Chapter 6: You stole my food

Something seemed to be a bit wrong with Klein, Kim Dokja realized soon after waking up.

It had begun after he had fallen asleep after arriving in the 73rd Demon Realm.

… Come to think of it, has he entered the main scenario yet?

Kim Dokja had been very occupied with trying to save his own life, and then Yoo Junghyuk's, and had spent the rest of the time asleep to repair his body. Even though Klein had acted strangely and more forwardly, Kim Dokja hadn't been able to worry about him, because for the most part Klein's body looked okay.

However, even though both Kim Dokja and Yoo Junghyuk had entered the scenario safely as Demon King candidates for the 73rd Demon Realm, Klein had not.

Kim Dokja remembered how his cousin's cheek had twitched disturbingly, like there had been worms writhing under his skin, and Klein had tried to hide the eerie instability.

Is this what it looks like when a constellation with an incarnation body is outside the scenarios? Kim Dokja wondered, frowning. This case had never appeared in TWSA, so he wasn't sure. He thought it would look more similar to how Kim Dokja's own body was falling apart. Maybe it was because of a special story.

"Klein," he stood up, and immediately walked to the other bed in the room, only to stop.

… Klein wasn't there.

The last time Kim Dokja talked to Klein, he had asked him if there was a way to quickly get to the Gilobat Industrial Complex, but Klein had acted confused and didn't know either.

Wait, what about Yoo Junghyuk?

Kim Dokja hurriedly pulled out his smartphone to read the section revision of TWSA, but everything was still the same as before. His gut dropped in dread. He had gone and inhabited Yoo Junghyuk's body directly to talk with Asmodeus, but it seemed that it hadn't changed anything. No. I did all that, but did Yoo Junghyuk die in the end?

Kim Dokja's hands shook as he held the smartphone desperately.

He reread the revised novel more closely, noticing something else.

Klein appeared in the fourth regression, after Yoo Junghyuk died to Asmodeus. Kim Dokja hadn't been able to pay too much attention to this sooner, due to the urgency of the situation, but now he paused over this scene for a long time.

「 "Why did you regress back then? You were too impatient." Klein Moretti said, his skin rippling like worms were crawling grotesquely underneath. "I would've stopped the situation. Now Kim Dokja is gone." 」

「 Yoo Junghyuk didn't say anything. This was that guy's cousin, so he couldn't kill him. 」

「 Yoo Junghyuk, restraining himself, slowly walked away. 」

Kim Dokja scrolled and scrolled, but after that, Yoo Junghyuk never encountered Klein again.

Why did Klein appear in the next regression, even when I didn't? Klein is also still aware of my existence, and that I was somehow tied to the regressions. I don't understand. Klein, like me, is also someone outside of the novels, but even if he has some foresight into the novel like my mother, this doesn't make sense.

Did he somehow regress with Yoo Junghyuk?

From his words, it almost sounded like he was with Yoo Junghyuk when he met Asmodeus.

No, what do I do? Both Klein and Yoo Junghyuk are in danger right now…

[The 'Fourth Wall' has stabilized your mind.]

Kim Dokja, breathing out slowly, again desperately re-read the novel for any clues as to what to do next.

In that moment, the door then opened.

Klein was standing in the doorframe.

Kim Dokja looked at his smartphone, then at Klein, feeling a little absurd.

Klein then smiled warmly and stepped forward and patted Kim Dokja's head. His eyes looked a little listless, but confused and happy.

"Good, good, you're fine," Klein said. "I'm sorry, cousin. I stole your food from the one you like. We fought about it. Ah, it was very good, however. The food was good. I didn't cheat on you. As you, I mean. It wasn't an affair…"

[The constellation that likes to switch genders remarks that this is how it should be done.]

[The Demon-Like Judge of Fire is embarrassed.]

[The Demon-Like Judge of Fire waves hi to Kim Dokja.]

[The Prisoner of the Golden Headband coughs and says this one is really Kim Dokja after all.]

