"We left the station after that, didn't we?" Lee Gilyoung asked, looking around at the other members of the group. Lee Hyunsung nodded in response, recalling the events of that day.
[Some constellations are excited to see what the next challenge will be.]
Geumho Station is in complete disarray—bodies and blood litter the ground, and discarded improvised weapons are strewn about. All of Dokja's group stands on the subway tracks, ready to leave.
Heewon calls up to the few people still left in the station. "Hey, are you sure you won't come with us?"
To her dismay, they decline and agree to go their separate ways.
After last night's incident, most of the survivors have left Geumho Station. There are about five people left excluding our group. I'm sure they'll get by since they were strong enough to survive last night.
"Shall we get going then?" Heewon turns to Dokja, smiling.
She didn't ask if she could come with us. It's a given. Jung Heewon, the [Judge of Evil], became our new ally.
Myungoh is then shown running off into the darkness of the unknown.
And Han Myungoh disappeared without a trace. It's time we left Geumho Station behind for our next destination.
Han Sooyoung scoffed. "Good riddance, nobody liked you anyway."
Kim Dokja had to hold back a laugh at that. It was true that he really didn't give a damn about what happened to Han Myungoh, but he still wasn't expecting everyone—and especially Han Sooyoung, who had absolutely no connection to him—to be so vocal about it.
Shin Yoosung looked down at the ground for a moment. "I feel kinda bad that he got cursed, but he was mean to Sangah-unnie so I don't want to care."
Kim Dokja gently ruffled her hair. "Yoosung-ah, it's okay to care about people, even if they did bad things, and it's okay to be mad at the same time."
He would be a hypocrite if he said otherwise. The Yoo Joonghyuk of the 41st round was absolutely an asshole and definitely did bad things, but Kim Dokja couldn't help but keep rooting for him anyway.
"Really? That doesn't make me a bad person too?" Her eyes were large and almost glistening with unshed tears, and Kim Dokja had to hold back the urge to give her a hug.
He nodded once. "Really."
Her lips stretched into a grin, and he noticed that Yoo Sangah had even begun to smile again.
Everyone sets off toward the next station, following Dokja's lead, but soon Heewon lightly punches him on the shoulder. Immediately, there's a faint electric crackle in the air as a window appears.
[You have received 1,500 coins from Jung Heewon.]
When he asks her what it's for, Heewon tells him that it's his share of the coins she got from the massacre the night before. According to her, she would feel bad if she kept it all and didn't share it, and she had already distributed an equal amount to everyone else in the group.
Dokja tells her that he wouldn't have done that, but Heewon responds she's not him as she affectionately smacks him on the shoulder. It's a bit more powerful than she expected it to be, though, and Dokja quietly remarks that it hurt.
[The constellation 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire' is delighted by your camaraderie.]
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' smiles wickedly.]
'Because I'm the one who got the most coins,' Dokja thinks, frowning slightly at the messages.
Bihyung gave me my share of the coins he was gifted this morning. A lot of coins were gifted because of the battle that took place.
Dokja remembers having to hound the dokkaebi for his due share, and Bihyung had begrudgingly given it to him. Unsurprisingly, he had hoped that Dokja would forget about it.
[Coins in possession: 23,050.]
Everyone was silent for a moment, except for Han Sooyoung who was actively choking on one of her candies.
Once she got her breathing back under control, she shot Kim Dokja a bewildered glance. "What the fuck? You got that many?"
Oh, that amount was nothing. He smiled awkwardly and tried to evade the even more pointed stare that came from Yoo Joonghyuk, but it was futile. He seemed to have figured out just how much money Kim Dokja had been able to blow in the battle for the throne, and why he had been so confident and unbothered about basically pouring thousands of coins down the drain.
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is gobsmacked.]
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is astonished by the amount of coins possessed by the incarnation 'Kim Dokja'.]
The two kids at his sides gasped and looked up at him in awe. "Dokja-hyung, you're really rich!"
Well, less so right now after the fourth scenario, but he'd gain it back soon enough.
