Right after the reward for the Twentieth Scenario was revealed, the hall boiled with heated excitement for a while.

But do these bastards even know who the ‘Demon King of Salvation’ is?

[I’ve heard the story. He’s the one who clashed with the partially incarnated Ares, right.]

[Then does that mean they’re letting us devour that guy’s whole fable?]

[If you could consume a constellation on Ares’s level, it wouldn’t be impossible for a great-figure-class constellation to become fable-grade in one go.]

[But wasn’t there also a guy called the Demon King of Salvation here too?]

I quietly slipped my body behind the pillar next to the table. Something about the mood was starting to flow in a very strange direction.

I already knew that information about the “Kim Dokja fragments” had spread outside. But it seemed that information was gradually starting to spread inside the ‘Recycling Center’ as well.

―You already know this, of course.

From the air came Bihyung’s “dokkaebi communication”.

―You know that thing is an incredible prize, right?

The word “prize” grated on me, but I forced myself to nod.

‘I know. He’s my backer constellation.’

The Kim Dokja sleeping inside the tank really did look like the Kim Dokja I remembered.

Of course, I knew that that Kim Dokja wasn’t that Kim Dokja. It was merely the embodiment of his fable, nothing more.

Even so, just looking at him made one corner of my chest throb.

―He’s not just your backer constellation. Haven’t you ever heard of the “fragment of the Oldest Dream”?

It was information I naturally knew, but I deliberately didn’t respond. I wanted to hear what Bihyung would say.

―The Oldest Dream. It’s the star pointed to as the very first “cause” of all these worlds.

The very first cause of all these worlds.

Had middle-and-lower-grade dokkaebis known information like this?

I couldn’t quite remember.

Maybe this was another characteristic unique to the forty-first round.

―Recently, there’ve been rumors that fragments of that star are being discovered all over <Star Stream>.

‘And my backer constellation is one of those fragments.’

―A very big “one”. For now it’s information only the great nebulae and high-tier constellations know. The ‘Recycling Center’ is revealing it this time.

To be honest, even after hearing this much, I still didn’t fully understand.

Even if it was the Twentieth Scenario, they were putting up none other than the ‘Demon King of Salvation’ as a scenario prize?

The Administration Bureau, sure, I could maybe accept that. But the Gourmet Association was going along with this too?

If there were such a delicious fable on the table, they would be the first ones who’d want to taste it.

―Anyway, be careful in this scenario. No matter how much you’re the “incarnation of the Oldest Dream”, it won’t be easy.

“The incarnation of the Oldest Dream”?

―Some constellations have been calling you that.

If so, that was a very wrong title. I was the incarnation of the ‘Demon King of Salvation’, not the incarnation of the ‘Oldest Dream’.

The incarnation of the ‘Oldest Dream’ was the one over there, stomping toward us with glaring eyes.

“Yu Joonghyuk.”

The Yu Joonghyuk of the forty-first round was there. Perhaps the side effects of the ‘fable engravings’ had eased quite a bit, because his height, which had previously been around a boy’s, had now returned to about that of a young man.

Behind Yu Joonghyuk stood the companions who had disappeared into the incarnation waiting room.

I raised a hand lightly toward them.

“Did you all see the new scenario come out?”

“Yes. What about you, Dokja? How were the constellations reacting?”

“They were all pretty shocked, what else.”

“Heheh, so constellations aren’t such a big deal either.”

Gyeong Sein, who had run over, was the first to chatter. Behind her I could see Uncle Dansoo and Cha Yerin as well.

“Ji Eunyu was taken by the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal.”

As expected of the Great Sage. It seemed she had managed to get safely away from the hounds.

“And oppa went off alone for a bit.”

He was probably off preparing for the next scenario. On the surface, Killer King seemed like a goof, but he was thorough when it came to scenarios.

But the companions looked like there was something else they wanted to say, beyond that.

Watching their eyes carefully, I asked,

“Who else was in the waiting room?”

“There were a lot. We saw Anna Croft and Asuka Ren too.”

Anna Croft and Asuka Ren.

So they’d been operating inside the ‘Recycling Center’ as well. I didn’t know which faction they’d chosen, but if we became enemies, things wouldn’t be easy.

“But both of them dropped out.”

I doubted my ears.

“The two of them quit the scenario?”

“Yes. With the difficulty getting raised this time, it became possible to escape the scenario, right? They ran the moment that happened.”

Asuka Ren, sure, I could understand. But even Anna Croft? There was no way the Prophet would run even after checking the prize list.

“And Anna told us to give you this.”

As Cha Yerin said that, she handed me a piece of paper that had been crumpled and folded.

―I yield this one.

The moment I read the neat handwriting, a bitter smile came out.

I see.

If she was a Prophet, she would have already sensed how things here were moving.

It was then that Uncle Dansoo, who had been watching the conversation, opened his mouth.

“But my friend. May I ask you just one thing?”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“That face……”

Right. I’d been wondering when he would ask.

I looked down at my face reflected in the glass on the table.

No matter how I looked at it, from any angle, it was the exact same face as Kim Dokja’s.

