YM778.TV Chapter 72 – The Plot II
Chapter 72 – The Plot II
4
“He said the headquarters were in Hawaii, right? Maybe I should take a casual trip to Hawaii.”
During my 46th regression, I was too inexperienced to even entertain such a thought.
In most run-of-the-mill web novels, if a regressor had gone through 46 turns, people would think, “Wow, they must be really skilled by now! But if they haven’t saved the world after all those turns, maybe they’re just incompetent?” But in my story, the 46th turn was just a fresh start, as if I had just taken a vitamin shot. I was still a newbie.
Back in my 46th turn, like many South Koreans who claimed they had traveled abroad, the farthest I had gone was Japan or China.
India? America? Europe? I only knew about them from hearsay and had never actually set foot in those places.
Oh, there was that one time when Old Scho bragged about showing me around his hometown, but promises made between men don’t last more than a thousand years anyway. That old geezer.
–This is Sector 7. Chhhh. I am Martin Russell, the Chief Director. Chhhh, the food supplies in the bunker are slowly depleting.
==Did the series of projects prepared by the Foundation to prevent the end of the world not activate? Or were they activated, and this place is just a remnant of the world that was left behind?
–Either way… Chhhh, I will continue recording, hoping that my voice files may someday be of help. Martin Russell, 677 days of survival.
The broadcast continued.
I named this phenomenon the “Mysterious Foundation Radio Broadcast,” or simply “Foundation Broadcast.”
Over time, I managed to uncover some detailed characteristics of the “Foundation Broadcast.”
1. The broadcast would never occur if there was another listener besides me.
It was intriguing enough that I called over Sim Aryeon and Seo Gyu to sit with me, but the radio remained silent.
Eventually, both of them shook their heads, thinking, “Sigh, the Guild Leader/Bro is playing tricks with the anomalies again…”
Didn’t they trust me? Why not? How come?
I even tried having the Saintess use her clairvoyance to listen with me, but that also counted as another “listener,” so the radio still stayed silent.
“Um… Doctor Jang, it’s a bit troubling if you joke around with anomalies out of boredom. Please refrain.”
“…”
I felt wronged.
2. The “Foundation Broadcast” would occur regardless of the turn, and the “old man” always broadcasted from Bunker 7 on Molokai Island, Hawaii.
However, this anomaly only appeared on the Zenith K731 radio, an antique I personally collected. No other radios could pick up the “Foundation Broadcast.”
Why was that? I have no idea.
Anomalies are always shrouded in mystery.
–This is Martin Russell. Uh, um. The escaped entities are still heavily concentrated in the North American region… Damn it. It’s already day 1203. Has humanity survived? Am I really the last survivor?
The broadcast times were inconsistent but generally between 1 AM and 7 PM. If the broadcaster was indeed in Hawaii, this would be 6 AM to 12 PM Hawaii time.
A reasonable time for someone to be awake.
And the most important part…
3. The broadcast content would subtly change with each turn.
In the 46th turn, he mentioned an entity called the “Evil Dragon” that destroyed the Foundation in Sector 7. However, in the 49th turn, it went like this:
–Oh, God! The moonlight! Ah, the goddess of Parmenides has finally gone mad! This is an urgent transmission. Whatever you do, do not come into contact with the moonlight! Unless you want to melt like wax!
–Annihilation? Has the entire Foundation really been annihilated? What about the backup? Oh, my God. Why? Why did it have to be the worst-case scenario?
He wailed, claiming that “moonlight” had wiped out humanity.
As the turns progressed, the way the world ended also subtly changed each time.
I sipped my café au lait and smiled wryly.
–If this is true, North America must be like an inhuman hellscape comparable to the Indian subcontinent.
At the time, I assumed it was probably a lie.
I had no intention of hunting down the “Foundation Broadcast.” It wasn’t causing any harm to humanity aside from whispering through my radio.
In fact, the “Foundation Broadcast” became a great background noise whenever I wanted to listen to the radio for some entertainment.
Again, there wasn’t much to enjoy in this era. Having a radio channel that changed its content every time? It was a real treat.
Moreover, each turn, the old man’s subtle hints about the “Foundation” provided me with a wealth of inspiration. I learned a lot from it.
What exactly did I learn…?
5
“It’s about standardizing information.”
Back in the 562nd turn.
Oh Dokseo looked puzzled, tilting her head. The radio on the table was leisurely playing a Mozart symphony.
“Standardizing… information?”
“The so-called ‘Foundation’ had very detailed classifications and rules for entities. For instance, let’s consider a gremlin.”
A gremlin is an anomaly that attaches to and bizarrely disrupts all electronic devices.
At one point, there was a rumor in South Gyeongsang Province that gremlins only infected televisions and radios, leaving cell phones unscathed.