Kim Dokja just smirked and looked back up at the screen. "I told you that scamming Bihyung was worth it."
Begrudgingly, everyone had to admit that he was right.
Thanks to the earnings, I could increase my stats.
Windows appear, showing that he increased his stats to Stamina lvl. 15, Strength lvl 15, Agility lvl. 11, and Mana lvl. 10.
I've spent 4,400 coins in total, including some to increase my Mana so I can keep using the [White Star Weapon Aura].
Dokja thinks about how the next destination will be the perfect stage to increase his earnings through Bihyung by pulling in more constellations. As they pass through a translucent barrier, they hear a loud ding as a window appears, which describes the second main scenario. The scenario requires them to make it to the First Shelter Zone.
"A Shelter Zone? What could it be referring to?" Heewon wonders as the window changes, matching Dokja's narration.
The next stage is…Chungmuro Station.
Later in the day and further down the tracks, the entire group is panting and Heewon wonders why there are so many monsters.
'The tunnel was infested with Ground Rats as expected,' Dokja thinks as he recalls just how many Ground Rats they had killed. 'We've been fighting them off the entire way, so everyone must be tired.'
Dokja glances at the sign, which shows their location to be Dongguk University Station, and he proposes that they take a break there.
"Not that it was much of a break," Yoo Sangah muttered absently, and Jung Heewon nodded in agreement. The early scenarios had been incredibly stressful, especially since their stats were still pretty low and everything was far more dangerous while they were still getting accustomed to their new world.
"Plus," Jung Heewon said pointedly while staring at Kim Dokja, "someone ran off on us partway through."
Okay, he had done that, but it had been to get equipment and skills that they sorely needed! Kim Dokja hadn't just run off because he wanted to frolic in the poisonous mist or anything!
The station itself looks decently clean as they walk in, and Dokja notes that the people here left in a hurry. They decide to look for anything useful that may have been left behind. Hyunsung wonders why they don't just rest when they reach Chungmuro, to which Dokja replies they don't know if they'll be able to, making Hyunsung and Sangah flinch nervously.
Yaksu, the station we just departed, was full of Ground Rats and dead people. Looking at their wounds, it was obvious they didn't die fighting against Ground Rats. It's most likely Yoo Joonghyuk's doing.
When they had arrived, the station was a scene of carnage, and Kim Dokja remembers seeing the bloody ground and scattered corpses.
We now know very well that monsters aren't the only things we need to watch out for in this world.
Hyunsung offers to look for useful items, and Dokja can't help but think that it's handy to have someone from the army at a time like this. After a moment, Sangah approaches Heewon and asks a vague question.
"Then shall we…?"
Dokja looks over at them as they start to walk away, and the moment gets incredibly awkward as they all stare at each other for a moment, before Heewon asks if he wants to come as well in a joking manner. Dokja makes a blank face as he tells them to go ahead, thinking that he's a little slow on this. Gilyoung and Hyunsung also decide to hit the bathroom while they can.
"Oppa, you really killed everything in those other stations?" Yoo Mia asked in awe, a small smile on her face. She seemed incredibly proud of her brother's strength, and Kim Dokja completely understood how she felt.
After all, he hadn't spent his early days on the forums fighting for Yoo Joonghyuk's honour for nothing! Not that it had mattered in the long run, though, since everyone else ended up dropping TWSA and left him with no one to debate with.
Yoo Joonghyuk nodded. "It was necessary. They were already overrun, and they were in my way."
Ah yes, short and to the point. How very protagonist of him.
A moment later, Lee Gilyoung reluctantly pulled away from Kim Dokja's side to shuffle closer to the women. "Sangah-noona, Heewon-noona, what were you looking for? You could have asked me or Dokja-hyung to help."
The two women exchanged an amused glance and seemed unsure of what to tell him, but Han Sooyoung huffed out a laugh.
"Kiddo, they were looking for menstrual products," she said with a cheeky grin. "I doubt that dumbass would have known what to look for in the first place."
Hey.
