Chapter 184 — The 73rd Demon King (2)
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The backlash to Yoo Jonghyuk’s one-sided notification was enormous.
“Why are you deciding so arbitrarily?” Jung Heewon shouted first after Yoo Jonghyuk gave his notification and disappeared. “We will depart in three days! Until then, increase your rankings! If he says that and goes away, should we just roll over and listen?”
“He should’ve said that when he was talking to me.”
“...Does Dokja-ssi want that?”
“Nope.”
Jung Heewon was still very spirited.
I said, “Even so, there is a higher probability of surviving if you do as Yoo Jonghyuk says.”
“Dokja-ssi, whose side are you on?”
“That...” I glanced at Yoo Jonghyuk in the distance, shrugged and smiled. “First of all, it’s nice to see all of you. This is the third resurrection.”
The people who were frozen by Yoo Jonghyuk’s words smiled awkwardly. Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung stuck to my legs while Lee Hyunsung nodded with a slightly gloomy expression.
“Congratulations on your resurrection. It has already been a few times but I’m getting used to it.”
“It would be sad if you get used to it. First of all, let’s get organized.”
These were the words that Yoo Jonghyuk one-sidedly gave:
-There are two teams. My team and Kim Dokja’s team. Four people will be arranged for each team.
-My team will consist of Lee Hyunsung, Gong Pildu, Lee Jihye and Lee Seolhwa. It is the four of them.
-Kim Dokja’s team will be Jung Heewon, Shin Yoosung, Lee Gilyoung and Yoo Sangah. It is another four.
In the end, the configuration was similar to the main party up to now. It meant the companions I had participated in the scenarios so far would challenge the tenth scenario. Perhaps he was being considerate of me or it might be more comfortable for him. The latter was more likely when thinking about Yoo Jonghyuk’s personality.
Everyone involved didn’t have any big complaints about the lineup itself but Lee Hyunsung was slightly sullen. “I want to be on Dokja-ssi’s team...”
“The teams don’t matter since we are all going together.”
“...Yes.”
I patted Lee Hyunsung’s shoulder and turned towards the rest of the party members. The first one to catch my eye was Yoo Sangah. So many things happened that it felt strange to meet her eyes.
After a moment, Jung Heewon poked my side. “What is it? Do you want her to wear a Chinese dress and garter belt?”
“...Are you still talking about that?”
“It was very shocking. We named it the ‘Kim Dokja Garter Belt Incident.’ By the way, I won’t wear that even if I die.”
“I don’t want you to wear it.”
Then Lee Jihye raised her hand. “I’m willing to put on a good performance! SSS-grade!”
“Stop playing around.”
“I can wear that if it is had a good performance.”
“Hyunsung-ssi, why...”
“Soldiers don’t care about the equipment.”
I wanted to say that he was using his military spirit in the wrong way when I heard a message from Uriel.
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ says that the constellation who made the garter belt was a man.]
Was this a joke? Dammit. Furthermore, a constellation?
[The constellation ‘Queen of the Darkest Spring’ smiles and says that she will invite him once.]
Come to think of it, this situation was due to Persephone. I would have to argue with her if I ever went back to the Underworld.
“At this point... what is everyone’s ranking? For reference, you all know that you have to be within the top 10 to proceed?”
The party members replied in turn. The first was Jung Heewon. “I am 4th. I got the ranking from the grandmother Lee Boksoon.
“Hyung, Shin Yoosung and I are 8th and 9th. Ah, I’m higher than Shin Yoosung!”
“I am 5th. Gong Pildu-ssi has gone to raise his rankings. There is also Han Sooyoung-ssi.”
I forgot about Han Sooyoung. Yoo Sangah asked like she had read my thoughts. “Han Sooyoung wasn’t on the list. Are you going to leave her behind?”
“Nope, I will take her. Han Sooyoung is quite helpful.”
“...I see.” Yoo Sangah smiled weakly once she heard about Han Sooyoung.
The other party members still didn’t know she was the First Apostle. Yoo Sangah didn’t like lying so she was in a bad mood every time Han Sooyoung was mentioned. I didn’t know when there would be a chance to tell the story.
Jung Heewon listened on the side and opened her mouth. “A total of 10 people can go up. How will you take Han Sooyoung-ssi?”
“In principle, only 10 people can go. However, there is a hidden piece. Among the items available in Dark Castle, there is one called the ‘Six-man Card.’ This way, non-team members can participate in the next scenario.”
“...It is a hidden piece. Is there anything else you want to tell us? I think we need to know what the next scenario is about. You and Yoo Jonghyuk are always whispering together.”
“Whispering together? That expression is a bit uncomfortable.”
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ has a runny nose.]
Jung Heewon smiled at me. “Then please tell me. Kim Dokja-ssi, show me that you are different from Yoo Jonghyuk-ssi.”
