I'm an Infinite Regressor, But I've Got Stories to Tell-Chapter 402

“…My lady. I have delivered the truth exactly as you commanded—without lies, without distortion.”

Through the haze clouding my consciousness, the Undertaker’s voice slipped in like a breath.

“Ah, yes. Yes, I heard you well.”

I snapped back to my senses. The Undertaker was watching this face of mine with a curious expression.

Since that face was none other than my own, it wasn’t difficult to guess what was running through her mind.

Tension. Doubt...

That was only natural. If it were me, I would wonder too—would anyone believe such absurd words about the world’s destruction or outer gods?

And beneath that—resolve. A hint of... apology?

That part, I didn’t quite understand. No... perhaps for the Undertaker, sharing the “truth” here and now might have been an unexpected turn of events.

If that’s the case, then this information sharing was done without consulting Go Yori—an act of the Undertaker’s own discretion… Ah, I see.

So that’s why he feels sorry.

Because by acting on his own, he may have interfered with his colleague’s plans. That’s why he feels apologetic.

Even without a [Status Window] or [Mind Reading], his thoughts were transparent to me.

Because of that, I managed to calm my own shock.

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

she would sooner bite off her own tongue and die than show weakness to her past self.

“Of course, I understand that this must be hard to believe. Speaking of the world’s destruction in times like these... you must think I’m insane. But we…”

“No. I believe you.”

“Pardon?”

The Undertaker’s eyes widened.

Even as I secretly felt a sadistic thrill at her stunned expression, I kept down Cheon Hwa’s emotions and spoke calmly.

“I grew up among believers who mistook lies for truth and dismissed truth as lies. I’ve developed a decent eye for recognizing what’s real and what’s not.”

“……”

“Objectively, maybe it’s false. But at least, I can feel that you truly believe what you’re saying.”

“T-Then—”

“Yes.”

I smiled.

“I’ll believe you. That you and my teacher are cooperating. And that your cooperation is to save the world from destruction.”

“…! Thank goodness!”

The Undertaker’s face brightened.

At the same time, the tense air of the study—taut as puppet strings—relaxed noticeably.

“As expected. The moment I saw you, I knew you were someone brilliant, my lady.”

Was he congratulating himself on his gamble’s success? The Undertaker hummed cheerfully, unable to hide her satisfaction.

“My friend insisted I should never drop my guard, but… I chose to trust my own eyes.”

“Hm? Your friend…”

“Ah. I mean your teacher, my lady.”

I blinked.

“My teacher… doubted me?”

“Yes. She said something like ‘something feels off.’”

“……”

“She couldn’t specify exactly what, but she said you felt different somehow, and kept warning me to stay wary. Honestly, that one worries far too—”

That was when it happened.

The colors of the world vanished.

The Undertaker, who had been talking right in front of me, froze.

Not because she meant to—everything simply stopped.

The blue of the sky turned gray.

The wall became a screen of black-and-white dots.

The murmurs of the believers beyond the door ceased.

Every color in the study drained into monochrome.

And in the midst of that—

“Ahahaha.”

Step.

“I knew this would happen.”

From beyond the door, footsteps and a voice approached.

“I thought something was strange. Hmm. I haven’t changed at all, and yet—why has Lady Cheon Hwa suddenly become so clever?”

Step, step, step.

My whole body stiffened. All I could do was let that sound come closer and closer.

“Did her DNA change, maybe? No, impossible. I made sure not to touch a single thing about the environment around Lady Cheon Hwa and Lady Yo Hwa. Any tiny mistake, and you twins could’ve been lost to miscarriage.”

She knew it. Of course she did.

“The conclusion is simple. Change has occurred. Yet the external environment has stayed the same. That means the change came from within.”

She whispered softly—

as if certain that no matter how quietly she spoke, I would hear her.

Whisper. Step. Whisper.

That sound drew closer to the door, speaking in a tone that was almost playful.

“So, I decided to step down from my teaching post a little earlier than planned. Hehe. I thought, maybe if I disappeared, my counterpart might drop her guard and show her true colors. I was… a bit hopeful.”

“……”

“Thank you for meeting my expectations, my lady. Oh! That’s not right, is it? You wouldn’t be Lady Cheon Hwa, after all.”

Creeeak.

