WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Alyo
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving Among the Anomalies ◈
Chapter 22: Side Story - Everything Depends on Luck.
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“From a modern perspective, the actions of medieval Europeans may be difficult to understand.”
Hwang Si-an, a university student taking a liberal arts course, had one dream. He wanted to leave his name in history.
“For instance, people believed that draining dead blood could cure illness. Their understanding of hygiene was pitifully lacking, and people cared more about earning enough to survive each day than about learning. The class system was rigid, serfs’ children became serfs as well, and the world remained unchanged for centuries.”
He had been called a genius since childhood. He had never lost first place on an exam throughout middle and high school, and his college entrance exam scores had placed him among the very best, allowing him to enter his current university.
“But, to put it bluntly, it wasn’t because they were stupid. Human intelligence has not changed from the hunter-gatherer era to the present day. Only the surrounding environment has changed. Humanity has always made the best choices possible under its circumstances.”
He had never received less than an A afterward either. After completing his military service, he returned to university without delay, became the class representative, and never lost his top grades or scholarships.
“Then why was the spread of knowledge so slow in the Middle Ages? It’s simple. Knowledge needs books to spread, but before printing technology, books could only be copied by hand. Naturally, they were extremely rare and expensive.”
At some point, though, he began to feel skeptical about life.
“Books naturally became the exclusive property of nobles and clergy. Farmers and commoners had no chance to learn to read, and knowledge spread very slowly.”
What was the point of studying this hard? At best, I’d get a job at a major corporation. But I want to leave my name in history. Could I really do that by becoming a salaryman?
“Because knowledge was scarce, medicine and science developed very slowly as well. Then the Black Death broke out, and the Little Ice Age arrived, bringing plague and famine down upon them. In the face of endless disasters, people could do nothing but turn to religion.”
If he became the CEO of a major corporation, his name would remain, but for how long? It would not last more than a hundred years. At most, his name would remain in print on some insignificant page of a book.
“Interest naturally gathered around religion and became power. As history proves, excessive concentration of power breeds corruption. Religion failed to spread mercy and salvation, becoming a tool of power instead.”
He wanted his name to be recorded for hundreds of years, to remain in history forever. He had always been called a genius, and that had not changed much even now. He wanted to be remembered as a great figure who achieved something remarkable in academia, especially in science or mathematics.
“What broke through this was the Renaissance and printing technology. The Renaissance shifted the world from religious thought to human-centered thought, and the invention of printing allowed those ideas to spread quickly. Only then could the Reformation occur, followed by the Scientific Revolution, the Commercial Revolution, the birth of capitalism, and the advance into the modern age.”
Of course, even now, proving the existence of dark matter, solving the Hubble tension, or resolving even one Millennium Prize Problem could make someone a historical giant.
“Someone may be thinking this right now. Did humanity make no progress for centuries, only to finally advance after geniuses were born?”
But Hwang Si-an wanted to become even greater than that.
A once-in-several-centuries genius like Newton or Einstein, someone who completely overturned the paradigm of science.
“Then I’d like to put it this way. A hundred geniuses capable of ushering in the Renaissance were born, but they all caught the Black Death and died. A hundred geniuses capable of inventing printing technology were born, but they all starved to death.”
This was an age when that was impossible. Mathematics and science had reached a point where individual genius could no longer advance them. It had become a miserable field where people even had to form factions and play politics.
“That concludes today’s class. There will be a quiz next time.”
Wasn’t Gregory Perelman’s case enough to prove it? Anyway, once class ended, Hwang Si-an shuffled back to his studio apartment and lay on his bed to read web novels.
[I Became a Genius Professor in a Medieval Fantasy World.]
[Surviving the Middle Ages with Science Cheats.]
[I Was Possessed in a Party-Expulsion Story, but Became a Genius Scientist and Changed the World.]
After stumbling upon web novels like those, he had become absorbed in the genre where people traveled to the Middle Ages and became great figures.
‘If I went to a medieval fantasy world, I’m sure I’d do well too.’
He would not be some protagonist who covered up shoddy knowledge with ridiculous plot contrivances. He could prepare thoroughly, enlighten medieval people, and perfectly change the world’s paradigm as a genius.
‘Then I’d remain a great figure remembered forever in that world, right?’
