SSS-Rank Talent (4)
Kim Dokja glared at Lee Seolhwa and said,
“Why don’t you stop? Unless you all want to die together.”
The lackey standing beside Lee Seolhwa looked ready to snap at Kim Dokja’s words and open his mouth.
I pointed my index finger at the man before he could speak.
“You say to Dokja, ‘You bastard, who the hell are you?!’”
“You bastard, who the hell are you… Huh?!”
The man froze, staring at me in blank shock when I perfectly predicted the exact line he had been about to spit out.
It wasn’t just him. The rest of Antinus’s group members around him, Lee Seolhwa (Antinus) herself, and even Kim Dokja all turned to stare at me with the same stunned expressions.
A number of Constellations remark that they never knew you could do the shell-game prediction trick either, then stare at you in shock!
Clench!
Hell yeah! Finally getting to use Joseph Joestar’s prediction trick!
I almost teared up. Ever since I was a kid watching Joseph Joestar pull that stunt, how badly had I wanted to copy it…
The pure satisfaction of living out a childhood dream made me clench my fist without thinking.
I shrugged under the weight of every stare now locked on me.
“Stop staring at me and say whatever you were going to say already.”
You really want to waste time on me?
“…………….”
Kim Dokja shot me a look that clearly said this is all your fault, then turned back to Lee Seolhwa, cleared her throat, and continued.
“Ahem…! What exactly are you thinking? Stop the hatching of the Disaster right now.”
Lee Seolhwa snorted a laugh.
“And if I refuse?”
“Then you die here.”
Shing.
Kim Dokja drew her sword without a second’s hesitation.
“That bastard…!”
The man who seemed to fancy himself Lee Seolhwa’s loyal retainer looked ready to explode again and reached for his own blade—
Swoosh.
Lee Seolhwa raised a hand and stopped him. Or so I thought.
Snicker.
When I looked closer, a mocking smile was already curling across her face.
At that smile I quietly turned my head toward the spot where the Disaster meteor sat.
Kiiiiik…!
Kik…! Kiik…!
8th-grade Outer Species, ‘Insect Human, Nam Minhyuk’ reveals hostility toward you.
8th-grade Outer Species, ‘Insect Human, Jeong Minji’ reveals hostility toward you.
8th-grade Outer Species, ‘Insect Human, Kim Gapil’ reveals hostility toward you.
The people who had been praying toward the Disaster meteor all rose as one, eyes full of murderous intent fixed on us.
And every single one of them looked like a grotesque mix of human and insect.
None of them were human anymore. Their faces were warped hybrids of insect and man, arms and legs already transformed into insect limbs, and insect wings sprouting from their backs.
Some wore the form of ants, others wasps, still others the shape of rhinoceros beetles.
I propped my chin on my hand as I looked them over.
Gilyoung would love this aesthetic.
I’d been so scattered lately I hadn’t been able to look after Lee Gilyoung properly. Maybe I should grab one of these and bring it back as a present for him?
Shing.
Kim Dokja leveled her sword at the Insect Humans, clearly about to activate Blade of Faith.
I stopped her and walked straight toward them.
“Park Jinwoo?”
“Leave this to me.”
Ever since I’d first seen these Insect Humans in the webtoon, there was something I’d been dying to try.
Purchasing ‘F●killa’ from the General Store.
“Ha…?”
A considerable number of Constellations stare at you with faces that say ‘surely not…’
The Demon King, ‘Demon God of Wrath and Lust,’ clutches his belly and roars with laughter at the F-kil●a in your hand!
I could feel Kim Dokja and every Constellation except that one Demon King staring at my back with expressions of pure disbelief at what I’d just bought.
I ignored them all and gave the ●F-killa I’d purchased from the General Store a good shake.
Shake shake shake.
Once it was properly mixed I walked up to the Insect Human closest to me, can in hand.
And then—
Hissssss!
—I sprayed it straight into his face.
“…Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo! What the hell kind of bullshit is this….”
The man who’d taken a direct faceful of insecticide stood there completely fine. In fact he looked ready to spit curses at me for daring to spray him.
“………What?”
Goosebumps rose on my skin at the sight of an Insect Human taking a full blast of F-kil●a and not even flinching.
Unable to accept reality, I sprayed his face and body several more times.
Hiss! Hiss! Hissssss!
Still nothing. The man remained perfectly healthy after multiple direct hits of F●lla.
“Th-that can’t be right?! You’re Insect Humans, aren’t you? Bugs? And this is the famous F●killa? You’re not even dropping after this?”
