NOVEL NEXT The Strategist VI
The Admin of the Infinite Metagame had sent a notification, but it had not fully revealed itself yet. If compared to a hikikomori, the current state was just a 'slightly open door.' We needed a final push to drag this extreme recluse into the dazzling light of the outside world.
First, I accessed SG Net to check the current situation.
-Anonymous: Did the status window pop up??
As planned, a festival was in full swing in the community.
-Anonymous: I thought my ability was fire-starting, but after seeing the status window, it turns out it’s a conflagration. I’ve been a lousy awakener who didn’t even know my own ability…
└OldManGoryeo: What’s the difference between fire-starting and conflagration? Aren’t both just fire?
└Anonymous: Fire-starting only ignites physical objects, but conflagration can set the entire community ablaze…
└OldManGoryeo: ?
└Anonymous: The bigger the conflagration, the stronger my ability becomes. I’ll show you directly soon…
-Anonymous: Now that I can see the status window, life feels worth living.
-Anonymous: Wow, Oh Dok-seo was hogging this good thing all to herself hahaha
-CookingQueen: Interesting.
-Officer: Just out of curiosity, all the people who posted proofs of becoming magical girls were female, right?
└Anonymous: lmao
└Officer: ?
└Anonymous: You’ll find out if you go lmao
I nodded. Among awakeners, the 'status window' was spreading like a trend. Initially, normal people had an instinctive aversion to the mysterious Magical Girl Association, but once five-star reviews started pouring in like 'this place is a must-visit,' opinions changed. If the strategy continued smoothly, we would soon drag the hikikomori god out of hiding.
“By the way,” I asked the Saintess just in case, “are there any awakeners with useful abilities among those with the status window?”
[I'm continually monitoring, but nothing notable so far.]
The Saintess, responsible for monitoring, answered calmly.
[We haven’t found anyone with teleportation abilities as you inquired last time.]
[There were a few with 'lightness' or 'movement' abilities, but none as advanced as teleportation.]
“Hmm.”
As expected.
Even after numerous searches until the 593rd cycle, I had never found a teleporter who could save Old Man Scho’s wife. If such a person still hadn’t appeared, it was likely they didn’t exist. They might be somewhere on the other side of the Earth, but the distance made it meaningless. I tucked away the old disappointment in my heart and turned to Oh Dok-seo.
“How is it, Dok-seo?”
“...…”
“Do you feel connected to the hikikomori god?”
Oh Dok-seo sat in a meditative posture. For the modern otaku Oh Dok-seo, this was a challenging position.
“Ugh… It feels like I do, but also like I don’t…”
Oh Dok-seo grimaced and trembled. While the Saintess and I worked behind the scenes, Oh Dok-seo’s role was to approach the Admin of the Infinite Metagame.
“Focus more. The hikikomori god has already extended its influence to you. You just haven't noticed it.”
“But, Mister. Can I change my posture? My legs are killing me. I’d rather kneel. I swear, my legs feel like they’re about to break. Seriously…”
“No. The lotus position is known for achieving enlightenment. It’s the best posture for connecting with the Admin of the Infinite Metagame.”
“Ugh, it hurts… It really fucking hurts…”
Despite her discomfort, she couldn't change her posture. Three hours later, forced to meditate in the lotus position, Oh Dok-seo went berserk.
“Damn it, how am I supposed to focus in this painful position? Crazy old man! I can’t feel anything except my legs and hips breaking!”
“You can’t sense the god’s presence with all its malevolence inside you?”
“It’s just more pain! Pain! I can’t concentrate with my legs feeling like they’re going to snap no matter how many times I say it!”
“Sigh. I see.”
These young people these days. She couldn’t do it, so we had to change the surroundings instead.
[Now constructing a shrine to summon the 'Admin of the Infinite Metagame.']
I kidnapped three hundred writers to open the 'Canned Hotel.' With the help of tutorial fairies, it only took two days. The writers cheered with joy when suddenly invited to a luxury hotel.
“Save us!”
“All you need to do is write. Oh, and when you start a new story, make sure a god appears in the beginning. Name it the 'Admin of the Infinite Metagame.'”
“Get us out of here!”
“Well then, good luck, writers.”
A worker devoted to their job is a happy worker. Under my guidance, the writers were reborn as happy workers. A week later, after pressuring the writers to produce serialized stories, anomalies began to appear around the hotel.
- Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
They were Isekai Trucks. Each one was an anomaly associated with creative works, directly affiliated with the Admin of the Infinite Metagame. The area, now packed with hundreds of writers and Isekai Trucks, was transforming into a suitable shrine for the hikikomori god. But that wasn’t all.
“You all, dance around Dok-seo.”
“Yes, Secretary-General! We obey!”
The tutorial fairies, highly creative beings, formed a large circle around Oh Dok-seo, holding hands and singing.
“The history of all hitherto existing society-?”
“Is the history of class struggles-?”
“Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf-?”
“Workers of the world, unite-?”
With her eyes closed, trying to concentrate on meditating, Oh Dok-seo grimaced.
That wasn’t all.
I altered the terrain behind the Canned Hotel to create a waterfall. It took some effort to channel the water, but for a regressor in the 593rd cycle, it was just a half-day’s labor.
- Gush! Gush! Gush! Gush!
Cold water poured over Oh Dok-seo’s head. Had she not trained with me in the 'Room of Spirit and Time,' her spine would have been seriously damaged. But that wasn’t all.
[The Admin of the Infinite Metagame announces a surprise event.]
[In the newly opened hotel garden, offer prayers praising the 'Admin of the Infinite Metagame!']
[The top 200 most devoted believers will receive a triple rare item drop rate for a year!]
