novelraw Chapter 39 : Erasing a Debt (2)
Chapter 39 : Erasing a Debt (2)
Chapter 39: Erasing a Debt (2)
Just in case, let me say this first: I, Lee Taebaek, was not some cheap human who lived with curses stuck to my mouth.
If anything, it was the opposite.
‘I was a descendant of Master Toegye Yi Hwang, who adorned the one-thousand-won bill. A 28th-generation descendant of the Jinsung Yi clan.’
Because of my innate temperament, I might not have become a nobleman who carried on the will of my venerable ancestors, but I, Lee Taebaek, had heard my fair share of being called an X-scholar.
And yet, somehow…….
“Stop spouting bullshit!”
Ever since I came to this shameless world, a rag had been shoved into my mouth. I had become a descendant who smeared filth on my ancestors’ faces day in and day out.
Ah, ah, I had no face to look at the one-thousand-won bill. This worthless descendant tightly shut his eyes.
‘Instead, I will make sure to curry favor with Yulgok Yi I, King Sejong, and Lady Shin Saimdang. So please, calm your anger. And as for the one thousand won, please…….’
Ahh, to think that because of one wrong descendant, the lineage of our Jinsung Yi clan, who should be practicing Zhu Xi’s teachings, will be cut off.
Reality dragged me out of my fantasy. In my sharpening vision, the letters were still X-shitty.
“Overall evaluation is negative… and the recent evaluation is mixed? Are you kidding me?”
I no longer cared who had edited it.
When bruises appeared on your own child’s face, it was more infuriating that they had been hit than who had hit them.
Recons was no different from a child to me, Lee Taebaek, and that lovely child had been mercilessly hacked apart by blind blades.
“Fuu—ck.”
When witnessing such injustice, one was obligated to spit out a pair of curses. It was probably written that way even in the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. Or maybe not.
You little bastard!
At that moment, my ancestor’s roar crashed down like a thunderbolt. It rang out as if it carried physical force.
How dare you! With a mouth worse than a pair of lowly brutes, you dare discuss the Way of Confucius and Mencius……!
Ignore the auditory hallucinations, Lee Taebaek.
“Let’s at least see what kind of crap they spewed.”
There was a link attached to the evaluation category. They even followed Kkamu Wiki’s verification for trivial details.
‘This feels like they’re mocking me too.’
I was genuinely curious. While chewing on my lower lip, I raised my lead-heavy finger.
Paat—
Two new pop-up windows rose up as if to cover the existing one.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⌜Overall Evaluation⌟⎯⎯⎯⎯
Mostly Negative / 30%
(??,??? reviews)
Based on Early Access (a “play before release” game) just before official launch, negative reviews dominate due to bugs and review-related issues. If the bugs were only minor elements, it would not matter. Benevolent gamers would let that much slide out of tolerance (…). However, bugs are frequently being found even in important parts directly related to the main story. Because of that, ⌜Recons⌟ immediately after Early Access has been receiving harsh criticism in many respects (…). That said, separate from such criticism, the attempt itself to mix elements such as an expansive worldview, excellent graphics, martial arts, magic, and pseudo-religions is receiving high praise. Compared to its ‘excellent gameplay,’ the frequent bugs leave more room for regret.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
“…….”
As I read quickly down the page, my gaze grew ambiguous. The blazing sparks of anger cooled somewhat.
If I were to summarize that long-winded rant in three lines……
All kinds of bugs were erupting.
And they were immersion-breaking bugs.
Still, the gameplay was excellent. The end.
…Once I actually broke it down, it didn’t feel that filthy. Because considering that the source of the evaluation was Kkamu Wiki, the habitat of the real ones, it was a rather generous assessment.
The core of the harsh evaluation was that frequent bugs had eaten away at the gameplay. Far from disparaging the gameplay, they had praised it as excellent. Written in Kkamu Wiki’s grammar, it carried the sense of volume as if written by a multitude of evaluators.
I understood the carrot after the stick.
It was just that the carrot tasted far too sweet.
‘Come to think of it, harsh criticism is also done out of affection. People who don’t care just don’t pay attention at all.’
I absentmindedly rubbed the bridge of my nose.
‘…If “negative” is to this extent…….’
Then “mixed” would be much better.
