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Chapter 188

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Patriot I

1

Have you ever heard this saying?

- Crisis is an opportunity.

This phrase, which has become widely known as a proverb, feels, in my opinion, a bit too gentle.

Reality is cold.

To truly reflect this harsh world, even proverbs must undergo a sort of remake.

- Find opportunity in crisis. If you can't, you're going to die anyway.

An apocalypse is a series of crises. It’s no different from the endless election survey calls you get.

While election season lasts at most a month, the apocalypse is an eternal rollercoaster that’s new and exciting every day.

The weak humans who couldn’t adapt to the newly updated environment of Earth have all perished.

It wasn’t just individuals who died. Entire professions were wiped out.

In the apocalyptic era, if you were to list some of the most deleted job titles from elementary school career aspiration forms, you’d find:

Members of parliament, election commission officials, union leaders, stock traders, physicists, graduate students, hikikomori, and so on...

And you can’t leave out "journalists."

Modern media, which had become completely dependent on advertisers, found the apocalypse far too harsh.

Of course, large guilds would occasionally publish quarterly newsletters. The "Hogsmeade News" from the Three Thousand Worlds gained some popularity. But calling that journalism would be stretching it.

A recommendation for witch fashion items from the fall by Dang Seorin on the front page doesn't exactly scream journalistic integrity.

Nevertheless, it took a considerable amount of time before "journalists" disappeared from the list of professions.

The reason was simple.

Jo Youngsoo.

Not just on the Korean Peninsula, but in the entirety of what was once "the Republic of Korea," the last remaining journalist remained active for quite a long time.

2

However, if I were to randomly grab a citizen of Busan and claim, "Jo Youngsoo is actually a journalist," I would likely receive a strange look.

"Him? A journalist? Why?" they might say.

You could find Jo Youngsoo in Busan at none other than the plaza in front of the National Highway Management Office.

There, you would see a middle-aged man holding a protest sign and shouting every day.

"Step down, dictator Noh Doha! Step down! Step down!"

"Ugh, that guy’s at it again. Doesn’t he ever get tired?"

"Step down, dictator Noh Dohaaaah!"

That’s right.

This man was none other than Jo Youngsoo.

Naturally, to the people of Busan, Jo Youngsoo was not seen as a journalist or anything close to it. He was just "the crazy guy in the plaza."

The crazy guy’s outfit was extraordinary. Not only did he carry a protest sign, but on his upper garment, front and back, were emblazoned:

[Republic of Korea]

[Democracy]

His outfit, which could hardly be called simple clothing—more like armor, or perhaps even a relic—was covered in densely written lowercase letters besides the capital ones.

[The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic] [The sovereignty of the Republic of Korea belongs to the people, and all power comes from the people] [All citizens shall have freedom of speech and the press, and freedom of assembly and association] [Permission or censorship of speech and the press, and permission of assembly and association, shall not be recognized]...

He was, in every sense, the embodiment of democracy!

If, in the civilized days, Seoul’s Myeongdong had the "Jesus Heaven, Hell for Nonbelievers" Evangelism Group, then Busan now had Jo Youngsoo as a new spectacle.

No matter how fashion-tolerant Busan was, Jo Youngsoo stood out more than any witch cosplayer from the Three Thousand Worlds.

"Can’t someone do something about that guy?"

"He’s such a nuisance."

"When does his voice ever get hoarse?"

Naturally, the National Highway Management Office officers strongly disliked Jo Youngsoo.

Even if the officers didn’t exactly worship or serve Noh Doha as the savior of the Korean Peninsula, they surely wouldn’t like a human siren screaming on their commute to and from work.

If Noh Doha had even casually mentioned, "That guy’s annoying, get rid of him," the National Highway Management Office officers would have been willing to quietly take care of it without anyone noticing.

"Just leave him alone..."

On the contrary, the only reason Jo Youngsoo managed to stay alive was due to Noh Doha’s neglect.

"Why make such a fuss over nothing? Go do some overtime instead..."

"But, Chief, is there really any reason to keep such a fool alive? It could lower the morale of the National Highway Management Office officers."

"Screw morale. If they don’t want to work, tell them to quit. Who’s stopping them? Damn it, I’d quit if I could. Should I really do something to kill their morale?"

"I’ll make sure to warn the officers not to touch him strictly."

