WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Alyo

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◈ Surviving Among the Anomalies ◈

Chapter 20: Status

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Status was an important concept representing a person's social position or role.

‘In the past, status determined by bloodline, like that of nobles and royalty, was important, but not anymore.’

Even now, people born into chaebol families or prestigious political dynasties could present that as their status, but it would only draw reactions like, ‘Wow, they were born into an impressive family.’ What truly mattered was something else.

“Your profession.”

How specialized the knowledge required for that profession was.

How much annual income it brought in.

How difficult it was, and how large the organization one belonged to through it was.

“In a capitalist society, your profession is your status.”

Unfortunately, I didn't have a profession. Most people found jobs to make a living, but both in the past and now, I had enough money to live without one.

[According to your résumé, you don't have any work experience?]

[No, as I wrote, I work as an online debater.]

[That isn't a profession.]

I had applied for a job once because I wanted to experience office life, but I failed the interview.

“If you don't have a profession, there are limits to where you can go.”

Anomalies did not care about time or place. I needed a status that would let me go anywhere, and an ordinary status would not be enough.

“What I need is a highly versatile status that lets me enter anywhere.”

I was about to obtain that with the Legacy of the Great Novelist.

“A fountain pen that makes others accept what you write as truth.”

According to the wiki, its original owner had been an aspiring writer. After realizing how to use the pen, they wrote and distributed articles introducing themself as a great novelist, and became one. Yet that backfired.

“People's perceptions changed, but their writing skills didn't. They were criticized and condemned every time they published something, couldn't endure it, and eventually committed suicide, right?”

I recalled one of the experiment logs listed on the Legacy of the Great Novelist's wiki page.

[Experiment results: All writing produced with this Anomaly is accepted as truth by others. However, if the settings conflict, people forget every truth they had accepted until then, and the user who caused the conflict can never activate the Anomaly's ability again.]

[Experiment 1. The test subject writes, “○○○ is handsome,” in a notebook. ○○○ is the test subject's own name.]

[Other people are asked to assess the test subject's appearance. Ninety-five out of one hundred judge the subject to be below average in appearance.]

[After being shown the writing, “○○○ is handsome,” produced with the Anomaly, they assess the subject again. One hundred out of one hundred judge the subject to be extremely attractive. Several evaluators ask whether they can have the subject's contact information.]

[Afterward, the test subject writes, “○○○ looks ordinary,” in the notebook. Different evaluators from before read the writing, then assess the subject's appearance. Ninety-five out of one hundred judge the subject to be below average in appearance.]

[As a result, the truth created by the Anomaly is destroyed. Several further experiments are conducted, but the test subject can no longer activate the Anomaly's effect.]

If a setting conflicted even once, it would become nothing more than a fountain pen that produced infinite ink. Its ability could no longer be activated.

[Experiment 2. The test subject writes, “I am a hero,” in a notebook. While writing, the subject is instructed to imagine what kind of hero they are. The subject imagines Superman.]

[When the evaluators see the test subject, they ask for autographs. The evaluators believe the subject is Superman manifested in reality, accept it as natural, and feel nothing strange about it.]

[Another test subject writes the same sentence, this time imagining Batman. The evaluators believe him to be Batman.]

[A minor disturbance occurs when an evaluator becomes violent, asking why Batman never kills the Joker and only locks him in an asylum every time.]

[It is confirmed that when nonspecific content is written, the setting imagined while writing is reflected.]

When writing proper nouns or broadly applicable words, I could create the setting myself.

“In conclusion, the most effective way to use this is to write only one truth made up of one specific setting.”

It was a waste, but it was better than using it recklessly elsewhere, causing a setting conflict, losing all its effects, and being unable to benefit from the fountain pen forever.

“Especially if it's related to status.”

I had already decided what status to acquire, so I went to a printing shop and ordered a large number of business cards.

“I'll write on them myself. Please just print the business card stock.”

I had tens of thousands of sleek, luxurious business cards printed. After bringing them home, I personally wrote their contents with the Legacy of the Great Novelist.

‘A profession famous enough to let me enter anywhere, one that people at sites of inexplicable incidents caused by Anomalies would seek me out for.’

No such profession existed in reality.

‘Then I'll just create one.’

Holding the fountain pen, I imagined the details. After several hours of thought and planning, I wrote on the business cards.

「The World's Greatest Fixer, Lee Seung-hoon」

＊＊＊

Fixer was not a real profession. There were similar professions, such as mercenaries, errand runners, and detectives, but no profession that operated under the name fixer.

‘But for me, fixer is an official profession.’

First, I changed the interior of the twisted doughnut shop I had bought before. It was no longer a restaurant, but a respectable office, and I changed the sign to 「Lee Seung-hoon's Fixer Office」.

“What's a fixer?”

“I guess it's like a detective?”

Judging by the reactions of the merchants in nearby buildings, none of them seemed to know what a fixer was. That was only natural, so I went to them and handed out business cards.

“Hello. I'm Lee Seung-hoon, the owner of the shop that just opened, and a fixer.”

They had shown no particular reaction before accepting the cards, but the moment they read them, their expressions changed.

