[Translator – Jjsecus]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 25 – Prophet II
2
There was a slight issue with following HoneyReader’s journey.
Well, in fact, it was far from being minor. It was a rather significant problem that arose.
It wasn’t a problem caused by .
[HoneyReader: Great! Tutorial cleared!]
And it wasn’t HoneyReader’s problem either.
Actually, HoneyReader’s skills were not bad for a beginner. Although I provided so modest assistance (of course, I was being modest, in reality, I wasn’t modest at all), HoneyReader broke through Busan Station’s gates in just 48 hours.
For reference, it took until the 3rd turn to clear Busan Station for the first ti.
In other words, what is it? I lived and died in Busan during the first and second turns. I could be said to be a man overflowing with more hotown affection than any other Busan native. If my hotown wasn’t Seoul, I would have lived with a true Busan man certification.
Even when I cleared it in the 3rd turn, it took a whole week. Cutting it in 48 hours like HoneyReader did was truly remarkable.
[HoneyReader: Even though the protagonist helped, you finished this in two days? HoneyReader, what are you? What can’t you do, from fashion to hip-hop to killing monsters. I’m starting to get a little scared of my own existence…]
Let’s overlook her youthful boasting for now.
Actually, by this point, I was curious about what kind of place Busan Station’s large hall was.
It was overflowing with talent to the point where it caused a flood.
‘Koyori with the potential to destroy the world, the unheard-of community operator Seo Gyu, the new Sim Aryeon who thrives on aggro, MacGuffin Uehara Shino, the infinite regressor, , Doctor Jang. And now, even HoneyReader?’
Truly terrifying.
It was like a talent farming report.
The story of Cho Hanji catching a wild boar while Yeobang played as a civil servant rummaging through official docunts was enviable in comparison. Moreover… No, let’s stop this story.
Anyway, HoneyReader’s adventure itself went smoothly.
But if it wasn’t my problem or HoneyReader’s problem, it ant that a third-party outsider had intervened in this cheerful party.
“….?”
That unidentified entity occasionally walked over and glanced in my direction. Every ti, they tilted their head and smiled prettily.
I was almost chard. If I hadn’t learned the fact that this entity smiled just like this even when they were about to destroy the world, I might have even confessed right now.
This entity’s na was Koyori.
‘This will be interesting.’
The owner of the crimson flesh.
If we were to classify the genre by tags, it would be sothing like #brainwashing #perceptionalteration #manipulationofliking #CthulhuMythos, and so on, for this suprely dangerous figure.
That’s right. Sohow, Koyori ended up joining HoneyReader’s party. In fact, since we all belonged to the original mbers who started at Busan Station’s large hall, this possibility was always there.
To think that in just the early stages, a presence that could make my life into a fun adventure and another that could ruin my life coexisted in one party. Isn’t this ridiculous? Truly, Busan Station’s large hall. What a crazy starting point.
At that mont, a pink-haired figure swayed in front of .
“Are you Doctor Jang…?”
My heart skipped a beat.
By the way, Koyori was still activating [perception manipulation], [liking manipulation], and [impression brainwashing] in the present tense. Various people were already flocking around her, showering her with flattery and praise.
But amidst pushing away her sycophants who stuck to her claiming their affection, Koyori subtly approached .
It sent shivers down my spine.
“…What’s the matter?”
One fortunate thing was that at this mont, I was playing the role of the “coolest regressor in the world.”
Facial expressions. Acting out facial expressions.
I relentlessly tried to recall negative emotions such as despair from the scene of the world’s destruction and the betrayal of being left alone by old Scho, the sadness of losing Tang Seorin for the first ti… Anyway, I tried my best to conjure up negative emotions.
Thanks to that, my expression beca very realistic. Level 5 of realism.
“Oops. No, there’s nothing important. I was just curious about who Doctor Jang is. Why, even when soone died in the large hall or monsters appeared, you remained calm.”
Was this girl spying on ?