I looked around and saw the party members watching me like they were grandchildren waiting for their grandmother’s fairy tale.
If I was a streamer, I would tell a plausible story about a ‘mighty person who lived once upon a time’. However, I was Kim Dokja, not Kim Jakga. (TL: Jakga = writer)
“Have you ever heard of an existence called a demon king?”
Demon King. The party members glanced at each other at the unexpected words.
“What... the king of demons? Is there such a thing?”
“I know! It comes out all the time in anime!”
I nodded at Lee Gilyoung’s words. “It is roughly similar.
It was a bit different in the setting of Ways of Survival but the main point was explained.
“The tenth scenario is one where we fight against the demon king.”
Lee Hyunsung nodded. “Dokkaebis, returnees, tentacled monsters... certainly, now it is time for a demon king to come out.”
The listening Lee Jihye asked, “Isn’t a demon king too strong? The demon marquis was already high... how strong will a demon king be in comparison?”
I thought for a moment before answering, “A constellation-grade.”
There was a saying in Ways of Survival about the demon kings. They were constellations who hadn’t ascended. Literally, the demon kings were constellations attached to the world.
Lee Jihye paled. “Then how will we kill it? Or are you and Master going to kill it?”
“No, this time we will all kill it.”
“...Can we do it?”
“We can if we all fight together. It was pure luck that Yoo Jonghyuk and I defeated the outer god. Such a thing won’t occur twice.”
“Still...”
“Don’t worry. It is true that a demon king is as strong as a constellation but the one upstairs isn’t that strong.”
“Then?”
I hesitated for a second. I didn’t want to tell them too much information at once. The information wasn’t just about the demon kings but also the constellations of the Star Stream.
I thought about it before deciding to tell them through the group chat. [I will tell you.]
Then a voice was heard from the air, as if he knew my worries.
[Everyone, it has been a long time. You don’t know how frustrated I’ve been when I wasn’t able to tell to you... Haha, are you ready for the scenario?]
It was Bihyung.
***
In the original Star Stream, only 72 people were recognized as ‘demon kings.’ They had modifiers like the constellation and governed different kingdoms in the Demon World. It might not be equivalent to a nebula but there were still those who lead ‘forces.’
They laughed at the constellation who clung to the glory of a constellation and remained on the land that even the dokkaebis abandoned.
Was that why? The constellations hated the demon kings as much as the outer gods and this Dark Castle scenario was made considering the tendencies of such constellations.
They watched the incarnations fight and kill the demon king. In short, it was a scenario made to be refreshing to the constellations.
“Ah, please! I’m not going!”
After three days, I found Han Sooyoung hiding in the periphery of Dark Castle. I wouldn’t have found her if I hadn’t purchased the Rope of Restraint and Search for Life items from the Dokkaebi Bag.
Han Sooyoung shouted, “I won’t fight! I’ll just wait here and go out when you clear the scenario!”
“You have to go.”
“I don’t want to fight the demon king!”
“The 73rd demon king is a pushover. Don’t you already know that?”
As I mentioned earlier, only 72 people were recognized as a demon king in the Star Stream. However, the title of this scenario was the 73rd Demon King. In other words, the guy on the above floor wasn’t a ‘formal king.’
“He is still a demon king but he isn’t as strong as the narrative-grade constellations I’ve met so far. It is worth fighting.”
“The difficulty might’ve changed. Hasn’t it changed once or twice already?”
“The dokkaebis can’t change the main scenario difficulty. That is the jurisdiction of the Star Stream.”
“Don’t you think the dokkaebis are dangerous? Have you already forgotten what happened three days ago?” It wasn’t unusual for Han Sooyoung to think like this. She was a person who knew the development of the original novel. “If we continue with the scenarios, the whole group will soon be wiped out. You know that the nebulae are aiming at you.”
“...I know. That’s why I’m well prepared.”
“Prepared? No, how are you prepared? Do you know what will happen in the next scenario?”
We arrived at the camp and I pointed to the party members without speaking. They were training in a formation. They assumed there was a virtual enemy and practiced skills linkage in combination with changing the formation.
“Gilyoung and Yoosung, go back! Yoo Sangah-ssi, go forward and take care of it!”
“Understood!”
The calm and coordinate attacks couldn’t be compared with the past. The party members’ damage overlapped and they attacked based on the enemy’s attack radius. Han Sooyoung opened her mouth as she closely watched the scene.
“Is that... the demon king’s pattern analysis?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“How much?”
“Almost everything.”
It wasn’t impossible.
I had Ways of Survival and the database piled up by Yoo Jonghyuk who fought the 73rd demon king. Furthermore, Yoo Jonghyuk had fought the 73rd demon king in the second round. Practical experience and theoretical knowledge combined forces, so it wasn’t impossible to clear the next scenario.
Han Sooyoung made a sad expression and sighed. “...You are a really crazy person.”