Chapter 251

Editor: echo

Discord: https://dsc.gg/reapercomics

◈ I’m an Infinite Regressor, But I’ve Got Stories to Tell

Chapter 251

The Mastermind II

My confusion was fleeting, but my resolve was firm.

‘First, I need to get used to this female Undertaker persona.’

The sensation of slime clinging to my skin and reshaping my features was disturbing.

But so what? Life itself was disturbing.

The cold logic of a regressor urged me to adjust quickly, dismissing this strange phenomenon as insignificant.

‘Alright. Let’s commit to the role. What was the Undertakeress’s tone like? Her gaze? Her emotional responses?’

Not to brag, or rather, it was something to be proud of—I, the Undertaker, was better at acting than anyone else. Thanks to my Complete Memory, I had observed countless people’s every gesture, and as such, I possessed an acting ability that would put even Chigusa from Glass Mask to shame.[1]

Naturally, I remembered every detail about the Undertakeress from the 664th cycle.

“Alright... Voice. Yes, I’ll start with the voice,” I mumbled deliberately, adjusting my vocal cords with Aura. Even though my reserves were nearly depleted, I could still manage this small trick. However, I would need to rest, and soon, as I was in no condition to fight. “Good. Perfect.”

Thankfully, the Undertakeress was similar to me—the original Undertaker—in every way except in looks and voice. There was nothing else to adjust.

“Well, except for dating Seo-rin.”

Hmm.

Would that detail be important? Could there be Anomalies playing Dang Seo-rin or Sim Ah-ryeon in this Great Void?

There was no telling. The Great Void lay beyond human comprehension.

[Attention, researchers in Section A.]

I jumped, my gaze darting to a speaker that had appeared in the corner of the ceiling, where there had been nothing just moments ago. A mechanical voice streamed from it. �

[It is mealtime. All Section A researchers are instructed to halt work and proceed to the dining hall.]

[Repeating. All Section A researchers are to halt work immediately and gather in the dining hall. That is all.]

I tapped my forearm, nudging the Fairy King—slime spread thin over my skin.

“Explain. What’s going on?”

- Explanation: As I mentioned earlier, the Infinite Void is currently engaged in a fight against the opposing Outer God in this Great Void.

- Addendum: The Infinite Void is injecting NPC data, map data, and so forth into this space to bring it under control. You may consider this a process of “setting parameters.”

In other words...

“This sterile, desolate room is supposedly part of a research zone called Section A, that speaker that just popped up over there—all of these are results of the Infinite Void’s current ‘settings?’”

- Confirmation: Exactly.

- Warning: Conversely, the opposing Anomaly, although ambushed by the Infinite Void, continues attempting to regain control of the Great Void. Any parameter could be overwritten at any time.

- Addendum: Should the opposing Anomaly realize that you are not an NPC created by the Infinite Void but rather the real Undertaker, it will eliminate you immediately.

- Conclusion: Proceed with caution.

I stared at my forearm silently.

In short, I had to completely immerse myself in the role of “Researcher Undertakeress.” No one could discover I was the real deal.

“Fine... I’m confident in my acting.”

- Warning: The speaker instructed you to halt work and proceed to the dining hall. Failure to comply with the directive may draw attention, increasing the risk of your identity being uncovered.

“Understood. Let’s head out.”

Tap, tap.

I mimicked the Fairy King’s knock, tapping the wall. A hole wide enough for me to pass through appeared once again. However, the moment I stepped through the door, I found myself surprised.

‘The surroundings... changed?’

To be precise, they were changing. Moments before, all there was to see was an endless hallway flanked by hundreds of confinement rooms crammed tightly together. Now it was different.

‘There are potted plants and something resembling a water dispenser. Even a spot to sit and rest.’

At this point, it could almost pass for a plausible “office.”

Of course, given that it was still the Great Void, the interior design differed drastically from an actual office.

- Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt, bzzzzt.

Static buzzed intermittently along various parts of the corridor that otherwise seemed intact. Each time the static flickered, spaces resembling “cosmos” or “galaxies” appeared and vanished around me—over and over.