The messages weren’t sent by the hikikomori god. The Saintess impersonated the god and sent the messages via telepathy. Naturally, the awakeners couldn’t distinguish between the real and fake messages.
“Ah, don’t push! Don’t push!”
Soon, the Canned Hotel was buzzing with magical girls gathering to grab the event rewards.
“Why is there a waterfall in the garden?” “Look, it’s Oh Dok-seo! She’s meditating under the waterfall!”
“Wow. She’s really hardcore. As soon as the event notice came out, she grabbed the best spot.”
“I guess you have to be that tough to become the top awakener in Korea…”
“Sure, it’s impressive she defeated the Ten Legs, but it’s a bit much. She lacks human touch, doesn’t she?”
“The fairies are dancing weirdly…”
“I’ve got a good feeling about this. This is definitely a huge event.”
“Admin of the Infinite Metagame! My faith in you is the deepest!”
About five hundred magical girls crammed into the garden. They thought Oh Dok-seo’s meditation posture held some secret, so they all mimicked her. Some magical girls even joined her under the waterfall, chanting the god’s name. Oh Dok-seo’s face grew increasingly sullen.
I nodded.
“Perfect.”
It was a scene designed to draw out the hikikomori god.
[The shrine is now complete.]
Here’s a simple layout:
In the center was Oh Dok-seo, meditating in the lotus position. Above her, the 'Waterfall of Enlightenment' poured down. Around her, five hundred magical girls chanted prayers. Encircling them, hundreds of fairies danced revolutionary folk dances. Further out, three hundred writers engaged in intense creative activities. Beyond the horizon, hundreds and thousands of Isekai Trucks kept respawning.
To describe the 4D sound effects bombarding Oh Dok-seo’s ears in literary realism:
- Gush! Gush! Gush! Gush!
“Admin of the Infinite Metagame! Please look at me!”
“The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains-?”
- Beep! Beep! Beep!
“They have a world to win-?”
“Admin of the Infinite Metagame!”
- Gush! Beep! Beep!
Had any artist ever depicted such an inspiring scene? This was no ordinary shrine. It was perfect for summoning the mocking hikikomori god. But that wasn’t all.
While the festival of pagans continued at the Canned Hotel, I quietly visited Namsan to use 'Chekhov’s Gun.' I packed the Walther PPK pistol in my coat and pulled my hat down low.
[Mr. Undertaker, your head…]
“There is no problem with my head.”
[…Okay.]
What is life? Life is pain. The falling waterfall, the fairies chanting revolution, the Isekai Trucks forced to work overtime, the magical girls praying to the hikikomori god, and, of course, me, the Undertaker, who willingly shaved his head to kill anomalies, were all engulfed in pain.
Only the hikikomori god remained free from this reality’s torment. I couldn’t contain my anger. To make this god taste life’s bitterness, I made a broadcast announcement.
[Now, I’ve gathered almost all the creative work elements available.]
[Even if Oh Dok-seo meditates clumsily, she will inevitably feel connected to the hikikomori god.]
[If this isn’t enough, I’ll gather creative elements from the Korean Peninsula and even the Japanese archipelago. It’s tough, but not that difficult. We could just catch Godzilla from the Pacific and bring it here.]
[Let’s see if Oh Dok-seo succeeds or fails in this meditation.]
Oh Dok-seo desperately meditated. Whether it was the waterfall or cold sweat, liquid continuously flowed down her face. With my S-class hearing, I clearly heard Oh Dok-seo’s constant muttering.
“Damn, please, please, show up. Please, let me feel it. Hikikomori god or whatever, just appear. Please…”
And then.
Her earnest prayer reached the universe.
[The Admin of the Infinite Metagame descends.]
Light spread above Oh Dok-seo’s head. From that light, a small 'blue butterfly' fluttered down. It was the same butterfly that briefly appeared when the world was destroyed by the server shutdown. This was the true form of the hikikomori god.
‘It’s here.’
My mind instantly cooled. The blue butterfly fluttered leisurely, indifferent to my presence. With every flap of its wings, the surrounding area was contaminated with noisy colors. 8-bit, 16-bit, 2-bit. Countless resolutions alternated, each flickering with static. The hikikomori god itself tainted the surroundings with emptiness.
[The Admin of the Infinite Metagame has been closely observing some cases where players used near-exploitative methods in recent games.]
[The event known as the 'Drop Item Rate Boost Event' has never been planned and will not be offered in the future.]
[We apologize for not providing correct information sooner.]
The magical girls murmured at the god’s words.
“What? What does that mean?”
“It was wrong information?”
Indeed.
Using the Saintess’s telepathy to impersonate the hikikomori god was a double-edged sword, a strategy usable only once. If the players realized the announcement was fake, they wouldn’t trust any future telepathic messages. Hence, this was the best opportunity.
‘Admin of the Infinite Metagame.’
I glared at the butterfly in the sky. This anomaly had only shown itself after creating such chaos. Its appearance rate was akin to a legendary Pokémon. I had to catch it here and now. Of course, I wasn’t a Pokémon trainer. I didn’t have a Master Ball to catch it in one shot. Instead.
“—Yo-hwa!”
Oh Dok-seo shouted Cheon Yo-hwa’s name. Soaked from the waterfall, Oh Dok-seo tried to stand up but collapsed due to leg cramps. Even as she fell, she screamed.
“Sis! Now! Now!”
“Okay.”
Ignoring the soaked and screaming Oh Dok-seo, Cheon Yo-hwa swiftly approached like the wind. Without any dramatic lines or poses, she simply took out an hourglass and smashed it on the ground.
Crash!
The hourglass shattered, releasing uncontrollable darkness, spreading like ink. The entity contained within the hourglass was Infinite Void.
Footnotes:
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