After finding some clothes, the party came back to Chungmuro Station and reunited with Yoo Sangah and Lee Gilyoung.
"What happened here?"
Not knowing about the apostles' attack, Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung saw the cut off heads lined up side by side on the railroad tracks.
As Kim Dokja looked around for Yoo Joonghyuk, he saw Van scrutinizing a head with the number '1' on it.
Surprisingly, the head in question was moving and seemed to be yelling something, but they couldn't hear any sound from it.
Noticing their arrival, Van dispelled the sound barrier around him and threw the head toward them with magic.
It landed near Gehrman Sparrow.
"You! Who are you guys? This wasn't supposed to happen…"
Ignoring the talking head, Van explained through the group chat.
—This isn't the main body. With some time, I should be able to trace it back to its owner. I only need 3, no, 2 minutes.
In his memories, Kim Dokja recalled a similar skill.
'The Avatar ability…'
Van must have used the group chat to prevent the fake from severing the link in case they discovered their intentions. Regardless, as long as Kim Dokja could stall for 2 minutes, this head could lead them to the 'real' one.
Thankfully, the severed head continued to speak.
"Wow, I am really impressed. Pretending to be Yoo Joonghyuk, beating the apostles and the dragon… What is your identity? What are you?"
Kim Dokja stared at the head.
As far as he knew, there were very few people who could use the 'Avatar' ability in Ways of Survival.
"You, are you perhaps a writer?"
The lips of the 1st Apostle subtly twisted.
"Writer… do you mean the creator of the Book of Revelations? You have found out. That's right, I wrote the Book of Revelations."
Kim Dokja felt like he was hearing nonsense.
"Yes. At the same time, I am also the sole owner of the Book of Revelations."
[The character 'Yoo Joonghyuk' has used 'Lie Detection Lv. 6'.]
[The character Yoo Joonghyuk has confirmed that the statement is true.]
Kim Dokja started to panic.
He hid his confusion and asked again, "What exactly is the 'revelation' you are talking about?"
"Why are you asking when you already know? A great epic about the future."
[The character Yoo Joonghyuk has confirmed that the statement is true.]
Kim Dokja's mind was in a mess.
How was it possible? Was this person really the author?
It couldn't be.
"What's your name?" Van inquired.
The head giggled like a leisurely villain.
"You can call me the 1st Apostle."
The reader stared at the head with complicated eyes.
At least, it was a good thing that Van had chosen to track the real body's location instead of using the same skill as last time—which left the minds of the ones it was used on permanently damaged.
Anyway, with all these eyes around him, the situation wasn't really appropriate to interrogate this person further. It would be better to continue once they found the real body.
Kim Dokja threw out another unimportant question, "Why did you attack our station?"
The answer was also predictable. Out of the corner of his eye, Kim Dokja looked at Van.
2 minutes must have passed by now.
Van asked, "So, you are in XXX Station?"
The head's eyes widened.
Judging from the first Apostle's reaction, Van concluded that it couldn't cut off the connection between the fake and the main body arbitrarily. A faint smile formed on his face.
[The constellation, 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon', laughs evilly.]
[The constellation, 'Monarch of Stars and Logic', sneers.]
[The constellation, 'Bald General of Justice', looks away.]
Kim Dokja shuddered.
Then, the head started to spout nonsense.
"Yoo Joonghyuk!"
That guy started to beg Van.
"Yoo Joonghyuk! Work with me!"
Van was dumbfounded.
'Wait, don't tell me?'
Kim Dokja finally realized what was happening.
A black coat, cold gaze, mainly expressionless face…
'Did the first Apostle misunderstand that Van was Yoo Joonghyuk?'
This was ridiculous.
"As I said before, I know all of the revelations. Only I can take you to the end of this road in this world!"
However, it also worked for the best.
The corner of Gehrman's lips twitched at the scene.
"Think carefully! You can't break through the 46th scenario alone. You have to hold hands with me to defeat Anna Croft and the Chalatustra!"
The reader glanced at Yoo Joonghyuk observing them from a corner upstairs. As expected, since he had used Lie Detection, the regressor had been standing nearby.
Van looked at Kim Dokja.
The severed head continued to speak, "Kill him! You should know that he is dangerous. He pretended to be you and will seriously damage you in the future. If you leave him alone, he will cause a serious butterfly effect and ruin all your plans!"
Van finally said something, "…Isn't it the same for you?"
"I am different! Yoo Joonghyuk, hold hands with me. I will give you a vow or whatever you want! I will never betray you!"
"I see. Joining hands…"
Van pretended to consider it for a moment.
The mage's gaze on the reader was chilling. For a moment, Kim Dokja thought he might really kill him.
'…No, right?'
He should be just pretending.
"Go ahead and kill him! Kill him!"
"…"
"Kill him!"
Van thought the situation was absurd.
However, maybe he could take advantage of that misunderstanding in the future. In that case, it would be better to end things now and find the real body later.
Using gravity magic, Van trampled on the head of the 1st Apostle.
"Kuk… what?"
The drug addict imitated Yoo Joonghyuk's tone and said, "If you really know the future then let me ask you one thing."
"What?"
He materialized a fake sword out of thin air (with illusion magic) and pointed it at Kim Dokja's neck.
Kim Dokja wondered how the Apostle hadn't noticed that the mage wasn't carrying a sword before. Hadn't Van used magic to kill them? Or was the Apostle defeated so fast that he assumed it wasn't magic but swordsmanship? Come to think of it, Van and Yoo Joonghyuk's habits were really similar; why would the mage even cut off their heads and line them on the railroad tracks?
