< Episode 6. Star Relic (3) >
Demon-Like Judge of Fire.
I was momentarily overcome with nostalgia at the sight of a modifier I hadn't seen in such a long
time.
Archangel Uriel.
One of the '4 main constellations' of Bihyung's channel, along with Prisoner of the Golden
Headband, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, and Secretive Plotter.
The constellation who loved the protagonist, Kim Dokja, more than any other.
[The constellation 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire' makes a sour face.]
However, without Kim Dokja, Uriel, who entered the channel, didn't seem to be interested in the
incarnations.
Perhaps that was Uriel's original self before she met Kim Dokja.
Kyung Sein, who had seen Uriel's entry message from afar, waved her hand in this direction. I
saw the shape of her mouth.
'Hurry up and do something! She's here!'
That's what she seemed to be saying.
But what could I do?
Kim Dokja was born to be loved by all things, but I'm the Ten Evil Cheon Inho.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is looking at you.]
Even if you suddenly look at me like that, I don't have anything to show you. Would you like to be incited?
[The exclusive skill 'Incite Lv.4' is activated!]
「I am Kim Dokja.」
I tried to incite myself to become Kim Dokja.
But I couldn't feel any change, other than a couple of 'Ways of Survival' settings coming to mind.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is looking at you with strange eyes.]
Suddenly, I looked around and saw Dansoo ahjussi resting on the platform, probably tired from
his kendo practice.
"Ahjussi."
"Mate."
For some reason, his expression was strangely dark.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine, but...."
He stuttered, but by this point, I knew without him saying anything.
I'm sure he was thinking about Jiyoon again.
Dansoo ahjussi smiled weakly at me and muttered as if speaking to himself.
"If only I liked stories that were a little less dangerous."
My heart suddenly felt heavy. We sat side by side and stared into the darkness of the platform.
"Did your daughter always like novels?"
"She read them occasionally, but she especially liked this story."
"What did she like about this story?"
"That's...."
Ahjussi looked as serious as Yoo Joonghyuk thinking about regressing, and then answered in a
serious voice.
"Probably that there are a lot of handsome characters."
"Ah...."
"My daughter once told me. She said it's good that those handsome companions save each other
all the time."
I ran out of things to say and stared blankly into the darkness of the tunnel.
That's a pretty good summary.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is curious about what you are talking about.]
I could hear the people gathered on the platform laughing raucously.
Ahjussi spoke after a pause.
"I hope Jiyoon has friends like those... by her side now."
"I'm sure she does."
Probably, no amount of consolation would reach him now.
Nevertheless, Dansoo ahjussi smiled faintly, gladly accepting my poor consolation.
"It's a relief I met Inho-ssi. If you hadn't saved me back then, I would have been dead already."
"That's not true."
Dansoo ahjussi was the first reader I'd met, and maybe that's why I wanted him to meet his
daughter and return to reality safely.
I dusted myself off and stood up, extending my hand toward him.
"I'll do my best to save you until you meet your daughter."
Ahjussi, who clasped my hand and stood up, nodded and said.
"Yes. I'll do my best to help you too."
Seeing his warm smile, I felt my heart warm.
The next moment, I heard a message.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' has sponsored you 100 coins.]
I looked up into the air and thought.
...Why did she sponsor me?
*
Just before leaving the station, we said goodbye to everyone.
Bang Cheolsoo, who came to see us off, was the first to speak.
"Hyung-nim. Are you leaving?"
"Yeah."
"Isn't it dangerous? It's better to see how things go from here and move together...."
"I have to go. Do you remember everything I told you?"
"Yes."
The 'food acquisition' scenario only gave 500 coins, which would only last five days if you paid
your daily survival fee.
"If you want to escape the survival fee penalty, you'll have to move eventually. Finish the sub
scenario as soon as you can, and get the people to Chungmuro. I'll take care of the monsters on
the way."
"Hyung-nim...."
The members of the Cheoldoo Group bowed their heads towards me. I felt like I really was the
boss of the organization.
Bang Cheolsoo spoke up.
"To be honest, I was suspicious of you at first."
"What do you mean?"
"You know, there's such a thing as people-watching. You looked a little cowardly, and had an
annoying smile."
"...."
