[some constellations are hoping for a bloody battle.]
Well, it hadn't been anywhere near as bloody as other fights so far, but it had definitely been a battle. Kim Dokja felt himself grimace internally as he recalled just how difficult it had been. Yoo Joonghyuk truly was a monster of a fighter when he wanted to be.
A window pops up, telling Dokja that [The Fourth Wall] is shaking due to excessive immersion.
Joonghyuk jumps back, putting some distance between the two of them right as Dokja realizes that Joonghyuk came back to his senses thanks to his words. Unfortunately, just as Joonghyuk tries to talk to him, Simulacrum tightens his control over the protagonist. Though he tries to resist it with a pained groan, Joonghyuk's consciousness is suppressed once more.
Dokja notes it would never be that easy, remarking that Joonghyuk is a sunfish for a reason. The screen then suddenly cuts to a cutesy diagram with a cartoony drawing of a Sunfish, detailing their characteristics and makes a joke about sunfish dying constantly that was popularised due to a certain game. After a cute jingle plays, it cuts back to the fight.
Everything was silent for a moment as everyone attempted to process what they had just seen, and then it was shattered by a peal of laughter from Han Sooyoung and Jung Heewon.
Even Kim Dokja had to hold back the urge to laugh after that extremely odd graphic popped up. It was such a shocking tonal shift that it completely blindsided all of them. The kids, including Lee Jihye, were giggling at the amusing comparison, and even Yoo Mia couldn't restrain herself for long.
"You call him a sunfish because of that game?" Yoo Sangah asked in bewilderment, and Kim Dokja tried his absolute best to not let it show on his face. That was exactly why, but it wasn't exactly flattering.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is flabbergasted.]
Shooting a glance over at Yoo Joonghyuk, Kim Dokja had to redouble his efforts as soon as he noticed that the man looked extremely ticked off by that comparison. His frown was so deep and his brow was so furrowed that he looked almost constipated. But like… a handsome constipated.
… That made no sense, so Kim Dokja was just going to ignore that he ever thought that.
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is laughing uproariously.]
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is extremely amused.]
With skillful use of [Blue Star Weapon Aura], Joonghyuk's swordsmanship gets a buff, much to Dokja's annoyance. Suddenly, Dokja begins speaking with fake confidence, mentioning that Joonghyuk said before that he could punch him if he had the guts to do so. While he talks, Dokja glances off to the side towards where Gilyoung is standing, more nervous than he lets on.
In the future, Yoo Joonghyuk will be much stronger than me, but we haven't reached that future yet.
Gilyoung is deep in a trance, his eyes wide distant as blood drips down unchecked from his nose. Unintelligible mumbles leave his lips as he uses [Interspecies Communication], communicating with something powerful.
… If I give it my all, I could…
Dokja then activates
'Song of the Sword'. One of the strongest buffs in battle used by the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare, a powerful constellation. The attack buff it gives varies since the verse recited each time is random, but it's a stigma I'm grateful to have.
[The constellation 'Maritime War God' is happy to see that his stigma is appreciated.]
"Be careful, Dokja-ssi…" Lee Hyunsung pleaded under his breath. It was true that the stigma could easily backfire, but thankfully it had pulled through this time.
Still, there was no being 'careful' when being matched up against Yoo Joonghyuk. If he hadn't been unpredictable, he would have lost. There was no getting around it.
Lee Gilyoung, however, just looked excited to see Titano again. The kid definitely had a few screws loose, but he always did his best.
[A constellation who values strength is interested in the incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk'.]
Words, seemingly written in calligraphy ink, float around Dokja before changing into arrows that fire at Joonghyuk. They glow faintly with the crackle of electricity as they fly through the air under Dokja's focused gaze.
Amidst the raining arrows and the barrage of gunfire, it was as if the battlefield was struck by a thundering storm.
Joonghyuk guards his face as best as he can while under fire, but he can't block everything. While he's distracted, Dokja takes the chance to dash to the side and launch an attack on Simulacrum. Unfortunately, before his attack can land, Joonghyuk activates [Resuscitation lvl. 2] and jumps in front to protect the Dungeon Master. Dokja grimaces, irritated that he recovered so quickly, and calls for Gilyoung.
The boy groans and grabs onto his head, but at that moment, a large shadow looms over and crashes into the barrier surrounding the rooftop. The barrier cracks and shatters as a large mantis swoops into the fight. Gilyoung has summoned the Grade 6 monster Titanoptera. Gilyoung, still bleeding from his nose, giggles and looks happy that Titano has come, despite his exhaustion.
Titano lets out a piercing screech and attacks, and although Joonghyuk is able to block it, the pressure does cause the ground beneath him to cave slightly. Behind his strong and reliable form, the Dungeon Master looks relieved, smiling slightly.
"Ahjussi, I forgot how cool that stigma looks," Lee Jihye said, exhilarated. "I can't wait to be able to use it myself!"
