"…I know already. Don't you worry." Sure, I desperately wanted to return to my companions right away, but right now, my situation didn't allow me to contact any one of them. – It's not for you, but for the sake of your companions. "I know." Even if I forget about the agreement for a second here, the road I'm about to tread was lined with dangerous thorns with no guarantee of walking away alive. If I carelessly contacted them, every one of my companions might fall into lifethreatening danger. [Will you travel to the Giant Story scenario location?] I nodded my head. [Automatic guidance to the scenario progress location will now commence.] As expected of a Nebula that pursued convenience above all else – my legs actually began running all by themselves. I noticed a few Incarnations around me who also started their automatic running thing, sporting the same body posture as me. We all became rather embarrassed and avoided meeting each other's gazes. [Automatic guide will now end.] The place I arrived at was in front of a giant holographic panel installed to the west of the plaza. There were many Constellations and Incarnations present here already. I could see golden-coloured bronze statues
rising up above right next to the sea of crowds. The one taking the center-most spot was a Constellation that I knew pretty well. The 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband', sporting a head full of golden hair and wielding a gigantic Ruyi Jingu Bang. These were the statues of protagonists of the Journey to the West, including the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal Sun Wukong. Not surprisingly, <Emperor> seemed to be well aware of which story out of their worldview was the most famous of them all. [New main scenario is available!] And the upcoming scenario was related to that 'famous story'. I accessed the scenario window. <Main scenario #94 – Journey to the West Remake> Type: Main Difficulty: ??? Clear condition: Work together with other Constellations and/or Incarnations to create 'Story chamber' and remake the Journey to the West. The remade Journey will be evaluated in real-time by judges as well as audience members. Through the judging criteria which may include 'Popularity', 'Degree of Faithfulness to the original', and 'Originality', overall points will be assigned at the end. The Story that manages to acquire the
highest number of votes will be judged the winner of the scenario. Time Limit: - Reward: Giant Story related to the 'Journey to the West', goodwill from the Nebula <Emperor>, 3,000,000 Coins, ??? Failure: - * The copyright to the reconstituted Stories will be shared between the Nebula <Emperor> and the participants. * Depending on the judges' votes, you may acquire either a 'legendary' or 'historical'-grade story. * A participant may only take on one role. (Excluding extras) * Additional Coins will be rewarded according to the rankings. Indeed, <Emperor>'s scale was on another realm altogether. Putting up a scenario where you were supposed to dramatise their Giant Story… If this explanation was correct, then even if one failed to clear the scenario, simply participating in it would let you acquire either a legendary or historical-grade Story. Strangely, though, the kkoma dumpling Yoo Joonghyuk spoke in a confused voice as if he couldn't understand something.
– Remake the Journey to the West?? "…Ah. You didn't come here during your turn, did you? But, the turns before yours should've come here before." – It's not as if I retain all the memories of my past regressions. "Well, it's as the explanation says. If I were to summarise it, then the participants are supposed to pick a role from the Journey to the West and act out the story itself." – In that case, wouldn't everyone try to pick the role with the most importance? "You're right. That's why we have that thing called the 'Story chambers'." – Story chambers? Rather than a verbal answer, I simply pointed to the advertisement boards the Constellations had put up here and there. [Looking for anyone willing to open a Story chamber with us!] [All the roles are still available, with the exception of Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang, Sha Wujing, or Zhu Bajie! We even have a scenario writer ready! Let us create a truly enjoyable Story together!] The Story chamber. Every participant was forced to create one before being allowed to enter the scenario. – I see. You're supposed to form a team like that and compete against one another.
"That's right. Only by doing so will you ensure the diversity of the Story." – Diversity? "In the end, the real goal of this event is to enhance the impact of 'Journey to the West'. By increasing the number of varied and entertaining versions of the 'Journey' in circulation, the strength of the original will grow even greater, and that would, in turn, serve to advertise the position of <Emperor>, too." – You're surprisingly smarter than you look. I thought you were a fool. I grinned sheepishly. To be honest, what I uttered just now was nothing more than me quoting what Yoo Joonghyuk from the 1287th turn had said. That's when we got to hear the complaints coming from ancient-looking Constellations. [I simply can't fathom what <Emperor> is thinking lately. Is this what they mean by the water in the rear of the Yangtze washing away those in the front? Huh…] [Even if they are trying to go along with the changing times… Isn't this tantamount to insulting the original work?] It kind of made sense for the ancient Constellations to think like that. But, what could anyone do about the ever-changing taste of the times? In all honesty, most of the Constellations had already adopted to the already-changed times, anyway.
[Currently, 5412 'chambers' are remaking the Journey to the West.] …There were already 5412 of them?? Only then did it really hit home that an incredible number of Constellations and Incarnations had rushed over to this particular 'Giant Story'. But then again, many Constellations must've been feeling the heat after the Final Scenario had opened up. The Giant Story related to the 'Journey to the West' could very well prove to be their golden ticket, after all. "So, the problem here is that I can't enter the scenario alone…" Meaning, I'd have to create 'Story chamber' like other Constellations and join the scenario. I took a look around my vicinity and spotted an occasional few that had newly opened up their chambers and were recruiting members to fill their quotas. [Recruiting a Constellation willing to play the 'Hong Hai Er' (The Red Boy). An Incarnation of a Narrative-grade Constellation is also OK.] [Recruiting the 'Golden Horned King'. Accepting only Historical-grade or higher.] Those indicated that the casting for the main characters had been filled already. As I expected, chambers recruiting villains far outnumbered those looking for the main characters. It was all because of the distribution of the Giant Story's shares when they did acquire it later.
