[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 115 – Non-Player III
5
This world is contaminated.
It wasn’t just that the physical space was tainted. The ntal world, the minds of the Awakened, were entirely drenched in corruption.
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-Anonymous: I got up early today and fard 10,000 XP, then settled accounts and cracked open a beer. Not bad, right?
-Goryeojang: Today’s Café Mocha.png
-Anonymous: Looking for a Level 10 party!! No NPC porters, sorryㅠㅠ
-[Samcheon] Witch Judge: Hey guys, I found Black Orb ssiah (S) gear while hunting monsters today. Is this good?
Behold. This rotten ntal landscape.
It didn’t take long after the arrival of the ‘online RPG’ for SG Net to degenerate into this ss.
True to the self-proclaid gaming nation of Korea, adaptation was incredibly swift. Common clichés in subcultures, such as:
‘What? The world… has turned into a ga?’
‘This is absolutely bizarre…’
‘How does that cheater know all the ga chanics we don’t?’
Were all skipped. Even elentary school kids accepted the situation with the seasoned expressions of veteran players, saying, ‘What? We’ve beco ga players? The ti has co.’
Soon, SG Net was flooded with all sorts of strategy guides. There was no need for to wear the mask of the ‘Great Library Society’ and diligently post guides. Everyone voluntarily, enthusiastically, and passionately tackled the anomalies.
This was utterly strange.
“Why the long face…? Hoo. Isn’t this better compared to the days when everyone would tremble at the sight of anomalies? Now, they willingly dive into the void to level up…”
“The problem is that they’re exploring the void with a ga ntality. They should be understanding the world through their intuition and hard-earned experience, but instead, they’re seeing the world through the lens provided by these anomalies.”
“Hmmm…”
“This ‘online ga’ itself is a massive void. Those who call themselves players are practically turning into anomalies themselves!”
“Well, there is so logic to that… But, might it just be my imagination that you seem more angry about losing your monopoly on fa and accomplishnts to the anomalies…?”
There was no need to respect the opinion of soone who saw everything through a twisted lens: the Poison Pokémon.
I had traveled to Japan, China, and even further to Mongolia and India. Everywhere, I found the sa infection of ‘online RPG.’
‘…This is no ordinary matter.’
It wasn’t just people’s perceptions that had changed.
The anomalies themselves were gradually changing.
“Hehehe. There are so many slis by the river these days that it’s really easy to catch them…!”
For example, the slis that Sim Aryeon brought every day to beat to a pulp with her club for stress relief.
Originally, slis were not such common anomalies. They rarely appeared in sewers and hardly ever ca out into the open.
Unless one went underground, it was almost impossible for ordinary Awakened to encounter a sli in daily life.
The population of slis was rapidly increasing. Now, they were bouncing around the riverbanks quite frequently.
Pyo-ro-ro♪
Pyo-ro-ro-rong♪
As a result, the sound of Sim Aryeon beating slis echoed incessantly in front of our guild’s headquarters.
Because of this noise pollution, I seriously considered relocating the guild base.
Moreover, the developnt of a precise, academically verified, and objective standard, ‘Depth,’ replacing the nonsensical S-rank, SSS-rank, EX-rank system ranging from 100 ters to 1200 ters, was also part of this resolution.
“Fast leveling… Yeah, I can really feel my Poison Mastery skill leveling up quickly when I bash slis in the front yard! This is like finding out the basent stairs lead to a hidden elixir mine only I know about, or discovering a secret spot where only the protagonist can rake in the rewards…!”
Sim Aryeon’s healing ability had gradually reached the point where she could perfectly heal a patient even if they were brought in with all their limbs torn apart as long as they still had their head attached.
More and more Awakened on SG Net began to refer to Sim Aryeon as “the Saintess.”
This was utterly strange.
In any case, it wasn’t just the slis that were increasing in this rotting world.
Goblins, orcs, ogres, and trolls—the classic monsters found in gas—were filling the void more and more.
There was only one way to explain this phenonon.
‘The online ga is invading not only the Awakened but also the anomalies…?’
A chill ran down my spine.