"I still don't fully trust you. I've been living in this world for a long time, so I don't trust people."
Bang Cheolsoo, unlike himself, rambled for a long time.
"Still, watching you, I reflected on myself a bit. On what a person is. You shouldn't judge a
person by what they look like...."
I was about to punch him in the head, but then I stopped. Don't judge a book by its cover....
I wondered if I deserved to hear that.
After all, I had judged Bang Cheolsoo based on a few lines in his 'Omniscient Reader'. Then I
suddenly had a strange thought.
How much truth does Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint contain?
"Okay. I'll see you again, so don't talk too much."
[The constellation 'Monarch of the Small Fries' admires your noir vibe!]
[100 coins have been sponsored.]
"And this."
"And this...?"
"It's the Magic Power Stove we used earlier. You take care of it and use it to cook."
The 'Magic Power Stove', the only cooking utensil here.
Bang Cheolsoo quickly understood what I meant by giving it to him.
"H-Hyung-nim...."
I turned my back on them.
Kyung Sein and Dansoo ahjussi had finished greeting the people and quickly joined me.
"Take care, hyung-nim!"
We walked through the chorus of the Cheoldoo Group and entered the Yaksu Station tunnel.
"What a bittersweet feeling."
Dansoo ahjussi kept looking back. Perhaps he had already gotten attached to the people.
Kyung Sein, who kept looking back at him, called out to me.
"Hey, Inho-ssi. By the way...."
I knew what she was going to say, so I simply replied.
"She'll be here soon."
Then I heard the sound of someone running after us. I didn't have to turn around to know who it
was.
"I knew you'd come."
I turned around to see Jung Heewon standing there, pouting.
"Why didn't you ask me if I wanted to come with you?"
Instead of answering, I scanned our group. Two scrawny men, one girl with only a muscular
soul.
Jung Heewon sighed heavily.
"Whatever, really."
"Thank you."
"It's not for free."
Jung Heewon hesitated, then added.
"You seem like a smart guy, Inho-ssi, so I'm just trying to get some benefit by hanging out with
you for a while."
"...."
"What are you looking at?"
"Nothing, I'm just a little moved."
"What moved...."
Jung Heewon pursed her lips as she unnecessarily looked ahead, and for some reason, Kyung
Sein looked at me with envy.
Dansoo ahjussi was walking a couple of steps away, looking at us with a heartwarming smile.
Jung Heewon glanced over and asked as if the atmosphere was uncomfortable.
"By the way, where are we going?"
The moment I heard that question, I suddenly had a question.
「How far can we really go?」
The darkness beyond the tunnel looked like a pitch black snowfield. What's beyond, only Kim Dokja, who will read the whole story, knows.
"For now, let's go to Chungmuro."
It was time to meet the second member of
*
+
Category: Main
Difficulty: E
Clear Conditions: Cross the tunnel and meet the survivors in the first main base.
Time Limit: None
Reward: 500 coins
Failure: ???
+
[The next 'main base' is 'Chungmuro'.]
About halfway through the tunnel, a new scenario window popped up.
The second scenario had finally begun in earnest. We moved forward, lightly dealing with the occasional ground rats, and soon arrived at our first
stop, Yaksu Station.
"I don't think there are any survivors here."
Just as it had been on the 3rd turn, Yaksu Station was empty in this turn.
In the center of the platform, there were traces of people's bodies that were collected and burned.
"Ugh, here...."
Through the scattered ashes and bits of clothing, I could see the words someone had written on
the ground with charcoal.
—I miss my mom and dad.
Kyung Sein whispered.
"There wasn't anything like this in Omniscient Reader, right?"
I nodded.
Maybe it was left here by a reader.
Dansoo ahjussi stared at the words for an unusually long time.
After a quick check of the area, Jung Heewon.
"It's all empty."
"Let's go straight to Dongdae Station, we'll rest there."
"Okay."
Jung Heewon took the lead, and we started moving again.
Kyung Sein whispered in a low voice.
"Inho-ssi, Dongdae Station... You remember that?"
"Yes. I know."
After about thirty or forty minutes of walking, we finally arrived at the Dongdaemun platform.
There was no sign of life here either.
Perhaps because we had traveled through the two stops at a much faster pace than the original,
Jung Heewon was a little tired.
