Staring at the conversation request message floating before my eyes, I felt something strange. I was sure I had entered the world of Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. I had gone through scenarios and even met the other members of .[Requester: Demon King of Salvation]Even so, the moment I saw that message, everything suddenly felt unreal. I didn’t know why. Maybe deep down, I hadn’t really believed that the real “Kim Dokja” existed in this world. Maybe that’s why I was so unsettled by the fact that he actually did. But what exactly was I shaken by?Caught in that jumble of thoughts, I hesitated before reaching out my finger. Then—[The sender has not paid the coin fee required for ‘Midday Rendezvous.’]I read the message again and again, not understanding what it meant. At first, I thought, No way. Then, Damn it. And finally, I let out a hollow laugh. A faint sense of reality began to return.Of course.[The ‘Midday Rendezvous’ will incur receiver charges.]This guy was unmistakably Kim Dokja. My instincts told me so. With a small sigh, I pressed the “Confirm” button.[You have paid the receiver’s fee.][‘Midday Rendezvous’ is now connected.]But nothing in particular changed. Since he had initiated the call, I expected him to greet me first, but Kim Dokja stayed silent. What was going on?“Inho?”The others had noticed something odd. They were all watching me. I couldn’t blame them—anyone would stare if someone suddenly jumped up and started fiddling with a smartphone like a lunatic.After hesitating for a moment, I decided to say it out loud.“Actually, I just got a message from Kim Dokja.”The four of them stared blankly at me at once. Their gazes held different emotions: suspicion that I might be insane (Ye Hyeonwoo), worry that I’d hit my head (Gyeong Sein), confusion over whether this was some modern joke (Lee Dansoo), and a look that seemed to say Aren’t you Kim Dokja yourself? (Killer King).Forty-five days ago, they would’ve all jumped on my words immediately—asking if it was true, if I had really made contact with Kim Dokja, if that meant we could all survive. But they didn’t.It was proof that they had fully adapted to this world.“In this world, there is no ‘Demon King of Salvation’ to save us.”To survive here, the readers had chosen to forget the name of their greatest hope—and to stand on their own.Something about that realization felt strangely sad. So I could only turn the hope I’d mentioned into a joke.“Just kidding. So, what was it you wanted to ask me again?”At my words, Ye Hyeonwoo’s expression relaxed slightly, and he resumed the discussion.To summarize, their question was simple.“How did the fourth scenario end that day?”After briefly gathering my thoughts, I began my account.First, the part where Han Sooyoung had appeared.“So it really was Han Sooyoung.”How I’d been abducted along with the unconscious Yu Joonghyuk by “Representative Kim Dokja.”“That was Asmodeus?”“Damn, I knew there was something off about that smug tone.”“I already suspected as much.”How we had confirmed that the “Representative Kim Dokja” was Asmodeus, and how I had escaped his domain using the Execution Sword.How I’d been flung into a detached area of the scenario.And how Han Sooyoung and I had fought together against the “Otherworldly Divinity,” the Founder of the Absolute Throne.“Otherworldly Divinity?”“The actual being that created the ‘Absolute Throne?’”“If Kim Dokja said so, it must be true.”And finally, how we had defeated him using our tales.I briefly told them everything that had happened that day, leaving out only the parts I wasn’t sure I could share yet.“You—you killed an Otherworldly Divinity? Then you got a tale from it?”“Probably.”Saying that, I opened my message log. There were quite a few logs I hadn’t checked during those forty-five days. Among them were ones concerning my “tale.”[Temporary error detected in Tale System.][The name of your new tale has not yet been decided.][The Administration Bureau is carefully reviewing your tale achievement.]I still couldn’t check the name or rank of the tale I’d acquired. Was it because I’d been unconscious? Or because my achievement had been too outrageous?Come to think of it, I had defeated a named “Otherworldly Divinity,” and in an early scenario no less. Setting such an abnormal record in only the fourth scenario—it was no wonder both the Administration Bureau and were confused.It had to be at least a “semi-mythic-grade” tale for slaying an Otherworldly Divinity. When I received it, the entire early-scenario ecosystem would have been disrupted. Maybe the Administration Bureau had intentionally hit pause to stabilize things.Either way, they would have to issue it eventually.