The treasure chest sat in the middle of the open room, completely unguarded. At least, that's what it would seem to anyone who doesn't already know about this place.
Dokja saw Lee Gilyoung start to walk forward towards the chest, but he held out his hand to pull him back and cover his mouth before he could make any noise.
"Shh, wait. The treasure trove doesn't contain just treasure."
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is disappointed.]
Yeah, you would be wouldn't you? You've wanted me to die a long time ago. Dokja and the rest of the group stayed hidden and watched as shadows started to emerge from the treasure chest.
It was the ground rats. They brought something through the tunnel, threw it and exchanged information. Once a certain number of ground rats had gathered, the number of lights illuminating the surroundings increased. It was black fire, flames made with black ether. It was said that this place was the core of Dark Root, which was why it had so much black ether to burn. At that time, someone's voice was heard, "It is all because of Yoo Sangah-ssi!"
Han Myungoh could be heard shouting somewhere off to the side.
"I-If Yoo Sangah hadn't taken the subway, the situation wouldn't be like this!"
"Why does the subway matter now?"
The two continued to bicker as they were wrapped in some sort of vine and trapped against the wall on the opposite end of the chamber.
Yoo Sangah's tone was cold. "Wait a minute. Were you the one who stole my bike?"
"W-What is this person? I clearly told you that I would drive you in my car! You should know how to accept favours!"
"Answer me. Did you steal my bike?"
My god, this guy. I kind of knew what he would be like from interacting at the company so much, but I didn't think he would go that far. Dokja sighed as he realised the nature of the conversation between the two.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' hates the character 'Han Myungoh'.]
Couldn't agree with you more Uriel. Dokja took out a thorn he had used earlier and threw it towards the wall they were trapped at, just grazing the side of Han Myungoh as it sank into the wall.
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is pleased.]
Yoo Sangah called out after looking towards where the projectile came from, but Dokja's attention was elsewhere.
['Dark Keeper' has appeared!]
[The sub scenario has been updated!]
[Sub scenario 'Kill the Guard' has begun!]
Like slaves surrendering to a king, the terrified ground rats fell to the ground. A dark figure appeared in the dim light. A tentacled monster that was like a grim reaper. Lee Gilyoung's complexion deteriorated sharply.
"Oof, hyung, that…"
"It is okay."
Eventually, Lee Gilyoung fell to the ground and started retching. It wasn't strange. A lot of pressure was felt just looking at it from afar. The cockroaches scattered around the area had their stomachs exploded. Lee Gilyoung, who was connected to the cockroaches, would've suffered considerable mental damage.
Dokja looked over at the two foreigners, expecting them to be fine after what he had seen them do on the bridge, but surprisingly they both shared a look of concern after staring at the creature that had appeared.
"Are you guys ok?" Dokja asked with a bit of concern. I know this enemy is tough, but we should be able to handle it just fine if we act together, so why do they look so cautious?
"We're fine, it's just the pressure it's emanating. We've seen something like this before but it won't be an issue to deal with. We were just surprised to see something like this here, that's all." Zhou was back to his usual calm demeanor.
They've seen something like this before? When? To my knowledge there aren't any other creatures like this that appear this early on in the scenarios, so where did they encounter such a thing? Dokja didn't have time to question further as he turned to run over to Yoo Sangah and Han Myungoh in an attempt to cut them free.
Dokja managed to cut them loose while Zhou joined up with Dokja. Huang stayed back with Lee Gilyoung to keep him safe and watch from the side.
[The 'Dark Keeper' has received the favour of the demon king it follows.]
[The 'Dark Keeper' has emitted 'Fear'.]
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' has neutralized most of the 'Fear' effect.]
The Dark Keeper let out a shriek and began to speak in a strange language. Dokja negated the fear and turned to Zhou, and as expected he seemed to shake it off as well.
"M-Mother?" Yoo Sangah's voice suddenly brought back Dokja's attention.
She hasn't left yet? What does she mean by mother? Dokja tried to get her to head back towards Huang and Lee Gilyoung. Han Myungoh had already started running in their direction.
"That monster just said 'Mother'…Uhh, I think…K-Karud, yemiren? Ah, this is the pronunciation? Aketu?" Sangha didn't move as she continued to look at the Dark Keeper with an inquisitive look.
The Dark Keeper continued to speak out.
"Kallitu!"
[The character 'Yoo Sangah' has activated the 'Interpreter Lv. 3 skill.]
