I couldn’t tell whether what I heard ringing in my ears was my heartbeat, tinnitus, or the shark head’s panting.

Tzzzt— and the call connected. I was certain someone on the other end could hear my voice.

I screamed.

"Please save me!"

Once I actually said it, I felt a little embarrassed. Not that long ago, I’d gone head-to-head with historical figure-grade constellations (not on my own power, but still), and I’d even faced off against a story-grade constellation (more precisely, the Demon King of Salvation did), and I’d been chased by <Olympus> and <Asgard> (that part was true).

And now I was screaming for help because of one shark head?

"Please save me!"

Who cares? If I messed up, I was seriously going to die.

"Hello? Kim Dokja? Can’t you hear me? You called me!"

Tzzzt— with that sound, noise crackled through the receiver again.

Was the connection still unstable?

My heart pounded.

"Second Kim Dokja! Second— No—"

First Kim Dokja—the Demon King of Salvation—had said this. Every Kim Dokja had their own “modifier.” Which meant this second one also had a modifier that fit him.

And I already had a pretty good idea what that modifier was.

"Watcher of Light and Darkness—"

—I’m worn out.

What?

—It’s heavy.

No, what is this all of a sudden?

—I’m sad.

I’d taken countless calls in my life, but I’d never heard anyone start like this.

I recalled what the first one had explained. The second was the Kim Dokja who understood sorrow better than anyone, or something like that.

"The one who’s about to die right now is me…."

—That’s why I feel gloomy.

"Then save me! Hurry! Aaaah, I’m getting torn apart!"

—Mmm.

Maybe after dealing with First Kim Dokja, I’d built up some resistance. Just looking at how he answered, I got the gist of what kind of guy Second Kim Dokja was.

Looks like this damn Kim Dokja family—first and second—was full of people with twisted personalities (which made sense, since they all came from the same soul).

"I said save me! Hurry!"

As I spoke, I realized it. The second one wasn’t going to save me. Because he was also “Kim Dokja.”

He was definitely the type to babble about being sad and depressed while happily watching my situation unfold—

—Yeah.

"Excuse me?"

—Ten steps ahead, turn right. And put your hand on the tunnel wall.

I wanted to ask if that wasn’t just going to get my head torn off by the shark head, but I didn’t have any other choice.

Exactly ten steps. With the feeling of my soles slipping on the tunnel floor, I turned and placed my hand on the tunnel wall. Then—

Bzzzz.

A faint green light began to seep into the tunnel wall.

"This is—"

I knew what this was.

[‘Nameless Fear’ is activating!]
[Calamity-grade Fear — ‘Sanctuary of the Brave’ has been activated.]

Sanctuary of the Brave.

No doubt about it.

This was Chungmuro Station’s hidden space—the concealed “Green Zone.”

Why is this here?

KRRRUNCH!

At the same time as my question, the Outer God’s head—charging straight for me—crumpled in midair.

【Eee, eeeeee, eeeeee】

It glared at me while spurting black blood in thick bursts. It seemed even that terrifying Outer God’s power couldn’t break this safe area.

[Calamity-grade Fear — ‘Sanctuary of the Brave’ is protecting you.]
[For 20 minutes, no being inside this tunnel can harm you.]

A safe zone declared for 20 minutes.

I was stunned. This fear wasn’t listed anywhere in ‘Ways of Survival’—not even in the expedition records.

And yet Second Kim Dokja knew this place.

"Kim Dokja?"
―…….
"Thank you."

Whatever his greeting had been like, it was true that Second Kim Dokja had saved me.

Maybe the second one was actually a good guy.

"Uh, actually, I’ve heard a lot about First Kim Dokja… I mean, ‘the Demon King of Salvation.’"

—A gloomy story.

"It wasn’t a gloomy story."

—A story about looking for me.

As expected, Second Kim Dokja already knew why I’d come here.

Since it was like this anyway, I decided to be honest.

"Yes. I need your help."
―…….
"I know you’re in a very difficult situation."

Think. How do I persuade “Second Kim Dokja”?

I thought about Second Kim Dokja for a moment. But there wasn’t much to think with—I barely knew anything about him.

"Isn’t this all because of the ‘first’ guy? Right?"

So I decided to sell out the “Kim Dokja” I already knew well.

"That bastard definitely did something weird and forced you to hide here. It’s obvious."

I didn’t know exactly why Second Kim Dokja was hiding here.

I only suspected it had something to do with the incident that happened when the 49% and the 51% fought over the disposal of the 41st regression worldline.

