The Tales of an Infinite Regressor

Chapter 16 – Internationalist II

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 16 – Internationalist II

3

First, I casually raided the logistics centers of convenience stores nationwide.

Of course, it wasn’t a task that could be summarized in a single line. The situation was chaotic, with the parliament almost paralyzed and half in a state of paralysis. Sharp-witted individuals were already planning to raid the logistics centers.

“Who’s there?”

“Stop! Don’t approach!”

But who am I? At this point, I’m a regressed individual who has lived through life 90 times.

Screams echoed at the barricaded entrance of the logistics center. Before long, I found myself negotiating with the center’s personnel.

“Do you understand? If the trucks don’t arrive by this Friday, we’ll have a very meaningful time.”

“Yes, yes! Understood!”

Soon, convoys of trucks poured out from the logistics centers in the northern and eastern regions of the metropolitan area. The destination was, naturally, our store. The 6th International Convenience Store.

There were interruptions from military and police forces along the way, but we easily overcame them.

I had previous experience collaborating with the National Intelligence Service and the government in previous turns. The first thing we did when I accompanied Old Scho was to collect personal weaknesses of top government officials.

Eventually, our store became a black hole that swiftly absorbed convenience store-related logistics.

“Whoa… Comrade Manager! The boxes are piled up like mountains! It’s so sad to think that this is all a product of the blood and sweat of the workers!”

“Now, it’s ours.”

“The laughter never stops…!”

Typically, signs of a revolutionary’s corruption begin to show.

A massive warehouse was under construction underground at the convenience store. It was a major project that would be difficult to guarantee completion even with mobilized manpower, but the power of the fairies made many things possible.

After completing the construction of the super-sized underground warehouse, the fairies neatly arranged the products.

“Hmm?”

Yes. Not a fairy, but fairies.

Unbeknownst to me, the fairies had multiplied into three and were swiftly flying around, moving the products.

I called Fairy No. 264.

“Fairy 264.”

“Yes! Comrade Manager!”

The fairy stood at attention.

“Answer me. Why did the fairies suddenly multiply?”

“Yes! I requested support from the [Fairy Revolution Club]! Comrades who were inspired by Comrade Manager’s great revolutionary line are joining the front lines to participate in our cause!”

What?

“Could it be that the fairies are increasing here?”

“Probably? The righteousness of the revolution is like a swelling current that grows as it descends. It excludes only the dirty and despicable reactionary elements of the royal faction!”

“Hmm…”

This was an unexpected situation. I just needed one competent yet unpaid slave, so I brought along No. 264.

But there was no problem. In fact, it was even better.

Inadvertently, the more unexpected events that occurred during the ‘vacation turn,’ the more enjoyable it became.

“Could my arbitrary decision have led to excessively adventurous results?”

“No. You did well.”

I looked around. Anything interesting?

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Stacked high among the logistics boxes were green Saemaul hats. I tore open the plastic and placed a Saemaul hat on Fairy No. 264.

With a hat bigger than its head turned upside down, the fairy grinned.

“What’s this?”

“All fairies are equal, but some fairies are more equal than others! The pure and fervent passion of Comrade No. 264 for the revolution has moved me. Therefore, I hereby appoint you as the leader of all fairies who will participate in the 6th International from now on.”

“…! Comrade Manager…!”

Store staff secured.

The fairies knew magic and had the ability to separate specific areas from reality. It was because of this ability that Busan Station’s waiting room was isolated from the outside world.

“Expand the area in the underground warehouse.”

“Yes, sir!”

Using this ability and applying freezing magic, the expiration dates of the products stored underground were indefinitely extended.

After obtaining generators and completing wiring and equipment installation, a convenience store with lights flashing around the clock was completed.

Now there was nothing left but to welcome customers.

On the 6th day since the grand opening, the first customer finally arrived.

“Welcome!”

“…”

With a jingle, the glass door opened.

A woman in thick clothes with a ponytail.

There was nothing to hide. The memorable first customer was none other than the Saintess. Since she lived nearby and likely investigated my exploits with [Clairvoyance], it was natural for her to visit.

The Saintess glanced at me standing at the checkout counter.

“…Are you open for business?”

“Yes. Our store operates 24 hours a day.”

