Shin Yoosung glanced nervously over at Han Sooyoung, likely unsure of what to think. Unlike the others, who all had very valid reasons to dislike the older woman, she hadn't been involved at all. Honestly, she must be really confused right now, and Kim Dokja felt a bit sorry for her.
Though she was attached to him as her babysitter (slash father?????? figure), that shouldn't be enough to make her turn on Han Sooyoung. Plus, considering Yoo Joonghyuk had stepped in earlier, she probably wanted to avoid causing any issues. Kim Dokja gently patted her head, and the young girl shot him a relieved glance before the next segment began.
Papers, books, pens, and a laptop appear around the figure of the First Apostle.
Writer. One of the few attributes throughout the entirety of TWSA capable of acquiring the [Avatar] Skill. If I'm right about him being a writer, a good portion of the impossible feats he's pulled off can be explained.
The First Apostle's eyes widen upon hearing Dokja's question. As he stares down at the head impassively, Dokja is absolutely certain that this is the work of the [Avatar] skill. The First Apostle laughs before revealing that he wrote the 'Book of Revelation'.
What?
Dokja immediately thinks he's spewing nonsense, but also glances over to see Joonghyuk's reaction while confirming this statement. Using [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint], Dokja is able to tell that Joonghyuk is using [Lie Detection]. The First Apostle repeats his claim while stating that he's the only one who possesses the revelation
Dokja thinks this is bullshit, but he's stunned as soon as a message tells him that Joonghyuk's [Lie Detection] confirmed this statement to be true. Immediately, Dokja jumps to the conclusion that the guy not only owns a text file, but also that he could be tls123.
No way, it can't be…
"What the fuck?" Han Sooyoung blurted out, shooting Kim Dokja an offended glare. "I couldn't write something that fucking awful if I tried!"
Kim Dokja glared back at her. "It wasn't awful!"
Her response was an absolutely disgusted look.
[many constellations are confused by the conflicting information.]
Lee Hyunsung looked extremely confused as well, eyes darting back and forth. "Wait… then how would Joonghyuk-ssi's [Lie Detection] say she was telling the truth?"
Han Sooyoung rolled her eyes with a sigh. "It's because I wasn't talking about TWSA…"
Unfortunately for Lee Hyunsung, that didn't help him whatsoever. Clearly, she just didn't want to admit to writing a novel so similar to TWSA that it was clear she must have plagiarized it.
[a constellation who likes literature is curious about the book written by the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
"What exactly is this 'Book of Revelation' you speak of?" Dokja asks, trying to calm himself down and lead the conversation to get more clues. With a laugh, the First Apostle replies that it's a great epic of future myths, and Joonghyuk's [Lie Detection] finds this to be partially true.
The Apostle now asks Dokja how he figured out his plans and if he's also a prophet.
Ah.
Dokja responds by asking how he wouldn't know this, as the one who created the 'Book of Revelations'. The head creepily giggles before stretching his lips into a warped smile and stating that it wouldn't be fun if he was omnipotent.
As I thought, this guy's definitely not the author of TWSA. If he really was the one who wrote TWSA, there's no way he wouldn't recognize me as his story's only reader.
After all, the email that tls123 sent him at 6:55 pm on the first day of the apocalypse addressed him by his full name.
"That aside, this is quite interesting. I thought the woman at Seodaemun Prison would be the 'Last Prophet', but who knew a guy like you was in hiding….." The Apostle states thoughtfully. Dokja's eyes widen as he repeats the prison name, clearly recognizing it.
"See?" Han Sooyoung said with a vague gesture at the screen. "I didn't write that shit."
Jung Heewon shot her a tired glance, and shook her head before looking at Kim Dokja. "How did we not realize that the real author would have recognized you?"
Kim Dokja shrugged. "Honestly, it's not a big deal. It was a while ago now, so I'm not surprised that the email slipped your mind."
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is amused.]
"Um, hyung?" Lee Gilyoung asked suddenly with a tug on Kim Dokja's sleeve. "What's the big deal with the prison?"
Ah fuck. How was he supposed to explain that?
