Infinite Regressor, Chapter 467 - I’m an Infinite Regressor, But I’ve Got Stories to Tell

The Essence of Being Honest with Oneself As Cheon Yo-hwa reflected, she realized that such honesty, whether she liked it or not, was an intrinsic part of her nature. Who, indeed, upon having the desire to ‘kill one’s father’ coil around one's heart, would dare face that dark, venomous serpent head-on? Cheon Yo-hwa found herself incapable of deceiving herself. Simply impossible. Thus, she had no choice but to acknowledge it. ――The young, exceptionally beautiful girl seated opposite her: Yu Ji-won. She couldn’t deny the fact: she undoubtedly harbored hatred for her. “Ji-won,” Cheon Yo-hwa said with a radiant smile. “Is anything troubling you these days?” “Not at all. It’s all thanks to Your Holiness for looking after Mr. Matiz and me.” Yu Ji-won courteously bowed her head. “I’m especially grateful for your consideration toward my grandmother.” “Oh, come now! Between us, such things are only natural!” It had already been two months since the special event, [I Am Inheriting the Throne, Father], took place. In that time, Cheon Yo-hwa had been extremely busy updating the content of the sect. First, she reassured people that, as the new leader, their game would continue smoothly under her guidance. The dissenters who challenged this were swiftly dealt with. With immense power and resources now in her grasp, Cheon Yo-hwa felt that this was what it meant to win at life. Prominent figures, both domestic and international, rushed to pay their respects to the young sect leader, and consequently, the threshold of her door gleamed with the luster of their polished shoes. Surely, now that she had finally seized the freedom she had longed for, it would be fine to be somewhat satisfied. And yet... why? An indelible sense of frustration and unease still lingered. A slight static crackled near Cheon Yo-hwa’s heart. Particularly while gazing upon the girl before her. “Believe me, I’m quite a big-hearted person. Heh heh. If someone like you, Ji-won, desires it, I could easily create a position for you among the sect’s executives—” “No.” Yu Ji-won shook her head firmly. So firmly, in fact, that Cheon Yo-hwa momentarily wondered if the power she held was so inconsequential after all. “I am truly grateful for such an offer to someone like me. However, there’s not much time left.” “Not much time... left?” “It's the end of the world, Your Holiness.” Without growing weary, Yu Ji-won reiterated a point she had mentioned several times. “Soon, this world will inevitably face destruction. The power you’ve obtained, my grandmother's life, Mr. Matiz, all of my memories too.” “……” “Since the moment Mr. Matiz and I killed Go Yo-ri, we have continuously contemplated and strived. How can we—who are desperately clinging to the present—transcend oblivion and deliver even a sliver of the ‘future’?” “Hmm.” Cheon Yo-hwa fanned herself. Her fingers fluttered with a casual nonchalance befitting the leader of a sect. Nonetheless, the urgency residing within her was becoming increasingly intense. “If the world ends, even the trace of us existing now will vanish, won't it? How would we relay that to the next cycle… or another future? To make Mr. Go Yo-il a regressor, we'd need Instructor Go Yo-ri, but you killed her, didn’t you?” “You misunderstand the term 'next cycle'." Yu Ji-won rested her chin on her hand, expressionless. Suddenly, Cheon Yo-hwa had the urge to mar that impassive face. It wasn’t the first time she had harbored this desire. It was a desire that had consistently been thwarted. “To be more precise, we are aiming not just for the [next cycle], but for the cycle where Mr. Matiz successfully prevents the apocalypse—the cycle with the [happy ending].” “Ah...?” “Even if we manage to send records of our existence to the next cycle, it would be meaningless if they cannot prevent the end of the world. With the end of that cycle, our records would also be lost.” Yu Ji-won spoke with unwavering clarity. Her breath aligned seamlessly, her pronunciation unfaltering, almost to an inhuman degree. “Therefore, the ‘time capsule’ containing our records must, under any circumstances, be conveyed to a world where a happy ending has been achieved.” "......" In summary, it was straightforward. Go Yo-il and Yu Ji-won, for reasons unbeknownst to anyone, firmly believed that the apocalypse of this world was inevitable. There was no hope. In that case, they might as well hasten to take their own lives and relieve their suffering. But they did not. The two accepted impending doom and resolved to deliver some form of record to their future selves in the ‘cycle that saved the world’, someday. That was what they called the ‘time capsule’, I suppose. ‘Absolutely insane, the both of them.’ Cheon Yo-hwa was dumbfounded. “Well. It’s interesting. How, then?” The mere fact that they accepted the world’s inevitable end unconditionally was already irrational. As a leader of a cult, even she found such thinking abnormal. But what was even more perplexing was how they sought out a ‘practical breakthrough’ after accepting such an improbable condition. Any apocalyptic prophecy might be believable if one was deranged enough, but a practical solution to avoid it? Typically, such cultish beliefs resulted in sincere ‘prayers’ or wholehearted ‘donations.’ However, the conclusion that Go Yo-il and Yu Ji-won reached was neither. “Firstly, it’s been determined that the plan of the reincarnator is primarily centered around the Korean Peninsula. Or more accurately, it was crafted from the start to unfold around the Korean Peninsula." Yu Ji-won unfurled a map. Strangely, she always carried maps with her. The one she laid out on the table now was a world map. “However, the possibility of Mr. Matiz, who would one day evolve into a regressor, remaining confined to the Korean Peninsula is exceedingly low. When governments around the world collapse, the regressor can traverse freely across the Eurasian continent.” In Yu Ji-won’s eyes. It seemed as if she was calmly observing destinations and itineraries on the map that were not yet visible. “To conceal the ‘time capsule’ from the failed regressors, it needs to be buried not only far from Korea but also at a place unlikely to be reached by a regressor.” “...Where would that be?” “Across the Pacific Ocean. The American continent.” "..." “It can’t be at a famous spot. Places like Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, or the Uyuni Salt Flat are risky due to regressors possibly visiting there out of curiosity.” "..." “If a regressor accidentally finds the time capsule there, opens it even once, and eventually reaches a [bad ending] and loses themselves, our records, too, will be forever buried and lost to oblivion.” What is this girl... What is she looking at, exactly? What is driving her to such lengths, to try so desperately to convey the memories and ties she shared with Mr. Matiz, that is, Go Yo-il, into the future? Why do only their breaths seem imbued with eternity? ‘Ah.’ Startled, Cheon Yo-hwa found herself fixed on Yu Ji-won’s face and hurriedly adjusted her expression. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like her dazed expression had been caught. Yu Ji-won remained focused on the map, engrossed in her explanation. “...Hmm. But it’s not particularly famous, and there might not be a straightforward method to hint at the capsule’s location exclusively to a regressor in a [happy ending]. This seems overly complicated.” “Yes.” Yu Ji-won nodded. “That’s why Mr. Matiz and I have deliberated extensively, for a very long time, about where to bury the time capsule. We’ve pondered deeply.” Condition 1: The location must be far from Korea, requiring a crossing of the Pacific Ocean to reach it. Condition 2: The location must be one that a bad-ending regressor can never discover, but a happy-ending regressor naturally would. Condition 3: Leaving specific hints about the location is challenging. Once hints are left, they are exposed to bad-ending regressors as well and increase the risk of being discovered by reincarnator Go Yuri. “Therefore,” Yu Ji-won stated, “the site must be such that Mr. Matiz will ‘never’ visit until he saves the world, but after doing so, he will ‘inevitably’ visit naturally.” “Where exactly is this place?” Then, for the first time, at least from Cheon Yo-hwa’s perspective, she witnessed the young girl smile. "..." For this moment, Cheon Yo-hwa found herself staring blankly at Yu Ji-won. She had been informed by Go Yo-il that emotions were purged from her. That it was subtly different from being a psychopath. Yet that smile held a clarity of emotion unimaginable from someone who couldn’t feel. Perhaps that’s why it seemed so astounding. “I plan to major in Latin and Classical Greek,” Yu Ji-won declared, and Cheon Yo-hwa was a bit slow to process the statement. “Oh. Yes, yes?” “Latin and Classical Greek. They’re the majors