Well, you'd get a greater share by playing a main character, rather than a villain, so it couldn't really be helped. [Recruiting the actor for the 'Yellow Robe Demon'. Coin split is 7 to 3. No Story shares. We don't care about your Status.] By the way, it might be just my gut talking here, but this… [Recruiting an extra for multiple roles. We don't judge your Status. No Story shares. Every appearance is a guaranteed 1000 Coins.] [Oiii, hyung-ssi over there! Come this side! We'll treat you right!] …I looked everywhere, but it felt as if there were only con men around this place. I was hoping against hoping, but well, I failed to spot any familiar Constellations, either. Maybe that was an obvious result, seeing that famous Constellations would've already joined Story chambers by now… For the time being, I approached the panel and decided to look at the list of 'Story chambers' first. The list was automatically organised by the rankings. Surprisingly, the highest-ranked chamber belonged to someone even I knew of. [The Real Journey to the West] – Current number of votes: 8651 – Introduction: The previously-unknown secrets of the authentic Journey to the West will be revealed.
– There are no more open spots available. – [Cider]², [Regression], [System]… – Current ranking: First If my memory served me correctly, then this Story chamber should belong to the Nebula <Emperor>'s 'Fei Hu'. Out of many regression turns, this Fei Hu's Story was always picked as the winning one for the current 'Giant Story' scenario. It was to such an extent that even before the competition was over, the saying "Victory already belongs to Fei Hu anyway" routinely made rounds… – Hurry up and decide already. "Just hold on." I might look like this, but this great I possessed over ten years' worth of experience as the reader of genre novels. Just by looking at the titles, I… No, well, I only had to read the introductions to easily figure out what kind of Stories we might get here. I reorganised the list by 'Newest' and began scrolling through the Story chambers. "Right now, it's a bit of a trend to change the protagonist." – Change the protagonist? How? "For instance, the majority of people think that the MC of the Journey to the West is Sun Wukong, right? But when you actually get down to it… Ohh, it really appeared."
[I've reincarnated as the last disciple in the Journey to the West?!] – Current number of votes: 3313 – Introduction: Just for how long will Sun Wukong remain as the hero? It's time for Pigsy to show his stuff! – Recruiting extras at all times. – [Reincarnation], [Possession], [Healing]… – Current ranking: Eighth – It's already underway. "Dammit." I scrolled down once more. Not too long afterwards, I discovered a couple more excellent-sounding chambers. [Disciples that I managed to rear] – Current number of votes: 3310 – Introduction: Here comes Tang Sanzang, after training the strongest disciples! – [Possession], [Rearing], [Healing]… – Current ranking: Ninth [The Journey's Extra] – Current number of votes: 3221
– Introduction: I've somehow ended up inside the Journey to the West. But I… seemed to have become Tang Sanzang's horse. – [Extra], [System], [Animal]… – Current ranking: Eleventh …Dammit, all the Story chambers with potential for great popularity were already full. – You've been dilly-dallying too long and now, it seems you're already done for. I didn't want to acknowledge it, but he might be right on this one. Many high-ranked chambers had finished casting their main characters and not only that, their Stories were already well underway, making a bit hard for me to butt in now. I couldn't help but wonder whether I should just apply to become an extra or not, but then, I'd not be able to acquire what I want through a role with such little importance. [The 4th Story chamber list will close soon!] [After closing, it'll become impossible to register additional roles with the exception of extras!] It was literally one thing after another. Now, the chamber closing time was approaching, too. I had to make a decision here. How long passed by like that?
Out of all the classifieds that I scrolled through in a hurry, I ended up spotting something rather suspicious. – (Urgently recruiting) Searching for a Sun Wukong who will ride on the bus. All the other roles have been cast already. Just show up and you're hired. …Still recruiting Sun Wukong, was it? Hang on. Not just any other role, but the 'Sun Wukong'? [I've become the retired SSSSS-grade Son Wukong!!] Haven't I seen that many 'S' letters somewhere before? Even though I knew I was being taken for a ride here, I still tapped on the info tab of this chamber. And that's when I saw its introduction. – Introduction: Only I know the end of the Journey to the West. [1] Yogoe is a Korean supernatural entity, a type of spirit or ghost. [2] Korean use of [Cider] as a story tag refers to something refreshing or gratifying.
Chapter 426: Ep. 80 - Our greatest ally, IV Only I know the end of the Journey to the West? Where have I heard of that introduction before? I decided to enter and confirm the situation of this chamber first. ['Player 8' -nim has entered the 6731st Story chamber's waiting area.] Thankfully, it seemed that their Story hadn't started yet. But then again, they shouldn't be able to start without the role for Sun Wukong filled up, so there was that, too. After I entered the chamber, the surroundings changed and a large round desk suddenly materialised. Square chat windows were floating above the desk's chairs, rather than actual people. They signified the participants playing the other roles.
[Player 1 has currently selected the role of 'Zhu Bajie'.] [Player 2 has currently selected the role of 'Sha Wujing'.] [Player 6 has currently selected the role of 'Tang Sanzang's White Horse'.] The faces of the players were all obscured by question marks. It seemed that this was done in order to protect the personal information of the actual players. Okay, but never mind that for now… There were so many players here, yet no one had selected the role of 'Sun Wukong' yet? – Player 8: Hello, everyone. Maybe they had all logged off or something, because no one bothered to write a message in the chat room even after I made an appearance. But then… – Scenario Master: sup? – Scenario Master: Which role you wanna? I quickly inputted my reply in the chatroom in the middle. – Player 8: Is the role for Sun Wukong still vacant? – Scenario Master: yup vacant. – Player 8: That's so strange. – Scenario Master: Had someone we want, but got delayed… Wanna do Sun Wukong? This guy, he seems to have a habit of not typing proper sentences.
