[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is excitedly looking forward to the next segment.]
Thankfully, Kim Dokja knew that this one would be a bit calmer in comparison, and he let out a bit of a sigh of relief. They had already had enough adrenaline for now, so a bit of a break was nice.
Defeated, the Warden of the Dark lies motionless on the ground, felled by a large gash across its chest.
[Oh m-my god… C-Constellations, did you all just see that? D-Did I see that right] Biryu's disbelieving voice is heard.
[A few constellations are doubting their eyes.]
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is glaring fiercely.]
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is pulling his hair in excitement.]
[500 Coins have been sponsored.]
[A-An in the early scenarios…] Biryu continues, still speechless. Behind the dokkaebi, Dokja stands and glances over at him, looking exhausted as Sangah runs over.
[Bookmark number two has been disabled.]
[Your understanding of the character 'Lee Hyunsung' has increased.]
"To be exact, this is not a real
[T-That's right! Strictly speaking, it is
[Item
Kim Dokja watched in amusement as the people who hadn't been there (except for Yoo Joonghyuk) winced slightly at the notification that had popped up in front of him. Well, he had expected that, so it really wasn't a loss at all.
"Oh, that really sucks, but it was good while it lasted," Lee Jihye muttered, reaching over to rest her hand on the hilt of her sword. She was obviously imagining what she would feel if her blade was the one that had broken like that.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' watches the events in amusement.]
Well, he had witnessed the original for himself, so he definitely knew what Kim Dokja had been planning. Of course he would be amused by Lee Jihye's forlorn expression when there was nothing to worry about in the first place.
It wouldn't hurt to reassure her, at least. "It's fine, you could say that I found a way to fix it."
Thankfully, Lee Jihye seemed to brighten up slightly at that information, and she happily went back to watching.
[Amazing…Such a guy is in the brat Bihyung's channel…] Biryu states in shock as Dokja requests the scenario completion rewards. At this, a slightly recovered Gilyoung now runs over from his hiding spot to join Dokja.
[You have met the conditions to clear the sub scenario!]
[You have earned 500 coins.]
[A handful of constellations admire the method you used to clear the scenario.]
[By the way, are you not going to kill it?] Biryu asks.
"I have a non killing-ideology," Dokja replies offhandedly, shocking Biryu again as the Warden of the Dark weakly lies nearby, easy pickings for anyone who wants to end it. "I don't normally kill someone so easily."
Of course, that is a lie.
[B-But aren't your rewards going to be good if you do it? You'll be the first to kill a Grade 7 Demon, and you'll get 7000 coins!] Biryu exclaims, and the Warden of the Dark appears to move in the background as Myungoh moves closer to it.
[The constellation 'Demon-Like Juge of Fire' is full of admiration for you!]
[100 coins have been sponsored.]
[Do you realize how much 7000 coins are worth?] Biryu keeps going even as Dokja insists he won't kill it.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is smiling slyly at you.]
[100 coins have been sponsored.]
As Dokja makes Biryu move out of the way so he can get his compensation, a fleshy thunk noise rings out in the otherwise quiet space. With a quick look over, the culprit is obvious—Myungoh has stabbed the Warden of the Dark through the head.
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced over at Kim Dokja with a harsh look in his eyes, almost trembling slightly. "You didn't warn them."
Kim Dokja shook his head in response. Well, no, but it was just Han Myungoh. If Yoo Sangah had gone for it, he probably would have stopped her.
'Is that too cruel?' Kim Dokja wondered absently as he saw Yoo Joonghyuk's lips twist into a frown. He had only known not to kill it because of the protagonist's flashbacks to his mistake in the second round, after all. It's not like any average person would have any idea what was in store for them.
Frustrated, Kim Dokja shrugged and spoke without thinking. "I was very vocal about not wanting to kill it; if he couldn't take a hint, that's his own fault for being an idiot."
Yoo Joonghyuk's expression, which had previously lightened up slightly due to their (maybe friendly) banter, shuttered instantly. Shit.
Kim Dokja realized immediately that he had fucked up.
"Hey, Yoo Joonghyuk, you realize I'm not talking about you, right?"
The glare that was sent his way pierced him to the core, and Yoo Joonghyuk's tone was malicious as he spat, "Shut up, Kim Dokja."
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' laughs at the silly argument.]
Shit. How could this be a measly 'silly argument'? Kim Dokja knew that he really did screw everything up again.
