The Disaster of Flooding (9)

We were crossing the Han River on the back of Queen Mirbad, the beast Shin Yooseung had tamed.

…To think I’d end up riding a water-snake monster they call a sea dragon.

I wasn’t sure whether to call the feeling moving or dreamlike. Whatever it was, I had no words for the sensation—or for the sight itself.

“…This is really amazing.”

“…I know. I never imagined we’d be riding something this huge.”

Yoo Sangah and Jung Heewon, perched behind me on the Queen, kept glancing around with dazed expressions.

Watching them from the side, I looked in the same direction they were staring.

The Queen leading the way, with the school of sea dragons trailing behind her as they cut through the Han River’s current—it was a truly majestic spectacle.

I turned my head and looked at Shin Yooseung sitting atop the Queen’s head. Her eyes were closed as she muttered something under her breath, as if conversing with the Queen.

Yoo Sangah glanced at her once, then spoke in a complicated voice.

“But Dokja-ssi… if Yooseung gets stronger now, won’t the Yooseung who comes from the future get even stronger too?”

“Sangah-ssi’s right, Dokja-ssi. From what we heard earlier, this fifth disaster is supposed to be that child, right? If she grows stronger now, how much more powerful will the future version of her become…?”

Just a short while ago, Kim Dokja had told us that the identity of the final remaining disaster among the five—the Disaster of Flooding—was Shin Yooseung’s future self.

I had already known for a long time, and Yoo Sangah had heard it while Han Sooyoung was still with us. But Jung Heewon, hearing it for the first time, had been shocked and looked at Shin Yooseung with pitying eyes.

I understood their worries.

Because the Disaster of Flooding was Shin Yooseung’s future, they were concerned that if the present Shin Yooseung grew stronger, the future one would become even more formidable.

“That won’t be the case.”

Grasping the worry and concern in Yoo Sangah and Jung Heewon’s voices, Kim Dokja shook her head as she spoke.

I glanced at the three women who had become completely absorbed in talk of the Disaster of Flooding, then pulled out the Fire Dragon species egg from inside My Room and cradled it in my arms.

Originally I had given this egg to Shin Yooseung, but right now she was deep in conversation with the Queen, so I was temporarily incubating it in her place.

Thump-thump.

As I carefully held the egg, a vigorous heartbeat began to sound from its center.

…But still.

While cradling it, I studied the egg carefully.

It was because of the sense of déjà vu I’d felt ever since first obtaining it.

This egg somehow feels familiar…

I had seen the lesser dragon Igneel of the Fire Dragon species, but I had never seen an egg like this. Yet somehow this egg gave off a strong sense of familiarity, a feeling I couldn’t shake.

…Is it because of the Lesser Dragon’s Mana Heart?

Right now my heart had been converted into the skill Lesser Dragon’s Mana Heart, obtained after killing the lesser dragon Igneel that had appeared at Anguk Station.

Igneel might have been a lesser dragon, but it was still of the Fire Dragon species. Was my heart reacting to the life inside this same Fire Dragon species egg and making me feel this kinship?

Or was it because of the Water-Calming Pearl currently inside my heart? Honestly, I had no idea.

…Well, it doesn’t really matter for now.

All I wanted was for the child inside this egg to hatch healthy, become Shin Yooseung’s friend or family, and serve as her strength.

Thanks to repeated use, I could now control the mana of Flame of Destruction with ease. I kindled it on my fingertips and held it near the Fire Dragon egg, warming it carefully.

According to what I’d asked Kim Dokja earlier, a Fire Dragon egg needed to be kept warm with pure, high-density fire in order to produce a healthy individual.

Listening to Shin Yooseung’s muttering in front of me and the three women’s conversation behind me, I incubated the Fire Dragon egg for about ten minutes.

Thanks to the Queen, we arrived comfortably on the opposite bank of the Han River.

Queen Mirbad set us down on the far side, then vanished back into the river.

Shin Yooseung waved toward the Queen until her form disappeared completely. Once she was gone, Yooseung let out a small sigh as if the tension had left her.

Then, with a hesitant expression, she looked up at me and Kim Dokja and opened her mouth nervously.

“…How did I do?”

“Of course you did great. Our Yooseung is really something, you know?”

“Jinwoo’s right—you did wonderfully. And you worked so hard, Yooseung-ah.”

Kim Dokja gently stroked Shin Yooseung’s head in my place, since both my hands were occupied with the Fire Dragon egg.

Shin Yooseung turned her head away with a strangely flushed face. Watching from the side, Yoo Sangah and Jung Heewon approached her.