Just as I was getting worried about if it'd be okay to have someone like this guy as the scenario's master, a message popped up with a suspiciously good timing as if its sender had read my mind. – Scenario Master: me know that genre inside out. No worries 'bout scenario 'qual'. Yup, it was just so hard to trust anyone with that type of grammar. Still, I decided to test a couple of things out anyway. – Player 8: I'd like ask you about the chamber's title. That [I've become the retired SSSSS-grade Sun Wukong]. – Scenario Master: yup me responsible. – Player 8: Why are there five 'S' letters? – Scenario Master: need that many to attract aggro. …Hmm, maybe he does know something after all? It got on my nerves a bit that he didn't bother to use any polite speech, though. I continued on with my questioning. – Player 8: Sun Wukong really is the protagonist, yes? – Scenario Master: yup yup yup – Player 8: Wouldn't the audience feel fed up with leaving the original work's MC as is? I thought it was a trend for the side characters or extras to become protagonist lately. I thought I had accurately picked on his weak spot, but the master's response was surprisingly calm.
– Scenario Master: Oh, looks like you did some market research. – Player 8: It was a mere simple browse-through. – Scenario Master: True about nim's words regarding extraturned-hero stories doing good business. But, Sun Wukong has to be MC if we wanna be numero uno. Think from POV of a judge. – Player 8: Hmm… – Scenario Master: important bit not who's MC and whatnot, but how much 'unfamiliar character' he is. And too many extra-turned-hero stories out there. …Would you look at this guy? At a glance, he might seem to be yapping on whatever came up into his mind, but well, what he said just now was not wrong. More often than not, the ones to take the top spot at times like this would be stories featuring the traditional heroes. For instance, Fei Hu's [The Real Journey to the West] featured Sun Wukong as its main protagonist. – Player 8: Is that why you went with 'retired Sun Wukong'? – Scenario Master: yup yup – Player 8: What will the retired Sun Wukong be doing? – Scenario Master: nothing. – Player 8:??
– Scenario Master: ah, it's a spoiler so no talking. So, you in or not? I was in a dilemma. – Scenario Master: If you're not, hurry and leave. We don't have much time. No answer in next 5 sec, and I eject you. I was kind of curious about how would a retired Sun Wukong work as a protagonist, too… [The 4th Story chamber list will close in five minutes!] I'd be cutting it too fine if I were to search for another chamber now. Dammit, I don't have a choice here. Regardless of what kind of scenario it was, as long as I do my best, it'd be fine, right? – Player 8: I'm in. – Scenario Master: Hmm. Then my turn to ask questions. – Player 8: Regarding? [Scenario Master wishes to confirm your details.] [Please select the information you wish to reveal.] He wants to view my information? – Player 8: Is it really necessary? – Scenario Master: Just wanna know your name. …My name, was it?
I decided to reveal some of my info. [Player 8-nim is a 'Constellation'.] [Player 8-nim's Modifier is the 'Watcher of Light and Darkness'.] [The applicable information is made available only to the 'Scenario Master'.] The Scenario Master didn't respond for a while. Heh, he must've been shocked by what he saw. – Scenario Master: Ehng? You were a Constellation-nim? But, why here in a low-rent chamber? I replied quickly. – Player 8: I may come across that way, but I know how to fight a bit. I dearly wish to become the retired Sun Wukong! – Scenario Master: Something smells fishy, tho? – Player 8: The real fun is in raising an unpopular Story from ground-up, wouldn't you agree? – Scenario Master: BTW, what's up with the dumpling? …Dumpling? [You're currently accompanied by your pet 'Murim dumpling'.] Dammit, I forgot that this guy was here with me. – Scenario Master: But, we ain't got no roles for pets, tho?
– Player 8: It's just a dumpling. It's not even strictly a pet per se. – Scenario Master: Hmm, it's a bit awkward, innit. Your opinions, pls? Surprisingly enough, the Scenario Master actually went and asked for the opinions of other players. [Player 1-nim says that 'It's fine if it's a Murim dumpling'.] [Player 4-nim says that 'Master should do whatever takes their fancy'.] [Player 3-nim says that 'I want to play this game right now'.] Thankfully, other players didn't object. –Scenario Master: ok we doing it so might as well ask for Murim-type ppl – Player 8: Thank you. – Scenario Master: see ya A short while later, the countdown began. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… [Story chamber, 'I've become the retired SSSSS-grade Sun Wukong' has begun its storytelling!] [This Story chamber's plot will follow the one set out by the Scenario Master.] [The main plotline of the Story Chamber can be interfered with by the judges or the audience.] ['The Journey to the West Remake' will commence!]
Bright light dyed my vision ash-grey next. I've become the retired SSSSS-grade Sun Wukong Letters appeared in a stylish manner from the darkness. And so, I had become this story's main character, 'Sun Wukong', and would participate in this play from now on. Honestly speaking, my heart was palpitating just a bit. To think, I'd really become the protagonist of an actual story… ⸢Kim Dok ja cou nting chi ckens alr eady.⸥ Along with [The Fourth Wall]'s voice entering my head, messages floated up before my eyes. [Prologue is starting.] [Prologue will be told through a flashback sequence.] [During the applicable section, players can only speak the assigned dialogue.] [Scenario Master's narration is now commencing.] Finally, a voice came from beyond the darkness next. (At the end of the lengthy travel alongside Sanzang's company, Sun Wukong had eventually arrived in the Western Regions and succeeded in obtaining the sacred Buddhist texts.) Oh, so it's begun. The scene actually changed as well, and before I even realized it, my body had morphed to that of Sun Wukong's. Folks that could be my companions were around me, but
maybe because this was a flashback sequence, their faces were blurred out. And my lips began moving all on their own. "Finally, retirement, is it… It sure was a long itinerary." At the same time, Sun Wukong's memories fleeted past my eyes. Getting chased away by Tang Sanzang, getting stabbed in the back by Zhu Bajie, and even abandoned by Sha Wujing. Memories of dragging around a ragtag bunch of utterly useless morons as his companions, fighting against countless Yogoe creatures until I became a bloody mess… Now that I saw those things, it did seem somewhat saddening and bitter. So, this was how the Journey to the West looked like from Sun Wukong's perspective, then. But it was then when I heard a strange voice. [Are you planning to end it like this?] I looked down to find the scared texts suddenly talking to me. [Are you really satisfied by this sort of a story?] I was somewhat impressed by this. So, our story's plot would start in this manner, now was it? Words continued to rise above the sacred Buddhist texts. [Do you not resent the unfairness of it? You've experienced expulsion by Sanzang because of illogical reasons and had to suffer oppression many times over.] [Was that all? You've been tortured by the Constrictive Headband because of crimes you were not guilty of.]
