"Fuck, fuck, fuck!"
How the hell did it end up like this?
That weird bastard with the axe had definitely shown up, and then he suddenly swung it and...
Slice
'Why does it feel so empty under my ankle?'
More precisely, it felt like my foot itself was gone.
"Huh?"
Thud
My body pitched forward, losing its balance.
My ankle was gone.
My ankle had stayed where it was, while only my body had lurched forward.
And in front of me, the most familiar and terrifying axe filled my vision.
At the same time, unbearable pain came crashing in, far too late.
"Aaaaaargh!!!"
Step.
When I looked up, he was only staring down at me with a dry, sickened expression, completely numb.
"Why the hell are you doing this to us? What did we ever do to you?!"
"Pfft! Puhahahahahaha!"
"What the fuck is so funny, you crazy psychopath bastard?"
"I was just wondering why all of you say the exact same thing..."
"What?"
Come to think of it, something was strange.
When I first saw him, I thought he was some bastard sent from the next station over to seize ours.
But now that I thought about it, he'd already been drenched in blood from the moment he arrived.
"Ah..."
I realized it.
That bastard hadn't been sent from the station next door.
It was the opposite. He had smashed the station next door and come here.
His target wasn't us, and it wasn't them either.
We had just been in his path, so he swung his axe without mercy and took the flag.
To think the reason I was dying was just bad luck...
"Don't feel too wronged. You're here because you sacrificed someone too, aren't you? This time, you're just the sacrifice."
"Ah, ahhhh!!!"
"Everything... is for our king. I merely obey the royal command."
I didn't know what kind of being this so-called king of his was, but there was one thing I was sure of.
If that king was capable of raising a beast in human skin like this, then even in this fucked-up world, he would survive to the very end.
Crunch
With the disgusting sound of something being crushed, my consciousness faded.
I knew what that awful sound was, and at the same time, I didn't want to know.
"Good. Got it faster than I expected."
[Your 'Indigo Flag' absorbs the accumulated achievements of the 'Indigo Flag'.]
[Your 'Indigo Flag' evolves into a 'Brown Flag'.]
[The protection of a powerful flag shields you.]
"Objective complete."
Dokja had told me to make it at least to a 'Brown Flag' before returning.
Now that I'd reached the Brown Flag, I just had to stop by Chungmuro for a bit, then head to Dongsa Station, where Dokja said she'd be going.
[You have occupied a total of 10 stations!]
[The achievement score of the 'Brown Flag' increases.]
[You have completed the Hidden Scenario - 'King's Path'.]
[Depending on the path you have walked, new 'King' options will be given.]
'Options...'
Right after exiling me, Dokja had given me two requests.
"First, don't touch the extras if you can help it."
"Aren't most kings extras anyway?"
"I mean the real extras. The ones whose names aren't even mentioned."
The first was to seize flags only from kings whose names were never even revealed.
The reason Yoo Joonghyuk had regressed so many times was that every time she solved one thing, another variable appeared.
Dokja obviously knew that too, so she was probably trying to block as many variables as possible.
Most kings were extras who would die after this Scenario anyway, but there was no way to know what kind of variable they might create.
"What kind of king do you think would be best?"
"Figure that one out yourself."
"Huh?"
"I trust you to handle it."
The second was that she would leave this choice entirely up to me.
Could I really choose a 'King' that would be useful to Dokja?
First, I should look at the list of kings.
1. King of Loathsome Hypocrisy
2. King of Tyrannical Obsession
3. King of Indomitability
4. King of Massacre
5. King of Fear
6. King of Wrath
7. King of Monsters
8. King of Hatred and Disgust
9. King of Fathers
10. King of Responsibility
.
.
.
There were more kinds of kings than I expected.
Most of them didn't seem to carry positive meanings, though.
Especially number one.
I had a feeling it was tied to my overall evaluation, but beyond that, even I didn't know.
My own hypocritical side, one I wasn't even aware of.
If I met Mother, maybe I'd learn something.
We'd been apart for a long time, but parents were still parents.
All right, then. Time to make the real choice.
"Taking king recommendations."
