Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: O Dok-seo, the Literary Girl
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4
For a moment, let's talk about O Dok-seo.
5
O Dok-seo was a literary girl.
And like all literary girls, she expected that somewhere in this world—beyond the trite humans—there existed something "special."
Of course, it was a vain hope.
Most literary girls, somewhere between fifteen and twenty-five, would take three punches of betrayal, scheming, and group selfishness to the gut before quietly shelving their expectations of the world.
There were no magic schools, no beautiful debut balls for noble young ladies, no secret organizations holding regular meetings in dimly lit back-alley bars (though there were outfits peddling mysterious white powders or fantasy gum).
Reality was that unforgiving.
Any normal literary girl on the Korean Peninsula would now have to substitute university for magic school, a freshman MT for a debutante ball, and SNS activity for a secret society.
It wasn't hard.
Kids who read the Harry Potter series young went through their phase around fifth or sixth grade: "Huh... the Hogwarts acceptance letter is just a bit... late in coming to me...?"
Just the growing pains everyone goes through, right?
O Dok-seo wasn't normal.
'No. The world's the one that's wrong.'
She'd thought that since childhood.
On the school playground modeled after a desert, even amid that sand, she preferred walking in the shade over the sun.
'Mages exist. Secret organizations exist. Evil forces threaten the world, apostles of justice fight back. And gods watching over it all? Obviously.'
O Dok-seo gladly discarded reality between it and fantasy.
It was an easy choice for her. Why abandon her fantasies just because they weren't "realistic"?
How amazing could those "realistic" human affairs be?
At best, pathetic envy, jealousy, the habit of belittling others for having lesser talent than one's own selfish desires, family hatred, hunger, wordplay puns, fake friendships. That was it.
'I hate it.'
Worst of all, what made O Dok-seo nauseous was how easily people forgot their own actions.
-You promised never to lie again last time. Why'd you do it again?
-Promise? When?
-Last time. A few months ago, by the water cooler next to the academy bathroom.
O Dok-seo had exceptional memory compared to her peers since childhood.
It was innate. She never easily forgot character lines from books she'd read once. In reality too, she meticulously stored every word people said, every gesture.
Just as some brains excelled at numbers and math, hers shone at "human behavior."
-I never did that.
Others didn't.
Promises. Grand oaths. Broken promises. Forgetting.
Every breath O Dok-seo took in "reality" was filled with humans who forgot their own actions in real time.
If child O Dok-seo had her current expressiveness, she might've said:
'Forgetting is no different from death. The forgotten doesn't exist.'
'Then what are those humans in reality?'
'A carnival parade, blissfully unaware as they kill bits of themselves, deluded into thinking [We're alive].'
That realization gave her chills.
It was terrifying.
Yes. The whole world was burying itself alive. Every human an unwitting cannibal devouring themselves.
'I hate it.'
O Dok-seo wanted to run.
'I don't want to die.'
So she ran.
Compared to reality, fantasy—ah, fantasy was always radiant.
In fiction, people could always be greater.
Novel characters never "forgot" their words or deeds. What they did in chapter 30, they remembered intact in chapter 300.
To O Dok-seo, those fictional characters felt more "human."
Beings who remembered. Beings you could communicate with. Beings who could bear responsibility, grant forgiveness.
Yes. O Dok-seo's standards for "humans" were just a bit high.
'These people are alive.'
The literary girl's heart split in two. Endless misanthropy rooted in reality. Endless affection rooted in fiction.
'The world is filthy.'
'Characters are more human.'
'As long as I don't abandon my faith in these characters, they can exist in my heart.'
Amid the harsh discord between left and right ventricles, O Dok-seo increasingly indulged her belief in "something beyond reality."
As we all know, normal human faith rarely gets rewarded.
'Huh? What's this. Did I add this novel to my favorites?'
O Dok-seo wasn't normal.
'Let's see. The title...'
Two weeks before being forcibly summoned to Busan Station.
'...Omniscient Regressor's Viewpoint?'
A miracle happened to her.
6
Back to the present.
On a midnight when the cicadas chirped, I looked at O Dok-seo and answered.
"Yeah. Dok-seo. From the start, you've been marked as a shrine maiden by [the Operator of Myriad Phenomena]."
"...Ah."