Noh Doha was completely immune to voices criticizing or slandering him. No matter what anyone said, even if they insulted him with crude language, Noh Doha would ignore it without snorting.

Interpreting this as the magnanimity of a ruler would be a mistake.

No one is likely to pay attention if a caterpillar wriggles fiercely to get noticed. Noh Doha’s mindset was just like that.

Yoo Jiwon, realizing that there was no benefit in trying to score points with her superior, also decided to leave Jo Youngsoo alone. Yoo Jiwon was no slouch when it came to treating people like bugs.

"Step down, dictator Noh Doha!"

And thus, a miracle occurred.

Jo Youngsoo succeeded in fully exercising "freedom of expression," something difficult to enjoy even in a true democracy.

Surprisingly, Jo Youngsoo was even an awakened individual.

He possessed the ability to "ignite a lighter flame with his index finger."

The ability itself was utterly insignificant, but for a true democrat, such "innate qualities" were unimportant.

The critical point was that being awakened meant he could access the SG-Net. That was all that mattered.

- Anonymous: The Republic of Korea is currently facing a grave crisis! The election system has collapsed, and the principles of democracy have gone missing!

After the National Highway Management Office officers went home, Jo Youngsoo’s fingers ignited with passion on SG-Net instead of in the plaza.

- Anonymous: By what legitimate procedure and agreement did Noh Doha ascend to the position of head of the National Highway Management Office? What is the legal basis for this?

Of course, he rose to power by my hands as Doctor Jang and was selected through a beta test period lasting hundreds of years.

It’s truly strange, but except for that person, everyone else went mad when they seized power on the Korean Peninsula.

What could I do? I had no choice but to pick Noh Doha, who had already gone mad long ago and couldn’t lose his mind any further.

- Anonymous: The situation is even more severe with the major guilds that effectively govern the cities. The major guilds arbitrarily collect protection fees from the people!

- Anonymous: If this isn’t taxation, then what is taxation? What right do mere thugs like the guilds have to collect taxes from the people?

Well, of course, it was because all the "experts on anomalies" of this era were gathered in the guilds.

As anyone who’s listened to my story would know, it was virtually impossible for ordinary people to fight against anomalies. Even for the awakened, it was no easy task.

In this end-of-the-century apocalypse, where you could die at any moment just walking down the street, the guilds were responsible for law and order.

So, the guilds’ side of the story also needed to be heard.

"Hey. We’ll pay you a protection fee equivalent to about 10% of your income, and you, in turn, will be the first to confront the anomalies actively. Got it?"

This was the proposal presented to the guilds.

Depending on the person, they might feel differently, but it was hardly an unfair advantage for the guilds.

Honestly, isn't it a rather tough job to do without at least that much incentive?

- Literature Girl: What's that old man talking about again?

- Anonymous: Alright, everyone, it's time for the midnight crew. Please start discussing the Three Kingdoms.

- Anonymous: Is it true that Mr. Jo Youngsoo, who we are discussing, actually shows up at the free meal center every day?

- KoreanVillage: Big old-timer, welcome, hahaha.

Jo Youngsoo was not well-regarded on SG Net.

The error was apparent in that everyone knew his identity despite his anonymous activity. It meant his negative image had become so obvious that anyone could recognize him.

Who lives by ‘procedure’ and ‘votes’ in this day and age? anomalies beat humans without such things, didn't they?

- Anonymous: I don't criticize simply because the guild leaders are incompetent or because I dislike the National Road Management Officer.

Of course, every article he wrote was met with mocking comments, and in response, Jo Youngsoo always fired back with lengthy rebuttals.

- Anonymous: The issue is legitimate procedure! Even if they use force now, humans live through time, and time brings about oblivion.

- Anonymous: Force can last 10 years. It can last 20 years. It can even last 50 years. But it cannot last 100 years because time is powerful!

- Anonymous: The way to overcome the time of oblivion is through consensus, agreement, and law. It is the only way that humans have discovered through countless years!

- Anonymous: Succession based on bloodlines cannot be legitimate procedure! Countless ceremonies and coronations have been devised to dress it up as legitimate.

- Anonymous: Ultimately, consensus! Only consensus! And laws that are inscribed as agreements!

