The Tales of an Infinite Regressor

Chapter 4 – Observer II

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 4 – Observer II

“…”

“Right?”

I didn’t respond immediately.

Honestly, I was a bit surprised. At the same time, I became intrigued.

There have been occasions where I openly admitted being a regressor. However, there was only one person besides Old Scho who had realized it beforehand.

“Why do you think so?”

“I thought if you were a regressor, you would eventually come find me. You’ve also been defeating monsters at an unbelievable speed. But… seeing you ask like this, it seems like this is the first time we’ve met in ‘this run’?”

I leaned forward slightly.

Creak.

The green plastic chair in the convenience store scraped against the floor.

At first, I was simply curious about the existence of the Constellations. But now, my interest had shifted more towards the human in front of me.

“Yes, that’s correct. Although I’ve been curious about the identity of the Constellations, this run marks the first time I’ve delved into it seriously.”

“If you… Doctor Jang, is truly a regressor, then I believe we must establish a cooperative relationship in the future.”

“A cooperative relationship?”

“Yes. However, at the moment, I can’t be certain whether you are a regressor or not. From my perspective, that is.”

The woman spoke cautiously.

Though she seemed very tense, there was no wavering in her tone.

‘She’s got some backbone.’

I squinted.

“Interesting. Why can’t you be sure that I’m a regressor?”

“Because you might possess not regression, but the ability of prophecy, or even possess mind-reading abilities that create situations identical to the present. So…”

She bowed her head.

“I’m sorry for bringing you all the way up to Seoul. It’s difficult for me to open up about everything regarding the identity of the Constellations, what I know, or what my abilities are.”

“Hmm.”

Proper etiquette and appropriate caution.

Perhaps she’s like a lottery ticket worth scratching.

“All right. If it’s confirmed that I’m a regressor, will you be able to answer all my questions?”

“…Yes.”

“Well, there’s a simple solution.”

The woman lifted her head.

I turned on my smartphone.

“We’ll establish passwords for each other.”

“Passwords?”

“Please specify words or phrases that I would never know unless I’m a regressor. It doesn’t have to be keywords; it could be specific actions.”

A method Old Scho and I had used before.

It was a method that had been validated by the 7th run.

“Anyway, if you provide those, I’ll execute them thoroughly in the ‘next run.'”

“Ah.”

She immediately understood my words.

“That’s a really good idea. Um. Then, in the next run, please come here and spread out a red t-shirt on the table for me. Just stay quiet for about 10 minutes, no, 15 minutes. Write ‘Code of Ethics’ prominently on the t-shirt.”

“Hmm.”

“If you do that, I’ll contact you first from my side.”

It was a neat method.

“Understood. Miss.”

“Uh… I’m sorry, but that nickname is a bit…”

“Anyway, all the nicknames of the Constellation are equally childish. I thought I’d come up with a cool name later, but I ended up with the nickname ‘Doctor.’ ‘Miss’ is at least a noble title.”

“How did ‘Doctor’ come about…?”

Oops. I quickly got up from the table.

Again, I really dislike my nickname. There may be an opportunity to explain how I ended up with such a nickname later, but I hope that opportunity comes much later, or better yet, never comes at all.

“I’ll go first. Miss. See you next time.”

“Oh, yes. See you next time. It was nice meeting you, regressor.”

Between what I meant by ‘next’ and what she thought of as ‘next,’ there was a gap of about a whole world.

We parted ways like two streams that met and parted easily.

Since that day, I haven’t received any messages from the ‘Constellation.’

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed.

It felt like someone who had been reacting to my actions had disappeared. The absence felt larger than I had expected.

Of course, my goal wasn’t to impress the Constellation, but to prevent the world from ending. After quickly regaining my composure, I plunged into the 35th run of the world.

And, I failed miserably.

If I had succeeded from the start, there wouldn’t have been any need to reach the 1183rd run.

“Red t-shirt, was it?”

In the 36th world, my 36th life began.

I immediately fulfilled the promise I made in the previous world.

First, I swiftly took care of the Busan Station Gate.

[The Saintess of Salvation is amazed by your actions!]

