Discord: sdsc.gg/reapercomics
◈ I’m an Infinite Regressor, But I’ve Got Stories to Tell
──────
The Skeptic IV
My plan was simple.
First, I would hand all of the functions of the State's infrastructure over to the Anomalies. Places like the National Tax Service and Yeouido Airport had been playgrounds for Anomalies from the beginning, after all, so it wouldn’t make much of a difference.
But then, all Awakeners, including those in the National Road Managent Corps, would join the resistance and carry out terrorist acts against the Anomaly State—all the while hiding their identities so that they could continue to make good use of its anities in their daily lives. This way, the people of the Korean Peninsula could freely enjoy the infrastructure of the State while maintaining their identity as a resistance force, untainted by the Anomalies.
A true win-win situation. A double kill.
The reputation of Undertaker, the world’s foremost expert on Anomalies, was indeed well-deserved.
“No. You’re kidding...”
Do-hwa balked, scrunching her face in bitter denial. I could hardly fault her for it, considering her job had suddenly changed from being the rightful ruler of the Korean Peninsula to the leader of a dark resistance organization.
“Is this strategy really feasible...?” she lanted.
“Entirely so. In fact, the concept of humans being a force of resistance fits the current reality much better.”
The world was already dominated by Anomalies. In fact, the Anomalies had mimicked even the National Tax Service, collecting “taxes” in the form of human blood and limbs. In such occupied territory, gradually expanding liberated areas was the duty of a regressor.
“At its heart, our National Road Managent Corps is like a network of scattered guilds across the Korean Peninsula, barely connected and used as a backbone for resistance,” I said sagely.
“So since it’s co to this, we might as well declare ourselves terrorists?”
I clicked my tongue. “Let’s use the more dignified term, resistance.”
“You’re the one who called it a terrorist organization first, you damn lunatic...”
The motion was passed. However, simply declaring among ourselves “From now on, we are the resistance fighting against the illegal occupation of the Korean Peninsula by the Anomaly State!” wouldn’t have much impact. Rituals required procedure.
I imdiately led the National Road Managent Corps’s Operations Team—the resistance’s strongest force—along with its Yu Ji-won to raid a shabby house in Busan.
“Mr. Jo Yeong-su! Are you there?”
“Huh? What, what is it? Who are you?”
Jo Yeong-su ca out of the shack, looking flustered. In this cycle, he had been diligently collecting public opinion data to announce the “End of Service for South Korea.” Thanks to my full support, his opinion polls had progressed much more smoothly than before. The results were piled high under the roof of the shack.
Docunts. To Jo Yeong-su, these were more precious than his own life, the last survey papers of South Korea.
“Wh-what is the aning of this?” he stamred. “Why have you all co here to threaten this helpless old man?”
“Hmm. It’s Jo Yeong-su, alright. Take him away.”
“Ahhhhh!”
Thus, the Mr. Jo Yeong-su was imdiately transported to Seoul.
By the way, all mbers of the Operations Team were wearing sunglasses and face masks to avoid being recognized.
After skillfully navigating the Inunaki Tunnel, we arrived at the National Assembly in Seoul in no ti. Jo scread when he saw us.
“Y-you! You’re Anomalies pretending to be human! You may suppress this old man’s body, but you’ll never defile my spirit!”
Truly, he was a man who had traveled the length and breadth of the country to complete his opinion polls in this insane world. Even most Awakeners would feel their knees go weak if they suddenly found themselves kidnapped by Anomalies, but Jo’s shout remained resolute.
No, perhaps “resolute” isn’t the right word. Judging by his expression, it seed like he was inwardly welcoming the arrival of what he had been waiting for.
“Comrade Secretary-General! Welco!”
Once we were in the National Assembly, the Tutorial Fairies greeted us. The Operations Team had already gathered here under my orders. At the sight of the Tutorial Fairies, the Anomalies most well-known to the general public, Jo beca even more convinced and shouted, “S-Secretary-General? You...! Are you spies infiltrating from the puppet state in the north?”
I humd, thinking over how to respond. That original puppet state had long since fallen, and a new regi had taken its place. But in retrospect, the Eastern Holy State was also my puppet state led by the puppet Mo Gwang-seo, wasn’t it? Jo’s outburst wasn’t entirely unfounded.
“Now then, human,” I bood, deciding to just go with it. “Sit in the Speaker’s seat and stamp the docunt declaring the end of South Korea.”
“Y-you! You vile Anomalies! I’m trying to dissolve the governnt with the voluntary consent of all citizens, not sell the country under your coercion!”
“Tsk. You’re being unnecessarily verbose when you’re going to destroy it anyway.”
“L-let go! You can’t hold !”
Jo resisted fiercely, but as one of the Unawakened, there was no way he could escape the grasp of the fairies. In the end, he was forced to sit in the Speaker’s seat and stamp the docunt.