I immediately closed the overall evaluation window.
The recent evaluation window greeted me.
Paat—
At a glance, the recent evaluation was brief compared to the overall evaluation. There were fewer characters, but each one seemed to carry that much more weight.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⌜Recent Evaluation⌟⎯⎯⎯⎯
Mixed / 46%
(?,??? reviews)
After the 1.1 patch, many bugs are being eliminated. Often, irresponsible operators release a game and then let go of it, but Recons’ operator is fixing bugs in real time through continuous post-release improvement patches. Expectations are high for the direction following the medium-scale 2.0 patch notes.
======================
Operator Points: 20pt.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
One cheek twitched, and my shoulders rose up to my ears. I didn’t know who you were or where you lived, but you sure knew how to judge a game.
‘I’ve earned the recognition of the real ones.’
Though labeled “mixed,” it was largely a positive evaluation. Since it was still Early Access, the reviewers had no choice but to be conservative.
A faint smile formed at the corner of my lips.
That aside…….
“What the hell is a 1.1 patch?”
Of course I knew the concept of patches. In my previous life, I had been in the balance adjustment department.
‘The balance adjustment department…….’
Well, it was called a department, but in truth, the sole member had been me, Lee Taebaek. It had started with ten people; nine had vanished, leaving only one behind.
I had no intention of blaming them for their no-shows. That place had been the very definition of an exploitative company.
A fragment of memory suddenly flashed by.
When seats disappeared in the character design team, I asked about it. Then the business division manager, who looked like King Yama, pronounced, ‘As of today, you’re on the balance adjustment team.’
Good grief. What kind of company did you have to dig and dig to have only heartwarming stories come out?
‘Low pay, overtime, and the higher-ups’ abuse of power.’
Crushed by the triple crown of a black company, I had left—how could I blame anyone? I, too, had gone to work every day with a resignation letter tucked near my heart.
Even so, the reason I stayed until the very end was because of my boundless affection for Recons.
‘I’m one thing, but Team Leader Seo was something else entirely. An S-university graduate—someone who had even been the goddess of her department—choosing to remain at such a tiny company.’
In a way, it was even more impressive. She had turned down all the love calls from major corporations known for sheer force of will, as well as game publishers, and stayed with me.
In any case, the point was this: with the ‘one and only’ hands-on staff responsible for carrying out patches being right here, who on earth could possibly touch the patch notes?
Even if I set up the hypothesis—one that shattered the possession cliché—that some other employee from the outside world, that is, Earth, could intervene, the conclusion was the same.
“When it comes to balance or patches, even Team Leader Seo, who was effectively the general manager of Recons, left everything to me and didn’t really know the details…….”
If she wanted to, she probably could. She was outstanding in every respect, after all.
However, you know how it is—there was such a thing as a possessor’s intuition, wasn’t there? Something like that strongly denied the possibility.
‘If it were a world where patch notes could be spammed, then that really would be an irredeemable trash game.’
In front of patch notes, nerfs and buffs immediately became laughable. Those two abilities adjusted a single target, whereas patch notes affected even the macro world. It was, in common terms, reality manipulation.
“There’s no way that’s true.”
Lee Taebaek gently shook his head. If this were a world where reality could be manipulated by individual will, it would have collapsed long ago.
‘If… if by some one-in-ten-thousand chance patch notes were a real ability, and one that operated by someone’s will…….’
Just imagining it made my liver and gall crawl with goosebumps.
Usually, even gods in myth did not possess reality-manipulation abilities. Even if such beings existed, they were nailed down as absolute observers, blocking intervention at the source.
‘Nah, no way.’
I shook my head, chasing away the ominous thoughts. I closed the evaluation section and read the items below.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
DLC (Unlocked at 25pt)
-5.1 Release Status
Controversy (Unlocked at 27pt)
Commercial Performance (Unlocked at 30pt)
Achievements (Unlocked at 33pt)
Shop (Unlocked at 35pt)
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
“I can’t really look at any more even if I want to.”
Ruffling my bangs, I swung my legs one by one off the bed. Having lain down all day, my whole body ached.
‘At this rate, I’ll ruin my health.’
On top of that, I had been tightly wound right before checking the evaluations, so my blood sugar had plummeted. Rubbing my empty stomach, I left the room.
