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Chapter 98
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The Savior Syndro I
1
The Endless Hell was subjugated from the 117th turn.
This ant that Cheon Yohwa, an awakened one who ‘commanded a hundred ghosts,’ ‘sealed a god-level monster of alienation,’ and led hundreds of guild mbers, made a dazzling debut.
From now on, the awakened ones in Korea would have to make slightly more difficult choices.
– KoreanVillage: Hmm… Honestly, isn’t Baekhwa the strongest guild in Korea now, rather than Three Thousand Worlds…?
The public opinion on SG-net changed imdiately.
– KoreanVillage: Baekhwa’s unique features) The guild leader is stronger than all the other guild mbers combined. The guild mbers are all high school students, so they wear school uniforms. It’s not cosplay.
– KoreanVillage: Three Thousand Worlds’s unique features) The guild leader is stronger than all the other guild mbers combined. The guild mbers all have to wear witch hats. There’s a mandatory “broom maintenance ti” every day at 2 PM. It’s cosplay.
– KoreanVillage: Just looking at this, I believe it’s obvious which guild is superior…
└ Anonymous: As expected, the facts are as they are, lol.
└ [Three Thousand Worlds] Witch Judge: You son of a bitch.
└ Anonymous: I’m a Three Thousand Worlds guild mber, and this is true.
– Anonymous: So, are Baekhwa’s guild leader and Doctor Jang dating?
└ dolLHoUse: Not easy.
– Anonymous: Why do they stick to witch cosplay regardless of gender or age? I really don’t get it.
– [Yuldo Nation] Sword Maiden: Oh, how lantable! The young ones today are so absorbed in sorcery-like martial arts and neglect the training of mind and body; how can this not be regrettable?
└ Anonymous: Please leave.
└ Anonymous: (A person who would have died long ago if not for skill’s power actually said this)
– [National Road] Officer: Objectively comparing their power, Baekhwa does seem stronger than Three Thousand Worlds.
– CookingQueenBee: Interesting.
– Anonymous: So, are Baekhwa’s guild leader and Doctor Jang dating?
└ dolLHoUse: Not easy.
As you can see, Tang Seorin’s position as the most revered idol in Korea was shaken.
Coincidentally, Tang Seorin’s headquarters was in Busan, while Cheon Yohwa’s base was in Sejong. Since the unprecedented plumt in Seoul’s property prices, these two cities had each beco representative cities of Korea.
“I really don’t understand.”
Tang Seorin’s stress levels mirrored the consur price index before the end tis.
“If she summons spirits, she’s a necromancer. Even if it’s black magic, she’s still a magician, right? So why doesn’t she wear a magician’s attire and instead wear sothing like a school uniform?”
“It’s a sign of belonging. It ans, ‘Even if the world ends, we’re still from the sa school.’ Sothing like that.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Hmm. How about thinking of it as a Hogwarts uniform? They’re magicians and wear uniforms too.”
I thought I had given advice tailored 100% to her taste, but Tang Seorin responded with a very serious look.
“Are you crazy, Doctor Jang? The Hogwarts uniform isn’t a sailor suit. Really, not at all. I’m sorry, but please don’t ever make such absurd comnts in front of again.”
“……”
Even as magic users, Tang Seorin and Cheon Yohwa created a new rivalry of ‘white mage versus black mage’… Well, I’ll have another chance to talk about that later.
For now, let recount a story from the 126th turn.
2
One day at the National Road Managent Headquarters, Noh Doha said to ,
“Doctor Jang, I really don’t want to say this, but…”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you think you two are sticking too close together…?”
As she spoke, Noh Doha looked at with his default expression etched into his facial muscles.
It was like he was staring at food waste left out in the sumr.
Noh Doha had a talent for making people wonder if his species was homo sapiens or a centipede. If he wasn’t better at managing organizations and winning hearts than this, he wouldn’t have lived long.
But at this mont, there was no suitable rebuttal to Noh Doha’s ocular violence.
“Hehe, teacher…”
Because Cheon Yohwa was clinging to my left arm, devolving into a koala.
Although Cheon Yohwa was naturally affectionate and often engaged in skinship, this was definitely crossing the line.
