Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Promoted Person I
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Shin Noah
1
Speaking of wishes, to be honest, I'm more on the receiving end than the wishing side.
[Time Seal].
My unique awakening ability, and the reason my moniker settled as Undertaker. It traps the target in their 'most blissful day,' forcing them to relive that single day eternally.
-Undertaker, it's too much. I want to let go of life from my own hands now.
-Please, Undertaker.
-I miss my family. Back when the world was still fine, with my family... Please.
-Even if no one in reality remembers me? I don't care. This world, this reality anyway.
Those hit by [Time Seal] don't even realize they're looping the same day forever.
Even if someone like the soccer player Kim Ju-cheol from an earlier episode somehow notices, it's no issue. They'll forget it soon enough.
People just need to enjoy a full day at the dream amusement park I've prepared, with a free pass ticket in hand.
To the shattered remnants of end-of-century humanity, I, the Undertaker, am essentially the legally sanctioned final sleeping pill (with narcotic ingredients).
Naturally, the line for a free pass to this amusement park is long.
Today, let me introduce the craziest psychopath among those waiting in line.
2
"Vice Guild Leader."
"Hm?"
"My life has been too painful."
Swish.
Across the drinking table, silver hair cascaded down.
That hair was truly beautiful. Too white for gray, too glossy for pure white—it could only be called silver.
Awakeners' hair changes color randomly upon awakening. This person had pulled an SR rank from the stair gacha. (For reference, mine's normal-grade black.)
"Honestly, I can't endure it sane anymore. I want to let everything go and end it."
"......"
Yoo Ji-won.
Such a person exists.
The name Yoo Ji-won has appeared several times in my tales already. Some readers might remember, but her first appearance was right here.
-Vice Guild Leader, do you have time now? A guest came to see you.
-A guest? Who?
-Yes, name's... Emi... Schopenhauer? Sounds German?
The day I first met Old Man Show.
The one who first informed me of that historic German geezer's visit was none other than SSS-grade hair beauty Yoo Ji-won, my secretary and aide.
That's right. Secretary and aide. Long ago, back when I was Dang Seo-rin's errand boy in Three Thousand Worlds, Yoo Ji-won was my errand boy. As the errand boy to the Supreme Dignity Guild Leader's errand boy, she ranked pretty high.
Want me to reveal the secret to how this guy rocketed straight into the power core, our inner circle?
It was during the 5th round. Yoo Ji-won suddenly said this to me.
"Vice Guild Leader, do you happen to like Romance of the Three Kingdoms?"
"What? You too?"
"Yes. I got hooked as a kid on Yokoyama's 60-volume Strategic Three Kingdoms."
My eyes lit up. Such roots!
The silver-haired, expressionless cool chic Awakener recited crisply, lips barely moving.
"After that, I explored Go Woo-young's, Hwang Sok-young's, Lee Mun-yeol's, Jang Jeong-il's versions, got a dark history phase with Three Kingdoms Commentary—a martial arts novel—then moved from novel games to the actual Records of the Three Kingdoms for full immersion."
"No way."
My mind reeled. A delirium like drugs.
How a martial arts elder must feel seeing a promising young talent!
Unable to hide my trembling voice, I tested her to confirm if this child could truly carry my legacy.
"Koei...? Or, Total War...?"
"Hm."
Like in Zen koan exchanges, Yoo Ji-won propped her chin thoughtfully.
Finally, she adjusted her glasses with a flick.
"My cool-headed brain favors Total War, but my childish heart cries for Koei. And I believe the soul resides more in the heart than the brain."
"...Favorite series?"
"Three Kingdoms 3, 5, 11."
"Gasp...!"
I could only bow to this successor's pure devotion. From that moment, Yoo Ji-won was immediately promoted to my inner circle.
Of course, one final hurdle remained.
"Well, well. Bullshit, kids."
Three Thousand Worlds rejected the outdated democratic fashion sweeping the globe, embracing absolute monarchy instead. Personnel decisions were the Guild Leader's sole prerogative.
Our Supreme Dignity Great Witch Dang Seo-rin snorted, eyeing me and Yoo Ji-won alternately.
"Hiring her as vice guild leader's aide just 'cause she's a Three Kingdoms otaku? Guild's gonna run real smooth."