It looked as if someone were using the world as a canvas, spilling a can of paint and then wiping it away again.

- Warning: You are viewing a section of the opposing Outer God’s domain. It is advisable to avoid unnecessary observation.

‘I understand.’

In response to the Fairy King’s soft whisper into my ear, I tapped my body with my fingers, signaling back in Morse code.

‘Where are they eating?’

- Navigation mode: Beginning guidance.

I walked down the corridor.

Swish, swish.

Dozens, no, hundreds of researchers poured into the corridor from “doors” that opened on their own. They gathered naturally in groups, chatting away.

“How’s your world doing? Everything going smoothly?”

“Ugh, don’t even mention it. Undertaker’s been isolated again because of suspicion from the Saintess.”

“Seriously, isn’t that Saintess entity odd? How can she spend 365 days a year spying on people and expecting them to be flawless?”

“She just has absurdly high standards.”

Chatter filled the air.

The researchers came in various forms. Some resembled me, the Undertaker, while others looked like Dang Seo-rin or Oh Dok-seo.

“As a Saintess, I find this offensive.”

“Oh. Sorry! We were obviously talking about the Saintess from simulation 431, right?”

“Of course. She’s worlds apart from a Saintess who has ascended, as you have!”

“I’ll take it that way.”

767, 766, 431—Instead of name tags, numbers were displayed on the researchers’ lab coats. Most likely, the numbers represented their respective simulated universes.

A number was also printed on the lab coat I was wearing: 107.

‘The same number as the cycle in which I traveled to the Uyuni Salt Flats.’

At that point, I felt a sense of certainty. The parallel world Anomalies were part of some enigmatic Mastermind Outer God.

Bzzzzt!

Researchers stepped into “cosmos” and “galaxies” zones gouged out in sections of the corridor. As soon as they entered, their previously normal forms contorted grotesquely. Their faces disappeared, their eyes transformed into twin suns, and a mechanical sound resonated from the black hole-like Void where their mouths should have been.

“So, did you kill the Saintess?”

“Yeah. She was annoying. Set off an earthquake so that she got crushed under the debris from every building.”

“I killed Undertaker. I whispered all the reasons he was loathsome, all the harm he was causing this world, pausing time each time, and singing it like a lullaby whenever he fell asleep. Before long, he sealed himself away with the Time Seal. What an idiot.”

“You should’ve seen the Saintess’s corpse as she got crushed to death! She kept using the Time Stop, trying desperately to escape the earthquake! Like a pathetic little bug.”

“Oh, speaking of bugs, I heard there’s an escapee.”

“An escapee?”

“Yeah. Looks like he’s one of us.”

“Apparently, they’re really weakened right now.”

“Bet their guts will taste delicious.”

Thud.

The researchers’ bodies, which had become increasingly monstrous, returned to normal the moment they stepped back onto the “corridor.”

“What’s on the menu today?”

“No idea. Haven’t checked in a while. I just eat whatever they give us.”

“I don’t know how much longer we’ll keep running these simulations. I thought I’d live in luxury once I ascended, but what is this?”

They strolled into the dining hall, chatting as though nothing had happened.

At the entrance to the dining hall, I noticed a head of green hair among the backs of hundreds of other figures—it was Sim Ah-ryeon.

“Hmm? Are you not going in, 107?”

One of the researchers glanced back at me. It was an Anomaly with the face of Oh Dok-seo.

A suspicious look.

Perhaps it was my imagination, but it felt like their gaze swept over me from head to toe in an instant.

I immediately put on an expression.

“Why does it matter if I go in or not? Are we close? Mind your own business.”

“Oh... Right.”

Hearing my response, the researcher turned away. The scrutinizing gaze disappeared as quickly as it had come.

“Acting all high and mighty, just because you were born with a regressor spoon in your mouth...”

With that grumble, the researcher vanished.

Inside the dining hall, researchers in white coats sat at tables lined in rows. Laid out on their trays were chunks of meat resembling crudely arranged human entrails.

