Chapter 402

I’m an Infinite Regressor, But I’ve Got Stories to Tell

──────

The Bereaved X

“...Miss. I have, as you commanded, delivered the truth, the unadulterated information, without adding or subtracting anything.”

Undertaker's voice seeped through the haze of my consciousness like a whisper.

"Ah, yes. Yes. I heard you."

I quickly came to my senses. The Undertaker was looking at this face with a peculiar expression.

Since it was none other than ‘my’ own face, it wasn't difficult to guess his inner thoughts.

Tension, suspicion...

That was to be expected. He must have been wondering if the person before him would actually believe his words, his outrageous claims about the world's destruction and outer gods.

I wasn't quite sure about that last one. No. Perhaps for Undertaker, sharing the 'truth' here today was an unexpected development.

'If that's the case, sharing this much information was his own unilateral decision, made without consulting Go Yuri... Ah, I see.'

So that was the reason for the guilt.

'His thoughts must be, My independent action could disrupt the plan my colleague has established. That's why he feels apologetic.'

Even without a [Status Window] or [Mind Reading], I could see right through him.

Because of that, I was able to calm my own flustered heart.

Yes. Right now, the Undertaker was even more nervous than I was.

I would rather bite my tongue and die than show a less-than-reliable version of myself to my own past self.

“Of course, I know this must be difficult to believe. To suddenly speak of destruction in a world like this, I must seem like a lunatic. But we....”

"No. I believe you."

"Pardon?"

Undertaker's eyes widened.

While I felt a sadistic glee at his dumbfounded expression, I suppressed the heart of 'Cheon-hwa' and spoke calmly.

"I've spent my whole life among cultists who believe lies to be truth and dismiss truth as lies, you know. I'm confident that I've at least developed a discerning eye for figuring out what is a lie and what isn't."

“...”

"Objectively, it might be a lie. But at the very least, I can feel that you, Sunbaenim, truly believe your own words."

"Th-then—"

"Yes."

I smiled.

"I'll believe you. That you and my teacher are in a cooperative relationship. And that the purpose of that cooperation is to save the world from its end."

“What a relief!”

Undertaker's face brightened.

At the same time, the atmosphere in the study room, which had been stretched taut with tension like one of Ha-yul's puppet strings, eased considerably.

“I knew it. The moment I saw you, Miss, I could tell you were an exceptionally sharp person.”

Was he congratulating himself on a successful gamble? The Undertaker hummed, openly showing his good mood.

"My friend told me I shouldn't let my guard down until the very end. Still, I trusted my own eyes."

"Yes? Your friend..."

"Ah. I'm talking about your teacher, Miss."

I blinked.

"My teacher... was suspicious of me?"

"Yes. What was it she said? That you seemed different from your usual self."

“...”

"She repeatedly warned me to be cautious, saying that although she couldn't pinpoint it, something felt off. Anyway, that friend of mine worries too much for her own good."

It was at that moment.

The world's colors vanished.

Undertaker, who had been chattering right in front of me, stopped. It wasn't that he stopped on his own accord. Literally, everything came to a halt.

The sky blue cycleed to gray. The walls cycleed into black and white dots. The low whispers of the cultists that could be heard from beyond the door ceased, and all the colors in the study room faded to monochrome.

And in the midst of it all.

"Ahaha."

Step.

"Really, I had a feeling this would happen."

From beyond the room's door.

The sound of footsteps and a voice drew closer.

"Something felt strange, you know. Hmmm. I haven't particularly changed this time around. So why has Cheon-hwa Miss become so clever?"

Step, step, step.

My whole body was frozen, and I could only let the 'sound' approach, growing clearer and clearer.

"Did her DNA change? Unlikely. I haven't touched a single thing about the surrounding environment that led to the birth of Miss Cheon-hwa and Miss Yo-hwa. If I meddle carelessly, you twins could be miscarried far too easily, you see."

The other person seemed to know this as well.

And for good reason.

"It's a simple conclusion. A change occurred. But the 'external' environment is unchanged. Then it's clear the change originated from the 'internal' environment."

She was whispering just like that.

As if she were certain I could hear her, no matter how quietly she murmured.

Whisper, whisper. Step. Whisper.

The 'sound' drawing ever closer to the door whispered in a seemingly cheerful tone.

"So I tried stepping down from my position as teacher a little earlier than planned. Ehehe. I had a small hope that perhaps my opponent would let their guard down, thinking I had disappeared, and reveal their true colors."

“...”

"Thank you for meeting my expectations, Miss. Ah! Is that not right? You wouldn't be Miss Cheon-hwa, after all."

Creeak.

The door opened.

"Is it Mr. nameless anomaly?"

Through the crack in the door, I saw a pair of eyes smiling.

"Ugh."

In this world that had faded to monochrome, only the eyes visible through the crack in the door. Only the smiling eyes. Only the face. Only the hair.