"Even a witch otaku and train geek shouldn't say that..."
"Huh? What'd you just say, Vice Guild Leader?"
"Nothing."
"I get you like her, but you can't promote guild members without procedure and rules. Really, someone who's climbed this high acting up? Even if she advances like this, will Yoo Ji-won's heart be at ease? Sigh, her peers will glare daggers, skin flaying off her back."
"With all due respect, Great Witch. May I say something?"
Yoo Ji-won spoke.
As described multiple times, Yoo Ji-won wore a perpetual poker face year-round, her speech crisp and proper. No matter the nonsense, once past her tongue and lips, it sounded plausible—a true talent.
"Huh? What?"
"I'm not recommended solely for Three Kingdoms knowledge, Great Witch. I have other uses too."
"What, your awakening ability? Minimap or something? I know. I rate you highly. But as I keep saying, organizations have procedures and rules..."
"I'm a Latin major and can write freely in Latin. Naturally, I can translate lyrics into Latin too."
"Promoted."
Yoo Ji-won, executive appointment!
3
The reason Yoo Ji-won rose to the inner circle was, of course, her Three Kingdoms knowledge and Latin skills, but she wasn't incompetent as an Awakener.
Quite competent, in fact.
"Ji-won."
"Yes, Vice Guild Leader."
"Time to start the operation, I think. Activate the Minimap."
"Understood."
Minimap.
Yoo Ji-won's awakening ability. Any Korean who's sold their soul to the folk game StarCraft would instantly grasp what 'Minimap' means from those three syllables.
Shwaaak—
Yoo Ji-won spread a map on the operations table. Scale 1:50,000. On this mere printed paper, she placed pre-prepared chess pieces.
Amazingly, the pieces began moving on their own.
"Vice Guild Leader, the enemy is assembling in the east gate as expected. They're lurking there, planning to hit our rear with boats."
"Hm."
The seemingly ordinary chess pieces bore red sticker labels like 'Kim Seong-woo' 'Park Hyun-mo'—names of the enemy leadership we faced.
The pieces mimicked their exact positions and destinations on the map. Not just enemies.
♝ ♛
Yoo Ji-won Dang Seo-rin
The bishop labeled 'Yoo Ji-won' and queen 'Dang Seo-rin' marked their precise locations too.
Dang Seo-rin marveled.
"Feels just like fighting with minimap on. Total cheat ability, right? Guild battles got way too easy since Ji-won joined Three Thousand Worlds."
"Too kind, Great Witch."
Bow. Social pro Yoo Ji-won bent at the perfect angle—not exaggerated, not arrogant.
"My ability has clear limits. Without your leadership, Great Witch, how useful could it be?"
"Pfft. Too much, kid. Cut it before I wanna sew your mouth shut and kill you."
"Yessir."
Yoo Ji-won was just mimicking flattery and humility, but the 'Minimap' did have flaws.
1. Only targets Yoo Ji-won has met personally and knows the name of appear on the minimap.
For example, she can't mark the Saintess. Never met her, doesn't know her name.
2. Only applies to cities Yoo Ji-won has personally 'stepped on.'
In the 5th round, she'd never visited Gyeongju her whole life. Despite her hobby of bicycle cross-country tours spanning Korea and even Japan.
So no matter how she spread [Minimap], if foes fled to Gyeongju, she couldn't track them.
In such cases, the piece would move partway then flop down lifelessly upon hitting the map's edge.
The 'stepped on' criterion might seem vague, but surprisingly precise: convenience store visit.
Mysteriously, buying something or staying 1+ minute in a city's convenience store counted it as 'stepped on.'
Cities where stores were utterly obliterated couldn't be 'stepped on.' Like New York, razed by a colossal anomaly—no stores left.
In short?
"Guilder Leader. I'll take Ji-won to guild leader meetings nationwide, tour around."
"Yeah. Do that."
I dragged Yoo Ji-won everywhere as my 'secretary,' making her memorize faces diligently.
Result: The vast network she built through me mapped the entire Korean Peninsula in real-time.
"Impressive."
I popped a beer cap, gazing at the massive map.
Influential guild leaders per city, special ability holders even if not guild leaders, anyone who could sway Korea's power balance.