He should have known that nothing good could last—he had never been that lucky, so why was he stupid enough to believe that the end of the world would change anything? There was no way that his favourite protagonist would actually want anything to do with him, anyway. Why had he deluded himself into thinking that he could actually be helpful and make it to an ending that Yoo Joonghyuk himself had never been able to achieve? He was pathetic.
Kim Dokja felt himself start to build that mental wall between him and everything else again. With every negative thought that passed through his mind, another brick was added. His brain grew fuzzy and his hearing dimmed as Kim Dokja began to feel like he was merely a consciousness piloting his body rather than existing within it.
As he walled himself off from everything and everyone, Kim Dokja didn't notice any of the concerned indirects that began pouring in.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is frowning.]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is worried.]
[The constellation…]
Once the feeling of Yoo Joonghyuk's glare had been dulled to the barest of tingling sensations, it evened out. Blankly, Kim Dokja looked back at the screen, even though he was barely processing anything that was being shown. Nothing could hurt him if he didn't feel anything in the first place.
He starts laughing as windows begin to pop up stating that the demon had been killed. "Haha, Hahahahaha! N-Now I can be strong too! How do you feel now, Kim Dokja you son of a bitch! You are stupid!" Myungoh pulls a maniacal pose.
[A Grade 7 Demon has been hunted for the first time!]
"Idiot! Why would killing ever matter in this ruined world!" Myungoh continues as Dokja and Sangah watch on in surprise. More windows appear stating that the contributors of the impossible feat were Dokja and Myungoh, and they are awarded with coins.
"A person like you will never come out on top! You get that?!" Myungoh yells ecstatically.
However, his joy is immediately dampened by the appearance of a series of windows explaining that the patron of the Warden of the Dark—the Demon King Asmodeus—has noticed the presence of the one who dealt the final blow and placed a terrible curse on him, as well as stating that Asmodeus will pursue him until death.
Myungoh pauses as a final window appears, the last nail in the coffin stating that he dealt that final blow. As Myungoh freaks out, Dokja reiterates that he chose not to kill it on purpose.
Demonic Servants worship different Demon Kings and inherit some of their power through the 'Dark Root'. Therefore, killing a Demonic Servant results in getting cursed by their King. Among them, receiving the curse of the Demon King 'Asmodeus' was the worst possible outcome for a person.
As Dokja's narration continues, Myungoh falls to the ground, his knees giving way in despair as he stares at the screens before him with his mouth open wide in shock.
Nobody knows what exactly the curse is, but it will definitely be terrible.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' admires your cunningness.]
Garbled conversations flowed into Kim Dokja's ears as he floated in a void of nothingness, feeling almost like he was on the verge of activating level 3. If he just let go even a little bit, he would drift away. Not even the faint pings of indirect messages cut through the layers of fuzziness in his brain that cut him off from the world, even though he thought he could hear Han Sooyoung making a witty comment through the haze.
How could he have been so stupid as to forget that the only person who knew just how bad the repercussions of the curse had been was Yoo Joonghyuk himself? He had died at the hands of Asmodeus and his curse, even if Anna Croft had done horrible things to him during that round too. Fuck. Kim Dokja was the worst. The darkness began caving in on him and he welcomed it, feeling almost like he needed to punish himself for his own words.
As Kim Dokja sat in the prison of his own mind, he vaguely felt something touch his hand. It felt foreign, as though it wasn't part of his body, but he was still aware of it. After a moment, he felt the same on his other hand, and he could feel a faint tingling as whatever it was drew odd swirling patterns on his palms.
Fighting back against the oppressiveness of the void, Kim Dokja latched onto the feeling with everything he had. Every single one of his feeble senses focused on what he could feel, ignoring everything else until he began feeling more. Little by little, the strange mix between a ringing noise and deafening silence began to lift, and words started making sense again.
"...ou okay?"
"Hyu…."
Small hands held his own gently, and as more and more came into focus, Kim Dokja realized that the strange patterns were actually hangul. If he concentrated, he could make out what they spelled.
Are. You. Okay.
Kim Dokja forced himself to nod, not really seeing anything ahead of him, still visually trapped in the darkness. Gently, he squeezed back, and he felt arms wrap around his waist in return.
"Ahjussi, can you hear us now?" Shin Yoosung whispered, and Kim Dokja realized he could finally hear again. He blinked away the darkness as best as he could, and when he glanced down, he saw both kids glancing up at him with worried expressions.
Lee Gilyoung frowned and squeezed him slightly. "Hyung, you just stopped responding to anyone."
Ah. So it happened again; it had been a while.
