Infinite Regressor, Chapter 454 - I’m an Infinite Regressor, But I’ve Got Stories to Tell

1. Something felt off. An odd sensation lingered in the air. Lately, the Undertaker often found himself wrapped in a cloak of déjà vu. It was happening more frequently. For example. “Hmmm...?” Noh Do-hwa, the head manager, stood before him. She frowned at the table. It was because the Undertaker had just placed a cup of coffee there. “What is this, Undertaker Awakened? You suddenly burst into my office to drop off coffee? I don’t recall requesting a morning service like this...” “Uh.” The Undertaker was taken aback by her sharp gaze. Somehow, the meaning behind that look felt oddly familiar, like a déjà vu he couldn't quite place. 'Could it be that in a previous cycle, I liked these kinds of services?' 'Is that why you’re pulling the same stunt on me now?' 'Annoying.' 'Damn it.' Roughly, that seemed to be the implied message. It was as if the Undertaker had become a personal code-breaker for Noh Do-hwa without realizing it. Everything made perfect sense to him. “Well, no. Manager Noh Do-hwa. Honestly speaking, I’m not sure why I'm doing this either.” “Huh? Are you joking?” “I’m telling you, I don’t know. I woke up early this morning feeling like I wanted to make you coffee. It was just a sudden feeling, that's all.” “Hmm...” Suspicion clouded her eyes. Noh Do-hwa took a sip of the coffee. Her frown deepened. “It’s quite good…” It sounded like an ordinary compliment, but coming from Noh Do-hwa, it was transformed into something entirely different. 'Didn’t you say this wasn’t based on actions from a previous cycle?' 'Then why does it match my taste perfectly?' ‘I’ve kept my coffee preferences carefully hidden all this time.’ 'Damn it.' The Undertaker felt as if he were caught in a dating simulation. He had no idea when this strange ability had been stealthily added to his life. Nevertheless, he managed to come up with the optimal answer. It was, after all, the truth. “No, it’s a misunderstanding. I truly don’t know what the head manager’s coffee preferences are. Even now, I have no clue.” “Oh really? Then why does this coffee taste so damn good, Mr. Regression?” “Well, it just happened. I brewed the coffee while thinking about Manager Noh Do-hwa.” “...” Noh Do-hwa’s hand paused mid-air. Soon, her face twisted into a fierce expression that could frighten away even the Four Heavenly Kings standing at a temple’s entrance. “Huh? You damn...” “Please, wait. Manager Noh Do-hwa. I realize this might sound like flirting to you. But I can’t just lie, can I? You wanted an answer, and I gave you an honest one. I swear, that’s the whole truth.” “...” Noh Do-hwa set down the coffee cup. Even someone about to drink poison during the Joseon era might have a more relaxed expression than she currently had. “So you're telling me, that in all the cycles combined, today was the first time you made this coffee for me?” “Yes.” “...” “...” “I take back what I said about it being good. It’s awful. Even in another cycle, don’t serve me this kind of coffee. It makes me feel sick…” “I will remember that.” The Undertaker took his leave. However, the next day, and the day after that, and even on the day after that day, for some reason, Noh Do-hwa never stopped the Undertaker from bringing her the same ‘bad-tasting coffee’ at the exact same time and temperature. “...” It felt strange. Something was definitely off. “Hmm?” At the Inunaki Tunnel. Sim Ah-ryeon, who was painting an anomaly piece to upload on SGNet, suddenly perked up like a squirrel. “Um, just now. Did something feel strange to you, Guild Leader?” “...What are you talking about?” The Undertaker replied with an expression of pure obliviousness. “You were just painting. This Guild Leader was ironing clothes.” “Well, just a moment ago, I had this feeling from the Guild Leader, like freshly baked bread. But suddenly, it felt, um, like the bread had 50% raisins mixed into it…” “A change in emotion?” “Yes!” “Well, that’s normal, Ah-ryeon. Emotions can change quickly.” “No, no, that’s not what I mean. It changed too quickly. Usually, there’s a certain rhythm...” Sim Ah-ryeon nibbled on the end of her brush. “But just now, it changed in an instant. It should have been a gradual shift, but it happened all at once... It’s strange.” “Your words sound stranger to me. Emotions can be like water; sometimes, the flow just becomes faster.” “Maybe... But it shouldn’t be.” It shouldn’t have been. Sim Ah-ryeon mumbled as she refocused on her painting. Ordinarily, once she started painting, her concentration was boosted to 500%, so it was unusual for her to pause even briefly. And then. Time stopped. There was no metaphor this time; the world had literally hit the pause button. Oddly enough, the colors around her changed as if everything had been tinted black and white by some external force, adding a monochrome effect to the paused world. The surroundings were painted entirely in shades of white-gray-black, like an old monochrome film. “...Phew.” In that halted world, where Sim Ah-ryeon's brush stroke, the Undertaker's ironing, and the tropical fish swimming beyond the Inunaki underwater tunnel all stood still, only one presence could create sound and noise. While others couldn't turn their heads to see, the voice alone revealed her identity. It was the Saintess. “I nearly made a mistake. Indeed. Miss Sim Ah-ryeon perceives emotional changes visually, so she might notice the before-and-after difference when a [Time Stop] occurs.” She clenched her fist slightly, the only sound in a world where no one else could make a noise or even move. Talking only to herself in a universe frozen and drained of color, her monologue reverberated. “...But, it was strange.” The Saintess approached. Her steps halted right in front of the Undertaker. But of course, the Undertaker remained like a motionless statue. “The fact that the Undertaker’s emotions changed... Even though he shouldn’t be able to break free from a [Time Stop]. Why did the color of his emotions shift so rapidly?” The Saintess gazed at him