Chapter 40

1 [Main Scenario #3 - Emergency Defense has ended.] [You have received 1,000 coins as a reward.] I thought the next main scenario wouldn’t start until midday. But less than ten minutes after the previous one ended, we were hit with a message. [The fourth main scenario is about to begin!] Damn. The third scenario just finished, but already… I went to Jihye right away. “You stay here with Junghyeok.” “…Are you sure that’ll be okay?” “You won’t be any help down there anyway. Besides, there’s no telling what Junghyeok will do once he wakes up.” Jihye nodded, looking at her mentor, who was still unconscious. “Just let me know when he comes to so I can smack him again.” I headed downstairs with Huiwon right away. Gilyeong had fallen asleep while counting the shooting stars, so I decided to carry him on my back. What was previously a dungeon was now an ordinary cinema, and the reward items on the fifth floor had turned back to mundane stage props, as if everything that had happened yesterday was just a dream. It was then that I heard Bihyeong’s voice. …You know what I’m going to say, right? Yeah. Phew… Seriously, you almost gave me a heart attack. I was a bit relieved to hear Bihyeong’s grumbling voice. Constellations were wealthy and powerful, but they weren’t omniscient. The sights and sounds of the scenarios reached them only through the video and audio feeds of the goblin channels. In other words… Did everything get properly censored? I got carried away and said way too much. Of course it did. Otherwise, my channel would’ve shut down. Information that sensitive gets filtered automatically. If I was right, what I’d said earlier would’ve been censored like this: “Do you really think that? Have you already forgotten your resolve after you for the first time?” “How dare you say you’re alone! When you got …when you were blubbering over your ’s … Even when you had a for the first time with your loved one…!” “When you helped the and battled the ! When you finally stood before the !” I didn’t know exactly how much was censored. In fact, this was the bare minimum. It was probably censored even more heavily. If I recalled correctly, any information related to Junghyeok’s identity as the Regressor was censored like this in the early part of TWSA as well. No worries, the constellations probably didn’t hear anything. The problem is, neither did I… ……You, too? Now that was strange. There was information even goblins weren’t allowed to know? That’s right. Just what the hell did you say to him? Information that was kept even from goblins… I did have a pretty good guess. To think that restrictions of “plausibility” were already coming into play… My mind automatically recalled a line from TWSA: “Plausibility” is a vast deterring force that controls the flow of Star Stream. …I could clearly remember that line, but it wasn’t much help at this point. One of the reasons TWSA did so poorly was that it was full of concepts the author themself didn’t seem to quite understand. How are the constellations reacting to it? They are going nuts. Even now they’re grilling me to reveal what you said. Of course they were. From the constellations’ point of view, it must’ve felt like getting engrossed in a movie, only for the audio to cut out during the climax. Still, the smart constellations probably began paying closer attention to me and the implications of what I’d done, instead of wasting time complaining to Star Stream management. After all, the fact that my words were censored meant that I somehow had access to information I wasn’t supposed to have at this point. [A few constellations who enjoy uncovering secrets have their eyes on you.] [Constellation Secretive Plotter is intrigued by your existence.] [You have received 2,000 coins as a donation.] Bihyeong continued as if he had forgotten something. There were too many comments during all that, so I didn’t bother showing you all of them, okay? That’s fine. In fact, keep doing that from now on. Show me only the messages from the ones who donate a lot of coins. …What am I? Your personal assistant? Bihyeong pouted a bit, then disappeared into thin air. Is it just me or is that ball of fur getting cuter? Anyway, that was one issue resolved. As for the other… “Aren’t you tired? I can take Gilyeong.” “Oh, I’d appreciate that.” I handed Gilyeong over to Huiwon. There was a serious look on her face. I hesitated a bit before talking to her. “Huiwon.” “Yes?” “What’s bothering you?” “No, I just…” She paused before speaking, then sighed. “Haaah…okay. I tried to hold it in, but that’s just not how I am.” As I thought, Huiwon was the type to get straight to the point, rather than trying to dance around it. “Dokja, who are you really?” “…Did you hear anything earlier?” “A little bit.” I thought she had been far enough from us, but unfortunately, she seemed to have caught some of it. After all, she was standing closer to us than Jihye was, and the censoring didn’t work on other humans… I stared for a bit at Gilyeong snoring softly, then decided I should tell her half the truth. “I know some parts of the future.” “Really?” “Yes.” Huiwon looked pensive. She appeared to be trying to figure out whether I was telling the truth or not. At some point, she seemed to reach a decision and bit her lip. “Does Sangah or Hyeonseong know about this?” “No, not yet.” Hearing my honest response, she quickly took a few steps away from me with Gilyeong on her back. “…You won’t suddenly kill me or something, will you?” “Why would I do that?” “I mean, that’s how it goes in movies and stuff. ‘You know too much about me.’ That kind of thing…” What sort of movies had this woman been watching? I felt like I’d become a bad guy somehow. “If that were the case, I would’ve killed you all by now. I’ve had plenty of chances.” “Actually, I thought that was strange, too.” “I didn’t mean that in a bad way. Actually, it was the opposite.” “Opposite?” I looked her in the eyes. “The scenarios will get more and more dangerous from now on. We’ll face countless life-and-death situations and be forced to give up things that are precious to us.” “…And?” “So…” Watching her eyes slowly fill with anxiety, I continued. “…please stay by my side.” “…What do you mean by that?” “I’m asking you to be my ‘companion.’” It was time to gather “my people” whom I could trust. Huiwon was the right person, since I had awakened her potential and I could read her mind. She looked a bit taken aback, then pursed her lips. “What, you didn’t think of me as one this whole time?” “It’s the opposite. Just because I thought of you as my companion doesn’t mean you did, too.” She seemed conflicted. I took a step back emphatically. “If ‘companion’ is too much, consider it an arrangement. I need your strength, and you need my knowledge. It’s a give-and-take. What’s important is that we maintain this relationship into the future.” “This is a bit sudden… Do I have to answer you now?” “Of course not.” With someone like Huiwon, it was better to approach slowly, rather than making an emotional appeal here and now. Indeed, she didn’t seem to mind. [Character Huiwon Jeong is relieved by your honesty.] [Character Huiwon Jeong begins to consider your suggestion sincerely.] She wouldn’t take too much time to make her decision. After all, I’d helped her get to where she was now, so it was likely that she subconsciously saw me as someone she could rely on. After this scenario was over, there would be a second round of Sponsor Selection. Huiwon would finally get a sponsoring constellation then. That’s when she would begin to reach her true potential. “Then can I ask you something?” “Sure.” “In the future you see, what am I doing?” I looked up at the empty air above us. This is being properly censored, right? “I don’t know.” “…What?” “Because you were not in the future I’ve known.” “What’s that supposed to…?” “That’s why this arrangement will be beneficial to you.” Her eyes went wide. Huiwon Jeong was a variable that wasn’t in the original story—one I discovered on my own. She now had an excellent attribute. If she could find a good sponsoring constellation, she’d play a key part in my plans for altering future scenarios. Especially when we had to face enemies who possessed other variables I didn’t know about. At that moment, we heard a loud noise from below. “Anyway, give it some thought. But for now, let’s hurry back.” We quickly passed the turnstiles and went down to the platform. There was a large group surrounding and threatening a smaller group. I realized what was happening right away. The Landlord Coalition. Looks like they still haven’t learned their lesson. “Where’s that bastard Dokja Kim? You’d better tell us now!” When I looked closer, I saw Hyeonseong, looking flustered among the Coalition members. I made loud footsteps on purpose as I approached them. “Hyeonseong. Sangah.” “It’s him!” As soon as we arrived on the Line 4 platform, one of the Coalition members shouted. I spotted a familiar face among their ranks. Evidence of the fierce battle from last night was visible all over his body. Even at a glance, I could tell his stats had leveled up a quite a bit. Very good. “Pildu Gong.” He glared at me, and a whopping eight turrets rose up from his “Militarized Zone.” He was surrounded by other landlords, who seemed to have regained their smug sense of superiority. Did they already forget I saved them? How ungrateful. “You little shit…! I’ll—” Pildu was about to say something, then flinched in surprise as electric currents began to form in the air. [The fourth main scenario will begin in five minutes.] Bihyeong appeared with the system message. Ha-ha-ha. How’s everyone been? People’s faces grew dark at the sound of his mischievous voice. Looks like you’re doing great! “You again? What is it this time?” Naturally, I’m here to announce the fourth main scenario. “Ugh…” Now, now! Settle down and listen to me. The whiney ones always die first, you know? Anyway, the next scenario will involve people from other stations. It’ll be one heck of an adventure! I’m sure you’ll love it! People’s faces grew even darker after they heard the scenario would involve people from other stations. They had gone through hell just to survive in Chungmuro. It was clear that things would spiral out of control once the other stations came into play. Bihyeong chuckled. But before you can start the next scenario, you have to first go through a selection process. With so many people, it’s gonna get chaotic, right? That’s why you need someone to impose order. In other words, you need to choose the leader of this station! A leader, huh? It’s finally begun. Think of this as a prelude to the main game, or a warm-up. The rules are… Well, you know how to read, right?! Bihyeong vanished with an evil smile, and a message window appeared in front of everyone. [A sub scenario has arrived!] <Sub Scenario - Electing a Leader> Category: Sub Difficulty: E Mission: Take control of the white flag located in the middle of the platform. Time Limit: 30 minutes Reward: 1,000 coins, become the leader of Chungmuro Penalty for Failure:— *The leader will have complete authority over the group members. Pildu Gong was already running toward the flag before the message window was completely up. Say what you will about that guy; he knows how to think on his feet. “Out of my way!” He pushed people aside like an out-of-control train and reached the flag in the blink of an eye. I don’t think so. Just as his thick hand was about to touch the flag, I spoke up. “Pildu! Get down!” [You have exercised your authority to command Pildu Gong.] “Ack!” I gently stepped on his back and grabbed the white flag. [You have pulled the white flag from the flag slot.] [You have become the leader of Chungmuro.] [You have acquired the right to walk the King’s Path.]