[Nothing more than the reason of walking on the path of Buddhism, you had to protect Tang Sanzang and stick to a gruelling itinerary, even though you'd have arrived in your destination in the blink of an eye by riding on your Somersault Cloud.] For sure, the Journey to the West did have cruel aspects when it came to treating Sun Wukong. [And the result of such an arduous journey is for you to ascend to 'Paradise'? Are you not truly incensed by this conclusion?] Now that I heard it, this did sound like a great injustice somehow. [You can restart from the beginning.] "…Restart from the beginning?" [You can start this journey from the beginning once more.] It was around then when I got this ominous chill creep down my backside. Goddammit, this was a regression story? My lips began moving all on their own again. "What the hell? I got here after going through so much rubbish, yet you want me to go through that crap again from the beginning?" [No, you won't suffer this time.] "What?" [Exploit your companions to the fullest, and become an existence that does not save anyone. Indeed, you shall become a 'Demon King' that only lives for himself.]
Right then, blinding rays of light exploded out from the sacred texts. [Flashback sequence has concluded.] [The play will begin in earnest!] It seemed that the story up until here was all a part of the prologue. Which meant that the real episode would start from now. As if it was waiting for this moment, the words 'Episode 1' floated up to the view. And I grandly freaked out next. ~Episode 1. The Demon King of Salvation~ …Wha?? As if it had read my mind, the narration started again. (It was not a well-known tale, but once upon a time, Sun Wukong used to be called the 'Demon King of Salvation'.) I wondered what kind of dogshit crap this was, but for the time being, decided to hear it out till the end. (This small stone monkey had a nasty habit of sacrificing himself to save other people, and many of those who received his unwanted rescue attempts ended up with psychological scars.) (Gods and Buddhas of the heavens all criticised him for it, yet that dumb rock-for-brains continued to throw his life away to save other people over and over again.) N-no, hang on a minute here. (The heaven's Great Jade Emperor and Buddha felt that they could no longer accept such actions from Sun Wukong anymore and imprisoned the Monkey King inside the stone crate under the Marble Mountain.) (And our story starts from there.)
[Judge, 'King of Stone Monkeys', likes this particular backstory.] [Portion of judges have awarded points for the plot that mirrors the current trend.] [2 points have been awarded.] My attention was drawn to the 'mirroring the current trend' message. Ahh, so could this be the reason? [First episode has begun.] [Unrestricted speech section has begun.] [Do your best to create an interesting and enjoyable Story by acting according to your role.] I shuddered greatly and regained my wits. Chills crept up from various parts of my body, and my back hurt like crazy as well. I heard the noises of pitch-black soil fall around me. My current situation was that only my head was peeking out from beneath the mountain. [Currently, you're sealed under the Five Elements Mountain.] Well, it seemed that I was currently being squashed flat by the Five Elements Mountain. [Audiences are curious about what your reaction will be.] (Scenario Master is urging you to say something fitting your role.) This was the very first scene after the MC had just finished regressing. Since I saw this situation appearing frequently in genre novels, I figured that I'd be rather familiar with what to say
here, but after finding myself in those characters' shoes, I couldn't even imagine what to say anymore. Still, I decided to say something regardless. "Where am I? Wasn't I returning with the sacred texts just now?" Obviously, no normal, sane-minded person would be talking to himself like this. "…Five Elements Mountain?! Holy cow, did I really regress?" So, I couldn't help but get shocked at myself capable of muttering out such lines with ease. [Audiences now understand your current situation.] (Scenario Master is nodding their head in approval of your instincts for dialogue.) (Scenario Master has acknowledged you.) Goddammit. I wanted to hide in a hole so bad right now. [Portion of the audience is waiting in anticipation for the next scene.] I recalled the Journey to the West's plot points. According to the original, Sun Wukong was supposed to wait for 500 years below the Five Element Mountain. And so, five minutes passed by, then ten after that. …E-eiii, there's no way, right? (Sun Wukong's ears perked up after hearing noisy voices coming from afar.) I breathed a sigh of relief. Now according
to the original, the first person Sun Wukong met was Tang Sanzang. (As he looked at the familiar people approaching him, Sun Wukong began reminiscing about the ancient past.) Two children were walking closer to my location. Two kids that wore cute-looking Buddhist robes and sporting toy-like crowns on their heads. (The memories of that day, when he first met Tang Sanzang.) (Sun Wukong was lost within the rose-tinted reminiscence.) Chills slowly crept down my back now. That faintest sense of deja vu I felt earlier was now gradually becoming reality. [The Fourth Wall], buzzing noisily, then asked me. ⸢Y ou re ally d idn't kn ow?⸥ I couldn't answer back. That suspicion I had when I saw those five 'S' letters; even though I believed it couldn't be possible, a part of my heart still hoped against hope. I gritted my teeth and did my best to hold onto my consciousness trying to slip away. "Ah, he's over there. I think it's that ahjussi." "Let me go ask him." They were perhaps the world's smallest pair of 'Sanzang'. Lee Gilyoung grabbed my head to lift it up and asked me next.
"You bastard, are you the 'Demon King of Salvation', Sun Wukong?"
