The Tales of an Infinite Regressor - Chapter 253

Chapter 253

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The Mastermind IV

I posed as a thoroughly competent researcher and built a network.

Though I hated to admit it, “Undertakeress” was quite beautiful. With her amiable attitude and tailored strategies for approaching others, even the NPC researchers quickly opened up to her.

“Researcher, you must be tired. Here, have some coffee and take it easy.”

“Oh! Thank you. Wow, it’s been ages since I’ve had coffee made by someone from the Undertaker’s guild. I kind of missed it even after coming here…”

The researchers referred to themselves as Ascended. Normally, I would have rejected such a term outright, as it reeked of anti-Awakener supremacism, but for these individuals, the title seemed oddly fitting.

‘Whatever they call themselves, these are just NPCs based on my comrades.’

Naturally, the method to win their favor was similar as well. I had memorized hundreds of ways to get on their good sides.

“Researcher 107, you’re so kind. The Undertakers in the world I ascended from were selfish jerks who only cared about themselves…”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! All they ever said was they were the Regressor, just follow my orders, nothing will go wrong if you do. So we all ganged up on them behind their backs.”

“Haha…”

“And they kept rambling about Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Seriously, who even reads that these days? It’s so boring, but I had to humor them all the time—it was torture!”

“…”

Endure it.

These researchers weren’t true comrades, merely creations filtered by the Outer God. There was no need to take them seriously.

For the next few days, I focused solely on building good relations with them to give me time to recover my Aura. It wasn’t long before the researchers began to flock around me.

“Researcher 107! Want to grab lunch together?”

“How about a walk after eating?”

“Um, unnie, there’s something strange happening in my simulator. Do you have time to take a look?”

“Researcher 107!”

In no time, I became the center of attention.

Meanwhile, the slime Fairy King clinging to my body 24/7 wriggled.

– Admiration: You’re truly exceptional. Wherever you’re placed, you always rise to the top of the social hierarchy.

– Inquiry: That makes me wonder. Why didn’t you fully exploit this talent in your original world? Is an Undertaker inherently inferior to an Undertakeress?

Shut up.

“If you only act according to everyone’s ideal vision of you, it only becomes exhausting in the end. My comrades and I have to endure for ten, twenty, or even thousands of years together. These shallow strategies are only fit for superficial runs where relationships don’t matter.”

– Commentary: You live such a tiresome life.

The slime, initially robotic in its reactions, seemed to grow more human-like after spending time with me.

By this point, I had grown accustomed to the simulation lab’s sterile environment. Once I deemed my Aura sufficiently recovered, I immediately began to enact my plan.

“Ah, unnie? You’re here?”

“I’m not your unnie. You Anomaly.”

“…Huh?”

Alone in the lab, I struck down the NPC researcher disguised as Sim Ah-ryeon in a single blow.

– ……!

The researcher fell, unable to resist.

Under normal circumstances, their death would have immediately alerted the Outer God. However, with Infinite Void drawing their attention elsewhere, the Outer God was unable to focus on this area.

“Fairy King, transform me into that one’s body.”

– Response: Understood.

The slime consumed the corpse before returning to me, reshaping my body.

Looking in the mirror, I saw that I was no longer the Undertakeress but had completely transformed into Ah-ryeon, down to every last detail.

“Ah, ah. Ahhh.”

I adjusted my voice using Aura, testing it to match hers.

“This… this t-tone… seems fine. Ehe.”

– Shock: I’ve experienced the human emotion of astonishment for the first time. I will henceforth classify this sensation as “goosebumps.”

“J-just… shut up.”

– Goosebumps.

I destroyed the simulation universe overseen by Sim Ah-ryeon.

As a regressor, my power fundamentally stemmed from regression. In contrast, the Outer God’s strategy to counter me relied on simulation universes. The fewer false universes that existed, the weaker the Outer God’s dominion would become.

– Inquiry: This Divine Realm alone contains thousands of simulated universes. Do you intend to destroy each one?

“Th-thousands… Hoh, h-hoh… hoeeeh…” I let out a sinister laugh, mimicking Ah-ryeon. “Hoh-heh… hehehe…”

– Goosebumps: Goosebumps.

I staged things so it appeared as if the Undertakeress had been killed by turning Research Lab 107 into a chaotic crime scene. It didn’t take long for the “crime” to be discovered.

The researchers, who had grown close to Undertakeress, erupted in outrage.

“Researcher 107 was murdered!”

“Who did it? Who’s the bastard that did this?”

“I heard there was an intruder… It must be them!”

“Our beloved barista and admired Researcher 107 is gone! Why?”

