Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Novel MTL - Chapter 690

Chapter 690

690 Episode 23 Fragments of God (5)
[Sacrificial Will.]

Because Kim Dokja possessed so few stigmata, I was fully aware of what this one did.

‘This has to be part of a plan, right?’

—Alright, you just need to trust me this time.

How am I supposed to believe anything when a dragon’s breath is right in my face?

‘This stigma only exists for self-sacrifice.’

—Correct.

I could no longer put my faith in that insane constellation.

[4th grade Earth Dragon species ‘Earth Python’ displays its hostility toward you.]

Even if we die, let’s at least take that thing down with us.

Once again, it was a fragment of Yoo Jonghyuk that shook me back to awareness.

I felt a surge of anger.

[Fragment of the story ‘Crazy Soldier Yoo Jonghyuk’ is watching you.]

Slowly, I rose to my feet, gripping the ‘Unbreakable Faith’ I had retrieved from the ground.

[Understanding of the character ‘Yoo Jonghyuk’ has increased!]

[Fragment of the story ‘Crazy Soldier Yoo Jonghyuk’ has been pacified by the skill ‘Incite’!]

[The effect of ‘Incite’ intensifies!]

«Kim Dokja, I am going to kill you.»

—Okay?

«You told me to trust you. Explain how things ended up like this.»

My mouth began moving on its own, words spilling out, and a deep sense of injustice washed over me.

—Hey. It’s [Incite]. Break free and get ahold of yourself! You aren’t Yoo Jonghyuk!

Noticing my state, Kim Dokja yelled out in urgency.

«Kill you! I will absolutely kill you!»

Doing my best impression of Yoo Jonghyuk, I struggled to maintain my grip on ‘Unbreakable Faith’.

With my free hand, I activated ‘Thought Process’.

Normally, an out-of-control [Incite] like this would lead to disaster.
But this time was different.

The instant the Earth Dragon’s breath was about to hit me, ‘Thought Process’ shone brightly and mimicked the ‘Shield of Hercules’.

[The special skill ‘Wide Area Defense’ has been activated!]

Wide Area Defense.

Yet, there was no chance a replica item’s skill could withstand the breath of a 4th Grade Earth Dragon.

Under the intense wind pressure, the shield’s surface was pelted with fine shrapnel.

It fractured immediately, shattering completely in less than a second.

But by the time the breath struck, I was already gone.

—Oh…

«Kill! Kill!»

While my mouth foolishly repeated the same phrase, my body moved with agility. As if I truly were Yoo Jonghyuk using [Knight’s Reincarnation].

[Fragment of the story ‘Crazy Soldier Yoo Jonghyuk’ nods in approval.]

My legs, pushed to their muscular limit, were trembling.

As the Earth Dragon, having missed its target, roared and adjusted its breath, I was already behind it.

«Kill!»

‘Unbreakable Faith’, infused with all my magical power, flew through the air.

*Ahhh!*

The ‘Blade of Faith’, spinning like a top, struck the monster’s leg, and simultaneously, an overwhelming sense of weakness flooded my entire body once more.

[‘Incite’ has been released.]

The recoil was immense. Now I genuinely couldn’t move a single finger.

The monster, its leg injured, was unleashing its final breath toward me.

—Well done. Now it’s perfect.

A faint light emanating from my entire body was being drawn away to somewhere else. It was the light of [Sacrificial Will].

[Sacrificial Will.]

A skill that greatly amplifies the attack power of the entire party in proportion to the caster’s desperation, by risking their life for their comrades. The issue was, I currently had no comrades here.

—This is a skill that can temporarily resurrect even a dead Jonghyuk.

That’s impossible.

No, even if it were possible, Yoo Jonghyuk isn’t here right now—

—Yoo Jonghyuk isn’t here, that’s true.

With those words, an explosion echoed from a distance.

A thin thread of light extended from me, reaching toward the epicenter of that explosion.

—But *that* person is.

Jung Heewon, tears of blood streaming from both eyes, was sprinting toward us.

