Chapter 7 - The Operator II

"Website operation?"

"Yeeah."

... It was an ability I had never heard of in my life. That was only natural, considering this was the first time Seo Gyu had survived this long, but I had never even heard of anything similar.

"What exactly does it do?"

"Hmm. Apparently, I can let anyone access one specific domain name. Just the one."

My eyes widened.

"What? Anyone? From anywhere?"

"Oh, yes."

In contrast to mine, Seo Gyu's voice grew quieter and quieter, every word thick with dejection. Clearly, he had no idea how valuable his awakened ability was.

"I tried making a website yesterday. But it turns out I need more practice with my ability before I can upgrade it to a decent-looking design. Right now, all I can make is one of those old homepages older people used to use... It's not exactly something I can brag about to the others. It doesn't help in combat at all..."

What was he talking about?

"Would people need your permission to register on this site, by any chance?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. It only looks like a website on the surface. The whole thing is more like a structure built out of my ability. Uh, you could say it reflects my will in real time? Or that it's my will itself? Anyway, my ability just isn't good enough yet, but if I made something like a registration system... Uh. Probably nobody could get in without my permission...?"

I'd struck gold.

Without thinking, I laid a hand on his shoulder. Seo Gyu raised his bowed head, and our eyes met.

"Seo Gyu. Remember how I told you I worked for the National Intelligence Service when we first met?"

"Yes..."

"That was a lie."

"What...?"

"I deliberately fed you that bullshit so you'd have an explanation you could accept. Of course, I did give you the chance to pick out the truth. I'll tell you again: I'm actually a regressor."

"What?"

"Seo Gyu, you're always complaining that everyone in our party is a genius and you're the only late bloomer, right? It's simple. I've regressed about fifty times, and I recruited only awakened who had proven themselves geniuses time and again. But you're a first for me. You were an unscratched lottery ticket. Somehow, you never managed to survive the Busan Station waiting hall in all fifty runs."

"What?"

"From now on, your ability is [Ubiquitous]."

Ubiquitous. A word derived from Latin, meaning to exist regardless of location. It was often used to describe God existing everywhere at once, but what mattered right now was that the expression came from Latin. Latin possesses the magical power to make anything sound cool.

"Most of an ability's appeal comes from its name. Website operation? Community administrator? Mobile network? Forget all that. You're simply Ubiquitous."

"Ubiquitous..."

Sure enough, Seo Gyu began to look intrigued. I smiled gently.

"Seo Gyu. Let's work on something together."

4

I immediately took Seo Gyu to Yongsan. The Saintess welcomed us into her aquarium-like living room, which still left me unsure whether the house was meant for humans or fish—her own underwater temple.

After listening attentively to my entire explanation in silence, she spoke.

"That's incredible."

"Isn't it?"

Just what I expected from the Saintess. She immediately recognized the value of Seo Gyu's ability. Seo Gyu himself, meanwhile, had been staring blankly at her face as though he had no idea what was going on. Only when she turned toward him did he seem to come to his senses and hastily avert his eyes.

"Uh, um. What's so amazing about my ability...?"

"Seo Gyu. Imagine awakened registering on your site. If you make them enter their personal details, all that information goes straight into your hands. You'll also know everything they post on the site."

"Oh... But Boss, would those big shots really bother registering on my site? Especially if they have to provide personal information..."

I nodded.

"They absolutely will."

Not even a year had passed since the gate crisis began. As a result, Seo Gyu, the other awakened, and ordinary people alike remained vaguely optimistic or content to sit back and watch. Being unable to use the internet for a while wasn't going to ruin their lives.

"This world is going to become more and more of a mess."

But once the second year passed, conditions would deteriorate rapidly across the board. Korea's awakened were relatively well-behaved only thanks to the Saintess's 'constellation act' in the first place. Other countries were already showing signs of awakened becoming warlords.

"Seo Gyu. The moment people lose contact with the outside world, they struggle to stay sane. But your site isn't sustained by technology. It's sustained by your awakened ability, Ubiquitous. As long as you're alive, it's a public square anyone can access at any time."

"..."

"The big guilds will recognize its value right away. It gives them a way to contact the outside world even after entering a gate."

"I-I see..."

Seo Gyu nodded uncertainly. His reaction left me no choice but to smile wryly.

In my view, an awakened's ability was ranked according to how far it overcame the constraints of time and space. By that measure, Seo Gyu had awakened an S-rank ability. Here he was holding a rare, precious sword, yet looking bewildered because he couldn't recognize its worth. I wasn't the only one incredulous at the sight; the Saintess was too, beneath her expressionless face.

