Lee Jihye was holding the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare’s sword in her hand. It wasn’t the Double Dragon Swords that Lee Jihye of the 1863rd round had but the performance was excellent. Maybe she took it from a museum somewhere…
“Where is the squid?” She asked the baffled returnees.
“Jihye. Stop! It’s me!” I shouted desperately but my mouth didn’t open. On Lee Jihye’s side, it looked like I was screaming and waving my tentacles.
“Ugh, disgusting squid. Die!” Lee Jihye’s blade flashed as she ran towards me.
…This was vaguely similar to the 1863rd round. Lee Jihye’s blade narrowly grazed the top of my head. My hair was severed and Lee Gilyoung called out.
“Do a good job Noona! Cut the big tentacles instead of the small ones!”
“Shut up!”
Somehow my hair looked like tentacles to the other side. They didn’t know it was me but I couldn’t help feeling sad.
I warned the returnees who were retreating nervously. “Everyone, don’t attack! I’ll take care of it!”
Fortunately, it was comforting that the returnees listened to me. Flying Fox’s confused voice was heard. “I’ll help you anytime.”
Flying Fox was a returnee who was pretty outstanding in the 2nd Murim. If an unavoidable situation happened then I could borrow his help. How could I let Lee Jihye know of my existence?
“Cut the squid!”
In this scenario, my ‘spoken language’ wasn’t conveyed to Lee Jihye. However, originally human communication wasn’t just through spoken language.
“What? Don’t move strangely!”
I activated Way of the Wind and started writing on the ground. Lines were drawn on the ground as I avoided Lee Jihye’s sword. The returnees behind me noticed my intentions and let out exclamations.
In fact, I didn’t know if this would work or not. The original novel didn’t cover these types of communication possibilities in detail. The question was, would Lee Jihye notice my intentions?
“What? Is it writing on the ground?”
Fortunately, Lee Gilyoung was quick to notice and understood my intentions first. Lee Jihye paused and looked down at the ground. There was a note left by my dazzling footsteps. The handwriting was bad but it wasn’t illegible.
-I am Kim Dokja.
This was the sentence that I wrote. By the way.
[The scenario penalty has distorted your writing.]
…The penalty was applied to this? The Fourth Wall read the distorted sentence on behalf of Lee Jihye.
「 I am a good look ing squid. 」
[The character ‘Lee Jihye’ has used Demon Slaying Lv. 10!]
Lee Jihye’s eyes turned red as she started to accelerate towards me. She was much faster than before and this made it hard for me to dodge. I tried to wave my coat in a sign of surrender but all my efforts were in vain due to the scenario penalty.
[The ‘Ugly Squid’ is provoking the incarnation ‘Lee Jihye’.]
“Die!”
I had a slight headache. If these hallucinations continued, my message would never be delivered over there.
…It would be best just to suppress them. However, I didn’t want to do that. Maybe something had changed in me after the 1863rd round.
「 At that time, something popped up in the head of the good-looking squid. 」
Ah, wait. If this was the case…? I thought for a moment before deciding to do it. No matter how the scenario distorted my language, it couldn’t distort it this much.
[The constellation ‘Demon King of Salvation’ has sponsored 91 coins to the incarnation ‘Lee Jihye.’]
Something that couldn’t be distorted.
[The scenario penalty has distorted the indirect message.]
[The ‘Ugly Squid’ has sponsored 91 coins to the incarnation ‘Lee Jihye’.]
It was precisely the coin number. Lee Jihye frowned at the sudden donation from the squid. “…What?”
Come on Jihye, please.
[The ‘Ugly Squid’ has sponsored 91 coins to the incarnation ‘Lee Jihye’.]
“Do you think I won’t attack you if you give me this?”
[The ‘Ugly Squid’ has sponsored 91 coins to the incarnation ‘Lee Jihye’.]
“Don’t be so annoying! I dislike coins that aren’t in units of 100!”
