693 Episode 24 Expert (3)

Selena Kim couldn't understand what was happening in front of her eyes.

Is this really the proud Christina Page she knows?

"Again. How much?"

"It’s 500,000 coins!"

"Just give it to me."

"Yep!"

Former FBI forensic hypnosis expert and the brains behind 'Zarathustra'.

Is that really the Christina Page she knows?

"I’m giving this to you cheaply. You know it, right?"

"Of course I know!"

"I heard it’s more expensive than the market price?"

"When I looked into it again, the price wasn’t that high! If there is demand but no supply, it’s natural for the price to go up!"

"It makes sense now. Then let’s make it 650,000 coins."

"Yes?"

"Let’s increase the price. According to the law of supply and demand."

"B-but 650,000 is too expensive—"

"No need? Then just end the transaction."

"It’s not a matter I can decide on my own... Can I contact the higher-ups for a moment?"

Is this also part of the FBI investigation?

Selena Kim, who was dumbfounded, asked what the hell was going on in the group chat, but Christina just rolled her eyes and said nothing.

She said, 'Don’t think nonsense and just stay still. Please.'

It almost seemed like that kind of look in her eyes.

The reason Christina makes such a fuss is that it was the first time since the symbol of the Demon King descended on the American continent.

In fact, there was something even more bizarre than that.

"Selena Kim."

"Yes? Oh, yes."

The man who was so cruel to Christina was kind to her.

"Aren’t you thirsty?"

With a grin on his face, the man had one of his associates serve her a drink.

"You seem tired, so please recharge."

A sweet-smelling drink with rice grains in it.

"Ah… This drink. I've heard of it."

If you think about it, it could have been nothing special.

But when was the last time she received such consideration in this world?

"Thank you..."

Selena Kim drank her sikhye with great emotion. The sikhye was sweet, the scenery of Gwanghwamun was old-fashioned, and the stars in the sky were clear.

Korea is good.

As I watched Selena Kim calmly drinking sikhye from afar, I wondered if I was still under hypnosis.

For your information, the following message appears in my head every time Selena Kim takes a sip of her sikhye.

And the coins are shamelessly being deposited to the person who has now entered my body.

'Look. Dokja Kim-ssi.'

Kim Dokja did not answer.

'Here.'

—Oh, did you extend it? You should’ve done that sooner.

'…'

—It’s Zarathustra. I warned you that it was going to happen, but is that really what you wanted?

Was that why he sent a series of indirect messages?

I knew he did that to save coins.

'Please switch now.'

—I want to do that too... Is it okay? You'll be like this for a whole day.

Christina Page's exclusive hypnosis skill, [Daily Invoice].

Anyone hit by this skill falls asleep and literally looks like a corpse for a day.

In other words, if Kim Dokja leaves my body now, my body will just go limp.

'But are you okay? Even if you come down like this—'

—Who said it was a descent? Are you going to suffer from the aftereffects?

When I thought about it, it was like that.

Now it’s the seventh scenario.

No matter how high the level of the constellation is, it is impossible to descend directly into the scenario even if they throw away all their stories like the ark in Seoul Station.

I don't know if he borrowed the power of an Outer God and possessed me.

I don't think Kim Dokja would have done something like that.

'Then now this is...'

A hypothesis suddenly popped into my head.

'Did you use [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint]?'

Kim Dokja’s exclusive skill, [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint].

—Yes.

'But how?'

As far as I know, for Kim Dokja's [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] to activate, there are three prerequisites.

One, the target must be a character.

Second, the caster and target must be thinking about each other at the same time.

Three, he must have an appropriate level of understanding of the subject.

A question arises here.

Even if we overcome the second condition of thinking about each other and the third condition of understanding, how did we satisfy the first prerequisite, 'characters'?

'If… '

I had an ominous feeling.

It's as if the other 'apostles' have become characters.

Have I also become a character?

If that's why Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint was activated...

—Have you forgotten who you possessed?

'Ah.'

The body that Kim Dokja is now possessing from [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] was not originally mine.

'Are you possessing Cheon Inho?'

—That's right.

A sigh came out belatedly.

Certainly, if the target is 'Cheon Inho', the prerequisite of 'character' can be satisfied.

'Then what about the condition of thinking about each other? How was it satisfied?'

—I don't know about that. Weren't you thinking about me right before you passed out?

'That's true. But I'm not Cheon Inho, am I?'

—It was a thought you had while possessing Cheon Inho.

Is it?

There's something suspicious about it, but anyway, Kim Dokja's plan was successful. I couldn't deny that much.

'Anyway, thank you. Thanks to you, I survived.'

—By the way, you too have possessed a truly unique body. Of course, Cheon Inho...

'What… It's weak, though.'

—No, it's not that problem. Doesn’t this body seem a little strange? If you really look at it, neither you nor I are the original owners of this body.

'That's right.'

—Then where is this child’s soul now?

'Uh…'

It was a problem I had never thought deeply about.

I suddenly remembered Shin Yoosoung from the 41st round.

When the spirit of the possessed Shin Yoosoung escaped, the 41st round Shin Yoosoung regained her body.

If that were a normal phenomenon, Cheon Inho's soul should have returned immediately after my soul escaped.

But Cheon Inho’s spirit did not return.

"Here, 650,000 coins."

As if she had just finished the phone call, Christina, who was back, handed me the coins.

"The parts of the Earth Dragon species are over there."

Kim Dokja coolly grabbed the coins and pointed at the corpse of the 4th grade Earth Dragon with his chin.

Christina checked the body without saying anything and nodded her head.

"Confirmed."