Lee Gilyoung glared at her. "Oh yeah? I bet Dokja-hyung would be better at finding whatever that is than you!"
Jung Heewon buried her face in her hands to muffle a laugh, and even Yoo Sangah looked like her smile was faltering as she barely held back one of her own. Han Sooyoung, however, had no such restraint and let out a loud guffaw.
To be fair, she was right, even if Kim Dokja was reluctant to admit it. It's not like he needed to know what to look for or know the difference between different brands and types. At the very least, he was still managing to keep a straight face.
Poor Lee Hyunsung was red in the face and far too flustered, considering the topic of conversation wasn't inappropriate in the first place. Maybe women just intimidated him a little too much.
[Several female constellations are amused.]
Yoo Sangah decided to take pity on him and cracked a grin. "Gilyoung-ah, it's not really something most men would know much about, so don't worry."
Even though Lee Gilyoung pouted at that, Kim Dokja just nodded sagely and shot Lee Hyunsung a pitying glance. Shin Yoosung caught on to his action, and followed his gaze.
"Um… Hyunsung-oppa, is this stuff super scary or something?"
Kim Dokja had to resist the urge to laugh as Lee Hyunsung's face got even redder. Lee Jihye did laugh, but tried to hide it to save him some face, even if she wasn't very good at it.
"N-no," he stammered, trying to find a way to word things in front of not only a child, but also three very amused women. "I just… I don't need to know about that stuff, and it's a bit embarrassing…"
"Speak for yourself," Yoo Joonghyuk scoffed. When everyone shot him a confused look, he raised a brow at them. "What? I single handedly raised my little sister, of course I did my research in advance. I am not leaving her to figure everything out on her own when she needs to learn."
Could he get any more perfect?
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is praising the incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk' for his kindness.]
[The constellation 'Queen of the Darkest Spring' thinks that the incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk' is quite the gentleman.]
As Sangah and Heewon emerge from the bathroom, they notice that only Hyunsung and Gilyoung are there.
"Where's Dokja?" Heewon asks, slightly concerned.
"Well…" Hyunsung replies, scratching the back of his head. "He said that he's going to take a look outside."
"What!?" Heewon exclaims. "He didn't forget that the air outside is poisonous, did he?!"
Outside the station, Dokja holds his breath and runs as quickly as he can, taking full advantage of his upgraded stats.
It wasn't because the others were tired that I suggested that we stop and rest at Dongguk University.
'From the reading I've done, it should be straight ahead from exit six of Dongguk University Station,' Dokja thinks, looking at signs as he runs to make sure he's on the right route. He notices something ahead and grins internally. 'Found it!'
In front of him stands a statue, and Dokja identifies it as the statue of Samyeongdang. He slows down to walk up to it.
[A constellation wearing a robe is looking forward to the next action you'll take.]
The scene briefly goes back to the rest of the group back at the station, where Heewon asks why Dokja went out.
"He said he was going on a pilgrimage," Hyunsung explains with a laughably confused face, only making Heewon even more bewildered.
Back above ground, Dokja claps his hand to pray in front of the statue, holding his breath to avoid breathing in the poison as much as possible.
[A constellation wearing a robe is delighted by your action.]
[You have been gifted 100 coins.]
Bihyung looks over his channel before noticing Dokja on one of the screens, and he's incredibly shocked. [W-what the…?! What does he think he's…]
Buhyung's words are interrupted when Dokja leaps into the air, brandishing his sword.
[Hey! W-what… don't tell me you're…!] Bihyung exclaims in astonishment as Dokja slices into the head of the statue. [Kim Dokja, you maniac!!]
[Many constellations are astonished.]
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is laughing at the pathetic statue.]
Lee Hyunsung's jaw dropped. "Dokja-ssi… you said a pilgrimage… that's not… what?"
Oops. He had forgotten that he had never told any of them what he had done. Well, too late now.
[The constellation 'Bald General of the Peasant's Army' is holding his head in despair.]
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is holding his stomach and laughing.]
Yoo Sangah looked horrified, probably more because the statue was an important historical monument and less because it could offend a constellation. Well, monument or not, it had a skill he desperately needed.