“A tremendous feat, Kim Dokja. You’re finally becoming more like yourself.”“Wow… what kind of tale could reward something like that?”Killer King and Gyeong Sein both sounded impressed. Uncle Dansoo nodded, looking as though he understood now.“Then that explains why the ‘Absolute Throne’ power isn’t working.”“Probably.”I decided not to mention the audience in the theater that day, or that Uncle Dansoo’s daughter Jiyoon had been among them.The final question came from Ye Hyeonwoo.“What happened to Han Sooyoung?”“I don’t know. She disappeared afterward.”I didn’t want to say she was dead. I had seen her vanish, yes, but it was entirely possible that it had only been her avatar. The Han Sooyoung I knew would’ve made sure she had an escape route.“Hm… all right, I understand everything you’ve told us.”After hearing my answers, Ye Hyeonwoo signaled to Killer King with his eyes, then left the room saying they’d talk outside for a bit.What on earth had happened while I was out for everyone to look that grim?There was no shortage of things I wanted to ask either.What was that “phenomenon” that had been happening since forty-five days ago? Was the seventh scenario the same as the one I remembered? What was Yu Joonghyuk doing right now? And what had become of “Shin Yuseung,” who’d been with me?“I’ll kill them all if Uncle just gives the word.”That “Shin Yuseung” definitely wasn’t the one from this 41st-round worldline. Like me and the other readers, she must have been a possessed soul from another worldline. And that worldline was most likely the 1,864th round, where Kim Dokja was still alive.If I could meet Shin Yuseung again, maybe I could learn where Han Sooyoung had gone too.“Ugh.”Maybe it was from moving too suddenly, but delayed pain flared through my joints.Startled, Gyeong Sein and Uncle Dansoo rushed to steady me. I gave them an apologetic smile.“I just wanted to get a bit of fresh air.”*After Yu Joonghyuk obtained the Absolute Throne, Seoul had been completely pacified.Of course, there were still those who didn’t side with him, but the once-fractured groups now stood united under the Conqueror’s rule.“Where was this latest raid zone?”“Yeongdeungpo.”“Heard the loot was good?”From passing incarnations, I gathered that the theme of the “Seventh Scenario” was a “Raid.” Each region had a designated monster target, and assigned incarnations formed teams to hunt them. It didn’t differ much from the original seventh scenario, which was also about “monster hunting.”I wondered if I’d been assigned a target too, but—[No main scenario currently assigned to you.][Reassigning main scenario to your account.]Maybe because I’d been unconscious for so long, I didn’t have an assigned scenario yet.“So about that meteorite—”“Really? You found it there?”Meteorite? The fifth scenario had already ended—why were they still talking about meteorites? I had no idea what was going on. I’d have to ask someone later.“This time, I’ll go first, Uncle!”“Come at me!”In the plaza ahead, Gyeong Sein and Uncle Dansoo were sparring. I wondered what they were doing, until—[Incarnation ‘Gyeong Sein’ uses ‘Iron Fist Lv.8’!]Seeing it in action left me speechless.Leaping high into the air, Gyeong Sein unleashed a flurry of heavy strikes, tearing up the ground in a cloud of dust.But it wasn’t just Gyeong Sein who had grown stronger.[Incarnation ‘Lee Dansoo’ activates ‘Insect Form Lv.6’!]His legs became covered in chitin like a grasshopper’s, and he dodged every one of Gyeong Sein’s blows with incredible agility.“Wow, you’ve gotten used to it! That’s your new evolution factor, right?”“Got it from that Rank-6 species last time.”Forty-five days had made a big difference.Forty-five days ago, I’d been among the top incarnations in terms of strength—but watching these two, I doubted I could beat them barehanded now.Just how much had they trained? Or rather, who had pushed them so hard?“Amazing, right?”Startled, I turned around—and saw an unexpected figure.“Those two have been training nonstop under Yu Joonghyuk since the day you were hospitalized.”That calm, composed voice. A woman’s white hair fluttered in the wind.“You haven’t missed a single day of training since then.”I quickly stood up and bowed to Lee Seolhwa. She already seemed to know who I was, smiling as she extended her hand. I smiled back and shook it.“You’re Cheon Inho, right? I’ve heard about you.”“Yes, that’s me.”