Lee Jihye huffed in annoyance. "I can't believe I got knocked out and missed Master—and ahjussi, I guess—being cool."
Why was she including him in that? All the coolness factor had come from Yoo Joonghyuk's protagonist abilities. The only thing Kim Dokja had done was die.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is laughing and shaking his head.]
"The sooty bastard wasn't that cool," Lee Gilyoung griped with a roll of his eyes. Kim Dokja had to disagree, but he just sighed instead of saying anything. The kids would probably come around eventually.
A crackle of lightning flashes through the darkness as a flurry of messages appear. The final messages explain that Dokja's body is being reformed due to the privilege of 'King of No Killing'.
A hand comes into existence from nothing and steadies itself on the ground as the rest of the body follows. The bare skin of the torso that reforms next is pale to an almost worrying degree, contrasting the darkness of the charred floor. Last, but not least, Dokja's head is restored, now back to his normal blurry face, and his bangs hide his eyes from view.
Like a thousand moments condensed into one, his new heart stutters out its first beat and Dokja's eyes snap open as he comes back to life.
The cinematic experience of Dokja's resurrection is interrupted by the thunderous roar from Igneel, causing Dokja to snap to attention and reminding him that he is very much still in danger.
[The exclusive skill 'The Fourth Wall' has nullified the shock of dying.]
"You really did come back to life!" Shin Yoosung exclaimed in awe, and Kim Dokja almost swore there were sparkles in her eyes.
Looking at it from this perspective, it did look pretty cool—so long as Kim Dokja ignored the sickening realization that there hadn't been enough of him left behind to resurrect from. His body had to be completely reconstructed, but Kim Dokja stopped that train of thought before he started getting into the existential dread that would come with comparing his body to the ship of theseus problem.
Yoo Mia grimaced. "Did you really have to be naked, though?"
Unfortunately, yes.
"Just because I come back to life doesn't mean that anything else was saved," Kim Dokja lamented.
His clothes aside, he had lost his cellphone to the dragon, and that poor thing had been with him for years. He was attached to it, dammit!
Kim Dokja pointedly didn't glance over at Jung Heewon or Lee Hyunsung, who had been unfortunate witnesses to his shame here. This was so humiliating, and he probably should have warned everyone in advance, but his head was such a mess right now that he had honestly forgotten. It seemed like Yoo Joonghyuk might be silently judging him for that, since he immediately reached over to cover his sister's eyes with a large hand. Kim Dokja immediately followed suit, covering up the other two kids' eyes as well. He felt like shit that he hadn't remembered to spare the kids from this sight, but in his defense, he had just watched himself die only a few minutes ago—he was allowed to have a pass for things slipping his mind.
At the very least, unlike the earlier situation in the ichthyosaur's stomach, this definitely didn't look sexy and there were far more important things to be concerned about here.
Like the dragon, for one.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' frowns at the visible ribs of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' sternly tells the incarnation 'kim dokja' to eat more.]
Well sorry, a salaryman's pitiful paycheque was not enough to eat well, on top of paying for rent and utilities. Plus, he never had the time or energy to cook for himself anyway, so he subsisted off of whatever he could get on sale at the local convenience store.
"Who cares?" Jung Heewon hissed. "You're literally a sitting duck like that, dammit. How did you forget about the fucking dragon!?"
Uh…
"I got… distracted?" Kim Dokja said with a sheepish shrug. Jung Heewon did not look impressed with him for that.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is cackling at the stupidity of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Agh…! The air I'm breathing is too hot…!" Dokja thinks as sweat begins to drip down his neck and bare chest. However, Dokja feels relieved that everything seems to be ok on the Chungmuro side now, having absolute confidence in Joonghyuk. Without that to worry about, he confusedly wonders about level 3.
Just a moment ago, I was definitely back in Chungmuro Station, from Yoo Joonghyuk's perspective.
