Chapter 223 — Asmodeus (2)

In this round, that guy doesn’t exist...

As soon as I read this sentence, an electric current flowed from my head to my toes.

...Perhaps, no, it couldn’t be. Of course not. There were many people who could be called ‘that guy’ by Yoo Jonghyuk. In the previous regressions, there were a few ‘guys’ that Yoo Jonghyuk met...

Then I remembered Yoo Jonghyuk’s thoughts that often appeared and my mind became complicated.

「 Yoo Jonghyuk had a thought. 」

「 ‘Don’t think it will improve by repeating the regressions.’ 」

「’There is only my birthday in this life.’ 」

「 ‘I don’t know if I can do it. Still, I won’t give up.’ 」

Shit, by all appearances, these were my words. I quickly scrolled through the pages towards other scenes. The words ‘that guy’ often appeared. He never wrote the name ‘Kim Dokja but it was clearly me.

Of course, I couldn’t be sure 100% because I didn’t remember everything I said. Even so, I couldn’t imagine anyone else saying these words to Yoo Jonghyuk. If someone else had spoken such cheeky things, Yoo Jonghyuk would’ve cut off their heads.

“...I’m having a psychotic break.”

[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is wondering about your words.]

I ignored the message from the Great Sage the Equal of Heaven and slowly took a deep breath. I needed to organize my thoughts. There was still time. Unexpectedly, the Fourth Wall helped me.

「 Kim Dokja thought: In short, this is the current situation. 」

Yes, tell me.

「 One, the first revision of Ways of Survival had arrived. 」

「 Two, the revision started from Yoo Jonghyuk’s fourth regression. 」

「 Three, a person presumed to be ‘Kim Dokja’ appeared in the recollections of the fourth regression Yoo Jonghyuk. 」

It was a very straightforward organization. These three facts were proof of only one thing.

「 Yoo Jonghyuk failed the third regression. 」

I couldn’t think of anything else, no matter how I looked at it. If Yoo Jonghyuk and I reached the end of this world, he wouldn’t have moved onto the fourth regression.

This was the most logical reasoning. The third round that I intervened in was a failure. The time after the failure was newly recorded in the revision of Ways of Survival.

I wondered how it was possible but this was a world where many impossible things had already happened. I let out a brief sigh and searched Ways of Survival again.

One question was resolved but many more opened. Through the Fourth Wall, I tried to sort out the questions that came up one by one.

「 Why don’t I exist in the fourth round of Yoo Jonghyuk? 」

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t get an answer. It might be because I wasn’t a character or it might be due to other problems. In any case, it was obvious that ‘I’ no longer existed from the fourth regression onwards. There was a second problem I had to focus on.

「 If the first revision is a depiction of future events, could there be a second revision depending on my actions? 」

Nothing was certain. Maybe this first revision couldn’t be ruled out as a ‘definite future.’ Still, I was certain that it wasn’t a high probability. If this was a ‘definite future’, the author wouldn’t have sent it to me.

I didn’t know why but the author was giving me an opportunity through this ‘revision.’ If I kept going along this path, the third regression would end in failure. Then in the fourth regression, Yoo Jonghyuk would repeat things alone.

The author was sending a warning. Of course, the author might have a terrible stench but... in any case, I decided not to consider it because there was no answer.

“The first step is to read all of this again... my head will hurt.”

I pressed a hand against my temple and kept reading Ways of Survival. Some places were the same while some were changed. Anyway, I felt numerous emotions as I read the story.

‘That jerk Yoo Jonghyuk, he is still like this despite everything I told him.”

I was thinking about it.

‘Eh? Look at this. Hasn’t it changed a bit?”

I thought about it. Also...

‘Yes, this part was very interesting. I liked this part.’

‘Fuck, there is too much explanation...’

‘...No, the sentences seem a bit better? Did the author grow?’