"But listen, Second. If you keep hiding here, more people are going to suffer."

I didn’t know if my words would persuade him.

But he was the Kim Dokja who “empathizes deeply with sorrow.”

So I thought maybe this persuasion might work.

"If you’ve been watching, you already know. There are readers who were forcibly possessed into this world."

I thought of Uncle Dansoo, Kyung Sein, Cha Seongwoo, and Cha Yerim.

"A lot of readers went through horrible things for only one reason: because they liked this story. Are you going to just leave them like this? Is that one of the endings you ultimately want for this world?"

I knew this was a somewhat cowardly way to talk. The readers being possessed probably wasn’t Second Kim Dokja’s fault.

"Please lend me your strength. Help me save them."

Even so, I had to take them hostage. I had to persuade Second Kim Dokja, even if it was like this.

"So I can write the ending I want—the ending you like…."

—I.

Second’s voice on the other end was truly sad. The voice of someone who’d been crushed beneath a sorrow I couldn’t even measure, for a very long time.

—I’m living in a very big house.

"…Pardon?"

—So I can’t help you.

Before I could ask what he meant, the second continued.

—Go back. Before you catch the recorders’ eyes.

The recorders. I realized he meant the Recorders of Fear.

Just as I was about to ask about that, Second Kim Dokja added—

—Don’t try to change this world.

That was the end of the call. With a beeep— the line cut.

I stared blankly at the screen, then pressed the call button again.

Beeep— beeep—

The call wouldn’t connect. It felt like the line to Second Kim Dokja had been fundamentally severed.

With a complicated mind, I replayed Second Kim Dokja’s words again.

—I’m living in a very big house. So I can’t help you.

What did that mean? A metaphor? Or… maybe—

[‘Sanctuary of the Brave’ has 15 minutes remaining.]

A brief image flashed through my mind, but I shook my head.

No way. That couldn’t be it.

“A big house” couldn’t mean that.

After that, I pressed the call button over and over, but the line still wouldn’t connect.

[‘Sanctuary of the Brave’ has 14 minutes remaining.]

Now I had 14 minutes left.

About a meter away, the shark head was crouched and staring at me. It seemed to understand the principle of this “Green Zone.”

It was probably planning to attack the moment this “safe area” was lifted.

Biting my lip, I looked down at the smartphone again. Unless Teacher Jaehwan suddenly appeared again, the only way for me to escape this situation was this “smartphone.”

Come to think of it, why is Second Kim Dokja’s contact saved in this phone?

I hurriedly checked the call log and contacts list. And at the very top, I saw the person I’d just spoken to.

―Second Kim Dokja.

No matter how many times I looked, it was saved as “Second Kim Dokja.”

Below the contact, there was a memo.

+

Always sorrow.
+

It was obvious who’d written that memo.

Only then did I remember: this “smartphone” was a holy relic belonging to the Demon King of Salvation. Which meant the person who saved “Second Kim Dokja” as a contact was First Kim Dokja—aka the Demon King of Salvation himself.

And there wasn’t just one contact.

―Third Kim Dokja

For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Wait—was it really this easy for Kim Dokjas to contact each other?

Under Third’s contact, the memo read:

+

Always laziness.
+

Laziness?

After hesitating for a moment, I pressed and held the call button.

Lazy or sad—what did it matter? What I needed right now was a “Kim Dokja” who would help me.

The Demon King of Salvation had told me to find “Second” first, but thinking about it, did I really need to insist on starting with the second—

Tzzzzzt!

Startled by the current in my ear, I almost dropped the phone. The call didn’t connect. Did that mean plausibility wouldn’t allow it? Or was it simply that the third was too lazy to pick up?

Either way, it was clear that I couldn’t reach the third, either.

Then the only thing left was—

―Me

That was the last name saved in the contacts.

I paused to think about what that word meant, then pressed and held the call button.

The smartphone I had was the Demon King of Salvation’s own. Then if I called “me,” who would answer?

After a short ring, someone picked up.

—I heard you cursing me loud and clear, youngest.

An infuriating, but welcome voice.

*

"Wait, you could contact each other this easily?"

—It’s because this is the Horror Realm. This got recognized as a kind of “fear,” too. Do you think crossing the [Fourth Wall] is that easy?

Maybe I was just happy to be talking again after so long.

In the short time I had, I spilled everything to First Kim Dokja—from what had happened up until now to what had just happened.

After listening for a moment, First Kim Dokja—former Demon King of Salvation—answered.

—Third doesn’t pick up calls in the first place. That bastard keeps putting it on airplane mode. It’s been a while since I’ve even gotten through.