An anomaly that didn’t discriminate between humans and monsters, that didn’t stay confined to a particular place, that wasn’t bound by ti or space, and that endlessly expanded its influence.
The Isolated God.
Indeed, just as if waiting for Endless to be defeated, another mysterious Isolated God was extending its claws.
Disguised in the guise of a ‘ga,’ sothing humans found hard to resist.
-Anonymous: (Screenshot) Broke my damage record while fighting an orc lol
-Anonymous: This ga is seriously so fun.
-Anonymous: Looking for a Level 20 party!! Already have one NPC porter secured!!
-Anonymous: Anyone want to trade troll eyes at the Kimhae dungeon entrance?
SG Net increasingly beca indistinguishable from a ‘ga forum.’
Gradually, the term ‘monster’ beca more common than ‘anomaly,’ and ordinary people who hadn’t awakened any skills were referred to as NPCs.
When you killed a monster, ‘items’ dropped. Sli cores, goblin teeth, orc hearts, etc. All these materials had specific effects, and you could see what those effects were in your ‘inventory.’
Everything was a ga.
…I shared my speculation with the Regressor Alliance. Both Noh Doha and the Saintess’s expressions turned grave.
“Noh Doha, as the Head of Administration, formally declare the ‘online ga’ as an anomaly. We must raise awareness among people, even if it’s a bit late.”
“Understood. Although I doubt how effective it will be now. Everyone’s showing symptoms of ga addiction…”
Ga addiction.
This too was a symptom of the Isolated God infecting the Awakened. It was on a different level from the ga addiction the dia talked about before the apocalypse.
Now, the Awakened believed that a ‘ga-shaped world’ was much more real and desirable. Posts continued to flood SG Net every three seconds.
“Saintess, continue to play the role of the ‘online ga’ operator as convincingly as possible. Even if we can’t defeat the anomaly right away, we can at least prevent so of the faith from spreading to it.”
“Yes, I understand.”
By taking such asures, we managed to hold things together up to the 134th regression.
But I had already resigned myself to the possibility of another regression. After intercepting the ‘status window,’ strange phenona like ‘experience points,’ ‘levels,’ and ‘damage’ started appearing.
What kind of anomaly would await us next?
Already, the Awakened not just in Korea, but around the world, were heavily addicted to the ‘online ga.’ The stats and levels it asured were concrete, and the void, once full of terror, had turned into an experience-filled hunting ground.
Humanity was pushing back the void more decisively than ever before, winning battle after battle. By following the anomalies themselves.
I suddenly recalled the protagonist’s soliloquy from [The Catcher in the Rye].
…Sure, if you’re on the team with all the best players, life is a ga. I’ll grant you that. But if you’re on the other team, the one with nobody decent on it, what kind of ga is that? Nothing. It’s not a ga at all…
As long as the Awakened seed to be winning, at least on the surface, the ‘online ga’ was indeed a ga.
But how long would that victory last?
Despite the warnings from the National Highway Administration, the Awakened didn’t stop playing the online ga. They were endlessly imrsed in the joy of leveling up.
And then one day.
Just as there are always signs before a great earthquake, a ssage arrived for .
[‘The Operator of the Grand Play’ announces the beginning of a new event.]
6
Flashback.
“Ah, now that I think about it, why did you suddenly pretend to be a strange Constellation a few days ago?”
“What?”
“A week ago. You sent a ssage under the na of ‘The Operator of the Grand Play.’ I was a bit surprised, thinking even the Saintessess makes mistakes. Did you send a ssage ant for another Awakened to by mistake?”
“……?”
Anyone with a good mory would quickly recall this.
This was an anecdote I ntioned at the end of the story about my first eting with the Saintessess.
“I’ve never sent such a ssage.”
[Proofreader – Gun]
“What?”
“I’ve never created a Constellation called ‘The Operator of the Grand Play.’ Perhaps you saw it wrong?”
“…….”
The story of a ‘mysterious Constellation’ that the Saintessess never created, sending a ssage.
Though I tend to share episodes as they co to mind without much regard for chronology, here’s the sequence of events:
* 117th regression: Defeated the Isolated God ‘Endless Hell.’
