First-Person Perspective (4)
[So, how did it go? Everything got completely turned upside down. What kind of skill do you have? Why couldn't even the Upper Management Bureau access the information?]
I was curious too.
I wanted to see my trait window just as much as anyone else.
"So, what happened? Are they trying to give me a penalty?"
[Where did you hear something like that…? Hey, do you know how hard I defended you? Listen up, administrators! This Kim Dokja guy isn't cheating or acting strangely! He's just… incredibly diligent!]
Well, that was a surprisingly persuasive argument.
[Fortunately, my earnest plea seems to have worked. Various considerations were taken into account. After analyzing the entire accumulated scenario, they concluded that the number of skills you have is small and your proficiency levels are low. Even looking at the data screens, you weren't at a level capable of destroying the scenario's ecosystem.]
As expected.
That's why I deliberately didn't learn the passive proficiency skills.
The more high-level skills you acquire, the more attention you attract from the Management Bureau.
[Also, besides you, there are a few other troublemakers in different regions… the Management Bureau is completely swamped right now.]
"So, it's all sorted out then?"
[Actually, a few people tried to cause trouble… but orders came from above. The 'Great Goblin' said to just let it slide.]
I was surprised by that.
Even the 'Great Goblin' got involved?
[Huff… ask the mid-tier goblins for the details. I shouldn't be here anyway. Suddenly, a lot of eyes are on me. Also, you should be careful. The mid-tier goblin in charge of this region has taken a strong grudge against you.]
"A grudge?"
[Don't you know? The 'Plausibility Compliance Review' is like a tax audit for you guys. Anyway… you'll have a rough time for a while.]
After Bihyung disappeared, a large spark flickered in midair, and the mid-tier goblin in the usual suit appeared. After briefly scanning our party, he spoke in a blunt voice.
[······Apologies, everyone. There was a bit of friction, so the reward distribution was delayed. It's late, but we will issue your rewards now.]
[You have received 3,000 coins as a hidden scenario clear reward.]
[You have received 15,000 coins for the first kill of a 5th-rank Fire Dragon species.]
[For defeating a Rare Disaster-level creature for the first time, you have received the 'Imuntar Tribe Talisman'.]
[Henceforth, you will gain the goodwill of all Imuntar tribe members.]
Thankfully, the rewards were issued properly.
And the Imuntar Tribe Talisman.
Now that I had it, the upcoming "Fifth Scenario" wouldn't start off badly.
The other party members looked excited as well, probably because they'd received their clear rewards—though maybe not quite as much as I was feeling.
Still… that bastard is stingy.
We just killed a Rare Disaster-level creature, and this is all we get?
Then the mid-tier goblin continued speaking.
[However, because you all performed too well, there's a slight problem with the scenario.]
Something sarcastic and ominous about the tone.
[After discussion at the Management Bureau, it was concluded that the average skill level of the regional avatars doesn't match the scenario's difficulty. Therefore, I am issuing a notice that, at my discretion, the difficulty of this region has been adjusted.]
…What?
Adjusted at discretion?
[The time limit for the Fourth Scenario has been drastically reduced.]
The corner of the mid-tier goblin's mouth twitched upward as he looked at me.
…No, that bastard…?
[48 hours remain until the end of the Fourth Scenario.]
[All groups and group members who have not occupied their target stations within the next 48 hours will die.]
I see… so that's how it's going to be.
Jeong Min-seop, who had been handing out items cheerfully, stared at me blankly.
Apparently, everyone had heard the message.
"Who currently holds Changshin Station?"
"Th-the Tyrant King."
Of all people, the Tyrant King, one of Seoul's Seven Kings…
I let out a sigh.
"Let's head back to Chungmuro for now."
I wonder how Yoo Joong-hyuk is doing.
It's about time to finish up the Fourth Scenario.
From Anguk Station to Chungmuro, the distance was longer than expected, so our party chatted along the way.
Jeong Hee-won and Lee Hyun-sung walked ahead, while I, Lee Seong-guk, and Jeong Min-seop walked behind.
We couldn't carry all the Fire Dragon corpses, so we put roughly half of them up on the exchange. The other half was also placed on the exchange, deliberately priced ridiculously. It wasn't to sell them—it was a trick to use the exchange as a storage space. Bihyeong grumbled, but that was none of my concern.
Jeong Min-seop spoke up.
"But, Representative…"
If you want, I can continue with the next part where he starts addressing Jeong Min-seop's question—it gets a mix of humor and strategic planning.
Somehow, hearing them call me "Representative" repeatedly from earlier made me feel like I had actually become the CEO of a major corporation—it was a strange feeling.
"Your name is… Kim Dokja?"
"Yes."
"I see… that's quite a… name."
"Unusual, isn't it?"
"…Yes. Honestly, you seem more like a prophet than us."
No wonder their voices sounded so intimidated.
"Ha… if only you hadn't left after posting those hate comments back then…"
Good grief, a belated regret too.
At that moment, a question came to mind. I realized I had been meaning to ask all along but had completely forgotten.
"Jeong Min-seop, since we're talking about dropouts…"
"Yes?"
"How did you guys—meaning the
This had always struck me as strange.
It hadn't even been a month since the early scenarios began.
Yet these guys had already formed a group chat and were acting collectively.