“…………….”
“…………….”
“…………….”
A number of Constellations mutter quietly that they feel secondhand embarrassment for no reason.
I could feel the Insect Humans in front of me, Kim Dokja and Lee Seolhwa behind me, and every Constellation above all staring with the same “are you serious” energy.
No. Not yet. There was still one experiment left.
“I’m buying a sprayer and Miracle★Powder from the General Store.”
12 Coins consumed.
I ignored the blank stares still fixed on me, filled the sprayer with water, scraped a good amount of powder from the Miracle★Powder packet, and dumped it into the water.
Shake! Shake! Shake!
I mixed the Miracle★Powder and water vigorously until it was well blended, aimed the sprayer at the Insect Human, and fired.
Pssht! Pssht!
“W-well? Different this time, right? Body heating up a little? Any weird sensation at all?”
The Insect Human let out a small sigh, shifted his limbs around, and answered,
“…No. I don’t feel anything special.”
“That’s impossible. On ★Tube it worked great! I saw whole swarms of cockroaches drop dead with my own two eyes! Let’s wait five minutes. No—ten minutes!”
“…………….”
The Insect Human quietly turned his head toward Lee Seolhwa. The look in his eyes clearly asked, What should we do about this?
I followed his gaze, turned to Lee Seolhwa myself, and shouted,
“Hey! Honestly, waiting five minutes won’t kill you, right?! This is a century-defining showdown between the pride of humanity and the pride of bugs!!”
“………Are you two just lost clowns who wandered in by accident?”
Lee Seolhwa muttered under her breath while eyeing both me and Kim Dokja. Kim Dokja covered her face with the hand not holding her sword and let out a long, suffering sigh.
“…Jinwoo. I’m embarrassed enough for both of us. Please just stop….”
A number of Constellations agree that they should listen to ‘Kim Dokja’ this time and cover their faces with their hands.
“But….”
Hearing the pure shame in Kim Dokja’s and the Constellations’ voices, I slumped my shoulders in deep disappointment. I had never once imagined every single method would fail.
No—I hadn’t even considered the possibility. Who the hell expects bug bastards to tank insecticide and keep walking?
I poured every ounce of that frustration straight at the Insect Humans in front of me and roared,
“You’re Insect Humans, right?! The ‘Insect’ in front of ‘Human’ is the bug character, isn’t it?! So why the hell aren’t you dying after getting sprayed with insecticide—?!”
At my shout the Insect Humans started scratching their heads and murmuring among themselves.
“You’re asking us….”
“We only just became Insect Humans, so we don’t really know either?”
“When you put it like that, now I’m curious too. Does anyone know?”
The muttering swelled until it sounded like a full-blown flea market.
Lee Seolhwa’s expression, which had been watching quietly, began to twist.
“…Enough.”
Freeze.
At that single word every Insect Human who had been chattering stopped dead.
“Kill them.”
Whoosh.
Murderous intent flooded back into their eyes. They locked onto us with full killing aura and tensed their bodies for the charge.
Watching them coil, I muttered under my breath,
“Ah hell—we’re screwed.”
As the Insect Humans looked ready to rush me I activated a skill at once.
Exclusive Skill, ‘Enchant Lv.7’ has been activated!
“Double fire-attribute overlay on F-Kil★a.”
Fire attribute temporarily granted to F★lla.
“Kiiiiik!”
“Kill them!”
The Insect Humans charged as one to kill me and Kim Dokja.
Some took to the air on wings; others scuttled forward on insect legs. I aimed the nozzle of the F★lla at them and declared,
“Consider it an honor. Die knowing this is 21st-century Dragon Breath.”
Fwoooooosh—!
“Kyaaaaak…?!”
“Kiiiiit…!”
“Ki, kyaaak!”
I roasted the Insect Humans charging me first with Dragon Breath. Even without overwhelming firepower, bugs were still bugs—they went up in flames beautifully.
This Sub Scenario is a Coin Event scenario.
A total of 13,400 Coins have been acquired from the monsters.
By the time I’d emptied the whole can, dozens of Insect Humans had burned to death.
“I guess fire works better than insecticide after all….”
What a bitter reality. If they’d just died to the spray we all could have saved ourselves the trouble.
That was when Kim Dokja charged Lee Seolhwa with her sword.
Clang!
When her holy relic, the Unbreakable Faith, was blocked by Lee Seolhwa’s arm, Kim Dokja looked faintly surprised.
