Chapter 232

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 232: Firestarter I

1

This had been mentioned briefly before, but let's bring it up again: SG Net was the only internet community in Korea.

It wasn’t the "only one in the world."

Was it because there were ubiquitous talents like Seo Gyu on other continents as well? No, that wasn't the reason.

It was simply that the world of the Net created by Seo Gyu wasn't as vast as it seemed.

“Ugh. No matter how much I try, the internet speed doesn’t improve in remote areas, brother...”

“You’re telling me.”

The term "ubiquitous" originally meant “existing everywhere simultaneously,” but in truth, Seo Gyu wasn’t that omnipotent.

His reach extended across the Korean Peninsula.

That was as far as the Wi-Fi worked without issues.

The internet worked quite well in Shandong, China, and Kyushu, Japan, but beyond that, the speed dropped significantly.

Of course, it was possible to connect from the other side of the world—technically. For example, if someone in the Uyuni Salt Flat wanted to open a post, they’d probably be staring at the loading screen for over a year.

Me, Doctor Jang—I may have lost my memory, but I was born with the heart and soul of a Korean.

When it came to internet speed, I took it more seriously than any other people. I continuously tried to upgrade Seo Gyu’s abilities over countless turns, trying to establish a 5G network across the entire globe.

The result?

“I’m sorry, brother. The Saintess increases her range just by training her aura, but I’m still stuck in the same place...”

Complete failure. Utter defeat.

Seo Gyu’s growth had been different from the Saintess from the very beginning.

“There’s no need to apologize. Instead of expanding the internet speed range, you’ve developed the ability to implement various systems in the community.”

“Hmm. But it’s still frustrating.”

Right.

To put it in perspective, Seo Gyu leveled up by unlocking features like [Community UI Design Enhancement], [Image Upload Access], [Video Upload Access], and [Chat Room Creation].

He improved in quality rather than quantity.

I patted Seo Gyu’s shoulder.

“Wisdom lies in finding a balance between ambition and satisfaction. You and the Saintess are just headed in different directions, but both of you have great abilities. Don’t beat yourself up.”

“Hmm. Yes, sir.”

“Instead of digging into that, how about we go hit the gym together?”

“Ah, sounds good! I’ll drag Aryeon along too!”

That day, Sim Aryeon lost 10 mL of tears but gained 1g of muscle.

These days, awakened ones who relied solely on their aura without physical strength—this guild leader would not tolerate such a mindset.

In conclusion, spreading the blessings of [Ubiquitous] to all of humanity was no easy task.

That’s why no foreign members had ever appeared on SG Net whenever it was mentioned.

To make up for that, we had set up a page like this:

――――――――――

[※Urgent Rescue Request for All Humanity※]

[Notice: This page appears when accessed outside the Korean Peninsula]

1. Report your situation.

2. Avoid attaching images or videos when writing a post. The smaller the file size, the better.

3. Do not turn off your smartphone until the loading screen disappears. If the power cuts off during loading, your post will not be uploaded.

4. If you want to request help, please specify the location and time as precisely as possible.

5. We may not be able to respond to rescue requests from Pacific island nations, the Association of Small Island States, Oceania, North America, South America, or the British Isles. We sincerely apologize.

6. Even if it seems too late, please describe the situation you experienced if possible. It may serve as valuable data for future generations.

――――――――――

An urgent rescue request for all humanity.

In short, it was a 119 center for Earth’s people.

It was translated into every language I could understand—English, French, Spanish, Chinese, and so on.

Awakened individuals in Korea who were casually enjoying the community couldn’t access it. In fact, very few even knew that such an emergency page existed.

Perhaps that was why.

The name “Naryan-Mar” means “Red City.” As you can probably guess, it was a planned city during the Soviet era, initially established as a settlement for coal workers.

Later, the region saw a boom in oil production, making it a fairly prosperous area.

By the way, Naryan-Mar was the 44th stop for the Olympic torch relay in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. From this point, it was already possible to speculate that the curse of the number "4" had descended.

"Oh."

As I approached the north, crossing vast voids, the meaning behind the Russian survivor's post became instantly clear.

- When you see the city from afar, find the most noticeable pillar and come to it.

In the middle of a snow-covered wilderness.

Amidst a sea of white, where the horizon and sky were indistinguishable, a dark "column" of smoke was rising.

That was the pillar the author of the message had mentioned.

No signs of human presence were visible anywhere, but that smoke column unmistakably forced attention, a remnant of civilization.

"Impressive visibility, even after 11 months. Is the sender still alive?"

I hurried my steps.

...Surprisingly, I still had to travel 1,000 kilometers to reach the source of the smoke, the "Red City."

To see the smoke from this far, it must be the work of the sender's abilities, I thought.

When I finally reached the area near the smoke, I saw a middle-aged man feeding reindeer.

"Hmm?"

Sensing my presence, the man turned around. His eyebrows, dusted white with snow, registered surprise.

He immediately put down the feeding trough and pulled out a crossbow. However, he didn’t point it at me—he just held it still.

“Who are you? Are you human?”

“I am.”

I replied in Russian.

The man didn’t lower his guard. Nearby, the reindeer softly crunched through the snow.

“Only those who aren’t human claim to be. There’s no one living in the direction you came from.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions just because the Earth is a loop. That is, assuming flat Earth theory hasn’t made a comeback.”

“Flat... what?”

“You posted something on SGNet, didn’t you?”

The man’s hand, holding the crossbow, hesitated.

“SGNet? You mean the internet site?”

“Yes. It started uploading a year ago and finished four days ago. I received that report and came all the way from the Korean Peninsula.”

“My God. That site was real?”

The man muttered, looking baffled.

“...Wait a minute. You’re telling me the post went up four days ago, and you made it here from Korea in just four days?”

“That’s correct.”

“No, do you expect me to believe that? I’d sooner believe the site is cursed by anomalies and you’re their envoy.”

“Hm.”

I turned my back to him. It was an instinctive way to show I meant no harm.

Then, I drew my sword and swung it toward the vast, endless snowfield.

Kwarrrrrrrrrr...!

The white land split in two. The ground beneath, long buried under ice and hidden from sunlight, was exposed.

One clean cut. A 10-centimeter-wide canyon suddenly stretched all the way to the horizon.

I sheathed my sword and turned back to face the man.

The crossbow had slipped from his hands. The reindeer scattered in fright.

“As you can see, I am the strongest of the remaining humans.”

“......”

“I’m a bit tired after running non-stop for four days. May I come in as a guest?”

The man’s lips quivered before he looked down at the crossbow, half-buried in snow. He picked it up and slung it over his shoulder.

“...A rare guest indeed. Follow me.”

It turned out that aura could solve any problem.

And if it didn’t? Well, then, perhaps you need to ask yourself if you have enough aura.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]