Chapter 70
Chapter 70
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Recorder II
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Shin Noah
3
I, the Undertaker, never discriminate when it comes to making friends with people.
But when it comes to talent, I select them with the utmost strictness.
That's what it means to be thorough in public and private matters.
In terms of Koei Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I wouldn't even glance at a warrior with 70-ish martial prowess or a strategist with 70-ish intelligence.
That's my gaming style.
The control tower I meticulously assembled and refined over dozens of regressions—known as the "Regressor Alliance"—was a super-elite secret society that plotted grand strategies with a clear understanding of my identity as a regressor.
Who were the members? Simple. Even simpler at the 95th cycle timeline.
Me, the Saintess, and No Do-ha. That's it.
Among them, the Saintess gaslit every Awakener on the Korean Peninsula as the shadowy puppet master of the constellations. No Do-ha, meanwhile, went around saying, "Oh, you're trying to use the roads during the apocalypse? Then you'll have to show some sincerity to us first," and extorted tribute from every Awakener. They could rightfully be called the rulers of mind and matter on the peninsula, respectively.
Thus, at that time, the permanent member states of the Regressor Alliance were basically just those two, excluding me. Sure, Seo-gyu or Yoo Ji-won occasionally joined as non-permanent members, but those were exceptions.
Naturally, someone like Sim A-ryeon—with [Martial Prowess 4], [Politics 3], [Charm 16], [Intelligence 77], and skills barely scraping A+ rank—could never join our Regressor Alliance.
"G-Guild Leader... you're a regressor?"
But ta-da. There is no such thing as "never."
Sim A-ryeon gaped, her mouth forming a perfect O as she clutched the café mocha I'd bought her with both hands.
"Yeah."
"So... you're not just some diamond spoon Awakener who lucked out insanely, hogging all the fortuitous encounters while everyone else floundered, and on top of that, had pointless popularity that made haters feel pathetic out of jealousy?"
"...Yeah."
What the hell did this girl think I was all this time?
Fortunately—or unfortunately—Sim A-ryeon's shock didn't last long. By the time she'd downed about half the café mocha, her face had relaxed as if she'd slipped into a hot spring.
When I asked why, her answer was a sight to behold.
"Nooo... Hmm. Honestly, a lot of things suddenly make sense. Like, you were the first to figure out the activation conditions for my [Resentment Jade] ability, right...?"
"Hm."
"And above all, knowing that your current position isn't just from pure talent or luck, but the result of rolling through regressions over and over... it kinda puts my mind at ease. Ah. Of course, the fact that you're working so hard is still a bit much..."
"......"
"Oh. Um, Guild Leader. Can I post this anonymously on SG Net?"
"Like you could."
"It'd definitely hit the front page..."
What a ghost of this community.
"Go Yo-ri's too dangerous for that."
"Go Yo-ri? Oh, Satisfaction Society... Yeah, honestly, she's kinda like that with me too. Ugh. Doesn't it feel like our characters overlap so much? Like she's copying me or something... Not that it's not kinda cute..."
"......?"
"......?"
Conversations with her always spiked the question mark ratio exponentially. Was this another one of Sim A-ryeon's hidden Awakener abilities?
I twisted the question marks in my mind endlessly as I continued the explanation. SG Net was actually created by Seo-gyu, and the constellations were nothing more than one person's puppet show.
"Eek. Eeeeek...!"
Having glimpsed the truth of the world, Sim A-ryeon's SAN value plummeted again. Her hands trembled around the café mocha cup.
"Wh-Why are you sharing all these secrets with me? It's too much! I didn't want to know this much...!"
"Calm down, A-ryeon. What if the grotesque pictures you draw were officially recognized as 'official illustrations'? How would that be?"
Her ears twitched.
"Off-official...?"
"Yeah. I've been sporadically posting monster strategies I've uncovered during regressions on SG Net, but from the next cycle, I plan to polish them up a bit more. And that's where your drawing skills come in handy."
"H-How...?"
Like this.
A few days later, I gathered the Saintess and No Do-ha as well and handed out slim booklets.
The Saintess tilted her head.
"Undertaker, what is this?"
"Take your time and read it."
The precious pamphlet, printed on a high-end machine, contained text alongside illustrations.
――――――――――
[Library Society Monster Encyclopedia]
'Ten Tribes'
Aliases: Crawling Cthulhu Spawn, Shadow Lord, Thorn Hell, Lurker
Danger Level: City (Polis)
Corruption Level: None
Habitat: Korean Peninsula-wide
Features: Characterized by tentacles resembling human fingers. Contrary to the name 'Ten Tribes,' it actually possesses hundreds or thousands of tentacles. Not all tentacles are directly attached to the main body; smaller ones sprout from larger ones.