Lee Jihye would become an absolute terror when she finally got access to [Song of the Sword], and Kim Dokja couldn't help but look forward to it.
Jung Heewon, however, didn't look so pleased with the situation on screen. "Of course he has a healing skill…"
Well, he was the protagonist.
Speaking of him, Yoo Joonghyuk also did not look pleased that he was defending the man who had taken over his mind.
"If that bastard wasn't already dead, I would kill him myself," he vowed, eyes narrowing dangerously as he grit his teeth.
Yoo Joonghyuk was furious, and he had a nearly visible hostile aura. His hands were clenched so tightly that Kim Dokja could clearly see the veins popping out slightly, and he really shouldn't have found that as interesting as he did. Even when he was this angry, Yoo Joonghyuk looked divine.
Seriously, was this man crafted by the gods or something?
As soon as they watched Titano crash into the arena, Shin Yoosung and Yoo Mia reluctantly joined in on the cheering that Lee Gilyoung was leading. It was obvious that the girls were at least somewhat impressed by it, but they really didn't want to get enthusiastic about a bug—no matter how gigantic it was.
"Good job, Gilyoung-ah," Kim Dokja praised and patted the boy's head. The grin he got in return was practically blinding.
[The constellation 'Demon-like judge of fire' is cheering on the incarnations.]
Lee Hyunsung, however, looked a bit green in the face. "Um, Gilyoung… by any chance, was this the Titano you offered to let me hug earlier…?"
"Yep!" Lee Gilyoung exclaimed with a grin, not picking up on the lieutenant's discomfort whatsoever.
Poor Lee Hyunsung. He looked like he was wavering between turning down the offer and actually giving in just because he didn't want to disappoint a kid. Kim Dokja honestly didn't envy him at all.
Suddenly, Dokja asks what Simulacrum is smiling about as he swings his sword at the boss in an attempt to take him out while Joonghyuk is otherwise occupied. Simulacrum panics and quickly activates [Mind Erosion] to try and take over Dokja too. A sickly green aura rushes towards Dokja, and he groans as his mind is invaded.
Now inside Dokja's mind, Simulacrum grins evilly. However, his victory is cut short by words that slowly start appearing around him. Simulacrum is beginning to panic as the words—the contents of TWSA itself—gather in overwhelming numbers and the Dungeon Master freezes in shock as [The Fourth Wall] activates.
As Dokja follows through on his attack, Simulacrum seems to have realised something from this experience as he gasps and looks up at Dokja like he's had a revelation. "Could you be…"
"He tried taking you over too!?" Yoo Joonghyuk hissed, turning towards Kim Dokja quickly. "If you didn't have that skill…"
Then the situation would have become even worse. Kim Dokja knew that, but he was counting on [The Fourth Wall] and trusted that it would work the same way here.
Still, there was something bothering him. Why would the words that made up all 3,149 chapters of TWSA be in his mind, let alone protect him? Was that because [The Fourth Wall] actually was as he suspected, and separated fiction and reality for him? Was the novel's existence continuing to protect him, even in this ruined world?
"Did you see any of that when he tried taking you over?" Han Sooyoung asked suddenly, shooting Kim Dokja a serious look. He could only shake his head; he hadn't seen anything like that.
"He just suddenly stopped and looked surprised, as you saw there," Kim Dokja admitted. "I wonder if he realized that this world is fictional to me, if he even had enough time to read anything in there."
[The constellation 'Scribe of heaven' is narrowing his eyes suspiciously.]
Still, that didn't explain what the Theatre Master had said at the end there. What was he trying to say? Could you be…. What? Kim Dokja didn't have the faintest clue of what that could mean.
[The constellation 'Secretive plotter' is becoming even more intrigued by the incarnation 'Kim Dokja'.]
He doesn't have enough time to finish his sentence before Dokja's sword appears to slice right through him; however, Simulacrum vanishes before the blade can even make contact. Dokja's brow furrows and he seems confused by not only Simulacrum's sudden exclamation, but also his mysterious disappearance, wondering if [The Fourth Wall] saved him. Before he can focus on that, though, his thoughts are cut off by Gilyoung stumbling over and collapsing into his arms.
Suddenly remembering the giant mantis, Dokja looks up and realizes that it's looking at them. Now that the barrier around the dungeon is gone and it's no longer under Gilyoung's control, the mantis turns away and flies off, much to Dokja's relief.
As he sits with Gilyoung laying in his lap, Dokja zones out as he looks over Joonghyuk, who's collapsed on the ground. Despite his battered state, his face looks calmer and more relaxed than he has this entire time. Jihye and Heewon support each other as they walk over and Heewon asks if they're ok, explaining that Jihye's face is so swollen that she can't speak.
"Wait, he just vanished!?" Jung Heewon exclaimed in disbelief. "It looked like you killed him from where we were."
