Chapter Text
“I can’t allow such a change.” A voice announced, appearing amidst the stars. It was Paul, from the Fourth Scenario. “I won’t have the sanctity of the rules treated like mere guidelines by arrogant worms.”
Dokja whipped around to glare up at the devil. “There shouldn’t be anything wrong with sparing her!”
The voice of the intermediate dokkaebi became harder. “Don't you know that this is a violation of the rules? You might have gotten away with a loophole last time, but the goal of the scenario is to kill the disaster. If you don't follow it—”
"Don't worry. I will kill the disaster." Dokja promised.
Everyone looked at him the moment he said those words, surprised. "Ahjussi, what are you…?" In particular, Lee Jihye looked at him like he was a psychopath.
Hajin wasn’t entirely sure how wrong she was. It wasn't strange for the group to be confused, considering Dokja had just said he wouldn't kill the disaster. Still, most of the party was waiting for his next words, patient in their trusting silence.
"I’ll of course defeat the disaster,” Dokja repeated. “Just not right now."
Paul’s face scrunched in annoyance. “What.”
"Don’t tell me you haven’t read your own scenario screen.” Hajin said, tone polite but his eyes taunting. “You must have paid close attention after what happened last time, so didn’t you notice there’s no time limit?”
Dokja nodded. “Therefore, it’s up to us when we want to kill her." The dokkaebi looked like he had bit into a lemon. "Thus, there is no need to rush. You wrote the rules yourself, we’re simply following them."
The disaster Shin Yoosung looked up at them with a bemused expression. She hadn't known that such a thing was possible.
[The constellation 'Scribe of Heaven' is looking at Kim Dokja with strange eyes.]
The agitation of the constellations could be felt. Just like the fodder stories with the same concepts and flavors that filled web novel sites, the scenarios had also fallen into a familiar pattern. The same stories of strong regressors that kill everything to grow even stronger - the genre people enjoyed was thrilling and heart punding action and drama.
There weren't many episodes that rebelled against the scenario, according to Dokja’s memory. That was exactly why it was so captivating for the constellations who had stumbled across their stream.
This was particularly true in situations where the distinction between good and evil was ambiguous, and Shin Yoosung was nothing if not a tragic character. The number of subscribers from the absolute good or absolute evil constellations would rise in an overwhelming manner, due to the amount of both groups Hajin, Dokja, and apparently Heewon had already drawn into the stream. It was their daily routine to discern the good and evil of the characters, so the arguing over Shin Yoosung’s alignment would be of great interest.
Paul glared down at them, arms crossed. “I can't allow it.”
Dokja raised a brow. "Are you going to interfere in another scenario? Have you forgotten what happened last time?" He challenged.
“...” Paul’s face grew dark.
Dokja’s confidence hinged on the fact that this was a main scenario, not a sub-scenario. The fifth scenario that was scaled to engulf all of the dome, making it difficult for a mere intermediate dokkaebi to change the criteria of the scenario. Not to mention the fact that Paul had already received disciplinary action from the bureau for what happened last time.
He must be afraid of being punished again. Hajin thought, but he wasn't as certain as Dokja was. Almost ten years of mercenary work made him know better than anyone how a plan could fall apart due to unexpected variables. In this case, Hajin didn’t know how far this enemy could be pushed before he did something drastic.
“It won't turn out as you think.” Paul said simply. “Not this time.” He flicked his finger, and system messages popped up.
[A new sub-scenario has arrived!]
Hajin knew what the tricky streamer was thinking. If he couldn't mess with the main scenario, then he would interfere by setting up a sub-scenario.
Paul smiled thinly. “How will people react if the bounty was doubled?”
The original compensation was 100,000 coins. With a flicker, the already ridiculous amount of coins was doubled to 200,000. It was an amount that could make someone rise to the top of Seoul Dome in an instant, rivaling incarnations like the Kings or Hajin’s group members, even if they were staring from level 1. It was enough to risk their lives.
And yet, no incarnations came running.
"Don't move." A woman called out.
"Cherish your lives.” Another man warned. “Stay back if you don't want to be beaten away like moths."
The powerful kings who had joined the fight against the Disaster were now controlling the incarnations. They were King of Beauty Min Jiwon, Maitreya King Cha Sangkyung, and the Neutral King, Jeon Ildo.
And, as always, there was the King of Shadows.
Hajin barely glanced out at the crowd. “Stand down. That’s an order.” His voice was low, but it carried far due to Charming Voice’s passive effect. He had so many members he couldn't even recognize the majority of them, but he was certain a not insignificant amount of the battlefield were likely affiliated with one of his 26 stations.
[The constellation 'Maritime War God' is proud of the incarnations on the Korean Peninsula.]
Paul’s eye twitched as he looked out at the battlefield. Considering the sub-scenario bonus were paid out of dokkaebi’s personal accounts, to have spent so much money on a trick that didn’t work…
“Cowards!” Paul raged, worrying Hajin. A dokkaebi was not a man, but it acted much the same, and when a man was pushed to the edge, he might do anything.
