Jung Heewon charged at the Outer God, striking its foot.
As expected, there was no damage.
She knew. She was far weaker than the likes of Gehrman Sparrow, Van and Yoo Joonghyuk. There was no way she could achieve something that Van couldn't.
However, she didn't want to feel useless.
That will could be sensed from the ones behind her too.
"Lee Hyunsung-ssi," Yoo Sangah called.
Jung Heewon wasn't a tank like Lee Hyunsung. She didn't have overwhelming firepower like Van, nor strange abilities like Gehrman, nor did she have the charisma to command others like Yoo Sangah.
So, she…
[The attribute, 'Crouching Figure', is on the verge of evolving.]
Could only do her best.
Seeing the unexpected notification, Kim Dokja was surprised.
'It's a good thing.'
No matter what he had tried, he had been unable to awaken Jung Heewon's attributes. This crisis was an opportunity for her potential to blossom.
Boom!
…If only the crisis in question could have been a little safer though.
Gehrman teleported through flames, bringing Yoo Sangah away from the range of the Outer God's attack.
The party members each kept their own position in the battle formation discussed in advance. Everyone was fighting by taking full advantage of their strengths.
However, they were rapidly getting tired.
'How did Van endure this?' Jung Heewon thought.
Lee Hyunsung was down, Yoo Sangah lacked attack power, and Jung Heewon was also reaching her limits.
Using Arachne's Web, Yoo Sangah pulled Jung Heewon to drag her away from her spot.
Bang!
The ground where she was previously standing was crushed.
They had only been fighting for a few minutes, yet they were already exhausted.
Out of breath, Jung Heewon painstakingly stood up again.
[The attribute, 'Crouching Figure', has evolved!]
This may be their last chance.
Kim Dokja's eyes widened.
[Incarnation, 'Jung Heewon', has used 'Hellfire Lv.1'.]
Flames filled their surroundings.
This last attack had taken all her remaining energy.
Through her blurry vision, Jung Heewon looked at the place the flames had gone.
'Still no damage…'
With a bitter smile, she fell to the ground.
Kim Dokja was cursing in his mind. Even Hellfire didn't hurt it. The reader really hoped Van's plan was good.
At that moment, Van intervened.
"I'm done."
Gehrman glanced at him. The mage was still injured and supported himself with his cane to remain standing. Although Klein had helped move the broken ribs to his leg, Van should probably get treated unless he wanted to die of blood loss.
"Will you really be alright…?" Yoo Sangah doubted. She still recalled his previous words and feared that he may actually be trying to die.
Not knowing her thoughts, Lenoch nodded.
Taking out mana potions he had bought from the Dokkaebi Bag—Kim Dokja didn't even question how he knew about this at this point—Van drank them and stepped forward.
"Thanks for buying enough time."
If he hadn't read TWSA, Kim Dokja may think Van was another regressor.
Van looked at the Outer God once more.
Contrary to Kim Dokja's plan, he had no intention to just stall for time until it left. He intended to take it down first.
'I can use it now.'
[Development of the domain.]
Golden light engulfed their visions as the kaleidoscope unfolded.
Then, he chose one possibility.
'I thought I wouldn't be able to use it again.'
Tsutsutsu.
The possibility of thunder that had become too strong and reached above level 9 lightning.
Tsutsutsutsu.
Now that he was in the Star Stream, it had become considerably weaker and could be brought out again.
Tsutsutsutsu.
Not wasting time, Van summoned all the mana that had been replenished thanks to the mana potions. Then, he attacked the Outer God with all his strength and immediately canceled his domain.
The strongest attack he could use—lightning strengthened by the kaleidoscope.
Tsutsutsu-
The sound of thunder was deafening and the light blinded their sights.
When their senses finally returned, Kim Dokja could see it.
The reader was shocked.
'Did someone so strong exist at this point in time?'
Maybe Van was also an apostle?
In front of them, half of the Outer God's body had been blown away.
However, it was still alive.
Yoo Sangah's eyes darkened. Although they had managed to hurt it, even that blow hadn't managed to finish it off.
The being's remaining arm moved.
Van frowned.
'I'm out of mana.'
His mana reserves were now completely empty.
Suddenly, Van spoke up.
"He said I only have to think about him, right?"
Kim Dokja turned his head toward Van.
What?
Meanwhile, Lenoch thought he knew why Kim Dokja's skill didn't work on him. Although he wasn't sure what exactly the reader was trying to do, it was probably blocked by his target resistance.
Then, as long as he removed the target resistance…
Van thought about Kim Dokja again.
