< Episode 10. Future War (1) >
[Main Scenario #3 — Emergency Defense Battle has ended.]
[You have obtained 1,000 coins as a reward.]
The main scenario—which I had expected to begin only after the sun reached its zenith—started showing signs barely ten minutes after the end of the third main scenario. Damn it.
[The start of the Fourth Main Scenario is imminent!]
Shit, it hasn't even been that long since the third one ended…
I immediately walked over to Lee Ji-hye.
"You stay here with Yoo Jung-hyuk."
"…Is that okay?"
"Going down now won't help anyway. And if that bastard wakes up, that'll be a problem in itself."
Lee Ji-hye nodded as she looked at Yoo Jung-hyuk, who was still unconscious.
"If he wakes up, just let me know. I'll give the back of his head one more good hit."
With that, I headed downstairs with Jung Hui-won. As for Lee Gil-young—he had completely fallen asleep while counting the meteors—so I decided to carry him on my back.
Where the dungeon had once been was now just an ordinary theater, and the items from the fifth-floor reward dungeon had turned into nothing more than regular stage props. As if everything that had happened yesterday had been nothing but a dream.
That was when I heard Bihyung's voice.
[…You know what I'm about to say, right?]
"Yeah."
[Whew… I seriously thought my heart was going to drop.]
Listening to Bihyung's grumbling voice, I felt a bit relieved.
Constellations possess immense power and wealth, but they are by no means omniscient. That's because all sounds and footage of the scenarios are transmitted exclusively through the dokkaebis' "channels." In other words—
"Was the filtering done properly? I got a bit excited and said way too much unnecessary stuff."
[Of course it was. Do you think I'd let my channel get screwed? Information at that level gets automatically filtered.]
If my guess was right, then the things I had said to Yoo Jung-hyuk must have been delivered to the constellations in something like the following form:
—Do you really think that? Have you already forgotten the resolve you had when you ■■ for the first time?
—Why are you alone? Even when you stupidly ■■■■■■■■, when you clung to ■■■■ and whined, when ■■■■■■! Even when you ■■ with the person you loved for the first time!
—Helping ■■■, fighting against ■■■, and finally when you ■■■ ■■ stood there!
I didn't know just how severe the filtering had been.
But I doubted it was any lighter than that. I remembered that even in the original novel, when information about Yoo Jung-hyuk being a "regressor" began to spread, it was blocked in a similar way early on.
[The constellations wouldn't have heard anything, so don't worry. The problem is, I didn't hear much either…]
"…You didn't hear it either?"
That was a bit strange. Were there things even a dokkaebi couldn't hear?
[Yeah, damn it. What the hell did you even say?]
Information even a dokkaebi couldn't hear. There was one possibility that came to mind.
Don't tell me… the constraints of 'plausibility' had already started kicking in?
I naturally recalled a part of Ways of Survival.
"'
…Remembering it didn't help much right now.
One of the reasons Ways of Survival failed was that it had too many settings that even the author himself probably didn't fully understand.
"What's the reaction from the other constellations?"
[They've gone completely nuts. Even now, they're raising hell asking what you were talking about.]
That made sense. From the constellations' point of view, it was like a sound movie suddenly turning into a silent film.
Still, if they were smart, instead of pestering the Bureau, they would start paying attention to my potential. The fact that my words had been filtered meant—conversely—that I possessed information that shouldn't be revealed at this point in time.
[A small number of constellations who pursue secrets take notice of your existence.]
[Constellation, 'Secretive Plotter,' finds your existence intriguing.]
[You have received a sponsorship of 2,000 coins.]
As if he'd just remembered, Bihyung added,
[There were so many indirect messages popping up earlier that I didn't send them to you separately. You know that, right?]
"Keep doing that. Just show me the messages from the ones willing to pay a lot of coins."
[…What am I, your manager?]
Looking slightly sulky, Bihyung soon disappeared into the air.