“You look happy. Thank you, Yooseung-ah.”

“Thanks to you we crossed safely and comfortably. Thank you, Yooseung-ah.”

They bowed their heads as they praised her. Perhaps the compliments from me and her unnies made her happy—Shin Yooseung’s face flushed even more than before.

Then, as if something had occurred to her, she dashed over to me with quick little steps.

“Oppa, I’ll hold the egg now.”

“Hm? Sure.”

Shin Yooseung carefully cradled the Fire Dragon egg I handed her and stroked its shell with delicate fingers.

Kid. You like it that much?

Watching her treat the egg I had gifted her so precious, I broke into a bright smile.

It felt rewarding to have given her that egg.

Just then, from between the buildings beside us, the sound of something massive approaching reached our ears.

Thud. Thud.

Hearing it, Kim Dokja, Yoo Sangah, and Jung Heewon each drew their weapons and warily watched the direction of the noise.

Everyone except me, that is.

Finally getting to see Gilyoung and Han Donghoon again.

Already knowing what the sound was, I simply kept my eyes on the source.

A moment later, a giant green mantis emerged from between the buildings of Yongsan-gu.

The giant mantis looked down quietly at us standing at its feet. Our party’s expressions hardened as they prepared to swing their weapons—

“Dokja noona?”

A young boy’s voice came from atop the giant mantis’s head. Hearing it, Kim Dokja, Yoo Sangah, and Jung Heewon stared blankly at the creature.

Soon Lee Gilyoung and Han Donghoon appeared from behind the mantis’s head.

Spotting Kim Dokja, Lee Gilyoung’s face lit up and he quickly scrambled down the giant mantis’s body. Han Donghoon followed him to the ground.

Lee Gilyoung, first to reach the ground, immediately threw himself into Kim Dokja’s arms. Curious how Shin Yooseung would react, I looked over at her.

Shin Yooseung was glaring at Lee Gilyoung with a slightly crumpled face.

Oh, so she still gets jealous even though he’s her Constellation’s incarnation?

I had thought she might not be jealous since she met me first and stuck close to me, but watching her show a little jealousy made me snicker.

Buzz.

“Hm? A text?”

A vibration came from Kim Dokja’s coat pocket. Confirming it, she pulled out her smartphone and checked the screen.

Realizing the vibration was a message from Han Donghoon standing right in front of her, Kim Dokja looked at him with an incredulous expression.

“…We finally meet again after so long, and you still won’t just talk?”

Buzz.

Judging by the timing, the reply he’d just sent was probably “No.”

Aside from Shin Yooseung, the rest of us welcomed Lee Gilyoung and Han Donghoon after the long separation, asking if they’d been well and whether they were hurt anywhere.

And Shin Yooseung’s expression began to twist little by little.

Before I knew it she had come up beside me, quietly handed the Fire Dragon egg back to me, then approached Kim Dokja, tugged on her sleeve, and looked up at her.

“Unnie, who is that boy?”

“Hm? Ah, this boy is one of our party members—Lee Gilyoung. He’s the same age as you, Yooseung, so you two can be friends. Perfect.”

Kim Dokja spoke with a small smile, but that wish went unfulfilled.

The two children glared at each other fiercely, locked in a subtle war of nerves.

“Unnie, that boy keeps staring at me.”

“Noona, who is she?”

I smiled as I watched Shin Yooseung and Lee Gilyoung glare at each other and trade barbs.

Yeah, this is the kind of back-and-forth I wanted to see…

But something about it felt lonely. The way both kids clung tightly to Kim Dokja looked exactly like they were declaring, “I like Mom better than Dad!”

Anyway, with this we had completed all the priority objectives of this sub-scenario.

Shin Yooseung had safely awakened as a Beast Tamer, and we had reunited with Lee Gilyoung and Han Donghoon.

Kim Dokja looked at us and began assigning the party new goals.

“It would be best to stay here for the remaining time. Raise your skill proficiency as high as you can, and gather coins whenever you have a free moment. Push your overall stats as far as they’ll go.”

She paused mid-sentence as if realizing something, then looked at Yoo Sangah and continued.

“Ah, and… Jinwoo, Sangah-ssi, Heewon-ssi.”

“Huh?”

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Have you contacted your families?”

At the word “family,” Yoo Sangah and Jung Heewon’s expressions darkened sharply.

With the internet cut off, there was no way to reach their families. Knowing that, Kim Dokja called Han Donghoon’s name.

“Donghoon-ah.”

Han Donghoon, wearing headphones, simply nodded silently when Kim Dokja called him.