"Kallitu!"
…Oh my god, she wasn't only good at Spanish. Let's see what would happen. Dokja asked, "What is he saying?"
"That…it keeps saying 'become Mother'…Uh, Mother? I'm not married yet!"
The dark keeper pointed at Han Myungoh this time. "Kallitu!"
Han Myungoh turned pale as he wiped his lip. "W-Why am I the mother? Father!"
The dark keeper's tentacles rose.
"Ooooof!"
One of the tentacles entered his mouth and Han Myungoh turned black. There was the sound of something moving down Han Myungoh's throat. That's right. This was what it meant to become the mother. I belatedly recalled that the demon species conceived their young in the body of other species.
"Sangah-ssi, get out of here now." Zhou spoke in a firm voice, causing her to quickly run towards the rest of the group.
Dokja swung the spear he had made out of the ground rat and cut the tentacle attached to Han Myungoh as Sangah made it back.
Zhou and Dokja remained in the open with the Dark Keeper while Huang stood defensively over the others further in the back.
The dark keeper roared angrily, "Kallituo!"
The tentacles of the demon species were gradually breaking the ground rat spear. Even the stone hog thorn, which broke through the stomach of an ichthyosaur, would've been destroyed the moment it was stuck in a demon's body.
Yoo Sangah looked over at Dokja with questioning eyes, Is there a chance?
"Do you have a plan?" Zhou's question interrupted Dokja's thoughts.
"Maybe, can you buy me some time?"
"Make it quick." Zhou aimed his finger and snapped multiple times at the incoming tentacles, blowing them back with air bullets.
"Dokkaebi. Are you watching?"
[U-Uh. You knew?]
The dokkaebi showed up in the darkness. I didn't know his name but he seemed to be a cousin of Bihyung.
"There should be some mail for me by now. I want you to hand it over quickly."
[Hihit. It isn't my responsibility. I-It is Bihyung's thing.]
"Right now, you are taking Bihyung's place. Don't you see the constellations complaining?"
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband wants to scold the dokkaebi 'Biryu'.]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' threatens the dokkaebi 'Biryu'.]
The dokkaebi Biryu gulped.
[…O-Okay. Instead, it is just this once. I think it will be interesting!]
The dokkaebi muttered something and the summoning began.
[The item has arrived from the exchange.]
[The item 'Broken Faith' has been acquired.]
[The brokerage fee was exempted due to the effect of the contract.]
Dokja ignored the taunting from the dokkaebi as he activated the skill he had bought earlier specifically for this item.
[Purest Sword Force]
[Broken Faith has responded to your star energy!]
[Blade of Faith is activated!]
A brilliant white virtual blade sprang up from the edge of the broken blade. Broken Faith, its real performance was revealed when star energy was injected into it.
Dokja turned his attention back towards the Dark Keeper as the number of tentacles increased and continued going after both Zhou and Dokja.
The barrage was more than Zhou could block on his own as some attacks reached out towards Dokja.
Swisssh! Shhiiing!
Dokja cleaved through the incoming tentacle with Broken Faith before turning to help Zhou. Surprisingly, he was doing just fine.
Dokja watched Zhou move unaturally around the incoming attacks, jumping and bending all over the place while still maintaining his balance.
He must have some crazy stats and skills to be able to move like that. With moves like those, he might even be able to hold his own against Yoo Joonghyuk. Dokja stepped in and swung at the few remaining tentacles moving in. Between the two of them, they were able to fend off the Dark Keepers' attacks, but they still couldn't find an opening to strike back.
Dokja stumbled a few times, but it was only natural seeing as he didn't have the 'Fighting Senses' skill or the 'Swordsmanship Training' skill, so the way he wielded the blade was terrible. It doesn't matter. I am a reader, not a swordsman. And a reader should fight in the manner of a reader.
[The attribute effect has improved your memories of the pages already read.]The pages of Ways of Survival flashed in Dokja's head.
[…The dark keeper's attack pattern is simple. Unconditionally, the tentacle on the upper right will first… ]
[…After the attack, a single tentacle at the bottom… ]
[ …Its tentacles regenerate but it will take a few minutes… ]
Dokja used his knowledge to counter the Dark Keepers' movements. Zhou seemed to catch on and worked in tandem with Dokja until an opening presented itself.
[The exclusive skill 'Bookmark' can now be activated.]
[The number two bookmark has been activated.]
[The level of the Bookmark skill is low, shortening the activation time.]
