Discord: sdsc.gg/wetried
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Observer II
“……”
"Right?"
I didn't respond imdiately.
Honestly, I was a bit surprised—yet at the sa ti, admittedly, caught by intrigue.
While I had occasionally revealed that I was a 'regressor', it was rare for soone 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 eventually co looking for . Besides, you were slaying 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 plastic chair of the convenience store creaked as it scraped the ground.
Initially, I was rely curious about the existence of the 'Constellations'. But now, my interest had shifted more towards the human before .
"That's correct. Although I've been curious about the identities of the Constellations, 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 relationship."
"A cooperative relationship?"
"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 so backbone there.'
My eyes narrowed. "How interesting. Why can't you be sure I'm a regressor?"
"Because this sa situation could arise if you had the ability of Prophecy or even the mind-reading skill of Clairvoyance. So..." She bowed her head. "I'm sorry you had to co all the way to Seoul. I can't fully disclose what the Constellations 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 words or phrases that only a regressor would know. Even specific actions would do."
It was a thod 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 imdiately understood. "Ah, that's a great idea. Hmm. Then in the next cycle, please co here and lay 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 thod.
"Understood, Saintess of National Salvation."
"Ah... I'm sorry, but that nickna is a bit..."
"Everyone's code na among the Awakeners is just as childish. I let it slide and ended up with 'Undertaker' as my alias. 'Saintess' is dignified in comparison."
"How did 'Undertaker' even...?"
Whoops. I quickly got up from the table.
Again, I have an extre dislike for my alias. How I ended up with such a nickna is a story for another ti, ideally in the far future—or better yet, never.
"I'll be going now, Saintess. Until next ti."
"Oh, of course. I'll see you next ti. It was nice eting 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 et then go their separate ways, and after that day, I no longer received any ssages from the 'Constellations'.
To be honest, I found myself a bit disappointed. Soone 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 flatter the Constellations, but to prevent the world's destruction. I quickly pulled myself together and threw myself into the 35th run.
And I failed spectacularly.
If I had succeeded, 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 imdiately 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 their competitive 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, ssages from the Constellations 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 Constellations kept talking to 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 Constellations fell silent all at once.
I leaned back in the chair and drank convenience store coffee. The place had not been looted yet, so the products were intact.
It wasn't long before soone approached the convenience store.
It was a woman with a hiking backpack on her back. Judging by the length of cycles, I had t 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 accustod to farewells and reunions.
Only this ti, I was the one waiting to greet her.
"Excuse , 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 ."
Finally, it was ti for the truth of the Constellations 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 places in Korea.
"Please, co 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, four computer 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 subrged in water.
Along the walls were large 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 glass 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 ti."
"Yeah."
The Saintess seated on a sofa, then pulled up a computer chair for herself. "Should I call you 'Regressor'?"
"Call whatever is comfortable for you. My alias is Undertaker."
"All right, Mr. Undertaker. How many tis have we t?"
"This is the second ti."
"The second ti," the Saintess muttered softly. "So, this is practically our first eting. I wouldn't have explained anything during the previous cycle, right?"
"That's correct."
"There seems to be a lot I need to clarify. Where should I start?"
"I'd like to ask about the Constellations first. What exactly are the Constellations? Are they truly transcendental beings? Are you an agent of the Constellations?"
"......"
The Saintess licked her lips, not from hesitation but as if she were choosing her words carefully. Finally, she spoke.
"The Constellations... 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 sowhat surprising.
I had considered the hypothesis that the Constellations might be fictitious entities. However, I hadn't anticipated that the person before 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 re fantasies."
I nodded.
That was a common experience among many who awakened just before the gates burst open across the world— a kind of precognitive dream.
"For so 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, sothing that only I could do."
The Saintess looked directly at .
"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 defy common sense. Can people who receive such powers really unite, act virtuously, and at the very least, restrain themselves from committing cris?"
Shadows of fish flowed across the living room floor.
Her voice seeped into the shadows.
For a mont, I was caught in a feeling similar to those careless dives during childhood baths. Her gaze seed to lower the depth of this place.
"I decided not."
"......"
"If a powerful person appeared and could unite the Awakeners, that would be one thing, but that involves countless trials and ti. 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 mont, a certain hypothesis flashed through my mind.
I stared into the Saintess's deep black eyes.
Pupils that seed not to blink even if subrged in water.
"Could it be?"
"......"
She nodded slightly.
