Everything had been going according to plan. Lee Jihye agreed to tag along without any convincing, the uncleared movies had some pretty good rewards, Lee Jihye unlocked her stigma, even granting Dokja one from her sponsor as well, and the journey so far went smoothly.
As Dokja, Zhou, and Amanises were walking towards the top floor, Dokja couldn't help but think, With Zhou and Amanises here, dealing with the Theater Master should be a breeze. It's a good thing we made that deal, they have been extremely useful so far.
Just as he was thinking that though, they crossed the threshold into the eighth floor, and Dokja saw something from Zhou and Amanises that he hadn't seen in them before. Fear.
What's going on? Dokja looked concerned at the pair and was about to ask when Amanises shouted towards him.
"Ignore everything else and just stick to the plan."
Stick to…what? Dokja didn't have time to ask any questions as he suddenly felt something strange, similar to being covered with a blanket, which he had experienced before from Amanises. But this one felt slightly different, and it prompted a message from the Fourth Wall.
[The exclusive skill, 'Fourth Wall' is detecting a non-hostile foreign influence.]
[Do you want to remove this foreign influence?]
Huh? …ignore everything, stick to the plan. This feels like something from Amanises, so it should be fine? Dokja chose to ignore the foreign influence and let it run its course as he noticed Yoo Joonghyuk standing in the middle of the field.
Amanises looks like she is concentrating on something while Zhou is focused on the sky. What's going on? Dokja ignored those thoughts and stepped forward to the regressor before smacking him on the back of the head.
"Hey Yoo Joonghyuk!"
Wait. Something is wrong. Dokja felt a cold sensation spread through his fingertips as he pulled back from the hit.
"...Yoo Joonghyuk?"
[The 'Theatre Master's Simulacrum' has been revealed.]
Ah. Now I get it. Dokja felt the whitish aura emanating from Yoo Joonghyuk as he slowly turned towards him. Damnit.
[The 'Theatre Master's Simulacrum' has controlled the character 'Yoo Joonghyuk'.]
Goosebumps crawled up Dokja's skin as a formidable killing intent rose from the man in front of him.
[The character 'Yoo Joonghyuk' has used Force Palm Lv. 4!]
"Wai-!"
Kwaaaang!
Dokja was thrown through the air like a piece of paper as a strong pain spread from his side and his consciousness wavered.
[The External Reinforced Suit is damaged.]
[There is a reduction in the defense.]
Dokja stumbled to his feet as he tried to catch his balance. Even with all my increased stats, one blow and I'm sent flying just like that?
[The exclusive skill, Character List is activated.]
[There is too much information about this person. Character List is converted to Character Summary.]
[Character Summary]
Name: Yoo Joonghyuk.
Exclusive Attributes: Regressor (3rd turn) (Myth), Pro Gamer (Rare)
Exclusive Skills: Sage's Eye Lv. 8, Hand to Hand Combat Lv. 8, Advanced Weapons Training Lv. 5, Mental Barrier Lv. 5, Hundred Steps Godly Fists Lv. 2, Red Phoenix Shunpo Lv. 1…Omitted…
Stigma: Regression Lv. 3, Transmission Lv. 1
Overall Stats: Physique Lv. 28, Strength Lv. 27, Agility Lv. 26, Magic Power Lv. 25.
* The character is currently in a loss of reason state.
Transmission already? This Bastard. Dokja finally regained his balance and faced Yoo Joonghyuk once again.
Dokja saw that Amanises and Zhou were continuing what they were previously doing, paying no mind to him, dueling it out against the regressor. Do they expect me to handle this myself? They aren't even going for the Theater Master. What are they doing?
Dokja didn't have time to think any further as he pulled out the vial taken from the T. rex earlier.
[You have used the Tyrant T-Rex's DNA Ampoule.]
[All stats will explosively increase for 30 minutes!]
Yes…let's fight you son of a bitch. Dokja squared up to Yoo Joonghyuk as he watched his stats increase.
