NOVEL NEXT Chapter 100
Shareholder Ⅰ
You might find yourself wondering as you listen to my stories.
"Aren't these people a bit too noble?"
Indeed, even if we set aside the Saintess, who has reached an almost inhuman level of sanctity, people like Dang Seo-rin (excluding her witch cosplay) and Noh Do-hwa (excluding her personality), as well as those around me (excluding Sim Ah-ryeon), are quite virtuous.
But this suspicion is misplaced.
-How is it that everyone around this person is so noble and capable? (X)
-Oh, this person deliberately associates only with noble and capable people! (O)
I, too, have a history of painful betrayals. Rotten personalities, people always ready to backstab, dirty and incompetent characters...
After filtering out such individuals, I finally arrived at my current relationships.
“Hmm?”
So one day during the 669th cycle, Oh Dok-seo asked me a question that left me a bit flustered.
“Now that I think about it, you don't hang out with the early members much anymore, right? You only meet people like Dang Seo-rin or Noh Do-hwa.”
“Early members? Who are you talking about? If you mean Old Man Scho…”
“No, no. You meet the Swordmaster in the 6th run. I mean the real early members. Jung So-hee, Kim Si-woon, Uehara Shino.”
“Oh.”
“In [Omniscient Regressor's Viewpoint], those people only appear in the early parts, and then they're never mentioned again. Why don't you meet them nowadays?”
“......”
I felt an unfamiliar sensation, as if hearing the names of elementary school friends I'd long forgotten.
“I don't remember.”
“Huh?”
“I don't remember. I gained [Complete Memory] in the 5th run, but I mainly interacted with them in the 4th run. From my perspective, that was thousands of years ago.”
“Oh…”
“It seems that the novel you read includes stories from before the 5th run.”
“Yeah, well... The stories from the 1st and 3rd cycles were very important. It got serialized up to the point where you enter Baekwha Girls' High and encounter the Infinite Void.”
“Hmm.”
So this meant that Oh Dok-seo at this point had 'read' my life up to the 117th run.
From my current perspective, this run was the 669th. For Oh Dok-seo, it meant she observed 'me up to the 117th run.'
In other words, Oh Dok-seo was trailing my life with about a 500-cycle gap.
'This is the longest time-lag adaptation in the world.'
[Omniscient Regressor's Viewpoint] was an irregularly serialized work. Just because I moved onto the next run didn’t mean it was regularly updated like modern web novels.
It wasn’t because the author, claiming a slump, took five days off, causing an outrage among working readers with his stress management skills.
The serialization simply had different 'conditions' from other novels.
'When major anomalies are defeated, [ORV] especially increases in serialization.'
Ten Legs. Udumbara. Meteor Shower.
Particularly, when the Infinite Void was defeated, [ORV]’s serialization volume skyrocketed. Naturally, the knowledge of Oh Dok-seo, the sole 'reader' of [ORV], also increased.
Compared to the Oh Dok-seo of the 555th cycle, who thought the Ten Legs was the final boss, the Oh Dok-seo of the 669th cycle possessed an overwhelming amount of information.
Of course, she still had many gaps compared to me. However, Oh Dok-seo had knowledge I didn’t possess.
“On the contrary, I want to ask you, Dok-seo, what happened between me and those early characters.”
“Huh?”
“I don't remember anything properly. I roughly know who they are, but I don't know what happened in the 4th run. No one, including myself, knows unless you tell us.”
“Uh... Should I tell you then? I only read the early parts a month ago, so my memory is a bit fuzzy…”
“It doesn’t matter at all.”
“Then... Okay, got it. Wow, telling the protagonist his own story feels really strange. It's fascinating. I don’t think such a scene has ever appeared in any creative work.”
Oh Dok-seo cleared her throat.
“Hmm, alright. So, what happened was...”
“Wait. You don’t need to tell me now.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll ask you in the next run. There’s a much better way to know than just hearing it from you.”
“...?”
Oh Dok-seo tilted her head.
“Mister, what are you talking about?”
This was what I meant.
“You fucking asshole! What are you talking about!”
“Hoeee…”
Next run. The 670th run.
In the waiting room of the 'Busan Station Tutorial Dungeon,' SG-Man Seo Gyu's loud cursing echoed as usual.
The face of fairy number 264, who received the insult directly, was still blank. The expressions of hundreds of civilians were no different.
