Chapter 313: Episode 58 – Kim Dokja’s Company (4)
...Father? If I wasn’t mistaken, the giant shadow’s word was definitely directed this way. The party members were staring at me with eyes full of disbelief. I looked back at the shadow with bewilderment.
[Baat?]
The faint light coming from the entrance of the interstellar city revealed the shadow.
[No, not that! Try again. ‘Father.’]
[Baaaat?]
[No, it is Father. You really...]
The giant shadow wasn’t a single creature. To be precise, there was a creature the size of a soccer ball on the huge shadow.
“What are you doing?” My words caused Bihyung to look this way.
[...Uh. You’re already here?]
The giant shadow was Bihyung, who had inflated his body like a giant. The stronger the dokkaebi, the larger the body became. The fact that Bihyung was this big showed he had reached a significant level in the bureau. Wait... the reason for Bihyung’s presence and the soccer ball...
“Biyoo!”
The cotton candy Biyoo flew through the air.
[Baaat!]
Biyoo came into my arms and rubbed against my cheeks. Something was forming in her small eyes. I couldn’t believe the child the size of a baseball had become a soccer ball. Biyoo had grown up since the past.
“Did you wait long?”
A small hand popped out from the cotton candy and slapped me in the cheek. I left her alone in front of the dimensional gate and deserved this much punishment. I silently endured the ticklish touch. Tears fell as Biyoo once again dug tighter into my chest. The children ran to me and touched the fluffy Biyoo.
[Hum hum.]
I turned my head to see Bihyung waiting for me. I opened the dokkaebi communication and spoke to Bihyung.
-What were you doing here?
-I have been waiting. A dokkaebi to take you to the 47th scenario zone was needed.
-What is with your body size?
Bihyung ignored me and spoke to the party members.
[Everyone of Kim Dokja’s Company. Do you know who I am? I am Bihyung, branch manager of the
Korean Peninsula branch.]
Bihyung banged on his chest like he was showing off his thick muscles. He made a production out of this.
[It seems like yesterday when the Korean Peninsula scenario first began... now you’ve already come to the 47th scenario area.]
Bihyung’s face was full of emotions.
[As you might know, the scenarios after the 47th scenario don’t have to be carried out in order. After entering the interstellar city, you can selectively perform scenarios 48 to 65.]
Shin Yoosung raised her hand. “We can choose the scenario?”
[It is the so-called autonomous selection system. Hahaha!]
Nobody laughed. Bihyung shrugged. [Hum hum, anyway. It is up to you which of the scenarios up to number 65 will be done first. You can do the 65th scenario at once or go through the scenarios to build up your ‘status.’ In any case, you need a certain level of status to enter the scenario area after number 65.]
Lee Hyunsung asked, “Then what will happen after the 66th scenario?”
[There will be a new explanation at that time. You can’t go there now so don’t worry.]
It was a cold tone but Bihyung’s expression to the party members wasn’t cold.
[Well, it took four years to get here... I don’t know how much time it will take in the future. Ah, not all of you went through the same four years.]
Bihyung grinned at me as he spoke.
[Let’s go to the interstellar city. It will take around 10 minutes to complete the transmission. Please prepare yourself. An amazing world is waiting for you.]
The moment Bihyung;s words were over, Biyoo shouted. [Baaat!]
A gorgeous beam of light wrapped around our party members. We started to fly towards the interstellar city. For safety reasons, the movement speed was slower than expected. I didn’t know when Biyoo would emerge from my arms. Jung Heewon watched this scene and opened her mouth.
“Dokja-ssi. I have something to ask.”
Jung Heewon’s expression towards me was strange. The other party members glanced at me like they knew what she was going to say.
“Where have you been in the past three years?”
***
During the journey to the interstellar city. I told the party members about what happened in the 1863rd round. Of course, I didn’t tell them everything and only picked the points I could explain. As expected, the party members noticed and were startled.
“Really? I survived to the 95th scenario?”
“...I can’t believe it. That subway boy survived.”
The excited Lee Jihye and Lee Hyunsung faced each other. Yoo Jonghyuk listened silently to the story while Lee Gilyoung and Jung Heewon seemed a bit sullen. It was natural for the people who didn’t exist in that round to feel so. It was Han Sooyoung who reacted the most.
“I was in that world?”
“Yes, you were. You were the leader.”
“No, why...”
Something seemed to come to her and Han Sooyoung promptly sent a message with Midday Tryst.
-Do you mean the Avatar I talked about before...
I nodded and Han Sooyoung made an expression of amazement. It would be absurd for Han Sooyoung. The avatar split from her found a different world line.
Jung Heewon looked closely at me and asked, “By the way, Dokja-ssi’s coat has changed a bit... did you take it from the 95th scenario?”
“Correct.”
The only thing I took from the 1863rd scenario was this coat. Han Sooyoung, who was staring at me carefully, put her hands into my coat’s pockets. Come to think of it, Han Sooyoung of the 1863rd round was like this.
