Chapter 240

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Chapter 240

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The Monad II

The second Monad.

“Hyung.”

“Oh, Seo Gyu.”

“I― am this SG Man, fufufu. The mastermind behind everything.”

“......”

And so we begin another story linked to Mastermind Syndrome.

‘Here we go again with this pattern.’

I sighed.

To remind anyone who might have forgotten: Mastermind Syndrome refers to the phenomenon wherein a person becomes convinced beyond all doubt that they are secretly orchestrating every tragedy from behind the scenes to bring about the end of the world.

So, when and how does one catch Mastermind Syndrome?

The condition was deceptively simple. All you had to do was survive to the end with me, the Undertaker, and cheerfully shout “Chicken for dinner tonight!” in unison.

Naturally, the more sociable a person, the lower their survival rate.

Awakeners who spent their days roaming around and fighting against Anomalies, like Dang Seo-rin and Cheon Yo-hwa, had an extremely low chance of contracting Mastermind Syndrome. After all, survival is the prerequisite to contamination, isn’t it?

On the other hand, our guild’s proud anti-social union members got selected as masterminds like regulars whenever things got a little boring.

Sim Ah-ryeon, who didn’t choose the Saintess of the North route. Lee Ha-yul, who wasn’t led by the restless spirit. Oh Dok-seo, who dedicated decades to seclusion training after her serialization stopped...

Seo Gyu, though not exactly anti-social, was also a strong candidate. The guy spent all his time holed up at the base, living his 24-hour routine of sleep, eat, lift, eat, manage the Cyber Anomaly Prison, eat.

“Right, Seo Gyu. Even though your head would’ve been lopped off by a fairy and you’d be dead if I hadn’t saved you at Busan Station, somehow, you’re the mastermind that orchestrated every tragedy and massacre on Earth.”

“Fufu. You know me well, hyung.”

Normally, I would’ve just smacked Seo Gyu over the head and moved on to the next run.

But this day, precisely as the 682nd cycle was set to end, I felt an odd spark of curiosity.

It was already a lost cause of a run. I figured, why not humor Seo Gyu, who’d always been a certified babbler, a little longer?

Without any serious thought, intent, or purpose, I casually asked him a question.

“Just tell me one thing. You would’ve been eliminated in the beginning if it weren’t for me, so how exactly do you claim you controlled everything behind the scenes? Wouldn’t it all end if you died?”

“A foolish question, hyung.”

But to my surprise, Seo Gyu answered with full confidence, “Of course, even my own death was part of my calculations.”

“What?”

“Think about it, fufu. If I died, it would only mean that you lacked the ‘force to defeat the Tutorial Fairy in an instant’ or that you possessed the kind of morals that would passively watch a fairy massacre civilians.”

“......”

“In such a world, I could never succeed as a mastermind. For me to flourish in this role, I need to latch onto the world you created—a world that requires a protector strong enough to overpower Anomalies and a soft-hearted fool who would willingly share his warmth with those around him. That fool being you, hyung.”

Seo Gyu wagged his finger, giving me a disapproving click of his tongue.

“Why would I bother striving for glory in a world that doesn’t meet these conditions?”

“What?”

“Hyung. Right after the Anomalies appeared and I was dropped into the Tutorial Dungeon, I quickly made up my mind. I would either become the mastermind controlling all evil, or I would die right then and there and escape from all suffering.”

I stared, dumbfounded. Why did this nonsense sound almost... convincing?

“Wait... Isn’t it difficult for you to Awaken to your power without my help, let alone pull off an omnipresent scheme? Let’s say you did survive and join my guild. How could you be so sure you’d succeed as the mastermind, Seo Gyu?”

“Fufu.” He flashed me a sly smile, an expression that a beefy man of his build would normally never be able to pull off.

A part of me wanted to punch the daylights out of him, while another part was curious to see just how far he could twist this absurd story. The latter won, for now, since I could satisfy the former desire anytime.

“Do you really think I didn’t know?”

“Come again?”

“I Awakened my power early on. However, you had no way of confirming whether or not I had Awakened... The longer I delayed my Awakening, the more you let your guard down around me.”

“Huh?”

