Shin Yooseung and I held our breath and ducked into a side tunnel.A group burst out from the opposite passage.“This way!”Had they spotted us?From their movement, it looked intentional—but whether we were the target, I couldn’t tell.I opened the group chat.―Yooseung. If anything happens, you run. Immediately.Whatever else happened, I had to make sure this child lived.If Shin Yooseung died here, the forty-first round would end in the worst possible way.―You’re running with me then.Not an easy answer to argue with.Before I could reply, another message blinked in.―But couldn’t we win?―Maybe.She really did have the makings of the Beast Lord. She’d probably gauged the enemies’ strength at a glance.[Constellation Tenacious Martial Elder stammers nervously.]The ones charging at us were many and skilled—naturally, since they were the elite of the Seven Kings of Seoul.But if you asked whether we’d lose—probably not.Maybe that meant I’d grown strong.Sometimes I wondered if I might already be stronger than Kim Dokja had been at this point. But I hadn’t had a proper chance to confirm it.Still, these opponents weren’t random fodder either.―Those two in the middle… they’re strong.I sensed it too—two distinct presences towering above the rest.“Gu Taesung! This way! Move!”Gu Taesung—one of the Seven Kings. Backed by the posthumous god of Later Baekje, King Gyeonhwon.Known in the main story as the Earth Dragon King.Beside him stood a figure in black night gear, face unreadable.“Assassination King. Target?”“Almost here.”Assassination King.I remembered the name—the assassins at the entrance had mentioned it.So the man in black must be their leader, the “Newbie Hunters’” boss.Definitely not one of the canon characters. Which meant—[Exclusive Skill, Reader Comment List, activated.][This reader accessed Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint through unauthorized channels.]A message I’d seen before.Just like that plagiarist writer back in the Theater Dungeon.The Illegal Readers’ Association.People who’d pirated the novel and ended up possessing characters here.So both Gu Taesung and the Assassination King were members of that lot.―Big star, big star, big star!Even the Dust Man above us reacted differently now.That could only mean those two possessed Star Jewels.Shin Yooseung placed a finger to her lips, silencing it, then whispered:―What should we do, mister?―We’ll wait and watch.Bang Cheolsu’s warning came back to me:“Boss, if you ever meet one of the Seven Kings, avoid them no matter what.”That had been the plan. Collecting Star Jewels mattered, but risking Yooseung’s life wasn’t worth it.And yet—They don’t look unbeatable.That thought came unbidden. I was comparing them to someone else.[Constellation Final Ark smiles faintly.]Right—the Beggar King I’d fought at Seoul Station had been a literal incarnation of a constellation.These guys, however strong, were only human vessels for minor divinities.In a way, I’d already defeated someone beyond the Seven Kings.Still, instead of striking first, I listened in.“How’s the squad?”“Some moderate injuries, no fatalities.”“No fatalities?”A low rumble echoed faintly from deeper inside.The same tremor I’d heard earlier.“You didn’t hear? They say he doesn’t kill anyone.”“Doesn’t kill?”“Rumor is, he’s one of the Apostles.”Apostles?“I can’t stand their hypocrisy. We all read the same damned novel illegally, what’s the difference?”“Exactly. Spending a few hundred won doesn’t make them saints.”I had to restrain myself from lunging out to crack their skulls.They’re seriously talking like that out loud?[A few constellations complain about the lack of conversation filters these days.]Apparently they didn’t even care that their speech was being censored.“What about the guys possessed by constellations? Any word?”“No. Still wandering around after getting kicked from their channels.”“Idiots. Shouldn’t have messed with Goryeo’s Best Sword.”“They don’t even know the original story. We should’ve been the ones chosen for possession.”The tremors grew closer. Both men fell silent.“He’s here.”Their faces tightened with tension. Then came the sound—flesh ripping, someone’s scream.Soon a group of battered incarnations stumbled into view—one missing an arm, another limping on a broken shin, weapons gone, running for their lives.Gu Taesung and the Assassination King didn’t even flinch.As if they’d been expecting this.“So that’s what happens when you collect three Star Jewels.”“If you’re jealous, I can hand you one of mine.”“I’ll pass.”Behind the fleeing incarnations, something huge stirred.A hulking figure—at least twice the size of a normal human.Could that be the Labyrinth Warden?The Dust Man above me trembled uncontrollably.―Big star! Big star! Big star!Not the Warden, then.Meaning—that monster was an incarnation.But I didn’t remember anyone like that in the original story.Next to me, Shin Yooseung gripped my sleeve tightly, her small hand trembling.Every hair on my body stood on end.We can’t beat that.Even without seeing its face, I could feel it—stronger than both Gu Taesung and the Assassination King combined.Who the hell was it?Anyone surpassing the Seven Kings’ level at this point could only be—“Light!”At Gu Taesung’s shout, someone flared a torch.The giant’s form came into view.Arms like steel beams, muscles bursting at the seams.Empty eyes, lips muttering the same words over and over, like a broken chant.“…I won’t kill you. I won’t kill you.”The voice froze my blood.―Mister?I forgot to answer her. I ran.