Dokja stood tall, calling out to the sky. "Do you yield? Honestly, won't everyone be satisfied?"
“Everyone will be satisfied?” Paul laughed, high and crazed. “Satisfied!? I thought Dokgak was exaggerating, but you really put on such a show!”
Dokja had done his best to appeal to the constellations with disaster Shin Yoosung's situation. He chose words to avoid the filtering and continued to ignite the constellations by exposing her backstory, making them sympathize with her. It was all to support this rebellion against the system.
In fact, his plan had mostly worked. Showing their support, Hajin could hear the messages of the constellations.
[The constellation 'Bald General of Justice' respects your will.]
[The constellation 'Last Hero of Hwangsanbeol' admires your will.]
There was no problem with continuing the sixth scenario even if the fifth scenario hadn't ended. In fact, it was surprisingly possible to run multiple main scenarios.
They had gone through with a big battle scene, using the bounty to draw as many fighters as possible to the island. The flood of monsters had been unleashed by the Beast Lord, and Evandel created her own army to fight back, which was a surprising but welcome turn of events for the surge of viewership it stole from Beijing Dome. Dozens of incarnations had ended up sacrificing their lives, and even now, Hajin’s group were only resolving this issue through the support of the other Kings.
They had played everything right. Yet, watching the chat messages go by, Hajin pursued his lips.
“Incarnation Kim Dokja. You and your companions are the smartest and scariest out of all the incarnations I know.” Hajin felt a strange sense of incongruity from the dokkaebi's expression. “However, it is this cleverness that will drag you all down.”
"…What does that mean?" Dokja asked, concern and realization mixing.
Dokja was right to be concerned. Paul opened his mouth to speak, but the next words he spoke weren’t for them.
“It’s a shame, isn’t it? We’ve heard this song and dance before.” Paul’s bored voice rung out across the cameras stationed in Seoul Dome. Hovering in the sky, his face was completely at odds with that simple tone. His voice was calm but his face, it was red eyed and mad.
The dokkaebi had on a wide, sadistic grin that showed his fangs for all the incarnations to see. “Friendship. Redemption. These concepts are all well and good, but my dear constellations…don’t you want a flavor of scenario that’s more exciting?” He crooned.
Paul’s back was proudly straight and his eyes gleaming, gesturing to the livestream like the ring leader of a circus. “You didn’t think we would reuse the same, sordid tale as we did last week, did you? The Seoul Dome is not some one trick pony!” Paul kept speaking to the audience, but all his attention was laser focused on Dokja’s bloody form.
“We've seen what happens when a disaster is talked down and gets a happy ending. Now, it's time to see the bad ending.”
[The intermediate dokkaebi has intervened in the scenario.]
[According to the scenario contract, control of the 'Disaster of Floods Shin Yoosung' has been transferred to the intermediate dokkaebi.]
Shin Yoosung's expression started to change at the system messages.
"N-No. Wait. I… aaaack!" A black aura rose from disaster Shin Yoosung's body.
Dokja hurriedly shouted, "Wait! What are you doing?"
“I am only using my end of the contract.” Paul smirked madly down at the torture Yoosung was going through. “That is a cog in the scenario, and I can turn it however I wish.”
[The personality of the character is forcibly changed.]
Forcibly…changed? A wave of utter revulsion came over him.
Hajin’s fists tightened. somehow managing to still be shocked by the horrors of these demons. “To think you bastards would stoop so low…!”
[The personality of the character 'Shin Yoosung' will be fixed to 'evil'.]
The disaster Shin Yoosung was becoming a monster. Dokja had reassured him that the scenario enforcement generally wasn't used because the dokkaebi consumed a lot of probability. But to use it now…
[Many constellations are cheering the development of the scenario.]
It could only be because the majority of constellations supported it. Bihyung's expression was dark as he looked at the sky. Staring between him and Dokja, Hajin understood.
The enmity the constellations had for Dokja, and his reputation—it was too extreme. While the Korean historical grade stars had been convinced, all the higher grade stars who had come out hadn’t fully resolved their frustration.
[Many constellations are laughing at Kim Dokja.]
[Some constellations have withdrawn their support for you.]
Not all constellations sent indirect messages, after all. Only a small number of constellations sent messages, usually the ones who were the biggest fans and supporters. However, now that Bihyung’s stream was so filled with new comers, the ones who sympathized with Yoosung were only a vocal minority.
Despite the anger Hajin felt towards Paul and the constellations, the disgust and horror he felt wasn’t aimed at them. It was aimed at himself.
If Hajin hadn’t pulled what he did was Ilsang. If he had just let a minor villain die a minor villain…
‘You didn’t think we would reuse the same, sordid tale as we did last week, did you?’ Paul’s words echoed in his mind.
It was Hajin’s fault that Shin Yoosung could not be saved.
[Constellations of the Korean Peninsula are looking at you sadly.]
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is looking at you with compassion.]
"Ahhhhh!"
A disturbing aura flowed from the body of Shin Yoosung. It was the kind of killing intent that burned like a tangible thing, reigniting the part of Hajin’s mind that grew sensitive to a djinn’s energy.
