805 Episode 39 Rumor (4)

Is the current me the constellation 'Demon King of Salvation' or the incarnation Kim Dokja?

The question of the Emperor's Sword Namgung Jincheon somehow sounded philosophical.

I received the modifier of 'Demon King of Salvation' from the Recycling Center.

But did that make me a complete constellation? That wasn't the case.

To become a constellation, you have to accumulate five stories yourself.

But so far, I have accumulated a total of four stories.

I thought I would be able to obtain the fifth story if I cleared the Recycling Center, but the fifth story had not yet awakened.

I cleared a difficult stage like the 'Recycling Center', and fought countless constellations in the process. Wasn't that all? At the end, I even encountered a crazy monster that only stabbed. And yet, it still needs a 'trigger' to bloom.

What kind of story is about to awaken?

It was regrettable for me.

If only this story had bloomed, I would have fully inherited the constellation's status, and I would have been able to more easily resist the [fate] that I inherited along with the modifier.

In that sense, I was not a complete 'constellation'.

So what am I as an 'incarnation'?

I wonder what I should say.

In the end, I answered the Emperor's question with a question.

"Does what I am matter to you?"

"Aren't you thinking of borrowing the 'power of Murim'?"

The Emperor Sword seemed to know my intentions when I came here.

"It seems like you need a comrade to fight alongside the constellations. Am I wrong in my guess?"

I was inwardly impressed.

Was this level of insight possible for the head of the Five Great Families?

"That's right."

Honestly, that was the biggest reason I was looking for the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint.

Obtaining the main scenario and repairing the incarnation body were important, but ultimately, the ultimate goal of looking for the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint was to make her on 'our side'.

Mortals who rose to the same level as the constellations without receiving any help from any constellations. As long as the enemy I was going to fight against was the 'Giant Nebulae', I absolutely had to gain their favor.

But now, the Emperor Sword was making an unexpected offer.

"The First Murim might be able to help you."

The help of the 'First Murim'. If it is a scenario where the constellations of the 'Giant Nebulae' cannot run wild, the Five Great Sages of the 'First Murim' will definitely be of great help.

At least with their help, there will be no one in the 'First Murim' who can touch us.

"I will ask you again. Are you the constellation 'Demon King of Salvation' or the incarnation 'Kim Dokja'?"

"If I answer that I am the constellation 'Demon King of Salvation', will you report me to the Giant Nebulae?"

Jewanggeom did not answer.

Yoo Jonghyuk, who was swallowing five intestines next to me, said.

—You can hold out for three days, then kill everyone and leave.

That is a very reassuring statement.

However, if I hold out until then, I will also die.

"I have not decided what to do with you. However, even if I do not report you to the Giant Nebulae, it will be difficult for Murim to be friendly to you."

To be honest, I could not trust Jewanggeom right now. Because I remember how the Five Great Masters, including him, treated 'Breaking the Sky Sword Saint' in the main story.

"They worship strength more than anyone else, but they are a group that mercilessly expels those who judge that they are not helpful to them."

In the end, I have to choose.

Will I join hands with them here, or will I abandon them?

"I am Kim Dokja."

I took a deep breath and slowly opened my eyes.

"Let's be honest and frank. I know that the status of the 'First Murim' is not what it used to be."

Jewanggeom's eyebrows slightly arched, as if my answer was unexpected. I continued.

"It's all a thing of the past when the constellations were interested in the martial arts of Murim. Now, there are hardly any constellations that come here for tourism."

"I admit that Murim is not as popular as it used to be."

"Do you think the 'Namgung Murim Dumplings' you launched this time will sell well?"

Jewanggeom closed his mouth for a moment, as if I had touched a sensitive spot. Whether or not I knew it, I continued to talk.

"The constellations won't buy those dumplings. Who would buy a product from a scenario area that they don't even see?"

"You'd better watch what you say."

Jewanggeom growled lightly. I snickered.

"You actually want to get the attention of the constellations, don't you? That's the only way to make 'Murim' great again."

I know that Namgung Sega has been 'hating the constellations' since the 'Outer God incident'.

However, that's literally their external position, and in reality, it wasn't like that.

No matter what, the five great families, including Namgung Sega, were still making backroom deals with the constellations.

"If I'm a constellation, am I the enemy of humans, and if I'm an incarnation, am I on the side of humans? Does such a cause have any meaning in today's Murim?"

In that short time, Jewanggeom's face quickly turned red and then faded.

"What you need now is the fame of the constellation 'Demon King of Salvation' and the incarnation 'Kim Dokja'. I can provide both. If you are honest with me."

Jeonggeom's pupils shook slightly. His trembling fingertips touched the teacup on the table, and a light sigh followed.

"The rumor about the three-inch tongue that even the constellations were astonished at was true."

Why are all the rumors about me only about my tongue?

Jeonggeom took a sip of tea, looked at me, looked at Yoo Jonghyuk, and looked out the window for a moment before continuing.

"To be honest, I didn't believe all the rumors about you. Like the things you did at the 'Recycling Center'."

"Well, you don't have to believe them."

The events at the 'Recycling Center' have not yet been fully revealed.

