Chapter 57

Episode 12 – First Person Protagonist’s Point of View (4)

[What is happening? Things have turned completely upside down. What skills do you have? Why can’t I access the information even when I ask the Supervisory Bureau?]

I was curious as well. I also wanted to see my attributes window.

‘So what happened? Am I going to be penalized?’

[Where did you hear that? Hey, do you know how hard I defended you? Administrator, please listen to me. Kim Dokja isn’t a scammer or a strange person! He is just a very hard worker!]

He speak in a convincing manner.

[Fortunately, my earnest appeal was taken into consideration. I’ve analyzed the entire scenario and found that you only used a few skills. It isn’t enough to destroy the ecology of the scenarios.]

It was as I expected. I didn’t learn passive skills for no reason. The more good skills I used, the easier it was to attract the attention of the Bureau.

[Besides, there are some loud guys in other areas... the Bureau is busy right now.]

‘Then it worked out well?’

[In fact, there are a few jerks... but instructions came down from the upper management and the ‘great dokkaebi’ said to dismiss it.]

I was amazed by the unexpected words. The great dokkaebi interfered?

[Sigh... listen to the intermediate dokkaebi. I shouldn’t be here. There are suddenly more eyes on me. You should be careful. This is the jurisdiction of the intermediate dokkaebi and he has a firm grudge against you.]

‘Grudge?’

[Don’t you know. The plausibility meeting is like a tax investigation. In any case... you will have a hard time for a while.]

Bihyung disappeared. Then there was a huge spark in the air and the intermediate dokkaebi showed up in a formal suit. He looked around for a while before speaking in a gruff voice.

[...I’m sorry everyone. There was a bit of friction and the compensation was late. It is late but I will now reward you.]

[3,000 coins have been acquired for clearing the hidden scenario.]

[You have earned 15,000 coins as compensation for killing the 5th grade fire dragon.]

[You have obtained the ‘Protection Symbol of the Imyuntar’ for being the first to prevent a disaster.]

[In the future, you will get the favour of the Imyuntar people.]

Fortunately, the compensation was paid normally. In addition, the Protection Symbol of the Imyuntar. Now that I got this, the upcoming fifth scenario wouldn’t be so bad.

It wasn’t as much as what I got but the faces of the other party members were hilarious once they received a clear reward.

By the way... stingy bastards. I caught a disaster and these were the only rewards?

Then the intermediate dokkaebi started talking.

[By the way, you worked so hard that there was a bit of a problem with the scenario.]

There was something sarcastic and ominous about his tone.

[As a result of discussions with the Bureau, it was reported that the average skill of the local incarnations doesn’t match the difficulty of the scenario. Therefore, I have arbitrarily adjusted the difficulty level in my area using my own judgment.]

...What? A random adjustment?

[The time limit of the fourth scenario has been significantly reduced.]

The mouth of the intermediate dokkaebi curved up strangely as he looked at me.

...No, this bastard?

[There are 48 hours left until the end of the fourth scenario.]

[All group representatives and members who haven’t taken over the target within the next 48 hours will die.]

Yes... this was what he was planning? Jung Minseob stared at me from where he was picking up the fallen items. Everyone had probably heard the message.

“Who has Changsin Station now?”

“T-The Tyrant King.”

One of the seven kings of Seoul, the Tyrant King...

I said with a sigh, “Then let’s return to Chungmuro.”

By the way, I didn’t know if Yoo Jonghyuk was doing well or not. Let’s wrap up the fourth scenario.

***

The distance from Anguk Station to Chungmuro was further than I thought. During the journey, we exchanged a few stories.

Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung walked ahead, while I walked in the rear with Lee Sungkook and Jung Minseob.

I couldn’t take the entire body of the fire dragon so I put half of it on the exchange. The other half was also placed on the exchange, but I deliberately put it at a ridiculously high price. It wasn’t for sale but a trick to use the exchange as a warehouse substitute. Bihyung grumbled but I ignored it. Jung Minseob opened his mouth.

“By the way, Representative-nim.”

It felt strange because I really felt like a big company’s president when I kept being called ‘Representative-nim.’

“Is your name Kim Dokja?”

“Yes.”

“Ah... it really is your name...”

“Is it unusual?”

“...Yes. Honestly, you are more like a prophet than we are.”

His voice was rather subdued.

“Sigh... if only I hadn’t stopped reading...”

It was a belated regret. At this moment, I had a moment of doubt. There was something I wanted to ask but I had forgotten.

“Jung Minseob-ssi, I want to ask you something.”

“Yes.”

“How did the prophets gather so quickly?”

This was a point that I always found strange. It hadn’t been more than a month since the initial scenario started. However, these guys had already been working as a group.