“No, I’m terribly embarrassed about this too.”
“Embarrassed, my foot. Actually, you like it but don’t show it, trying to play hard to get with others. Hmph. Even if you deceive the heavens, you can’t deceive my eyes. Your insidious and sordid instincts are clear as day to …”
“Noh Doha, head of managent. I’ve repeatedly told you, it’s ti for you to change those eyes.”
“Oh. Just like how your conscience flexibly changes, huh?”
“Oh, what a pity. Like Liu Bei who couldn’t recognize your talent despite the three visits.”
“You old bastard, I’ve told you dozens of tis not to bring up those damn Three Kingdoms analogies…”
“What’s this? You want the Records of the Grand Historian instead?”
“Do you really want to die…?”
“This is a monster. And a ntal confusion type monster at that.”
Blink.
Noh Doha looked closely at my face, then at Cheon Yohwa again.
“Hehehe, teacher… Teacher saved . Teacher. My light of life, my fla of existence, my sin, my soul, my Lolita.”
“Hmm.”
Noh Doha took out a glasses cloth and ticulously cleaned his glasses. He then put them back on and nodded.
“Indeed, this is a monster…”
“Right?”
“Yes, I apologize, Doctor Jang. I thought you were the type who helps people, then establishes a ntal hierarchy and converts that into romantic feelings. I must have been mistaken, and I inadvertently offended you…”
“No problem. You’re already an offense to the world just by existing, so there’s no need to apologize.”
After exchanging warm pleasantries, we delved into a serious strategy eting.
“When did the Baekhwa guild leader start acting like this…?”
“Exactly one week ago. Suddenly, without any guild mbers, she entered my hideout and clung to .”
“Hmm. She handles a hundred ghosts like Pokémon, right? It’s no surprise her mind is a bit corrupted from dealing with monsters…”
“If it were just Yohwa, I’d think that too…”
“…?”
Noh Doha tilted her head.
“You have more than one person clinging to you? Where? I don’t see anyone…”
“Ah, you can’t hear it? The [voice] of that person.”
“Damn. Here he goes again…”
“If you’re a re mortal who can’t hear it, there’s nothing to be done. As the only one who can converse with them, I, the Doctor Jang, must translate.”
“Why does this lunatic pretend to be normal in front of others but acts like a brat only with …?”
I ignored her and started writing on paper.
[Doctor Jang, I can’t imagine a world without you.]
[Doctor Jang, ethics are social norms, and society requires at least two people.]
[Doctor Jang, in that sense, you have beco a bridge for , who is alone.]
The words continued to flow.
“Huh? What is this…?”
At first, Noh Doha looked at as if wondering what I was doing. Gradually, his face grew darker.
[Doctor Jang, if there were no regressors in this world, countless lives would have been sacrificed by the Ten Clans.]
[Doctor Jang, even if no one else acknowledges it, I know it.]
[Doctor Jang, I’m sorry for always burdening you.]
[Doctor Jang, you are saving the world.]
[Proofreader – Gun]
“…”
Noh Doha’s mouth dropped open. If his expression were turned into a gacha ga skin, it would at least be UR rarity.
“Could this be… the Saintess…?”
“Yes.”
“Haaaaah…?”
“Amazing, right?”
“I’ve never been more terrified in my life…”
“For reference, she sends these ssages in real-ti like KakaoTalk ssages. Once every ten seconds.”
“…”
“This is even after I begged her to reduce it. A week ago, it was once every second. Wow, I never imagined telepathy could be used as infinite KakaoTalk. Thanks to that, my ntal state is like lting chocolate.”
“Hmm…”
Noh Doha sighed. A silent stillness settled in the eting room (though it wasn’t very quiet for , as the Saintess’s ssages kept coming).
anwhile, Cheon Yohwa beside kept giggling, adding to the BGM.
“I understand. So… do you have any idea what kind of monster this bizarre phenonon is…?”
“I do. It’s a matter of identifying the commonalities between the two people showing abnormal symptoms.”
Cheon Yohwa clung to , saying I ‘saved’ her. The Saintess continually praised , saying I was ‘saving the world.’
‘Savior Syndro.’