A place more familiar, though not nostalgic, than my birthplace, which I could barely remember—a home for the infinitely regressing.
I approached Oh Dok-seo and greeted her with the latest MZ-generation trends.
“Hi-ru. Bang-ga-bang-ga. Hewwo.”
“Eek! M-Main character…!”
Of course, the MZ generation included both Millennials (born in the 1980s and 1990s) and Generation Z (born in the 2000s and 2010s), so my greeting was indeed up-to-date.
There used to be controversy over how to lump together 30 years, but personally, I found it puzzling. What’s the problem?
I grouped my life in 1,000-year intervals.
Honestly, isn’t 30 years just a moment?
But it seemed sudden to Oh Dok-seo.
“W-Why are you coming to me!”
“Calm down, reader. I know you have read [Omniscient Regressor's Viewpoint], where I am the protagonist. But that's a lie, a means of alien seizing control of your mind…”
“…?”
“My name is the Undertaker. Known as the Duke of the Black Library in the secret society, the Library Society. You must trust me completely…”
“…!”
The most fun game in the world, that is, teasing Oh Dok-seo, lasted about ten minutes.
During that time, SG Man's head exploded (sorry, Seo Gyu), Sim Ah-ryeon proved she was the scream queen, and 398 survivors scattered in all directions.
Oh Dok-seo and I were left alone. While everyone was too shocked by the murder they witnessed to notice, the convenience store, souvenir shop, and vending machines in the waiting room were great points to gather supplies.
I scoured the convenience store and shop, taking just enough, as always.
I didn’t forget to grab Silver Bells from the souvenir shop and put them in my pocket. I also emptied the vending machines of all drinks, spending all my money.
“Now then…”
Oh Dok-seo invested all her money in the vending machines too. After hearing the whole truth from me, Oh Dok-seo glared at me with a fierce expression.
“So, in an earlier run, I formed an alliance with you? Now, in the 670th cycle, you seek my cooperation to experience something as close as possible to the 4th cycle?”
“That is correct.”
“…Mister, I’m confused about many things, but let me ask this first. Why did you play such a prank earlier?”
“Hmm. Reader, imagine you’re living your life, and someone comes along, claiming that this world is actually a novel, and they know all its developments. Isn’t that fascinating? Don’t you feel like teasing them?”
“I don’t get it at all…”
Well, expecting a deep understanding from a severe web novel otaku with terminal Gen Z disease and chuunibyou was too much.
“But… isn’t it already too different from the 4th run just by hanging out with me like this? I’m an extra whose name isn’t even mentioned in [Omniscient Regressor's Viewpoint].”
“Ah, an extra, you say. Nonsense. That's because 'that novel' hasn’t reached the 555th cycle yet. The 555th run in the novel starts with you as a main character.”
“Oh…”
“Anyway, I don’t want the exact same progress as the 4th cycle. Just something similar is enough. I want to experience the lost memories.”
“Well, in that case… Ah, they’re coming.”
Oh Dok-seo murmured nervously.
Footsteps echoed from the other side of the waiting room. Seven people.
Leading the group was a man in his twenties wearing a Hawaiian shirt and holding a wooden stick. He scowled when he saw us.
“Oh? What the hell, people are here?”
Lee Baek.
He was a person who, if left alone, would be eliminated later in the tutorial. His awakening ability was also E-rank, not much different from an ordinary person.
That’s all I remembered, but Oh Dok-seo seemed to know more. The kid whispered urgently to me.
“That’s Lee Baek. He leads the biggest and fiercest group at Busan Station. Because of him, you had a hard time from the very first cycle.”
“What? Me?”
“Yeah. He always incited people, created hierarchies among them… When he noticed you, he divided your group to betray you. He caused all the early stress-inducing developments. You seriously considered quitting because of him.”
“Oh.”
I couldn’t imagine being manipulated by an E-rank ordinary guy. It was so surprising that it was more interesting than unpleasant.
“What are you two whispering about?”
Lee Baek seemed annoyed by the sight of Oh Dok-seo and me whispering. He approached, waving his wooden stick.
The rest of his followers also looked menacing. They probably knew each other from before being summoned to the tutorial dungeon, mainly from back alleys.
“How did I act in the 4th run?”
“You waited by the vending machine until Lee Baek approached, then you slit his throat immediately.”