“All I had to do was manipulate the timing of my Awakening to my advantage. After all, it was obvious you’d eventually come to rely on me. Securing a critical position without raising the ruler’s suspicion... it’s a tactic straight out of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, akin to the scheming of Jia Xu, wouldn’t you say?”

“......?”

It sounded... convincing!

Adding a comparison to Three Kingdoms, the greatest classic of all, made Seo Gyu’s story unexpectedly persuasive. I couldn’t help but listen to his eloquent speech, captivated.

“I subtly encouraged Anomalies without you or the Saintess noticing. For example, you ordered me to keep Three Kingdoms content playing on a smartphone around the clock for ‘narrative support Anomalies’...”

“Don’t tell me—”

“Yes. I would intentionally turn off the smartphone for a moment or slightly alter the recordings, subtly encouraging the arrival of the ‘Savior Narrative Anomaly.’ Fufu, even if it wasn’t complete, I surely influenced you and those around you a bit...”

“......!”

“I’ve set up many such subtle schemes behind the scenes. Hyung, I was the one who brought about the world’s end.”

Seo Gyu’s grand lecture on his mastermind exploits lasted roughly three hours.

“I see. That was quite entertaining, Seo Gyu.”

“Fufufu. So you finally acknowledge how impressive I am―”

“See you next time.”

Slash!

Seo Gyu split in two.

With the world nearing its end, I couldn’t help but regret that no one was left to criticize me for this murder.

‘Could it be real?’

I put a temporary pause on my death.

Dodging the endless Monster Wave, I searched for any traces of the crimes Seo Gyu (mastermind ver.) had so boastfully confessed. And to my surprise, I discovered an incredible fact.

‘...There’s a chance it could be true?’

For one, I had no way of proving or disproving the theory that Seo Gyu had lied to me about when he had Awakened.

Another example, however, was the claim that Seo Gyu deliberately triggered the Savior Narrative Syndrome. I had actually sensed that my allies held a sense of devotion and reverence toward me that was slightly stronger in the 682nd cycle than in other runs.

It wasn’t enough to conclusively say it was all because of Savior Narrative Syndrome but... On the flip side, I also couldn’t entirely dismiss the notion that Savior Narrative Syndrome hadn’t affected this cycle at all.

I muttered to myself, “It’s like the devil’s proof.”[1]

Whether Seo Gyu actually committed the crimes he claimed to his name, and whether he committed them with malicious intent—proving either was now impossible. No one could perceive those actions or intentions except for Seo Gyu himself.

A crime that no one could ever prove.

This empty void was known as the Void itself. Mastermind Syndrome, surprisingly, was an Anomaly devoted to this Void.

In contrast to how I once dismissed it as mere nonsense.

“......”

It was worth testing.

Thus, in the next cycle, I made a special request to the Saintess.

[So, you want me to focus on observing Seo Gyu, Mr. Undertaker?]

“Yes. There is something I need to verify at the end of this cycle. Please inform me of any suspicious behavior you notice, even if it seems to be just a trivial detail.”

[Understood. I’ll increase the surveillance level on Seo Gyu to 10-second intervals.]

The Saintess classified the surveillance level for each Awakener from ‘24 hours’ to ‘10 seconds.’ A 24-hour surveillance level meant she would observe an individual only once per day with her Clairvoyance. On the other hand, the 10-second level meant continuous observation every 10 seconds or even more frequently.

Naturally, the number of Awakeners placed on the 10-second surveillance level was extremely limited.

Seo Gyu, originally under a 10-minute surveillance level, was temporarily raised to the highest risk level for this cycle.

“Any suspicious activity yet?”

[None at all. He hasn’t once released Anomalies from the Cyber Prison intentionally. As far as I can tell, Seo Gyu is a loyal ally to you, Mr. Undertaker.]

“......”

[I’m not sure why you’ve suddenly grown suspicious of him, but for now, I have no choice but to give you that answer. I’ll keep observing.]

That surveillance level continued until the end of the 683rd cycle.

The last surviving humans were me, the Saintess, and Seo Gyu, just the three of us.

Looking down upon the world, ravaged by the relentless Monster Wave, Seo Gyu clicked his tongue.

“Wow. That thing’s a total mess once it gets going. How did Ah-ryeon manage to hold it off for years all by herself...?”