Kim Dokja's gaze dropped and he went quiet for a moment as he tried to think it over without allowing himself to tremble at the thought of Her. He was concerned, to a degree, but there really wasn't any reason to be. If anyone could survive in this kind of world, it was Her.
"I…" he began, finding himself almost at a loss for words. "I know who Han Sooyoung was referring to."
Both Yoo Joonghyuk and Han Sooyoung suddenly paid a lot more attention to him as soon as he said that, but Kim Dokja couldn't care. His gaze went distant as he remembered sitting in that empty room, a pane of glass separating him from his mother for years. He remembered the silence, the unanswered questions, and the way he forced himself to talk about anything just to fill the void.
"Dokja-ssi, who is she?" Yoo Sangah asked quietly, glancing nervously at him.
Kim Dokja blinked away his thoughts and shook his head once. "It doesn't matter."
By the way that the kids pulled him back into another hug, though, it seemed that he wasn't able to appear anywhere near as unaffected as he wanted. Still, he wasn't going to say anything else about that woman, no matter how curious anyone was, and he wasn't going to even chance looking around in case that hadn't been a hallucination earlier.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is intrigued by this other incarnation.]
The First Apostle tries to offer a deal—Dokja's identity for information, but this offer is refuted because Dokja doesn't think that the First Apostle has any information he would find useful in the first place. In response, the Apostle starts going on about not being too cocky, since this isn't his real body, but Dokja doesn't give a shit and interrupts his tirade.
"I have information about the future." Dokja's statement catches him off guard, "I know a lot more than you do, too."
Yoo Joonghyuk is taste-testing every thought, so it's time for me to spice up my appeal.
Sure enough, Joonghyuk's [Lie Detection] proves that his statement is the truth. As the Apostle tries to argue that there's no way Dokja knows more than him, they both stop and stare at each other for a moment. In that instant, both of them have a shocking realization of who the other truly is.
From what I know, since TWSA was unpopular, no illegal files exist. But if the person in front of me is actually 'him', then it makes perfect sense that he has the files and knows a lot about TWSA.
Dokja then speaks up, his tone harsh. "Is it fun to plagiarize other people's works?"
Han Sooyoung shot Kim Dokja another vicious glance. "How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't rip off that garbage?"
Yoo Sangah's eyes flashed as she glared at Han Sooyoung. "If you didn't, then why did you read the original? Your work must have been extremely similar for Dokja-ssi to make those accusations, after all."
The author's eyes widened somewhat as she scrambled for something to say. "I… I wrote my novel before I ever learned about TWSA existing!"
"Then explain why you read almost 100 chapters," Jung Heewon scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
Panic flashed across Han Sooyoung's expression as she anxiously glanced over at Kim Dokja for some reason. Was she trying to blame him for this situation occurring in the first place?
[a constellation who is knowledgeable about copyright is frowning.]
"I wanted to see why this asshole was accusing me of plagiarizing," she eventually relented, curling in on herself as she spoke. "I really didn't copy it."
Kim Dokja still didn't believe her, especially considering that she spouted almost as much bullshit as Lee Jihye. Still, there was something in the expression of exhaustion and sadness on her face that tugged at Kim Dokja's heartstrings a bit. But just a little bit.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is wishing that this was a battle royale instead.]
The First Apostle's eyes widen, clearly flustered, as Dokja continues to rip into him. Grinning cockily, Dokja casually insults him, implying that his information was lacking and that he can't believe that this guy was leeching off someone else to this extent. On the platform, everyone else watches in confusion and anxiety.
The Apostle grits his teeth before yelling out Joonghyuk's name, in a last-ditch effort to win. The First Apostle demands that the protagonist joins forces with him, claiming that he knows everything and is the only one who could bring Joonghyuk to the end of the scenarios.
"Think carefully! You can't clear the 46th scenario by yourself," the First Apostle proclaims, and Dokja muses that he's heard that one before. Not knowing Dokja's thoughts, the Apostle keeps talking, and declares that they need to join forces to face Anna Croft and Zarathustra.
