abcnovels
Chapter 127 - Victim I
Chapter 127 - Victim I
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 127 - Victim I
1
Let’s talk about the end of our world once again today.
2
Whenever 15 years pass after the start of the regression, peace and stability slowly begin to arrive on the Korean Peninsula.
Of course, the phrase "peace on the Korean Peninsula" has long been known to evoke different reactions from foreigners and locals alike.
"Siren? What is this? An air raid? Has the Korean War broken out?"
"No, it's just daily life."
"What?"
While other countries peacefully harvest mackerel or herring from the sea, the specialty of the East Sea was missile parts.
Even in the apocalyptic world where everything was steeped in void, things weren't much different. In Busan, the largest city on the Korean Peninsula, blackouts occurred almost daily, and strange entities gathered both inside and outside the city.
The experienced people of the Korean Peninsula were prepared to humbly accept reality, thinking, ‘Well, it seems peaceful enough, doesn’t it?’
But foreigners felt differently.
In most regions, the ‘15th year’ marked the point where the end of civilization became inevitable.
[Doctor Jang.]
"Yes?"
[A monster wave has been detected in the North Korean region. It's currently speculated to be moving southward toward the inland areas of the Korean Peninsula from the Gando region.]
Monster waves.
A phenomenon where all the strange entities gather together and surge like a tidal wave.
It was this phenomenon that led to the destruction of countless countries and societies: Russia, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Mongolia, China…
The Korean Peninsula was no exception.
[16 hours since the monster wave was detected. The Eastern Holy Kingdom is still resisting in the North Korean region, but the final defense line is in danger.]
[The final defense line has collapsed. Urban warfare has begun in Pyongyang.]
[The Cathedral of Jesus the Saviour has collapsed. It has now been engulfed by the monster wave. The number of awakened beings in Pyongyang is rapidly decreasing.]
[Ah. There's a light coming from the cathedral. The light... it keeps flashing. It’s suspected that the repeated deaths of Mokwangseo are causing it.]
[The Resurrection Church believers in Pyongyang have launched their final charge. Soon, all the awakened beings observable by 'Clairvoycane' will be annihilated. Six, five, four, three, two... one.]
[Pyongyang, annihilated.]
[The monster wave continues to move southward.]
Even if humanity overcame the rounds where they were torn apart by the Ten Clans and swept away by Meteor Shower, they could not escape annihilation in the end.
Danger level: 4. Oceanic scale.
The monster wave was not a unique phenomenon like a meteor shower or hell, nor was it a strange entity with a peculiar gimmick.
As the name suggests, the monster wave was more fitting as a 'monster' rather than an enigmatic 'entity.'
The reason why these creatures—no, why this phenomenon was so formidable was simple.
[The monster wave is about to enter Seoul. The number of entities engulfed by the wave is estimated to be around 500,000.]
[Blowing up the Jamsu Bridge.]
It was because of their overwhelming 'numbers.'
3
"100,000. 200,000. 500,000. In severe cases, it’s like facing a literal million-strong army. There's simply no strategy against these entities."
"Hmm..."
Of course, I shared this information with my blood allies whenever I held secret meetings.
In every regression, Noh Doha, who would eventually be recruited into my "Regression Alliance," let out an annoyed sigh.
"Is there no specific strategy for dealing with them?"
"There is. According to the information I've gathered so far, the monster wave first appears here, in Istanbul, Turkey. It appears exactly one day after I regress."
"Oh...?"
"When the monster wave first starts appearing in Istanbul, it’s not that troublesome. Only about 1,000 entities gather together."
"A thousand, huh? So, isn’t that within the range where a single awakened like Doctor Jang could barely manage to fend them off...?"
"Exactly. So, in the next round, I plan to head straight to Istanbul as soon as I drop into Busan Station, taking only the saintess with me."
The saintess, who had been quietly sipping from a convenience store coffee bag beside me, looked up in surprise.
"What?"
Noh Doha and I glanced at the saintess, then back at each other.
"Is it really necessary to bring the saintess? The longer the Constellations remain silent, the more the awakened ones will act out..."
"I have to turn on the map and fight too. I could take some support along, but honestly, traveling across Eurasia with a high-intelligence psychopath isn’t really my thing. I’ll defeat them as quickly as possible and return."
"Hmm. Well, all right. Then I’ll prepare a 'protocol that can withstand at least a month at the start, even without Doctor Jang and the saintess' for the next round."
The saintess cautiously raised her hand.
"Um. Excuse me. I’m not really into long-distance travel. Doctor Jang? Captain Noh Doha. My opinion is??."
The end times were too harsh for the opinions of a reclusive homebody to be respected.
I carried the saintess on my back in the next round and crossed the Eurasian continent.
It was as if the endless aura training was meant for this very moment; my steps were literally different from the rest.
"Please let me know if you’re feeling tired at any time."
