Chapter 97

Episode 20 – Disaster of Floods (1)

My heart sank as soon as I looked for Han Sooyoung’s pulse . I was more shocked by the fact that Han Sooyoung was dead . A bit of time passed before my sense of reason returned .

“…Dokja-ssi?” Yoo Sangah noticed something and got up . I examined Han Sooyoung’s corpse with Yoo Sangah’s help .

“There are no wounds . ”

The situation was to a standstill . There were no wounds . Then was it a poison? If there was a poison that could kill Han Sooyoung without leaving any traces then it was a terrible poison .

However, such a poison couldn’t be released now . That wasn’t the only problem . Why was only Han Sooyoung poisoned while the rest were safe? Even if there was a person with such a poison, there was no reason to only poison Han Sooyoung .

It was strange that I suddenly feel asleep in the first place .

…Wait a minute, I fell asleep?

“Uh, I’m sorry . I slept too much . ” Shin Yoosung finally opened her eyes .

I suddenly looked back at Yoo Sangah . “Yoo Sangah-ssi, did you sleep all night?”

“…Yes . ”

Yoo Sangah blushed like she was embarrassed . If Yoo Sangah hadn’t woken up then no one was standing guard yesterday . I was the last lookout and once I fell asleep, everyone was sleeping .

I was a fool . My suspicions should’ve started from ‘Why did I sleep?’ rather than ‘Who killed Han Sooyoung?’

Was it a sleeping spell? No, only returnee had such magic . Hit a Pressure Point? They must be able to fool my senses to use it .

In the end, there was only one answer remaining . I approached the fire where the bones of the groll I ate yesterday was hanging .

This was the only possibility for everyone falling asleep . I cleared up the bones that were eaten cleanly of their flesh and some green powder fell to the ground .

‘It is the stem of the yanaspleta . ’

It was as expected . There was only one reason for this being here . Someone had mixed the plant stem powder into the groll meat . The stem of the yanaspleta had a powerful sleeping effect if not taken with the juices . It wasn’t poisonous so it couldn’t be resolved with Dongui Bogam . That’s why I always boiled it with the juices .

“Who cooked the groll yesterday?”

“It was Sooyoung-ssi…”

I inwardly sighed . The meat I ate yesterday was the young groll that Shin Yoosung failed to tame . The one who killed the groll was none other than Han Sooyoung .

“It was one blow . ”

I approached the pale body of Han Sooyoung . I was so confused that I had forgotten for a while . An avatar didn’t vanish unless the head was destroyed .

However, why did she set up this play? She was bound by the ‘Temporary Pledge’ and couldn’t run away . At that moment, a blue light emerged from Han Sooyoung’s heart . This was…?

“Wait a bit . ”

I didn’t care about the reaction of the others and trampled on Han Sooyoung’s head . The blue light burst out and the avatar was destroyed .

[The character Han Sooyoung’s avatar has received the punishment for violating the contract . ]

[The character Han Sooyoung has offered up her avatar as a sacrifice to offset most of the punishment of the Temporary Pledge . ]

“Ah…”

Yoo Sangah let out a groan as if she realized something . I had no idea the avatar had such an effect . I had seen it receive damage on behalf of the original but I didn’t know it could take the contract’s punishment . It looked like only some of the punishment was offset but Han Sooyoung wouldn’t die .

Shin Yoosung asked, “That unni went away?”

“It seems so . ”

The question of why was meaningless . Once I thought about it, Han Sooyoung didn’t have much to do with me .

-My constellation support has reduced because I’ve been with you lately .

I would soon meet with the people of Chungmuro and they would be hostile to Han Sooyoung, just like Yoo Sangah .

Che . A person who couldn’t be trusted would live in misery . Han Sooyoung would be alone, surrounded by enemies . For a moment, I mistook her for a companion .

There were some coins and a piece of paper in the place where the avatar turned into white powder .

–The value of the meals .

This was how she said goodbye . As if to turn the time we spent together into nothing, her avatar was blown away by the strong winds of Han River .

Still, I was curious about why Han Sooyoung stayed with me for so long despite being able to use ‘Surrogate Death’ through her avatars .

I didn’t know . I couldn’t read Yoo Sangah or Han Sooyoung’s mind . Ways of Survival, which explained everything, didn’t tell me this .

“We should get up . ”

Then a strange sensation overcame me . Was it Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint? I instinctively looked in the direction that I felt it but couldn’t see anything .

…Was I mistaken?

***

“A fool . ”

Han Sooyoung looked at the abandoned building from a distant high-rise building . The wind of Han River permeated through her ripped jeans and was cold . She bit her lip and muttered .

“…Shouldn’t you pretend to feel something?”

However, she knew he couldn’t do that . It was natural . He was as much a ‘reader’ as she was .

She turned on her notepad and started to type something . It was the habit of an author to write it down when inspiration struck .

