Chapter 190

“What is your earliest memory, everyone?”

What age will the people watching this video tomorrow remember? Three years old? Four years old?

Memories of crying after being scolded by parents or wandering the crowded streets as a lost child.

The more shocking the memory, the higher the probability that it will become the first memory.

“My first memory was in a game world. The name of that game was Legacy of Legends.”

Seol-a kept me in a private room for almost a year to buy mana potions, playing the game without missing a day.

It probably didn’t start that way.

The thought of making money through title crafting isn’t something anyone can easily come up with.

There was a system that allowed for small loans against the capsules, and that amount likely didn’t exceed one million won.

What must Seol-a have felt, extending her life with mana potions instead of food and water, watching the fuse of the bomb shorten?

It must have been a horrifying experience for a girl of that age. Truly.

“My mother never logged into virtual reality again to save me, and I continued to play the game as my mother had taught me.”

I play the game.

I earn titles.

I sell titles.

I make money.

I buy mana.

I play the game again.

That horrifically monotonous routine repeated for seven years.

“In 2044, 3,917 rounds; in 2045, 8,392 rounds; in 2046, 8,505 rounds; in 2047, 8,469 rounds; in 2048, 8,538 rounds; in 2049, 8,150 rounds; and I played a minimum of 4,000 rounds in 2050. It was the only way I could survive.”

[I want to call your name one last time.]

[I don’t know my name.]

[It’s okay. I’ll give you one now.]

Did I instinctively sense that this would be my last moment with her?

[Namé is such a pretty name.]

I was suddenly filled with dread at her warm words.

[Promise me to stay alive. Survive with all your might and live for both you and your mother.]

What does it mean to survive, and why can’t Seol-a continue to be with me?

The confused young child kept looking only at Seol-a.

[Please remember your mother is only No Seol-a. Our proud daughter Namé.]

“So my name is… the name my mother gave me just before she passed away. The nickname came first, and then the name.”

Yeah, it’s a ridiculous drama. After that, I struggled to continue speaking for a while, lost in thought.

Was there really no way for Seol-a to live?

If I had gathered my thoughts a little earlier,

If I had recognized the situation a little faster,

Seol-a wouldn’t have had to bear that burden alone…

“Namé!”

“…?”

“Fighting!”

Suddenly, through the camera tripod, Seol-a’s figure appeared like an illusion.

She was smiling with her fists clenched, as if to cheer me on for the finals tomorrow.

Yeah, I’m so glad I can see her like this, even in a hallucination.

If we’re just talking about novelty, I think the brain is a step ahead of magic.

How can it be so real?

I lightly closed my eyes and opened them again, and she was gone as if she had never been there.

‘I’ll come to see you this Sunday.’

I decided to focus back on filming.

I felt bad, but I refrained from mentioning Semin and Detective Ma Beom-il, who helped in the rescue, as much as possible.

It was to minimize any potential backlash because I didn’t know what sparks might fly.

However, there was something I definitely needed to address.

“I feel that this country is very cruel. Indifference and exclusion. These are the words that immediately come to mind when I hear ‘Republic of Korea.’ I lived a worthless life amid your indifference and remained stateless until I was adopted by a kind person amid your exclusion.”

Can a child in South Korea really be stateless without suffering significant disadvantages?

Not at all.

How long did I have to wait to apply for revenue-generating status by joining Twish just to earn potion money?

Unbeknownst to many, the perception of stateless persons and refugees in South Korea was not good.

Most of all, the kids in the orphanage were so clever that they knew exactly who had parents and who didn’t, and how they were born.

The only one who stayed with me until the end was Arin, and her influence kept me from developing misanthropy.

“I’m not sharing my story just to brag about my misfortune. I hope that you will pay a little more attention to your neighbors, friends, or your parents and children through this opportunity.”

Yuna was bullied at the academy because there was no effort to understand her situation.

Kariri also faced those harsh gazes, largely due to the public’s effort to turn a blind eye to the truth.

There was no malice.

I’ve always hated hearing that phrase.

So what can be done?

There are no perpetrators, only victims remain.

Then does the victim have to wander alone in the pains of the past, carrying unhealed scars for life?

If they don’t want to become perpetrators, I hope they at least consider themselves bystanders.

“You all watching this video are probably smart people. You remember all those champions from Legacy of Legends and have memorized the complex swordsmanship and magic skills from the World of Arcelia. So I think what I’ll ask of you next will be very simple.”

Still, I couldn’t help but believe in people once more.

Changing to a better world ultimately depends on people too.

This was the end of the video.

[Recording ended 9:32]

It was just under ten minutes.

Taking what was bottled up inside me and showing it to someone is truly a shameful thing.

I didn’t want to think about anything anymore.

The rest would be taken care of by me tomorrow.

I just want to do nothing.

I’m already doing nothing, but I want to do nothing more intensely and actively.

But this relentless ennui wouldn’t leave me alone.

I got up from bed, washed my face, changed clothes, and logged into virtual reality.

[Streaming starts: 0:01:31 – NoName]

“I filmed a vlog because the weather was nice in the morning.”

Yeah, it was a bit hot, but today’s weather didn’t seem too bad.

***

The video ended.

A faint murmuring and commotion.

But considering the number of people filling the stadium, the decibel level was by no means loud.

I knew this reaction was expected, and I just had to do my job.

I grabbed the microphone and stepped a foot or two ahead of the caster.

“First, I’d like everyone to clear from their minds that I’m seven years old and do me a favor.”

I asked the caster for a moment’s understanding.

Time was running short, and the end of the interview was approaching.

So I proceeded as simply and quickly as possible.

“I previously submitted a request for a re-investigation of the Bafwadai Bridge bombing incident, but it was ultimately rejected. So this time, I’m trying to approach it differently. I applied for a citizen proposal under my real name ‘Noname,’ and the content is a request for a re-investigation of the Walpurgis operation. The point when my mother and I were trapped in the capsule and moved to an isolated abandoned house was definitely before the Bafwadai Bridge bombing incident.”

Persona Paisiro could clearly witness that chaotic scene.

In the memories left by Adella’s main body, there were two capsules that had not synchronized with her, one belonging to Seol-a and the other undoubtedly to me.

“So first, please clarify the timeline of the incident. Was the bombing of Bafwadai Bridge the first event, or was there a rescue operation planned beforehand? If it’s found to be the latter, the reason for hiding the truth and the responsible parties must come to light. This requires your continued attention, dear viewers. So I ask you earnestly.”

I bowed at a 90-degree angle.

Maybe this was my first time giving such a greeting, and it felt very awkward.

I wondered if I bowed my head a little longer, could I get even one more person to heed my plea.

But with the time pressure, I couldn’t hold it for more than ten seconds.

Okay, I’m almost there, Noname. Stay strong.

The second request was really simple and ordinary.

“My second request is… for the treatment of our poor… mom who is currently in the memorial hall…”

Seol-a should not be in that old, crumbling memorial hall.

She is greater than anyone I’ve ever met.

“…I hope improvements… ugh… are made…”

I had intended to avoid using the clichéd expression “tears blocked my vision,” but…

If this happens, it would negate the meaning of recording the video in advance.

Yeah, I didn’t actually cry, so it’s not like I’m crying.

Thinking that, I barely managed to finish the interview in a faltering voice.

“Thank you all for listening…”

“You did so well! Our Namé is amazing!”

“…!”

I turned around in surprise at the soft voice I vaguely heard, but there was no one there.

Just as I was about to say how much I missed her, Seol-a quickly vanished again.

I wish she wouldn’t just show up right before my birthday.