From the sound of it, it seemed every Kim Dokja had their own holy relic “smartphone.”

—Anyway. So the second said that? A big house?

"Yes. Do you have any idea what it might mean?"

—Mm. Then things are going to get a little serious.

"Why?"

—Let’s deal with your situation first.

[‘Sanctuary of the Brave’ has 5 minutes remaining.]

Now the safe zone would last only 5 more minutes. In front of me was a monstrous shark that wanted my story, and I had no way to handle it.

—You really don’t have any options?

"It’s not that I have none."

[Story, ‘Demon King of Salvation’ nods.]

Kim Dokja doesn’t say things like “there’s no way.” Because that’s who he is. He always knows a method no one else knows, and if there isn’t one, he finds one no matter what. And I was the youngest of those Kim Dokjas.

"I have about three methods."

Kim Dokja muttered like he was dumbfounded.

—Now you’re copying everything, huh.

"Method one. Use [Agitation] to become Shin Yoosung."

Kim Dokja thought for a moment, then asked back.

—But Yoosung in your worldline is still weak. And even if you use [Agitation], you can’t take that person’s skills, can you?

"It’s different for people I understand well. With [Agitation], it’s possible to borrow parts of their skills or attributes. It’s only for a moment, and the duration is worse than [Bookmark], but still."

—[Agitation] can do that?

It can. I’d actually done it before—back in the “Nagak Field”—by becoming “Shin Yoosung who tamed Queen Mirbad like that.”

Now I was much stronger than I was back then, so I’d be able to turn into a stronger Shin Yoosung. “Beast Lord” might be too much, but “Beast Master” Shin Yoosung should be fine.

"There’s a side effect, though. For a while, I’ll live believing I’m really that person."

—That’s horrifying. And what are you going to do as Yoosung?

"Tame the Outer God."

—You think that’ll work?

So it really won’t. Honestly, I knew it wouldn’t. But Kim Dokja’s first method is always an impossible method. It’s the Kim Dokja Rule.

—Go straight to the third.

"Method two is to use ‘Thoughts’ to use the ‘Ever-Changing Stealth Suit’ and become a small person."

—And what are you going to do as a small person?

"Get inside that bastard’s stomach."

—Ah. So method two is letting yourself get eaten?

"That’s where it starts. What do you think happens if the Outer God eats me?"

—Wait. Don’t tell me.

"Do you remember what happened to the ‘Devourer of Dreams’?"

Of course, even as I got swallowed, my incarnation body would take fatal damage—but becoming “small” was precisely to reduce that damage.

As long as I got inside its stomach, something else—not me—would take it from there.

Namely, the [Fourth Wall].

"Perfect timing, too. I have the [Fourth Wall], and that Outer God is a bastard who wants to eat Kim Dokja, like the ‘Devourer of Dreams’ back then. Everything’s perfect."

—You really only come up with methods like mine.

"Because I’m the Demon King of Salvation right now."

In fact, the second method was the best method I’d envisioned.

But Kim Dokja seemed to disagree.

—That won’t work.

"Why not?"

—Because then that shark bastard will get inside the [Fourth Wall], too.

For reference, First Kim Dokja was currently inside the [Fourth Wall] I’d made.

"You can live together in harmony."

—I don’t want to. Do you even know how cramped it is in here? Now. Tell me the third.

"Method three requires your help."

—Me? You want me to descend or something?

"Can you?"

—No.

"I didn’t expect it."

Even if it were possible, I wouldn’t ask. I’d finally managed to hear his voice again—if I did something like that, plausibility loss might make it so I could never meet him again.

What I wanted to ask for was something else.

—Then what?

"Help me find information."

—Information? What information?

"I need information about that shark head. You’re inside the [Fourth Wall] right now, aren’t you?"

The essence of the [Fourth Wall] is a “library.”

Inside it lies the countless records and history of ‘Ways of Survival’ that Kim Dokja has read.

—Well, yeah. It’s a bit different from the [Fourth Wall] I knew, but.

But that was the story of the main work. The [Fourth Wall] I’d restored for the kid Kim Dokjas was far more incomplete and smaller than that.

—But as you know, there aren’t that many records here. It’s not a complete [Fourth Wall].

"I know. But the information I need will be in there."

As long as the [Fourth Wall] was a place that held “Kim Dokja’s history,” and as long as I, too, was a member of that “Kim Dokja”—

The “record” I was looking for would definitely be in there.

"The material I need is the ‘Ways of Survival: Discarded Settings Compendium.’"