He didn't say anything, not confident that any words would come at all, but Kim Dokja still tried to send them a shaky smile and a nod to convey that he was doing slightly better. Kim Dokja wasn't sure they believed him.
Taking a cursory glance around the room, he noticed that Yoo Sangah was keeping everyone on the one side of him distracted by a conversation—it sounded like she was sharing workplace gossip about Han Myungoh.
Han Sooyoung tipped her head back and laughed at whatever anecdote Yoo Sangah had just told, but her gaze caught his for a second. Her smile dimmed, but she looked away quickly as though she had realized that he didn't want anyone to draw attention to his current state. They might not get along all the time, but he couldn't help but internally thank both her and Yoo Sangah for doing what they could.
Kim Dokja didn't even dare to look over at where Yoo Joonghyuk and Yoo Mia were sitting, not wanting to set off another episode. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to handle it if he saw the protagonist who had always seemed so strong and reliable falter as he struggled against his own trauma threatening to overwhelm him.
One part of him, deep down, wanted to hope that whatever fragile amiability they had built wouldn't come crashing down just like that, but the other part of Kim Dokja knew that he deserved it.
Instead of doing anything else, Kim Dokja wound his arms around Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung's waists, focusing on the pressure of their bodies against his sides. They were warm, and it was enough to keep him semi-present for now.
Dokja turns, noticing that Sangah is looking at him with surprise while Gilyoung's face is filled with the utmost admiration to the point of visible sparkles in his eyes.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' has recommended your scenario to the Star Stream.]
Dokja smiles at them and moves towards the treasure chest in the room, stating they should check out their rewards.
Even after they've taken the time to do so, Myungoh hasn't moved an inch.
Sangah lifts the
Well, that's because Yoo Joonghyuk already went through this place yesterday and took most of the good items with him.
Dokja states that it's fine since the main item is still there, glancing at the purple treasure chest. He opens it to reveal the
The
A little while later, Dokja roasts a large leg of a Ground Rat over the stove while all three of them drool from the delicious smell of cooked meat as Sangah asks if it's edible. Dokja takes a bite, the others watching in anticipation, minus Myungoh who's still off to the side. Dokja seems to be struck by something, exclaiming they can eat it and that it's delicious. This immediately puts smiles on their faces as they begin roasting their giant legs as well.
At this, many constellations pipe up with their opinions as well, ranging from nodding from knowing the taste, while others are curious about it.
'Just reading about its taste in the novel is very different from actually tasting it,' Dokja thinks with a slight flush to his face. 'It's rich, juicy, and perfectly greasy. So a mukbang like this is also popular..'
[Many constellations are desiring a delicious meal.]
"Now that I think about it," Lee Hyunsung muttered, "I haven't felt hungry at all this entire time. How about everyone else?"
Lee Jihye blinked in surprise, then looked pensive for a moment. "Oh, yeah, you're right. I'm not tired either, even though we just did a bunch of fighting before getting sent here."
"That is weird…" Yoo Sangah muttered, and then she glanced over at Kim Dokja to see if he had any answers or ideas. Kim Dokja just shook his head, not trusting his voice to stay steady for the moment.
Han Sooyoung furrowed her brow, contemplating why that could be. Suddenly, she glanced at the other members of the group. "Hey, remember those weird messages from earlier? Do you think it would reply again if anyone asked?"
Nobody seemed certain, but Jung Heewon just shrugged. "Couldn't hurt to try, I guess."
"Ooh, let me try!" Lee Jihye said excitedly before she glanced up at the ceiling. "Hellooo, direct message person…?" She paused for a moment. "Nope, nothing. Your turn, unnie."
"Hey, weird message thing? Are you there?" Jung Heewon called, and there was no response. "Damn, maybe you need to try. It did answer you earlier, after all."
Nodding once, Han Sooyoung stared intently into the air as if it would materialize through sheer willpower alone. "Hey, why don't we need to deal with any bodily functions here? Because let's be honest, if something weird wasn't happening, someone in here would have definitely had to use the bathroom already."
Probability sparked again, but it seemed weaker this time than it had at the beginning. After a moment, the message screen flickered into view, to the surprise of their entire group. Somehow, whatever this thing was, it seemed to only listen to Han Sooyoung to some degree, which was weird and suspicious.
[W hy?]
She clicked her tongue and glared. "Why am I asking? I don't trust anything about this scenario, dammit."
[H ow to ex plain…]
[Many constellations are wary of the strange messages.]