[Activation Time: One minute.]
[Your understanding of the character is low, so only a part of the character's skill is activated.]
['Weapons Training Lv.1' has been activated.]
Swiiish.
In one swift motion, Dokja leapt towards an opening and cleaved through a portion of the Dark Keeper's body.
"Kar. Mien. Der." The dark keeper muttered as it barely managed to pull itself together from its shock.
Yoo Sangah muttered from behind in a quivering voice, "How do you know all my weaknesses…?"
Dokja responded in a light manner, "I usually read a lot of books."
Dokja's response earned an inquisitive look from both Zhou and Huang, but he didn't notice as he was being flooded with messages.
[A few constellations are doubting their eyes.]
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is flaring fiercely.]
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' pulls his hair as if he is pleased.]
[500 coins have been sponsored.]
[The obsessive-compulsive constellations praise your readiness.]
[200 coins have been sponsored.]
As he was reading the messages, the dokkaebi addressed Dokja directly.
[A-An 'ether blade' in the beginning scenarios…C-Constellations. Is this a true story?]
"To be exact, it isn't a real ether blade. The real one is much stronger than this."
[T-That's right! Strictly speaking, it is Broken Faith that has absorbed the Purest Sword Force and made the blade…]
[Amazing… There is this guy in that brat Bihyung's channel…]
"Give me the compensation for finishing the sub-scenario." Dokja paid no mind to his sword as it ran out of energy and became useless once again.
[Uhh, that's right. W-Wait!]
[You have met the conditions to clear the sub scenario!]
[You have earned 500 coins.]
[A handful of constellations admire your scenario.]
The dokkaebi then turned to Dokja with an expectant look.
[By the way, are you not going to kill that guy?]
Of course not, I'm not looking to get hunted by a Demon King for the rest of my life. Dokja let out an exhausted breath as he glanced at the dark keeper on the ground. "I have a non-killing ideology."
[N-Non-killing…?]
"I'm not someone who kills easily."
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' admires it!]
[100 coins have been sponsored.]
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is giving you a sly smile.]
[100 coins have been sponsored.]
Dokkaebi Biryu stammered as he stared in bewilderment at Dokja.
[B-But won't the reward be great if you kill this guy? You will be the first to kill a grade 7 demon and I will give you 7,000 coins! Do you know how big 7,000 coins is?]
"I won't kill it. I need to open the compensation box so please step aside."
Dokja started walking towards the compensation box as Zhou came up beside him. Huh, either he doesn't care about the coins, or he realised something was up. Doesn't matter, as long as he doesn't go for the kill-
Dokja couldn't even finish his thought as he was interrupted by a system message.
[The 7th grade demon, 'Dark Keeper' was killed.]
Huh? Dokja turned towards the now corpse of the Dark Keeper to find Han Myungoh standing over it with a knife in its chest. Well, that's one problem solved I guess.
"Haha, hahahaha! N-Now I can be strong! Kim Dokja, you son of a bitch! You didn't know this!" Han Myungoh let out a triumphant roar.
[A 7th grade demon has been hunted for the first time!]
[An impossible feat has been accomplished.]
[You have earned 8,000 coins.]
[Contribution: Kim Dokja, Zhou Mingrui, Han Myungoh]
Han Myungoh smiled widely as he saw the messages coming in. "Non-killing ideology? Stupid guy! What is killing in this burning world? There can't be a person like you! You know―"
[The 7th grade demon 'Dark Keeper' has been killed and the demon king 'Asmodeus' has noticed the murderer's presence.]
[The demon king 'Asmodeus' will chase the one who dealt the finishing blow until they are dead.]
[The demon king 'Asmodeus' has put a terrible curse on the person who dealt the final blow!]
[Final Blow: Han Myungoh]
"W-What? What is this message?" Han Myungoh cried out fearfully.
Dokja noticed that Zhou was giving him an interesting look before he turned back and answered. "Ah…didn't I tell you? I intentionally didn't kill it."
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' admires your wickedness.]
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' has recommended your scenario to Star Stream.]
Han Myungoh stared into the air like he had lost his soul. The curse of the demon king Asmodeus was the most terrible thing for a killer.
Dokja ignored him as the rest of the group approached him and Zhou.
"We'll open the rewards together."
After searching through what was left of the loot, Yoo Sangah and Lee Gilyoung found a small bracelet and an old shield respectively. It was obvious that Yoo Joonghyuk had already been through here and cleared out the best loot beforehand.
