The blue flames around the room grow into a powerful blaze as Gilyoung sits on the ground in a corner, recovering from the mental strain. The corpses of his dead bugs surround him.
Lee Gilyoung shuddered, grimacing at the reminder of the feeling before looking up at Kim Dokja with a frown. "That was awful. It hurt so much, hyung."
"I know, but you did well," Kim Dokja reminded him, gently patting his head. "We'll try to make sure that doesn't happen again in the future, okay?"
The boy nodded and beamed for an instant before turning back to the screen.
The Warden yells again, saying something in the strange, demonic language.
'M-mother?" Sangah suddenly asks in confusion, catching Dokja's attention. Frantically, he tries to tell her to stand further back as she continues to translate what the Warden is saying. When she stumbles her way through a few phrases, the Warden seems to respond to her.
Dokja stares at her in shock, his eyes as wide as they can go and his jaw dropped. 'Oh my god… So, it isn't just Spanish, she can speak the demonic language as well… She has skills that are useful even if the world has changed…'
[The Character 'Yoo Sangah' has activated the skill 'Interpreter lvl. 3'.]
"...So, what's it saying?" Dokja asks hesitantly.
"It… keeps asking us to 'Become a mother'..." Sangah answers with uncertainty as the Warden continues to yell in the distance.
"I-I can't become a mother, I'm not even married yet!" Sangah calls out to it.
It yells once more, this time pointing towards Myungoh with one of its tentacles.
"W-Why am I being called mother?! I should be the father!" The scared man yells.
As Myungoh finishes talking, a tentacle rushes forward, going straight down his throat in a disgusting scene that could be right out of an R-18 series. Sangah covers her mouth in horror at the sight while Dokja looks shocked. As the tentacle moves in Myungoh's mouth, it creates gross sounds with every movement.
'Right, that's what it means to 'become a mother',' Dokja remembers as he jumps into action. "Yoo Sangah, you don't have any plans to have a child, do you?"
"Of course, I don't!" Sangah yells in reply.
Dokja very quickly remembers what exactly is going on. 'The Demonic species give birth to offspring through the bodies of other species. That means Han Myungoh is..!'
Thankfully, everyone covered the kids' eyes in time again, even without Kim Dokja warning them. Yoo Sangah had remembered to cover Lee Jihye's eyes this time around, and Lee Hyunsung was actually able to see since Jung Heewon hadn't panicked and covered his accidentally. Unsurprisingly, he looked pale and uncomfortable, just like everyone else.
"Oh, that is fucking gross," Han Sooyoung said with a disgusted look on her face, halfway to retching. "It didn't get either of you with that, did it?"
"Thankfully, no," Yoo Sangah replied, voice slightly shaky as she grimaced. It definitely wasn't a pleasant sight at all, and several people watching recoiled from the screen in disgust.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' hates the Demon Kings and their minions.]
Yeah, Uriel was completely correct in this instance. Demon Kings were never good news in TWSA.
Suddenly, Kim Dokja had a terrible feeling and immediately shot a worried glance over at Yoo Joonghyuk. "Hey, in your second round…"
"No," Yoo Joonghyuk responded immediately. "I killed it before it could do anything like that."
Kim Dokja let out a small sigh of relief, thankful that at least Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't being forced to relive that kind of trauma right now. No matter how awful the second round was, it could definitely have been worse.
Dokja rushes forward, cutting off the tentacle and freeing Myungoh from its clutches. The Warden of the Dark recoils in pain, yelling before sending a tentacle to attack Dokja. He's barely able to block it, widening his stance to remain stable.
As he does his best to endure the strike, a series of blows come at him and Dokja does his best to block them. Unfortunately, his sword slowly begins to crack more and more until it finally gives in and breaks. Dokja shows a minor amount of surprise before immediately dodging the next blows that come his way.
'This monster can't be hunted like the ichthyosaur. This fight has become a fight with no chance of victory. That's why my original plan wasn't to deal with this monster, but to get the treasure after it disappeared instead. But, just like always, plans exist just to go wrong.'
Dokja continues to dodge the blows with as much agility as he possesses, grimacing as the tentacles that hit the ground leave cracks and craters in their wake. The more he evades, the less stable ground remains.
Frustrated, Dokja calls out to the one he knows is hiding in the corner. "Oi, dokkaebi! Are you still there?!!"
[U-Uh...] the dokkaebi's voice cuts through the air as he appears. [You knew?!]
"There should be mail for me by now, so hand it over quickly," Dokja tells him urgently.
[Hehe, i-it's not my responsibility. That's Bihyung's job,] the dokkaebi says with a grin.
Jung Heewon frowned and narrowed her eyes. "Oh, fuck off, you're replacing him, so do your damn job."