[Physique Lv. 24 -> Physique Lv. 34]
[Strength Lv. 24 -> Strength Lv. 34]
[Agility Lv. 20 -> Agility Lv. 30]
[Magic Power Lv. 15 -> Magic Power Lv. 25]
[The vitality in your body is rising!]
[The potential of your muscles have exploded!]
[You can move more agilely than before.]
[Your heart is seething with an unknown energy!]
Alright you sunfish bastard, let's dance. Dokja charged forward.
[The exclusive skill 'Purest Sword Force Lv. 1' has been activated.]
[The accumulation of stats will increase the level of Purest Sword Force!]
[Purest Sword Force Lv. 1 -> Purest Sword Force Lv. 2.]
Yoo Joonghyuk charged forward as well, meeting in the middle as their two blades clashed in the air.
[The character 'Yoo Joonghyuk' has used 'Breaking the Sky Energy Lv. 2'.]
Sparks flew as the blades collided. Neither of the two backing down.
[Exclusive skill, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint stage 2 has been activated!]
As soon as the skill was activated, Yoo Joonghyuk's thoughts flooded Dokja's mind.
[It is painful.]
[Several more times in the future.]
[Do I need to repeat this?]
"Wake up you jerk!" Dokja was furious.
The two continued to clash back and forth as their swords collided again and again. Dokja was able to keep up now that he could read Yoo Joonghyuk's movements.
[Once the regression begins, everything will go back to the beginning.]
[All my companions will lose their memories and my history is erased.]
"You Idiot!"
[Then everything will repeat again.]
[What am I…?]
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes were blurred as Dokja was furious at the thoughts going through his mind.
"Aren't you a real protagonist?"
As someone who read all 3,149 chapters of Ways of Survival, Dokja was furious.
"Haven't you only regressed three times?"
Dokja managed to land a lucky blow to the jaw and slow him down a bit. He didn't miss the opening and followed through with a kick to the chest.
"Do you really think so? You have already forgotten the determination of your first attempt."
[I am the only living thing in this world.]
A lonely voice, Dokja thought as she shouted back while blocking his sword. "You bastard… don't fall into those sentiments. If you can't find the meaning of life in front of you, didn't you decide to live for the greater cause?"
Dokja's thoughts were a mess. He didn't know who he was talking to anymore. Hot flames sprang up from the blade as it stung his eyes and his skin became raw from the heat. Dokja was lost in the moment.
Amanises was still focused on Zhou as he continued to gaze up at the stars with a sparkle shining in his eye.
[The exclusive skill, 'Fourth Wall' is activated!]
[I am alone]
"Alone?"
[I…]
"What did I come here for if you are alone?"
[I…]
Dokja struck Yoo Joonghyuk's hands as blood began to poor out of the torn flesh.
"Why are you alone? When you died like a fool in the Theater Dunggeon, when you cried over your dead little sister, when the prophet stabbed you in the back! When your loved one gave birth to a child…!"
Dokja was beginning to recall memories as he continued on. Letters and letters passed. Old memories of Ways of Survival.
"You went crazy after your child died! Fighting against the demon kings and the returnees! Helping people and fighting against the damn reincarnators! When you finally stood before the constellations! Look around you and try to live somehow!"
All these passages from Ways of Survival flashed through Dokja's mind as he began to tremble. Why am I getting so worked up about this?
"I…"
I'm becoming too excited. Why? Why am I getting so worked up about this? Wait… Dokja noticed a dim light returning to Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes.
[I…]
[The excessive immersion has caused the 'Fourth Wall' to shake.]
Dokja didn't need to read his mind to understand what was happening. His heart thumped the moment Yoo Joonghyuk stared straight at him.
[You… who are you?]
"What?"
[What are you…?]
Huh? Dokja was surprised by the sudden change in thoughts. He couldn't have regained his sense of reason after hearing my words, right?
[The 'Theatre Master's Simulacrum' is embarrassed.]
[The 'Theatre Master's Simulacrum' has strengthened his control on the character 'Yoo Joonghyuk'.]
"Kuaaak…!"
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes blurred again.
Indeed. It was stupid to think I could wake him up myself. We need to go for the Theater Master. What are Zhou and Amanises doing? God damnit, are they leaving me to die? Dokja turned his attention back to Yoo Joonghyuk, preparing to fight once again.
