Chapter 101
The Catastrophe of Questions (3)
Yoo Joonghyuk stopped in his place and did not complete his movement.
He looked at Arthur with a strange gaze, one mixed with exhaustion and confusion, then stepped aside slightly and stood next to Myung Sang.
Arthur sighed quietly as he observed the savage catastrophe before him.
He raised his eyes toward Myung Sang, and their gazes met.
Myung's eyes were dull, devoid of life, as if they had lost all meaning for continuing to exist.
Arthur took a step forward, then another, before raising his hand and gently placing it on Myung Sang's head.
He spoke in a low, calm voice, free of any hostility:
"Don't worry, kid… everything will be better now."
Myung Sang slowly lifted his gaze, clinging to Arthur's clear eyes and calm features.
"Will… will it really…?"
Arthur gave a faint smile.
"Yes. Don't worry. You have my word."
With those words, pure magical energy began to seep into Myung Sang's body.
A calm, warm energy, like a gentle breeze, penetrated both his body and soul.
That energy suppressed his violence, calmed his turmoil, and sank deep within him.
His body filled with it, and then… he vanished from the ground, as if he had never existed.
{A returnee has been defeated for the first time in the scenarios.}
{Contributors: Yoo Joonghyuk – Kim Dokja – Arthur Narin}
{You have been awarded 40,000 coins for your achievement.}
The windows appeared before the three of them, followed by a brighter, more beautiful one.
{You have obtained a new Fable (Story).}
{A Fable has been born: «Those Who Faced the Miracle».}
Arthur let out a deep sigh as he looked at the windows, then glanced at his companions.
{The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Band is satisfied with the battle.}
{The constellation Secretive Plotter nods.}
{The constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire is pleased with your story.}
{The constellations have recommended your scenario in the Star Stream broadcast.}
{25,000 coins have been sponsored.}
Arthur raised his hands—they were cracked and burned.
His face bore scorch marks, his hair was disheveled, and his clothes were partially torn.
His condition was terrible; his body had reached its absolute limit.
He sighed deeply, filled with suffocating exhaustion.
'He's like me. Transported, fought, made friends, built a life… then forced to become a villain…'
Kim Dokja raised his head.
In the sky, the dokkaebis floated, while the one-legged red dokkaebi looked at them with a small smile before fixing his gaze on Kim Dokja.
"Aren't you going to hand over the reward?"
{Oh, my apologies… I was fascinated by your scenario. Very well.}
He snapped his fingers, and a window appeared before Arthur.
{Sub Scenario Completed: SSS-Class Hunt.}
{You have received 50,000 coins as a reward.}
Other windows began appearing before Kim Dokja.
The dokkaebi Bihyung descended.
{Choose wisely.}
Kim Dokja spoke calmly:
"Yoo Joonghyuk, what will you choose? Arthur, come—"
He stopped.
He looked at Yoo Joonghyuk… he was standing unconscious.
Then he looked at Arthur… lying on the ground, asleep from sheer exhaustion.
Both of them had been pushed to their limits.
Yoo Joonghyuk was poisoned, injured, and had fought the catastrophe directly.
Arthur had slaughtered humans, run a great distance, then faced the catastrophe without rest.
He hadn't fainted… he had simply fallen into a deep sleep.
Han Sooyoung approached Kim Dokja and began examining the rewards.
"What if I choose on their behalf?"
Kim Dokja looked at her coldly.
"If you want to be killed by those two monsters… do as you please."
Han Sooyoung's body trembled at the thought of fighting Yoo Joonghyuk and Arthur.
Both of them… were insane, demons.
She immediately stepped back.
The greatest contributor receives the reward first.
Kim Dokja made his decision.
"I'll choose… the Eternal Dimensional Coat."
Before handing over the rewards, the one-legged dokkaebi looked at Kim Dokja.
{A good choice. Now, it's time to move to the issuing location. We cannot deliver additional rewards here according to protocol.}
"Where are you taking me?"
{We will go to the Dokkaebi's Hat.}
'The Dokkaebi's Hat… in folklore it's merely clothing,
but in the Ways of Survival, it represents the dokkaebi's ability to conceal its true form within a private chamber.'
Kim Dokja said firmly:
"Just give me the reward here."
At that moment, the one-legged dokkaebi began secret communication with Kim Dokja.
After a few minutes—
"Stop the nonsense and hand over the rewards now."
Veins bulged on the dokkaebi's forehead, and his eyes turned red with anger.
{If that's what you want… fine.}
{To all constellations participating in this scenario:
An illegal channel manipulating scenarios from behind the scenes has been detected.}
{That channel is: BI-7623#
The personal channel of the dokkaebi Bihyung.}
The one-legged dokkaebi smiled arrogantly and pointed at Bihyung.
