Hour of Judgment (7)
“Haaah…. Why the hell are there so many monsters down in these tunnels? I was so happy thinking it was only three stations left to Chungmuro….”
Having finished off the last Ground Rat, Jung Heewon showed clear signs of exhaustion. She drove her blade into the floor and collapsed into a sitting heap. The rest of the party said nothing, but every one of them looked just as drained.
“Tell me about it. We’re only at Dongguk University Station now. Running into these insane swarms of Ground Rats twice in a row….”
“…Jinwoo-ssi, you shot them all with a gun, so you’re less tired than the rest of us.”
“Can’t be helped. That’s the difference between melee DPS and ranged DPS.”
“Damn it…. I want to be ranged DPS too….”
Jung Heewon hung her head and grumbled at Park Jinwoo’s words. Kim Dokja watched the two of them for a moment, then turned her head to look at the subway signboard.
“Still, we made it to Dongguk University Station in one piece. Everyone looks completely wiped out. Let’s rest here for a bit.”
Kim Dokja spoke while looking over her companions, whose stamina had plummeted after consecutive encounters and battles with Ground Rat packs.
“Hoo…. Dokja-ssi, there’s only one station left. Wouldn’t it be better to just push on and rest when we get there?”
“Whether we’ll actually be able to rest once we arrive is anyone’s guess.”
Lee Hyunsung’s mouth snapped shut at Kim Dokja’s reply. The others likewise grew solemn as they recalled the events of the previous night.
“Looking around, it seems the people at this station left in a hurry. There might still be daily necessities left behind.”
“Come on, Dokja-ssi! With me here, do we really need to scavenge for supplies?”
“…We’d have to pay you coins for them, Jinwoo-ssi.”
“Tch! This is why I hate sharp-eyed adults.”
Kim Dokja glared sharply at the money-grubbing—no, coin-grubbing—Park Jinwoo as he clicked his tongue and grumbled.
“…Then I’ll look around for any useful supplies.”
“Please do, Hyunsung-ssi.”
At Kim Dokja’s request, Lee Hyunsung began scanning the surroundings of Dongguk University Station for leftover daily necessities.
“In that case, I’ll rest in My Room for a bit. That’s fine, right, Dokja-ssi?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Ah, um, then I….”
The moment Park Jinwoo mentioned My Room, Yoo Sangah raised her hand slightly. She and Jung Heewon exchanged a look. Without exchanging a single word, the two women nodded at the same time.
“Jinwoo-ssi, we’re going into My Room to rest with you for a while.”
“Hm? Sangah-ssi and Heewon-ssi too?”
Park Jinwoo looked between Jung Heewon and Yoo Sangah for a moment, then nodded as understanding dawned.
“Ah, the bathroom… ghk!”
Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!
“Is there anything you won’t say to a woman?! Our Jinwoo-ssi!?”
“Th-that’s something you didn’t need to say out loud, Jinwoo-ssi!”
At Park Jinwoo’s blunt remark, Jung Heewon and Yoo Sangah flushed crimson with embarrassment and began smacking his back with their open palms.
“I-I was being dense…. S-so please, both of you, go on in and rest.”
His back stinging from their sharp palms, Park Jinwoo hurriedly pressed his hand against the subway wall. A door appeared on the surface.
“Hmph…!”
“Thank you, Jinwoo-ssi….”
Jung Heewon turned her head away primly as she opened the door and stepped through, while Yoo Sangah, cheeks still pink, offered a word of thanks before following her inside. Watching the two of them, Park Jinwoo writhed at the lingering pain in his back.
“Kh…! Why are their hands so vicious…!?”
The Constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ looks pitifully at Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’.
The Constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ looks pitifully at Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’.
The Constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ looks pitifully at Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’.
The Demon King ‘Demon God of Wrath and Lust’ looks down at the writhing Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’ and takes delight.
A few Constellations scold Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’ for having no social awareness.
“…I already know, okay? All of you, shut up.”
Park Jinwoo grumbled at the Constellations’ messages and carefully adjusted his posture.
“Ah, if it’s personal maintenance time, I’ll go use the restroom as well!”
“I want to go too.”
Once Jung Heewon and Yoo Sangah had vanished into My Room, Lee Hyunsung and Lee Gilyoung also headed off side by side toward the public restroom at Dongguk University Station.