Joonghyuk calmly states that he's never heard of this revelation before. The Apostle desperately continues, claiming it to be similar to prophecy and practically demanding that Joonghyuk uses [Eye of the Sage] to view his attributes. Finally, he states that he is the 'last' one left.
As Joonghyuk activates his skill to check, Dokja attempts to use [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] level 2 to learn the same information, but he's too fatigued to activate it. This frustrates Dokja as the First Apostle wobbles around while telling Joonghyuk to kill him, pointing out that he's dangerous because he impersonated Joonghyuk and screwed up future events.
"I can't believe you had the audacity," Yoo Sangah hissed, her shoulders tensing up as she gritted her teeth.
While Kim Dokja appreciated her being so defensive, there wasn't really much that could be done now.
Jung Heewon shot Han Sooyoung an unimpressed glance. "And what would you have done when your information ran out, huh?"
At that, Han Sooyoung sighed. "I don't fucking know, okay? Get off my ass."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' wishes to remind the incarnations that it is bad to lie.]
Uriel… unfortunately, in this kind of world, no one had a choice. Everyone had to lie and steal in order to survive. This was a major downfall with absolute good constellations—their morals had to be applied even to situations where morals no longer made any sense. As much as Kim Dokja liked Uriel both as a character of TWSA and as an incredibly generous constellation, he couldn't agree with her here.
"You're the same as well," Dokja tells the head, incredibly ticked off. The Apostle announces that he is different before turning his attention back to Joonghyuk and claiming he wouldn't ever betray him. The First Apostle goes so far as to promise to sign a contract, if that's what it takes.
"One's a prophet and the other is a revelator…" Joonghyuk says coldly as he walks towards the two with his sword drawn. On the ground, the Apostle is still clamouring for Dokja's death before he suddenly falls silent when a weight rests on his head. Joonghyuk's boot is poised directly above the Apostle's skull, and a tense atmosphere settles over everyone.
"If you really do know the future, let me ask you one thing," Joonghyuk says firmly, rolling the head slightly under his boot before pointing the tip of his sword at Dokja's neck. "Tell me—will I kill this guy right here and now, or not?"
[many constellations are shocked by the actions of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' pleads with the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' to not hurt his beloved companion.]
Multiple glares were shot Yoo Joonghyuk's way by several members of the group, but Kim Dokja wasn't one of them. The kids, however, were practically snarling and he had to physically hold them back from launching themselves at the regressor. It really wasn't that serious!
Sure, he had been just a bit anxious, but he knew that Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn't do something like that for no reason. He was a psychopath who didn't care for anyone other than his sister at this point, but Kim Dokja had already proven himself—or at least, he hoped that he had.
Yoo Joonghyuk, however, seemingly ignored Jung Heewon's loud cursing and Yoo Sangah's silent fury to stare directly at Kim Dokja for a moment. Once again, his expression was carefully blank yet searching as their gazes met. Yoo Joonghyuk effortlessly overwhelmed him in ways he couldn't explain, and Kim Dokja couldn't help but let the currents catch hold of him and sweep him away. It felt like Kim Dokja was being drawn in by his dark eyes, unable to resist, and then drowning in their depths as his breath was stolen from his lungs.
On the platform, Heewon's expression twists into something terrifying as she angrily asks Joonghyuk what the hell he's doing, her hand on her sword and ready to draw it. Dokja simply holds up his hands in a gesture of surrender as Joonghyuk ignores her. The protagonist continues by stating that the Apostle should know his decision if he really does know the future. Dokja notes that this is the same method that Joonghyuk used against him on the bridge.
"Of course you'll kill him!" The severed head yells with certainty. "That's what you're meant to do! Kill him! Then—"
With a sickening crack, Joonghyuk slams his foot down, crushing the First Apostle's head beneath his sole. As he casually sheaths his sword while Dokja watches on in muted shock, Joonghyuk scoffs.
"He was all talk after all."
What… Yoo Joonghyuk really chose to spare me?
After the two exchange a long look, possibly charged with one-sided sexual tension, Joonghyuk turns and begins to walk away. Dokja asks where he's going, pointing out that he's leaving the unconscious Jihye behind.
