[the constellation 'maritime war god' is hoping that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will be careful.]
Kim Dokja would do his best, since he had to make sure he didn't fail this hidden scenario. After all, his goal was more important than anything else right now, and he had to find 41st Shin Yoosung's soul in the next 12 hours. With any luck, though, he'd be out sooner than that.
The Judges slowly move through the crowd to the rhythm of hammers making contact with anvils. As Namwoon looks over his shoulder to judge how far away they are, he advises Dokja to hold onto a hammer. Instead, Dokja picks up a Gund█m figurine that the teenager seems to have crafted.
People speak in low voices, muttering as the Judges glide through the work area and up some wooden stairs. The shot switches to show Namwoon watching them intently as Dokja looks at him in surprise. When Namwoon asks why he's looking at him like that, Dokja wonders how Namwoon is so indifferent after seeing him. With a smile that is absolutely creepier than necessary, Namwoon asks if Dokja is afraid that he'd want revenge. Dokja just smiles awkwardly while internally panicking since Namwoon in the novel was a bigger psycho than Joonghyuk.
"It's so weird to see that guy being nice," Lee Jihye muttered, frowning slightly. "I don't want to dropkick him anymore, and that's the worst part."
Damn, if the Kim Namwoon of the novel could hear that, he'd lose his shit. Honestly, that would probably be one of the nicest things that his crush had ever said about him—not that she would say anything close to that if they spent all their time together, but still.
Jung Heewon snickered. "He's actually making little figurines? How has he not gotten caught for that yet?"
"I… actually have no idea," Kim Dokja said after a moment. Well, it wasn't exactly his problem, either.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is amused by the incarnation 'kim namwoon'.]
Sucks to be him, but his hobby wasn't a secret anymore. The rulers of the Underworld definitely knew about it now, but whether they'd bother stopping him was anyone's guess.
Han Sooyoung leaned back with a sigh. "Honestly, I'm thinking the same thing. Why is he suddenly so chill with you when you literally just stood there as he begged for his life?"
Kim Dokja winced slightly, completely agreeing with his future self. Was Kim Namwoon just pretending to be friendly in order to make Kim Dokja let down his guard? That would make sense for him—even though it would be a bit more complicated than the teenager's usual plans, which were usually more along the lines of 'spout cringey line and stab until it's dead'.
He did have to shift a bit uncomfortably when Yoo Joonghyuk shot him a glare upon being compared to Kim Namwoon. What? While it wasn't a particularly flattering comparison, at least he was less crazy? Okay, nevermind, Yoo Joonghyuk would not consider that a compliment.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is snickering.]
Namwoon just states that there's no point in losing his cool since they're both dead, which surprises Dokja. The effect of this statement is immediately ruined when he claims to have turned over a new leaf and has been reflecting on his actions since arriving in Tartarus. Dokja internally remarks that Namwoon reflecting is as impossible as Joonghyuk becoming a girl, clearly not believing him, and uses [Lie Detection]. Somehow, the skill confirms the statement to be true.
… What?
"For real? Why can't you believe me? I'm here as atonement, you know?" the teenager whines in protest against Dokja's disbelief. "I'm even grateful for the fact that you killed me, Ahjussi."
When Dokja is even more confused by that, Namwoon tells him that he gets food, sleep, no classes, and no parents breathing down his neck. He complains a bit about the heat, but is cheerful about being able to make Gund█m models when he's bored, causing Dokja to realize that he has no idea what a Titan Soldier is. Namwoon then thanks him again, stating that he owes it all to Dokja.
He really is a nutcase.
Namwoon looks at him with a grin and a twinkle in his eyes as Dokja stares, dead inside, at a window that announces that the character 'Kim Namwoon' has taken a liking to him.
One hell of a nutcase.
Wait, what? Had death really matured him?
"That's why he's being so weird?" Shin Yoosung asked skeptically. "I don't believe him."
Clearly, no one did, not even the usually gullible Lee Hyunsung. The lieutenant did look somewhat conflicted, but he didn't seem convinced either.
"Yeah right," Lee Gilyoung muttered. "As if he's 'turned over a new leaf'. He tried to kill all of us."
Kim Dokja held the kid a bit closer as he scowled at the screen. Lee Gilyoung was clearly on guard, and he was probably stressed that Kim Namwoon would try to ambush Kim Dokja. Honestly, Kim Dokja worried about the same thing.
Yoo Joonghyuk scowled at him for the offhand comment. "Stop being foolish, Kim Dokja."
Kim Dokja shrugged and forced his lips to stretch into a teasing grin. "Come on, Joonghyuk-ah, you know those are both impossible."
