Chapter 156

The Strategist VIII

"Wait! Hold on, Mister!"

Oh Dok-seo screamed.

"If this keeps up, all our Outer God-class forces will become ordinary! Aren't we screwed?"

"Hmm."

Witnessing the same cliché, I thought of 'Vegeta,' while Oh Dok-seo thought of 'ordinary.' A good example of how otaku perceptions change over generations. Unfortunately, it wasn't the right time to discuss the 'images and symbols' of subculture.

In real-time, the students of Baekhwa Girls' High School (Night Class) were getting trounced by the Infinite Metagame.

- Hik, hik, hik, hik!

- Do you want purple toilet paper? Do you want purple toilet paper?

- Koong... Koong......

In the 16-bit low-resolution realm unfolded by the Infinite Metagame, darkly dotted NPCs respawned and attacked the ghosts of Baekhwa Girls' High School.

They were 'Necromancer' NPCs. Clad in gloomy robes, wielding bizarrely twisted staffs, and adorned with delicate candle decorations that were too weak to serve as proper lighting. Their very existence screamed "outcast," a vibe that even 16-bit graphics couldn't hide.

- Hehe, the world is full of specters.

- I shall capture and use them!

- Kongkong ghost? I'll hang it on the grandfather clock as an alarm sound. The sound of a head smashing is delightful.

The ghosts were in utter panic. Although recent MZ generation necromancers were known to attend academies, date, and spend lavishly as diamond-spoon heirs, in the RPG world, the perception of necromancers was still at the lowest tier, alongside thieves.

Despite this, the ghosts of Baekhwa Girls' High School were a close-knit, lively group. They were utterly powerless against the necromancer NPCs' vengeful black magic.

"You bastards!"

Cheon Yo-hwa, an awakener who once claimed to be the original necromancer of the Korean Peninsula, was furious.

"Stop bullying my friends!"

Wham! Cheon Yo-hwa dashed forward at full speed and kicked a necromancer's head. In the battlefield where both NPCs and ghosts had devolved to 16-bit, Cheon Yo-hwa alone flaunted high-definition realistic graphics. Despite being in a human body, and even under the 'weakened former enemy' cliché debuff, Cheon Yo-hwa was still Cheon Yo-hwa. Red aura flew in all directions, and the 16-bit blood of NPCs scattered. Cheon Yo-hwa quickly decimated the group of necromancers.Cheêck out latest novels at novelhall.com

- D-Demon King!

"Huh?"

- The Demon King has appeared!

As the necromancers shouted, a blue wing flapped in the sky.

[The Admin of the Infinite Metagame points out that the Infinite Void is slaughtering humans on behalf of monsters.]

[Activates the 'Demon King's Appearance' cliché, along with the 'Humanity's Alliance to Subdue the Demon King' cliché.]

Bzzzzt!

New NPCs appeared in the Infinite Metagame's realm. Despite the downgraded graphics, their unique characteristics were unmistakably clear. They were 'Priest' and 'Saintess' NPCs.

- Behold the despicable acts of the Demon King!

- Necromancers have strayed from the path of righteousness, but they are still human. They cannot be compared to monsters inherently inhuman.

- O God! Help us!

Following the black magic necromancers, white magic priests simultaneously launched long-range holy spells at Cheon Yo-hwa.

Cheon Yo-hwa screamed.

“Hikyaaaah!”

She had every right to scream. The parts hit by the holy spells devolved from realistic graphics to 16-bit graphics. Cheon Yo-hwa's right arm and left leg were buzzing, their resolution dropping.

Even the core of the Infinite Void was starting to be corrupted by the Infinite Metagame.

"Sunbae! Sunbaaeeee!"

Cheon Yo-hwa called out desperately for my help while dodging the long-range attacks. The holy magic's attribute was a terrible match. Wasn't Cheon Yo-hwa aligned with black magic? She was being chased by hundreds, no, thousands of respawned priest NPCs.

Beside me, Oh Dok-seo watched the surreal chase and said nervously.