When Yoo Joonghyuk's foot slammed down, Han Sooyoung flinched violently and turned away as quickly as she could. Her act of being relatively unbothered could only do so much when it was her turn to see herself 'die'.
"Wow, Master, I can't believe I missed this," Lee Jihye sighed as she watched the Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja on the screen stare at each other—much like they were still doing now.
Yoo Joonghyuk hadn't looked away the entire time the recording was playing, and Kim Dokja was too anxious to break this unsettling eye contact. He had no idea what it was supposed to mean, but Yoo Joonghyuk finally glanced over at his apprentice instead after she spoke.
"It was nothing," he said firmly with another loaded glance cast in Kim Dokja's direction.
Kim Dokja was honestly extremely confused. He still didn't know why the protagonist had chosen to spare him, but maybe he had made a better impression than he thought. Should he dare to ask…?
Fuck it.
"Joonghyuk-ah?" Kim Dokja said as he tried to tamp down his anxiety. "Why did you…?"
The staring returned, more intensely than before. This time, it was paired with a slight frown on Yoo Joonghyuk's lips, and it looked like he was disappointed in Kim Dokja for some reason.
His eyes narrowed. "You fool."
Damn sunfish, no one can understand what the hell you mean if you don't say it! Was that supposed to be an insult to Kim Dokja's intelligence for not knowing exactly what he was thinking at any given time, huh?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is exasperated.]
Joonghyuk simply declares that he has to change his plans since the future has changed. Dokja asks if they can work together, but Joonghyuk just replies that he's already repaid his debt and that his last mercy is not taking the flag from Dokja.
Dokja reminds Joonghyuk that he can't leave without Dokja's permission—he is still a member of Chungmuro Station's 'group', after all—and he asks the protagonist if he's willing to take 'punishment'.
As Joonghyuk silently begins to pull his blade from its sheath, a murderous aura surrounding him, Dokja holds his hands up again to placate the other man. In a terrified voice, Dokja states that he knows Joonghyuk's plan is to walk the 'King's Path', starting by taking Junggu Station and obtaining a Black Flag. Dokja tells Joonghyuk that he'll help, but Joonghyuk replies that it would be faster for him to take Chungmuro's flag.
"Go ahead and try it. Which will be faster, your sword or my tongue?" Dokja says with a sly smile, unintentionally making an innuendo as he goads the protagonist on.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is choking on his wine.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is screaming.]
Lee Jihye was also screaming, and she reached over to shake Jung Heewon. "Unnie! Why didn't you wake me up so I could witness this myself!?"
Ah, dammit. Kim Dokja couldn't even defend himself here, could he? He had said that without thinking, aiming to provoke the protagonist, but listening to it again… it really sounded bad!
Lee Hyunsung looked as flustered as Kim Dokja felt, and Jung Heewon was staring slack-jawed as Lee Jihye shook her by the shoulders. Yoo Sangah looked amused, for whatever reason, and Han Sooyoung looked like she was back to enjoying Kim Dokja's suffering now that hers was over for now.
"Ahjussi, why is everyone acting so weird?" Shin Yoosung asked, in all her childish innocence. Kim Dokja genuinely had no idea how to reply to her.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
"Um… well, that is…" Kim Dokja stuttered out, cursing his inability to form words right now. "It's nothing kids need to worry about, okay?"
Please tell him that none of the kids (except for Lee Jihye, who probably had no innocence left to ruin) understood what he had inadvertently said. Thankfully, a quick glance told him that Lee Gilyoung and Yoo Mia looked equally confused. Good.
Why couldn't everyone pay attention to the actual important parts of that bit—like Yoo Joonghyuk's plans!
Shin Yoosung didn't look convinced, but she shrugged and went back to leaning on Kim Dokja's arm. At least that was one crisis semi-averted.
"Oh my god, I cannot believe you actually said that," Han Sooyoung wheezed as she literally wiped a tear from her eye. "You're so fucking stupid."