He recalls standing on the tracks, and to visualize this, the screen displays an image of Joonghyuk's back as he stood confidently before Jihye and the Apostle at Chungmuro. Just behind him, an image of Dokja stands in an identical pose, like a ghostly mirror. While it does its job of looking cool, this image also emphasises the size difference between the two men.
No unnecessary movements. Long fingers wrapping around the hilt. That chillingly beautiful unsheathing of his sword.
Dokja thinks that he never wants to experience that again, if possible, but gets distracted when a message comes in stating he got a usage reward for entering a high level of [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint].
Han Sooyoung stared at Kim Dokja in disbelief, and he really didn't like the utterly unimpressed expression on her face.
Just what was her problem?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is clutching her hands to her chest.]
"Ahjussi, you really have so much faith in Master," Lee Jihye said emotionally and almost tearfully. "The moment he showed up, all your worries went away!"
Well… she wasn't wrong, but it definitely wasn't for the reasons she thought.
"Joonghyuk-ah is more than strong enough to deal with those Apostles," Kim Dokja replied as flatly as he could. "Why would I be worried?"
Han Sooyoung was still blankly staring at him. It was getting kind of unsettling, honestly.
"You have got to be kidding me," she muttered, finally breaking her silence. "Do you not hear yourself?"
He could hear himself quite fine, thanks. Whatever she was assuming was probably wrong, anyway.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kim Dokja deflected, and even Jung Heewon betrayed him and stared at him like he was insane. What was he missing here?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is extremely touched by this wonderful display of companionship.]
Yoo Sangah giggled behind her hand and sent him a teasing smile. "Dokja-ssi, we're just amused about how you described Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi there."
Was that all? It was all true, so what was the big deal?
"It was very… poetic," she said with a small wink. Han Sooyoung scoffed and muttered something about how that was an understatement and also probably something or other about how Kim Dokja was a disappointment.
It was great to know that even though those two hated each other, they were still somehow willing to set that aside for a minute to make fun of him. It probably wouldn't last very long—Kim Dokja's misery wasn't that good of a distraction—but it was better than the two of them fighting again.
Yoo Joonghyuk's gaze landed on Kim Dokja then, and for once, it didn't feel entirely uncomfortable. There was something different in it, like he was looking at Kim Dokja in a new light, or like he was just pleased enough by the compliment that he didn't feel tempted to tear Kim Dokja limb from limb.
Glancing over, Kim Dokja met his gaze and felt utterly overwhelmed as soon as he made the mistake of doing so. He had been so wrong—it was even more intense than before, albeit in a different way. Yoo Joonghyuk stared searchingly at him, like he was looking for answers that lay beneath Kim Dokja's skin and buried deep into his bones. He looked at Kim Dokja like he held all the answers to his questions (and to be fair, he probably did for most of them). It was new, it was strange, and Kim Dokja wasn't sure if he liked it or not.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is staring at the incarnation 'kim dokja' in disappointment.]
Yoo Joonghyuk scowled at the indirect message before turning away. "If you have the time to waste on admiring my swordplay, then you need more training."
For some reason, the tips of Yoo Joonghyuk's ears were burning red once again, and Han Sooyoung looked about three seconds from ending herself just to escape this situation, whatever it was.
Heewon, having completely given up on the ruse, calls out Dokja's name while being held back by Hyunsung. The remaining readers in the back still call him Joonghyuk and guess that he must've used [Resuscitation]. Their different positions make it obvious that at least one round of platforms has passed since Dokja's death.
The attribute of a King that I gained—the [King of No Killing]. Unlike what the title suggests, what it offers is closer to 'Immortality' rather than 'Pacifism'.
'Its special ability is 'Resurrection' after death,' Dokja thinks as he runs, and thankfully a combination of angles, dust, obstacles, and legs cover that which shouldn't be seen. In the background, the dragon rages ominously, and Dokja knows that if he gets hit now, it's really over.
Of course, this resurrection is not unconditional, but can be activated by collecting 'Karma Points'. Fortunately, it starts off with 100 points for the first use. A free resurrection bonus!
