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<strong>? I’m an Infinite Regressor, But I’ve Got Stories to Tell</strong><hr>
The Mastermind VII
The Mastermind’s true identity had been fully unveiled. Now, all that remained was to defeat it.
However, beforeunching a full-scale assault, it was necessary to weaken the Mastermind’s power as much as possible.
Consider it a preliminary skirmish.
“First, I’ll take control of all the simtion universes in this Divine Realm.”
Infinite Void cocked its head at mymand. “All of them? There are over 5,000, you know.”“It doesn’t matter. We have unlimited time here.”
- Affirmation: Strictly speaking, this space is disconnected from reality and the 107th simtion universe. There is no need to be bound by the flow of real-world time.
The unprecedented coboration of Outer Gods moved as one.
It took us two years to hack all the simtion universes. You might think that’s excessive for a preliminary skirmish, but if you saw the results, you’d understand.
<em>Squirm, squirm, squirm.</em>
Before usy over 5,000 “brains,” each writhing inside its tank. The tanks were interconnected by countless wires, and those wires stretched like railway tracks, all leading to the USB port of theptop, the Admin of the Infinite Metagame.
“Activate simtions in all universes except the 107th.”
- Affirmation: Specify the scenarios to be applied.
“The protagonist will be Dang Seo-rin.”
Theptop screen whirred to life as the Admin input data into all 5,000 universes ording to my instructions.
<em>Squirm, squirm, squirm!</em>
The fleshy brain masses around us seemed to writhe in resistance, emitting a foul stench.
Infinite Void smirked silently and snapped its fingers. The brains couldn’t attack us and were forced to remain subdued while the Admin and I continued our work. ?
“Set the timeline to the 664th cycle,” Imanded. “That’s when I traveled through the Uyuni Salt ts, so Dang Seo-rin would already know about Anomalies from parallel worlds.”
- Scenario: Set the Undertaker’s perspective to the 664th cycle.
“The cause of the world’s destruction will be aliens. Have far more UFOs than the Undertaker knows of descend suddenly, leaving no chance for resistance as Earth is annihted.”
- Scenario: Alien invasion. Increase the number of UFOs from one to 9,999. After visiting the Uyuni Salt ts, rece the Great Monsoon Anomaly with the alien invasion.
“Begin.”
- Affirmation: Starting simtion.
The simtions activated.
The 5,000 brains dreamed identical dreams, exactly as programmed.
The Admin edited and condensed the simtions into video form, disying them on theptop screen for me to watch.
“It’s slow. Speed it up. You can skip most of it until the moment of destruction approaches.”
- Affirmation: elerating to 1,000x speed.
In an instant, the lifespan of the Undertaker and the cycles of the world flew by on theptop screen.
The “Undertaker” on-screen gatheredpanions, met other Undertakers on an airne, and wandered the mirror-like Uyuni Salt ts with Dang Seo-rin, enjoying the view.
Then, contrary to their expectations, they gazed up at an endless barrage of UFOs raining down like meteors, their numbers far exceeding anything previously imagined.
The Undertaker had been pushed to the brink of copse by aliens transported by a single UFO. With the sudden arrival of 9,999 ships embedding themselves across the globe, what choice would “the Undertaker” make?
“...As expected.”
Because I was the Undertaker, I could predict his actions precisely.
The on-screen Undertaker fled with Seo-rin, trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the aliens.
Infinite Void tilted its head, intrigued.
“Huh, fascinating. How did you know he’d run away with Dang Seo-rin? You didn’t input thatmand, did you?”
“It’s simple. I have a tendency in every cycle to choose onepanion to protect until the end.”
“Oh?”
“...The destruction of the world always takes a mental toll on me. To minimize the impact, I need someone else by my side to witness the end.”
Infinite Void chuckled softly. “To trick yourself into thinking you’re not alone in the world’s final moments?”
“It’s not a trick. Dang Seo-rin’s lifespan carries over between cycles, and the Saintess halts at a specific endpoint.”
“Hahaha! How cute. Fighting against 999 reasons to die with just three reasons to live.”
I turned to Infinite Void. “Does that frighten you?”
“Huh? Frighten me? No. If anything, I feel like I just hit a nerve.”
“A person can build a boat with just a handful of reasons and sail across an infinite ocean. No matter how many waves of despair your kind throws at them.”
“...”
“In the end, you’re nothing but the fangs and ws of ancient beasts.”
Infinite Void’s lips curled into a crooked smile. “That’s just your opinion, not humanity’s collective will.”
“...”
“The ocean always exists, sunbae.”
As we spoke, the simtion reached its climax.
