< Episode 14. The Owner of the Throne (4) >
A one-eyed man in monk's robes approached us.
Of all people, to think the very first of the 'Seven Kings of Seoul' we'd meet would be this guy.
Yoo Sangah spoke to me through group chat.
—Dokja-ssi, that person… could it be…?
—Yes. It seems so.
Yoo Sangah nodded grimly.
Well, after seeing that appearance, it would be impossible not to think the same thing I did.
—But I don't understand. Even if that constellation really is 'that person,' why would the incarnation be dressed like that?
—It's probably a case of high synchronization with the constellation. The higher the synchronization, the more the incarnation is influenced by the constellation's tastes from when they were alive.
—Then we should absolutely not cough in front of him.
The man with the horsetail hairstyle knelt before the robed man.
"My king. You have returned."
"Yes."
"How did it go?"
"Do I need to say more? Here."
The one-eyed man pointed to his staff. Embedded in it was a fragment of a blue gem obtainable from the 'Arena of the Big Dipper.'
[Star of Greed (Tamlang)]
The horsetail-haired man gasped in admiration.
"Oooh…!"
Impressive.
He had already obtained a 'Star Jewel'…
Star Jewels were reward items from the 'Arena of the Big Dipper.'
Each one increased a single overall stat by 1, making even one fairly useful—but their true significance only emerged when all seven were gathered.
Because those jewels were the summoning materials for the 'Sign-Devouring Sword.'
The one-eyed man turned his gaze toward me.
"And who are these people?"
"They just entered the 'Arena of the Big Dipper.' Their swordsmanship was quite impressive, so I was considering bringing them over to our side."
"Is that so?"
The one-eyed man and I extended our hands toward each other at the same time.
"I am Cha Sang-gyeong."
"My name is Kim Dokja."
The moment I grasped his hand, I activated a skill.
[Exclusive skill, 'Character List,' has been activated!]
< Character Information >
Name: Cha Sang-gyeong
Age: 26
Supporting Star: One-Eyed Maitreya
Exclusive Traits:
Pseudo-Cult Leader (Hero), Maitreya King (Hero)
Exclusive Skills:
[Weapon Refinement Lv.5], [Mental Barrier Lv.3], [Eloquent Speech Lv.3],
[Skilled Deception Lv.3], [False Prayer Lv.1]…
Stigmas:
[Maitreya Pure Land Lv.2], [Mind Reading Lv.2], [Declaration of Mara Lv.3]
Overall Stats:
[Stamina Lv.28], [Strength Lv.26], [Agility Lv.28], [Magic Power Lv.25]
Overall Evaluation:
Before his 'one eye,' which sees through all things, no one can remain free. Be careful not to cough carelessly in front of him.
It was a shame Jeong Heewon wasn't here.
Judging by the way this man was blinking in shock right now, he'd never again spout nonsense about my supporting star being Gung Ye.
Cha Sang-gyeong spoke.
"I have some skill in physiognomy. May I take a look?"
"Go ahead."
Honestly, I was wondering why he hadn't done that already.
[Character 'Cha Sang-gyeong' uses stigma 'Mind Reading Lv.2'!]
Gung Ye's stigma, [Mind Reading], was one of the more interesting scouting abilities in Ways of Survival.
It couldn't reveal the opponent's trait window, but it allowed the user to grasp the target's disposition and approximate level of danger.
Simply put, if the target was a good person, they'd appear as a 'pushover mara,' while a bad person would show up as a 'back-stabbing mara.'
For example—
[Character 'Cha Sang-gyeong' has realized that you are a 'mara not to be provoked.']
Like that.
"Th-this…?"
"My king, what is it?"
[Character 'Cha Sang-gyeong' is greatly flustered.]
Cha Sang-gyeong, his face drained of color, shouted,
"M-mara!"
"What? Don't tell me…!"
At the word 'mara,' the Maitreya King's group members—including the horsetail-haired man—all turned to stare at me. Just as a tense standoff was about to erupt, Cha Sang-gyeong hurriedly added,
"N-no. I must have seen it wrong."
"Pardon? Was it not?"
"Yes. It's nothing. Everyone, stand down."
As expected—judging by the fact that he didn't ignore his constellation's warning, he wasn't a fool.
Still, 'a mara not to be provoked'…
It seemed the 'One-Eyed Maitreya' had no desire to fight me.
"Phew… that startled you, didn't it?"
What was more puzzling was the horsetail-haired man's reaction.
It was only for an instant, but the emotion that crossed his face was closer to regret.
