Non-Player III
This world was polluted.
It didn't an that the physical space was contaminated. The ntal world, the brains of the awakeners, were completely stained with disgrace.
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-Anonymous: Today, I got up at dawn and gained 10,000 experience points. Brought back items, settled accounts, and now I'm downing beers. Worth it?
-OldManGoryeo: Today's cafe mocha.png
-Anonymous: Looking for a level 10 party!! No NPC porters, sorry ㅠㅠ
-[Samcheon] WitchJudge: Guys, I found a Black Orb of ssiah (S) while hunting monsters today. Is this any good?
Look at this rotten ntal world.
Not long after the advent of the 'Online RPG,' SG Net had devolved into this state.
As expected of Koreans, who had always prided themselves as a nation of gars since the end of the century, they adapted incredibly fast. Just like you'd see in subcultures.
‘What? The world... turned into a ga?’
‘This can't be real...’
‘That cheater. How does he understand the ga's chanics that we don’t?’
Those clichés were completely skipped. Even elentary school kids accepted the new reality with the seasoned, veteran-like expressions of ‘What? We’ve beco ga players? It's about ti.’
Soon, SG Net was flooded with strategy guides. There was no need for to tirelessly publish guides under the guise of the ‘Great Library Society.’ Everyone independently, enthusiastically, and diligently strategized against the anomalies.
This was definitely strange.
"Why such a long face...? Hmm. Isn't it better now than when everyone trembled at the sight of anomalies? Nowadays, they voluntarily jump into the void to level up."
"That's because they're exploring the void with a ga-like ntality. They should understand the world through their intuition and accumulated experiences, but they're only looking at a refracted world through the lens provided by those anomalies."
"Hmm..."
"This 'online ga' is a void in itself. The awakeners, who call themselves players, are virtually turning into void anomalies!"
"Well, there's so sense in that... But if it looks like you're just angry because anomalies are stealing your monopoly on fa and achievents, then it might be my mistake...?"
There was no need to respect the opinion of soone with a toxic perspective.
I had traveled to Japan, China, and even as far as Mongolia and India. And everywhere, I confird that the ‘Online RPG’ had infected them all.
‘...This is no ordinary matter.’
It wasn't just people's perceptions that had changed.
Even the anomalies were gradually changing.
"Hehehe. Lately, there have been so many slis along the riverbank, it's so easy to catch them...!"
For instance, the sli that Sim Ah-ryeon caught every day to relieve stress and beat to a pulp with a club.
Originally, this sli wasn’t a common anomaly. It appeared only occasionally in sewers and rarely ventured outside.
Unless one descended into the underground, the chances of encountering a sli in daily life were almost nonexistent.
But the number of slis was rapidly increasing. Now, they were bouncing around even on ordinary riverbanks.
Bling♪
Bling-bling♪
As a result, the sound of Sim Ah-ryeon beating slis constantly echoed in front of our guild's headquarters.
Because of this noise pollution, I seriously considered relocating the guild hideout.
In addition, moving from the nonsensical S, SSS, EX grading system to a very precise, scientifically proven 'Depth' standard was also part of this resolution.
“Power-leveling... Indeed, I can feel my Dark Phoenix skill leveling up rapidly by just beating slis in the yard! It’s like discovering a hidden spot in the basent leading to a secret elixir mine, where only the protagonist can reap the benefits...!”
Sim Ah-ryeon's healing abilities were gradually reaching the level where she could heal even if the patient's limbs were torn apart, as long as the head was intact.
More awakeners on SG Net began to call Sim Ah-ryeon the 'Angel.'
This was definitely strange.
However, the rapidly increasing anomalies in this rotten world weren’t limited to slis.
Goblins, Orcs, Ogres, Trolls. In other words, the usual monsters from gas increasingly filled the void.
There was only one way to explain this phenonon.
‘The online ga is encroaching on both the awakeners and the anomalies...?’
A chill ran down my spine.