…Really? Then what about this?
[The ‘Ugly Squid’ has sponsored 9,158 coins to the incarnation ‘Lee Jihye’.]
For the first time, Lee Jihye’s attacks stopped. She didn’t understand anything. It was just because the amount of sponsored coins had increased.
Lee Gilyoung asked, “Why did you suddenly stop Noona?”
“No, it keeps giving me coins.”
“Coins?”
The surprised Lee Gilyoung glanced at me. “Is it a constellation?”
“What constellation will have a modifier like the Ugly Squid?”
There was one. No, not me. It wasn’t a squid but there was someone with a similar modifier. Now my modifier had changed… damn, why was I explaining this?
Lee Jihye hesitated as she stared at me with uncertain eyes. “Why does it keep giving 91 coins?”
“91 coins?”
“Yes. Then he gave me 9,185 coins at the end.”
“9,185 coins is quite a lot. Is it a hidden scenario? Or maybe something meaningful…”
I thought this was my only opportunity.
[The ‘Ugly Squid’ has sponsored 7,942 coins to the incarnation ‘Lee Jihye’.]
Lee Gilyoung looked shocked at my coins baptism.
“7,942? Perhaps…”
The children’s eyes were shaking. I watched the clear eyes and was deeply moved. Yes, that’s it children. It’s me. Kim Dokja.
[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ doubts your identity.]
[Some constellations on the Korean Peninsula are curious about your identity.]
Then an unexpected constellation entered the channel.
[The constellation ‘God of Wine and Ecstasy’ has entered the channel.]
[The constellation ‘God of Wine and Ecstasy’ has noticed your identity!]
God of Wine and Ecstasy, Dionysus. Speaking of which, it was Dionysus who told me about this ‘7942’. I thought things might work out better than I expected. If it was this constellation, he might decipher the message I sent to the children.
[The constellation ‘God of Wine and Ecstasy’ claimed the number ’91’ to be a type of numerical play!]
My heart was pounding. Dionysus’ guess was right. The number, which was read as ‘ninety-one’, was my code to the children.
9 (Gu) 1 (One). Guwon (Salvation).
Fortunately, Dionysus seemed to understand what I was saying. Now Dionysus just needed to tell them that I was the Demon King of Salvation…
[The constellation ‘God of Wine and Ecstasy’ says the squid must be an intelligent squid.]
I looked up at the sky. Lee Gilyoung cried out happily. “It is a hidden piece. Will it give coins every time a tentacle is cut?”
[The constellation ‘God of Wine and Ecstasy’ is nodding.]
Once this scenario was over, I would smash Olympus.
Lee Jihye cried out, “I will catch it. Hey Gilyoung, you take half!”
The tentacle that Lee Jihye ran along was my arm.
“It’s really nimble. Noona, cut that big tentacle there first!”
That was my leg.
“Ah, I’m annoyed. I’ll just cut it from the middle.”
That… couldn’t happen. The moment I was about to liberate my ‘status,’ there was a dragon’s roar. The force caused the returnees to momentarily flinch.
I looked up at the sky and saw the black dragon covering it. There was a nostalgic face. Like Lee Jihye and Lee Gilyoung… this child had grown a lot.
“You’re always late, Shin Yoosung! Don’t rush around on your own!”
Only the plump cheeks proved that this girl was the child I remembered. Shin Yoosung on the chimera dragon landed on the ground. Shin Yoosung glanced to this side and asked Lee Jihye, “You haven’t finished it yet? I told you not to take too long.”
“I’m trying but it is a strange disaster.”
“Strange?”
“That squid over there.”
Shin Yoosung stared at me.
“It keeps giving me coins. I feel bad…”
Shin Yoosung kept watching me.
[The constellation ‘Demon King of Salvation’ is looking at his incarnation.]
I slowly went up to her.
“Shit! Don’t approach suddenly!” Despite Lee Jihye’s threat, I kept moving forward. I couldn’t help moving forward.