But something was different this time. Yoo Joonghyuk just stood there, unmoving. When Dokja tried to read his thoughts, he received something strange.
[The Immortal Lord of heaven and Earth for Blessings;]
What?
[The Sky Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings;]
What is happening? Dokja's head began to ache.
[The Exalted Thearch of Heaven and Earth for Blessings;]
Dokja's head began to spin as he stumbled back. The thoughts of Yoo Joonghyuk continued to flow into his mind.
[The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.]
Dokja grabbed at his head as the world around him began to distort. He understood the words that were just fed into his mind, but every time he tried to think back and process what he had just heard, he felt a sharp pain shoot through his head.
[The exclusive skill, 'Fourth Wall' is activated in full force!]
[The exclusive skill, 'Fourth Wall' is detecting a strange anomaly.]
Dokja tried to refocus on Yoo Joonghyuk in front of him, the world still spinning in circles. He could just make out the outline of Yoo Joonghyuk, and he could have sworn he could see a smile stretching across his face, extremely out of place for his character.
[The exclusive skill, 'Fourth Wall' is trying to negate the corruption.]
[The exclusive skill, 'Fourth Wall' is beginning to crack.]
What? Dokja could barely read the message in front of him as he doubled over in pain. Strange whispers and unknown information began to flood his mind as the thoughts of Yoo Joonghyuk continued to be transferred into his mind, even with his attempts to cancel the skill.
[Haven't you heard?]
An unknown presence emanated from the flow of thoughts and information that continued to bombard Dokja's mind.
[Do not pry into the mystery of God.]
[The exclusive skill, 'Fourth Wall' has been shattered.]
The floodgate was finally breached as infinite knowledge and symbolism poured into Dokja's mind.
Dokja collapsed to the floor, barely conscious and spazzing out of control on the floor as he felt his mind being torn into millions of pieces. Screaming and clawing at his head, the blood vessels in his body exploding as strange tendrils began writhing about under his skin.
…What? Suddenly, Dokja was fine. He blinked a few times and regained his bearings as he looked around and realised he hadn't moved from his position after entering the eighth floor.
[The exclusive skill, 'Fourth Wall' has woken you up from a dream.]
What? Dokja looked forward and saw Yoo Joonghyuk still standing in his original position.
[Many constellations are curious as to why you all have just been standing there.]Dokja looked to the side and saw that Amanises was still in the same spot, but she was doubled over, trying to catch her breath. She looked like she was strained to her limits as she could barely stand.
Zhou was also in the same spot, but he was now focused on the bench where the Theater Master was supposed to appear.
And right on cue, the Theater Master appeared. But there was something different about him. Something that Dokja had never read from those characters in the novel. There was a sinister smile stretching across his face, quite similar to the one Dokja saw on Yoo Joonghyuk moments ago. Not only that, but he began to speak in a voice that gave off the same presence as the one that breached his mind.
"Hello, Klein Moretti," The 'Theater Master' addressed Zhou as he looked to the sky and waved his hand.
[#BI-7623 channel is closed.]
…
Shit, I still can't find 'Him'. Where is 'He' hiding? Zhou was hoping Amanises could stall long enough for him to trace back the spirit threads and find the main body or consciousness of the Celestial Worthy.
"I suppose we have you to thank for bringing us here?" Zhou spoke in his usual tone, but there was a hint of concern in his voice.
"A change of scenery is always welcome in my opinion." The 'Theater Master' replied calmly, but with a tinge of amusement in his voice.
"Why bring us here?" Zhou pulled out a cane from thin air as he continued.
The 'Theater Master' let out a chuckle as he looked at the cane. "That's not important right now."
"Then why are you here?"
"I was just tending to some business," The 'Theater Master' began walking towards Yoo Joonghyuk. "You don't need to worry, I finished what I needed to do a while ago. I just decided to stick around and see how you were doing."
Zhou took a cautious stance as his eyes followed the 'Theater Masters' every move. "Well here I am. Now what?"
