"Please be okay… please be okay, ahjussi…" Shin Yoosung muttered tearfully, keeping her tight grip on Kim Dokja's robe. He wanted to reassure her, but he couldn't, knowing what was to come. Lee Gilyoung said nothing, but clung to him all the same.
[Several constellations are concerned for the wellbeing of the incarnation 'Kim Dokja'.]
Gilyoung's screams continue, frantically calling out for Dokja as tears begin to run down his face. The hand firmly grasped on his shoulder is the only thing managing to keep him in place, and even then, Joonghyuk looks too shocked to pay much attention.
'Just now, that was…!' Joonghyuk thinks as he furrows his immaculate brow. 'Just before the monsters could reach him.. He swallowed those..!'
He remembers that he had seen Dokja toss a few
'Doesn't he recognize what those stones are? Even if he does, he will still die.'
A faint bluish mist emerges from the pile of monsters as the air itself appears to warp, distorting everything from Dokja's point of view, including Joonghyuk and Gilyoung.
['Welcome Prison' has been activated.]
[You are a phantom now.]
"What…?" Yoo Sangah muttered quietly, shooting Kim Dokja a worried glance. "What does that do?"
Kim Dokja pursed his lips and tried to keep his breathing in a steady rhythm. "I put myself through the [Welcome Prison] because it was better than dying. As a phantom, the monsters couldn't touch me."
Han Sooyoung sent him a complicated glance before she sighed. "Goddamn, I can't even make fun of you for that."
Well, at least that was appreciated.
[Many constellations are curious about what was seen inside the 'Welcome Prison'.]
And that was exactly what he was afraid of. Not wanting to see it again, Kim Dokja screwed his eyes shut and grasped the children's hands tightly, as though they were his only lifeline. He was prepared for it, he was bracing for it, and he knew exactly what was coming. Maybe… maybe this time he wouldn't lose himself. As if understanding his thoughts, Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung clutched onto him with everything they had.
"Dokja!"
His eyes fly open at the call of his name, and Dokja sits up from the ground, his hand on his head as he groans at the pain. Something catches his attention in his peripheral vision and he hesitantly turns to see what's there.
A living room emerges from the nothingness, a sight that would seemingly be serene if not for what has just happened inside. A woman with messy brown hair stands facing away from him and, by her feet, a man lays motionless on the ground. It would almost appear as though he was sleeping if not for the slowly-growing puddle of blood underneath him and the stab wound on his chest.
[Due to excessive immersion, the influence of 'The Fourth Wall' has temporarily weakened.]
'Oh no, not this memory.' Dokja trembles violently as his eyes dart between the two figures in front of him. He feels like he can't breathe as the woman seemingly begins to turn in his direction. Dokja's chest seizes and everything goes blurry as he pleads with himself internally. 'Don't think about it…!'
"Oh fuck," Han Sooyoung breathed, her voice shaky.
Yoo Sangah's breath hitched. "Dokja-ssi…"
Kim Dokja refused to open his eyes. He didn't need to see it to know what everyone was seeing. He didn't need to see it to live it over and over again inside of his own mind. Everything was so clear—the tang of iron in the air mixing with the pungent scent of alcohol, creaky floorboards slowly stained crimson, his own shallow and weak breaths, and the long-familiar ache of bruises.
Her voice, repeating those words over and over again.
"Oh god, ajhussi…" Lee Jihye muttered, sounding absolutely horrified.
Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung were silent, probably in shock, but Kim Dokja couldn't care when all the sounds and feelings and thoughts were trapping him again. He knew that his breathing was speeding up no matter what he did to keep it under control, and he plummeted into the darkness.
In an instant, he was seven years old again and he was right back in that room, watching helplessly as all his dreams and nightmares came true at once. Kim Dokja didn't even know if he had cried, or if he had been too deep in shock.
Don't think about it don't think about it nothing happened it was self-defense nothing happened don't think about it remember you are a victim don't think about it—
"Dokja-yah, read it again."
Time lost all meaning as Kim Dokja fell deeper into the void of his own mind, only barely managing to keep himself tethered to reality thanks to the kids who were whimpering in fear next to him. For a moment, he wondered if the mere fact that there were scared children around was enough to keep him semi-alert, on-guard and agitated. That maybe he could protect them like he could never protect himself.
