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Observer II
“……”
"Right?"
I didn''t respond immediately.Honestly, I was a bit surprised—yet at the same time, admittedly, caught by intrigue.
While I had asionally revealed that I was a ''regressor'', it was rare for someone else to recognize this on their own. So far, the only person who had was Old Man Scho.
"Why do you think that?" I hedged.
"I figured if you were a regressor, you would eventuallye looking for me. Besides, you were ying monsters at an unbelievable rate. But judging by how you ask... I''m guessing this is our first cycle together?"
I leaned forward a bit more. The green stic chair of the convenience store creaked as it scraped the ground.
Initially, I was merely curious about the existence of the ''Constetions''. But now, my interest had shifted more towards the human before me.
"That''s correct. Although I''ve been curious about the identities of the Constetions, this is the first cycle I''ve really started to delve into it."
"If you truly are a regressor, Mr. Undertaker, I believe we must absolutely establish a cooperative rtionship."
"A cooperative rtionship?"
"Yes. But right now, I can''t be sure whether you are a regressor or not. Not with what I can see."
The woman spoke cautiously, and though her expression was tense, her tone was steady.
''She at least has some backbone there.''
My eyes narrowed. "How interesting. Why can''t you be sure I''m a regressor?"
"Because this same situation could arise if you had the ability of Prophecy or even the mind-reading skill of irvoyance. So..." She bowed her head. "I''m sorry you had toe all the way to Seoul. I can''t fully disclose what the Constetions are, how much I know about them, or what my abilities are yet."
"Hmm."
Proper manners and mindful discretion. Seems like a lottery ticket worth scratching.
"All right," I agreed. "If you could be certain that I am a regressor, would you be able to answer all my questions then?"
"...Yes."
"Then there''s a simple solution."
She looked up.
I turned on my smartphone. "We''ll set up a password."
"A password?"
"Give me words or phrases that only a regressor would know. Even specific actions would do."
It was a method Old Man Scho and I had previously used, and one that had been proven to work during the 7th cycle.
"Anyway, you set those conditions, and I will carry them out exactly in the ''next cycle''."
She immediately understood. "Ah, that''s a great idea. Hmm. Then in the next cycle, pleasee here andy a red T-shirt out on the table. Just sit quietly for about 10, no, 15 minutes. Then write ''Moral Law'' on the T-shirt in big letters."
"Hmm."
"If you do that, I will contact you first."
It was a neat and tidy method.
"Understood, Saintess of National Salvation."
"Ah... I''m sorry, but that nickname is a bit..."
"Everyone''s code name among the Awakeners is just as childish. I let it slide and ended up with ''Undertaker'' as my alias. ''Saintess'' is dignified inparison."
"How did ''Undertaker'' even...?"
Whoops. I quickly got up from the table.
Again, I have an extreme dislike for my alias. How I ended up with such a nickname is a story for another time, ideally in the far future—or better yet, never.
"I''ll be going now, Saintess. Until next time."
"Oh, of course. I''ll see you next time. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Regressor."
The ''next'' I spoke of and the ''next'' she thought of were a whole world apart.
We parted easily, like streams that meet then go their separate ways, and after that day, I no longer received any messages from the ''Constetions''.
To be honest, I found myself a bit disappointed. Someone who had been reacting to my every action was now gone. I felt the absence more keenly than expected.
Of course, my goal wasn''t to tter the Constetions, but to prevent the world''s destruction. I quickly pulled myself together and threw myself into the 35th run.
And I failed spectacrly.
If I had seeded, there would be no need for the 1183rd run, after all.
''Did she say a red T-shirt?''
The 36th world, my 36th life, began.
I immediately fulfilled the promise I made in the previous world.
First, I cleared the Gate at Busan Station.
[The Saintess of National Salvation is astonished by your feat!]
[The Monarch of the Crimson Horse feels theirpetitive spirit stir at your strength.]
[The Conqueror of the Alps takes note of your course.]
[The Chancellor of the Red Cape is wary of your abilities.]
As before, messages from the Constetions poured in.
While it was nice to receive them again, I ignored them for now.
I followed the route developed by Old Man Scho as quickly as possible, heading north to Seoul. Along the way, I didn''t forget to stop at a clothing store that hadn''t been shut down yet and bought a shirt.
[The Saintess of National Salvation questions your actions.]
The Constetions kept talking to me as I traveled.
When I arrived at a convenience store near Jamsu Bridge, I sat down at a parasol table, spread out the shirt, then wrote ''Moral Law'' on it in marker.
[......]
[......]
The previously noisy Constetions fell silent all at once.
I leaned back in the chair and drank convenience store coffee. The ce had not been looted yet, so the products were intact.
It wasn''t long before someone approached the convenience store.
It was a woman with a hiking backpack on her back. Judging by the length of cycles, I had met her 20 years prior. She was the ''Saintess of National Salvation''.
The joy of reunion didn''t surge anew. To live long as a regressor, one must get ustomed to farewells and reunions.
Only this time, I was the one waiting to greet her.
"Excuse me, but by any chance…"
She very cautiously observed my expression.
I nodded.
"Yes. I am the regressor, Saintess of National Salvation."