"Hah, you certainly are an interesting one, you know that? Couldn't I have just been a little curious about what you have been up to?" The 'Theater Master' said with a smile.
"What's your game. This isn't how you normally play things, getting personally involved like this."
"Hah, right you are. But you really are just that much of a curiosity to me. I mean, a cog rebelling against the machine. And in such a spectacular fashion!" The 'Theater Master' stopped next to Yoo Joonghyuk and put a hand on his shoulder. "Truth be told, I really am curious as to how long you would have been able to resist me. I was planning to indulge this little game of yours for however long it took. But unfortunately, something has come up that requires my attention, so I can no longer afford to mess around with you, regardless of how curious I might be about your existence."
The 'Theater Master' tapped Yoo Joonghyuk on the forehead as he fell to the floor. "But that isn't something you need to worry about. Just enjoy yourself here while you still can. Consider this world my parting gift to you for keeping me so intrigued."
The 'Theater Master' glanced at Dokja before doing a dramatic bow, bringing his hat down to his chest as he extended his other arm out in Zhou's direction.
"I'll be seeing you."
And just like that, the 'Theater Master' collapsed to the ground, like a puppet without its strings.
[#BI-7623 channel is opened.]
Zhou felt the presence of the Celestial Worthy leave as he breathed out a sigh of relief. As annoyed as he was that he couldn't find the original consciousness, he was glad the situation didn't escalate.
[Many constellations are wondering why the channel suddenly turned off.]
[Many constellations are curious as to the events they have missed.]
Zhou ignored the messages popping up as he turned towards Amanises, who had moved from her earlier spot and found a bench to sit down in. She still looked a little run-down after the sudden turn of events.
"Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine," Amanises said as she leaned back. "But trying to keep 'Him' trapped within a dream, even as a marionette, was much more difficult than I anticipated."
Zhou flipped a coin up as he tapped the staff he pulled out earlier on the ground. In a flash of starlight, Huang suddenly appeared next to Zhou, looking very confused.
"What the… Oh, hey guys. Uh, why-?"
"'He' was here," Zhou cut off Huang, getting straight to the point.
Huang's confusion quickly dissipated as he looked around in concern.
"What happened? You guys said this was going to be a simple mission?"
"I wasn't anticipating 'Him' getting involved like this directly. That's not how he normally operates," Zhou let out a sigh. "It was a mistake on my end, one that I can't let happen again."
"Um," Dokja finally decided to speak up. He had been watching cautiously from the sides. "Can someone please explain to me what's going on?"
[Many constellations would also like to know what you are talking about.]
Amanises let out a sigh as she Concealed the area around them, and everyone felt themselves being pulled into a dream.
"You've been corrupted," Zhou looked towards Dokja as he pointed the cane at his head.
Dokja backed off wearily as starlight danced from the tip of the cane and swirled around his head before dissipating.
"I wasn't able to fully remove it, so I've sealed it until we find a way to fully cleanse it." Zhou flicked his wrist as the cane disappeared.
Dokja looked around in confusion at the mention of all these unknown terms and happenings.
"I need an explanation."
Amanises let out a sigh, "Unfortunately, I'm not sure we will be able to provide you with one."
"What does that mean? You clearly know something about what just happened. Like who was that?"
"Hah," Huang laughed. "It's not about whether we know, but whether you can withstand the corruption that comes with the knowledge. And judging from the fact that Zhou said he just sealed it away within you tells me you won't survive even if we tell you."
"What?" Dokja looked at the three beyonders in confusion.
"What you felt earlier in the dream, where you were on the brink of death. That was the result of learning information you shouldn't know at your current level. The only way you would be able to resist the corruption that comes with certain information is to grow in strength. But truth be told, I'm not sure that the power granted by this 'system' will even be enough." Zhou explained. "Even though the corruption occurred in a dream, there were still some lingering effects that even I wasn't able to remove."
"And who exactly are you? Who was behind the 'Theater Master'?"
"We are sort of like you," Huang said. "Just as you have been brought into this novel world, we too have been brought here. The only difference is that we come from a different…um, time? World? I don't even know at this point."
