The Tales of an Infinite Regressor

Chapter 25 – Prophet II

[Translator – Jjsecus]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 25 – Prophet II

2

There was a slight issue with following HoneyReader’s journey.

Well, in fact, it was far from being minor. It was a rather significant problem that arose.

It wasn’t a problem caused by me.

[HoneyReader: Great! Tutorial cleared!]

And it wasn’t HoneyReader’s problem either.

Actually, HoneyReader’s skills were not bad for a beginner. Although I provided some modest assistance (of course, I was being modest, in reality, I wasn’t modest at all), HoneyReader broke through Busan Station’s gates in just 48 hours.

For reference, it took me until the 3rd turn to clear Busan Station for the first time.

In other words, what is it? I lived and died in Busan during the first and second turns. I could be said to be a man overflowing with more hometown affection than any other Busan native. If my hometown wasn’t Seoul, I would have lived with a true Busan man certification.

Even when I cleared it in the 3rd turn, it took a whole week. Cutting it in 48 hours like HoneyReader did was truly remarkable.

[HoneyReader: Even though the protagonist helped, you finished this in two days? HoneyReader, what are you? What can’t you do, from fashion to hip-hop to killing monsters. I’m starting to get a little scared of my own existence…]

Let’s overlook her youthful boasting for now.

Actually, by this point, I was curious about what kind of place Busan Station’s large hall was.

It was overflowing with talent to the point where it caused a flood.

‘Koyori with the potential to destroy the world, the unheard-of community operator Seo Gyu, the new Sim Aryeon who thrives on aggro, MacGuffin Uehara Shino, the infinite regressor, me, Doctor Jang. And now, even HoneyReader?’

Truly terrifying.

It was like a talent farming report.

The story of Cho Hanji catching a wild boar while Yeobang played as a civil servant rummaging through official documents was enviable in comparison. Moreover… No, let’s stop this story.

Anyway, HoneyReader’s adventure itself went smoothly.

But if it wasn’t my problem or HoneyReader’s problem, it meant that a third-party outsider had intervened in this cheerful party.

“….?”

That unidentified entity occasionally walked over and glanced in my direction. Every time, they tilted their head and smiled prettily.

I was almost charmed. If I hadn’t learned the fact that this entity smiled just like this even when they were about to destroy the world, I might have even confessed right now.

This entity’s name was Koyori.

‘This will be interesting.’

The owner of the crimson flesh.

If we were to classify the genre by tags, it would be something like #brainwashing #perceptionalteration #manipulationofliking #CthulhuMythos, and so on, for this supremely dangerous figure.

That’s right. Somehow, Koyori ended up joining HoneyReader’s party. In fact, since we all belonged to the original members who started at Busan Station’s large hall, this possibility was always there.

To think that in just the early stages, a presence that could make my life into a fun adventure and another that could ruin my life coexisted in one party. Isn’t this ridiculous? Truly, Busan Station’s large hall. What a crazy starting point.

At that moment, a pink-haired figure swayed in front of me.

“Are you Doctor Jang…?”

My heart skipped a beat.

By the way, Koyori was still activating [perception manipulation], [liking manipulation], and [impression brainwashing] in the present tense. Various people were already flocking around her, showering her with flattery and praise.

But amidst pushing away her sycophants who stuck to her claiming their affection, Koyori subtly approached me.

It sent shivers down my spine.

“…What’s the matter?”

One fortunate thing was that at this moment, I was playing the role of the “coolest regressor in the world.”

Facial expressions. Acting out facial expressions.

I relentlessly tried to recall negative emotions such as despair from the scene of the world’s destruction and the betrayal of being left alone by old Scho, the sadness of losing Tang Seorin for the first time… Anyway, I tried my best to conjure up negative emotions.

Thanks to that, my expression became very realistic. Level 5 of realism.

“Oops. No, there’s nothing important. I was just curious about who Doctor Jang is. Why, even when someone died in the large hall or monsters appeared, you remained calm.”

