Chapter 255 — Demon King Selection (8)

[The Fourth Wall is showing its teeth in a threatening manner.]

Fierce sparks filled the air. I quickly ordered Mark to leave the office. I wouldn’t be able to figure out what was happening if he was present.

‘Wait a minute, listen to me.’

I thought about what I could do to appease this damn wall. ‘You love stories. Once this is over, I’ll feed you many things that you want to eat.

[The Fourth Wall is looking at you with a frown.]

The growling pressured seemed to calm down a bit. It didn’t seem to have any effect.

‘I have something I need to check. I could die if I don’t know it. Is that what you want?’

The Fourth Wall was silent. Fortunately, this guy didn’t want me to die at the moment. The Fourth Wall was silent for a long time before speaking.

「 The Fourth Wall says, Kim Dok ja. 」

“Yes.”

「 It wi ll be dan ge rous with out me. 」

I thought I knew what it was talking about. One of the Fourth Wall’s functions included protecting me from the eyes of the constellations. Thus, it was worried about the constellations harming me once it was turned off.

‘I know. However, this time I have to look.’

In front of my firm will, the Fourth Wall was silent for a moment before opening its mouth.

「10 se conds on ly. 」

10 seconds. Yes, it was a bit tight but it was fine.

「 All chan nels must be block ed. 」

I nodded.

-Biyoo. Play an ad on the channel.

The moment the order was sent via the dokkaebi communication, the screen turned off.

[Many constellations are confused by the sudden advertisement.]

Okay, this was enough. However, the Fourth Wall wasn’t satisfied.

「 The Fourth Wall says, Not e nough yet. 」

‘Not enough? What?’

The Fourth Wall didn’t answer. I looked up and Biyoo was blinking innocently.

[...Baat?]

Biyoo was clearly blocking the channel properly. It wasn’t enough yet...

At this moment, the previous scenario came to mind.

Hidden Scenario – Kim Dokja Proof of Identity. In this industrial complex, there was a dokkaebi carrying out the scenario. I stared out the window at the ruins of the scenario.

The Star Stream created the hidden scenarios but it was the dokkaebis that guided the direction of the scenario.

[Many constellations are protesting the unstable channel conditions.]

In retrospect, ‘Kim Dokja Proof of Identity’ was a rather unusual scenario. It was a scenario that precisely knew the demands of the constellations and even contained information about ‘me’ before the first scenario...

No matter how I thought about it, there was only one person who would do this. I sighed and slowly opened my mouth. “Bihyung, won’t you come out?”

***

“Ahjumma! Where are you? I came!”

A charitable medical relief station in Seongnam. This shelter, established with the government’s help, was one of the civilian relief organizations that cared for the casualties of the scenario invasions.

Han Sooyoung shouted while kicking a fallen patient in her way. “Kim Dokja’s mother! Kim Dokja’s mother, raise your hand!”

The patient who had been lying down quickly moved away due to the kick. Yoo Sangah hurriedly approached and took care of the patient.

“I’m sorry. Are you okay? ...Hey, Han Sooyoung-ssi!”

Han Sooyoung was disgusted by Yoo Sangah’s sharp voice. “Ahhh, go away if you’re going to nag me.”

“You are too much. These people are patients!”

“I’m a patient too.”

As the frowning Yoo Sangah finally became angry, the door of the relief centre opened and new patients appeared. They were incarnations wounded by the monsters present in this world. They were people the large wards couldn’t handle and were forced to come to this relief station. Han Sooyoung saw a familiar woman as she looked around.

“Lee Seolhwa is also here.”

Righteous Lee Seolhwa. She was a colleague of Yoo Jonghyuk who was taking care of the patients here.

Han Sooyoung sighed deeply. “It is a real mess... Do you know? She was originally destined to be a very bad woman.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just know. Why can’t I know what Kim Dokja also knows?”

Yoo Sangah’s eyes narrowed when Han Sooyoung mentioned Kim Dokja. Han Sooyoung glanced at Yoo Sangah and said, “Kim Dokja has changed too many things. He saved those who were meant to die and killed those who were meant to live...”

“...Is this about the prophecy?”

“You don’t know it anyway. I just want to say that I would’ve never done what Kim Dokja did.”