[The Abyssal Black Dragon laughs at you.]

What?

After fadingly mumbling this nonsense and somehow causing all the constellations who had suddenly returned to stir, Klein then collapsed onto the other bed, falling asleep immediately.

After him, in the doorway, was also Yoo Junghyuk, looking murderous.

"Kim Dokja," Yoo Junghyuk said, but there was a deep red flush to his neck.

Kim Dokja felt even more disconcerted at seeing the person he had been worrying about so much appear on his own, looking perfectly fine. Then… I guess the novel just didn't update? Everything turned out fine?

Kim Dokja, while relieved the two were okay, wondered what the heck had happened, and also worried about the future intactness of his life. He raised a finger, and asked somewhat nervously,

"Yoo Junghyuk, are you going to kill me?"

[The Demon-Like Judge of Fire wants to cry.]

[The constellation that likes to switch genders says that the original version was better.]

[The constellation that likes to switch genders says you should be more cheeky.]

[500 coins have been sponsored.]

Yoo Junghyuk suddenly appeared even more enraged, to the point where he couldn't speak.

There was a long pause in which Kim Dokja seriously wondered if he was going to die. Even Uriel seemed to think so. Yoo Junghyuk must have a lot of wrath to even come to the demon realm after him, and even pretend to be him. That bastard.

"You don't like tomatoes?" Yoo Junghyuk then asked darkly.

What?

"No," Kim Dokja said cautiously. Yoo Junghyuk didn't usually like them either. But Kim Dokja completely didn't understand the situation, or why tomatoes mattered right now. Was there ever a question like this in the Ways of Survival?

"He ate it, then said that."

"Who?"

"Your cousin."

"Ah, he ate… What did he eat? Your cooking?"

Yoo Junghyuk nodded.

Kim Dokja felt a bit jealous, glancing over at the sleeping Klein. Yoo Junghyuk's food is very good, after all.

Then Yoo Junghyuk said lowly, before turning away, "He looked like you. Be careful."

Kim Dokja frowned after Yoo Junghyuk had left. The entire situation was strange. … A metaphor? No, Yoo Junghyuk isn't usually very poetic. That bastard isn't the type. This also was never a scene in TWSA.

Then…

[The constellation that likes to switch genders giggles.]

[The Demon-Like Judge of Fire can't speak.]

[500 coins have been sponsored in apology.]

He said he didn't cheat… as me.

Kim Dokja looked over at Klein with a complicated expression.

.

But Klein kept sleeping.

.

"You stole my food," Kim Dokja accused finally a full day later, poking his sleeping cousin in the cheek. Since he was sleeping, he felt confident enough to let out all his complaints. "How did you trick Yoo Junghyuk? Did you pretend to be me? What did you do? You didn't make him hate me more, did you? Why did you do that?"

There was no reaction.

It was hard to be suspicious of or angry at a sleeping person.

.

Finally, Kim Dokja had healed enough and went about his own business.

He went to the First Murim after persuading Yoo Junghyuk to come with him. Biyoo, who was growing up well, made the subscenario for them. Ah, I should introduce her to Klein later. Han Myungoh, who was Kim Dokja's old boss at Mino Soft, who had improved himself after birthing a daughter, and who bragged that he had read over 300 martial arts novels, had also somehow tagged along. Of course, Jang Hayoung who had the Unidentified Wall also came along.

Yoo Junghyuk then 'happily' reunited with his teacher Breaking the Sky Sword Saint, and won the Murim martial arts competition. Kim Dokja, meanwhile, had gone to the gourmet association at Persephone's invitation, and won a lot of coins by betting on Yoo Junghyuk. Many other things had also happened, but importantly, Kim Dokja was now rich. He had over 4 million coins. He even now had a ferrari.

Importantly, the destruction of the First Murim world had begun due to the overexpenditures of plausibility, and they had left Breaking the Sky Sword Saint alone to deal with an outer god…

They had left her, and the First Murim world, to die.