In contrast, in North Gyeongsang Province, cell phones were considered the most vulnerable.
In Gyeonggi Province, it was widely believed that all electronic devices were safe except for CCTV. Can you believe that?
This was the consequence of the collapse of information dissemination in human society.
“This makes it hard to share information even within the Korean Peninsula. Back when civilization was intact, we could share visual materials through videos or other means…”
With all mass media except radio annihilated, even SGNet, which served as a place for sharing information, was far from perfect.
“Anomalies having inconsistent characteristics is one thing, but how do you express how powerful an anomaly is?”
“Well…”
“An S-class? An A-class? How different are an S-class and an A-class anomaly, and how dangerous are they? Combat power 1000? 2000? Say it has a combat power of 1200. Does that number intuitively convey its meaning?”
“No, it doesn’t.”
Exactly.
Inspired by the “Foundation” broadcasts, I launched a fictional organization called the “Library Society.”
The concept was simple. It was an ancient group that had been researching anomalies for a long time, thus establishing a “professional classification system,” or “standards.”
In reality, it was a database infused with the experience and knowledge of me, the regressor.
After experiencing numerous regressions and fighting countless anomalies, I crafted this Akashic Record with my blood and sweat.
The “standards” defined by the Library Society for anomaly danger levels were as follows:
Lv.1: Village
This level was assigned to anomalies capable of annihilating a village.
“To be considered a ‘dangerous anomaly,’ it should be at least this level. It helps filter out the smaller anomalies.”
I jotted down examples in my notebook and showed them.
Despite the shock still evident in her eyes, Oh Dokseo, true to her literary nature, seemed intrigued by this “setting book.”
“A single goblin isn’t worth assigning a danger level. But 30? 40 goblins? That can definitely be classified as village-level.”
“Ah… I see.”
“In other words, even if it’s the lowest grade, if it’s classified as village-level, it’s already considered ‘extremely dangerous.’ Ordinary people must flee, and even awakened ones, unless they specialize in combat, should generally avoid them. Yes, I’m talking about you, Oh Dokseo.”
“…”
In reality, most awakened individuals end up losing their lives when fighting village-level anomalies one-on-one.
In one turn, even Lee Hayul the Puppeteer, brimming with overconfidence, fought a village-level anomaly and lost an arm.
From my perspective, the names of the danger levels used by the ‘Foundation’ sounded cool, but to the uninitiated, it might prompt the reaction, ‘So just how dangerous is that exactly?’
I prioritized intuitive terms. “Dangerous enough to wipe out a village = village-level.”
“What do you think? Simple, right?”
“…Yeah, it is simple.”
“From the next danger level onwards, it surpasses merely threatening individual lives.”
Lv.2: Polis. City-level.
Anomalies at this level, if they appear, can devastate an entire city. They are truly formidable creatures.
“The Ten Clans are a prime example.”
The anomalies ‘Chaos’ and ‘Tam’ mentioned during my trip to the Mount Hua in China also fall into the city-level.
The number of casualties they caused together is close to ten million, albeit an estimated figure.
The Ten Clans may seem trivial now, but at the beginning of my regressions, they single-handedly devastated the Korean Peninsula. Even city-level anomalies are practically an insurmountable barrier for awakened ones.
The main culprits responsible for regressing the timeline of modern states back to the Iron Age are mostly city-level anomalies.
“Both ordinary people and awakened ones must flee if they’re not prepared for battle. Though the likelihood of escape is slim.”
“Wow… Seeing you end things with a one-turn kill doesn’t make it feel that real…”
“Tsk tsk.”
That’s why I refrain from soloing during the Ten Clans subjugation and leave it to other awakened ones.
“Anyway, next.”
Lv.3: Continent.
If city-level anomalies are human despair, continent-level anomalies are the despair of humanity.
“At this point, the survival of Homo sapiens as a species is seriously threatened.”
“…”
There’s the World Tree ‘Udumbara,’ which spread a zombie virus across East Asia under the lure of immortality.
The ‘Meteor Shower,’ which continuously rained down for seven years, eventually turning the whole world into a gray wasteland.
These are the ones that make modern humans exclaim, ‘This is so unfair, damn it!’
“Wait a minute.”
“Hmm?”
“If Meteor Shower is only Level 3, does that mean there’s another level beyond that?”
I wondered what she meant, but then I realized that Oh Dokseo had only seen about 40 chapters of the serialized work through her [Prophecy]… which, by my standards, only covered fewer than 20 turns.
So she wouldn’t know.
I swiftly moved my pen.
“Yes, of course, there is.”
Lv.4: Five Oceans. Ocean-level.
“Ocean-level…”
Looking at my notes, Oh Dokseo muttered.