"Shouldn't we help her, Mister?"

"Well, if I step in, I could easily sweep away the NPCs. But the main enemy in this subjugation battle is the Infinite Metagame. If I get caught up in that bastard’s play and hit by a 'cliché,' it'll put us at a disadvantage."

"Oh."

"The high priests of the temple were the masterminds behind the necromancers! When necromancers captured spirits, the high priests took credit for it, and in return, they gave the necromancers various privileges!"

- Is that true, priest?

- Nonsense! That can't be true!

"It can't be true? In stories, there's a 99% chance that high priests are corrupt! I bet at least one cardinal is possessed by a demon!"

- What?

- How could that be...?

[The Admin of the Infinite Metagame accepts the apostle’s claim.]

[The clichés 'Corruption of High Priests,' 'The Dark Secret Behind the Temple’s Leadership,' and 'Demon Summoning by Priests’ have been activated.]

- How did she know? Hehe. Now that we’re exposed, we’ll offer you all as sacrifices!

- Kyaaaah! The cardinal has gone mad!

Tens of thousands of NPCs (the number had increased again) started fighting amongst themselves. The hotel's back garden had long been turned into a battlefield. A religious war had erupted in the dead of night.

Then.

"...Oh. I'm getting stronger again."

Cheon Yo-hwa's right arm and left leg were restored to normal.

"Take this."

- Aaaagh! The Demon King has revived!

Without hesitation, Cheon Yo-hwa turned around and smashed the priests' heads again. Seeing her selectively target 'somewhat sinister-looking' corrupt priests, Cheon Yo-hwa seemed to have grasped the situation roughly.

The Infinite Metagame was once again cornered. It had few options left.

[The Admin of the Infinite Metagame points out that although there may be faults on the human side, monsters also have many flaws.]

[Monsters have also slaughtered countless lives.]

[The cliché 'There are no good or bad sides, only power struggles' has been activated.]

Now it was relativism!

This was a classic escape route in works dealing with good and evil. By adopting a relativistic view, all disputes were dismissed, ensuring victory in every debate.

The situation reached a stalemate again. The Infinite Metagame was likely looking for a chance to flee, suggesting a draw. But we couldn't let the devious Outer God that manipulated clichés from behind escape.

'Saintess.'

I moved my lips. The Saintess, who must have been observing the battle while stopping time occasionally, decoded my silent message. The message was relayed from me to the Saintess, then from the Saintess to Oh Dok-seo. Reading my intent, Oh Dok-seo shouted immediately.

"Monsters kill lives, and humans kill lives! No matter which race or land, the world is full of tragedy!"

Thus, it was effectively a statement from me, the Saintess, and Oh Dok-seo simultaneously.

"If the world is just tragedy and life is only suffering, then, I ask, what kind of existence is a 'god' in such a world!"

There was a pause. The tens of thousands of NPCs, the ghosts who were fighting valiantly but being overwhelmed by sheer numbers, all stopped. The 16-bit anomalies that mimicked human expressions, thus emphasizing the uncanny valley, all paused.

Oh Dok-seo, bearing the inorganic gazes of tens of thousands of eyes, swallowed and pointed to the sky.

"If the world is evil, doesn't that mean the god who allowed such evil is at fault?"

Exactly. The Infinite Metagame had made a mistake.

In reality, relativism might work to some extent. But what if a 'god' clearly existed? Especially if that god openly declared, 'The world is inherently evil, and only power struggles are legitimate.'

"Why should we serve such a god as our deity?"

The Infinite Metagame might have thought it had made the best move, but it had actually made the worst blunder.

"We have no reason to endlessly kill and be killed! The true enemy to be subdued is the god who imposed this hell upon us! Our only enemy is the Evil God!"

Following Oh Dok-seo's vehement declaration, all humans and anomalies looked up to the sky in unison. There, the blue butterfly hovered.

[The Admin of the Infinite Metagam accepts the apostle’s claim.]

[The cliché 'The true final boss was the god' has been activated.]

Footnotes:

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