"...So then how did you end up here, and why? And what was that other guy's deal?"
"This is where it gets complicated," Zhou let out a sigh. "The being who controlled the Theater Master, you can call him Tiānzūn. 'He' and I have been battling each other for some time, and these two could be considered my allies in this fight. Unfortunately, it seems this place was unlucky enough to be found as the next battlefield."
Dokja took a few moments to process all the information he had just received. After a while, he finally spoke up again.
"So…what now? I mean, what are you guys planning to do?"
"This place is not where we belong. The end goal was to find a way back, but now that we confirmed that Tiānzūn is involved here, and that it seems we were brought here by 'Him' for a reason, we will probably have to deal with him first." Amanises answered.
"And how exactly do you plan to deal with him? Is it going to affect the scenarios?"
Zhou shook his head. "I'm not sure. The problem is we lack information. Tiānzūn is a cunning and ancient being whose every move is deception, and he has had millennia to formulate his plans. If he is using the scenarios in this world to his advantage, we won't know how or why until it's too late."
Dokja nodded along until he suddenly realized what was just said.
"...Millennia?"
"I can't go into detail, but you could consider him a constellation, though that seems like a severe understatement. As a matter of fact, both Amanises and I are classified as constellations here. And even though Huang technically isn't considered a constellation, he is only one step below Amanises in power."
"That's still bullshit by the way," Huang interjected before Zhou finished. "I should be considered a constellation as well. This system must be broken."
"You guys are constellations? Honestly, that answers a lot." Dokja let out a sigh before continuing. "Well what are you going to do now? I know we made a deal before about getting to the end of these scenarios together, but I'm not exactly sure now."
Both Amanises and Huang looked to Zhou for an answer as he took a moment to think about it.
"For now, I don't see why we can't continue the way we have. The only difference is that we need to watch our every step while trying to gain any additional information on Tiānzūn. If there is an end to these scenarios, reaching it might be our best bet at getting out of here." Zhou paused for a moment as he thought again. "If anything, this encounter was beneficial to us. Now that we confirmed Tiānzūn's presence here, though we still need to keep an eye out, we don't have to tiptoe around the use of our abilities to avoid detection."
"Hah, finally. So shouldn't we just breeze through the scenarios now? I mean it's not like we can't just brute force them if we aren't holding back anymore." Huang sounded excited as he spoke, but before he could get carried away, Dokja interjected.
"Unless you guys are free from Probability, I think you might still have to limit your abilities."
"Probability?" Amanises asked.
"It's a system that balances the power used in the scenarios through the Star Stream. To sum it up, these scenarios only allow for a certain amount of Probability to be used. If someone were to use more than the allocated Probability for the scenario, it would either balance out by granting equal Probability to the other side, or trigger a Probability storm on the person who overused it."
The energy from Huang seemed to die down a bit, but Zhou was lost in thought.
"How bad are these Probability storms?" Zhou finally asked.
"It depends on how much Probability you used. The more you use, the worse the backlash. But other constellations can also share their Probability and spread out the Probability storm between multiple people, lowering the backlash."
Zhou nodded. "What is coming up in this next scenario? I'd like to find an opportunity to test the limits of this Probability and get a better understanding of its effects."
"The next scenario is essentially capture the flag. They are going to open up to the rest of the stations, and each of them will appoint a leader with a flag. We will need to protect our flag as well as capture a target group that gets appointed at the start by placing our flag in their station," Dokja began to explain. "If a leader gains control of 10 stations, they also gain access to compete for control over something called the Absolute Throne. It allows the person who is seated to gain control over every person in the Seoul dome. This is something I am aiming for, but only because I want to destroy it."
"Why do you want to destroy it?" Amanises asked curiously.
"If the Absolute Throne is used, we won't be able to progress past a certain point later in the scenarios."
"I see," Zhou chuckled. "If we are up against other stations, going against other people isn't exactly the best opportunity to test my limits. Regardless, we can aid you in gaining access to the 10 stations you need. Maybe I'll just have to wait until later scenarios to find out about this Probability."
"You're fine with me taking the flag?" Dokja wanted to clarify. "Technically it will place you under my control."