"In normal novels, protagonists possess books or games without reason or explanation. But in this world, every 'baseless' 'inexplicable' event has anomalies lurking behind it."
In other words.
"The novel [Omniscient Regressor's Viewpoint] you thought you stumbled upon by chance... isn't just a novel. Nor was it mere chance. It's a gift from the alien god called the Operator of Myriad Phenomena—"
Bestowed upon their most favored shrine maiden.
"—proof in itself that you're the alien god's proxy. You're a human chosen by the alien god."
"......"
"In the Operator of Myriad Phenomena's eyes, you're the most fitting shrine maiden on this earth. Strictly speaking, anomalies lack human-like judgment."
The cicadas fell silent.
O Dok-seo's expression was truly peculiar. Unsure whether to be happy or sad.
She smacked her lips a few times before speaking.
"...So, even our conversations, Uncle—the alien god hears everything?"
"Yeah. But no need to worry much."
"Why?"
"Once more: anomalies lack human judgment. Their values, senses—they're all different. 'Eavesdropping' doesn't even apply."
I pointed to O Dok-seo's backpack.
Inside was the laptop handed over by the Operator of Myriad Phenomena.
"When this round started, we defined this world as a 'game broadcast.' Our chit-chat now is post-broadcast downtime. As long as we stick to the game broadcast format, the alien god won't classify our private banter as meaningful."
"Ah......"
Got it, O Dok-seo murmured.
But clearly, this wasn't the topic she really wanted to bring up.
Her lips had been twitching since earlier, debating whether to say it.
"...But, Uncle."
"Yep."
"[Omniscient Regressor's Viewpoint] covers you being a regressor, what happens each round. If the alien god wrote it to show me, then the Operator of Myriad Phenomena knows you're a regressor..."
"Yeah. They'd know."
"......!"
O Dok-seo's breath hitched.
"T-Then we're in big trouble, right? A regressor's biggest edge is enemies not knowing they're a regressor. If the alien god knows..."
"The Operator of Myriad Phenomena has some resistance to my regressions from the start. Just look at that 'laptop' you got."
Round 135.
After that round ended in logout game annihilation, inexplicably, a laptop item appeared by me each regression.
It meant [the Operator of Myriad Phenomena] was reaching across rounds.
"But the alien god's power isn't absolute. I'm resisting the Operator of Myriad Phenomena too."
"Resisting...? What do you mean?"
"[Omniscient Regressor's Viewpoint]. The serialized parts you've seen are painfully slow. There's a time lag of about 500 to 600 rounds between my 'reality' and that 'novel.'"
This current round: 593.
Meanwhile, at this point, O Dok-seo's progress in [Omniscient Regressor's Viewpoint] was barely around round 33.
Thus.
"Think of [the Operator of Myriad Phenomena] as a hacker. They're diligently hacking 'me.'"
"Ah!"
"But hacking progress so far? Barely 5 percent. They're decoding the regressor called Undertaker, but scraping data up to round 33 won't grasp me at round 593."
"Uwaa, what a relief. So we've got plenty of leeway..."
O Dok-seo sighed.
"But no slacking. The Operator of Myriad Phenomena is slowly, steadily extending tentacles toward me."
"Ah, yeah. Obviously..."
"You seriously awakening from round 555? Means they've gotten that close to me."
"Eh. Really?"
I nodded.
Why did O Dok-seo, the 'book-possessor,' first sense her powers at round 555, not round 1?
Why were 'regressor' me and 'book-possessor' O Dok-seo summoned to the same Busan Station tutorial dungeon?
Insane odds coincidence?
No. Deliberate.
Everything was intentional.
"Just as I'm scheming to slay the alien god somehow, [the Operator of Myriad Phenomena] pulls every trick to subjugate me. That's why, Dok-seo—one reason you're their proxy is sharing my starting point."
"......!"
"The alien god wanted maximum speed, maximum interference with me."
O Dok-seo jolted.
"T-Then... me, the 'book-possessor,' checking, hindering, stealing opportunities from you, the 'regressor'... That's what the Operator of Myriad Phenomena aimed for?"
"Exactly."
"That you and I were... fated not as allies, but adversaries?"
Let me recall.
Round 555, O Dok-seo's first encounter with me as book-possessor. She didn't think well of me.