[The Constellation 'Goddess of Love and Beauty' recommends 'King of Tyrannical Obsession'.]
Since she was one of those Constellations who saw things between me and Dokja that way, she was probably running with that line of thought again...
[The Constellation 'Thunder of Thursday' recommends 'King of Fear'.]
As for Thor... well, he was called the terror of giants, and he hated giants himself, so that was probably why...
[The Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' recommends 'King of Responsibility'!]
[Constellations of the Absolute Good alignment say they support the choice of 'Demon-like Judge of Fire'.]
Right. Absolute Good was the most rigid of the lot, so of course they'd recommend the King of Responsibility.
Obviously. Naturally.
[Constellations of the Absolute Evil alignment support 'King of Hatred and Disgust'!]
Absolute Evil was just as predictable.
But why was that king even a candidate?
Was it because I'd gone beyond merely disliking Yoo Joonghyuk and openly shown hatred and hostility toward her?
Well, I didn't have any positive thoughts about Ways of Survival, so maybe that was it.
[The Demon King 'Demon King of Wrath and Lust' subtly recommends 'King of Wrath'.]
He saw a king with the same modifier as his own title and immediately recommended it.
Was this some kind of possessiveness?
[The Constellation 'Lily Blooming in Aquarius' looks over the options and the recommendation list, then sighs as if to say, 'What else would you expect from that Incarnation and those Constellations?']
[The Constellation 'Secretive Plotter' sighs and tells you to just pick anything.]
Now I knew what kind of king the Constellations wanted, so all I had to do was avoid those.
And among the candidates left after narrowing it down, the king I chose was... this one.
.
.
.
[Bihyung: If you were going to pick that, you should've just chosen the 19th one, the King of Rebels.]
[Me: Why the hell are you saying that now?]
[Bihyung: Because it's true. How many times have you stabbed the Constellations in the back already??]
When had I ever stabbed anyone in the back?
I just found loopholes the Constellations hadn't thought of.
I told them it would be best to stop by Chungmuro and stay on guard... and right now, I was heading for Dongsa Station.
I was almost there anyway, but it looked like some other bastards were coming from the far end too.
Slide
I didn't know if a fight would break out, but I should prepare for one.
"—there are people."
I started to hear Lee Hyunsung's voice faintly.
It echoed too much to make out clearly, but he was probably saying people were coming.
[We're almost there. But there are some figures up ahead.]
"One is— the other—"
Then Dokja's voice followed.
She was probably telling them that one of them was me.
"I'm here."
"Oh, Kang Ilhoon? Goodness, you've come wearing all sorts of useless things."
I arrived at the same time as they did.
He was talking about me hanging useless things all over myself, but he was the one decked out in gold, so he had no room to talk.
If they were items, then sure, maybe the design couldn't be helped, but he could at least have hidden them under his clothes.
The fact that he was openly advertising that he had items that weren't even weapons made him look ridiculous.
"You seem to be with the person who just arrived. Are those people going to introduce themselves?"
[Hold it in.]
[...All right.]
I nearly spat out an insult the moment I heard him speaking casually from the start, but Dokja told me to hold back, so I did.
"We're from Chungmuro."
"Chungmuro?"
Glint
Light flashed in his eyes.
'Ah, I can't let that slide.'
If he was going to do it, he should at least have done it without getting caught. But no, he was doing it right in the open.
Baaang!!
"Kghk! W-what is this...!"
"Take your eyes off us."
"Urgh!"
[The Constellation 'Secretive Plotter' praises your awareness and quick judgment.]
[300 Coins have been sponsored.]
"You bastards...! Do you think you'll get away with this?! Do you even know who I am?! Mere extras like you!!!"
Ah, so it was these guys.
From the way he talked, it was obvious.
The Prophets.
Judging by the way he kept going on about extras, he really was one of those people who dropped the story halfway through.
[Brother.]
[What.]
[Match my words carefully, okay?]
[...What?]
"I am Yoo Joonghyuk."
"...What?"
"??"
"?!"
[What?]
My favorite was impersonating the character I hated most... was this really happening?
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