It was undeniable that she was being forcibly turned into pure evil.
The masses seemed torn between retreating and dying on the spot out of utter fear, their hearts stuttering to a stop as they died of fright. With her skills, Shin Yoosung looked indistinguishable from a devil to them. For the lower leveled humans, the mere presence of her malice would feel like it could melt their flesh.
Incarnations screamed and fled, trying to escape as the feeling of death grew. In the distance, Hajin could see Yoo Joonghyuk pulling out his Splitting the Sky Sword.
Paul cackled, sadistically filled with glee as the group backed away. “I hope you put on a good show till the end!”
Hajin slowly withdrew from the disaster, cringing at the phantom noises of notifications ringing in his head. Despite her aggressive stance, Shin Yoosung's face distorted, torn between a snarl and a sorrowful look. The fact that her eyes shone with regret made it all the more horrific, knowing she was still conscious of her actions. It seemed it had ended up like this.
His attention quickly turned to Yoo Jonghyuk approaching them. Now that things had turned out this way, and it was obvious what choice he would make.
"Wait a minute, Yoo Jonghyuk." Dokja said, in a much more even tone than Hajin could manage.
The regressor only smoldered. "You have failed."
"Don’t you dare." Hajin snapped, whipping his body around to hide the young Shin Yoosung behind his back. "If you even try to touch her, you’ll have a bullet between your eyes."
“If you do this, I won’t forgive you.” Dokja stood at Hajin’s side, forming a wall to protect Yoosung against Yoo Johngyuk. If Hajin turned his head, he was certain he would see Evandel doing much the same.
Yoo Joonghyuk glared at them, frustrated. "There is no other way."
“A way…” Dokja dug his nails into his palms. "There is a way. We need to show the constellations their favourite scenario."
"What do you mean?" Hajin asked.
Dokja smiled ruefully. "The story of weaklings overcoming all odds to defeat a disaster.”
Yoo Joonghyuk's expression hardened. "That’s suicide. Are you going to let him walk to his death, Kim Hajin?"
Hajin grimaced. “Defeating her…”
In the distance, Shin Yoosung was turning into a demon and destroying everything around her. Hajin didn't want it to be like this. This wasn't the ending he had worked so hard with Dokja to get. But in this damn world, even resisting a scenario became another scenario.
Hajin closed his eyes, nodding. “...fine. We have to at least try.”
[Many constellations are excited by your words.]
[Many of the constellations want an exhilarating melee.]
This was what they wanted to see. Impossible as it would be, they had no other choice.
"Fight with us, Yoo Jonghyuk. We will stop the disaster." Dokja promised, far more confident in their abilities than Hajin felt. Still, they had to do this. The alternative was too terrible.
"You two…"
Hajin stepped forward. "We can do it, but only if you’re with us." Yoo Jonghyuk’s face was hard to read, but it changed slightly as Dokja pulled up his system and tapped on a screen.
"No. 3, Beast King's Sensitivity." Dokja spoke, and familiar, short white fur started to grow up his neck and wrists. The same unique power that the disaster used as defense, in fact.
As if waiting for them to be ready, an ether storm emerged from disaster Shin Yoosung's hands. It was the ether storm that ruthlessly punched a hole through Dokja’s torso earlier, but this time, Dokja confidently stepped forward to take the blow, His eyes shown yellow as a pure white fur cloak rippled out from his back, combining with his white dimensional coat. He made an X with his arms and braced for impact, receiving the attack of Shin Yoosung.
Since when was Dokja an ability copy fighter? Hajin mildly worried if Dokja had the kind of skill that allowed him to mimic the abilities that he had died to.
Next to Hajin, Yoo Joonghyuk frowned. "You might have stolen her skill, but defeating her is still impossible."
Dokja straightened up. "I know. Regardless, we will." He turned his piercing yellow eyes to the sky. "Open your eyes and watch carefully." He declared. "This is the scenario you wanted."
Turning back to his screen, Dokja selected something new, yet the red power was familiar to Hajin. He had fought alongside it’s rightful owner a few times, and was certain she had never attacked Dokja with it. He knew this because the skill Dokja had selected was Jung Heewon’s Judgment Time.
Hajin implicitly understood what Dokja’s new plan was, and Yoo Joongyhuk must have as well.
['Judgment Time Lv. 5' has been activated.]
Shin Yoosung ran towards Dokja and Dokja ran towards her. Despite the power wreathing their bodies and the energy emanating from their blows, Hajin could see how there was no sincerity. Neither wanted to kill the other. This was only a fight for the constellations' amusement. Everything was an act and therefore everything was fake. But no matter the faithless acting, the result of this battle was that someone was going to die.
The activation skill was level 5. Hajin noticed. It seemed that Jung Heewon had been training hard. It was difficult to fight without her here, but with Dokja playing the stopgap, it wasn't completely doomed.
[The constellation 'Scribe of Heaven' is embarrassed.]
[Constellations of the Absolute Good system are deep in thought.]