Contrary to before, Van's thoughts reached him.
The reader talked to Van, "Do you hear me?"
"Yes."
Kim Dokja changed his mind.
'Maybe… instead of stalling, we could take it down.'
The possibility didn't seem impossible anymore.
"There's one last thing I want to try."
Kim Dokja turned the pages of TWSA in his mind.
The one thing that could be stronger than Van's magic.
The thing that dominated this Star Stream and could make one realize the impossible.
Stories.
They would try a Stage Transformation.
'Found it.'
A 'king' with a 'sword' connected to the 'Absolute Throne'.
Kim Dokja pinpointed the identity of the Outer God facing them.
「King Arthur.」
After killing Mordred, Arthur had suffered a wound that was likely to kill him and was taken on a ship to Avalon to be healed, never to appear again.
Now, with the Outer God currently wounded, they only needed to create a 「Stage Transformation」 where they changed history and made sure Arthur was 'dead' after being taken on the ship…
Kim Dokja continued to flip through pages of Ways of Survival, then stopped.
He had found it.
One of the variations of King Arthur's story, a time where Yoo Joonghyuk faced the Outer God and successfully defeated it.
Through Van, Kim Dokja made the power of Ways of Survival come to life, permeating reality. Thankfully, with his black coat and cold appearance, Van could partially replace the regressor.
"Repeat after me."
Kim Dokja read what was written out loud.
Van repeated the sentence Kim Dokja told him to say. At that moment, something occurred.
「Stage Transformation」.
The surrounding landscape changed to a medieval setting.
Kim Dokja thought, 'I wonder what the dokkaebis are thinking right now…'
***
On the other side of the Star Stream, the Administrative Bureau was in chaos.
"The probability threshold was far exceeded!"
"What is happening in Seoul?"
"Did anyone see the dokkaebi in charge of the Seoul side right now?"
"Let's call a higher-ranked dokkaebi!"
"We already had problems on the Japanese and American side…"
"How are these incarnations so strong that the probability scale still hasn't evened out? The Outer God should have already left by now."
A dokkaebi with glasses sighed.
"Let's accept the probability investigation request. This clearly shouldn't be happening."
Many constellations that were still watching had filed a probability complaint due to the unrealistic fight.
"Wait, look."
Many dokkaebis also gathered to watch the screen showing the scene in question.
"Whoa."
The dokkaebi in charge frowned.
"Why are you all lazing around? Get back to work!"
"But manager, you should see this."
Although the incarnations who weren't even constellations yet should have lost…
"They won."
They managed to defeat an Outer God during the early scenarios.
***
Van looked at the dead Outer God in front of him.
Kim Dokja was also silent.
They had done it.
Then, his Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint skill turned off. Van felt Kim Dokja's presence leave his mind.
A flurry of messages from the previously silent constellations bombarded him, along with a notice about some Administrative Bureau planning a probability investigation of the matter.
[Your tale's seed blooms.]
[You have acquired your first tale.]
In the destroyed Seoul, Van looked up at the stars shining in the sky.
Next to him, a broken throne stood there, while injured incarnations who had survived the fight's aftermath and hadn't run away were staring at him in the distance.
[The tale, 'Rebel of a Ruined World', starts its storytelling.]
Tsutsutsutsu.
An incarnation who wasn't even a king had destroyed the throne. As if that wasn't enough, the incarnation in question had killed the 'previous king'—Arthur. Wouldn't that be called a revolution?
Tsutsutsutsu.
Tsutsutsutsu.
[The fourth scenario is forcibly ended.]
[There was an unscheduled incident so it will take time to settle the scenario.]
Getting out of its stupor, the dokkaebi present was furious.
[You have made the worst choice. You will regret what you did today for the rest of your life. I will make sure of it.]
Coldly, it addressed the other incarnations.
[The scenarios that have already ended can't be changed by anyone. Anything that happens to you from now on is the fault of that human.]
The gathered people shook. However, Van didn't react.
[A world with no kings? Okay. Let's try it once. I will see how well you can survive without a focal point.]
The intermediate dokkaebi flicked its finger. Then the people in Gwanghwamun started to disappear like smoke. People screamed and ran away.
[Please keep this in mind. If this world is destroyed, it is all because of you.]
"What? What is this all of a sudden?!"
Klein frowned as Shin Yoosoung and the others disappeared before his eyes. However, a brief divination told them that the people in question were still safe.
People were being scattered throughout Seoul.
[10,000 coins have been earned as settlement for the fourth scenario.]
…Maybe this situation wasn't all bad.