Stuck in these thoughts, I returned to the reader’s identity and fell into Ways of Survival again. He was still a sunfish but the interesting thing was that my intervention reduced Yoo Jonghyuk’s minor mistakes. The most notable part was that he caught the ‘ichthyosaur’ like me at the beginning of the fourth round.

「 Yoo Jonghyuk thought, ‘That guy got a hidden scenario here.’ 」

He also didn’t die from the Theatre Dungeon in the 8th and 11th regressions.

「 “...I lived because of that guy. Well, I still would’ve somehow survived.’ 」

I was almost moved to tears when I read this part. If I had a place to show off then I would’ve boasted.

‘Everyone, take a look. That damn sunfish has grown.’

Of course, I was the only reader of Ways of Survival so there was nowhere to boast. My quick scrolling suddenly stopped as I thought of a question. Wait a minute, this guy was doing better than I thought? Then what happened next? Yoo Jonghyuk who was affected by me... would he reach the ‘proper’ ending of this world?

“What are you doing? I heard from Aileen that you are dying.”

“Kim... Jonghyuk-ssi. Is your body okay?”

The door opened and Jang Hayoung and Han Myungoh entered. I had forgotten that I told Aileen to call the two of them.

“Eh, is that a smartphone?” Jang Hayoung saw the device I was holding and ran over in a flash.

I lightly changed the hand holding the phone and answered, “No, go away.”

“Can you receive messages? A call? The Internet?”

“Do you have a jaw?”

Jang Hayoung made a sullen expression at my cold reply. “Then why did you call us here?”

“Are you still keeping in contact with the constellations I told you about?”

“Ahh, them?” Jang Hayoung shrugged and replied, “They aren’t interested.”

“Really?”

The future scenarios would be difficult to overcome with my strength alone. Until now, the opponents were disasters that descended through the scenarios or individual constellations. Those who would disturb me in the future were bigger. For example, those damn Vedas guys who fucked me over with ‘fate.’

If I wanted to fight them, I needed to know the trends of the constellations and transcendents with similar ideas.

“Everybody seems busy doing their own thing. Most of them didn’t even answer.”

...It was still too early. It was much later in the story that Jang Hayoung became the ‘King of Transcendents.’ Therefore, the constellations who were by Jang Hayoung’s side in the original novel might be different at this point in time. Moreover, the ‘original’ had already changed.

I sighed and said, “It’s fine. You can go out.”

“...What? You were the one who called me.” Jang Hayoung grumbled and left the room, leaving only Han Myungoh behind.

Han Myungoh opened his mouth first. “You know, it is strange. I knew you from the days in the company but...”

“That’s enough. Do you know why I called you.”

“Ahem.” Han Myungoh seemed to know the reason. “...In fact, I can’t contact him.”

“Isn’t your connection to the household restored?”

“It recovered. However, there is no response from the demon king.”

Not long ago, I broke Han Myungoh’s connection to Demon King Asmodeus using the Four Yin Demonic Beheading Sword. Still, it was only a temporary thing. I thought it was time for contact with Asmodeus to be re-established. Yet there wasn’t any contact from him yet.

“Isn’t there anything he wants to ask?”

“Perhaps he no longer believes me. Or...” At this moment, Han Myungoh’s expression changed. “I-I am connected!”

I was nervous for a moment. Demon King Asmodeus. A powerful presence among the 72 demon kings would now speak to me through Han Myungoh’s eyes and mouth. By the way, Han Myungoh’s expression was a bit strange.

“Huh?”

“What is it?”

“Something is wrong.”

“What happened?”

“H-He came directly!”

“Huh?”

“The demon king came directly!”

One side of my heart cooled. The demon king came directly. The meaning of these words was simple. Demon King Asmodeus directly visited the scenario area with his own body.

I asked while constantly receiving the channel messages from Biyoo. “Is he near here?”

“I-I think he has already found you...”

Already found me? No matter how much I raised my senses, I couldn’t feel the demon king at all. If the demon king really came near here, not only would the constellations of the channel be turned upside down, the enormous pressure should’ve caused a group of incarnations to bleed to death. By the way...