“Uh, you're really Lee Seung-hoon the fixer?”

“Yes.”

“The Lee Seung-hoon who found the true culprit behind the John F. Kennedy case, discovered the Loch Ness Monster, and exposed the Roswell UFO crash conspiracy?”

“That's right.”

“Wow! Please give me your autograph!”

After giving them autographs, I asked them.

“You seem to know a lot about me.”

“Of course! You're famous!”

“Who was the true culprit behind the John F. Kennedy case?”

“Uh, who was it again? I knew, but I forgot! Haha!”

“What did the Loch Ness Monster look like?”

“I forgot that too!”

“What was the Roswell UFO crash conspiracy?”

“I knew, but I can't remember right now! Haha!”

As expected, the power of an Anomaly was dangerous.

“I see. Please contact me if you need anything.”

“Yes! You mean mysterious and bizarre matters beyond human understanding, right? I definitely will!”

The setting had applied well. Next, I used online advertising.

“Hoho, I never expected to meet Mr. Lee Seung-hoon like this.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine. To think I'm meeting the person who uncovered the secret of the Moai statues in person. I once saw those statues myself and wondered, ‘Why were these made?’”

The advertisement was simple. I scanned the business cards I had written and distributed them as online ads.

‘In the setting, the aspiring writer had also printed and distributed what they wrote, and it still worked.’

A few days after putting out the ads, I searched my name on an internet community.

[Lee Seung-hoon <- Isn't this person famous? Why are his online ads so cheap-looking though lol]

└[Who is that?]

└[Wow, someone doesn't know who Lee Seung-hoon is. Are you a hermit?]

└[They're talking about something only they know again.]

[Who is Lee Seung-hoon?]

[The first person to uncover the secret of Atlantis, the person who uncovered the secret of the Jukai Forest, the person who uncovered the truth behind the Red Mask, the pride of Korea, K-Fixer, that is Lee Seung-hoon!]

└[??? What are you even saying? Are you insane? Can't you tell reality from fiction?]

└[I came from Namuwiki. It lists a lot of things he supposedly solved, but it doesn't say what problems he solved or what the answers were.]

└[It's viral marketing. Upvote.]

People's reactions were polarized. The ads were not widespread, so there were not many posts.

‘Still, I made sure the search algorithm would pick them up. Anyone involved in an Anomaly-related incident will find me.’

I had connected the ads to various keywords related to mysteries, horror, and incomprehensible incidents, so people who needed me would find me.

‘As long as there isn't a setting conflict caused by the Legacy of the Great Novelist, my status as a fixer won't disappear.’

I put the fountain pen into the safe I had bought.

‘I won't use it again.’

I had acquired everything necessary for survival. I had opened my fixer office, reports would come in even if I did nothing, and I would likely learn about Anomaly incidents through Dial TV for You and Mr. Shin Yeong-mun as well.

“Before that.”

I headed to the library.

“I should retrieve that.”

＊＊＊

I arrived at the private library Shin Yeong-mun had told me about. After searching it from top to bottom, I found the book I wanted.

“Found it.”

A single title was written on the black cover.

「Book 6: Medieval Fantasy for Those Who Want to Transfer to Another World」

I tucked the book inside my jacket. It had neither a barcode nor an anti-theft sticker, so I could easily take it out of the library.

“As expected, it was this series.”

Back at the shop, I examined the book.

“The Otherworld Transfer Series.”

An Anomaly that transferred a person to an Otherworld the moment they agreed to the contract written inside.

“Book 6? As far as I remember, there were only four books.”

As befitted a series, it consisted of several volumes, and each volume transferred users to a different Otherworld.

“Book 1 was a hunter-genre world, Book 2 was gates, Book 3 was a tower, and Book 4 was cyberpunk.”

But this was Book 6. It seemed more volumes had been released after I quit the game.

[Warning! This book speaks only the truth and will transfer you to a real Otherworld. But remember, you are not the protagonist. Most Otherworlds are harsh, and the chance of succeeding as smoothly as a protagonist is extremely low.]

A warning appeared on the very first page.

[However, your chances of success increase depending on how prepared you are, so please make sufficient preparations before transferring.]

The next page contained more specific details.

[You will be transferred to an Otherworld equivalent to Earth's Middle Ages. Under the current contract, there are 100,001,111 possible Otherworlds, and you will be transferred at random to one of them. Specific selection is impossible and depends entirely on luck.]

Next was the standard level of an Otherworld.

[Most Otherworlds contain magic. However, you must awaken Mana to use it, and the chance of doing so is only 1%. The same applies to Transferees, and we remind you once again that you are not the protagonist.]

[With a low probability, you will be transferred to a soft, squishy, happy-happy Otherworld. The probability is 5%.]

I turned the page.

[Transferee List and Circumstances]

Then I remembered this Anomaly's grade.

[1. Suh Min-woo (30), deceased: A former science teacher who taught science to the people of an Otherworld and conducted various experiments. Suh Min-woo built a crude microscope and showed people the existence of bacteria, but the Church burned Suh Min-woo at the stake after accusing them of summoning a demon.]

“As expected of a Danger Grade.”

Footnotes:

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