[In every dish you enjoy today—whether it’s a side or a broth—you’ll find the earnest heart of a farmer sweating under the scorching sun.]

The speaker buzzed to life.

A section of “cosmos” engulfed part of the dining hall, and for a moment, the speaker morphed into a human mouth.

[Today’s meal was specially prepared, sourced from survivors who endured until the very last moment of world annihilation.]

[Ingredients have been provided from simulations 1101, 332, and 89.]

[Taste every bit of hope, despair, and survival instinct in every bite.]

[Let’s dine with gratitude. That is all.]

“Thank you!”

“Thank you.”

The researchers suddenly sprouted five or six extra arms, which they used to devour the entrail-like meat. Their hands were smeared with oil and blood.

“Hmm.”

I steadied my breathing.

As expected, I was the only human here.

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: echo

https://dsc.gg/reapercomics

After finishing the meal, I returned to Lab 107, where an orange-ponytailed researcher was waiting for me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Yoo-hoo. Hey there, sunbae. How was the banquet in the Outer God’s domain? Tasted divine, right?”

“...”

“Oh, right. Come on in. I’ve disabled the surveillance in this room, so it’s safe.”

I subtly tapped on the slime.

- Confirmation: The individual before you is indeed a terminal for the Outer God Infinite Void. They are an ally.

Finally, I exhaled. “Infinite Void.”

“Yup! Gosh—when you first captured me and forced me into a human life, I was ready to hate all of existence, but I guess it all builds character, huh?”

Plop.

Infinite Void hopped up onto the table (which, like many things, had appeared from nowhere) and swung its legs, clearly in high spirits.

“If I hadn’t been forced into human life back then, I’d have a much harder time passing as an NPC now. Thanks, sunbae!”

“I have no idea what’s going on here. Share some information.”

“For free?”

“...”

“Hehe.” Infinite Void’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “You want to slay the Outer God here... Ah, whatever, let’s just call them the Mastermind since it’s a hassle, yeah? Anyway, you want to take down the Mastermind, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you’ll need my help! If I back out now, this table, the simulation hologram, the researchers, the corridor, everything will warp out of your perception.”

“Listen, even if you sound high and mighty, if I decide to reset, you’ll lose everything.”

“True, fair point. I can’t argue. Exactly why we make such a perfect team, right?” Infinite Void giggled. “I’ll keep programming ‘settings’ for this Great Void so that you can move freely. Meanwhile, you should destroy the other simulated universes!”

“Why can’t you destroy them yourself?”

“Oh, come on. I thought you’d noticed by now. While we were going back and forth to the dining hall, I was struggling just to maintain a balance with the Mastermind.”

Infinite Void shrugged its shoulders dramatically.

“Let my guard down for a second, and all these settings, parameters, and whatnot would be devoured by that cosmos-looking domain. Summoning the Fairy King and sticking him on you was already a major stretch, you know?”

“...”

“You have to be my blade. I’ll distract the Mastermind’s attention whenever possible, and then you strike at the right moment! Like a group project—team effort.”

I propped my chin up, deep in thought.

‘It bothers me to give the Infinite Void an opening. Still, cooperation seems reasonable for now.’

After all, my goal in bringing Infinite Void here was precisely this kind of collaboration. It was the only Outer God with whom “human dialogue” was possible. While I would need to hear what it wanted, I was open to granting any requests that weren’t too unreasonable.

“My objective is to slay the Mastermind and establish a strategy.”

“Yup, I know!”

“If that strategy works out, I’d be willing to grant you a few minor benefits. But if you ask for something like a complete transfer of Cheon Yo-hwa’s body, I will flatly refuse.”

“I knew that too!”

I nodded. “Alright. Tell me your demands.”

“Will you have a baby with me, sunbae?”

“...”

Alright. Perhaps this creature should be the first to go.

Footnotes:

[1] In Glass Mask, the protagonist is a young actress who is so talented that she is scouted by the legendary actress, Chigusa Tsukikage, to be her successor.