As probability continued to spark, leading Kim Dokja to believe that whatever was sending these messages was doing it at a great cost, the intensity began to ramp up until several people had to flinch back out of worry that the sparks would hit them.
[(Allow me to provide an explanation.)]
What?
[N o.]
The messages were… arguing with itself? That was weird, and there was also the fact that there were multiple typing styles. Maybe there was more than one being controlling this space? Clarity began to return to Kim Dokja as he frantically tried to think of anything that could cause such a phenomenon. He couldn't find anything, but it only became clearer that whatever this thing was, it was beyond powerful.
[(Your ph█sical bod██s are not in the̷͎͕̞̮͔̻̤͇͈̪̳͐͗̇̑̐̐́̆́̕ ̶̪̖̻̥̲̟͖̘̖̗̣̰̩̭̀̆̇͛̋̒̅͌̓̄̑̚͜█̷̨̺̟̲͇̮̞̺̤͍̯̦̻͎͋͜█̴̝̙̣͈́̉́͆̍̔͐̾͘̕͝█̴̱̞͉̙̮̥̰̝̽͋█̴͇̒̿̍̔̒͑̂͌̈̕͜█̸̨̯͈̮̗͔̱̘͎̓̅̐̎͝█̴̧̤̰̰̫̳̳̄͗̓͜͜█̷̠͈̹͆̿͒̍͒͘.)]
The information was… filtered? Wasn't that a function of the Star Stream that prevented information from reaching people who didn't already know before they should find out about it? Just what was it saying that even Kim Dokja didn't already know about? And even more than that, it looked like whatever information this second messenger was trying to convey was filtered so strangely and so excessively that the text itself had begun glitching.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is watching the messages with apprehension.]
After a moment with no further responses from anyone in the room, the incarnations too preoccupied with glancing at each other worriedly, another message popped up.
[(Ah, it was filtered, my apologies.)]
[(Just kn█w that in th█s ██ace, you are ███ ██ the v█ew of the █̴̧̡̡̻̘̭̬͉̹̣͔̱̳͚̣̠̟̪̹̜͙͒͑̓̏̈́͑̓̉̓̓̕͠ͅ█̵̛̛͇̗͓̦͔̹͑̔̎̿̅̿̅̔̑̃̓̈́̏̈́͋͋̅̊̈́̓̈́́̾̿̿̋͂̇̿̎͌̚͘ͅ█̷̨̨̡̛̝͖͌͒̈́̈́̋̇̀̀̍́̈́̈́̈́̀̊̊́̄̿̐͒̽̒̓̇̽̐̕̚͘͘͘͘͝͠█̷̨̨̨̰̘̻̠̖̥̯̘̫̪̯͉̄̃̆̿█̸̧̤̭̼̼͈̘͍͖͉̝̫̪̱̳͍̝̼̤̦̝͖͙̮̻̮̗̩̗̭̔̈̊̇̒̇͐̂́͒̾̓̇͋̇́̈̈͑̀͋̀̏̎̑͋̉̉́̂̐̑̾͛̒̕͜͝█̷̢̰̗͚̘͈̺̺̻̼̰̝̭͚͚̘̬̪͓̹̳̰̘̲̟̘͉̍͆̐̐̓̇̏̈̏͆͆̾̕̚͠ͅ ̴͎̬̬̜͓̻͍̣̓̅͆̋̾̍█̷̢̦̙͈̼̗͇͓̮̲̘̺̻͈̥͊̎̔̐͆̏̋̓̐͌̽̉̊͂̉̔̏̽̈́̃͝͠█̷̡̧̧͈̦̥̪̻͉̩̲͉̱̣̣̼͇̦̬̬͍̠̀̊̃̆̿̇̎͆̚͝█̴̧̼̫͎̳̺̞̦̮̲̞͍̜̯̺̲̳̹̮́͛̽̎̑͂͂͜͜█̶̧̧̖̼͇̹͓͇̟͍̻̮̫̓̈̄̑͒͛́̐̈́̑͒͊͌͒̇̇̑̑̈̇̑͑̍̇̈́̆̓͐͒̂̀͑̈́̇͛͝͝█̶̡̢̨̨̨͇̥͔̟̳̟̥͉̪̟̦̳̼̦͖̝͍̻̬̣̜̭͈̘͓̞̰͙̞̿͊̊͋͌̀̎̐̎̈́̏͋͐̍̇̅̅͊̾̕͝ ]
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is greatly alarmed.]
