Chapter Text
(Dokja’s POV)
Golden lighting flies around the sky as a ball of energy forms out of nowhere. “Hold on! I’m sorry, but I have an emergency announcement!”
I spot the owner of the voice forming above me, hovering in the air. People behind me start to whisper. “What?” “A Dokkaebi?”
“I almost forgot to tell you,” The Dokkaebi flying in the air continues. “But the initial number of people allowed in from the Soul Dome will be eight, and not ten.”
“What is he saying?!” Someone shouts as people start to voice their dissatisfaction. “Well,” The Dokkaebi tries to calm the people down.
“But we already have our starting members sorted out!” My mind races. “Damn it. That Dokkaebi’s name was Yeonggi, wasn’t it.”
“There was a dimensional rift during the fifth scenario, which caused some contestants to enter the sixth scenario prematurely.”
Something clicks in my mind. “There are people in there already?” I ask.
“Yes.” Yeonggi answers. “Two people from the Soul Dome are already in the scenario.”
I listen to Yeonggi’s words. “Wait, come to think of it, Sooyoung and Pildu were already in the scenario on the screen Persephone showed me in the Underworld!”
“Although they were let in due to an error in the scenario,” Yeonggi continues to yell through the crowd. “We can’t help but reduce the number of participants to keep things fair!”
The people behind me grow restless. “What! That’s nonsense!” A man behind me yells. Others begin to talk amongst themselves. “What do we do, Dokja-ssi?” Huiwon asks behind me.
“I’ll sit this one out.” I turn to the voice to find Sangah raising her hand. I stare at her, surprise on my face. “Me too,” Huiwon also volunteers. “You said there’s a second part anyway, right? You seem a little out of it, so I’m a little worried, but I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
“Out of It.” I think in my mind but I quickly go back to listening to Huiwon. “And that scary man also seems to be on our side this time.”
“I won’t have anything to worry about leaving Huiwon and Sangah behind. Even when they hold the contest again to see who will enter the scenario, those two will have no problem making it in. Who I need to take right now is this old lady.”
Quickly, I walk over to Sangah, ignoring the smirk Huiwon currently has on her face.”I forgot to tell you before,” I whisper to Sangah. “But please tell the King of Wanderers to watch out for Jeon Ildo. She may already know though.”
Sangha looks at me. “Don’t die.” I nod. “How about you get going now?!” Huiwon shouts at me. “You’re driving me crazy over here!” I stare blankly at her.
I walk up to the Warp Crystal and insert the Protection Symbols of the Imyunta, Parasites, and Invargo. My mother and Yoo Junghyeok place the Protections Symbols they got from the Catastrophes of Ice and Water. Once all Symbols were put in place, a window screen opened above us.
[You Have Proven Your Worth]
[The Warp Crystal Had Been Activated]
[The Main Scenario Had Been Updated]
A portal opens below the warp crystal.
[Main Scenario - Abandoned World - Has Begun]
I take Yuseung’s hand in mine as we begin to walk toward the portal. All of a sudden, another window screen opens.
[An Error Has Been Detected In The Star Stream]
I stare at the screen in shock. Looking around, almost everyone has gotten it. “What now!?”
[All Scenarios In The Star Stream Have Been Frozen]
The portal in front of us disappears.
[A New Scenario Has Been Activated]
[The Main Scenario Had Been Updated]
[Main Scenario - The Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Has Begun]
I stare at the window in shock. “Isn’t that Dokja hyung’s skill?” I hear Gilyeong ask. Before I have any time to process this, a scenario window pops up.
~~~
[Main Scenario - The Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint]
Category: Main
Difficulty: ???
Clear Conditions: ?????????????????? All of those chosen will have to participate in the scenario. All those who were not chosen will remain in the real world, frozen in time until the scenario is complete.
Time Limit: ???
Reward: Knowledge Of The ???? And ??????
Failure: Death
~~~
I stare at the scenario window in shock. “What kind of scenario is this!? This never appeared in TWSA!” I read over the new information. “The Clear Conditions seem easy. All chosen individuals will be forced to participate. But we don't know what we will have to do. I take it back, this isn't easy. Hopefully nothing bad. But how would those not in the scenario be frozen? Then there’s the reward. It looked like the reward was a type of information.”
“What the fuck is going on?” The people behind me start to get angry again.
“Did the Dokkaebi pull some shit again?!”
“What are you planning?” The angry mob of people starts to point their voices to the sky.
“Let us start the sixth scenario!”
Several Dokkaebi appear in the sky, Yeonggi is among them. One of the Dokkaebi starts to speak. “The Bureau is currently doing everything in its power to fix this inconvenience. Everything will be fine.”
