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Chapter 152

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Strategist IV

4

Let’s talk about Oh Dokseo for a moment.

5

Oh Dokseo was a literary girl.

And like all literary girls, she hoped that something "special" existed in this world beyond the mundane humans.

Of course, it was a futile hope.

Many literary girls usually give up on such expectations quietly after getting punched three times by betrayal, intrigue, and collective selfishness between the ages of 15 and 25.

There were no magic schools in this world, no beautiful debutante balls for noble ladies, and no secret organizations that regularly held meetings in shady back alley bars (although there were organizations that sold mysterious white powder or fantasy gum).

Reality was this harsh.

Now, a typical literary girl in Korea would be ready to accept magic school as college, the debutante ball as an MT, and secret organizations as SNS activities.

It wasn’t a difficult task.

Children who read the Harry Potter series when they were young went through a phase between the fifth and sixth grades of elementary school, thinking, "Huh? The Hogwarts acceptance letter is just a bit... late for me...?" They went through a stage of denial, which is something most people experience as growing pains.

Oh Dokseo wasn’t typical.

"No. The world is wrong."

Oh Dokseo had thought this since she was a child.

In the school playground designed to mimic a desert, she preferred walking in the shade rather than under the sun.

"Magicians exist. Secret organizations exist. The forces of evil that threaten the world exist, as do the apostles of justice who fight against them. And of course, the god who watches over all of this exists."

Oh Dokseo willingly abandoned reality and chose fantasy.

It was an easy choice for her. After all, why should she give up her fantasy just because it wasn\'t "realistic"?

What was so great about the "realistic" human affairs anyway?

Weren\'t they just full of petty jealousy, spite, the tendency to belittle others because of their own inferior talents compared to their desires, hatred for family, hunger, wordplay, and fake friendships?

"No, I hate it."

What made Oh Dokseo feel most nauseous was how easily people forgot their own actions.

"You promised not to lie again last time. Why are you doing it again?"

"Promise? When?"

"Last time. A few months ago, we talked next to the water purifier by the restroom at the academy."

Oh Dokseo had an exceptional memory compared to her peers since she was young.

It was in her nature. She could easily recall the lines of characters from books she had read once. In reality, she meticulously stored every word and gesture people made.

Just as there are brains specialized in numbers and calculations, Oh Dokseo had an extraordinary ability regarding "human behavior."

"I never did that."

Other people didn’t.

Promises. Bold declarations. Breaking promises. Forgetting.

The "reality" that unfolded before Oh Dokseo with every breath was nothing more than a collection of humans who forgot their own actions in real-time.

If Oh Dokseo had had the same level of expression in her childhood as she does now, she would have said this:

"Forgetfulness is no different from death. What is forgotten doesn’t exist."

"Then what are these real people?"

"A carnival parade that pretends to \'live\' while constantly killing themselves little by little without even realizing it?"

When she realized this, Oh Dokseo felt a chill.

It was terrifying.

Yes, the entire world was burying itself alive. All humans were cannibals who ate themselves.

"I hate it."

Oh Dokseo wanted to run away.

"I don\'t want to die."

So she ran away.

Compared to reality, fantasy—ah, fantasy was always brilliant.

In creations, people could always become greater.

The characters in novels never "forgot" what they said and did. What they did in chapter 30 was remembered perfectly in chapter 300.

To Oh Dokseo, these fictional characters felt more "human."

Beings who remembered. Beings with whom conversations were possible. Therefore, beings who could take responsibility and forgive.

Yes, Oh Dokseo simply had a slightly higher standard for what it meant to be "human."

"These people are alive."

The literary girl\'s heart was split in two. Endless hatred for humans based on reality. And endless affection for humans based on fiction.

"The world is dirty."

"The characters are more human."

"As long as I don\'t give up my belief in the characters, they can exist, even if only in my heart."

Amid the severe discord between the left and right sides of her heart, Oh Dokseo increasingly indulged in the belief in "something other than reality."

As everyone knows, ordinary human beliefs rarely come with rewards.

"Huh? What? Did I really have this novel saved in my favorites?"

Oh Dokseo was not ordinary.

"Let’s see. The title is…."

Fifteen days before being forcibly summoned to Busan Station.

『Omniscient Regressor’s Viewpoint』?

A miracle happened to her.

6

Back to the present.

On a night when the starlings were crying, I looked at Oh Dokseo and answered.

"Yes, Dokseo. From the very beginning, you were designated as the shrine maiden by the [The Admin of All-Play]."

"…Ah."

"In most novels, the protagonist gets possessed by a book or game without any reason or explanation. But in this world, behind every incident that occurs \'without reason\' or \'without explanation,\' there are always anomalies."

In other words,

"The novel 『Omniscient Regressor’s Viewpoint』 that you thought you just happened to read… is not just a simple novel. It’s definitely not a coincidence. It’s a gift given to you by an alien god named the The Admin of All-Play――."

