“….Final Scenario?”
Jeong Hui-Won frowned deeply while staring at the blinking message in the air.
The ‘Final Scenario’ was already starting?
The Apocalypse Dragon scenario was supposed to be 89th. So, did this mean that the 90th scenario was the last?
It wasn’t just her who was confused by this, though. Every Constellation still riding on the Ark exchanged glances and began murmuring among themselves.
[….What does that even mean?]
[Wait, did the 99th scenario start already?]
Some of them even began lodging complaints to Dokkaebi Bihyung, too.
[What kind of an underhanded scheme is this? It’s not the time for the Final Scenario to start….]
[Are you planning to take <Kim Dok-Ja Company> away separately?]
Bihyung studied the reactions of these Constellations before shaking his head. [The invitations to the Final Scenario are being issued since from a while ago. More correctly, ever since all of you decided to wake the ‘Apocalypse Dragon’, that is.]
His declaration caused the Constellations to become noisy among themselves. A few of them seemed to have realised something, and while looking around the vicinity in worried eyes, began shouting out loudly.
[I-in that case, send us to the Final Scenario, too!]
[T-that’s right! We also possess the qualifications!]
Bihyung spoke as if to pacify them. [I’m sorry, but I’m not in charge of you, everyone. But, if you possess the requisite qualifications, then the assigned Dokkaebis will arrive soon to guide you, so please rest easy.]
However, his tone of voice was definitely not a friendly one.
[That is, as long as you are qualified, of course.]
Complexions of the Constellations paled visibly. And soon afterwards, the Ark made another announcement.
– Next stop is the 8612th planetary system.
The 8612th planetary system. Where the planet Earth was, the home to <Kim Dok-Ja Company>.
Bihyung shifted his gaze over the members of <Kim Dok-Ja Company> as if he could no longer delay the matter.
[Well, now. Everyone from <Kim Dok-Ja Company>, please gather around.]
That prompted Han Su-Yeong to step forward. “No, hang on a minute. We finished the last scenario only a few days ago, you know?”
“Please let us head over to Earth first. We haven’t completed our preparation for the next scenario yet.”
Jeong Hui-Won also pitched in. One by one, the comrades gathered around – Shin Yu-Seung, Yi Gil-Yeong, and Yi Ji-Hye, too…. They all carried confused, unsettled expressions.
Bihyung sighed softly under his breath. [As I thought, it’s really inconvenient without Kim Dok-Ja around, isn’t it. If only he was here, he’d have understood it already.]
“Just what’s the reason for hurrying us up like this? If you can’t give us a proper explana…..”
Bihyung’s lips quietly moved.
– There aren’t that many entry tickets remaining. You gotta go there as soon as possible to secure yours.
Those words were conveyed through the ‘Dokkaebi Communication’.
The members of the <Kim Dok-Ja Company> looked at each other at the same time. If this Dokkaebi was sending a covert message like this, it could only mean that he didn’t want other Constellations to hear him.
However, what was with this ‘entry ticket’ thing? Did they need such a thing for the next scenario?
Yu Jung-Hyeok suddenly made his entrance from behind the hesitating group. “Let’s get going.”
“But, hang on!”
Yu Jung-Hyeok remained adamant even when Jeong Hui-Won tried to stop him. “The Final Scenario won’t start just because we enter its location. It’s the right decision to heed his recommendation.”
“But, what about Hyeon-Seong-ssi….”
“Entrust him to my master.”
Jeong Hui-Won hurriedly looked at Han Su-Yeong. The latter seemed to be thinking about something for a bit and then, grabbed the former’s shoulder. “….For the time being, let’s go there. There must be a reason if he’s being so insistent like this. Maybe, Kim Dok-Ja might have gone ahead of us and is waiting there. It’s worth checking it out.”
The words ‘Kim Dok-Ja’ brought about resolute determination on the members’ expressions.
“I agree.”
“Me too! Me too!”
Shin Yu-Seung, Yi Gil-Yeong, and even Yi Ji-Hye all quickly made up their minds. Jeong Hui-Won seemed to be worried about Yi Hyeon-Seong until the end, but eventually nodded her head after listening to Yu Jung-Hyeok’s words.