"Hey, I have to use what I can," Kim Dokja said as he tried to defend himself. "Plus, the skills and items were super useful, so…"
Yoo Joonghyuk hummed in what Kim Dokja could swear was an approving tone. To be fair, that was following (one of) Yoo Joonghyuk's plans, so of course he'd be okay with it. Still, it felt… nice.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is amused by the actions of the incarnation 'Kim Dokja'.]
[A constellation wearing a robe is stunned by what you just did!]
{Are you crazy?! Do you know what you just did?! Are you ignoring me?!} Bihyung's frantic messages appear as the scene changes to Dokja chowing down on a cooked Ground Rat leg with a blank face. {This isn't something that can just be brushed off! You've destroyed an idol of a constellation! Do you want to see my channel ruined?!}
{Pipe down, will you?} Dokja replies as he continues to eat.
All idols are sealed with the power of their respective constellations. Once their seal is broken, you can obtain skills or items that belong to the corresponding constellation. I need the great monk's skill in order to enter Chungmuro.
Dokja pulls out his phone, thankfully connected to a portable charger that he found, and begins to read over his text file.
I used a shortcut that was introduced in TWSA because it takes too long to break the seal by normal means.
{What are you going to do if that 'Bald Leader of the Peasant's Army' speaks ill of my channel?!} Bihyung continues to yell over messages.
{How can you call him that when he's a national hero?} Dokja replies, to which Bihyung protests that he's the last person who can protest the name.
[A constellation wearing a robe is outraged by your atrocious act.]
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' snickers.]
Dokja walks back to the group, and Heewon asks how the pilgrimage went as well as whether he went to a cathedral or temple. Dokja then announces he has something to give them.
"So…This is a powerful relic that used to belong to a certain great man? This old rag?" Heewon says, unimpressed, while wearing
Dokja asks if she has heard of the Great Monk, and Heewon has no idea. She even goes so far as to ask who he is.
[A constellation wearing a robe is shocked by what the incarnation 'Jung Heewon' has said.]
"Uh, sorry?" Jung Heewon said with a slight laugh. "The robe was helpful, though!"
Well, it hadn't protected her from the [Welcome Prison] the way he had hoped, so what could she be talking about?
Kim Dokja then noticed the meaningful glance she shot at him, giving him a quick once-over. Oh. Right. It really was a good thing they had it available.
"Ahjussi, how did you end up wearing it then?" Shin Yoosung asked with a small tug on his sleeve, taking full advantage of Lee Gilyoung being further away to monopolize Kim Dokja's attention.
Ah… how could he even begin to explain that?
Kim Dokja couldn't meet her eyes and glanced off to the side awkwardly. "I had a bit of an accident, so I had to get new clothes."
[The constellation 'God of Wine and Ecstasy' is wondering about this accident.]
Whatever Dionysus was thinking, it definitely wasn't correct.
He could hear Lee Hyunsung let out an agonized groan from where the other man was sitting. Right. Lee Hyunsung had seen him completely naked after that, which was positively humiliating. Jung Heewon, too.
Speaking of which… Kim Dokja sent Han Sooyoung a pleading look. "Hey, do you think you could ask the messages to give me some new clothes or something?"
Han Sooyoung raised a brow as she popped another lemon candy in her mouth. (Really? Another one? Kim Dokja internally said a small prayer for her teeth because it's not like anyone really had the time or energy to brush them in the apocalypse. Actually, now that he thought about it, where was she getting them from anyway?)
Then, she grinned. "No."
Taken aback, Kim Dokja's jaw dropped. "Wait, why not?"
Han Sooyoung rolled her eyes. "For one, I don't want to ask that thing any favours if I can help it. For all we know, it could cost us later."
Okay, that was fair, and even Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to approve of that reasoning.
"Secondly," she said as her lips curled into a truly frightful smirk, "you look funnier this way."
[A constellation who likes to change genders thinks that outfit would look better if the incarnation 'Kim Dokja' changed gender.]