“What’s that?”

The Saintess pointed behind me.

There was a poster labeled [Store Usage Rules].

──────────

1. Please be kind to the staff of the main store. Regardless of their appearance, all employees are valuable human resources and assets of the main store.

2. In addition to the Korean won, the main store also accepts foreign currencies such as yen, dollars, etc.

3. Smoking inside the store and parasol smoking are strictly prohibited.

4. There is a limit on the quantity of purchases at the main store. The number of items a person can purchase is limited to what one person can ‘reasonably’ consume in a day. The standard of reasonableness is at the discretion of the store manager. (Example: You cannot buy 100 sandwiches at once.)

5. All physical disputes within 300m of the main store are prohibited.

6. Unlimited sanctions may be imposed for violating these rules. Thank you for your understanding.

7. Have a happy shopping!

──────────

[Proofreader – Gun]

I put on a business smile.

“As written, those are the rules, ma’am. If you adhere to the rules properly, the main store always welcomes you sincerely.”

“…”

The Saintess’s expression was, um, difficult to describe.

She wandered around the store like a wary cat. When she finally reached a corner after scrutinizing me to the end, the Saintess hesitated.

It was the pet products corner.

“Ah, fish tanks…”

“At the main store, we maintain a special pet-only corner for customers who refuse to give up their pets even as the world is coming to an end.”

“…With filters, substrates, soil, adhesives, aquatic plants, algae removers, and even filters in the tanks…”

The Saintess murmured absentmindedly.

“Professional… If it’s this, managing the tanks is much…”

“Do you like it, ma’am?”

“…Just wait a moment.”

The Saintess left the convenience store.

A short while later, she returned with a bundle of 50,000 won bills tightly clenched in her hand. Then, almost possessed, she began picking up aquarium maintenance supplies and putting them in her basket.

I faced the Saintess at the counter.

There was a look of divine revelation in her eyes.

“I’ll take all of this…”

“Thank you! Ma’am! This coffee is complimentary. We’ve only recently opened our store, so please help us spread the word.”

“…Yes. I’ll come back often.”

Acquiring a regular customer.

Capturing the Saintess as a regular customer in a situation where proper marketing methods had completely disappeared had tremendous advantages. The Saintess would take care of the advertising agent work herself.

And indeed, not long after, the number of customers visiting the convenience store began to increase significantly.

“Can’t you just sell me one carton of cigarettes? Please?”

“I came all the way from Chungju to visit this store.”

“Boss, I’ll give you as much money as you want. Just cooperate with our unit…”

It was truly a success.

Of course, as the number of customers increased, so did the troublemakers. The balance of the world always leaned towards adjustment.

“Damn it, where’s the boss here?!”

“Yes. I’m here, you bastard.”

“Huh?”

Without exception, the troublemakers were all beaten by me like dogs.

The ones who were greedy to buy an excessive amount of goods, the ones who stubbornly sat under the parasol and smoked, the ones who opened a bottle of soju and started a fight, and so on.

They all received punishment.

“Spies planted by imperialists to collapse the International! There’s no mercy for you! All of you will be sent to the gulag!”

“Damn it… Why are fairies…”

“It’s noisy! Reactionaries!”

Under the supervision of No. 264, the troublemakers were used to clean up the Han Riverbank. Thanks to them, the area around our convenience store was as clean as if the world was collapsing on its own.

At this point, there was a reaction on the internet.

– User 1: Why is the International store owner so strong?

– User 2: I saw it yesterday. Even when six Awakeneds rushed in at once, they all fell within a few seconds. Even our guild leader was taken down in one shot. Is this guy the strongest?

– User 3: That person was really strong.

– User 4: Are there still people causing chaos at the International? They must be crazy.

– User 5: That’s where the fairy den is…

– User 6: But why do the fairies wear Che Guevara t-shirts there?

– User 7: I don’t know.

– User 8: I asked last time, and they said that’s their staff uniform.

– User 9: Wait, why do fairies work there wearing Che Guevara t-shirts as uniforms?

– User 10: I really don’t know.

Oh, right. This site wasn’t SG Net. In fact, the name SG Net itself was my idea.

When Seo Gyu was active alone without me, a website called “Hunter Community,” abbreviated as “Hunker,” was created. It was a space where anyone could freely access and write anonymously without a membership system.