"The plan begins exactly one hour from now. You joined a bit late, but I look forward to your performance."
With those words, Cha Sang-gyeong returned to his group.
For a first encounter with Gung Ye, it ended rather anticlimactically.
The horsetail-haired man spoke.
"Whew, that was close. Thankfully, nothing happened."
"A king who understands the hearts of the people, you say? That's quite a flexible description."
"Haha. Gung Ye was later recorded as a tyrant, but in the beginning, he was a virtuous ruler. No one knows how things will turn out. History can be changed, after all."
I studied the horsetail-haired man closely and asked,
"By the way, who are you?"
"Oh, right. I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Han Sooyoung. Within the group, I serve as Cha Sang-gyeong's aide."
A man serving the incarnation of Gung Ye. If he was sticking that close to Gung Ye, there was a high chance his supporting constellation had something to do with it.
Who was he? Don't tell me… Wang Geon?
I immediately activated a skill.
[Exclusive skill, 'Character List,' has been activated!]
[This individual's information cannot be viewed through the 'Character List.']
[This individual is not registered in the 'Character List.']
…What?
"Hmm? Is something wrong?"
Seeing Han Sooyoung respond so brazenly, I couldn't help but laugh.
I see…
Now I know who this guy is.
"It's nothing. I just felt like there was a bit of… mara clinging to you."
"Haha, mara?"
The look in Han Sooyoung's eyes as he watched me subtly changed.
Perhaps at this moment, both of us were thinking the same thing.
The question was: who would draw their blade first?
With a creaking sound, the doors of the waiting hall began to open one by one.
"The kings are arriving!"
Tension rippled through the Maitreya King's group, while some people in the waiting hall began to cheer.
Watching the kings step out from beyond the doors, I asked Han Sooyoung,
"Are they on your side as well?"
"Yes. They're all kings who've promised to cooperate. From the left, that's King Timid—Yoon Gi-young, and King Brawl—Kim Baek-ho. And the last one to come out is King Earth-Dragon, Koo Tae-seong."
Hearing their nicknames jogged my memory.
King Timid and King Brawl. They looked exactly like their names suggested.
They had decent stats and respectable skills, but compared to the Seven Kings of Seoul, they were just a notch below.
So the only one worth paying attention to there was King Earth-Dragon, Koo Tae-seong.
Koo Tae-seong spotted Cha Sang-gyeong and sneered.
"Hey, Cyclops, you're already out here? Fast, aren't you?"
"So the earthworm mara dares to yap."
"…Earthworm? Are you insulting my supporting constellation right now?"
At that, Yoo Sangah gasped and whispered to me,
"That man—his supporting constellation is probably Gyeon Hwon."
"…How did you know?"
"I've heard that the king of Later Baekje was said to be born as the son of an Earth Dragon."
"Earth Dragon?"
"It means 'earthworm.' Other kings called Gyeon Hwon the son of an Earth Dragon as an insult."
That was impressive. To identify the supporting constellation from just that much information.
Yoo Sangah was right.
King Earth-Dragon, Koo Tae-seong.
As I remembered, he was one of the Seven Kings of Seoul and an incarnation whose supporting constellation was Gyeon Hwon, the king of Later Baekje.
"There seem to be quite a few people whose supporting constellations are kings. The Queen Jinseong we saw before was like that too…"
I nodded absentmindedly, but inwardly I was amazed by Yoo Sangah's perceptiveness.
In truth, the abundance of incarnations with 'king' constellations wasn't a coincidence.
Not only Seoul, but other regions would be similar.
In Japan, by now, the three great heroes of the Sengoku era—starting with Oda Nobunaga—would be competing through their incarnations. In England, Lionheart Richard or Henry VIII would be forming their own rivalries.
All across the world, heroic-grade constellations were delicately adjusting their synchronization with incarnations, preparing for a war over the throne.
[Constellation, 'God of Naval Warfare,' anticipates the appearance of a new narrative-grade constellation.]
[Constellation, 'Bald Righteous Army Commander,' watches the situation with sweaty palms.]
Other heroic-grade constellations were clearly intrigued as well.
And understandably so.
After all, the 'Fourth Scenario' was also an event for the heroic-grade constellations of each nation.
"Is everyone here?"
At last, the kings gathered in the center and began their address.
"Our enemy is the [Tyrant King], who entered through Door Number Three! The [Tyrant King] has already obtained two Star Jewels in this dungeon, and through his cowardly ambushes, two innocent kings have lost their lives. Among those present, there may be some who lost their kings to him."