"Ubiquitous..."

"Hmm?"

Correction. The Saintess was looking at me, not Seo Gyu.

"Is something wrong?"

"... No. I just thought it sounded oddly dated. So that's your taste in names."

"What? Isn't it a cool name?"

"... Indeed."

What a strange reaction. Anyway, Seo Gyu's ability was what mattered right now. I got down to business.

"Seeing is believing, as they say. Now, let's consult with the Saintess here and decide how to put this site together."

"Oh. Um, I look forward to working with you...?"

"Likewise."

Seo Gyu awkwardly shook the Saintess's hand. Fortunately, the awkward atmosphere didn't last long. Not only did we reveal that I was a regressor, we also revealed that the Saintess was actually the person behind the constellations.

A scream rang through the aquarium living room.

"Wha—! Th-the constellations were all fake?"

Seo Gyu seemed shocked. Of course, realizing that the pen pals who had secretly cheered you on through difficult times were all fictional would make anyone's head spin.

"But... Good lord. Saintess, Doctor Boss, what on earth are you two plotting? Are you seriously trying to conquer the world or something...?"

"Now, now. Why are you talking like this has nothing to do with you?"

You were part of our team now, too.

"First, Saintess, please disguise the site itself as a constellation's divine power."

"All right."

"Seo Gyu, you act like you're the operator who took over running the site from that constellation."

"Oh, yes, Boss."

The plan progressed steadily. We pushed ahead with the work, even drinking our precious coffee to keep going. With all three of us sitting at computers and groaning over our tasks, the mysterious underwater temple had turned into a full-fledged internet café.

"An internet café... A fish café. I see."

"...?"

The Saintess turned toward me at my muttering. The look in her eyes was ominous, so I decided to change the subject quickly.

"Saintess, what do you think we should call the site?"

"Its name?"

The change of subject was a success.

"... How about [Apocalypse Gallery]?"

"Hmm. Excellent, but I think the word 'gallery' would remind people too much of one particular website. It doesn't really fit, either, since we'll be running this more like an old members-only site or online café than a gallery. Seo Gyu, what about you?"

"Uh... How about [Viva! The Ruined World!]?"

"Great name, but remember, a constellation supposedly set this site up itself. That sounds too excited. Wouldn't it piss off modern people who've suddenly found themselves fighting monsters?"

"This is hard..."

"Hmm."

Just then, a good idea came to me.

Finally, fifteen days later, we launched the site with great fanfare.

-A playground for the constellations!

-The only safe online community!

-Welcome to SG Net!

5

We settled on SG Net as the site's name. It concealed several meanings.

First, SG was the nickname I'd used before learning Seo Gyu's real name. As luck would have it, 'Seo Gyu' itself also shortened to SG. Finally, since the constellations managed the site, it was 'Seongjwa Net'—Constellation Net. Shortening Seongjwa gave us SG yet again.

Naming sense that went beyond two birds with one stone and aimed for three! Between this and Ubiquitous, perhaps I had a hidden talent for naming things. How could one human being be so versatile? Sometimes I frightened even myself.

"..."

For some reason, the Saintess was looking at me as though she had plenty to say but had decided to keep it to herself. I ignored her. Beside her, Seo Gyu looked gloomy.

"Nobody but us is logging on yet, Boss..."

He stared endlessly at the monitor. Over those fifteen days, Seo Gyu had become fairly accustomed to his ability, and the site had grown a little prettier. Even so, it was barely a hair's breadth beyond the design of an old HiTEL dial-up service.

No matter how much the design improved, it would be meaningless without visitors. Fortunately, we had a marketing tool that was practically free.

"Saintess, please run an ad for us."

The advertising agencies otherwise known as constellations!

"All right."

The Saintess brought her hands together. At that moment, identical messages went out to every awakened active in Korea.

[The 'Nameless Constellation of Unknown Name' manifests its divine power.]

[The 'Nameless Constellation of Unknown Name' invites you!]

She also sent the website address in a message. Seo Gyu watched the monitor in silence, his face tense. Before long, the user count displayed at the top of the site began to grow exponentially.

"Ten... Ninety... T-two hundred. Five hundred? Wow. Just how many awakened are there in Korea...?" Seo Gyu muttered.

But Seo Gyu's surprise could hardly have compared to that of the other awakened visiting SG Net. Even through the monitor, their bewilderment was plain to see. Posts began appearing one after another in the previously empty community.

