Savior A I
The Infinite Void was exterminated in the 117th run.
That marked the grand debut of Cheon Yo-hwa, the awakener who 'led the Baekwha guild', 'sealed the anomaly of the Outer Gods', and 'commanded hundreds of guild members'.
From then on, awakeners on the Korean Peninsula had to make more discerning choices.
-OldManGoryeo: Hmmm... Honestly, the strongest guild on the Korean Peninsula now isn't Samcheon but Baekwha...
Public opinion on SG Net changed immediately.
-OldManGoryeo: Baekwha features) The guild leader is stronger than all the other guild members combined. Guild members are all high school students, so they wear school uniforms. Not cosplay.
-OldManGoryeo: Samcheon features) The guild leader is stronger than all the other guild members combined. Guild members all have to wear witch hats. Every day at 2 PM, they have a mandatory 'broom maintenance time'. Cosplay.
-OldManGoryeo: I believe there's no longer any need to explain which of the two guilds is superior...
└Anonymous: As expected, the fact is godly lololol
└[Samcheon] WitchJudge: Fuck you, bastard.
└Anonymous: I'm a Samcheon guild member and this is true.
-Anonymous: So the Baekwha guild leader and Undertaker are dating?
└dolLHoUse: Not easy.
-Anonymous: Why do they insist on witch cosplay regardless of age and gender? Really don't know.
-[Yuldoguk] SwordMarquess: Oh lament! These days, the young disciples are so obsessed with the dark arts that they neglect their mental and physical training. How lamentable it is.
└Anonymous: Please leave.
└Anonymous: (Said by someone who would've been dead if not for their skill)
-[National Road Management Corps] Officer: Objectively comparing their strength, Baekwha does seem stronger than Samcheonㅇㅇ
-CookingQueen: Interesting.
-Anonymous: So are the Baekwha guild leader and Undertaker dating?
└dolLHoUse: Not easy.
As seen, Dang Seo-rin, who was revered as the top idol on the Korean Peninsula, was shaken.
Coincidentally, Dang Seo-rin's headquarters was in Busan, while Cheon Yo-hwa was based in Sejong. With Seoul's unprecedented drop in real estate prices, these two cities had become symbols of the Korean Peninsula.
"I really don't understand."
Dang Seo-rin's stress level followed the curve of the consumer price index before the end times.
"If you're summoning spirits, you're a Necromancer. Although it's black magic, you're still a mage, right? So why don't you wear mage-like outfits and instead walk around in school uniforms?"
"It's a symbol of belonging. Even if the world ends, it means we're still from the same school."
"I don't like it."
"Hmm. Then how about thinking of it as Hogwarts uniforms? They're mages too, and they wear uniforms."
I thought I gave advice perfectly tailored to the other's taste, but Dang Seo-rin scowled.
"Are you crazy, Undertaker? Hogwarts uniforms are not sailor uniforms. Really—not at all. Sorry, but never utter such nonsense in front of me again."
"......"
As awakeners of the magic branch, Dang Seo-rin and Cheon Yo-hwa created a new competition as 'white mage versus black mage'... but I'll talk more about that later.
For now, let's dive into the story that unfolded during the 126th run.
One day, at the headquarters of the National Road Management Corps, Noh Do-hwa spoke.
"Awakener Undertaker. I don't usually want to say such things, but..."
"Yes?"
"Don't you think you two are spending too much time together...?"
Noh Do-hwa looked at me with a default facial expression that seemed to be carved into her face. It was like she was glaring at rotting garbage left in the summer heat.
Noh Do-hwa had a knack for making her opponents wonder if they were actually centipedes rather than Homo sapiens. If she wasn't so good at managing the organization and winning people's hearts, she wouldn't have lived long.
But at this moment, I had no words to refute Noh Do-hwa's 'eye violence'.
"Hehe, teacher..."