For some reason, that guy seemed to get cuter the more time passed.
One thing was settled, and the other was—
"Dokja-ssi, aren't you tired? I'll carry Gil-young."
"Ah, I'd appreciate that."
I handed Lee Gil-young over to Jung Hui-won. Her expression looked unusually serious. After hesitating a little, I spoke.
"Hui-won."
"Yes?"
"You've got something on your mind, don't you?"
"No, it's just…"
Jung Hui-won hesitated for a moment, then let out a sigh.
"Ha… yeah. With my personality, there's no way I can keep this bottled up."
Just as I thought.
Jung Hui-won didn't dodge the issue and came straight at me.
"Dokja-ssi, just who are you, exactly?"
"…Did you hear something earlier?"
"A little."
I'd thought she wouldn't have been able to hear from that distance, but unfortunately, it seemed she'd caught something. Well, Jung Hui-won had been closer than Lee Ji-hye—and between humans, there was no filtering anyway…
I could hear Lee Gil-young snoring softly.
I decided to be only half honest.
"I know part of the future."
"Is that true?"
"Yes."
Jung Hui-won looked like she was thinking something over for a moment, as if weighing whether my words were true or not. Then, as if she'd made up her mind, she bit her lip.
"Do Yoo Sang-ah or Lee Hyun-sung know?"
"Not yet."
When I answered without resistance, Jung Hui-won, still carrying Lee Gil-young on her back, cautiously took a few steps away from me.
"…You're not suddenly going to kill us or something, right?"
"Why would you suddenly say that?"
"That's how these things usually go, isn't it? Like, 'You know too much about me,' and all that…"
Where did that idea of a "usual development" even come from? Somehow, it felt like I'd been cast as a really terrible person.
"I don't know what kind of 'usual development' that is, but if that were the case, I think I would've already killed Hui-won-ssi or the others."
"That's… actually what's a bit strange."
"…I didn't bring this up with bad intentions. If anything, it's the opposite."
"The opposite?"
Looking straight into Jung Hui-won's eyes, I said,
"The scenarios ahead will be even more dangerous. We'll face death countless times, and we might lose things that are precious to us."
"…So?"
"So…"
As I looked at Jung Hui-won's eyes, which were growing more and more anxious, I continued.
"Please stay by my side from now on as well."
"…What do you mean by that?"
"I'm asking you to become my 'companion.'"
It was about time I started building my own people.
At least, people I could trust—people who wouldn't betray me easily.
Jung Hui-won, whom I had awakened and whose mind I could read, was the most suitable candidate. Jung Hui-won wore a briefly dazed expression, then her lips twitched.
"Does that mean you've never thought of me as a companion until now?"
"It's actually the opposite. Just because I think of someone as a companion doesn't mean they automatically are one."
Jung Hui-won's eyes wavered faintly.
I deliberately took a step back.
"If being companions feels like too much, you can think of it as a transaction. I need Hui-won-ssi's combat strength, and my information will be useful to you. We give and take. What matters is that our relationship doesn't change going forward."
"It's a bit sudden… Do I have to answer right now?"
"No."
With someone like Jung Hui-won, taking a relaxed approach works better than rushing in with emotional appeals.
In fact, Jung Hui-won didn't look displeased at all.
[Character 'Jung Hui-won' feels relieved by your honesty.]
[Character 'Jung Hui-won' has begun to seriously consider your proposal.]
Her inner conflict probably wouldn't last long. Since I'd had such a major influence on her awakening event, my existence must already be deeply engraved in her subconscious.
Once this scenario ended, the second
At that point, Jung Hui-won would finally gain a sponsor. Her true potential would only begin to show from then on.
"Then… can I ask you just one more thing?"
"Yes."
"In the 'future' you know, what am I doing?"
I looked up at the empty air.
This should be getting filtered properly, right?
"I don't know either."
"…What?"
"In the future I knew, Hui-won-ssi didn't exist."