Chapter 427: Ep. 80 - Our greatest ally, V Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, all I could do was to look at the kids and reply. "I am." And then, I heard the warning message next. [Warning! You have come in contact with some of <Kim Dokja's Company>'s members!] [Chaos residing somewhere deep inside you have begun wiggling.] [Judge, 'King of Stone Monkeys', has revealed his displeasure!] [The contest this time doesn't have anything interesting to watch.]
A young monkey covered entirely in a coat of rather beautiful golden fur roughly scratched his mane and, while looking at the screens displayed on holographic panels, yawned over and over again. Another monkey wearing a cowboy get-up watched that from the sidelines before making a retort. [Judge, 'Manager of Heaven's Stables', is chastising the 'King of Stone Monkeys'.] [Meihouwang (Handsome Monkey King), you truly are an impatient one. If you took your time perusing, then you'd have found one or two interesting stories by now.] [Hng, Bimawen (Keeper of Heavenly Horses), so was it your lofty patience that allowed you to clean up horse shit for over two weeks straight?] […I'd like to talk about only the refined matters in this place, if we could.] [I can already tell what you're going to do with my eyes closed. I mean, you'll just slap high scores to any story that doesn't feature stables in it, anyway.] [But, don't you also lose your mind in excitement whenever a story features Mountain of Flowers and Fruit?] [Oiii, Great Sage! What do you think? Have you found something interesting to watch yet?] That question was directed to a certain pure-blonde haired man yawning loudly with his chin supported by the Ruyi Bang. He lazily opened his lips. [This year doesn't seem to have anything fresh, that's for sure.] [Thought so.]
[We had quite a few people running around with wild imaginations in the past, hadn't we? Like, how we were portrayed as members of a battle-maniac species that grew stronger by overcoming deadly hurdles…] [Hmm, yeah. That was really fun back in the day. But I didn't like the way they portrayed us as humans.] Bimawen's words elicited a smirk from the Great Sage. [Oi, looky here. You guys might be monkeys, but I'm almost human, you know?] […But you changed only because of that Story's influence, didn't you?] Meihouwang, Bimawen, and the Great Sage. They were different Story Bodies of the one that enjoyed the true name of 'Sun Wukong'. At first, they were all one being, but after each of the Stories developed separately, the various personalities split apart from one another as well. [This kid, Fei Hu's rate of growth is no joke… At this rate, we might have ourselves a brand new 'Sun Wukong'.] [Yeaaah, sure. Something that hasn't happened in the last few thousand years will suddenly happen now. Sure thing.] Three separate Sun Wukongs had gathered inside this large judge's office to take a gander at the various Stories of the 'Journey to the West Remake' being played out on the holographic panels. Some of them were boring, while a few seemed to be promising enough. They even pressed the 'Like' button on a couple of unfamiliar but interesting ones, too. They also didn't forget to assign scores as the three of them constantly bickered among themselves.
Meihouwang asked. [Hey, Great Sage. I forgot to ask you. What happened to those guys the last time?] [Which guys?] [You know, back when you asked us for help so Bimawen and I lent you our powers.] [Ahh, you mean the 'Great War of Saints and Demons'? It worked out alright. But their representative went missing.] That prompted a retort from Bimawen. [Are you talking about that fool whom you kept chasing after but never chose you as his sponsor?] […Hey, I never chased him around, got that? I only responded once or twice at his ardent pleas, that's all.] [Oh, but for that once or twice, I remember you willingly sacrificing some of your scant hair, though?] [Shut up.] The Great Sage roughly dug his ear with the Ruyi Bang and changed the topic. [By the way, why hasn't Douzhanshengfo (Victorious Fighting Buddha) arrived yet? All the Sun Wukongs have gathered in one place, so how come he's missing from this occasion?] [You know that nerd's always late.] [What about Bajie and Wujing?] [They went to speak to the Heavenly Palace people.] […That Jade Emperor dude, is he thinking of butting in during the judging again?] [As long as our opinions don't clash, it doesn't matter if that side wishes to interfere.]
[But, our opinions have never matched before, so there's our problem.] As if they were waiting for this very moment, the door to the judge's office was pushed open, and Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing made their entrance. [Excuse me, hyung-nims. The higher-ups say that it's about time we announce this year's best candidates…] [Shut it. Can't you see we're still busy?] Both Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing flinched from Meihouwang's threatening voice and took hurried steps back. The Great Sage asked them. [By the way, who's the lady behind you?] [Ah, apologies for the late introduction. She's this year's new judge. I heard that she's also Sakyamuni's successor.] […Sakyamuni had a successor?] Someone entered the office in a calm, composed gait. However, the moment the Great Sage saw the woman wearing a fine, elegant Buddhist robe and a slender crown, his eyes trembled from shock. Bimawen sensed that and asked him. [Someone you know?] The Great Sage didn't reply and simply stared at her face for a while. The woman didn't reciprocate that gaze, instead choosing to cross the table and head towards the panel displaying the Stories. Bimawen used his chin to point and speak. [This is actually good news. It might not be a bad idea to hear the newbie's
opinion. Hey, Miss Sakyamuni's successor, which Story takes your fancy?] The woman's robe, busy swaying about, came to a stop in a certain spot. Sakyamuni's successor stared at a certain story with a pair of still eyes. Her hand slowly reached out and touched the display, causing ripples to spread out like the emotions of longing itself. [I seem to like this Story the most.] ⸢Y ou kn ew al re ady Kim Dok ja.⸥ [The Fourth Wall] was right. In a way, you could say that I knew something like this would happen. I kind of suspected that the folks in this Story chamber might be the <Kim Dokja's Company>'s members. [The agreement with the Wenny King is in danger!] And also, I thought that it'd give rise to such a result, too. Even then, I couldn't not make this choice. – You've been warned not to get in contact with them. [999] sitting on my shoulder whispered to me. Just by meeting the kids, a change was already taking place within my Incarnation body. [The transformation to the Outer God is accelerating due to the risk to the agreement condition.]
