Chapter 200
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The Wicked One III
Have you ever heard of "Dok-seo's Paradox"?
Of course, you haven’t. That's because I made it up.
As ntioned in this story, Oh Dok-seo of the 888th round had fallen into an unprecedented slump. Relying on AI just because she couldn’t write—there’s probably no more shaful existence in the history of literature than "Author Oh Dok-seo," akin to trying to pull non-vulgar words from Seo Gyu's mouth.
But what about "Awakener Oh Dok-seo"?
"Mister."
"Hm?"
"I'm going to Seoul for a bit."
After seven years of hiatus, the readers of SG Net were so devastated that they designated Oh Dok-seo as a public enemy of the martial arts world. Whenever Literary Girl popped up in SG Net’s freeboard, readers would swarm and hurl insults, solidifying their camaraderie. In response, Oh Dok-seo displayed the cliché of a protagonist targeted as a public enemy in martial arts.
She had truly "awakened."
"Why Seoul all of a sudden?"
"Well. I just feel like raiding the Tower of Sauron."
"...Isn’t that place a bit challenging?"
"That’s what makes it fun."
Oh Dok-seo. Hobbies: Void hunting.
With a carefree tone, as if she were just going for a walk, Oh Dok-seo cheerfully left the Inunaki Tunnel and really did return after destroying a Great Void all by herself.
"Tsk. There were rumors that there was a One Piece treasure at the Tower of Sauron, but it was all bullshit."
"......"
"Kyaaa! After taking down a void, nothing beats gulping down a cup of espresso from you, Mister. This is what life is about."
"Dok-seo."
"Hm?"
"That coffee cup is expensive, so please don’t recklessly channel your Aura through it. If it breaks, it’ll be impossible to find another one like it."
"Oh! Sorry, Mister. I’ve been running my shield 24/7 lately. I’m still not as skilled as you, so I’m a bit clumsy!"
"No... you’re doing really well. Now, I’m not even sure if Yo-hwa could guarantee a win against you."
"Co on! I’m not that good yet! Hehe."
Bzzz!
Oh Dok-seo’s full-body smile radiated with a blood-red aura, shimring intensely before my very eyes.
It was the very essence of Conqueror's Haki.[1]
I felt I’d just joined a gym with a friend so we could stay in shape, then that friend went and declared they’d be entering the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition.
So guild mbers discreetly backed away from the overwhelming aura.
"...I’ll be going now, G-Guild Leader..."
"...Bye, oppa."
Sim Ah-ryeon, who used to mock Oh Dok-seo at every opportunity a few years prior, now couldn’t even et Dok-seo’s eyes. Her survival instincts kicked in, warning her that one wrong move might get her killed. Lee Ha-yul was no different. Both trembled like small, frightened creatures.
In contrast, Oh Dok-seo glanced at the two retreating figures and smirked with a disparaging hmph. Despite the blatant mockery, Sim Ah-ryeon and Lee Ha-yul were sent fleeing in an even more pathetic display, unable to even attempt resistance.
I looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "How did things end up like this?"
It wasn’t always this way.
“Mister, I’m going to the Void.”
“The Void? All of a sudden?”
“Yeah. I think what I lack as a writer right now is a wealth of experience.”
Oh Dok-seo had said it solemnly seven years ago.
“Life and death. Reason and anomaly. Only by entering a battlefield where sunlight and darkness clash violently will I, Literary Girl, finally be able to strike the typewriter…”
Like many writers, she was under the delusion that high-density experiences would proportionally result in an epic output.
She road the Voids like a madwoman. While a normal person wouldn’t enter a Great Void even for a billion dollars, Dok-seo wanted to go in herself.
“If only I could escape this shitty slump! I’d even sell my soul!”
It was an act of reckless abandon that would normally require ten lives to survive, but Dok-seo had by her side. From the start, Dok-seo had heard my "tales" more frequently and earlier than anyone else. The only person who could be called my direct disciple, especially as a specialist in anomalies, was Oh Dok-seo.
Whenever she was in real danger, I’d co to the rescue upon hearing from the Saintess.
Thus it was.
“Mister”
“Hm?”
“I’m no longer afraid of anomalies.”
For so reason, unlike in other rounds, Oh Dok-seo’s real-life combat muscles beca more defined, and the hue of her aura grew more terrifying.
She declared this expressionlessly:
“Nowadays, when I see those damn anomalies, all I can think is, who the fuck do these assholes think they are, daring to challenge humans?”
“......”
Dok-seo's Paradox.
