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◈ I’m an Infinite Regressor, But I’ve Got Stories to Tell
The Mastermind IX
“Wouldn’t one more drop of Go Yuri be enough to completely obliterate the Mastermind?”
“Teacher—no, sunbae. Please stop. Or do you want to see me get on my knees and beg while in Cheon Yo-hwa’s body?”
Infinite Void opposed the idea of spreading the virus further, staking its life on the protest.
“Hmm.”
Truthfully, I had my doubts as well. The 5,000 Go Yuris summoned earlier had barely taken a second to realize, Ah, the Undertaker summoned us to the Divine Realm. If we tried again, they would likely figure it out the moment they appeared.
How?
I couldn’t explain it.
But some undefined instinct and certainty hinted that the bombing operation we’d just executed had been a stroke of luck, a miracle that could only happen once in all the cycles.
‘Come to think of it, this was the first time I actively weaponized Go Yuri to eliminate Anomalies.’
I reluctantly put the idea to rest.
“Admin of the Infinite Metagame, how many simulation universes does the Mastermind have left?”
- Response: The number has dropped rapidly to 666, but it isn’t decreasing further.
“Well, that’s an ominous number.”
I looked around to see that the tanks holding the brains, mortally wounded by the Go Yuri operation, were bleeding profusely.
“How laughable. It pretended to be the celestial kingdom where souls ascend, but now that it’s cornered, it doesn’t even bother hiding its true identity as a hellscape.” ṙ
The number 666, often associated with demons, carried significant symbolism. In the Book of Revelation, the beast bearing this number was described as one with a head that healed after a mortal wound and ruled over all nations, tribes, and languages.[1]
On reflection, all of these descriptions applied to the Mastermind. Replace the “head” with “brains” and “nations” with “humanity,” and it described its actions perfectly.
“Unable to create heaven, it settled for making hell. Typical of Anomalies.”
- Objection: Other Anomalies are listening. Please respect our sensibilities.
“......”
- Clarification: The previous statement was a joke, imagining Anomalies sharing a kinship and having human-like emotions.
“Don’t explain bad jokes. I beg you.”
Oddly, that explanation made the joke feel even more human—and thus, even more unsettling.
“Hmm, sunbae. I think a bit differently.”
That was Infinite Void, overly humanized as it had become, chiming in.
“You think differently?” I asked. “About what?”
“You just said the Mastermind turned this Divine Realm from heaven to hell because it was cornered.”
“That’s right.”
“Well... This is just my perspective, as someone who has experienced your antics firsthand... but...” Infinite Void hesitated, gauging my reaction. I gave it a look signaling it could continue. “It’s not that the Mastermind changed it to hell. You did.”
That gave me pause. “What?”
“You came here, declaring that this wasn’t heaven. You even gave it a name based on that conviction. Then you dropped a Go Yuri nuke on it for good measure.” Infinite Void chuckled awkwardly. “You slapped it on the face and said, ‘You’re not heaven anymore, you’re hell,' and the Mastermind just rolled over and went, ‘Yes, sir... I am hell.’”
“......”
“Why are you looking at me like that? Isn’t it plausible? If a regressor storms into a place and drops 5,000 Go Yuris in the middle of it, anyone would lose their mind. Add me and that junk heap over there, and it’s no wonder.”
- Counterpoint: I am not a junk heap but the most advanced laptop in the universe.
We both ignored the comment.
“Regardless of whether it became hell because of me or not, the Mastermind’s crimes are unforgivable. It’s time to exterminate it. Gather all 666 brains in one place.”
“Yes, sir!”
“And stop slipping formal speech into your responses.”
Infinite Void clenched its fists with a sniff, then whined, “If I’m reborn, I want to come back as Cheon Yo-hwa...”
The brains scattered across the Divine Realm were pulled together, converging into one massive pile before me.
Squirm.
Squirm-squirm.
The brains twitched in their tanks, bleeding profusely. Though grotesque, this was the essence of an Outer God—the seat of its power to manipulate the world.
As the mass of brains writhed, I could hear whispers, faint yet insistent.
Claim me.
Devour me, and you’ll gain the power to shape unseen realities in the fog of war.
Ignorance is blindness, and blindness is the foundation of faith.
In the places you cannot see or know, omniscience and omnipotence shall be yours.
“......”
Lee Ha-yul’s deprivation of love softened.
Cheon Yo-hwa learned compassion, even gaining a twin sister who stood beside her.
And the Undertaker, instead of identifying Anomalies firsthand, entrusted the Anomalies’ designation to the Outer Gods, accepting their judgments.
The so-called “fog of war” became a fog of perception.
Through this shift, I gained unprecedented control over Anomalies.
I could dictate their emergence and suppress humanity’s suffering. The remaining Anomalies couldn’t match me—not even Nut, who had been sealed away by the Saintess in a prior cycle.
Above all, I could conceal the powers I’d acquired. My companions and I could still lead ordinary lives, never revealing the truth.
There would be no one to blame for a normal ending.
In fact, there would be no reason to hide it.
I could share my story—my pain, my countless cycles, and my sacrifices—with my companions.
And they would understand.
No one had ever demanded I achieve a happy ending after hundreds of regressions. It had always been my own choice.
My companions would simply wish for my happiness...
「Shall I speak plainly?」
Happiness.
「I don’t expect you to save the world.」
「In fact, I expect the opposite.」
「Undertaker. I am the only one who hopes that you ‘fail.’」
In the vision of the normal ending, where all smiled and blessed my conclusion, one figure stood apart.
A single person gazed at me from behind the others.
She smiled alongside them, yet her smile was different.
「In that final hell of life, I will gladly join you, all the way down at rock bottom...」
Footsteps echoed.
Between my companions, the click of leather heels grew louder. As she approached, they made way for her as if it were only natural.
「I truly look forward to that day... Don’t you? Your one and only funeral, your one true life, your own personal hell—aren’t you eager for it?」
Her voice lingered.
「It’s just a shame that this isn’t the cycle where you fall into that hell. What a pity.」
The figure stepped closer, almost touching me. She removed her monocle and slipped it into my pocket.
It was Noh Do-hwa—the woman I’d brought from the isolated island, and the woman who now stood in front of me.
Her hands reached for my neck.
Complete Memory etched her expressions, gestures, and voice into my memory.
“Don’t forget...”
When Noh Do-hwa’s lips moved, I found myself involuntarily whispering along with her words.
“I’ll be waiting for you in your true Bad Ending.”
The illusion shattered.
The white girl was no longer beside me. The Admin remained bound to the laptop, observing me silently.
The Mastermind was nothing but writhing brains in their tanks, stripped of pretense.
Infinite Void stared at me, its crimson eyes piercing.
“I refuse your offer.”
If you bring someone into your world, you must take responsibility for them. Even if you brought them in out of goodwill. Especially if you brought them in out of goodwill. It demanded even greater accountability.
I had swallowed Noh Do-hwa.
And I couldn’t spit her back out.
“I’ve already made a prior appointment for my ending.”
“Ah... I was too late.” Infinite Void smirked bitterly. “Of course. I’m always late when it comes to you, sunbae.”
It gestured, and the Fairy King’s slime seeped into the laptop. Static crackled as the image of the white girl disappeared, replaced by a simple emoticon.
The same occurred with the Mastermind. Its whispering voice fell silent, and the writhing brains lay still in their tanks.
“Alright, sunbae.”
Infinite Void smiled.
“Let’s kill the Anomaly. I have a good idea.”
Footnotes:
[1] Revelations 13:18 of the Bible describes 666 as the number of man and of the False Prophet who leads man astray with a false vision of heaven and into hell.