[The Lord of the Scarlet Cloak feels pride in your strength!”]

[The Conqueror of the Alps takes notice of your movements!]

[The Steward of the Red Mantle is wary of your skills!]

As before, the messages from the Constellation flooded in this time too.

Although it was nice to receive messages after a long time, I ignored them for now.

I ascended to Seoul as quickly as possible through the route developed by Old Scho. Along the way, I didn’t forget to stop by an unclosed clothing store to buy a shirt.

[The Saintess of Salvation expresses doubts about your actions.]

Even while on the move, the Constellation constantly tried to communicate.

When I arrived at the convenience store near the Jamsu Bridge, I sat under the parasol table, and spread out the shirt, writing “Code of Ethics” on it with a marker.

[……]

[……]

Suddenly, the once noisy Constellation fell silent.

Leaning back in the chair, I sipped on the convenience store coffee. The products here were intact since the store hadn’t been looted yet.

Soon enough, someone approached the convenience store.

A woman with a hiking backpack. In terms of runs, she was the ‘Saintess of Salvation’ whom I had met twenty years ago.

I didn’t feel as excited as before. To survive as a regressor, I had to become accustomed to farewells and reunions.

Just this time, unlike last time, I was the one waiting to greet her.

“Um, excuse me, but by any chance…”

The woman cautiously observed my complexion.

I nodded.

“Yes, I am a regressor. The Saintess of Salvation.”

“……!”

The Saintess took a deep breath.

Standing still, she clenched her fists tightly. I couldn’t discern what conviction drove her.

After a while, the Saintess finally spoke up.

“Please, follow me.”

It was finally time to uncover the truth about the Constellation.

The Saintess’s residence was in Yongsan.

With Yeouido and Gangnam evaporating simultaneously, Yongsan was practically the frontline adjacent to the Gates. It was currently one of the most dangerous places in Korea.

“You can come in.”

It was a run-down row house in Dongbu-godong.

Looking around, despite the shabby exterior, the house inside was tidy.

No, to be more precise, it was beyond tidy; it was meticulous.

In the dimly lit living room, the four computer monitors emitted a bluish light.

The monitor lights faintly outlined the cardboard boxes scattered around. Canned food boxes. Bottled water. All bathed in the blue glow of the monitors, they seemed submerged rather than on the surface.

A large metal bookshelf was placed against the wall. However, only a few books were sparsely placed. Instead, the spaces meant for books were occupied by 15-cube and 20-cube aquariums.

Glass containers filled with water were neatly displayed, dozens of them.

Aquariums. Aquariums. Aquariums.

This space was surrounded by walls made of water instead of bricks, giving it the appearance of an underwater temple.

“It seems like you’ve been preparing for this situation for a long time.”

“Yes.”

The Saintess seated me on the sofa and brought over a computer chair for herself.

“Should I call you the Regressor?”

“Please feel free to call me whatever you’re comfortable with. My alias is Undertaker.”

“Sure, Undertaker. How many times have you met with me?”

“This is the second time.”

“The second time.”

The Saintess murmured softly.

“Then, practically speaking, this is almost like our first meeting. Since I didn’t explain anything in the previous encounter, right?”

“Exactly.”

“There’s probably a lot I need to explain… Where should I start?”

“First, I’d like to ask about the Constellation. What exactly are they? Are they truly transcendent beings? Are you the representative of the Constellation?”

“…”

The Saintess pursed her lips. Not because she was hesitant to answer, but because she wanted to choose her words carefully.

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Finally, she spoke.

“The Constellation… don’t exist.”

“They don’t exist?”

“No. The Saintess of Salvation, the Conqueror of the Alps, they’re all just characters I created alone.”

I was somewhat surprised by this.

I had considered the hypothesis that the Constellation might be fictional entities myself. However, I never imagined that the person in front of me was orchestrating all these Constellations solely by herself.

I had thought there might be at least six people working together.

“Why did you do that?”

“…”

The blue light from the monitor lamps scattered faintly in the living room. Fish murmured in the small aquariums.