They retained their 'color' as if it were the most natural thing in the world, glistening with a sleek sheen.

Like a poisonous herb.

"W-wait a moment! Please wait!"

"Yes. I'll wait for you."

Creeak, the door opened completely.

The figure revealed there was the very image of Teacher 'Go Yuri', not a bit different from when she had left, saying she would quit being my tutor.

Neat clothes. Elegant hair.

And even a smile that seemed to define everything in the world.

"I'm not an anomaly! I have no intention of being hostile towards any of you! I just... It's a very long story, but I came here because I want to know the truth."

"Yes."

Step, she was approaching.

Even though I had asked her to wait. Even though she said she would wait.

As if such 'words' held no value whatsoever.

"Anomalies, you see, usually say things like that."

"I'm not! I'm the future of this person, the one who is frozen here!"

"Oh my. Now that's a little interesting."

Step.

"But it's not enough. Anomalies often mimic speech to draw my interest. Could you cry out a little more interestingly for me, Miss?"

"Th-this place is a dream. It's not reality! I accessed this place through Yo-hwa's dream."

"Not enough."

Step.

"A little more."

"In the future, you aren't human. You're an anomaly! But I was certain you held a clue to the world's destruction. So, to reclaim Yo-hwa's lost memories. That's why I came. With the help of the Tutorial Fairies... and the power of the nightmare!"

"Not enough. A little more."

Step.

"Ms. Go Yuri!"

“...”

Right in front of my nose.

Go Yuri stopped.

Her lips parted, and from within the abyss of a bottomless well where only darkness could be seen, a bright red tongue flickered.

"How interesting."

A scent, like crushed and peeled apple skins, a breath, brushed past my face.

"Wherever did you hear that name?"

"Y-you introduced yourself. Ms. Go Yuri. We can cooperate. I don't know what kind of plan you have at this point in time, but if you would at least share your information with me, I could carry on your work—"

"No."

Squeeze.

Go Yuri held my head steady with both hands. My cheeks were pressed lightly.

Her eyes were looking deep, so very deep into me.

"The one to disclose information isn't me. It has to be you. Mr. mysterious anomaly."

"I'm..."

My lips trembled.

"I'm not a anomaly—"

"I told you, didn't I?"

Go Yuri smiled sweetly.

"Anomalies usually say things like that."

Pop!

The sensation of something bursting.

That was the end of that cycle.

...I was careless.

Yes. I'll admit it honestly. In my impatience and excitement to get information somehow, I inadvertently underestimated how dangerous Go Yuri was.

But please, try to understand.

If you had been stuck for over 1,000 cycles and you finally saw a clue to a world secret you could never figure out, wouldn't you pounce on it like a dog?

I still have a long way to go, it seems.

But I digress.

...There was still no evidence to confirm whether Go Yuri was another 'regressor' or a different kind of ability user.

Still, one thing was certain, Go Yuri was at least on 'equal footing with a regressor.' Whether she had become a prophet or something else.

She knew the future, and she was pioneering a route to break through that despair-filled future.

In that case... what element would Go Yuri be most wary of?

As a regressor myself, I can say with certainty.

It's a 'variable'.

The appearance of a variable in a world that constantly repeats is, in itself, a serious matter.

An anomaly. It's a very clear sign that an anomaly, with a high probability of being Outer God-class, has interfered.

And these Outer Gods usually possess powers like 'mental brainwashing' or 'reality distortion' as if it's a given.

There's a high chance that my mind could become contaminated just by conversing with her.

From Go Yuri's perspective, I was a virus that rightfully needed to be eliminated.

'More thoroughly this time.'

In the next cycle, I followed the exact same route and once again infiltrated Yo-hwa's dream.

However.

'This time, for real, I will completely assimilate with Cheon-hwa's psyche. I will absolutely not reveal my ego as the [Undertaker].'

So that Go Yuri would never find out.

One mistake was always enough.

――Again, time flowed.

This time, I avoided drawing Go Yuri's 'interest' by rashly distinguishing myself.

I was Cheon-hwa. The successor raised as a sacrifice for a pseudo-religious cult. I assimilated 99% into that role, and nothing more.

"Miss Cheon-hwa. Miss Yo-hwa. I'm sorry, but it seems it will be difficult to hold classes starting next week."

My childhood spent with Go Yuri. The subsequent tutoring sessions with the Undertaker were also passed without incident.

I watched from the side as Yo-hwa developed her first crush on the Undertaker, and observed as Cheon-hwa built her trust with the Undertaker over time.

I followed the correct course of history to the letter.

And perhaps it paid off.

"Cheon-hwa."

"Hm? Sunbae?"

"I've already spoken to your father, but it'll be difficult to have class next week. If anything comes up, feel free to contact me anytime."

In an instant, D-Day drew near.

Just one more week until June 17th.

Yes, the day the Void arrived in Seoul, and the point in time where the Undertaker always began his regression.

