Chapter 25 – Prophet II

Chapter 25 – Prophet II

[Translator – Jjsecus]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 25 – Prophet II

2

There was a slight issue with following HoneyReader’s journey.

Well, in fact, it was far from being minor. It was a rather significant problem that arose.

It wasn’t a problem caused by me.

[HoneyReader: Great! Tutorial cleared!]

And it wasn’t HoneyReader’s problem either.

Actually, HoneyReader’s skills were not bad for a beginner. Although I provided some modest assistance (of course, I was being modest, in reality, I wasn’t modest at all), HoneyReader broke through Busan Station’s gates in just 48 hours.

For reference, it took me until the 3rd turn to clear Busan Station for the first time.

In other words, what is it? I lived and died in Busan during the first and second turns. I could be said to be a man overflowing with more hometown affection than any other Busan native. If my hometown wasn’t Seoul, I would have lived with a true Busan man certification.

Even when I cleared it in the 3rd turn, it took a whole week. Cutting it in 48 hours like HoneyReader did was truly remarkable.

[HoneyReader: Even though the protagonist helped, you finished this in two days? HoneyReader, what are you? What can’t you do, from fashion to hip-hop to killing monsters. I’m starting to get a little scared of my own existence...]

Let’s overlook her youthful boasting for now.

Actually, by this point, I was curious about what kind of place Busan Station’s large hall was.

It was overflowing with talent to the point where it caused a flood.

‘Koyori with the potential to destroy the world, the unheard-of community operator Seo Gyu, the new Sim Aryeon who thrives on aggro, MacGuffin Uehara Shino, the infinite regressor, me, Doctor Jang. And now, even HoneyReader?’

Truly terrifying.

It was like a talent farming report.

The story of Cho Hanji catching a wild boar while Yeobang played as a civil servant rummaging through official documents was enviable in comparison. Moreover... No, let’s stop this story.

Anyway, HoneyReader’s adventure itself went smoothly.

But if it wasn’t my problem or HoneyReader’s problem, it meant that a third-party outsider had intervened in this cheerful party.

“....?”

That unidentified entity occasionally walked over and glanced in my direction. Every time, they tilted their head and smiled prettily.

I was almost charmed. If I hadn’t learned the fact that this entity smiled just like this even when they were about to destroy the world, I might have even confessed right now.

This entity’s name was Koyori.

‘This will be interesting.’

The owner of the crimson flesh.

If we were to classify the genre by tags, it would be something like #brainwashing #perceptionalteration #manipulationofliking #CthulhuMythos, and so on, for this supremely dangerous figure.

That’s right. Somehow, Koyori ended up joining HoneyReader’s party. In fact, since we all belonged to the original members who started at Busan Station’s large hall, this possibility was always there.

To think that in just the early stages, a presence that could make my life into a fun adventure and another that could ruin my life coexisted in one party. Isn’t this ridiculous? Truly, Busan Station’s large hall. What a crazy starting point.

At that moment, a pink-haired figure swayed in front of me.

“Are you Doctor Jang...?”

My heart skipped a beat.

By the way, Koyori was still activating [perception manipulation], [liking manipulation], and [impression brainwashing] in the present tense. Various people were already flocking around her, showering her with flattery and praise.

But amidst pushing away her sycophants who stuck to her claiming their affection, Koyori subtly approached me.

It sent shivers down my spine.

“...What’s the matter?”

One fortunate thing was that at this moment, I was playing the role of the “coolest regressor in the world.”

Facial expressions. Acting out facial expressions.

I relentlessly tried to recall negative emotions such as despair from the scene of the world’s destruction and the betrayal of being left alone by old Scho, the sadness of losing Tang Seorin for the first time... Anyway, I tried my best to conjure up negative emotions.

Thanks to that, my expression became very realistic. Level 5 of realism.

“Oops. No, there’s nothing important. I was just curious about who Doctor Jang is. Why, even when someone died in the large hall or monsters appeared, you remained calm.”

Was this girl spying on me?

If my heart had sweat glands, cold sweat would have been pouring down. Just as there’s a saying in martial arts to beware of old men and children, there was always a warning sign in my life to beware of pink-haired individuals.

I decided to show a little more realism. Level 6 of realism.

“I’m not interested in you. So you should lose interest in me too.”

“Do you like Shirley Temple? It’s my favorite drink too.”

“....”

Cowardly.

Was this the power of [perception manipulation]?

To effortlessly and naturally try to raise the liking level on this side.

But I, Doctor Jang, was not such an easy person. Honestly, my heart fluttered slightly, but I interpreted it as a sign of impending heart attack. What I meant was, if left alone, it would go out of rhythm.

I couldn’t help it. Level 7 of realism!

“Annoying. Buzz off.”

“Hmm.”

Hmm? Did this guy just wink at me?

“Do you realize you haven’t looked at me once while talking to me?”