Lee Hyunsung fretted anxiously. "You have to collect those points somehow to make sure you can resurrect?"
"I have to save 100 lives to get an extra life," Kim Dokja replied, but that didn't seem to ease his worries at all.
[several constellations are intrigued by the restrictions on the attribute 'king of no killing'.]
Lee Jihye clicked her tongue. "That's a sucky drawback, ahjussi."
It did suck, but it was worth it. The worst one was not being allowed to kill other people in this kind of world.
"I'm just impressed that this weird recording has somehow managed to keep that idiot's modesty intact," Han Sooyoung drawled.
Kim Dokja would prefer to not think about that, thanks.
[a constellation who likes children is pleased that nothing inappropriate has been shown.]
Dokja keeps running past platforms, lamenting that there aren't any that only fit one person. Several system windows appear, matching what his narration explains while also giving him an extra level each in Strength and Mana.
Heewon, noticing some nearby platforms that will have the right numbers to save everyone, commands everyone to move and sends Hyunsung to Dokja. The two step on the platform just in time as a wide shot shows the [Flame of Destruction] sweeping over the train platform. Thankfully, there are some conveniently placed flames covering the entirety of Dokja's lower half.
As Dokja sighs in relief, Hyunsung turns to him and begins to speak. With his puppy dog eyes and sparkles in full force, he asks if Dokja is alright. Dokja states that he's fine, but requests something to wear, causing Hyunsung to finally notice his general state of undress. After a seriously awkward pause, Hyunsung reaches down and begins to unbuckle his pants but Dokja quickly stops him.
Rather than his clothes, Dokja is more concerned about the flag and
Now that the platforms are gone, Minseob, Heewon and Sungkook run over, calling out to Dokja in relief. As they get closer, however, their relieved faces turn blank as their gaze drops slightly downwards.
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is staring at your Black Flame Dragon.]
The scene zooms out to reveal Dokja, who has curled in on himself, arms wrapped under his legs to hide everything as best as possible.
'Damn it, Why must everything that isn't a Star Relic or a Scenario Item get burnt to ashes?!' Dokja mentally screams in embarrassment.
Kim Dokja buried his face in his hands, needing to hide himself away even if it meant uncovering Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung's eyes in the process. Was whoever organized this hidden scenario trying to kill him from sheer embarrassment alone? Because it was working!
"We didn't see anything," Jung Heewon said, entirely unconvincingly.
Kim Dokja just let out an agonized groan and did everything he could to avoid looking at the protagonist. He didn't want to see Yoo Joonghyuk staring at him judgmentally right now because he knew that was what he was feeling on his back. The staring was getting way too intense and he would probably combust if Yoo Joonghyuk kept that up for much longer.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing wildly.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
Just let him curl up and die again, thanks. That would be preferable to everyone seeing him like this.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' wishes he could have offered his cloak to the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
That was… awfully kind of him, wow. Kim Dokja lifted his head from his hands and sent a shaky smile at the message. He still had no idea who this constellation was, but at least he seemed nice. Plus, considering that the cloak had the possibility of being a Star Relic, it might have had some kind of nice flame-resistant properties.
Lee Hyunsung just looked over at him like a sad puppy. "I'm sorry, Dokja-ssi… if I had a second pair of pants…"
Kim Dokja cringed slightly. That wouldn't be necessary.
Heewon hands over
The dragon roars, clearly upset that he's been ignored, and everyone darts away again. As they run, Sungkook asks what they should do next while revealing that the Apostles have all died. Glancing around while his mind rushes to come up with a plan, Dokja notices the
As the dragon takes down one of the few remaining 'prophets' with a fierce slash of his claws, Dokja takes the chance to run straight at Igneel, dodging talons and wings to grab the flag and his sword once more. Luckily, as he comes rushing back, they find a platform for 5 for them to stand on.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' admits that this was for the best.]
The robe didn't particularly hide much—and it was far too breezy for Kim Dokja's liking—but it sure beat being naked. Especially when facing a dragon.