"...! Just, a bit, Doctor Jang, slow down a bit—"
"I'm glad to see you're doing fine."
It took exactly 113 hours to cross the void, teeming with terrifying anomalies and occasionally bombarded by tactical nukes, to arrive in Istanbul, Turkey.
It was truly fortunate that the Saint had mastered the [Time Stop] ability. Even the basic human need for sleep could be instantly fulfilled by simply ‘clicking’ time to a halt.
Me? I could go for up to six days without sleep and still be fine.
“Saintess, I’m sorry to ask this of you right after we’ve arrived, but please keep an eye out for any remaining monster waves using the Awakened’s vision, and let me know immediately if you spot anything.”
“…I’ve just decided that I’ll never travel with you again, Doctor Jang.”
“Don’t worry. When we return to Korea, I’ll get you there even faster!”
“……”
One of the most historically significant cities in the world, Istanbul, was now facing an era of overtourism due to the ‘Monster Wave.’
Monsters of varying types and personalities mixed together like sewage, forming a tsunami. This was not just a metaphor; from a distance, it really looked like a ‘black wave.’
However, getting our travel tickets early was worth it, as the black wave was still only looming in the west of Istanbul.
At this point, I could handle it all by myself.
My name is Kangrim.
“What? How is this possible…? Who are you…?”
“Thank you! Thank you, my friend, for coming all this way to help us! We will never, ever forget what you’ve done for us!”
The locals who were planning a reclamation operation on the other side of the Bosphorus Strait couldn’t contain their gratitude.
The Monster Wave was successfully subdued. Although both of our governments had collapsed, a renewed sense of ‘brotherhood’ was forged between the Turkish and Korean people.
After filming a brief patriotic drama, I returned to my companions.
“Thank you for your hard work, Saintess. But isn’t it meaningful that we’ve defeated a monster that could have grown to oceanic proportions in the future? Let’s return home quickly and deliver this joyful news.”
“A… ah…”
“Seeing you so happy, Saintess, truly fills my heart with joy.”
“A… ah… a…”
We safely returned home.
Everyone was happy.
And exactly 17 years later, the entire Korean Peninsula, including Busan, was submerged by the black wave of the Monster Wave, leading to its complete destruction.
“Hey. Damn, you crazy regressor. You said you’d exterminated them…”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
That was both Noh Doha’s and my final words.
4
What went wrong?
To conclude, the ‘Monster Wave’ was not a phenomenon exclusive to Istanbul.
It just happened to appear in Istanbul first. Under certain conditions, the ‘Monster Wave’ could occur anywhere at any time.
“What conditions…?”
“Well, it turns out that when a void reaches a certain size, the Monster Wave inevitably occurs.”
A void had appeared right in the heart of Istanbul. It was similar to the situation in Seoul.
However, unlike Seoul, which was completely swept away by the void, the size of the void within Istanbul was abnormally large.
Even roughly estimating, the void inside, known as ‘Constantinople,’ spanned an area as vast as the Mediterranean Sea. It was filled with fictional Crusader monsters.
“No matter how well we defend Turkey, it’s pointless. When civilization begins to break down truly, voids start appearing everywhere. In Germany, India, Russia, Mongolia—Monster Waves can occur in any of these places.”
“Hah…? Then, how are we supposed to exterminate them…?”
“To be honest, it’s practically impossible to eradicate them.”
That’s right.
Even as a regressor, there was nothing I could do. The sheer power of ‘overwhelming numbers’ was that formidable.
“We’re struggling just to defend the Korean Peninsula; there’s no way we can manage all of Eurasia.”
“Well, that’s true…”
“Yes. Of course, if we manage to defend against the hordes of monsters pouring in from Manchuria, survival is technically possible.”
The problem is.
“But the Monster Wave doesn’t happen just once; it keeps recurring, sometimes monthly, sometimes weekly. As you defend against waves of tens of thousands of monsters, no matter how much I lead the charge, the damage accumulates.”
“……”
“Awakened ones are not invincible, after all.”
As our forces slowly get whittled down, a point inevitably comes when we can no longer hold back the southern advance of the Monster Wave.
We can delay it. We can postpone it.
But one day, we will reach that ‘end point,’ whether we want to or not.
The National Highway Management Agency meeting room fell silent.
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Noh Doha let out a dry laugh.
“Isn’t this a bit of a scam…?”
At least Noh Doha managed to brush it off with a laugh.
We kept this information to ourselves. Many would have fallen into despair if people knew that such a ‘guaranteed bad ending’ awaited humanity.
The Ten Clans or Meteor Shower were at least individual entities. They could be killed.
But a collective entity—a phenomenon that occurs naturally? How could anyone possibly handle something like that?
“Is there any way we can use the Ressurection Church of Mo Gwangseo…?”
The idea of using the Eastern Holy Kingdom as a puppet state was proposed with this background in mind.