Kim Dokja frowned. "Yeah, I wasn't sure when it happened, but seeing it again… he really did vanish right before I hit him."
[The constellation 'Abyssal black flame dragon' wonders if the theatre master ran away like a coward.]
Whatever actually happened, it wasn't their problem anymore.
"I told Titano to go right before I passed out," Lee Gilyoung admitted after he saw how nervous Kim Dokja had been about having to fight it. Oh, that was nice of him.
Kim Dokja smiled and ruffled his hair again. "Good call. We wouldn't have been able to fight him off, and I'm sure you would have been upset if we had to kill Titano."
The boy nodded firmly, and he seemed happy with the praise. That was good.
Lee Jihye sighed. "How is it that Master looks so good while he's passed out, and I look like that!?"
Yoo Joonghyuk shot her an odd look, but apparently decided to ignore her. To be fair, Lee Jihye was completely correct. The poor girl was so beat up she hadn't been able to talk for a bit, while Yoo Joonghyuk looked like he had stepped right out of some kind of manly beauty-type ad campaign. Probably one for cologne, or for shampoo. Seriously, how was his hair still so nice after weeks of surviving in the apocalypse?
Han Sooyoung scoffed. "Protagonist privileges are bullshit."
Kim Dokja had to internally agree. If he could roll out of bed in the morning every day looking even half as good as Yoo Joonghyuk did on a bad day, he would literally never shut up about it.
[A constellation who likes handsome men is appreciating the beauty of the incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk'.]
[The constellation 'Demon-like judge of fire' is grinning widely.]
A window pops up, informing them that the third main scenario is nearly over. Heewon, noticing the barrier is gone, looks out over Seoul, taking in the fact that everything has really been destroyed as the others slowly come to join her. Gilyoung, upon waking up, notices that there are shooting stars and points out their beauty.
This meteor shower is the harbinger of the main scenarios. All the places in the world where those meteorites fall will face disasters and nightmares no one could imagine.
Following tradition, everyone decides to wish on the shooting stars, but Dokja just observes. When Gilyoung asks if he's made a wish of his own, Dokja tells him he has. Heewon teasingly reminds him that if you tell others what your wish is, it won't come true.
Dokja, however, just looks back at Joonghyuk, his attractiveness unmatched even as he lays unconscious on the grass.
"I wished that I would survive to see the epilogue of a certain novel."
The moment the sun rises, a new hell will begin.
[The constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' says that wishing on stars is stupid.]
"You're stupid," retorted Yoo Mia with a huff.
[The constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is offended.]
Good, be offended. You're the one who decided to try and diss kids—you reap what you sow.
Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung exchanged a worried glance as soon as Kim Dokja's narration discussed the meteorites.
Her eyes were wide and full of concern as she turned towards Kim Dokja. "Wait, those meteorites were—"
"Yes," he confirmed. Out of their entire group, the three of them were the only ones who would know what that meant. And Han Sooyoung, of course, since she was the one who had masterminded the plan to take advantage of the meteorite in the first place.
Lee Hyunsung went pale, and Jung Heewon began cursing to the point where Kim Dokja was genuinely impressed. That woman really had some creative ones up in that brain of hers, didn't she?
Thankfully, the plagiarist had wisely decided to stay silent.
Yoo Sangah, on the other hand, looked troubled by something. Curiously, Kim Dokja called out to her.
"Sangah-ssi? Everything okay?"
She flinched a bit, jolted out of her thoughts, before she shot him a shaky smile. "Well, mostly. I'm just… concerned."
"About what?"
She looked apprehensive and almost nervous to answer his question, glancing around at the rest of the group oddly. After a moment, she sighed.
"It's just the way you worded your wish there, Dokja-ssi… I don't know, I was just reminded about one of your thoughts from the fight earlier."
'Which thought?' Kim Dokja wondered with a frown before the answer suddenly hit him.
I read the story just to live.
Shit. No wonder she hadn't wanted to say anything. Yoo Sangah was trying to respect his privacy but he had gone and fucked that up too.
[The constellation 'Secretive plotter' is narrowing his eyes at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Ah," was all he managed to say, desperately hoping that no one else would make that (absolutely correct) connection. Kim Dokja wasn't ready for them to know that yet. "I see."
He pasted a fake smile on his face to hide everything behind it as much as possible, and let the lie spill from his lips. "Don't worry too much, Sangah-ssi. I just know that survival isn't guaranteed in a world like this, and my goal is to make it to the end of all the scenarios."
It was obvious that she didn't believe him, but she returned his fake smile in kind. "I see, that makes sense, Dokja-ssi. Pardon me for making assumptions."
Ah, fuck. She would absolutely be confronting him about this once they got out of here.
For an instant, Kim Dokja honestly wondered if dealing with Yoo Joonghyuk and his potential leg-breaking tendencies would be better. Considering that her smile was at the level of the ones she would give to Han Myungoh, of all people, that option was looking more and more tempting by the minute.