Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Savior A II
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Shin Noah
As promised to No Do-ha, starting that day, I went around doing "pathetic shit."
I kicked fairies for no reason, bullied shop clerks, and trash-talked others whenever I got the chance. That was just the basics.
I even serialized [Luxury in the Apocalypse Series] on SG Net, unleashing widespread mockery against every Awakener on the Korean Peninsula. At first, anonymously. But I subtly hinted that it was ZERO_SUGAR's post.
-Anonymous: Breaking news! ZERO_SUGAR = Luxury Loser.jpg
-ZERO_SUGAR: Oops. Busted.
Finally, I disguised it as if my identity as the same person had been unintentionally exposed, landing the finishing blow.
I flashed a triumphant smile.
At this point, anyone would call me plenty pathetic...!
"Hmm... 6 points."
"......?"
Sim A-ryeon, the expert in this field, peered over my shoulder at the monitor.
"If it were me, I wouldn't have just inferred the same person anonymously—I would've kept changing IPs to post praise posts and comments for Luxury Loser. Rigging recommendations goes without saying......"
"......!"
"The pinnacle of cronyism is when a worthless post gets flooded with recommendations anyway, monopolizing the popular posts list......"
"......!"
"Yes. You need to create your signature worthless posts, Guild Leader. The Luxury series is too well-crafted to count as worthless... It's satisfying enough for vicarious thrills. That's no good. They have to be utterly useless, so obvious that everyone knows the recommendations are rigged cronyism. Post beatboxing, or 'I tried singing,' or steady posts no one cares about......"
"......!"
In a group of three, there must be one worthy of being your teacher.
Just as the saying goes. I took Sim A-ryeon as my master and evolved into an apocalyptic pathetic loser.
-Goryeo Jang: ZERO_SUGAR << This guy's likable, massive upvote lololol
└Goryeo Jang: Me first lolol
└Anonymous: You just upvoted, you bastard
└Anonymous: You just upvoted, you bastard
The original shots from Goryeo Jang's crony family followed (surprisingly, a group of followers idolizing Sim A-ryeon as SG Net's superstar existed).
For every likability, there must be dislike to balance the world. Normal SG Net users started hating me.
-[Three Thousand]Witch Trial Judge: What's up with Zero Sugar lately? Gone insane?
-Literary Girl: Fuck, half the popular posts are cronyism? SG Net's ruined. Quitting lol
└Anonymous: See you tomorrow!
-dolLHoUse: Oppa......
-[National Highway]Historian: On the surface, sure, but dig deeper—it's just a handful ruining the whole board. Not a pretty sight.
-Cooking Queen: Intriguing.
A perfect result.
Now it was time for those infected with Savior Narrative Syndrome to snap out of it—
-[Baekhwa]High School 4th Year: Massive upvote lololol
That time never came.
When Baekhwa Girls' High School's absolute leader, Cheon Yo-hwa, hit the recommend button, hundreds of Baekhwa guild members followed automatically.
[Undertaker. I'm not hugely into SG Net activity.]
[Seemed like you wanted fame, so I arrested four Awakeners trying to slander you and doxxed them.]
[Please continue your activities without worry.]
Why?
I asked Cheon Yo-hwa, who was evolving from koala to sloth.
"Yo-hwa. Isn't what I'm doing pathetic?"
"Huh? No. You overexerted yourself saving us and damaged your brain, right? Don't worry, Teacher! Even if the whole world condemns you, I'll never do it!"
"......"
"We'll take responsibility for life!"
My pupils shook. Responsibility? For life? Students for their teacher? There was definitely a gacha game like that before the apocalypse.
The tragedy didn't end there.
"Undertaker! I heard!"
Dang Seo-rin burst through the door of my hideout.
"What?"
"Sorry! For not appreciating you...!"
She charged like a hot-blooded youth drama character and hugged my shoulders fiercely.
I panicked. Dang Seo-rin wasn't the type for this kind of physical contact.
"Not appreciating me? What the hell are you—"
"You got brain damage fighting anomalies! And infected by that mental anomaly called Attention-Seeker Syndrome...! Why do you always neglect yourself and only care about others, Undertaker?"
"...Fuck."