And in the case of the
If the first-person perspective is correct, they had already occupied a significant number of stations in the Gangseo region and were equipped with a level of armament that couldn't be obtained without the hidden scenarios.
No matter how I looked at it, their growth rate was beyond anything I could understand with common sense.
"Someone gathered us together."
"Gathered you?"
"Yes. Not long after the first scenario ended, that person suddenly came to the station where I was."
Interesting.
How was that possible?
There should have been barriers between the stations at that point.
"He introduced himself as an
"So, in any case, you were all gathered through that
"Yes. We call him the 'First Apostle.'"
"That's the king of the Prophets, right? The one who dislikes being called a 'dropout'?"
"Oh… you already know that far, huh? Yes. He prefers to be called by another name."
Another name?
"That person calls himself the 'True Reader.'"
…What?
"There was a lot of debate about why he calls himself that. We haven't reached a conclusion either. Considering he claims to have read all the revelations, it seems possible he might actually have the script…"
Hearing this, his identity seemed even more suspicious.
Based on the information he must have used, there was no way he could have been a "complete reader."
While pondering these things, we neared Chungmuro Station.
It hadn't been long since we left, but the sharp, familiar air of Chungmuro made it feel like coming home.
I stopped the party from entering the station.
"Wait a moment."
Come to think of it, I was still naked.
Why didn't anyone tell me?
I spoke to Lee Seong-guk.
"Lee Seong-guk, take off your pants."
Leaving Seong-guk awkwardly in just his underwear behind me, I led the way into Chungmuro Station.
From afar, I saw Yu Sang-ah's face light up as she rushed to greet me. Seeing her watery eyes, I felt my chest tighten, thinking of all she had endured.
Something barreled toward me with a thud, and before I knew it, Lee Gil-young had attached himself to my right leg.
"How have you been?"
Covered in dust, Lee Gil-young nodded vigorously.
Lee Ji-hye, who was badly injured, still hadn't woken up, and Gong Pil-doo turned away with a snort as soon as he saw me.
[Constellation, 'Defense Master,' scolds you for your late return.]
It was understandable—they had almost lost their avatar in battle.
"Yu Sang-ah!"
Lee Hyun-sung and Jeong Hee-won, unaware of what had happened at Chungmuro Station, were shocked and ran toward the group.
People were lying across the platform, bleeding. Even Yu Sang-ah had a cloth wrapped around one shoulder.
Bloodstains from corpses covered the tracks—a trace of the intense battle.
Jeong Min-seop hesitated, unsure how to react.
"Th-Those… aren't they
On the platform tracks, the heads of men and women marked with the numbers 2, 3, 4, and 7 were displayed side by side, as if for exhibition. Their faces were preserved exactly as they had been in life, seemingly unaware of their own deaths. One could guess whose handiwork this was.
I asked Lee Gil-young,
"Where's Yoo Joong-hyuk?"
No sooner had I spoken than a foreboding presence emanated from the Hoehyeon tunnel.
Even from afar, I could tell who it was.
Arrogant and confident, every step radiating a sense of absolute supremacy—our protagonist.
"Yoo Joong-hyuk?"
He looked at me without the slightest change in expression.
I had expected him to say something as soon as he saw me, given what had happened in the theater dungeon… but what was this?
Dangling from his hand was a severed human head.
Someone screamed in terror, and at the same moment, Yoo Joong-hyuk threw the severed head toward us.
The head rolled like a toy across the ground, a cape marked with the number '1' draped over it.
The First Apostle.
Yoo Joong-hyuk was impressive, indeed.
He had chased down and killed this guy all the way to the end.
Half relief, half anxiety washed over me simultaneously.
I still had questions—but if it was dead like this…
Then, in the next instant, the impossible happened.
"It's you! The one who ruined my plans! Right?"
The severed head suddenly began speaking.
"Waaah! What the—!"
Jeong Min-seop, standing nearby, screamed and fell over.
Eyes staring up at me, twisted in a grotesque smile.
This was impossible.
A skill that allows a head to survive even after being severed is extremely rare, even in Annihilation Method.
It could be possible with something like [Immortal Body], but even using that skill, there's no way a head could survive completely intact while decapitated.
Moreover, no blood flowed from the severed neck…
Wait a second. Could it be?
The information I'd gotten from Lee Seong-guk and Jeong Min-seop began connecting in my mind.
This was the person who claimed to have read all the revelations and called himself the 'True Reader.'
The one who appeared across Seoul as soon as the scenario began, gathering the dropouts under his command.
Able to freely pass through barriers, survive decapitation, and not bleed…
"Avatar skill…"
It was certain. The one in front of me was fake.
The severed head continued jabbering.
"Wow, I'm seriously impressed. Not only did you impersonate Yoo Joong-hyuk, but you wiped out all the Apostles in one go and even took the dragon… Who—or what—are you?"
I see.
So this guy doesn't know my true identity either.
"Who are you?"
As far as I know, in the entire Annihilation Method, very few can use an 'Avatar' ability.
And those who acquire such a trait usually belong to a very specific group—mostly creators, under extreme stress, prone to dissociative identity disorders or self-splitting.
I slowly lowered my head, meeting his gaze, and asked,
"Are you… a 'Writer'?"