“Ugh… What about you, Dokja-ssi? Want me to open the door again for you?”
“I’m going up to the surface for a short while.”
“You know the poisonous fog is still out there, right? Will you be okay, Dokja-ssi?”
“I’ll only be gone a moment. I’ll be fine. Please explain things properly to the others.”
“Sure~ Be careful out there.”
After finishing her conversation with Park Jinwoo, Kim Dokja walked toward Exit 6 of Dongguk University Station.
“So what am I supposed to do now?”
With every companion except Kim Dokja gone to use the facilities, Park Jinwoo’s words echoed emptily through the deserted Dongguk University Station.
Left alone for the next several minutes, Park Jinwoo stuffed every last Ground Rat the party had hunted into My Room, then sat down on the station floor to wait for the others to return.
“Ah, Jinwoo-ssi. Have you been waiting long?”
“Hyung, we’re back.”
“Ah, Hyunsung-ssi, Gilyoung.”
Lee Hyunsung and Gilyoung, who had gone to the public restroom together, returned. Then a metallic click sounded from the subway wall; turning toward it, Park Jinwoo saw Yoo Sangah and Jung Heewon emerging from My Room right on cue.
“Hm? Where did Dokja-ssi go?”
“Now that you mention it…. Jinwoo-ssi, where did Dokja-ssi go?”
“Ah, Dokja-ssi? She suddenly said she was going up to the surface for a bit.”
“Whaaat?! That woman didn’t forget about the poisonous fog outside, did she?!”
Park Jinwoo answered Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung’s questions by explaining that Kim Dokja had gone aboveground for a short while. Both of them wore expressions of pure horror and began fretting over her—
When, with perfect timing, Kim Dokja herself came walking toward them, casually chewing on a piece of Ground Rat leg meat.
“Dokja-ssi!”
“Where on earth did you go, Dokja-ssi! We were worried!”
Spotting her, Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon fired off words like machine guns. Kim Dokja gave them a wry smile, then began rummaging around inside her coat.
“Ahaha… Sorry for disappearing without a word. Everyone, please calm down first. Sangah-ssi, Heewon-ssi. I have something for the two of you.”
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
Jung Heewon looked at Kim Dokja with questioning eyes. Without a word, Kim Dokja handed a rag-like long robe to Jung Heewon and a set of old prayer beads to Yoo Sangah. Doubt filled the party’s eyes as they stared at the items.
“They may look like this, but they’re excellent items. They’re relics of a great man.”
“So you’re saying this old scrap of cloth is some great man’s relic and an incredible item?”
Jung Heewon draped the tattered robe Kim Dokja had given her over her shoulders—then immediately wrinkled her nose at the musty smell of the ancient garment.
“Do you know of Great Master Samyeong?”
A Constellation clad in rags freezes at Incarnation ‘Kim Dokja’’s actions.
At Kim Dokja’s question, Jung Heewon momentarily wore a blank look and asked back,
“…Who’s that?”
A Constellation clad in rags is appalled by Incarnation ‘Jung Heewon’.
“Ah! I know!”
Yoo Sangah raised her hand with a bright smile.
“I remember reading about him while studying for the Korean history certification. A monk from the mid-Joseon period, right? He fought the Japanese army during the Imjin War and protected the Korean Peninsula…. The Battle of Nowonpyeong and the Battle of Ugwandong!”
A Constellation clad in rags is deeply moved by Incarnation ‘Yoo Sangah’.
“Ah, that bald monk? Now that you mention it, I know who you mean. The one with the memorable bald head.”
A Constellation clad in rags contorts his face at Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’’s words!
A Constellation clad in rags tells Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’ not to keep emphasizing the baldness!
Kim Dokja nodded at Yoo Sangah’s explanation and continued,
“Anyway, these items contain his power.”
“…Really?”
“What the—it’s real!”
Jung Heewon, having checked the item information after Kim Dokja’s words, wore a look of pure astonishment.
“But how did you know about these items and obtain them, Dokja-ssi?”
“I figured it was worth a try, so I put my hands together in front of Great Master Samyeong’s statue—and these just fell from the sky.”
A very small number of Constellations admire Incarnation ‘Kim Dokja’’s shamelessness.
At Kim Dokja’s words, Lee Hyunsung, Yoo Sangah, and Lee Gilyoung stared blankly at her with somewhat vacant expressions, while only Jung Heewon shot her a look that said this was complete nonsense. And as for Park Jinwoo….
