The texture of the hand was like a feather on my head. Something hard deep inside my heart crumpled. Perhaps she recognized me.
She looked up and Shin Yoosung’s clear eyes could be seen. “…Ahjussi?”
***
After a while, I was flying in the air on the chimera dragon. To be exact, it wasn’t just me but the other returnees who had a similar appearance. Four on the legs, two on the wings, three on the tail and… me. A total of 10 returnees rode the dragon and flew to Seoul.
I spoke to encourage the returnees who had motion sickness. “Seoul is a little bit further. Have strength, everybody.”
“Ugh, I could’ve run faster…” Flying Fox grumbled.
“It’s safer to go by air. There might be unknown risks.”
“Well… I guess if Brother is saying this. By the way, is that Brother’s child?”
He seemed to be asking about Shin Yoosung and I nodded. “Yes, well… it is similar.”
She was my incarnation and it was true that she was special like my child.
“…Huh, you must’ve had a hard time at a young age. What about your wife?”
I wasn’t married in the first place. Somehow, he understood my silence and Flying Fox looked at me with sympathetic eyes. I turned my head and other returnees had a similar expression.
“Tsk tsk, too bad…”
“Well, let’s do out best now. After this scenario, we can meet our families.”
“Brother! Have strength!”
These sentiments were best directed for the returnees who had family or lovers. In any case, things were going better than I expected. Rather…
“What are you so nervous about? Can’t you listen quietly?”
At Lee Jihye’s words, the returnees all shut their mouths. As if she still couldn’t believe it, Lee Jihye glanced at me and told Shin Yoosung, “It will be your fault if things go wrong. Don’t you know?”
Shin Yoosung nodded.
A few dozen minutes ago, Shin Yoosung had declared to Lee Jihye and Lee Gilyoung. “I think the squid is Dokja ahjussi.”
Lee Jihye, who cut my hair, had a wide open mouth while Lee Gilyoung, who wanted to cut my leg, stiffened. Needless to say, the reactions of the two people seemed the same.
“…This is Dokja ahjussi?”
“Hyung can’t be a squid, you idiot!”
Shin Yoosung cried out, “Really! It is really Dokja ahjussi!”
We had been flying for dozens of minutes but the argument was still continuing.
“You are sick again… Gilyoung, how many times is it now?”
“Five to six times.”
A breeze blew against our faces. Shin Yoosung sat beside me and sighed like she was upset.
“Ahjussi…”
[The demon king ‘Demon King of Salvation’ is proving his existence.]
[The indirect message is distorted by the scenario penalty.]
[The Ugly Squid is waving his own suckers.]
Shin Yoosung nodded and exclaimed triumphantly. “Look! It really is Ahjussi!”
Thank you. I was grateful but I didn’t know why it was so complicated.
Lee Jihye sighed, “What will you do if he isn’t Dokja ahjussi?”
“That…”
“Bringing all these disasters to Seoul, what if something goes wrong?”
“Even if it isn’t Dokja ahjussi…”
Shin Yoosung bit her lip before saying. “Sangah unni told me. There might be disasters who aren’t enemies.”
“…There has never been a case so far.”
“This might be the first time.”
Fortunately, Yoo Sangah had communicated my words to the party members. In the 45th scenarios, returnees turned into disasters and some of them weren’t enemies.
“The level of Sangah unni’s Interpreter skill is high. Maybe we can communicate this time. We have to try, even if things go wrong.”
Little by little, hope emerged. In any case, I just needed to get to Seoul. There was a moment of silence between the party members. For a while, there was only the sound of wind blowing. I spoke to Shin Yoosung.
‘Yoosung.’
[Your language is distorted by the scenario penalty.]
[The Ugly Squid is attracting attention.]
Shin Yoosung stared at me. “Yes, Ajusshi.”
‘You don’t have to convince people that I’m Kim Dokja.’
[Your language is distorted by the scenario penalty.]
[The Ugly Squid is waving his ten legs.]
“Huh? Ahjussi…”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t have the confidence to answer correctly.
[The Ugly Squid has a gloomy expression.]
I silently stared at Lee Jihye.
「 It is a lie. It isn’t possible. 」
Lee Jihye’s thoughts entered my head. From the moment I met the party members, I activated Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.
「 Dokja ahjussi… 」
Some emotions weren’t conveyed through language. There were fragmented sentences and broken off words. Sometimes they couldn’t be left that way because I couldn’t look properly.
My presence is an indelible wound on them. The sense of helplessness caused by their companion dying in front of them. The despair of nothing being able to do anything, only watch as someone sacrificed themselves.
A small keyring hanging from Lee Jihye’s sword shook. I knew the identity of this keyring. Lee Jihye had long been a scarred sword demon.
Lee Jihye smiled as if trying to hide her feelings. “Hey, take a good look. This is the real Dokja ahjussi, right?”
“…”
Shin Yoosung didn’t answer. Maybe she was feeling my emotions as well. This was the relationship between a constellation and incarnation. We understood more than was spoken.
Lee Jihye laughed mischievously. “Hey, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you not confident?”
“That isn’t it…”
“I knew Shin Yoosung would do this again!”
Lee Gilyoung interrupted. “Noona, she did this before! She saw the frog and said that Dokja ahjussi must’ve come back―”
“I’ll kill you…”
“Don’t you remember? We were almost killed because of you.”
Lee Jihye nodded. “…Certainly, that happened.”
“There is a collection at your house. Frog Kim Dokja, Tentacled Disaster Kim Dokja, Elephant Monster who Almost Became Kim Dokja…”
“Die…”
“By the way, can you give me Frog Kim Dokja?”
“This is really…!”
The chimera dragon flapped its wings wildly and suddenly stopped in the air.