Undertaker and Seo-rin had fled to an uninhabited ind. Knowing the aliens’ weakness to water, they sought refuge in the sea, using it as a shield.
All of humanity, save for those two, had been wiped out.
“Now. Stop time.”
- Affirmation: Time stopped.
“Infinite Void, retrieve Dang Seo-rin.”
“Got it.” Infinite Void reached out toward theptop. “Sorry. I’m not in a great mood right now, so this might hurt a bit. Apologies in advance, junkptop.”
- Observation: Failing to understand an object’s proper use is amon trait among immature humans. However, this entity is not petty enough to take offense at the ignorance of those who are literally “parentless.”
“Hahaha. Shut your mouth.”
- Rebuttal: Impossible. This entitycks a mouth and thus cannot “shut” it...
<em>Squelch!</em>
Infinite Void’s hand plunged toward theptop screen.
Theptop wasn’t pierced. Instead, Infinite Void’s fingers entered “into” the screen.
It reached into the frozen simtion, lifting Seo-rin onto its palm.
“Got her.” Infinite Void yanked its arm back.
I couldn’tprehend what happened, but from the Admin of the Infinite Metagame’s perspective, Infinite Void’s actions must have been outrageously forceful. Static crackled from the speakers, apanied by mechanical groans and bursts of smoke from theptop.
When Infinite Void’s hand finally emerged from theptop, the screen was left with a gaping hole. Blood seeped from the hole, dark crimson fluid dripping onto the keyboard and pooling at my feet.
- Mockery: Your arrogance will surely earn you a ce in hell.
“Funny. I was thinking the same thing about you.”
The party members were bickering, but I paid them no mind. Any discord among the Outer Gods worked to my advantage.
My attention was elsewhere.
<em>St!</em>
The 5,000 brains inside the tanks swelled before bursting open.
Each exploded brain transformed into a figure resembling Dang Seo-rin.
I could only assume I had undergone a simr process to escape the 107th simtion.
The Dang Seo-rins broke free of their tanks, copsing to the ground. Groans echoed throughout the area.
- Uh... what...?
- Where are we?
- Wait, who are you?!
- Ugh, what’s that smell... blergh!
The chaos grew louder as the 5,000 Dang Seo-rins reeled from the grotesque scene of the Divine Realm and its overwhelming stench.
For a fleeting moment, I felt a pang of emotion.
Hadn’t I spent thest two years surrounded only by Outer Gods trying to manipte me?
But I quickly quelled the feeling.
“Everyone, listen up.”
I amplified my voice with Aura, drawing the Dang Seo-rins’ attention.
Facing thousands of Dang Seo-rins simultaneously was a first, even in my long life as a regressor.
“You’re probably feeling confused. But if you remember our trip to the Uyuni Salt ts, you’ll realize this situation isn’t so different.”
- ...
“The exponential increase in UFOs, originally just one, follows the same logic. We’ve been gathered here to defeat the Outer God behind the Anomalies of the parallel worlds. I’ll need your full cooperation.”
- Wait.
- Wait.
- Wait.
- Wait.
All 5,000 Dang Seo-rins shouted “Wait” in unison, startling even themselves.
Of course, it was only natural. They were identical copies created from the same simtion, sharing the same experiences, thoughts, and speech patterns. Even their timing for interrupting me was identical. As such, convincing one would mean convincing all. There was no need for individual exnations.
“No questions.”
- ...
“The reason is simple. As you can see, you came from a different worldline than me. The Undertaker you knew and the one standing here are not the same person.”
Silence fell.
“Therefore, I don’t consider you to be Dang Seo-rin. Likewise, you probably don’t see me as the Undertaker you knew. All I’m asking is for your cooperation in defeating this Outer God. I’ll need your help.”
The expressions on the Dang Seo-rins changed.
Their gazes sharpened, no longer filled with confusion or sentimentality. Instead, they bore the cold, calcting focus of someone who had led the Awakener Alliance of the Korean Penins.
It was clear that the Mastermind’s simtion had meticulously ounted for every detail of Dang Seo-rin’s character.
“Now, I’ll exin the n. There are 5,651 of you here. Naturally, that means you collectively possess the same amount of lifespan. I need you to use that lifespan to continuously cast the Cursed Song Incantation. The lyrics and melody for each verse are as follows...”<hr>
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I began issuing instructions to the Dang Seo-rins.
Now that we regarded each other as business partners, unnecessary questions or objections were eliminated. Each Dang Seo-rin functioned like a disciplined soldier, executing my n without hesitation.
Once I finished exining, I pointed to the Seo-rin closest to me.
“For the final step, I’ll take one question. You may ask on behalf of everyone else.”