Huang laughed as he turned to Zhou. "If the control over you is reinforced by the Star Stream, maybe that can be your way of testing the Probability."
"I wouldn't want to risk anything with Dokja tied to the other end." Zhou shook his head as he looked back at Dokja. "But I don't think it would matter much anyway. If this system really did have the ability to properly restrain me under control, 'He' would have used it already."
As they were talking, Zhou felt a ping from his spiritual intuition as he turned to the sky. A moment later, meteors began to fall from the sky.
"That's going to be the scenario after this," Dokja joined, looking to the sky. "The other version of Shin Yoosung I told you about is in one of those meteors."
Zhou attempted Divination to find which one contained her, but wasn't successful.
"We can deal with that when the time comes. For now, let's just focus on the Throne."
The group finished discussing details about their plan, and Amanises pulled everyone out of the dream and removed the Concealment.
[Many constellations question why you are all standing still again.]
[Many constellations want to hear your explanation.]
Ignoring the messages, Dokja picked up the unconscious Yoo Joonghyuk. Zhou had made sure there were no latent problems. Luckily, he was under control from the Theater Dungeon's ability, and not a marionettist. There was only some remnant corruption, similar to Dokja, that Zhou sealed off using the Door Uniqueness.
—
"Should we really be letting them run off that far?"
Lee Jihye asked as she looked down the stairs where Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung had run off to. She and Kim Namwoon were sitting up against the wall, facing each other on opposite ends by the stairs between the 6th and 7th floors.
"There are no more movie posters. They will be fine, don't worry about them."
Kim Namwoon didn't look up as he continued to play with his new knife, flipping it between his fingers.
Crash!
An empty glass ampoule flew threw the air and smacked the knife out of Kim Namwoon's hands before shattering on the floor beside him.
"What the hell was that for you bastard!" Kim Namwoon scowled across at Lee Jihye as she grinned.
"Hah, there you are. Just had to make sure it was still you." What the hell does that mean?" Kim Namwoon brushed the glass shards from his jacket and picked up his knife before flipping it again.
"You haven't spoken much since we came out of that last movie. And when you did speak, you were 'polite'. That's quite unlike you."
Kim Namwoon fumbled with his knife for a moment before looking up at Lee Jihye.
"What? Would you rather have me call you a bitch again? Because that's what you are being right now!"
Lee Jihye's grin disappeared as she looked Kim Namwoon in the eyes.
"I'd rather you act normally with me instead of this pathetic excuse for manners you've started using."
Kim Namwoon averted his eyes and looked back down at the knife in his hands, flipping it a couple of times before letting out a groan.
"Look, I- um," Kim Namwoon stumbled over his words for a moment as he sighed. "The shit I was giving you earlier… You fucking deserved it after calling me a perv and a dumbass…But, uh…"
Kim Namwoon cleared his throat before continuing.
"I may have taken things too far on the Titanic. It won't happen again."
Kim Namwoon's typical angry expression dropped for just a second as he looked Lee Jihye in the eyes while he spoke. But a moment later, he was back to his normal self as he angrily shouted, "That is, unless your dumbass decides to throw another fucking glass bottle at me! You fucking bastard!"
"Not my fault. You were asking for it. Perv." Lee Jihye said with a grin.
"Shut your fucking mouth before I do it for you, you bastard."
Lee Jihye chuckled. "I'd like to see you try. Bastard."
The two stared at each other from across the hall for a couple of seconds before they both sat back down and went back to what they were doing, bickering back and forth occasionally while waiting for the others to return.
Further down the hall on a lower floor, Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung continued to wander through the halls, searching for any small bugs or animals that were left scurrying around the abandoned theater.
At some point, Lee Gilyoung's beetle had crawled out and landed on Shin Yoosung.
"Ehh. Gilyoung-ah, could you take him back?" Shin Yoosung carefully picked up the beetle with her thumb and index finger and held it out in front of her.
"What's the matter?" Lee Gilyoung Questioned. "Do you not like him?"
"It's not that. I just don't like bugs as much as you do. I don't like it when they crawl on me."