Mr. Matiz recommended. We plan to gather funds, study abroad, and pursue them.” “Ah. Then, if you need any support from our sect...” “No.” Yu Ji-won shook her head. Though not as firmly this time. It was hard to describe, but Cheon Yo-hwa sensed a vague anticipation and excitement in that gesture. “Once Mr. Matiz saves the world, I will go study abroad in the United States. Depending on the timing, I might even become an exchange student.” "..." “One of the universities along the Pacific coast is Stanford University. They have a classics department that systematically teaches Latin and Classical Greek. They also manage the philosophical encyclopedia, regarded as the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. We plan to bury the time capsule on the campus.” Yu Ji-won continued to smile. “Once the apocalypse is averted, I’ll be certain to go there. Mr. Matiz will certainly accompany me. So, without fail, we will discover the time capsule at the end of the happy ending.” Trust approaching infinity. Happiness, it seemed palpable. "..." Cheon Yo-hwa’s lips parted. And unbeknownst to herself, a murmur slipped out. “What if you fail?” Yu Ji-won tilted her head. “Yes?” “If, by chance, it fails. In this cycle, you said there’s virtually no hope, right? The apocalypse. Even if you attempt it countless times, it doesn’t mean the chances increase dramatically.” "..." “At best, a one percent chance. Honestly, probably less than 0.01 percent. So why are you, Yu Ji-won, staking your entire life and future on such odds? Why is Go Yo-il, too? If there’s really no chance, wouldn’t it be more reasonable to try to avoid the world’s end in this cycle, or else just indulge and enjoy life as much as possible?” For a moment, silence fell over the sitting room. Sensing the chill of that silence, Cheon Yo-hwa regretted it—she had said something she hadn’t meant to. ‘This wasn’t what I wanted to say.’ She didn’t want to expose herself to that person. Because, there was really no way to win. Yu Ji-won had met Go Yo-il long before her. Not only met but established a connection unimaginable from this side. She was late. She was tardy. Decisively, she had been outpaced by the chronological order. In truth, what Cheon Yo-hwa wanted to say was. ‘You just... got lucky, that's all.’ What she wanted to swallow back was. ‘If I were born in a household as lax as yours, I’d have killed my parents by elementary school, not as a middle schooler.’ ‘Then the events would’ve accelerated, and Instructor Go Yo-ri might have assigned Mr. Go Yo-il to me sooner, too.’ ‘Ha ha.’ ‘...Lucky to be born in such an environment, lucky to meet that person early, and yet.’ ‘Why... do I have to give up?’ Cheon Yo-hwa bit her lip. Her heart was pounding. Without either of them realizing it, a murky sensation akin to the yin-yang of the Taeguk (Laplace) symbol began pooling inside her chest. ‘What? She's choosing to live for the cycle that reaches a happy ending, instead of this one? So, what, does that mean she plans to keep Go Yo-il all to herself forever?’ ‘Why? Why, why? Why? Why her?’ ‘If only I had met him sooner.’ ‘To think I like him this much. I've never felt this way before, yet she, who doesn’t feel a thing like a machine—why—.’ “I do not understand the question.” Just as her spirit was about to be tainted by that murkiness, Yu Ji-won spoke. Only then did Cheon Yo-hwa regain her composure. Her counterpart continued speaking. “I trust Mr. Matiz.” “...I mean, trust or not, I’m saying he’ll fail?” “That’s irrelevant.” “What?” “If Mr. Matiz fails, there must undoubtedly be a reason that was beyond anyone’s control. A reason neither he nor I can alter, rendering my current worries utterly pointless.” "..." “What counts is the simple fact that I trust Mr. Matiz.” Cheon Yo-hwa— “I will embrace his failures, successes, resignations, hopes, despair, and smiles as embodiments of their utmost beauty.” She had never fancied herself a chosen one. She merely deemed herself smarter, more beautiful, richer, more accomplished, and favored by divine fortune than others. She had never truly considered herself extraordinary, nor had she ever cursed her lot while comparing herself to others. Having murdered her father and ascended to the throne, she had even less reason to curse others now. “That is the life I have chosen for myself.” "..." For the first time in her life, Cheon Yo-hwa felt a sense of inferiority toward another. ‘It’s absolutely— absolutely insurmountable.’