episode_0055

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The first thing I did upon arriving on the island was, of course, to find the master’s Go board.

It’s natural because the purpose itself is for that purpose.

Snow White, Suah, and the porters set off on a journey with the boys.

The destination is a cave located on the coast. It is in a slightly precarious location, but as long as you are careful, there will be no problem.

Fortunately, we found the cave without any major trouble.

There I found a go board covered in dust and a skeleton lying on it.

“Wow… . It really exists. Where on earth does the master find such things? Is there some kind of portal or something? ”

“There is a way.”

I didn’t want to touch it, but I moved the skull carefully.

And then I lightly swept the board where the blood was dried.

A huge amount of dust gets on my hands.

– This guy!!!!

Then a deafening roar.

“Gyaak!!”

Su-ah was very surprised and quickly pulled out her gun.

Snow White pulled out her sword.

The rest of the assholes sat down in awe, while Inaeun calmly pulled out the Terminator.

Everyone’s reactions are so positive.

“Ah, it’s okay. Don’t be scared.”

“Hic… . Master, Master… . That’s, ho, not a hologram! Ghost… !!”

A transparent human is floating on the Go board.

– What a tough guy.

“Korean Young Teacher, a junior from far away has come to see you.”

– ?!!

.

.

– I’ll tilt your upper ear one space.

Pick up the black stone and place it wherever you want.

And I increased the white stone appropriately.

– I’m going to hang up.

Talk.

He put the black stone back where he wanted and I hit him with the white stone.

– hmm.

The master’s Go board.

This is a Go board that houses Han Kook-young, the greatest Go genius in human history who dominated the world of Go until 2024.

At that time, the records he set, such as winning the world championship for 20 consecutive years and winning all titles in Korean Go, Japanese Go, and Chinese Go, were unprecedented and unbreakable records, so people evaluated him as an unprecedented Go genius who will never be broken again.

Why is he, like that, stuck to this Go board like a ghost?

The story is a bit sad, but at that time, Go AI was proliferating like mushrooms, and people were saying that human Go was useless and that Go was no longer an art.

Most baduk players accepted this and adapted to the change, but Korean Young Go players denied it.

And I thought humans were still competitive and could beat AI.

But the results were disastrous, and he became increasingly disappointed with the world of Go becoming increasingly dominated by AI, so he announced his retirement and went into seclusion.

At the time, no one was able to find him, but 27 years later, World War III broke out, the situation became chaotic, and humanity was never able to find him.

‘It turned out that he had taken his life on an island in Shinan where no one had visited… along with his beloved Go board.’

As a side note, the term ‘Myeong-in’ is a word used in the Japanese Go world, and the reason it was used instead of ‘Guk-su’, which is used in Korea, is because of game developers.

It became a hot topic when he said, ‘When you say a baduk board of noodles, something comes to mind… Janchi noodles come to mind…’

– you….

Korean Young-i looked at the situation and let out a sigh.

The voice sounds somewhat awkward.

– Your baduk skills aren’t very good, are they?

“… Isn’t that obvious when you’re playing against the greatest Go genius in human history?”

– No, the foundation wasn’t laid before that. This can’t be called baduk. You gave me 9 points and I’m getting pushed back so easily?

“… .”

Well… .

of course.

Because the only game of Go I’ve ever played was mini-Go on a 9X9 board.

Although he can read local numbers to some extent, he is not good at reading the overall situation and knowing where to place stones.

– Haa… Is this how it ended up? AI has taken over Go… The skills of Go players have deteriorated this much…

“That’s a leap. I’m just an ordinary person, and Go players are still good.”

– Hmm. Really? How old are you?

“This year is 76, sir. It’s 2076.”

He was surprised.

– 2076?? Time has already passed that fast? 50 years have passed since I died. Huh?

“Yes. And the Go world is still going strong.”

– The world of Go is alive and well…. With AI running wild like that, how can mere humans continue the world of Go? They couldn’t match it in terms of reading moves or judging the situation.

It must have been a huge shock.

It’s funny to see a gentleman who used to deny AI say something like this.

“AI is mostly discarded.”

– huh?

