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Chapter 3 – Observer I
Chapter 3 – Observer I
Chapter 3 – Observer I
[Proofreader – Prøks]
Chapter 3 – Observer I
1
The cafe where I often meet Old Scho… No, let me correct that.
The cafe where I often meet Old Scho’s ‘corpse’ is adorned with small fish tanks scattered around. It’s probably the barista’s taste.
Although there aren’t any particularly rare species, the fish tails exude a calming charm just by looking at them.
Perhaps time slows down a bit when it gets caught in those fins.
Or maybe it’s just because fish have that dumb, thoughtless look like idiots do.
As I sip on Old Scho’s cafe au lait and watch the blue tropical fish dancing ballet in the water, there’s one person that always comes to mind.
The Saintess.
Today, let’s talk about that person.
2
When the Gate incident erupted worldwide, Korea surprisingly held its ground.
It wasn’t thanks to the government.
Initially, half of Seoul was razed to the ground, including the National Assembly Building in Yeouido. The number of evaporated buildings exceeded a hundred.
Whether this was unfortunate or fortunate varies from person to person, but at least the initial political leadership in Korea suffered temporary paralysis.
Yet, the awakening individuals in Korea managed to navigate through the crisis somehow, all because translucent ‘messages’ floated before their eyes like holograms.
[The Saintess of Salvation is interested in your heroic deeds.]
For example, in my case, if I were to take the lead in subduing the Busan Station Gate, such a message would appear.
I wasn’t the only one experiencing this phenomenon.
“Huh? What’s this?”
“…The Lord of the Scarlet Cloak? It’s showing interest in me?”
Awakening individuals showcasing their presence across the nation. Without fail, ‘messages’ came to them.
The entity behind these messages varied for each awakened individual. However, the fact that someone was paying attention to their actions remained constant.
“It’s the Constellation!”
And someone named this phenomenon the ‘Constellation.’
It seemed quite familiar to Awakeneds who enjoyed web novels.
On the other hand, people who were far from web novels, like myself, as an awakened individual, could only be puzzled. Eventually, I approached people who exuded an air of “I know what this is! I’ve seen it!” and asked them directly.
“Excuse me, sir. I’m sorry for the intrusion, but what is the ‘Constellation’?”
“Oh, you don’t know what the Constellation is!”
The awakened individual who received my question excitedly explained.
“It’s when transcendent beings watch us Awakeneds, show interest, and even sponsor us! You know internet broadcasts, right? It’s similar to that! We’re the broadcasters, and the Constellations are the viewers who donate!”
“Huh.”
“The Constellations are incredibly powerful. There are terrifying beings like Cthulhu, and there are also divine beings who are friendly to us humans… Anyway, it’s a good thing! Always try to impress the Constellations. Oh, which Constellation should I choose? Is the option ‘Nobody chosen’ the trend?”
After that, the awakened individual continued to ramble on about something for a while.
I, too, initially just nodded along, thinking, ‘I see.’
It was a situation where monsters roamed through Gates. Even if there were transcendental beings watching the human world and munching on popcorn, it wasn’t particularly surprising.
[The Conqueror of the Alps admires your exploits!]
[The Lord of the Scarlet Cloak commends your strategy!]
As the rounds went on, I became accustomed to the existence of the Constellations.
They seemed to follow my actions consistently, praising me or boosting my courage whenever I displayed unique behavior.
[The Saintess of Salvation praises your accomplishments.]
I was especially proud of the fact that the one who was supporting me was the ‘Saintess of Salvation.’
This Constellation was famous for cherishing Awakeneds with a good disposition, so it was clear that it favored me the most.
Perhaps without the Constellations, my life as an awakened individual would have felt somewhat dull?
While the true identity of the Constellations remained a mystery, I, and most Awakeneds, harbored favorable feelings towards them.
“…This is strange.”
Old Scho had a different perspective.
“What? What’s strange?”
“I recently contacted some friends abroad. Most of them perished, but some survived. And their words… In their countries, they say they haven’t seen anything like that.”
“Like what?”
“Hmm. The messages from the Constellations, the messages! My German friends have never seen or heard of such things.”
Old Scho wrinkled his brow, as if he sensed something odd.