"Oh my god! Even anger management anomaly. Sorry, Undertaker. I was too late? But don't worry. Even if you burn the world down, I'll be on your side to the end......"
We're fucked.
"Wait, Dang Seo-rin. That's a misunderstanding. Who fed you that fake news?"
"Huh? The Constellations told me?"
"...That's a lie. Think logically—who's more trustworthy, the Constellations or me?"
"Huh? The Constellations, obviously."
"...The Constellations don't exist. It's all a masquerade controlled by one person."
"Oh."
Dang Seo-rin's eyes softened. She tiptoed and patted my forehead.
"I see. Yeah, yeah. You're right. The Constellations are all liars....... Don't worry. You don't have to worry about anything......"
This is insane.
My nape chilled. Cheon Yo-hwa, Saintess, Dang Seo-rin—the strongest Awakener lineup on the peninsula.
With all three hit by Savior Narrative Syndrome, it wasn't an exaggeration to say half the peninsula's power had fallen to an anomaly.
The remaining half—No Do-ha and I—convened an emergency meeting again.
"Corps Commander. We're fucked."
"Crazy......"
No Do-ha let out a groan, then gasped, eyes widening.
"Wait, thinking about it, aren't you the only one fucked? I'm fine......?"
"Hey."
"Think coldly, Undertaker Awakener....... This Savior whatever anomaly virus spreads—what damage does it do us? Influential Awakeners just leaning on you mentally? They've been doing that covertly forever. Who's dying? Material losses? Am I tired? No. Hmm, the more I think, the more I feel I can sit this out......"
"If you get infected too, you'll cling to me crying that I'm the world's true savior—"
"What the fuck......?"
"You know I have [Perfect Memory Ability], right? I swear here—if you don't help, I'll master art someday and draw hyper-realistic, photo-level portraits."
"Portraits......?"
"Yes. Of you clinging to me. Title: [No Do-ha Worshipping the Savior]. I'll print it ultra-HD and pin it on SG Net. Forever. Every round."
"What the— you fucking bastard......?"
Bang bang bang!
The meeting room door shook violently. Beyond the steel door designed to withstand nukes, voices came vividly.
-Teacher! Open the door!
-Bro! You in there, bro! It's Seo-gyu! I used admin rights to make all your posts popular!
-Uh, wh-what do we do....... G-Guild Leader's scared to face the world. Too much trauma, mind shattered....... It wasn't a sacrifice one person could bear......
-Oppa. It's Lee Ha-yul. Sorry. When you asked for unbreakable external security, I should've noticed. Regret, max.
-We were wrong, Undertaker. Sorry. So please, smile like before just once more? Please?
Chills ran down my spine.
Pure terror.
Honestly, in the last few hundred years combined, no anomaly had terrified me this much. Scarier than Avici.
I muttered seriously.
"Suicide angle?"
"O. Great idea. I'd love to say go kill yourself. But can you guarantee no Savior Narrative Syndrome next round? Suicide every time it appears......?"
"Harsh facts."
"Figure something out. I don't want this round—where I'm alive—ending because of this bullshit anomaly. You're the anomaly expert, right......?"
Kwang! The steel door shook like paper.
I said urgently.
"Corps Commander, how about this?"
"Anything but that shit you suggested earlier......"
"Actually, the reason I helped them was because I had ulterior motives and lustful intentions. In short, I approached with shady aims. So if it turns out what they saw as 'salvation' was just my selfish desires, the premise of Savior Syndrome collapses. How's that? Just came up with it—perfect, right?"
"Don't, you fucker......"
"......?"
"Just—don't. Fuck. Wanna see the peninsula fall firsthand? I said anything, and you spew actual bullshit, you mad bastard......"
If this were round 555—after meeting O Dok-seo and starting webnovels—I could've analyzed coldly.
...This anomaly started as 'Savior Syndrome,' but my 'sudden weird acts despite not before' triggered guilt in those around me.
Hiding in No Do-ha's secret bunker was the worst move.
The plot of 'traumatized protagonist holes up' activated, deepening guilt, turning 'salvation' narrative into 'regret·obsession·torment' genre.
Suicide here would've been worse.