From Noh Doha’s perspective, erecting a ‘human barrier’ in the north was better to delay the Monster Wave's southern advance by any means.
While it was an effective method, it wasn’t a perfect solution.
I, too, fell deep into thought.
“Hmmm.”
A dilemma on all sides.
With each turn, I accumulated strategies for dealing with various anomalies and continually pondered the ultimate solution for the Monster Wave. Yet, no brilliant idea seemed to come to mind.
As I sat on the sofa in our café hideout, mimicking Rodin’s ‘The Thinker,’ I suddenly noticed Sim Aryeon, with her green hair, approaching me.
“G-Guild Leader…”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Y-You know that meteor shower anomaly you mentioned before? Well, I’ve finished the illustrations for it today… I was thinking of posting them on the SGNet forum under the name [Librarian of the Great Library]. Is that okay…?”
My dear Aryeon wanted to play at being a Constellation again.
I nodded generously. Ever since I witnessed her reduced to a 16-bit sprite in the game “Logout,” I couldn’t help but be a bit soft on this girl.
“Go ahead.”
“Wow! You’re the best, Guild Leader! Hehe, it’s so much fun to act like a Constellation and make prophecies about anomalies that haven’t even appeared yet…!”
Just as Sim Aryeon rolled away, eagerly running back to her homeland (the world of the net), a sudden inspiration struck me.
“...!”
It was a truly monumental revelation.
If I had majored in art, I would’ve slapped Picasso across the face right then and there. If I had been a Buddhist, I would’ve placed a lotus cushion beside Buddha on the spot.
“Aryeon, wait a moment!”
“Y-Yes?”
“Just out of curiosity—how would you feel if every human being on this Earth, at least everyone on the Korean Peninsula, started hating you?”
“What…?”
“Of course, they wouldn’t actually hate you. For instance, imagine they all despise a villain, like the ‘Villain of Goryeo’ or the ‘Librarian of the Great Library,’ someone you’re portraying.”
“G-Guild Leader… have you been calling me ‘Villain of Goryeo’ in your head?”
“That’s not important right now. Just answer my question! Quickly.”
“Hmmm…”
Sim Aryeon pressed her index finger to her chin.
“I-I’d obviously hate it if they despised me directly as a person…”
“But?”
“But if something I’m portraying were to be the target of such intense hatred and contempt… I don’t think I’d mind it. Why do you ask?”
“Nothing. Got it. Thanks for answering. Now, go ahead and continue with your villainous activities.”
“I’m not a villain!”
In the next turn, which would be the 217th, I decided to put my unprecedented idea into action.
After regressing, I gathered my usual allies—Seo Gyu, Sim Aryeon, the Saintess—just like in previous turns.
But just as the Solitary Epicure Ten Clans were about to run rampant across the Korean Peninsula…
[‘The Saintess of Salvation’ is in mourning, signaling that darkness has descended upon the people of this land.]
The Awakened on the Korean Peninsula received a message they had never seen before.
[‘The Saintess of Salvation’ strongly recommends that all Awakened check ConstellationlNet immediately.]
Curious but puzzled, the Awakened logged into SGNet.
And.
As soon as they connected, they saw a post on the site as a ‘popup window.’
??????????
Author: ‘Collector of All Anomalies’
Greetings, human Awakened of the Korean Peninsula.
I am a Constellation who has been closely observing your activities.
Given your relatively meaningful achievements compared to other regions, I’ve decided that a little more… ‘challenging selection’ is necessary for you. (?)
Starting today, an apostle of mine, known as the ‘Ten Clans,’ will appear in the Korean Peninsula.
The Ten Clans possess countless tentacles. If these tentacles pierce you, it will be difficult to avoid death.
Moreover, these tentacles regenerate continuously in real time, so even if you manage to cut one off, others will simply grow in its place.
I wonder if you’ll be able to withstand this trial as well.
I must say, even though I came up with it, this seems like it will be quite an interesting ‘experiment.’ (?)
I wish you the best of luck.
??????????
And not long after, the Ten Clans really did appear, causing significant damage.
“Kyyaaaah!”
Sim Aryeon, who had been logged into SGNet under the name [Collector of All Anomalies], exclaimed in joy. Yes, it wasn’t a scream but a shout of excitement.
“G-Guild Leader! This is amazing! Absolutely amazing! The power! The voices and curses of the people who hate me… They’re all flooding into me… so abundantly…!”
“Hm.”
“I feel like I can do anything right now! Oh my god! Guild Leader! I feel so incredibly strong…!”
Indeed.
There was no point in hiding it.
The project was to make all the major anomalies that would appear on the Korean Peninsula seem like they were caused by a specific Constellation.
Thus, the hatred and resentment toward those anomalies would naturally be directed at this ‘villain.’
The operation was named Project Zero Requiem.
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]