Yoo Joonghyuk's expression was stony and his hands were clenched into the material of his pants, and even though his ears looked red again, Kim Dokja realized that he was probably also fed up with all this nonsense. In Kim Dokja's defense, he really hadn't done it intentionally! Seriously, why did this keep happening?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is clenching a fist.]
After a moment of silence as the two men stare at each other, Dokja informs Joonghyuk that it would be better to head north. He claims that he can help Joonghyuk claim the Tyrant King's flag and territory. As Joonghyuk confidently states that he can do it alone, Dokja reminds him it will be difficult to claim 20 stations in 48 hours.
"Besides… Don't you have a reason to go north? Don't tell me you're abandoning your family member in this turn."
As Dokja says this, Joonghyuk's eyes widen as he's overcome by fury at the perceived threat. A blue aura surrounds him once again, and he really seems like he's on the verge of cutting Dokja down this time.
Pulling the surrender pose once again, Dokja tries to calm the angered man down by saying that he wants to help, but Joonghyuk doesn't believe he would do it without wanting something in return.
As usual, our regressor always cuts to the chase.
As Dokja's group members watch on in worry, Dokja asks for the attributes of the First Apostle, stating that he assumes one is the 'last renouncer'.
"Oppa, was ugly ahjussi talking about me?" Yoo Mia asked hesitantly, shooting her brother a nervous glance.
His jaw clenched, but he nodded once and spoke firmly. "Mia-yah, I would never abandon you if I had a choice."
She desperately latched herself to him in a hug, and Yoo Joonghyk hugged her right back. While he would never outright abandon her, Kim Dokja knew that in a few turns, he had waited to get her because he knew that she would be safe where she was for the moment, and in others he'd left her behind with a babysitter repeatedly while he went off to clear scenarios. He had never trained her because he didn't want her in danger, and Kim Dokja had always wondered how much of that was actually doing more harm than good. Still, that wasn't something a young child would ever want to hear.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' offers comfort to the incarnation 'yoo mia'.]
While his sister was distracted by the indirect message, Yoo Joonghyuk took the opportunity to shoot a glare at Kim Dokja that conveyed a single, extremely clear message: Don't do that again.
To be fair, Kim Dokja hadn't been planning on it. He put his hands up in surrender and nodded in return. Yoo Mia was off-limits, especially with what had happened near the end of the scenario. Yes, he had needed her around as insurance, but Kim Dokja never would have hurt her. Still, he could understand why the protagonist had been (and likely still was) so angry.
Later that day, Dokja stands against a wall with his arms crossed as he looks down on Minseob and Sungkook, who are kneeling by his feet. He asks if they know of a novel by the name of 'SSSSS-Grade Infinite Regressor'. Sungkook raises his hand like a student as he replies that he's read it and that it was ranked #1 on a web novel website. Minseob and Sungkook begin to discuss the novel as Dokja thinks about it.
Back in the days when I was invested in reading TWSA, there was a post in the 'Today's Best' section that I accidentally clicked.
The image of a man who looks strikingly similar to Joonghyuk (but nowhere near as inhumanly handsome) appears on the screen amongst coins and passages that describe their world quite well. A psychopath regressing over and over again, constellations who support humans through a streaming system… it's all far too familiar.
Dokja speaks, informing them that the First Apostle is the author of that novel, to the two prophets' surprise.
It was ultimately a common plot, but there were too many similarities between the plot developments and details. As soon as I saw that, I left a comment.
A comment claiming that the author plagiarized TWSA appears on the screen in between two other comments that are full of praise.
Dokja looks utterly depressed as hate comments appear behind him while he reminisces about how he was brutally attacked for this, and notes that tls123 was just happy for more traffic on their novel.
"Seriously?" Jung Heewon asked in disbelief. "No wonder Dokja-ssi thought it was plagiarized. It's basically the same thing!"
It was so much worse than what everyone thought, too. Even the main characters' names were similar, with only a few letters difference. It was like a bad knock-off of TWSA that had somehow managed to get popular instead of the original.
Han Sooyoung scowled. "I already told you, I didn't plagiarize it! I also didn't send the readers to harass him, before you accuse me of that, too."