Subsequently, a 'subspace warehouse' appeared in her arms.

Portable storage space used when transporting large parts.

Of course, it’s 'Zarathustra'.

Perhaps because they are a group sponsored by <Asgard>, all the items they use are of high quality.

"Then we’ll just leave."

"Okay, let’s go."

"Yes?"

"We should go meet your boss. I said I would see Anna’s face."

Christina and Selena Kim looked at each other with puzzled faces.

It was an expression that would never have occurred to them that he would put such thoughts into action.

"Didn’t you hear from Joonghyuk? I decided to go to America too."

"Joonghyuk... are you talking about the Supreme King?"

Was she very impressed by the fact that King Yoo Joonghyuk was called that?

Selena Kim thought about something for a moment and opened her mouth.

"Okay, let’s go together."

"Selena?"

"Christina, we are in dire need of just one helper. There is no reason to refuse if he is coming to help."

"No, wait—"

"Then I guess the conversation is over."

Kim Dokja wrote a simple note and handed it to Bang Cheolsoo, who was waiting behind him.

"Bang Cheolsoo, please give this to Heewon when she wakes up. In the meantime, please guard Gwanghwamun well."

"Yup!"

Of course, Bang Cheolsoo, who had no idea whether it was me or Kim Dokja, just saluted repeatedly with a blank expression on his face.

"Okay then, let’s leave."

After a while, I entered the flickering portal and asked Kim Dokja.

'But Constellation-nim.'

—What?

'Have you ever been to the United States?'

The United States of America. The land of freedom.

'I’m nervous because it’s my first time.'

I lived my whole life in Korea, speaking only Korean.

I never thought I would go on my first overseas trip like this.

In a world where everything has been destroyed.

—Once you get there, it won't be a big deal.

Well, once you become a constellation, overseas travel will be nothing.

What is everything about overseas? These beings are capable of interstellar travel, and then a thought occurred to me.

In this round, has Kim Dokja ever been to the United States?

"We’re here."

Is it because it is not an interstellar portal? The space transfer ended in an instant.

Kim Dokja and I slowly looked around. A desolate sandstorm blowing from all directions.

Selena Kim must have read Kim Dokja's strangely disappointed expression, and quickly added,

"This is outside Las Vegas."

Anyone who knows it knows that Las Vegas is a city built in a desert.

In other words, it is not difficult to encounter desert terrain with few people even if you go a little bit outside the city.

"The headquarters is located downtown. Anna and the King will be there too. I’ll take this to the city center."

Selena Kim pointed to the boarding vehicle next to the portal.

It was not a vehicle from Earth and I thought it was probably an item purchased with coins.

—Hmm. Is this a small Asgardian mobile?

Kim Dokja quickly scanned the inside and outside of the vehicle and nodded.

It was.

—For a supply item, it was made quite well. Did the mass-produced manufacturer tinker with it?

'Have you ever ridden it?'

—The story is that they are making an entry-level model for Ferragini.

I heard it. Looking at it, the inner tube looks similar.

Kim Dokja got into the back seat of the mobile.

"How long will it take?"

"We have about 30 more minutes to go."

"Can I take a nap?"

"Yes? Yes. Of course."

Christina, who was sitting in the driver's seat, nodded her head with a nervous expression.

I asked on their behalf.

'You’re sleeping?'

—Huh. Wake me up later.

'No, are you really sleeping?'

—Do you think [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] is free? This too has a time limit and is subject to probability. You can't maintain it for 24 hours a day, so you have to divide it up appropriately. There are no coins to waste here.

What I heard was true.

'But, Kim Dokja-ssi.'

Kim Dokja's words should have been right.

'What did you do with the coins that were stolen from me?'

—Huh?

'From the Earth Dragon species, you said I’d earn about 300,000 coins. But 500,000... No. You sold it for 650,000 coins. Not only that—'

'Kim Dokja-ssi?'

No reply came back.

In fact, haven’t I signed a contract with the '9 Won Demon King'?

It seemed like I could hear Kim Dokja snoring somewhere.

When I looked closely, I saw that my body was snoring.

Selena Kim, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and asked.

"Cheon Inho-ssi?"

Selena Kim waved her palm over my face several times and sighed with an incredulous expression on her face.

I was dumbfounded too, but I thought Selena Kim would be outraged.

"Oh my god, Christina. This guy really fell asleep. It looks like your hypnosis is finally listening."

"Congratulations. This was the most annoying nagging I’ve ever heard from you."

"Why did you do that earlier? That wasn't like you."

As if she was about to talk about the past, Selena Kim carefully brought up the topic.

Actually, it was a topic I was curious about too.

In my opinion, Christina was overly scared of Kim Dokja.

If I had been possessed through [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] rather than [Descent], the status of the 'Demon King of Salvation' would not have been fully conveyed.

Moreover, Christina Page, like Anna Croft, was an incarnation of <Asgard>.

She said, "I haven’t been able to contact <Asgard> at all since a while ago."

"It happens often, doesn’t it?"

"Even for the great-level constellations, if you contact them, they will accept it. They are on standby 24 hours a day."

This was a bit of an interesting story.

Lost contact with all of <Asgard>?

If everyone from the Nebula to the Great Constellations have been summoned, something big has definitely happened internally...

After checking something, tension appeared on Selena Kim's face.

"I can't contact them either. What's going on..."

"Actually, I managed to get in touch with a high-ranking person just before departure, but he asked me something strange."

"Something weird?"

The moment I heard the next words, I felt my heart cooling down.

"He wondered if an incarnation smelled like a 'Demon King'."

The Nebula <Asgard> knows about the 'Demon King of Salvation'.