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Chapter 121

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Dreamer I

1

Before I knew it, my story had exceeded 120 episodes.

I didn’t count them myself; according to Oh Dokseo, that’s the case.

I’m not sure, but according to Oh Dokseo, the "self-proclaimed web novel expert," the number 120 has some symbolic meaning.

“Got it, mister? Anyway, I need a volume of 120 episodes. You must give me up to 120 episodes without any issues.”

“Why?”

“Because I plan to read them all at once on the platform after stockpiling up to 120 episodes... Ah, damn. Do you even understand if I explain? You said you hadn’t even looked at web novels before the Void Arrival anyway.”

“Hmm.”

“Anyway, 120 episodes! At least 120 episodes are needed. I’m saying this because I have a plan!”

Oh Dokseo nagged at me as if she were my editor. She practically performed the role of an editor.

What can an old and sick person like me do? I have to follow the lead of the young.

However, the method of writing was up to me.

I preferred the traditional way. I wrote my story by hand in a notebook and handed it to Oh Dokseo. Sometimes, I even went more traditional, narrating oral stories instead of writing them down.

When I presented Oh Dokseo with these old traditions lost to the younger generation, she showed a moved expression.

“No... damn. How am I supposed to use this? You need to give me a usable manuscript.”

I was a writer considerate of my editor. So, I answered in a way that matched Oh Dokseo’s intellectual level.

“Not my problem?”

“......”

“Good luck.”

My role was just to tell stories.

That would be problematic if I also had to edit, revise, proofread, and format the stories.

Not because it’s annoying, but because a regressor’s life is busy.

If any errors are found in the officially released story, it’s not my fault. It’s entirely Oh Dokseo’s fault.

How could I, the Doctor Jang with [Perfect Memory], make a mistake?

Among ourselves, if any typos are detected, please blame "Oh Dokseo-sitch." She’s a middle-schooler otaku, but she has a kind personality, so please, everyone, understand with a big heart.

Anyway.

Since 120 episodes is a significant number, it might be good to review the cities of the Korean Peninsula mentioned in my story so far.

Let\'s call it a newly created map in the apocalyptic era.

Here’s the note I handed over to Oh Dokseo while explaining the situation:

――――――――――

[Busan]

Headquarters of the National Road Management Corps.

Food produced through the \'Sword Maiden’ in the Gimhae Plains and Kyushu is stored in Busan. The patrol units of the National Road Management Corps double as caravans, transporting food and supplies from Busan across the nation. Hence, the patrol units are sometimes called ‘Caravans.’

Judicial and military powers in Busan are exercised by the Three Thousand Worlds Guild. The National Road Management Corps and the Three Thousand Worlds are in a blood alliance.

The last hope of the Korean Peninsula. Occasional water and power outages happen, but there’s no problem if you have the romance of rainwater and candlelight. Cheers to you who live today.

- Key figures: Noh Doha, Tang Seorin, Yoo Jiwon, the corpse of Old Scho.

[Daejeon]

A massive refugee city. Most refugees and displaced people in the Korean Peninsula gather here.

Around Daejeon, there are many mutated creatures affected by the Void Poison. Using this ecosystem, Daejeon produces its own food. However, the safety of the food is not guaranteed at all.

The city is practically controlled by the Great Satisfaction Society Guild, which is believed to be led by the pink-haired one. If you’re not afraid for your life, please visit and enjoy the city\'s sights.

- Key figure: Voldemort.

[Sejong]

One of the two sacred cities on the Korean Peninsula, along with Pyongyang. A county for, by, and of Cheon Yohwa.

The city is strongly controlled by the Baekhwa Guild, composed of alumni from Baekhwa Girls’ High School.

Originally, the members of the Baekhwa Guild were children from families that believed in the pseudo-religion Cheonilgyo, and they still worship Cheon Yohwa. Although Cheon Yohwa herself detests such pseudo-religions, the way the city is run looks like the headquarters of a cult.

If you’re tired of living in the apocalypse, come to Sejong and curse Cheon Yohwa. Recommended phrase: "Isn\'t it a bit weird to keep wearing school uniforms as is?" You can take a biology class to rediscover how many organs your body has.

- Key figure: Cheon Yohwa.

