Infinite Regressor, Chapter 419 - I’m an Infinite Regressor, But I’ve Got Stories to Tell

Oh Dok-seo. The priestess of Infinite Metagame. Also, the priestess of the Regressor. A reader who has observed the regressor's chronicles. And a writer who showcased the human nature of the regressor. “Ugh… I'm bored…” “Isn't there any interesting novel?” “I swear, all authors should be locked in their rooms to write all day.” “If authors posted three installments a day, their income would triple, wouldn't it? Hmph. Why doesn't anyone do this simple math? Are they all humanities majors or something?” First Power. ‘The Slowest Prophet.’ Oh Dok-seo can foresee the atrocities of a world that will truly start to collapse in seven weeks. This prophecy takes the form of a novel. “Huh? Did I put this in my favorites?” Once Oh Dok-seo starts reading a novel she likes, she'll read it all night long if need be. However, she tends to set aside works that haven't reached a substantial volume until they're more developed. “Oh. It has quite the length.” Moreover, from Oh Dok-seo's perspective, the prophecies are nothing more than mere novels, making it impossible for her to accept prophecies as ‘prophecies’. “Today's daily bread is this, then.” Thus, [The Slowest Prophet]. A blind person who acquires the prophecy earlier than anyone else but cannot recognize its precious value. A Cassandra who predicts everything but saves none; an Epimetheus who can only leave the Pandora's box unopened. “Huh?” “...What's this? It's the first time a character in a novel has my exact name. Even the last name matches? My word, the characters... they're the same.” “...” "Huh?" Condition Cleared. Oh Dok-seo has read the entire prophecy. She is simultaneously convinced that the character “Oh Dok-seo” in the story is identical to her. May 1st. At this point, Oh Dok-seo is among the first to realize her own awakening, even faster than the prophets and the vast majority of humankind. “What is this… Is this real?” “Sixteen billion? Sixteen billion people die in one day? Uh... Wait a minute! June 17 is just around the corner?!” “This makes no sense.” “…” “Everyone... dies?” First Power. Unlocked. ‘The Fastest Prophet.’ “What, what do I do?! Damn it. What am I supposed to do! I’m just an ordinary human!” “Gosh. That line sounded kind of like a protagonist.” “Oh, damn it! What am I supposed to do?!” “Why did this Uncle Undertaker give me all these important tasks?! ...Ah, to save Old Man Scho, he needed a prophet to awaken before his regression point…” “No, but. How...?” Second Power. ‘Absolute Defense.’ Oh Dok-seo has a tendency to treat all events occurring in this world as stories within a ‘creative work’. In a creative work, even if a nuclear bomb explodes, the radiation won't harm humans in reality. Thus, Oh Dok-seo can declare any physical shock null within her radius in a creative work. “...It works?” “Wow, I'm a powerhouse! Status screen!” “Hmm. No status screen, huh. Come to think of it, the status screen is supposed to be some kind of mockery by an alien god in Infinite Metagame…” But that's all. [Absolute Defense] doesn’t last very long. At this point, it lasts barely over a minute. No matter how much she trains, it's difficult to significantly extend the shield's duration. An ability that is at once vague. “Wait. Since I'm its priestess, shouldn't I be able to access the status screen freely? Ah, it's bound in the laptop, that thing.” “...I need to get the laptop. At this point, Infinite Metagame is the safest alien god. The only one that can't harm humanity.” “Where in the world—” [Hello?] “It was my laptop!” “No, no. Right. Come to think of it, this laptop first appeared in the tutorial dungeon. Then there's a high possibility it belonged to someone summoned at Busan Station…” “I am part of the Busan Station family!” [Indeed. Was my priestess already enjoying her solitary social life by muttering to herself even at this time?] [As for choosing this kind of dolt as a priestess, calling it a 'Solitary Monologue Habit, truly a trait for the protagonist!' in the past makes me want to strangle my past self.] “Oh, just like the snarky white-haired, red-eyed young lady I saw in the novel…” “Oh, but more importantly, tell me the sequel! Can you tell me what happens later?” [Yes.] “Oh.” “…” “Hmm. I see.” “I'm screwed.” “Yeah. First of all, I need to power up. Ah, my status screen! Give me the status