To the companions, who were used to Cheon Inho’s face, it must have seemed strange.

After hesitating, Uncle Dansoo asked with a heavy expression,

“Why did you suddenly become so handsome?”

I stared blankly at Uncle Dansoo. Then Gyeong Sein cut in.

“Ah, ajusshi! That’s not what you’re supposed to ask!”

“Eh? Then……”

“Don’t you know whose face that is?”

“Whose face is it?”

“It’s Kim Dokja’s, Kim Dokja’s!”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, Uncle Dansoo had only read Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint once.

And his daughter Jiyoon’s favorite character was Yu Joonghyuk. It wasn’t that strange that he didn’t know Kim Dokja’s face.

“In that case, it’s even stranger. If that really is Kim Dokja’s face—”

“Ajusshi.”

Gyeong Sein grabbed Uncle Dansoo’s wrist. It was as if she was telling him not to say any more.

As expected, the sense of dissonance I’d been feeling from the companions earlier hadn’t been my imagination.

Those faintly anxious eyes they wore whenever they looked at me.

I looked quietly at the companions, then asked,

“What happened in the waiting room?”

In the end, it was Gyeong Sein who had been hesitating who spoke first.

“The truth is, we met Ye Hyeonwoo in the waiting room.”

“Ah.”

“And Goo Seonah too. You remember Goo Seonah, right? You know, the one who used the flail in Chungmuro—”

“I remember.”

Goo Seonah, the flail woman.

The last time I’d seen her was at Gwanghwamun Station.

At the time, I had just awakened the “Successor of the Eternal Name” and had absorbed the soul of Kim Gyeongsik, who had become a “Kim Dokja fragment”.

Having accidentally witnessed that scene, Goo Seonah had been greatly shocked and left Gwanghwamun on the spot.

I hadn’t seen her since, so I’d been worried, but it seemed she had also become a participant of this scenario.

“Seonah said something a little strange.”

After a few light deep breaths, Gyeong Sein looked straight into my eyes and spoke.

“She told us not to trust you, Dokja.”

I felt like I knew why Goo Seonah had said that.

She had clearly seen me absorb Kim Gyeongsik.

I didn’t know whether she’d told the companions the details, but if, because of that, the companions stopped trusting me……

“There’s no need to make such a serious face.”

When I turned my head, Uncle Dansoo was speaking with firm eyes.

“If we don’t trust you, Dokja, who else would we trust?”

“I think so too. It’s just that what Goo Seonah said was bothering me, so I was hesitating over whether to tell you or not. I thought it might upset you.”

I suddenly felt sorry toward the companions.

If they learned that I was becoming stronger by absorbing “Kim Dokja fragments”, that I had absorbed Kim Gyeongsik’s soul…… would they still treat me the same as now?

“But after I saw your face, I thought I definitely had to tell you.”

“My face?”

“Yes. Because those two as well—”

The moment I heard what followed, my heart felt like it lightly dropped.

“Just a little…… Goo Seonah and Ye Hyeonwoo also had faces somewhat similar to the current you, Dokja.”

*

Goo Seonah and Ye Hyeonwoo.

If possible, I wanted to meet the two of them and talk, but it seemed they had no intention of coming out into the hall.

[Fable, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name’ snickers.]

The two of them had changed to have faces similar to mine.

It wasn’t something I couldn’t have predicted at all. In the end, the more “Kim Dokja fragments” we gathered, the more we became like “Kim Dokja”.

The fact that their features had changed was proof that they too had collected a large number of “Kim Dokja fragments”.

[We will now begin entering the scenario.]

[If you agree to enter, please proceed through the doors at the center of the hall.]

Before I knew it, it was time to enter the scenario.

Looking around at the companions, I said,

“I’m only asking just in case……”

As if she already knew my question, Cha Yerin answered,

“You’re going to tell us not to participate, right.”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

The “Twentieth” Main Scenario.

This scenario had a difficulty level equivalent to the “Seventy-third Demon Realm”. Monsters comparable to demon nobles would appear, and as boss-class enemies, there would be a demon duke or monsters equivalent to constellations.

And that wasn’t all.

We would have to fight against the stars of other <Twelve Zodiac>. That meant clashes with at least great-figure-class constellations were inevitably scheduled.

“We’ve fought constellations before, haven’t we.”

“The plausibility tolerance is different from the eighth scenario.”

Most of the stars we’d faced had been ones who had squandered their own tier. Some of them had even manifested in a half-baked way, bound by the plausibility constraints of lower scenarios.

But if it was the “Twentieth” Scenario, things were different.

Then Cha Yerin asked,

“What do you think Kim Dokja would have done?”

What would Kim Dokja have done?

None of us didn’t know the answer.

Gyeong Sein laughed.

“Did you forget? We’re ‘Kim Dokja’ too.”

Uncle Dansoo nodded.

“We’re also Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.”

Letting out a light sigh, I said,

“You all know survival is the first priority no matter what, right?”

The companions nodded.

As Yu Joonghyuk, who’d been listening with an unconcerned look, walked past us first, Killer King appeared from somewhere and fell into step beside him.

“Let’s go.”

[You are entering a new scenario area!]