[Seoul]

The front line. Everything south of the Han River is devastated. It boasts the lowest housing prices on the Korean Peninsula.

A defense line is formed to block the monsters constantly coming from the north. All bridges except for Jamsu Bridge and Seongsu Bridge have been destroyed for security reasons.

Originally, my hideout was in Seoul, but since the Inunaki Tunnel was modified, Cheon Yohwa\'s Baekhwa Guild has been defending Seoul.

If you’re an old-generation person who still wants a Han River view, I highly recommend it. However, note that it comes with a monster view as well.

- Key figure: The Saintess.

――――――――――

Other cities like Jeju, Naju, and Pyongyang haven’t been covered in my story yet, so I’ll skip them.

“Oh? Mister.”

When you organize it like this and unfold the map, you might think like Oh Dokseo.

“Isn’t it more doable than you’d think?”

“Hmm.”

"Food production is stable, and the forces centered around Busan are running smoothly. Plus, you said Cheon Yohwa follows you a lot. So, saving the world... might be too much, but saving the Korean Peninsula should be totally doable, right?"

"Well..."

Sorry, but things aren\'t that easy.

You all probably witnessed Daejeon disappearing overnight in the last episode.

Let me reiterate this once again.

This world hates humans.

2

First of all, we need to point out that maps created when the world was still normal are no longer of any use.

That\'s because this world is seriously committed to screwing humanity over.

Accidents like the following occur quite frequently if the National Road Management Corps sends out a patrol caravan without proper caution.

- Ah, this is bad. By now, we should have reached Daejeon. Why does it feel like we\'re just going in circles?

- Captain, this is serious. We\'ve been wandering around this area for 14 days already. Even if we post on SGNet, there are no comments...

- 14 days? What are you talking about, sub-captain? It\'s only been 4 days.

- What?

Missing. Disappearing. Vanishing.

Clearly, they were only crossing the distance of two bus stops, but it took more than half a month in terms of time.

They thought they were walking on a path, but suddenly they found themselves heading towards the bottom of a pond.

Where a river should flow, a rock salt mine springs up, and where a mountain should be, a vast lake stretches to the horizon.

A literal maze.

The world devoured by the void is a massive labyrinth, a Labyrinthos.

In such a world, my role is breaking through the labyrinth. In Greek mythology, it would be like Theseus traversing the maze and grilling the Minotaur into a steak.

"Doctor Jang, sir."

"Huh? What is it?"

"Patrol unit 21 has been stationary on my map for 3 hours now."

"Not moving at all?"

"No."

"What about the telegraph pole? The wires?"

"They seem to be cut. The reports that used to be posted regularly on SGNet have stopped since 180 minutes ago."

"Ah... They’re trapped in the void again. I told you, sending patrol units near Daejeon always causes problems. Saintwaa? Are you listening?"

[Yes.]

"Send a message to Patrol Unit 21 in the name of the Constellation. Tell them not to panic and wait where they are. A rescue team will be there soon."

[Are you going to check it out yourself?]

"Yes, I need to repair the wires if they’re cut."

[Understood.]

With Yoo Jiwon\'s \'Mini-map\' and the Saintess\'s \'Telepathy,\' I managed to connect the cities in this treacherous apocalypse somehow.

Although I couldn\'t dream of dominating areas, I could hope for line-based control.

And of course, besides the Saintess and Yoo Jiwon, many talented individuals were assisting the National Road Management Corps.

"Hayul."

"Hmm?"

"The wires are cut again. Let’s go lay the thread."

If Theseus was to traverse the labyrinth, he needed Ariadne.

Puppeteer Hayul.

This kid, who spun puppet strings like a spider, was also an indispensable talent in managing the roads of the Korean Peninsula.

3

As I ran with Hayul on my back, I quickly found Patrol Unit 21 huddled in the middle of a forest.

It seemed a significant amount of time had passed since they were bewitched by the void; the members looked utterly worn out.

"Ah...! Doctor Jang!"

The captain of the patrol unit recognized me, and his face lit up. Although my official title within the National Road Management Corps changed with each episode, the members always treated me with utmost respect.

"You came!"

"Yes. Everyone, you’ve worked hard."

I took out Hayul and some chocolate from my backpack. Hayul wandered off on her own, while I distributed the chocolate to the unit members.