“I awakened about twenty days ago. Since then, my hair color changed, and I started having nightmares about monsters. It was too vivid to dismiss as mere fantasy… It felt like a realistic dream.”

I nodded.

It was an experience shared by countless Awakeneds around the world just before the Gates erupted. Like a kind of premonition.

“For some reason, I was convinced that it would actually happen. So I thought about what I could do. Not just stocking up on canned food or collecting bottled water, but something that only I could do.”

The Saintess looked straight at me.

“Regressor. No, Undertaker. Will the Awakeneds uphold societal order even after gaining their powers?”

“Yes?”

“The abilities of the Awakened are remarkable. Just consider myself; I gained powers beyond comprehension, not just one, but two, or even three. Can human beings bestowed with such power easily unite, do good, and at the very least, refrain from committing crimes?”

Fish shadows flowed on the living room floor.

Her voice seeped into the shadows.

I felt captivated by a sensation similar to when I foolishly dived into a bathhouse during my childhood. The other party was lowering the depth of this place with that gaze.

“I judged that wasn’t the case.”

“…”

“If someone with immense power were to appear and gather the Awakened, that would be fine. But it’s a process riddled with countless trials and errors, taking time. Until then, the Awakened will proliferate under different factions, and civilians will be sacrificed in power struggles without a care. Naturally, as humans become more divided, their ability to deal with the Gates will diminish.”

It was a correct conjecture.

Indeed, the majority of countries had collapsed following such procedures.

Korea was a peculiar case, having endured for so long.

‘Wait.’

At that moment, a certain assumption flashed through my mind like a bolt of lightning.

I stared into the Saintess’s jet-black pupils.

Pupils that seemed like they wouldn’t even blink even if submerged in water.

“No way?”

“…”

She nodded faintly.

“Undertaker. When does a person hesitate to commit wrongdoing? It’s when they feel like someone is watching them.”

“…The Constellation.”

“Yes.”

I widened my eyes in shock.

The Saintess continued speaking.

“If a person believes they can hide or cover up their crimes, they will easily break the rules. But if they feel like there’s a transcendent being watching them anytime, anywhere, then even an Awakened will hesitate to commit wrongdoing.”

“Unbelievable.”

“So, I created the Constellation for that reason.”

It felt like receiving a series of mental punches.

The fact that the Constellation, especially the “Saintess of Salvation,” who had watched over me for so long until the 36th encounter, were lies, was astonishing enough. But the fact that all of it was born out of one person’s thorough plan was utterly astounding.

“But how did you create the Constellation?”

“It’s thanks to my abilities. I can use Clairvoyance and Telepathy.”

Her explained abilities could be summarized as follows:

1. Clairvoyance: She can observe any Awakened within a radius of 1,000km whenever she wants. She can even hear their voices.

2. Telepathy, or message transmission: She can transmit her voice to a target she perceives. It’s also possible to send messages in text form. However, in this case, the message is limited to 140 characters.

… Both abilities had endless possibilities for application.

I looked at the human before me with renewed eyes.

With the right conditions, she had the qualities to lead a guild like [Samcheon] or [Baekhwa], which would thrive in Korea in the future.

“Remarkable. With abilities like these, if you had awakened them a little more prominently, you could have tried to gather the Awakened.”

“I’ve thought about that too… I’m just really inexperienced and hesitant when it comes to taking a forefront role in front of people.”

“Ah.”

“I thought it was the best among the things I could do. I don’t know what the future holds, but… I’ll try to keep going as long as I’m alive.”

Hearing those words, I recalled.

The memories of past encounters.

Even until just before the world was on the brink of destruction, the Constellation continued to send messages to the Awakened in Korea. Even after four, seven, ten years, the Constellation remained intact.

I thought about the obstacles the Awakened must have faced to maintain that intactness. There must have been numerous difficulties.

Clairvoyance and Telepathy were good abilities, but they were hardly helpful directly in combat.

Moreover, Yongsan was a battleground with a gigantic Gate right in front of them. It was a crucial point where numerous factions would engage in battles.

“…What do you think? Regressor.”

