Dark hair flutters in the breeze and a black coat trails behind the man who steps effortlessly through the crowd of foes, easily disposing of any that cross his path with bloody hands. His dull eyes glow gold through the smoky air, and his handsome face comes into view as he stops, looking at Dokja intensely.
[A constellation who likes handsome men is admiring the looks of incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk'.]
Get in line.
Seriously, 'handsome' would never be enough to fully describe Yoo Joonghyuk's godly looks. That constellation would need to take a full literature class to even stand a chance—after all, how else could they explain the way his hair blew in the breeze like waves lapping at the shore, or the way his eyes were as deep and dark as the sea and filled with just as many mysteries? How could they explain the unbelievable angles of Yoo Joonghyuk's jawline that would make classical sculptors weep after seeing the perfection they could only dream of capturing in stone?
It was honestly a wonder that the man wasn't equally well known for his looks in TWSA instead of just for his fighting skills—but oh, what skills they were. If he really wanted to, Kim Dokja could spend days writing essay-length comments on everything that Yoo Joonghyuk was capable of with a sword. At the very least, as the only person to have finished the novel, he was certain that no one other than tls123 themself would be able to compete with him in that.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is jumping around in excitement'.]
"Who the hell are you?"
The man's voice is deep and full, smooth yet tinged with obvious hostility. A shiver goes down Dokja's spine as he very quickly realizes that he doesn't stand a chance against someone like this. Panicked, he hurries to pull up the man's character profile.
[The exclusive skill 'Character Profile' has activated.]
[There is too much information about this character. Converting 'Character Profile' to 'Character Summary'.]
[Name: Yoo Joonghyuk
Personal attribute: The Regressor <3rd round> (mythic), Pro Gamer (rare)
Exclusive skills: Eye of the Sage lvl. 8, Close Combat lvl. 8, Weapons Proficiency lvl. 8, Mental Barrier lvl. 5, Crowd Control lvl. 5, Reasoning lvl. 5, Lie Detection…]
Before Dokja can finish reading, a hand reaches out for him and clasps itself around his throat. With strength that seems inhuman, Joonghyuk holds Dokja by his neck over the edge of the broken bridge, even as the man coughs and grabs at his wrist.
Jung Heewon rounded on Yoo Joonghyuk immediately. "I know you were suspicious of him, but did you seriously hold him up by his neck!?"
"Plus, he didn't even give us enough time to look at his profile," Han Sooyoung muttered, irritated. "And there was so much information that it was turned into a summary. How many skills do you even have?"
Yoo Joonghyuk stayed silent, seemingly not finding either question worthy of a response, and he didn't look in their direction at all. Typical. Kim Dokja just laughed awkwardly, trying to smile at Jung Heewon as best as he could.
"Hey, it really wasn't so bad—"
"You don't get to talk," Jung Heewon told him with a glare, cutting off anything Kim Dokja wanted to say. "Sometimes I get the feeling that the bastard could choke you and you would thank him."
What? How did she even remotely get that idea?
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is wondering if this is foreplay.]
What the fuck, Uriel? What was that even supposed to mean?
"How are you still alive?" Joonghyuk demands. Dokja grimaces and tightens his grip around Joonghyuk's wrist, trembling. Joonghyuk's expression is impenetrable as he stares down at Dokja coldly.
The first way of surviving the apocalypse. This man, who is strangling me, is living proof of the first method. Yoo Joonghyuk, the regressor. This is the man who will kickstart the tragedy that will turn this world upside down.
In Oksu station, the rest of the survivors try to see through the barrier that's cutting them off from the events on the bridge, but unfortunately they can't peer through it at all. They're worried for their friend, and they have no idea that he's currently being dangled over the rushing river below by his neck.
"Name," Joonghyuk demands.
Dokja blinks. "What?"
The regressor repeats himself, unimpressed. "What is your name?"
Dokja, for his part, is equally unimpressed. 'He's so full of himself. He's definitely acting the part of a protagonist.'
"Kim Dokja," he says weakly.
"What a strange name."
"I get that a lot," he admits, but wheezes when Joonghyuk punches him in the stomach with his other hand. He coughs and gasps, the wind knocked out of him.
"You have a strong body," Joonghyuk remarks, as if he couldn't have figured this out any other way. "I see you've already figured out how to use coins."