[Stigmata ‘Sacrificial Will Lv.1’ is being activated to its limit!]

Jung Heewon remembered when she first met that man.

—I like Jung Heewon.

A person who had suddenly given her a strange smile at Geumho Station, where the air was thick with the smell of blood.

—Heewon-ssi… I love you… I’m so sorry…

A person who said bewildering things.

—There is a character named Jung Heewon in a story I wrote.

He enjoyed talking nonsense with a serious expression.

—She appears very strong on the outside, but inside, she is actually quite tender. Because she is so resilient, she never avoids a fight, and so she often gets broken.

The one who had repeatedly risked his life to save her.

—I ran away from home in high school. Did I ever tell you?

He was the one who made her speak about her family for the first time.

«Family.»

Her heart was pounding, and her head ached.

—Jung Heewon. Aren’t you curious about what the ‘original story’ was like?

The voice of a woman in a white coat. Memories rose to the surface.

It resembled the ‘story’ he often talked about.

The Jung Heewon in that story was someone much like her, yet also different.

—I don’t always want to be the one who steps up.

A person who seemed strong outwardly but was soft within.

—But since that person keeps charging ahead, I have no choice. A stronger version of me must step forward.

Someone who had to gather her courage each time to grow stronger.

Jung Heewon wondered.

Why did that version of herself in that world have to become so strong?
Did she *want* to become stronger?

—Stop talking nonsense! I won’t allow it! Don’t go off alone again! Please!

That world’s Jung Heewon called out a certain name constantly.

—Dokja-ssi!

A name she herself had never spoken.

—Kim Dokja!

Was it family?
Or was it someone she loved?

She didn’t know.

But whenever Jung Heewon thought of that name, she felt her heart might break.

Even though she knew this was just a story from a book.

«And.»

When she thought of that name.

«I can’t let you die.»

She felt anger, sorrow, and heartbreak.
And she didn’t understand why.

[‘Demon Slaying’ is running wild!]

Right now, Jung Heewon was feeling all of that for this man.

Explosive magical power surged through her entire body. The Munechika Mikazuki in her right hand vibrated violently. Her heart was beating at an abnormal rate.

«You can’t die, you can’t die, you can’t die.»

Her muscles repeatedly contracted and expanded. Each step carried her across tens of meters of ground.

[‘Madness’ is being influenced by ‘Sacrificial Will’!]

[The skill’s owner has risked their life for another.]

[The party’s attack power is significantly increased in proportion to the desperation of that sacrifice.]

Even as the torrent of breath threatened to engulf her completely.

Jung Heewon did not miss the look of surprise on this man’s face.

Strangely, the moment she saw him, Jung Heewon felt she had found something she had been searching for her entire life.

I was stunned, unable to process the swordplay unfolding before my eyes.

I didn’t know if even Yoo Jonghyuk could perform such incredible techniques.

*Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!*

Jung Heewon’s sword moved so swiftly it became a blur, deflecting every bit of the Earth Dragon species’ breath.

*Oooooh!*

The startled Earth Dragon released an even more powerful breath, but Jung Heewon didn’t yield in the slightest.

Each time the Munechika Mikazuki gleamed with a bright blue light, it was the Earth Python that was forced back.

As Jung Heewon, fearless of death, advanced like a vengeful spirit, the 4th grade monster, the Earth Python, hesitated and retreated.

«Heewon-ssi?»

As if she couldn’t hear me, Jung Heewon merely repeated the same actions and the same words.

«You can’t die, you can’t die, you can’t die.»

It gave me chills.

‘Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?’

—That…

Kim Dokja paused briefly, as if he had something to say, but then continued in a tone that suggested he didn’t.

—I don’t know either.

The 4th grade Earth Dragon’s breath abruptly ceased. The moment the pale-faced monster drew a deep breath, Jung Heewon vanished from sight.

She was faster than me using [Leap].

The 4th grade Earth Python, its leg already injured by my attack, now had no way to escape.