All marked live.
"Thank you. All thanks to you, Vice Guild Leader."
"Nah. You were born with the right skill. And chose the right major."
"Never thought my Latin major would shine post-apocalypse. Back when civilization was fine, I worried about starving."
"Blessing in disguise, right?"
I slowly poured beer into Yoo Ji-won's outstretched arm. We toasted the 'national map's' completion.
"Cheers."
"Cheers."
Clink—the glasses rang beautifully.
With Dang Seo-rin's leadership, my advisory skills, and Yoo Ji-won's overwhelming intel, Three Thousand Worlds soared.
If only the invincible trio lived happily ever after as credits rolled... but as you know, this tale's far from a happy ending.
Shortly after claiming Korea's throne, the war darkened.
Without No Do-ha, cities splintered and self-destructed; without Sword Marquis, food ran dry fast; without Seo-gyu, Awakeners lost all networks; without Old Man Show, we couldn't breach anomaly hordes.
Even we Three Thousand Worlds executives weren't exempt. Maybe worse off.
Dang Seo-rin was a rare breed in absolute monarchy: a 'benevolent ruler,' rarer than legendary Pokémon.
Executives had to lead from the frontlines; if one guild member starved, so did they.
Dang Seo-rin endured. I endured well.
Yoo Ji-won struggled.
For a silver-haired poker-faced cool chic whose heart bore 'power' 'promotion' in ornate script, the carnage was torture.
Worse: Three Thousand Worlds was Korea's best off.
Caught between her nature craving power grabs and promotions, and an era offering none, Yoo Ji-won agonized, brooded, despaired.
Had betrayal guaranteed advancement elsewhere, she'd have emulated Prime Minister Lee Wan-yong of the Great Korean Empire.
She even eyed ancestral legacies.
"Vice Guild Leader."
"Yeah?"
"Could you get me a boat to Japan?"
I didn't scold, 'Why flee to Japan? Ain't you ashamed, my top aide?'
Instead, I sipped coffee. By then, my rose-tinted glasses were off; I grasped Yoo Ji-won's essence.
"Could, but only one-way."
"What?"
"Japan ships to Busan came sporadically till recently. Vanished three months ago. What does that mean?"
"......"
We formed the guild alliance, battling anomalies nationwide. Yoo Ji-won, my direct subordinate, always tagged along for humanity's do-or-die apocalypse war.
"Vice Guild Leader, China...?"
"From constellation tales last time, Shandong Peninsula's toast at least?"
"......"
"Plus, your [Minimap] works in Korea/Japan from bike tours, but never been to China. Skill's sealed—okay with that?"
"......"
Yes. Betrayal needs a taker; escape needs paradise.
The era forged her into an eternal loyalist.
Like talents born wrong-era from bad gacha, Yoo Ji-won finally admitted her desires would never fulfill.
Nowhere to go. Where? World was wrecked.
No.
One final escape remained.
"Vice Guild Leader."
"Ah, damn. Hey! Lt. Yoo! What's spooking you? Let's die together, man. Huh? Life's no biggie. We're all doomed soon anyway..."
"Please kill me."
I turned.
My expressionless direct aide stared fixedly.
"Please hold my funeral. With your ability, Vice Guild Leader. I beg you."
"......"
I sighed.
Many had begged me for a funeral... i.e., 'Time Seal.'
Yes, including personally dear ones.
In short, I was a professional Undertaker. I'd sealed intimate allies like Yoo Ji-won eternally multiple times.
And with full mutual dirt known, funeral requests allowed deeper client consults.
One line summary:
-But I'm a regressor; next round's world improves, yet you still want the coffin?
Hearing my secret shocked her. Shock lasted exactly six hours.
Less than a day later, my silver-haired aide returned.
"Vice Guild Leader, Your Excellency. You said this is the 5th round."
"......"
Adding 'Your Excellency' post-revelation? One tough cookie.
"Yeah."
"Yes. Logically, isn't Round 2 better than 1, 5 better than 4, and 6 better than 5? More hope each time."
"...Probably?"
The silver-haired maniac nodded solemnly.
Then spouted dialogue I'd never heard in my entire regressor life.
"Your Excellency. In my view, getting Time Sealed in this 5th round is a massive loss."
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