Kim Dokja did notice Yoo Joonghyuk casting a cursory glance over him as he removed his hand from over his sister's eyes, and he also didn't miss that the protagonist raised his brow when he realized that Kim Dokja had found pants somewhere. Well, it would be more accurate to say that he had… persuaded Lee Sungkook to give them to him, but it was better than risking the robe shifting just wrong. At least that guy still had boxers.
"I'm really sorry about that, Heewon-ssi, Hyunsung-ssi…" Kim Dokja muttered in humiliation, trying to distract himself from the way Yoo Joonghyuk had looked at him.
Lee Hyunsung shook his head. "No, we're just glad you're okay now!"
Yoo Sangah looked tense as they barely escaped another burst of flame, but at the very least, everything should go okay from this point on.
The intermediate dokkaebi decides that now is the time to reappear to taunt them once more. Heewon is clearly displeased with the dokkaebi as she asks Dokja about the plan, and he tensely says that they'll have to fight.
Dokja quickly instructs them to grab the
As Dokja eats a pill, he invests 4,000 coins into Mana, raising it to level 25 and wonders if they'll need to attack simultaneously. At this point, he even begins to wonder if [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] could show him the weakness, finally remembering that he should be getting a reward.
As the reward windows appear, the messages inform him that he will be able to gain one of Joonghyuk's skills since he was immersed in him using [First Person Main Character POV].
…What?
Dokja pauses in shock, not noticing the gaping mouth of the dragon beginning to close in on him. Heewon lunges forward and grabs him around the neck, pulling him away just in time.
"What the hell are you doing?" she shouts as they both hit the ground, snapping him out of his stupor. "Do you want to die again?!"
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing sharply. "You stole one of my skills?"
It wasn't stealing if he still had it! It was more like copying, if anything, but Kim Dokja didn't dare to say that to the protagonist's face when he was mad.
"God, you're fucking OP too, aren't you?" Han Sooyoung muttered with a distasteful tone. "That's such a cheat."
[many constellations are shocked by the skill reward.]
"I didn't expect it either, okay!?" Kim Dokja yelped defensively. "How was I supposed to know?"
"Don't do it again," Yoo Joonghyuk said darkly, and Kim Dokja could honestly say that he had no desire to. It had been an uncomfortable experience the first time, and it wasn't one that he wanted to repeat.
Also, while he did have some idea of how Level 3 worked, he still didn't know how he had ended up in the so-called [First Person Main Character POV]. Every other time, he had merely been a distant observer, but even then, it wasn't particularly comfortable.
Kim Dokja could only nod in agreement, hoping that he could keep that promise.
A window appears and gives Dokja a list of three of Joonghyuk's skills he can choose from. His choices are [Cold Resistance], [Flame Resistance], and [Lie Detection].
Dokja immediately gets annoyed at the system, angry for even thinking that high level and powerful skills might come out. Dokja notes that he likes [Lie Detection], but at the moment, [Flame Resistance] appears to be the obvious choice.
Let's think this through. I am a 'Reader'. The answer lies in what I've read.
Words appear, zipping past Dokja at incredible speeds as a pop-up informs that his Attribute is sharpening his memory of the novel. Heewon, standing before him in a defensive position, urges him to hurry up. As the words disappear and Dokja opens his eyes, he selects [Cold Resistance] without hesitation.
He immediately calls out to Hyunsung, who's running towards them, and Heewon, then asks the two of them to hand over the
Dokja quickly gulps down a handful of pills, causing frost to begin to coat his skin due to their stacked effects. This causes Hyunsung to worry, but Dokja just tells them all to step back as he draws his sword.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' praises the clever plan of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Thanks, Secretive Plotter. Sure, it hadn't been conventional, but it had worked, and he was glad that the constellation was recognizing that.
"At least you can only steal minor skills from my oppa," Yoo Mia muttered with a roll of her eyes.
Yoo Joonghyuk still seemed disgruntled, but he also seemed to have relaxed somewhat at the knowledge that none of the skills he had worked extremely hard to get in his previous lives would end up effortlessly copied by Kim Dokja.