'I haven't gone against the agreement itself. Technically speaking, the content of the deal was to [never reveal my identity to Kim Dokja's Company], wasn't it?' – The moment they find out, everything will be over. 'I know that already, so stop worrying'. [Outer God transformation progress percentage: 3%] Most likely, I'd end up as an Outer God like the 'Secretive Plotter' when that percentage maxes out. I was thinking that honestly, it shouldn't matter as long as I fulfil our agreement before that. For now, I was happy to see the kids walking in front of me in such great harmony. [A small number of audience members complain that Sanzang can't be two people.] While listening to the messages streaming in, I continued to walk behind the kids leading in the front. I heard that children grow remarkably fast every day; that statement really hit home, after realizing that they indeed had grown so much taller already. Now that I thought about it, it sure had been a while since I spent some time with them like this. I had no idea what either Lee Gilyoung or Shin Yoosung were thinking about most of the time. It was what the Scenario Master had said. I 'saved' them on my whim, and abandoned them behind with no thoughts of taking any responsibility. Just like how it was like for me in the past, these two kids had been left alone and neglected by me. "Oii, Demon King of Salvation."
"Yes?" …So, this was more or less the punishment that I deserve. Shin Yoosung watching on from the side spoke up. "You shouldn't be so rude to someone you don't know." "But, Sooyoung noona said I should act like this, you know?" "Even then, you should still stick to basic etiquette." As expected of my Incarnation. She studied me with pitying eyes, before whispering to Lee Gilyoung via [Nebula Chat]. Of course, since I was also a member of the same Nebula, I could hear her words just fine. – This way, he'll trust us more, you dummy. What will you do if he decides to wreak havoc later? I felt goosebumps break out on my skin. – …You're actually scared of him? Look at his current state, will ya? For sure, I didn't buy the [Great Sage, Heaven's Equal Avatar Set] sold by <Emperor> so my current attire consisted of nothing more than the 500-year old "standard" ragged clothing. Shin Yoosung patted the dirt away on my clothes and politely greeted me. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Constellation-nim. We'll be in your care." "I'll be in yours as well. Ah, also. How should I call you both?" Lee Gilyoung replied as if he was waiting for that. "I'm the monk Xuan (玄). And she's the monk Zang (奘). Call us that
from now on." His voice was full of mischievousness as if he was playing a game. So, then. Lee Gilyoung was the monk 'Xuan', while Shin Yoosung was the monk 'Zang', was it? To think, they'd split the name of the monk Xuanzang and give it to the kids. It was indeed a rather adorable idea. [A portion of audience members think that the two monks are quite adorable.] [Portion of judges find the setting of 'Two Monks' interesting.] [4 points have been acquired.] Lee Gilyoung, still drunk on all these new settings, continued to yap about himself. Meanwhile, Shin Yoosung whispered in my ear. "I'm sure you're a little bit confused by all these strange set-ups, yes? I'm really sorry. Our Scenario Master is a bit of an eccentric, so…" "No, it's fine." I could guess who the Scenario Master was already. Well, there could ever be only one person capable of coming up with such an out-there story in <Kim Dokja's Company>, after all. "Still, you don't have to worry about anything. We'll definitely look after you well. All you have to do is to ride the bus well and just quietly follow us." Tears almost broke out from my eyes after being subjected to all this friendly treatment. It would've hardly been enough for me to console the kids first, yet they were worried about me, instead?
What a shameful thing this was. (At that moment, Sun Wukong swore to protect Sanzang in this life, as well.) That's right. I'd definitely protect these kids. I might not have been able to do my role properly in the past but at least, from now on I… "Kugugugugugu!" Noises of explosions came from somewhere. I reflexively scanned my vicinity. "Ku-dudududu!" It did sound like explosions, sure, but something also felt a bit off about them. Something must've exploded, but why did it sound as if the noise was made by someone's mouth?? Shin Yoosung hurriedly approached my side and whispered again. "Please don't panic. We're simply mirroring the original's setting." "…Pardon?" "I heard that in the original story, all onomatopoeia were written in between quotation marks." [A portion of the judges are impressed by the unexpected mirroring of the original work!] [10 additional points have been acquired!] What the hell? I thought such a thing was a mistake solely reserved to mass-market fantasy genre novels…
I wasn't even given enough time to get flustered by the unexpected level of observation by the Scenario Master on the original work. The kids pushed me behind them and took large steps forward. Having a look again, I realized that the so-called explosion noises seemed to have originated from a large canyon in front of us. (Sun Wukong stared deeply at the Shepan Mountain's Yingchou Stream Canyon. Since this was his second stab at life, he knew what would pop out from that canyon.) If my memory was right, then the second being the group encountered in the Journey to the West was… (The third son of the Dragon King of West Sea, Jade Dragon.) …Right, it's him. And he would become… (He was the existence that would be reborn as Tang Sanzang's White Dragon Horse.) Well, since the narration took care of everything, I didn't have much else to say here. I stepped forward and spoke up. "Both of you, please hide somewhere. I shall handle this." If my memory was working fine, then one of the players took on the role of the 'Tang Sanzang's White Dragon Horse'. I was pretty sure that he was the one behind the current event. Seeing that the kids were participating in this Story chamber, the rest of the players should also be from <Kim Dokja's Company>, but if someone with ill intention had somehow butted in here… "…We told you, you just stay on the bus."