* 118th regression: First witnessed ‘Hero Syndro.’
* 119th regression: First witnessed ‘Reincarnation Truck.’
* 126th regression: Defeated ‘Salvation Narrative Syndro.’
* 133rd regression: First witnessed the ‘Status Window.’
* 134th regression: First witnessed the presud Isolated God ‘Online Ga.’
And the ssage from the mysterious Constellation—or entity that might not even be a Constellation—also ca during the 134th regression.
My instinct, honed sharply over many regressions, rang like a seismograph’s needle.
My intuition was correct. The 134th regression was rely a foreshock.
The next regression, the 135th, brought the actual earthquake.
-Anonymous: These guys play gas all day lol. Turn off the ga and go outside lol.
The 135th regression was fundantally similar to the 134th.
Except that strange posts began to appear at so point.
-Anonymous: For us, the ga is reality? For us, the ga is reality? For us, the ga is reality?
└Anonymous: Lmao, right.
└Anonymous: I’ve been playing ‘reality’ continuously for 50,783 hours.
└Anonymous: Shut up.
-Anonymous: This guy posts nonsense even in the middle of the night, and now again…
└Anonymous: What?
At first glance, it seed like the usual banter of an ordinary community.
But the void always disguises itself as sothing not much different from nature. A school, a tunnel, the sea.
Eventually.
-Anonymous: Damn, my whole body is sore from gaming too long. I’m logging off.
The void arrived abruptly.
-Anonymous: Sorry, guys, I’m too sleepy to stay logged in; logging off now.
-Anonymous: I’m logging out to live my real life.
-Anonymous: Looking for a Level 30 party! Already secured three NPC porters!!
-Anonymous: Ugh, nothing to do in this ga. Quitting it. Bye.
mbers of SG Net began to post about logging out or quitting the ga.
But as everyone knew, the ‘online ga’ was overlaid on reality.
How on earth could they ‘log out’ or quit this ga?
[Doctor Jang.]
The answer was delivered to imdiately, whether I wanted it or not.
[The Awakened aren’t moving.]
“…Are you saying they’re dead?”
[Yes, mostly. But it’s strange. So Awakened remain completely still as if in a coma, then resu activity after a while as if nothing happened.]
“……”
[As if they logged into the ga.]
They resembled zombies.
Monsters that beco active at night but stop functioning as soon as the sun rises, the Awakened showed no movent during ‘log out.’
[Even with my clairvoyance, I see nothing in the Awakened in a comatose state. Darkness. Just pitch-black darkness.]
Awakened in the logged-out state didn’t react even if I attacked them. It was as if they didn’t exist in this world; my blade passed through them.
Sim Aryeon, the one in our guild who enjoyed the ‘online ga’ the most, was not exempt from this phenonon.
“――Ah, Guild Leader!”
Sim Aryeon ran to with bright eyes.
…It was hard to believe that this person, who had been standing completely still for the past three days, was now moving so naturally.
“Were you waiting for ?”
“…Yes.”
“Wow! Thank you! Hehe. See? Even an NPC’s response changes when you raise their affinity!”
“……”
“I tried to co back quickly, but real life kept holding back… But I resolved it this ti!”
Originally, among the ‘addicts,’ the term NPC referred to ordinary people who hadn’t awakened any skills.
That was no longer the case.
As ti passed, even ordinary people gained minor abilities. They eagerly joined the ga and beca players.
Now, NPCs were those like Noh Doha and who didn’t log into the ga at all.
Ironically, those who could exist in the ‘ga world’ 24/7 were called NPCs by the addicts.
To them, the work Noh Doha did in constructing national highways across the Korean Peninsula was a true ‘quest.’
I, too, was treated as a ‘hidden NPC,’ responsible for teaching players various professions, skills, and training thods.
Who was the real NPC?
From my perspective, those consud by the void and reduced to part of it were the NPCs. But they saw as the NPC.
I thought.
If this were a case of the Butterfly Dream, it would be an excruciatingly nightmarish one.
[Proofreader – Gun]
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