An anomaly that didn’t discriminate between humans and anomalies, didn't remain in one place, wasn’t confined by space and ti, and just endlessly expanded its domain.
An Outer God.
Indeed, just as Infinite Void had been vanquished, another unidentified outer god was extending its claws.
Disguised under the mask of a ga, which was hard for humans to resist.
-Anonymous: (Proof shot) Set a new damage record while hitting an Orc, lol
-Anonymous: This ga is insanely fun.
-Anonymous: Looking for a level 20 party!! Already secured one NPC porter!!
-Anonymous: Anyone up for a Troll eyeball exchange in front of Gimhae Dungeon?
SG Net was becoming indistinguishable from a ‘ga forum.’
Gradually, the term ‘monster’ beca more common than anomaly, and non-awakeners individuals were called NPCs.
Defeating monsters dropped 'items.' Sli cores, Goblin teeth, Orc hearts, etc. These materials had specific effects, which could be viewed through the ‘item window.’
Everything was a ga.
...I shared my suspicions with a mber of the Regression Alliance. Noh Do-hwa and the Saintess’s expressions finally turned serious.
"Chief Noh Do-hwa. Please officially declare the 'Online Ga' as an anomaly under your authority. We need to alert people now."
"Understood. Though I'm not sure how effective it will be now. Everyone’s showing signs of ga addiction..."
Ga addiction.
That was another symptom displayed by the awakeners infected by this outer god. It was different from the ga addiction previously discussed by the dia before the end of the century.
Now, the awakeners believed that ‘a world in the form of a ga’ was far more real and desirable. SG Net was posting new threads every three seconds.
"Saintess, please continue to act as the ‘operator of the online ga,’ so people won’t suspect anything. We may not be able to imdiately subdue that anomaly, but we can at least curb the faith spreading to it."
"...Yes. I understand."
With these precautions, I managed to hold out until the 134th cycle.
However, inwardly, I had already prepared for the next run. As I hijacked the 'status window,' phenona like 'experience points,' 'levels,' and 'damage' were added.
What kind of anomaly would await next?
Already, the awakeners, not just in Korea, but worldwide, were heavily addicted to the 'Online Ga.' The stats and levels it provided were tangible, and the void, once filled with fear, had suddenly transford into a hunting ground brimming with experience points.
Humanity was pushing back the void more effectively than ever. They kept winning, by becoming followers of the anomaly themselves.
Suddenly, a monologue from the protagonist in [The Catcher in the Rye] ca to mind.
...You like gas, huh? Sure. If you get into a team full of great guys, life is indeed a ga. I’ll admit that. But if you end up on the opposite team, where there are no great guys at all, then what kind of goddamn ga is that? It’s nothing. It's not a ga at all...
As long as the awakeners seed to be winning on the surface, the 'Online Ga' was indeed a ga.
But how long would that victory last?
Despite the warnings from the National Road Managent Chief, the awakeners didn't stop playing the online ga. They were thoroughly engrossed in leveling up.
And one day.
Just as there are always precursors before a major earthquake, a ssage arrived.
[The Admin of the Infinite taga announces a new event.]
Flashback.
“Ah. Co to think of it, why did you suddenly mimic a strange constellation a few days ago?”
“Huh?”
“A week ago. You sent a ssage under the na of the Admin of the Infinite taga. I was surprised that even you make mistakes sotis. Did you send a ssage ant for another awakeners to by mistake?”
“...?”
Anyone with a good mory would recall.
This was the anecdote I ntioned when I first t the Saintess.
“I never sent such a ssage.”
“What?”
“I've never created a constellation nad the Admin of the Infinite taga. Did you misread sothing?”
“......”
The story of a ‘mysterious constellation’ sending a ssage that the Saintess never created.
I simply shared episodes as they ca to mind, not strictly bound by ti, but if we arranged the flow in order of regression:
117th run. Defeated the outer god ‘Infinite Void.'
118th run. First encountered the ‘Hero Syndro.’
