1 – Becoming the Archmage
Everyone dreams of a turning point in their lives.
They want to get into a good university. They want to win the lottery. They want to land a good job. Human desires are endless. Many people hope for luck regardless of their efforts.
Even I, who spent my time at home with nothing to do, longed for a lottery or a similar opportunity to turn my life around. Perhaps my prayers were answered because I found myself reincarnated in a novel. Not just any novel, but one that I had read and knew the entire plot of.
“Is it my disposition?”
I quickly became accustomed to the atmosphere, air, and rules of the novel I entered. Most people would be shocked and take a day or two to adapt to such a situation, but I was a little different. Not only was I not easily surprised by most things, but more importantly, I was somewhat prepared for the current situation.
There had been articles flooding the news headlines for quite some time.
[Breaking News] Unidentified phenomenon of disappearances occurring. People are missing.
It was an article about the numerous missing persons in Korea. The number of missing persons increasing every year. The media poured out articles as if it were an annual event. These articles always had a comment attached to them.
[Novel Gallery to Perish. A community that mocks the missing persons. Is it okay to leave it like this?]
Novel Gallery to Perish
It was a sub-gallery of the community called Layoutside. To put it simply, it was like a department in a university.
Just as there are separate departments in Seoul National University, such as the College of Medicine and the Department of Chemistry, Layoutside also had spaces for specific topics, such as game galleries and hobby galleries, where people could communicate.
The Novel Gallery to Perish had long been the target of media attention. Well, it was because people on the bulletin board were posing as missing persons and posting strange stories.
ㅇㅇ – It’s been two days since I was reincarnated here. How do I survive in this world?
ㅇㅇ – I feel like I’ve been reincarnated in a martial arts novel. Does anyone know the meaning of “Seoncheonjigi”?
ㅇㅇ – Why did I reincarnate in a place that looks exactly like Earth? There’s no magic or swordsmen here, it’s just the same as Earth.
In the Novel Gallery to Perish (NovelGal), people who claimed to be missing persons reincarnated in their own novels gathered. However, the government defined them as mere troublemakers. Just by looking at the headlines of the articles, it was easy to see which direction the public opinion was leaning towards.
– A community going too far with pranks. The serious generation that makes fun of missing persons.
The reason the government and the media didn’t believe the NovelGal people was simple. When asked if they were really missing persons, they couldn’t provide any evidence.
It’s a simple story. There are countless means to prove one’s identity, such as name, age, gender, residence, phone number, or resident registration number. If the missing person really did possess the ability to communicate in this novel, couldn’t they simply write down their personal information and post it?
However, no one in the anonymous forum had boldly shared their personal information.
ㅇㅇ – Is it really me, the missing person?
Main text: Please, someone save me
Comments began rushing in response to the provocative post. The anonymous nickname “ㅇㅇ” left a short comment for the author.
ㅇㅇ – What’s the point without verification?
Author – I’m really the missing person. I’ll write down my real name. 236 150 180 234 183 184 235 161 156
ㅇㅇ – Wow, I saw it in the news. Is this some kind of satellite orbit? Do these bastards think this is fun? It’s so pathetic.
Author – No, I wrote it down correctly. Call the police or something and check it! My name and age are 236 150 180 234 183 184 235 161 156
ㅇㅇ – Just live like an idiot.
Some individuals claimed to be the missing person and provided evidence, but they never wrote down a proper address or name. They only wrote down incomprehensible numbers.
Later, it was discovered that the combination of numbers, which the members of the anonymous forum claimed to be their personal information, was actually ASCII code. When converted, it displayed the Korean word “어그로” meaning “aggro”.
Even the government, out of curiosity, requested cooperation from the Ready Outside administrator to trace the users’ IP addresses. However, when they visited the addresses of those claiming to be missing, they found completely unrelated individuals.
There were times when the police, while searching empty houses, muttered in frustration.
“This is another fake one. They must have used a VPN. Senior, that’s why we should just ignore those people from the community. How many times has this happened?”
“Let’s investigate anyway. Can’t be helped. What a waste of time because of these weirdos.”
People categorically labeled those who claimed to be the missing person in the anonymous forum as agitators. After all, they couldn’t prove anything. However, I was different.
‘The level of detail I know about the novel’s information is too specific to be dismissed as a lie. And so many people simultaneously provoking aggro? Something’s off.’
I formed a hypothesis on my own. The doomed novel gallery is a community where real possessed individuals gather. Could it be that personal information from Earth is transformed into strange numbers due to some kind of restriction? That’s what I speculated.
“So, my hypothesis is that those people in that place are really the ones who possess. The reason why strange numbers appear when they mention their address or name is because some god-like entity has imposed restrictions.”
“Ugh… You’re such a pathetic loser. Please don’t contact me. We weren’t even close enough to call each other.”
I called my former part-time job friend, but all I got in return was a hateful response and being blocked. Sadly, that girl was my last friend. More precisely, she was the last opposite s*x acquaintance I had a connection with. As you can see, I’ve become someone else now, so to speak.
No matter what others think, I believed that there were truly missing persons in the online forum. However, just by looking at the posts, there were many unanswered questions. That’s why I uploaded a post.
ㅇㅇ – Where did everyone get reincarnated? Please give a detailed explanation.
Main text: I got reincarnated in my hometown.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ – I’m in a place with wizards. I think I got reincarnated into a novel I read before. I think the title was “Rebellion of Weak Wizards”… I’m not sure, I don’t remember it well.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ – I got reincarnated in a martial arts novel, but I don’t know the title. I vaguely remember the plot… but when I think about it, I don’t know. Anyway, it feels like I’m just rolling the dice without any purpose. It’s f*cking frustrating, I want to quit.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ – I think I got reincarnated in a cyberpunk novel… I remember the title, but just in case, ask me if you’re curious, I’ll let you know in a secret comment.