Han Sooyoung pulled out a piece of dark chocolate and ate it. The bitter taste of the chocolate spread in her mouth and the bitterness seemed to affect Han Sooyoung.

“The future was ruined by him. The story should flow the way it was meant to. If it was me...”

“If it was you, Kim Dokja and you would be no different from a ‘character.’”

It wasn’t Yoo Sangah’s voice. Han Sooyoung smiled and turned towards the person.

“You look healthy, Sooyoung.”

Kim Dokja’s mother, Lee Sookyung was behind them.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m healthy or not.”

“My Dokja seems to like unhealthy children.”

“I don’t care what Kim Dokja likes!”

Lee Sookyung laughed at Han Sooyoung’s reaction before turning her head. “It has been a while, Yoo Sangah-ssi. What’s going on here?”

Before Yoo Sangah could reply, Han Sooyoung interrupted again. “Use Good or Bad Luck, Disaster or Happiness Fortune.”

Good or Bad Luck, Disaster or Happiness Fortune. It was one of the stigmas Lee Sookyung received from her sponsor, Founder’s Mother.

“Good or Bad Luck, Disaster or Happiness Fortune... you always seem confident. Why are you suddenly trying to lean on something like this?”

“I wish I could solve everything with confidence.”

“You have lost your information. Is that right?”

Han Sooyoung and Lee Sookyung were different from Kim Dokja. Han Sooyoung only read the ‘early’ parts of the original novel while Lee Sookyung only knew the information she had heard from Kim Dokja. In the end, both of them had uncertain future information.

Lee Sookyung smiled lightly and asked, “Why did you come to me? Sangah can do something similar with Olympus’ power.”

“Are you joking? Did you forget what Olympus did to Kim Dokja?”

The two of them bickered while Yoo Sangah muttered with an embarrassed expression.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help you right now...”

“Don’t worry about it. I know the situation with Olympus is complicated. Isn’t it in the midst of an internal feud right now?”

“...Yes.”

Yoo Sangah bowed her head with an unconvinced expression while Han Sooyoung said, “Just leave it alone. They’ve had so much sex that their lifespan is being cut. Faster than―”

Yoo Sangah’s eyes widened at the unexpected words. Lee Sookyung looked at them and laughed.

“Okay, young ladies. What information do you want to know? For reference, I can’t see the concrete future with Good or Bad Luck, Disaster or Happiness Fortune. I can only point the way.”

Han Sooyoung nodded as if she already knew. “I want to know about Kim Dokja’s current situation.”

“Hrmm...”

Lee Sookyung looked at Han Sooyoung with a subtle gaze and Han Sooyoung quickly added. “It is because the Korean Peninsula could be destroyed depending on how things are going over there. I am hearing strange stories from the constellations these days... why are you laughing?”

“You’re just cute.”

Han Sooyoung complained. “Quickly do it.”

“I’ve been looking at it for a long time.”

“Yes? ...Then what is it?”

Lee Sookyung smiled. “Well, it can be either. A week ago, it was in the middle and three days ago it was inauspicious...”

“What? Inauspicious?”

“Yesterday it was lucky...”

“Then what is it now?”

Lee Sookyung pulled out a bronze mirror without speaking. It was a fragment of the Heavenly Mirror, one of the three divine treasures. “See for yourself.”

There was an unusual nuance in her voice that caused Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah to simultaneously put their heads together. Then faint letters appeared on the bronze mirror.

―Great Misfortune.

For a moment, Han Sooyoung doubted if she read the hanja properly. (Hanja=Chinese characters)

“Is this real?”

“I don’t know. If you’re curious, you can ask the Hongik nebula.” She said this but Lee Sookyung didn’t look very comfortable either. Then the surface of the mirror shook and the writing changed.

“Ah...? The word ‘help’ appeared?” Yoo Sangah exclaimed and the other two glanced at the mirror.

Help. It was an obvious meaning and there was no need to interpret it. Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah faced each other at the same time.

Lee Sookyung sighed lightly and asked them, “Then who will go?”

***

[ ...Kim Dokja is truly Kim Dokja. How did you know?]

Bihyung appeared out of thin air. His fur was shiny and he was now wearing good quality cloth materials. The dokkaebi used to only wear tiger underwear but that was an old story now.

“What about the Korean Peninsula channel?”