Kim Dokja had to resist the urge to laugh. A woman after his own heart, truly.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is not impressed by the dokkaebi 'Biryu'.]
"Ahjussi, I'm surprised you were actually able to deal with those strikes on your own at that point," Lee Jihye said, finally allowed to see again. "I know you've increased your stats since then, but well…"
She shot him a slightly judgemental glance. "I have to admit that the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon was right—you do look kinda flimsy."
Ah, Lee Jihye, saying exactly what she thought without any regard for how people would feel about it. Kim Dokja knew he didn't look strong or sturdy like Yoo Joonghyuk, he did realize that dammit! However, no amount of stat increases could change the fact that he would forever be smaller when it came to body weight, even though he was taller than the average person.
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is roaring with laughter.]
Dokja only gets even more frustrated, berating the dokkaebi for not doing his job as Bihyung's replacement. The constellations are complaining, and they both know it. The dokkaebi notices the pop ups and flinches.
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' wants to scold the dokkaebi 'Biryu'.]
[The constellation 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire' threatens the dokkaebi 'Biryu'!]
"Okay then, j-just this once," Biryu replies, now frightened by the messages.
[An item has arrived from the auction.]
Perfect, the item he traded for the ichthyosaur core is here.
[The item
Something begins to manifest in Dokja's hand in a brilliant flash of light.
[The brokerage fee has been excluded due to the contract's effect.]
[H-How will you even fight with that old thing?] Biryu questions. [That… That's broken, not to mention it can't be used if you don't have a special skill.]
In his hand, Dokja carries a sword with a broken blade. Though some of the blade remains, it's snapped off not too far past the grip—it's clear that this sword will not work as a slashing weapon at all.
[
Rating: D]
[A constellation who likes swords is upset at seeing a broken sword.]
[A constellation who likes swords wants to scold the previous owner for not taking care of their weapon.]
Han Sooyoung narrowed her eyes at the screen. "Wait, is that piece of trash the same sword that you're still using?"
Kim Dokja grinned in her direction, happy to realize that she definitely hadn't known about this little cheat. "Yes, and no."
She furrowed her brow. "Well which one is it? It can't be both, dumbass."
At that, Yoo Sangah started giggling. "Sooyoung-ssi, just wait and see. It really is sort of the same sword."
The woman just scoffed, rolling her eyes as she did. Lee Gilyoung just muffled his laughter into Kim Dokja's side, not wanting to attract her ire. Even Yoo Joonghyuk somehow looked both confused and amused by the situation, which was a nice change from how tense he had been earlier.
'I knew that much. I wouldn't have bought it if I hadn't known,' Dokja sighs to himself as Biryu laughs at him.
[This item is too old for any use. Achieving any performance will be difficult as its durability is low.]
Dokja concentrates, and a brilliantly pure light starts to emanate from the sword, causing both the Warden and dokkaebi to look shocked.
[W-What?! How?!] Biryu states looking enraged.
After killing the Ichthyosaur, I bought this skill from Bihyung.
[The skill 'White Star Weapon Aura' has been activated!]
A flash of light comes from the broken blade of the sword, recreating the rest of it out of magical power.
[The item
[The
[Many constellations are surprised.]
Han Sooyoung's jaw dropped. "Well, shit."
Ha, take that.
"I'm still jealous of that sword, Dokja-ssi," Jung Heewon admitted with a small laugh. "Still, I'm happy with the blade I have now."
Kim Dokja laughed slightly. "Thankfully I planned far enough ahead to have the skill I needed to use it like this in the first place. I knew we might have to get past the Warden somehow, even if I really didn't want to have to do that."
"Ahjussi is so smart!" Shin Yoosung cheered, and even Yoo Mia looked somewhat impressed by his foresight. Huh, maybe he could win that kid over eventually.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' approves of planning ahead.]
The Warden of the Dark attacks once more, however, Dokja is now able to counterattack with the magical blade. When the tentacles strike again, he swiftly slices through them, leaving the Warden of the Dark screaming in pain.
'Now, I have a chance.
I have neither the 'Fighting Sense' skill nor the 'Weapon Training' skill.
'Damn it, the sword's mana consumption is too high,' Dokja pants, bracing his arm on his leg to stay standing. Though his stats have been raised, he knows it's not enough to make up for skill.
So, simply holding a powerful sword doesn't make me a powerful swordsman. I'm not a swordsman. After all, I'm a reader.
Suddenly, lines of text seem to flash around his head as Dokja's eyes glow a bright blue, zooming by as if being quickly scrolled through.
[The effect of your exclusive attribute is improving your memory of pages you have already read.]
