A pack of motorcycles roared in from the direction of Dongdaemun. I hopped down from the platform and stood directly in their path.
"Stop right there."
"Hmm?"
The group screeched to a halt. Keeping my eyes on them, I cast a sidelong glance behind me. There was another group waiting in the direction of Myeongdong Station. That side seemed to have more numbers than this one.
"And who... might you be?"
I frowned at the way he asked, his tone implying there was no way I was the representative. It was a scene straight out of the novel I remembered. Which meant they came here believing Yoo Joonghyuk was the representative of this station. They knew what Joonghyuk looked like, so they immediately realized the white-haired guy in front of them wasn't him.
"I’d like to hear your business before we go any further," I said.
I kept my voice low, laced with a hint of hostility that went beyond mere caution. My blatant display of aggression made my party members look at me with confusion—especially Kim Dokja. He was busy scanning the situation, constantly gauging my reaction.
"We’ve come to form an alliance with Chungmuro."
"An alliance? You don't look like a representative to me."
"Haha, of course not. If a representative showed up right at the start, wouldn't it look like we were trying to occupy the place?"
"Because only a representative can use the flag holder, right?"
The man in front of me nodded at my remark.
"An alliance... alliances are great."
I looked at Kim Dokja. Sensing I was addressing him, he started to nod, but I just flashed a grin and shook my head.
"But not with these guys. Their quality is trash."
"Excuse me? What does that—"
I didn't need to hear another word. There was a group waiting behind them, and another group waiting behind us. In other words, they never had any intention of forming an alliance in the first place.
I reached out instantly. The man in front of me was yanked toward me as if by an invisible thread, and I caught him firmly by the throat.
"Gah—?!"
"There's one group waiting the way you came... and another one right behind us."
"H-how did you...?!"
"In times like this, you’re supposed to play dumb and back out."
I tossed the guy toward Kim Dokja and turned my gaze toward the rest of his group. None of them looked particularly impressive.
"E-everyone, get your weapons—!"
"Phase. Twilight. Eyes of Wisdom. Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue."
Vroooom!
The leader's shout was useless. Before they could even raise their weapons, their bodies began to lift off the ground one by one. The reason was simple: I had created a massive point of attraction in the center of the tunnel. It was a force akin to gravity, reinforced by my chants; there was no escaping it. They were sucked into the center, men and motorcycles crashing together into a single, compact sphere of metal and flesh.
"Gang-hoon-ssi. What exactly did you see?"
"I saw a situation where we were about to get sandwiched."
Of course, even if we had been ambushed, we wouldn't have taken any real damage. I could have easily predicted it and brushed them off. But... it annoyed me. Getting caught in a trap when you already know it’s there is just bad for the mood.
"It might have been overkill, but hey, I left one alive."
And I wasn't done yet. There was still that group in the direction of Myeongdong.
"Hollow Technique: Purple."
The purple sphere launched from my fingertips swept through the tunnel, surging toward the far end. I controlled the output just enough to ensure the tunnel wouldn't collapse. If it hit anyone, though, they were definitely dead.
"If you're prepared to hurt someone, you should be prepared to die yourself."
Whoosh.
A moment later, a scrap of cloth flew from the end of the tunnel and landed in my hand. Even if the people were wiped out by the Purple, the flag remained.
"Is that...?"
"The flag of Myeongdong Station."
I handed the flag over to Dokja immediately. It was useless to me, and Kim Dokja needed to become a King for the story to progress.
"T-thank you."
"Don't mention it."
Kim Dokja looked quite flustered but took the flag without delay.
"Too bad for you, Mr... nameless hostage."
I took my spare blindfold and stuffed it into the man's mouth to keep him quiet. If I remembered correctly, this guy was under a skill called "Suggestion." It would be a hassle if he blurted something out and died before I wanted him to. While I was gagging him, the Chungmuro flag in Dokja's hand turned a deep red.
"Was there no way to do this without fighting?"
"Hm?"
I turned to see Yoo Sangah approaching me. We hadn't spoken much one-on-one, but it seemed she really didn't approve of my methods.
"Sangah-ssi. You know my eyes are special, right?"
"...Yes."
"I literally saw these guys setting up a trap for a pincer maneuver. Is there a reason to leave them alive?"
"But still...!"
"Being that soft will only get your companions hurt."