“China started World War III in 27 years.”

– What?! Have you ever seen such a bunch of fucking punks?

“Because the damage caused by AI during the war was so great, AI is heavily regulated. You can think of it as something like the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Except for some essential industries, it has been significantly reduced, and in Go, it has been completely eliminated.”

– … In the end, it wasn’t humans who beat AI.

“Well, it’s like beating a computer with a hammer, so isn’t that a win? No matter where you go, you’ll just have to go to Seoul.”

– If you do that, humans will also fall behind. What’s the point?

“That’s true.”

He let out a deep sigh.

After being locked up here for 50 years, meeting me seems to have all sorts of thoughts.

– … I want to play baduk. Not this weird baduk, but real baduk!

Okay.

“Then would you like to come with me? My grandfather really likes baduk.”

– Are you a professional?

“That’s not it. It’s amateur.”

– Hmm… I guess there’s nothing we can do about it for now.

A slightly disappointed look.

How can you openly express disappointment when they are taking out something that has been stuck for 50 years?

Even though his attitude was bad, I endured it because it was a gift from my grandfather.

– But wait a minute. Didn’t you say that China started a world war earlier? In ’27?

“Yes.”

– It’s 77 now?

“76 years ago.”

– … What was the result? In our country?? No, you’re not Chinese, are you? This damn Goyan-,

“China lost the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to Mongolia, Tibet and Uyghurs became independent, and the area north of the Yellow River became the territory of the Republic of Korea. The area south of the Yellow River was split into 20 provinces.”

– What??!

This gentleman,

I was even more surprised when I heard that it was now 76 years.

– Is that… true?

“Why would I lie to you, Master? I’ll be caught as soon as I go out into the world.”

– Huh… . What the heck… . I can’t believe it… . What happened to Japan? Korea, China, and Japan are practically the world of Go itself, so if China collapses… .

“Japan virtually collapsed during World War III due to the Nankai Trough Earthquake.

– Huh?

“A 10.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Nankai Trough, and five days later, Mt. Fuji erupted, and two weeks later, a magnitude 8.9 earthquake occurred directly in Tokyo, paralyzing the nation’s functions for a considerable period of time. The damage is still being recovered.”

– … .

“… .”

– … .

“… .”

– … What kind of world are you living in? Is Korea okay?

“Yes.”

It’s a corporate dictatorship disguised as democracy, but it’s still one of the most sane countries.

– Ahem… Anyway, I understand. If you help me get out of here, I’ll do everything I can. Are you interested in becoming the best Go player?

“I don’t have one, but my grandfather might. I’d like to give this board to my grandfather as a gift.”

– Yes. You are a filial son. I understand. Please take good care of me, junior.

The Korean-English noodle that had been talking to me in a transparent form was absorbed into the baduk board.

The inside of the cave, which had been noisy, became quiet again.

“… There really are ghosts. I don’t think I can go to dark places anymore, Master.”

“It was a prejudice that there are only beings in the world that humans can perceive… .”

Su-ah and Baek-seol each say something, and the other kids start whispering too.

I picked up the board and pointed to the remains, which were now in pieces, bitterly.

“Take the harmful ones too. We can give them to grandpa together.”

“Yes, Master. But… . Do you really think you’d like a board like this? It’s so worn out.”

“He’s the kind of person who can have anything he wants, so what does the size of the gift matter to him? My sincerity matters.”

And our Mr. Ko Young-man is a huge fan of Baduk.

It is impossible not to know Korean Young, who left a significant mark on the history of Baduk.

The last life and remains of the Korean spirit that no one has found, and a baduk board that can be used for conversation and even a game of go, would be meaningful enough as a gift for a grandson on Chuseok.

“My lord. How about buying this island and giving it to me as well?”

“Huh? This island?”

“Yes.”

Snow White looked at the Go board and the place where the remains were with a hazy face.

“The place where the deceased was until the end… . And the place where he ended his life, the place where he was for 50 years… . I think it has meaning. ”

“Hmm.”

That sounds plausible.

“Su-ah, contact the island owner and tell him that I will buy it. I will pay later. Even with interest.”

“Okay.”