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The Existentialist II

Although discovering anomalies already existing in the world was common, witnessing the moment an anomaly was ‘created’ was rare. To be honest, it was so rare you could count the instances on one hand. The probability was lower than getting an SSR in a gacha game. In other words, the moment Patient A’s brain changed from natural to artificial, it became one of those rare SSSR-grade cases.

“It’s an anomaly called Theseus’s Ship.”

“Theseus’s Ship? What is that...?” Noh Do-hwa, who had very little knowledge in certain fields, asked. The reason for that was simple: the Korean civil service exam did not include philosophy. It was a backlash from the Joseon Dynasty, where only philosophy was tested.

“There was a hero named Theseus who had a ship. Since it was a precious item like the Turtle Ship, they must have preserved it, right?”

“Hmm...”

“But over time, the ship’s planks rotted, so they replaced them with new ones. If this continued, eventually none of the original planks would remain, and everything would be new―”

“Ah. So the question is whether it can still be called Theseus’s Ship. If you only consider the materials, hasn’t the entire content changed? Is that what you’re saying...?”

“Exactly.”

Up to what point is it Theseus’s Ship, and from where is it not? What exactly is Theseus’ Ship in the first place?

It’s a dilemma related to identity.

Why did it have to be Theseus’s Ship?

No particular reason. He was just the most famous hero in Athens. It’s similar to how people would be more eager to repair Yi Sun-sin’s Ship rather than Won Gyun’s Ship, even if they were both under the same naval command.

In fact, there were many dilemmas with different names but similar content. Scholars, both past and present, needed to find ways to package the same product in a captivating manner to make a living. That’s why a scientist’s brain goes into a jar and Schrödinger’s cat goes into a box—to support their owners.

“Well, I understand...” Noh Do-hwa glanced at Patient A, or rather, the anomaly that had once been Patient A, now bound motionlessly to the operating table. If Noh Do-hwa were a mad scientist or the executive of an evil organization, this would look like a scene where something significant was about to happen. “I get the gist of the anomaly. It’s one that confuses its own identity, constantly questioning who it is and where it is, right...?”

“Probably?”

“Why do you end your sentence with a question mark, making people anxious...?”

“Because this is my first time witnessing such a phenomenon. We often use the term identity... But there’s no point in explaining it since you wouldn’t understand anyway.”

“Ah, you want to die, don’t you...?”

“Anyway, it seems clear that this anomaly has an identity crisis.”

Even now, Patient A, isolated in the laboratory, was constantly mumbling.

“Even a speck of dust falling on a table changes the table from an atomic perspective. How about humans? Am I Ah Reum? What is Ah Reum? What determines Ah Reum’s essence, Ah Reum-ness, and beauty?”

Noh Do-hwa massaged her temples. “This is maddening...”

“Hmm. Maybe the fact that the patient’s name is ‘Ah Reum’ was a trigger point. If you remove a stroke from how you write it, it becomes ‘name.’[1] Names are the closest terms to identity.”

“Why would you remove a stroke...?”

“How should I know? That’s just what anomalies often do.”

Noh Do-hwa cursed. You can fill in the blanks with the highest level of profanity you can imagine.

“Hah, anyway, the good thing is that there’s no other issue apart from the nonsensical babbling. Let’s just keep this anomaly locked up forever...”

“I agree.”

~And so, the new anomaly was isolated in the Impel Down of the National Road Management Corps and lived a happy life~. END.

―If that were the end, I wouldn’t have mentioned the story at all.

Anomalies begin to “grow” from the moment they are born and inevitably affect the world. The purpose of this particular story is to show you the aftermath.

[Mr. Undertaker.]

From that day onward, the day the anomaly of Patient A was born and isolated, strange phenomena began to occur.

“Yes, Saintess. What’s the matter?”

[Currently, some Awakeners exploring the Void in the Korean Peninsula are experiencing mental breakdowns.]