Though the protagonist scoffed, he returned to looking at the screen in displeasure.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is hoping that the incarnation 'kim namwoon' is telling the truth.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is insisting that it is important to give the benefit of the doubt.]
And then [Lie Detection] said he was telling the truth, and Yoo Sangah looked extremely shocked. "He really did?"
"As impossible as Yoo Joonghyuk turning into a girl, huh?" Jung Heewon remarked with a raised brow. "You'd better hope that you didn't just jinx it."
Kim Dokja shuddered as he imagined the various ways the protagonist could end him if he actually did end up jinxing it, but thankfully, Yoo Joonghyuk seemed unfazed and unbothered since he had completely ignored what she had said. Seriously, how could he just do that so effortlessly?
Han Sooyoung snickered. "So, do we need to start bracing in case the protagonist bastard suddenly decides to start prancing around in heels?"
"Please, Master could kick your ass even in heels," Lee Jihye boasted, and Kim Dokja genuinely wondered if she was trying to make him look better, or whether she was just oblivious to Yoo Joonghyuk's suddenly foul mood.
Still, if the protagonist was any less… well… himself, Kim Dokja was certain that he would have jumped into a lecture on why high heels were stupid and impractical to wear while fighting, and that wearing them would be just asking for sprained ankles or a loss of balance at a critical moment. Kim Dokja knew this because Yoo Joonghyuk had lectured Min Jiwon about that once in the 11th regression—right after he had to save her when her heel broke in the middle of a fight, and just before he went and fucked off to go commit more murder somewhere else.
Unfortunately, that had only made her crush on him worse.
"No," Yoo Joonghyuk growled, drawing Kim Dokja back out of his thoughts. "Shut up or I'll kill you, Han Sooyoung."
When Han Sooyoung shot him a look, Kim Dokja just smiled at her. She was digging her own grave here; he wasn't about to help her out of it. To be fair, the chapter that mentioned it was somewhere past the 300s, so she wouldn't have known about it at all, but that was on her for dropping TWSA so early. At least the others seemed amused, but were keeping it to themselves for their own safety.
"Being grateful for being killed seems a bit much, though…" Lee Seolhwa said as she frowned, expertly changing the topic to something more relevant and less likely to end in disaster.
Yoo Mia, on the other hand, scoffed at Kim Namwoon's response. "So he just wants to play around all day? Stupid."
The fact that she was saying that hurt Kim Dokja a bit. She was just a kid too—playing around all day should be appealing to her, even if Kim Namwoon's idea of a good time was pretty far from hers. Why was she so mature already, even with her brother purposefully keeping her away from the front lines?
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is laughing excitedly.]
[Attention, all slaves on the first floor.] Dokja and Namwoon snap out of their conversation to stare over at the Judges who have gotten up onto a small platform. [We will be conducting a random inspection.]
Many people, including Namwoon, complain about the random inspections before the Judges continue on to state that there has been an intruder detected—a living soul that has crossed the Acheron River. [If the esteemed Death hears of this, all of you will face the brunt of the consequences. The inspection will hence weed out the intruder who does not belong here.]
While Dokja starts to worry about their speed, Namwoon questions why a living person would even choose to hide in Tartarus. Dokja, the living person in question, does not answer. This clues Namwoon into asking if they're really talking about him, a suspicion which Dokja confirms. Swearing, Namwoon accuses him of pretending to be dead all this time and of being a 'master of manipulation'.
Dokja just ignores his anger to ask if there's any place to hide, but Namwoon just yells at him, "You think a fucking prison has places to hide? If you really must, climb inside that Gund█m!"
"Oh shit," Jung Heewon cursed as the random inspection was announced, and Kim Dokja had to agree with her. This wasn't a good sign, since he wanted to stay under the radar.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is narrowing his eyes suspiciously.]
And they were searching for a living soul specifically too, shit. They were trying to single him out.
"Welp, you're fucked," Han Sooyoung sighed. "Nice knowing you."
Wow, so nice of her, really.
"Shut up, ahjumma!" Lee Gilyoung hissed. "Hyung will be fine!"
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is laughing behind her hand.]
"You won't be able to hide, Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk said firmly, glancing over at him as he did. He knew that, but dammit it was worth checking anyway! Nevermind the fact that it would be extremely obvious if he tried sneaking off, Kim Namwoon's yelling might just get him caught earlier than expected.
"I'll think of something," Kim Dokja replied, shoulders tense. Or at least he probably would. Honestly, anything would be better than Kim Namwoon's bullshit suggestion of climbing into the Titan Soldier.
Dokja asks if it's complete, and Namwoon reveals that it's not, citing that something is seemingly wrong with the core.
If its construction was complete, I'd drive it and defeat Cerberus, before taking it straight to Hades' palace.