The mood of the party wasn't very good when the ferrari drove them back through the portal into the familiar 73rd Demon Realm.

There was a lot of work Kim Dokja still had to do.

A second revision of TWSA had also just appeared.

Kim Dokja needed to participate in the 73rd Demon King selection. To do that, he needed to go to his own Kim Dokja Industrial Complex. The worries went on and on.

But first… he had to check in on his cousin.

.

Klein had blinked. Kim Dokja had found him in the vast kitchen of the Yoo Junghyuk Industrial Complex, cooking dish after dish for himself. The dishes were of a large variety, some English, some Korean, and some Chinese.

"Klein, are you okay? Are you connected to the main scenario?" Kim Dokja asked. His first questions were words of concern.

Klein shook his head. "I'm not as good of a cook as Yoo Junghyuk," he said dejectedly.

Something is very wrong with him, Kim Dokja knew. Klein, even in his memories, would always present a gentlemanly smile and act politely. Even though it was nice to see this more expressive side, Klein was still in an abnormal state. He seemed more susceptible to doing or saying odd things without fully thinking it through.

"Are you Klein?" Kim Dokja asked, hesitating only for a moment.

The young man blinked.

"Yes? Of course."

"Can you look like other people?"

"Yes, I think so. Hmm, this is an ability of sequence 6, Faceless…"

Klein looked startled suddenly, and looked at him oddly.

"I'm not an assassin," he said. "I don't want to turn into a woman."

"Are you still not connected to the main scenario?" Kim Dokja asked more sternly.

Klein's staring eyes became clouded again.

Klein reached his right hand up, and seemingly pulled out a mirror out of nothingness.

Since Kim Dokja had assumed pulling random items from the air was somehow related to Klein's attribute, he wasn't surprised by this, but he was surprised when energetic letters began appearing on the mirror's surface.

"Master! Arrodes is excited to see you again. The Master looks somewhat strange, however. Is the Master okay?"

Klein hesitated, pursing his lips. "I'm not sure. Where did I get this mirror from?"

"This mirror is Arrodes," the mirror said, the words somehow dripping with concern. "Great Master, you stole me from the Machinery Hivemind after I kicked up a ruckus. Great Master, may I make a suggestion?"

"Yes."

"You should teleport back to Seoul. The main scenario will stabilize your state again. Great Master, do you remember the coordinates?"

Kim Dokja watched all this in bewilderment.

"Yes, but I should stay with my cousin," Klein said stubbornly.

"Great Master, ask me a question. You can ask me two questions."

Kim Dokja coughed, and then spoke up, "May I ask a question?"

Klein stared at him vaguely, then nodded.

"Will Klein be able to simply rejoin the main scenario by teleporting back to Seoul?"

Klein repeated this question to the mirror.

"Of course! The Great Master was originally part of the main scenario in Korea, and was not kicked out from the scenarios like Kim Dokja. The Star Stream would not reject him."

The mirror seemed to know a lot. Where did it come from? Before I met him in the 5th Scenario, Klein must have done quite a lot. Anyway, let's first see if he'll be safer in Korea.

Kim Dokja asked, with Klein again repeating his words, "What is the situation in Korea?"

The mirror screen went dark, then showed a scene where Kim Dokja's companions were fulfilling the Catch the Mole scenario, which would easily blow up large portions of the country if the incarnations failed to catch each exploding mole carefully. However, they did not look worried at all, instead intently focused on the scene and coordinating smoothly.

Kim Dokja relaxed, then told Klein,

"You should go back."

Klein nodded slowly.

Kim Dokja was just about to open his mouth to introduce Biyoo and explain how to return to Korea, when momentarily, a sharp focus returned to his cousin's eyes. Klein lifted his fingers, then snapped.

He instantly disappeared.

Kim Dokja stared wordlessly at the odd traces of child-like drawings he had witnessed in that half-second, then at his cousin's empty seat.