“Hooray! With this, we declare the end of South Korea!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
Amid Jo’s screams, thunderous applause erupted in the assembly. It wasn’t the Tutorial Fairies or clapping. Invisible Anomalies were applauding.
‘Good. It’s done,’ I thought, clenching my fist. ‘With this, the last human governnt on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea, was not voluntarily dissolved but neutralized by the machinations of Anomalies.’
Crucially, this was what separated this cycle from those that ca before it.
To be honest, Jo Yeong-su’s “End of Service” event had been deeply moving to personally, but given the current state of affairs, allowing it to go through would be a misstep. From the Anomalies’ perspective, it could be interpreted as “humans voluntarily giving up state power!” So, while I felt sorry for the old man, this was a small sacrifice for the greater cause.
“Hooray! This land has now beco a paradise for Anomalies!”
“What shall we na the country?”
“The term ‘Puppet State’ has a more traditional ring to it than ‘Anomaly State.’ After all, we are the hands and feet of Comrade Secretary-General!”
“But ‘Anomaly’ is just a na humans arbitrarily gave us, and we’re not exactly the sa species, are we?”
“Shh. Those who lack awareness are to be purged!”
The fairies chattered and left. Jo was sent back to his ho in Busan via delivery service. Having suddenly beco the main culprit behind the fall of the nation, the old man holed up in his house and refused to co out.
“Mr. Jo. Are you there?”
Startled, Jo Yeong-su turned to look and let out a sigh of relief. This ti, I visited alone, without a mask or disguise.
“It’s you, Mr. Undertaker...” he said, trailing off. “I should offer you so instant coffee...”
“Oh, it’s fine. Please, sit down. By the way, I haven’t seen you around lately. Did sothing happen?”
“Ah, actually...”
Regressor Psychological Counseling mode, ON.
“...and then those bastards! The Anomalies grabbed my finger and forced to stamp the docunt with red ink!”
“Oh my. How could such a wretched group exist in this world? You must have been through so much.”
“Waaah!”
Within 30 minutes of our counseling session beginning, Jo was bawling like a baby until his already thin fra seed to be squeezed dry of all moisture.
“I... I beca the accomplice of the nation’s downfall with my own hands! I signed that accursed treaty! The burden of my family’s legacy has fallen upon again! Oh! Oh! How can I bear this injustice, this fury?!”
“How could this be your fault, Mr. Jo? It’s entirely the fault of the Anomalies who forced you.”
“Mr. Undertaker...!”
“Even if the world doesn’t understand, I, the Undertaker, understand your pain. We all lost our country, but we, each of us, still carry the na of ‘Korea’ deep within our hearts, do we not?”
“Comrade Undertaker...!”
We shared a passionate embrace. Sotis, n need intense emotional exchanges.
[...]
Of course, the Saintess, who was watching all this through Clairvoyance, gave off a silent aura. It felt like she had a lot to say yet chose to hold back.
Sorry, Saintess, but the show isn’t over yet.
sdsc.gg/reapercomics
“Since you’ve called comrade, I’d like to make a proposal to you—one to be kept secret.”
“Huh? A secret proposal...?”
“The responsibility for the nation’s downfall lies with the Anomalies, but your anger belongs solely to you, doesn’t it? Co with .”
I guided the still tearful Jo to the Inunaki Tunnel. He jumped when he saw the casino thriving at the tunnel entrance.
“What is this place?! A den of evil where vile Anomalies run an illegal gambling den!”
Surprisingly, Jo had never visited the Dream Casino, which was popular among both Awakeners and the ordinary citizenry. In a way, he seed to hate Anomalies more than most Awakeners. He was truly an impressive man.
“Oh. Everyone thinks that way. But it’s always darkest under the lamp. Mr. Jo. Keep your eyes on the ground and follow only my footsteps.”
Following the steps known only to mbers of the Regression Alliance, we soon arrived at the depths of Inunak, my hideout.
Jo’s eyes widened. “Wh-what is this place...?”
“Let introduce you.”
The hideout’s interior was a bit different than my usual fare. Unlike in previous cycles, where it was built to maximize the convenience and welfare of guild mbers, this cycle’s hideout was... well, a bit shabby. The lighting was indirect, making it oddly dim. The tables and chairs were all old antiques, and the wallpaper gave off a musty sll. And one detail stood out above all the rest.
The Third Provisional Governnt of South Korea
An old-fashioned plaque hung on the wall.
“This is the true workplace of the Undertaker. The base of our independence resistance army, where we will dedicate nothing but blood and sweat until the day the Korean Peninsula is liberated from the Puppet State.”
Jo trembled as if struck by lightning. “Th-then, the reason you supported my project and helped complete the opinion polls...!”
“Yes. As you’ve guessed, it’s because I was convinced that your project aligned with the ideology of our resistance.”
Actually, it just looked interesting.