[I was demoted. Can’t you tell?]

“It looks like you’re not doing well without me?”

[You’ll know if you come back.]

Bihyung didn’t use honorifics as before. Perhaps it was proof that the relationship between us had changed. In fact, my contract with him had ended with my death.

Bihyung stared at me for a while and I gazed back.

[Have you been well?]

“It is as you can see.”

[Yes, I’ve heard many stories about you.]

I lightly nodded.

[Do you want to come back to my channel again? I will treat you well.]

Perhaps Bihyung’s words were sincere. It was a more dangerous proposal because it was genuine.

“Well...”

I didn’t hate Bihyung now. However, I wasn’t naive enough to join hands with Bihyung. Bihyung was a dokkaebi with strings to the bureau and the bureau was one of the most dangerous groups in the world.

[Indeed, you were originally such a person.]

Bihyung’s expression was changing. It was natural for the dokkaebis to be aloof to those who left their channels. The idea that Bihyung could become an enemy wasn’t impossible. Even so, the time had come sooner than I thought.

[Then what about this? Build a joint channel with me. It is fine since this is the Demon World.]

For a moment, I thought I heard wrong. “...Are you serious?”

[Think about it once.]

In fact, it wasn’t a bad suggestion. If I built a joint channel with Biyoo, it would allow Biyoo to learn and grow quickly. “I understand. More than that, now...”

At this moment, I heard Bihyung through the dokkaebi communication.

-Do you want me to turn the channel off?

I nodded. As expected, Bihyung only pretended to be stupid.

-I don’t know what you’re trying to do but I wish you well. I have a few things to do so... let’s resolve the rest at a later time.

I didn’t understand why Bihyung was so favourable towards me. In any case, I was fortunate. Bihyung changed the settings and then a message from the constellations was heard.

[All constellations in the channel are dissatisfied with the channel’s connection!]

I immediately looked at the Fourth Wall.

「 The Fourth Wall says, Do not look for too lo ng. 」

[The exclusive skill ‘Fourth Wall’ has been released.]

I felt the curtain surrounding my world disappearing. I didn’t miss this time and turned on the Attributes Window.

[Checking the Attributes Window.]

A vast amount of information entered my mind.

+

[Character Information]

Name: Kim Dokja

Age: 28 years old

Constellation Support: None

Modifier: Demon King of Salvation (Narrative)

Private Attribute: Lamarck Kirin (Legend), Demon World Duke (Legend), Scenario Interpreter (???), ■■ Apostle (???)...

..

..

+

I could now see my attributes that I couldn’t confirm properly last time. To be honest, it was surprising. I thought my attribute would be ‘reader’...

Scenario Interpreter? Besides, what was ■■ Apostle? Why wasn’t the attribute rating shown?

[You have checked your Attributes Window for the first time.]

[The effect of the ‘Scenario Interpreter’ is activated!]

In any case, I kept checking the information. The part I watched most carefully was the ‘Exclusive Skills.’

+

Exclusive Skills: Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Lv. ?, Bookmark Lv. ?, Character List Lv. ?, Fourth Wall Lv. ?, Reading Comprehension Lv. ?, ....

+

One of the skills originally hidden with a ■ could be seen.

Reading Comprehension. At first glance, it seemed like the ability to read and understand something but I didn’t think it was that simple. Most of the skills I’ve acquired so far were like that.

I raised my hand to the Attributes Window without thinking. Then there was the sound of sparks appearing and the Attributes Window started breaking apart.

...Was it already 10 seconds? I thought so at first but the problem wasn’t that simple.

A faint ringing was heard in my ears and my head suddenly throbbed. The finger touching the Attributes Window was numb and the world became dizzy. I felt like vomiting. Beyond the insurmountable wall, something was calling me.

[The exclusive skill ‘Fourth Wall’ is strongly activated!]

The situation wasn’t improved despite the Fourth Wall activating. The surrounding landscapes started to mix together. It was a scene where things that shouldn’t go together were merged. In the midst of this terrible mood, I felt a strange sense of unity. It felt like something I had been wanting for a long time.

Then I heard a strange message.

[Your understanding of the character ‘Kim Dokja’ has increased.]

What...? The moment my consciousness flickered, someone spoke to me.

「 (So, I told you not to look for too long). 」