God no.
Thankfully, Sangah pipes up stating she learned about him when studying Korean history as she fastens
"He was a monk from the Mid-Joseon Dynasty. He defended Korea during the Japanese invasion. He won the battles of Nowonpyeong and Ugwandong!" She lectures, and Dokja notes that her knowledge shines even in the apocalypse.
[A constellation wearing a robe is touched by the acknowledgement of the character 'Yoo Sangah.]
"Well, these items are imbued with the great monk's power," Dokja tells them, and Heewon remarks that it really is once she checks the item description.
"I offered a prayer at his statue out of curiosity, and these items fell from the sky," Dokja states, holding up his hand in a praying position while attempting to look pious. Hyunsung, Gilyoung, and Sangah all look slightly confused, while Heewon just looks disgusted and judgemental.
[A few constellations are impressed by your shamelessness.]
"I believe that Samyeongdang has sent down these items to us for the future of our country, Korea," he says, hoping the group will fall for his bullshittery. "Just like how he protected the country during the Japanese invasion, he may have sent us these relics to do the same now. Korea is pretty much under an invasion right now, you see."
These words completely work on Hyunsung and Sangah, who look thankful, while Heewon's expression is even more judgy. However, the next indirect shows that these words haven't only worked on the two of them.
[A constellation wearing a robe has been moved by what you said.]
"Wow, I've never heard such blatant bullshit before," Han Sooyoung remarked, but Kim Dokja had the distinct feeling that she had probably spouted some herself and was choosing to ignore it.
Lee Jihye chuckled. "Wow, now you're trying to scam the constellations too? Good job, ahjussi."
At least someone here appreciated him.
Yoo Sangah just hung her head and sighed. "Dokja-ssi, please be careful when antagonizing the constellations… we don't know what they could do to you if you push them too far."
Well, Kim Dokja wasn't worried about that for now. Maybe it would be a problem later, but he hadn't done nearly enough to catch their attention just yet, even if destroying the throne was pretty big.
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is giggling.]
"Seeing all that's happening around us, I guess you could be right. Maybe Samyeongdang could even be a constellation himself, right?" Sangah clasps her hands together as Hyunsung moves his fist over his chest in thanks. Bihyung joins Heewon in making an unimpressed face, as Heewon moves closer to Dokja and stares even more judgmentally as he keeps a straight face, messaging Bihyung to see if he is happy now.
[A constellation wearing a robe has revealed his nickname.]
[The constellation 'Bald Leader of the Peasant's Army' forgives your transgression.]
The power and the wealth of the constellations are directly influenced by their fame. I did act recklessly, but no constellation would pass up the chance for their name to be praised like this.
Heewon smiles, looking at the robe as she says she'll remember the Great Monk.
[The constellation 'Bald Leader of the Peasant's Army' happily takes it all in.]
[You have been gifted 100 coins.]
Dokja warns the group to get ready as they approach Chungmuro. Hyunsung remarks that thanks to Gilyoung it's been pretty smooth sailing, but Dokja warns them not to let down their guard.
'We have about half a mile until we reach Chungmuro. 'It' should be appearing soon,' Dokja thinks. As if on cue, a window stating the start of a sub scenario appears.
Immediately, all the members of the original group tensed up as they remembered what he was referring to. Jung Heewon clenched her fists and stared off into the distance as her shoulders trembled slightly, and Lee Hyunsung couldn't do anything other than look down at his hands. Lee Gilyoung instantly returned to Kim Dokja's side and glued himself there, but seemed to be trying to appear strong. For his sake, Kim Dokja wouldn't mention just how much the boy was shaking.
Yoo Sangah glanced at everyone worriedly, which made sense since she had escaped the major trauma recall that everyone else experienced. Kim Dokja, for his part, was trying everything he could to push back the barrage of memories that threatened to burst forth. He knew exactly what he had seen, and he dreaded everyone seeing it.
He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Lee Jihye exchanging a glance with Yoo Joonghyuk. After all, they both also knew what was in store for anyone trying to reach Chungmuro station.