Chapter 241: Butterfly Effect (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 241: Butterfly Effect (1)
In this world, the popularity of heroes rivals that of celebrities on Earth.
For that reason, the existence of fan sites praising famous heroes—so-called "named heroes"—isn't particularly astonishing.
Take All Mute, Kahn Elizabeth, as a prime example. After all, she is the most popular hero of them all.
The member count of All Mute's fan site, [Total Chat Ban], sits at 50,000,000. Exactly fifty million, without adding or subtracting a single person.
For Koreans, that number is quite familiar.
"Fifty million."
This is the total population of South Korea. There might be slight deviations, but we generally refer to it in round figures as the fifty million citizens.
At this point, some might find it odd, and questions like the following naturally arise:
– Anonymous156: It lands on exactly 50 million?
– Anonymous007: Does that even make sense? I mean, she's All Mute, the top popular hero—isn't that way too low?
Besides, aren't heroes those who throw themselves into battle for humanity?
If anything, their popularity should far eclipse that of celebrities, not fall short.
– Barbarian: It's rigged, obviously.
A reasonable suspicion. And congratulations.
You guessed right.
Before getting to the main point, we need to briefly touch upon the system of this world. The details are complex, so I'll explain it as simply as possible.
This world is rooted somewhere between democracy and feudalism. Strictly speaking, it's ambiguous to say it leans heavily toward one side. Broadly speaking, it's fifty-fifty. But that doesn't mean they sit amicably together in one box like half-and-half fried chicken.
– Barbarian: Democracy? The people are the masters of the state? Bullshit.
– Toxic_HeavenlyDemon: Kings? Nobles? What era do you think we're living in...?
– Barbarian: Cattle should stick to grazing grass like cattle. Crossing the line to crave meat will only get you slaughtered.
– Toxic_HeavenlyDemon: That's an awfully primitive mindset.
– Barbarian: And you talk like an ancient boomer.
So, how is this uncomfortable cohabitation maintained? There are three possible reasons.
First, "Blessings."
A human who awakens a Blessing is several times stronger than an ordinary person. Furthermore, even guns—the ultimate fruits of civilization—barely work against them.
Perhaps this is the result of fantasy tropes at play. Fantasy means swords, after all; having bang-bang-bang gunshots ring out everywhere would ruin the vibe.
– Anonymous338: I heard only villains weave magic into them.
– NahrSystem: Yeah, and ammo is so expensive you can't buy it anyway.
A weapon that turned the tide of war history is nothing more than scrap metal here.
Thus, ordinary people have no proper means to resist the nobility.
– Barbarian: 1 Hero = 100 Civilians. (Based on Senior-rank heroes)
– Barbarian: Warrior-ranks must be several times that. If you disagree, you're right.
– Toxic_HeavenlyDemon: "If You Disagree City"? Which country is that city in?
– Barbarian: Reporting this dad joke. Bye.
– Toxic_HeavenlyDemon: Does "bye" stand for "reporting"?
– Barbarian: Pure dad joke level. No wonder your handle is something like Heavenly Demon Monopolizer.
– Toxic_HeavenlyDemon: That's not what it means~ ^^
– Barbarian: Who gives a damn?
What if they revolt? The nobles would easily suppress it through a show of physical force. Therefore, powerless civilians have no choice but to conform to the system and quietly obey.
– Barbarian: Still, our king opened up half the royal archives recently to win public favor.
– NahrSystem: True, you need citizens to maintain the regime.
– Barbarian: Woof! Oink!
Following the first, the second reason requires little explanation.
– Barbarian: Storytime about fighting a Majin.
The second reason is none other than the Demons.
A common enemy exists right out in the open. Yet humans fight among themselves? What if the Demon bastards seize the opportunity to invade? The result is mutual destruction.
In the face of such a situation, ideological conflict—Democracy vs. Feudalism—is a minor issue. Knowing this full well, neither side picks fights with the other.
– Anonymous338: Living uncomfortably is better than both dying, I guess.
However, since time immemorial in human history, violence has been an inseparable means of communication. This is human instinct and habit.
– Anonymous338: Those who have more are worse. Noble bastards really have trash personalities.
The nobles are the rulers who would gladly draw their swords if the spark of democracy spread to their nation. Parasites who foam at the mouth against any force that threatens their self-interest.
Here, as information developed and the times changed, a new group joined these threatening forces. They were the aforementioned "named heroes."
– Barbarian: Here are the conditions for a named hero.
– Toxic_HeavenlyDemon: Whichever it is, none of them seem to apply to you. Haha.
– Barbarian: Asshole.
Even if celebrities accumulate recognition, they do not exercise political power. Of course, they may have clout, but that's indirect influence.
In contrast, heroes are closer to politicians. They exert direct influence. On top of that, if they command high popularity, the existing ruling class can't help but find them burdensome.
Though Democracy vs. Feudalism reached a compromise, they had no way to stop the changing of the times.
In a predicament where a mediator was needed to maintain this precarious balance, the Hero Association was established at just the right time.
First and foremost, the Hero Association classified heroes into ranks to categorize them objectively.
To facilitate this process smoothly, they later created something called H.P (Hero Points).
– Barbarian: My H.P is like this, can I join Lancelot Company? (Photo attached.)
– Toxic_HeavenlyDemon: A local corner shop is totally possible.
– Barbarian: Seriously, where do you live?
Furthermore, to suppress the influence of "named heroes," they capped the member count of fan sites at 50,000,000.
– NahrSystem: Capping fan site members was surprisingly effective. An influencer's power comes from numbers. Blocking that was bound to work.
– Barbarian: TL;DR three lines please.
– Toxic_HeavenlyDemon: That IS three lines.