A gift bestowed upon the most favored shrine maiden of the anomaly.

"――It is proof that you are the alien god’s representative. You are a human chosen by the alien god."

"……."

"In the eyes of the The Admin of All-Play, you are probably the most suitable to be a shrine maiden on this earth. Strictly speaking, anomalies don’t have human-like judgment abilities, though."

The starling fell silent.

Oh Dokseo’s expression was truly peculiar. It was the face of someone who didn’t know whether to be happy or sad.

After moving her lips several times, Oh Dokseo spoke.

"…So, does that mean the alien god is listening in on our conversations too?"

"Yes. But you don’t have to worry too much about it."

"Why?"

"As I’ve said before, anomalies don’t have human-like judgment. Their value standards and sensory organs are different. The term \'listening in\' doesn’t even apply."

I pointed to Oh Dokseo’s backpack.

Inside was the laptop given to her by the The Admin of All-Play.

"When we started this turn, we established that this world is a \'game broadcast.\' The time we’re spending chatting now corresponds to the rest period after the broadcast ends. As long as we maintain the format of the game broadcast, the alien god won’t classify our personal chatter as meaningful."

"Ah…."

"Oh, I see," Oh Dokseo murmured.

But it was clear that this wasn’t the topic she wanted to discuss.

From earlier, Oh Dokseo’s lips had been twitching, as if she was hesitating to say something.

"…By the way, mister."

"Yes?"

"In 『Omniscient Regressor\'s Viewpoint』, it mentions that you’re a regressor and details what you experienced in each turn. If that was written by the alien god and shown to me, then the The Admin of All-Play knows that you’re a regressor…."

"Yes, they would."

"……!"

Oh Dokseo’s breath caught.

"Isn’t that a big deal? The greatest advantage of being a regressor is that your enemies don’t know you’re a regressor. But if the alien god knows…!"

"From the start, the The Admin of All-Play has some resistance to my regression. You can see that just by the \'laptop\' given to you."

135th turn.

After the turn that ended in destruction due to the logout game, for some reason, the laptop item started appearing by my side every time I regressed.

It meant that the [The Admin of All-Play] continuously approached me across turns.

"But the alien god’s power isn’t perfect. I’m also resisting the The Admin of All-Play."

"Resisting…? What do you mean?"

"Omniscient Regressor\'s Viewpoint. The serialization of the novel you read is progressing too slowly. There’s a time gap of about 500 to 600 turns between my \'reality\' and that \'novel.\'"

This is the 593rd turn.

Meanwhile, the part of my story that Oh Dokseo read in 『Omniscient Regressor\'s Viewpoint』 was only at the 33rd turn.

Therefore,

"Let’s compare the [The Admin of All-Play] to a hacker. Then, that entity is diligently trying to hack into my existence."

"Oh!"

"But so far, the hacking progress is only about 5 percent. The entity may be trying hard to decipher me as a regressor, but even if it collects data from the 33rd turn, it won’t be able to understand the me of the 593rd turn."

"Whew, that’s a relief. Then there’s still plenty of time…."

Oh Dokseo sighed in relief.

"But we mustn’t let our guard down either. The The Admin of All-Play is slowly and steadily extending its grasp towards me."

"Ah, yes. That’s obvious, but…."

"Dokseo, the fact that you only began to awaken in earnest from the 555th turn onward is also an indication that the [The Admin of All-Play] has gotten that close to me."

"Uh, really?"

I nodded.

Why did the ‘book possessor’ Oh Dokseo, not in the 1st turn, but from the 555th turn onward, start to recognize her power?

Why were both the ‘regressor’ me and the ‘book possessor’ Oh Dokseo summoned to the Busan Station tutorial dungeon at the same time?

A coincidence defying extreme odds?

No, it was intentional.

Everything was the result of design.

"Just as I’m trying to somehow defeat the alien god, the [The Admin of All-Play] is trying to subdue me by any means necessary. That’s exactly why, Dokseo, one of the reasons you were chosen as the alien god’s representative is that your starting point is the same as mine."

"……!"

“Then, the ‘Administrator of All-Play’ wanted to interfere with me as quickly and effectively as possible.”

Oh Dokseo was shocked.

“So, does that mean… that as a ‘Book Possessor,’ I was supposed to interfere with you, a ‘Regressor,’ hinder you, or steal your opportunities? Was that the plan the [Administrator of All-Play] had?”

“Exactly.”

“So, you and I were actually meant to be enemies, not allies?”

Let\'s recall.

In the 555th turn, when Oh Dokseo first encountered me as a Book Possessor, this kid didn’t have a good impression of me at all.

[Oh Dokseo: There he is. The protagonist of this world. Codename: Doctor Jang.]

[Oh Dokseo: Doctor Jang is a protagonist who has already experienced several regressions. He’s ruthless and heartless.]

In fact, she was wary of me.

