There were 40 hours remaining until the end of the scenario.
The tension between Gehrman and Kim Dokja weighed upon the other members, but the ones in question pretended that nothing was wrong.
Kim Dokja cleared his throat and finally told the reason he gathered them here.
"This journey won't be easy. If we can't take Changsin Station in the next 40 hours, our group will be wiped out. However, our current forces aren't enough."
"Well, since when has it been easy? Who is the opponent?"
He replied to Jung Heewon's question. "He is called the Tyrant King. He is one of the top seven kings of Seoul and the king with the largest territory."
Jung Heewon looked confused.
"Even if that Yoo Joonghyuk guy doesn't help, can't Van still wipe him out easily?"
She omitted Gehrman's name since the tension going on between him and Kim Dokja told her the reader may not want to ask him for help.
Kim Dokja paused for a moment. Come to think of it, that was right. Van should be able to easily kill anyone in his way.
"…I have another plan."
He hadn't worked on a fake novel for nothing. He also needed to overcome obstacles by himself to create his own stories.
Lee Hyunsung asked this time. "What type of person is he?"
"He is someone who started from Dobong-gu and built his own kingdom. He says that any beautiful or handsome man and woman will become concubines, while any ugly people will be killed or become slaves."
Jung Heewon frowned. "If Dokja-ssi is caught, you will become a slave."
"…Well, I think it will be dangerous for Heewon-ssi."
"Being a concubine is difficult… Why don't we just go ahead and kill him?"
Van brushed away the nonsense, "So what is the plan?"
As a member of this station, his fate currently rested on the station representative's shoulders for the duration of this scenario. It was better to stick with the representative or the flagpole in case of unforeseen variables.
Of course, if Lenoch saw that he was going to die because Kim Dokja failed to conquer the target station within the given time, he wouldn't hesitate to take the matter into his own hands and replace the station representative to become a king himself.
However, for now, it didn't seem necessary.
"We will go to Gwanghwamun."
"Huh? Didn't you say not to fight them?"
"They will come to us."
"Why?"
"I leaked a bit of information. We have to consider the time he moves so we will leave soon. Everyone should be prepared… eh?"
"…What is it?"
Kim Dokja subtly smiled at Yoo Sangah's question.
"Nothing. It is just happening faster than I expected."
He looked down at his smartphone, reading a message, and soon said.
"I'm sorry but I will sleep for a while."
"…Aren't you taking it too easy?"
"I also need to sleep."
Kim Dokja lay down. Yoo Sangah covered him with a thin blanket and Jung Heewon found it absurd.
Meanwhile, Gehrman looked down at Kim Dokja.
He was pretty sure this guy had tried to kill him twice.
Even if the first had been a coincidence, the second definitely wasn't.
Yet, he was now sleeping in front of him without a care in the world?
And as a station representative, was it really okay to take things so leisurely?
However, even when he had checked above Sefirah Castle, his divination still told him to stick with Kim Dokja. It shouldn't have been interfered with.
'What is wrong with my divinations?'
Klein started to have some serious doubts about his interpretation of past divinations for a while.
Yes, maybe he had made a mistake and interpreted it incorrectly, and people shouldn't rely on divination blindly but make their own choices…
Lee Gilyoung saw Gehrman staring at Kim Dokja and met the madman's gaze.
The kid stood in front of his guardian defensively.
Then, he opened his mouth.
"Ahjussi already has someone he likes."
The corner of Klein's lips twitched.
This situation was ridiculous.
Shin Yoosoung tilted her head.
***
[Huhu, this is really surprising. All the key people are gathered.]
An intermediate dokkaebi appeared out of thin air.
[Shouldn't good children be awarded a prize?]
There was the sound of something starting to rise from the centre of Gwanghwamun.
It was a single throne covered with a golden light.
There were gasps everywhere in Gwanghwamun. There wasn't an explanation yet but all the kings would've realized it at this moment.
Only a single king could take that throne.
[The main scenario has been updated!]
[Main scenario # 4 – The King's Qualifications has begun.]
+
[Main Scenario # 4 – The King's Qualifications]
Category: Main
Difficulty: A
Clear Conditions: Occupy the 'Absolute Throne' located at Gwanghwamun.