「 Reading a book doesn’t mean you will understand people . 」

‘I will see you again . ’

She didn’t know the ending that Kim Dokja wanted . However, they would surely meet again as long as they kept moving towards the end .

「 She didn’t know if they would be enemies or not the next time they met . 」

Han Sooyoung covered her smartphone and started walking .

***

The morning hours passed quickly .

That afternoon, Shin Yoosung’s agility and magic power reached the scenario limit of level 60 . I felt that it was time and bought the Sponsor Contract from Bihyung . Bihyung grumbled but still gave me the contract .

[…You do know that this won’t change the disaster?]

‘…’

[The present her isn’t directly related to the future disaster . The disaster comes from a world derived from the ‘first world’ line . Even if their existences are connected, the history…]

‘Don’t speak useless words and give me the contract . ’

I finished writing the contract and handed it to Shin Yoosung . “I have no stigma right now and can’t lend you my strength like other constellations . I only have a lot of coins . ”

“…”

“You don’t have to sign the contract if you don’t want to . However, you won’t regret it if you sign with me . ”

“Mother told me not to mess around with this type of stuff…”

“It’s okay . I don’t really mean to be a typical sponsor . ”

“If I sign this, I can’t contract with another constellation?”

“Yes . ”

Shin Yoosung nodded with determination . “Okay . I believe in Ahjussi . ”

[The Sponsor Contract has been concluded . ]

[You have become the sponsor of the incarnation ‘Shin Yoosung . ’]

A brilliant light rose and wrapped around me and Shin Yoosung . Unlike the brilliant light, a humble message popped up .

[You aren’t a constellation . You are unable to use most of the functions of a sponsor . ]

[List of Available Functions]

[1 . Sponsor the incarnation . ]

[2 . Encourage the incarnation . ]

Well, I had expected it . This was about it for now .

[The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband scoffs . ]

[The constellation Secretive Plotter congratulates you on your first contract . ]

[5,000 coins have been sponsored . ]

[A number of constellations want to be your sponsor . ]

The reactions of the constellations were hot . It was different from the time with Gong Pildu . Shin Yoosung was now my direct incarnation . Therefore, the ‘incarnation seekers’ group were going crazy over me .

I wasn’t a constellation, I was an ‘incarnation’ with an ‘incarnation . ’ If they signed a contract with me, Shin Yoosung would naturally come under that constellation as well . As I increased my number of incarnations, the number of constellations who wanted me would increase rapidly .

[The channel is going crazy…!]

Bihyung screamed happily as I looked at the party . “It is time for us to leave . We will cross Han River . ”

“We still haven’t found any bridges . Will it be okay?”

“We’ll go swimming . ”

“Huh?”

“Don’t you know how to swim?”

“I do know but…” Yoo Sangah looked at the river with concern .

I knew what she was worried about . The water levels of Han River had increased . There were more ichthyosaurs present than yesterday and they were intermittently roaring . They were all 7th grade . Shin Yoosung muttered, “I can’t swim…”

“Hold onto this and cross . ”

I pulled out a styrofoam box that I had obtained in advance . I asked Yoo Sangah to connect the box to me using Arachne’s Spiderweb .

“Let’s go . ”

I jumped into Han River without hesitation and Yoo Sangah immediately followed me . Shin Yoosung was frightened but she quickly grabbed the styrofoam box and dipped her feet into the water of Han River .

The cold temperature of Han River wrapped around my body . There was the smell of strange beasts and the movements of the ichthyosaurs started to change . Yoo Sangah asked,

–Is this really okay?

Of course it wasn’t okay . However, it was the only way considering the time remaining .

–If it gets really dangerous then get out as soon as possible .

-…Yes .

–That’s why you should pretend to be in danger before it is actually dangerous .

–Huh?

–It is for Yoosung to quickly awaken . I am deliberately creating a crisis . Understood?

I pulled the styrofoam box as I started swimming in Han River . This was the reason why I raised Shin Yoosung’s skill level without worrying . It wasn’t shown in the attributes window but she had an innate ability to adapt .

An ordinary girl could never survive until the fifth scenario . Shin Yoosung seemed like a good child but her inner self wasn’t that simple .

A child who killed her dog, who tricked adults and who disguised herself to gain favour from the strong . Shin Yoosung was such a child . The first time we met, there were many calculations going on inside her head .

I spoke to Shin Yoosung who was looking around . “Yoosung . ”

“Y-Yes!”

“Don’t run away . ”

“…”

“If you run away from here, you can’t go back . ” Shin Yoosung closed her slightly open mouth . Shin Yoosung was a clever child rather than a brute . “Do what you can . ”

Tricks wouldn’t work on her . I couldn’t protect her just because she was a child .

“I understand . ”

Fear was fear, fear was determination .