Or ‘Savior Narrative Syndro.’
That was the na of this bizarre monster.
3
Salvation.
In genre fiction, it’s a common narrative where the protagonist dramatically rescues a character who is unfairly oppressed by the world and everyone participates in this unfair treatnt.
The protagonist is the only one who swoops in and saves the character.
Naturally, the character feels boundless gratitude and affection for the protagonist who saved them.
Why is this natural? Well, imagine giving a gambler who has lost everything at Kangwon Land a gift of 1 million won without asking anything in return, and you’ll understand.
The difference between a saved character and a Kangwon Land gambler is that while the latter’s life doesn’t change much because it exists in reality, the forr, being a fictional character, truly escapes from the depths of despair thanks to the 1 million won worth of help.
To highlight the key points of the salvation narrative through a simple example:
‘Ah! I was originally a noble’s daughter, but my family was ruined by evil conspiracies, and I was sold to a slave trader.’
‘If you hadn’t helped , I would have fallen into despair and hatred for all humanity, becoming a minion of the Demon King’s army and bringing about the worst bad ending. (Point 1)’
‘But thanks to your help, I avoided the bad ending route and discovered hidden talents within myself, awakening as a much stronger being. (Point 2)’
‘You didn’t hesitate to make sacrifices and efforts for a re slave like . You were wounded and bled. You could have ignored like everyone else. Why did you do so much for soone like ? (Point 3)’
‘Being with you, I realized that you’re inherently such a person. Soone who saves others even at their own expense. In that case, I’ll support you from behind. I’ll dedicate everything I have. (Point 4)’
Of course, this cliché has many variations. Just like how successful restaurants spawn nurous ‘original’ copycats around them.
For instance, Point 4 can change to: ‘Being with you, I realized that you’re only kind to . You treat only specially. In that case, I’ll dedicate everything I have for you.’
The core idea remains the sa: for the character, the protagonist holds value comparable to ‘the world itself’ or bears the ‘weight of the world’ alone on behalf of others.
Thus, the protagonist deserves to be ‘praised.’
No matter how much the protagonist’s achievents and attitude are praised, it’s still insufficient. Because the misfortunes of the world are endless, and the protagonist continues to bear that infinite misfortune, eternally receiving ‘wounds.’ (Point 5)
“――as summarized by one of our National Road Managent Team employees who is well-versed in the grammar of genre literature…”
“Excellent.”
If I had encountered Oh Dokseo, I might have figured this out myself, but in the 119th turn, I was quite distant from genre literature.
Noh Doha? Needless to say, this person hasn’t even watched movies like [The Lord of the Rings] or [Harry Potter].
As re layn, we were satisfied reading the perfectly compiled [Analysis of Salvation Narrative] report created by our managent team mbers.
In other words, it was like office supervisors who are complete outsiders to a field reading a well-organized report by their subordinates and feeling like ‘Okay, with my brilliant mind and rich social experience, I’ve perfectly grasped this field I’ve never encountered before in my life.’
“This ans the solution is simple.”
“Oh, what is it…?”
“It ans the person who saved the characters just needs to be ‘not a very noble person,’ right? For example, if I secretly harass cute fairies behind people’s backs, or do so pathetic things, then the ‘Savior Syndro’ won’t hold up.”
“Oh…”
“Let’s start harassing fairies today. Then the perception of as sothing sacred will collapse quickly, and the anomaly will lose its effect and disappear.”
“Indeed, Doctor Jang. Your personality is vile, but when it cos to anomalies, you’re a consummate expert…”
“Thank you. Although, compared to the head of the managent team, I still have a long way to go.”
“Hmph…”
Confident of our victory, we congratulated ourselves.
I must emphasize again that Noh Doha and I were not experts in genre narrative grammar at all.
Nonetheless, we were the authorities and decision-makers overseeing the yin and yang of the Korean Peninsula. Usually, the Saintess would perform her role as an inspector appropriately, but she had gone off the deep end this ti.
History repeats itself.
The combination of a lack of professional insight and the collapse of oversight over absolute power has been amply demonstrated by humanity over thousands of years.
The tragedy was set in motion from this mont onward.
[Proofreader – Gun]
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