Dokja's thoughts are then interrupted by another tentacle smashing into the ground nearby, causing him to have to jump out of the way.
[The exclusive skill 'Bookmark' has been activated.]
A giant, translucent book appears behind Dokja. It opens and starts flipping through pages before stopping as a new window appears.
[Bookmark number two has been activated.]
Readers fight the way a reader would.
[The usage time of the skill 'Bookmark' will be shortened since the skill level is low.]
[Usage time: 1 minute]
A green-tinged translucent figure appears behind Dokja as the windows continue to appear.
[Only a few skills of the character can be activated since your understanding of the selected character is low.]
[The skill 'Weapons Training lvl. 1' has been activated.]
The green figure is revealed to be Hyunsung, as Dokja braces himself for the fight and rushes in. Hyunsung's figure follows his movements, or perhaps it's that Dokja is being puppeted by his phantom.
Lee Hyunsung's eyes widened. "So that's what you meant earlier. I'm really glad that I was able to get you out of this situation, even if only in this way."
"Your skills are truly invaluable, Hyunsung-ssi," Kim Dokja replied, telling the truth. Without Lee Hyunsung on their side, they definitely wouldn't have made it as far as they had.
Even Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to be somewhat approving of his strategy, nodding slightly.
Suddenly, even though she still seemed upset, Yoo Sangah spoke up. "Dokja-ssi, I just noticed something… When this actual fight was happening, I don't ever remember seeing a floating book or a copy of Hyunsung-ssi mirroring your moves… could it just be there to help us visualize how your skill works?"
Huh? Could they not see it? Kim Dokja shrugged and narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. He had always been able to see everyone else's skills if they had some kind of summoned component, so he had assumed everyone could. Was that not the case?
"You need to train more," Yoo Joonghyuk said suddenly, drawing Kim Dokja out of his thoughts. "You shouldn't need to rely on this skill of yours forever for something as simple as wielding a sword, especially as you invest more in your stats."
Kim Dokja blinked for a moment, taken aback. Was that friendly-ish advice from the protagonist? Well, in that case, maybe he could tease a little bit…
"What, are you offering to be my sparring partner?"
Yoo Joonghyuk raised a brow. "Do you want to eat dirt?"
And he could joke too? Who was this man and what happened to Yoo Joonghyuk, resident asshole?
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is squealing excitedly.]
Kim Dokja laughed and held his hands out in front of him as he ignored the archangel's confusing indirect. "Not particularly. I'll stick to sparring with Hyunsung-ssi and Heewon-ssi, then."
Yoo Joonghyuk scoffed a bit. "Lee Jihye will spar with you too."
"I will?" the teenager asked in surprise before she shook her head and started over. "No, wait, yes I will! Ahjussi, I'll make sure you're up to maybe a quarter of Master's standards in no time!"
Hey, he wasn't that bad, was he?
'The tentacle from the upper right will strike first!' Dokja slashes through the tentacles preparing for the right moment '... and after two consecutive attacks…'
Dokja suddenly lunges forward, slicing deeply into the Warden of the Dark's main body. '...There's an opening!'
As the Warden of the Dark speaks in stuttered words, clearly gravely injured, Gilyoung and Sangah watch from the side.
As Sangah aids Myungoh's battered body on the sidelines, she quickly translates what the Warden is saying. "H-How did you know where I'd attack… is what it said."
The Warden falls to the ground with a crash, and Dokja turns to glance at her as the effect of his skill runs out and Hyunsung's figure dissipates.
"I just read a lot of books."
Lee Jihye clenched her fist and looked like she might be moved to tears, which was just weird. "Ahjussi… who let you be that cool, huh?"
She considered that cool? Kim Dokja wasn't particularly sure why, but he would take it. After all, everyone knew that getting the approval of a teenager was actually a huge deal.
"Hyung is always that cool!" Lee Gilyoung insisted, and Shin Yoosung agreed with him. Kim Dokja pretended not to notice how the two of them glared at each other after. Yoo Mia just rolled her eyes and muttered that they were being kids—ironic since she was also a kid, but Kim Dokja had no intention of pointing that out to her right now.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' agrees that the incarnation 'Kim Dokja' looked very cool there.]
He was even getting compliments from Uriel? That was nice, but Kim Dokja just hoped that he wouldn't get an inflated ego from all this praise—especially because he knew that he still had plenty of secrets that would likely get revealed sooner or later.
"Wow, how long have you been waiting to use that line, you edgy protagonist-wannabe?" Han Sooyoung drawled with a cheshire grin on her face.
Ah yes, as if on command, in came Han Sooyoung to get his pride back in check. Kim Dokja just sighed and shook his head.
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' says that it could have been edgier.]