Of course, he knew it was nonsense. He was only fantasizing about how nice it would be.
‘Huh?’
Then an advertisement caught his eye. A banner at the bottom of the web novel page read:
[Are you tired of life in reality? Do you want to become a protagonist? Then contact us here right away. An Otherworld for you is waiting.]
＊＊＊
‘I’ve lost my mind.’
Early on a weekend morning, Hwang Si-an took the subway somewhere and mocked himself.
‘There’s no way that could be real.’
He thought the absurd ad promising to send people to an Otherworld was, at best, an ad for a game or a scam. Still, he had contacted them on the off chance, only to learn a shocking truth.
‘To think it was an ad put up by Lee Seung-hoon.’
Who was Lee Seung-hoon?
‘...A Fixer.’
He did not know exactly what that meant, but if Lee Seung-hoon was a Fixer, perhaps he could resolve Hwang Si-an’s worries too.
‘Even if he can’t really send me to an Otherworld, maybe he’ll at least give me some advice.’
That was how he arrived at the place he had been told about. It was a shabby building with a sign out front.
「Lee Seung-hoon’s Fixer Office」
When he entered, several people were waiting inside. One person greeted him with a smile.
“Hwang Si-an?”
“Yes.”
“That’s right. Everyone has arrived now. Would you all like coffee? Tea? Or a soft drink?”
“I’ll have coffee, please.”
“Ah, tea for me...”
“A soft drink for me...”
As he drank his coffee, Hwang Si-an looked over the others.
‘Did they all come because they want to go to an Otherworld, like me?’
Once he thought that, he began looking at them with prejudice.
‘Pathetic idiots. There’s no way they can really go.’
I only came out of curiosity, and because Lee Seung-hoon is a Fixer who might be able to ease this suffocating feeling inside me. So I’m fine.
By the time he finished his coffee, Lee Seung-hoon appeared carrying a thick stack of documents.
“Now, some of you may have come here out of simple curiosity. But the banner I put up is real, and I can truly send all of you to an Otherworld right now.”
“R-Really!?”
A slightly chubby man, who looked disgustingly fat through Hwang Si-an’s prejudiced eyes, raised his hand high.
“Yes, really. Before that, please read this.”
Hwang Si-an’s eyes widened when he received the papers being handed out.
‘What awful taste.’
The papers listed people who had gone to Otherworlds and died.
‘Is this some way of mocking people?’
Some had died after being robbed, while others had fallen and died because they could not receive treatment. There were also cases of people dying from illness or at the hands of nobles.
“As you can see, I can send you to a medieval fantasy Otherworld. But it is not a happy world. It could be happy, but the odds of it not being happy are greater. That’s because there isn’t just one Otherworld. There are over a hundred million Otherworlds.”
Lee Seung-hoon raised a finger.
“In the end, everything depends on luck. I don’t know whether you’ll end up in a happy Otherworld or not.”
As he spoke, he took out another sheet of white paper. It looked like it had just been freshly cut from a notebook.
“Still, the more knowledge you acquire, the better your chances of surviving even if you end up in a bad Otherworld, right? I want to help you make a few preparations so that you do not die in vain. Before that...”
Before handing out the papers, he asked:
“As I just told you, this is a place where the odds of dying are very high. If anyone wishes to give up even now, please raise your hand.”
Several people raised their hands. Lee Seung-hoon shook hands with them and gave each of them a small box.
“A gift. Life is bound to have steep ups and downs. Even if this moment is difficult, a day will come when the light reaches you.”
After the people left, a small commotion reached Hwang Si-an’s ears from near the door where he was sitting.
-I-Is this real gold?
-Wow, he’s giving us gold!? Really?
-Yes! I’m going to buy Maple Cash!
‘He’s giving gold as a gift!?’
It was a small box, so it could not be much. Still, it was gold. For a moment, greed rose within him, but instead, Hwang Si-an became even less willing to give up.
‘He gives gold to people who quit? Then what exactly is he trying to do?’
Lee Seung-hoon handed out the papers, along with an extra sheet.
‘What’s this?’
He read the sheet that was separate from the white paper.
[1. How to make soap: Animal fat (fat from cows, pigs, or sheep), an alkaline substance (lye), spices or herbs (not essential).