“…It’s a bit disorienting, considering the situation you were in, as seen in the novel. You were portrayed as a hot-blooded character fiercely fighting the Ten Clans….”
“Ah, I miss those days. I thought I’d save the world within 30 turns at most.”
“…What kind of anomalies are at the ocean level?”
“I can describe it for you, but you probably won’t grasp it well. There aren’t even any illustrations by Sim Aryeon yet.”
There’s the ‘Eight Million Gods’ that will descend upon the Japanese archipelago. The ‘Asura,’ ‘Astra,’ and ‘Hankasa’ that will turn the Indian subcontinent into the most dangerous void on Earth.
I often joke about how Korea is either a hot spot or hell on Earth, but honestly, it’s nothing compared to those places.
Once again, I must emphasize, do not travel abroad these days.
After hearing my explanation, Oh Dokseo’s face turned pale.
“Do I have to fight those kinds of anomalies too?”
“Don’t be too scared. You in the 561st turn, you in the 560th turn, you in the 559th turn, and you in the 557th turn all managed just fine.”
“…”
“You in this turn will also manage just fine.”
“…Wait a minute. Why did you skip the 558th turn? What happened to me then?”
“…”
“Why did you skip it?”
I averted my gaze.
“Well… uh… Ack! Hey! I only have the [Prophecy] ability! Why drag a non-combatant like me into the battlefield?”
“Whoa, whoa, calm down. Do you think I’d drag you along without any plan? Actually, you’re a multi-ability awakened one. Once you awaken your second ability, you’ll be fine no matter where you end up fighting.”
“…Really?”
“Oh, absolutely. 100% guaranteed survival on the battlefield. You just need to follow the specially designed training curriculum for you, proven over numerous turns. Trust me.”
“…I really trust you?”
“Of course.”
The training curriculum is grueling enough to be deadly, and indeed, the Oh Dokseo of the 558th turn did die during training. But that was an unfortunate accident, and it won’t happen again. Ahem.
“Ugh. How did I end up with this crazy old man? I should never have read that web novel…”
“Not all anomalies are just brute physical force. We’ll start with easier and more interesting ones like the ‘Trolley Dilemma’ or ‘Hero Syndrome,’ so don’t worry.”
“How can an anomaly be easy and interesting? Your sense of humor is off… By the way, which was the most peculiar anomaly you’ve faced?”
“I’ll tell you that another time.”
Leaving the despairing Oh Dokseo alone, I sipped my café au lait. The coffee had gone cold while I was talking, but its smooth flavor still lingered on my tongue.
—Judging by her expression, I should probably keep it a secret that the danger levels don’t end at Level 4.
Lv.5: Alienation.
The highest level. These are the ultimate enemies for me, the regressor. They are the ones who forced me into this near-endless turn.
Well, there’s no need to explain everything to Oh Dokseo all at once.
We still have plenty of time.
“Ah.”
Oh Dokseo stood up from her chair.
“Sorry, I need to use the restroom.”
“You don’t have to announce that. Just go.”
“Ugh. Spending time with you makes me drink too much coffee…”
Grumbling, Oh Dokseo walked away.
As soon as she left, the vintage Zenith K731 radio made of maple wood, which had been quietly playing Mozart’s symphony, started emitting static.
–Crackle, crackle, this is Section 7 Director Martin Russell. Damn. We’ve confirmed with our instruments that the zombie virus has landed in California. The nukes are… What? What the hell is the Foundation doing? Why is the missile… My God! No! Stop! Oh, Lord, have mercy on humanity…
“…”
Once again, I silently offered my condolences for the humanity in North America, which, in this turn too, faced yet another unique apocalypse.
6
There is a postscript to this story.
At first glance, it might seem like the episode ends here, and indeed, the conversation I had with Oh Dokseo in the 562nd turn concluded at that point.
However, there remained a mystery concerning the ‘Library Society.’
Since I’ve always tried to be as honest as possible with you, I must take this opportunity to confess this enigma as well.
It happened in the 924th turn. That’s a long, long time from now.
“Hey, boss.”
“Huh?”
“I think you need to come over here and check this out.”
Responding to Seo Gyu’s call, I walked over to the computer. He was busy managing the community.
“What’s up?”
“You know, recently you asked me to create the library bulletin board or something, right?”
“Yeah.”
“The traffic on that has skyrocketed… I mean, really skyrocketed. I thought I should ask if you were the one working on it.”
“Hmm. That’s probably Aryeon’s doing.”
“Sim Aryeon? Her?”
“Yeah. I put her in charge of managing the Library Society board.”
Even after hearing my answer, Seo Gyu made a peculiar face.
“No matter how much of an internet ghost she is, this is…?”
“She’s not just any ghost.”
“Of course, but still. It doesn’t make sense. Look at this, boss.”