To be honest, it's not like I enjoy killing people. And a massacre like the one just now isn't exactly pleasant.
"I'd prefer a path where as many people as possible survive too. But when that's not an option, I prioritize my own people. If they were the type we could talk to, I would have. But again—they came here with a plan to take us down. I just did what someone with power has to do. Try to understand, Sangah-ssi."
[Multiple Constellations are moved by your mindset.]
[The Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' shouts that she knew you'd have such a kind heart.]
[You have been sponsored 100 Coins.]
Generous as always.
"I have to work hard for the sake of my new friend, Dokja."
"Friend...?"
"Ah, yes. Something happened on the way back, and we decided to be friends."
Yoo Sangah gave me a long, puzzled look after hearing Dokja's confirmation, then scurried back to his side.
[The Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' likes your camaraderie.]
[You have been sponsored 100 Coins.]
I stared into the void. Damn it. I’ve ended up on Uriel's weird radar. Wait, "damn it"? No, I just got 100 Coins because she misunderstood. Free Coins are good, right?
"Gang-hoon-ssi."
"Yeah?"
Dokja called out to me while looking down at the man at my feet.
"Please let him speak. I have questions."
"Hold on."
I pulled the blindfold out of the man's mouth so he could talk.
"Introduce yourself."
"...I’m the vice-representative of Dongdaemun. Kang Il-hoon."
He seemed to have lost all will to resist after seeing that overwhelming power; he was quite submissive. Well, it made sense. He’d probably never seen anyone like me throughout the scenarios.
"Who gave you the information on Chungmuro?"
The man didn't answer Dokja’s question immediately. Needs more education, I guess? I placed my hand on his head.
"Aren't you going to talk?"
"I-I'll talk! Dongmyo! There are people selling information about Chungmuro in front of Dongmyo!"
There we go. Good boy. I patted his head and pulled my hand back.
"The ones who call themselves the Prophets—"
"Whoops."
I shoved the blindfold back into his mouth. His eyes were rolling back into his head, looking like he was about to drop dead. Unfortunately, this guy can't die yet. He’s still useful.
"Foaming at the mouth because of my good looks? How tragic."
"Suggestion is a terrifying thing," Dokja muttered, ignoring my joke while examining the man.
"He's lucky."
"Lucky to pass out from looking at me? I agree."
"No, I meant because there's no reason to kill him yet."
"Whatever."
Before the actual exploration began, Kim Dokja stepped away for a moment, saying he had to go to the theater rooftop. Probably to leave a note for Yoo Joonghyuk.
"Let's hurry."
Returning quickly from the Theater Dungeon, Dokja approached us, grabbed only the essentials, and looked toward Myeongdong Station.
"The party will be me, Gang-hoon-ssi, and Sangah-ssi."
"Isn't that too few people? Will it be okay?" Jung Heewon asked.
Instead of answering, Dokja just glanced at me. Seeing that, Heewon nodded in understanding. What kind of existence have I become in their eyes?
"We're not going there to fight; we're going to decide their fate. Since Gang-hoon-ssi killed the Myeongdong representative, it’s up to us to handle them. Leaving them as wanderers wouldn't be good for them anyway."
"True. The status of a Wanderer is dangerous."
We hurried to Myeongdong Station. It didn't take long. With no obstacles in our way, we arrived in an instant. But...
"Are we late?"
Myeongdong Station was already a bloodbath. Men in specialized combat gear spotted us for a split second, then expertly hopped onto their bikes and fled, as if they knew we were coming.
"Who were those guys?"
"I'm not sure," Dokja replied.
He took out the flag, placed it in the Myeongdong flag holder, and then pulled it back out. Immediately, a flag identical to the Chungmuro one appeared in its place.
"The flag got even redder."
"Probably because of the occupation—"
Dokja stopped mid-sentence and stared into the air for a long time. The Hidden Scenario must have arrived. It meant he had started walking the King's Path.
[A new 'King' candidate has begun to walk his path!]
"Hoh, a King, is it?"
"I'm not one yet."
"Then a Crown Prince?"
"No."
I smirked and looked at Dokja.
"O-sama (King)."
"It doesn't suit you. Give it up."
"Getting mouthy now that we’re friends, huh?"
"Honestly, Gang-hoon-ssi, you using honorifics really doesn't fit you."
"Excuse me?"
Wait.
What did I do?
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