- Anonymous: Practically speaking, since not everyone can gather every 10 years to renew the agreement, we first create a ‘promise that transcends time and space and can be agreed upon by any human.’ That is the Constitution!

- Anonymous: Practically speaking, since not everyone can participate in the agreement, we append a ‘promise that is periodically renewed by representatives elected by all sovereigns.’ That is the law!

It was truly a lengthy rebuttal.

I didn’t edit it arbitrarily; he really wrote each of those replies to the members.

Since the words and sentences in each reply were subtly different, it wasn't just a copy-and-paste job either.

- Anonymous: Does the National Road Management and the guilds have power? Yes. Do they have consensus? No. Do they have the Constitution and the law? No. Do they have procedures according to consensus? No!

- Anonymous: These organizations will eventually self-destruct within 100 years, that's as clear as day. They do not have the qualifications to represent the Republic of Korea!

- Anonymous: The former mayor of Busan, who had fled to Japan as part of the provisional government, has more qualifications!

└dolLHOuse: ?

No matter how much effort he put into his long-winded arguments, no one agreed with Jo Youngsoo.

It was a very natural thing.

- Anonymous: 100 years, LOL. We’re in such a mess right now that we don’t think we'll survive even 10 years, and here he is talking about the ‘time of oblivion,’ LOL.

No one expected a state to survive beyond 100 years.

After all, even the Republic of Korea perished just over 100 years after its foundation. The ‘Constitution and laws’ that Jo Youngsoo revered so much couldn't stop the advent of the void.

A single verse of Tang Seorin’s “Master of the Future” could protect many more people's safety and public order than a few agreed-upon lines of text could.

Such was the world that had come to be.

Humans were no longer great; they were merely part of nature. To humanity, which found itself in an overwhelmingly inferior position in nature, a code of laws was merely a luxury.

In other words, we were animals.

Beasts.

Awakening abilities were not some grand proof of being chosen by the heavens but merely claws that sprouted on beasts or wings to escape.

Only by humbly acknowledging this fact could we finally face today's reality.

- Anonymous: Difficult times do not justify procedural deficiencies! Didn't the former Republic of Korea establish a Constitution and declare independence even when the country was lost and occupied by foreign powers?

In short, Jo Youngsoo was an idealist.

To the members of SG Net, whose families, friends, and colleagues had died and were still dying, he was almost unbearably idealistic.

- KoreanVillage: Thanks to the Big old-timer, tonight's midnight crew is warm and cozy, hahaha.

That’s why they called him “Big Old-Timer.”

It was a combination of "Republic of Korea" (Daehanminguk) and "Old-Timer" (Tilddak) in a derogatory manner.

Along with KoreanVillage, “Big Old-Timer” was one of the three great villains of SG Net.

Who was the third one? That’s a matter of debate, but sometimes the Witch Trial Judge makes the list.

Some factions dared to mention me, Doctor Jang, as a candidate for a Three Kingdoms villain, but that was all slander.

- Anonymous: Road Management Officer Nodoha, awaken!

└ KoreanVillage: Awaken! Awaken!

Anyway.

Just another usual midnight shift on SG Net where KoreanVillage stirred things up and Jo Youngsoo breathed fire.

During a time when any normal person would be sleeping to prepare for tomorrow's work.

Only two villains exchanged posts and comments, passionately worrying about the ‘future of the nation.’

- Anonymous: Even now, the National Road Management and guilds should earnestly gather public opinion and seriously discuss the direction of the Republic of Korea!

└ KoreanVillage: Gather public opinion, LOL. How do they even do that?

└ Anonymous: Of course, by collecting it through the media!

└ KoreanVillage: Oh, I see. But in our proud Republic of Korea, there is no media or news, is there? Hahaha...

That was the moment.

Jo Youngsoo, who always voiced the right opinion without hesitation, suddenly fell silent on his keyboard.

1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes.

No matter how long they waited, there was no rebuttal to KoreanVillage's counterargument.

- KoreanVillage: Last hit secured.

In the end, KoreanVillage happily took the last hit and changed the topic.

- KoreanVillage: Guys, this is the song I'm listening to right now. Is it good?

└ZERO_SUGAR: Three Kingdoms talk, go!

└KoreanVillage: Sleep.

Of course, KoreanVillage had no idea.

That she had just unwittingly created the last ‘journalist’ in the Korean Peninsula.