Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Monsters' Community
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What would a site created by the anomalies living in the 21st century look like, I wondered.
I hoped it wouldn't be as half-assed as the educational sites run by the government...
[Secret, Society, Savior] Secret Society As soon as I logged into the site, the landing page featured the Secret Society title alongside the slogan Secret, Society, Savior emblazoned in huge letters.
A quick scan revealed that the site's structure closely resembled an online bulletin board.
Anyone with an account could post freely—from nonsense like "Today's menu" to info dumps like "Academy City Arc status updates."
......It was way more modern than I'd expected.
First, I clicked on the pinned "Notices" post at the very top of the board.
The notice was authored by Zero One [Admin].
— Zero One [Admin] Welcome to everyone! We sincerely welcome you all to the Secret Society. Ever since the rifts appeared, the world has changed dramatically. New enemies called Dimensional Beasts have emerged on Earth, and humanity has gained powerful Psi abilities, evolving to a new level. In contrast, our anomalies' powers are weakening more and more as time passes, and humanity is starting to notice our existence lurking in the shadows. We, who were once the true masters of this world, have unwittingly ceded our place to humanity—and we may very well meet the same miserable end as the countless plants and animals they've driven to extinction. This is a time when we anomalies must change. Scattered across the world, we must unite our strength to prepare for the threats ahead. This is the moment when we desperately need your power, the one reading this. On this occasion, we sincerely thank you for mustering the courage to join the 21st Century Secret Society. Below are details on the organization and various useful information. Please be sure to read the required sections. 1. Membership Signup & Benefits Guide 2. Site Explanation & Policies (Required Reading) 3. About the 21st Century Secret Society (Required Reading) 3-1. Organizational Structure 3-2. Organizational Purpose 4. What You, as a Secret Society Member, Must Do (Required Reading) 4-1. Preparing for Naturalization in the Republic of Korea 4-2. If You've Awakened as a Psyker 4-3. Missions & Contacts 5. Code of Conduct if Discovered by Government Agencies or Hunters as an Anomaly 6. Rift & Dimensional Beast Information 7. 21st Century Secret Society Member List 8. Active Hunter List 9. Regional Cooperators List 9-1. Republic of Korea 9-2. Academy City Arc 10. High-Risk Individuals List (Required Reading) 10-1. Hunters 10-2. Civilians 10-3. Traitors (Recommended to kill on sight) "Whoa..."
I scrolled down, covering my mouth with one hand.
This was beyond my wildest imagination.
I never expected the site to be this well put together.
Everything was neatly organized into useful info chunks.
It was explained so simply and concisely that even total newbies could grasp it easily.
I clicked through the required reading sections in the notice.
— Zero One [Admin]: [2. Site Explanation & Policies] The Secret Society is an internet community and information-sharing site for members of the 21st Century Secret Society. All text on the site is specially encoded in ancient runes. Only we with our special eyes can read the runes, so even if outsiders discover the site, there's no need to worry about security breaches. While the Secret Society was founded primarily to share useful information, it's also a community for members to bond over daily life and stories. Even trivial daily anecdotes are welcome. Post something and claim your modest gift in return. (See #1) Let's all use the Secret Society respectfully and cleanly! ^~^ P.S. The Secret Society is members-only. You must log in to post. In the story, all anomalies possess special eyes.
Zero One has the Truth-Seeing Demonic Eye that reads the true thoughts of anyone he gazes at.
Aria has the Foresight Demonic Eye that peers three seconds into the future.
The Baek Do-hyun I've possessed doesn't have some grandiose name like those, but he does have the Hypnotic Eyes that implant illusions in others.
I don't know the mechanics, but the text appeared as natural Korean to me. Does that mean ordinary humans can't see it?
Per the explanation, even if hunters or government agencies somehow got hold of the site, there'd be no issue.
— Zero One [Admin]: [3. About the 21st Century Secret Society] The 21st Century Secret Society was founded to protect our precious people, bodies, property, and lives from newly emerged threats like rifts, Dimensional Beasts, humanity's evolution, and more. 3-1. Organizational Structure The 21st Century Secret Society has a flat, horizontal structure with no strict hierarchy. However, for smooth communication and role division, be aware that each region where the Secret Society operates has an "Admin." Admin directives are policies by and for the 21st Century Secret Society. Note that disobeying them may incur significant "penalties." 3-2. Organizational Purpose Currently, the 21st Century Secret Society's greatest goal is to close the "rifts" that have opened across the world. After decades of effort by countless members, we've discovered that the number of "rifts" is proportional to the population of "humanity," the intelligent lifeforms. (For details, see member Mimir's post "The Multivariate Relationship Between Humanity, Rifts, and Dimensional Beasts.") Rough calculations show that reducing the current 7 billion population to 7 million would shrink the roughly 350 rifts worldwide to single digits. The 21st Century Secret Society is currently planning a groundbreaking project to reduce humanity's total population. The project's name is "Red Ark." It evokes the image of a crimson ark built from human blood. Let's work hard until the day the ark is complete. — Zero One [Admin]: [4. What You, as a Secret Society Member, Must Do (Required Reading)] The Secret Society's current activity zones are the Republic of Korea and Academy City Arc. We divided the zones this way because the Republic of Korea leads in Psi abilities and research, while Academy City Arc has the world's highest concentration of Psykers. If humanity loses these weapons... I kept scrolling down.
I read through an endless volume of posts with my eyes.
It took a full two hours to go through every bit of the notice—the required reads, cooperator lists, codes of conduct, and all.
There was just that much information, and I read every text twice over, paranoid about missing something crucial.
By the time my eyes were burning from staring at the monitor in the dark room...
The homepage scroll had reached the bottom. It wouldn't go any further.
"Phew..."
I leaned back in my chair and let out a deep sigh.
Even novels don't get read this diligently...
I closed my eyes for a bit, then straightened up in my seat.
I jotted down a rough summary of the Secret Society info I'd gleaned from the site in a notepad.
1. The 21st Century Secret Society consists of about 1,000 anomalies.
2. The leader is Zero One, and aside from executives (admins) like Aria and Shin, it has a flat structure with no hierarchy.
3. Activity zones are split between the Republic of Korea and Academy City Arc. (Only about 20 members in Academy City Arc; most operate in Korea.)
4. The goal is to reduce Earth's total population by 1/1,000th.
5. They view hunters as a major threat.
6. They're kidnapping and experimenting on Psykers.
7. More humans know about anomalies than you'd think.
8. An equal number of humans cooperate with anomalies.
9. Not all anomalies view the 21st Century Secret Society positively.
As someone who knew the original story, I figured I had a grasp on most key info, but I was wrong.
The site revealed quite a few new details.
I ruminated on the intel I'd absorbed, organizing my thoughts.
Red Ark's main story spans four chapters from start to finale.
Chapter 1: Dimensional Beast Awakening.
Chapter 2: Irregulars.
Chapter 3: Apocalypse Calamity.
Finale: Crimson Ark.
The main stages are set in Academy City, expanding to the whole world from Chapter 3.
As the story progresses, countless people get hurt or go missing, and even the key characters meet gruesome ends.
The ending isn't bright, either.
It's a "mutual destruction" between humans, Dimensional Beasts, and anomalies.
Knowing the ins and outs of the story that would unfold over the next five years or so, I had to prepare for the tragedies ahead.
Red Ark had become reality, and I was no longer just an illustrator—I was the vampire Baek Do-hyun.
What should I do?
How could I survive this story?
How should I leverage the info and advantages I currently have?
I stared at the monitor for a long while, typing and deleting as I sank deep into thought.