weak.
Dokja is in high school, cowering and protecting his head with his arms as a bully kicks him in the chest.
Nothing has really changed. Rather, that rule has just become clearer.
He's at work, bowing in apology even as the pages of a rejected report thrown at his face flutter to the floor around him.
I must also adhere to that rule if I want to survive.
"Come on, Mr. Smarty-pants. You don't even have the strength to run anymore," Namwoon mocks, flicking his knife in his hand as he slowly approaches. "Do me a favour and let's just get this over with. We're running out of time."
Dokja's eyes widen, a feral sort of desperation bleeding through his calm facade.
If I hesitate…
Dokja stands, still looking away. "Kim Namwoon, second year student at Cheongil high school. Is an insect egg also an organism?"
"What? What the hell are you talking about so suddenly?" The change of topic throws Namwoon off guard, and that's what Dokja is counting on. He raises his fist, the body of his grasshopper clenched inside.
... I will die.
"The answer is yes."
Without hesitation, Dokja crushes the grasshopper's body entirely. Notifications pour in that tell him he's killed an organism, awarding 100 coins each. There are so many that it's almost overwhelming.
[Some constellations who like exciting fights are feeling conflicted.]
Well, that made sense. So many constellations were sick in the head and thrived on bloodshed and suffering. How could they find the sight of Kim Dokja squishing insect eggs to be exciting?
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' admires the ingenuity of incarnation 'Kim Dokja'.]
At least someone appreciates him. Kim Dokja was beginning to feel a bit of a connection with the constellation, if he were to be honest. The Secretive Plotter had been supporting him since the very beginning, even if the constellation occasionally mocked him for his poor decisions. He could mock himself for those well enough, though, so he really didn't need another person doing it.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' likes that incarnation 'Kim Dokja' avoided senseless murder.]
[The absolute good constellations feel favourably about incarnation 'Kim Dokja'.]
Well, earning some points with them was probably a good idea anyway.
Namwoon seems confused, demanding how he's supposed to know that, and deciding to let his actions speak over his words as he swings the knife once more. Dokja steps back, ready to dodge when another pop-up window appears.
[You have obtained coins. Would you like a tutorial on coin usage?]
'Skip!' Dokja thinks as quickly as he can. 'I will invest 2700 coins in my stamina.'
In an instant, his stamina level rises from 1 to 10, greatly increasing his durability. As Namwoon's knife meets its mark in the middle of his chest, it can't even penetrate Dokja's skin. The coins were used just in time.
Confused, Namwoon tries pushing harder before stumbling back. "What? How?"
Smugly, Dokja informs him that grasshoppers lay over a hundred eggs at a time during their mating season. His eyes are harsh as he stares down the delusional demon, the power of hundreds of coins backing him up.
"I'm not the one who's going to die. You are."
The seconds continue counting down, and everyone is still scrambling for a grasshopper. For the first time, Namwoon looks nervous and he starts swinging his knife wildly out of desperation.
"Fuck!" He yells. "Die! Die you asshole! Why won't you die!?"
The timer hits zero and Dokja watches emotionlessly as the fear in Namwoon's eyes peaks.
[Your time has run out. Proceeding with checkout.]
Not even a second later, screams are cut short as blood splatters everywhere in the cabin.
"You got lucky with the timing there," Jung Heewon remarked, remembering how if Kim Dokja was even a moment later with his coin usage, he would have had a knife in his chest.
He knows that, and it's definitely not any less stressful seeing it happen again.
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is pulling out his hair in excitement.]
Kim Dokja supposed he knew why the great sage was so excited—after all, the scenes depicting the sponsor selections would happen relatively soon.
Thinking back on it, he did probably say the best things about Sun Wukong compared to the other three who offered to sponsor him, but Kim Dokja wasn't as excited as the constellation was. He was not looking forward to the almost-certain rage he would be facing from the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon.
Still… there was a chance… maybe he could get some information on which constellations sponsored the other three survivors in their train cabin, since he couldn't see their information with [Character Profile].
Yoo Joonghyuk turned to him then, his dark eyes filled with some strange emotion that Kim Dokja couldn't recognize.
"I wouldn't have killed Kim Namwoon," he began, pausing for a moment. "But, I understand why you did. Even if I think it was a stupid decision."
He didn't say anything else, but Kim Dokja was still stunned. Was Yoo Joonghyuk serious? A second acknowledgement from the protagonist? He ignored the stupid comment, but really, two true compliments in one day would probably mean the world was ending. Either today was his lucky day (doubtful), or something catastrophically awful was about to happen (significantly more likely).
Whatever the case, only time would tell.