Yoo Sangah spoke with slight disappointment. "It is less than I thought."
"No kidding, with that big guy guarding this place I figured there would at least be something cool," Huang spoke in a dejected voice as he continued searching to no avail.
"It is okay because the main thing is still left," Dokja reassured the group as he headed towards a black box in the centre of the warehouse and pulled out a miniature stove small enough to fit inside a pocket.
The Magic Power Stove. Each person can only take one, so it makes sense why these are still here even after Yoo Joonghyuk came through. Dokja purposely fumbled with the stove for a minute before activating it before holding out a dead ground rat's leg over the flame. Within 5 seconds, the leg was instantly cooked. Wow! A delicious smell!" Lee Gilyoung salivated while staring at the leg. "Meat!"
"C-Can we eat this?" Yoo Sangah questioned.
"I'll try it first." Dokja took a bite of the leg as the flavors exploded in his mouth. Tasting it is definitely different from reading about it in the book.
Dokja caught sight of the way Zhou was looking at the leg, like a child staring through the window of a candy shop.
"Eat it. I think it is okay."
Everyone rushed towards the meat as soon as Dokja gave the okay. Even Han Myungoh approached after some hesitancy.
"Wow, I haven't had food this good in a long time." Zhou was the first to speak up as everyone was chowing down on their meals.
"I know right? I haven't had anything like this since I was back in Inti-" Huang seemed to choke on a piece of his food before he could finish his sentence as Zhou gave him a strange look.
Everyone went back to their food before Yoo Sangah let out a sigh after meeting Dokja's eyes.
"I'm pathetic."
"...Huh?" Dokja looked at her confused.
"Dokja-ssi and Zhou-ssi worked so hard and I am just eating like a pig… I was no help at all…"
"No, Yoo Sangah-ssi. That…"
"By the way, how does Dokja-ssi know all this? You know how to cook a beast and…"
"Ah, That…"
"Indeed! It must be because you read fantasy novels, right? Really, I didn't know the world was going to be like this. My silly self was just memorizing Spanish."
Dokja noticed that strange look from Zhou and Huang again, but his attention was too focused on Yoo Sangah. He felt somewhat strange when he heard her say these things.
"It is because Yoo Sangah-ssi studied foreign languages that you learn the language of the demon species," Dokja said in an attempt to comfort her.
"I see… Thank you, Dokja-ssi…" Yoo Sangah said in a dejected tone. She clearly wasn't convinced of her usefulness by Dokja.
…
Zhou wasn't planning on chiming in on the conversation, fully intent on enjoying the first good meal he got since battling Amon in Sefirah Castle. But when he looked at the way Yoo Sangah was beating herself up for being too powerless to help, he couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity with his early days in Tingen.
"Everyone has their own specialty," Zhou decided to speak. "Not everyone can do the same things, we each have our own strengths and weaknesses. And I've seen how you were with the kids, being there to comfort them through this whole situation. And how you helped distribute food to those in need back at the station. You were also the first one to help Jung Heewon once she came into the station. You are caring and have excellent people skills. In a world like this, there are too few people like you."
Yoo Sangah looked up at Zhou in surprise, looking much better than she did a moment ago. A hopeful glimmer in her eyes. "You really think so?"
"I do. And that translation skill you have there is also quite handy. By the way, are you able to understand this?" Zhou switched to Loenese. "This is the language Huang, Amanises, and I use to talk sometimes."
Yoo Sangah listened closely to Zhou as he spoke. "I can sort of understand. I get the rough idea of what you are saying, similar to that Dark Keeper."
Well shit, I wonder how much she heard us talking about. Zhou pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he continued.
"Then what about this?" Zhou switched to Ancient Hermes.
"That one is a bit weird. I feel like I understand the words, but when I try to remember what was said, it gives me a headache."
If she can understand and use Ancient Hermes, then she can do some ritualistic magic. Actually, I wonder…
"You know, this language actually holds some power. I'm curious, do you want to test something of mine? If this works, it could give you the edge you are looking for in fights."
Yoo Sangah looked at Zhou curiously, "Sure? What exactly am I going to be using?"
Zhou put his hand in his pocket and acted as if he was trying to find something as he reached into the Historical Void and pulled out a Ninth Law Charm.
"Take this," Zhou handed the piece of metal to Yoo Sangah, who looked at it curiously. "This 'game system' seems to give you some sort of 'mana' to use your skills. What I want you to try right now is to hold that charm to your mouth and try and put some of your power into it."