“What? Just killed him?”
“Yeah, it was the first cathartic scene in [ORV]. Without it, I would’ve seriously quit.”
“The 4th cycle me was quite a savage…”
“Hey, you in the T-shirt! And the kid in the hat! Can’t you hear me?”
As soon as Lee Baek stepped within five paces, I took a step forward, standing right in front of his nose.
“Can’t hear――you?”
Tap. I chopped his throat with my hand, knocking him unconscious. I didn’t kill him. He just experienced the sorrow of a split vocal cord.
“Huh?”
The remaining followers widened their eyes, but they didn’t need to suffer from dry eyes for long. It took just three seconds to destroy their vocal cords and knock them out.
“…Wow.”
Oh Dok-seo’s delayed exclamation came.
“Are they dead? All of them?”
“No, I only destroyed their vocal cords. They’ll live as mutes for the rest of their lives. As you said, he’s good at inciting and politicking, so sealing his voice is enough of a penalty.”
“Wow, seriously. Wow. You’ve really been through hundreds of runs. The genre has completely shifted to a munchkin story. Where did that wimpy, stress-inducing character from the early parts go…?”
“Hey, that’s harsh. Anyway, what’s next?”
“Oh. You got injured in the arm dealing with these seven? At Busan Station, only Uehara Shino and Sim Ah-ryeon can heal you. But Sim Ah-ryeon…”
“Her healing is barely at the level of a burn ointment, considering the current situation.”
“No, even so, it’s much better than ointment. Anyway, compared to Uehara Shino, her performance is indeed lacking, so you recruit Uehara as an ally…”
Following Oh Dok-seo’s guidance, I enjoyed a nostalgic journey.
‘Come to think of it, I used to rate Uehara Shino higher than Sim Ah-ryeon.’
It was a novel experience.
Chasing after a long-forgotten past, now just a mirage of déjà vu, step by step.
Even with [Complete Memory], making me remember everything, there was still an unknown past. This feeling wasn’t bad at all.
It must have been a mysterious experience for Oh Dok-seo as well.
“Ew. Mister, why are you so good at Japanese?”
“Huh?”
“You just spoke Japanese with Uehara Shino. Originally, you couldn’t speak it and used a smartphone translator… Oh, right. You said you’ve lived for thousands of years. So you’d be good at foreign languages…”
“…?”
Uehara Shino watched our conversation with a puzzled look. She was an alchemist who, in the distant past, I considered an S-rank awakener but would now be classified as a B-rank at best in this run.
A naturally eliminated past connection. A remnant of time.
“……”
“Undertaker-san, is something wrong?”
“No, nothing. By the way, we’re challenging the mid-boss tomorrow, so get some rest.”
“Oh, okay.”
We cleared the tutorial following the 4th run’s order.
Rallying the survivors, demanding food and medicine from the fairy as mid-rewards, and killing the seven bosses one by one.
Even though I knew how to forcibly open the ‘exit,’ it was a perfect waste of time, but it was also a time journey.
Of course, there was a crucial difference from the ‘original’ 4th cycle. A past history that could never be repeated.
“Hmm, originally, from today, I was supposed to meet the survivors and use [Time Seal] for those who wanted it…”
Glance. Oh Dok-seo looked at me cautiously.
“…I can’t follow this. Because everyone you used [Time Seal] on is now trapped in a crystal monument.”
I stared blankly at the Busan Station food court. It had been a long time since I visited this place.
Gravestones.
Crystal monuments that only I could see lined up along the food court corridor. To me, it looked more like a cemetery than a food court.
The remains of people sealed in 'the happiest day of their lives' by my power.
I silently put my hands in my pockets. Jingle, I felt the touch of Silver Bells.
Oh Dok-seo asked carefully.
“Hey, mister… Can you see them now? The monuments.”
“Yeah.”
“Can you tell me exactly how many there are?”
“Well. I’d have to count the ones in this food court, but I can tell you the exact number of monuments in the entire Busan Station dungeon. I memorized that. 101.”
“……”
Here, a total of 101 dreams, 101 afterlives, and 101 gravestones were sleeping.
Indeed.
The original number of civilians summoned to the ‘Busan Station Tutorial Dungeon’ wasn’t an ambiguous 399.
500.
It started with 500 survivors.
Among them, 101 people were sealed in time by me.
Footnotes:
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