Furthermore, the apostles were even worse. Based on the first person protagonist’s point of view, they had a fairly high armed force that couldn’t be obtained without occupying a large number of stations.

It was a growth that couldn’t be understood with my common sense.

“There was someone who called us together.”

“Called you together?”

“Yes. Soon after the first scenario ended, he came to the station where I was.”

Interesting. How was this possible? At that point, there would still be a barrier between stations.

“He introduced himself as an apostle and said that he had read the great Book of Revelations. He recruited prophets to follow him. The odd thing was that it happened simultaneously in different stations. It is hard to believe it was done by one person...”

“In any case, we gathered because of that apostle. He pulled us into the group.”

“Yes, we call that apostle the 1st Apostle.”

“Is he the king of the prophets? The person who hates being called someone who ‘got off’?”

“Ah... you already know. Yes. He likes to be called another name.”

Another name?

“He claims to be a ‘true reader.’”

...What?

“There was a lot of talk about why he would call himself such a name. We couldn’t come to a conclusion. He claimed to have read all of the Book of Revelations but...”

As the story continued, this person’s identity became more and more doubtful. When I thought about the information he took advantage of, he didn’t seem like a ‘reader’...

I was busy thinking when Chungmuro approached. It hadn’t been long since I left but I felt like I had returned to my hometown as I took in the air of Chungmuro Station.

I restrained my companions from entering the station.

“Wait a minute.”

Thinking about it, I was still naked. Why hadn’t anyone said anything?

I spoke to Lee Sungkook. “Lee Sungkook-ssi, please take off your pants.”

I took the lead to enter Chungmuro Station, while Lee Sungkook was forced to walk behind me in his underwear.

I could see Yoo Sangah welcoming me in the distance. I looked into her moist eyes and could see how hard it had been.

Something ran into me and I saw Lee Gilyoung attached to my right leg.

“Have you been well?”

The dusty Lee Gilyoung nodded.

Lee Jihye had a serious injury and hadn’t woken up yet. Gong Pildu scoffed and turned his head as soon as he saw me.

[The constellation ‘Defense Master’ reproaches you on your late return.]

It was a reaction I could understand since his incarnation nearly died.

“Yoo Sangah-ssi!”

Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon didn’t know what happened in Chungmuro and ran towards the people with an aghast expression. People around the platform were bleeding. In fact, Yoo Sangah had a cloth bound tightly to her shoulder.

Some of the railroad tracks were covered with blood. They were traces of a fierce fight. Jung Minseob stuttered, “T-The apostles?”

The heads of number 2, 3, 4 and 7 were lined up side by side on the railroad tracks. Their expressions seemed like they didn’t realize their own death. I knew who was this skillful.

I asked Lee Gilyoung.

“Where is Yoo Jonghyuk?”

As I spoke, I felt an ominous presence from the Hoehyeong tunnel side. I knew despite the distance. Our arrogant and dignified hero practiced the Alone Under Heaven and Earth scripture.

“Yoo Jonghyuk?”

He looked at me with no change in his expression. I thought he would say something about what happened in the Theatre Dungeon... but what was this?

The cut off head of a person was still being held in his hands. Someone screamed while Yoo Jonghyuk threw the head this way.

The head rolling like a toy was covered with a cloak with ‘1’ on it. It was the 1st Apostle.

Yoo Jonghyuk was really great. He chased this guy to the end and killed him.

I was half relieved and half anxious. I still had questions but if the apostle died like this...

At this moment, something ridiculous happened.

“It is you! You screwed up my plan! Right?”

The severed head suddenly started talking to me.

“Waaack! What?” Jung Minseob screamed and fell over.

The eyes looked up at me while he smiled smugly. It was impossible.

The skills that could be used even when the head was cut off was extremely rare even in Ways of Survival. It was possible if he used the skill Immortal Delay but even with that skill, he couldn’t stay in a state with his head cut off.

Besides, there was no blood from the cut neck...

Wait. Perhaps?

The information that I received from Lee Sungkook and Jung Minseob started to run through my head.

A man who revealed himself to all prophets and claimed to be a ‘true reader.’ He appeared all over Seoul as soon as the scenario began and gathered people. In addition, it was possible to pass through the barriers, he didn’t die when his head was cut and there was no blood...

“The Avatar ability...”

I was certain. The guy in front of me was a fake.

The severed head continued to speak.

“Wow, I am really impressed. Pretending to be Yoo Jonghyuk, beating the apostles and the dragon... What is your identity?”

I see. This guy didn’t know my identity?

“What are you?”

As far as I knew, there were very few people who could use the ‘Avatar’ ability in Ways of Survival.

The occupation that received such an attribute was normally fixed. They were occupations engaged in creative work and frequently experienced dissociative personality disorder due to excessive stress.

I slowly looked him up and down before asking, “You, are you perhaps a writer?”