Broken bridge? It's still in one piece, is the dokkaebi planning to break it? Zhou looked around for anything problematic before spotting a large sea monster emerging from a whirlpool by the bridge. Ah, I see.
"Don't worry and just run! Quickly!" Dokja shouted to the rest of the group who seemed confused about the 'broken bridge' and hadn't pieced it all together just yet.
The group of survivors took off with Lee Hyunsung taking the lead even with the grandma still on his back. Huang had picked up Lee Gilyoung who was struggling to keep up and was following close behind. Zhou noticed that Dokja was trailing behind and decided to keep pace with him.
The Ichthyosaur began chewing on the legs of the bridge as it slowly began to crumble. At this pace, we should still be able to cross in time before the bridge fully collapses. Just as Zhou thought that, the dokkaebi spoke up yet again.
[There is no fun if the game is too easy.]
[The scenario difficulty has been adjusted.]
[Scenario difficulty: E->D]
Why did I have to jinx it? Zhou lampooned as messages began to pop up.
[The evil thoughts of the dead have returned.]
[The surrounding earth is filled with black ether.]
[The demonic people have woken up!]
The entire time, Zhou was looking at Dokja as they were running. Yet again, Dokja showed no surprise at the dokkaebi's interference as he yelled out to the group, "We just need to go a little further! Quickly!"
The distance to the ichyosaur was now less than a hundred metres. Lee Hyunsung had just managed to cross the safety line with the grandma, and Huang was close behind but unfortunately it was too late.
"Shit, hold on kid!" Right before the bridge collapsed, Huang pulled out a ball of illusory golden thread and handed one end to the kid before throwing it forward towards the safety line.
Lee Gilyoung didn't have any time to react as the colors around him suddenly became saturated and everything around him became a blur, causing him to close his eyes. When he opened them again, he was sitting safely on the other side of the bridge along with Lee Hyunsung and the grandma. The illusory thread gripped tightly in his hand was slowly dissipating.
Huang had used a version of Mystical Re-enactment he had acquired from changing to the hermit pathway. Ball of Yarn, which allows the user to traverse the spirit world by following the thread, allowed him to save the kid. He would have gone along with the boy but he decided to stay on the other side with Zhou and Amanises to help. But before he could figure out what was going on, he began to get bombarded by messages.
[The constellation 'Abandoned Lover of the Labyrinth' is shocked.]
[The constellation 'Abandoned Lover of the Labyrinth' is staring at you.]
[The constellation 'Abandoned Lover of the Labyrinth' demands to know how you used her thread.]
[The constellation 'Abandoned Lover of the Labyrinth' wants to know what stigma you used.]
[The nebula 'Olympus' is shocked.]
[The nebula 'Olympus' is now paying close attention to you.]
"Olympus. What?" Huang wondered out loud before his attention was brought back to the problem at hand. He approached Amanises and Zhou as the others regained their bearings.
Yoo Sangah and Han Hyungoh raised their bodies from a little further away. One of Han Hyungoh's legs seemed injured and uncomfortable from the previous quake. Lee Hyunsung and Lee Gilyoung cried out from across the bridge, but their voices seemed blocked by the safety zone.
Demonic people were closing in and there was no way to cross to the safety zone. Zhou looked around and began to analyze the situation. I could easily get everyone across this bridge, but I'm not sure if my abilities are considered abnormal at this stage in the scenario. The constellations are always watching and one wrong move could create unnecessary problems.
[Someone has received the favour of a constellation.]
[The constellation's scenario 'Deus Ex Machina' has been activated.]
[Deus Ex Machina - Even Bridge]
Description: A bridge of light made by a constellation. Only an 'even' number of people can cross the bridge. The bridge will disappear as soon as an 'odd' number of people tries to cross it.
Huh, I guess if everyone died in the second scenario it wouldn't make for good entertainment. But of course they still had to keep things interesting. Zhou looked around at who was left on this side of the bridge. Han Myungoh, Yoo Sangah, Kim Namwoon, Kim Dokja, and the three beyonders. Someone has to stay behind. Of course, I could get across myself once everyone else is ok.
