Chapter 12
Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Troll Seed III: Shin Noah
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Saintess, is this really her?"
[Yes. Undertaker.]
The Saintess gave an immediate answer, as if she'd been watching my movements in real time through Clairvoyance.
[That person is the one using the username Goryeo Jang on SG Net.]
"Huh."
I stroked my chin.
'Well, sure. Things like this can happen.'
My surprise didn't last long.
For one thing, she wasn't particularly important to me. Sure, Sim A-ryeon and I weren't completely unconnected, but our relationship wasn't deep enough to call it a profound bond.
While we're at it, let me briefly describe how the Busan Station waiting room looks in my eyes.
[Extra A] [Seo-gyu ←Important!] [Tutorial Fairy] [Vending Machine] [Extra B] [Extra C] [Go Yo-ri ←※Danger※] [Souvenir Shop (need to farm silver bells)] [Extra D] [Tombstone] [Extra E] [Uehara Shino] [Extra F] [Extra G]....
That's about it.
And in that lineup, Sim A-ryeon is precisely playing the role of [Extra B].
The kind of character who wouldn't catch any reader's eye unless I drew an arrow specifically pointing her out.
To exaggerate a bit, her reason for existing is to let out a quirky "Hieeek!" scream every time Seo-gyu dies.
'Her awakening ability was... healing, right.'
Of course, as a regressor, I'd memorized the abilities of even these extras without missing a single one.
'I remember she wasn't all that competent as a healer...'
In game terms, a 2-star healer.
To use a slightly harsh analogy, the kind they give out for free just for logging in.
Useful enough in the early game, but the type who gets kicked from the party as stages get harder. Doomed to hear, "You're out of the party. You're just not up to our level."
And my story isn't tagged with #regret #obsession #despair. What does that mean? She just gets kicked and that's it.
In the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd regressions, I'd relied on Sim A-ryeon. But that was just because I was such a newbie back then.
After that... well?
Excluding events like the joint funeral in the 10th regression or building the impregnable fortress in the 24th, I had no real memories of her.
'A third-rate awakener who luckily survived in Busan and somehow drifted all the way to Pocheon.'
Thinking of it that way, she'd come almost from the southern tip of Korea to the northern edge.
It made my heart ache a little.
My curiosity about Sim A-ryeon's life slightly outweighed my indignation at villain Goryeo Jang's personality.
'I need to hear her story.'
In the end, giving in to curiosity turned out to be the right call.
After I knocked Sim A-ryeon out and dragged her to the living room, Lee Joo-ho, who'd followed me in, clutched his forehead.
"...My god. To think that one of our own guildmates—no, the [Angel of Healing]—was the one posting that kind of inflammatory crap."
"So you two do know each other... what?"
I thought I'd just heard something weird. No, not weird exactly, but something eerie and embarrassing.
"[Angel of Healing]?"
"She's famous around here."
Lee Joo-ho's face was half troubled, half baffled.
"And she's the one who works as the school nurse, art teacher, and librarian at the elementary school where Zero Sugar and I first met."
"What?"
"I told you earlier, right? There's someone in the guild besides me who takes care of the kids... It's her."
???
I turned my head and looked up at the ceiling.
[Goryeo Jang is correct. Undertaker. Please don't doubt it.]
I quickly lowered my gaze back to Lee Joo-ho.
"You mean she's a coworker?"
"Yes, in the guild and at school... The world ended, and all the medical infrastructure collapsed. Healthy people die from a cold, small wounds turn into tetanus... More people die from illness than monsters."
It was something I knew well, a sight I'd grown sick of seeing over past regressions.
Modern humans die frighteningly easily without antibiotics.
The reason funeral practices unified to cremation so quickly in this ruined world, and why Lee Joo-ho's senior—the fire mage—was so busy, all boiled down to that. Burning bodies was the surest way to prevent plagues.
"But around here, patients don't die from stupid things anymore."
Lee Joo-ho continued, looking at villain Goryeo Jang.
"This person... the Angel of Healing started treating everything from minor ailments to serious cancers with her ability. About a year ago."
"What?"
Her?
A 2-star healer?
"She became famous for treating patients and students without asking for anything in return. Even my dad—whenever he was unwell, she'd help him out. Without her, he might not have even gotten out of bed..."
Lee Joo-ho furrowed his brow.
"Wait. Undertaker, are you sure that Goryeo Jang is really her? Maybe there's a misunderstanding or mistake..."
"No, that's definite. No room for doubt. Ask her yourself once she wakes up."
"...."
Lee Joo-ho finally fell silent.
Truth be told, I was even more confused.
'Sim A-ryeon wielded healing ability at the level of curing cancer...?'
I'd never once witnessed her demonstrate that kind of power in any of my past regressions.
At best, she eased knee scrape pain a bit or helped a week-long cold recover in a week—like a Pamprin Q.
How?