Time Limit: 8 hours.
Compensation: 10,000 coins
Failure: ―
* This scenario can only be challenged by those who have completed the hidden scenario 'King's Road'.
* The absolute king has absolute commands over all the other kings.
* There are additional special clear conditions for this scenario.
+
Gehrman also looked at the throne.
Somehow, it gave him an ominous feeling.
He decided to make a divination in Sefirah Castle about it.
"Ahjussi, where are you going?"
He patted Shin Yoosoung's head and left her with Van. At least, the mage who had protected her during the green zones scenario should be more trustworthy than the one who had tried to kill him—his divination also told her there wouldn't be any danger.
"To the bathroom."
And he had to test a few things.
Leaving the group, Gehrman put up a wall of spirituality and went up to the gray fog.
After he left, Kim Dokja sent Van to the National Palace Museum in Gwanghwamun. The plan couldn't be delayed anymore.
"Wasn't the 'hidden piece' just a bait to trap the prophets?"
"How do you know- Nevermind," Kim Dokja sighed. "The part about the 'hidden piece' wasn't a lie, the artifacts and the Four Yin Demonic Beheading Sword do exist. However, while everyone is focused on the sword, we can use that opportunity to get the other artifacts in the National Palace Museum."
"Should I also get the sword?"
"There is no need."
Thus, Van was sent to the Seoul History Museum to get the Ganpyeongui—a relic of the Joseon Dynasty that resembles a disc.
Along with Shin Yoosoung and Lee Gilyoung.
"Dokja hyung?"
"Go with them."
Right now, being next to Van would be the safest.
***
Sitting at the head of the long mottled table, Klein looked at the ground.
He hadn't paid attention last time since he was in a hurry, but items in the trash pile were still here.
Like the Sea God Scepter.
He decided not to bring them into the real world for now, but keep them as a hidden card. He also had an intuition that he shouldn't bring them out of the gray fog.
At least, since he died, he could now freely access Sefirah Castle again. He had Kim Dokja to thank for this.
The real question was: would these items still have an influence on the real world from here?
Could he fire lightning to reinforce his image as a constellation?
Klein opened the channel where Shin Yoosoung was and spied on them.
In front of him, Van followed by Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosoung walked through a big corridor, their surroundings empty.
[The constellation, 'The Fool', is looking at you.]
Shin Yoosoung ignored the notification. Receiving these kinds of messages was common.
Van bent down to the corpse of a dead incarnation. (He hadn't killed them, they were already dead when they arrived.)
Remembering the functions of the dokkaebi bag he had heard from Kim Dokja in passing, he picked up the person's weapon—at least, tried to.
"…"
However, it was too heavy.
Shin Yoosoung came close and lifted the artifact instead, showing no signs of struggle.
Then, the mage was met with two gazes filled with pity.
"…"
Van was faced with the reality that he was weaker than children.
[The constellation, 'The Fool', pretends he hasn't seen anything.]
Oops, that came out as a notification.
Klein turned his gaze away and looked somewhere.
Searching through Ganghwamun for bad guys he could grill without problem, his eyes finally settled on a place.
'Found it.'
Then, Klein used the Sea God Scepter on them and watched.
On the screen, lightning came from the sky and electrocuted them, blue sparks surrounding the scene.
Tsutsutsutsu.
Klein's skin tingled. Some blue sparks also appeared above Sefirah Castle and surrounded him, making him wince in pain. He mobilized the gray fog to fight back against it and it soon disappeared.
Once it was over, Klein analyzed the previous scene.
'The attack was weaker than the Sea God's usual power…'
It seemed like the Star Stream was trying to stop him, and it materialized as blue sparks… (Klein didn't know yet that it was called probability constraints.)
However, interfering with the real word was still possible.
On Kim Dokja's side, the reader, Lee Hyunsung and Yoo Sangah had also entered a three-person dungeon separately but were moved to a different place than Van's group.
Once they stabbed one of the acupuncture points on the copper man, their body scattered into powder, explaining why there were no monster corpses around Van.
[Your party is the first to hunt 100 Acupuncture Copper Man!]
[You have cleared the three person dungeon.]