Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Foundation
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It had been a month since I posted the ad promising to send volunteers to another world. Plenty of people showed up, but even those who came ended up turning back out of fear of death. In the end, only ten stuck it out and headed off to the other world.
‘Worth all that preparation.’
Even so, three out of those ten died, but I’d managed to hit a 70% survival rate.
‘The three who died were just unlucky right at the start of the transfer.’
Regrettable, but pushing the survival rate to 100% was impossible. All I could do was chalk it up to their own luck.
“Life’s just like that, isn’t it.”
I brushed off the bitterness and leisurely sipped my tea in the office.
‘Nice tea aroma.’
-Squawk!
I’d only known black tea from books before, never actually tasted it. But after that tea party with the shady merchant, I was hooked.
“That’s why experience matters.”
Don’t pass up the chance to try something. Who knows—it might turn out to be your favorite?
‘But why no news?’
I munched on a Marmite cucumber sandwich and searched my name online.
[Lee Seung-hoon the Fixer is sending people to another world? For real? If it’s legit, I’m in lol Academy arc! Principal who’s OP strong but can’t lay a finger on students! Princess with absolute authority who falls head over heels for a commoner classmate! World’s top powerhouse haunted by past trauma, dreamy big-tits professor!]
└[You believe that? Total bullshit.]
└[Someone said they give you gold just for showing up.]
└[Obvious scam. Someone’s just name-dropping Lee Seung-hoon.]
└[But if it’s really Lee Seung-hoon? He’s a Fixer, after all.]
└[Might actually be possible. Fixer and all.]
└[??? Who the hell is Lee Seung-hoon? Why’s everyone talking crazy???]
Posts about the otherworld transfer service popped up here and there. The sheer absurdity of a “Fixer” made it seep naturally into conversations, but people actually showing up was still rare.
‘Normally, curiosity alone would draw a crowd.’
I addressed the black book sitting all by itself on my desk.
“This your doing too? Some trick to keep away anyone not dead serious?”
No reply.
‘Not the point right now.’
What mattered was that my existence was spreading online.
[Want to meet Lee Seung-hoon the Fixer. Bet he’d rush over for any weird, surreal incident report. Really wanna see him in action.]
└[Call him for something trivial and he might get pissed. And false reports? Legally fine, but morally a crime.]
└[Oh yeah, that’s right. Common sense.]
└[??? You guys reading some novel? Playing a game? Wtf?]
The situation was blatantly off. The nonexistent job of “Fixer” was becoming common knowledge, but not for everyone yet—two realities were clashing.
‘And in this mess, it’s suspicious they haven’t stepped in.’
I murmured their name softly.
“The Foundation.”
The organization protecting humanity from dangerous entities.
“Why so quiet?”
＊＊＊
I’d thought this before, but creepypasta tales fundamentally can’t hold up in reality.
‘In a modern society with tight social networks, big incidents spread like wildfire.’
That’s why mass murders, mass disappearances, mysterious accidents, and monster sightings inevitably leak out, acting as the spark that drags the inexplicable into the light.
‘And yet, in those genre worldviews, people live on oblivious.’
Because there are groups isolating and shielding humanity from the threats. They lurk in the world’s shadows, protecting humanity, concealing info to preserve peaceful daily life.
‘“Surviving the Entities” had one too.’
They manipulate media beyond national borders to bury incidents.
They wield force beyond nations to contain and destroy threats.
They leverage wealth beyond nations to get what they want.
They adjust the world at times with abilities beyond nations.
‘They call it the “Humanity Protection Foundation.”’
Or simply, the “Foundation.”
‘In the wiki lore, they were insanely powerful.’
Not just controlling and containing countless entities—they’d use them to block or destroy others, or even harness them for humanity’s benefit.
‘But they were zealots too—would do anything to protect humanity.’
Naturally, they appeared in the game too. Every new playthrough, their strength randomized, influencing difficulty and playstyle.
‘Weak Foundation means higher chance of dangerous entities appearing.’
But higher odds of getting their help or cooperating—and even unlocking the hidden “Toward the Administrator” route, joining them to protect humanity.
‘Strong Foundation means fewer dangerous entities.’
But they’d peg a user surviving entities as an entity themselves via their abilities, moving to eliminate or contain—so you face them as enemies.
“I wanted to see how they’d move now that it’s real.”
Best to avoid them if possible, but we’d cross paths eventually. I figured this mess might draw them out, but nothing so far.
‘Golden Omnipotent Inc. complained about annoying pests interfering, forcing them to relocate periodically. Had to be the Foundation.’
In the game, a strong Foundation would hit Golden Omnipotent Inc., making deals harder.
‘But why not come for me… No idea.’
They’d show up eventually.
‘Said they’d mark the location if I moved.’
I pulled out the business card from Golden Omnipotent Inc. No address listed—just blank.
‘Originally blank and unlogged, so maybe total access block.’
Why no word from those gold-crazed freaks?
‘No clue.’
Not a question with answers; more thinking would just lead to dead ends. I finished my tea quietly, packed the rubber duck and otherworld transfer book into my bag.
