A World Without Kings (3)

I forced a mid-grade stamina recovery potion into Kim Dokja’s mouth and watched for a moment as her body began to mend. That was when the intermediate dokkaebi planted himself in front of us, wearing an expression of pure, unadulterated rage.

“Wipe that look off your face, you bastard. It makes you look even older.”

I twitched an eyebrow at the intermediate dokkaebi’s unexpected question. His face still radiated displeasure—the pure irritation of a man whose carefully arranged scenario had refused to go according to plan—yet pure curiosity also glimmered in his eyes. I hardened my expression and answered.

“…Is it really that important to you? Even if I told you, you probably wouldn’t understand.”

The intermediate dokkaebi’s unusually serious tone made me glance at Kim Dokja. She seemed to sense my gaze and looked back at me. I would have preferred to let her speak first—ladies first and all that—but even after the mid-grade potion she still looked exhausted.

I tore my eyes away from her and stared up at the intermediate dokkaebi.

“…Can we skip Dokja-ssi’s answer? I’d rather not push a patient right now.”

Fortunately the intermediate dokkaebi simply nodded, calm and composed.

“My answer is ridiculously simple—so simple you’ll probably say, ‘That’s it?’ But if you really want to hear it, then basic human decency says I should tell you.”

This time I spoke without a single lie or scrap of playfulness, pouring pure sincerity into every word.

“‘Because I believe it is the right path. No matter how hard or painful the road may be, I still believe that path is the correct one.’”

There is a line from Gyro Zeppeli in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 7 that has always stuck with me.

‘The shortest path was the long way around. The long way around was my shortest path all along.’

Those words made me think long and hard, and even now I believe they fit Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint better than anything else.

Suddenly dropped into the novel he had loved for ten years, the protagonist of that story—Kim Dokja—fought tooth and nail to reach the ending she wanted.

There had been countless moments when she could have cleared the scenarios far more easily. She could have simply played the helpful sidekick, feeding the original protagonist of Ways of Survival, Yoo Joonghyuk, every hidden piece and scenario tip while she sat back and coasted.

She never did.

Why? Because she wanted to create the story she desired—the epilogue, the ending.

She sacrificed her own life over and over for that epilogue. In my eyes she shone so brightly that I fell for that light completely.

That’s why I’m putting myself through this hell, isn’t it?

The thought finished, and a bitter smile rose naturally to my lips. After hearing my answer, the intermediate dokkaebi Baul fell into deep thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head and opened his mouth.

“Yeah. You and we are oil and water. We can exchange words like this, but those words will never truly reach each other.”

For a moment we simply stared at one another. Neither of us could tell what the other was thinking or feeling. That was exactly why we were strangers to each other.

While we remained locked in that silent staring contest, the crowd beneath the Absolute Throne began to murmur and then shout at us and the dokkaebi.

“What the hell is going on?!”

“Why did you smash the throne?!”

“Make the Absolute Throne again! We’ll join the scenario!”

“This time let’s decide the real owner of the throne!”

Faced with the angry protests, the intermediate dokkaebi pushed up his glasses and answered coldly.

He pointed straight at us while addressing the crowd. Kim Dokja’s neck veins stood out; she was clearly furious.

For a second I wondered if Baul’s unexpected question might make him change… but of course he makes the exact same choice.

Knowing full well what Baul was about to do, I could only offer a bitter smile.

Snap!

The intermediate dokkaebi flicked his fingers. One by one the people gathered in Gwanghwamun began to vanish. Startled screams rose all around.

“What the—?! What’s happening?!”

“The people right in front of me just disappeared!”

“W-where did everyone go?!”

Soon Min Jiwon’s Hwarang members and Cha Sangkyung’s group vanished as well, followed by Min Jiwon and Cha Sangkyung themselves.

Only a handful of incarnations and our party remained.

“Dokja-ssi! Jinwoo-ssi!”

One after another our companions called our names as they disappeared—Yoo Sangah, Jung Heewon, Jung Minseob, Lee Seongguk vanishing right before our eyes. Lee Gilyoung and the five lackeys inside My Little Hideout had almost certainly been taken as well.

Each of them was being sent to a place with which they shared a connection.

Now only Kim Dokja and I were left in Gwanghwamun. The intermediate dokkaebi looked down at us with a slimy smile and finished speaking.

“You…!”

Snap!

The moment our companions vanished, an enraged Kim Dokja tried to shout something at the intermediate dokkaebi. He flicked his fingers again, and she disappeared as well.

With Kim Dokja gone, the intermediate dokkaebi chuckled to himself. But then—

“Excuse me? I’m still right here.”

My interruption visibly flustered him. He flicked his fingers at me again. Nothing happened.

“Ah. So that’s how it is. That was the reason.”