"...It is Yoo Sangah-ssi's sponsor." Dokja was eyeing her curiously while he confirmed the situation. But before the conversation could go any further, Yoo Sangah shouted towards Dokja as a demon leaped in his direction.
The horde of demons closed in as Dokja and Kim Namwoon along with the three beyonders began to fight back.
"Yoo Sangah-ssi, immediately-" Before Dokja could even finish his sentence, a scuffle was heard as she began to shout.
"Let me go! Let go! Dokja-ssi! Dokja-ssi!"
Han Myungoh had grabbed Yoo Sangah and was limping across the bridge at an inhuman rate.
Well at the very least that makes things easier. Those two can't fight so the liabilities are gone. Zhou thought as he looked towards Dokja and Kim Namwoon and spoke, "You two go next. We can handle ourselves so just get yourselves across and we will find a way over to you."
"No. There are an odd number of us here, one of us won't make it across. I'll stay, I already have a plan." Dokja held his ground.
Kim Namwoon also interjected. "I ain't leaving just yet. Don't get the wrong idea, I have no intentions of helping you. I just don't know what's coming next and there is no way you guys are going to leave me alone with that kid and the old hag. If Dokja-ssi wants to stay behind that's fine, but the rest of you are coming with me."
"Well we are not going to leave you behind Dokja-ssi. You won't last alone against them." Zhou retorted.
Amanises nodded in agreement before adding, "How are you intending to get across once we leave?"
"I'm waiting for someone…" Dokja responded while looking back towards the train from where they came.
The one behind the door? Zhou figured out what he was implying as he glanced at the others, a look of understanding between the beyonders.
"Then we will wait with you until he shows up. You will last much longer with the 5 of us. Namwoon-ssi, you can't cross without us so it looks like you're stuck here for a while." Zhou spoke as the group of 5 fell into a defensive stance.
[Many constellations applaud your camaraderie.]
"Tsk, fine. But you three better not hold us back. At the very least I know Dokja-ssi can hold his own, but I haven't seen you guys do shit. If any of you slow us down I won't hesitate to leave your ass behind. Got that?" Kim Namwoon sent a look over to the three beyonders as he flipped open his knife.
Huang turned to the others and spoke in Loenese, "Is this guy serious? We are basically gods, and he's worried about us?"
Zhou sighed. "They haven't seen us use any of our abilities, but honestly it might not be a bad idea to show them. If we can prove ourselves as powerful allies without attracting too much attention from the constellations, maybe we can get closer to him to get more information."
"Hey! What are you blabbering about! Focus up or you'll get us all killed!" Kim Namwoon interjected as the main horde was closing in.
I've been turning these demons into marionettes and the constellations haven't seemed to notice. We need to display just enough of our abilities to stand out to Dokja, so I guess it's time to put on a show. Zhou extended his hands out towards the incoming horde and plucked at the air as if he was pulling invisible strings before looking towards Dokja and Kim Namwoon with a mischievous smile. "There's no need to worry about that. Just try to keep up."
A loud bang resounded accompanied by a series of thuds as a line of demons hit the floor. He had snapped his fingers and fired out an air bullet at half power, but it was still enough to tear through a number of demons.
Huang held out both hands and swept a Beam of Disintegration across the bridge, destroying the terrain and creating a makeshift barrier around the group. Amanises pulled forth her Sword of Darkness, creating a wave of destruction directed at the horde of demons attempting to climb over the debris.
In less than a second, the first wave of demons was replaced by a wall of corpses and rubble, leaving Dokja and Kim Namwoon stunned.
…
What the hell? I've never seen anything like this in Ways of Survival. What are those abilities, and why are they so powerful? When the dokkaebi was talking about not choosing a sponsor, it was looking right at those three so I assumed they didn't take any, but there is no way they would be able to do something like that without a strong backer. No, no constellation would give something this powerful this early on. Did they really not choose a sponsor and are just this strong? Why didn't they use those abilities in the first place? Dokja was left speechless.
Dokja turned to look at the three beyonders who were braced for the next wave. About to ask a question, he was interrupted by an excited shout. "Holy shit! That was fucking amazing! What even was that? I made the right decision to stay on this side of the bridge. Haha!"