Was this girl spying on me?

If my heart had sweat glands, cold sweat would have been pouring down. Just as there’s a saying in martial arts to beware of old men and children, there was always a warning sign in my life to beware of pink-haired individuals.

I decided to show a little more realism. Level 6 of realism.

“I’m not interested in you. So you should lose interest in me too.”

“Do you like Shirley Temple? It’s my favorite drink too.”

“….”

Cowardly.

Was this the power of [perception manipulation]?

To effortlessly and naturally try to raise the liking level on this side.

But I, Doctor Jang, was not such an easy person. Honestly, my heart fluttered slightly, but I interpreted it as a sign of impending heart attack. What I meant was, if left alone, it would go out of rhythm.

I couldn’t help it. Level 7 of realism!

“Annoying. Buzz off.”

“Hmm.”

Hmm? Did this guy just wink at me?

“Do you realize you haven’t looked at me once while talking to me?”

“Noisy. Don’t you understand the meaning of ‘go away’? Or are you ignoring me? If it’s the former, you’re ignorant; if it’s the latter, you’re foolish.”

“Doctor, you’re an interesting person.”

“….”

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“Take care. My name is Koyori. Feel free to call me Yori.”

With that said, Koyori walked away first. She hummed a tune, leaving her shadow behind.

It seemed she had become interested in me. It was a result completely opposite to my intentions.

‘…If I ever get involved with Koyori next time, I shouldn’t act reserved. I should definitely act like a lunatic obsessed with alcohol and gambling.’

Spoiler alert: Changing tactics proved to be futile.

“Even if you try to forget your worries with alcohol and lay yourself bare with gambling, you seem to know what pleasure is!” came the crazy reply.

There was only one way to deal with Koyori. Simply never entering her sight in the first place.

Someone might wonder why I, a regressor, was so intimidated by Koyori. But what regressors fear most isn’t death; it’s ignorance.

Consider this. The other person is an S-rank perception manipulator, a master of mental viruses.

Even if I tried to approach Koyori, could I be confident in the knowledge gained from it? Is there a possibility that the knowledge itself has already been tainted by brainwashing and manipulation?

If, by any chance, my identity as a regressor were exposed, what might Koyori do?

For example:

– Then let me ask you too.

– Since when did you start mistakenly believing I don’t use brainwashing…?

– Hehe. You’re just hypnotized into thinking you’ve regressed; in reality, you’re in my grasp.

– From now on, I will stand in the sky.

What if the same thing happened?

As far as I know, the strongest Awakened in terms of mental strength was the Saintess. Even she fell victim to Koyori. Until I acquired a ‘shield’ to fend off perception manipulation and obtain the mental firewall, it was wise not to compromise with Koyori.

But it seemed I wasn’t the only one ignorant about her.

[HoneyReader: Hmm. What’s this? Pink hair?]

Oh Dokseo glanced over at me. She probably thought he sneakily stole a glance, but I caught her in the act.

[TL/N: Oh Dokseo is HoneyReader, and a girl.]

[HoneyReader: Was there a character like that in the previous turns? The extra’s hair color is a bit too flashy. But her impression is really good. She seems like she could be an older sister to me. How can I get closer to her?]

―――Oh Dokseo also didn’t know about Koyori’s existence.

This fact hid an important hint.

Based on what I observed while following Oh Dokseo, it seemed like she was reading ‘a certain novel.’

Surprisingly, the protagonist of the novel was me, Doctor Jang.

Actually, it was ambiguous whether to call this a novel. It was almost like my documentary or biography. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain; Oh Dokseo knew a lot.

However,

‘She only knows about ancient events.’

Even if the updates were slow, it was like a considerably slow novel.

For example:

[HoneyReader: Okay, got the Yeongyak cut in Haeundae! Wow. To get a Yeongyak right after clearing the Busan Station gate. Isn’t this progressing incredibly fast? Maybe I’m talented.]