“We might be able to find a way to revive the ‘Emperor of Steelsword’ sooner by going to the Final Sscenario’s location.”
“….In that case, I don’t have a reason to hesitate anymore.”
[Well, let’s get going, then.]
Along with Bihyung’s voice, <Kim Dok-Ja Company>’s surroundings were dyed in bright light in an instant.
[Scenario transmission is starting!]
Perhaps due to the higher-ranking Dokkaebi’s authority being invoked, the time it took to move through the portal was short and comfortable.
In the blink of an eye, the group found themselves transported to the middle of pitch-black outer space. More specifically, on top of a semi-transparent disk that allowed them to look down on the universe itself.
“Where…..”
The disk was protected by a dome-shaped barrier with only one entrance/exit, while there were several Dokkaebis standing in front of this very doorway.
Yu Jung-Hyeok took a look at the Dokkaebis once, and then at the doorway, before muttering to himself. “It’s the <Gate of Star Stream>.”
“You know where this is?”
He nodded his head at Han Su-Yeong’s question. “It’s where the Bureau’s headquarters is. You have to pass through here in order to enter the Final Scenario’s location.”
“Sounds like you’ve been here before? Were you caught by the ⸢Probability Appropriateness Evaluation⸥ or something?”
“No, it’s my first time here.”
“Then how did you know? Did the records from the 1863rd turn mention this place?”
“That is….”
Suddenly, he grabbed his temples and staggered unsteadily.
He knew of the records from the 1863rd turn, thanks to the ‘Secretive Plotter’. However, those records didn’t contain any information regarding this scenario. Kim Dok-Ja hadn’t said anything in particular, either.
In that case, how did he know of this information already?
Tsu-chuchut….
Sparks faintly danced just above his coat. Yi Ji-Hye sensed that something was wrong and as she reached out to him, rays of bright light exploded from the Gate’s vicinity. Another batch of Constellations, as well as Dokkaebis, warped into this place.
[Constellation-nims, please, it’s this way.]
Constellations and Incarnations brushed past their group in perfect order under the guidance of Great Dokkaebis. And among them walking past <Kim Dok-Ja Company>, was ‘Heoche’, the very same Dokkaebi who showed up to offer them a choice earlier.
[Didn’t I say it before? That you’ll all regret your decision.]
Han Su-Yeong and Yu Jung-Hyeok glanced at each other after hearing that Great Dokkaebi’s passing voice.
Something was off about this whole thing.
Quite unlike this Great Dokkaebi’s group that went past the Gate rather easily, <Kim Dok-Ja Company> wasn’t even able to approach its vicinity at all.
Bihyung was standing by the entrance, and the group could hear him arguing with the gatekeepers there.
[What is the meaning of this? We’ve already gone through all the procedures. These Incarnations possess the right qualifications to enter the Final Scenario. So, please step aside.]
As the Gate emitting pure light swallowed up the Great Dokkaebi’s group, it stopped first and whispered something to the captain of the gatekeepers.
Unable to wait any longer, Bihyung stepped forward, only for this captain to open its lips. [Higher-ranking Dokkaebi Bihyung, you and <Kim Dok-Ja Company> can’t enter the Final Scenario.]
*
When I was young, I often had dreams where I became Yu Jung-Hyeok. Well, he occupied the places inside me that should’ve been filled by the likes of Superman or Batman, that was why.
Not only that, I often acted as him even when I was wide awake. I got beaten up because of that, and also experienced some pretty horrible ordeals, too.
Even then, I managed to survive until now because I became such a ‘Yu Jung-Hyeok’.
⸢”Captain, let’s hurry and head over to the next scenario!”⸥
Of course, it wasn’t only Yu Jung-Hyeok who made an appearance in my dreams. Indeed, the brave Yi Ji-Hye was there, too. And…
⸢”Maintenance of the equipment is complete, Jung-Hyeok-ssi.”⸥
…The dependable Yi Hyeon-Seong was also there, and finally….
⸢”Captain, are you alright? Your complexion isn’t so good….”⸥
….The thoughtful Shin Yu-Seung was there, too.