“What the hell? Why don’t our Constellations ever give me stuff like that? After everything I do for you people.”
The Constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ snorts and sneers at Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’.
The Constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ plugs his ears at Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’’s words.
The Constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ makes an incredulous face at Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’’s words.
The Constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ looks at Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’ with an expression of pure disbelief.
The Constellation ‘God of Wine and Ecstasy’ quietly pours himself a drink while looking at Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’.
The Demon King ‘Demon God of Wrath and Lust’ glares at Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’.
A large number of Constellations tell Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’ to keep the nonsense to a reasonable level.
A few Constellations protest, asking whether constantly cursing them out and flipping them off every single day counts as “treating them well.”
“Then should I just ignore you completely? For you lot, this is already more than enough kindness. What more do you want?”
A very small number of Constellations beg Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’ to treat them a little more affectionately.
“Get lost! Eat shit! What the hell is this creepy request for affection between us?!”
A large number of Constellations are outraged by Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’’s words and actions!
A few Constellations are hurt by Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’’s words and tear up!
“What do you want me to do about it?! Other than sending messages, what else can you even do?! You ancient fossils who’ve lived for at least decades or centuries! Behave yourselves before I confiscate your keyboards!”
The Constellations in the channel ……………
……………!!
……………?!
Park Jinwoo once again began bickering back and forth with the Constellations. Having long since achieved enlightenment from this nth round of verbal sparring between Park Jinwoo and the Constellations, Kim Dokja simply ignored them and continued speaking to the party.
“…In my opinion, these may be items Great Master Samyeong sent for Korea’s sake. Just like during the Imjin War, he may have passed down his relics this time as well… to save the country. After all, present-day Korea is going through a national crisis of its own.”
““Ah….””
At Kim Dokja’s words, Yoo Sangah and Lee Hyunsung gazed at the message from Great Master Samyeong with moved expressions.
A Constellation clad in rags is deeply moved by Incarnation ‘Kim Dokja’’s eloquence.
“…In a world like this, something like that happening wouldn’t even be strange. Maybe Great Master Samyeong is one of the ‘Constellations’ himself. Right?”
“Great Master Samyeong….”
Yoo Sangah closed her eyes first, nodding in acceptance, and Lee Hyunsung followed with a similarly moved expression, nodding as he too accepted it. Still young, Lee Gilyoung simply looked on with a sense of wonder, as if thinking, Oh, so that’s how it is.
Excluding Park Jinwoo, who was still arguing with the Constellations, only Jung Heewon among the party half-lidded her eyes and shot Kim Dokja a look that said this was complete nonsense.
A Constellation clad in rags reveals his modifier.
The Constellation ‘Bald General of the Righteous Army’ forgives the sins of Incarnation ‘Kim Dokja’.
“Hmm… Great Master Samyeong, was it? I feel a little sorry somehow. I should’ve studied harder.”
The Constellation ‘Bald General of the Righteous Army’ watches the situation with satisfaction.
The Constellation ‘Bald General of the Righteous Army’ sponsors 100 coins to Incarnation ‘Jung Heewon’.
“If you feel that bad about it, why don’t you go put your hands together in front of the statue?”
“Ah, that works! I’ll be right back!”
“Huh? W-wait a second! Heewon-ssi?!”
Kim Dokja had said it half-jokingly to Jung Heewon, but Jung Heewon’s eyes lit up. She nodded and dashed up the stairs toward the outside at high speed. Kim Dokja could only stare blankly after her.
A few minutes later, Jung Heewon truly returned after putting her hands together in prayer.
Having been re-exposed to the poisonous fog outside and poisoned once more, Jung Heewon sat beside the party, diligently chewing Ground Rat meat, and spoke to Kim Dokja.
“…But Dokja-ssi. Someone completely smashed that statue, you know? You didn’t do that, did you?”
“……….”
“…Dokja-ssi?”
Kim Dokja avoided Jung Heewon’s persistent, accusing gaze, cleared her throat, and spoke.
“Ahem…! More importantly, we should start preparing. Chungmuro is right ahead.”
“Thanks to checking ahead with Gilyoung’s Diverse Communication, we made it this far without running into any more Ground Rats.”
“It’s still too early to relax.”
A new sub scenario has arrived.
“…Everyone, step back.”