“You can’t just tell us that and expect us to be fine you fucking Dokkaebi!” A man in the crowd curses. “Tell us what’s really going on.” My mind races. I am tempted to pull out my phone to see if maybe I had missed a scenario like this. But I am pretty sure nothing like this ever occurred in the novel. Another bright ball of light appears in the sky. A Dokkaebi wearing a full suit hovers over the crowd.
“There has been a new development in the Star Stream.” The Dokkaebi says, causing all those in the crowd to become silent. “Somehow this ‘new’ main scenario, ‘The Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint’ has been triggered by the Star Stream. We don’t know how or when or even how it became a scenario in the first place.”
I grit my teeth. Something that didn’t happen in the novel is happening right now, and I don’t have any way to prepare for it. I look at Yoo Junghyeok who is currently glaring at the Dokkaebi in the air. The Dokkaebi continues speaking.
“All we know is everything the Star Stream Windows have shown so far.” A murmur from the crowd starts to turn into an uproar. “This is the new main scenario and, until it is complete, every scenario that has been triggered up until this point has been frozen. We urge you all to complete this new scenario. That is all we have for now. Good luck incarnations.” With that, all the Dokkaebi in the air disappear.
I feel a small tug on the sleeve of my arm. It was Yuseung. “Ajusshi, what do we do?” I open my mouth to answer her, but before I could, another scenario window appears in front of us.
[You Have Been Chosen To Participate In The Main Scenario]
I stare at the window. “This day keeps getting weirder and weirder.” I sigh. “Ajusshi,” Yuseung pulls on my sleeve again. “It says I got chosen to participate.” I activate Midday Tryst.
- Yuseung and I got selected.
- I got selected as well. (Sangah)
- So did I. (Huiwon)
- I was also given the notification. (Hyeonsung)
- Jihye noona and I were also chosen to participate. (Gilyeong)
“It seems that everyone in the group was chosen to participate. What in the world?”
[Many Constellations are flustered]
[Constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire is asking Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband if he received the same window.]
[Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband nods]
[Constellation Secretive Plotter is asking why several constellations have to participate]
[A few Constellations are envious of those who get to participate]
[A few Constellations do not wish to join]
[Several Constellations are worried about their incarnations seeing that many powerful Constellations have been chosen]
[Many Constellations are doubting the probability of this scenario]
“What in the world?” I stare at my indirect notifications. “Even some of the constellations have to participate.”
- Everyone, please be careful when we enter. Constellations will be joining and we do not know what the scenario is yet.
- Hyung, my sponsor just told me that they would be participating. (Gilyeong)
- Dokja-ssi, my sponsor will also be joining. (Hyeonsung)
Sangah sends me a private message.
- Dokja-ssi, it seems that my sponsors have been selected to participate. (Sangah)
“Ah shit.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “So entire nebulas are going.” A scenario window opens in front of me.
[You Have Been Chosen To Participate In The Main Scenario. Please Enter The Sub Space.]
Wordlessly, I press the enter button. The world around me starts to fade to black as my vision starts to blur. All light disappears and a heavy wind starts to blow. A strong wave of nausea crashes into my body as I lurch forward. I vomit whatever I had onto whatever I was standing on. I grasp my head in pain as I feel a pounding headache appear.
[The skill ‘Fourth Wall’ is nullifying your pain and nausea]
The feelings start to subside as I am again reminded how lucky I am to have this skill. That having been said, I hope my companions are okay. They don’t have a skill like mine to reduce the pain. I stand in the black void, the wind beginning to pick up speed. I look around, maybe I could find something here.
I squint my eyes as I see a blurry figure in the darkness. It’s small, but, it looks familiar. “Wait!” I start to run to the figure. “Yuseung!” I shout. Yuseung was crouched over, vomiting onto the ground with both hands on her head. “Yuseung!” I shout once more. “Danmit, even if I am running in her direction, it only seems to be making me go farther.” Yuseung turns her head to look at me. “Ajusshi!” I see her mouth as she fades into nothingness.
The darkness around me begins to shift once more. I stop running and look around at my surroundings. The wind starts to fade and light begins to seep through the void. Suddenly, my feet hit the floor hard, causing me to crash to my knees. I look around and try to find something but all I can see is a bright light shining from all directions. Thankfully, my eyesight returns, and I spot Yuseung.
I immediately run over to her. She’s still crouching on the ground, holding her head. “Yuseung.” I say quietly, gently putting my hand on her back. “Are you alright?” I hear her gag as she tries to hold her nausea. “That… was not… fun.” She answers weakly as she releases another wave of vomit. I look around the room we have appeared in. All around us were people, also hunched over from the recent experience. The only this was, some of those people were constellations. A scenario window appears in front of me.