"Yeah," Dokja says hesitantly, "I'm assuming you also—"
Another punch, and Dokja groans as the impact ripples through his body. How is Joonghyuk so strong when they've only cleared one main scenario? He's a monster in human flesh.
"Don't waste your breath. Just answer the questions I ask you, got it?"
This is the worst. I was hoping this wouldn't happen. In the early chapters, Joonghyuk is the most dangerous character in the world of TWSA. He's lost his humanity after having regressed three times already. The Joonghyuk now won't hesitate to do whatever it takes to get what he wants.
"Lost his humanity?" Yoo Joonghyuk muttered angrily before shooting Kim Dokja a glare that made his hair feel like it was standing on end. "I assure you that I have not."
Well, to be fair, his third regression was still fairly tame compared to the later regressions, even if he was still fresh off Anna Croft's betrayal in the second round.
Kim Dokja held his hands up placatingly. "Hey, I know that. I can't control what parts of my thoughts this thing decides to cherry pick."
Yoo Joonghyuk's dark eyes narrowed for a moment before he huffed and glared back at the screen like he wanted it to spontaneously combust. God, Kim Dokja just hoped that his stupid thoughts wouldn't get him murdered.
"Well?" Joonghyuk presses.
Dokja swallows, trembling as he manages to get his heel back on the edge of the bridge. "Fine."
Joonghyuk frowns. "Show me some respect."
At that, Dokja replies impulsively. "Why should I?"
When Joonghyuk tries to punch him again, he finds that Dokja managed to block the strike with his hands.
"Sorry, but you're younger than me," Dokja replies with a smug grin, "pro-gamer Yoo Joonghyuk, so you're the one who should show me some respect."
He looks up at Joonghyuk's face, pleased to find an unexpected degree of surprise there. He looks pristine and flawless despite the first scenario, and his wavy hair and clear skin is noticeably contrasted with the dirt, sweat, and blood that coats Dokja.
[The character 'Yoo Joonghyuk' has become cautious of you.]
When he demands to know if Dokja knows him, Dokja just replies that he worked at a game company, so of course he does.
That's a lie. Yoo Joonghyuk was just a fictional character to me, existing in TWSA. That is, until now.
"You're pretty famous," Dokja continues, bullshitting his way out of the situation as much as possible. "I used to be a fan of yours."
His fame in the novel was just a setting, but I'm not lying when I'm saying I used to be a fan of his. I liked you, hated you, resented you, and cheered for you. I was with you throughout your three-thousand episode journey.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is loudly proclaiming that she knew that incarnation 'Kim Dokja' liked incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk'.]
Did the archangel just ignore the rest of that thought?
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is telling constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' to shut up.]
Kim Dokja shook his head at that, but felt like someone was looking at him. Sure enough, it was the regressor himself, and he seemed to have a complicated expression on his face that Kim Dokja couldn't read. Just what was that man thinking?
"You must have truly been invested in Joonghyuk-ssi's story if you read that much of it," Yoo Sangah remarked with a gentle smile. Kim Dokja could only chuckle a little bit in response. It wasn't just being invested in the story. TWSA and Yoo Joonghyuk had been his entire life.
What he didn't notice was Han Sooyoung frowning and looking in his direction with an equally confusing expression, before sighing and turning back to the screen.
"A fan," Joonghyuk mutters. "I haven't heard that in a while. I'll forgive you for your impudence, but that won't change anything."
Dokja can't help but make a witty remark. "I can see that."
Joonghyuk ignores him and continues anyway, holding him further out over the water, making Dokja lose his tenuous grip on the bridge. "I have only one question for you. How did you survive the subway?"
Dokja knew he would be asked this, so he asks if Joonghyuk would let him live if he tells. The response is that it depends on his answer.
Liar.
Dokja can tell just by looking at Joonghyuk's face that the man has no intention of letting him go free here. He frantically tries to think of something to say that can make the regressor let him live.
[Your understanding of the character 'Yoo Joonghyuk' has increased.]
[You already have a high understanding of this character.]
Huh?
[You have unlocked level 2 of your exclusive skill, 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint'!]
[Activate your exclusive skill?]
"Ahjussi, your skill has a second function?" Lee Jihye asked, looking at him curiously. "Is it something cool like the stuff that ahjumma told us about?"
Han Sooyoung choked and almost swallowed the candy in her mouth. "Ahjumma!?"