“What?”

[The afflicted started asking questions about their own existence and then fainted within five minutes. Their fellow guild members are moving them to the rear.]

A chill ran down my spine. “Please provide the coordinates of the nearest afflicted person.”

[Sure. Near Gimhae...]

I immediately headed to the indicated location.

The guild members were already transporting the injured to the hospital, so I helped them carry the patient. The building was more like a pharmacy or a clinic than a hospital, but these days, all hospitals were like that. Even the apocalypse couldn’t withstand the separation of medicine and pharmacy.

“He suddenly lost consciousness. We didn’t do anything wrong!” a guild member from the same guild as the afflicted testified. They seemed slightly intimidated by the sudden appearance of someone like me. “We followed the protocol for mental contamination during the exploration. Really, we prepared thoroughly. There was no sign, but suddenly, when he got on the boat, he lost his mind and... “

“Boat?” I snapped to attention. “Wait. He got on a boat in the Void?”

“Yes? Ah, yes... It’s much faster to use the waterway near the Jomangang River. But really, we didn’t go through any dangerous routes! It was the path we always took, honest!”

While the Awakeners desperately tried to defend themselves, I sighed deep within my heart.

‘That anomaly has already started consuming the concept of [ship] since its birth!’

There was no time to waste. I immediately left the hospital room and contacted the control tower in Yongsan.

“Saintess. Are you watching me now?”

[Yes.]

“Please check if all the afflicted Awakeners recently boarded or have even seen a ship in the Void.”

[...I can’t confirm them all, but it seems likely. All the afflicted groups were near water.]

I sighed.

The hesitation was slim.

The face of an Awakener who had ventured into the Void, even after losing his entire body, to fight an anomaly. His smile. His words of gratitude.

But determination was always stronger than hesitation.

“Saintess.”

[Yes.]

“Please contact Noh Do-hwa and tell her to eliminate Isolation-239-430-1-A. Just call it Ah Reum, and she’ll know.”

[Understood.]

Silence ensued. Two minutes later.

[It’s done.]

I immediately asked, “Physical destruction?”

[In progress. It doesn’t seem to resist aura, so physical destruction should be possible.]

“Thank you for your hard work.”

[No problem.]

“Please tell Noh Do-hwa that it’s not her fault. I agreed to it, and anomalies can arise anytime.”

[...Yes, I’ll tell her.]

My mind raced.

‘Is this the end? Or is it too late to prevent the contamination?’

There were various ways anomalies could grow their power. One of the most representative methods was contaminating a specific ‘concept.’

For example, let’s say an anomaly contaminated ‘the lilies in my backyard.’ That wasn’t too dangerous, as I just had to stop growing lilies. But what if ‘all lilies’ were contaminated? It would be a bit more dangerous, but still, not something to be overly paranoid about. If it seemed too dangerous, I could simply post on SG Net, “Everyone, be cautious of lilies.”

But what if it went beyond ‘lilies’ to ‘plants’?

Or even beyond plants to ‘life’ itself?

Yes.

Astute readers would have already realized this, but the higher up you go from a ‘small concept’ to a ‘broader concept,’ the more dangerous the anomaly becomes.

Let me draw a simple diagram as an example.

[Existence]

/

[Living Things] [Non-living Things]

/

[Cellular Organisms] [Acellular Organisms]

Imagine the world as being made of concepts rather than space. Anomalies climb the ladders of this conceptual map, spreading their cells. Sometimes upwards. Sometimes sideways. Sometimes downwards. Steadily, or by leaping. Occasionally through logic. But mostly through illogic.

Anomalies’ insidious dialectics existed to contaminate our world’s pyramid, to contaminate the pyramid of existence itself. Therefore, to become a competent ‘anomaly virus containment specialist,’ you must quickly identify where the contamination starts and how it spreads.

As a Regressor, my task was essentially the same.