The door opened.

“Miss Nameless Abnormality?”

Through the narrow gap, a pair of eyes smiled.

“Ugh.”

In this world drained of all color, only those eyes—those smiling eyes, that face, that hair—retained their hue, gleaming with a toxic sheen.

Like poisonous grass.

“W-wait! Please, wait!”

“Yes. I’ll wait.”

Creak— The door fully opened.

And there she stood—no different at all from when she’d quit as our tutor—Miss Go Yori.

The same neat attire. The same graceful hair.

The same serene smile that seemed to judge all creation.

“I’m not an abnormality! I have no intention of harming you! I just… it’s a long story, but I only want to know the truth.”

“Yes.”

Step. She approached.

Even though I asked her to wait.

Even though she said she would.

Her words had no meaning.

“Abnormalities all say the same thing.”

“I’m—not! I’m the future of this person, the one who’s frozen here!”

“Oh my, that’s interesting.”

Step.

“But not enough. Abnormalities imitate speech to pique my curiosity. Can you make it a bit more interesting, my lady?”

“T-this is a dream! It’s not reality! I entered this world through Yo Hwa’s dream!”

“Not enough.”

Step.

“More.”

“In the future—you’re not human! You’re an Abnormality! But I’m sure that the clue to the world’s destruction lies with you. That’s why—to recover Yo Hwa’s lost memories— I came here! With the power of the tutorial fairies… the succubi!”

“Still not enough.”

Step.

“Go Yori!”

“……”

Right before me—

Go Yori stopped.

Her lips parted, and from the pit of that dark, bottomless well, a scarlet tongue flickered.

“How fascinating.”

The scent of crushed apple peel—her breath—brushed across my face.

“Where did you hear that name?”

“Y-you told me yourself, Miss Go Yori! We can work together! I don’t know what plan you have right now, but if you’ll just share your information, then I can—”

“No.”

Squeeze.

Go Yori’s hands fixed on my head, pressing my cheeks lightly between her palms.

Her eyes stared deep—deep—into mine.

“I’m not the one who should reveal information. You should, Miss Nameless Abnormality.”

“I…”

My lips trembled.

“I’m not an ab—”

“I told you already.”

Go Yori smiled faintly.

“Abnormalities always say that.”

Thud!

The sensation of something bursting—

That was the end of that cycle.

________________________________________

…I was careless.

Yes, I admit it. My impatience and excitement to uncover the truth made me underestimate Go Yori’s danger.

But please understand.

Wouldn’t you also throw yourself at it like a mad dog if you finally glimpsed a clue to the world’s secret—after over a thousand cycles?

I still have much to learn.

Anyway—

There was still no definitive proof of whether Go Yori was another regressor or a different kind of power user altogether.

But one thing was certain—Go Yori stood on equal footing with regressors. Prophet or whatever she was.

She knew the future and was carving a path to overcome that despair.

Then… what would Go Yori fear most?

As a regressor myself, I could say it with certainty.

A “variable.”

In a world that endlessly repeats, the appearance of a variable is no small matter.

It’s a sign—clear as day—that a higher-tier Abnormality has interfered.

And such beings always possess powers like mental brainwashing or reality distortion as if they were nothing.

Just conversing with one risks contamination.

From Go Yori’s perspective, I was a virus that had to be eliminated.

More thorough this time.

In the next cycle, I followed the same route and infiltrated Yo Hwa’s dream once again.

But this time—

I’ll completely synchronize with Cheon Hwa’s mind. I won’t let the Undertaker’s self leak out at all.

So that Go Yori would never notice.

One mistake was enough.

――Time passed once more.

This time, I avoided drawing Go Yori’s attention with any premature brilliance.

I became Cheon Hwa, the cult’s chosen sacrifice—fully immersed in the role.

“Lady Cheon Hwa, Lady Yo Hwa. I’m sorry, but starting next week, I won’t be able to continue your lessons.”

Childhood with Go Yori.

Private tutoring with the Undertaker that followed—passed safely.

I watched as Yo Hwa grew her first love for the Undertaker, while Cheon Hwa built trust with her.

Following the proper, “canonical” route.

Perhaps because of that effort—

“Cheon Hwa.”

“Yes, senior?”