“Crazy... what did you bring back? Doesn’t this violate probability?” Han Sooyoung checked the items and her mouth dropped open. “...Hey. Can you give me a few of these?”
“You’re looking at it.”
There were many different items that the 1863rd round Han Sooyoung packed in the coat. Most of the items weren’t needed yet in this round but some items were useful enough. By the way, there was an unexpected item.
“What is this smartphone?”
It wasn’t my smartphone. I turned on the smartphone and a photo with a strange phase appeared on the main screen.
– Namwoon ♡ Jihye.
It was a photo of the smiling Kim Namwoon and frowning Lee Jihye. I realized the owner of this smartphone. That reminded me, Kim Namwoon once stole this coat and wore it.
Lee Jihye asked me with the same expression as herself on the screen. “Ahjussi, what is this photo?”
“Uh, this... it was used by the child of that world. I must’ve brought it here by mistake.”
“Were we dating in that world?”
“No, he one-sidedly liked you.”
“Phew, I see.” Lee Jihye took the smartphone from my hand and opened the gallery. “Wow, this photo is pretty good?”
...Photo? This time I was surprised and looked at the smartphone with the party members.
“Look, Seolhwa unni and I... uh? There is also Han Donghoon? Isn’t he in the Ulsan Alliance?”
“Here is Hyunsung-ssi. However, it is cut off at his neck.”
It was a group photo of the 1863rd round people smiling brightly. Lee Seolhwa, Kim Namwoon, Lee Jihye, Han Donghoon, Lee Hyunsung... and the emotionless man in the centre.
Lee Ji-hye told me, “This is Master in that world? His face is injured? Isn’t he cooler than the one here?”
Everyone in the photo was smiling apart from the 1863rd Yoo Jonghyuk. Yoo Jonghyuk was already looking over.
[The ‘Fourth Wall’ is shimmering faintly.]
No one here knew the life that Yoo Jonghyuk of that world had lived.
[The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ is looking at you.]
...No, there was one person. I looked up at the place where Secretive Plotter would be watching among the stars of the Star Stream.
I still didn’t know why Secretive Plotter made such an Outer World Covenant. I didn’t know why he reacted like that to my choice. I guessed a few things but everything was just a hypothesis.
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is looking at you.]
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ is looking at you.]
The interstellar city ‘Context of the Constellations’ was a transit station that led to the worlds of other constellations. I felt that my physical distance from the constellations was gradually getting closer.
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is welcoming you.]
The punishment seemed to finally be released and Uriel also sent an indirect message. In the midst of a brilliant light, our bodies entered the city.
[You have entered the interstellar city ‘Context of the Constellations.’]
[A new main scenario is waiting.]
The place we landed was a huge city square. Some incarnations glanced this way but none of them paid attention to us. This city’s scale was different from where we had stayed so far. It was natural.
I spoke to the people, “Everyone knows why we came here?”
From now on, the enemies we were dealing with were thousands of years old. Jung Heewon nodded and wondered, “We came to play with Olympus right?”
“Do you have a separate plan? Perhaps a full-scale war...”
I answered Lee Hyunsung’s question. “I’m not thinking of a full-scale war. Olympus is one of the biggest nebulas in the entire Star Stream.
The odds of Kim Dokja’s Company winning in a head-on confrontation against Olympus was almost zero.
“I want to visit Olympus. They have to take responsibility for making Yoo Sangah that way. There will definitely be a way to save her.”
Currently, Yoo Sangah was stuck in the flow of consciousness. After three months, all the stories would disappear from Yoo Sangah’s body and her empty soul would disappear into the void. Prior to that, we had to find a way to save Yoo Sangah. Perhaps Olympus had one of those methods.
Then Yoo Jonghyuk opened his mouth. “Not everyone needs to go. Lee Seolhwa and I will stay here.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have no obligation to report to you.”
In fact, the place where Yoo Jonghyuk wanted to go was obvious. Context of the Constellations was an interstellar city where all nebulae converged. In other words, we weren’t the only incarnations who would come here.
I advised him, “Watch out. As you know well, that woman isn’t easy.”
“I will take care of it.”
Yoo Jonghyuk turned around and started walking somewhere. Lee Seolhwa smiled softly at me and followed behind Yoo Jonghyuk. Lee Seolhwa in this round was more ‘good’ than any other round. It was unreasonable for anyone to have complete control over Yoo Jonghyuk but she would be able to reduce some unnecessary conflict.
Yoo Jonghyuk disappeared into the alley and I moved with the party members towards the portal in the centre of the square. Context of the Constellations contained a ‘portal’ that connected to almost all the world.
It was a portal that allowed me to visit past scenario areas as well as the residence of other nebulae. I planned to make a formal visit to Olympus using the portal. I entered the destination for the portal.
“Mount Olympus.”
Olympus, a huge nebula with all types of legends and adventures. It was Mount Olympus where the 12 main gods of Olympus resided. Finally, the time had come to check their home.
The portal swirled at my feet and faint mythological scenes came to mind. The next moment, an unexpected message came back.
[Olympus is currently refusing all visitors.]