With a swing of his arm, Kim Namwoon easily slashed the man's neck from behind. He fell onto the floor with wide eyes, clutching onto the wound, and uselessly attempted to stop choking on his own blood.

Namwoon watched in satisfaction, but something caught his attention at the corner of his vision.

Like the only dependable and responsible adult, Lee Hyunsung shielded the group from any ranged assaults.

Lee Jihye and Na Bori stood back to back, a sword and a staff in their respective hands. When Bori defended, Jihye would swiftly follow with a sharp and precise attack. It was a perfect combination, like fitting puzzles falling into their places.

Yoo Joonghyuk was the most brutal and aggressive. Every time a group attacked them, he easily made way for the others, paving a path with his own sword.

He truly could not believe this.

Moving with a group was never part of his initial plan, but as Kim Dokja said, trying to occupy 10 stations would take too much time, and he didn't have long.

It also didn't come as a surprise when he realized that the progress is much faster than what he had expected.

Yoo Joonghyuk wordlessly absorbed the station's flag.

Meanwhile, Jihye wiped the small sweat that had formed on her forehead, her other hand holding the hilt of the sword as the tip touched the ground. She was panting but didn't seem tired at all. If anything, she felt refreshed. The light was shining down on her, flawlessly highlighting her features.

Kim Namwoon blinked slowly at the sight but soon snapped out of his daze when he felt a nudge on his ribs.

"What are you looking at, hm?" Na Bori asked, and he didn't miss the teasing tone beneath her innocent question.

"What're you talkin' about? I wasn't looking at anything," Namwoon grumbled, averting his gaze to avoid hers.

"Right..." Bori nodded slowly with a small twitch of her lips. She turned towards Yoo Joonghyuk. "Hey, mister, how much more do we need?"

Joonghyuk briefly spared her a glance. She thought he would outwardly ignore the question but was surprised to hear him respond. "Six more stations."

"Then let's go hunt for them," Kim Namwoon interjected with a gleeful grin on his face.

• • •

"Listen dude, I really don't know sh*t about the guy. All I know is that he's extremely dangerous," The avatar of Han Sooyoung said. He had completely abandoned his fake persona at some point and returned to his original one. "We call him the Crimson Reaper."

Kim Dokja frowned at his words, while Cale looked away.

It feels weird hearing about you from another person's mouth without them knowing it's you that they're talking about.

But most importantly...

'What kind of vicious name is Crimson Reaper? What the hell? Well, at least it's better than White Star.'

"So he has red hair and wears a white mask..." Kim Dokja mumbled. He was frowning, seemingly thinking deeply. Suddenly, he calls out, "Cale."

The said man subtly tensed.

"Hm?"

"Have you heard of him? Since you went away for a while and took over other stations, I assume you heard about a few things."

Cale's indifferent gaze met Dokja's onyx eyes, but internally, he cursed.

'Sh*t, he suspects something.'

From Kim Dokja's unreadable expression, he could tell that the man was waiting patiently to analyze his answer.

He most likely has yet to suspect that Cale might be the mysterious man since he clearly has black hair. But it was still suspicious that Cale was found in Dongmyo Station, having a purple flag, while the previous people in his occupied stations were massacred by an unknown person.

"... Sure," He answered calmly.

Kim Dokja raised his eyebrows. "Really? Things like what?"

"I'm in the same position as the apostle. I can't carelessly say it."

It was easier to just pretend that he was someone that got threatened.

"I see..." The man nodded slowly and Cale held back a sigh of relief.

It was very clear that Kim Dokja didn't completely trust his words, but this was the best outcome he could get.

"Hey, plagiarist," Dokja addressed the apostle before receiving a glare and an immediate outburst.

"I'm not!"

"What? You clearly plagiarized the original, didn't you?"

Kim Dokja was quick to come to the conclusion that the first apostle is the writer of another book that was similar to Ways of Survival.

"My work was obviously better than that rubbish."

Kim Dokja only rolled his eyes. "I need your help."

Han Sooyoung made an amused expression. "What makes you think I'd help you?"

"I know where your original body is. I can go there and kill you," Cale bluntly said as he looked down on him with an icy gaze, and the apostle's eyes shook.

'He knows that I'm not the real one? How...?'

Cale slowly kneeled to match their level of vision before smiling slightly, and he leaned closer to the apostle's ear before speaking in a hushed whisper, "Han Sooyoung."

He flinched. His body began to slightly tremble upon feeling the indescribable pressure and fear.

"Help Kim Dokja. You don't want me to inform him that you've forgotten about the conversation, do you?"

Cale pulled his head back to meet Han Sooyoung's shaking pupils, while the other shivered after catching a brief look at the flashing cold reddish eyes before they shifted back into their previous brown color.

'This man...!'

Kim Dokja watched the quiet exchange with a confused look on his face, but upon seeing the frightened apostle, he decided that it was wiser to not try to find out.

Cale stood up and silently walked back towards Kim Dokja. "He'll help you. If he steps out of line, just kill him off. He's just an avatar anyway."

"How cold..." Sooyoung muttered. Ironic since he was still trembling.

The two ignored his words. Kim Dokja was busy being concerned. "What about you?"

"I need to go somewhere else."

"Again? So soon?"

"Mhm. Besides, you don't need me."

