Chapter 217

Chapter 217

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The Nameless One III

Let’s pause for a moment to clarify—between me and the Infinite Void, there exists a perfect hierarchical relationship. Put simply, there’s no cliché like, “The Infinite Void, which I thought had been sealed, was actually biding its time, patiently gaining strength, and one day would strike me and Cheon Yo-hwa in the back!” It just doesn't exist.

It never existed.

“No, no, sunbae! Can’t you at least allow for a 0.02% chance? Being a heroine destined to lose no matter what is just too depressing for my life, no, my anomaly life.”

“And who are you calling a heroine?”

“Well, it’s me, right? As the alter ego of the heroine in a dual personality story, wouldn’t that be a cult favorite for a certain fanbase?”

“Setting aside this claim that Yo-hwa is the heroine, Infinite Void, by any chance... didn't you drop this?” I took out a piece of paper from my pocket and handed it over. It was a sheet with the word "self-awareness" written on it.

Infinite Void made a strange face. “What the hell? Why are you carrying around this crazy piece of paper?”

“Why do you think?”

“Well… because you’re nuts? Maybe you’re studying for the Korean Language Proficiency Test, and this is your vocabulary list? Or, you already knew I’d say something like this at some point?”

Midway through speaking, Infinite Void’s expression twisted even more. It had finally arrived at the answer with that exceptional computational ability.

“That’s exactly it.”

Each Outer God has a specialty—a strength. Naturally, they also have weaknesses. Compared to the others, Infinite Void was particularly vulnerable to regressions. Even though it prided itself as the avatar of randomness, it could only act the same way in the same circumstances.

Moreover, when the 267th-cycle Saintess froze Nut's Domain, my regressions became even more secure.

At the very least, Infinite Void had no way to penetrate that barrier.

“Damn it, this is so unfair! Regressors are such broken characters!”

Infinite Void stomped its feet in frustration.

But since I had seen this behavior countless times, I was unfazed. Even the tempo and speed at which it stomped were exactly the same as in previous cycles.

There was nothing left to say.

Still, seeing Infinite Void acting like this while wearing Yo-hwa's appearance was... odd.

“Change your clothes.”

At my sudden command, Infinite Void tilted its head. “Huh?”

“The white sailor uniform is a symbol of Baekhwa Girls' High. You don't belong to that school, so wear something else.”

“Ugh... wait a minute. I already took off the hair tie, didn’t I?”

“Just do it.”

“Ughhh...”

Muttering, “Isn’t this a bit much?” under its breath, the Outer God Rocket Launcher lightly touched its uniform.

A faint static spread across the sailor uniform. Soon after, the characteristic white uniform of Baekhwa Girls' High turned pitch black.

It was a black sailor uniform—completely opposite of Baekhwa.

“There, there. Are you happy now? Geez, you’re so mean…”

Infinite Void pouted, its expression and the way it muttered the words exactly the same as during similar situations in previous cycles. There was no way I could mistake Infinite Void for a human—at least not with my Complete Memory. Both I and Yo-hwa had forced it to act human, but it wasn’t really.

“So, what’s your plan, Undertaker Botchi sunbae? You’re blocked from every route. I’m really curious to hear how the King of Mankind will approach this.”

“I’ll follow my memories all the way back to the 4th cycle.”

I pointed to the Han River riverside, where there was a bench that looked perfect for lying down.

It was overgrown with waist-high grass, but still good enough to rest on.

“I’ll dive into a dream and review all the cycles I’ve been through, in reverse order—250th, 200th, 150th, and so on.”

“Huh? Why not just jump straight to the 4th cycle in one go?”

I sighed. “Infinite Void, imagine if I, a strange entity, suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the 4th cycle. What would you think of that monster?”

“Hm…”

“And if that were the case, who’s to say I didn’t also suddenly appear in the 266th cycle?”

“Hm?” Infinite Void blinked.

I elaborated, “Of course, I have the complete memories of up to the 267th cycle, but... that could just be an illusion. I might be a monster whose ‘memories up to the 267th cycle’ were manipulated and who only started existing this cycle.”

“Oh...? Oh.”

“If a regressor like me, or a monster who thinks he’s a regressor, can suddenly appear in the 4th cycle, the same could happen in any other cycle. I need to confirm that possibility.”

Infinite Void looked impressed. “Oh, wow, you're right! It's the same logic, huh? Like the Brain in a Vat theory? Or the Five Minutes Ago Hypothesis? Hmm.”[1]

“Looks like I dropped this as well.”

I handed over a piece of paper that read "intelligence." Infinite Void ripped it up and tossed the pieces at my face.

“Hey, you crazy bastard! You’re the one who stole my intelligence! My brain’s like a 64MB RAM now, okay?”

“Then you can run Romance of the Three Kingdoms III just fine.”

Isn’t that good enough? You’re asking for too much.

We both lay down on the bench.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t together. I lay down on the bench, while Infinite Void offered me a lap pillow.

A white hand, wrapped in a black sleeve, tapped my forehead like a compass point.

“By the way, sunbae, you're hilarious. You say you treasure all the connections you’ve built over 267 cycles and how you’re so grateful to the Saintess, but at the same time, you're considering the possibility that all of it might be fake?”

“Move your hand.”

“Oh, sorry. Did it scratch you?”

I gripped the hilt of my cane sword.

A white sneer, shaped like a claw, fell from my forehead.

“So scary. I’ll dive into the dream now. Sunbae, please close your eyes.”

I did so.

And we entered the dream.

Our destination: the 250th cycle.

Infinite Void was the former master of the Baku, and I was the current master. Given that this dangerous combination had formed a temporary alliance, striking the exact dream we wanted was no problem.

The moment we entered the lucid dream, a man turned to look at us.

