**Chapter 101**
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**Sharer II**
**Shin Noah**
**3**
The world was an endless hell.
The reason I attached the word "Avici" to the Outer God-level anomaly I first encountered was likely because that word had been labeled in my unconscious as the true name of this world.
"Hwehhh! Thirty-one deaths occurred on this stage!"
"……."
"Not a bad number, but compared to other dungeons, it's a poor performance... I demand a little more effort! With these results, the rewards I can give you become terribly meager as well... Hwoit."
"...This is."
"Pig slop porridge! I heard it was food the residents frequently ate when war broke out here!"
Few people immediately realized that war meant the Korean War.
There were no survivors who knew that pig slop porridge was food made by boiling leftovers from trash cans the American military discarded, without separating food waste from cigarette butts.
"The smell is terrible, but I've already removed the fatal toxins harmful to the human body... Originally, the rules state I absolutely shouldn't show such consideration or favoritism, but this is my small kindness after watching your efforts and struggles...!"
"……."
"Anyway, food supplies after two days! Please enjoy your meal!"
The fairy disappeared. In the restaurant of Busan Station, which shouldn't have existed on the 6th basement level, 56 survivors and 56 bowls of pig slop porridge remained.
Even those who had been repulsed by the porridge's smell slowly began to move their hands. There were no spoons. Anyway, since the bodily odors all 56 people emitted were equally wretched, it wasn't particularly difficult to send food of similar fragrance into those bodies.
Crying flowed from various places.
Eating could not be a sin.
If eating were a sin, then life itself would be divine punishment.
The May 20, 1964 edition of the Gyeonghyang Shinmun contained such words. The author's name was Shin Yeong-gak. It was a column titled "The Hungry Multitude."
The fifty-six hungry masses frantically vented two days' worth of empty stomachs.
Whether historically accurate or not, the porridge bowls were actually not bowls but aluminum cans. The sound of tapping, scraping, and rubbing fingers against cheap aluminum membranes flowed through the air.
Eating could not be a sin...
If eating were a sin, then life itself would be divine punishment...
Since the world was a place where sinners sentenced to divine punishment lived, the world was hell.
Occasionally, retching sounds briefly rang from the restaurant. Rather than retching at the food, it was closer to retching at life itself. Things people couldn't swallow or digest went down human throats.
The sounds that followed—"Mom" or "Shit"—were probably burps.
*Jingle.*
A bell sound was heard. People who finished eating looked this way.
It was the bell sound I had made. I don't remember whether I used aura to ring bell sounds widely before the 5th iteration.
This silver bell was an item I farmed in every iteration, even during vacation iterations.
The farming location was clear even with closed eyes. The souvenir shop in the main hall. Turn left from the entrance, 7th shelf, 4th row from the top.
Even if looters emptied the entire store and left, this utterly useless bell that only created jingling noise and attracted monsters' attention as a cursed item always remained.
I needed that.
"It's the Undertaker..."
"Where did Jeong So-hee go, leaving her alone..."
"Shh, don't look."
"She'll be dragged to the Abyss."
People in the restaurant area whispered. Among them were faces still remaining in my memory, and faces that had now disappeared from reality.
Kim Ju-cheol, the soccer player who had his time sealed in the 4th iteration, must have been there too.
I continued to walk through my memories. If this had been the 3rd iteration, the survivors on this stage would have been 11, not 56, and Lee Baek would have been among them.
"Hey, Undertaker! Plague!"
And Lee Baek would have stood up and shouted like this.
"Did you come to beg for pig slop porridge? Sorry, but we don't have food to give to a plague bastard like you! Everyone! Never share your food with that guy. We don't have the luxury to take care of someone who thinks he's so great playing solo!"
Probably in this voice. Probably those lines.
As if restoring a newspaper published decades ago, as if groping to reconstruct the contents of the novel Oh Dok-seo had read, Lee Baek seemed to have spewed such words at me.
According to Oh Dok-seo's analysis, Lee Baek said those things "to concentrate his power over the survivors," "by designating an external target of ostracism," "to make even eating pig slop porridge perceived as a privilege," "while giving the impression of bearing harsh words on others' behalf."
My response was plain.
"Is there anyone who wishes to escape hell?"
"……."
"Is there anyone who wishes to become eternally at peace?"
The restaurant fell silent.
For a moment, even Lee Baek.
I looked around. Lightly enough not to intimidate. Thoroughly enough not to miss a single face.
"Cut the bullshit and fuck off!"
If it had been Lee Baek, he would have been enraged at himself for momentarily hesitating and swung a wooden club.
"Um, I..."