Yoo Sangah did as instructed as the charm began to glow slightly. Dokja watched closely at the events unfolding.
"Good. Now look towards Huang and repeat after me," Zhou switched to Ancient Hermes. "Imprison."
"Huh, me?" Huang was caught off guard at the mention of his name as Yoo Sangah looked at him and spoke the command word.
Everyone watched as a semi-transparent barrier encased Huang as he took a step forward and hit his head on the invisible wall. The wall only lasted a second before dissipating, but everyone looked impressed at the sudden display.
"What was that?" Yoo Sangah asked excitedly.
"What I just gave you is called a Ninth Law Charm. By injecting it with some of your power, you can use that language to speak certain effects or rules that can restrict an enemy's abilities or movement into reality. The more power you inject, you can make more intricate rules, make your effects last longer, or strengthen them." Zhou caught a glimpse of Dokja looking at him curiously before continuing. "For now, I can teach you single-word commands. But if given the time, I can teach you some of the basics of the language, and you can use it to make your own rules."
Zhou reached into his pocket and pulled out 3 more Ninth Law Charms and handed them to Yoo Sangah. "I can create more of these later, so if you ever need more, just ask."
"Wow, thank you Zhou-ssi! I don't even know what to say. I'm still getting used to this whole system, but I know that what you just taught me must be important. For you to share something like this with me…"
"Don't think much of it. I'll teach you the one-word commands while we finish eating so you can be prepared in case we encounter anything on the way back."
The group continued to eat while paying close attention to Zhou's lessons, even though only Huang and Yoo Sangah could understand. Dokja was baffled by the display he had just seen. Nothing like this has ever been seen before in Ways of Survival.
Eventually, the basic lessons ended, and everyone continued to chat as they ate. Zhou noticed Dokja wandering off towards the empty boxes in the back and noticed something interesting.
There is something strange there. This must be what my spiritual intuition was telling me about. Zhou gave Huang a knowing glance.
Huang looked over to where Zhou was staring and noticed Dokja searching the boxes. He nodded and excused himself as he followed.
…
"What are you looking at?" Dokja jumped at the sudden voice over his shoulders as he turned around to find Huang staring at the black box he was just looking at.
"Huh? Ah, this…" Dokja was startled by Huang's sudden appearance as he tried to find an excuse. Crap, I have to be the one to use this. I need to get my hands on a good weapon to progress smoothly from this point.
"Random…item box?" Both Dokja and Huang looked over their shoulders to see Yoo Sangah leaning over and squinting at the strange symbols engraved into the side of the box.
Damn. This is why foreign language proficiency was important. Dokja acted surprised after 'learning' what the box was, as if he didn't already know.
"Is that what that is? Dokja, you should try it!" Huang seemed excited.
"Me…? Is it okay?" Dokja seemed surprised that Huang would offer up something like this so easily.
"Of course. I'm just fine without any fancy items. I'm more interested in the box itself."
He's not wrong. Well that makes things easy I suppose. Dokja opened the box and put in the nucleus from the 7th grade demon they just killed, as well as the Broken Faith. The box shown brightly in a dazzling light as dokkaebi Biryu appeared yet again after closing the channel, questioning what something like this was doing here.
[A sword type item will be awarded for putting in the same type of items!]
[The random draw has started!]
The limited edition random item box randomly spat out items of a higher rank related to the item you put in. There was a chance for anything from a C-grade to an SSS-grade item to emerge. In the end, it was all up to chance.
[The offered items are related to a certain constellation!]
[The probability that an item associated with this constellation will appear is greatly increased.]
…eh? Dokja didn't expect something like this to happen, but he certainly wouldn't complain about it. Please let it be an A-rating.
[A top-rated item has appeared!]
[The number of available random item boxes is 0.]
The box soon stopped trembling, and the faint light subsided. At some point, the others had gathered around the box as everyone was watching closely.
"Well, are you going to open it?" Huang asked excitedly.
Dokja opened the box in anticipation and was met with a beautiful sword with a luxurious silver guard and a white blade, similar in shape to Broken Faith.
[Item Information]
Name: Unbroken Faith
Rating: Star Relic
Description: In the past, it was the sword of the hero 'Kaizenix', who led the Grusiad during the Great Demon Age. The great ether dominance of Kaizenix allowed him to create a 'Blade of Faith' that contained fire, darkness and divine power respectively.