Kim Namwoon looked excitedly at the three beyonders before turning his attention towards the remaining demons that had begun to break through. A crazed smile appeared on his face as he braced for a fight.
Demons continued to charge forward as corpses began to pile up. Between the 5 survivors, they were holding their own quite well as time ticked down for the scenario. Zhou thinned the horde as Amanises and Huang maintained the perimeter from afar. Dokja and Kim Namwoon picked off any stragglers that broke through the defenses, preventing them from reaching the beyonders in the back.
More demons are slipping through. The foreigners must be getting tired and I'm struggling to keep up with Kim Namwoon. Damn it, if only I had just one combat skill, things would be going much smoother. Just as Dokja had this thought, a screen popped up.
[The exclusive skill 'Bookmark' is activated.]
['Character Bookmarks' is activated.]
[Available Bookmark Slots: 3]
[Bringing up the list of available bookmarks.]
[People Listed in the Bookmark Slots]
The Delusion Demon Kim Namwoon (Understanding 25).
Steel Sword Lee Hyunsung (Understanding 35).
Empty Slot.
What? First those foreigners' skills, and now this? I've read over 3,000 chapters of Ways of Survival and I have never seen any skills like these before. Dokja didn't have time to think any further as another cluster broke through the defenses and charged towards him and Kim Namwoon. Activate bookmark number one," Dokja spoke out loud as scenes flashed before his eyes as it felt like pages were turning in his head. Scenes and memories of Kim Namwoon throughout the Ways of Survival played out as he could feel his muscles and nerves tense up with the power of another person coursing through his body.
[The number one bookmark has been activated.]
[The level of the Bookmark skill is low, shortening the activation time.]
[Activation Time: One minute.]
[Your understanding of the character is low, so only a part of the character's skill is activated.]
[Blackening Lv.1 has been activated.]
One minute. That is enough. Dokja took a swing at the incoming demons with blackened fists identical to Kim Namwoon's.
"The fuck? That's my skill! How did you-" Kim Namwoon noticed Dokja and turned to shout at him. But while he was distracted, a demon closed the distance and managed to tear into Kim Namwoon's leg as he staggered back.
Kim Namwoon lost his footing and fell back as the demon that had slashed him leaped forward towards his head, "Shit!" He braced for impact before a streak of wind tore through the incoming demon, blowing its head off and preventing a fatal blow towards him.
Kim Namwoon got back onto his feet and looked back towards Zhou who still had his hand extended out in his direction, firing off another air bullet towards the rest of the crowd that broke through. Beads of sweat were dripping down his face as he clearly tired.
…
Sheppard? Zhou noticed Dokja suddenly leap forward with the same attack and energy as Kim Namwoon. He called it a bookmark? This is certainly interesting…
Kim Namwoon took a hard hit and fell back as a demon leapt towards the downed kid. Zhou pointed towards the demon and let out two air bullets, one at the demon on Kim Namwoon, and another towards the crowd that broke through.
He can't keep up anymore. Zhou looked at Kim Namwoon before turning to Huang. "Get him out of here."
Huang nodded and went to get Kim Namwoon and cross the bridge but Kim Namwoon shouted back, "Hell no! I'm fine and you guys won't last without me! It doesn't matter how powerful you are, this has dragged on way too long. I mean just look at yourself, you can't keep this up much longer!"
Of course, looking worn down was just an act. They had to keep up appearances in order to deceive the constellations so they had purposely let more break through. As a matter of fact, the demon that attacked Kim Namwoon was a marionette. Zhou had just used that as an excuse to get Kim Namwoon to leave. The timer was closing in and he didn't know how much longer they would have to wait for this mystery survivor, so he wanted to make sure he crossed in time.
Huang understood what Zhou was doing and grabbed Kim Namwoon and started to cross, ignoring all of his complaints.
"You're in no shape to fight. The others will be fine without us so don't worry."
"Are you blind old man? They clearly won't be able to last!"
"Old man? You brat! Haven't you learned to respect your elders? And I'm not even 30 yet, old man my ass!"
"Do I look like I give a shit about that? Let go of me! You're just going to leave them behind? Coward!"
"Shut it kid. If you keep this up I'll throw you off this bridge."
