691 Episode 24 Expert (1)

After the hunt for the Earth Dragon species ended, the survivors of Gwanghwamun began maintenance.

There were quite a few people who were injured or died during the scenario. If this were the beginning scenarios, it would have been natural to see some people panicking, but people were calmer than expected. As if we were already used to tragedies like this.

"Come on, all the injured people this way!"

"There are only regular supplies left of Elaine Forest, so bring the seriously injured here!"

"We are going to start dismantling the 5th grade dragon species, so if you have any remaining stamina, please help!"

Under the leadership of gangster king Bang Cheolsoo, people dispersed in an orderly manner to find their respective roles.

It didn't seem like people were simply influenced by Bang Cheolsoo's leadership. This is because many of the people who remained here were not part of the Geumho Station group.

The incarnations were being controlled by the shadow of a person who was not here.

This scenery was created by Yoo Jonghyuk over the past 45 days.

A regressor who values efficiency.

A person who believes that survival is better than death, and that it is better to swing a sword once during a time of sadness.

I suddenly became curious.

What kind of ending is Yoo Jonghyuk dreaming of in the 41st round?

Come to think of it, I never once asked.

What is the scenery he wants to see at the end of this world?

"Hyung! Are you okay?"

At that moment, Bang Cheolsoo came over and spoke to me.

"I’m okay. What about you?"

"I’m fine."

Contrary to his answer, Bang Cheolsoo's injury was not light at all.

A long stab wound extending from the neck to the chest. Additionally, there are bandages wrapped around his thighs and arms.

Nevertheless, Bang Cheolsoo's eyes were courageous without deceit.

—That's great. He got [Accelerated Recovery] and [Burning Battle] in only the seventh scenario.

Meanwhile, Kim Dokja seemed to have observed Bang Cheolsoo's condition through [Character List].

—It would be useful as a large shield when Lee Hyunsung is not around. I guess I'll have to redraw the power balance table for the 41st round.

'When did you make something like that again?'

"Is it really okay to share the 5th grade dragon species parts with the group?"

"Do it that way."

"Thank you so much, hyung!"

I willingly gave the 5th grade dragon species to the Geumho Station group.

I could have had it, but I thought it wasn't humanly right.

—Did you know that the 5th grade monster species obtained in the beginning have quite a good price tag?

'I know. But they are the people who stayed to protect me. Besides, we still have some parts of the 4th grade Earth Dragon species left.'

—Of course, 4th grade is much more valuable.

'I may need help again in the future, so I have to look far ahead. Bang Cheolsoo and Dayoung and her mother have high growth potential. If I equip them with new equipment like a 5th grade dragon, they will become quite strong.'

—Bang Cheolsoo… I didn’t know there would be an episode using the tech tree, but... yeah, it’s not a bad choice for now.

Fortunately, Kim Dokja seemed to agree with my thoughts.

'Would it be a good idea to exchange the 4th grade Earth Dragon species parts on the dokkaebi bag?'

—Leave that to me.

With those words, a message appeared in the air.

It seemed that Kim Dokja had begun negotiations with the dokkaebi to dispose of the parts of the Earth Dragon species.

I don't know anything else, but I believe in my constellation when it comes to transactions.

Kim Dokja is the person who won the 10-0 contract from Bihyung.

Kim Dokja came back sooner than expected.

—I'm done talking. Coincidentally, there were kids in the U.S. who wanted parts for the 4th grade Earth Dragon species, so we decided to negotiate with Bihyung and make it an exclusive deal.

It's America.

There were a few faces that came to mind.

—That's right. It's who you think. Since it is an individual with a record of evolution, it will be sold more expensively than expected. You can easily get more than 300,000 coins, right?

300,000 coins.

Considering the future scenarios, it was an amount that would be of great help.

Suddenly, it occurred to me that it was a good idea to have Kim Dokja as my sponsor.

'How do I store it? Should I dismantle it myself and upload it to the exchange?'

—No, they said they would visit in person today to appraise and dismantle it. Just have the kids cover up for the public.

Coming? Are they going to pick this up themselves?

—Because it is an expensive item. Have you checked the scenario rewards?

"Ah yes."

Jung Heewon and I, the main contributors to this scenario, received special compensation.

The reward is 'Lesser Dragon Heart'.

—That's a good thing. It only had qigong characteristics that had no basis.

'My [circulatory delay] is also a good trait…'

—It’s okay. Even if you achieve a great awakening with that characteristic, it will only be at the level of the ark of the Beggar Sect.

'No, he was also a great constellation.'

—Then why didn’t you sign a contract with that constellation?

'Should I use the Dragon Heart now?'

—You can use it right away, but I don’t recommend it. Even if it's a low-level dragon heart, it's hard to find. It would be better to absorb it with the help of an expert.

The help of an expert...

'Dragon Heart' literally means the heart of a dragon. It could be seen as a kind of spiritual entity.

And when it comes to absorbing spiritual entities, there are probably many people who are well-versed in the 'Murim' field.

'Shall we ask the ark for help?'

—He's busy these days. Because of you, they have lost so much money that they must be busy repaying their debt.

For some reason, I haven't seen him in the channel lately.

‘Then go to Murim…'

—'Murim' is the 20th scenario area. It's a waste to wait until then, we have to resolve it here.

'Here? Are there any elixir experts in Korea?'

—There’s a guy you can meet soon who isn’t in Korea...

As if there was some confusion, Kim Dokja's words were cut off. It felt like he was talking to someone other than me.

I instructed Bang Cheolsoo to store the 4th grade Earth Dragon species parts and moved to the ward to check on Jung Heewon's injuries.

Fortunately, the injuries were treatable with 'Elain Forest Spirit'.

In the end, Jung Heewon became a 'mad butcher'.