It was natural to be confused since Dokja, who certainly wasn't a judge, had used a skill he shouldn’t have. Yet they were bound to give him permission.
[The Absolute Good constellations have agreed to the use of this skill.]
When Paul had changed Shin Yoosung’s complex character to Evil to force her to fight, he had also given her a huge weakness by doing so. Setting an enemy to ‘Evil’ meant that attacks of the ‘Good’ alignment would now be incredibly effective.
A wave of unrivaled magic power burst out from Dokja’s Blade of Faith. The ether blade resonated and moved in a straight line towards Shin Yoosung.
Blood splashed from her shoulder, surprising the disaster. The Beast King's Sensitivity that hadn’t been damaged by the shells of the Ghost Fleet was finally torn. Drops of blood fell onto the white fur.
Eden’s Hour of Judgement was truly a worthy skill.
"I can hold her for a while, but I’ll need support!” Dokja grit his teeth.
Hajin nodded, turning back to the party members who remained. "When she is attacking normally, support using ranged attacks.”
Dokja clashed with her again. “And when she’s trying a wide range attack, be sure to get behind me!" Judging by the damage the ether storm had done, Hajin doubted anyone but Hyunsung had the defense possible to take one of her blows head on.
[Observed skill ‘Incite’ has been activated.]
Hajin looked meaningfully at the three kings before calling out to the battlefield at large. “If you don't have ranged support then kill the monsters emerging from the Monster Gate! That matter is urgent to guard the main combat party!”
In fact, it was because monsters were still emerging from Shin Yoosung's Monster Gate that Yongsan-gu was almost on the verge of collapse.
"Everyone fight!" The kings ordered and the full-fledged battle began. The forces of the kings blocked the monsters coming from the Monster Gate. Most of them were 7th grade species and were quite daunting. Fortunately, the incarnations didn't seem to be greatly pushed back.
"I'll take care of that monkey." Lee Hyunsung ran towards the 5th grade Heavy Metal Kong.
"I will take Yoosung's king." Lee Gilyoung moved with the young Shin Yoosung.
Queen Mirabad controlled by Shin Yoosung roared and some of the insect kings' subordinates that Lee Gilyoung summoned rushed towards the King Masswood. The cold breaths of the ichthyosaurs poured towards each other and Lee Jihye stepped forward.
"Ahjussi, leave the covering fire to me."
Sangha spread her fingers. "I'll block her movements."
Lee Jihye fired the cannons and Yoo Sangah made a trap with Arachne's Spiderweb, keeping the movements of the disaster Shin Yoosung in check. Of course, it was only a small help. The shell bombardment barely damaged her and Shin Yoosung just tore apart the web. It was better than nothing.
“There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.” Evandel murmured, yet ran off to board one of Jihye’s ships as she sent marching orders to her beasts once again.
Hajin turned to the last incarnation by his side. "Yoo Joonghyuk. Can you fight?"
Apart from Hajin and Dokja, only Yoo Joonghyuk could follow the movements of Shin Yoosung and endure her attacks to some extent.
"…Don't worry about me." Yoo Joonghyuk spit blood on the floor as he stood beside Dokja with the Splitting the Sky Sword. He might've already used that recovery skill he had because his condition seemed better than before, but Hajin knew the skill came with a backlash.
Dokja leapt back towards them, letting Jihye take cover fire. "How many minutes do you have left?" He asked Jonghyuk.
"30 minutes. You?"
Dokja tsked. "The same. We’ll need to stall until Heewon-ssi can get here, and use her own Judge ability."
Yoo Jonghyuk raised his sword, glancing at Hajin. “Do you have elemental bullets?”
Hajin unholstered his aether-infused pistols as he glanced at his inventory. “I’ve down to my last 100. I’ll need to retreat soon and come up with something else.”
While Jihye and a team of once against shining beasts were distracting the disaster, the black aura flowing from Shin Yoosung's body thickened. Hajin could feel his hair stand on end. Her already crazy physical stats were increasing due to the evil energy.
Yoo Joonghyuk's expression hardened. "…It seems that she joined hands with a great demon to cross worlds."
“She must have had her soul was mortgaged to a great demon, who turned her over to the damn dokkaebis.” Dokja frowned.
“Her soul was sold?” Hajin repeated sharply.
Demons had the abilities to cross worlds? The potential of this being the world the Second Author was from grew in his mind everyday.
“Now’s not the time. Later.” Dokja said, rolling out of the way of a messy slash.
Above them, Paul looked like he was savoring a sweet that he was pleasantly surprised to have been gifted. “Hahaha, interesting. Very interesting. The scenario is now like this.”
It was a battlefield were blood splattered and flesh was torn. The destruction of Seoul Dome, which they had all wanted to prevent, was approaching with every second.
[Many constellations are excited by the battle.]
Paul’s smirk grows into a mad grin. “Oh, and I almost forgot.” He raises his hand, staring Hajin down. “The Station Chat function has been restored.”
Paul snaps, and Hajin is hit with what feels like a flashbang.