Brilliant rays of light wrapped around my entire body as the background started to change.

I might have spoken calmly, but in truth, I was more worried about this scenario than any other.

Even in “Annihilation Law”, the scenarios of the ‘Recycling Center’ had never unfolded like this. What’s more, this scenario stage was a place even I didn’t really know.

“……And thus, the primordial demon king arose from the opposition of good and evil……”

Bits and pieces of a voice reached my ears. A calm and intelligent voice. A powerful tone I felt I’d heard somewhere before.

“……Therefore, the cause of the Holy Demon Great War was……”

When I slowly opened my eyes, the first thing that entered my field of vision was the neat writing on the blackboard.

“History of the Demon Realm.”

I stared at the blackboard for quite some time, wondering if I was seeing things.

But nothing changed.

On the opposite side of the blackboard I could see the backs of students sitting in clustered chairs, listening to the lecture.

No doubt about it. This was a school.

No, why was I at a school?

Before I knew it, I turned my head, and my reflection was visible in the window. On the chest of a fresh beige school uniform was a name tag.

[Kim Dokja].

Goosebumps slowly rose over my body.

“Ahem, is there something outside the window?”

The teacher was looking at me. When I slowly stood up from [N O V E L I G H T] my seat, the teacher’s face became much clearer.

Only then did I understand why I’d thought his voice sounded familiar.

“Tell us about the ‘definition of a demon king’ that I just explained.”

There was no doubt.

He was the ‘Dragon Who Lies Down’ who had come to the ‘Recycling Center’ as an evaluator.

Wolong, Zhuge Liang.

“Student Kim Dokja.”

I swallowed a shallow breath and began to speak.

“A demon king refers to degenerate constellations who abandon their own constellations and pollute scenario regions, then construct their own domains.”

I rattled on without knowing what I was even saying.

How long did I talk like that?

[You have satisfied the unique setting of the character in question.]

[The world system pays you 500 coins.]

Satisfied the unique setting? What did that mean?

Wolong-seonsaeng* nodded as if impressed.

(*lit. “Teacher Wolong”)

“Not bad. Well, even in a remedial class, not everyone is at the same level, I suppose. Now, that’s it for today’s class. Everyone, prepare well for your graduation exam—”

Ding-dong music chimed as the kids who’d been lying sprawled over their desks all lifted their bodies at once.

In the midst of that, there were kids coming toward me. All of them were faces I’d never seen before.

“Damn, how do you have all that memorized? I didn’t understand a word of it even after hearing it.”

“He’s like one of those secretly strong types.”

“Idiot, this isn’t strength he’s hiding, it’s knowledge.”

I quietly watched them, then carefully opened my mouth.

“Who are you—”

Tzzzzzt!

[You have made a statement that is not appropriate for the character in question!]

I almost screamed at the light pop of sparks.

[Warning. You do not have an “amnesia” setting.]

Only after the messages rang out in succession did I begin to slowly grasp what was going on.

[A new scenario has arrived.]

+

<Main Scenario #20 – Graduation>

Type: Main

Difficulty: ???

Clear Conditions: In accordance with your contract with the ‘Recycling Center’, you have joined an old tale. Find the clear conditions of this world system and resolve the scenario.

Time Limit: 15 days

Reward: Fragment of the Oldest Dream, ???

Failure: ―

+

While I read the scenario description, I recalled Euphrosyne’s voice.

「A reenactment of old tales.」

It seemed this stage was a system imitating the island of reincarnators—the ‘Kaigenix Archipelago’.

The problem was that the genre was a little different from back then.

―Third-year Class Z, Kim Dokja. Third-year Class Z Kim Dokja, please come to the teachers’ office immediately……

I sprang to my feet and headed for the hallway. As I walked down the corridor, I carefully observed the scenery I passed.

To start with, this stage’s world system wasn’t unusually bizarre. Judging by the fact that terms like constellation, demon king, and scenario were all used as-is, it seemed to share its world system with <Star Stream>.

You could tell just from my name.

Since my name was still “Kim Dokja”, this world system seemed to be closer to an “arranged-type world system” than a possession-type one.

For example, I was called “Kim Dokja” just like outside, but my settings had been converted to fit this world system.

From the students’ reactions, it seemed I was a brain-type character of some sort.

[Explore the clear conditions of the scenario in question.]

Just like the Gourmet Association’s “Bracelet Expedition Party”, this scenario probably wasn’t set at the very beginning of the world’s timeline.

In short, just like with “Kaigenix”, we were probably at a point right before some important event.

―Third-year graduation exam.

I silently studied the promotional flier posted on the bulletin board.

“Ah, it’s Sunbae Kim Dokja.”

The students passing by bowed their heads politely to me. Sunbae, huh— I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d heard someone call me that.

There were people waiting for me in front of the teachers’ office.

“Dokja! Over here! Ugegegegek!”

“Sein, if you talk like that here, the backlash— Gegegegegek!”

I didn’t know how many genres this world had, but at least one thing seemed certain.

“Kim Dokja. At this rate, our class won’t be able to take the graduation exam.”

We had become students at an “academy.”