Seo Gyu showed me the computer screen in detail. As he scrolled, posts poured down like a waterfall.
It was literally a deluge.
“Just today, 400 posts have gone up. Oh, another one just now. Did you see?”
“…”
“And they’re not just junk posts. Most are marked private, but when you check with admin privileges… look!”
I looked.
――――――――――
[Library Society Anomaly Encyclopedia]
‘Illustrator’
Aliases: Artist, Fan Art
Danger Level: None
Contamination Level: Unknown
Habitat: SGNet (Internet Community)
Description: All information from the Library Society, excluding inevitably lost documents, has been safely transferred to the SGNet Library Society Anomaly Encyclopedia board.
At some point, these documents started to come with ‘attachments.’ These attachments are all ‘illustrations,’ i.e., image files.
The illustrations depict the shapes of anomalies, and cross-checking by various librarians confirmed their accuracy.
Anomalies not only have physical forms but also spread void contamination through reproductions such as photos or videos. These illustrations are extremely dangerous.
The Burning Department attempted to destroy these illustrations 501 times but ultimately failed to delete them. It’s officially recognized that all documents of the Library Society have been contaminated by the ‘Illustrator.’
Below are the recommendations from the librarians of the Burning Department and the orders from the librarians of the Forbidden Books Management Department.
[Pyrograph V]
Adding a [Show/Hide] function to all documents’ illustrations was the best course of action.
It has been confirmed that documents with illustrations had their secrecy unlocked and were made accessible to the general public.
Librarians are advised not to open illustrations casually for viewing. If confirmation is needed, please formally request approval from the Burning Department.
[Thousand Waves M]
This is a message from the Forbidden Books Management Department. All librarian activities are logged, including access to illustrations.
In violation of Burning Department guidelines, the private information of ‘Seohwaga Jajak,’ a member of the Prophecy Department who viewed illustrations unauthorizedly 41 times, as well as their community activity history to the public.
This history includes activities under pseudonyms and anonymous participation. Publicly disclosed are the times of access, content of posts, and comments.
Furthermore, Seohwaga Jajak is ordered to cohabitate with librarians from the Burning Department in the future. Seohwaga Jajak’s involvement with the LSO is terminated.
――――――――――
“….”
There were posts with content I had never witnessed before.
‘Pyrograph V? What is this?’
The Library Society was undoubtedly merely a playground of settings I created hundreds of turns ago.
Terms like Thousand Waves or Black Book were nothing more than masks I wore, and naturally, I did not leave such writings.
Above all,
There were no characters like ‘Pyrograph’ in my setting book. Could V… perhaps mean Viscount? Does it signify a title for self-made works?
‘Is my setting book… proliferating without my knowledge?’
Beside me, Seo Gyu said with a spray of saliva.
“Right? These posts are all properly written, boss. No matter how crazy Aryeon is, how can she write at this speed?”
I remained silent. Not only because I had no words to respond but because I was too shocked.
‘…This phenomenon is unprecedented.’
I must emphasize that this was the 924th turn.
Truly, genuinely, it was as rare in my life as finding a diamond fragment on the banks of the Ganges River.
“And there’s even a language translation feature, boss. See this [Language Selection] button? Looks like it’s translated into all languages worldwide?”
“…Is it AI or something, running these posts continuously?”
“It could be, but… how? Unless it’s an Awakener, you can’t access SGNet. Maybe someone Awakened in skills like ‘AI Utilization’ or ‘Auto Post Writing,’ but just doing this is impossible.”
“…You’re right.”
“And I checked the IPs with admin privileges; all these IPs have been properly registered with SGNet. So, if it was an Awakener, they’d need the ability to create SGNet IDs… is that possible?”
“…If they unified all those abilities into one through a skill like [Internet Community Rampage].”
“Ah.”
“But this anomaly is certain. Report the situation to the Saintess immediately to see if she can track their location. Seo Gyu, keep monitoring. You did well to inform me.”
“Yes, boss.”
Soon after, a reply came from the Saintess.
[Location tracking is not possible.]
“What?”
[With my thousand-mile eyes, I cannot confirm the Awakener of that IP. Doctor Jang, are these really existing people?]
“….”
A chill ran down my spine for the first time in a long while.
Countless hypotheses crossed my mind. The possibility of skills nullifying the Saintess’s thousand-mile eyes, the possibility of anomalies where different world lines intersect on SGNet, the possibility that even anomalies could gain access to SGNet…
I stared at the computer monitor. With each refresh, new documents were popping up on the forum in real-time.
“So… if they’re not real humans existing in reality, then the creators posting hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, maybe even millions of posts in real-time on this internet site… where do they exist?”
[……]
The Saintess remained silent.
…Once again.
It seemed there were still many unknown mysteries in this world.
– The Plot. The End.