The scenery of the cloud road flowed outside the window.
Someday, Kim Dokja must have seen the same scene. What was Kim Dokja thinking as he passed this road?
I don't know.
At that time, Kim Dokja was riding with the symbolic form of Dionysus.
Maybe he was too busy wondering whether the wine in Dionysus's cup was real.
The two didn't ask why I had Kim Dokja's face.
Just as Kim Dokja did not ask whether the wine in Dionysus's cup was his urine or not.
All I hear in my ears is the squeak of rats running on the cloud road and the sound of the wind blowing gently.
As I slowly took my eyes off the window, I made eye contact with Cha Yerin.
"Are you okay?"
I nodded and answered.
"I'm okay."
"But it's Kim Dokja's face."
The reason she immediately recognized this face was probably because it resembled Kim Dokja, who appeared on the cover of the original novel.
"Yes. This is Kim Dokja's face."
I felt like it was a stupid conversation, but I had no other way to respond. Because I really had Kim Dokja's face.
"He's more handsome than I thought."
"Yes?"
"His assumption was correct."
"Kill… what did Seongwoo-ssi say?"
"Kim Dokja is not 'ugly' but 'ugly'."
I belatedly remembered the nickname given to Kim Dokja.
'The Ugliest King.'
If you think about it, the first title Kim Dokja received was not 'Demon King of Salvation' but 'The Ugliest King'.
Ji Eunyu, who was listening to the story nearby, asked.
"What does that mean?"
"Ugly is just being ugly, but 'ugly' means not fully formed."
"Aha."
It was a pretty subtle difference.
Of course, from my point of view as the person who wrote that expression, I wonder what the specific intention was...
As if reading my thoughts, Ji Eunyu answered.
"But I don't think there was any particular intention—"
"What are you talking about, editor? It was all perfectly intentional. Above all, Kim Dokja was blocked from external perception by the [Fourth Wall]! Other people couldn't see Kim Dokja's face properly!"
After hearing my explanation, Cha Yerin shook her head in admiration.
"But even though there is a [Fourth Wall], I can still see the author's face."
"Well, I don't have the [Fourth Wall]…"
As I spoke up to that point, I stopped.
Now I am the representative of the 'Demon King of Salvation'.
Even though the [Fourth Wall] was activated, there was nothing strange about it at all.
"Open up, Fourth Wall."
There was no particular [Fourth Wall] response to my command.
Ji Eunyu asked in a suspicious voice.
"If you do that, it will open?"
"I just gave it a try. But can you see my face clearly now?"
"Yes. What about Yerin-ssi?"
"It looks good."
Does this mean that the [Fourth Wall] is not working properly?
[The attributes' window cannot be activated due to a current system error.]
However, the 'attributes' window' is still not visible.
Ji Eunyu, who was quietly observing my face, continued speaking.
"Yerin-ssi, you said that the author looks like Kim Dokja right now, right?"
"Yes."
"It's a little surprising. It doesn't look that way to me."
I asked, wondering what this was all about.
"So how do you see it?"
"It just looks like the original author's face."
"My face?"
"It's not exact, but I think so. Author, didn't you always look like this? Your hair style is very different, but…"
There was a question that immediately came to mind.
「 What did I originally look like? 」
Has it been too long since I possessed a character? Even when I saw my face reflected in the window and touched it again, my old face did not come to mind.
It feels like my face has been like this from the beginning.
I felt scared for a moment because of that sentiment, which did not feel the slightest sense of discomfort.
[The story 'Heir of the Eternal Name' is looking at you.]
I couldn't tell these two people.
The 'story' I have is said to be eating up 'Kim Dokja's fragments', and to the extent that I have eaten those fragments, I am becoming more like Kim Dokja.
[The story 'Heir of the Eternal Name' opens its eyes greedily.]
Even now, my story is coveting the two people in front of me.
「 If you touch either of them, I will never speak of you again. 」
[The story 'Heir of the Eternal Name' frowns and steps away.]
Fortunately, the story quickly quieted down.
However, in that short period of time, there were people who witnessed the altercation between me and my story.
[I never thought there would be someone who waslike us in this universe.]
It was Meihouwang. Meihouwang delivered his mantra in the form of a telephonic voice so that the other two could not hear it.
[When one being becomes many, problems arise. Get your mind straight. If you don't want to be preyed upon by 'just one story'.]
Just one story.
I didn't expect to hear these words here, so I suddenly looked at him. However, Meihouwang seemed to have no intention of saying more, and he yawned repeatedly, hiding his bored expression.