screen!” [I can give it to you, but are you sure you want it?] “What?” [The more you rely on my power, the more you become a 'character in a creative work.' Because I am the alien god overseeing creative works.] [Your special status stems from your act of regarding this world as just a novel.] [Once you start considering yourself as a character, your power will weaken in tandem.] “Oh…” “No. Wait a second. Lady God, isn't it obvious that I can solve that issue?” [Obvious?] “If I get strong enough to defeat everything and make this novel ‘something that never happened,’ that would solve everything, wouldn’t it?” […….] “I understand why this Undertaker guy passed the last baton to me.” “I don't need bizarre methods to negate my oddity like the regressors or reincarnators.” “Only I, no matter how powerful I become at this point——. If I wield my vast strength to prevent the events of the creative work from occurring, at that very moment, I’ll lose my power.” “Naturally.” “The timeline in a place where nothing has happened will no longer be a novel but only ‘reality’.” “What do you say? Am I wrong?” [No.] [You are right. You’ve surprisingly grasped it well for a novice with no experience.] [Other priestesses… sacrifices, the stronger they become, the more they're tainted by the alien god and fall into what’s known as corruption.] “This contradiction. The trap where becoming stronger to defeat anomalies draws you closer to becoming one ultimately led the world to ruin.” “Reincarnators and regressors alike.” “That’s why they had no choice but to seal themselves away.” “But not me.” “I still have the time to set everything right. It’s only about a month, but it’s enough.” “Until June 7th, I can continue growing stronger without worrying about the aftermath. Without fearing corruption.” [June 17th.] “...” [It’s June 17th, not June 7th. Are you really that bad at remembering numbers? How could you mix up such an important date?] “Sh-shut up! Anyway!” “...Until June 17th, I can focus solely on gaining strength, without fretting over side effects or backlash.” “And then.” [Seal everything from occurring.] “Seal...” “Yes.” “This novel. Hundreds of regressions and billions of reincarnations mentioned to have happened in this story.” “I will seal that time.” Second Power. Unlocked. ‘Absolute Seal.’ “Diminish the story within a story, binding it as just that. Connect the reality.” “If that’s my power, I’ll give it a try.” […….] Third Power. Writing Side Stories. Oh Dok-seo is practically an omnipotent writer when it comes to documenting someone’s life story. To her, all humans standing before her are demoted to ‘characters.’ Therefore, Oh Dok-seo can immerse herself into any episode and any character, performing as if she has become that person. It’s only natural for a writer to immerse in their characters. [Why?] “Hm?” [You’ve foreseen this far as well, so you must know. There's no obstacle left to block your path now.] “...” [The Reincarnator.] [Prometheus, who shared the 'fire' of awakening with humans without any fangs or claws, to stand against those alien gods, has willingly retreated into the unconsciousness and memories of the regressor.] [The Regressor.] [Inheriting the will of the Reincarnator, he surrendered to becoming a mere character, entrusting all his humanity to you.] [The inconsequential alien gods you call nuisances are not even worth acknowledging. If it’s you, you might eventually relegate even those to elements within a story.] [As I did in my prime.] “...” [Is reality not meaningless to you?] [You, at least, find no particular value in reality. You’re one of those who regards creations more real, aren’t you?] [Hence my priestess.] [Go ahead and demote the Reincarnator and Regressor to characters of a novel.] [Furthermore, adjust the difficulty so that nonsensical creatures are chaotically rampant just enough here and there in this world.] [You can become the one and only god of a new world.] “That would mean ignoring Uncle Undertaker’s feelings.” […….] “You couldn't possibly understand, being an anomaly.” “Entrusting another with the achievements accumulated, the stories built up, and a domain one can decide for themselves and monopolize—offering to another.” “That is the most noble thing for a human.” [I can’t comprehend.] “Of course, you wouldn’t. You’ve never been someone’s child or had the experience of being a parent.” […….] “Children understand