Lee Jihye screamed, “Waaah! What is this all of a sudden?”
A series of airships were blocking our way. It wasn’t just one or two. A coin flying boat that could only be purchased after the 40th scenario. The decks of the ships had ‘GG” written on the
…I think I knew their identity.
-Busan Alliance, why did you come here?
A high-pressure voice was heard from an airship. Memories of the original novel came to mind.
Lee Gilyoung grumbled, “Why can’t we come?”
In the original novel, after the 25th scenario, the Korean Peninsula was divided into several regional alliances such as the Busan Alliance, the Daegu Alliance, the Seoul Alliance…
Most of the alliances were centred around incarnations with powerful sponsors and if I remembered correctly, there was one such person in the Gyeonggi region.
-Disasters can’t enter the Gyeonggi area. Leave the disasters behind right now.
The Gyeonggi Alliance. It was called the Gyeonggi Alliance but most of the members weren’t from Gyeonggi. They were predators who only moved for the benefits of the group. They were one of Yoo Jonghyuk’s headaches in several rounds. It was because the head of the alliance was one of the 10 Evils.
-I will fire if you don’t leave in five seconds. Five.
The troubled Lee Jihye rose from her seat. “Ah, I can’t help fighting if you come out like this.”
In the original development, the present party members wouldn’t be able to deal with the Gyeonggi Alliance with an individual force. However, the third round was a lot different from the original.
This Lee Jihye didn’t survive because of luck. “I am the leader of the Busan Alliance, Lee Jihye.”
Blue flames soared from Lee Jihye’s blade. I watched the spectacular wave of magic power and was truly amazed.
Jihye, you really tried.
It was an ether blade. Lee Jihye was able to implement a technique that only those in Murim could use.
-Admiral! This isn’t the sea! At least in the sky, our Gyeonggi Alliance…!
“That remains to be seen.”
Lee Jihye laughed and leapt forward with his blade pointed backwards. Suddenly, there was an explosion from the other side of the airships. The fleet was cut in half along with the soundwave. Lee Jihye stared at Lee Gilyoung like she was dumbfounded.
“Is that Titano? Why are you intervening?”
“…My Titano is dead.”
The chimera dragon hadn’t moved yet so it wasn’t done by Shin Yoosung. Less than a minute later, all the alliance’s airships were blown up. There was a blazing inferno as someone jumped towards this side.
Lee Jihye raised her blade cautiously. Not long after, the wariness lightened. It was because the person was known. The thoughtful Shin Yoosung yelled at Lee Jihye, “JIhye unni! Did you tell
Heewon-ssi already?”
“That… I texted her a while ago. I just didn’t know if she would come this soon…” Lee Jihye smiled apologetically.
“It is great that we’re gathering after a long time! That is either Dokja ahjussi or a squid party. Heewon unni―!”
I gazed at the welcome face that was approaching and my heart ached.
-If you were going to do this anyway, why have you been preparing us for the past few days? Why give me these skills?
-I told you how to deal with the Sasquatch in the 28th scenario.
I could see it the moment I saw Jung Heewon. She kept everything I said. Then she became stronger than I expected.
-Shit! Don’t talk nonsense! I can’t let you go! Don’t go alone again! Please!
Jung Heewon dressed in a special suit emerged from the thick smoke and landed on the chimera dragon’s back. The Sword of Judgment emitted a light as it cried out wildly. Jung Heewon glanced at the squid before asking, “Who is Kim Dokja?”
The frightened returnees held their breaths in unison. Shin Yoosung realized that something wasn’t right and quickly came forward.
“I-I don’t know who Ahjussi is just yet. I just got the feeling of Ahjussi…”
Jung Heewon laughed. “I see. Then you’re going to see Sangah-ssi?”
“Yes, I wanted to go see Sangah unni and ask for her opinion…”
“There is no need. I can tell if he is Kim Dokja or not.”
“Huh?”
[The character ‘Jung Heewon’ is preparing to activate Judgment Time!]
“I’ll see soon. If he is the real Dokja-ssi, the squid will survive.” An almost crazy magic power nestled in Jung Heewon’s blade. “Or he will go to hell at my hands.”
It was a horrifying will-o’-the-wisp. Shin Yoosung realized that something was wrong and shouted, “Ahjussi! Run!”
The moment the chimera dragon howled, I jumped down from its back with the other returnees. There was a deafening collision as I used Way of the Wind and pulled the returnees one by one.
In any case, the goal was around the corner. Once I arrived at Yeouido, I could prove myself without fighting. The 10 returnees, including me, joined hands and made a formation in the air. It was all prearranged in advance.
“Flying Fox!”
“Leave it to me!”
Flying Fox, the fastest man in Murim, started to make a rapid journey by repeatedly stepping through the air. He used Walk on Snow with No Traces while supported by the momentum created by Way of the Wind.
We rotated like a pinwheel and started to accelerate. We entered Seoul through the sky and a system message was heard.
[The ‘target base’ is very close.]
I could see Yeouido in the distance. There was a huge monument I had to leave a mark on.
At that moment, I felt time and space creaking. Strong alarm bells were telling me that I shouldn’t go to this place. It was an almost instinct-based choice to change the course of the party.
Then by one hair’s breadth a sword with a tremendous destructive force swept through the sky. The black sword crushed the ceiling of the sky and disappeared as cracks formed. It would’ve been a terrifying blow if I was hit. As far as I knew, there was only one incarnation on the Korean Peninsula with this technique.
I raised my head and met a cool gaze. As if the second hand stopped, time flowed very slowly. A huge Black Demon Sword was inserted into the ground. The incarnation who was stronger than anyone I knew and with the strongest determination was waiting for me.
“Yoo Jonghyuk.”
Standing there was the supreme king of this world.
TL: Rainbow Turtle