It might surpass even my regression, evolving to 'protagonist died sacrificing for us'—guilt MAX. My life's genre would've drifted into torment lit, birthing the worst anomaly my regression couldn't beat......
In short, the anomaly's true nature wasn't 'Savior Syndrome.'
'Cliché.' That was it.
Genre fiction had settled even avoiding, twisting, subverting clichés as clichés.
My rampage to change the savior narrative was cliché too—far harder to counter than I thought.
Thankfully, No Do-ha stopped the suicide, averting the worst bad end.
'What now? Making myself pathetic didn't work? But I can't actually kill innocents or do evil.'
For reference, even real 'evil' would've worsened it—torment genre taste route.
'What the hell do I do......'
Kwaaaang!
Finally, the steel door crumpled. Familiar faces reached through the prison gap.
"Teacher." "Bro." "Guild Leader......" "Oppa." "Undertaker."
No Do-ha paled.
"Do something quick. Except that retarded solution......"
"Ah."
Lightning inspiration struck.
Heaven-sent luck.
Something a savior narrative protagonist would never do. Not established in any work, thus no cliché.
Won't give 'person changed suddenly' impression, yet inherently unlikable....... A trait I'd kept since the start.
One miraculous 'counter' just for me.
Crunch!
The steel door fully crumpled like a soda can, opening the exit wide.
Zombie-like shuffles approached. Yes—the peninsula's last bastion, National Highway Management Corps' underground bunker, fell.
Yet I stood firm. Like a Jangpanpa general before the savior zombies.
And shouted.
"Who wants to talk Three Kingdoms with me!"
Freeze.
The savior zombies halted.
"What if Wei Yan's Zao Valley ploy was accepted by Zhuge Liang? If Ma Su hadn't climbed the mountain? If Liu Bei hadn't lost at Yiling?"
"......"
"Was Jiang Wei's Northern Expedition truly justified! Was Liu Shan really inept? No one here defends Cao Cao, right? Xuzhou Massacre is unforgivable sin!"
"......"
Hesitate. Hesitate.
Savior zombies stepped back. My eyes lit up.
It worked! It hit!
I bellowed louder, advancing.
"Go! Only Shu inherits Ji Han, Han Dynasty's legitimacy! Wei fans are psychopaths, Wu fans just mentally ill attention-seekers!"
"......"
"Cao Cao killed his father, massacred Xuzhou civilians, yet lusted after a widow in Wancheng, causing his son's death! Hypocrite! Thus, Cao Pi—the unprecedented sociopath—ascended, tragedy ensued. Cao Cao, heaven's greatest foe, stone his skull! Dang Seo-rin!"
"Uh, y-yes?"
"Talk Three Kingdoms with me!"
"S-Sorry. Big guild issue. Actually came to see Corps Commander for that. You look busy. Later."
"Yo-hwa!"
"Y-Yes?"
"Three Kingdoms?"
"—Sorry, Senior! Basketball with the kids soon! Going ahead!"
"Ha-yul! Seo-gyu! A-ryeon! You like Three Kingdoms too? This weekend, Qi Mountain Three Kingdoms history tour to see why Ma Su climbed—let's go!"
"Kyahaaaaak!"
Screech. Sim A-ryeon's famous scream from round 1 started the savior zombies fleeing.
Savior Narrative anomaly exorcised.
Only No Do-ha and I remained in the meeting room.
"......"
"......"
I turned to No Do-ha.
Her expression—what? Indescribable in words.
Pity. Relief. Contempt. Irritation. Absurdity. Sympathy. Annoyance. Pity. Hatred.
A mix so subtle only hyper-realist painting could convey it— she stared at me.
"...Corps Commander."
"Yesss......"
"Talk Three Kingdoms with me?"
Silence.
No Do-ha mumbled her lips.
"...Fine. Whatever."
"......"
"I'll do it......"
Confession: honestly, that reply hurt more than anything. End.
4
Epilogue.
"—That happened in round 126. Corps Commander No Do-ha. That's why I bring up Three Kingdoms whenever I can. Not because my tastes aged—it's preventive medicine for the peninsula's peace and world's safety. Only way to block Savior Narrative Syndrome. How about it? Appreciate my noble sacrifice?"
"Bullshit."
- Savior A. End.
Infinite Regressor Tells Tales