“Khrrk!”
Looking closer, the arm that had stopped Kim Dokja’s blade had turned a deep blue-black.
That’s the Venomous Claw, right?
It looked pretty cool, actually….
I stared at Lee Seolhwa’s stylish Venomous Claw with open envy.
Kiiing!
Kim Dokja and Lee Seolhwa locked strength for a moment, then Lee Seolhwa—whose stats were lower—was forced back several steps with a strained expression.
Kim Dokja eyed her for a beat before speaking.
“Give up. If the Disaster hatches it won’t benefit you either. This Sub Scenario doesn’t even have a failure penalty, does it?”
At those words Lee Seolhwa shot a nervous glance toward the Disaster meteor. Kim Dokja noticed the strange reaction and studied her carefully.
After a moment of staring at something only she could see, Kim Dokja’s eyes widened in surprise, then she composed herself and began to speak calmly.
She must have confirmed with her exclusive skill, Character List, that Lee Seolhwa was infected by a Parasite.
“The Fifth Scenario is based on the motif of ‘Chronos’s Disaster.’”
The moment the words “Chronos’s Disaster” left Kim Dokja’s mouth, Lee Seolhwa’s pupils trembled as she stared at her.
Kim Dokja ignored the reaction and continued in a flat tone.
“On the day Chronos fell, the five ruling species of Chronos each selected one hero. Five heroes who would survive the humiliation of extinction and carry on Chronos’s bloodline.”
“…………….”
“They were sent to another world through a Star Stream contract. In exchange for encountering other species and stopping the Disaster that would arise there, they were promised their lives. In this place they’re called ‘Guides.’”
“Kiiiiit!”
The moment Kim Dokja finished, a cry that was no longer human tore from Lee Seolhwa’s throat.
It was the exact same voice the Insect Humans had used earlier.
Lee Seolhwa glared at Kim Dokja and demanded,
“How does a human of Earth know such things?”
Kim Dokja’s face hardened. She began speaking the name of the ‘Guide’ currently occupying Lee Seolhwa’s body.
“You’re not ‘Lee Seolhwa.’ Am I wrong? Queen of the Parasites, ‘Antinus.’”
“Kit…?!”
Antinus’s face stiffened as Kim Dokja correctly identified her. Then Lee Seolhwa’s pupils turned red, and her whites began transforming into insect compound eyes.
“Oh shit….”
The moment Lee Seolhwa’s eyes finished turning into reverse eyes, I quietly pulled an instant camera out of My Room behind Kim Dokja’s back.
Unaware of what I was doing, Kim Dokja kept glaring at the Antinus in front of her.
“You’re not even doing your job as a ‘Guide.’ Why are you waking the Disaster?”
5th-grade Insect King Species, ‘Parasite Antinus’ glares at Incarnation ‘Kim Dokja.’
“Kit…!”
At Kim Dokja’s words, insect carapace began erupting across every part of Lee Seolhwa’s body except her face. Then her mouth split open, teeth rearranging and the corners of her lips tearing until she took on a fully insectoid maw.
Click click click.
The second I confirmed the transformation I frantically mashed the shutter of the instant camera, shooting in silence.
One of the few black-history photos of Lee Seolhwa—Get!
Unlike the rest of the party, Lee Seolhwa almost never had embarrassing moments. Having successfully captured this rare sight, I carefully tucked the photos into the “Party Members’ Black History Archive” inside My Room like precious treasure.
“Ahem… shhh….”
Having safely stored my newly acquired treasures, I left Kim Dokja and Antinus—who still hadn’t noticed a thing—and looked up at the sky, pressing an index finger to my lips.
A few Constellations full of mischief smile and nod at your actions.
Kim Dokja looked down at the charred corpses of the Insect Humans I had roasted with my 21st-century Dragon Breath (insecticide) and continued.
“The humans here are ones you infected on your own whim, aren’t they? Why did you do it?”
“Kiiiit….”
“What do you gain by waking the Disaster early? Weren’t you Guides supposed to stop the ‘Disaster’ together with the people of Earth and build a new world in harmony with us?”
“Kyaaat!!”
Antinus gathered power in her legs and leapt at Kim Dokja with everything she had.
Clang!
Kim Dokja, whose overall stats currently sat a little higher than those of the Antinus occupying Lee Seolhwa’s body, casually blocked the attack as if she had expected it.
Grab.
Then she seized Antinus by the collar and glared down at her.
