Sacrificial Will Lv.??? || ORV x SSSCSH

CH 5 || Step

'It's strange.'

Kim Dokja thought, watching how the man he met earlier skillfully assessed the situation, responded appropriately, and acted accordingly. Even Lee Hyungsung, who was a soldier, couldn't do something like that.

Therefore, he wondered. If he were really the man he thought he was, then... why is he here? No, more importantly, how many attempts has he made already?

He supposed all this could be solved by seeing his window.

[Personal Skill, 'Character list', is activating.]

There was an off-putting feeling when he activated his skill. The world turned dark, and he was faced with overwhelming figures who seemed to be gazing upon his very being. It was only a glimpse, and yet he felt unnerved by the judging eyes. Regaining his senses, he came back to the present, face to face with the blue tab. He looked at the information his skill gave. The only information given was his name and a singular skill, while everything was scribbled out in question marks. 'Sage's eye'. He was bothered at the appearance of this skill, but nevertheless, he was sure.

"...Sunja. I am Kim Sunja."

Kim Dokja's smile twitched.

Kim Sunja. He was the protagonist in the side stories, written by tls123. The one that was banished and left alone to traverse in that timeless realm. He shivered. What he saw must have been his wall, [The Wall of Questions and Doubt]. It was something that the main characters in WOS had, (including the Scribe of Heaven, and excluding Joonghyuk). He was a character he loved, maybe more so than Yoo Joonghyuk. Although the side stories had 995 chapters, nearly reaching a third of the length of WOS itself, they weren't long chapters. They were always 1314 words long. Kim Dokja had a feeling that these numbers always meant something, but he wasn't quite sure what.

But again, there was still an unanswered question. The side story has never mentioned Sunja appearing on a train, and not even the subway that Yoo Joonghyuk was on. Therefore, what exactly went wrong?

He thought back to his first interaction with Kim Sunja. An intense sense of dread washed over him, shaking his mental stability.

'I... told him about the novel."

Rushing thoughts came forth, and the realisation that Kim Sunja may discover his fate earlier than he's supposed to, scared him. All because he was excited that someone wanted to read WOS. He should have known sooner. He should have realised, with his covered right eye and a mole under his left, soulless pupils that described an unfortunate backstory holding all the misfortunes he's seen, a sturdy body that seemed to have gone through a millennium of harsh training, and a wavering smile that could be described as something you'd see when a friend gives their last goodbye, that it was him.

All of a sudden, Kim Dokja's hands stopped shaking. He took a deep breath. 

This must have been the first time he heard about the novel. Kim Dokja told himself that it was okay. It didn't matter if he told him about the novel or not. He'll find some way to prevent him from regressing. If he were to die again, in order to read the story that no longer existed in this world of scenarios... He'll discover his fate and the way his story ends.

And Kim Dokja couldn't let that happen.

He needed to keep Kim Sunja alive, by any means.

But what could he do?

-

Once again, Kim Sunja came face to face with Yoo Joonghyuk. His eyes sparkled gold before widening.

"...?"

He must be looking at his status window — especially at the skill he copied.

"Who are you?"