Slowly, carefully, Kim Dokja forced himself to open his eyes amidst the pinging of the indirects, and he was internally grateful for them. They were something else for him to focus on instead of the scene still being shown for everyone to see.
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is speechless.]
[The constellation 'Queen of the Darkest Spring' is frowning worriedly.]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is close to tears.]
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is feeling great hostility towards the people on the screen.]
Kim Dokja chanced a glance over at Yoo Joonghyuk, and he noticed two things. For one, Yoo Mia was staring directly at him, her eyes wide and teary. Secondly, Yoo Joonghyuk's face was locked in an impassive expression, but his eyes seemed to shake as he watched. He never turned to look at Kim Dokja.
Kim Dokja appreciated that. There were enough too many eyes on him already and he could feel his breathing start to pick up again as they bored into him. Members of his group and their gazes filled with pity, the morbidly curious stares of the random incarnations sitting around them, and one distinctly uncomfortable sensation. It felt like there was someone in this place who was staring at him so intently that Kim Dokja wanted to crawl out of his own skin.
The feeling was uncomfortably familiar in a way he had never hoped to experience again.
It felt like her.
As if hearing his prayer, the scene vanishes, leaving behind only a field so pristine and white that it could almost be mistaken for a field of snow. Dokja collapses to his hands and knees, gasping for breath after that ordeal. He brings one hand to his head, hauntedly staring at things that are no longer in front of him as he struggles to get himself back under control.
After a moment, he manages to exhale deeply and steel his spirit. 'This damned trauma…'
I have some memories which I don't want to remember. If you consume the
'This is why I didn't want to use this method,' Dokja thinks as he gets back to his feet.
[The Fourth Wall] skill is a scam, but it's more than enough for me. If someone else had this skill, they would have become a fanatic on the spot.
As Dokja looks at the pop-up window, waiting for [The Fourth Wall] to be restored, a female voice calls out from nowhere for Joonghyuk.
[A few constellations are curious about the intruder.]
"What now?" Jung Heewon hissed, glaring at the screen. "What the fuck does he have to do with anything?"
Oh. Right.
Kim Dokja managed to get his breathing back under control after a few moments, shooting a worried glance over at Yoo Joonghyuk. If she had been the worst person for his mental health, then the woman about to appear was Yoo Joonghyuk's equivalent.
As expected, he stiffened up immediately, recognizing the voice. Kim Dokja couldn't imagine which of her torments was running through the protagonist's mind at that moment, but none of it could have been good. In fact, Kim Dokja would argue that whatever he was reliving was so much worse than that day had been for him.
"Joonghyuk-ah?" Kim Dokja forced himself to say, before shooting a pleading glance at Yoo Mia when he didn't respond.
Wiping away her tears, Yoo Mia nodded once and proceeded to cling to her brother with everything she had. Instinctually, he hugged her back, like he was the child who needed to be comforted.
When Kim Dokja looked back at the group, he noticed Han Sooyoung sending him a questioning glance. It seemed she had figured out who the woman he heard was, just from Yoo Joonghyuk's reaction, and was just seeking confirmation. All he could do was stare back at her until she clicked her tongue in annoyance and frowned at the screen.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is narrowing his eyes angrily.]
Dokja turns around immediately, looking shocked as he sees the figure of a woman with long, platinum blonde hair standing behind him. She asks if he is Joonghyuk, before she backtracks and states with certainty that he's not.
'Is the trauma back again?' Dokja wonders as he stares at her, listening to the woman mutter to himself as she tries to figure out his identity. He does the same in return, cataloguing everything he can about her. 'No, it's a voice I don't know. That blonde hair, a foreigner…?'
As the woman stares at him, Dokja notices her left eye—the sclera is dyed black, and the pupil is a vibrant red.
"Who are you?" She asks him, staring at him in a hostile manner as her eye begins to glow.
[The exclusive skill 'Character List' has activated.]
[The character 'Anna Croft' is using 'Mental Barrier lvl. 6'.]
['Character List' ignores 'Mental Barrier lvl. 6'.]
[There is too much information about this person. 'Character List' is converted to 'Summary List'.]