Even the death of Sergeant Jung Moonho could not change this development.

However, in this round, Jung Heewon is not the mad butcher I know.

It was strangely different from the setting of 'TWSA'.

Originally, the 'Mad Butcher' was a person obsessed with her lost family.

But this Jung Heewon...

"Eww…"

Is she having a nightmare?

I wiped away the sweat that had formed on Jung Heewon’s forehead.

While I was wondering if it would be a good idea to give her another dose of 'Elain Forest Spirit', a message appeared before my eyes.

A sudden shower of coins.

Next, a message was heard.

—Hey, who on earth did you sign with?

Dokkaebi communication. It was Bihyung’s voice that I hadn’t heard in a long time.

—How can a sponsor be like this? With your... Constellation. Lol. That's not it. As you said, the transaction is... Oh no. Please leave that matter to the higher-ups...

Just like that, the dokkaebi communication was cut off.

What on earth are you being threatened with?

—Did you receive the deposit?

'Yes.'

I wanted to ask what on earth he was doing, but I held back. Because there were more important things left to do now.

—Then the scenario rewards have been sorted out and now that’s dealt with. Let's do it.

'Do we do it now?'

—Uh.

I took a quick look around.

The hospital room was a single room, so there was no one there except for me and Jung Heewon, who had fainted.

"All right."

With a light sigh, I took out the 'Fragment of Kim Dokja' from my pocket.

It was the same doll I got after defeating the Earth Dragon species earlier.

I knew it without anyone telling me.

This 'doll' can absorb the fragments in the same way I absorbed them.

—Do it faster. It's not even the first time. You've already collected six fragments.

'Me?'

I wondered when on earth I had collected so many fragments.

There were scenes that suddenly came to mind.

When I rescued Max at Chungmuro Station.

When the fate of Bang Cheolsoo and the people of Geumho Station changed.

When I met Shin Yoosoung in the 41st round.

When we had a battle with the Ark of the Beggar Sect at Seoul Station.

When I made Lee Dansu into an 'Immortal King'…

Disappearances

I definitely heard the message that 'Disappearance' was recorded at that time.

Could it be that 'disappearance' is everything?

—Did you remember?

'Are those all fragments of you?'

—Our fragments, to be exact.

Only then did I feel like my mind was putting things in order, one by one.

—Because it’s not necessarily just the fragments absorbed by the monster species. Some fragments are nestled among the stories. They’re falling asleep in a story they want to read.

A story they want to read.

Without realizing it, my hand holding the doll became tense.

—Has anything changed every time you collect fragments? Your abilities have increased.

'The instigation skills have been strengthened.'

My [Incite] skill gained proficiency at a truly abnormal rate.

I've already surpassed level 10.

Aside from that, there was a change every time I collected the small pieces.

Like when I got [Sentence Enhancement], and when the [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint] skill was suddenly activated.

—Of course. The more fragments you collect, the closer you get to becoming a complete 'Kim Dokja'.

A complete Kim Dokja.

Does that mean that if I collect all the fragments in this way, the 'Kim Dokja' I remember may return?

—First, absorb it. If we continue to wait, they will come again.

Those guys.

Now that I think about it, Kim Dokja said.

They are those who killed 'me'.

If you think about it, it was incomprehensible.

'The Oldest Dream' is no different from the <Star Stream> itself.

Who on earth could kill Kim Dokja in such a state?

'Does that black hand have something to do with your current condition?'

—Maybe. I don't know because I don't remember exactly.

With those words, I could feel Kim Dokja's gaze looking down at the doll.

—If you absorb it, it might come to mind.

I pursed my lips and looked down at the Kim Dokja doll.

Normally, I wouldn't have hesitated this much. If it's a fragment, I already absorbed it earlier.

The problem was the form of the 'fragments'.

A doll that clearly resembles 'kkoma Kim Dokja'.

I hesitated and then slowly extended my hand towards the doll. Then a story came out of the doll.

A voice I already know well.

I said, hastily taking my hand away from the doll.

"Wait a minute, this is—"

It was definitely true. Even though it was damaged in some places, this 'kkoma Kim Dokja' was someone I knew.

Kim Kyungsik.

An old man I met in the theater dungeon. He read the novel completely 6 times. A reader with an unusual way of speaking.

I knew that he had gone missing from the Palace Museum, but I had no idea he would end up like this.

If I retrieve the fragment here and now, what will happen to this person?

—Youngest.

Light sparks were seen flying in the air. They were signs that the cracks were about to open once again.

—If you wait any longer, they will come again. If it is taken away this time, there is really no way to get it back.

'But—'

If we absorb Kim Kyungsik now, what will happen to Kim Kyungsik?

—That friend. Don’t you want to save it?

'Is there a way?'

—Perhaps. It's hard right now, but... To do that, you first have to reap his soul. That's the only way to revive him.

My feelings were complicated, but for now I had no choice but to believe Kim Dokja's words. If we delay any longer, a fragment will be stolen by the Black Hands again.

The story moved like it did when it absorbed the fragments before. However, it was different from the last time when it greedily absorbed the fragments of the story. The feeling of wrapping the doll very gently, like swallowing a fragile cookie.

At the last moment, the doll slowly opened its eyes and looked at me.

The fragment seeped into me along with the voice.

20. I acquired a lifespan that was incomparably longer than when it absorbed small fragments.

That wasn’t even all.

Unlike when I simply absorbed 'fragments', this time there was a definite reward.

Kim Kyungsik’s skill, [Acting Human].

An evasion skill that allows you to transform into a gas at any time and avoid danger as long as you have the Gombangdae item.

It was then that I heard someone's voice behind me.

"What have you done just now?"

Since when did it start?

Someone was standing beyond the wide open hospital room door.