So my fame must have spread throughout the <Star Stream> as nothing more than a rumor.

"I thought the rumors about the <Olympus> information bureau and the story about defeating the master of the spear were exaggerated."

That's right.

In just the twentieth scenario, causing a large number of great-grade constellations to leave the scenario and even defeating constellations that were almost narrative-grade is an achievement that is hard to find even if you search through the entire <Star Stream>.

"But even if more than half of those rumors are not true, there is no denying that you are one of the most famous people in the <Star Stream> right now."

"So what are you trying to say?"

"The current Murim needs a new hero."

I could feel his strong desire in the expression 'new hero'.

"Please be on the side of this 'Mu rim'. Then I will help you start the 'scenario' again."

Right now, I am receiving enough attention from the <Star Stream> that I am being chased by the 'Giant Nebulae'.

In that situation, what would happen if Yoo Jonghyuk and I suddenly appeared in the Murim scenario?

Of course, the constellations would turn their attention to 'Murim' once again. Their incarnations would appear in large numbers in the 'First Murim', and Murim would become a popular scenario region.

For the Five Great Sages who had settled here, it was a great windfall.

"If I do something like that, I will be exposed to the Giant Nebulae again."

"You don't have many options anyway, do you?"

Jewanggeom smiled slyly.

I smiled bitterly.

In the end, Jewanggeom had achieved his goal.

Of course, that didn't mean I was only losing out.

I was also desperate for the 'scenario'. If I could just solve the scenario problem, I could be 'Exiled' for the time being. No need to worry about the 'penalty'.

"What scenario will you give me?"

As it turned out, there were several scenarios I could receive in the 'First Murim'.

For example, the 'Martial Arts Competition' that Yoo Jonghyuk participated in in the main story was one of them.

On the other hand, there is a 'destruction scenario' that only starts when a certain scale of probability aftershock occurs.

Since the Emperor's Sword would never intend to destroy Murim, we will probably participate in the 'Martial Arts Competition'.

It wasn't a bad situation.

Crucially, if you perform the 'Martial Arts Competition' scenario, you can get the 'sub-scenario'.

It won't be as stable as the main scenario, but at least you can prevent the incarnation body from disintegrating in midair.

However, the next moment, an unexpected word came out of the Emperor's mouth.

"Have you heard of the 'Terror Spirit Expedition'?"

Terror Spirit.

The Recorders of Fear commented on that space as follows:

On the other hand, the invincible Yoo Hoseong commented as follows:

The paradoxical Baek Cheong Kyrgios Rodgraim commented as follows:

Also, Lee Hyunsung of the 999th round said this:

And now Yoo Jonghyuk of the 41st round was speaking.

"It's a trap."

I nodded absentmindedly.

"Those Sega guys are planning to annihilate us. It's highly likely that they've already made a deal with the constellations."

"Hmm. I guess so."

"Kim Dokja, you don't know. If you go there now, you'll definitely die."

"Did Cheon Inho of the 40th round die there too?"

Yoo Jonghyuk hesitated for a moment and then answered.

"Cheon Inho didn't die."

"Then I wouldn't die either."

"You are not Cheon Inho."

Yoo Jonghyuk made a fierce voice.

"With your mental state, you will die at the entrance to the Terror Realm."

"By the way, you managed to not forget the information that the Terror Realm is dangerous."

It must mean that it was information that should not be forgotten even in this situation. I scratched my cheek and continued speaking.

"Still, it is a place that we must visit someday."

"That someday is not now."

Maybe Yoo Jonghyuk from the last round had also been to the 'Terror Realm'. Of course, he may not have been able to see the end, but he must have at least gone to the entrance.

"It’s different from the last round. What the Emperor Sword suggested this time is…"

"It was to confirm the end of the terror spirit."

The terror spirit is a very special place in this 'first Murim'. Because the Imoogi spirit that Breaking the Sky Sword Saint defeated also originated from the 'terror spirit'.

"The terror spirit expedition is the 'main scenario'."

"…"

"If I accept this scenario, I can escape from being an 'exile'. If you don't help me, I'll go alone."

Yoo Jonghyuk hesitated, perhaps taken aback by my answer.

"You—"

"Of course, if you help me, it'll be even more worth it."

"…"

"More than anything, don't you have a reason to go to the 'terror spirit'?"

I know Yoo Jonghyuk is right. If we enter the terror spirit now, the probability of our deaths is much higher. Nevertheless, this was the best choice we could make right now.

"Our enemies won't wait."

The Terror is a place that even the constellations fear. If I could just enter there, I might be able to avoid the pursuit of the 'Giant Nebulae' for the time being.

After thinking for a while, Yoo Jonghyuk frowned and muttered.

"Do you know what the Terror is?"

"Just a little bit. It's a scary place."

"You don't think the Terror is some kind of haunted house experience, do you?"

"It's scarier than that. But that's okay. Kim Dokja enjoys thrills."

By the way, thrills aren't my story.

I'll be honest.

The truth is, I'm scared.

I absolutely don't want to go to the Terror. But damn it, I had no choice but to go this time.

Because the being I was looking for was beyond that 'Terror'.

It was time to go meet the second problem child.

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