“Wait, don’t tell me...?”

If I thought about it, I did everything under the name of ‘Yoo Jonghyuk.’ The beings who didn’t enter the channel or know exactly what was going on were likely to guess my position through the Star Stream. According to the Star Stream, my current position was...

“Shit.”

“W-Why all of a sudden?”

“Head Director Han, do you know the way to the Gilobat Industrial Complex?”

Yoo Jonghyuk was in danger.

***

“Kim Dokja!”

“Hooray Kim Dokja!”

“The independence of the industrial complex!”

Yoo Jonghyuk listened to the shouts coming from all over the Gilobat Industrial Complex and had a complicated expression.

‘I didn’t mean to do this.’

Yoo Jonghyuk frowned as he stared at Duke Gilobat who died in his hands. Sparks were flying around Yoo Jonghyuk’s body due to the excessive opening of his transcendent power. He didn’t need to open it at this point.

‘It was too early to open the first stage of transcendence.’

However, it was impossible to handle his work in the Demon World in a short amount of time without opening the power. It was a power that was deliberately hidden from the constellations but he was caught by one of them. Yoo Jonghyuk watched the Uriel doll sitting on his shoulder.

‘I don’t think this person has any ideas.’

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is satisfied with your achievement.]

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is touched by your comradeship.]

“...The duke gives a lot of coins. Thus I killed him.”

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is laughing.]

Yoo Jonghyuk didn’t answer and looked at the panel screen in the duke’s office. There were low-quality scenes that seemed to be taped by the wenny people.

-Yoo Jonghyuk!

-I am Yoo Jonghyuk!”

It was an absurd scene. Hundreds of people shouted that they were ‘Yoo Jonghyuk.’ The most disturbing thing was the huge guy yelling it in the centre.

-Yoo Jonghyuk! Yoo Jonghyuk! Wah!

Yoo Jonghyuk watched the scene with a frown before turning his head.

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is turning red.]

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is urging you to go and meet Kim Dokja.]

Yoo Jonghyuk shook his head. “...I’ve confirmed that he is alive. Cancel your personal scenario and send me back to the original world.

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is surprised.]

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ says the personal scenario hasn’t ended yet.]

[The contents of the personal scenario of the constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is to meet Kim Dokja...]

“Do you really think I will accept that personal scenario?”

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is greatly shocked.]

The shoulders of the Uriel doll trembled and she had an expression that she wouldn’t make even if Eden was destroyed. Yoo Jonghyuk watched for a while before sighing.

“Is this okay?”

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is raising her head with a sullen expression.]

“I have become a duke of the Demon World with this. But you are an archangel. I’m asking if there is a problem with this.”

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is greatly embarrassed.]

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ says she hasn’t thought about it.]

“...Shit.” Yoo Jonghyuk spoke all types of curses as he wondered how he could act in the future with the archangel.

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is warning you!]

A tremendous darkness started gathering around him. Yoo Jonghyuk instinctively drew the Heaven Shaking Sword at the formidable aura. However, the opponent was someone he couldn’t win against just be drawing a sword.

A dark abyss gathered into an essence. The deepest darkness of the Demon World was manifested before his eyes. Yoo Jonghyuk knew this darkness very well.

“Run away. I can’t protect your symbolic body.”

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ says it isn’t possible.]

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’...]

Yoo Jonghyuk’s shoulders were shaking slightly. The Uriel doll had never seen such a sigh before and grabbed Yoo Jonghyuk’s shoulder with a panicked expression. It wasn’t easy to calm down the trembling. As if he didn’t want to acknowledge the fear, Yoo Jonghyuk opened his mouth with a nasty expression.

“...I was once killed by this guy.”

The next moment, the body of darkness revealed itself with a tremendous aura that burst the bodies of the incarnations in the area.

[You are in a place like this, Demon King of Salvation.]