“Fuck!” Hajin curses, throwing an arm over his eyes as he staggers back. It did nothing to stop the hundreds—no, thousands of notifications that were filling his vision all at once.
“Hajin-ssi? Hajin-ssi!”
DING DING DING—!
“Due to the service update, all previously muted chats and notification settings have been reset to default.” Paul taunted. Hajin only barely heard through his painfully abused hearing. “Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
“Hajin, what’s wrong!?”
Hajin clutched his ears, but it did nothing to stop the sound of thousands of messages being sent all at once.
DING DING DING DING DING—!
He couldn't block it out. The sound was coming from inside his own head.
“Go!” Hajin got out, grimacing as he blindly crouched down behind a fallen beast’s corpse. “Hold her!”
Regardless of what they felt about the situations, they had no choice but to turn their attention back to the fight.
Fighting the initial shock of pain, Hajin forced himself to pry open his eyes and mute each station chat. It took precious moments to mute them one by one. Precious moments you didn’t have in a life or death battle field. It took far longer than it should, with how often a new notification would appear right as he was about to click mute, bringing him out of the menu and into a random chat log.
But then, hidden in the middle of all the notifications, a different screen appears.
A reward screen, to be specific.
[You have won the bounty!]
[73,425 coins have been awarded.]
It was absurd. The reward was almost double what it should have been.
That dokkaebi bastard. Hajin growled, forcing himself up through the pain. He was deliberately trying to bury this notification.
Originally, the bounty had said 40,000—but that was only the starting price. There was the extra attribute of the bounty hunting scenario, as it also doubled as a bidding war.
To be specific, the original screen had stated Compensation: 40,000 ~ ??? coins, because for every donation a constellation made to help or hinder Dokja, those coins were added to the prize pool.
For every god Dokja offended and every angel he disgraced, he was gathering a higher and higher bounty to tempt even the most isolated incarnations to come out of the woodworks for the money. Hajin didn’t know if Dokja had known he was going to die within the time limit, but if he did, he was truly genius. Using the hatred held by the stars, he possibly expected Jonghyuk to strike the final blow so that they were even after what happened at the King’s Throne.
As it was, though, Jonghyuk refused the bounty, so Hajin got it instead—and Paul wouldn’t like that.
While Dokja was his main source of ire, Hajin was a close second place, judging by the way he was teleported directly into a cage, the King’s stations were jammed, and his daughter was sent to the completely opposite end of Seoul than him. Dokja at least had Sooyoung nearby, and Sangah had that landlord ahjussi, but Evandel had no one from any station or group she knew.
Paul knew how deadly Shin Yoosung was, and they could all quite possibly die right here. Hiding the reward notification in the hopes that Hajin wouldn’t find it before Yoosung took him out…
Hajin didn’t have the time to level anything up or buy new skills—but he didn’t need to.
[Skill Creation has succeeded!]
With the skills he already had and the coins he had been gifted, he knew exactly what to do.
For a few minutes, the duo of Yoo Jonghyuk and Kim Dokja managed to stall the disaster steadily. The pause in the battle had let them catch their breath and regroup, using their recovery skills if they had them.
Soon, however, Jonghyuk’s dodge wasn’t quick enough and a slash scratched down his side. It wasn’t deep, but it was enough for Dokja to be distracted and miss his own attack on Yoosung’s back due to his attention focused on Joonghyuk. Due to the lack of a pinching attack from Dokja’s side, Yoosung was able to retreat out of the way of Jonghyuk’s sword.
This was the first domino to fall, and small mistakes started to pile up. The two swordsman worked together shockingly well considering how often they were at odds, and they managed to hold Yoosung still enough for Jihye to occasionally get a few shots in. However, the skill level of their opponent and their dwindling stamina was catching up to them.
They needed back up, but Hajin’s fire attribute bullets were an insufficient supply.
Jonghyuk was blown back by a wild kick to the chest, and Dokja was struggling to defend without any other attackers to divide Yoosung’s attention. Dokja had his hands wrapped around Yoosung’s wrists, fighting to hold her back, when a whoosh of air shot past his ear.
A light attribute arrow slammed into Yoosung’s shoulder, making her cry out.
Dokja gaped at the glowing arrow, following it’s path back to the man who had shot it. “How—?”
“Thanks for getting such a high bounty, by the way.” Hajin almost smiled as he lifted his Aether-Infused Poisoner’s Bow, glowing in his bare hands. “Now, my weapons are no longer so outclassed.” He had taken off his gloves so he could get a better grip.
“Since when could you use bows?” Dokja said faintly, watching as Yoosung furiously tore the arrow out of her shoulder.
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m a Master Sharpshooter.” Hajin strung another volley of light-attribute arrows, releasing them right as Yoosung tried to advance. “I’m not limited to firearms. There isn’t a ranged weapon out there I can’t wield.”
He had picked up one of the Poisoner group’s bows back when they had been fighting Lee Seolwha, and at every chance Hajin got, he was using the monster bones he had collected to whittle into arrows. At the campfire after every hunting session, Hajin was using the bird feathers he had gotten from Fleterski’s minions to craft fletchings for his growing stack of arrows.