So that's why the waiting hall had turned into a field of corpses.
It seemed the Tyrant King had killed two other kings here and stolen their Star Jewels.
If that was the case, then clearing just Door Number Three would mean gathering all seven Star Jewels…
"We must never hand the new Seoul over to a mob of rioters. If he obtains the 'Sign-Devouring Sword,' and furthermore ascends the 'Absolute Throne,' all that will remain in this city will be endless grief and tragedy!"
"Therefore, warriors of the people! Rise at once! All the kings gathered here are wise and intelligent. Whoever among us becomes king—that is a matter for later. At the very least, we must prevent the worst possible king from being enthroned!"
"This shall be a struggle for righteous life itself! Etch this into your hearts! You shall become the great warriors who take the first step into a new history!"
Despite the speech being mostly empty rhetoric, the people erupted in fervent excitement.
They cheered, sympathized, and some were even so moved that their eyes reddened with emotion.
As if they were true revolutionaries rising for justice.
I alone watched that scene.
Just one month ago—
These people had been citizens who voted to elect a president. People who fulfilled their duties, enjoyed their rights, and agreed to possess private property through lawful economic activity. Suddenly, all of that felt like a dream.
In just one month, Seoul had reverted to a kingdom.
"Move out!"
Hundreds of people entered through Door Number Three.
Since Cha Sang-gyeong's group was at the rear, we followed them in.
Soon, my vision rippled, and a gigantic hidden cavern appeared—a massive cave whose breadth and end were impossible to gauge at a glance.
Han Sooyoung, walking beside me, spoke up.
"This is kind of exciting. Feels like we've stepped into a martial arts novel."
"A martial arts novel?"
Han Sooyoung nodded with a meaningful smile.
"You know how it goes in those stories, right? A hidden cavern drawn on a treasure map. And inside that cavern's stone chamber lies a legendary sword. Oho! Whoever of the martial world obtains that blade becomes the greatest master under heaven!"
With exaggerated gestures, Han Sooyoung's delivery was convincing enough that I might have believed he was an actor.
"That's a common cliché in martial arts novels. The 'treasure map and divine sword.'"
"Oh? Sounds like you've read quite a bit of wuxia too, Dokja-ssi?"
When it came to genre fiction, I couldn't exactly bow out.
"I've read quite a lot. But you may or may not know—there's a common development that usually follows that cliché."
"A common development? What is it?"
"It turns out the 'treasure map' was fake."
A strange glint appeared in Han Sooyoung's eyes.
"That's interesting. And what happens next?"
"It's predictable. Because of the fake map, all the masters who gathered at the cavern fall into traps and die, while the 'mastermind' who spread the fake map laughs quietly from the shadows."
"Hoh… Then this situation right now could be that kind of cliché too? Someone here might be the mastermind?"
I nodded.
"That could be the case. Personally, I don't like such predictable clichés."
"Hm? What do you mean by that?"
"Honestly, clichés like 'treasure map and divine sword' are used far too often."
"Hm… Are too many stories necessarily bad stories?"
"At the very least, they're stories that lack serious thought—from a writer's perspective."
At those words, Han Sooyoung's expression stiffened ever so slightly.
"Then what would you do, Dokja-ssi, if you were a writer? If you were forced to write something like the 'treasure map and divine sword'?"
"Well, my name literally means 'reader,' so I've never thought that far."
"I think you'd end up the same, Dokja-ssi. You'd get used to writing predictable clichés and giving readers predictable satisfaction."
Yeah. I figured you'd say that.
I smiled and replied.
"Who's arguing? You're talking just like a writer. I'm not saying clichés are bad. I'm saying at least write them in a way that doesn't get you accused of plagiarism."
"Plag…iarism?"
"Yes. Plagiarism."
Watching Han Sooyoung's face flush red and then pale was extremely entertaining.
"Well, everyone's stories are similar anyway, with only minor differences in detail… Can that really be called plagiarism? I'm sure if you were a writer too, Dokja-ssi, you'd end up doing the same—"
"No. I'd write it differently."
Han Sooyoung's eyebrow twitched.
"…Differently? How?"
"For example, like this."
I drew [Unbreakable Faith] and sliced straight through Han Sooyoung's neck.
As his head rolled across the ground, there was no spray of blood.
I added,
"If it's going to be revealed anyway, why bother hiding the mastermind so pathetically?"
Then, from the severed head lying on the floor, Han Sooyoung spoke.
"Interesting, Kim Dokja."