764 Episode 33 Ball (3)

Immediately after the twentieth scenario product was released, the hall was filled with excitement for a while.

But do the other constellations know who the 'Demon King of Salvation' is?

I quietly hid behind the pillar next to the table. There was something unusual going on in the atmosphere.

I already knew that information about the 'Kim Dokja fragments' had spread outside. However, it seemed like the information was slowly starting to spread within the Recycling Center as well.

—You probably already know this.

Bihyung’s 'dokkaebi communication' was heard in the air.

—You know that’s a great product, right?

The term 'product' bothered me, but I nodded with effort.

'I know. Because it's my sponsor.'

The Kim Dokja sleeping in the fish tank really looked like the Kim Dokja I remembered.

Of course, I know that Kim Dokja is not that Kim Dokja. It's just the embodiment of his story.

Still, as I looked at him, a corner of my heart throbbed.

—It's not just your sponsor. Have you never heard of 'Fragments of the Oldest Dream'?

Of course it was information I knew, but I deliberately did not reply. Because I wanted to hear what Bihyung would say.

—The Oldest Dream. It is a star that is designated as the first 'cause' of all these worlds.

The first cause of all these worlds.

Did the middle and lower level dokkaebis even know this information?

I couldn't remember very well.

Maybe it's a feature unique to the 41st round.

—There is a story that fragments of that constellation have recently been discovered throughout the <Star Stream>.

'My sponsor is one of them.'

—It's a very big 'one'. This information is still known only to large nebulae or high-ranking constellations. This is what the 'Recycling Center' revealed this time.

Honestly, when I heard this, I didn't really understand it.

Even though it is only the 20th scenario, they are offering the 'Demon King of Salvation' as a scenario product?

Let's say the management bureau can do that. But does it make sense for the 'Gourmet Association' to participate in it?

If there was such a coveted story, they would be the first to taste it, right?

—Anyway, be careful with this scenario. Even if you are the 'incarnation of the Oldest Dream', it won’t be easy.

'The incarnation of the Oldest Dream?'

—Some constellations call you that.

In that case, there was something completely wrong with the name. This is because I am the incarnation of the 'Demon King of Salvation', not the incarnation of the 'Oldest Dream'.

The incarnation of the 'Oldest Dream' refers to the guy who is now walking from the other side with wide open eyes.

"Yoo Jonghyuk."

Yoo Jonghyuk from 41st round. The side effects of the 'Story Imprint' seem to have been alleviated considerably, and his height, which was previously that of a boy, has now returned to that of a young man.

Behind Yoo Jonghyuk stood the group, that had disappeared into the incarnation waiting room. .

I lightly raised my hand towards them.

"Have you all seen the new scenario that came out?"

"Yes. What about you, Dokja-ssi? How did the constellations react?"

"Everyone was shocked, well."

"Hey, there’s nothing special about the constellations."

Kyung Sein, who rushed over, was the first to murmur. After that, Dansu ahjussi and Cha Yerin were also seen.

"Ji Eunyu-ssi was saved by Meihouwang "

After all,it was Meihouwang . It seemed like he had safely escaped from the hunting dogs.

"My brother went somewhere alone for a while."

He probably went there to prepare for the next scenario. Killer King may seem absurd on the outside, but he is thorough when it comes to scenarios.

But my companions seemed to have something else they wanted to say.

I looked into their eyes closely and asked.

"Who else was in the waiting room?"

"There were a lot. I also saw Anna Croft and Asuka Ren."

Anna Croft and Asuka Ren.

Were they also active at the 'Recycling Center'? I don't know which faction they chose, but if we become enemies with them, things won't be easy.

"But they both got off."

I couldn't believe my ears.

"Those two quit the scenario?"

"Yes. This time, with the difficulty level being raised, it became possible to escape the scenario. They escaped right then."

Even if Asuka Ren is like that, what about Anna Croft? There is no way the Prophet could have run away even after checking the product details?

"And Anna told me to give you this."

Cha Yerin said that and handed over a crumpled paper:

—I give in this time.

The moment I read the neatly written handwriting, I smiled bitterly.

.

A prophet would have already figured out how things are going here.

It was at that time that Dansu ahjussi, who had been listening and observing the conversation, opened his mouth.

"By the way, friend. Can I ask you one thing?"

"Yes. Just ask."

"That face…"

It did. I was wondering when you would ask.

I looked at my face reflected in the glass on the table.

No matter how you look at it, it's the same face as Kim Dokja.