Jonghyuk returned to his spot on the front lines, briefly eyeing Hajin’s bow. “Not bad.”
Previously, the low-grade of the Poisoner's bow hadn't made using it worth it compared to his revolvers, and it had continued to sit in his inventory unused.
Now, though? Hajin had Aether back, and a quick scan of his system window confirmed that the two lines of his Stigma tattoo meant he still had the basic skills that came with it:
Curve Shot, Rapid Fire, and Bullet Time.
“How’s your poison immunity, Dokja?” Hajin called from behind a rhinoceros’s corpse.
Dokja looked baffled as he blocked the ether storm heading for the crowd. He turned his head towards Hajin to briefly stare at him, worried. “...bad?”
“Good.” Hajin’s eagle eyes shined as he unleashed a volley of poison tipped arrows, their points made from the fangs of the many poisonous creatures in the city. “That means her poison immunity is bad as well.”
In three seconds he had shot thirteen arrows, a number that would be impossible without Bullet Time. Unfortunately, Bullet Time was currently restricted to 1 minute of usage per day rather than 3, but it would have to be enough for now.
Forced to choose between letting the arrows hit her or losing a limb to Jongyhuk’s sword, Yoosung chose to dodge the sword strike and let the arrows strike her torso. Seeing that they didn’t glow with the luminosity of the light attribute, she must have believed that simple poison arrowheads wouldn’t be strong enough to pierce her hide. The immediate buckling of her knees showed what a poor decision that was.
If the arrows had come from anyone else in Seoul right now, her instinct would have been correct. However, the strength of an Aether infused weapon could not be underestimated. Even with the low grade of the original Poisoner’s bow, Hajin’s max dexterity and craftsmanship skill meant the arrows he carved by hand were considered a quality medium grade.
“Push!” Jonghyuk snapped, and charged in with Dokja following close behind.
Hajin used Observe and quickly read Yoosung’s profile, finding the debuff section. “The poison isn’t strong enough to completely paralyze her, but she’ll be off balance and slow for 60 more seconds!”
Dokja immediately jumps back, having gotten too close and nearly decapitated as he saw for himself how fast she still was. “Where did you even get poison arrows of this quality?”
“I made them myself.” Hajin said like it was obvious. “Didn’t you wonder why I was always dismantling monsters and carving their bones?”
Dokja readjusted his grip on his sword before flying back into battle with a gust of wind. “Honestly, I thought it was just your way of stress relief.”
Swords swung forward and clashed with Yoosung’s beastly claws. Her face was contorted as she continued to fight recklessly, even with poison flowing through her system.
“Kim Hajin. Do you have more of them?” Jonghyuk demanded impolitely, the way he did most things.
“I only had the material for a few poison arrows, but that won’t be an issue.” Hajin replied back evenly, falling back into his familiar style of mid range shooting.
[Observed skill ‘Elemental Ammunition’ has been activated.]
Hajin released three arrows at once, his magic imbuing them with the element of shining light to puncture the disaster’s defense. “The arrows in the store aren't as good as mine, but you get an impressive amount for how cheap they are.”
The quality wouldn't be coming from the arrows themselves, but the light attribute he bestowed upon it with the observed skill he had somehow copied from that escaped prisoner Bex.
They didn't even bother to sell bullets in Hajin’s Low grade dokkaebi bag, but bows were one of the common weapons used throughout history. In comparison, there were plenty of arrow options to choose from. He didn't bother with any of the fancy options though, as he didn’t need homing arrows or golden fletchings. He only bought enough that would last him this battle and more.
With Curve Shot and Rapid Fire, he didn’t need trick arrows. Even if both of the skills were limited, being at level 2, when combined with the grade of his other skills and items, he managed to put up a good fight.
Of course, he could only continue to fight unhindered because of the quality of his allies.
Dokja dived in front of Hajin, throwing his arms out and using his cloak to absorb an ether blast aimed right at the monster corpse Hajin had been crouched behind.
Hajin immediately had leapt up and started looking around for a better vantage point when a familiar magic reached out and tugged at his cape. Glancing back, he sees one of Evandel’s golden eagles had flown down from the sky and bowed its neck to him. It was a silent offer which Hajin was happy to accept.
He swung his legs over the back of the magic construct, only keeping steady from years of unconventional steeds as the bird took flight. He quickly adjusted to the rise in altitude, scanning the battlefield below and raising his bow again. It would be harder for Yoosung to deal with arrows coming from directions she couldn’t see, and much harder for her to track down Hajin and attack him when the eagle would have already flown off and hidden him in the dark clouds above.
A spark of red energy overcame him, and he was surprised to realize he could silently communicate his thoughts to the eagle. Not in straightforward words or commands, but in a sort of pushing of his desires forward to urge the eagle to duck or turn, similar yet distinct from Sound Transmission.
Looking over at the ghost fleet flying over the water, Evandel waved, knowing he’d be able to see her even 100 meters away. Hajin shook his head with a small smile, and accepted his temporary inclusion in Evandel’s army.