[O Dok-seo: There he is. This world's protagonist. Codename: Undertaker.]
[O Dok-seo: Undertaker's the protagonist who's regressed countless times. No blood, no tears.]
She was wary.
[O Dok-seo: A regressor living only for monster hatred, the typical undying type...]
[O Dok-seo: Just a lunatic, a lunatic. Might kill me at the slightest suspicion. Handle with care.]
O Dok-seo genuinely feared I'd kill her. Ready to betray and backstab if needed.
Why?
Simple.
"Dok-seo. The [Omniscient Regressor's Viewpoint] the alien god wrote steered you to that impression."
"Ah......"
"More precisely, back then, the alien god had only hacked up to round 4 of me. Judged the regressor Undertaker's character from that, applied it to you."
Well, even the alien god couldn't predict a round-4 slaughter fiend killing anomalies indiscriminately evolving past round 500 into 'this kind of person.'
[The Operator of Myriad Phenomena] analyzed past me, responded accordingly.
Predicting that selecting O Dok-seo as champion would spark rivalry, distrust, ruin between book-possessor and regressor.
But.
My alien god's ambitious project warped from the start.
"...So us ending up allies... total curveball for the alien god?"
"Yeah. Never expected I'd drop my guard against you so easily."
"Waa."
"Probably dumbfounded."
I chuckled.
Indeed, [the Operator of Myriad Phenomena] was clever.
Imagine you're that alien god.
You need to erode the world with void for civilization victory, but some regressor yells 'One more round!' each game end.
You think, 'Sure, they'll tire of it after a few games.'
But this mad regressor resets at 200, 300, 400, 500 rounds?
Q) How to eliminate this damn sabotaging regressor?
A) Turn the regressor's life into a novel. Create a book-possessor from its reader. Regressor loses 'protagonist' status; new protagonist book-possessor wins.
[The Operator of Myriad Phenomena]'s genius strat.
Brilliant.
Cliché-exploiting to strip regressor advantages. If not me, I'd have fallen for it.
The one meant to play that role—O Dok-seo, book-possessor, literary girl—looked my way.
With uneasy eyes.
"Did you know from the start I was chosen as the alien god's shrine maiden, Uncle?"
"Well, somewhat."
I shrugged.
"Truly certain when I realized [Omniscient Regressor's Viewpoint] updates across rounds. Effects transcending rounds? Extremely rare."
"...But you didn't kill me?"
"Hm?"
"Why? Simple, right?"
O Dok-seo murmured, head down.
"If I'm unconsciously a terminal linked to the alien god, just kill me each regression—eliminates any threat to you."
"......"
"Why not pick the simplest option? Even fed me that 'hated drug' to mutual dislike... Don't you worry I'll side with the alien god, betray you at a crucial moment?"
Hm.
I stroked my chin. Pondered, then answered honestly.
"Betrayal's no big deal for a regressor. Why freak out?"
"...What?"
"It's fine. Uncle here's mentally tough. Didn't tell you, but every ally's backstabbed me at least once. Wanna hear about the round the Saintess tried killing me? Fucking epic."
"......? ......?"
Cough cough. Faintly, the Saintess coughed in the distance.
I smiled, patted O Dok-seo's shoulder.
"Dok-seo. Do as you like."
"......"
"Unlike others, I've got near-eternal chances. Lucky, right? Even if you betray me ten, twenty times, hundreds of rounds where you trusted me remain intact in my memory. How could I forget?"
"......"
"Fail this time? Nail it next. I know you too well to be disappointed."
For a while.
O Dok-seo sealed her lips.
"Yeah."
As cicadas resumed in the woods, she raised a hand, grasped mine on her shoulder.
"Wish [Omniscient Regressor's Viewpoint] had that line."
"You'll read it someday."
"Yeah... Maybe."
O Dok-seo grinned.
"Don't care if the alien god eyes me. Remember, Uncle. This is a promise."
Squeeze. Her grip on my hand heated.
"The one saving you is me. I'll definitely rescue you from this damn world."
I smirked.
Kid. That's your 26th such line to me.
And I gave the 26th reply.
"Yeah. I trust only you."
"Yeah!"
From next day, we dove into dragging [the Operator of Myriad Phenomena] to earth.