After all, Cheon Yo-hwa was clinging to my left arm like a koala, in a display of excessive affection.
Cheon Yo-hwa was naturally affectionate and often engaged in physical contact, but this was crossing a line.
"I'm honestly at a loss."
"At a loss, my ass. You're actually enjoying it but pretending not to, just to show off to others. You can't fool my eyes. Your shady and sinister instincts are obvious."
"Chief Noh Do-hwa. I've told you before. It's time for you to get new eyeballs."
"Oh, just like your conscience is easily replaceable..."
"Oh lament! You have blurred vision like Liu Bei who couldn't recognize Zhuge Liang even after seeing him thrice."
"Fuck, old man. How many times have I told you not to make those shitty Three Kingdoms analogies...?"
"What? You want references from the Chu-Han Contention instead?"
"Do you really want to die...?"
"This is an anomaly. A mental derangement anomaly."
Blink.
Noh Do-hwa looked at my face closely and then turned to Cheon Yo-hwa.
"Hehehe, teacher... Teacher saved me. Teacher. My light, my life, my sin, my soul, my lolita."
"Hmm."
Noh Do-hwa took out her glasses cleaner and meticulously cleaned her glasses. After putting them back on, she nodded.
"This is definitely an anomaly..."
"Right?"
"Yes, I'm sorry, Awakener Undertaker. I thought you were helping people and then trying to establish a mental power hierarchy and turning that relationship into romantic feelings. I didn't mean to offend."
"It's fine. You don't have to apologize for existing. That's offense enough."
After exchanging pleasantries, we got into a serious strategy meeting.
"When did the Baekwha guild leader start this nonsense...?"
"Exactly a week ago. She suddenly came to my hideout without any guild members and clung to me."
"Hmm. They say she handles the hundred ghosts like Pokémon. It's natural for a human to be mentally corrupted when dealing with anomalies..."
"If it were only Yo-hwa, I might have thought so too, but..."
"...?"
Noh Do-hwa tilted her head.
"There are not just one but two entities clinging to you? Where? I don't see them..."
"Ah, you can't hear it—the [voice] of that person."
"Fuck. Here he goes again..."
"If you can't hear it, I have no choice but to translate it myself as the only one who can converse with that person."
"Why does this lunatic act normal around others but becomes such a shitty brat around me...?"
Ignoring her, I wrote on a piece of paper.
[Mr. Undertaker, I can't imagine a world without you.]
[Mr. Undertaker, ethics are societal norms, and society is formed by at least two people.]
[Mr. Undertaker, in that sense, you have become a bridge for me, who was alone.]
The words continued to flow.
"Huh? What is this...?"
Noh Do-hwa's face darkened as she watched.
[Mr. Undertaker, without a regressor in this world, countless lives would have been sacrificed by the Ten Legs.]
[Mr. Undertaker, even if no one else acknowledges it, I know.]
[Mr. Undertaker, I'm sorry for always burdening you.]
[Mr. Undertaker, you are saving the world.]
"......"
Noh Do-hwa's mouth hung open. If Noh Do-hwa's expression were made into a gacha game skin, it would be at least UR rank for its rarity.
"Is this... the Saintess...?"
"Yes."
"Haaaah...?"
"Surprising, right?"
"This is the most shocking thing I've experienced..."
"And she sends these messages in real-time, about one every ten seconds."
"......"
"This is after I begged her to reduce it. A week ago, it was one per second. I never expected telepathy to be used as infinite KakaoTalk. My mental state is like melting chocolate now."
"Hmm..."
Noh Do-hwa groaned. The meeting room fell into a quiet silence (although I was continuously receiving messages from the Saintess, so it wasn't very quiet for me).
Of course, Cheon Yo-hwa kept giggling 'hehe' beside me, providing background noise.
"I get it. So... do you have any idea what kind of anomaly this is...?"
"Yes. We just need to find the common thread between the two showing abnormal symptoms."