"Oh," Lee Gilyoung seemed somewhat dejected but recalled the beetle anyway.
Shin Yoosung seemed to notice and tried to lighten the mood.
"Where did you get that beetle anyway? Did you just always have it in your jacket?"
"No, Zhou-ssi gave it to me! He's awesome, he asked me to wish for something, and I wished for a beetle just like this one, and then it just appeared right in my hands!"
Shin Yoosung reacted slightly when Zhou was mentioned, and she turned back towards the end of the hall leading to the 8th floor.
Lee Gilyoung noticed Shin Yoosung hadn't responded and turned to see her looking back. "Are you worried about him?"
"No…I mean, not really. I'm just a little upset he keeps leaving me behind. He always goes off with Dokja and his friends to do important things, and I know he's super strong, so he doesn't need any help. But…" Shin Yoosung trailed off as she looked down at her hands. "I just wish that I were stronger, so that Zhou-ssi doesn't leave me behind anymore."
Lee Gilyoung saw that Shin Yoosung was sad, but he didn't really know what to do to cheer her up. He looked down and felt through his pockets for a moment.
"Here," Lee Gilyoung extended a hand out in front of Shin Yoosung. "Take this."
"Huh?" Shin Yoosung looked up and saw Lee Gilyoung holding out one of the ampoules he received earlier from Dokja. "What? Wait, no. I already have my own."
Lee Gilyoung kept his hand out and smiled. "But it will help you get stronger much faster. That way you can keep up with Zhou-ssi. Isn't that what you want?"
"I do, but this…No. I didn't mean it like this," Shin Yoosung waved her hands in front of her in rejection. "We both got our own, you keep it. Thank you though."
Shin Yoosung smiled at Lee Gilyoung until he put his ampoule back into his pocket. Lee Gilyoung spoke once he put them away.
"Should we head back to Jihye-ssi and Namwoon-ssi? The others might be done soon."
Shin Yoosung nodded as the two made their way back to Kim Namwoon and Lee Jihye, right as they finished their argument.
"Are they still not back yet?" Shin Yoosung asked as she came up the stairs and saw Lee Jihye and Kim Namwoon leaning off to either side of the hall.
"Nope," Kim Namwoon said plainly. "But they should be back any minute now."
As if on cue, footsteps were heard echoing through the halls as Dokja and the beyonders descended the stairs.
"Ahjussi!" Shin Yoosung exclaimed as she ran over to Zhou and wrapped her arms around his legs, preventing him from walking forward.
"How are you doing Yoosung? Did you make sure to keep an eye out on those two for me?"
Shin Yoosung giggled as she let go of his legs and walked along beside him.
"How the hell did you get there? There is no way you walked past without us noticing." Kim Namwoon noticed Huang coming down the stairs as well and became somewhat confused.
"I brought him here," Zhou answered. "Don't worry about it."
"Master!" Lee Jihye finally noticed the unconscious Yoo Joonghyuk being carried down by Dokja. "What happened up there?"
"He was being mind-controlled, so we had to knock him unconscious. He should be fine in a little while." Dokja said. "Would you mind watching him until he wakes up?"
Lee Jihye seemed a bit surprised at first but nodded in agreement shortly after.
Zhou explained a slightly different version of what happened to the rest of the group as they made their way out of the dungeon. He made sure to exclude the Celestial Worthy, making it out to be a fight against Yoo Joonghyuk to separate him from the Theater Masters' control.
Dokja lingered towards the back of the group, having a private chat with Bihyung about the filtering and the sudden channel shutdown.
Eventually, they began to hear a commotion coming from downstairs as they got close to the rest of the survivors.
"Where did that Kim Dokja go? Tell me quickly."
Upon closer inspection, the Landlord Alliance could be seen harassing Lee Hyunsung. The night seemed to come to an end.
"Yoo Sangah-ssi, Lee Hyunsung-ssi," Dokja spoke up loud enough to be heard over the shouting.
"You!" Gong Pildu shouted once he spotted Dokja and the rest coming down.