Yoo Sangah, who looked like she had been about to do just that, closed her mouth and looked away with a tense posture.
Lee Jihye studied the older woman intensely for a moment. "You know, we have a way to know if that's true or not."
She glanced over at Yoo Joonghyuk, and Kim Dokja instantly knew what she was hoping for. That was actually a smart idea, and it would answer that question once and for all.
Yoo Joonghyuk looked firmly at Han Sooyoung for a moment before speaking. "Say it again."
She sat up straighter. "I didn't plagiarize TWSA."
[The character 'Yoo Joonghyuk' has used 'Lie Detection lvl. 6'.]
['Lie Detection' has determined that the incarnation 'han sooyoung' is telling the truth.]
Yoo Joonghyuk's brow furrowed as he stared at the notification in front of him. "... Truth."
… What?
Kim Dokja's jaw dropped and, for some reason, Han Sooyoung looked almost as shocked as he did. No one else seemed to know what to say either, and it was like all the tension suddenly snapped because of the surprise. Even Yoo Sangah was at a complete loss for words, and she looked extremely conflicted.
[a constellation who is knowledgeable about copyright is extremely curious about this turn of events.]
The two seem appalled to learn that the #1 novel was a plagiarised work, and they realize that the Apostle must have the original file of his own novel. As the two discuss the numerous similarities between the two books, Dokja continues on to claim that the author would only know the future to some extent through his own novel.
As the two prophets ask if it'll be impossible to beat the First Apostle since he plagiarised the entire novel, Dokja states that only the first portion was copied and that the plagiarist's information will lose all relevance as time passes. This prompts Minseob to ask how he could know this.
I know because I was the only reader of this story past chapter 100.
"I just do," Dokja replies, completely unhelpfully.
In another part of the station, Heewon and Sangah are shown giving some water to Jihye—who's now awake—as Hyunsung polishes his shield in the background.
"You told me earlier that the prophets were defeated by the Tyrant King," Dokja says calmly, and the other two eagerly tell him that the surviving prophets are likely still prisoners in Changsin station who are being used for information. This makes Dokja pleased, confusing the two, as Dokja mentally states that he doesn't want to directly confront the Tyrant King.
Dokja then declares that they're going to disrupt the flow of information by spreading portions of the 'revelation'. The two make noises of confusion as Dokja grins evilly.
Dokja's expression turns gleeful, as though he's far too pleased with his own plan. "We will spread copies of 'SSSSS-Grade Infinite Regressor' that we made up ourselves."
Okay, now Kim Dokja just felt slightly bad. Since not even she could get around [Lie Detection], did that mean that technically he had been slandering her this whole time? Logically, Kim Dokja didn't care that much, but it made sense why she was so defensive now.
The rest of the group—except for Yoo Joonghyuk, because he was Yoo Joongyuk—seemed to be feeling equally chastised. There wasn't much that could be said, even though Kim Dokja was correct that Han Sooyoung's information would run out eventually.
"So what if it was tropey?" Han Sooyoung muttered grumpily. "My novel was completely different later on. I can't believe you actually spread bootleg versions of it like that. You should give me all the money you got from it, you scamming bastard."
Kim Dokja winced, knowing that she had a very valid point there. "The idea did what I wanted it to, though."
She shot him a glare. "And I fucking hate you for that."
Well, he had tricked her too. No wonder she was angry.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' praises the plan of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
At least the Secretive Plotter would always be on his side, it seemed. That was… nice, actually.
Still, his plans could only go so far, and so much had to go right for this one to work out the way it had. There was no guarantee they would continue doing so—especially not with everyone else here seeing his thought process and the source of his information—and that made him anxious. If they were sent back as soon as they caught up with their present like he suspected they would be, Kim Dokja knew that he would instantly become a target. Either people would want him dead, or they would want him as a captive to exploit him for what he knew—and he had no idea what to expect from Yoo Joonghyuk, either.
All Kim Dokja could do was hope for the best, and start thinking of plans that involved information no one here had any chance of knowing yet.