[HoneyReader: With this, I could defeat the formidable final boss… It might even be possible to overcome the Ten Clans.]

The Ten Clans were not the final boss.

In fact, they couldn’t even be mid-bosses. The time when the Ten Clans traveled around the Korean Peninsula as a lonely gourmet and went on a food tour lasted up to about the 20th turn, even if generously given. After that, they became a gourmet themselves.

[HoneyReader: Now I have to somehow join Tang Seorin. Among the guild leaders who are all bastards, there’s no more reliable ally than Tang Seorin. Once ‘Set-up,’ the company’s star actor, is properly activated, Tang Seorin will be the strongest dealer ‘according to the settings.’]

Tang Seorin was not the strongest dealer.

In the very early stages, she might have seemed like a dealer, but Tang Seorin’s true strength was revealed when she took on the role of a ‘supporter.’

In reality, as old Scho and I appeared and the turns progressed, Tang Seorin willingly stepped back from the front lines and volunteered to back us up.

In other words.

[HoneyReader: Then the protagonist has to withstand the Ten Clans’ attacks a bit… It’s hard to do it alone. Sigh. Should I fight together with him after all?]

HoneyReader didn’t even know about Old Scho.

The conclusion was simple.

‘The novel that Oh Dokseo read at most only covers [my life up to the 4th turn].’

[Translator – Jjsecus]

[Proofreader – Gun]

In other words, an unfinished autobiography.

A novel that hasn’t been fully written. A work whose serialized part has not yet been released. A slow serialized work by a slow author.

Truly, it was a very unique ability.

If we were to put a name to this ability… ‘[Serialized Urging]’ might be appropriate.

Anyway, assuming that the work Oh Dokseo encountered was just a summary of ‘my life up to the 4th turn,’ all the doubts were resolved.

It naturally made sense why she treated me like a psychopath.

‘Well, during the time I hadn’t met Old Scho yet, I probably acted a bit more sensitive.’

Of course, I was absolutely not as much of a psychopath as Oh Dokseo misunderstood.

I just made sure troublemakers within the group would split from the head to the torso beforehand, threatened to kill them if they caused trouble, and wouldn’t get mad unless I gained the most profit from any event… In short, the personality level of an ordinary web novel Regressor?

[HoneyReader: Wow. Just because I said I’d join with Tang Seorin, look at how instantly the expression turned fierce. That crazy bastard, he must think that only those he allows into his heart are considered human, while people like me aren’t even seen as human? It’s really frustrating to live like this.]

Hmm.

It seemed like a conversation was necessary.

I had quietly observed Oh Dokseo for about four months. As a result, I judged that I could trust Oh Dokseo’s personality quite a bit.

“Oh Dokseo.”

“Yeah? What’s up all of a sudden? It’s surprising that you’re the one starting the conversation.”

“I want to have a talk. If possible, in a quiet place, just the two of us.”

When the party members briefly left their seats, I approached Oh Dokseo. With Koyori gone for the second or third time, it was safe now.

[HoneyReader: Hieeek! Damn it, so you’re trying to bury me without anyone knowing, huh!]

Oh Dokseo didn’t seem to feel particularly safe.

“Really? Well, okay then. Responding to party members’ counseling is also a great quality of a party leader.”

Well, I wasn’t sure about that, but at least Oh Dokseo clearly had a talent for controlling her expression. While she might have been freaking out inside, she calmly chewed gum on the outside.

We entered a neighborhood cafe with a sign that said ‘[We will be closed until August 20th due to unavoidable circumstances].’

Today was October 25th.

The inside of the store was neatly organized. I carefully sat down, thinking about the owner who couldn’t tidy up his mind even though he tidied up the store.

“Alright… What’s up?”

Oh Dokseo looked at me with an indifferent face, but with determined eyes, and at the same time, with a fearful heart.

I turned off my [Poisonous Tongue] for a moment. It wasn’t a suitable skill for serious person-to-person conversations.

“First, I advise you not to be too surprised.”