"I'll wake her up."
Lee Joo-ho nodded at my words.
I threw an empty soda can at villain Goryeo Jang.
The aluminum can hit her squarely on the head. I'd infused it with a bit of aura, so her whole skull probably felt like it was electrified with a sharp zing.
"Ugh... Hngh! Uuugh...?"
Villain Goryeo Jang cum Angel of Healing—two-faced Anubis—groaned and slowly blinked her eyes open.
"Feeling better?"
"Uh... Uuugh, wha... Y-yeah...?"
Once she regained consciousness, I explained everything from the beginning.
Naturally, she was shocked.
"Hieeek...! H-how did you know I was here and come all this way...?"
"I get a lot of love from the Constellations."
I lied as easily as breathing, then peered at her.
"More importantly, why?"
Villain Goryeo Jang mumbled, unable to answer my direct question.
Awkward silence filled the living room.
"Um, well... It's like this. The thing is... Uuuuum..."
But that awkward silence itself was already telling the whole story.
"Hah."
Lee Joo-ho wore a hollow expression.
Realizing his acquaintance was an internet troll had apparently drained the life out of him.
He said quietly.
"...Teacher Sim. Was taking care of patients stressful?"
Villain Goryeo Jang blinked rapidly.
"Hngh. Y-yeah...?"
"So. You didn't really want to care for patients. No, you got pissed off and stuff, but couldn't refuse because of your ability... Elementary kids cause trouble all the time. So you vented stress online under a different mask?"
"Oh."
I let out an admiring sound from the side.
A sharp young man with a sharp deduction.
Mismatches between ability and personality were cases I'd seen often.
In this world, having a healing ability was a double-edged sword. True mental fortitude to go "I'm a healer? Then I'm nobility and you're peasants" and abuse it was rarer than you'd think.
Gentle, introverted people who couldn't say no to requests just got dragged around.
I'd seen countless cases where they snapped one day and caused trouble.
But against this reasonable, credible hypothesis, villain Goryeo Jang—Sim A-ryeon—shook her head vigorously in denial.
"N-nooo! It's not that! It's because of my skill...!"
"So, the skill. A-ryeon wanted to use [Moving Hospital] but patients forced you—"
"N-no, a different skill! My second ability!"
Sim A-ryeon flailed her arms as she began explaining her second ability.
"Wait a sec. This was a real pain to figure out..."
Since abilities didn't pop up neatly like skill cards (if they did, it'd be easier for me to go around announcing I'm a regressor), going by A-ryeon's own account, her second ability was as follows.
――――――――――
[Resentment Jade]
They say those who are cursed live long without illness.
You are its superior version. The more curses and hatred you receive, the more you surpass solitary health and longevity—you can share that health and longevity with others.
* This effect grows stronger the more intense and numerous the hatred and curses directed at you.
* If you have medical or healing skills, they synergize and strengthen as well.
――――――――――
Lee Joo-ho gaped at the memo villain Goryeo Jang had written.
For the record, so did I.
"What the hell kind of retarded skill is that...?"
Having such an ability was shocking enough, but detailing and organizing it was even more astonishing.
To reiterate, aside from very abnormal cases, awakeners weren't given status screens or stat windows. Figuring out their abilities required endless trial and error.
How much fumbling around did Sim A-ryeon do to uncover this 'Resentment Jade'?
I wasn't the only one wrapped in shock and horror.
[...The mysteries of awakening abilities never cease to amaze me, no matter how many times I see them.]
The Saintess's voice rang out. She'd apparently been peeking in out of curiosity about the truth.
I looked into empty space and mouthed words carefully.
'You didn't know either, Saintess?'
[I didn't... know? Yes. I can observe awakeners whenever I want, but I can't read their minds. I just thought, like Lee Joo-ho, that she was stressed from caring for patients.]
Fair enough.
Sharing shock lightens its weight. Talking with the Saintess calmed my emotions bit by bit, opening a new perspective.
The 'Goryeo Jang Villain Incident.' That's what I could call the sequence of events unfolding before me.
'...Indeed. That's why she earned the title [Angel of Healing] starting this regression.'
The world ended.
Internet infrastructure collapsed.
People had to interact face-to-face like the pre-internet era.
In this lonely world where everyone felt isolated, even 'hatred' was hard to come by.
Especially for someone as timid as Sim A-ryeon.
That's why her second skill never shone in past regressions, and her first skill only amounted to a health supplement.
But this is the 50th regression.
SG Net emerged, something that never existed before.
In this perfect world for pulling aggro, Sim A-ryeon finally opened her eyes.
She transformed into villain Goryeo Jang, ascending to peak hate-sink.
SG Net's members were all awakeners, too. Plenty genuinely wanted to kill Goryeo Jang if they got their hands on her.
The overflowing aggro all funneled straight into the 'Resentment Jade.'