"This is harder than I thought."
It was no wonder. While passing through the two stations, she had single-handedly killed one hundred and fifty
ground rats.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is interested in the incarnation 'Jung Heewon'.]
This level of combat power without the [Judgement Time] was phenomenal. At this level, aside
from Yoo Joonghyuk, there shouldn't be any incarnation that could defeat her now.
"I'll take a break. I'll meet you here in 20 minutes."
"Is the toilet water still —available? I'm just going to wash my face. Do you want to come with
me, Sein?"
Kyung Sein shook her head in surprise. Jung Heewon nodded slightly and headed straight to the
bathroom.
"See you later, then."
After she disappeared, Kyung Sein and I glanced at each other.
"10 minutes should be enough, right?"
"5 minutes will do."
[A constellation who hasn't revealed their modifier is intrigued by your plan.]
Only Dansoo ahjussi, who had forgotten most of Omniscient Reader, looked puzzled, unable to
understand our conversation.
*
A few moments later, we stood in front of Exit 6 of Dongdae Station.
[You have been exposed to a poisonous fog.]
We poured the 'poisonous rhinoceros horn powder' that remained after treating Killer King into
our mouths, and ran straight up the escalator leading to Dongdaemun.
"There it is!"
Kyung Sein was the first to spot our destination.
A bronze colored statue in the distance.
Dansoo ahjussi exclaimed as he realized.
惟政四溟大師像
Yujeong Samyeongdang.
It was unmistakable. It was the statue of Samyeongdang, whose modifier was 'Bald General of
Justice' in the original story.
Here, Kim Dokja smashed this statue to get a hidden skill and an item.
"As expected, someone has already smashed it."
But the statue we found was already broken.
[A constellation wearing a straw mat glares at you.]
[The constellation 'Sneaking Schemer' chuckles at your misfortune.]
I smiled bitterly at the statue that had been cut exactly in half.
I don't know who did it, but they cut it in half so neatly. Judging from the workmanship, it could
be Yoo Joonghyuk, or it could be Killer King or some other reader.
The pale-faced Kyung Sein called out to me.
"Inho-ssi."
"I was expecting it."
"What?"
We weren't the only readers in this world.
There were people who had gone through a much more difficult 'ichthyosaur scenario' than mine,
people who couldn't get the 'Broken Faith' because of the queue, and people who had even had
[Purest Sword Force] taken away.
So, naturally, I expected that someone would have preempted Samyeongdang's items.
I slowly lifted the upper half of the statue from the ground.
[A constellation wearing a straw mat is puzzled by your actions.]
Still, with my level 20 strength, I could easily lift a weight that I normally wouldn't have been
able to.
[A constellation wearing a straw mat reveals his modifier.
[The constellation 'Bald General of Justice' has realized your actions and it's surprised.]
I pointed to the other side of the statue and said.
"Sein-ssi, could you please hold that for me?"
Kyung Sein hesitantly approached.
"L-Like this?"
"Yes. Lift it up to the top of your head like this."
"I'll try. Hop."
Together, we lifted the upper half of Samyeongdang's body above our heads. While doing the scenario for a few days, I realized something.
You will never survive in this world by performing scenarios in the exact same way as in
'Omniscient Reader'.
"Dansoo ahjussi, get up on the stone and balance it!"
After a few minutes of struggle, we succeeded in barely placing Samyeongdang's upper half on
top of his lower half.
I cut off the clothes I'd brought in advance from Geumho Station and tied them tightly around the
cracked area.
"There you go."
The statue looked like it had a bandage around its waist, but it still didn't look too bad.
Kyung Sein's mouth dropped open as she realized my intentions.
"Inho-ssi, this can't be...."
"Yes, that's right."
This world is the
A world where everything is a story.
You don't have to beat something up and break it to make a good story.
I smirked, looked at the two of them, and gave a short salute to the statue.
[The constellation 'Bald General of Justice' is deeply moved by your heart!]
As I looked up, I saw something shiny fall from the sky.
For the sake of future transmigrated readers, I'll kindly point it out.
[The constellation 'Bald General of Justice' is sponsoring you.]
This is how to survive in this damned
Author's Note
Don't damage public property