I propped my chin on my hand and stroked it thoughtfully. I had figured out exactly why I hadn’t been moved, and the reason left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.

“I didn’t do a single thing, Intermediate Dokkaebi Baul.”

I ignored the way his pupils were now shaking violently and continued.

“I already know you forcibly relocated everyone gathered in the Gwanghwamun area to places with which they share a connection.”

“But I wasn’t moved. Why do you think that is?”

I smirked at his obvious panic.

“Because I have no place here that I’m connected to.”

I am an outsider, after all.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

The intermediate dokkaebi flicked his fingers over and over in panic, but nothing happened. Watching his jaw drop in pure shock, I let out a short laugh, turned my back, and started walking away.

“You’ll be summoned to the Bureau soon enough because of what you just did. Have a nice trip.”

“Nice, nice~ Looks like I’ve got some free time for a while.”

I said that, but I was actually a little nervous.

How the hell am I supposed to reunite with Kim Dokja?

The exact location of her company, Mino Soft, was never given, so from now on I would have to comb the entire eastern side of Seoul looking for her.

That was where the company she and Yoo Sangah used to work at would be.

I need to meet up with Kim Dokja if I want to learn the Way of the Wind.

She had described it like this: the Way of the Wind could serve as footwork, as a movement technique, and sometimes even as an evasion or attack skill.

A multipurpose skill like that would be a massive loss if I didn’t learn it, so I absolutely had to.

“Hmm… should I head for Cheonho Bridge or Jamsil Bridge first?”

I remembered that Kim Dokja, Han Sooyoung, and Yoo Joonghyuk had crossed one of those bridges when they went to take down the Disaster of Questions.

If I searched the area around there, Mino Soft should turn up. Probably.

But there was one problem before that.

“Fuck, which way even is Cheonho Bridge or Jamsil Bridge?”

I was a country boy. There was no reason I should know Seoul geography.

Stuck at the very first step of this shitty situation, I scratched my head for no good reason.

“Should I just start blasting buildings one by one with Flames of Ruin until a bridge shows up?”

I’d find a bridge eventually, and I’d earn coins as a bonus.

What about the people who might still be living inside those buildings? Well, they were just unlucky. Not my fault, right? Who forced them to be in that particular building?

I frowned slightly at Uriel’s spam.

“Alright, alright, I get it. Stop talking.”

If any other constellation had spammed me like that I would have ignored them completely, but she sponsored me well and she was a pretty angel girl, so I couldn’t treat her roughly. I just agreed.

So I walked, completely soaked by the rain, heading in whatever direction looked east, walking and walking some more.

After what felt like nearly an hour, I felt a small wave of despair.

“…Where the hell am I?”

I had somehow ended up inside an alley, and no matter how hard I looked, only tall buildings rose on every side. Many of the road signs on the streets before I entered the alley had been damaged, so I couldn’t tell where I was or which way was which.

And then it hit me.

“I’ve been leaving all the navigation to Kim Dokja this whole time, haven’t I?”

Until now I had mostly left pathfinding to her. On the subway the route maps and platform names made it easy, but the moment I was alone in the middle of Seoul I had no idea where anything was.

“This is insane… Do I need to buy a compass from some random shop?”

I desperately wanted to charge my dead phone and open a map app, but the internet in Seoul was completely dead, so it would be useless.

I was seriously considering just walking east with a compass when—

“Huh?”

Near a fork in the alley I spotted a large blue object. Curious, I walked closer.

And then I froze in surprise.

“Is this… a meteor? And a blue one at that?”

It was a blue meteor.

In Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint meteors of many colors appeared: dull-red Disaster meteors, bright-red Star Relic meteors, yellow meteors containing guides, green meteors holding precious items that Yoo Sangah obtained.

All sorts of meteors showed up, but I had never seen a blue one.

“….”

I quietly placed my hand on the blue meteor. Its rough surface pressed against my palm.

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

Crack-crack-crack!

The moment my hand touched it, fine cracks slowly spread across the meteor until it finally split completely open.

“…What’s this?”

Two books lay inside the blue meteor. Startled, I quickly scooped them up and checked them.

“What? Blue meteors drop skill books?”

I stared at the skill books in my hands with a baffled expression. Then why hadn’t Kim Dokja ever found one of these? Was it pure RNG and she just never bothered looking?

Anyway, this worked out perfectly. I didn’t know about Deadeye, but the skill I needed most right now had just appeared.

“I will use both skill books.”

At my words the books in my hands turned to dust and slowly vanished.

With this, finding my way would become much easier.

“Clairvoyance.”

The moment I activated my new skill, my field of vision seemed to open wide. No—it really did expand. Even with the rain still falling steadily, when I looked up at the sky and carefully examined the surrounding buildings, I could even make out the figures of a few people standing on rooftops.