Among us right now, only Han Donghoon possessed the skill Wide-Area Internet. That meant communication with the outside was possible.

Buzz. Buzz.

As soon as Han Donghoon activated Wide-Area Internet, Yoo Sangah and Jung Heewon’s smartphones rang.

They stared down at their phones for a long time, as if doubting their own eyes.

Watching from the side, Kim Dokja looked at Yoo Sangah, Jung Heewon, and me as she continued.

“Everyone, please inform your families about the situation here as well. Once this scenario ends, the outskirts of Seoul will no longer be a safe zone either.”

“…What’s going to happen?”

“…Don’t tell me scenarios are going to start outside Seoul too?”

“We don’t know when or how things might change, so make sure they prepare. That’s the best we can do for now.”

Yoo Sangah looked at Kim Dokja and me as she spoke.

“Dokja-ssi and Jinwoo-ssi, aren’t you going to contact anyone?”

“That’s right, both of you. Your faces look far too calm.”

Kim Dokja turned her head away as she answered their questions.

“I’m fine. My family is in Seoul.”

“In Seoul? Then…”

“That person is safe.”

Kim Dokja gazed northward and spoke in a quiet tone. Watching her, Jung Heewon turned her head and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠looked at me.

“Then what about you, Jinwoo-ssi?”

“Me?”

It was an awkward question. My family was in the world I originally came from, so there was no way they existed in this Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint world.

I scratched my cheek as I opened my mouth.

“My family is fine.”

“What?”

“My family is already in a safe and comfortable place.”

“Ah…”

A sigh of pity escaped Jung Heewon’s lips. Sensing something off, I looked at her.

She wore an awkward expression, lips moving as if she wanted to say something while looking at me.

When I glanced sideways, Yoo Sangah, Kim Dokja, Shin Yooseung, Lee Gilyoung, and Han Donghoon were all looking at me with the same pitying eyes.

“………….”

Did these people just assume my entire family was already dead?

The party in front of me was staring at me under a massive misunderstanding, but I didn’t bother correcting it.

After all, I could no longer see my family anyway.

I looked down at the smartphone I had turned on for the first time in a while and gazed at the family photo of my precious relatives.

With the internet connected thanks to Han Donghoon, I tried sending texts to the numbers of my mother and older sister stored on my phone, just in case.

But all that appeared was a message saying the recipient was currently unavailable; the texts never reached my family.

It seemed messages couldn’t be sent because we were in different worlds.

Guess I won’t be seeing them again… That feels a little—no, a lot—bitter.

Of course I had no particular desire to return to my original world—no, there was no way to return in the first place—but there were still moments when I missed my family.

…I never thought I’d miss my sister’s and mom’s nagging this much.

If my past self knew what I was thinking now, he wouldn’t just snort—he’d dump a whole bowl of curses on me.

He’d ask if I’d finally lost it.

Even so, today was one of those days when I just wanted to hear their voices again after so long.

Kim Dokja leaned back against the sofa placed in the living room of Park Jinwoo’s My Room and closed her eyes for a moment.

And while she rested her eyes, she used Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint to wander through other people’s perspectives.

She confirmed Lee Hyunsung being put through the wringer by Yoo Joonghyuk, Lee Jihye diligently polishing her sword under Yoo Joonghyuk’s instructions, and Lee Seolhwa treating the injured wanderers around her.

Everyone’s growing steadily.

After checking on the party, Kim Dokja was about to end Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint when the screen suddenly wavered and a familiar face appeared.

That’s… me?

Kim Dokja looked down at her own body dozing off while leaning against the sofa, then jolted in surprise.

Because Shin Yooseung and Lee Gilyoung were on either side of her.

Shin Yooseung and Lee Gilyoung had kindly draped a blanket over Kim Dokja’s body.

Then Lee Gilyoung shot a glance at Shin Yooseung and opened his mouth.

“Hey, you. Get away from noona while I’m still asking nicely.”

“I don’t wanna.”

Lee Gilyoung’s face crumpled at Shin Yooseung’s reply.

“Where does a mutt like you get off…”

“Don’t talk to me, you bug brat.”

Wh-what?

Kim Dokja was deeply shocked by Shin Yooseung’s words. That Shin Yooseung who always smiled and spoke so prettily to them—cursing had just come out of her mouth? What on earth…

Lee Gilyoung also seemed startled by the curse; he flinched, then glared at Shin Yooseung as he continued.

“Where’d you learn that kind of language?”

“It’s what Jinwoo oppa always says.”