Yoo Jonghyuk and Kim Dokja continued to fight side by side on the ground, and Hajin was able to witness how strong those two had truly become. Jonghyuk’s experience spoke of lifetimes of practice in constant near death scenarios, while the Judge of Evil skill made Dokja fight like a man possessed.
For the next ten, then twenty, and finally thirty minutes, they continued like this. Yoosung’s skin grew grey and her eyes shined a demonic purple. Her hair turned white and wild, and stripes like a tiger’s started to appear on the sides of her face.
Despite all their efforts, the more “Evil” Yoosung was, the stronger she became. Her ether was dyed a malevolent violet, and the face of monsters could be seen in her blasts. Eventually, even Hajin had gotten injured after Yoosung realized he was a threat, but he was nowhere near the state that the close combat duo had suffered.
Finally, right as Dokja’s cloak of white fur was wearing off, the chimes of church bells rang out across the battlefield. Dokja turned around with Jonghyuk’s leaning on him, the protagonist needing Dokja’s help just to remain standing.
“Sorry I’m late.” A voice called out, walking to the front of a marching troop of women.
Jung Heewon had arrived, and the Wanderers were following behind her.
Sweaty, bruised, and beaten bloody, Dokja’s face relaxed into visible relief while Jonghyuk let out a low breath, eyes struggling to stay open. Heewon waved back at them, her tone roguish and confident. By the coast, the Wanderers aimed their assault rifles at the beasts still littering the waters.
“Captain and the Commander, all in one place.” Heewon unleashed her sword, readying her stance. “How could you start the party without me?”
['Judgment Time Lv. 5' has been activated.]
Dokja and Jonghyuk immediately backed off as Heewon took on the role of the main damage dealer. Despite being alone in the front, it wasn’t as dangerous for Heewon as it would have been for Dokja or Jonghyuk. Her every step was tinted with the pure power and violence of her Judgement skill, and the authenticity of the real thing was a heedy thing to feel.
Eden was truly a frightening force.
But, while she might have been able to handle things on her own, Hajin had been hoarding arrows for this very moment, and he was in a much better state as a long range fighter than the matching couple. He trusted the two of them to find somewhere safe to recover and focused all his attention on covering Heewon’s back, giving her support while Jihye was too busy attacking the Monster Gates.
It had been a while since he and Heewon had fought together, back when they were both at much lower levels with much weaker enemies. The dynamic of a bow and arrows was also a bit different from his pistols or shoddy attempts at martial arts, but they fell into a rhythm easily.
The constellations of Absolute Good above were delighted by their fighting, shameless in their support now that a real Judge of Evil had replaced Dokja’s mere imitation. Constellations of Absolute Evil were also watching, sadistically enjoying the violence and their inclusion in yet another scenario. Even if they were set to lose once again, it was rather status quo for evil to lose to good in the end, and seeing a strong villain seemed to be what most of them cared about over evil actually winning.
“Let’s end this damn scenario!” Heewon roared, swiping her hand over her blade and igniting it into blistering white flames.
[Jung Heewon has activated the Stigma, Flames of Hell, Lv. 1!]
Sweeping her blade forward, a slash of pure flames was thrown into the snarling purple lion of Yoosung’s ether storm. The blast of energy stronger than any the catastrophe had ever thrown before, like the disaster was putting all of her force into this single attack.
Yet, the flames cut through the ether with a loud boom, destroying everything in its path. The island cracked like it had been hit by an earthquake, the trees were uprooted and even some buildings on the other side of the river were cut through. The power of Heewon’s attack combined with the aftermath of the ether storm was enough to completely change the topography of the island.
[Many constellations are excited by the tale you’ve woven.]
Yoosung spat blood, and continued to lunge forward regardless.
[You have been gifted 15,000 coins.]
Hajin’s face was cold as he strung his bow and shot another streak of light.
[Demonic Judge of Fire looks down at the battlefield with sad eyes.]
Heewon stabbed forward, meeting Yoosung’s attack with a blade straight through the heart.
[Constellations of the Korean Peninsula look at you with sorrow.]
Yoosung froze, blood dribbling from the corner of her lip. With a quiet thud, she fell to her knees and did not get back up.
Hajin’s face felt cool as he commanded the eagle to land. There was no snow or rain, only frozen mist falling from the foggy sky. The cold sensation would be a relief to the incarnations who had fought in the heated battle.
It was almost funny. Humans always felt so alive after the death of another.
"Ah…"
The people of Seoul Dome collapsed once their tension disappeared. There were people laughing, crying, and feeling angry. The donations of the constellation flowed here and there. The responses were different, but there was one thing they all agreed on.
The ‘Disaster of Floods’ had been defeated.
The wound was undeniably fatal, but the power of a Beast Lord was truly strong. Even as she bled out on her knees, Shin Yoosung still managed to smile.
“I’m glad I came to this round. I’m glad I did what the captain told me to do.” The purple had left her eyes and her skin had returned to its normal color. “Some things might even change for real this round.”