Van questioned the first Apostle.
"I will ask you. Will I kill this guy now or not?"
"What?"
"If you have really received a revelation of the future, you will know my choice."
Did the mage somehow find out what happened on the bridge?
It was scary how similar his behavior was to the regressor. Had they spent too much time together recently?
At that moment, Kim Dokja felt thankful that it wasn't the real Yoo Joonghyuk standing there.
The face of the 1st Apostle looked agonized. Surprisingly, the answer came quickly.
"Of course you will kill him! You must do it!"
It was a face full of strong convictions. His face was arrogantly assured that Yoo Joonghyuk would act like this.
"Come on, kill him! And…!"
However, he didn't know.
The one facing him wasn't Yoo Joonghyuk.
The sword moved. But what followed wasn't the sound of flesh being cut.
Kwajik!
The head of the 1st Apostle burst as it was stepped on.
After briefly checking that the avatar was indeed dead, the fake 'sword' disappeared from Van's hand.
Upstairs, Kim Dokja saw Yoo Joonghyuk move away. He called out to him.
"Yoo Joonghyuk, wait!"
The regressor looked back.
"I know what your plan is. Aren't you going towards Jung-gu? It is your goal to complete the black flag by walking the King's Road. I will help you."
Yoo Joonghyuk's hand moved toward the hilt of his sword.
"I would rather take your flag right now."
Despite the warning, Kim Dokja provoked him.
"Then try it. Is your sword faster or my tongue faster?
Jung Heewon's expression turned strange. Not noticing it, Kim Dokja continued.
"You don't need to go towards Jung-gu. Go to the north. The territory of the Tyrant King will be yours and it will help you make your grand flag. Getting a flag and removing the enemy, isn't it killing two birds with one stone?"
"I can do it myself."
"There are 48 hours left until the end of the fourth scenario. Can you occupy 20 stations and complete the black flag in that time?"
Yoo Joonghyuk's hands hesitated.
"Besides… don't you have a reason for going north? Surely you aren't going to throw away your family member at this time?"
"…You."
"Remain calm. I am speaking in good faith. I really will help."
Yoo Joonghyuk glared at him with killing intent.
***
Now that Kim Dokja had learned that Van was suicidal, the mage's presence was less scary. He somehow seemed less intimidating than before.
The reader was lost in thought.
The Apostles, the fire dragon, the writer…
「At the same time, I am also the sole owner of the Book of Revelations.」
If the 1st Apostle had really been the writer, he would have known that Kim Dokja also possessed a text version.
However, a 'text version'…
Kim Dokja had an idea.
Indeed, there was a good way to attract the Tyrant King and the first Apostle in the same place.
Kim Dokja addressed Lee Sungkook and Jung Minseob, "From now on, we will make a text of the Book of Revelations and spread it."
With Han Donghoon's skills to share the novel on internet (not for free), they would reveal a hidden piece as bait.
'And I will find out if that guy is really the writer—and if not, uncover who he really is.'
Kim Dokja resolved himself.
Meanwhile, while Kim Dokja was busy with the prophets, Yoo Sangah talked to the others in private.
"It's about Van."
Gehrman looked at Yoo Sangah's worried face in silence.
Jung Heewon questioned, "Did he cause an incident again?"
Klein thought the same thing, and Lee Hyunsung unconsciously nodded on the side.
However, Yoo Sangah shook her head.
"No… While you were all away, I found out some concerning information… I overheard him say something."
Question marks appeared in their minds.
Finally, with a resolute expression, Yoo Sangah stopped wavering and relayed the words. Although she didn't want to leak someone's personal affairs, it was also for his own good. She wouldn't be able to help him alone.
"Van is suicidal?" Jung Heewon was shocked.
She wouldn't have imagined that from the mage.
Yoo Sangah added, "Also, has anyone seen him sleep at night until now?"
Jung Heewon, Lee Hyungsung and Gehrman Sparrow shook their heads one after another.
Yoo Sangah's face paled.
"I asked Lee Jihye-ssi before, and she hadn't seen him sleep either."
Silence hung between them for a few seconds as the realization settled in.
"That means he has been overexerting himself, even before we came to Chungmuro…"
He probably hadn't taken a good rest since the beginning of the apocalypse.
Jung Heewon analyzed, "He smokes a lot and sometimes takes injections." Her voice gradually became lower, "Addictions to drugs are often caused by depression, to escape reality…"
The signs had been under their noses all along, but they hadn't noticed.
The dark circles, the constant smoking…
In the distance, they could see Lee Jihye talking to Van. Yoo Sangah had chosen this moment when the mage was distracted.
"We have to decide on a course of action."
From now on, they would monitor his state and make sure to treat him better. Of course, they would also pretend to know nothing and act as usual—with the mage's personality, showing pity could make things worse. He must have hidden it because he didn't want his state to be known.
Gehrman watched in silence.
'But depression didn't appear among Van's emotions when I opened the Spirit Vision…?'
Although the mage was indeed tired.
At that moment, the child in his arms stirred.
Regaining consciousness, Shin Yoosoung dazedly raised her head and met the gaze of Gehrman Sparrow.
She held her breath.
"Ahjussi…?"
He was alive.
She could see him, right in front of her. Moving.
In response to her call, Gehrman hummed.
It was real.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
Then, with no explanation, Shin Yoosoung suddenly burst into tears.
She hugged Gehrman tightly, feeling the man hesitate before softly patting her on the back, which made her cry even more.
Under the confused gazes of the others, Gehrman stepped away to comfort the kid.