“Just to be sure, I asked a few friends from other countries, and they said they’ve never experienced these messages either.”
“…”
“So, if this phenomenon is unique to Korea in the world… Isn’t it too strange? Why would the Constellations only operate in Korea? They’re supposed to be transcendent beings. What reason could they have for favoring Korea?”
“Um… Maybe they like K-pop?”
“That’s nonsense. Doctor.”
At that moment,
[The Saintess of Salvation is listening to your conversation and is disappointed.]
[The Conqueror of the Alps asks you to stop doubting.]
[The Lord of the Scarlet Cloak mocks your shallow insight.]
As if they had been waiting, the messages appeared.
At this point, both Old Scho and I had become figures of interest to the Constellations. It was natural. Old Scho was undoubtedly the strongest swordsman, and I… Well, I was an irreplaceable resource, to say the least.
I glanced sideways.
Old Scho seemed to be narrowing his eyes as if he saw something in front of him.
“You too, Old?”
“Yeah. Seems like they’re keeping a close eye on everyone.”
Old Scho muttered, swatting at the air as if shooing away a pesky fly.
“Anyway, it’s not just a coincidence. Before I learned Korean, they never sent me any messages. But once I started using Korean a bit, they started sending messages like ghosts.”
“…”
“You’re right. Without indulging too much in K-pop, there’s no explanation. Doctor. Don’t trust those so-called Constellations too much.”
Unfortunately, Old Scho couldn’t uncover the secret of the Constellations.
Since the 26th Run, the Inspiration had gone on a long vacation with the lady, leaving no time to investigate the secret.
But I was different.
As an Infinite Regressionist, time was my only asset, but that wasn’t an exaggeration.
‘Why do the Constellations only appear in Korea?’
I stroked my chin.
In the countless regressions, this riddle was intriguing enough to invest at least one round.
First, Old Scho was right.
Not only for Awakeneds operating abroad but also for those operating domestically who hadn’t learned Korean, they never received any ‘messages.’
“Thanks to that, you could say that Korea’s quality of Awakeneds, or consciousness, is quite intact.”
In other countries, Awakeneds caused terrorism, massacred civilians, and various crimes occurred almost daily.
However, in Korea, the crime rate among Awakeneds was low.
Why did this phenomenon occur?
In my opinion, there were two possible answers.
First, the Constellations might truly be addicted to K-pop and pay attention only to Korean Awakeneds.
And second…
‘What if the Constellations only know how to speak Korean…?’
If this were true, it would have enormous repercussions.
Think about it. Even the stubborn Old Scho mastered a foreign language in just a few runs.
But could beings called Constellations really only know Korean?
What kind of transcendental beings were they?
‘So, the Constellations aren’t transcendental beings.’
I hypothesized.
“But if they’re not transcendental beings, it would be difficult for them to monitor all Awakeneds in Korea and send messages individually. Clearly, there must be some hidden secret.”
From the 35th run onwards, I delved into the investigation of the Constellations.
I finally decided to understand what kind of beings the friends who admired and were astonished by my actions were.
‘The first step is to attract the attention of the Constellations.’
Attracting their attention was simple. The Constellations showed interest in exceptional Awakeneds.
Starting from the 35th run, I exerted all my abilities, even pushing myself a bit. I cleared the gate at Busan Station in less than 20 minutes.
In the first round, I died without closing the gate.
It took me a week to conquer it in the third round.
I finished off that gate in less than 20 minutes. Moreover, except for one person among the 399 humans summoned at Busan Station’s main hall, no one lost their life.
I also farmed only silver droplets from the souvenir shop in the main hall, so there was no time wasted.
Literally, it was a speedrun.
It was a record that would astonish the Constellations.
[The Saintess of Salvation is astonished by your achievements!]
[The Lord of the Scarlet Cloak feels pride in your power.]
[The Conqueror of the Alps is paying attention to your actions.]
[The Steward of the Red Mantle is wary of your skills.]
Suddenly, as if they had been waiting, the Constellations took the bait.
Constellations numbering 4, 7, even 11, constantly displayed messages.
I ignored the messages for the time being.
It wasn’t until I reached an empty parking lot outside Busan Station that I spoke up.