“Then the reason soone as noble as you associated with a dictator like Noh Do-hwa...!”
“Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Noh Do-hwa, the head of the Managent Corps, has no idea that I’m leading a branch of the resistance.”
Actually, I was the one who forced Do-hwa into the position of Managent Corps leader when she didn’t want it.
“Now,” I began, moving the topic in a different direction, “there are many people to introduce today. This is Yu Ji-won, the team leader of the Operations Control Room, part of the National Road Managent Corps.”
“Nice to et you, Mr. Jo Yeong-su.”
Ji-won walked over from where she had been waiting and shook Jo’s hand. His eyes watered.
“What?! But y-you’re Yu Ji-won, the loyal subordinate of the dictator Noh Do-hwa and the leader of the secret police who oppressed countless people!”
“That was all a disguise.”
On the other hand, Ji-won answered expressionlessly, without batting an eye.
“My loyalty lies solely with one person—not Noh Do-hwa, the head of the Managent Corps, but the Undertaker here.”
“Wh-what...?”
“The core of a dictatorship lies in its intelligence and military organizations. I, Yu Ji-won, have firmly taken control of the Operations Control Room, which combines both. Noh Do-hwa may be a dictator, but she’s on humanity’s side. Our true goal is to use the power of the National Road Managent Corps to fight against the world’s main enemy, the Anomalies.”
Then, with appropriate gravity, she murmured, “For the day the Korean Peninsula is liberated.”
Jo was already at risk of a heart attack from shock overload, but sorry to him, the show wasn’t over yet.
“Mr. Jo,” I called, directing his attention to soone new. “This child here is Lee Ha-yul. She’s known as the Puppeteer.”
“Puppeteer...?”
“Let introduce her. The daughter of Jeong Sang-guk, the head of the Second Provisional Governnt. His only successor.”
“Wh-what...?” Jo stuttered, stunned.
Ha-yul skillfully manipulated a puppet to speak.
[Nice to et you.]
[I’m Lee Ha-yul, carrying on my father’s will and working for the provisional governnt.]
[Let’s work together to achieve our goals.]
Ha-yul’s poker face was also top-notch. When it ca to expressionless faces in our Regression Alliance, the Saintess, Yu Ji-won, and Lee Ha-yul were always ntioned.
[I have fully inherited the network my father established in the Japanese archipelago.]
[I act as a diator between the Korean Peninsula and the archipelago, organizing the resistance as a united front.]
[Let’s be comrades-in-arms.]
[For the greater cause. For the day humanity is liberated.]
“Ahhh...!” Jo cried, falling to his knees. “There was still hope in this land! I, Jo Yeong-su, had no idea such wonderful people were fighting underground, and all I did was lant the future of the nation! Now I feel ashad of my entire life!”
“No.” I knelt down with him and firmly grasped his hands. “You weren’t all talk. You protested in front of the Tower of Babel every day, condemning Noh Do-hwa, the head of the Managent Corps, and ran around gathering public opinion. Why bla yourself?”
“Now, Mr. Undertaker.”
“Please join the resistance. Although victory over the Anomalies that have engulfed the world is still far off, with your help, humanity will undoubtedly take one more step forward.”
He burst into tears. Today, his tear ducts were like faucets. Turn them on, and they flowed.
“I... I see! If this old man’s life can be of any use, I’ll gladly give it!”
He was on board.
Jo Yeong-su was the key to my plan. The Anomaly State—or rather, the Puppet State—that had descended upon the Korean Peninsula was undoubtedly relying on his declaration of the end of South Korea.
All rituals require procedure.
If the Puppet State Anomaly had piggybacked on Jo Yeong-su to subtly swallow up the void left by the Korean state, then it would also have to be influenced by his decisions in kind. Thus, “South Korea was forcibly destroyed by Anomalies” (a fact) and “an underground resistance was ford to reclaim the lost holand” (also a fact). As a result, mbers of the Regression Alliance along with other participating parties were freed from the Puppet State’s common sense alteration brainwashing.
Why?
Even if we made good use of the infrastructure of society, it was rely a ans for independence and resistance. Resistance mbers were never truly citizens of the Puppet State. QED.
‘Am I a genius?’
For the first ti in a while, I couldn’t resist the urge to take a mont to praise myself for my own brilliance. Although I had received advice from Cheon Yo-hwa and Ji-won, the credit for developing the thod to break the ritual was mine.
“Thank you, Mr. Jo. Your dedication will surely be rewarded. For the greater cause. For the day humanity is liberated.”
“For the greater cause! For the day humanity is liberated!”
It was the mont when my organization, which had been called simply “my guild” or “guild hideout,” officially gained the na “resistance.”
As we were sharing a touching embrace among us proud children of Korea, the Saintess’s Telepathy reached .
[...Sotis, I really feel overwheld being with you, Mr. Undertaker.]
That, too, was a small sacrifice for the greater cause.
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