The Tales of an Infinite Regressor - Chapter 258

Chapter 258

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The Mastermind IX

“Wouldn’t one more drop of Go Yuri be enough to completely obliterate the Mastermind?”

“Teacher—no, sunbae. Please stop. Or do you want to see me get on my knees and beg while in Cheon Yo-hwa’s body?”

Infinite Void opposed the idea of spreading the virus further, staking its life on the protest.

“Hmm.”

Truthfully, I had my doubts as well. The 5,000 Go Yuris summoned earlier had barely taken a second to realize, Ah, the Undertaker summoned us to the Divine Realm. If we tried again, they would likely figure it out the moment they appeared.

How?

I couldn’t explain it.

But some undefined instinct and certainty hinted that the bombing operation we’d just executed had been a stroke of luck, a miracle that could only happen once in all the cycles.

‘Come to think of it, this was the first time I actively weaponized Go Yuri to eliminate Anomalies.’

I reluctantly put the idea to rest.

“Admin of the Infinite Metagame, how many simulation universes does the Mastermind have left?”

– Response: The number has dropped rapidly to 666, but it isn’t decreasing further.

“Well, that’s an ominous number.”

I looked around to see that the tanks holding the brains, mortally wounded by the Go Yuri operation, were bleeding profusely.

“How laughable. It pretended to be the celestial kingdom where souls ascend, but now that it’s cornered, it doesn’t even bother hiding its true identity as a hellscape.”

The number 666, often associated with demons, carried significant symbolism. In the Book of Revelation, the beast bearing this number was described as one with a head that healed after a mortal wound and ruled over all nations, tribes, and languages.[1]

On reflection, all of these descriptions applied to the Mastermind. Replace the “head” with “brains” and “nations” with “humanity,” and it described its actions perfectly.

“Unable to create heaven, it settled for making hell. Typical of Anomalies.”

– Objection: Other Anomalies are listening. Please respect our sensibilities.

“……”

– Clarification: The previous statement was a joke, imagining Anomalies sharing a kinship and having human-like emotions.

“Don’t explain bad jokes. I beg you.”

Oddly, that explanation made the joke feel even more human—and thus, even more unsettling.

“Hmm, sunbae. I think a bit differently.”

That was Infinite Void, overly humanized as it had become, chiming in.

“You think differently?” I asked. “About what?”

“You just said the Mastermind turned this Divine Realm from heaven to hell because it was cornered.”

“That’s right.”

“Well… This is just my perspective, as someone who has experienced your antics firsthand… but…” Infinite Void hesitated, gauging my reaction. I gave it a look signaling it could continue. “It’s not that the Mastermind changed it to hell. You did.”

That gave me pause. “What?”

“You came here, declaring that this wasn’t heaven. You even gave it a name based on that conviction. Then you dropped a Go Yuri nuke on it for good measure.” Infinite Void chuckled awkwardly. “You slapped it on the face and said, ‘You’re not heaven anymore, you’re hell,’ and the Mastermind just rolled over and went, ‘Yes, sir… I am hell.’”

“……”

“Why are you looking at me like that? Isn’t it plausible? If a regressor storms into a place and drops 5,000 Go Yuris in the middle of it, anyone would lose their mind. Add me and that junk heap over there, and it’s no wonder.”

– Counterpoint: I am not a junk heap but the most advanced laptop in the universe.

We both ignored the comment.

“Regardless of whether it became hell because of me or not, the Mastermind’s crimes are unforgivable. It’s time to exterminate it. Gather all 666 brains in one place.”

“Yes, sir!”

“And stop slipping formal speech into your responses.”

Infinite Void clenched its fists with a sniff, then whined, “If I’m reborn, I want to come back as Cheon Yo-hwa…”

The brains scattered across the Divine Realm were pulled together, converging into one massive pile before me.

Squirm.

Squirm-squirm.

The brains twitched in their tanks, bleeding profusely. Though grotesque, this was the essence of an Outer God—the seat of its power to manipulate the world.

As the mass of brains writhed, I could hear whispers, faint yet insistent.

Claim me.

Devour me, and you’ll gain the power to shape unseen realities in the fog of war.

Ignorance is blindness, and blindness is the foundation of faith.

In the places you cannot see or know, omniscience and omnipotence shall be yours.

“……”

– ……

Infinite Void and the Admin of the Infinite Metagame were both watching me, their gazes quiet but intense. Infinite Void wore a human-like smile while the Admin displayed a mechanical emoticon. Yet both expressions were mere veneers. Their true feelings, their curiosity and intrigue, lay unmistakably in their eyes.

“How about it, sunbae?” Infinite Void’s voice dripped into my ears, sticky and persuasive. “Do you want it? That thing.”

“……”

“It’s the power to toy with the world at your whim. Oh, you don’t have to play with it, of course. You could use it to prevent real-world tragedies by preemptively scripting them into simulations. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Crackle.

The Admin’s screen flickered. The whimsical emoticon vanished, replaced by the image of a “white girl” smiling serenely.

This was a signature move of the Admin’s operator: ‘Hello, I am God.’

– Not every story has to end with a happy ending or a tragic ending, Undertaker.

– Normal endings exist too.

The fear I’d harbored since recruiting the Outer Gods into my party had finally materialized.

Given the slightest chance, they sought to free themselves from their seals by any means necessary. Even though we’d prearranged terms and set limits on our collaboration, they were now attempting to seduce me.

– Think of the powers you’ve already obtained, or are about to obtain, from the Anomalies:

“Infinite Void, Admin of the Infinite Metagame, Mastermind.”