“Well, I did secretly suspect 107 of being the intruder, but this is still shocking…”

From the perspective of the Outer God, the Undertakeress—who had skyrocketed to popularity—was likely flagged as a high-priority target. That someone like her to be abruptly killed, while the Outer God was preoccupied fighting Infinite Void, must have thrown them into considerable confusion.

But my terror campaign didn’t stop there.

“Um, um… Researcher 511?”

“Hm? What’s the matter?”

“I-I actually have a theory about this incident. But it’s something others shouldn’t overhear, so… c-could you come with me for a moment?”

I lured other researchers, one by one, and hunted them down. Destroying their simulation universes was a bonus.

The core of this operation was to destroy as many simulations as possible before the Outer God could react.

I morphed from the Undertakeress to Sim Ah-ryeon, then to Dang Seo-rin, to the Saintess, to Seo Gyu, to Yu Ji-won, and back to the Undertaker, before taking on yet another form. With each transformation, I ruthlessly obliterated research labs.

– Admiration: Your talents seem better suited to acting than to making coffee.

“Shut it,” I replied curtly, then slashed to kill.

Swoosh.

Researcher 801, the Undertaker with dyed blond hair—Golden Sun—bled profusely, his face frozen in shock. “D-Dang Seo-rin? Why would you…?”

“Because I’m not Dang Seo-rin. Repeat after me: Railroads are mere transportation, and witches are just cosplay.”

“That… makes no sense…”

Thud.

Golden Sun collapsed, stripped of life.

After slaughtering more than 200 researchers, I reached a clear conclusion.

“These fools. For all their talk of being Ascended, they’re weak.”

Even the researcher who mimicked the Saintess was pathetically frail. If they had mastered Time Stop to the same extent as the real Saintess, my traps wouldn’t have taken her down so easily. But this so-called researcher Saintess died screaming, ensnared in my simplest setup.

“Are these really the ones who survived countless world-ending simulations and were deemed worthy by the Outer God? They’re too weak.”

– Response: That is to be expected.

The slime Fairy King’s answer was calm, as if the explanation was obvious.

– Commentary: The purpose of the simulation universes is to degrade you and others like you—Awakener and Anomaly alike.

– Addendum: If the Outer God strengthened these researchers too much, it would undermine their own objectives.

“I see… So weakening them was intentional.”

It wasn’t just their physical strength that didn’t match up. Compared to my real comrades, these so-called researchers had far weaker senses of resolve and moral convictions.

The Golden Sun Undertaker I had just killed was embarrassingly pitiful. I couldn’t help but mutter, “Was this supposed to be me?”

– Explanation: That is precisely why they were chosen as pawns by the Outer God.

Indeed.

In just 130 days, I brought the simulation lab to ruin.

The researchers scrambled to locate the intruder by any means necessary, but how could they find someone who could become anyone?

Thanks to my study of community-destroying “troll villains,” it was all too easy to dismantle their cohesion. Suspicion. Incitement. Deception. Misdirection. Using these tools to sow chaos among the weak-minded NPC researchers was child’s play.

“Impressive, sunbae!”

When I had destroyed about 5,000 simulation universes, Infinite Void appeared again.

This time, it abandoned its researcher disguise entirely and wore a reversed version of the Baekhwa Girls’ High School uniform—black where Cheon Yo-hwa’s had been white.

“The Outer God probably used those fake comrades’ appearances to guilt-trip you. But wow! You really slaughtered them without hesitation. As expected of you, sunbae! I admire that!”

“A parasite wearing Cheon Yo-hwa’s face has no right to speak.”

“Ahaha!”

Infinite Void threw its arms around my own. I reflexively tried to shake her off, but she didn’t budge. Its entire body radiated a red, sticky Aura, which oozed with oppressive force. It was far beyond anything the NPC researchers could compare to.

“It’s a bit of a shame that you stopped using the Undertakeress persona. She was so cute,” it whined. “Not that you’re not cute, sunbae! I mean, these dead fish eyes are definitely your charm point.”

“Get to the point.”

“Thanks to your flashy terrorism, the battle over the Divine Realm is swinging in my favor.”

Snap.

Infinite Void made a playful gesture of opening and closing its hand.

Bam!

As if responding to its gesture, the space around us compressed. The remaining NPC researchers and twenty or so simulation universe holograms were forcibly drawn to one place.

“Huh?”

“Wh-what’s going on?”

The researchers panicked, glancing around wildly.

Infinite Void tightened its grip on my arm, its grin widening to grotesque proportions as its lips stretched unnaturally, splitting almost to its ears.

“Now, sunbae, only a handful remain… I’ll leave the finishing blow to you.”

Looking at it, I was reminded of something once again.

‘Defeating the Outer God requires Infinite Void’s cooperation. But weakening the Outer God allows Infinite Void to ascend instead.’

