Chapter 70
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Recorder II
Shin No-a
3
I, the Undertaker, never discriminate when making acquaintances, but when it comes to talent, I select with the utmost strictness. This means I draw a clear line between public and private matters.
To use Koei's Three Kingdoms as an analogy, my playstyle is to not even glance at commanders with 70-something Force or strategists with 70-something Intelligence.
During dozens of regressions, I carefully selected and selected again to create a control tower—the so-called 'Regression Alliance'... an ultra-secret society that crafted grand strategies while clearly understanding the fact that I was a regressor.
The human composition? Simple. At the 95th iteration, it was even simpler.
Me, the Saintess, No Doha. The end.
Among these, the Saintess gaslighted all awakeners on the Korean Peninsula as the mastermind behind the Constellations, and No Doha said things like "Ah, so you're trying to use roads during the Apocalypse! Then you'll need to show us some sincerity" while shaking down all awakeners for money. Each could be called the ruler of the Korean Peninsula's spirit and matter respectively.
Therefore, at this time, the permanent member states of the Regression Alliance consisted of only those two besides me. Well, sometimes Seo Gyu or Yoo Ji-won came in as non-permanent members, but those were exceptions to begin with.
Naturally, someone like Sim Ar-yeon with [Force 4] [Politics 3] [Charm 16] [Intelligence 77] and barely A+ grade skills could never have joined our Regression Alliance.
"G-Guild Master is... a regressor?"
But, ta-da. There's no such thing as 'never.'
Sim Ar-yeon held the cafe mocha I ordered for her in both hands, her mouth forming a large O shape.
"That's right."
"S-so you mean you weren't just someone born with ridiculously good luck who hogged all the fortuitous encounters for yourself while others were struggling, and on top of that had unnecessarily good nature that made people jealous look pathetic—an awakened ability diamond spoon?"
"...That's right."
How exactly has this kid been seeing me all this time?
Fortunately or unfortunately, Sim Ar-yeon's shock didn't last long. By the time she had emptied half her cafe mocha, her expression had relaxed as if she'd entered a hot spring.
When I asked why, her answer was something else.
"Well... hmm. Honestly, I'd say a lot of things made sense. Like, you figured out the activation conditions for my ability [Spirit Bomb] first, didn't you...?"
"Mm."
"A-and above all, thinking that the Guild Master reached your current position not purely through talent or luck but as a result of rolling around through regression... it put my mind at ease a little. Ah. Of course, seeing you live so diligently is still a bit... but..."
"......"
"Right. H-hey. Guild Master. Can I post this on SG Net anonymously?"
"Would that be okay?"
"I feel like it'd definitely become a recommended post..."
This community ghost, I swear.
"That Go Yori kid is dangerous, so no."
"Go Yori? Ah, the Satisfaction Association... T-to be honest, I find that person a bit much too. Ugh. Doesn't it feel like our characters overlap a lot? Like she's totally copying me... well, that part isn't exactly not cute..."
"...?"
"...?"
The ratio of question marks always increased exponentially only when talking with her. Is this perhaps Sim Ar-yeon's hidden awakened ability too?
I kept bending the question marks in my heart as I continued my explanation. That SG Net was actually created by Seo Gyu, and that the Constellations were merely puppets in a single person's puppet show.
"Hieek. Hieeeek...!"
Sim Ar-yeon, having witnessed the truth of the world, had her SAN value shaved away again. Her hands holding the cafe mocha cup trembled.
"W-why are you sharing these secrets with me? It's burdensome! I didn't want to know this much...!"
"Calm down. Ar-yeon. What do you think would happen if the strange creature drawings you create were officially recognized as 'official illustrations'?"
Perk up. Sim Ar-yeon's ears moved.
"O-official...?"
"That's right. I'm already posting the monster strategies I've learned while regressing on SG Net from time to time, but from the next iteration, I'm thinking of polishing the strategy posts to be more convincing. And I plan to make good use of your drawing skills there."
"H-how...?"
Like this.
A few days later, this time I called over the Saintess and No Doha as well and distributed a small booklet to them.
The Saintess tilted her head.
"Undertaker, what is this?"
"Please read it slowly."
The booklet, printed with a precious printing machine, contained illustrations along with text.
――――――――――
[Library Society Monster Dictionary]
'Ten-Legged (Shijok)'
Aliases: Crawling Baby Cthulhu, Shadow Monarch, Thorn Hell, Lurker
Danger Level: City-class (Polis)
Contamination Level: None
Habitat: Entire Korean Peninsula
Characteristics: Tentacles shaped like human fingers protrude from its body. Contrary to the name 'Ten-Legged,' it actually has hundreds or thousands of tentacles. Not all tentacles are attached to the main body; smaller tentacles grow from larger ones.
