From the start, I hadn’t planned to use Incitement.If the man still had any reason left, I’d intended to stop him somehow using Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.“I won’t kill you! I won’t kill you!”Mr. Dansoo was screaming the same words again and again in the distance.Even though I knew it wouldn’t reach him, I shouted once more.“Sir! Snap out of it!”I managed to locate Mr. Dansoo’s position through Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, but that was as far as it went.My Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint could see through his eyes and read his memories, but it couldn’t enter him.Is it because my understanding of him isn’t deep enough?A man who lived his entire life for his daughter.A man who lost his wife and was struck by illness himself.Only now did I understand why he’d been wearing a hospital gown at that “banquet.”That must have been his final appearance before possession.“Mr. Dansoo! It’s me, Cheon Inho!”I had to stop him, no matter what. But he’d already absorbed five Star Jewels and was engulfed in Madness Lv. 5.Kwahhh!A casual downward punch made the entire labyrinth quake. Killer King, watching from the side, spoke flatly.“Impressive physique. Get too close and you’ll be pulverized, bones and all.”Every swing of his fist sent incarnations spinning like tops, scattering blood as they slammed into the walls.“You’re still going to try?”“I have to.”But getting to him wasn’t going to be easy.My use of the Horn of Provocation hadn’t only drawn Mr. Dansoo—it had drawn everyone else as well.Hunters were flooding in from all over the labyrinth, targeting him.Most were incarnations from the Alliance.“It’s the False Readers’ Association.”Not everyone in the Alliance was part of that, though.“The False Readers must die.”Before I could ask if he had some kind of radar for them, a small bow unfolded from Killer King’s arm.A black-glossed crossbow—clearly an S-class item.Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!With each shot, an incarnation rushing down the corridor collapsed.Judging by the rate of fire and accuracy, it was obviously imbued with Rapid-Fire Enhancement and Aiming Enhancement.The ones hit by the volley groaned and cried out.“It’s the Second Apostle!”Apparently he was a celebrity now—Killer King’s name was being shouted from every direction.[A few Constellations focus on the incarnation ‘Kang Ilhoon’.]Who could’ve guessed that extra Kang Ilhoon would become this strong?Maybe because of that celestial attention, his expression looked strangely exhilarated.“I’ll handle the small fry.”“Take down the Second Apostle first!”Thinking him too dangerous, the Alliance’s incarnations charged toward us all at once.Killer King didn’t flinch. His stigma flared.A red mist surged from his body. I recognized it immediately.The 503rd Division of Archangel Yophiel.When Killer King drew the string, the mist coiled around his arrow like something alive.“Die, all of you.”The arrow struck and exploded into dust.Like grenades detonating, the 503rd’s elite tore through six or seven incarnations in an instant, riddling them full of holes.“U-uaaagh!”Some of the Alliance’s men panicked and broke away from Mr. Dansoo.As much as I hated to admit it, it was an impressive sight.He sounded like Kim Namwoon, but his skill level could shock even Yoo Joonghyuk.Catching my gaze, Killer King gave me a faint, unreadable smile and nodded.“Go, Kim Dokja.”“...What?”“I’ll trust you.”Whatever he meant, this was the only chance.I kicked off the ground. Literature Girl 64 ran beside me in step.“This is the game he likes to play.”“I can guess the gist.”Like the combo of Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja in the original story, we’d fight together.“Then what’s your role, Yerin?”“It changes every time.”With a smooth kick that sent an oncoming incarnation flying, she added,“Right now, maybe Han Sooyoung.”Yoo Joonghyuk, Kim Dokja, Han Sooyoung...If only the ones standing here were truly them.[An unnamed Constellation who has yet to reveal their epithet watches you.]If it were them, the ones who made the impossible possible—they would have found a way to save Mr. Dansoo, too.“Yerin.”She nodded.Ahead, an incarnation radiating immense power stood near Mr. Dansoo.His glowing Dust Man was unlike any other.“He’s a King.”“I’ll handle him.”[Incarnation ‘Lee Seyeon’ activates ‘Arcade Battle Mode’!]Her combo skill unfolded, rapid commands chaining attacks together.But the King moved first.“Everyone move! Feed him now!”I had to stop it.But the side corridor flooded with the Alliance’s forces again, cutting us off.Killer King’s covering fire was slowing, their own ranged units joining the fray.“Fire!”A squad with recurved bows lined up at the opposite end of the corridor.I channeled mana into Broken Conviction and swung reflexively.[Activating ‘Blade of Conviction’!]I barely deflected the first volley, but every arrow hit like a cannon.Strong Magic Arrows.So they had a specialist archer among them.Can I break through?If I used Incitement, maybe.If I borrowed Kyrgios’s power like when I fought the Open Ark, I could tear through that rain of arrows and reach Mr. Dansoo in a single rush.The problem was what came after.After spending so much on Sentence Enhancement, would I have any strength left to stop him?—Sir, get down.I grabbed Literature Girl 64’s shoulder and pushed her down.Turning back, I saw Shin Yooseung pressing a palm to the ground. A portal shimmered above the labyrinth ceiling.[Monster Gate.]I froze.Could Shin Yooseung open a Gate already, at this point?From beyond it, over a dozen of her trained Shell Serpents slithered out.“Wh-what the hell! Where did those come from?!”Incarnations fired arrows into the air.In answer, the Shell Serpents opened their mouths and began to sing.