“Seo Gyu. Doesn’t something strike you as amusing? Like, oh, I don’t know, the thought of ‘Fufu, I was behind every incident that happened so far?’”

“...I have no idea what you’re talking about, hyung.”

“Hmm.”

Failure. Maybe Mastermind Syndrome wasn’t as troubling an Anomaly as I had thought.

Just as I dismissed the notion, a thin crack appeared on Seo Gyu’s neck.

“Huh?”

Seo Gyu reached up with his thick hand to feel his neck.

Blink.

His gaze shifted toward me.

“Hyung—”

Thud. Roll...

His head rolled onto the floor as his neck slipped at an angle.

“......”

“Fufu. My apologies, Mr. Undertaker.”

The Saintess, bloody ax in hand, smiled sweetly. An uncharacteristic expression for someone who was usually so stoic.

“Did I startle you?”

“...In a way.”

“To you, Mr. Undertaker, it’s been around 20 years, I suppose. I was a little surprised back then, too, when you first told me to monitor Seo Gyu as if he were a mastermind. It seemed you’d grown quite wary of those around you.”

I rubbed my forehead. “It’s the Saintess’s turn to be the mastermind this time, isn’t it?”

“Mastermind, huh? That’s rather hurtful, Mr. Undertaker. I orchestrated every bit of destruction, watching over you from the start as...”

In an instant, her body burst into flames and vanished—my Aura had incinerated her. Watching Mastermind Syndrome toy with the Saintess’s personality was too much to bear.

‘Anyway, if she set her mind to it, the Saintess could easily pull off the mastermind role.’

Manipulating Awakeners through her Constellations, subtly distorting reports to me, freezing time for the perfect crime, and more.

Only now did I grasp the ruthless nature of Mastermind Syndrome.

‘...Is there really no way out of this?’

[Option 1]

Whoever survives until the end, whether it’s Seo Gyu, Sim Ah-ryeon, or anyone else, is automatically designated as the “Mastermind.”

This Mastermind will claim to have orchestrated all their crimes during moments I, the Undertaker, failed to observe them.

Since I can’t monitor those moments, I will have no way of confirming whether the claim is true or false.

[Option 2]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

If I rely on the Saintess’s Clairvoyance to observe every moment, it is the Saintess herself who ends up designated as the “Mastermind.”

Since the Saintess can freeze time and commit acts outside my purview, I won’t be able to disprove the Saintess Mastermind Theory.

[Option 3]

I suppress my allies’ growth to ensure that none of them ever rise to claim the “Mastermind” title. I forbid them from acting heroically, restrict their judgment, and prevent them from exercising free will.

I abandon my comrades before they can be designated as Masterminds. I stand by and allow them to die.

Efficiency is sacrificed for control.

Then, when the world inevitably falls to ruin, the true cause of its destruction becomes my tyranny, my distrust, my arrogance. And at last, I am the one designated as the Mastermind.

Only this fact would stand proven.

‘...Whichever option I choose, the Mastermind Syndrome remains unavoidable.’

Take this current cycle, for instance.

Ah-ryeon had been successfully holding back the Monster Wave as the Saintess of the North when it suddenly surged, overrunning New Shinuiju and causing the Eastern Holy State to fall. The Armies of Annihilation engulfed Busan soon after.

‘What if the Saintess froze time and traveled across the globe, wiping out city after city, causing the sudden increase in the Monster Wave’s strength?’

Could such a hypothesis be proven or disproven?

No.

No matter how many times I looped, it was impossible to witness every event.

Whether Seo Gyu, the Saintess, Lee Ha-yul, Sim Ah-ryeon, or even Oh Dok-seo, might have hastened the world’s end in different cycles—

I could never entirely deny the possibility.

And I never would be able to either.

“......”

I looked down at the earth, now fully blanketed by the Monster Wave, leaving no place for life.

The Anomalies stared back up at me, the last human left on this planet.

The twisted limbs of monstrous beings mocked me with grotesque smiles.

- Hyung, I brought about the end of the world.

- Mr. Undertaker. I orchestrated every bit of destruction.

This was the second piece of the puzzle.

Footnotes:

[1] The devil’s proof is a logical dilemma that describes how the presence of evidence can prove something exists or is true but a lack of evidence fails to disprove it.

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