[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 200
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The Wicked One III
4
Have you ever heard of the term “the paradox of reading”? Of course, you haven’t, because I made it up.
As mentioned in this episode, Oh Dokseo of the 888th turn had fallen into an unprecedented slump. Relying on AI to do her thinking because she couldn’t write? In all of literary history, finding someone as disgraceful as “Author Oh Dokseo” would be as difficult as getting Seo Gyu to speak without using profanity.
But what if we were talking about “Awakened Oh Dokseo”?
“Mister.”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to Seoul for a bit.”
A 7-year hiatus.
The readers of SGnet fell into grief and despair, and Oh Dokseo was declared a public enemy in the world of martial arts.
Whenever the “Literature Girl” appeared on the SGnet forum, readers would rush in to curse together, bonding over their shared animosity.
Oh Dokseo responded by displaying the typical cliché of a protagonist in a martial arts novel targeted as a public enemy.
She had truly “awakened.”
“Why Seoul all of a sudden?”
“Just going to raid Sauron’s Tower lightly.”
“...That place is pretty tough, you know?”
“Even better.”
Oh Dokseo. Hobby: Void hunting.
With the casualness of someone going for a stroll, Oh Dokseo left the Inunaki Tunnel and actually returned after single-handedly destroying a Great Void.
“Agh. There were rumors of One Piece treasure in Sauron’s Tower loot, but it was all a lie.”
“.......”
“Ahh-. After crushing a Void, there’s nothing like sipping an espresso made by you, Mister. That’s what life is all about, I think.”
“Oh Dokseo.”
“Yes?”
“That coffee cup is expensive, so please don’t use your aura carelessly. If it breaks, I won’t be able to replace it.”
“Ah-! Sorry, sorry, Mister. I’ve been running my protective aura 24/7 lately. I’m not as used to it as you are, so I’m a bit clumsy!”
“No....... You’re really doing well. I’m sure you can guarantee a win against Cheon Yohwa.”
“Hey! I’m not that good yet! Hehe.”
As Oh Dokseo grinned widely, a blood-red aura shimmered and fluttered around her entire body in real-time.
It was the very essence of Conqueror's Haki.
I felt as if I’d heard that a friend who signed up for the gym to take care of their health suddenly entered the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition.
Several guild members discreetly exited in the presence of that overwhelming aura.
“...Guild Master, I’ll be leaving first.......”
“...Oppa. Bye.”
Even Sim Aryeon, who used to mock Oh Dokseo at every turn a few years ago, couldn’t meet her gaze now.
The survival instinct had kicked in, warning her that she might die if she provoked her.
Hayul was the same. Both of them trembled like small, cute creatures.
Oh Dokseo, on the other hand, glanced at the two retreating women and let out a “hmph” of disdain. Despite the obvious mockery, Sim Aryeon and Lee Hayul didn’t dare to retaliate and fled even more pitifully.......
I looked up at the ceiling and sighed.
‘How did it come to this?’
It wasn’t like this from the start.
-Mister. I’m going to the Void.
-The Void? All of a sudden?
-Yes. I think what I lack as a writer right now is overwhelming experience.
Seven years ago, Oh Dokseo spoke with determination.
-Only by entering a battlefield where life and death, reason and the anomalies, sunlight and darkness clash violently, can I, as the Literature Girl, finally type away at the typewriter.......
Like many authors, Oh Dokseo was also caught in the misconception that as long as intense “experiences” were input, an equally amazing work would be output.
Oh Dokseo roamed the Voids like a madman. The Great Voids, places no sane person would enter even for a fortune, were places Oh Dokseo willingly sought out.
-If only I could get out of this damn slump! I’d sell my soul!
It was a crazy act that would require more than ten lives, but I was there with her.
Oh Dokseo was the first and most frequent listener of my tales. There was no one else who could be called my direct disciple in the field of the anomalies.
When things got truly dangerous, I’d save her myself, sometimes alerted by the Saintess.
And so,
-Mister.
-Hmm?
-I’m not afraid of the anomalies anymore for some reason.
For some reason, Oh Dokseo, whose muscles had visibly solidified and whose aura had taken on a terrifying hue compared to other turns, declared with a blank expression.
-These days, when I see anomalies, I can’t help but think, “Who do these trashy things think they are to dare challenge a human?”
-.......
Oh Dokseo’s Paradox.
1. When “Author Oh Dokseo” focuses on writing novels based on my tales = She has less time to train herself, so “Awakened Oh Dokseo” becomes weaker.
2. When “Author Oh Dokseo” falls into a slump and doesn’t write much and roams around = “Awakened Oh Dokseo” grows stronger.
And as we’ve seen earlier, Oh Dokseo of the 888th turn had fallen into a record-breaking long-term slump.
In other words?