As an additional option, it increases strength and physique level by 2.
"..."
Dokja was speechless. Is this real? A star relic item?
Dokja picked up the blade and inspected it closely. The weight was just right, and it felt perfect in his hands.
"...Can I really have it?"
"Zhou and I don't need something like that. Plus, none of us know how to use a sword." Huang simply said as his eyes were fixed not on the sword, but on the box instead.
"The box doesn't have any more uses." Dokja noticed him still looking at the box with a fascinated look.
"Perfect, that means none of you will complain if I take it?" Huang said as he snatched the box away.
"Sure thing, but like I said, it's useless. That's just a box now."
"Of course, a simpleton like you could never see the true value of something like this," Huang said in a condescending voice as he held up the box to inspect it.
What is this guy on? Why is he so interested in the box even after it's been rendered useless? Dokja decided not to bother with him anymore.
"We should head back now. There are plenty of ground rats out there, so we can go back with just the Magic Power Stoves. Two other people need to grab the other two. There is only one allowed per person."
Dokja grabbed the stove they were using while Yoo Sangah and Zhou grabbed the other two. They could give those two stoves to the others at the train station and solve the food problem.
"By the way, how do we get back?" Yoo Sangah suddenly asked.
"It won't be a problem to leave with Gilyoung's power." Dokja looked over to the kid who had been playing with the stag beetle which he had affectionately dubbed 'Mega Pincer'.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I don't think I can use my ability any longer. Even though Mega Pincer listens to me, I can't connect to his senses without my ability." Lee Gilyoung looked dejected as he said that, believing he had let down the party.
"Don't worry about it," Yoo Sangah came up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulders. "I can fill in for you Gilyoung."
"...How?" Lee Gilyoung looked up to her with a shine in his eyes.
"I have a similar skill."
"You can talk to bugs too?" Lee Gilyoung appeared even more excited, completely forgetting his downcast mood from five seconds ago.
"Uh, not quite," Yoo Sangah said with an awkward smile. "It's just a skill I can use to get us out of here."
"What is the skill?" Lee Gilyoung seemed a bit dejected but continued on.
"That, it is a complicated skill to untangle…"
"Untangle?"
"...Excuse me, can I ask what Yoo Sangah-ssi's attribute is?" Dokja let his curiosity get the best of him as he interjected to ask as he activated Character List. I used this skill once before on her, but didn't see anything. I wonder if something changed?
[The exclusive skill, Character List is activated.]
[This person isn't registered in 'Character List'.]
[Currently collecting information about the corresponding figure.]
Huh? This is new. Come to think of it, I heard a system message when Yoo Sangah used the 'Interpreter' skill. It wasn't something that was originally heard. Was it possible for the Character List to be updated after some time? Perhaps… Dokja organized his thoughts before realizing he was still talking with Yoo Sangah and pushed them to the back of his mind.
"Forget that I asked. By the way, nice work. In the future, don't let other people know about your personal attribute."
"That's not it!" Yoo Sangah seemed conflicted as she continued. "I trust Dokja-ssi…!"
Judging from her appearance, that doesn't seem to be the case…Wait, unless. Dokja decided to confirm something.
"Can Yoo Sangah tell me about the nature of your sponsor?"
Yoo Sangah bowed her head. "I'm sorry."
The words barely escaped from her trembling lips. I was right. She might have made a promise in the contract with her sponsor to prevent her from spilling information.
"It is okay. I understand."
"Thank you, really…"
You really shouldn't be thanking me. Dokja's heart tensed. As a reader, it was his desire to fill the space between the empty lines.
"Then try using your skill."
A faintly shining thread emerged from Yoo Sangah's fingertips and started to stretch out. "In fact, I ted up a 'thread' when I got kidnapped."
Dokja was looking at the thread, impressed by her quick thinking, when he suddenly noticed Huang and Zhou eyeing each other in some odd manner after seeing the thread.
What are they doing? Did they notice something about the thread? Dokja wanted to go over and ask when the channel notifications began pouring in again.
[#BI-7623 channel is open.]
[A number of constellations have put a claim on the channel's transmission system!]
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is curious about what came out of the random item box.]
A sparkle indicating a dokkaebi's appearance flashed over to the side, followed by a voice.
[Damn! That bastard messed with my channel… Hahaha! Did you stay well while I was away?]
That voice. Dokja turned to face the familiar voice of dokkaebi Bihyung. He's finally back.