[The character ‘Shin Yoosung’ has used ‘Advanced Diverse Communication Lv . 3 . ’]

Killing intent was all around me . The predators seeking prey were increasing . I could see 10 of them above the surface of the water . It was a difficult number to fight all at once . However, I could escape and survive . The ichthyosaurs couldn’t chase me the moment I left Han River .

“Dokja-ssi!”

Yoo Sangah called out a warning . The attack of the ichthyosaurs began . Sharp fangs flew from every direction .

[Blade of Faith is activated!]

I swung the blade and immediately pierced one ichthyosaur . The serpentine body hit the surface of the water .

The ichthyosaur’s writhing overturned Han River . I flew in the air along with the river water . Looking back, Shin Yoosung had let go of the styrofoam box and was also rising in the air .

Something quickly rose into the sky and Yoo Sangah’s spiderweb wrapped around Shin Yoosung . It was the linked Hermes Walking Method and Arachne’s Spiderweb .

Yoo Sangah retrieved Shin Yoosung safely while I stepped on the dead ichthyosaur and started swinging my sword at the approaching ichthyosaurs .

“This way you bastards!”

More than a dozen ichthyosaurs swam in my direction . Huge waves rocked the river and the body of the ichthyosaur I was standing on was in danger . I took a deep breath and adjusted my posture .

Way of the Wind would allow me to easily handle this crisis but it wasn’t time yet .

“Ahjussi!”

Shin Yoosung’s face became desperate as she was held in Yoo Sangah’s arms . Several fangs aimed at my skin as I wielded the blade . A few ichthyosaurs received mortal blows and fell down . The flowing blood cooled down and this area was becoming more and more crowded . However, I laughed .

Become more urgent .

Become more anxious .

Become more desperate .

It was the only way .

A terrible injury was created where an ichthyosaur’s fans grazed my skin . Blood started to pour from the wound .

「 No―!」

The scream entered my eardrums .

[The character ‘Shin Yoosung’ is about to evolve . ]

[Incarnation ‘Shin Yoosung’ has entered a trance state . ]

Shin Yoosung’s eyes were turning white . It was the same as when Lee Gilyoung used his power . It was as I thought . All of this was staged for Shin Yoosung’s awakening .

[The character ‘Shin Yoosung’ has used ‘Taming Lv . 9 . ’]

The level 60 magic power started to spread out through Han River, the aura pouring like a waterfall .

The ichthyosaurs’ momentum slowed . The ichthyosaurs shivered and groaned, as if responding to an enormous spirit .

The number of ichthyosaurs seen above the surface of the water increased . Previously it was around 10 and now it was more than 20 . This meant that below the water, more than twice the number of ichthyosaurs were gathering .

Then the ichthyosaurs started looking at me again . The confused ichthyosaurs emitted a sharp killing intent and became more violent .

Dammit, was it a failure?

“Yoo Sangah-ssi!”

It couldn’t be helped . It was best to use her stigma to escape quickly . Yoo Sangah nodded, escaped the ichthyosaurs and released her threads . I called out to Shin Yoosung .

“Yoosung . You can stop . Shin Yoosung!”

However, Shin Yoosung didn’t answer . The waves around Shin Yoosung grew stronger and now her body was covered with a bluish aura .

At this moment, a whirlpool occurred in the centre of Han River . I couldn’t grab onto anything and was swept away by the water . The surrounding ichthyosaurs screamed . I barely endured the centrifugal force while hanging onto the scales of an ichthyosaur .

The next moment, there was a huge splash of water . Then an ichthyosaur five or six times bigger than the other ichthyosaurs slowly rose .

It was so big that it didn’t seem like an ichthyosaur . It was much bigger than the sea commander that I killed previously . It had a majestic beard and arrogant eyes that dominated its species .

All the ichthyosaurs around it bowed their heads to the surface of the water .

[The fifth grade seawater species, the ‘Queen Mirabad’ has been discovered!]

…Shit, she called this monster? I knew Shin Yoosung had great talent but I didn’t know it was enough to call a ‘queen . ’ This was a monster comparable to a disaster .

I opened up Bookmark and was about to invoke Way of the Wind when Yoo Sangah’s voice was heard .

“…Dokja-ssi?”

I looked back and found that Shin Yoosung’s body was floating in the air .

She followed the path of the aura that stretched out to Queen Mirabad and Shin Yoosung slowly approached the queen . The queen looked at Shin Yoosung and Shin Yoosung looked at the queen . Then Shin Yoosung’s small hand quietly touched the queen’s nose .

The river water subsided and the ichthyosaurs quietly disappeared . I looked over and saw Shin Yoosung riding on the queen’s head . I now realized what Shin Yoosung was .

Beast Lord . The ruler of all monsters .

The colour slowly returned to Shin Yoosung’s eyes as she watched me . She wiped at her bleeding nose like it was nothing and said, “Let’s go, Ahjussi . ”

I nodded .