If it had been another iteration, someone would have cautiously raised their hand.
"Me too..."
There would have been more raised hands in the 1st iteration than the 3rd, more in the 3rd than the 4th, more in the 4th than the 5th.
Hands that had shoveled pig slop porridge, hands that had killed monsters, hands that had murdered other humans.
Some old woman realized she no longer had grandchildren or family to stroke with those hands.
"Young man. Do it for me. The funeral, was it?"
"If I use my ability to fall into a dream, others will lose their memories of you. No one will remember you."
"I don't care."
The old woman murmured.
"I don't care about such things."
Transparent tombstones were erected.
Whether at Busan Station or after leaving it, tombstones never missed my every step. I couldn't remember exactly, but it was certain that at least 500,000 gravestones had been erected.
Even when iterations restarted, the tombstones never disappeared.
Every time a new iteration began, hundreds of thousands of humans evaporated in "an instant." No one knew about those disappearances.
Except for one person.
The world was hell, and there the sound of bells always rang.
I was the life-sentenced prisoner who had killed the most humans in this hell.
**4**
Thousands of years later.
"Mister. I can confidently say I'm your one and only understander."
A brat who boldly said such things appeared.
Hairstyle? Red bob cut. Weapon? Baseball bat. Fashion? Rapper-style cap with a jumper, jeans dripping like candle wax (with 3 holes included).
Signature pose: chewing regular gum like bubble gum, inflating it, then having it pop and plastering her entire mouth area with gum residue.
Oh Dok-seo.
In a word, a dumbass.
This girl, who clearly needed psychological treatment at first glance, fearlessly claimed this.
"I've completely read through the novel [Omniscient Regressor Perspective] that contains your entire biography. I read your inner thoughts and monologues, all vividly laid out. It's no exaggeration to say I know you better than you know yourself."
"I see. So should I sue you for invasion of privacy now?"
"Huh? No... I mean, save me. My shield is running out and I think I'll die."
*Bang bang bang bang!*
Oh Dok-seo crouched down. Around her, a transparent barrier had formed, and three goblins were enthusiastically beating it with clubs.
-Ukikik! Kihiik!
-Kiiiik, Kuek! Khek!
These were anomalies that frequently appeared in tutorial dungeons.
3 on 1. A scene straight out of the mobbing manual. Uehara Shino, a companion who joined our party, stomped her feet anxiously.
"Um, Jang-san. No matter what, shouldn't we help...?"
"No. It's a necessary process for training."
"Mmm. Dok-seo-chaaang! Ganbareee-!"
"Ganbare my ass, help me! Please!"
*Bang kong bang kong!*
At first, the goblins found this transparent drum interesting, but now they treated it as an instrument. Bang! Kong! Bang! The rhythm imprinted in their Dionysian instincts resonated, instantly transforming this place into a rock festival site.
For reference, Dionysian cultists had a tradition of tearing humans apart and sharing them as food after festivals ended. Judging by the goblins' eyes toward Oh Dok-seo, the sacrifice for this festival was already decided.
-Kihihihiik!
"Heuk?! M-Mister! I said really save me?! The shield only has 30 seconds left!"
Absolute defense.
She called it [AT Field]. A barrier that nullifies the opponent's attacks.
This was one of Oh Dok-seo's abilities.
I suspected it reflected the psychology of Oh Dok-seo, who viewed herself as "a reader dropped into a novel's world." The mindset that completely separated herself from this world was faithfully reflected in the skill.
It was a cheat-level ability, but had fatal flaws—it could only be used once a day, and the duration was merely one minute.
"Dok-seo. I've told you repeatedly. No matter what cheat skills you have, if you don't train yourself, you're utterly useless."
"But I already killed 11 today! I'm tired! It's hard! I've been walking for 6 hours since dawn, so please help me now! Hik? It's breaking, I heard it crack just now, really, really breaking!"
"Stop whining."
*Crack-* The shield crumbled and the goblins' clubs rushed in. Oh Dok-seo screamed strangely while swinging her baseball bat.
"Heuyaaak!"
The baseball bat was infused with red aura. *Thwack!* A goblin's head burst. Foul.
-Kik?
-Kuek?
The goblins, who thought their opponent was KBO level, were confused by the sudden major league swing.
Whether they were or not, Oh Dok-seo executed a pull swing with staff techniques I had taught her over the past few days.
"Heuaaak! Die! Die! You monster bastard, just diiiiie!"
-Kkuiehek?
Foul. Foul. With 2 strikes, 0 opposing pitchers. Disqualified due to inadequate opponent. Oh Dok-seo's victory.