The Awakened, who had overcome countless hardships and survived until the very end, was now looking at me with eyes mixed with anxiety and restlessness.

“Did I fulfil my role until the end?”

“…”

I inadvertently clenched my fist. Various thoughts raced through my mind.

After a moment of silence, I answered.

“Yes. You were perfect. Even I, as the Regressor, was completely deceived.”

“…”

“Thanks to you, the crime rate among the Awakened in this country was remarkably low. It was relatively easy for the Awakened to cooperate with each other to respond to the Gates. Your efforts were not in vain.”

Ultimately, we couldn’t prevent the world from ending.

But at that moment, just like now, I didn’t mention to the Saintess about the hundreds of ways our world could face its end.

At least with the Saintess around, there was no dominance of Awakened superiority in this land. There were relatively fewer cases of cults like Shinbul or Revivalism causing chaos.

“…Indeed, it’s fortunate.”

Upon hearing my response, the Saintess slumped back in her chair, emitting a small sigh of relief.

Somehow, that sigh sounded to my ears like the sound of a goldfish swimming for a long time underwater and finally exhaling a bubble of foam.

From then on, we closely discussed how we would cooperate with each other.

I believe our relationship was already established at this point. From the 36th to the 1183rd encounter, the Saintess had almost always been a reliable ally, guarding my back.

“What should I call you? Regressor… If I call you that, your identity as a regressor might accidentally be revealed.”

The Saintess stroked her chin.

“Hero?”

I immediately waved my hand.

“No, hero is a bit… Just call me Priest.”

Aside from the embarrassment associated with the title of hero, there was also a mental illness related to it that made me sick. We’ll talk about this peculiar mental illness later.

“Okay, got it. Then I’ll call you Mr. Priest from now on.”

“That’s more comfortable and good. By the way.”

As we were about to part ways, I asked.

“By the way, isn’t it impossible to impersonate a Constellation with just Clairvoyance and Telepathy? You have to observe multiple people simultaneously and send messages. Do you have another ability?”

“Oh, that’s…”

The Saintess hesitated, then chuckled softly.

“That’s a secret. I’ll tell you later.”

Unfortunately, the “later” the Saintess mentioned didn’t mean in the timeline of the 36th encounter.

To reveal her final secret, I would need many more encounters.

5

This story has an afterword.

Starting from the 36th run, forming an alliance with the Saintess as soon as I began my regression became the basic tech tree, almost like setting up a fortress in a game of Go.

Apart from the early stages of regression, there were practically no more instances of the Constellation sending me “countless requests for handshakes” as they did before.

It was one of those days when I spent time feeling slightly nostalgic about that fact.

Around the time of the 134th Run, a message window appeared before me after a long time.

[The Operator of Infinite Revels announces the occurrence of a new event.]

I blinked my eyes.

The name of the Constellation was very unfamiliar.

Infinite Revels? Does it mean ‘the one who manages the joy of all things’ when interpreted?

“Seems like the Saintess played a prank out of boredom.”

I casually dismissed the message, not considering it too important since messages like this only came once.

A few days later, during a strategy meeting with the Saintess, I asked.

Not because I was particularly curious, but just as a light icebreaker during the meeting.

“Oh, by the way, why did you suddenly impersonate a strange Constellation a few days ago?”

“Huh?”

“A week ago. You sent a message under the name of the Operator of Infinite Revels. I was a bit surprised, thinking even the Saintess can make mistakes. Did you send me a message that was meant for another Constellation?”

“Hmm?”

The Saintess tilted her head.

“I’ve never sent such a message.”

“Really?”

“I’ve never even created a Constellation called the Operator of Infinite Revels.”

A shiver ran down my spine.

The Saintess’s face remained calm, as if she didn’t know about my condition. At least, she didn’t seem to be lying.

Somehow, it felt like the temperature around me dropped suddenly.

“Could it be that you misread it, Priest?”

“…”

Suddenly, I felt as if I were standing on the edge of a deep abyss, with a giant shadow passing swiftly beneath me.

…There were still many mysteries in this world that I didn’t know about.

[Proofreader – Prøks]

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