“People keep saying they’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”As she said that, Lee Seolhwa looked slowly around Gwanghwamun. I noticed several familiar faces—Da-young and her mother, the “Mother-Daughter Duo” from Geumho Station; Sergeant Kim Hyeonyeol and Jeong Heewon’s younger brother, Jeong Eunho, who’d fought beside us in Gaebang; and even Kim Nakmun the “Observer,” whom I’d met on my way here.“I hope someday someone says something like that about me too.”In this round, Lee Seolhwa hadn’t been infected by a parasite and become “Dokhee.” Her honest tone was clear and gentle.“I heard you took care of me. I wanted to thank you properly. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead.”“You know my name?”“Of course.”“Jihye and I had a bet about that. Whether you’d know my name or not.”Far off, I could see this round’s Lee Jihye waving at me. I waved back and said,“How could I not? You’re my savior. I’ve heard a lot about you too.”“Rumors? But I’ve hardly done any public activity.”Oops. I realized I might have slipped—since in this 41st round, she hadn’t become Dokhee yet, her name might not be widely known.After a brief pause, I said, “I’m a fan of Donguibogam.”“You know my backer?”“How could I not know the best doctor on the peninsula?”[Constellation, ‘Divine Physician of Gu-Am,’ is deeply moved and sponsors you 100 Coins.]Once again, I felt it—this was truly Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.Lee Seolhwa looked up at the message in the air, then smiled wryly.“I can see why people like you, Inho.”“I’ll take that as a compliment.”“May I ask what your backer is?”“My backer is—”I hadn’t planned to reveal it, but suddenly I wanted to test something. Maybe the Lee Seolhwa before me was special, like the Shin Yuseung I’d met.“‘Demon King of Salvation.’”Her expression changed slightly. I tensed up a bit.In this 41st round, this early in the scenario, she had chosen the path of the “Physician,” not “Dokhee.” If she reacted to the epithet—“Demon King of Salvation? Hm, that’s the first I’ve heard of that Constellation…”Judging by her face, she wasn’t lying.“The epithet… feels a bit similar to the one Namwooni contracted with, though…”She even looked like she thought I’d made a shady contract. That felt a little unfair. Sure, the epithet was a bit dramatic. But he’s the protagonist… a Constellation… a mythic being, after all…“Demon King of Salvation… Demon King of Salvation… hmm… it rings a bell somehow…”Huh?“Salvation… salvation… Salvation Church. Oh, right, one of the herbs we got from Salvation Church this time…”Muttering absently to herself, Lee Seolhwa walked past me and headed toward the hospital.When I’d written about her, I hadn’t realized it—but in person, she really had a slightly eccentric side. Almost like a mad doctor.After walking a short distance, she turned back to call out, “Oh, you know you’re still a patient, right? Don’t overexert yourself.”“Ah, yes.”“Even if you look fine on the outside, your insides are still a mess. If you don’t get proper treatment, you’ll fall seriously ill later.”The kind mad doctor left those words and walked off.I turned my gaze back to the people training.Everywhere, people were sweating, pouring themselves into their practice.Lee Seolhwa had been right. They all looked fine on the surface, but inside, they must’ve been rotting with pain. They must’ve lost loved ones, precious friends, over and over again.“All misfortune is ordinary. It only seems special because it’s captured in a story.”Thinking that, the way I saw the people swinging their swords and spears changed.Perhaps this was a scene that Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint had never captured—the kind of invisible, desperate effort that the characters had made to carve away their grief.What about Kim Dokja? Maybe the Kim Dokja I’d read and written had ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ just as many unseen moments like these.Bzzz.The phone in my pocket vibrated just then. Finally, the time had come.I cleared my throat and spoke softly.“Can you hear me?”And at last, the long-awaited moment arrived.[Constellation, ‘Demon King of Salvation,’ has connected to ‘Midday Rendezvous.’]Reading that message, I thought of the two years I had spent writing and reading over and over.Was the being floating up there the Kim Dokja I knew? I didn’t know. But—―Hello.That was the first word from the “Demon King of Salvation.”“Hello.”Our first exchange.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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.