Cheon Yo-hwa was clinging to me because I 'saved her.' The Saintess kept praising me for 'saving the world.'
'Savior Syndrome.'
Or 'Savior Narrative Syndrome.'
That was the name of this bizarre anomaly.
Salvation.
A common narrative in genre novels where the protagonist appears just in time to save characters who are persecuted by the world, generating infinite gratitude and affection from those saved.
Naturally, the saved character feels infinite gratitude and affection toward the protagonist who saved them.
Why is that natural? Because, well, try giving 1 million won to a gambler who lost everything at Kangwon Land without asking anything in return.
The difference between a saved character and a gambler at Kangwon Land is that the latter's life doesn't change much in reality, whereas the former, thanks to the help, genuinely escapes the abyss of despair as depicted in fiction.
To pinpoint the essence of a salvation narrative with a simple example:
'Aah! I was originally the daughter of a noble family, but due to the machinations of evil people, my family fell, and I was sold to a slave trader.'
'If you hadn't helped me, I would have become a demon, filled with hatred for all humanity, serving as a minion for the Demon King's army, leading to the worst bad ending. (Point 1)'
'But thanks to your help, I escaped the bad ending route, discovered unknown talents, and awakened to a much stronger existence. (Point 2)'
'You didn't spare any effort or sacrifice for a mere slave like me. You were wounded and bled. You could have ignored me like everyone else. You could have just walked away. Why did you do so much for someone like me? (Point 3)'
'Being with you, I realized you are inherently such a person. A person who sacrifices themselves to save others. Thus, I will assist you from behind. Even if it costs me everything. (Point 4)'
Of course, this cliché has many variations. Just like popular restaurants attract countless 'original' clones next door.
For example, Point 4 could be changed to 'Being with you, I realized you are kind only to me. You treat only me specially. So, I will dedicate everything to you' instead.
The core point is one: to the saved character, the protagonist holds a value comparable to 'the world itself' or bears the 'weight of the world' alone in place of others.
Thus, the protagonist 'deserves to be praised.'
No matter how much you praise the protagonist's achievements and attitude, it is still not enough. Because the world's misfortune is endless, the protagonist continues to bear that infinite misfortune, constantly getting 'wounded.' (Point 5)
"――So, one of our National Road Management Corps employees, well-versed in genre literature, summarized it for us..."
"Impressive."
If I had met Oh Dok-seo (awakened version) by then, I could have figured it out myself, but the 119th run me was still a bit distant from genre literature.
Noh Do-hwa? She hadn't even watched The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter movies?
We, mere ordinary people, were satisfied with reading the [Analysis of Savior Narrative] report perfectly prepared by our management team.
In short, it was similar to office supervisors who, reading a well-summarized report by their subordinates, feel they've mastered a field they've never encountered before, thanks to their superior brains and extensive social experience.
"So the solution is simple."
"Oh, what is it...?"
"Ultimately, it means the person who saved the characters should be 'not so noble,' right? For example, I secretly bully cute fairies or do something petty. This way, the 'Savior Syndrome' won't hold, and the anomaly will lose its effect and disappear."
"Oh..."
"Let's start tormenting fairies today. Then the notion of sanctifying me will quickly collapse, and the anomaly will lose its power."
"Indeed, Awakener Undertaker. Your character is vile, but you grasp anomalies better than anyone. A real scumbag."
"Thank you. I'm still far behind compared to you, Chief."
"Hmmm..."
We confidently praised ourselves, assured of victory.
I reiterate, Noh Do-hwa and I were not experts in genre conventions.
Yet, we were the authorities governing the yin and yang of the Korean Peninsula. Under normal circumstances, the Saintess, who would have appropriately played the role of a supervisor, had completely lost her mind.
History repeats itself.
The combination of lack of expertise and collapse of absolute power surveillance had been amply demonstrated by humanity over thousands of years.
The tragedy was thus foreordained.
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