“Huh? What on earth are you trying to say?”

“Let’s get straight to the point. Oh Dokseo. I know the fact that you’ve read the novel that you consider to be the original of this world.”

“…”

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

The wall clock, still in good working order as its gears turned smoothly, unfortunately didn’t contain a cuckoo.

Oh Dokseo’s mouth gaped open.

“Huh?”

“By the way, the way I’m speaking right now is deliberately imitating your style to make it more comfortable for you. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to return to my original tone. This, surprisingly, is quite uncomfortable.”

“…Wait, wait, wait! Hold on a second! Just a moment!”

Oh Dokseo exclaimed as if screaming.

“Novel? What novel? I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Well, of course, it’s the omniscient perspective of a Regressor that you claim to have read. You may not know, but I have an ability called [Poisonous Tongue]. It converts the surface consciousness of the other person into language and communicates it to the user.”

“Huh? No way, such an ability… wasn’t in the original story at all… Oh.”

Oh Dokseo blinked.

“…Was that a coerced interrogation just now?”

“No. It’s real. I also know very well that you half-treated me as a psychopath in your mind.”

“I-I didn’t do anything like that?”

Despite her trembling voice, Oh Dokseo staunchly claimed her innocence. It was a shameless act that hinted at the qualities of a politician.

10 minutes later.

We had a conversation to dispel each other’s misunderstandings, or more precisely, Oh Dokseo’s unilateral misunderstandings. During the exchange, Oh Dokseo showed a variety of facial expressions.

She sighed in disappointment.

“No… This is a scam.”

“A scam?”

“Usually in novels, Regressors don’t uncover the secrets of the protagonist… Oh, here, by protagonist, I mean me. Anyway, the protagonist is hiding. But what’s this? Being exposed from the moment I was summoned to Busan Station… It’s not novel grammar!”

“I’m sorry, but the world isn’t a novel.”

“But until a moment ago, it was a novel to me!”

Oh Dokseo slammed the table.

“And what’s with that tone! Where did Doctor Jang, who would kill anyone if they stepped out of line go?”

“Well, honestly, from my perspective, it’s been too long ago. Imagine hearing something like ‘You were such a good kid at 5 years old’ when you’re 50. Can you empathize?”

“What? That much?”

“That much.”

“Exactly which turn is it from your perspective right now?”

“Turn 555.”

“Five hundred and fifty-five turns?”

Oh Dokseo exclaimed, sounding like a cuckoo from the wall clock.

“What’s that! What’s with that number! Not 55 turns, but 555 turns? I mean, even if the Ten Clans were strong, couldn’t they be killed by the 555th turn? Who are you? You’re at the level of dereliction of duty!”

“Oh, the Ten Clans aren’t the final boss, you know. In fact, they’re the weakest.”

Oh Dokseo’s expression turned crestfallen.

“…So you’re saying the Ten Clans, who wiped out the Third Thousand Guild Leader Grand Witch Tang Seorin like fried chicken, are the weakest?”

“These days, I’m grilling them like skewers.”

“Seriously? … Wait a minute. Doctor Jang. So how old are you exactly now?”

Hmm.

I responded somewhat defensively.

“Age is meaningless to a Regressor.”

“No, no, no. It’s definitely not meaningless. Let’s see. Even if we roughly calculate 10 years per turn… 5,550 years?”

“……”

I invoked my right to remain silent.

It’s not that I had nothing to say; it’s just that if I said it, it would lead to a more disadvantageous outcome for me. For example, the fact that you need to take a higher average than 10 years per turn.

Oh Dokseo, looking at my expression, was shocked.

“What! You’re like a really old man!”

“……”

“It’s unbelievable. The protagonist, who I thought was so cool, turns out to be an old man!”

The moment Oh Dokseo decided to call me ‘old man’, I felt a little down.

Naughty girl.

You’ll get old like me someday, too, you know.

[Translator – Jjsecus]

[Proofreader – Gun]