Wait, was the Secretive Plotter somehow able to understand what that message said? Kim Dokja exchanged a worried glance with Han Sooyoung, who seemed off put by the odd answers to her question. Even more so, it wasn't clear why the messenger was even inclined to answer her in the first place. Something was incredibly suspicious here, and Kim Dokja was not liking what that might imply.
The air rang with a faint ding as a flickering, nearly transparent message appeared in front of them, cutting off Kim Dokja's thoughts.
[Ti red.]
And then it vanished, taking the crackling probability with it. The screen in front of them stuttered and began playing once more, drawing their anxious gazes.
Myungoh finally snaps out of his depression after smelling the meat and moves closer while drooling. Once he's close enough, he starts apologizing to Dokja while holding an uncooked leg behind his back. Dokja tells him to just eat, making Myungoh happy until Dokja's speaks bluntly.
"After all, you may die sometime after this meal."
Myungoh is, once again, in despair.
Once they're full, Sangah questions how Dokja could know about all this, including cooking the meat of beasts they've never seen before. This catches Dokja off guard and he scrambles to get an answer when Sangah continues.
"Indeed, it must be because you read fantasy novels, right? Dokja, you worked so hard, but here I am just eating, I was of no help at all…" Sangah says as she looks downcast.
"Yoo Sangah, it's because you studied foreign languages that you were able to translate the Demonic creature's language for us," Dokja rebukes, making Sangah feel a little better. She then turns to the chest, noticing that it has carvings on the outside, startling Dokja.
'Don't tell me, she can read that too…' Dokja thinks.
"Random item box?"
'Shit.'
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' snorts.]
No one looked impressed. Han Sooyoung just stared at the screen in mute disbelief, and Kim Dokja had to hang his head and press his fingers to his temples in an attempt to stave off the inevitable oncoming headache.
God, Bihyung had definitely outdone himself with that one. Such creativity.
Even Yoo Joonghyuk looked like someone who had been minorly betrayed, and to be fair, no one had anticipated the menacing demonic-looking text to just be a label for what the item was.
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' doesn't know what to say.]
Dokja thanks her with a blank face while Sangah looks extremely happy and accomplished that she managed to do something.
I think the first person to discover this box in the novel was the 'Flying Fox'. Yoo Joonghyuk left this place with only one
Dokja muses about the fact that Joonghyuk figured this out in his 6th regression when Sangah insists Dokja use the treasure box. Dokja is surprised by this, but Sangah insists again, saying it's only natural. Dokja reaches into his pocket to pull out something as narration begins.
"You know those weird boxes that can be found in the early scenarios? Well, I tried putting something inside…
Dokja begins to place items into the chest. 'If I place the Nucleus from the Warden of the Dark, which is a Grade 7 Demonic species and
"...And who would have thought? It turns out you can get premium limited-draw items this way."
Dokja closes the chest and Biryu suddenly appears as the narration continues.
"You don't believe me? Let me show you how it works."
[N-No way. W-Why is this item here?!] Biryu exclaims, grabbing the attention of everyone but Dokja. [T-This box was supposed to be banned!]
"If you put two low-grade items inside and close the lid…"
The box bursts with light, causing Dokja to squint and try to block it with his hand.
"You're guaranteed to get a top-tier item from the box!"
[Some constellations question the probability of the
Honestly, that was fair. No wonder Bihyung had gotten in trouble for it when he first introduced them.
"Seriously? What a hack," Han Sooyoung griped as she pouted at the screen. "Why do some people get all the luck…?"
Did she seriously think Kim Dokja was lucky? Hell no. She couldn't be more wrong if she tried. Sure, he had been lucky to get the item he did, but that didn't mean he had any kind of luck in any other aspect of his life.
This immediately causes Biryu to freak out as he closes the channel broadcast.
[A Sword-type item will be awarded for putting in an item of a similar type!]
[The random draw has started!]
[The items placed in the box are related to a certain constellation.]
[The probability that an item associated with this constellation will appear has greatly increased.]
Dokja looks surprised by the last two messages as he prays for an A Grade or higher item. The flash of light dies down as the windows announce that the item has appeared and the
"Should I open it?" Dokja asks with excitement as both Sangah and Gilyoung nod, their faces showing that they're equally excited.
This box was a draw Item that was banned by the Star Stream's Bureau immediately after release. It was because it had a setting of always giving out a 'High Grade Item' if 'Low Grade Items' were put in it. Such a broken setting would unconditionally threaten the balance of scenarios.