“Noisy. Don’t you understand the meaning of ‘go away’? Or are you ignoring me? If it’s the former, you’re ignorant; if it’s the latter, you’re foolish.”

“Doctor, you’re an interesting person.”

“....”

“Take care. My name is Koyori. Feel free to call me Yori.”

With that said, Koyori walked away first. She hummed a tune, leaving her shadow behind.

Well, I wasn’t sure about that, but at least Oh Dokseo clearly had a talent for controlling her expression. While she might have been freaking out inside, she calmly chewed gum on the outside.

We entered a neighborhood cafe with a sign that said ‘[We will be closed until August 20th due to unavoidable circumstances].’

Today was October 25th.

The inside of the store was neatly organized. I carefully sat down, thinking about the owner who couldn’t tidy up his mind even though he tidied up the store.

“Alright... What’s up?”

Oh Dokseo looked at me with an indifferent face, but with determined eyes, and at the same time, with a fearful heart.

I turned off my [Poisonous Tongue] for a moment. It wasn’t a suitable skill for serious person-to-person conversations.

“First, I advise you not to be too surprised.”

“Huh? What on earth are you trying to say?”

“Let’s get straight to the point. Oh Dokseo. I know the fact that you’ve read the novel that you consider to be the original of this world.”

“...”

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

The wall clock, still in good working order as its gears turned smoothly, unfortunately didn’t contain a cuckoo.

Oh Dokseo’s mouth gaped open.

“Huh?”

“By the way, the way I’m speaking right now is deliberately imitating your style to make it more comfortable for you. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to return to my original tone. This, surprisingly, is quite uncomfortable.”

“...Wait, wait, wait! Hold on a second! Just a moment!”

Oh Dokseo exclaimed as if screaming.

“Novel? What novel? I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Well, of course, it’s the omniscient perspective of a Regressor that you claim to have read. You may not know, but I have an ability called [Poisonous Tongue]. It converts the surface consciousness of the other person into language and communicates it to the user.”

“Huh? No way, such an ability... wasn’t in the original story at all... Oh.”

Oh Dokseo blinked.

“...Was that a coerced interrogation just now?”

“No. It’s real. I also know very well that you half-treated me as a psychopath in your mind.”

“I-I didn’t do anything like that?”

Despite her trembling voice, Oh Dokseo staunchly claimed her innocence. It was a shameless act that hinted at the qualities of a politician.

10 minutes later.

We had a conversation to dispel each other’s misunderstandings, or more precisely, Oh Dokseo’s unilateral misunderstandings. During the exchange, Oh Dokseo showed a variety of facial expressions.

She sighed in disappointment.

“No... This is a scam.”

“A scam?”

“Usually in novels, Regressors don’t uncover the secrets of the protagonist... Oh, here, by protagonist, I mean me. Anyway, the protagonist is hiding. But what’s this? Being exposed from the moment I was summoned to Busan Station... It’s not novel grammar!”

“I’m sorry, but the world isn’t a novel.”

“But until a moment ago, it was a novel to me!”

Oh Dokseo slammed the table.

“And what’s with that tone! Where did Doctor Jang, who would kill anyone if they stepped out of line go?”

“Well, honestly, from my perspective, it’s been too long ago. Imagine hearing something like ‘You were such a good kid at 5 years old’ when you’re 50. Can you empathize?”

“What? That much?”

“That much.”

“Exactly which turn is it from your perspective right now?”

“Turn 555.”

“Five hundred and fifty-five turns?”

Oh Dokseo exclaimed, sounding like a cuckoo from the wall clock.

“What’s that! What’s with that number! Not 55 turns, but 555 turns? I mean, even if the Ten Clans were strong, couldn’t they be killed by the 555th turn? Who are you? You’re at the level of dereliction of duty!”

“Oh, the Ten Clans aren’t the final boss, you know. In fact, they’re the weakest.”

Oh Dokseo’s expression turned crestfallen.

“...So you’re saying the Ten Clans, who wiped out the Third Thousand Guild Leader Grand Witch Tang Seorin like fried chicken, are the weakest?”

“These days, I’m grilling them like skewers.”

“Seriously? ... Wait a minute. Doctor Jang. So how old are you exactly now?”

Hmm.

I responded somewhat defensively.

“Age is meaningless to a Regressor.”

“No, no, no. It’s definitely not meaningless. Let’s see. Even if we roughly calculate 10 years per turn... 5,550 years?”

“......”

I invoked my right to remain silent.

It’s not that I had nothing to say; it’s just that if I said it, it would lead to a more disadvantageous outcome for me. For example, the fact that you need to take a higher average than 10 years per turn.

Oh Dokseo, looking at my expression, was shocked.

“What! You’re like a really old man!”

“......”

“It’s unbelievable. The protagonist, who I thought was so cool, turns out to be an old man!”

The moment Oh Dokseo decided to call me ‘old man’, I felt a little down.

Naughty girl.

You’ll get old like me someday, too, you know.

[Translator – Jjsecus]

[Proofreader – Gun]