[Please make your way to table one]
After helping Yuseung to her feet, which does not end well as she falls so I decide to carry her, and sitting down at the table, I take a better look around. The room we arrived in was huge. It was like a large rectangular dining room with ten tables, all of varying sizes. On one of the longer walls, a huge screen was shown. Table one, which is the table I was assigned to, was in the middle of the room, right in front of the screen. Tables two and three were to our right while tables four and five were to our left. Table six was directly behind table one and tables seven through nine were scattered around the room. Table ten is tucked away in a corner.
All around us, I could see people dizzily walking to their assigned tables. At table three a recognized a woman with long blonde hair. Even if her wings were shrunken down to a more appropriate size, I knew she was one of the four constellations that had been with me since the start.
She was the Demon-Like Judge of Fire, I know her as Uriel. She was leaning on the table, her head on both of her hands. Guess she also experienced the nausea. Maybe she felt me staring because Uriel turned her head in my direction. I gave a small wave. Uriel’s eyes lit up immediately after we had made eye contact. I could tell she was going to walk over to say ‘hi’, but quickly stopped and brought a hand up to the mouth. Guess she was still nauseous.
Sun Wukong, the Prisoner of the Golden Headband, placed his hand on her back and tried to comfort her. He was also sitting at table three. Looking at their table I recognized a few constellations. The Abyssal Black Flame Dragon was also there, sitting on the other side of Uriel. He looked like a 15-year-old. A guy with a veil that looked to by made of stars covering his whole body was sitting next to him. I guess that was the Secretive Plotter. He turned to look at me. I waved and gave a little smile. I don’t quite know why, but I saw how my action had caused the Plotter to flinch before turning away.
Next to the Plotter were four other constellations that I didn’t recognize. All of them looked extremely nervous: That’s when I saw why. Next to the fourth constellation was the Myth-Grade constellation Father of the Rich Night. He was the wife of Persephone, Hades. Speaking of his wife, the Queen of the Darkest Spring was sitting in between him and Sun Wukong.
Next to them was table two. It held Min Jiwon, Cha Sangkyung, and the constellations Yi Sun Shin the Maritime War God, Heo Jun the Guam Divine Docter, Queen Jinseong the Sleeping Lady of Brocade, and Gwanchang the Hwarang Knows No Retreat.
I looked to my left at table four. My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw who it held. Sitting around that table were the Olympians of the Nebula Olympus. One other constellation was there but I didn’t recognize them. However, they must be a part of that nebula seeing how it was filled with the Olympians.
Table five had a mix of constellations from three different Nebulas. I turned around and glanced at table six, nearly laughing at the sight I saw. Two groups and segregated at that table. On one side of the table was a group of five, they were from the Nebula Eden. On the other side were two Demon Kings. Both sides were currently glaring at each other. I laughed at the irony. Whoever placed them together was asking for another War of Demons and Saints.
Tables seven through nine were filled with random incarnations. How did I know they were incarnations? All of them were nervous and constantly kept clanging at the tables that held constellations. Then there was table ten. I looked at the table, sitting in the corner of the room. There were eleven seats and all of them were filled but for some reason, I couldn’t make out their faces.
I looked back at my table. All of us had made it to the table. All of them still feeling the headache and nausea. Yuseung and Gilyeong were sitting on either side of me. Next to Gilyeong were Jihye, Huiwon, and Hyeonsung. Sangah, Sooyoung, Gong Pildu, and Lee Seolhwa sat next to Yuseung. Sangah being the closet and Seolhwa being the farther. Next to Lee Seolhwa and in between Junghyeok was Yoo Mia. I had no idea she was selected to participate in this scenario. Next to Junghyeok was Han Myeongoh. Next to Han Myeongoh was… I felt nauseous again. Next to Han Myeongoh was a person I hoped to not see when I entered this scenario. It was Lee Sookyung, my mother. Why was she even at this table?
Looking at all of us, I could tell most of them were still nauseous. Yuseung and Gilyeong were both holding onto my arms. I could hear them trying to be quiet, but I could also here to small groans escaping their lips. Yoo Mia was also in a similar condition. She had her face buried into Junghyeok’s coat. Lee Seolhwa was trying her best to help her, but I could tell that she was also fighting her own headache. Junghyeok was casting a few side glances every now and then at his sister. I could see him also trying to fight off whatever it was that we had all experienced in that black void.
“I am going to kill whoever made this scenario,” Sooyoung grumbled. She was leaning on the table, her hands clawing at her hair. “You might have to kill a lot of people then.” I teased. All I got in return was a threat and a full-faced glare. “Don’t tempt me to add you to that list.” She snarled.
“You seem to be fine Dokja-ssi.” Sangha said as she help onto her own head. I nodded. “I have a skill that helps with these kinds of things.”
“You wouldn’t mind sharing that skill,” Jihye spoke. “Wouldn’t you ajusshi?! Ugh, my brain hurts.”
I was about to tell her not to call me ajusshi but a voice speaks throughout the entire room.