1-1. First, place the animal fat in a pot and melt it slowly. High heat may burn it, so melt it slowly over low heat before adding the lye. Lye made from hard woods such as oak or beech is best.]
Starting with how to make soap, the paper contained noble etiquette, how to keep accounts without a calculator, simple medicines that could be made with medieval tools and herbs, and all kinds of useful knowledge for daily life.
“Copy what is written here onto the white paper. If you run out of paper, ask me for as much as you need. Those who want to write down something they personally consider important may write that instead.”
“Um, what is the point of this?”
“You will never forget what you write on the white paper. When going to a medieval fantasy Otherworld, knowledge is the only thing modern people have to offer, isn’t it?”
Hwang Si-an asked:
“Do we have to write it down?”
“Those who do not want to write do not have to. Everything is your own choice.”
“Yes.”
It was not because he did not believe Lee Seung-hoon. Of course, he still had doubts, but if what Lee Seung-hoon said was true, he needed to write something else on this paper.
‘I’ll write down Newton’s and Einstein’s achievements!’
He immediately turned on his smartphone and copied down their accomplishments.
‘It really is being carved into my head!?’
Startled, his hands moved faster.
“Could I have some more paper, please!”
“Here you go. I’ll put plenty out front, so write as much as you want.”
Five people remained. Everyone silently and seriously copied knowledge onto their papers.
“Excuse me, I have a question.”
The man seated furthest to the left, who had apparently finished copying first due to his quick hands, asked:
“If we can really go to an Otherworld, what happens to our identities? It is a medieval fantasy Otherworld, so it would be a white-majority society. We would stand out as Asians.”
“Sharp question. I do not know the answer to that either. However, none of the previous 1,267 people died due to racial discrimination, so it seems to be resolved automatically there.”
“Not by you, Mr. Lee Seung-hoon?”
“I only possess the item that sends people to Otherworlds.”
The others asked their questions one by one.
“What about the language?”
“I know that much. You automatically acquire the most common language in the Otherworld.”
“We would suddenly appear without any status. Wouldn’t people find that strange?”
“Again, since none of the prior cases especially mention it, that also appears to be resolved automatically.”
“Are there any cheats?”
“There is a one-percent chance of awakening Mana. There is also a five-percent chance of transferring to an Otherworld where you can live like a web novel protagonist. The rest are ordinary.”
At those words, someone shouted:
“Five percent!? That’s insanely generous!”
Hwang Si-an looked at the speaker. He had an ordinary face, the sort one could see anywhere, but he was shouting excitedly.
“Th-Then if I win the five percent! Could I live a life as a TS cute girl getting head pats!?”
“What is TS? My knowledge in that area is a little lacking.”
“Gender transition! I want to become a cute girl!”
Disgust surged through Hwang Si-an.
‘That’s all he wants? To become a girl and get head pats? I don’t know what that means exactly, but he wants to live that kind of life?’
Lee Seung-hoon smiled as he answered.
“Yes, isn’t that possible? There is actually someone like that among the cases.”
“Uohhh!”
What a truly pathetic person.
“Yoon Ga-on, it seems you want to live that kind of life.”
“Yes! That’s why lucid dreaming about becoming a girl is my hobby! I’ve been doing it for ten years, so now I can control my dreams however I want, and I even remember everything when I wake up! But they’re only dreams. It isn’t real TS, you know?”
“Impressive. I respect your passion for making your dream come true.”
“Hehe... Th-That’s the first time anyone has praised me.”
Hwang Si-an suddenly raised his hand.
“But if we really go to an Otherworld, what happens to our identities in this world? Our families will think we’ve disappeared and report us missing.”
“You do not need to worry.”
Lee Seung-hoon answered.
“I investigated the identities of the 1,267 people who went to Otherworlds before you. And then...”
Silence fell.
“They were all people who did not exist. I even met their families, but they did not remember them. They were people who did not exist in anyone’s memories or photo albums.”
“You mean...”
“Yes.”
Everyone realized what he meant before he could say it.
“When you cross over to an Otherworld, your existence in this world disappears.”
＊＊＊
“Then I will give you one final chance to think. Consider whether you truly wish to go and whether you have any lingering attachments. If you truly wish to go, return to my office tomorrow morning at nine.”