“W-whoa! Who’s that?!”An incarnation swung blindly as I burst from cover; I deflected the blade, kicked him down, and heard his skull thud against the ground.Dead? Maybe. Didn’t matter.All I could see was him.“Looking for someone. Looking for someone.”Why—why was he here?That thick, wandering hand in the dark.Different size, but unmistakable.The hand that had once fished out a bug from under a vending machine.“Looking for someone.”A hollow ache cracked open in my chest.The first reader I’d ever met after entering this world.A man dragged here for the simple crime of reading the story his daughter loved.“No Jiyoon. ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) No Jiyoon…”Jiyoon’s father.“Mr. Dansoo!”But he didn’t hear me. He just kept reaching into the air, empty eyes searching for something long lost.Those eyes—black holes where pupils should be.My breath caught. Rage and grief surged together.What had they done to him?What had they turned him into?My killing intent must have leaked out; all nearby incarnations turned toward me.Gu Taesung and the Assassination King frowned.Was it them?Were they the ones who did this to him?“A nuisance?” the Assassination King murmured coolly.A sound followed—flesh splitting, bones snapping.Kududuk![Incarnation Lee Dansoo currently possesses 3 Star Jewels.]Each swing of his massive arm sent incarnations flying like rag dolls.“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”He wasn’t killing them—only maiming. Leaving them alive, barely.“I won’t kill you, I won’t kill you…”He’d always been that way—even in the very first scenario.The man who’d killed a bug, but never a person.“It’s just because I’m weak,” he’d said.But I knew the truth.The man who endlessly searched for his daughter didn’t kill because he wanted to stay worthy of her.Because he wanted to face Jiyoon with clean hands.“Mr. Dansoo! Please, wake up!”He still didn’t hear me.A surviving incarnation lunged from behind—but before I could react, a dagger whistled past and hit him in the neck.“Mr. Dansoo.”Shin Yooseung’s voice.I nodded, scanning the enemies. These were the ones hunting him.They had to be taken out first.Gu Taesung looked up from checking his watch.“Think you’ve got it all wrong. We don’t want a fight.”Didn’t want a fight?He glanced at his fallen men, clicked his tongue.“You really have no idea what’s going on, do you?”“Gu Taesung. Stop talking nonsense,” the Assassination King warned.But Gu Taesung kept his eyes on me.“You look strong, so I’ll give you a tip. Get as far from here as you can. Otherwise, you’ll die to that monster too.”“Gu Taesung. He’s coming.”At that, both men moved. I tightened my grip on my sword, ready to strike the moment their backs turned—to cut them down and free Mr. Dansoo.But instead—“Feed it and retreat.”Rather than drawing their weapons, they reached for their Dust Men.―Byuuuuuul!Two bright jewels popped from the Dust Men’s mouths—Star Jewels.Exactly what we’d been searching for.And then they did something I hadn’t expected.“Eat this, bastard!”They threw their Star Jewels—straight at Mr. Dansoo.“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”He was still mumbling when the jewels flew toward him. The Dust Man hovering near his face snapped its mouth wide open.[Incarnation Lee Dansoo has acquired 2 additional Star Jewels!]Cracks spread instantly across his skin.With a sickening creak, his muscles tore and bulged grotesquely.The Assassination King’s smile was thin and vile.“Success.”“Two more and it’s done. Withdraw!”Their group scattered into the labyrinth, not even looking back—As if they’d never intended to hunt him at all.I couldn’t make sense of it.Three facts stood clear in my head:One, Mr. Dansoo already had three Star Jewels.Two, Gu Taesung and the Assassination King had just fed him two more.In other words—They deliberately gave him the jewels.But why?He already had enough power to crush them.If he gained two more, he’d be unstoppable—Unless… that wasn’t the point.Then I remembered the rule.+8. Each acquired Star Jewel increases your Madness level.+…No. No way.I ran to him, dropping to my knees.“Mr. Dansoo! It’s me!”He’d grown even larger—like a small giant now.Even standing near him felt suffocating, as if the air itself bent under his weight.The pressure reminded me of Yoo Joonghyuk.“Mr. Dansoo, please—wake up!”At the sound of Cheon Inho, he lifted his head.For a heartbeat, hope flared. Maybe he recognized me.His lips moved.Jiyoon.Then his hand came down.An immense palm slammed toward me—too fast to dodge.If Yooseung hadn’t yanked me back at the last moment, I would have been paste.I stared at the crater where his hand had struck. Cracks spidered out from it like a web.Cold sweat trickled down my spine.That had almost been it.Yooseung shouted something I couldn’t hear.All I could hear was him.“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”His blind eyes fixed on me.[Incarnation Lee Dansoo has entered Madness Level 5.]Level 5.+9. Each rise in Madness grants immense stat boosts but erodes rationality.+Now I understood why the Seven Kings had fled.And then came the tenth rule.+10. When someone gathers all 7 Star Jewels, the Fourfold Calamity Sword is summoned.+Goosebumps prickled across my skin.The true goal of this dungeon isn’t to collect the Star Jewels yourself.They were a trap—power at the cost of sanity.Which meant the only winning move was to make someone else collect them.To push another into becoming the monster.Mr. Dansoo—once a kind man—rose slowly to his feet.And started walking toward me.

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