intently. Though her eyebrows were knit, it wasn’t like Noh Do-hwa’s intense stare. Unlike Noh Do-hwa, who always expressed her disdain and animosity through her facial muscles, the Saintess’s expression was subtle. Thus she simply looked at him with an unendingly gentle gaze. “Could it be that you could actually move freely within my [Time Stop] and have been deceiving me all along?” Silence lingered. “――No. That can't be right. You’re not even flinching.” Her smile was as faint as her expression. The ripples from her tiny chuckle were almost imperceptible, as if one might mistake it for a simple breath. “Still, for the sake of experiment.” Gently, the Saintess brushed her fingertip against her lips and held it near the Undertaker’s nose. If any faint breath, no matter how subtle, had been present, she would have detected it instantly. Fortunately for her, there was no trace of it. Remaining as still as a statue, the Undertaker was in a perfect state of breathlessness. After about ten minutes, the Saintess exhaled with relief. “What a relief.” Thinking aloud, she murmured. “What an absurd thought. If the Undertaker could break my [Time Stop], he would have seen everything I do. Such a terrifying possibility could never come to be.” “...” “I sometimes think up overly terrifying scenarios. Maybe that’s a flaw of mine. I should learn to relax a bit more... Though allowing myself this kind of ‘deviation’ means I’ve already found some relaxation. Still, I need to be a bit braver.” “...” “What shall I try today?” A small hum. The Saintess turned and moved closer to Sim Ah-ryeon, examining her artwork, before approaching Lee Ha-yul to gently pat her head. And then. ‘Sorry about this—’ The Undertaker thought. ‘Sometimes, the improbable really does happen, Saintess...’ Desperately holding his breath and resisting the urge to blink. 2. When did this all begin? Initially, it was simply a feeling of unease. But at some point, the Undertaker realized he could move relatively freely even in a ‘world where time stops.’ ‘Huh? What’s this? Why is everything in black and white?’ His movement was limited to blinking, so the Saintess hadn’t noticed the ‘Undertaker’s peculiar phenomenon.’ ‘Is this some kind of anomaly?!’ It wasn’t. On the fifth day of the time halt, as the Undertaker pondered what overlooked phenomenon he might’ve missed, the Saintess passed right before his eyes. ‘?’ Her appearance... well, to avoid misunderstandings, it seemed— ‘A thief?’ That’s roughly the feeling it projected. “Hmm. There seems to be a slight margin of error in the perspective seen through Miss Sim Ah-ryeon’s eyes.” Muttering. The Saintess wandered around the guild lair, lightly touching Sim Ah-ryeon’s cheeks. It seemed she was fine-tuning her [Clairvoyance]. “Amazing. Could it be that Miss Sim Ah-ryeon’s ability doesn’t relay all visual information to me...? There are no limits when you delve into Awakeners’ abilities.” ‘What the...’ Having been immobile for days, feeling as if he was losing his mind, the Undertaker was relieved by the scene. ‘She’s just taking care of business. It’s still a mystery why I can maintain cognitive continuity during the [Time Stop], though.’ He decided that once the time stop ended, he would explain everything to the Saintess. Just as he resolved this, the Saintess approached him. And then, she spread her arms wide, pulling him into an embrace. ‘?’ A question mark floated over the Undertaker’s head. If only he could even blink, but he still needed time to adapt to this void. It was a tragic situation for both him and the Saintess. “Hmm.” The Saintess rubbed her head against his chest, moving it this way and that. There was no hesitation in her actions. It was the gesture of a scientist who had theoretically and experimentally mastered the optimal way to embrace. ‘?’ ‘?’ ‘?’ More and more question marks popped up over the Undertaker’s head. All the while, the Saintess’s experimental spirit wouldn’t pause. ‘What is this?’ ‘A plot by some anomaly?’ ‘Saintess...?’ ‘Could there be some hidden philosophical curiosity in this?’ ‘Nonsense, right?’ ‘Wait.’ A faint shock seeped from the folds of his confused and tumultuous mind. ‘If I reveal... that I maintained awareness during the [Time Stop]... could I even... tell her?’ No. Because. ‘Wouldn’t she... end up ending herself?’ Beep beep beep beep— Sirens blared within the Undertaker’s mind. Indeed. Unlike Yu Ji-won, who also belongs to the unchanging expression alliance, the Saintess, at heart, had a normal emotional structure, more sensitive and fragile than others’. Such a Saintess. Her psyche couldn't bear the revelation that ‘I know everything you did yesterday’! And if her death were the only consequence, it might actually be fortunate. ‘She’d attempt to erase my memory!’ The only way to strip him of his photographic memory was to employ the Udumbara. Then what? Start over. Begin from scratch, repeating endless cycles without knowing why he was contaminated by the Udumbara. Why? For daring to pry into the Saintess’s secrets. It was no joke. Therefore. “Hooo.” “...” The fact that the Saintess had rubbed her head affectionately, placed her nose against his chest to inhale, even fetched a chair from the dining area to climb up and pat the top of the Undertaker's head, then put the chair back, and now stood there with a highly satisfied expression on her face—all of this— Could never be spoken of. Never, ever. “Yes. I feel like I’ve recharged my energy for the day.” “...” “Maybe I’ll stop by in Sejong on my way home.” The Saintess departed. A week later, when the [Time Stop] lifted and the monochrome world returned to a colorful display, the Undertaker was drenched in cold sweat. “Hmm? Guild Leader, why do you have that expression like you desperately need a restroom?” “It’s nothing.” “But your face says otherwise.” “Nothing... happened.” The Undertaker made up his mind. One does not divulge heavenly secrets. ‘I must keep this hidden!’ For how long? ‘Until I die! Until this cycle ends!’ A game of caution with the stakes of world destruction. Begin.