The arguing continued until they crossed the safezone and could no longer be heard. Zhou had turned his attention back to the frontlines as the timer continued to tick down. How long is this guy going to take?
Kwajik! Kwajijijik!
As if on cue, a series of cracking and crunching sounds could be heard from the other end of the horde as Zhou began to lose connection to a large number of marionettes. Is this the guy Dokja has been waiting for? If he knew what to expect, it would certainly make sense why he decided to wait for that guy, he's a beast…Huh?
A hand suddenly reached out and grabbed Dokja by the neck, lifting him into the air. Zhou was about to run towards the pair when his spiritual intuition told him to stop. He turned to Amanises and they both seemed to come to the same conclusion. We should let this play out. I'm not sure why, but my spiritual intuition is telling me not to intervene and pay attention to what's about to happen.
The remaining horde has closed in again, and the two beyonders continued their act of fighting against the army of marionettes while slowly displaying signs of fatigue. During this process, they managed to pick up bits and pieces of the conversation between the other two.
"...already mastered the use of coins?"
"It is the sme with you…"
"...pro gamer Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi…"
"...You know me?"
"I know…You are famous. At one time, I was a fan."
Use of coins? I guess it makes sense that the reward for these scenarios can be useful. So this Yoo Joonghyuk guy was a pro gamer and Dokja was a fan. But how did he know he was in the carriage over? Is he a stalker? No, it seems much deeper than that. Zhou analyzed as he continued to listen in while fighting.
"...You cleared the scenario by killing insects and worms?"
"We were lucky."
"...How did you know there were insects and worms in the carriage?"
"...An explosion…a kid fell and dropped his insect collecting net. I picked it up by chance."
"...It is a suspicious coincidence."
"Coincidences are always suspicious…" Zhou couldn't help but chuckle when he heard Dokja say this. Even without Adam, it's good to be paranoid of coincidences.
"What about the worms?"
"They had it on them. They said they came back from fishing." Dokja gestured over to the two beyonders fighting in the background.
Yoo Joonghyuk looked over his shoulder and saw two people surrounded by demons. They were holding their own but clearly looked fatigued. "They won't last much longer by the looks of it. Who are they?"
"They are very powerful, and they would make great companions."
"If they survive, maybe."
He's just going to leave us behind and will only consider it if we survive? What the hell is wrong with this guy! I don't know what Dokja meant by this 'companion' thing, but I sure as hell am not going to treat this Yoo Joonghyk as one if this is how he acts! Zhou lampooned before he noticed an increased hostile aura around Yoo Joonghyuk.
"You…what is your identity?"
"Yoo Joonghyuk. You need a reliable companion."
"...What do you mean?"
"You can't break through the 46th scenario alone. Shouldn't you be well aware of it?"
"How do you know this? Perhaps you-"
"It doesn't matter how I know or who I am. The important thing is that I can help you…Yoo Joonghyuk, I know the future that you don't know."
"...How?"
"How else?"
"Can you perhaps use 'Future Sight'?"
"It is something similar."
"You knew I would come here."
"Yes. I also know that Yoo Joonghyuk has special powers. You also know things about the future. Isn't that right? But that knowledge is never perfect. Make me your companion. I can fill in the parts you are missing."
Dokja knows the future, and so does Yoo Joonghyuk? If this is true, then this explains quite a bit. Why Dokja was so calm, why he seemed to know exactly what was coming and was never surprised. He really does know the future. He knew Yoo Joonghyuk was in the carriage over, he knew who he was and that he was powerful and held important information, he expected all of this to happen. He planned this from the very start. But how? How does he know the future, and where does this Yoo Joonghyuk fit into all of this? Wait… Zhou slowly pieced together the information he had as a theory began to form in his mind.
