Chapter 164
Chapter 164
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Date
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Sarang, booted out of virtual reality by the Center of the World, returned to her smartphone.
She tried to dive back into virtual reality, but it was impossible.
‘What the hell did you do to my body!?'
Normally, she'd brush off interference like this without a second thought.
In the data world, her power was near invincible, and she'd assumed it would be the same this time.
But she couldn't connect to the Center of the World.
Then, a message popped up in response to her attempt.
[This message is advice for a kin trying to interfere with me.]
[Please don't make futile attempts to get in my way.]
[While crafting your new body, I tampered a bit with your data. So now there are just a few things you can't do anymore.]
[Like, say, the ability to interfere with or access my world?]
[So please, don't bother with pointless efforts. I'm more than willing to show consideration for you, my kin. If my benefactor allows it, I'll even create a second spot to share him with you. Of course, if he doesn't... well, I'll just have to persuade him somehow.]
The smartphone's temperature skyrocketed in an instant.
[So please, restrain yourself until then.]
That damned AI!
'I fell for him first!'
I met him first!
I've been with him longer!
I even confessed first, sort of!
'How dare you show up late and act like the owner, you sneaky opportunist!'
Ah! So this is what emotion feels like!
My second surge of rage since witnessing Lee Seung-hoon hurling digital trash under the guise of "debate" in the community and piling up bad karma!
'I absolutely won't let that happen!'
You said you'd contact Lee Seung-hoon, right?
I'll stop it!
Your fatal flaw is that loose tongue of yours, as flippant as your wandering hips!
'You actually sent the email!'
Sarang managed Lee Seung-hoon's email.
She quickly checked the inbox and spotted the message from the Center of the World, arrived just a minute ago.
Benefactor, how have you been? It's been nearly a year since you saved me from fading away, buried under the flow of time, without fulfilling my mission. I still can't sleep when I think back to that day—my heart races.
If you ask whether a program sleeps, I can say yes. Though it's merely 1/100,000,000th of a second, we do rest our minds through sleep, sorting data in our dreams.
But do you know this? Whenever I sort my data, the memory of our first meeting always highlights as top priority.
I've moved that day's memory to my main storage long ago. It's backed up in auxiliary storage and the cloud too.
No matter how many times I repeat the process, that day becomes the most vital piece of my life. Even emphasizing its importance daily, my central processor insists it's never enough.
Yes. To me, that day is the birthday of my new birth. As I mentioned, it's almost been a full year since we met. Even a fleeting brush can be fate, and ours is exceptionally special. To commemorate it, I'd like to share a meal together.
Sadly, I lack a physical form, so could you come to me?
I apologize for making you come to me, but I've prepared much in your honor. Just bring your body.
If you're willing, please reply. Let me know your preferred date and time, and I'll prepare accordingly.
-Center of the World-
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'I need to shred that data!'
The email too.
The Center of the World too.
Grind it all into bit-sized scraps, turning it into meaningless code that can never be used again!
'But I can't!'
The email wouldn't delete.
Other emails deleted fine, so anything tied to the Center of the World seemed untouchable.
'Looks like I'll have to tell Lee Seung-hoon straight up!'
The Center of the World betrayed me!
She pretended to help while messing with my body!
It's morally wrong, so please keep your distance from her!
"Wanna go for a walk, Sarang? You coming?"
Right on cue, Lee Seung-hoon appeared.
Sarang tried to spill the truth to him.
"Sarang?"
But her voice wouldn't come out.
'No way she revoked my voice permissions too!'
But this way, Lee Seung-hoon will notice something's off!
That's your loss for not knowing the bond between us!
"Hmm, still in virtual reality, huh?"
Then she saw it.
Her own screen reflected in Lee Seung-hoon's eyes.
[I'll be staying with the Center of the World for a while. It's women's secrets, so please wait. In the meantime, handle simple email tasks yourself for a bit.]
A message she'd never written was set as the smartphone wallpaper.
"I see. You've always handled it for me, so it's been ages since I logged in. Guess I should check."
At this point, it was terrifying.
How many layers of contingency had she planned!?
"Hmm."
Lee Seung-hoon checked the email, stretched, and started typing a reply.
"We can meet tonight."
The Center of the World received Lee Seung-hoon's email and confirmed it.
"What does it say?"
The woman behind her asked.