-Ah. Staying at home is making me restless. My muscles are itching. This won’t do. Mister! Find me a suitable anomaly nearby, and I’ll go beat it up!
-.......
-Last time, I fought an alien anomaly one-on-one and beat it to death, so this time I’ll try fighting two at once!
The longer the hiatus,
as it stretches from 4 years, 5 years, 6 years, to 7 years,
Oh Dokseo’s aura burned more fiercely, like a wildfire.
Even Seo Gyu, who had uncontrollable anger issues, started to avoid Oh Dokseo.
-Hoo.......
At some point, the overwhelming aura that had been overflowing from Oh Dokseo’s entire body vanished without a trace.
It wasn’t that the aura had disappeared.
It had simply been perfectly “contained.”
Oh Dokseo calmly opened her eyes.
-Mister. No, Master.
But when have rational minority opinions ever been adopted in this land?
Besides, the few dissenting voices, who splashed mud during a rare festive atmosphere, were only met with scorn and disregard.
The loyal readers of The Epilogue of the Regressor on SG Net eagerly gathered at Babel Tower Square in Busan.
Monday. 6 AM.
The author appeared at the square as promised.
“Author!”
Fans, who had been camping out at the square since the night before, flocked to the author.
It might seem crazy to cause such a commotion at 6 AM, but the concept of time was quite different in the post-apocalyptic era.
The faces of the modern people, forcibly instilled with a healthy lifestyle, were lively.
“Wow, are you really Literature Girl?”
“I’m a fan! Author!”
“Please shake my hand!”
“......”
The author looked around with a skewed expression.
Standing firmly on two feet, with arms crossed, and wearing an old, worn-out cap, the author observed the twenty-something readers surrounding them.
Standing firmly on the ground with crossed arms, wearing a worn-out cap backward, the author faced a group of around twenty readers.
"Who is your representative?"
"What?"
"The representative who will face me. As promised, today I will duel with one of you."
"Oh..."
"Me! Me, me! Author, pick me!"
A sharp-witted fan quickly raised their hand, proud of their quick reflexes.
The other readers sighed in genuine regret. ‘I could have raised my hand first!’
But why did our author's tone sound so strange? Wasn't it kind of lame? No, our author had always had that charmingly awkward vibe.
"Hmm."
Ignoring what others thought, the author scanned the volunteer from head to toe, chewing gum nonchalantly.
"Nine seconds."
"Huh? What did you say?"
"I'll give you nine seconds. It means I'll allow you to attack nine times first."
"Oh, that. The typical move in martial arts! Haha! Got it!"
The naive fan thought to themselves, ‘Our author is giving me nine chances to hit them! I better go easy, or they'll get upset!’
"Come at me with the intent to kill."
"Haha! Okay! Yiaaah!"
With a shout, the fan leaped forward but only gave the author a light slap on the cheek, as if swatting a mosquito.
Slap.
It was a gentle tap, too mild to be called a real punch. But both the fan who delivered it and the onlookers went wild.
"Ahhhh! They actually hit the author!"
"That's too much!"
"Sorry, author! Eight more to go!"
Click, click.
Everyone was laughing, some taking pictures and videos to upload to SGnet, eagerly anticipating the return of their favorite series after a seven-year hiatus.
"Hmph."
Only the author remained silent.
"Are you done?"
"Yes!"
"Then it's my turn. Here I come."
"Haha, I..."
BOOM!
A thunderous sound echoed.
The fan likely tried to say "yes."
But before finishing this most common Korean word, they were flung so far from the square that their voice couldn't reach back.
The spectators blinked.
"Huh?"
"What?"
The fan was now embedded in the distant building wall, leaving behind a comical "silhouette-shaped" imprint, just like in American cartoons.
A deadly silence fell over the square.
"I didn’t kill them."
The author continued to chew gum.
"I wrapped their body in aura before sending them flying, so nothing should be broken. They probably just fainted from the sheer speed."
"..."
"I won't be so lenient next time. Come back tomorrow."
Pop—the gum balloon burst.
None of the gathered readers knew that the author had meticulously controlled their aura to forcibly inflate a gum bubble that shouldn't have been possible to blow, and then popped it in the most beautiful shape.
Nor did they care to know.
Because they had just learned something too shocking for the human brain to process, causing them to short-circuit.
"The author..."
"Hit a reader?"
"Not just any reader."
"One who waited years for their return and even camped out overnight to see them?"
"And it was..."
"An awakened attacking a regular person?"
"And all because..."
"They simply didn’t want to continue writing the story they’d put on hold for seven years?"
The readers were filled with conflicting emotions.
"Is this..."
"Really a human being?"
The author walked away, the morning sun casting long shadows behind them as it spilled across the horizon.
Her name was Oh Dokseo—
A writer unmatched in martial arts, yet unparalleled in disgrace.
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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