In other words, the 50 million members of All Mute's fan cafe was the maximum limit permitted by the Association.
– NahrSystem: As for why it was capped at exactly fifty million... well, probably only the person who built the system knows.
– NahrSystem: From what I know, tampering with the system is off-limits even for Vice President Spear Saint.
– Barbarian: So who is it then?
– NahrSystem: If the Vice President can't, is there anyone left besides one person?
However, an anomaly occurred.
[49,998,724 members. 🔄 Refresh.]
There is a theory called the butterfly effect.
[49,999,827 members. 🔄 Refresh.]
That the flap of a small butterfly's wings...
[Fan site of the Seven Stars Hero, Heavenly Sword.
Member count of [Sashimi Sensibility]:
50,000,001 members. 🔄 Refresh.]
...can trigger a typhoon.
– NahrSystem: (Photo) Heavenly Sword fan site.
– NahrSystem: What's with this member count?
– Anonymous192: ??? Isn't it just a bug?
– NahrSystem: I'm refreshing, and it keeps rising. Plus, this has never happened once in over ten years.
– Anonymous109: Whoa, it's already near 50,050,000?
– Anonymous338: Wait, why is it only the Heavenly Sword's fan site like this? All Mute's is still the same?
– Barbarian: Got hacked. As expected of Hero Association quality.
– Toxic_HeavenlyDemon: Nah, I'm an Association employee, and it's absolutely impossible. There are over 20 security firewalls, and ten of them are analog.
– Barbarian: Association employee? Bullshit.
– Barbarian: So what's your rank? Lowly intern?
– Toxic_HeavenlyDemon: I am...
Tap, tap.
– Toxic_HeavenlyDemon: ...the Association President.
The winds of revolution began to blow.
…
– Barbarian: Blocked.
* * *
Early Monday morning, two days after returning from Busan.
♩♫♬♪♭
The boisterous ringing of my phone tortured my eardrums. Half-asleep, I fumbled at my bedside.
"...Who is it?"
Squinting, I looked at the screen. The culprit who drove away my morning sleep was none other than Speed Weapon. And thirty minutes before my alarm was set to go off, no less.
Should I pick up or not? After pondering in a haze for a moment, I tapped the answer button.
"Yeah, Weapon."
"Ah! You were sleeping? Sorry, sorry!"
At his words, I pressed the phone to my ear and pulled back the curtain.
Even considering that dawn rises late in early winter, the sky was pitch-black.
Roughly speaking, it wasn't even 7:00 AM yet. School didn't start until 9:00 AM.
Scratching my messy hair, I sat up. It was my way of mentally preparing myself. Once Speed Weapon got started, he'd talk for at least thirty minutes.
In truth, Weapon only called when something serious happened. Calling on a precious Monday morning was proof that something unusual was brewing.
I spoke again.
"So what's going on?"
"First, before I explain, I'm gonna send you a few photos. Can you check them out?"
I did as told. If I wanted to get even one more minute of sleep, I had to cooperate.
The moment I checked the photos Weapon sent...
'……?'
The drowsiness hanging over my eyes evaporated instantly. Over the phone, Weapon nagged.
"Did you see it?"
"Yeah... but what's this site? Sashimi Sensibility?"
"What? You didn't even know the name of your fan site until now?"
"I just found out I even had a fan site."
"Wow—Boss, I knew you didn't care about these things, but I didn't think it was this bad... Anyway, see that number in the corner of the photo?"
"Yeah. Fifty... million and some."
"That's the member count for your fan site, Boss!"
"What...?"
I have over fifty million fans? It was an absurdly colossal number, but easy enough to grasp. It was roughly equal to the population of South Korea.
However, imagining what that sheer volume looked like physically was no easy task.
'How many soccer stadiums would that fill?'
In the meantime, Weapon chattered excitedly. He was firing off words like a rapid-fire machine gun. His lips couldn't even keep up with the speed of his tongue.
"Surprised? Well, considering you didn't even know the site existed, that reaction makes sense. But the most important thing here is that the member count passed fifty million! That's the key point! Under the Hero Law, fan site members are capped at fifty million. I'll explain the details later."
Good lord. Speed Weapon actually skipped a detailed explanation.
I glanced back out the window. The sun was rising from the eastern horizon, not the west.
"Anyway, exceeding that limit is huge! It's practically on the level of an Enlightenment Revolution!"
He was so worked up that he was practically hyperventilating. My guy, no matter how much you love talking, at least take a breath.
"Because the limit being unlocked means...!"
Unfortunately, Weapon couldn't finish his sentence.
♩♫♬♪♭
An incoming call from the Principal cut him off.
"My phone is practically a crowded marketplace this morning."
I felt my popularity in a very different way from Weapon's fussing.
Sighing, I switched calls. Sorry to Weapon, but elders come first.
"Yes, Principal."
"Ah! You were sleeping? Sorry!"
I never thought I'd hear that exact line twice. Are those two conspiring against me? A reasonable suspicion.
"I was actually just waking up. What's the reason for your call?"
"Well, Geomma, can you skip class today? It seems you urgently need to go somewhere with me. I'm so sorry for the sudden notice... but it's really urgent..."
Medea mumbled like a sinner. Just the other day she had told me to enjoy my cadet life, and now she was walking it back.
"It's fine."
However, she didn't need to feel so guilty. I was a cadet, but also one of the Seven Stars.
"Oh? Really? It's pretty far away, are you sure?"
"We'll get there in an instant with Subspace Warp anyway. I'll get ready right away."
"Are you really, really sure?"
"Yes. Don't worry. Anywhere is fine."
Regardless of age or status...
"Even if it's the Antarctic?"
"..."
I am a Seven Stars Hero.
It really isn't easy.