Infinite Void’s power, Data Input, was devastating. It reduced even the Outer God’s minions to mere NPCs. Had it not been defeated at Baekhwa Girls’ High School, Infinite Void would undoubtedly have become one of the most powerful Outer Gods.

‘I was right. This strategy of relying on Infinite Void is hopelessly flawed.’

I resolved myself.

I needed to find a way to reach the Outer God’s Divine Realm without depending on Infinite Void.

Developing a new route would be the greatest achievement of this run.

“Hm.” Infinite Void gazed up at me with a knowing look. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re scared that if you wipe out those researchers and simulations, I’ll be unstoppable, right?”

“…”

“But don’t forget—I’m still afraid of you. Regression resets everything. We’re mutually hostile by nature. So, how about this?”

“Speak.”

“I’ll use Data Input on myself.” Infinite Void tapped the side of its head with its finger. “I’ll input, ‘I will love sunbae forever.’”

My eyes widened. I hadn’t expected it to propose that.

“In return, you input this: ‘I will love Infinite Void forever.’”

“…”

“No tricks, no word games. We trust each other, talk things out, and move forward together. Positive, everlasting love. Then neither of us will have reason to betray or exploit the other.”

Infinite Void grinned mischievously.

“Even if you regress, you’ll trust and love me enough to share what happened in the past. Together, we could conquer the world! The Outer God would be easy to crush.”

“You’ve thought this through.”

“Ahaha! Of course! I’m not like the other Outer Gods. In the old days, Demon Kings tempted heroes with half the world. These days, the trend is offering half your heart.”

“You’re an Anomaly. Do you even understand love?”

Infinite Void moved its hand to its chest. “Who knows? But this heart seems to. Why don’t we turn mutual hostility into mutual love, sunbae?”

I didn’t answer. And it wasn’t just because its offer likely included a hidden clause about claiming Cheon Yo-hwa’s body.

Instead, I swung my Aura, annihilating all the researchers in one fell swoop.

“Ah!”

With the researchers gone and their simulations destroyed, Infinite Void’s face lit up with glee. I simply stared at it, staying quiet.

“Really? Did you just accept my proposal?!”

“…”

“Wow! I made that suggestion half-jokingly, thinking it was a long shot, but you actually went for it! Ah, but don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying you’re foolish. As expected of you, sunbae. Pretending to resist but secretly curious about wielding the power of an Outer God! Don’t worry—I’m really one of the good ones. Look at my little fairy servants! Aren’t they adorable and kind? Just like their master, and they’ve been watching, waiting, for the right moment to—”

Infinite Void froze mid-sentence.

A single second of silence stretched on unnaturally.

“Huh?”

The same eerie, overlapping voice that had haunted me during my first encounter with the Outer God echoed, both from Infinite Void’s lips and the speakers in the research lab.

“Wait, this… Destroying the simulation lab was a part of my plan all along? You’re kidding, right?”

The voice continued, seamlessly shifting into a maddening stream of words.

– What was the first entity you encountered upon awakening in this place?

– It was the Fairy King, the puppet of me, Infinite Void. You foolishly allowed my servant to cling to you without suspecting a thing, thinking it merely a harmless accessory.

“What…? No! That was supposed to be my mole, planted for intel! This can’t be… is what you must have thought, right?” The dual voices intertwined as the tone turned mocking. “But, alas, that too was part of my plan, Undertaker. Nothing you’ve done in this place has been outside my design. Every step you took, every lab you destroyed, no, sunbae! My mouth moving on its own, it’s all within the script I wrote. Even this, even now, your surprise and denial—my experiments accounted for it all!”

Infinite Void winced, its face twisting in visible pain as its body began to dissolve like smoke. The slime Fairy King, which had been pretending to be an “innocent companion,” evaporated alongside it.

What followed was disturbingly familiar.

Creeeeak.

The research lab’s ceiling tore open.

Beyond it lay a vast void of stars, with a colossal rupture splitting the expanse in two.

– Ah.

A massive crimson eye filled the gap in the Void, glaring down at me.

It was Infinite Void—its true form—looming from above.

It extended its hand, its movements unnervingly deliberate. This time, I was prepared. I leapt onto its outstretched palm with practiced ease.

‘This must be how Sun Wukong felt on the Buddha’s palm.’[1]

After obliterating the research lab, Infinite Void dragged me through the rift in space.

For a moment, all was black.

When I came back to awareness, I found myself sprawled in a restored research lab.

Behind me lay the ruins of the “simulation lab”—now just another simulation itself.

“…”

“…”

The only noticeable difference was that Infinite Void now stood before me, in person.

Somehow, we had ascended to a higher realm: a simulation of a simulation.

Infinite Void muttered under its breath, its words raw with emotion.

“Goddammit…”

The way it spoke… It had a strangely human ring to it.