- Sure. I was just curious—why is Cheon Yo-hwa here?
I paused, choosing my words carefully.
“It only looks like Cheon Yo-hwa. This is apletely different being. Its name is Infinite Void. Its cooperation was essential to infiltrating the Divine Realm of this Outer God. In fact, it’s thanks to Infinite Void that you were brought here.”
- Hmm.
“Any other questions?”
There were none.
Instead of speaking, the chosen Dang Seo-rin parted her lips and began to sing.
In perfect synchronization, the rest of the Dang Seo-rins formed groups of dozens and began chanting their respective melodies of the Cursed Song Incantation.
――
――A
―――
The haunting melodies resonated throughout the grotesque Divine Realm, a realm of writhing brain folds and fleshy tendrils that desecrated human souls.
The harmonized voices attacked the essence of the Mastermind itself, specialized in denying and eradicating Anomalies. Soon, the Cursed Song Incantation would consume a staggering amount of lifespan, tearing the Void apart.
I turned to Infinite Void.
“Let’s go. To the upper levels.”
It let out a derisiveugh. “Sunbae... You really are upromising.”
Infinite Void’s ethereal form dissipated like smoke. Momentster, the ceiling of the Void ripped apart with a deafening roar. Infinite Void’s ws had carved a path through the barrier.
As the Dang Seo-rins continued their chant, they paused briefly, startled by the sight of the Void’s ceiling tearing open. But they quickly resumed, unaffected, as I had already exined this part of the n during the briefing.
The massive, eye-like sun above stared down at us.
I couldn’t help but reflect for a moment.
‘The Seo-rins here aren’t even treated like human beings.’
They were nothing more than simted data created by the Mastermind. The only entities deemed alive in this realm were me and “Cheon Yo-hwa’s body,” which Infinite Void hadmandeered.
That’s why the Mastermind Syndrome could continue to manifest, breaking through one simtionyer after another.
―――A
Even so, the data-simted Cursed Song Incantation felt profoundly real.
The Dang Seo-rins actively attacked this Divine Realm, the Mastermind’s creation, and even the god that had brought them into existence.
Yes, if you thought of them as data, they had be “malicious code.”
- Report: Repairsplete. It is inadvisable to ascend without this unit.
The Admin of the Infinite Metagame leapt into my arms. Somehow, it had repaired the damage inflicted earlier. Theptop was pristine with its screen as good as new.
I held the Admin close and climbed onto Infinite Void’s hand. Like an orbital elevator, it carried us higher, toward the “heaven above.”
<em>――Ah―――__......</em>
The chants of the Dang Seo-rins grew fainter as we ascended.
Leaving the choir behind, we traversed the vast expanse of the simted universe.
This was just the first phase of my n.
Operation <strong>Virus</strong>.
If it was impossible to deny the Mastermind’s treatment of the world as mere data, then corrupting that data was the next best option.
We would continue like this, extracting a “virus” from one simtion and releasing it into the next. Oneyer at a time, we’d repeat the process until the Mastermind’s system copsed under the strain.
‘It’s bound to work.’
The Mastermind relied on two things to sustain its simtions.
First, the “fog of war”—unobserved areas where it could move freely.
Second, the souls it harvested from those unobserved regions: the brains.
The Admin of the Infinite Metagame had once said that the spectacle of “brains in vats” would disquiet me, given my moralpass.
It had been correct. The sight was indeed disturbing. But at the same time, it revealed the Mastermind’s weakness.
<em>To run simtions, the Mastermind requires human brains.</em>
Conversely, this meant...
<em>Without human brains, the Mastermind cannotpute its simtions.</em>
The implication?
<em>The Mastermind cannot exceed theputational capacity of the brains it possesses.</em>
And as the Admin of the Infinite Metagame had stated earlier:
<em>The Mastermind’s brainpositeprises 8,214,949,873 humans. This number only ounts for physical bodies. Including simted personalities increases the total exponentially.</em>
It was an enormous figure, one guaranteeing immenseputational power. But no matter how vast it seemed, it wasn’t infinite.
Even the countless grains of sand on a beach could eventually be counted, one by one.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Anomalies always operated within the constraints of their own rules.
The Mastermind would know this. That’s why it didn’t im to have infiniteputational power. Instead, it focused on repairing and recovering itself.
However, even those resources had limits. How long could it endure?
- Query: What virus will you deploy in the nextyer of the Divine Realm?
I smiled. “The kind best suited to throwing the world into chaos—a joker card.”
- rification: A joker card?
“I have a certain customized bomb I always try to avoid.”
Perhaps it was just my imagination, but I thought I saw a sh of pink hair and a mischievous grin in my mind’s eye.<hr>
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