"Mr. Undertaker. When do people hesitate to commit evil acts? It's when they think soone is watching."
"The Constellations."
"Yes."
I was stunned.
The Saintess continued.
"People easily violate order if they are confident they can hide or mitigate their cris. However, if they believe a transcendental being is always watching them, even soone who has awakened would hesitate to commit evil acts."
"My goodness."
"That's why I created the Constellations."
It felt like receiving a series of ntal punches.
It was surprising enough that the Saintess of National Salvation who had watched all this ti was a fabrication, but that all of it was born from one person's ticulous planning was utterly shocking.
"But how did you even create the Constellations?"
"It's thanks to my abilities. I can use Clairvoyance and Telepathy."
She outlined her abilities:
1. Clairvoyance: 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 with new eyes.
If conditions were right, she could lead a guild like Samcheon or Baekhwa, becoming 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 it cos 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 mories from past runs.
Even as the world was on the brink of ending, the Constellations had not stopped sending ssages to the Awakeners in Korea. Whether it was 4, 7, or 10 years in any run, the Constellations remained active.
I thought about the hardships the Awakeners before must have faced to maintain that façade. Many challenges, no doubt. Clairvoyance and Telepathy were great abilities, but they weren't directly helpful in combat. What's more, Yongsan was a frontline area facing a super-large Gate. Many forces would vie for control here in the future.
"How about it, Mr. Regressor?"
This Awakener, who had overco countless adversities and survived to the very end, now looked at 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 .
After a brief silence, I answered.
"Yes. Perfectly. Even I, a regressor, was completely deceived."
"......"
"Thanks to you, the cri rate among Awakeners in this country was exceptionally low. It was relatively 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 ntioned 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 relatively 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 so reason, that sigh sounded to my ears like a goldfish that had spent a very long ti in the depths suddenly coming up to the surface to blow bubbles.
Afterwards, we discussed in detail how we would work together.
I think our relationship 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 imdiately waved my hands. "No, Hero is a bit... Just call Undertaker."
The title 'Hero' was not just embarrassing but related to a certain psychological disorder, which I preferred to avoid. I'll talk about this strange ntal illness later.
"Sure, I'll call you Mr. Undertaker, then."
"Good, I'm glad that works. Just one thing." As we were about to part, I asked, "Isn't it impossible to act as the Constellations with just Clairvoyance and Telepathy? You'd need to observe multiple people simultaneously and send ssages. Don't you have another ability?"
"Ah, well..."
The Saintess hesitated, then smiled faintly.
"That… is a secret. I'll tell you later."
Unfortunately, the 'later' the Saintess ntioned did not an within the tiline of the 36th cycle.
I still needed many more cycles before I could uncover her last secret.
This story has an epilogue.
Starting from my 36th run, forming an alliance with the Saintess imdiately upon regression beca a standard tech tree, akin to an opening move in Go.
Except for the early stages of a new regression, it had beco practically unheard of for the Constellations to send their ‘innurable 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 ssage window popped up before my eyes for the first ti in a long while.
[The Administrator of the Cosmic taga announces the occurrence of a new event.]
I blinked.
The na of the Constellation was entirely unfamiliar to .
A cosmic ga? Does it an ‘the one who oversees the gaplay of all things’?
‘The Saintess must have been bored and played a prank.’
Thinking it was quite a rare event, I nonchalantly dismissed the ssage. After all, the ssage only appeared once and then disappeared.
A few days later, when I t the Saintess, I brought it up.
I wasn’t particularly curious, just using it as an icebreaker during a strategy eting.
“Oh, by the way, why did you suddenly impersonate a strange Constellation a few days ago?”
“Pardon?”
“A week ago. You sent a ssage under the na ‘The Administrator of the Cosmic taga’. I was a bit surprised to see you make a mistake. Did you perhaps send a ssage ant for another awakener to by accident?”
“…?”
The Saintess tilted her head.
“I never sent such a ssage.”
“What?”
“I’ve never created a Constellation called ‘The Administrator of the Cosmic taga’ in the first place.”
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 so 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 seed there were still many unknown mysteries in this world that I had yet to uncover.
Footnotes:
[1] Samcheon literally ans “Three Thousand” and Baekwha “A Hundred Flowers”, though they work in Korean, they don’t in English for guild nas, so I’m leaving these as romanisations as it feels appropriate knowing they’re both Korean guilds in context.
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Discord: sdsc.gg/wetried
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