"I guess you could say that," Kim Dokja admitted, trying his hardest to not grin at Han Sooyoung's bafflement. He didn't dare to look over at Yoo Joonghyuk now, either, not when the man's thoughts would be audible to everyone shortly.
As soon as Dokja does, his eyes widen as Joonghyuk's thoughts flow into his head, narrated in the man's own voice.
「Only Lee Hyunsung and Kim Namwoon were supposed to survive. But Kim Namwoon is dead and other people survived instead. How did they manage to survive? And who is this man? I need information. If I deem him a threat… I will kill him.」
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is shocked.]
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is taken aback.]
Kim Dokja watched the screen intently, doing his best to ignore the fiery glare coming from his side. If he didn't acknowledge Yoo Joonghyuk's fury, then would it just go away?
… No, there wasn't a chance of that. If there was one word that could be used to describe the protagonist, it was stubborn.
"Kim Dokja…"
Oh god, he was so pissed, but hadn't lunged at him yet for some reason.
Yeah, there was no way he would survive this hidden scenario. Yoo Joonghyuk was seething, and Kim Dokja had no doubt that the man was imagining all the ways he could tear him limb from limb and get away with it.
"That's… definitely an invasion of privacy," Yoo Sangah muttered uncomfortably, voicing what he was sure everyone was thinking without even activating the skill.
It was all he could do to hang his head and look away until he felt he had to respond in a whisper. "I know."
She sighed and glanced away for a moment. "Dokja-ssi, I know you're using it in the situation on screen unconsciously, since you didn't even know what it did, so I won't hold it against you." She looked back at him, expression serious and staring directly into his eyes. "Can you activate it at will, or does it just happen automatically?"
True… maybe they would be less upset if he had no control over it, but that wasn't the case.
"I can choose to use it most of the time, but sometimes it happens by itself," Kim Dokja replied truthfully. "I can't change what's already happened, and I'll admit I've used it willingly before."
Lee Jihye bit her lip and looked between all the uncomfortable adults before deciding to speak up. "I know my opinion probably doesn't hold much weight here or anything, but ahjussi is just using his skills to survive like the rest of us."
When they looked over at her, she shrunk back slightly. "What I mean is that, uh, do we really have to get so mad at ahjussi if we would do the same thing if we had his skills?"
There wasn't anything anyone could say to that. Everyone had to use all the tools they had in this ruined world, and knowingly holding yourself back could be a potential death sentence.
"If it helps, I can give my word that I'll try not to use it on any of you going forward," Kim Dokja suggested awkwardly. "I'll probably still use it on enemies if I can, though."
Yoo Sangah nodded hesitantly. "That seems reasonable."
A murmur of agreement swept through the group, but Lee Gilyoung tugged on Kim Dokja's robe to get his attention again.
"Wait, but couldn't it work well for secret communication if we can't talk?" the boy asked curiously. "Like if I find out something important from my bugs and we don't want bad people to find out?"
Kim Dokja honestly hadn't thought about it that way before, but there was definitely potential there for strategic use. The screen was beginning to play again, though, so that thought would have to get shelved until they could test it out. Still, he smiled and ruffled Lee Gilyoung's hair affectionately. He was a good kid.
Dokja looks at Joonghyuk warily. Could he read his mind? A smirk crosses his lips, and he decides to answer. The regressor is clearly surprised that they cleared the first scenario by killing insects, judging by how his eyes widen in shock. It's not a large reaction, but Dokja knows that this is the equivalent of bafflement from anyone else. When Dokja informs him that he was lucky because he spotted the insects due to an explosion in another car, Joonghyuk's thoughts play in his mind again.
「The future has changed.」
"The explosion… the insects…"
Dokja knows this information will be a shock to him, considering how there was supposed to be a battle to the death in cabin 3807 with only two survivors. Joonghyuk looks away, exposing his excellent side profile. Even in the middle of the apocalypse, the man really is handsome.
「Did I cause this? Was it because I started out by killing them with an explosion, unlike in my previous runs?」
A fuzzy image of Joonghyuk staring at the carnage in his cabin appears, and he seems long desensitized to the gore that surrounds him.
「Still, something's not right. He's too calm for a newbie. The world has turned upside down, and he's taking it in stride. Abnormally so. He must be the one who killed Kim Namwoon.」
Joonghyuk's dark eyes sharpen as hostility seeps into his thoughts, levelling Dokja with a piercing glare.