The monster’s claws moved sluggishly through the air, and simultaneously, a bloody line appeared across its neck.

Jung Heewon, having sliced through the monster’s neck in one fluid motion, merely glanced at it.

In the blink of an eye, she landed beside me.

Then she collapsed forward like a marionette with its strings cut.

[4th grade Earth Dragon species ‘Earth Python’ has been defeated!]

[A magnificent achievement has been accomplished!]

[Contributors: Jung Heewon, Cheon Inho]

I quickly moved to support the fallen Jung Heewon.

«Heewon-ssi!»

At the same time, a flood of messages began pouring into my mind.

[You have received a ‘Lesser Dragon Heart’ as a reward!]

[150,000 coins have been acquired!]

–

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ has sponsored 2,000 coins for your battle.]

[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’… ]

I couldn’t bring myself to smile despite the shower of coins. Jung Heewon was staring up at me with wide, unblinking eyes.

«Don’t die.»

Jung Heewon’s hands went limp, as if she had lost consciousness.

I looked up at the sky as I hurriedly placed an ‘Elain Forest Spirit’ into her mouth.

Only then did I understand what Kim Dokja had done, and what his [Sacrificial Will] stigma truly was.

«You, you really—»

I couldn’t finish my sentence.

—I am a terrible person.

However, Kim Dokja was better than anyone at understanding what was left unspoken.

Kim Dokja must have known from the very beginning.
What would happen when [Sacrificial Will] was used. How his companions would be hurt.

«I—»

—Didn’t you want to become Kim Dokja?

I was speechless for a moment. What does it mean to become Kim Dokja?

I was understanding less and less what it meant to be Kim Dokja.

[The synchronization rate with your sponsor is increasing.]

My ragged breathing gradually steadied.

Kim Dokja was silent for a moment before speaking calmly.

—Now, let’s check the reward.

«You mean the Dragon Heart?»

—That’s good too, but start with that first.

Faintly glowing fragments were visible where the giant Earth Dragon’s body had fallen. However, the shape of this fragment was unusual.

‘Sponsor, is that…’

—That’s right.

There, lying on the ground, was something that looked like a small doll.

A doll missing its left arm and right leg.

It was much smaller and more worn than I remembered, but it was unmistakable.

It was clear.

It looked exactly like a ‘Tiny Kim Dokja’.

With a trembling hand, I reached out and picked up the doll. Slowly, the doll opened its eyes and looked at me.

No. Perhaps it wasn’t looking at me—

[The constellation ‘Demon King of Salvation’ gazes at his fragment.]

At that moment, the Tiny Kim Dokja doll shivered slightly. It almost seemed as if it were crying.

It wasn’t crying out of fear.

—Okay, can you see me?

It was a cry of longing.

Kim Dokja spoke in a gentle voice, as if comforting the doll.

—

It’s alright now. You’re safe.

Hearing Kim Dokja’s voice, the doll slowly closed its eyes.

As if it were waiting for a crucial decision.

—Hakhyun-ah.

I took a deep breath. I knew what needed to be done, but my emotions were in turmoil.

—Take the knife. Now.

‘What?’

—Now!

Just then, the air split open. A black hand reached through the torn space.

It was the same hand that had appeared when Sergeant Jung Moonho died at Seoul Station.

The hand shot directly toward the Tiny Kim Dokja doll I was holding.

When Sergeant Jung Moonho was taken, we were powerless to stop it, but this time was different.

—Now!

At his signal, I slashed at the hand lunging for the fragment.

The hand that touched the blade disintegrated into dust. A pained cry echoed from beyond the crack, and the rift sealed shut instantly.

Kim Dokja let out a sigh before speaking.

—It seems we aren’t the only ones collecting ‘fragments’.

It appeared so.

I recalled Asmodeus’s theater, where the ‘Tiny Kim Dokjas’ had been gathered.

—It wasn’t him this time. That one.

I knew from his tone. If Kim Dokja were here right now, he would undoubtedly be frowning.

—They are most likely the ones who killed ‘me’.