Park Jinwoo……!!!

Kim Dokja ground her teeth as she recalled Park Jinwoo, who constantly had curses on his lips.

This damn guy…?!

That sweet child had ended up learning Park Jinwoo’s swearing. The fact filled Kim Dokja with rage, and she resolved to give Park Jinwoo a piece of her mind the moment she woke up.

Just then, Lee Gilyoung—who had been locked in a staring contest with Shin Yooseung for a while—spoke.

“Noona doesn’t like kids like you.”

“I know who unnie likes.”

What?

Kim Dokja looked down at Shin Yooseung with a startled expression.

Lee Gilyoung tilted his head at her answer and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠asked,

“…You know who noona likes? Who is it?”

“Jinwoo oppa.”

“Jinwoo hyung? So are they dating now?”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“I don’t think so yet. But———”

Wait, what are these kids talking about…?!

Kim Dokja was staring down at the two children in shock at their conversation when, at some point, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint must have released.

She abruptly sat up from where she had been leaning against the sofa.

Kim Dokja hurriedly looked around. On either side of her, Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yooseung were deeply asleep, leaning against her shoulders.

……Haa.

Recalling the scene she had just witnessed through Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Kim Dokja let out a small sigh and covered her eyes with one hand.

Is that how it looks to these kids?

That I’m dating Park Jinwoo…

Without a word, Kim Dokja turned her head and looked out the living room window.

Sunlight was visible beyond the glass, and in the place where the light fell stood Park Jinwoo.

…………….

For a while Kim Dokja carefully observed Park Jinwoo outside the window.

Park Jinwoo holding some monster byproduct and crafting it into a Japanese kunai.

Park Jinwoo stretching with a sleepy expression as he loosened his body.

Park Jinwoo using various skills as if training them—Kim Dokja quietly watched it all.

…Park Jinwoo is a somewhat comfortable person, I guess.

Among the party members excluding the kids, there were only three people Kim Dokja dropped formal speech with.

One was the protagonist of Ways of Survival and the regressor, Yoo Joonghyuk.

One was the plagiarist author and, like herself, a person from the real world—Han Sooyoung.

The last was Park Jinwoo, who had been with her since the belly of the Sea Commander and had continued helping her ever since.

Only those three.

Park Jinwoo.

He was a truly irritating person.

From their first meeting he had sent one of the demons after her.

He was always pulling strange stunts that got under her skin.

He faced enemies in ways she never expected, or constantly did weird things.

And… and. He was also the person who had gotten angry on her behalf toward Song Minwoo, the one who had planted trauma in her during her school days.

Sometimes he looked a little cool even to her eyes, but then he would ruin that cool image with bizarre behavior—a truly strange person.

That was why she could treat him more comfortably than the other party members, more comfortably than anyone else.

…Just because I heard the kids talking, I’m starting to think sentimentally too.

Thinking about Park Jinwoo, Kim Dokja let out a small snort of laughter and carefully arranged the sleeping spots so the two children wouldn’t wake.

Because she still had to scold Park Jinwoo for teaching Shin Yooseung bad language.

I had woken earlier than the rest of the party and was training my skills.

Clunk.

Then I heard the door of My Room opening behind me, so I looked over. Standing there was Kim Dokja, who had just come out through the door.

“You’re already up? You couldn’t have slept properly on the sofa. Wouldn’t it be better to rest a little more?”

“Nah. Maybe because the sofa’s nice—I slept great. More importantly, Jinwoo.”

“Huh?”

“Yooseung cursed yesterday.”

“Wh-what? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

I stared at Kim Dokja with an expression of disbelief.

But even at my reaction, Kim Dokja only smiled faintly and kept staring straight at me.

“M-my Yooseung, my kind little sister, cursed? What do you mean? Explain properly…”

“It’s because of you.”

Huh?

I looked at Kim Dokja with a blank expression.

“I said it’s because of you. The reason curses came out of Yooseung’s mouth is because of you.”

The smile that had been on Kim Dokja’s lips vanished at some point. She glared at me with cold eyes and a hardened expression.

At her words I truly looked flustered and hurriedly opened my mouth.

“N-no, why is it suddenly my fault? I’ve never taught Yooseung any swear words!”

“Instead you swore a lot in front of her.”

“…Huh?”

Why did I suddenly see the image of a wife scolding a husband who only taught their kids bad habits in Kim Dokja?

I broke out in a cold sweat as I looked at her berating me in a voice full of chill.

“You swore so much in front of Yooseung that the curses stuck to her mouth.”