“I already told your father, but next week I won’t be able to teach. If anything happens, contact me anytime.”

The D-Day was approaching fast.

Just one more week until June 17th—

Yes, the day the Void arrived in Seoul, the day the Undertaker’s regression always began.

The day everything began.

No matter how hard the Undertaker struggled, she could never regress past this absolute point—

the point of no return.

“Hm.”

My heart raced.

It was the perfect chance to witness the truth of that day with my own eyes.

But I was Cheon Hwa now. I buried my abnormal excitement and smiled innocently.

“Well, you must have your reasons, senior. It’s fine. Though, maybe Yo Hwa will be a bit disappointed—”

“Haha. I’ll count on you to cheer her up.”

The once-stiff relationship between us had softened into easy banter.

But the Undertaker’s face looks far too calm.

Even though in just a week—on June 17th—the world would begin its collapse.

Even though Yo Hwa would soon be trapped in Baekhwa Girls’ High and wander through hell for over 109 cycles.

I felt no ominous sign from the Undertaker’s gentle hand patting my shoulder.

Time passed. June 17th.

“……”

I sat in my room, staring at the clock. It pointed to 13:30.

The Void reaches Seoul at 14:00. That’s when Madam Adele dies. And the Old Man loses his wife forever.

Tick, tock.

The second hand moved slower than the burning of my thoughts.

Now. Five seconds, four, three, two—

And—tick.

The Advent of the Void!

I looked out the window.

The sky was tranquil, but I knew—this was the decisive step toward the world’s end.

South of the Han River, obliterated in this very moment. Madam Adele dead. The nuclear seed of the Ten legs born. The Undertaker’s first cycle has begun!

Now, show me.

What happened in this missing past—?

That instant—

“Huh?”

Something.

“…? Huh, what?”

Something—disappeared.

No, not from my mind exactly. From my memory. From my consciousness.

――Something vanished from my soul.

“……?”

A strange feeling.

An ordinary person might’ve brushed it off as fleeting déjà vu.

But even if only 1% of the Undertaker’s ego remained in me, that was enough.

I faintly remembered preparing for a crucial, dangerous moment just a minute ago.

And so, barely—just barely—

I realized that what I’d lost wasn’t something trivial.

□

Like a hole torn through my heart.

What… did I lose just now?

I listed what was precious to me.

Yo Hwa. My beloved sister. Senior—the one who showed me there were still humans outside this cult. Mother—gone too soon, but never forgotten. And…

And?

And what else was precious to me? The believers? No, losing them wouldn’t matter much.

Wait.

Right. I haven’t lost anything.

No.

Since childhood, I was exposed to Father’s brainwashing, but I was smart enough not to fall for it. That was all my own strength.

……

And I even saved my sister from the clutches of brainwashing. Together, we deceived Father and somehow kept our identities intact.

……

Then I met Senior. He was the first to show us the real world—not the cult, not that brainwashed school, but the true world outside…

No.

“……?”

That was wrong.

“……”

You couldn’t notice it. Of course not. You had no means to protect your memories from the Void’s corruption.

But I was different.

Not the me of the past, but the me who had reached this point through countless chances and inevitabilities.

I could see it—the distortion’s fragment.

“…Go Yori.”

Yes.

“Miss Go Yori.”

You forgot her.

Just now—

at 2:00 p.m., June 17th—

You forgot her completely, as if it were natural.

“Ah.”

Crackle—

The dream collapsed. Wax dripped from the heavens, and every drop erased color, turning the world into gray.

It couldn’t be helped. Once Cheon Hwa became aware of that missing existence, the past dream could no longer hold.

I could no longer be Cheon Hwa.

I was the Undertaker.

Awakening.

“……”

I looked around.

Reality—Baekhwa Girls’ High cafeteria.

The students trapped in the tutorial dungeon were sleeping everywhere, blankets spread across the floor.

I had laid my own bedding at the entrance to guard them. Around me, Fairy No. 264 lay dead, torn to shreds.

As the soft breaths faded around me, I held my forehead and murmured silently.

The hole in Yo Hwa’s heart—the Void—wasn’t just her sister.

□

There, alongside the elder twin Cheon Hwa—

Go Yori.

The teacher who had raised the twins since childhood.

Go Yori’s existence was gone.

She had disappeared.