[Name: Anna Croft
Personal attribute: Prophet (Legendary), Savior (Legendary)
Exclusive skills: Future Sight lvl. 5, Past Sight lvl. 4, Insight lvl. 8, Clairvoyance lvl. 4, Advanced Magic Training lvl. 4, Mental Barrier lvl. 6, Lie Detection lvl. 7]
'I knew it… how did this even happen?!' Dokja wonders as he reads the summary before him.
A woman who could ignore space constraints and freely enter the consciousness of other people. A woman who saw the future and tried to design the future of the world. There was only one woman with such a way of thinking in TWSA.
Dokja knows exactly who she is. "The [Prophet], Anna Croft."
[Many constellations are wondering about the incarnation 'Anna Croft'.]
"That's her?" Lee Jihye asked immediately, shooting Kim Dokja a questioning look. "And your skill just completely ignored her mental barrier!"
Yeah, that was her alright.
"That just means that ahjussi is better than she is," Shin Yoosung murmured into Kim Dokja's robe.
"Still, it's awfully suspicious that [Mental Barrier] was bypassed so easily," Han Sooyoung muttered.
Kim Dokja shrugged. "I'm not sure either, honestly. [Mental Barrier] can block even [Eye of the Sage], so the only possibilities I can think of are that maybe it can only block skills up to a certain difference of levels, or that [Character Profile] is somehow an even higher grade detection skill than [Eye of the Sage]."
She seemed contemplative, but not convinced. Kim Dokja wished he had the answers, but unfortunately he couldn't see what level his skill even was to check if the first guess had any merit.
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is curious about the skill.]
Lee Hyunsung studied Anna Croft on the screen for a moment before he seemed to remember something. "Dokja-ssi, you said before that we won't be cooperating with this woman, right? Does that mean she's one of the 'Ten Evils'?"
Then, Lee Hyunsung looked down sheepishly. "Or am I assuming things?"
"No, you're right," Kim Dokja told him. "She is."
He shot a meaningful glance over at Yoo Joonghyuk, but refused to elaborate any more. If they were meant to find out, then they would. Kim Dokja wouldn't willingly spill the protagonist's secrets like that.
Anna is immediately on guard, and demands to know how he knows her name. Dokja attempts to use the excuse that he's also a [Prophet], only to immediately be shot down with [Lie Detection].
Indeed, I couldn't lie to a true prophet.
She once again asks for his identity.
I think I understand what's going on here. She noticed my presence, perhaps because the influence of [The Fourth Wall] is temporarily weakened. If [The Fourth Wall] is really the skill I thought it is… Now, what to do here…
'By the way… I'm disappointed,' Dokja thinks before revealing that he's the one who traded the Ichthyosaur's core with her in exchange for
As [The Fourth Wall]'s influence returns, Anna grits her teeth and begins to be forcibly expelled from this space. Just before she vanishes, she wonders aloud why she can't see anything from him. Dokja just waves goodbye and says they'll meet again as [The Fourth Wall] completely restores, fully blocking her out of his mind.
Dokja's smile falters and he collapses once more as the pop up declares he is now immune to the [Welcome Prison]. 'Dammit, the effect took place late.'
'I can't believe I just bumped into Anna Croft. This day sucks,' Dokja thinks, now lying on the ground. As time passes in this empty space, his vision gets more hazy. 'How long has it been? What happened to everyone? Is the scenario still in progress? What if the monsters are still around me? Yoo Joonghyuk didn't kill Gilyoung, did he?'
"And what did you think [The Fourth Wall] is?" Han Sooyoung demanded, raising a brow and crossing her arms. "Clearly I wasn't on the right track with it just being a renamed skill to fit your theme."
Kim Dokja hummed to himself and glanced down at his lap, mindful of the kids at his sides. "I'm not entirely certain, but I wonder if it's a bit more of a literal fourth wall for me."
Shin Yoosung perked up. "Like the one from ahjumma's writing class?"
"Yeah," Kim Dokja said. "Maybe… maybe it's helping me with processing things since I still see this world as at least partly fictional. I wonder if it represents that disconnect."
[The constellation 'Scribe of Heaven' is contemplating this idea.]