– The Akashic Records, which collect all things impartially. The power of materializing delusions into reality. The omniscient operator who manipulates and distorts every world.

“Wouldn’t you like to hold all of that in your hands?”

– What could be possible?

“What could be impossible?”

Their voices overlapped.

Suddenly, the scenery changed.

「Adele!」

An old man named Scho ran frantically.

A woman descending the hill at Seoul National University turned at the sound. Her eyes widened when she recognized him.

「Emit? Why are you…?」

「I was worried about you! I had a bad dream, so I came after you! Oh, thank God! Thank you, Lord!」

「Look at this man! Wait, why are you hugging me all of a sudden?」

「Adele. I love you, Adele. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.」

「Are you out of your mind?!」

I knew it then.

It wasn’t just an illusion. It was a scene created jointly by three Anomalies working together.

“This isn’t a mere fantasy, sunbae.”

I blinked, and the scene vanished. I was back in the Divine Realm.

– This is the landscape of a normal ending.

Somehow, Infinite Void—still in the form of Cheon Yo-hwa—and the “white girl” projection of the Admin of the Infinite Metagame flanked me.

The two Anomalies clung close, speaking to my very soul.

Through manipulating the simulation, Seoul’s annihilation by the Void Incursion could be erased.

Undertaker. You’ve long sought a teleporter who could prevent this catastrophe. You don’t need one anymore.

The 666 brains in the tanks changed as I watched.

Now kneeling before me, they took the forms of humans praying, heads bowed. Though their faces were obscured, the tops of their heads opened like flowers, exposing writhing brains.

The voice of the Anomaly emerged from the pulsing tissue.

If you accept the normal ending, you can grant your companions a happy ending. If I must remain an Anomaly creating hell, then you may replace me and build heaven instead. O Scribe. Isn’t this the solution—to become a god yourself?

A strange phenomenon unfolded.

The kneeling human-brain hybrids seemed singular yet countless. With each blink of my eyes, I saw one figure, then a hundred, then 666, and one again.

“Here’s the catch, sunbae.”

– A normal ending is never perfect.

All it requires is for you to accept your existence as an Anomaly.

Visions passed before my eyes.

In one, the Undertaker traversed 666 simulation universes, crafting “ideal companions.”

Dang Seo-rin found self-restraint.

Oh Dok-seo overcame her self-loathing.

Lee Ha-yul’s deprivation of love softened.

Cheon Yo-hwa learned compassion, even gaining a twin sister who stood beside her.

And the Undertaker, instead of identifying Anomalies firsthand, entrusted the Anomalies’ designation to the Outer Gods, accepting their judgments.

The so-called “fog of war” became a fog of perception.

Through this shift, I gained unprecedented control over Anomalies.

I could dictate their emergence and suppress humanity’s suffering. The remaining Anomalies couldn’t match me—not even Nut, who had been sealed away by the Saintess in a prior cycle.

Above all, I could conceal the powers I’d acquired. My companions and I could still lead ordinary lives, never revealing the truth.

There would be no one to blame for a normal ending.

In fact, there would be no reason to hide it.

I could share my story—my pain, my countless cycles, and my sacrifices—with my companions.

And they would understand.

No one had ever demanded I achieve a happy ending after hundreds of regressions. It had always been my own choice.

My companions would simply wish for my happiness…

「Shall I speak plainly?」

Happiness.

「I don’t expect you to save the world.」

「In fact, I expect the opposite.」

「Undertaker. I am the only one who hopes that you ‘fail.’」

In the vision of the normal ending, where all smiled and blessed my conclusion, one figure stood apart.

A single person gazed at me from behind the others.

She smiled alongside them, yet her smile was different.

「In that final hell of life, I will gladly join you, all the way down at rock bottom…」

Footsteps echoed.

Between my companions, the click of leather heels grew louder. As she approached, they made way for her as if it were only natural.

「I truly look forward to that day… Don’t you? Your one and only funeral, your one true life, your own personal hell—aren’t you eager for it?」

Her voice lingered.

「It’s just a shame that this isn’t the cycle where you fall into that hell. What a pity.」

The figure stepped closer, almost touching me. She removed her monocle and slipped it into my pocket.

It was Noh Do-hwa—the woman I’d brought from the isolated island, and the woman who now stood in front of me.

Her hands reached for my neck.

Complete Memory etched her expressions, gestures, and voice into my memory.

“Don’t forget…”

When Noh Do-hwa’s lips moved, I found myself involuntarily whispering along with her words.

“I’ll be waiting for you in your true Bad Ending.”

The illusion shattered.

The white girl was no longer beside me. The Admin remained bound to the laptop, observing me silently.

The Mastermind was nothing but writhing brains in their tanks, stripped of pretense.

Infinite Void stared at me, its crimson eyes piercing.

“I refuse your offer.”

If you bring someone into your world, you must take responsibility for them. Even if you brought them in out of goodwill. Especially if you brought them in out of goodwill. It demanded even greater accountability.

I had swallowed Noh Do-hwa.

And I couldn’t spit her back out.

“I’ve already made a prior appointment for my ending.”

“Ah… I was too late.” Infinite Void smirked bitterly. “Of course. I’m always late when it comes to you, sunbae.”

It gestured, and the Fairy King’s slime seeped into the laptop. Static crackled as the image of the white girl disappeared, replaced by a simple emoticon.

The same occurred with the Mastermind. Its whispering voice fell silent, and the writhing brains lay still in their tanks.

“Alright, sunbae.”

Infinite Void smiled.

“Let’s kill the Anomaly. I have a good idea.”