[Wake me up when you arrive.]
Meihouwang soon took a deep breath and fell asleep in Ji Eunyu's arms.
And as soon as he fell asleep, a small display appeared above the carriage window.
[Welcome aboard the 'Orient Express Wagon'.]
I thought it was just a golden carriage, but the internal facilities are state-of-the-art. Well, I should have looked into it from the moment the fragment of the 「fingerprint recognition」 story was attached.
The carriage traveling on the cloudy road felt like it was tilting for a moment.
[After a while, the carriage changes to 'manual operation'.]
No, suddenly?
As soon as the message ended, a controller appeared out of thin air. It was the same controller we commonly use when playing games.
['Zodiac Ball' participants must operate the 'controller' to drive the carriage themselves.]
[The destination is displayed on the panel.]
[You may attack or be attacked by another carriage on the way to your destination.]
[Special prizes will be awarded to the passengers of the carriage that reach the destination in first place.]
At the same time, a huge panel appears before my eyes. There was a dot on the panel marking the location of our carriage.
In addition to us, what appeared to be carriages were moving nearby.
Maybe there's a carriage with Killer King or Lee Dansu among them.
[After 30 seconds, 'manual driving' will begins.]
30 seconds. There isn't much time.
I quickly looked back at Ji Eunyu and opened my mouth.
"Editor-nim."
"Yes. Are you asking me to knock you out?"
I don't know how Ji Eunyu knew, but she was already pulling out a large hammer from her pocket.
Cha Yerin also said, clashing her iron fists together.
"If it's about knocking someone out, I'm good at it."
I looked at them for a moment and then answered.
"I'll just do it myself."
I was lucky that this wasn't 'Zone 13'.
Because from now on, I can freely use skills.
"I'm going to pass out for 30 seconds from now."
[This area is a place where 'skill' use is permitted.]
[Exclusive skill 'Incite Lv. 10' is activated!]
[Your understanding of the story fragment 'Incite' is very excellent.]
[The story fragment 'Incite' has a great influence on the proficiency of skill 'Incite'.]
With the feeling of my consciousness sinking, I activated [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint].
[Exclusive skill 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' stage 2 is activated!]
Let's see.
Let's check Yoo Jonghyuk's side first.
As I thought of Yoo Jonghyuk, the boy from the 41st round, in my head, the inside of another carriage appeared before my eyes.
「 "That guy must be in a carriage too." 」
The conditions for activating the skill have been met. It seems he also thought of me.
And the one who rode with Yoo Jonghyuk—
「 'If you say that guy, do you mean Kim Dokja?" 」
Damn it, why is it Killer King?
The boy Yoo Jonghyuk and Killer King were staring at each other while sitting across from each other in the carriage.
「 "Why do you call Kim Dokja 'that guy'?" 」
「 "It's what feels right in my heart." 」
「 "Only close friends use that title. You and Kim Dokja are not close. It's actually me who is close." 」
「 "You don't seem that close either." 」
The two growled as if they were going to fight at any moment, and then looked at the controller that appeared in the air and spoke at the same time.
「 "I'll do it." 」
I immediately switched the screen.
It would have been a lie if I said we weren't there, but after thinking about it, I thought there wouldn't be that much of a problem if these two were a team.
That's because Yoo Jonghyuk's characteristic was that he was a pro gamer, and Killer King was also talented at games.
The problem was with the other team.
「 "Aaaah! Dokja-ssi, what should I do? What should I do!" 」
Cruelly,Kyung Sein was already calling my name.
Next, the sacrificial face of Lee Dansu appeared before my eyes.
As expected, Kyung Sein and Dansu ahjussi were on the same team.
I used [group chat] to talk to them.
— Have either of you played a game before?
Then, Dansu ahjussi and Kyung Sein looked up into the sky at the same time.
「 "Wow, is this really what Kim Dokja is talking about? Is this [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint]?" 」
—Yes. Please let me know quickly as we are running out of time.
「 "Hmm, I haven't had any talent for games since I was young—" 」
「 "Well, I like games, but I'm not good at controlling them… so my friends don't always join me…" 」
Damn, it seemed like that too.
At that moment, several other carriages were approaching the carriage they were riding in. No matter how I looked at it, it didn't seem like they were approaching with good intentions.
—Be careful!
The window of the carriage running side by side opened and a barrage of sharp shuriken flew in.