"Gong Pildu." Dokja opened his character sheet and was pleasantly surprised by how much he leveled up over the night.
"This jerk…"
Right before Gong Pildu was able to continue, the air fizzled as dokkaebi Bihyung made an appearance, followed by a message.
[The fourth main scenario will start in 5 minutes!]
[Hahaha, everyone! Have you been well?]
The crowd quieted down at the appearance of the dokkaebi.
[It looks like you are all restless!]
"W-What is it now?" Someone from the crowd called out.
[Of course I came because of the announcement for the fourth scenario.]
"This is shit…"
[Now now, don't act like that. Don't you know I go after the first person who complains? The fourth main scenario has to do with the other stations. A fairly exciting story is waiting for you. I'm sure you will be satisfied!]
The complexion of the crowd darkened at the mention of other stations.
[By the way, in order to proceed with this scenario, you have to perform another task first. Won't it be a mess if the number of people increases? Therefore, you ended a presence to lead you. In other words, there must be a station representative! From now on, we will play a 'skirmish'. It could be called a warp-up game. The rules of the game…well, you will see!]
[The sub scenario has arrived!]
[Sub Scenario – Elect a Representative]
Category: Sub
Difficulty: C
Clear Conditions: Take the 'white flag' installed in the centre of the platform.
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Compensation: 1,000 coins, Chungmuro's representative. Failure: ―
* The representative of the station can exercise strong control over the members.
Before the message window fully popped up, Gong Pildu was already running to the flag in the center of the platform.
"Everybody get out of the way!"
Dokja was about to stop him, but before he could open his mouth to issue a command, the flag suddenly disappeared from its spot. Zhou had used Theft to take the flag the moment it spawned in and handed it to Dokja.
[You have become the 'representative' of Chungmuro.]
[You are qualified to walk the 'King's Road'.]
['Kim Dokja' has occupied the white flag.]
[If the white flag doesn't change owners in the next five minutes, Chungmuro will be under his control.]
[If the flag is snatched in the next five minutes, the timer will reset.]
There was some back and forth between the Landlord Alliance and Dokja, but between the three beyonders standing guard, and Dokja having control over Gong Pildu, it was short-lived.
Seeing that there were quite a few people who opposed his rule, Dokja gave them a chance to walk away. Most of the Alliance members wanted to leave, but when Dokja said that Gong Pildu was staying, only 5 ended up leaving towards Myeongdong.
Once the five minutes passed, the system messages popped up.
[The sub scenario has ended.]
[You have earned 1,000 coins as compensation.]
[The white flag will show its true effects to the Chungmuro representative.]
[Current Group: 29 people.]
[Your reputation is still too weak to gain the title of king.]
[You have gained control of the Chungmuro Group through the effect of the white flag.]
[You can punish a group member who goes against you.]
[There are currently five people who have left.]
"Thank you everybody," Dokja announced to the rest of the crowd.
Lee Hyunsung looked at Dokja with respect while Yoo Sangah and Hung Heewon nodded. Kim Namwoon rolled his eyes, while the three beyonders didn't show any change in expression.
[Ohu, you have voted for a representative. Then let's start the game!]
Bihyoung announced with a snap of his fingers as the fourth scenario appeared.
[The fourth main scenario is activated!]
[Main Scenario #4 – Struggle for the Flag]
Category: Main
Difficulty: C
Clear Conditions:
Every station has a 'flag' and 'flagpole' that can be occupied. * The flag can only be carried by the 'representative' of the station.
You need to protect the flag from other station groups. If a flag is taken away by another group, the losing group will be taken over by the group that occupied the flag.
You can put a 'flag' in the 'flagpole' of another station. The authority of the flag is only for the 'representative' of each station. Once the representative dies in an armed conflict, the authority of the representative is transferred to the person who holds the flag first. If you take the 'flag' of another station group, the treatment of the group deprived of the flag is determined by the group that took the flag.
You must occupy the 'flagpole' of the 'target station' within a certain time limit. Failure to do so will result in the death of all group members.
The target station your group should occupy is Changsin Station.
Time Limit: 12 days.
Compensation: 2,000 coins.
Failure: ???