[Oh Dokseo: He’s a regressor living only for revenge against monsters. He’s just a madman, a typical case of someone who’s only living because they haven’t died yet…]

[Oh Dokseo: He’s just insane, totally. If he notices anything suspicious, he might just kill me. Better handle him carefully.]

Oh Dokseo genuinely believed that she might get killed by my hand. She was even ready to betray me and stab me in the back if needed.

Why was that?

The reason was simple.

“Oh Dokseo, the 『Omniscient Regressor\'s Viewpoint』 written by the Alien God led you to have that impression of me.”

“Ah…”

“More precisely, the Alien God had probably only hacked up to my fourth regression at that time. So, he judged my character, the regressor known as The Doctor Jang, in that way and applied that judgment to you as well.”

Well, it’s unlikely even the Alien God anticipated that the maniacal regressor who ruthlessly killed monsters in his earlier turns would evolve into ‘this kind of person’ after 500 turns.

The [Administrator of All-Play] analyzed me from a past perspective and responded accordingly.

When they chose Oh Dokseo as their champion, they expected competition, distrust, and eventual destruction to occur between the Book Possessor and the Regressor.

However, from the beginning, I distorted the Alien God’s ambitious project.

“…So, you and I becoming allies was completely unexpected from the Alien God’s perspective?”

“Right. They wouldn’t have anticipated that I’d so easily lower my guard around you.”

“Wow.”

“I bet they’re utterly dumbfounded.”

I chuckled.

The [Administrator of All-Play] was indeed smart.

Imagine being in the same position as that Alien God.

You need to declare victory by consuming the world in void, but some regressor keeps saying, ‘One more turn!’ every time the game ends.

At first, you might think, ‘He’ll probably get tired of the game eventually.’

But this crazy regressor keeps resetting the game at the 200th, 300th, 400th, and 500th turns.

Q) How can you get rid of this damned troublemaking regressor?

A) You turn the regressor\'s life itself into a novel. Then, you create someone who reads the novel—a Book Possessor. This way, the regressor loses the ‘protagonist’ trait, and the newly crowned protagonist, the Book Possessor, ultimately wins.

This was the ingenious strategy devised by the [Administrator of All-Play].

It was clever beyond belief.

Using a cliché to strip the regressor of his advantage. If it weren’t me, I would’ve fallen right into the Alien God’s trap.

The one meant to be the trap, the Book Possessor, the literary girl Oh Dokseo, looked at me with somewhat anxious eyes.

“Did you know from the start that I was chosen as the Alien God\'s priestess?”

“Well, I had a pretty good idea.”

I shrugged.

“I became sure when I realized that the chapters of 『Omniscient Regressor\'s Viewpoint』 were increasing as the turns progressed. It\'s extremely rare for something to exert influence across different turns.”

“…And yet, you didn’t kill me?”

“Hmm?”

“Why not? It’s simple.”

Oh Dokseo lowered her head and mumbled.

“If I’m unconsciously connected to the Alien God like a terminal, then you could just kill me every time you regress. That would eliminate any potential danger to you.”

“…”

“Why didn’t you choose the simplest method? Especially now, when we\'ve even taken that ‘Hate Pill,’ making us naturally distrust each other… Didn’t you think I might side with the Alien God and betray you at a crucial moment?”

Hmm.

I scratched my chin. After thinking about how to respond, I just answered honestly.

“What’s the big deal about being betrayed for a regressor that you’d make such a fuss?”

“…What?”

“It’s fine. I have a strong mentality. I haven’t told you this, but all my comrades have betrayed me at least once. Ah, would you like to hear about the time the saintess tried to kill me? That was epic.”

“…? …?”

I faintly heard the sound of the saintess coughing in the distance.

I smiled and patted Oh Dokseo on the shoulder.

“Oh Dokseo, just do what you want.”

“…”

“Unlike others, I’m given nearly endless chances. It’s a blessing. Even if you betray me ten or twenty times, I still have the memories of the turns where you trusted me a hundred or two hundred times. How could I ever forget that?”

“…”

“If it doesn’t work this time, we’ll do better next time. I know you too well to be disappointed in you.”

For a moment, Oh Dokseo remained silent.

“Yeah.”

As the sparrows began chirping again in the forest, Oh Dokseo raised her hand and grasped the hand I’d placed on her shoulder.

“I wish I could have read those words in 『Omniscient Regressor\'s Viewpoint』 too.”

“Don’t you think you will someday?”

“Yeah… Maybe. I might.”

Oh Dokseo smiled brightly.

“No matter what the Alien God thinks of me, it doesn’t matter. Remember, this is a promise.”

She tightened her grip on my hand.

“I’m the one who will save you, no matter what. I’ll definitely get you out of this damned world.”

I chuckled.

Kid, you\'re the 26th person to say something like that to me.

And I gave her my 26th reply.

“Alright. I’m counting on you.”

“Yeah!”

The next day, we officially began the operation to bring down the [Administrator of All-Play] to the mortal world.