「He's much more than just useful… He's dangerous.」
"Do you still think that, Joonghyuk-ssi?" Lee Hyunsung asked hesitantly.
Yoo Joonghyuk exhaled before pausing for a moment. "I do."
Well, there goes Kim Dokja's last hope for survival.
"But," the protagonist continued, through gritted teeth, "I acknowledge that he does have his uses, especially now. I would be a fool to throw away all that information."
Did that mean that Kim Dokja would live? He wasn't going to end up speared on the protagonist's sword?
Speaking of which… "Maybe I'm tempting fate here, but I've been wondering… Joonghyook-ah, why haven't you just stabbed me already? I know you can be impulsive, especially when you're pissed off, and you've definitely threatened me a few times—"
Yoo Joonghyuk glared at him like he thought Kim Dokja was an idiot to cut him off, and fine, maybe he was right. But just a little bit.
"You fool," the man scoffed. "I'm not so impulsive as to do something like that without considering the consequences first."
His numerous times regressing for dumb mistakes would argue otherwise, but sure.
"We're in a strange hidden scenario that even you know nothing about, it's non-violent, and it hasn't threatened us with anything other than the scenario failure penalty of death," Yoo Joonghyuk reasoned. "There were no further instructions, but nothing is that simple."
Okay, fair enough. Kim Dokja thought for a moment before surprise dawned on his face and he shot Yoo Joonghyuk an offended glance. "Wait, are you saying that the only reason you haven't tried stabbing or choking me is because you don't want to trigger a hidden scenario penalty for violence?"
The fact that the protagonist didn't say anything else told Kim Dokja that he had hit the nail on the head. That damned sunfish!
Dokja risks saying something. "If you're done with your questions, can you let me go? Let's move on to Oksu station together. We're running out of time."
He chokes when Joonghyuk's hand around his throat squeezes tighter.
"Not so fast. Everything fits too perfectly."
Joonghyuk's right eye begins to glow golden as he activates a skill that Dokja easily identifies as the Eye of the Sage.
[The Eye of the Sage] not only allows you to see someone's attributes window, but also someone's hidden information. It's the highest grade detection skill.
He had been wondering why Joonghyuk wasn't using it. However, this is a blessing in disguise—after all, Dokja can't open his own attributes window, so he doesn't know what his own skills or attributes are past what he's managed to use accidentally. Even if Joonghyuk learns about them, he could find out too by reading his mind.
[Exclusive skill 'The Fourth Wall' activated.]
['The Fourth Wall' has detected the detection skill, 'Eye of the Sage'.]
A blue crackle of light interferes with Joonghyuk's skill, making it backfire and fail. The regressor closes his eye and staggers back in pain, managing to steady himself on the train tracks.
「What…?」
[Exclusive skill 'The Fourth Wall' has blocked the 'Eye of the Sage'.]
Joonghyuk flinches, his eye inflamed. Veins protrude on his temple, but he's still somehow unbelievably attractive.
"You…" he manages to say. "What are you?"
Dokja, however, is too stunned to reply.
[The constellation 'Scribe of Heaven' is alarmed.]
What the heck was Metatron doing here? And why was the leader of Eden so freaked out?
Kim Dokja knew that his skill was weird, and that it had other weird effects, but it couldn't be anything too serious, right?
[Several constellations are curious about this exclusive skill.]
Lee Gilyoung scrunched his nose as he thought something over before looking at Han Sooyoung. "Ahjumma, what's the fourth wall?"
She glared harder. "For fucks sake, I'm not an ahjumma, goddamn. Ugh."
Crossing her arms, she leaned back a bit and groaned. "Fine, welcome to lesson two of Han Sooyoung's writing class, I guess. The fourth wall is the imaginary invisible wall that separates the audience from the actors—or the reader from the book, in this case. My guess is that this asshole has some kind of weird mental barrier skill and it's just called that to fit the literature theme."
[The constellation 'Scribe of Heaven' is thoughtfully considering the hypothesis of incarnation 'Han Sooyoung'.]
"Hyung isn't an asshole," Lee Gilyoung grumbled, and Shin Yoosung nodded in agreement. Han Sooyoung just rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air, muttering about how no one here appreciates her.
Seriously, she was so weird sometimes. No wonder she resorted to becoming a cult leader after the apocalypse started.