The Saintess gasped.
She stood frozen, clenching her fists. What she was pondering, I couldn''t tell, but after a while, the Saintess finally spoke.
"Please follow me."
Finally, it was time for the truth of the Constetions to be revealed.
The Saintess''s dwelling was located in Yongsan.
With Yeouido and the Gangnam area having evaporated overnight, Yongsan was now essentially the front line against a Gate and one of the most dangerous ces in Korea.
"Please,e in."
She lived in an old row house in Dongbigo-dong.
I looked around, taking in the shabby exterior that belied a tidy interior. Or more precisely, the space went beyond "tidy" into being eerily spotless.
In the dim living room, fourputer monitors emitted a bluish glow. The light faintly outlined the cardboard boxes scattered around—boxes of canned food, jugs of water. With all of them bathed in the monitor''s blue light, they almost appeared to be submerged in water.
Along the walls wererge steel bookshelves. However, only a few books dotted the shelves, which were instead filled with 15- and 20-cube aquariums. Dozens of these water-filled ss tanks packed the space in dense formations.
Aquarium after aquarium.
The room was surrounded on all sides by walls of water, making it look like an underwater temple.
"You seem to have been preparing for this situation for a long time."
"Yeah."
The Saintess seated me on a sofa, then pulled up aputer chair for herself. "Should I call you ''Regressor''?"
"Call me whatever isfortable for you. My alias is Undertaker."
"All right, Mr. Undertaker. How many times have we met?"
"This is the second time."
"The second time," the Saintess muttered softly. "So, this is practically our first meeting. I wouldn''t have exined anything during the previous cycle, right?"
"That''s correct."
"There seems to be a lot I need to rify. Where should I start?"
"I''d like to ask about the Constetions first. What exactly are the Constetions? Are they truly transcendental beings? Are you an agent of the Constetions?"
"......"
The Saintess licked her lips, not from hesitation but as if she were choosing her words carefully. Finally, she spoke.
"The Constetions... do not exist."
"They don''t exist?"
"Yes. The Saintess of National Salvation, the Conqueror of the Alps—they are all characters I created myself."
This was somewhat surprising.
I had considered the hypothesis that the Constetions might be fictitious entities. However, I hadn''t anticipated that the person before me was single-handedly staging them all. I would have thought it''d require a team of at least five or six.
"Why would you do such a thing?"
"......"
The blue light of the monitors diffused hazily around the living room. Fish fluttered in the small aquariums.
"I awakened about 20 days ago. Since then, my hair changed color, and I began having nightmares about monsters, dreams vivid enough that they couldn''t be dismissed as mere fantasies."
I nodded.
That was amon experience among many who awakened just before the gates burst open across the world— a kind of precognitive dream.
"For some reason, I was convinced that these events would actually happen. So I pondered what I could do— beyond buying canned food and collecting water bottles, something that only I could do."
The Saintess looked directly at me.
"Mr. Undertaker, will Awakeners really maintain social order after they gain their powers?"
"What?"
"Awakeners possess incredible abilities. Even I have gained two, no, three abilities that defymon sense. Can people who receive such powers really unite, act virtuously, and at the very least, restrain themselves frommitting crimes?"
Shadows of fish flowed across the living room floor.
Her voice seeped into the shadows.
For a moment, I was caught in a feeling simr to those careless dives during childhood baths. Her gaze seemed to lower the depth of this ce.
"I decided not."
"......"
"If a powerful person appeared and could unite the Awakeners, that would be one thing, but that involves countless trials and time. Until then, Awakeners would form disparate factions, and civilians would be caught in the crossfire and sacrificed without a second thought. Naturally, as humans divide, their ability to handle the gates would diminish."
That was a valid assumption.
Indeed, most nations had followed that process and perished.
Korea was a rare case of prolonged survival.
"Wait."
At that moment, a certain hypothesis shed through my mind.
I stared into the Saintess''s deep ck eyes.
Pupils that seemed not to blink even if submerged in water.
"Could it be?"
"......"
She nodded slightly.
"Mr. Undertaker. When do people hesitate tomit evil acts? It''s when they think someone is watching."
"The Constetions."
"Yes."
I was stunned.
The Saintess continued.
"People easily vite order if they are confident they can hide or mitigate their crimes. However, if they believe a transcendental being is always watching them, even someone who has awakened would hesitate tomit evil acts."
"My goodness."
"That''s why I created the Constetions."
It felt like receiving a series of mental punches.
It was surprising enough that the Saintess of National Salvation who had watched me all this time was a fabrication, but that all of it was born from one person''s meticulous nning was utterly shocking.
"But how did you even create the Constetions?"
"It''s thanks to my abilities. I can use irvoyance and Telepathy."
She outlined her abilities:
1. irvoyance: Observe any Awakeners within a radius of 1,000 km at will. Observation may include listening to their voices.
2. Telepathy or text transmission: Can transmit one''s voice to any perceived target. Texting is also possible but limited to 140 characters.
Both abilities had endless applications.
I looked at the human before me with new eyes.
If conditions were right, she could lead a guild like Samcheon or Baekhwa, bing one of Korea''s top leaders.