“Ohhh! This is great. If I climb a tall enough building and use Clairvoyance, I’ll be set.”

Thanks to the blue meteor I had found by chance, my next course of action was decided. I left the alley, picked a reasonably tall building nearby, and approached it.

Unfortunately, the building already had occupants. Two men who looked like guards stood at the entrance.

“Hey, someone’s coming.”

“One of ours?”

“Hard to tell with the rain.”

I walked up to the two guards and smiled warmly.

“Hi, friends? Sorry, but mind if I head up to the roof of this building ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for a bit?”

Despite my friendly approach, the two guards looked completely unimpressed and started talking between themselves.

“…What’s this bastard saying?”

“Hey, hey. Why don’t we just take this guy?”

“Him? Hmm… we could even get some coins out of it. Fine.”

The two guards suddenly pulled clubs from their belts and pointed them at me.

“Hey, buddy. Real unlucky day for you. Of all places, you had to wander in here?”

“You wasted our precious time. You’ll have to pay with your body.”

The two men looked me up and down, licked their lips, and began eyeing me with very particular intentions.

“….”

I stared blankly at the pair of gays who, without knowing their place, dared to demand I pay with my body. Something inside me began to boil.

“Fuck… I was trying to tone down my personality for our kind Archangel’s sake…”

“What are you mumbling about? Get over here, you bastard!”

“Forget it. Let’s just beat him and drag him off.”

I let out a long, deep sigh.

“Has the stat cap been lifted yet? All overall stats to 60.”

I glared at the two men in front of me.

“Kids, you should run. Got it? Otherwise both of you die.”

Even my sincere warning only made them snicker and mock me.

Having rejected my final mercy, the two of them watched as I clenched my fist and drove it toward them.

“What are you—”

“Just hurry up and—”

KWAANG!!!

My fist never even touched them cleanly. The wind pressure generated by the punch alone was more than their bodies could handle. They were blasted backward at tremendous speed and slammed hard into the interior wall of the building.

“These bastards never know their place.”

Hahk, spit!

I casually finished off the two gays who had dared to lust after me and climbed the stairs toward the rooftop.

Every few floors, more nuisances tried to stop me, so I killed them as well. Finally I reached the rooftop—

Only to twist my face in disgust at the revolting scene waiting for me.

Iron cages stood on the rooftop, the same kind Kim Dokja had found at Mino Soft, and inside them a nauseating spectacle was unfolding.

In one cage several men were hacking at each other with knives, mutilating one another’s entire bodies. Blood sprayed, ears were sliced off, fingers ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were severed; wherever a blade stabbed, red blood and chunks of entrails poured out while the wounded howled like beasts. At their feet already lay corpses that had been completely butchered.

In another cage were several women and men. The men were taking turns forcibly violating the naked women. In the corner of the cage, a few women who had already been thoroughly used lay sprawled alone on the floor. Cloudy white fluid dripped from between their legs. The same things were happening all across the rooftop, and the air was filled with agonized moans and sobs.

“Ah, I… fucking hell…!!!”

I finally couldn’t hold it in and roared a curse at the top of my lungs.

Only then did one of the men notice me and approach.

“What? How did you get up he—”

Crack!

I simply snapped the neck of the man who had spoken to me and hurled him off the rooftop.

These things had already abandoned being human. They were nothing but human garbage. They deserved not a shred of respect or mercy.

The remaining men, seeing one of their number die in my hands in an instant, frantically pulled on the clothes they had stripped off, grabbed weapons, and surrounded me, trying to pressure me.

“You! You fucking bastard, what the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

A man who looked somewhat stronger than the rest pointed a weapon at me and demanded an answer. I ignored him completely and said only what I wanted to say.

“Ah, I love pure love and pure-love harems to death. But rape and NTR? I fucking hate them… You disgusting pieces of shit dare to dirty my eyes?!”

“W-what the hell is this guy saying?!”

“Every last one of you dies here. I’m going to tear your limbs off one by one and kill you.”

I lunged at the flustered men, grabbed the arm of the nearest one, and ripped it clean off.

Rip!

“Gyaaaaah—!! M-my arm—!! My arm?!”

“Stop that disgusting whining, you piece of garbage.”

I tore off the remaining limbs of the man thrashing after losing his arm, then carelessly tossed aside the corpse that had finally died of shock.

I looked down coldly at the men whose faces had gone deathly pale or blue, some of them vomiting as they stared at their comrade’s corpse with its limbs savagely ripped away, and I declared:

“If I leave trash like you alone, our soft-hearted kids will eventually suffer for it. So do me a favor. All of you die by my hands. Preferably as cruelly as possible, you sons of bitches.”