[Name: Lee Taebaek]
Level: 12(↑7)
Life: 28 Mental Strength: 32 Strength: 25
Agility: 31 Mana: 24 Faith: 41
《Owned Skills》
① Bullet Time (Skill, Arcane)
Description: A speed-booster-type skill. By inducing neural acceleration, the caster’s cognitive ability increases extremely for 10–12(↑4) seconds. During activation, the surroundings feel 3.5(↑1.5) times slower, but the caster, Lee Taebaek, can move at 0.9(↑1.5)x normal speed.
※ The multiplier increases in proportion to Agility.
② Emergency Inspection (Skill, Passive)
Description: One of the four legendary swords of online games—Scheduled Inspection, Temporary Inspection, Extended Inspection, Emergency Inspection. This ability activates arbitrarily when the caster, Lee Taebaek, is placed in an ‘emergency situation.’ The details of the ability allow the execution of a patch one tier above the executable 「Patch」, and it can be reused after a cooldown of (360 hours/15) days.
※ Currently, only a 「Medium-Scale Patch」 is possible. Additionally, the caster cannot confirm the existence of the skill.
Restriction: However, since this ability is executed unconsciously, the caster’s related memories are completely erased. Frequent Emergency Inspections may negatively affect ‘Game Evaluation,’ so please use with caution.
Tip: Reputation score affects authority enhancement. Accumulate reputation and wield omnipotent power that deceives users!
When Eunko Bar wasn’t open for business, the curtains were always drawn, making it dim even in broad daylight.
A few strands of light squeezed through the gaps in the curtains and seeped onto the window frame. Within those few hops of light, dust motes danced.
Ziiing…….
Rubbing the stiff back of my neck, I opened the refrigerator.
“Curry today.”
I muttered under the cold light.
The landlady cooked and left food behind. It was usually something like curry that could be eaten over time.
‘It’s a bar by trade, but her cooking skills slap most restaurants around.’
That was when I was rummaging through the fridge.
Creeeak—
The shop door opened.
I froze.
As if frozen by the refrigerator’s chill, I, too, stopped in place.
At first, I thought it was Eunko.
But the gait was unfamiliar.
These days I hardly even saw her face, but hadn’t we gone through a proper exorcism together? Just by the sound of the shoes, I could immediately tell it wasn’t the landlady.
Battalion Commander Kang Hyunseong, Law Beggar Seopung-gae, and Buntaju Jin Sobang were excluded from suspicion from the start.
Kang Hyunseong contacted me beforehand if he was coming. The latter two avoided entering Eunko Bar.
Swish.
My right hand, slyly withdrawn from the refrigerator, dropped to the Python hanging at my waist. Darkness dominated the interior, and the other party had their face covered by a hood, making identification difficult.
Still, since they were half-draped in outside sunlight, I could at least determine their gender. Judging from the slender silhouette, it was a woman.
‘It says CLOSE, so she’s not a customer.’
…Then was it another burglar? What kind of world was this where trespassing was routine.
It seemed the other party hadn’t noticed me. The refrigerator door had shielded me.
Tap.
Just as the unidentified figure was about to take a step, a puff of white breath leaked from my mouth.
“Until I count to three.”
My voice was chillingly cold, as if it had absorbed the chill pouring out of the refrigerator.
“Take off the hood and identify yourself.”
“……!!”
“One.”
The Python was lightly drawn from its holster.
“W-wait a second!”
The moment she reached out as if to explain—
“Three.”
“Hey, you bastard! How do you go straight to three right after one!”
My call.
My fingertip brushed the trigger without fail. A gunshot tore through the darkness.
“You crazy bas—!”
In the next instant, we simultaneously caught sight of the eyes that had been hidden by the hood. Crimson pupils were wide, as if trying to push the whites outward on both sides.
[＃1 Small-Scale] 1.8.1 Patch Notes
◈ Main Patch
• Attempts to change the number following the Arabic numeral 「1」 to 「3」.
Beep—!
[To adjust the Providence of the Universe, you must unlock a Large-Scale Patch.]
[The contents of this patch are put on hold until a Large-Scale Patch is unlocked.]
〉〉 Auto Save…….
〉〉 Applying patch.