This whole situation with the scenarios and the attributes window, along with the game-like interface. These are all common tropes in Korean media earlier, but could there be more present in this situation? Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk know information about the future, but Dokja seems confident that he knows more than Yoo Joonghyuk, and he also seems to know all about Yoo Joonghyuk. In the beginning, Dokja didn't act and only analyzed. Then out of nowhere he began reading something off his phone as if nothing was happening. After reading, his demeanor changed and he made his move at the same time the explosion went off. The timing was so perfect that he would have had to know it was coming beforehand. He found the loophole in the first scenario, he seemed aware of the person in the next carriage, he used Lee Hyunsung's skill to break through the doors, he anticipated Yoo Joonghyuk coming here. And just before, I heard him activate a skill he called 'Bookmark'. Books, reading, knowledge about the future and the people… We were brought into this 'dream' from another world, it wouldn't be impossible for there to be others. Could Dokja come from a world where this 'dream' was a novel? One that Dokja read and therefore knows about the future? Zhou was attempting to process all the information he overheard between Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk and immediately understood why his spiritual intuition told him to wait. Then how does Yoo Joonghyuk fit into all of this? Dokja seems to know all about him, he's powerful, and he has knowledge of the future as well. He could be the 'protagonist', but that still doesn't explain how he knows about the future as well. 'That knowledge is never perfect'... What did Dokja mean by that? Of course Dokja would know more if he read the entire book, but that doesn't explain why Yoo Joonghyuk's knowledge is flawed. Hmm, I need more information. Zhou decided he would divine more about Yoo Joonghyuk later. Hopefully he could get more information seeing as his divinations aren't directly blocked like they are with Dokja.
Seeing Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk head towards the safety barrier, Zhou and Amanises started to make their way over as well. That was until Yoo Joonghyuk stopped by the edge and suddenly held Dokja off the side of the bridge.
Zhou didn't have time to process what was happening as he turned his attention towards the pair. But before he could make a move, he locked eyes with Dokja and he stopped in his place.
There was something about the way Dokja looked at Zhou that made him hesitate. It wasn't fear or worry, but the same look of confidence he had been exuding since the start. He expected this, he wants this to happen.
Dokja smiled at Zhou over Yoo Joonghyuk's shoulders before turning back towards Yoo Joonghyuk and said with a smug look, "Release your hand and get lost, you damn son of a bitch."
Zhou and Amanises watched as Yoo Joonghyuk dropped Dokja off the bridge and into the mouth of the ichthyosaur before walking through the safety barrier right as the time ended.
[You have failed to clear the scenario.]
The two beyonders continued to fend off the incoming demons for a few more seconds before they all suddenly froze in their place. "I don't sense the gazes of the constellations anymore. It seems that they only pay attention to what's happening inside the scenarios. Seeing as we 'failed', they must no longer be focused on us."
"Think we could just walk through the barrier and rejoin the scenario?" Amanises questioned.
"Maybe. At least we don't have to worry about 'death'. The Scenario's penalty for failure was question marks instead of death, so we should be fine either way."
Amanises looked down the bridge and towards the ichthyosaur. "What about Dokja?"
Zhou gave Amanises a look and she nodded as the two were covered in Concealment. Zhou then spoke up, "I have a theory that Dokja might be like us in the sense that he came from a different world. I think in his world, this 'dream' is a novel, and that Yoo Joonghyuk is the protagonist. Dokja presumably read the book which would explain why he acted the way he did. But that still doesn't explain his ability to prevent any prying into his information."
"Huh, honestly what you said makes some sense. I read quite a few Korean webnovels in my time, and now that I'm thinking about it a lot of what we've seen are common tropes. And it's an explanation that clears up a lot about Dokja."
"Agreed, but I haven't figured out why Yoo Joonghyuk knows some information about the future, and why Dokja says it's flawed. Regardless, we should head back to Huang. Lord knows what he will get up to if left unsupervised." Zhou said with a chuckle at the end.
Amanises nodded as the two of them walked across the bridge towards the barrier. The remaining demons all collapsed to the ground simultaneously. But right before they crossed the barrier, Zhou stopped.
"What's wrong?" Amanises stopped and turned to look at Zhou.
"Go on ahead without me and tell Huang about our theory. I have to go somewhere." Zhou looked out in a direction towards the city as he pulled out a coin and flipped it in the air.
"I see. Well you will know where to find us, don't take too long." Amanises patted Zhou on the back once before stepping through the barrier. Zhou played with the coin in his hand for a moment before starlight shone in his eyes as he disappeared from his place.