In a way, they were like my family. If Yu Jung-Hyeok was my parent, then Yi Hyeon-Seong was my older brother, Ji-Hye was my older sister, and Yu-Seung was my friend.
I loved their stories. I cheered them on during their fights, and took a peek at their misfortunes. And I….
….I wasn’t really sure if this could serve as an excuse, but I truly wished for them to be happy.
What had happened to them by now, I wonder?
The last thing I saw was Yu Jung-Hyeok’s face.
⸢”It’s all because of you.”⸥
Suddenly, my view spun around. I spat out a pained groan and opened my eyes.
“Your complexion isn’t so good. Are you alright?”
I was wondering why my chest felt heavy, but as it turned out, the kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeok number [999] was standing on it. He used his mini [Heaven Shaking Sword] to pick up a cup resting on the nearby table and handed it over to me.
“Drink.”
“….Thanks.”
My mind gradually woke up after drinking some cold water.
[Current Incarnation Body recovery rate: 36%]
Although negligent, my Incarnation Body was slowly recovering. Of course, it wasn’t enough to make me feel satisfied.
– <Kim Dok-Ja Company>. It’s now time to leave for the Final Scenario.
The sight I saw in [666]’s smartphone last night didn’t want to leave my head. My companions were already facing the offer of the Final Scenario. I no longer had time to waste here.
“You can leave whenever you want. As long as you can figure out the answer yourself, that is.”
“It’s that thing again?”
I grumbled unhappily and sat up, but then, the kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeok number [999] threw an unexpected question in my way. “Name the type of food you hate.”
“Why, all of a sudden?”
“Shut up and answer the question.”
I was momentarily overwhelmed by the little guy’s force. “….It’s tomato.”
He pulled out a small memo pad from his inner pocket and jotted down ‘tomato’ in neat handwriting.
Why was he writing that down, anyway?
“What about your favourite food?”
“…..Murim dumplings with chicken broth.”
My answer prompted a change of expressions in [999]’s face. “Looks like your tongue knows its stuff.”
Well, sure, my three-inch tongue helped me live this far, that’s true.
“81st turn is in charge of cooking. His swordsmanship might be lacking, but he’s quite talented when it comes to making food. Look forward to it.”
Now that I thought about it, 81st turn Yu Jung-Hyeok learned quite a lot of cooking skills for some reason, didn’t he? It seemed that he was in charge of meals in this place, then.
[999] finished jotting down on the memo, jumped off from the bed and glanced back at me. “If you’re uncomfortable about something, tell me. Even a dumb guest is a guest nonetheless.”
“There is something I want to ask, actually.”
“As long as it’s not an unnecessary one.”
“Why did Yu Jung-Hyeok become an ‘Outer God’?”
The kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeok’s expression hardened ever so slightly. I continued with my questioning. “Not only that, he even acts as a Constellation with a moniker of ‘Secretive Plotter’, too…. The ‘Yu Jung-Hyeok’ that I know of would’ve never done something like this. He’s….”
One of the things I realised after coming here was that almost all the kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeoks didn’t really like me. Quite often, they would try to pick a fight with me for no reason, and rarely did they provide a proper answer whenever I asked them about something.
However, this [999] was different. There was that story about the wolf, too. It was as if he wanted to tell me something here.
Thankfully, my gut feeling wasn’t wrong.
“Just what is the ‘Yu Jung-Hyeok’ you think you know?”
His voice contained faint traces of scorn. I didn’t know what to say.
“Do you still believe that you can understand someone through just a few lines of text in a couple of chapters?”
I couldn’t reply.
I wasn’t sure why. It could be because I thought that I had no right to answer him, or maybe I couldn’t find the correct words to say.
[999] quietly studied the indecisive me, before shooting me a criticising glare. He then pulled some things out from a drawer attached to the table to throw them at me. “I heard that you like to read. Maybe, reading that might help you. That book is written for the purpose of understanding the fear of the unknown by foolish humans like you.”
What [999] threw at me were several books. I picked one of them up to take a look.
[A Brief Overview of Outer Gods – regarding the ‘Secretive Plotter’ and the ‘Most Ancient Dream’]
< Episode 79. The Secretive Plotter (5)> Fin.