As the Judges walk through nervous crowds, Dokja and Namwoon reveal that if Dokja went inside, he'd die. Dokja mentally explains that it would consume him since it's like a living creature, while Namwoon is less polite about it. Dokja asks why he's so rude now, since he had claimed that he turned over a new leaf, but Namwoon states that he only acts favourably to those who've croaked. He then grins creepily while gesturing his thumb slicing across his neck, insinuating that Dokja is about to die. Namwoon states that it was nice seeing him, but that Dokja will be dead soon anyway, so he'll only be nice at that point.
The core… Kim Dokja could use that to his advantage, if he had to. Thanks to reading the novel, he knew exactly how to solve that problem.
Lee Hyunsung's eyes widened. "You would steal it, Dokja-ssi?"
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' reminds the incarnations that stealing is immoral.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is disappointed that he can't see it moving.]
Kim Dokja glanced off to the side awkwardly. "Well, not stealing, exactly… more like borrowing without permission?"
Looking unimpressed, Lee Jihye glanced over at him. "So, basically stealing."
Well—
"But who cares, that would be so badass!" she cheered. "Sad that it's not done yet, though."
Okay, Kim Dokja had to refrain from laughing at that one. For a second, he thought that she was actually disappointed in him.
[many constellations are shocked by the current events.]
"It would eat you!?" Yoo Sangah gasped, looking a bit frightened. "Why would they ever make something like that?"
Kim Dokja shot her an amused smile. "Weapons of war aren't always ethical."
Still, he had to force himself to look back at the screen, only to shoot Kim Namwoon a disgusted expression. He had known that the kid was too nice and that there was a catch. Apparently this was it.
Unfortunately for Kim Namwoon, and fortunately for Kim Dokja, he had no intentions of dying anytime soon. Not only were his karma points still depleted, but he'd rather avoid being stuck in literal hell for an eternity with Kim Namwoon, of all people.
As the Judges continue their inspection, Dokja ignores Namwoon in favour of remembering what Joonghyuk did in his journey to the Underworld near the end of the novel. Thankfully, his attribute helps him remember.
Looking pretty insane, Joonghyuk grabs a Judge by the neck.
"Tell this to the Underworld's king: the 'Titan Soldier Pluto' will now belong to me."
An equally insane Joonghyuk is surrounded by Judges and brandishes his sword while threatening them.
"If you all value your lives, get lost."
Dokja opens his eyes and stares blankly at the ground for a moment before lamenting that Joonghyuk is a crazy psycho for confronting the Judges head on.
"I went to the Underworld?" Yoo Joonghyuk asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion. Kim Dokja tried to recall why, exactly, he had been there, and figured that it was probably something to do with the giants. Or maybe it was just his completely justified hatred of constellations and Olympus in general.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is unimpressed by the actions of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Ah. Right.
Jung Heewon and Han Sooyoung burst out laughing as Lee Jihye stared at the screen, gobsmacked. Lee Seolhwa and Yoo Sangah were a bit more polite about it, but they were also very visibly amused. Poor Lee Hyunsung was just exceptionally confused, as usual. As for the kids, Yoo Mia sighed and shook her head while Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung snickered.
Kim Dokja, for his part, buried his face in his hands. That fucking sunfish bastard, spouting audacious lines like that…
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is exceptionally amused by the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Yoo Joonghyuk's eye twitched as he watched himself behave in an insane fashion. Of course, near the end of the novel, Yoo Joonghyuk had absolutely been powerful enough to back up these claims and actually pose a genuine threat—Poseidon could speak to that fact several times over, after all.
Still, without that context, he looked like an unhinged madman—which, honestly, wasn't too far off from the truth at times.
"Oh my god, you're not going to try and copy that shit, are you?" Han Sooyoung wheezed as Jung Heewon wiped a tear from her eye.
"Of course not!" Kim Dokja protested. He actually did have some self-preservation, dammit!
"Joonghyuk-ssi… that is… um… a unique way of confronting the problem?" Lee Hyunsung said, eyes wide as he stared at the protagonist.
Yoo Joonghyuk's eye twitched again and he crossed his arms over his chest as his frown deepened ever-so-slightly.
Honestly, Kim Dokja wasn't sure if his glare was at the future Kim Dokja for calling him a crazy psycho, or if he actually agreed and was pissed off that he did.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is roaring with laughter.]
Dokja holds his head in despair while Namwoon cheerfully whistles out of tune beside him, creating a comical contrast. Dokja sighs as he thinks that that method is only possible for a regressor like Joonghyuk and that he's not a powerhouse like him. Dokja pauses before abruptly lifting his head, '....no, hold on. Is there a reason why I can't be like him?'