Oh Dok-seo let her shoulders and baseball bat droop and breathed roughly.
"Hiek, huuk- hueok, huak..."
"See? You can do it if you try. Kids these days lack perseverance, always complaining before even trying..."
"I'll fucking kill yooou!"
Oh Dok-seo swung the baseball bat vigorously toward me, but such a slow strike had no chance of hitting me.
Swing and a miss, strikeout. Out.
For the sin of daring to attack a teacher who was like heaven, I gave her a knuckle sandwich. My ink-black aura echoed through her skull with just the right amount of pain.
To specify what 'appropriate pain' means, hmm. For a man, about the level of being kicked in the balls?
"Heuyaaaaaaak!"
Oh Dok-seo threw down her baseball bat (getting ejected after an out—her sportsmanship was garbage too) and rolled on the ground.
"Die! I'm dying! It's broken! My head, it's broken! Uwaaaaak! I'm dying!"
"You're not dying. It's not broken. Get up and eat. Shinohara-san? Please spread the mat. Let's have lunch."
"Ah. Yes."
Uehara Shino, in charge of carrying luggage, spread the mat with now-skilled hands.
This too was quite different from the 4th iteration. There was no such luxury as carrying mats in the 4th iteration.
I deliciously prepared retort pouch foods looted from convenience stores. No fire needed. I heated, grilled, and parboiled food with aura. I confidently claim it was the most extravagant cooking method in the world.
Uehara twirled pasta with her fork and her expression melted blissfully.
"Wow. It's delicious..."
"The noodles are cooked just right, right? I noticed Uehara-san seems to prefer slightly undercooked al dente noodles."
"Ah, yes. It's really my taste. The dishes Jang-san makes are even better than what I had at specialty restaurants!"
"Thank you."
Just then, from beyond a pillar, peek—the fairy stuck her head out.
"Hwehh. Good smell..."
"Hm? What. You want to eat too?"
"Heek. I'm a fair judge. I absolutely cannot accept bribes from test participants..."
"This isn't a bribe, it's a service fee. A gift the people voluntarily give to the vanguard working day and night for world revolution."
"Hweh! Food made from the people's blood and sweat... ignoring that would rather be bourgeois behavior... as a thorough revolutionary party member, I cannot refuse..."
"Here. Salmon steak I made."
"Hwehh! Truly a revolutionary taste!"
On the mat, the Japanese person and the fairy burst into laughter. True harmony was achieved regardless of past hostile nations and modern hostile species.
"Mmmm..."
Only the chuunibyou otaku lay groaning beside the mat.
"Me toooo... Give me food too. I'm hungry..."
"Don't you have hands? Feet? I put it on the mat, so eat it yourself."
"Why is mister only cold to me?"
Oh Dok-seo screamed.
"Making me beat up monsters! Making me do aura training too! What did I do wrong to you, huh?"
"That's how much I expect from you. Kid."
"Sniff. I don't think I can live from being so upset. It's too hurtful... Shit, why is the pasta so delicious? This is retort food."
"Ah, Dok-seo-chan. That's mine..."
"Hweh. This BLT rye sandwich is also revolutionary! It's worthy of a Cooking Hero medal!"
The protein-to-carbohydrate ratio of the menu was perfect. An excessively luxurious lunch for beginners in a tutorial dungeon ended.
The 4th iteration exploration had ultimately transformed into a luxury trip, but... well, perhaps it didn't matter. Setting myself aside, I wanted these children to enjoy luxury while they could.
We stood up after oiling our stomachs, neither too full nor too hungry.
"Now just one more floor down and it's the boss room. Clear the boss and the tutorial dungeon is over."
"Yeah. Mister will clear it, right?"
"No? Veterans shouldn't steal newbie experience points. Dok-seo, you're clearing it alone."
"...?"
"...?"
We were descending to the 13th basement floor, continuing our warm atmosphere.
That was when strong human presence was felt from the opposite corridor.
"Wait. Everyone stop."
The party members who were about to descend the stairs looked at me. It was funny that Fairy 264 was included in the party, but my mouth didn't smile.
"People are coming."
"Coming? How many?"
"117 people."
"......"
"All survivors except us. Prepare. Dok-seo, next to me. Uehara-san, behind me."
I positioned myself in the middle of the corridor.
"We'll face them here."
After saying those words, something truly strange happened. Without realizing it, my right hand had moved to my waist.
On my empty belt, as if weapons like fire axes should have been dangling there.
My fingers groped empty air.
"......"
A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me.
Déjà vu.
A very long time ago. In the distant past, now thousands of years gone, I felt like I had definitely experienced this exact same scene.