The tentacles continuously grow and sever in real time. They can multiply in an instant to shred the opponent (known as 'Tentacle Shred'), or launch the tentacles themselves to impale the foe (known as 'Tentacle Needle').
Beyond the visible tentacles, at least dozens more constantly burrow underground. Thus, one must never let their guard down against Ten Tribes, always wary of tentacles erupting from behind or below. This 'thorn needles rising from underground' earned it the widespread alias 'Lurker' among Koreans.
The main body is quite small compared to the tentacles. It consists of two hearts, and both must be struck simultaneously to...
――――――――――
The Saintess blinked.
"Library Society Monster Encyclopedia?"
"That's right. A sort of strategy guide. From the next cycle, I plan to produce these and distribute them under a new constellation's name."
"......!"
In other words, the 'constellation overseeing information.'
The constellations the Saintess had manipulated so far borrowed names from actual human history. The 'Saintess of National Salvation' was Joan of Arc, and the 'Conqueror of the Alps' was Hannibal.
This approach had the intuitive advantage of originality borrowed from history, but... now it was time to flesh out the constellations' identities a bit more.
"Could it be... you're planning to introduce a new constellation that handles monster information and strategies, Undertaker?"
"Yes. It's not bad for me, the regressor, to monopolize the info, but it draws too much aggro my way. Creatures like Go Yo-ri end up taking an unhealthy interest in me."
Not just Go Yo-ri—there were plenty of existences whose true nature even I didn't know yet.
"I'll create a dedicated encyclopedia board on SG Net and make it look like a new constellation manages it. Of course."
I pointed to Sim A-ryeon, who sat quietly beside me.
"The one actually managing that board will be this guild member right here."
"...I see."
"People will trust info distributed under a constellation's name far more than personal posts from me. Especially with these vivid visuals attached."
"Hmph. So the anonymous artist posting those grotesque drawings... was her."
Sim A-ryeon's shoulders twitched as the Saintess and No Do-ha's gazes focused on her.
"So, in addition to Seo-gyu, who's been handling the moderator role on SG Net, you're appointing Sim A-ryeon as deputy moderator...?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"That's quite a heavy responsibility. Seo-gyu's barely active anyway, but Sim A-ryeon... she's quite the infamous villain in the community. Sorry to say it to her face, but can she really handle the position...?"
"It's fine. We can test it starting next cycle."
"Ah, indeed..."
No Do-ha's laughter echoed dryly through the meeting room like a shadow.
"I suppose I'll be one of those 'tested that way' too. Heh. Sometimes even I can't keep up with your sense of time, Awakener Undertaker..."
4
And so, the next 96th cycle arrived.
I took Sim A-ryeon on a tour across the nation's nooks and crannies. The goal? Obviously, supplementing illustrations for the monster encyclopedia.
I showed her the continent-level monster 'Udumbara' in Onyang, Chungcheongnam-do, let her meet the village-level monster 'Trolley Dilemma' on the Donghae Line commuter rail, and paraded a list of grotesques that ordinary folk could scarcely encounter.
"Am-Amazing...!"
Sim A-ryeon busily painted whenever she faced these bizarre monsters.
Half a year of gathering illustrations like this.
- Playground of the Constellations!
- The only safe internet community!
- Welcome to SG Net!
Finally, SG Net launched.
A bit later than usual cycles, but the long preparation paid off—SG Net underwent changes worthy of calling it a full 'renewal.'
"Huh? Library Society Monster Encyclopedia...?"
"What's this now?"
The full debut of the 'Monster Encyclopedia' I'd planned since the previous cycle.
Where SG Net once had only [Free Board], [Creative Board], [Club Board], [Guild Recruitment Board], and [Chat Rooms] at the top, now [Library Society Monster Encyclopedia] loomed large.
The other boards were grayed out, but this one blazed red. Anyone could tell it was no ordinary thing.
And the contents were even more extraordinary.
"Monster info just dumped here?"
"What?"
"Ten Tribes, gremlins... Udumbara? Trolley? No way. These monsters exist too?"
A flood of visuals diligently collected over the past half-year, combined with data accumulated over dozens of cycles.
['Librarian of the Great Library' manages the encyclopedia.]
The debut of a new constellation.