“Why the hell are you trying to destroy a world that’s already been terraformed?!”
Kim Dokja tightened her grip and hurled Antinus into the nearby wall with full force.
Boom!
“Kehek…! To a mere human…!”
Antinus slammed hard into the wall under Kim Dokja’s hand and muttered through bloody lips. Pure hatred for humanity dripped from every word.
Kim Dokja watched her for a moment, then stepped closer.
“This violates your mission. It’s not too late. Get out of that body right now.”
Shing.
Kim Dokja leveled her sword at Antinus, who sat slumped against the wall with blood at the corner of her mouth, and shouted,
“Carry out your proper duty as a ‘Guide,’ Antinus!”
Antinus glared back with everything she had.
Then Kim Dokja suddenly looked startled and whipped her head toward where I stood.
Rattle.
At that exact moment a window of My Room abruptly opened beside me. Inside it I saw Yoo Joonghyuk being supported by Shin Yooseung, and Shin Yooseung supporting Yoo Joonghyuk in turn.
Yoo Joonghyuk? Yooseung?
More importantly, that woman was being supported by an eleven-year-old Shin Yooseung? By my kid?
Looking closer, Shin Yooseung’s arms and legs were trembling slightly from the effort of holding Yoo Joonghyuk up.
I tore my eyes away from the struggling Shin Yooseung for a second and glanced between Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja.
Those two were probably mid-conversation right now, just like the midday secret meeting in the webtoon.
I shifted my gaze past Kim Dokja, who was still staring at the window beside me.
And that was when I saw black liquid beginning to pour from every part of Lee Seolhwa’s body as she sat slumped against the wall.
“Kim Dokja, behind you!”
At my shout Kim Dokja’s face flashed with realization and she spun toward Antinus—
“Kit, die.”
—but Antinus was faster.
Splat!
“Ugh…!”
Kim Dokja hastily threw one arm up to shield her face and leapt backward as Antinus sprayed Thousand Spirit Poison at her.
But some of the poison had already landed on Kim Dokja’s thigh, part of her suit, and her left hand.
Several spots on the suit where the Thousand Spirit Poison had touched began melting away. Moments later the fabric over her thigh, stomach, and shoulder dissolved, revealing pale skin through the holes.
“Ooooh!!”
“What…? What are you looking at….”
Swoosh.
I couldn’t help letting out a huge cheer at the free service scene. Kim Dokja looked at me with pure confusion, wondering why I was reacting that way.
When she followed my gaze down to her own body, she finally understood why I’d cheered.
“…That pervert bastard again….”
“…Hah?! Ahem…!! Ahem, ahem!! D-Dokja?! Are you okay?! Want me to help? Just say the word!!”
“…………….”
Kim Dokja realized belatedly that her bare skin was showing through the holes in her suit. She shot me a look of pure contempt and spat a curse in a voice cold enough to freeze.
Only after her reaction did I finally grasp the situation. I cleared my throat and tried to sound concerned, but her icy stare and rigid expression didn’t soften in the slightest.
“Haa…….”
Kim Dokja let out a small sigh and looked down at her left hand, which had turned a faint dark purple from the Thousand Spirit Poison.
A moment later the discolored hand gradually returned to its original color.
Antinus, watching, stared at Kim Dokja with eyes wide in disbelief.
Kim Dokja smiled faintly at that expression, stepped back to put distance between them, and spoke with a small smile.
“Antinus, do you know who the Sponsor of the Incarnation you’re parasitizing is?”
She rested a hand on her waist.
“Of course you don’t. That’s why you climbed into that body so confidently, right?”
Then she pulled a single book from the belt at her waist.
The characters for Donguibogam were written on its cover.
A Constellation who has long fretted over the declining quality of traditional Korean medicine reveals his Modifier.
The Constellation, ‘Guam’s Divine Physician,’ stares at Incarnation ‘Kim Dokja’ in shock.
Kim Dokja sneered at the Antinus in front of her.
“I went through a lot of trouble collecting this.”
Antinus looked back and forth between the Donguibogam and Kim Dokja, panic creeping into her voice.
“Kiiiit…? That’s impossible, Thousand Spirit Poison is…!”
“I know. Thousand Spirit Poison is originally a toxin that even Poison-Avoiding Trees can’t neutralize. But the Donguibogam can. Want to know why?”
The Constellation, ‘Guam’s Divine Physician,’ lets out a hollow laugh.
“Because the Constellation who created that Thousand Spirit Poison is none other than the author of the Donguibogam.”