798 Episode 38 Chance (4)
However, no matter how many times I slapped myself, I didn't come back to my senses.Dim lighting. The smell of dry, warm letters. When I opened my eyes, I realized that I was in a bookshelf.
I fainted.
I suddenly felt alert. I absolutely could not faint. The stamina of my incarnation body was running out, and the one-week promise with Jaehwan was just around the corner.
[Exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is activating.]
A soft system message rang in my ears.
It seemed that this was inside the [Fourth Wall].
I slowly got up and saw the library in my blurry vision.
The sound of breathing could be heard quietly.
When I looked back, the small Kim Dokjas were each sitting on small chairs or sofas, sound asleep.
I checked the faces of the smallKim Dokjas one by one. When I looked closely, I saw some faces I knew among the smallKim Dokjas.
Gu Seonah, the Iron Gon woman. Old man Kim Kyungsik of Gombangdae.
The two people who were sleeping soundly with their heads together were faintly smiling, what they were dreaming about unknown.
I tried to calm my rising emotions and looked at them for a while. Then, in order not to wake them from their dreams, I slowly moved my body and looked around.
In the center of the group of smallKim Dokjas, there was a small table. On the table were newspapers scattered in a mess, and a book.
A thick black binding.
『Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint』.
The moment I confirmed the title of the book, I instinctively opened the bookcase. Then, the letters that the cover had been holding onto spilled out onto the paper.
["He's dead. Inho-ssi—Dokja-ssi is dead."]
The voices of people I knew came to mind in real time.
The letters came to life before my eyes as if [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] had been activated.
Kyung Sein was speaking in the letters.
["He's dead."]
It had been a long time since I heard such a desperate voice.
「 "He died." 」
It was clear who she was talking about.
There was also a strong voice that continued as if to comfort her despair.
「 "Wake up, Kyung Sein. Nothing is certain yet." 」
Killer King—Cha Sungwoo's voice.
「 "Kim Dokja, who was the 'Demon King of Salvation' in the Book of Revelation, came back to life. Just because he was banished from the scenario doesn't mean he will die right away. He will somehow find a way. That's because he is Kim Dokja." 」
「 "How would you know that? Everything is different from the main story." 」
My body shook with a spark.
My vision was blurry as if fog had formed. The moment I staggered and touched the table, I heard someone's voice.
「 (Youngest.) 」
I could immediately tell who the owner of the voice was.
「 (You can rest a little more.) 」
I looked back with a bitter smile.
"If I rest, people will be in danger."
Maybe because of fatigue, I couldn’t see his face well, but it was clearly my sponsor, my hyung.
I let out a sigh of relief without realizing it. My plan was successful.
He was living inside the [Fourth Wall].
「 (Don’t worry. Your people are strong. You know better since you’ve been with them all this time.) 」
My people.
「 (You should trust them just like I trusted <Kim Dokja Company>.) 」
I realized anew how difficult it is to trust someone.
I bit my lips and lowered my head.
"I’m afraid that I ruined everything. I’m afraid that more people will die because of me. Because of the sentences I wrote carelessly—"
「 (A story doesn’t fall apart because of a few incorrect lines. Rather, what if a new development begins from those sentences?) 」
"Can Kim Dokja say that?"
「 (Don't you think Ways of Survival is a perfect story?) 」
"The main character of that Ways of Survival is going to die because of me."
「 (You don't seem to know much, but the life force of a sunfish is stronger than you think.) 」
We looked at each other. Then we snickered. I tried hard to hold back the blurring of my vision.
"I thought I would never be able to have this conversation again."
I wanted to tell him that I was glad to see him again, that I was thankful that he was alive.
But there were things that could be conveyed without saying anything. It was a feeling that both he and I could feel because we were Kim Dokja. We kept our mouths shut for a moment and immersed ourselves in that feeling.
"That bastard Yoo Jonghyuk, why on earth did he chase after me?"
「 (Do you think Yoo Jonghyuk came because he was worried about you? He must have an ulterior motive.) 」
"Of course he would."
「 (Yeah. So come to your senses. You know how poisonous and selfish that bastard is.) 」
"Damn Yoo Jonghyuk."
The questions I really wanted to ask, the things I wanted to say were all scattered among the silly jokes. It was nice just to exchange such insignificant jokes.
After a brief silence, the Demon King of Salvation spoke.
「 (I should have become a part of you by now.) 」
"Don’t say anything ominous."
The Demon King of Salvation looked at me quietly and nodded.
「 (Yes. In fact, I also want to watch your story a little more.) 」
Does my sponsor know? How much strength just those words give me? How much courage I can muster just by knowing that he is watching over me?
"Of course you should watch over me. You are Kim Dokja."
「 (The constellations are watching over you, too.) 」
"I know."
「 (Odin and Zeus won’t give up easily. They know the value of 'Kim Dokja fragments'. Especially you right now…) 」
"Am I worth it to them right now?"
To be honest, I found the obsession of the nebulae somewhat strange. I have seen constellations and monsters that have acquired 'Kim Dokja fragments' gain levels beyond their original abilities several times, so I understand that 'Kim Dokja fragments' are valuable stories to the constellations.