Perhaps my reputation had spread, as occasionally there were Awakeneds who didn’t buy anything but came to see me at the convenience store.

“I am Seonghu, the swordsman of the Mount Hua Sect. I have heard rumors about the formidable martial arts of the International Store Owner. May I request a teaching?”

Because he read too many martial arts novels, he ended up calling monsters “demons”, Awakened ones “martial artists”, and store clerks “shopkeepers” or something like that, turning into a crazy character in his concept, a senior citizen in his 60s.

I’ll have another chance to talk about this old man later. He was someone I wandered around with during a different vacation session, not the 90th.

Anyway, the Sixth International was a success.

Gateways opened, and the wasteland of the Han River became a gathering place for small guilds, and some Awakeneds who stubbornly played the lone wolf game without joining a guild also started to gather around.

It was what they called forming a power balance.

While it might have been unknown before the world was about to end, currently, there was only one place in Korea where a power balance existed. Perhaps it was the only one on Earth.

That’s how about 12 years passed.

One day.

“The store manager is also quite remarkable.”

A customer said at the counter. She was the guild leader who brought all his guild members to have a gathering in front of the convenience store.

As one of the two major mountain ranges in Korea, the Three Thousand guild was treated with respect. There was quite a connection between them and me.

With the characteristic upside-down hat of the Three Thousand guild, the guild leader on that side chuckled.

“What do you mean?”

“When I come here, it feels like the world has become like this, which feels like a lie. No one treats bills anywhere else. Do you know that? I wanted to buy potato chips today, and when I saw the price was over 3,500 won, I was shocked for a moment. I wondered if that price was correct.”

She seemed very pleased.

Through the slightly open glass door, you could hear Awakeneds laughing and chatting from afar.

“It’s not bad that I can still have such concerns. You’re a good person. I don’t know exactly what you are, though.”

“Thank you, customer.”

“Oh, and thanks to your store, this area is relatively safe. Do you know what we call your store among ourselves?”

“A convenience store?”

“No, it’s a police station. No matter what dispute arises, if they come to this store, it’s usually resolved. Even if their blood is boiling, when they see fairies wearing Che Guevara t-shirts and New Village hats, they can’t help but calm down.”

“Hmm.”

Seo Gyu doesn’t seem like that kind of person, though.

He’s the type who always starts with cursing at the Busan Station concourse.

“Anyway… our guild is planning to seal the gate that opened yesterday. The departure date is the day after tomorrow at 11:00. If the store manager has any thoughts, let me know. I’ll even give you the position of sub-guild leader. Our guild may be somewhat closed-off to outsiders, but talented individuals are always welcome.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I have no intention of directly intervening in fights.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s how it goes.”

“Customer, please don’t get into fights unnecessarily.”

“What are you saying?”

The leader of the Three Thousand guild chuckled as she placed his money bag on the counter. It must be for the gathering expenses.

After handing the money bag to Fairy 264, the leader of the Three Thousand guild leader took out another thousand-won note and handed it to me.

To my surprise, it was not a blue thousand-won note but a red one, which you can’t find nowadays.

“Customer, what is this…?”

“A tip.”

The leader of the Three Thousand guild chuckled.

“I’ve written my signature on the back.”

I flipped the note over.

[This place is a great coffee spot. Three Thousand World, Tang Seorin]

The handwriting was very neat, as if written with a brush pen. It seemed like she had learned calligraphy formally.

I was somewhat surprised because she rarely wrote something with a brush pen unless she was feeling really good.

“It’s a valuable item.”

“Well, when you go to famous eateries, celebrities often leave their signatures, right? If you ever feel like it, you can display my note. I feel like I’m acting like a celebrity myself, but… Anyway, there aren’t many Awakeneds left in Korea. This should make you somewhat famous, right?”

The leader of the Three Thousand guild walked away.

Waving her hand lightly behind her.

“Goodbye – I’ll close the gate and come back again, so please ask for an affogato service then, Store Manager.”

A few days later, the coffee beans and vanilla ice cream that were prepared for the occasion were not used. The Three Thousand guild failed to conquer the gate, and all 301 guild members died.

[Proofreader – Gun]