Why would getting caught by the Judges be a bad thing? Because I would fail the Hidden Scenario and become a permanent 'Underworld Resident'? Because the Judges who act as the eyes of Hades would destroy me immediately?
Dokja stands and catches the attention of the Judges. This prompts them to ask who he is and Dokja replies that he's the one they're searching for. With a gust of wind and shadow, one of the Judges quickly moves behind Dokja and grabs him by the neck. His appearance stands out slightly compared to the others; he wears a large golden collar necklace. As his hold tightens, and his nails practically touch around Dokja's slim neck, ice forms on Dokja's skin where the Judge is touching. Dokja smirks as he tells the Judge to reconsider obliterating him, as doing so would result in all of them suffering a crushing defeat in Gigantomachia.
"Yeah, see? There's no way I could do something that crazy," Kim Dokja said firmly, right before his future self contradicted him. He froze, his jaw dropping.
There was no way, right? Was his future self still half drunk, or something?
"You were saying?" Han Sooyoung teased, a wide grin on her face. God dammit, would his future self stop humiliating him!?
Yoo Sangah looked exceptionally concerned. "Um, Dokja-ssi, you aren't actually…"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is fretting over the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Apparently he was going to do something stupid. Fuck.
"Ahjussi, what are you doing?" Shin Yoosung whispered anxiously. "You're gonna get caught!"
Kim Dokja glanced down at the floor as thoughts rushed through his head. He was likely doing this so he could strike a deal and handle the situation through charisma and an exchange of knowledge. There was no fucking way that his future self was stupid enough to try and start a fight, especially since he didn't even have his sword.
That was another thing that was unfair—why did Yoo Joonghyuk get to keep his weapon while Kim Dokja didn't?
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
Fuck, and now he was very literally in the Judge's grasp.
Lee Seolhwa went pale, anxiously watching the screen. "Oh that's not good… I hope you won't get frostbite, Dokja-ssi."
[constellations who dislike the cold are shivering miserably.]
Okay, even for him, this was insane. Any of the Judges could kill him in an instant, and the ice was a slowly spreading threat-turned-death sentence. If he didn't say something to save himself soon, then he would likely freeze to death. God, Kim Dokja hoped that his real body wasn't freezing as a result of this—Yoo Sangah and the kids would get worried if he suddenly started shivering.
[many constellations are curious about the statement made by the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
The Judges all pause their circling and exchange glances. The one holding Dokja by the neck loosens his grip slightly, but the ice continues to climb up Dokja's throat to his chin.
Still, Dokja pulls out his trump card. "Tell the 'Father of the Rich Night' that I know how to complete that Titan Soldier."
Immediately, the hand around his neck tightens as the ice rapidly expands, causing Dokja to let out a grunt of pain. A visual shows the ice rapidly spreading towards his heart as Dokja shivers from the cold. His heartbeat provides a quick rhythm, interspersed with the crackling of the spreading ice. A Judge stops in front of Dokja and looks him straight in the eyes. In return, Dokja grits his teeth and stares back defiantly.
"Ahjussi, you're gonna die if you're not careful, and that would make my oppa sad," Yoo Mia drawled, shooting him an unimpressed look.
As much as Kim Dokja wanted to deny it, he couldn't say it to her face. And, with Yoo Joonghyuk's repeated re-affirmation that they were companions, he just might feel something if Kim Dokja died permanently. Maybe a little bit of grief, but it would probably be mostly exasperation and disappointment that he hadn't been more useful.
Still, there was no time to worry about that when he was pulling out the one piece of information that he hoped caught their attention enough to spare his life. Since the Titan Soldier wasn't complete yet, then it was still a potential bargaining chip.
[many constellations are surprised by the claim of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the eyes of the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' are gleaming with interest.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is raising a brow.]
Lee Seolhwa looked even more stressed by the spreading ice, and that sense of worry washed over the rest of the group just as quickly. However, Kim Dokja couldn't pay attention to all their worried glances and anxious shifting as he tried to keep his breathing steady to avoid setting the kids off further.
"You are an incorrigible fool," Yoo Joonghyuk spat darkly as he glared at Kim Dokja with something almost like panic in his eyes. "A fool with no sense of self-preservation."
As much as Kim Dokja wanted to argue that point, he realized very quickly that Yoo Joonghyuk was not leaving him any room to do so. The protagonist was genuinely pissed off, and somehow he still looked handsome despite that fact. Determination really looked good on him, so it was no wonder that so many people fell for his looks throughout the novel—not that Yoo Joonghyuk ever paid attention to any of them, though.
Regardless, all Kim Dokja could do was hold the anxious kids a little bit closer, and hope that his risky gamble would pay off in the end.