If my heart had sweat glands, cold sweat would have been pouring down. Just as there’s a saying in martial arts to beware of old n and children, there was always a warning sign in my life to beware of pink-haired individuals.
I decided to show a little more realism. Level 6 of realism.
“I’m not interested in you. So you should lose interest in too.”
“Do you like Shirley Temple? It’s my favorite drink too.”
“….”
Cowardly.
Was this the power of [perception manipulation]?
To effortlessly and naturally try to raise the liking level on this side.
But I, Doctor Jang, was not such an easy person. Honestly, my heart fluttered slightly, but I interpreted it as a sign of impending heart attack. What I ant was, if left alone, it would go out of rhythm.
I couldn’t help it. Level 7 of realism!
“Annoying. Buzz off.”
“Hmm.”
Hmm? Did this guy just wink at ?
“Do you realize you haven’t looked at once while talking to ?”
“Noisy. Don’t you understand the aning of ‘go away’? Or are you ignoring ? If it’s the forr, you’re ignorant; if it’s the latter, you’re foolish.”
“Doctor, you’re an interesting person.”
“….”
“Take care. My na is Koyori. Feel free to call Yori.”
With that said, Koyori walked away first. She humd a tune, leaving her shadow behind.
It seed she had beco interested in . It was a result completely opposite to my intentions.
‘…If I ever get involved with Koyori next ti, I shouldn’t act reserved. I should definitely act like a lunatic obsessed with alcohol and gambling.’
Spoiler alert: Changing tactics proved to be futile.
“Even if you try to forget your worries with alcohol and lay yourself bare with gambling, you seem to know what pleasure is!” ca the crazy reply.
There was only one way to deal with Koyori. Simply never entering her sight in the first place.
Soone might wonder why I, a regressor, was so intimidated by Koyori. But what regressors fear most isn’t death; it’s ignorance.
Consider this. The other person is an S-rank perception manipulator, a master of ntal viruses.
Even if I tried to approach Koyori, could I be confident in the knowledge gained from it? Is there a possibility that the knowledge itself has already been tainted by brainwashing and manipulation?
If, by any chance, my identity as a regressor were exposed, what might Koyori do?
For example:
– Then let ask you too.
– Since when did you start mistakenly believing I don’t use brainwashing…?
– Hehe. You’re just hypnotized into thinking you’ve regressed; in reality, you’re in my grasp.
– From now on, I will stand in the sky.
What if the sa thing happened?
As far as I know, the strongest Awakened in terms of ntal strength was the Saintess. Even she fell victim to Koyori. Until I acquired a ‘shield’ to fend off perception manipulation and obtain the ntal firewall, it was wise not to compromise with Koyori.
But it seed I wasn’t the only one ignorant about her.
[HoneyReader: Hmm. What’s this? Pink hair?]
Oh Dokseo glanced over at . She probably thought he sneakily stole a glance, but I caught her in the act.
[TL/N: Oh Dokseo is HoneyReader, and a girl.]
[HoneyReader: Was there a character like that in the previous turns? The extra’s hair color is a bit too flashy. But her impression is really good. She seems like she could be an older sister to . How can I get closer to her?]
―――Oh Dokseo also didn’t know about Koyori’s existence.
This fact hid an important hint.
Based on what I observed while following Oh Dokseo, it seed like she was reading ‘a certain novel.’
Surprisingly, the protagonist of the novel was , Doctor Jang.
Actually, it was ambiguous whether to call this a novel. It was almost like my docuntary or biography. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain; Oh Dokseo knew a lot.
However,
‘She only knows about ancient events.’
Even if the updates were slow, it was like a considerably slow novel.
For example:
[HoneyReader: Okay, got the Yeongyak cut in Haeundae! Wow. To get a Yeongyak right after clearing the Busan Station gate. Isn’t this progressing incredibly fast? Maybe I’m talented.]