A small but pretty darn strong hand grabbed my shoulder. I looked back to find Shin Yoosung forming a rather scary smile. "A guy who can't even afford proper clothes wants to show off? Step back!" Lee Gilyoung cracked his knuckles and took a step forward, as well. I tried to urgently chase after the kids, but they had already ran ahead to the canyon and started fighting a blue-hued Dragon that flew out from there. "Ku-kwakwakwakwakwa!!" Lee Gilyoung shouted out the onomatopoeia and rushed forward, and the blue Dragon jumping out from the canyon also roared out in response. I immediately recognised who that Dragon was. …It's the Chimera Dragon?? Kids fought with the blue Dragon as if they were having a dance-off in the air, and through [Taming], subjugated the creature in no time at all. [Audience members are impressed by the kid Sanzangs' martial prowess!] [A small number of audience members are lodging a protest, complaining that Sanzangs are too powerful.] [A portion of judges are surprised by this unexpected turn of events!] And a short while later.
['Player 6' -nim has joined the group.] The Chimera Dragon was transformed into Xuanzang's white horse, and was dragged over here by the two children. While trying to understand this situation, which was resolved without me needing to do anything, I recalled the conversation I had with the Scenario Master earlier. – What will the retired Sun Wukong be doing? – Nothing. Only now did I understand just a little bit. This story seemed to be created for this from the word go. And right in the next instant, a message from a familiar Constellation landed in my ear. [Judge, 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband', finds the current Story's plot quite interesting.] [10 additional points have been acquired.] A day passed by like that, then another day went by. I was gradually waking up to the 'identity' of this Story chamber. "It's a grasshopper. Eat." "Demon King of Salvation-nim. Do your legs hurt?" ⸢This Story is 'one for Sun Wukong's benefit'.⸥ (Sun Wukong was really comfortable.)
This would be my first time to be all relaxed and leisurely ever since the scenarios began. My brain had almost seized up after it got submerged in the sea of comfort for too long. [New Story is germinating in you!] [Story, 'Sneezing Without Hands', has begun its storytelling.] I could just about make a guess as to why Han Sooyoung came up with a scenario like this one. [Judge, 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband', likes this plot development very much.] The Journey to the West was a story built around Sun Wukong's sacrifice. Even the later variations had similar themes, too. So, what would happen if a 'Story specifically for Sun Wukong' made its appearance? [Judge, 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband', is envious of you.] [Judge, 'Manager of Heaven's Stables', is envious of you.] [Score: 312] It seemed that Han Sooyoung's claim of being a popular author was true. The Story's total votes had already surpassed 300 and we were enjoying smooth sailing so far. And well, such a plot wasn't necessarily bad for my companions, either. Nominally, the MC of the story was Sun Wukong, but as every battle was handled by my companions instead, all the shares of the Story at the end of the scenario would naturally belong to <Kim Dokja's Company> alone. What a well-
thought-out scheme this was – get a nice score tally, and also ensure you'd walk away with Story shares, too. "Argh, I wanna play some games on my phone." "But you played so much before coming here." Even though the kids adorably bickered with each other, they didn't forget to feed me, helped me fall asleep, and hell, even groomed the fur on my head, too. Lee Gilyoung asked me with a pout. "So, like, what do you do originally?" "It's bad manners to ask about his private life, you dummy." Shin Yoosung pulling out premature grey hair on my head tackled the boy immediately. I was slightly worried whether such a meta conversation was allowed or not, but for the time being, I decided to answer him. I thought about it and realized that I hadn't had a chat like this with the kids up until now. "I just enjoy reading novels." "Novels? Ohhh, I like reading them, too." Lee Gilyoung liked reading novels? Really? That was an unexpected piece of info. He was now really amped up as he continued on. "Can I recommend you a novel?" He dared to make a recommendation to me, a veteran of over ten years in reading genre novels? Fine, let's hear him, then.
"It's [SSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor]. It's a super-duper awesome novel, so make sure to read it later, okay?" Before I noticed it, my second ego jumped out to the fore. "But, as I understand, that novel was a resounding failure." "Failure? I heard it was really popular, though? I guess you don't have a discerning eye~." Han Sooyoung, that moron. Did she boast her novel to these young, gullible kids? Shin Yoosung listening on quickly joined in, as well. "I also really like reading novels!" "Oh, really? May I ask what kind of novels?" I kind of was looking forward to her answer. Indeed, if it was Yoosung-ie… "Yes, you may! Raymond Carver, Murakami Haruki…!" …Now that was a line-up of authors I had heard of before. I was able to figure out who was in charge of the children's education during my absence. Yoo Sangah-ssi. She should have reincarnated safely by now. Shin Yoosung looked at the dumpling on my shoulder and asked me a question. "By the way, you must really like Murim dumplings?" "Yes, I do." "…An ahjussi I know also really likes them, too." I knew well who she was talking about there.
Lee Gilyoung rubbed his stomach and muttered to himself. "Aah, I wish I could eat some dumplings right about now." I thought I could sense the 'Murim dumpling' on my shoulder suddenly flinch a little. Indeed, it had been way too long since I had a proper meal. (But suddenly, the aroma of dumplings began wafting out from somewhere.) The majority of events taking place within the Journey to the West all began with 'suddenly', just like this. We exchanged glances and tracked down the origin of that fantastic smell. And so, who long did we walk on the mountain trail? A huge factory now stood before us. "…Can a thing like that even exist in this era?" Just as I began wondering if Han Sooyoung's version of the Journey was set in the steampunk universe, several humanoids began running outside the factory and headed this way. "Euh, euh! Everyone, run away!" However, the escapees were caught by some kind of an invisible force and were dragged back to the factory. "Nooooo!" Wondering what on earth was going on here, we quickly sneaked our way inside the factory. Not too long afterwards, we got to witness the spectacle of thousands of slaves busy kneading and manufacturing
something while sticking very close to the moving conveyor belts. "Could that be…?" The dumpling [999] on my shoulder whispered. – They are making [Murim dumplings]. Thousands upon thousands of Murim dumplings were being carried away by the conveyor belts to a destination unknown. I stared at the unending 'river' of dumplings and began wondering about the person we were about to meet this time. (There was only one creature in the whole of the Journey to the West that lusted after food this badly.) As if he was waiting for us, a man suddenly began speaking to us.