It may have seemed strange to the party members who were familiar with Cheon Inho's face.

Dansu ahjussi, who had been pausing, asked with a heavy expression.

"Why have you suddenly become so handsome?"

I looked blankly at Dansu ahjussi. Then Kyung Sein intervened.

"Hey, ahjussi! That’s not the question!"

"Yes? Then…"

"You don’t know whose face that face is?"

"Whose face is it?"

"It’s Kim Dokja, Kim Dokja!"

"Ah."

Now that I think about it, Dansu ahjussi has only read the entire novel once.

And the favorite of Jiyoon, the daughter of Dansu ahjussi, was Yoo Jonghyuk. It wasn't strange that he didn't know Kim Dokja's face.

"Then it’s even weirder. If that’s really Kim Dokja’s face—"

"Ahjussi."

Kyung Sein grabbed Dansu ahjussi’s wrist. It was as if she was telling him not to say any more.

As expected, the sense of discomfort I felt from my companions earlier was not an illusion.

Their eyes look strangely anxious every time they look at me.

I looked at my companions with calm eyes and asked.

"What happened in the waiting room?"

In the end, Kyung Sein, who had hesitated, opened her mouth first.

"Actually, I met Ye Hyunwoo in the waiting room."

"Ah."

"And Goo Seonah. Do you remember Goo Seonah? She used to use iron guns in Chungmuro—"

"I remember."

Gu Seonah, the Cheolgon woman.

The last time I saw her was at Gwanghwamun Station.

At that time, I, who had just started reading 『Heir of the Eternal Name』, absorbed the soul of Kim Kyungsik, who became a 'Kim Dokja fragment'.

Goo Seonah, who happened to witness the scene, was greatly shocked and left Gwanghwamun.

I was worried because she hadn't been seen since, but it appears she was also a participant in this scenario.

"Seonah said something a little strange."

Kyung Sein took a deep breath and looked straight into my eyes and said.

"Don’t trust Dokja-ssi."

I thought I knew why Goo Seonah said that.

Because she clearly saw me absorbing Kim Kyungsik.

I don't know if Goo Seonah told my group in detail or not, but if that causes my group to stop trusting me...

"There’s no need to look so serious."

When I turned my head, Dansu ahjussi was speaking with stern eyes.

"If we don’t trust you, who will we trust?"

"I think so too. I was just worried that Goo Seonah said something strange, so I was wondering whether I should tell it or not. Dokja-ssi might be offended."

I once again felt sorry for my companions.

If they found out that I was becoming stronger by absorbing the 'Kim Dokja fragments', if they found out that I absorbed Kim Kyungsik’s soul… Will my companions treat me like they do now even then?

"But when I see your face, I feel like I have to tell you."

"My face?"

"Yes, because those two—"

The moment I heard the next words, I felt my heart lightly sink.

"It’s a little, but... Goo Seonah and Ye Hyunwoo also had similar faces to the current Dokja-ssi."

Goo Seonah and Ye Hyunwoo,

I wanted to meet them and talk to them if possible, but it seemed like they wouldn't come to the hall.

Two people turned into faces similar to mine.

It wasn't entirely unexpected. In the end, the more 'Kim Dokja fragments' we collect, the more similar we become to 'Kim Dokja'.

The fact that their facial features have changed must be proof that they have also collected a certain number of 'fragments of Kim Dokja'.

Before we knew it, it was time to enter the scenario.

I looked back at my companions and said.

"I’m asking just in case you don’t know…"

Cha Yerin answered as if she already knew my question.

"You will tell us not to participate."

"I think so."

'Twentieth' main scenario.

This scenario was of the same level of difficulty as the 73rd Demon World. Monsters equivalent to demon nobles will appear, and boss-level monsters equivalent to demon dukes or constellations will appear.

Is that it?

We must fight against the other constellations of the zodiac. This means that confrontations with at least great-grade constellations are inevitably scheduled.

"We’ve fought with the constellations before."

"The probability tolerance is different from the eighth scenario."

Most of the constellations we faced were guys who had squandered their reputation. Even those who appeared awkwardly, bound by the probability constraints of lower-level scenarios.

However, the '20th' scenario is a different story.

Then Cha Ye-mrin asked.

"What do you think Kim Dokja would have done?"

What would Kim Dokja have done?

None of us knew the answer.

Kyung Sein laughed.

"Have you forgotten? We are also 'Kim Dokja'."

Dansu ahjussi nodded and said.