{On behalf of the low-ranking dokkaebis in the Seoul Dome,
we request the Dokkaebi Bureau to review the validity of Bihyung's channel.}
Kim Dokja began speaking with Bihyung through secret communication, then said irritably:
"Hey… just give me the rewards already."
{No, no, no.
This is far more important than rewards… as you can see.}
The dokkaebi snapped his fingers, and three screens appeared before everyone.
On the first:
Kim Dokja facing the Poison Enthusiast, Yoo Joonghyuk's lover from a previous life… yet he did not kill her.
On the second:
Kim Dokja standing before the parasite that controlled her.
On the third:
His battle against the catastrophe Myung Sang, before most of its seals were broken.
{As everyone can see,
Kim Dokja could have prevented the catastrophe by killing the Poison Enthusiast… but he did not.
He could have prevented it by killing the parasite… but he did not.
He could have prevented it before all the seals were lifted… but he did not.
Constellations, Kim Dokja is colluding with the dokkaebi Bihyung,
hiding his abilities to manipulate scenarios as he pleases.}
At that moment, the stars began disappearing from Bihyung's channel one by one.
Its size shrank, its light dimmed, as if the sky itself was rejecting it.
{Yes… this is what happened—}
Before the one-legged dokkaebi could finish, a sharp, furious voice tore through the air:
"Shut up!
For the sake of the Creator of the universe, shut up, you bastard!
Can't you see there are people who want to sleep in peace after killing a damned catastrophe?!"
The one-legged dokkaebi's eyes shrank.
He turned toward the source of the voice.
It was Arthur.
Standing.
Awake.
He lazily shook his hair, tied it tightly, hung his sword at his waist, and stepped forward to stand in front of Kim Dokja.
{What did you say?}
Arthur spoke with deadly coldness:
"I said shut up, you bastard.
All your evidence is inconclusive,
illogical,
and built on worthless nonsense."
He raised his hand and pointed sharply.
"We are humans, you trash.
In the first scene, when you see a person controlled by someone else…
do you kill them immediately?
No—you help them.
That's what humans do, not scum like you."
He stepped forward.
"The second scene?
Half of it is your doing.
Who threw the guides into this world?
You did.
One guide went astray, another came to stop him—
and what did Kim Dokja do?
He stepped aside.
And that was the correct decision."
His voice grew sharper.
"As for the third scene?
You…
you filthy bastard are the one who set up a stupid sub-scenario
to make Myung Sang stronger!
You're the one who announced it,
and you're the one who made people answer his stupid questions
without even knowing how the seals work!"
Arthur shouted, his voice shaking the air:
"This is not Kim Dokja's fault.
This is your fault, you one-legged piece of trash, like some damned, filthy pirate.
So stop your nonsense,
and hand over the damn rewards!"
The one-legged dokkaebi's anger began to explode.
His teeth ground together, veins bulging in his eyes.
{You—}
Arthur cut him off immediately:
"What?
Do you want to kill me?"
At that moment, a dense dark aura surged around Arthur's body.
It was suffocating, violent, ready to explode.
"Blade Limit."
With those words, pure magic circles formed around his body, expanding until they encompassed the four dokkaebis within them.
Arthur smiled calmly… a terrifying smile.
"Choose whichever path you want."
The atmosphere trembled.
The air compressed violently.
"Arthur, stop!
You won't win!"
Arthur laughed bitterly.
"Win?
I haven't won in a long time.
For a long time, I've carried hatred and resentment toward these bastards,
and today…
I was ready to release everything."
He raised his sword toward the sky and roared:
"Damn constellations!
Dragged like a cart behind a horse!
You are not great,
not gods,
you are nothing but rusted wagons.
This stupid dokkaebi led you,
and you followed without thinking,
without objection,
without a mind!"
His voice lashed like a whip:
"You all saw what Kim Dokja has done since the first scenario,
and now you listen to the words
of this rotten cotton ball?!
Damn all of you!"
"Arthur!"
At Kim Dokja's loud voice, Arthur turned.
The anger was still in his eyes…
but one look into Kim Dokja's eyes was enough.
He understood.
Arthur sighed deeply.
The aura faded.
He sheathed his sword.
"Do whatever you want…
I'm going to sleep."
He looked around.
People were staring at him in disbelief—afraid, impressed, slightly angry.
His tired eyes scanned them…
Then—
He noticed someone he knew.
He took a step—
Then collapsed asleep once more… on top of Han Sooyoung.
Han Sooyoung stiffened, then lifted him with annoyance and gently laid him on the ground.
A quiet, suppressed anger appeared on her face.
Kim Dokja smiled.
"Alright… I understand my position now.
Give me the rewards,
and I'll accept your offer as well."
{Good.}
The one-legged dokkaebi smiled,
while tears streamed down Bihyung's face in pain.
"What?
You're just a ruined channel…
what use are you now?"
The dokkaebis burst into laughter.
The one-legged dokkaebi smiled,
snapped his fingers—
And both Kim Dokja and… disappeared.
---
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