['Librarian of the Great Library' oversees information on all things in the world, with a particular fondness for collecting data on grotesques.]
['Librarian of the Great Library' wishes for you to share information with others. Sharing—that is the way to praise and glorify the 'Librarian of the Great Library.']
[The deeper your faith in the 'Librarian of the Great Library,' the more previously unknown information will be unlocked for you.]
As pre-planned, the Saintess blasted these messages to Awakeners nationwide.
In the monitoring room, Sim A-ryeon chewed her nails, flicking anxiously at her smartphone.
"Stop staring. You'll wear out the screen."
"B-But... fooling so many people like this... D-Do you think I can really pull it off...?"
"Yeah. You'll do freaking great."
"Huh?"
"A-ryeon, you've got a natural talent for it."
"Huh?"
From what I've seen over dozens of cycles, you're a once-in-a-generation genius at anonymous online theater.
Sure enough, within days, an uproar erupted among SG Net members.
-Anonymous: Went to Onyang like the encyclopedia said, and there's a tree matching the illustration growing on a corpse. What do I do?
└Lit Girl: What do you mean what? You idiot, that's zombie virus! Burn it!
└Anonymous: But it grants immortality?
└Historian: Stay right there. I'm coming to burn the whole inn with you ㅇㅇ.
└Anonymous: Gasp.
-Yo-ri the Cooking Queen: Fascinating.
-Anonymous: Yo, I thought these green bugs were goblins till now, but they're gremlins. Smashed the machines like the encyclopedia said, and they just vanished.
Endless testimonies poured in.
They went to a place as described in the encyclopedia, found a grotesque matching the illustration exactly, followed the strategy, and it really worked—confirmation posts flooded in.
In the end, the 'Librarian of the Great Library' quickly gained recognition among Awakeners.
Even those who didn't want to had no choice, thanks to certain incidents.
-Anonymous: But if it's a real constellation managing all info, shouldn't it know my personal details too? Hey, Librarian or whatever, if you're a real constellation, guess who I am.
└[Librarian of the Great Library]: Park Sang-soon. 37 years old. Guild Leader of Blue Sea Guild. Currently accessing from Yeongdo, Busan, Korean Peninsula.
└Anonymous: ?
└Lit Girl: ?
└Anonymous: Wait, you're the Blue Sea Guild Leader?
└[Three Thousand]Witch Trial Judge: lmao
└[Three Thousand]Historian: That's one of Busan's representative guilds? Embarrassing.
Doxxing!
It was revealed that anonymous nicknames meant nothing before the 'Librarian of the Great Library.'
Naturally, all anonymous non-members on SG Net could have their identities viewed by Seo-gyu, and using that info, the Saintess's [Clairvoyance] pinpointed the Awakeners' true identities.
But from the Awakeners' perspective, unaware of these secrets, the 'Librarian of the Great Library' must have been pure terror.
After the non-member doxxing incident, voices doubting or criticizing the 'Librarian of the Great Library' vanished from SG Net entirely.
"G-Guild Leader...! This is fun!"
Sim A-ryeon humbly acknowledged the massive "commu trash" etched on her soul. Yeah, knew you'd say that.
Unlike Seo-gyu, who managed SG Net somewhat dutifully, Sim A-ryeon threw herself into her 'constellation duties' with vigor.
Naturally, followers of the 'Librarian of the Great Library' multiplied.
-Anonymous: Found a way to exterminate gremlins without smashing machines.
-Anonymous: Trolley<<< I've run into this one three times already, but follow what I say and you'll never be in danger of dying.
Thanks to this, spreading monster strategies became far easier, and the hoarding habit of Awakeners who kept vital info to themselves was greatly alleviated.
'At this rate, I can keep assigning her the job in future cycles.'
A truly satisfying outcome.
I watched Sim A-ryeon diligently working on her smartphone, a pleased smile on my face.
Of course, the 'Monster Encyclopedia' sparked some unexpected incidents too, but that's a story for another time.
"...Ah. Guild Leader. B-Big trouble."
"Hm? What is it?"
"I-I accidentally posted a reply under [Goryeo Jang] instead of [Librarian of the Great Library]...!"
"......"
"I deleted it right away, but some members already saw it. Eek. S-Sightings are popping up in real time! They even screenshotted it! Th-These community ghosts. How did they screenshot in that split second... If you have time for community, live your real life... Wh-What do I do...?"
"......"
Yeah.
I'll remind her to be a bit more careful with comments next cycle.
Ah, no epilogue.
- Recorder. End.