Dokja pulls out a sword, making Gilyoung excited as he looks over Dokja's shoulder, clinging on to him. 'T-This is..'
He holds up the sword as the window appears, showing its description.
Rating: Star Relic
Description: In the past, it was the sword of the Hero 'Kaizenix'. Who led the crusade during the Great Demon Era. It is imbued with Kaizenix's mastery of Ether Manipulation which allowed him to create a 'Blade of Faith' which can bear the attributes of 'Fire', 'Darkness' or 'Holy'.
Additional Status Effects: It increases Strength and Stamina by 2.>
Yoo Joonghyuk frowned at the item window that popped up on the screen and proceeded to cast a glance over at Kim Dokja. He seemed to have calmed down slightly, but Kim Dokja couldn't help but flinch under the weight of his gaze.
"... What?" he asked hesitantly, and didn't make a move to stop the kids from glaring at the protagonist. They had clearly realized that his earlier state was at least partially because of Yoo Joonghyuk, even if it had been Kim Dokja's fault in the end. It was awful, but at least their overprotectiveness helped to ground him somewhat as he met Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes for the first time since earlier.
It looked like the regressor was struggling to find the right words for a moment, frowning and opening his mouth occasionally like he was about to talk before shutting it again. Eventually, he managed to spit something out.
"That is a good sword," he said quickly and bluntly before turning away from Kim Dokja again.
Kim Dokja's eyes widened. Was that Yoo Joonghyuk's way of putting their… disagreement from earlier… behind them? He wasn't sure how to feel, but this was probably progress. Hopefully.
He allowed the barest of smiles to creep onto his face. "... Thanks. And I'm sorry for earlier."
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't acknowledge his reply, but Kim Dokja never expected him to.
[A constellation who likes swords says that this is much better.]
Sangah exclaims that it must be an incredible item with how it looks while Dokja stares at it in shock as he thinks frantically. 'Is this for real? I got a Star Relic-Grade item, which is higher ranked than those with an alphabetical grade?'
Dokja turns to the others and asks if he can really have this, leading to Sangah and Gilyoung frantically nodding.
[You have obtained a Star Relic.]
[The owner of the Star Relic is curious about you.]
"Well, let's go back. There are still lots of Ground Rats alive. So, it'll be dangerous to head back with the "Um, hyung…" Gilyoung cuts in, causing Dokja to pause for a moment. "There are no insects near us."
'Did they all explode due to the pressure from the Warden?' Dokja wonders before he asks if all of them are dead, and Gilyoung responds that he might be able to summon one. He closes his eyes for a moment before he freezes and they shoot open. He's made contact.
As Gilyoung starts to speak garbled words, unintelligible to anyone else, greenish orbs of light emerge around him. Dokja calls out his name in confusion before the ground and ceiling of the treasure trove start to shake.
"Dokja, Gilyoung is acting strange!" Sangah calls out, bringing attention to Gilyoung who's staring up at the ceiling. The whites of his eyes are showing as they blankly glow with the same greenish light. Blood begins to drip from his nose as drool streams out of his mouth, and Dokja has the horrifying realization that Gilyoung has managed to contact something far too powerful for him to handle.
"I didn't realize it was that bad…" Lee Gilyoung shuddered as he watched what he had looked like on the screen. He had seemed almost possessed, and had definitely overused his skill.
"Oh god, that looks creepy," Lee Jihye remarked, covering her mouth with her hand. "Were you okay after that?"
Lee Gilyoung nodded in response to her question, which made Lee Jihye let out a sigh of relief. Still, he looked dismayed. "I'm sorry hyung… I didn't mean to cause more trouble."
Kim Dokja patted his head affectionately. "Hey, it's alright. You were just trying to help. None of us could have guessed that you would be able to contact something so far away, anyway."
Honestly, it was really impressive. No wonder Yoo Joonghyuk had tried to recruit him later on. The boy beamed and grinned widely at the praise, which was a relief after all the rough moments so far.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire exclaims that the incarnation 'Lee Gilyoung' is adorable when he smiles.]
That was absolutely the truth, and deep down, Kim Dokja hoped to see it more often.
Shin Yoosung didn't say anything, but she shrunk back anxiously and didn't look at Kim Dokja. She was a beast tamer too, and a damn powerful one at that, but seeing Lee Gilyoung's incredible use of his skill was probably making her feel a bit self-conscious.
Without saying a word, Kim Dokja placed his other hand on her hair and ruffled it in an attempt to reassure her too. She shot him a shy smile in return, and he would consider that a small success.