“Time to clock out.”
Back home, I chatted with Shin Guhoe-rang via the toy well.
[Argh, driving me nuts. Heard rumors about Final School’s workload, but didn’t think it’d be *this* bad! 76 hours a day wouldn’t cut it!]
[If you’re too swamped, we can pause deals for a bit.]
[No way—learning’s great, but money’s better.]
After a relaxed shower, I hit the bed.
“......”
One possibility surfaced in my mind.
‘In the game, bad endings affect not just the player, but the world itself.’
From a single player death to city destruction, nation wipe, humanity’s end, world’s end, Earth’s end—even universal annihilation.
‘Nation-level is one thing, but humanity’s end and beyond? Even the Foundation couldn’t escape that.’
If they survived, they’d somehow restore the world—no need for “destruction” then.
‘Meaning, in bad endings beyond humanity’s end, the Foundation falls too.’
If the game became reality, how would apocalypse-level scenarios play out?
‘A powerful entity destroys the world, and the Foundation tries to respond too late—fails.’
Or the Foundation moves first, fails, world ends.
‘Latter’s overwhelmingly more likely.’
From the “Toward the Administrator” route, I knew they had entities like dial TVs warning of future threats. Apocalypse-scale disasters would be easy to foresee.
‘So the Foundation engaged one now, took irreparable damage—and lacks resources to come after me?’
Does that mean an apocalypse beyond humanity’s end is unfolding somewhere I don’t know?
“......”
Sleep wouldn’t come, so I headed to the rooftop. Lit a cigarette and scrolled internet communities for any intel.
[Guys, found something wild lol Magician? Dude’s doing real magic?]
└[Been watching—skills are insane lol Gonna rewrite Korean magic history.]
└[Drop the link, gonna check it out.]
I checked one community fully.
[Today’s Hakko streamer’s magic debut.jpg]
└[Wtf is that? Levitating? How??]
└[So trippy. What’s the trick?]
└[Classic Korean—can’t just enjoy magic as magic tch tch Be like foreigners and appreciate the illusion.]
Another community.
[This kid’s gonna blow up on Hakko quick? Content’s nuts.]
└[Just magic—what’s so special.]
└[Nah, magic’s legit god-tier. Smacking David Copperfield’s cheeks.]
└[Old man…… dentures clack!]
Yet another.
[Today’s new streamer BJ Seongjwa-nim clip.jpg]
└[Ice from his hand??]
└[Nah, that’s not magic—that’s wizardry?]
└[He did fire too lol]
└[Why BJ and streamer tags?]
└[Streaming on both Hakko and YouTube.]
‘......’
I searched “BJ Seongjwa-nim.” Found the sites and links, connected right away.
『Brothers! Sisters! Thanks for coming! Alright, as the one and only Earth incarnation blessed by the Constellation, I’ll show you some real magic now!』
On screen, a guy about my age swung his hand through the air.
『Hiyah! Hiyah!』
Flames burst repeatedly from his right hand, while thin ice trailed a long tail from his left, scattering in the arc.
『Trick? Pfft, no tricks. This is all real magic!』
A chill ran down my spine.
『Learned it in Sentam? Haha, Mirror Dimension! Nah, kidding—but man, how many times today? Should I pin this? Anyway, one more time: I didn’t transfer from another world! Not trained by some secret society either! Dealt with one, though! Story for later…』
The guy on screen snapped his fingers. The view snapped to the night sky; he floated there, grinning at the camera.
『I’m the sole Earth incarnation chosen by the Constellation.』
Chat exploded. With my enhanced vision, I saw half still didn’t buy it.
『How’re you filming in the sky? Tech! Instant teleport + magic drone camera swap. Anyway, I’m a real wizard. More precisely, the Constellation’s incarnation who can use magic.』
His face rang no bells.
But “Constellation” was etched in my memory.
『Ahh, streaming like this feels great. I was struggling lately, y’know? Wanted to fulfill the Constellation’s will and bring peace, but this “Foundation” or whatever secret society tried killing me! Real deal—alien tech? Bulletproof vests that turn shots into nukes, psychics, monsters, insane! How to even describe?』
A dev with rigid design philosophy.
『Died a bunch of times—barely scraped by. Turned the tables, looted ’em dry. Didn’t wipe ’em out, but eh—plenty of time later.』
The entity that dev created one day.
『Alright, questions now! Ask anything!』
The one from: “Players, you make OP Mary Sues and whine to add ’em to the game—but there’s limits. Made my feelings on that into an entity and added it.”
『What’s the Constellation’s name?』
He said it.
I said it.
“Munchkin Mary Sue Constellation.”
I couldn’t stop chain-smoking.
‘Right—not a game anymore.’
Appearance chance: 0.000012%.
Lotto jackpot odds.
‘Probability means nothing. Existence is appearance.’
Effect on spawn: Earth destroyed in 5 turns.
“Hmm.”
Low odds, but no counter. Pure achievement bait, lotto-luck flex, mocking players churning Mary Sues.
“No matter how I slice it…......”
By the time I’d chain-smoked a full pack, I had my conclusion.
“No way out.”