[Shell Serpent Chorus.]The sonic bombardment threw even those powerful arrows off course, scattering them harmlessly.While the incarnations panicked, Shin Yooseung’s voice came through.—Go, sir.Sparks flickered from her body ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ as she controlled the beasts.—You said you were his friend, right?Her golden eyes flashed—looking at me, and yet not seeing me.—You can’t die.I poured Baekcheong Aura into Broken Conviction and sprinted, cutting down limbs with the Blade of Conviction as I charged toward him.“Now! Feed him another!”They were faster.The flying Star Jewel struck Mr. Dansoo’s Dust Man squarely. His entire body swelled again with a cracking sound.[Incarnation ‘Lee Dansoo’ has acquired 1 ‘Star Jewel’.][Total: 6 Star Jewels acquired.][Incarnation ‘Lee Dansoo’ enters Madness Lv. 6.]“Yerin!”As the King turned toward us, her kick slammed into his face.I didn’t waste the opening. I reached Mr. Dansoo.His body, now swollen again, groaned in agony.Blood-red tears streamed endlessly from his eyes.Madness Lv. 6.Just standing near him made my hair stand on end.A siren blared in my head.Was this what it felt like when I first faced Yoo Joonghyuk in the 41st regression?That feeling of confronting something beyond human.[Incarnation ‘Lee Dansoo’s total stats exceed scenario limits.]Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint no longer worked. There was no chance of winning head-on.Only one option left.One I never wanted to use.“I won’t kill you. I won’t kill you.”He reached for me. Slow enough that I could have dodged.But I didn’t.In a sense, this was—“I will kill you.”—my small act of atonement toward him.With a crunching sound, my left arm caved in.[Exclusive Skill ‘Incitement Lv.9’ activated!]I am Yoo Joonghyuk.The steel-hard senses of Yoo Joonghyuk flooded my mind, letting me barely stay conscious through the pain.“Sir. I don’t want to do this either. But—”He actually looked at me, as if listening.“I’ll deceive you. Just once.”I drew in a sharp breath to bear the pain.“I’m—”A lie I should never tell.But it was the only way left to save him.“—No Jiyoon.”[Exclusive Skill ‘Incitement Lv.9’ activated!]At once, his movements froze.The face weeping black blood locked on me.He couldn’t see anything. Yet in that instant, Mr. Dansoo was looking at a world only he and I could see.A girl stood there. Small. Round-faced. Eyebrows a little pale. Cheeks still soft with baby fat.His cheek muscles twitched; the corners of his mouth quivered. A faint spasm of emotion. I could read what it meant.“Give me the Star Jewels.”There were only two known ways to take another’s Stardust in this labyrinth.One, form a group and merge Dust Men.Two, kill the other and seize it from their Dust Man.But if my guess was right, those weren’t the only methods.If that were all, the other Kings wouldn’t have been able to throw Star Jewels to him.My reasoning was simple:Once Stardust becomes a Star Jewel, it can be traded.Brrrr—Mr. Dansoo’s Dust Man trembled, then gagged and spat something out.A shimmering, multicolored shard of stone—A Star Jewel.He handed it to me like a father giving a birthday present to his daughter.“Ji... Yoon...”[You have acquired 1 ‘Star Jewel’.][Entering Madness Lv. 1.]The Dust Man hovering over my head instantly devoured it.The plan had worked.The surrounding Alliance incarnations murmured uneasily.If they charged us now, both he and I could die.But as I expected, they didn’t move.“He—he’s stealing the Star Jewels!”“Leave him. It’s fine.”“He’ll destroy himself with greed.”Exactly as I thought.Their goal was the Fourfold Calamity Sword.Who gathered the seven Jewels didn’t matter.+8. Each ‘Star Jewel’ acquired increases the ‘Madness’ level.+They understood Rule 8 of the Star Labyrinth perfectly.Because of the Madness penalty, no one could collect seven Jewels and stay sane.So they’d planned to let a scapegoat gather them and then claim the summoned sword.“Ha! Eat all you want!”I’d realized their scheme long ago.At this rate, I’d end up like him—a madman.[Entering Madness Lv. 2.]With each Jewel, I felt my body changing.My total stats skyrocketed; my frame swelled. Capillaries burst audibly beneath my skin.[Entering Madness Lv. 3.]My brain felt like it was expanding beyond what my skull could hold.Still, I gritted my teeth and endured.I could do this.I had resistance gear, and above all, I had Incitement.So I believed.Even if I fell into madness, I could endure it.I could gather seven Star Jewels, summon the Fourfold Calamity Sword, and shatter the Absolute Throne—without losing my mind.There’s no Kim Dokja in this world.So I had to do it.Only I could stop this world’s destruction.In the distance, I saw Killer King and Shin Yooseung shouting toward me.I smiled to show I was fine.[You have acquired 5 ‘Star Jewels’.][Entering Madness Lv. 5.]It was getting dangerous. My eyes throbbed like they’d burst; my vision ran red.Reason was slipping from my grasp.Mr. Dansoo’s total stats were now far lower than before. I released the “No Jiyoon” Incitement and gathered my remaining focus.What I needed now was someone who could endure this terrible madness.A few candidates came to mind—Yoo Joonghyuk, Jung Heewon, Han Sooyoung, Lee Hyunsung...But none of them could withstand it easily.I needed someone with an unbreakable mind.And there was only one.A man who’d loved a single story for over ten years.Who’d died and died again, never abandoning the ending he sought.“I am Kim Dokja.”Only Kim Dokja could do this.And then, lines of text appeared before me.In that moment, Lee Hakhyun did not yet know.They surfaced before I could react—familiar words.That he would never again return to who he once was.I realized something was wrong and tried to cancel the skill—[Exclusive Skill ‘Incitement Lv.9’ activated!]—and heard something inside me shatter.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.