It was the Undertaker from the 250th cycle.

He was sitting on a bench near the Jamsu Bridge , reading a book—The Phenomenology of Spirit.

Around this time, it was a book he used to read with the Saintess.

“Yo-hwa? And… me?” The Undertaker raised an eyebrow. “Is this a doppelganger?”

“No, Undertaker from the 250th cycle. This is a lucid dream, and you are merely a figure within it. The one with me isn’t Yo-hwa, but Infinite Void.”

“Hoh.”

The Undertaker’s lips curled into a smile.

His jet-black pupils had no shine whatsoever. No matter what angle the sunlight hit, they didn’t reflect even a glimmer. His eyes were like black holes, deep wells of darkness. Even now, those eyes gave off an unsettling vibe.

It felt strange to stand face-to-face with the Undertaker. Like hearing a recording of your own voice and feeling weird about it. Meeting him directly created a peculiar disconnect.

“So, you claim I’m a figment of the dream? Interesting theory. Fine, if you're the real Undertaker, tell me the password.”

“Café au lait.”

“And?”

“Schopenhauer, that bastard.”

“And?”

“Nice to meet you, fellow traveler of my time.”

Snap.

The Undertaker closed his book.

Before the sound even finished echoing, he pulled out Do-hwa and lunged at me.

In an instant, our dark auras collided.

――――!

The surface of the Han River rippled beyond the Jamsu Bridge.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The wave was restrained. Despite the clash of our auras, the surrounding objects were relatively undisturbed.

It was because my aura had overwhelmed his, dramatically dampening its power.

“You’re real.” The Undertaker, whose blade I had caught in my hand, nodded.

A test of sorts.

If I truly was a regressor from a future cycle, I should naturally be stronger.

His black, well-like eyes studied me. “What do you want?”

“First, tell me what cycle this is.”

“This is the 250th cycle. And you?”

“268th.”

“Not that far apart.”

“Right.” I nodded. “Now, kill yourself immediately.”

“My class isn’t Lancer, though.”

Despite the grumble escaping his lips, the dream-version of the Undertaker ended his life in an instant.

Without the slightest hesitation.

Beside me, Infinite Void chuckled. “You’re seriously nuts, sunbae.”

“It’s just a pre-established protocol.”

Thud.

As the Undertaker’s body crumpled, the entire world was swallowed in darkness.

It wasn’t just that the lights had gone out. The entire dream had come to an end, leaving behind absolute void.

“Infinite Void. For just one question, I’ll allow you to access the Bakus’ data. Can you sense anything here, other than the two of us?”

“Wait a sec... Hmm... Nope. Nothing. It’s empty. In the truest sense of the word—void. Nothingness.”

“Not even the presence of an Outer God?”

“Not at all. I can only feel you, sunbae.” Infinite Void furrowed its brow. “By the way, what the hell are you keeping in your skull? You’re like a walking black hole.”

“I’ve never kept anything there. Next.”

We proceeded through the cycles: 200th, 150th, 100th, 50th.

The Undertakers from those cycles were far easier to subdue. Since we all shared the same protocol, the dream-version of the Undertakers willingly took their own lives.

There was no issue. At least, for me.

“―Bleeeegh.”

The problem was Infinite Void.

The deeper we delved into earlier cycles, the worse its expression grew, and by the 50th cycle, it collapsed to the ground and started throwing up.

“Bleeegh! Ughh... Bleeegh!”

As expected of an Outer God, even its vomit was rendered as rainbow-colored static noise. Thanks to that, we could rest assured that no matter the platform, this would pass censorship unscathed.

“...What the hell are you doing? Get a grip.”

“I’m... I’m dying, sunbae. I really can’t take it anymore... Bleeeeegh!”

For a long while, Infinite Void couldn’t stop spewing out its existence in the form of rainbow-colored vomit. It wasn’t a metaphor—its rainbow-colored vomit transformed into miniature versions of Infinite Void upon touching the ground, which then scurried away before disintegrating into nothing.

It was the kind of scene that could drive anyone mad if they watched for too long.

As for Infinite Void itself, it was shaking its head, looking like it was about to lose its mind.

“What kind of dream is this? It’s just borrowing the form of a dream, but it’s totally different.”

“Hmm.”

Infinite Void was perceptive. Despite its goofy nature, as an Outer God, it could see what the Tutorial Fairy had completely missed—it had figured out what was really going on here.

“It doesn’t really harm anyone, unlike you, who tends to make a mess of things. Unless someone actively tries to break in, nobody gets hurt.”

“No way... Urgh... Breathing in here feels like it’s draining my HP and MP. Are you really saying this is normal?”

“Here, take this.”

I pulled out my notebook and scribbled down "HP and MP," then handed it to Infinite Void.

It looked at me as if I were crazy, but it didn’t reject the paper.

The moment our hands touched while passing the note, Infinite Void’s breathing began to stabilize.

After a while, it finally spoke up.

“Sunbae... can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Is this really a dream?”

Wiping its mouth with the sleeve of its black uniform, Infinite Void glanced around.

The fabric itself was now infected with static noise, crackling as it moved.

“This... isn’t a dream. It’s just your domain. The Divine Realm you set up at Baekhwa Girls' High before you obliterated me... It’s the same, isn’t it?”

“......”

“It looks a lot like a dream, but it’s completely different. Just like that Void resembling a school. If my analysis is correct…”

Infinite Void looked up at me, still holding my hand.

Its red eyes reflected my face back at me—identical to the Undertakers I had killed across the dream cycles.

“Sunbae, have you ever actually dreamed?”

Footnotes:

[1] Both thought experiments deal with the idea that our beliefs or memories, respectively, are false and, thus, that our place in the world we live in is not at all what we perceive it to be.

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