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HELHEIM SCANS
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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.
-Mongolia: If there are car wheels in the village, everyone smaller than those wheels dies. (1 year ago)
-Italy: The Black Plague is rampant. (2 years ago)
-France: Shadows swarm and kill people every time the church bells ring. Their clothes are strange. (4 years ago)
-UK: Somewhere, the fumes don’t stop, and the sky has been pitch black for five years. Is it clear elsewhere? Atlantis has risen in the Atlantic. (4 years ago)
-Nepal: Too much snow is falling. (5 years ago)
-Palau: Kyaaahoooo! I survived! Only my house remains! (5 years ago)
The emergency page only occasionally saw posts. At its worst, it could go over a year in complete silence.
It couldn’t be helped.
To access SG Net, you first had to be an awakened one. On top of that, you had to have heard rumors about “some site called SG Net.” You’d need the patience to endure endless loading screens and, of course, a smartphone.
The problem was that smartphones and other electronics were easily contaminated by anomalies, making them akin to time bombs.
‘No wonder it’s hard to access.’
In reality, most survivor groups around the world had developed a Luddite-like aversion to electronic devices.
Even if someone knew about SG Net, they’d probably just dismiss it as a “cursed site.”
It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
‘How unfortunate. If only the prophets, who supposedly exploded right after I regressed, were still alive, we could’ve cooperated on these finer details...’
What could I do? Even if it was a doomed game where my teammates quit at the start, I had to carry it to the end.
Then, one day. It happened during turn 669.
-Russia: I know a way to establish long-distance communication. (1 year ago) (new!)
A post appeared on the emergency page that had never been seen before.
2
A regressor must have patience.
Even if it feels like nothing changes and everything repeats endlessly, a small breeze of change will inevitably come—if you don’t give up.
-Russia: I know a way to establish long-distance communication. (1 year ago) (new!)
For example, this post.
The wind that blew from the frozen tundra of Russia arrived after I had perfectly sealed the "Ice Age" anomaly.
Thus, the following inference could be made:
‘In previous turns, they must’ve died in the Ice Age. But in this turn, they survived and accessed SG Net.’
This was why a regressor needed to meddle everywhere like a professional busybody.
Without the meddling instinct that saved the tutorial’s noisy guy, there would be no SG Net. Without the desire to smack the face of a villain who constantly disrupted the forum, there would be no Saintess in the north.
A regressor’s life was like that. Even if 99% of the incidents they meddled in bore no fruit, the remaining 1% could bloom into an unimaginable bounty in the future.
And the new posts on the emergency page were enough to trigger my busybody instincts.
-Russia: I know a way to establish long-distance communication. (1 year ago)
-A Chinese friend told me about this site. However, since it might be run by a anomaly, I won’t detail the "long-distance communication method."
-If true "emergency rescue" is possible, come to Naryan-Mar (Нарьян-Ма́р).
- When you see the city from afar, find the most noticeable pillar and come to it.
- If you can't find your way, just remember that people once lived here.
- From the frozen city.
As soon as I read it, my instincts as a regressor whispered:
"This has a high chance of being real."
The message contained no long-winded explanations about the sender's situation, no exaggerations—just the information necessary for the recipient.
A tone that conveyed: if you understand the value of "long-distance communication," come; if not, don’t bother.
It was the typical speech style of a survivor, someone who had let go of expectations about the world but still cast their fishing line, not neglecting even the slightest chance.
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I immediately contacted the administrator.
"Seo Gyu, can you trace where this post was uploaded from? Was it really written in Russia?"
"Oh, yes. Hold on... Yep, it's from the far north. Took 11 months to upload the post, brother."
11 months.
A period of time in which survival on a land swallowed by the void could never be guaranteed, but I quickly packed my gear. Even if the sender had died during those 11 months, I could move faster in the next turn.
“I'm heading to Russia for a bit.”
“…You know, no one in these times says they’ll just ‘pop over’ to a place that far, except you, brother….”
I set off north.
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.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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