The general reaction of people was similar. They got reincarnated into different worlds, and those worlds were from novels.
However, people still couldn’t reveal their personal information from their own world.
Author – If you’re a real missing person, tell us your real name and address.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ – It’s frustrating, how would I know if I say 236 150 180 234 183 184 235 161 156?
ㄴ Author – How would anyone understand if I say 236 150 180 234 183 184 235 161 156?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ – Ah, f*ck, here we go again. If you’re going to mess around, at least write it properly and then f*ck off.
Sure enough, when I asked some people, all they replied with was the ASCII code 236 150 180 234 183 184 235 161 156. What the hell is the identity of this place? I started reading the first post on the forum.
ㅇㅇ – I think I got reincarnated in Revenge of the Wizard, where the wizard’s revenge is never too late, even if it takes a million years…
ㅇㅇ – Ah… I just remembered. I think I got reincarnated in the Cyberpunk Revenge Blood War.
ㅇㅇ – I got reincarnated in a story where I won the lottery for 100 billion won and reunited with my divorced wife after 30 years. I started with 100 billion, but I’m getting questions.
Upon closer inspection, there were quite a few people who knew which novel they got reincarnated into. I started deducing them one by one from the list of novels they had written.
[There are 3,310 works in my bookshelf.]
Surprisingly, all the novels were works that existed on a subscription platform. Since it allowed me to read all the novels for 9,900 won a month, I quickly started speed-reading after pre-selecting all the novels.
I didn’t forget to access the gallery in the novel where everything had been destroyed. The members of the gallery were still gossiping about themselves, and their attitude towards them as trolls in Korean society hadn’t changed either.
However, I thought a little differently. I believed that the possessed individuals actually existed in this gallery, and that I might also be possessed someday. With that vague thought in mind, I started reading the novel again.
The reason for reading the novel with the possibility of being possessed was simple. In case I was possessed, it would be a great help if I already knew how the plot unfolded.
As I stayed at home, staring at the novel on my phone, people around me looked at me pitifully. They whispered things like being a loser who escaped reality by indulging in delusions, but I ignored them and continued reading.
The specific development and setting of the novel, as well as the characters, and above all, knowing the hidden pieces, can’t you tell how deceptive it is by looking at those chicken novels? Assuming that I might be possessed, I read as many novels as possible and did my best to store information.
So, like a madman, I stayed at home and read novels diligently for two years. I completed exactly two works per day. It wasn’t impossible to read more works since speed-reading was possible, but I paced myself. This was because there were works that had nearly 1,000 episodes. At the point where I had read and thoroughly understood about 1,400 works. I also received questioning looks.
[Welcome to the novel where everything is destroyed.]
“I sell healing magic for 1 gold each~”
“I sell memory enhancement magic for 10 gold each. For those who have exams, I also offer a special potion to enhance magic efficiency~”
“I’ll handle one small demon for 30 silver each.”
Strange clothes that looked like they were from the medieval period. Strange creatures floating around. People carrying swords, shields, and even staffs.
“I succeeded.”
Instead of confusion, I shouted with joy at my first possession. I, like others, had succeeded in being possessed. It was the moment I had hoped and longed for.
Anxiously, I looked around. The buildings and people’s attire. Constantly pounding my head with the magic being used, mana, or similar forms. And after confirming that various elements pointed to one novel, I called out the command.
“I have been possessed. Moreover, in a novel I completed.”
Among the over 3,000 novel lists, I had only read 1,400. That’s why I was secretly anxious that even if I was possessed, I might end up in a completely unfamiliar place. But as if rewarding my efforts of reading novels like a madman for two years, I was possessed in a novel I had completed in the past.
The title was “The Talentless Mage Dreams of becoming an Archmage.”
It was a novel where the protagonist, who had no magic talent, collected various artifacts and hidden pieces to become an archmage. It was the perfect genre for people like me who had nothing.
– System: Data transfer has been completed safely. By speaking or imagining the command “gallery,” you can open the gallery of the novel where everything is destroyed and write posts.
Under the guidance of the system, I opened a gallery for the first time. To no surprise, a gallery of doomed novels appeared before my eyes. It was completely confirmed. The mass disappearances were all true, all of them being possessed.
I immediately made a post.
ㅇㅇ – I finally got possessed too. Even in a fully read novel. Those jealous bastards can go to hell lol.
Before checking if any comments were made, I frantically searched for hidden pieces. It could be a problem if the protagonist lost even a single one.
Next, I went to find the “Kiyoun”.
“hehehe… Your eyes really appeal to me. Yes. You said you wanted to learn magic, right?”
He used to be a great wizard, but now he hides his identity and lives in a poor neighborhood, a hidden master of magic.
“The old wizards said they wouldn’t teach, right? Get lost. Wait, your energy feels unusual from your body? Did you perhaps take the Potion of Ascension? In that case, things change.”
A man called Gumsungla, with a temperamental personality but definite skills.
“Oh? You want to handle summoning creatures? You’re quite ambitious. You already have magic and the energy of a sword in your body, don’t you? Huh…? Didn’t you say you’ve never dealt with summoning creatures before? Why is the energy of a legendary species coming from your body…?”
He forcefully connected me with various Kiyoun, including the magician known as the master of summoning magic and other dark magicians.
I clearly remembered what the key figures were interested in and successfully became their disciple, using their interests to my advantage. Thanks to the countless hidden pieces I monopolized, their teachings became ingrained in my bones and flesh.
11 years and 5 months after the possession.
– System: You have achieved the realm of a great wizard.
I was a great wizard.