“Constellations, I am aware that you are Koreans.”
Thud.
Just before that, messages had been flying at me incessantly, like Hogwarts acceptance letters, but now they had all stopped at once.
As the messages that had covered my vision disappeared, the sky turned blue. I looked up into the air.
“I also know that you’re not transcendental beings. I could publicize this fact to the Awakeneds… but I’m more curious about your identity. Please tell me what kind of beings you are.”
-……
There was no response.
To be honest, I was quite tense at that moment.
Although it was a very slim possibility, perhaps, just maybe, the Constellations were indeed transcendental beings who ate kimchi wrapped in seaweed with every meal, listened to K-pop during tea time, and watched K-pop TV in the evenings?
If so, and if they were sending this mysterious nationalist affection only to Awakeneds who spoke Korean?
‘They might get angry and attack all at once after hearing my audacious proposal’
I prepared for battle.
While my awakened ability wasn’t combat-oriented, spending time with Old Scho, who was the greatest swordsman of all time, had enhanced my combat skills.
I was preparing for the possibility of dying here and now, only to move on to the next episode.
When suddenly…
[The Saintess of Salvation invites you.]
Thankfully, there was no scenario where the Constellations appeared to punish impudent mortals.
Instead, dozens of Constellations remained silent, and only one Constellation conveyed their intention to me.
Coincidentally, it was the ‘Saintess of Salvation,’ who had shown interest in me for the first time.
I cautiously asked, “An invitation? What kind of invitation is this?”
After a moment, the message returned.
[The Saintess of Salvation invites you to Han River’s Jamsu Bridge.]
Seoul.
A hell of an invitation, where Old Scho lost his wife and countless golden badges were buried.
‘Ah.’
…It dawned on me, then and there, that the Constellation had never once used a dialect.
In the heart of Gangnam, a Gate had erupted, leaving the surrounding area in shambles, a story that had been mentioned several times already.
However, surprisingly, the areas untouched by the Gate’s reach remained relatively unscathed. Jamsu Bridge still preserved its pre-catastrophe appearance.
The place where the ‘Saintess of Salvation’ had promised to meet me was right near Jamsu Bridge, at a sky-blue convenience store.
It was an oddly humble location for a Constellation’s invitation.
There was a woman sitting under the convenience store parasol, her hair tied back.
Her appearance was ordinary.
The only peculiar thing was the color of her hair, which was a watery hue, but it wasn’t uncommon for Awakeneds’ hair colors to change as they became aware of their abilities.
She didn’t seem to radiate a presence beyond humans.
“Hello. Are you the Saintess of Salvation?”
“….”
She looked at me, her gaze sweeping over my entire body in an instant.
Her pupils resembled those of a fish, more as if lost in thought than focused on anything.
“The Gate at Busan Station?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“…Surely you didn’t arrive here from Busan in less than a day.”
With about half of Seoul cut off, most of the transportation networks into the capital were rendered useless. Roads, railways, everything was destroyed.
On the flip side, it meant that there were still some means of transportation available, albeit limited.
Old Scho had wanted to get to Seoul before his wife disappeared, so there had been countless studies on ‘how to get from Busan to Seoul as quickly as possible.’
…Even though it was impossible to arrive in less than a minute, the useless research ended up being somewhat beneficial. Well, thanks to that, I could meet the ‘Saintess of Salvation’ quickly.
“I go by the code name Undertaker. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh, I see… But Undertaker?”
“It’s a nickname with reasons. You can just call me Doctor if you’d like.”
After exchanging handshakes with her, I sat across from her.
Far away, Seoul’s skyscrapers, also known as the Towers of Sauron, loomed like shadows.
“Rather, I’d like to ask about this first.”
“….”
“Are you the Saintess of Salvation, or are you her representative? What is a Constellation? Are you truly transcendental beings?”
The other person fell silent. For a moment, various thoughts seemed to pass through her gaze.
After a while, she licked her lips and clenched her fist.
Then, she let out a soft sigh.
“…Yes. I am the Saintess of Salvation.”
As expected.
Just as I was about to nod in understanding, she looked straight at me.
“And, aren’t you a regressor?”
[Proofreader – Gun]