'Yes, I do. You're the one who helped me the most so far,' Kim Dokja wanted to say it, but his parted lips could not utter anything.

"I'll be back as your supporter at the Last King's Qualification," Cale reassured with a smirk.

"What? You'll show up in a cheerleader costume?" Dokja suppressed a cackle.

The smirk on his face dropped in an instant.

"You're annoying."

"You are too, you bastard. Just go and stay safe."

• • •

Kim Dokja needed help in writing a fake revelation, and Han Sooyoung, being an amazing writer, is helping out. This could only mean that the operation was bound to go smoothly. Donghoon was tasked to spread the rumors of the revelation through the internet, and Gilyoung will use his insects to spy on the other kings' movements.

The time remaining until the scenario ended was 44 hours.

"Donghoon-ah, thank you," Dokja said gently after the teen finished typing on his keyboard.

"Ah? Don't mention it, ahjussi. Though..." He looked hesitant for a moment, "can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"... You know, I feel a strange sense of familiarity with you."

Kim Dokja raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Familiarity?"

"That... um, are you also a hermit?"

The man seemed a bit surprised and confused but finally shook his head slowly. "No, I wasn't. Although I was a bit timid."

"I see..." Donghoon nodded before shrugging lightly. "I don't know, I feel an unknown wall with ahjussi. I can't explain it well but I like the feeling."

Dokja tilted his head. "Isn't it usually bad to feel a wall?"

"I only believe in people with walls. In order to understand someone, I think I should face that wall first."

A person who was barely 17 years old was speaking like a wise man.

Kim Dokja watched as Donghoon called out to Igneel, and the dragon crawled closer before it snuggled on Dokja's legs.

He smiled as he softly caressed the cold scales. "What do you think Cale is doing now?"

"I'm not sure..." Donghoon furrowed his brows. "Hyung is very hard to read. Even if you're able to understand him, it's hard to follow his thought process. I guess... In a way, he's similar to you."

"Similar to me?"

"Mhm, you both are always ready to put yourselves on the front line in the face of danger."

"Wh—" The answer left Kim Dokja flabbergasted. "We definitely do not do that."

Han Donghoon sent him a look. "Yes, you do. You both are oblivious to it as well."

"That's because we don't—"

"Ahjussi, do you think I've never tried observing you? Igneel is also sensitive to emotions so you two really have nothing to hide," the boy casually said with a shrug.

"I..." Kim Dokja was rendered speechless. "I don't get why you think that."

"Mmm..." Donghoon shifted slightly. He seemed a bit hesitant and uncomfortable as if he was having an internal conflict. However, he continued to speak, "I suppose you can say that I know someone who liked to think that his life doesn't mean as much as others."

Kim Dokja widened his eyes but his shock disappeared in a blink.

He realized... the characters actually had a life outside of the apocalypse that was never mentioned in the novel. So he kept listening.

"He... thought his life was disposable. There was nothing for him in this world and there was also nothing he could give, so he thought that maybe it was better for him to disappear, the world would continue without him anyway. In the end, he didn't live for himself, but for others whose lives actually matter. I... hated him for being so stupid."

"Kyu..." From Dokja's lap, Igneel crawled closer and placed a hand on Donghoon's lap.

Meanwhile, Dokja watched Han Donghoon stare ahead at something that could not be seen. There was something in the boy's eyes that made him want to reach out.

Without him noticing, his hand had subconsciously landed on Donghoon's head.

The teen stiffened before slowly turning his head towards Kim Dokja.

The man was smiling softly. "You did well."

Han Donghoon felt confused when his vision suddenly blurred. He blinked, and something rolled down his cheek. "A-Ah..." He chuckled lightly, wiping his tear only for new ones to emerge. "S-Sorry, ahjussi, I was supposed to comfort you but I-"

Kim Dokja didn't know how to deal with kids, but he does remember what his mother would do to calm him down, so he gently caressed the top of Donghoon's head. "It's okay. You can cry. As much as you want."

'Aish, really... This ahjussi... You're the one who needs comfort, not me.' Although Donghoon thought so, he still could not stop his tears from falling, and Kim Dokja wordlessly stayed.

• • •

The next day...

"The apostle ran away."

Kim Dokja blinked. "What?"

"He ran away, hyung," Lee Gilyoung calmly said once more.

Thankfully, the book for the fake revelation was done, but that person ran away?

"Well, I suppose I should've expected this." He shrugged. In the end, the apostle did his job so he's not going to complain. "Anyways, Gilyoung-ah, are you ready?"

Lee Gilyoung looked at the mantis on his index finger. They seemed to momentarily communicate before the boy nodded. "Everything's settled, hyung."

Kim Dokja grinned. "Good. Then let's proceed with the plan."

It was quite simple. Lee Gilyoung would spy on the other kings using his insects to monitor their movements. Kim Dokja is aiming to lure out the kings in hiding and have them gather in Gwanghwamun. It was easier than visiting them individually.

He's going to collect keepsakes or relics in the National Museum with the help of Yoo Sangah, while Gong Pildu protects Chungmuro. Han Donghoon and the vicious little baby dragon would also stay at the base to supervise and make the information run smoothly.

Finally, the fourth scenario was ending. The real War of Kings would begin.

———

a/n: i wrote this while having a mental breakdown help.