Chapter 216

Chapter 216

Chapter 216

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The Nameless One II

The original Undertaker from the first cycle, whom I couldn’t remember at all. For the sake of convenience, let’s call him the Original Undertaker, Undertaker: The Beginning, or Undertaker the First.

"Teacher, you said you wanted to call him something simple, but doesn't that sound way too grand?"

The person grumbling had orange hair thrown up in a ponytail, wore a white sailor uniform, and sported Jordan basketball shoes. It was none other than Baekhwa Girls' High School Student Council President, Cheon Yo-hwa, a VIP guest specifically invited to participate in this Original Undertaker "Spot the Difference" project.

"Anyway, Yo-hwa, I really need your help to piece together the Original Undertaker. Well, more accurately, I need assistance from Infinite Void."

"Ehck." Yo-hwa made a clearly displeased face. Despite how expressive she was, it never seemed to offend others—one of her curious traits. "Infinite Void? Why her?"

"Well, the Original Undertaker that appears in other people's dreams... How should I put it... The resolution is poor."

I led Cheon Yo-hwa through several dreamscapes and showed her the blurry silhouette that was supposedly the Original Undertaker.

"Oh, it's real! It’s like looking at an old black-and-white photo that hasn’t been restored yet!"

"Right?"

"Yeah! But even with this poor quality, you can tell right away—this little guy is adorable! Teacher, you used to wear a fuzzy hat when you were younger, huh? Hehe! Hehehe!"

Though she had been somewhat grossed out by the mention of Infinite Void, Yo-hwa’s mood quickly lifted the moment she got a peek at my childhood self. With loud exclamations, she started examining the silhouette from every possible angle, moving around me excitedly.

I cleared my throat. "As of now, we’ve found 13 dreams featuring the Original Undertaker. This one shows the youngest version of him. The Original Undertaker that appears in these dreams is generally younger than a college student."

"Ugh, just look at those chubby cheeks! So cute! Teacher, is there no way to record these dreams, like take a video and keep it?"

"You’re trying to show off to Dang Seo-rin, aren't you? Please, control yourself."

"Tsk." Yo-hwa’s cheeks puffed up like a hamster.

"Anyway, call Infinite Void for a moment. I’m thinking of restoring the image quality based on the data that Infinite Void accumulated."

"Ugh... I hate loosening that bastard’s leash even a little. But, fine. For the chance to see your childhood self up close... I’ll allow it. Give me a second!"

Yo-hwa closed her eyes, and then, slip—the hairband tying up her ponytail loosened, causing her orange hair to cascade down.

Blink.

When her eyes reopened, her pupils and irises were gone. Only a dark, eerie red remained, staring back at me.

"Hello, sunbae."

A faint smile spread across the red well of her eyes.

"Been a while. Missed me?"

"Been a while. Let’s skip the small talk."

"Oh, but sunbae, you’re the one holding my hand, not the other way around."

Indeed.

Whether in the Void or in dreams, it was better to hold hands with your companions to avoid getting lost.

I scoffed and let go. Then Infinite Void, sealed within Cheon Yo-hwa’s form, shrugged.

"You’re so cold. Remember, I was born from this girl’s personality because I got caught up in your schemes. It hurts to be treated this way by someone I like."

"Thank you for the feedback. I’ll express my disinterest even more clearly from now on. Now, you know why you’re here, right?"

"Yeah. I’ve been watching the whole time." Infinite Void tapped its lips thoughtfully. "But you know, it’s hard for me to work at full capacity. After all, sunbae, you’ve placed so many seals on me, like Doppelganger, Split Personality, and Weakened Ally."

"You brought that on yourself."

"Oh, come on. Split Personality was all part of your master plan, wasn’t it? By giving this girl a new name, you demoted me to being a mere second personality. Only someone as wickedly cunning as you could come up with that strategy."

"......"

"Not that I mind my current state. You know, they say it's better to be dumb than smart when trying to be happy. Self-awareness is fun in its own way."

I sighed. "Even for you, gathering data on my childhood should be intriguing, right? So, cooperate."

"Ah, fair point. Sure thing."

The agreement came more easily than expected.

"Uhhh."

"......"

"Somehow, I think I know exactly where this is going."

The same pattern repeated over and over.

I could trace the Original Undertaker as a ‘friend of a friend,’ a ‘neighbor of a neighbor,’ or even someone in the next apartment. But no matter how close I got, at the final step, I always hit a [404] error.

No matter how precisely the dreams were restored, or how carefully I traced the human relationships, the result was always the same. In the end, the Original Undertaker would always be smiling and talking to "empty space."

In other words.

"Wow, sunbae, you really erased everyone around you, huh? How’d you even manage that?"

No one could get past a certain point with the Original Undertaker.

He had no family. No relatives. No friends. No acquaintances.

Only the remnants of distant relationships—those that could barely be considered extras—remained, like vestigial organs.

In other words, from the perspective of the people in the world, the Original Undertaker was just an extra in their lives, too.

He had no ties.

No connections.

He was the nameless one.

This wasn’t just in the legal sense of the term. In the truest, most objective sense, the Undertaker of the first cycle was entirely excluded from the web of human relationships on Earth. It was almost awe-inspiring how perfectly he had erased himself from existence, leaving no connections behind.

"Aaah. No wonder I was powerless against you when I was Infinite Void. This explains so much."

In a hospital hallway, Yo-hwa leaned against the wall, watching the sparse crowd of patients passing by. This place was presumably where my mother had once worked. But it didn’t provide much useful information. All I could deduce was that my mother had likely been a nurse. And even that conclusion was met with a [404] error.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when I was a Void God, I governed over all matter and data, right? But compared to other humans, sunbae had no data at all. I couldn’t calculate your behavioral patterns."

"Hmm."

"And on top of that, that weapon you carry around—Do-hwa, right? It gives off a similar vibe. Seriously, your compatibility with me was awful. It’s practically cheating."

I stood next to Infinite Void in the hospital hallway, arms crossed, muttering to myself. "...Something feels off."

"Huh? What’s wrong?"

"If I had truly gone this far to erase everyone around me with the Time Seal, then there should be Crystal Tombstones everywhere related to those people."

"Crystal Tombstones...? Oh, you mean those things only you can see, and that no one can enter without your permission?"

I nodded. "I’ve searched nearly all the Crystal Tombstones in Korea, but I haven’t found a single one belonging to my family, my friends, or any of my acquaintances. Isn’t that odd? Given how much we’ve explored, at least one should’ve turned up by now."

"Hmm..."

"And more importantly, the fact that I don’t have any memories from before the 4th cycle is strange as well. Even if I erased my mother with the Time Seal, I should still retain memories of her."

"Wasn’t that thousands of years ago? Isn’t it natural to forget?"

"No, it’s not."

I used my Aura like ink to write words into the air.

"I gained the Complete Memory ability in the 5th cycle. At that point, I shouldn’t have completely forgotten about my mother. Not enough time had passed for that."

"Right..."

"So, by the 5th cycle, all the memories I had should have been permanently preserved by the Complete Memory ability. Things like my mother’s face from the dream, or memories of my family." I frowned. "It makes no sense that I’d completely forget such important memories."

"...Oh?"

Infinite Void’s expression grew intrigued.

"...You’re right. By now, it might be a distant past, but to the 4th cycle version of you, this was only a few years ago. No matter how bad a person’s memory is, it’s impossible to completely forget family and friends."

"Exactly." My eyes narrowed. "There’s another reason why the Undertaker of the 1st cycle has been completely erased."

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