"What do you mean by—"
"That's why this transaction is something you really need."
Jung Hui-won's eyes widened.
In the original story, Jung Hui-won was an unnoticed character—a variable I had personally nurtured.
She had more than enough potential. Once she properly gained a sponsor, she would become a key figure capable of changing the course of the future scenarios.
Especially when fighting those who possess "other variables" I don't know about.
That was when a loud commotion rose from the lower floor.
"Think it over carefully—and hurry up a bit."
I nearly flew over the ticket gates and down to the platform, where I saw a large group of people pressuring a much smaller one.
It didn't take long to understand what was going on.
The Landlords' Alliance.
Looks like they still hadn't come to their senses.
"Where did that bastard Kim Dokja go? Speak up, now!"
Looking closer, I saw Lee Hyun-sung among them, clearly at a loss.
I deliberately made my footsteps loud as I approached them.
"Lee Hyun-sung-ssi. Yoo Sang-ah-ssi."
"It's him!"
The moment I stepped down onto Line 4's platform, someone in the alliance shouted.
I spotted a familiar face among the landlords.
The traces of a fierce battle fought overnight were etched all over his body. At a glance, I could tell his overall stats had risen significantly. I liked that.
"Gong Pil-du."
Eight mini-turrets rose from Gong Pil-du's [Demilitarized Zone] as he glared at me. The alliance members, emboldened once again around him, stared me down. People really are fickle—no gratitude at all for having their lives spared.
"Kill that bastard right n—!"
Gong Pil-du, about to shout something, suddenly flinched.
Crackle—electricity rippled through the air.
[The Fourth Main Scenario will begin in 5 minutes!]
Along with the system message, the dokkaebi Bihyung appeared.
[Hahaha, everyone! You've all been doing well, I see?]
At the sound of his mischievous voice, people's faces stiffened.
[Judging by your expressions, you all seem to be doing just fine!]
"W-What are you here for?!"
[Obviously, I'm here to announce the Fourth Main Scenario.]
"Fucking hell…"
[Now, now, don't get so worked up. You know people who complain the most die the fastest, right? The Fourth Main Scenario will be carried out together with other stations. A very exciting story awaits, so I'm sure you'll all be extremely satisfied!]
At the mention of working with other stations, everyone's faces darkened further.
Even Chungmuro alone was already chaos—if other stations got involved, it was obvious how much worse things would become. Bihyung snickered.
[But before we can proceed with this scenario, you'll need to complete a preliminary task. If there are too many people, it just turns into a free-for-all, right? That's why you need someone to lead you. In other words, each station needs a
A representative, huh. So it finally begins.
[So the game starting now is a 'preliminary battle.' You could also call it a warm-up game. The rules are… well, you'll understand once you see them!]
With a sly grin, Bihyung vanished, and a message window appeared before everyone.
[A sub-scenario has arrived!]
Type: SubDifficulty: C
Clear Condition: Secure the 'White Flag' installed at the center of the platform.Time Limit: 30 minutes
Reward: 1,000 coins, Representative of Chungmuro.
Failure: —
The representative of the station gains strong authority to control its members.
Before the message window had even fully appeared, Gong Pil-du had already dismissed his Demilitarized Zone and was charging toward the flag at the center of the platform. As expected—his instincts were sharp.
"Everyone, get out of my way!"
Shoving people aside like a runaway locomotive, Gong Pil-du was already right in front of the white flag.
That won't do.
Just as his thick fingers were about to touch the flag, I spoke.
"Gong Pil-du, lie down."
[In accordance with the contract clauses, 'Command Authority' is activated!]
"Uwaaaagh!"
I lightly stepped on the collapsing Gong Pil-du's back and leapt up, seizing the white flag.
[You have pulled the 'White Flag' from the flag stand.]
[You have become the 'Representative' of Chungmuro Station.]
[You have earned the qualification to walk the 'Path of the King.']