“The Beast Master has come!”
“Okay, we can kill them now!”
The emergence of Shin Yoosung caused the incarnations who fled to the periphery of the shore to ran back across the white sands. There were the sounds of weapons colliding all over the place. The courageous incarnations were aiming blades towards me and the returnees.
In fact, a real hidden piece was concealed in the 45th scenario. If our group could clear the scenario without having a single victim…
Flying Fox shouted as he was pushed back with the returnees. “Brother! We can’t hold out long! I don’t know what you’re trying to do but do it quickly!”
Human beings were people who didn’t even trust fellow humans. Then how could they be friends with a disaster?
“Die tentacled monsters!”
A race that tried to dominate what was similar to them while excluding what was different from them. My appearance was reflected in their eyes. I was just a tentacled monster to them.
「’Maybe there is another way.’ 」
Yoo Jonghyuk in the original novel took this ‘returnee route’ several times. However, Yoo Jonghyuk had never once accomplished this hidden piece. To be precise, he couldn’t accomplish it.
「 ‘Even if it is a bit hard, if I had been able to find another way…’ 」
Everyone who took the ‘returnee path’ walked the road of regret. Thus, I knew his failure. All the ways I could fail were the roads he had already walked.
Now Yoo Jonghyuk left for a road that didn’t exist in the original. It was a world where the possibility of countless failures was open again.
[The ‘Fourth Wall’ is shimmering faintly.]
Thus, I couldn’t lose either.
[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ is looking at you closely.]
[The constellation ‘Bald General of Justice’ is looking at you closely.]
[The constellation ‘God of Wine and Ecstasy’ is looking at you carefully.]
“What are you doing all of a sudden?”
“Jihye noona, be careful!”
Lee Jihye’s blade flew towards me as I moved forward. I didn’t avoid it this time.
Blood from my unprotected skin flowed onto my coat.
She didn’t know I wouldn’t avoid it and the startled Lee Jihye’s eyes widened. The other incarnations rushed through the gap towards me. In a moment, my surroundings were filled with the weapons of the incarnations. The number of tears on my coat started to increase. I took some attacks, blocked some attacks and kept moving forward.
There was a girl at the end of the road. The child who was my first incarnation. There was Shin Yoosung who was supposed to be a ‘disaster’ like me. The child was watching me.
I went through the road and approached the child. One step, another step. I walked at a steady pace to not frighten the child. I didn’t care if my blood was splattered or my flesh was torn. I didn’t release any status to raise her vigilance or take out a weapon to pose a threat.
The child’s face was right in front of my nose. If the destruction hadn’t happened, she would be at an age to enter middle school. The child grew up this way but I had been away from her for too long. A sharp sensation pierced my chest and I dropped my head.
[The ‘Ugly Squid’ is looking at the incarnation ‘Shin Yoosung’.]
I suddenly felt funny. Maybe I was better off as an ugly squid.
The words of Secretive Plotter crossed my mind.
[ What if the ending they wanted was to die with you there? Do you still want to save them? ]
[ It isn’t salvation. It is a curse. ]
I was arrogant. My longing was just my longing. There was no guarantee that my feelings would be shared by my party members. The Kim Dokja they remembered was just a selfish constellation. Forcing a goal at will, forcing them to live and forcing wounds on them. I was a colleague who wasn’t around when they needed me most.
「 Then why is this child crying? 」
Lee Jihye and Lee Gilyoung lowered their weapons and the incarnations stopped attacking. As everyone stared at us, I knelt slowly towards my incarnation. It might be because I wanted to show respect to my child who grew up brilliantly alone or to seek forgiveness for all the times I wasn’t there.
“I’m back, Yoosung.”
My words wouldn’t be delivered.
[Your incarnation is looking at you.]
My incarnation slowly stretched out her hand and laid her little hand on my head.
TL: Rainbow Turtle