Chapter 428: Ep. 81 - A dumpling's reminiscence, I "Hello there! Are you all out-of-towners?" The one who spoke to us was a man on the wrong side of middle-age. The well-mannered Shin Yoosung stepped forward first and offered up a greeting. "We were on our way to the Western Regions to visit Buddha-nim." "Hoh, Buddha, is it? Unlike how you look, I see that you are high priests of Buddhism!" Lee Gilyoung saw how the middle-aged man was impressed by the revelation and began standing tall with his hands behind his back while going "Ahem!" The older man studied both children with unreadable eyes before finally shifting his gaze in my direction.
"In that case, the gentleman next to you is… Hiiieeek?!" His complexion paled instantly as he stared at the [Murim dumpling] on my shoulder. "T-that, that's a [Murim dumpling]…!!" "Ah, this guy's just a doll. I like dumplings, that's why." "…I-is that so? You really surprised me there." The middle-aged man patted his chest down, still looking somewhat freaked out. Judging from the armband slung across his upper arm like that, he must've been the supervisor of this factory. Thinking that this was a fortunate turn of events, we decided to ask this man some questions. "What is this factory, exactly? Why are you making lots of dumplings like that?" "…Could it be that you came here without knowing anything?" The middle-aged man studied us with a troubled look on his face, before carrying on as a lengthy sigh escaped from his lips. "This is all the fault of that scary Yogoe." "A Yogoe, you say?" "Indeed. Originally, this place wasn't a factory." According to the middle-aged man, this place used to be a peaceful little rural village. But on a certain day, a tall, hulking swine-type Yogoe with jet-black skin suddenly made his appearance, kidnapped
every female in the village, enslaved all the men, and created this very factory. "That bastard took my daughter and wife as his concubines and locked us up in this place! I'm sure you can tell that there's a strange supernatural power swirling around here and it prevents us slaves from leaving this factory. Not only that, that Yogoe devours so much, too… We're forced to make dumplings all day long, but it seems to never be enough." [The factory's manufacturing system is searching for the 'Supervisor'!] "D-damn it! I have to get going now." The middle-aged man hurriedly put on a pair of sanitary gloves and a face mask before rushing towards the conveyor belts. Before I could step up and say something, Shin Yoosung reached out and grabbed the middle-aged man first. "It's unfair for you ahjussis to perform slave labour like this. Not only that, you said that Yogoe even kidnapped females of the village too. We can't overlook this." As expected of my Incarnation. Sure, we had to do this in order to advance the plot, but still… "We shall help you. Where can we find that Yogoe?" "Even if it's you monk-nims, that Yogoe is… Will you really help us?" "Of course we will."
The middle-aged man kept rolling his eyes around for a bit but eventually told us the direction where we could find this Yogoe. "We leave it all up to you! Please, defeat that Yogoe!" We nodded our heads and walked in the direction pointed out to us. (The Dumpling Yogoe was waiting at the end of this ⸢Dumpling Road.⸥) We walked alongside the so-called Dumpling Road, created out of the conveyor belts. As if he couldn't hold it any longer, Lee Gilyoung began picking up and chowing down dumplings every couple of steps. "…Hey, this is really tasty!" Of course they were. These were none other than [Murim dumplings], after all. However, it seemed that the foremost expert on all things [Murim dumpling] was thinking a bit differently than us. – The aroma is a little off. 'What?' – Hand me a dumpling. While walking behind the two kids, I cautiously picked up a dumpling and handed it over to, uh, the dumpling on my shoulder. And sure enough, watching one dumpling eat another one proved to be a rather grotesque sight. – The combination of ingredients is wrong. It seems that he has not mastered the art of [Murim dumplings]. Murim dumpling number [999] formed a somewhat dissatisfied expression and began ordering me around out of
the blue. – Take half a spoon of the substance inside the green container and add that in. Since we still had a long way to go anyway, I decided to follow this little guy's orders and began adding the ingredients inside the dumpling skins. – You must familiarise yourself with the flames of True Samadhi Fire. Place the steamer so that the yellow flames are touching it in the middle and then, heat it. This had to be some kind of a dream. To think, I was learning how to make dumplings from a dumpling while walking on the Dumpling Road. And so, how long did I walk on this dreamlike road? At the end of this 'road', I was rewarded with a packet of appetising [Murim dumplings]. While looking at [999] nodding his head triumphantly, I began wondering what the hell I just did here. "Looks like that's our destination." I looked in the direction Shin Yoosung was pointing at. There was a pathway at the end of the conveyor belt leading to large stone walls and a newly-built residential area. A handful of workers were delivering the packaged dumplings over there. It seemed that we had arrived at where the dumplings' consumer was.
We walked closer, prompting the security guard to approach us. "Who are you people?" Shin Yoosung grinned brightly and replied. "We are but humble monks on our way to the west to seek an audience with Buddha-nim and acquire the sacred texts. We coincidentally stumbled across this place during our journey. Will it be fine for us to enter?" "Ah, are you by any chance the 'party of the Tang Dynasty's monks'?" "That's correct." I was dumbfounded by that conversation. It had been only a few days since this journey had begun, so there was no freaking way that the rumours of us would've arrived here already. [You've learned of the Story, 'Words Swifter Than Feet'!] Shin Yoosung whispered in my ear. "I heard that this is how it's like in the original." …Ah, so that's how it was? [A portion of the judges are impressed by the Scenario Master's high level of research.] [10 additional points are awarded for the excellent reflection of the original work!] To think that they would judge us imitating the improbable timing as seen in the original as research… How shocking.