their parent’s stories from their own perspectives.” “Yes, parents willingly allow their distant children to dare to judge their lives.” “A king does for his subjects.” “A friend does for a friend.” “And Buddha does for Buddha.” “People don’t solely pass judgment on their own stories. No, they decide not to.” [Thus, you are all weak.] “True. But then why is an alien god like you living as a small-time virtual streamer with just one viewer from my laptop?” […….] “People don’t give up decision-making because they’re weak.” “They do it because they have someone they treasure more than themselves.” “And I, as someone who regards myself as appropriate trash, seek to stake at least my life on the man who granted me the right to decide his whole life.” [Where are you going?] “Yu Ji-won.” Third Power. Unlocked. ‘Main Story Writing.’ “At this point, the strongest individual. Leviathan has already breached this world years ago.” [Correct. Only the lingering humanity of Yu Ji-won, who was chosen as a sacrifice and misses ‘Mr. Matiz,’ is sealing away the anomaly.] “I need to meet her and seek cooperation first.” [Because she is the strongest?] “Yes. And above all, just as you said, Yu Ji-won is enamored with ‘Mr. Matiz.’ Mentioning that keyword should facilitate a serious discussion and cooperation.” [You mean that, even without current experience, if you click the ‘recruit’ button, you can add her to your party.] “Status screen. And bring up the map too.” [Certainly.] “Recruit Yu Ji-won first. Next is Lee Ha-yul. She’s likely confined somewhere in Busan, as a concubine’s child, right? Just drag her along somehow.” [Then?] “The saintess. Before June 17, the Great Void known as Baekhwa occurs in Seoul …, wait, what’s this? It keeps coming up only by name in the narrative, but there aren’t any specifics?” […….] “Anyway. The saintess will be awakened by then. Though she’ll be slightly later than me, it’s still quite prompt. Given her consistently logical characterization, she should be easy to persuade with calm reasoning.” [What’s next?] “We need to crush Cheon Yo-hwa’s cult.” [Even split in two, you plan to crush the cult capable of summoning a foreign god to the material world with a hastily formed hero party?” “Yes.” [Will you manage? You will die.] “If I die, then record how it happened and pass it as text to the next iteration of me. You.” [Huh? Next iteration? You’re not a regressor. You only possess the trait of being a book transmigrator. If you die, it's game over.] “That’s true.” “—But what do you think would happen when Uncle Undertaker, having regressed on June 17th, sees that I’m not there at the Busan Station Tutorial Dungeon?” […….] “If Undertaker realizes I’ve died, he’ll move on to the next iteration. Obviously. His feelings for me are genuine.” “If the story hasn't even begun and the child named Oh Dok-seo dies, it's an unacceptable, unimaginable, and unforgivable situation for him.” “Thus, I'm sure. If I die, the regressor will ensure to transition into the next iteration.” [……Even if, in the next iteration, you—having received the strategies through me—fail and die again.] “He’d regress once more.” [And with the accumulated experience from your past life, you’d become sufficiently stronger—] “Until I reach June 17th. The Busan Station Tutorial Dungeon. The starting point, the prologue.” [Essentially, you become no different from a regressor.] “Exactly. Because there is someone who kindly regresses just for me.” [Ha.] [The reincarnator relies on the regressor. The regressor relies on the transmigrator. And then, the transmigrator entrusts their fate to the regressor.] “Do you understand, anomaly? This is humanity.” [If humanity consisted solely of people like you, the alien gods would never have descended in the first place.] [Fine.] [Now, I’m curious to see how this story ends as well.] [I shall bear witness to your death. Priestess of the worst kind.] “Yeah. I guess after roughly ten iterations, I should be plenty strong, right? There’s no comparison to poor, almost powerless Uncle there.” “With the status screen, inventory, and map all displayed while fighting. Wow, piece of cake!” “The Very Hard mode that was for the reincarnator is a Normal mode for the regressor! And finally, Easy mode for me, the transmigrator!” “It’s so… Easy.” [Hmm.] [We’ll see.] [Is it really going to be that simple?] “Huh?” Thus. Epimetheus blossoms into Prometheus.