"I've been wondering if the more fictional I perceive a situation, the less of an effect it has on me mentally," Kim Dokja admitted with a shrug. "But I can't really be sure."
Yoo Joonghyuk huffed, seemingly doing better after having to see his enemy again. "That doesn't matter."
Classic.
"The skill is useful, so use it," Yoo Joonghyuk said firmly. Then, he shot a quick glare at Kim Dokja, "and did you actually think I would kill the child?"
Well, no, but there was no guarantee, especially since Lee Gilyoung and Kim Dokja were both anomalies in this turn.
"No, but I was still going to worry anyway," Kim Dokja admitted. "You understand how that feels."
Of course he would, especially after having lost Yoo Mia so many times. Yoo Joonghyuk didn't say anything else and returned to looking silently at the screen.
Dokja's thoughts fade out into silence, only for the voices of Dokja's group to gradually replace it as he opens his eyes to the smiling faces of Hyunsung, Heewon, and Sangah. A blanket and pillow, which are
[The exclusive skill 'Destroy Evil lvl. 1' is activated.]
As Dokja starts to sit up, he asks what happened, and the others happily say that the night is over and that they all made it through. Dokja looks around, seeing both the carnage caused by the extra penalty placed by Bihyung and the crying survivors who've lost people close to them.
"It's too early to be happy," Dokja declares. "This was only one day. Yesterday was the third day…"
Dokja sits up fully, making Hyunsung worry for him and insist he rest more. Dokja just asks the time instead, and Hyunsung reveals that it's only been about 30 minutes since the end of the scenario, much to Dokja's relief.
He then asks where Gilyoung is, noting that he's not with the rest of the group. However, Dokja looks up, only to see him standing near Joonghyuk and Jihye, seemingly deep in conversation. 'What? Yoo Joonghyuk, what's wrong with him?.'
"Thank you for that, everyone," Kim Dokja said with a grateful glance in their direction. It had been nice to wake up from that nightmare to the view of people who genuinely cared.
"I would say anytime, but you'd better not pull something like that again," Jung Heewon scolded semi-playfully. "We were just glad you were okay."
Lee Hyunsung nodded vigorously. "We were worried when you weren't waking up, but thankfully we just had to wait a little bit first."
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is pleased that everyone made it out okay.]
Thanks, Uriel.
Dokja knows they're talking about something that's probably important, but he can't hear what is being said. Left with very little to go off of, Dokja guesses it was Gilyoung who surprised Joonghyuk when he checked them with [Eye of the Sage].
"Are you sure you won't come with me?" Joonghyuk asks Gilyoung, and the boy just says that he's sure. Not wanting to give up on Gilyoung's talent, Joonghyuk tries to persuade him. "You will become stronger if you come along with me rather than staying with him."
Gilyoung continues to reaffirm that he'll be sticking with Dokja, much to Joonghyuk's annoyance, so Dokja activates [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Level 2].
「...Lucky guy. He will be helpful so I'll let him have the boy a little longer.」
'Damn, I want to say something but I'm too tired to do it.' Dokja thinks as both Joonghyuk and Gilyoung notice that he's awake, causing the young boy to sprint over while calling out his name.
「There is no time to delay. I have to attack today.」
This thought worries Dokja, but there's not much he can do at the moment since his arms are now full of an overjoyed child as exhaustion sets in once more. 'I need to think… But I'm too tired to do that.'
And, with that final thought, Dokja collapses and is once again asleep on the floor.
Lee Gilyoung quickly narrowed his eyes and shot a glare at Yoo Joonghyuk. "Don't ask me again, because my answer isn't changing."
Yoo Joonghyuk just responded with a withering look of his own, to Kim Dokja's amusement.
"Well, you heard the kid," Kim Dokja said with a shrug. "He'd rather have me as a babysitter."
At that, Yoo Joonghyuk rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't know how to bring out his potential. You still don't."
Ouch.
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is laughing at the incarnation 'Kim Dokja'.]
"Well I don't care," Lee Gilyoung declared. "I'm staying with hyung no matter what."
Kim Dokja normally wasn't the type to get sentimental, but he couldn't help but hug the kid slightly. On his other side, as soon as he couldn't see her, Shin Yoosung narrowed her eyes and glared.