“Uh, uh? N-no, that’s… I was holding back as much as I could…”

“Really? From what I’ve seen lately, you don’t look like you’re trying to restrain yourself at all.”

“……………….”

I felt wronged. I really had been holding back my swearing as much as possible. Lately there had been so many situations where I simply couldn’t keep the curses from leaving my mouth.

Constellations picking fights, dokkaebis causing chaos, and so on.

I ended up avoiding Kim Dokja’s cold gaze. When I did, she let out a small sigh and spoke with an understanding expression.

“I know you try to hold back the swearing in front of the kids. I also know a lot of shitty things have been happening lately. But please be a little more careful in front of them.”

“…Sorry. And okay, I got it.”

I nodded at her words. People say kids these days pick up swearing fast, but to think my kind daughter would actually curse…

It felt like the sky was falling.

So I resolved to watch my mouth even more carefully in front of Shin Yooseung and Lee Gilyoung.

Hearing my answer, Kim Dokja said that was enough and relaxed her hardened expression.

But something felt off.

Kim Dokja kept glancing at me out of the corner of her eye.

“Dokja.”

“Hm?”

“Is something wrong? Or is there something else you want to say?”

“No? Not really?”

“Really…?”

If Kim Dokja said so, then that was that. With ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that lighthearted thought I nodded and looked at her as I spoke.

“Dokja, there’s three days left. Mind if I go earn some coins?”

“Coins? Can’t we all just go earn some together a little later?”

I shook my head at her words and continued.

“The way I gather coins is too dangerous for you and the party.”

“Just what kind of method are you using to gather coins…?”

Kim Dokja frowned as she glanced at me. Under that gaze I pulled out the Horn of Provocation that had been stored in My Room.

“That’s the Horn of Provocation?”

“Yep. I’ve been blowing this to lure monsters and hunting them for coins. Pretty lucrative.”

I snickered as I looked down at the filial-piety-level Horn of Provocation.

“…A method only possible because you have wide-area skills, I suppose.”

Kim Dokja nodded slightly as she looked at me.

“Anyway, you get why I said it’s dangerous, right? Then I’m off hunting~”

“Haa… Be careful not to get hurt.”

“Are you worrying about me? Thanks, Dokja.”

“…Just go already.”

At Kim Dokja’s send-off I snickered as I left to raise skill levels and earn coins.

Time really did pass in the blink of an eye.

The sub-scenario that had felt both long and short finally came to an end.

Thanks to that I massively raised my coins and skills, so it’s a win.

Over the remaining three days I had slaughtered thousands of monsters. Thanks to that, between the coins from the massacre and sponsorship from the Constellations, I had earned 380,000 coins.

By extracting byproducts from Orcanox and consuming its mana heart, my overall stats had risen as well.

I had raised most of the skills I possessed as high as possible.

Crowd Control didn’t have much use right now so I hadn’t leveled it, and Ice Ghost Dragon’s Scales was already level 9—maybe that was why the skill level refused to budge no matter what.

The same went for Black Tide Current. And finally, Vitality Enhancement…

…It just went up naturally after I had a long-overdue happy time as a man.

After obtaining this skill and having that happy time, things felt more vigorous and there was a lot more of it than before. Truly a fine skill.

And I’m glad I got these tickets while buying cheap items.

These discount tickets were obtained at an extremely low probability. Early on I had used one when buying Hiraishin no Jutsu and never gotten another, but this time I managed to pull new ones.

Anyway, with that I had spent the remaining three days productively.

“Ahh, the coin event’s over now too.”

That had been pretty sweet. It was a bit of a shame I hadn’t squeezed more value out of it, but while other people were barely killing dozens, I had slaughtered thousands and raked in coins like crazy, so overall it was a highly satisfying event.

It would be really nice if they held another one next time…

Just then, red sparks began crackling in the empty air. Seeing them, we all rose from our seats and prepared ourselves.

From the empty void, Intermediate Dokkaebi Baul appeared for the first time in a while. But he looked a bit haggard, as if he had been thoroughly worked over by the Bureau.

Baul glanced at me and Kim Dokja, then continued in a displeased tone.

This time Baul’s words were correct. If the final disaster—the Disaster of Flooding—was an army, the other four had all been individuals who merely excelled in combat power.

With Baul’s words, lower-grade dokkaebis began appearing in droves near him.

There was one final event that occurred before entering the fifth Main Scenario.

The final event for incarnations who had not yet chosen a sponsor. For incarnations without a Constellation backing them, it was certainly a good event.

The only problem was that for me—who had already become a Constellation—it was a completely useless event.