"We also have an 'Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint'."

I sighed lightly and said.

"You know that survival is the top priority, right?"

My companions nodded.

Yoo Jonghyuk, who had been listening to the story as if he was not interested, walked past us first, and Killer King appeared from nowhere and followed him.

"Let's go."

A bright beam of light enveloped our entire bodies and the landscape began to change.

Although I spoke calmly, I was actually very worried about this scenario.

Even in the 'Ways of Survival', the 'Recycling Center' scenario has never unfolded like it does now. The stage for this scenario was a place that even I didn't really know about.

"...Thus, the Demon King of the beginning arose from the conflict between good and evil..."

A voice that occasionally reaches my ears. It was a calm and intelligent voice. A powerful tone that feels like something I've heard before.

"...So, the cause of the Holy Demon War..."

When I slowly opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the neat letters written on the blackboard.

I stared at the blackboard for a long time, wondering if I was looking at something in vain.

But nothing changed.

Across the blackboard, I could see the backs of the students' heads sitting on chairs and taking class.

It's definitely true. This was a school.

No, why am I at school?

As I unconsciously turned my head, I saw my reflection in the window. A name tag was attached to the chest of the refreshing beige school uniform.

Goosebumps slowly appeared.

"Hmm, what’s outside the window?"

The teacher was looking at me. As I slowly stood up, I could see the teacher's face more clearly.

Then I realized why I thought his voice sounded familiar.

"Would you like to talk about the 'Devil’s Justice' that I just explained?"

It was definitely true.

He is the 'Reclining Dragon' who came to the 'Recycling Center' as an evaluator.

It was Zhuge Gongming.

"Student Kim Dokja."

I took a deep breath and started talking.

"The Demon King refers to the corrupted constellations that abandoned their own scenarios and polluted the scenario region to establish their own realm."

I was talking without even knowing what I was talking about.

How much was that noise?

Satisfied the unique settings? What does it mean?

Teacher Waryong shook his head as if impressed.

"It’s pretty good. Well, even in inferior classes, not all are at the same level. Now, that’s it for today’s class. Everyone, prepare well for the graduation exam—"

The ding-dong music rang out, and the children who were lying face down on their desks stood up all at once.

Meanwhile, there were children coming towards me. These were all faces I had never seen before.

"Wow, how do you memorize it all? Even though I heard it, I don’t understand a thing."

"Hee, it feels like a hit."

"You idiot, this isn’t power, it’s hiding knowledge."

I looked at them quietly and cautiousl y opened my mouth.

"Who are you—"

Tsk tsk tsk tsk!

I almost screamed at the lightly bouncing sparks.

It wasn't until I received one message after another that I began to understand little by little what the situation was.

While reading the scenario, I thought of Euphrosyne's voice.

Apparently, this stage seemed to be a system that imitated the Island of the Reincarnated — the 'Kaizenix Island'.

The problem is that the genre is a little different from back then.

—Kim Dokja, 3rd grade, 2nd class. Kim Dokja, 3rd grade, 2nd class, go to the teacher’s office immediately…

I jumped up from my seat and headed into the hallway. As I walked down the hallway, I carefully observed the passing scenery.

First of all, this stage did not have a particularly unusual worldview. Judging from the fact that the terms constellation, demon king, and scenario are also used the same way, it seems to share a worldview with the <Star Stream>.

Just look at my name.

Judging by the fact that my name was still 'Kim Dokja', this worldview seemed closer to a kind of 'arranged worldview' rather than possession.

For example, I am called 'Kim Dokja' just like on the outside, but my settings have been changed to fit this worldview.

Looking at the students' reactions, it seems like I am a kind of brainy character.

As with the Gourmet Association's 『Bracelets Expedition』, this scenario is probably not the beginning of the world view.

In short, it may be the time before an important event like 'Kaizenix.

—Third year graduation exam.

I quietly looked at the promotional flyer posted on the bulletin board.

"Oh, it’s Kim Dokja, our sunbae ."

Students passing by me bowed their heads and said hello. “Sunbae ”, I can’t remember the last time I heard that word.

There were people waiting for me in front of the teacher’s office.

"Dokja-ssi! You’re here! Ugegege!"

"Sein-ssi, if you say something like that here, there will be repercussions—gegegegege!"

I don't know how many genres there are in this world, but at least one thing seems certain.

"Kim Dokja, if this continues, our class will not be able to take the graduation exam."

We became students of the 'Academy'.

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