The group all stood before her, reuniting from each corner of the battlefield. At the front of the party was Yoo Jonghyuk, staring down at the woman impassively.
Shin Yoosung tilted her head to look at the dokkaebis floating close by. “Is it okay if I go on a little dramatic rant since I’m about to die now? We’ve put on an excellent scenario.”
[A few constellations nod in agreement.]
[Some constellations are voicing their dissatisfaction.]
“Are you leaving?” Yoo Jonghyuk asked quietly.
Shin Yoosung’s expression grew rueful. “I guess so.”
“I guess you didn’t hate me enough.”
Shin Yoosung stared at Yoo Jonghyuk, looking as if she was trying to ask him something with just her eyes.
Yoo Jonghyuk spoke first. “Who is the demon that helped you cross between worlds?”
Shin Yoosung’s eyes were wide and her mouth slack, stunned for a moment before she laughed. “To the end, you’re so predictable, Captain.” For some reason, the rude demand for information seemed to mean something more to the future Yoosung. “Have you heard of the Demon of the Horizon?”
Yoo Jonghyuk nodded.
“You’ll see him too if you’re unlucky.” Like mist, Shin Yoosung’s body started to blow away.
“Don’t try and fight it.” Her body disintegrated like a letter thrown in a fireplace. Perhaps this was the type of death that the Flames of Hell stigma brought. “You will never be able to defeat it no matter how hard you try.”
She stopped speaking after that, and Yoo Jonghyuk didn’t ask anymore questions. Hajin expected them to at least say goodbye, but as the two stared into each other’s eyes, an implicit understanding said everything they needed to.
But before she could completely burn away, Dokja stepped forward, activating Beast King's Sensitivity. Eyes a matching slit yellow, he kneeled down and put his hand on her shoulder. He must have been using that telepathy skill that wasn’t telepathy, as a surprised expression silently appeared on Yoosung’s face.
“You’ll really…” She whispered, tears starting to bead in her eyes.
Dokja nodded firmly, his face utterly certain.
With his hand still gripping her shoulder, the last of Shin Yoosung finally drifted into the sky.
Dokja’s fist closed around dust and air, and his shoulders briefly shook. At Hajin’s side, the children were all crying, and even the adults were tearing up as well. Hyunsung’s broad shoulders curved in, and Sangah put a hand up to cover her eyes. Drops of liquid fell by Hajin’s feet.
Despite the atmosphere being like this, Hajin couldn’t cry. It wasn’t tears falling, but blood from his nails stabbed into the flesh of his palms
Hajin raised a fierce glare towards the dokkaebi’s watching in the starry evening light, his eyes unknowingly glowing with the last bits of mana he had left. "So this is what you wanted, isn’t it?"
Cutting wind blows across the island. At first, it had been a relief to the tired incarnations, but it now grew icy and harsh against their damp skin.
"She had already been convinced, already willing to stand down, but you dokkaebies always want to be the ones in control.” The constellation messages started to go by faster in the chat. Hajin ignored them too. “You talked so big about giving the constellations a new twist, but isn’t killing the catastrophe the same scenario we all know?”
[Many constellations are listening to you speak.]
“I am sick of having needless blood on my hands, but you just had to force this outcome, didn’t you, Paul?” Hajin looked out at the island of Nodeulseom, where hundreds of dead bodies littered the ground. It was a true war zone of senseless deaths. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people had died today that didn’t need to. All because of the streamers ego.
“You hate when incarnations disobey you, but you must hate when constellations support a new story even more.” His burning eyes came back to Paul’s still form. “Otherwise, why couldn’t peace be our story?”
Despite being so talkative before, the dokkaebi now seemed mute.
Staring down at Hajin, Paul’s face was frozen in aggravated shock. Bihyung, who had been watching expectantly from behind him, finally opened his mouth. “Intermediate dokkaebi. The scenario has ended.”
Paul didn’t hear it. “How? This…this isn’t…”
Bihyung grew annoyed. “If you won't do it, then I will end this.”
A moment later, a message was heard.
[The fifth main scenario is activated!]
[The compensation settlement is being prepared.]
At that moment, when the system finally declared her death, the young Shin Yoosung's posture grew stiff where she was tightly holding on to Evandel’s hand.
"Hajin-hyung. I will kill…" The girl's eyes were fixed on Paul floating in the air. "That dokkaebi, I'll kill him."
Hajin agreed. “Good.”
Seeing as no one else was willing to, Dokja put a hand on Yoosung’s arm to try and restrain her when sparks flew in the air. The sky was crumbling and a portal was opening.
Two white dokkaebis emerged from the portal. The low-grade dokkaebis that had been crowding around saw the two dokkaebis wearing white armour and backed away at once.
The armored dokkaebis had a fearsome atmosphere as they approached Paul, their weapons drawn as they chained his wrists.
“…Executives.” Paul gasped, returning to his senses as fear doused his body in ice. “What are you doing?”
One floated forward, his voice booming and imperious. “Intermediate dokkaebi 'Paul'. You shall be arrested for violating the Star Stream regulations.”