At that time, my brain was churning over the following:

‘The concept of the ship is contaminated. What’s next? All vehicles? Bicycles or trains? That would be troublesome. Or will it expand to water-related concepts because it’s a ship? Or is it completely eradicated due to physical destruction?’

It was then.

- U-uh? Huh? What’s wrong with you?!

- Wait! Hey! Stop! Stop!

The hospital room door swung open with a bang.

When I turned around, the mentally disturbed patient who had been transported earlier was standing there, his mouth agape. Words spilled out from his mouth.

“Ship...”

“Hey, hey! Lee Geum-seon! What are you doing?!”

His companions rushed out after him, shouting.

“He suddenly started saying strange things! Ah, Undertaker, sorry. He woke up, but then suddenly got out of bed!”

“We must fix the ship...”

Mumble.

The patient staggered.

“We must fix the ship. The existence crumbles, and only those who fix the ship will be saved. It is the ark for all of us...”

His companions shouted, “Hey! Hey!” and tried to hold him back, but it was useless. Somehow, the patient exhibited superhuman strength and moved steadily. His companions were dragged along, exclaiming, “What? What?”

That wasn’t all.

[Mr. Undertaker!]

The urgency in the Saintess’s voice shook my heart.

[It’s serious. Many Awakeners on SG Net are showing symptoms of Theseus’ Ship!]

“SG Net? Suddenly, why?” Even as I responded, my mind immediately conjured the worst hypothesis. Could it be? “Did someone upload pictures or images related to ships?”

[I don’t know. I had the same hypothesis, so I haven’t used Clairvoyance on the intentionally infected.]

“You did well. If you get infected, it will be a disaster. For now, ask Seo Gyu to suspend the board...”

[Sorry.]

My breath caught.

[Seo Gyu is infected. Probably the first one too.]

I held my breath for a moment, catching and suppressing it between my teeth and tongue the moment just before it escaped.

“Activate the emergency protocol.”

[Yes, it’s activated. All Awakeners have been warned ‘SG Net entry is prohibited’ under the Constellations’ names.]

It was true.

The Awakener dragged by their companions suddenly looked up. “What? A Constellation just...”

“Did you get the message too?”

“Yeah. But what does [Beware of the ship] mean?”

“Wait. There are more messages. [Avoid water bodies], [Do not observe any images or drawings resembling ships]...”

Their voices grew lower.

“Damn. What is this? Why so suddenly? It’s scary.”

“Wait. Come to think of it, when we went there today... Hey! Hey! Stop! Why is this guy so strong?”

I tackled the mentally disturbed patient and subdued him. Fortunately, those infected by this anomaly could be knocked out.

“Ah, thank you, Undertaker!”

“......”

I noticed something ‘abnormal’ about the patient. Two of his fingers, the index and middle fingers, were cut off. Scissors were slanted and stuck into the severed ends.

I looked at his companions. “What is this?”

“We didn’t do it! Geum-seon did it himself...”

“Did he cut off his fingers and stab the scissors in himself?”

“Yes, yes! It’s true, Undertaker! It may be hard to believe, but we didn’t do this!”

The Awakeners didn’t need to plead so desperately. I believed them.

And the thought struck me:

The Awakeners who were just on SG Net, including the administrator, Seo Gyu, and other Awakeners on the Korean Peninsula who were likely just browsing internet boards and had seen ‘ship images’... What had happened to them?

The aftermath could ensue just a day after an anomaly outbreak.

The world we lived in was as such.

“Saintess, connect me to Yu Ji-won.”

[Okay. Connected.]

“Relay my message. Ask Dang Seo-rin and Cheon Yo-hwa for their cooperation. Assemble all National Road Management Corps members under the Command Center. Prepare for containment procedures.”

Yes.

It’s nothing new, but we humans live in a world that despises us.

Footnotes:

[1] Ah Reum (아름) is one stroke away from the Korean word for name (이름).

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