The day it all began.

The absolute point of no recycle for his regressions, a past to which he could never recycle, no matter how much he struggled.

"Heung."

My heart pounded.

It was a golden opportunity to witness the truth of that day with my own two eyes.

But right now I was 'Cheon-hwa'. I suppressed that abnormal palpitation and smiled cheerfully, pretending to know nothing.

"Well, I'm sure you have your reasons, Sunbae. I don't mind. But I wonder if Yo-hwa will be a little disappointed."

"Ahaha. I'll leave Yo-hwa in your hands."

My relationship with the Undertaker, which had been stiff at first, had softened to the point where we could freely exchange jokes.

'But, Undertaker's face is far too peaceful.'

In one week. Even though the world would begin to end in earnest on June 17th.

Even though Yo-hwa was about to be trapped in Baekhwa Girls' High and wander through hell until she reached the 109th cycle.

I felt no particular signs of abnormality from the Undertaker's hand as he patted my shoulder.

Time passed, and it was June 17th.

“...”

I was in my room, staring intently at the clock. It read 13:30.

'The void arrives in Seoul at 14:00. That's when Miss Adele dies. Old Man Scho loses his wife forever.'

Tick-tock.

The clock hands moved just a little slower than the wick of anxiety burning in my heart.

'Any second now. 5 seconds, 4 seconds, 3 seconds, 2 seconds.'

And then―― Tick.

'The void has arrived!'

I looked out the window.

The sky was perfectly serene, but I knew. I knew that at this very moment, the world had taken a decisive step toward its destruction.

'South of the Han River in Seoul has just been devastated this very second. Miss Adele has died, and the nucleus of the Ten Legs has been born. Undertaker must have finally begun his own first cycle!'

'Now. Show me.'

'What on earth... happened... in this missing past?'

It happened at that moment.

"Huh?"

Something.

“......? Hm, ...huh?”

Something.

It vanished from my head.

No. To say it vanished from my head isn't accurate. From my memories, from my consciousness.

――'Something' disappeared from within my soul.

“...?”

A strange feeling.

A normal person might have brushed it off as a weird sense of déjà vu... But I still had my self-awareness as Undertaker, even if it was only 1%.

The faint memory of having been preparing for an incredibly momentous and dangerous moment just a moment ago... also remained.

And so, just barely. Truly, by a hair's breadth.

I was able to realize that the 'something' I had just lost was far too precious to be casually ignored.

□.

It was as if a hole had been punched through my heart.

'What did I lose? Just now?'

I listed the precious beings in my life in order.

'Yo-hwa, my lovely sister. Sunbae. The one who taught me that humans existed in the outside world. Mother. She passed away early, but I haven't forgotten her. And...'

And?

'And... was there anything else precious in my life? The cultists? No. That wouldn't be a huge problem if I lost them.'

Huh?

'Right. I haven't lost anything.'

No.

'From a young age, I was exposed to my father's brainwashing, but because I was exceptionally smart, I was able to avoid falling for such tricks. It was by my own strength alone.'

“...”

'Furthermore, I even saved my younger sister from the clutches of brainwashing. Just the two of us, my sister and I, deceiving our father, we managed to survive while maintaining our identities.'

“...”

'And then I met Sunbae for the first time. Sunbae. He was the very first person to teach us sisters about the world. Not a pseudo-religious cult like this, nor a school tainted by the cult, but the real outside. The outside world...'

That's not right.

“...?”

That was wrong.

'You' couldn't have noticed. Of course. Because you weren't given the ways and means to protect your own memories from the void poison.

But 'I' was different. Not the 'I' of the past, but the 'I' who had reached this point through countless coincidences and inevitabilities, could see through the fragments of this distortion.

“...Go Yuri.”

That was it.

"Go Yuri, Teacher."

You forgot that existence.

Just now. At 2 PM on June 17th.

Casually. As if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Ah."

Drip.

The dream crumbled away. Melted wax dripped from the sky, and with every drip, color was erased, cycleing the space monochrome.

It couldn't be helped. The moment Cheon-hwa became aware of that 'lost existence', the dream had already become too different from the past.

I could no longer be Cheon-hwa.

I was Undertaker.

Awakening.

“...”

I looked around.

The cafeteria of Baekhwa Girls' High. The students trapped in the tutorial dungeon were sleeping in a group, having laid out blankets and such here and there.

I had spread my bedding at the cafeteria entrance to protect the children. And, next to me, Fairy No. 264 lay dead, torn to shreds.

Amidst the quiet, sinking breaths all around, I touched my forehead and murmured inwardly.

'The hole bored into Yo-hwa's heart... The void, it wasn't just her twin sister.'

□.

It wasn't just her sister, Cheon-hwa, who was there.

'Go Yuri.'

The teacher who had taught the twin sisters since they were children.

'The existence of Go Yuri had vanished.'

She had disappeared.

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