However, is our existence worth the 'existence of the nebula' to the point where they have to sacrifice probability?
「 (That's because you haven't been able to properly draw out the power of the 'Kim Dokja fragments' yet. The nebulas have various story amplification devices.) 」
Story amplification devices.
「 (If the 'Kim Dokja fragments' enter a large nebula, it may be possible to rewrite the history of the universe.) 」
Rewriting the history of the universe.
Just hearing the words sent shivers down my spine.
What would happen if one nebula that collected all the 'Kim Dokja fragments' rewrote the entire universe of 'Ways of Survival' and 'Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint'?
"We absolutely cannot get caught."
Thinking about it that way, it made sense that the Demon King of Salvation took the unreasonable step of 'scenario dedication'.
If the 'Demon King of Salvation' fragments had been stolen by the constellations, something truly terrible would have happened.
「 (And the constellations aren't the only problem. If you don't repair your incarnation body right away, you'll really die.) 」
"What if I go to the Demon World?"
In the main story, Kim Dokja visited the '73rd Demon World' right after becoming the 'Demon King of Salvation' and dying.
And there, he met the Demon World's clockmaker with the 'Fable Expert' trait - Aileen Makefield.
"The 'Lamarck's Giraffe' trait can also be activated. If I activate this trait and get my stories repaired by Aileen, wouldn't I be able to survive? If I stay there, I'll also be able to receive the 'Revolutionary Scenario'."
It doesn't end with the Story Repair. In the end, I have to re-enter the 'Main Scenario'. Otherwise, my incarnation body will continue to break down.
Fortunately, there is the 'Revolutionary Scenario' in the 73rd Demon World, so if I re-enter the main scenario through that, my survival will be guaranteed.
「 (That won't work.) 」
"Huh? Why?"
「 (The 73rd Demon World's scenario has already ended.) 」
"The scenario ended?"
How on earth could that be? If things had gone according to plan, the 73rd Demon World's scenario should have been in full swing.
Then suddenly this thought occurred to me.
「 If there had been a reader possessing someone in the 'Demon World'. 」
The possibility that someone had already finished the 73rd Demon World's scenario instead of me.
It was a development I hadn't thought of, but judging from the expression on the Demon King's face, it seemed like something like that had actually happened.
It seemed like the information would consume the probability cost, so the Demon King seemed reluctant to mention it.
「 (Anyway, even if I go to the Demon World this time, there won't be much to gain.) 」
"I guess I'll have to give up the Revolutionary scenario as well."
Naturally, I guess I won't be able to participate in the 'Demon King Selection Tournament' scenario that follows. I had hoped that I might be able to obtain the grand tale of 'Spring of the Demon World', but the situation was difficult.
「 (There's nothing you can do. You have to find another giant tale scenario.) 」
"The other giant tale scenarios are all amazing."
Unlike the 'Demon King Selection Tournament' that occurs in the early part of the scenario, none of the other giant tale scenarios were easy.
<Olympus>'s 'Gigantomachia', <Eden>'s 'The Great Battle of the Holy Demons', and <Emperor>'s 'Journey to the West...
In the first place, they weren't even areas that could be entered at the moment, and they were all scenarios run by the 'Giant Nebulae'.
「 (Haven't you seen 'Ways of Survival'? There are also giant tale scenarios that aren't run by the Giant Nebulae.) 」
"I have. I just can't memorize it as well as anyone else."
「 (How pathetic.) 」
"I'm a Kim Dokja who specializes in writing rather than reading."
「 (Isn't reading well the basics for writing well?) 」
Judging from the way he was arguing, it seemed like my hyung had already finished researching the next scenario area.
「 (I've extracted the scenes you need, so check them later. Do you still have my smartphone?) 」
"Of course."
「 (If we don't come to our senses, we'll be dead in no time. If we keep clashing with the giant nebulae like this, we're sure to lose.) 」
The word 'we' resonated louder than the word 'sure to lose.'
I'm not alone.
「 (And now the two of us can't do it alone. It's time to borrow the strength of the other Kim Dokjas.) 」
"The other brothers?"
My heart started to beat slowly as I watched the Demon King of Salvation nodding.
The Demon King of Salvation in front of me was the eldest of the Kim Dokja brothers.
In other words, it was time to meet the other Kim Dokjas. It means that it has been done.
「 (I found the coordinates of the second one.) 」
"Coordinates? Can’t we just contact each other and meet?"
I was so excited that I even forgot that my incarnation body was about to disappear.
Just as the 'Demon King of Salvation' was a constellation of the level of a legend, the second Kim Dokja must also be a constellation with a modifier.
No, maybe it could be a constellation of a higher level than the 'Demon King of Salvation'.
"You should have talked about that first!"
If it's a constellation, 'indirect messages' can be used.
It might be faster for them to come to us than for us to go.
Maybe they could help us when we're in trouble.
If that's the case, we wouldn't need the help of a psychopathic alcoholic man from another world.
"Contact him right now!"
But the expression on the 'Demon King of Salvation''s face, who was watching me get excited, was strangely dark.
「 (But I suddenly can't contact the second guy.) 」
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