"How many days have you been stranded?"

"By my count, it’s the 15th day today. However, the days each member perceives are different, so it’s not accurate."

"You’re thoroughly bewitched. What about the sun?"

"According to the instructions, I observed the direction. On the 1st day, it was south, the 2nd day, it was east, the 3rd day, it was north, and so on. The direction of the sunrise changed daily."

"The moon?"

"I always saw one moon, but one of the members testified seeing three moons once."

"Are there any missing members?"

"No. We moved in groups of three."

Of course, that couldn’t be true.

With the sun and moon corrupted to such an extent by the void, the likelihood of all members returning safely was extremely slim.

Upon checking, the patrol unit, which should have consisted of 24 members, had reduced to 21. However, the remaining members had no awareness or memory of the three missing ones.

I sighed deeply.

\'At this rate, I’ll really have to clear a separate path near Daejeon.\'

At that moment, Hayul looked at me. She busily moved his tiny hands.

-Found. Broken place.

It was sign language.

Normally, Hayul had a maid puppet that she carried around, which spoke in her place, but we had left in such a hurry this time that we didn\'t bring the maid.

Still, the two of us communicated well through sign language. Sometimes, we even chatted in Japanese Sign Language instead of Korean.

"Where?"

-Here.

Swoosh—

As Hayul gestured with a golden aura, a thin puppet thread emerged from the ground. The thread was snapped in the middle.

Telegraph wire.

The puppet threads that Hayul spun were not only used for the security of the guild\'s hideout. Like this, the threads were laid underground along the roads the National Road Management Corps used.

Hayul\'s puppet threads exhibited performance close to room-temperature superconductors when infused with aura. If one was adept at handling aura, sending Morse code through the wires was possible.

Above all, the "telegraph wire" was indeed like Ariadne\'s thread for the patrol units.

In the void, constellation phenomena and compasses were easily rendered useless. In such a maze, Hayul\'s puppet threads were the "only objective indicator."

Hayul and I only buried the puppet threads along the safest routes.

In other words, the moment the puppet threads were cut for any reason, the survival rate of the patrol units drastically dropped.

"Why do you think it got cut?"

-I don\'t know. Presumed to be the work of a monster dwelling underground.

"Sigh... I’ve lost count of how many times this has happened near here. I might really have to abandon the Daejeon route and only send people through the Sejong route."

-Is that okay?

"Doing so will further isolate Daejeon and accelerate its voidification, but there\'s no other way. For now, let\'s re-lay the telegraph wire. This time, bury it a bit deeper underground."

-Okay.

Threads flowed from under Hayul\'s fingernails. The puppet threads descended, slicing through the ground like it was cake.

Thud—

Meanwhile, I brought and planted a utility pole. Utility poles were easy to find anywhere in the country and served well as markers indicating ‘there are telegraph wires underground here.’

The repair work was quickly finished. However, the truly important rescue operation was just beginning.

"Team Leader Park."

"Yes, Doctor Jang."

"Take your team and head to Sejong. I have some business to attend to around here, and I\'ll join you once it\'s done."

"Understood. Thank you!"

The patrol caravan moved.

If this were after the 380th turn, Sharp and Bouncy would have acted as wagons, but unfortunately, this incident took place in the 205th turn. The patrol members pulled their carts and departed.

"Alright. Let’s handle this quickly and head back. Hayul, hop on."

-Okay.

Hayul leaped onto my back like a sloth. With the unique gait of a regressor, I swiftly searched the surrounding area.

From behind, Hayul stretched out her hand, signing with her fingers.

-Fun. Fun. Fun.

"...."

This kid enjoyed riding on my back. According to her, it felt like riding a roller coaster.

Anyway, after searching for an entire hour, I couldn\'t find any of the missing members.

Just when I thought I might have to give up and return, something that shouldn\'t be seen in the desolate void came into view.

-Brother. Over there.

"...Yeah. I see it too."

I stopped in my tracks.

[DREAM CASINO]

A neon sign with a mix of pink and red hues was shining brightly. Busan experienced daily blackouts even out of boredom, so I wondered where they got the electricity to power that.

"A casino...?"

...It seemed the missing patrol members had turned into gamblers.