“Thank you all for coming, not that you had a choice. I hope you all arrived well.” The voice spoke. I looked toward it along with everyone else. The voice came from a girl floating above the floor in front of the giant screen. She looked to be no more than Jihye’s age. She had pale skin, brown hair, and deep green eyes.
“For those of you that are still dizzy, just take the drink in front of you.” As the words leave her mouth, a glass appears on the table, one for each of us. “Don’t worry, it won’t kill you. I apologize for the uncomfortable trip. This scenario requires enormous amounts of probability so my master had to find some ways to save just a little.” The girl says. I don’t trust her, but I still take the drink. The Fourth Wall has been working none stop since we got here. After I finish the last drop, I feel the pain, nausea, and headache start to recede.
“Does it work Dokja-ssi?” Huiwon asks me. I answer her. “It seems to be safe and is working so far.”
“Oh thank god.” Sooyoung sighed before downing the drink in front of her. Everyone in the room does the same. Once we all finished the drink, the glass disappears. In its place, a silver plate, knife, spoon, fork, and glass appear.
“I sense that once the effects of the cure take place, some of you will be quite hungry.” The girl says. “Just think of the food and drink you want to eat and it will appear. There is no limit so please help yourselves. And for my Constellations, we do not serve stories here so regular food will have to suffice.” A loud groan makes its way through the room.
I think of a dish that Junghyeok made during his 81st regression. It immediately appeared on the plate and I quickly stuffed some in my mouth. I try to keep myself from smiling, but I can’t help it. It tastes so good. Seeing my reaction, the rest of my companions don’t hesitate to think of their own meal.
“At least there’s food,” Jihye says between bites. Everyone is eating. Everyone except Junghyeok. Damn this stupid sunfish
“Yah Yoo Junghyeok-ah!” He glares at me. I frown. “Just think of something you would cook.” Junghyeok stares at me and the plate. Finally, he sighs and thinks of something. That something turned out to be BBQ. From the looks of it, it smelled as good as it looked at those sitting next to him began to stare.
“Master, what is that?” Jihye asks. “What did you think about?”
“Think about your own food.” Junghyeok answers before putting a piece in his mouth. He looks at me, glaring. Then I realize that I had been staring at him. I jerk my head in another direction. Dammit.
“Before we start, let’s go over five simple rules.” A scenario window appeared on the screen.
~~~
[Rules]
Number 1. No killing in the subspace. If a death occurs, the one who caused it will be killed as well.
Number 2. Constellations, please refrain from using your powers and true voice. My master has already weakened the effect but please do not try to break through the restrictions. I’m looking at all of you Myth-Grade constellations.
Number 3. You are free to walk around the room and visit other tables, except table ten, but you can only sit on your own. No one bothers table ten or you die.
Number 4. Under no circumstances are you allowed to tell those not in the scenario the information you learned. You will die if you do so. All information you learn in this scenario is true. Use it however you like.
Number 5. Do not try to escape, or break anything, or any other idea you might have. Anyone who breaks this rule will be killed.
~~~
“See, the rules are simple.” The girl says with a smile on her face. “You can call me Rymera. I apologize for the fact that my master isn’t here. She really wanted to meet you all.”
“And who is your master? Is she the one who put us here?!” A voice from table 5 yells toward the front.
“Indeed Constellation Who Likes To Change Genders. My master thought it well to treat you all with this scenario.” Rymera smiles. People around my table start to get agitated. “As for her name, I don’t know. She has many modifiers like ‘The Reader of Heartbreak and Happiness’, ‘The One Who Does Not Sleep’, or ‘The One Who Lives For Fiction’. But she had never told me her name. I guess you can call her… The Queen of Eternal Stories.”
“Rip off me.” I hear Persephone mutter under her breath at table three. “It’s okay dear,” Hades says to her. “We can hunt her down after the end of this scenario.”
I think about the modifiers. "All of them seem to be pointing to a constellation that likes stories. ‘The Reader of Heartbreak and Happiness’, ‘The One Who Does Not Sleep’, and 'The One Who Lives For Fiction’ modifiers all point to her just being a regular, but powerful constellation. Then there's the modifier ‘The Queen of Eternal Stories' ’. That is the only one that stands out. I have my suspicions but... the chances of this constellation being them are... never mind."
“Anyways,” Rymera’s smile grows even wider. “I hope you all have a good time in this scenario.” The scenario widow appears in front of everyone. I stare at it.
~~~
[ Main Scenario - The Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint]
Category: Main
Difficulty: F – S
Clear Conditions: React to the given information. All of those chosen will have to participate in the scenario. All those who were not chosen will remain in the real world, frozen in time until the scenario is complete.
Time Limit: None
Reward: Knowledge Of The Past And Future
Failure: Death
~~~