“Do we get a gift if we give up?”
“Of course. But those who give up once cannot try again. Giving up the opportunity means you still have many attachments here. So please use the effort you would have spent going to an Otherworld in this world instead.”
After returning home, Hwang Si-an thought it over.
‘The me in this world will disappear.’
It was an agonizing decision. It was not just that he would never see the parents who raised him or his friends again. The thought of being completely forgotten, of physically disappearing from the world, struck him hard.
‘No. If I want to become a great figure, I have to cut off such trivial attachments!’
Having steeled his resolve, Hwang Si-an fell asleep without realizing it. That night, he dreamed.
The dream took place above the clouds. Seven enormous temples stood there, and without knowing why, he entered the sixth temple.
『Hwang Si-an.』
There, a being he could not see, whose form he could not even recognize, whether it was human or not, held out a die.
『Everything depends on luck. Roll it.』
He rolled a die marked with numbers from one to one hundred.
『1.』
The unknowable being spoke in a sad voice.
『Do not worry. With knowledge, you may be able to survive.』
The dream faded.
『Perhaps.』
He woke from the dream.
‘...I feel like I had a strange dream.’
He could not remember it.
“You’ve come.”
After getting up, Hwang Si-an headed back to Lee Seung-hoon’s office.
“Everyone else gave up. Only the two of you will be going.”
Only Hwang Si-an and Yoon Ga-on were going to an Otherworld.
“Now then, I will send you to an Otherworld. Who would like to go first?”
“I-I’ll go first!”
“Then please wait here. I will bring the book that will send you to an Otherworld.”
After Lee Seung-hoon left, Yoon Ga-on closed their eyes and prayed.
“It’ll be okay. I got ninety-nine. I got ninety-nine. I remember it all.”
What the hell is this guy talking about?
A little later, Lee Seung-hoon brought the book.
“You only need to press your finger here. One last time, are you sure you have no regrets?”
“...I do regret it a little, but I’ll still go!”
A few seconds after Yoon Ga-on pressed a finger down, they disappeared.
‘They really transferred!’
Grabbing his pounding heart, Hwang Si-an pressed down his finger as well.
“Then I hope you claim the life you desire.”
With Lee Seung-hoon’s farewell, his vision blurred.
‘This is...’
When he regained his senses, he was standing blankly at an unfamiliar farmstead.
‘An Otherworld?’
He found a puddle on the ground and looked at his reflection. He looked exactly as he had in his original world, except he was dressed like a medieval farmer.
“Hey! Hwang Si-an! What are you doing? Why aren’t you working!?”
At that moment, an unnamed white girl shouted at the top of her lungs. Hwang Si-an asked her without thinking:
“How do you know my name?”
“What are you talking about? You’ve been living off my family for three years. Why wouldn’t I know your name?”
“D-Don’t I look strange?”
“What? You just look like yourself.”
“I-I see.”
Ah, so this was how it was resolved.
Even though it was a language he had never heard before, it felt as natural as Korean.
“H-Hahaha!”
“What is wrong with you? Has he gone crazy?”
“Bwahahahahaha!”
Hwang Si-an burst into delighted laughter and fell backward onto the grass.
‘I really came to an Otherworld! A medieval fantasy! An Otherworld with a medieval setting!’
Now my name would remain in history forever!
“Ow!”
Did a bug bite me?
＊＊＊
Two days after the first Otherworld transfer service ended, two names appeared in the book.
[1,268. Yoon Ga-on (???), alive, ★5% Winner★: Formerly an ordinary person. Transferred to an ordinary medieval fantasy world with magic, lost their body during the transfer, and reincarnated as the youngest daughter of the Grand Duke of the North. Growing up smoothly while receiving her family’s affection, she later discovered that an egg she had picked up by chance was the egg of a dragon that went extinct during the War of the Gods. After forming a soul bond with the dragon, she became the Goddess of the North as a Dragon Priestess. She is currently struggling to spread VTuber culture using illusion magic.]
[1,269. Hwang Si-an (24), dead: Formerly a university student. Unable to contain his joy at transferring, he collapsed onto the grass, was bitten by a flea, and contracted the Black Death. After the villagers noticed that he had caught the plague, they locked him in a storage shed and burned him alive.]
Footnotes:
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