Lee Gilyoung scoffed. "Hyung is just so smart that he only needs minor skills to win."
Well, it never hurt to hear more praise for his intelligence. It was kind of nice, actually.
[a constellation who likes cold temperatures is pleased.]
The Ice Attribute gets added to his sword due to the
Last night, a divine being appeared in my dream and thus said "if you succeed you will triumph greatly, and if not, you will lose."
The dragon roars as a large spot gets highlighted on its neck, and Dokja quickly surmises that it's likely a weapoint. He mentally thanks the Maritime War God, who sends an indirect to cheer Dokja on.
Dokja rushes the dragon and agilely jumps around, dodging Igneel's maw as he launches himself off its arm and onto its back. He pulls his arm back and forcefully stabs it into the large glowing weak point, causing Igneel to screech in pain as Dokja uses his body weight to slice down before being shaken off by the dragon's thrashing.
The kids cheered as Kim Dokja valiantly attacked the dragon, and even Lee Jihye was shouting in excitement. Yoo Mia wasn't visibly excited, but she did seem to be paying closer attention than before. He'd take that as a win, when it came to her.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is smiling with pride.]
His stigma had truly been Kim Dokja's saving grace in this fight, so he nodded and smiled gratefully up at the constellation.
"You really surprised us there, Dokja-ssi," Lee Hyunsung admitted with a laugh, but his smile was wide and gleeful. "It was so cool."
That was definitely nice to hear, so Kim Dokja shot the lieutenant a smile as well. "Thanks."
Landing back on his feet, Dokja grits his teeth and realizes that he has to end this before the next breath attack, since only the five of them remain alive in Anguk station.
Only a single platform spawned during the previous attack. Luckily, it had the number '5' written on it and all of us were able to live, but if the next platform has 3, 4, or even 6, then…
Dokja draws his sword back for another swing, mentally encouraging himself. His expression is one of desperation, and as he launches himself into the air to commit to his attack, the flowy robe barely conceals his slim form.
'Just a little more," he thinks as he pushes himself ever further. 'I can do this. I can't be wrong.'
Just once, even if it's nothing but the shadow of his 'sole sword', if I could imitate it—
As Dokja swings his blade, the scene shifts rapidly between him and Joonghyuk. Both men are doing the same motions, but Dokja's eyes carry far more desperation than the protagonist's impassive gaze. As the swing connects with the dragon's body, ice erupts in its wake as he tears through scales and flesh. Blood splatters everywhere, leaving the outcome of Dokja's attempt unknown.
Yoo Sangah clenched her fists. "Please let it be dead, please…"
She was clearly worried, especially since there was no telling if any of them could have survived another round. Thankfully, everything had turned out alright in the end.
"Don't worry, it's almost over."
Her tense posture relaxed, and Kim Dokja also relaxed in turn. However, he didn't get to enjoy it before Lee Jihye cut in.
"Ahjussi, did you really try to copy Master there?" she asked excitedly. "You're not as good as him, of course, but it's okay!"
Wow, thanks. He was fighting a goddamn dragon and it was just 'okay'?
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at him for a moment, but it was just long enough for a shiver to run down Kim Dokja's spine. "What?"
The protagonist narrowed his eyes before speaking firmly. "I will fix your horrendous posture later."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' shrieks in surprise.]
Huh? That wasn't what Kim Dokja had expected either. Maybe he and Uriel were on the same page, for a change.
Lee Jihye brightened up as Han Sooyoung gagged in the background. "Master, are you going to teach those training sessions!?"
He nodded once, and that was enough for the teenager to cheer and shoot Kim Dokja a smug look. Why she looked like that, Kim Dokja honestly had no idea, though.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' says that the incarnation 'kim dokja' needs more practice.]
And now even Secretive Plotter was joining in? What was this, National Criticize Dokja Day?
All Kim Dokja could do was sigh and resign himself to suffering later.