When "Author Oh Dok-seo" focused on writing my tales into a novel, it ant she had less ti to train herself, weakening "Awakener Oh Dok-seo." When "Author Oh Dok-seo" fell into a slump and couldn’t continue the novel and instead went wandering, it ant "Awakener Oh Dok-seo" beca stronger.
And as we’ve seen, Oh Dok-seo in the 888th round had fallen into an epic, prolonged slump.
In other words?
“Argh. Sitting at ho is making restless. I’m itching for so action. I can’t take it anymore, Mister! I’m going to find a nearby anomaly, beat it up, and be right back!”
“......”
“I took down an alien anomaly one-on-one last ti, so this ti I should try handling two at once!”
The longer the hiatus dragged on.
As the years stretched from four to five, then six to seven.
Oh Dok-seo’s aura began to burn like wildfire.
Even Seo Gyu, who had anger managent issues and lashed out at anyone and everyone, started avoiding her.
Hah...
Then, at so point, the overwhelming aura that overflowed from Oh Dok-seo’s entire body completely vanished.
The aura wasn’t gone. It had simply been perfectly "contained."
She opened her eyes quietly.
“Mister. No, Master.”
“......”
“I think I finally understand what aura is. The realm that you’ve been looking at... this must be it.”
Yes.
In the 888th round, Oh Dok-seo had fallen from grace, becoming an FFF-class writer—
But at the sa ti, by sacrificing the resentnt, grievances, and curses of her readers, she had evolved into an SSS-class Awakener...!
One day, a notice was posted on the peaceful Novel Serialization Board of SG Net.
[Literary Girl] It's . (5 minutes ago)
[Literary Girl] Author Literary Girl Oh Dok-seo... is taking a break for so ti to recharge... (7 years ago)
The readers were shocked.
The writer—or rather, that bastard of a writer who had been shalessly inactive for seven years—had suddenly posted a new notice, writing a load of crap on the freeboard.
‘Could it be a re-serialization?’
‘Is it a rule of the universe that a writer must return after seven years?’
Thump.
The readers eagerly clicked on the notice. Although they had cursed the writer to death until now, they still couldn’t forget the unique taste of this series, and they had read it three, even four tis over.
They didn’t think too much about why the writer, who had always started with "This is Oh Dok-seo..." suddenly changed the tone to "It's ." It wasn’t the ti to ponder such details.
Soon, the readers who carefully read the notice began to doubt their eyesight.
――――――――――
[Literary Girl] It's .
I apologize for going silent and suspending the serialization for 7 years.
I’m a lousy writer.
But I want to rest more.
――――――――――
?
Question marks popped up in the readers’ minds.
Regardless, the notice continued.
――――――――――
I don’t want to drag this out with a long-winded excuse.
I want to rest, and so of you probably want to beat up and make continue the serialization.
What do you need to get what you want?
Fancy words? Glorious connections? Elaborate sches?
All of that is wrong.
The answer is "fists."
――――――――――
??
――――――――――
Starting next Monday, for 4 weeks, 28 days, I’ll be at Busan Babel Tower Plaza from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Let’s fight one-on-one.
For 28 days, I’ll accept only one challenger per day, on a first-co, first-served basis.
If even one reader manages to defeat , I’ll start serializing the next chapter of The Regressor’s Epilogue the very next day without any excuses.
This isn’t about posting one chapter and then stopping. I don’t play gas like that. I’ll co back and serialize on a consistent schedule.
If no one defeats , I’ll officially declare The Regressor’s Epilogue permanently "dropped" after this long hiatus.
It’s a life-or-death match.
Your desire for the serialization to continue. My desire for it to stop.
Let’s see whose will is stronger, using only our fists.
――――――――――
???
Even after reading the entire notice, the question marks in the readers’ minds didn’t disappear.
But, a lot of text started to appear in front of those question marks.
‘What the hell is this crazy bitch talking about?’
The readers were bewildered by the notice, which carried the unmistakable scent of iron, of barbells and dumbbells. Literary Girl’s na, composed of "Literature" and "Girl," had nothing to do with steel, after all. It’s a na favored by those with slender fras, isn’t it?
SG Net quickly erupted into chaos.
-Anonymous: Was the account hacked?
The first theory that erged was the "hacked account theory." However, unlike the weak and fragile pre-apocalypse internet environnt, hacking and other petty tricks didn’t work in this post-apocalyptic world. SG Net accounts were tightly linked to the user’s soul.
The theory was quickly dismissed.
-Anonymous: This bitch is smart lol. Feels guilty for ghosting for 7 years, so they’re setting up an excuse to return lolol
└[Baekhwa] TwelfthGrader: Ah, I get it! Totally understandable >_
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