「 "Waaaaaaah!" 」
The shurikens scraped against the carriage with a crunching sound. At a glance, it was an attack filled with powerful magical power.
[The durability of the carriage has decreased!]
I couldn't leave it like this.
[There are 10 seconds left to stay in a stunned state .]
I made a quick decision.
"I will pass out for one more minute."
[Exclusive skill 'Incite Lv. 10' is activated!]
[Stun time is extended!]
[The usage time of the exclusive skill, 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' stage 2, is extended!]
—Hold your controller! Hurry!
Kyung Sein grabbed the controller and attempted to accelerate. The distance between the carriages did not increase. Rather, the carriages naturally surrounded them as if they were playing a game.
As the shurikens flew in from both sides and scratched the wheels of the carriage, the inside of the carriage shook as if it would overturn at any moment.
The screams of Kyung Sein and Dansu ahjussi were heard.
Then, pale smoke began to rise from the front of the carriage.
[Warning! The carriage's durability is below 20%!]
As the carriage slowed down, other carriages passed them mockingly. Fortunately, it appears that they did not intend to finish off the carriage.
By the way, those carriages seem strangely fast—
[The constellation 'Liverless Rabbit' is grinning.]
[The story fragment 'Running Rabbit' begins its storytelling.]
[The carriage receives acceleration correction from the story.]
Damn it, it had to be the carriage with the 'Rabbit' version.
Other carriages nearby also passed their carriage.
[Warning. The carriage of incarnation that arrives last at the 'destination' cannot enter the 'Zodiac Ball'.]
The expressions of Kyung Sein and Dansu ahjussi hardened at the message they heard.
[All passengers on a carriage that does not arrive at the 'destination' will die.]
These were the rules of this game.
It is a game in which incarnations who do not reach the destination are 'certainly destined to die'.
That was the 'Orient Express Carriage'.
And if things continue like this, there is a high probability that Dansu ahjussi and Kyung Sein's carriage will not be able to avoid last place.
I opened my mouth urgently.
—Ahjussi, use a story.
「 "If it's a story—" 」
—Have you forgotten what 'animal mask' you are wearing?
At that moment, Dansu ahjussi's eyes widened.
Lee Dansu finally realized it too.
An animal that runs slowly but steadily.
And at least an animal that doesn't lose to 'rabbits'.
—You might not know this from other Chinese zodiac signs, but no matter what happens, the turtle never loses to the rabbit.
「 "But will the stage work properly?" 」
—Of course. Because.
Because the conditions for staging this story have just been met.
[The story fragment 'The Turtle Incubating Someone Else's Egg' begins its storytelling.]
[The story fragment 'The Turtle Incubating Someone Else's Egg' encounters the story 'Running Rabbit'.]
[The story 'The Hare and the Tortoise' begins.]
Along with the unfolding stage scene, the carriage's durability gauge began to rise little by little.
[The story 'The Hare and the Tortoise' repairs the 'Orient Express Wagon'.]
The speed of the carriage was also gradually increasing. A carriage that moves steadily at an honest but regular pace.
Before I knew it, the carriages that had passed ahead began to come into view.
「 "Okay, okay! I'm really catching up!" 」
Done. Now, as long as you drive well, this carriage will reach its destination without any problems.
「 "Hmm." 」
The voice that suddenly came was not that of Dansu ahjussi or that of Kyung Sein.
Is it because I'm too focused on the external situation? I didn't notice that there was a passenger in their carriage with them.
When I looked closely, I saw that the passenger was someone I knew.
「 "You." 」
Dongzhongshang
「 "You can already use the power of the oldest dream." 」
He opened his mouth as if he could see me floating in the air.
「 "But you'd better not abuse that power." 」
How did Dongzhongshang notice that I was here?
Bicheonhori silently pointed his finger behind me.
「 "Dokja-ssi." 」
Someone's voice coming from behind, from very far away.
A voice that seems to place a heavy weight on the heart.
Right. [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] was this skill. That,
「 "Dokja hyung!" 」
It was a curse.
「 "Ahjussi!" 」
They were calling me.
Dongzhongshang smiled as if he wanted to see that.
「 "You can't become a 'recorder' yet. With so many voices holding onto you, how can you write the next story of this world?" 」
Even after hearing those words, I couldn't help but look back.
Now I am the 'Demon King of Salvation'.
This is because it was a constellation that loved stories more than anyone else in this world.
「 "Kim Dokja." 」
The moment I looked back, the scenery of the story changed once again.