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?”