"Remarkable. With abilities like that, you could have taken a more prominent role in organizing the Awakeners."
"I thought about that... But I''m really clumsy when ites to leading people in person."
"Ah."
"I believe what I did was the best I could do. I''m not sure what will happen in the future... I''ll continue as long as I can, as long as I live."
Her words brought back memories from past runs.
Even as the world was on the brink of ending, the Constetions had not stopped sending messages to the Awakeners in Korea. Whether it was 4, 7, or 10 years in any run, the Constetions remained active.
I thought about the hardships the Awakeners before me must have faced to maintain that fa?ade. Many challenges, no doubt. irvoyance and Telepathy were great abilities, but they weren''t directly helpful inbat. What''s more, Yongsan was a frontline area facing a superrge Gate. Many forces would vie for control here in the future.
"How about it, Mr. Regressor?"
This Awakener, who had ovee countless adversities and survived to the very end, now looked at me with eyes swimming with unease and anxiety.
"Did I fulfill my role to the end?"
"......"
I clenched my fist involuntarily, as various thoughts waved over me.
After a brief silence, I answered.
"Yes. Perfectly. Even I, a regressor, waspletely deceived."
"......"
"Thanks to you, the crime rate among Awakeners in this country was exceptionally low. It was rtively easy for Awakeners to cooperate and respond to the gates. Your efforts were not in vain."
Although it hadn''t prevented the world''s ultimate destruction.
Then and now, I never mentioned to the Saintess the hundreds of ways our world could end. At least with the Saintess around, there was no rampant Awakener supremacy, and cults like the New Buddha Cult or the Resurrection Church were rtively rare.
The Saintness took in my answer silently, then finally, she said, "Thank goodness." With a small sigh of relief, she sank back into her chair.
For some reason, that sigh sounded to my ears like a goldfish that had spent a very long time in the depths suddenlying up to the surface to blow bubbles.
Afterwards, we discussed in detail how we would work together.
I think our rtionship was essentially established at that point. From the 36th to the 1183th cycle, the Saintess was almost always a reliable ally who had my back.
"What should I call you? If I call you ''Regressor,'' your identity might be revealed, Mr. Undertaker." The Saintess propped her chin in her hand. "Hero?"
I immediately waved my hands. "No, Hero is a bit... Just call me Undertaker."
The title ''Hero'' was not just embarrassing but rted to a certain psychological disorder, which I preferred to avoid. I''ll talk about this strange mental illnesster.
"Sure, I''ll call you Mr. Undertaker, then."
"Good, I''m d that works. Just one thing." As we were about to part, I asked, "Isn''t it impossible to act as the Constetions with just irvoyance and Telepathy? You''d need to observe multiple people simultaneously and send messages. Don''t you have another ability?"
"Ah, well..."
The Saintess hesitated, then smiled faintly.
"That… is a secret. I''ll tell youter."
Unfortunately, the ter'' the Saintess mentioned did not mean within the timeline of the 36th cycle.
I still needed many more cycles before I could uncover herst secret.
This story has an epilogue.
Starting from my 36th run, forming an alliance with the Saintess immediately upon regression became a standard tech tree, akin to an opening move in Go.
Except for the early stages of a new regression, it had be practically unheard of for the Constetions to send me their ‘innumerable requests for a bad move’ as they used to.
It was during such a day, when I felt slightly regretful about this fact, that a message window popped up before my eyes for the first time in a long while.
[The Administrator of the Cosmic Metagame announces the urrence of a new event.]
I blinked.
The name of the Constetion was entirely unfamiliar to me.
A cosmic game? Does it mean ‘the one who oversees the gamey of all things’?
‘The Saintess must have been bored and yed a prank.’
Thinking it was quite a rare event, I nonchntly dismissed the message. After all, the message only appeared once and then disappeared.
A few dayster, when I met the Saintess, I brought it up.
I wasn’t particrly curious, just using it as an icebreaker during a strategy meeting.
“Oh, by the way, why did you suddenly impersonate a strange Constetion a few days ago?”
“Pardon?”
“A week ago. You sent a message under the name ‘The Administrator of the Cosmic Metagame’. I was a bit surprised to see you make a mistake. Did you perhaps send a message meant for another awakener to me by ident?”
“…?”
The Saintess tilted her head.
“I never sent such a message.”
“What?”
“I’ve never created a Constetion called ‘The Administrator of the Cosmic Metagame’ in the first ce.”
A chilling current ran down my spine.
Whether she knew my state or not, the Saintess’s face remained indifferent. She certainly didn’t appear to be lying.
For some reason, I felt a drop in the surrounding temperature, though it might have been an illusion.
“Are you sure you didn’t just misread it, Undertaker?”
“……”
Suddenly, it felt as if a deep sea had opened beneath my feet, and a gigantic shadow had just brushed past.
…It seemed there were still many unknown mysteries in this world that I had yet to uncover.
Footnotes:
[1] Samcheon literally means “Three Thousand” and Baekwha “A Hundred Flowers”, though they work in Korean, they don’t in English for guild names, so I’m leaving these as romanisations as it feels appropriate knowing they’re both Korean guilds in context.
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