[HoneyReader: With this, I could defeat the formidable final boss… It might even be possible to overco the Ten Clans.]
The Ten Clans were not the final boss.
In fact, they couldn’t even be mid-bosses. The ti when the Ten Clans traveled around the Korean Peninsula as a lonely gourt and went on a food tour lasted up to about the 20th turn, even if generously given. After that, they beca a gourt themselves.
[HoneyReader: Now I have to sohow join Tang Seorin. Among the guild leaders who are all bastards, there’s no more reliable ally than Tang Seorin. Once ‘Set-up,’ the company’s star actor, is properly activated, Tang Seorin will be the strongest dealer ‘according to the settings.’]
Tang Seorin was not the strongest dealer.
In the very early stages, she might have seed like a dealer, but Tang Seorin’s true strength was revealed when she took on the role of a ‘supporter.’
In reality, as old Scho and I appeared and the turns progressed, Tang Seorin willingly stepped back from the front lines and volunteered to back us up.
In other words.
[HoneyReader: Then the protagonist has to withstand the Ten Clans’ attacks a bit… It’s hard to do it alone. Sigh. Should I fight together with him after all?]
HoneyReader didn’t even know about Old Scho.
The conclusion was simple.
‘The novel that Oh Dokseo read at most only covers [my life up to the 4th turn].’
[Translator – Jjsecus]
[Proofreader – Gun]
In other words, an unfinished autobiography.
A novel that hasn’t been fully written. A work whose serialized part has not yet been released. A slow serialized work by a slow author.
Truly, it was a very unique ability.
If we were to put a na to this ability… ‘[Serialized Urging]’ might be appropriate.
Anyway, assuming that the work Oh Dokseo encountered was just a summary of ‘my life up to the 4th turn,’ all the doubts were resolved.
It naturally made sense why she treated like a psychopath.
‘Well, during the ti I hadn’t t Old Scho yet, I probably acted a bit more sensitive.’
Of course, I was absolutely not as much of a psychopath as Oh Dokseo misunderstood.
I just made sure troublemakers within the group would split from the head to the torso beforehand, threatened to kill them if they caused trouble, and wouldn’t get mad unless I gained the most profit from any event… In short, the personality level of an ordinary web novel Regressor?
[HoneyReader: Wow. Just because I said I’d join with Tang Seorin, look at how instantly the expression turned fierce. That crazy bastard, he must think that only those he allows into his heart are considered human, while people like aren’t even seen as human? It’s really frustrating to live like this.]
Hmm.
It seed like a conversation was necessary.
I had quietly observed Oh Dokseo for about four months. As a result, I judged that I could trust Oh Dokseo’s personality quite a bit.
“Oh Dokseo.”
“Yeah? What’s up all of a sudden? It’s surprising that you’re the one starting the conversation.”
“I want to have a talk. If possible, in a quiet place, just the two of us.”
When the party mbers briefly left their seats, I approached Oh Dokseo. With Koyori gone for the second or third ti, it was safe now.
[HoneyReader: Hieeek! Damn it, so you’re trying to bury without anyone knowing, huh!]
Oh Dokseo didn’t seem to feel particularly safe.
“Really? Well, okay then. Responding to party mbers’ counseling is also a great quality of a party leader.”
Well, I wasn’t sure about that, but at least Oh Dokseo clearly had a talent for controlling her expression. While she might have been freaking out inside, she calmly chewed gum on the outside.
We entered a neighborhood cafe with a sign that said ‘[We will be closed until August 20th due to unavoidable circumstances].’
Today was October 25th.
The inside of the store was neatly organized. I carefully sat down, thinking about the owner who couldn’t tidy up his mind even though he tidied up the store.
“Alright… What’s up?”
Oh Dokseo looked at with an indifferent face, but with determined eyes, and at the sa ti, with a fearful heart.
I turned off my [Poisonous Tongue] for a mont. It wasn’t a suitable skill for serious person-to-person conversations.