Enough to earn her the moniker [Angel of Healing] with room to spare.
'Hm? But when I asked you to pinpoint villain Goryeo Jang's location, you called her a "unique person," right?'
[Yes? Yes, I did.]
'Wasn't that because you noticed she was like a split personality—also the Angel of Healing?'
[Oh. Um, no. That's... I'll explain later.]
Just then, Sim A-ryeon bowed her head deeply toward us.
"S-sorry. I didn't know it'd hurt Joo-ho's dad's feelings..."
"Haa."
"P-pad rips and stuff are bad, I know... My conscience stings like a triangle... B-but, hik, but I have to get hated like that, so my power grows, and I can treat one more patient..."
We—me and Lee Joo-ho—could only watch silently as Sim A-ryeon hugged her knees, shuffled on her butt to the room corner, and muttered.
Silence.
Lee Joo-ho spoke.
"Wh-what do we do? Undertaker..."
"What can I do? Your call matters, Lee Joo-ho."
"Uh-uh..."
Lee Joo-ho scratched his head, finally realizing he'd stormed out in rage over the pad rip.
It didn't take long for him to decide.
"Then—."
It wasn't a hard decision.
6
SG Net friends curious about the outcome of the in-real-life clash between awakeners probably clicked their tongues in disappointment.
After that day, 'JoinedToday' vanished, but villain Goryeo Jang kept posting merrily.
-Goryeo Jang: Gave that sonofabitch who showed up IRL the VIP treatment lololol
Her consistent posts even grew more vicious.
Villain Goryeo Jang wasn't just skilled at aggro; her drawing talent was top-notch, too. She started attaching comics to her posts.
The comic featured a child and an old man. Unnecessarily high-quality, dramatic art. The story went like this.
-Old Man: Huh? Who's that?
-Old Man: (frowns)
-Old Man: Isn't that our son?
-Child: Daddy, where you going?
-Child: Take me too!
-Child: (beaming smile)
(Dad and son holding hands, crossing a river in cheerful cartoon style)
Attached at the end was a photo looking like a family grave.
With a Post-it note on the tombstone bearing Goryeo Jang's username.
Naturally, conscientious SG Net members ground their teeth at this lamentable situation.
-Anonymous: Oh dear.
-[Yuldo Nation] Sword Marquis: This time this lord will go, so cough up the address, punk.
-[Satisfaction] Cooking Queen: Curses poured on others will eventually return to you. How about taking some time for self-reflection? Brother surely harbors a bright nature.
└Goryeo Jang: Just fuck off already, you psycho bastard.
-Anonymous: Didn't she say she lives in Canada? But the photo's totally Korean?
-[Three Thousand] Witch Trial Judge: Contact me if you come to Busan.
-dolLHoUse: Rage.
-Anonymous: Wait, but why does she draw so damn well? Total golden hand...
Of course, not every member had a conscience.
Some fans idolized the troll.
-Anonymous: Kyaa one stone two birds lololol Goryeo Jang the GOAT lololol
-Literary Girl: Thought Goryeo Jang was just good at online fights, but IRL brawls too? OP af ㄷㄷㄷ
True stars drive fans and haters mad alike.
With me and Lee Joo-ho—who knew the truth—staying silent, villain Goryeo Jang was drawing all of SG Net's aggro onto herself.
At least no one around Lee Joo-ho's guild would die from lack of timely healing.
One more thing.
"No way. How does an ability like that..."
For reference, Seo-gyu heard the full story from me and fell into massive shock.
"Turns out I'm not the only one with a weird ability. Not sure if that's funny or what... Feels strange."
He seemed to have shed some of his complex about his own skill, which satisfied me personally.
It was a win-win happy ending for everyone, but one thing.
There was unexpected collateral damage.
-Anonymous: Didn't ZERO_SUGAR comment he'd get wrecked by Goryeo Jang?
-Anonymous: Talked big and got shut down lololol biting his lip and ignoring it is so pathetic lololol
-Anonymous: Big nose bitch lololol turns out Zero Sugar's the one with broken nose lololol
-Literary Girl: Zero Sugar, this guy's nose is impressive.
└[Satisfaction] Cooking Queen: Slandering others is really just lowering yourself. Every human is a mirror reflecting me, and I am a mirror for all humans. Please respect and care for each other.
"......?"
I stared at those posts for a moment.
Hm. I made a sound, stood up and sat back down, went to the kitchen and brewed an espresso to drink.
The fact that I chose espresso over café au lait signaled the high concentration required for the task ahead.
First, I logged into SG Net with a burner account, no intent or purpose.
Next, as I was about to message the operator chat, 'Seo-gyu. Nothing big, but can you dig up these guys' info?'
[Undertaker.]
"Hm."
[Please don't. I beg you.]
I set the phone down.
For this episode's wrap-up, let's settle for hating villain Goryeo Jang just a little.
- Troll Seed. End.