-Anonymous: Why does this site work fine? Is it an anomaly site? (2)

-Anonymous: I came at my constellation's summons. (0)

-Anonymous: Anyone know who the Nameless Constellation of Unknown Name is? (15)

-Anonymous: Wow, I wasn't the only one who got the message. (1)

Perhaps because the site was known to have been created by a constellation, the users were generally polite. Confused though they were, the awakened posted and replied to one another while waiting to see how things unfolded. The numbers (2) and (15) after the posts indicated the number of comments. For now, though, they were posting under the unregistered username 'Anonymous'—in other words, as nonmembers.

"Seo Gyu. Now."

"Oh, yes, Boss. I'll post it!"

Seo Gyu posted a notice under the registered username 'Operator.' In brief, the notice was simple.

──────────

1. This site can be accessed anytime, anywhere.

2. A constellation whose name cannot be revealed created SG Net for amusement. I am that constellation's representative.

3. SG Net develops as its members become more active. Think of members as believers and community participation as religious practice. The stronger your 'faith,' the stronger the power of the constellation descended to earth.

4. Nonmembers may use SG Net for only one hour per day. Members may use SG Net without limits. Please understand this distinction, as nonmembers are nonbelievers and members are believers.

5. The 'Nameless Constellation of Unknown Name' asks nothing of you beyond participation in the community.

6. Your personal information will be kept strictly secure.

──────────

Naturally, aside from point one, it was lies from beginning to end. The notice caused a stir among the nonmembers as soon as it appeared. Within moments, dozens, then hundreds of comments flooded in.

-Anonymous: Are you really a constellation's representative?

-CookingQueen: Operator, how do I become a constellation's apostle?

-Anonymous: Clever.

-Goryeojang: Why does everyone here talk like such fucking assholes?

-Anonymous: How can we trust that this is real? Couldn't this also be an anomaly playing tricks?

Some awakened had already completed registration. 'CookingQueen' and 'Goryeojang' were the first to register, faster than anyone else, and other nonmembers quietly followed their lead.

"This is actually working...?"

Seo Gyu marveled, looking dumbfounded. All the while, his fingers moved nonstop, recording the members' personal information in a text file.

Occasionally, some nonmembers showed signs of questioning the notice's truthfulness, but the Saintess had messages waiting for those awakened.

[The 'Chancellor in the Red Cloak' confirms that the constellation speaks the truth, despite finding it displeasing.]

[The 'Saintess of National Salvation' advises several awakened that prolonged internet use has a negative effect on real life.]

We were borrowing the reputations of other constellations to vouch for SG Net's authenticity. Faced with that, even the most suspicious awakened had to back down somewhat. The initially overwhelming number of nonmembers soon began converting into members.

As information on countless awakened poured in, Seo Gyu could no longer contain his excitement.

"Wow. We've done it, Boss."

"Good work." I patted Seo Gyu's shoulder.

"But we're not done. We've only just begun."

"...?"

Seo Gyu didn't seem to understand what I meant. Fair enough. How could he possibly anticipate how I would use SG Net from here on?

"I'll be counting on you, Seo Gyu."

"Huh? Oh, Boss. I'm the one counting on you!"

My younger companion, a little naive but always willing to follow my lead with innocent trust, beamed.

6

Unfortunately, the world of my fiftieth run couldn't escape destruction either. But SG Net's usefulness had been proven. That alone made the fiftieth run immensely meaningful.

The Saintess, Seo Gyu, and I experienced all sorts of things as the site's founders and administrators. There are so many varied stories tied to it that I'll probably bring them up whenever I'm bored.

One significance of the fiftieth run that I can briefly mention now is this: from that point onward, my actions changed somewhat at the start of every regression, each time I began a new run.

"Ah, hello there, everyone! Huh? There are a few fewer of you... Anyway, being summoned here out of nowhere must have given you quite a fright, riiight? But there's no need to worry! I'm your guide, here to kindly walk you through everything from the very beginning!"

In the past, whenever I opened my eyes in the Busan Station waiting hall, all I thought about was how to reach Old Man Scho's café as quickly as possible. But not anymore. Now there was someone I had to save.

"Now, let's begin..."

"You fucking bastard! What the hell is that bullshit!"

A thunderous roar rang out. I smiled at the familiar voice.

It was like my own personal alarm, reminding me that life had begun once again. Resolving to give this run my best as well, I stepped forward, letting the curses I'd come to miss wash over me.

"You fucking bastard!"

- The Operator. End.