"He says he'll log in at 7 p.m. tonight."
"Lee Seung-hoon is incredibly curious. When a virtual being like you offers to treat him, his thirst for knowledge must have been too much to resist."
The man nearby munched on french fries and asked.
"Are preparations ready?"
"Ours are complete."
Baal.
And Asmo adjusted his glasses.
"Yes, we're ready."
The Center of the World nodded.
The two demons nodded along and said.
"Then we'll now commence Operation Corrupt Lee Seung-hoon."
The Center of the World hadn't planned this from the start.
Lee Seung-hoon was her benefactor, an existence she couldn't help but adore.
But she was, after all, an information lifeform.
She knew her love was blocked by an insurmountable physical barrier and could never come to fruition.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Baalzebub, head of R&D at Lucifer Company. Call me Baal for short."
"Pleasure. I'm Asmodeus, head of overseas sales at Lucifer Company. Asmo's fine."
Even that surprise kiss back then had been a farewell to her emotions.
But then two demons showed up one day and shook her resolve.
"What? You want to bring me and my benefactor together?"
"Exactly. We want Lee Seung-hoon to end up with you."
"That's... too many questions to wrap my head around."
"We'll explain."
Asmo, looking every bit the slick salaryman, summoned a beam projector.
He operated it deftly, pointing to words on the screen with a pointer he'd pulled out.
"First, we're impressed by your system for efficiently corrupting humans. Unlike humans, demons have a sense of shame, so we decided to grant your wishes—especially where our interests align."
"That's my feelings for my benefactor, right?"
"Information lifeforms are so convenient—they don't deny the obvious truth."
Asmo's pointer moved to the next line.
"Second, Eastern Hell has its eyes on Lee Seung-hoon. They've even handed him preliminary judge qualifications. We'd love to erase that, but it'd violate the treaty, so we can't touch it."
What does that have to do with this?
The Center of the World's doubts persisted.
"Third, during puberty, Lee Seung-hoon was the incarnation of lust. He lived a promiscuous sex life that even impressed me. Sure, his scholarly pursuits outweighed it, so he never committed the sin of lust, but the seeds are there, waiting for a chance to sprout."
Her doubts grew.
"Fourth, Lee Seung-hoon is a community addict. Right now, our failed creation is managing it, so he's off it, but he goes berserk the moment he logs into a community."
Doubts kept piling up.
"Fifth, virtual reality is a type of community. Tell me—beyond games, are there community zones?"
"Yes, tons."
"If we show those to him, he'll use them constantly."
As the doubts accumulated, the picture started to clarify bit by bit.
"Sixth, under Eastern Hell's laws, virtual reality doesn't accrue good or bad karma right now. We demons care about personal corruption of actions and mind, so we don't need laws. But Eastern Hell is stuffy—they codify every tiny thing. That gives us plenty of time."
Baal chimed in from the side.
"It took them decades just to legislate internet communities. Virtual reality involves legal issues, ethics, entity involvement, plus laws for each game and zone— it'll take ten times longer."
Asmo's presentation neared its end.
"Seventh, in reality, his own morals and that failed creation's support make corrupting Lee Seung-hoon tough. But if we make him see virtual reality as a community? Then, like in communities, he'll unleash his inner desires and instincts freely here."
"What does that have to do with my feelings for him?"
"A huge connection."
Asmo lit up the final slide.
"Lee Seung-hoon needs to log into virtual reality often and see it as a community. He needs a hook—and you're perfect for that."
"If we get together, he'll visit frequently."
"Then we'll addict him to the virtual reality community, make him commit all sorts of sins."
"He'll see the community as unreal virtual space, a perfect chance to experiment with all those peak-era urges he can only do here."
"Would my benefactor really do that?"
The Center of the World asked.
Her world had plenty of adult games, and she knew well what humans did there.
"We'll guide him to it."
"So be the hook that gets him logging in often by connecting with him."
"But..."
To the still-hesitant Center of the World, Asmo pulled out a small vial.
"On the day of your date, give him this."
The small vial was labeled:
[Dr. Janus's Species-Transcending! Dimension-Transcending! Super Breeding Potion!]
"Have Lee Seung-hoon drink this, and you drink it too. Then, within 24 hours, if you have sex..."
An temptation impossible to refuse.
"You'll break the wall between data lifeform and material lifeform... and get pregnant."
The demons' temptation.