The tentacles constantly grow and get severed in real-time. These tentacles can instantly extend to tear apart opponents (so-called 'tentacle mauling'), or shoot the tentacles themselves to pierce through opponents (so-called 'tentacle needle').
Besides the visible tentacles, at least dozens of tentacles always dig through the underground. Therefore, one must never let their guard down when fighting the Ten-Legged, and must always be wary that tentacles could pop out from behind or below at any time. Because of these 'thorn needles rising from underground,' it became widely known among Koreans by the alias 'Lurker.'
The main body is quite small compared to the tentacles. The main body consists of two hearts, and both must be struck simultaneously to...
――――――――――
The Saintess blinked.
"Library Society Monster Dictionary?"
"Correct. It's essentially a strategy guide. From the next iteration, I plan to create strategy guides like this and distribute them under a new Constellation's name."
"......!"
In other words, a 'Constellation overseeing information.'
The Constellations the Saintess had controlled so far took their names from actual human history. The 'Saintess of National Salvation' was Joan of Arc, and the 'Conqueror of the Alps' was Hannibal.
This methodology also had the advantage of borrowing originality from history, making it intuitive... but now I thought it was time to add a bit more substance to the Constellations' identities.
"By any chance... are you planning to establish a new Constellation in charge of monster information and strategies, Undertaker?"
"Yes. Having me as a regressor monopolize information isn't bad, but that would draw too much aggro to me. Beings of unknown identity like Go Yori would take excessive interest in me."
Not just Go Yori, there were plenty of beings in this world whose identities even I didn't know yet.
"I'll create an encyclopedia board on SG Net and decorate it as if a new Constellation manages it. Of course."
I pointed at Sim Ar-yeon sitting quietly in the seat next to me.
"The person who will actually manage that board is Guild Member Sim Ar-yeon here."
"...I see."
"Information distributed under a Constellation's name would be much more trustworthy to others than information I personally release. Especially if we distribute it with such vivid visual materials added."
"Heh. So the person anonymously posting monster drawings was her..."
Flustered. Sim Ar-yeon's shoulders flinched as the Saintess and No Doha's gazes focused on her.
"So the point is, in addition to Seo Gyu who has been serving as the moderator on SG Net, you're appointing Sim Ar-yeon there as a vice-moderator...?"
"Yes, well."
"Isn't that quite an important position. Seo Gyu doesn't do any activities at all, but Sim Ar-yeon here was quite a famous villain in the community... It feels a bit rude to say this to her face, but can she really handle the position...?"
"It's fine. That's something we can test from the next iteration onward."
"Ah, certainly..."
No Doha's laughter flowed through the conference room like a light shadow.
"I suppose I also fall under those who were verified 'in that way.' Heheh. Sometimes even I can't keep up with the Undertaker awakener's sense of time..."
4
Now in the next 96th iteration.
I took Sim Ar-yeon around every corner of the country. The purpose? Obviously to supplement illustrations for the monster encyclopedia.
In Onyang, South Chungcheong Province, I showed her the continental-class monster 'Udumbara,' and on the Donghae Line metropolitan railway, I let her encounter the village-class monster 'Trolley Dilemma'—showing her all sorts of monsters that ordinary people would rarely ever encounter.
"A-amazing...!"
Every time she encountered all manner of bizarre monsters, Sim Ar-yeon busily moved her brush.
Thus, collecting drawings for half a year.
-The Constellations' Playground!
-The only safe internet community!
-Welcome to SG Net!
Finally, SG Net opened.
A slightly later opening than usual iterations. But having prepared for a long time, SG Net underwent changes significant enough to almost be called a 'renewal.'
"Huh? Library Society Monster Dictionary...?"
"What is this?"
The full-fledged appearance of the 'Monster Encyclopedia' conceived since the previous iteration.
Originally, SG Net only had [Free Board] [Creation Board] [Small Group Board] [Guild Recruitment Board] [Chat Room], but now [Library Society Monster Dictionary] boldly appeared at the top.
Furthermore, while all other boards were marked in gray, only this encyclopedia was in red. Anyone could tell it was significant.
The contents were even more significant.
"Monster information is written all over it?"
"What?"
"Ten-Legged, Gremlin... Udumbara? Trolley? Seriously. These monsters existed?"
Along with the visual materials diligently collected over the past half year, the flooding of data accumulated across dozens of iterations.
[The 'Librarian of the Great Library' manages the encyclopedia.]
It was the debut of a new Constellation.