“First, I advise you not to be too surprised.”
“Huh? What on earth are you trying to say?”
“Let’s get straight to the point. Oh Dokseo. I know the fact that you’ve read the novel that you consider to be the original of this world.”
“…”
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
The wall clock, still in good working order as its gears turned smoothly, unfortunately didn’t contain a cuckoo.
Oh Dokseo’s mouth gaped open.
“Huh?”
“By the way, the way I’m speaking right now is deliberately imitating your style to make it more comfortable for you. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to return to my original tone. This, surprisingly, is quite uncomfortable.”
“…Wait, wait, wait! Hold on a second! Just a mont!”
Oh Dokseo exclaid as if screaming.
“Novel? What novel? I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
“Well, of course, it’s the omniscient perspective of a Regressor that you claim to have read. You may not know, but I have an ability called [Poisonous Tongue]. It converts the surface consciousness of the other person into language and communicates it to the user.”
“Huh? No way, such an ability… wasn’t in the original story at all… Oh.”
Oh Dokseo blinked.
“…Was that a coerced interrogation just now?”
“No. It’s real. I also know very well that you half-treated as a psychopath in your mind.”
“I-I didn’t do anything like that?”
Despite her trembling voice, Oh Dokseo staunchly claid her innocence. It was a shaless act that hinted at the qualities of a politician.
10 minutes later.
We had a conversation to dispel each other’s misunderstandings, or more precisely, Oh Dokseo’s unilateral misunderstandings. During the exchange, Oh Dokseo showed a variety of facial expressions.
She sighed in disappointnt.
“No… This is a scam.”
“A scam?”
“Usually in novels, Regressors don’t uncover the secrets of the protagonist… Oh, here, by protagonist, I an . Anyway, the protagonist is hiding. But what’s this? Being exposed from the mont I was summoned to Busan Station… It’s not novel grammar!”
“I’m sorry, but the world isn’t a novel.”
“But until a mont ago, it was a novel to !”
Oh Dokseo slamd the table.
“And what’s with that tone! Where did Doctor Jang, who would kill anyone if they stepped out of line go?”
“Well, honestly, from my perspective, it’s been too long ago. Imagine hearing sothing like ‘You were such a good kid at 5 years old’ when you’re 50. Can you empathize?”
“What? That much?”
“That much.”
“Exactly which turn is it from your perspective right now?”
“Turn 555.”
“Five hundred and fifty-five turns?”
Oh Dokseo exclaid, sounding like a cuckoo from the wall clock.
“What’s that! What’s with that number! Not 55 turns, but 555 turns? I an, even if the Ten Clans were strong, couldn’t they be killed by the 555th turn? Who are you? You’re at the level of dereliction of duty!”
“Oh, the Ten Clans aren’t the final boss, you know. In fact, they’re the weakest.”
Oh Dokseo’s expression turned crestfallen.
“…So you’re saying the Ten Clans, who wiped out the Third Thousand Guild Leader Grand Witch Tang Seorin like fried chicken, are the weakest?”
“These days, I’m grilling them like skewers.”
“Seriously? … Wait a minute. Doctor Jang. So how old are you exactly now?”
Hmm.
I responded sowhat defensively.
“Age is aningless to a Regressor.”
“No, no, no. It’s definitely not aningless. Let’s see. Even if we roughly calculate 10 years per turn… 5,550 years?”
“……”
I invoked my right to remain silent.
It’s not that I had nothing to say; it’s just that if I said it, it would lead to a more disadvantageous outco for . For example, the fact that you need to take a higher average than 10 years per turn.
Oh Dokseo, looking at my expression, was shocked.
“What! You’re like a really old man!”
“……”
“It’s unbelievable. The protagonist, who I thought was so cool, turns out to be an old man!”
The mont Oh Dokseo decided to call ‘old man’, I felt a little down.
Naughty girl.
You’ll get old like soday, too, you know.
[Translator – Jjsecus]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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