119th run. First witnessed the ‘Isekai Truck.’
126th run. Defeated the ‘Savior Narrative Syndro.’
133rd run. First witnessed the ‘Status Window.’
134th run. First encountered the suspected outer god ‘Online Ga.’
And the ssage from the mysterious constellation—or rather, a being whose identity as a constellation was even questionable—also ca in the 134th run.
My instinct, sharpened over many regressions, trembled like the needle of a seismograph.
My intuition wasn’t wrong. The 134th cycle was rely the foreshock.
The next run. In the 135th cycle, the real earthquake began.
-Anonymous: These guys really play gas all day long, lol. Turn off the ga and go outside, lol.
The 135th run was fundantally similar to the 134th.
Except, at so point, strange posts started to appear.
-Anonymous: To us, the ga is reality? To us, the ga is reality? To us, the ga is reality?
└Anonymous: For real, lol.
└Anonymous: I've been playing ‘reality’ for 50,783 hours straight, lol.
└Anonymous: You should log off.
-Anonymous: This guy posts nonsense at night and now, too...
└Anonymous: What?
It seed like nothing more than the usual bickering on a normal community forum.
But in truth, every void disguises itself as sothing mundane. A school. A tunnel. The sea.
Eventually.
-Anonymous: Shit, playing gas too long made my whole body stiff. I'm logging off first.
The void descended abruptly.
-Anonymous: Sorry, guys. Too sleepy to stay logged in; logging off first.
-Anonymous: I'm logging out to live my real life~
-Anonymous: Looking for a level 30 party!! Already secured three NPC porters!!
-Anonymous: Ugh, this ga is so boring. I'm quitting this trash ga, bye.
SG Net mbers started posting about logging off or quitting the ga.
But as everyone knew, the 'Online Ga' was an overlay on reality.
How could they 'log out' or quit this ga?
[Mr. Undertaker.]
The answer was delivered to imdiately, even if I didn't want to know it.
[The awakeners are not moving.]
"...Are you saying they’re dead?"
[Yes. Almost. But, it's strange. So awakeners fall into a coma-like state, then after a while, resu activity as if nothing happened.]
"......"
[It's like they've logged into a ga.]
It was similar to zombies.
Active at night but stopping in the sunlight, the awakeners showed no signs of movent during the ‘logout’ period.
[The awakeners in a coma-like state show nothing even through my Clairvoyance. Darkness. Only pitch-black darkness painted over.]
An awakener in logout state couldn't be hard, even if I attacked. My blade passed through as if they didn’t exist in this world.
Even Sim Ah-ryeon, who enjoyed the ‘Online Ga’ the most in our guild, couldn't escape this phenonon.
“—Ah, guild leader!”
Sim Ah-ryeon ran up to with bright eyes.
...It was hard to believe she had stood still for the past three days without moving a muscle.
“Were you waiting for ?”
“...Yes.”
“Wow! Thank you! Hehe. Even if they’re NPCs, their reactions change when the affection level goes up!”
“......”
“I wanted to co back sooner, but real life held back... But it's all sorted now!”
Among the addicts, NPC originally referred to non-awakener individuals who hadn’t gained skills.
But now it was different.
Over ti, ordinary people gained minor abilities. They didn’t hesitate to log into the ga and upgrade to players.
Now, NPC referred to those like Noh Do-hwa and , who didn’t log into the ga at all.
Ironically, the ones who could exist entirely within the 'ga world' for 24 hours were called NPCs by the addicts.
To the addicts, Noh Do-hwa building roads across the Korean Peninsula was a ‘quest’ in the truest sense.
I was also considered a ‘hidden NPC,’ tasked with informing players about various jobs, skills, and training thods.
Which side was truly the NPC?
From my perspective, those who were devoured by the anomaly and beca part of the void were the NPCs. But they perceived as the NPC.
I thought.
If this was an example of the butterfly dream, it would be a profoundly nightmarish butterfly’s dream.
Footnotes:
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