[The 'Librarian of the Great Library' comprehends information on all things in the world and particularly prefers collecting monster data.]
[The 'Librarian of the Great Library' desires you to share information with others. Sharing. That is the way to praise and exalt the 'Librarian of the Great Library.']
[The deeper your faith in the 'Librarian of the Great Library,' the more information you didn't know will be newly unlocked.]
The Saintess sent messages to awakeners across the country as planned.
In the monitor room, Sim Ar-yeon chewed her fingernails and fidgeted with her smartphone with anxious eyes.
"Stop looking at it. You'll wear out the screen."
"B-but... we have to deceive so many people like this. C-can I really do it well...?"
"Yeah. You'll do incredibly well."
"Huh?"
"Ar-yeon, you were born with a natural talent for that."
"Huh?"
I know from experiencing dozens of iterations that you're a once-in-a-generation genius when it comes to anonymous mask-play.
Sure enough, within a few days, an uproar broke out among SG Net members.
-Anonymous: I went to Onyang like the Monster Dictionary said, and there was a flower tree growing on a corpse that looked exactly like the drawing. What should I do about this?
└LiteratureGirl: What do you mean what should you do, you crazy bastard. That's a zombie virus! Burn it!
└Anonymous: But it says it grants eternal life?
└Historian: Wait right there. I'm coming to burn down the inn with you.
└Anonymous: Gasp.
-CookingQueen: Interesting.
-Anonymous: Hey, I thought these green bugs were just goblins this whole time, but they were actually gremlins. When I broke the machines like the dictionary said, they just disappeared on their own.
Endless testimonies.
Posts verifying that monsters looking exactly like the illustrations were really found in certain locations, and that they were really subjugated when acting according to the strategy guides, were successively reported.
Eventually, the 'Librarian of the Great Library' quickly gained recognition among awakeners.
There was also a minor incident that made them acknowledge it whether they wanted to or not.
-Anonymous: But if it's really a Constellation that manages all information, shouldn't it know my identity and personal information too? Hey, Librarian or whatever, if you're really a Constellation, guess who I am.
└[Librarian of the Great Library]: Park Sang-soon. 37 years old. Blue Sea Guild Master. Currently connecting from Yeongdo, Busan, Korean Peninsula.
└Anonymous: ?
└LiteratureGirl: ?
└Anonymous: Wait, whoa. You were the Blue Sea Guild Master?
└[Three Thousand]WitchJudge: lolololol
└[Three Thousand]Historian: That's one of the guilds representing Busan? How embarrassing.
Identity exposure!
It was revealed that anonymous nicknames were useless before the 'Librarian of the Great Library.'
Naturally, all anonymous non-members connecting to SG Net could have their identities viewed by Seo Gyu, and using that information, the Saintess's [Clairvoyance] could accurately identify the awakener's identity.
But to awakeners who couldn't know such secrets, the 'Librarian of the Great Library' must have been sheer terror.
After the incident where a non-member's identity was exposed, voices doubting or criticizing the 'Librarian of the Great Library' completely vanished from SG Net at least.
"G-Guild Master...! This is fun!"
Sim Ar-yeon also humbly acknowledged that the word 'community-ing' was plastered largely on her soul. Yes. I knew that would happen.
Unlike Seo Gyu who somewhat managed SG Net out of obligation, Sim Ar-yeon devoted herself to 'Constellation duties' with truly vigorous energy.
Naturally, the number of awakeners following the 'Librarian of the Great Library' also increased.
-Anonymous: Found a way to subjugate gremlins without breaking machines.
-Anonymous: Trolley<< Thanks to this, spreading strategies about monsters became much easier, and the tendency of awakeners to hoard valuable information only for themselves was also considerably alleviated. 'At this level, I can keep assigning her this work in future iterations.' A truly satisfying result. I watched with a pleased smile as Sim Ar-yeon busily worked on her smartphone. Of course, an unexpected incident occurred because of this 'Monster Dictionary,' but let's save that story for later. "...Ah. Guild Master. W-we have a problem." "Hm? What is it?" "I-I accidentally posted a comment with the [Goryeo Jang] nickname when I meant to post it with the [Librarian of the Great Library] nickname..." "......" "I deleted it right away, but it seems several members already saw it. Eek. W-witness posts are going up in real time! They even took screenshots! T-these community ghosts. How did they even take screenshots in that short moment... If you have time to do community stuff, go live your actual life... W-what should I do...?" "......" Right. From the next iteration onward, I should remind her to be a bit more careful when posting comments. Ah, there is no epilogue. - Recorder. 結. I'm an infinite regressor telling a story