I’m an Infinite Regressor, But I’ve Got Stories to Tell

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◈ I’m an Infinite Regressor, But I’ve Got Stories to Tell

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The Skeptic VII

“You seem especially unfocused on your studies today, Mr. Undertaker.”

“Ah.”

I lifted my head.

The Saintess and I were at her residence in Yongsan, an aquatic temple of sorts where the shadows of fish flickered past in glass tanks.

In the heart of her temple, the Saintess of National Salvation was gazing quietly in my direction, a book titled The Source of Normativity held in hand.[1]

I hesitated. “Thank you. But I think I need to sort out my thoughts on my own for now. I’ll definitely ask for counseling later.”

“All right, I understand.”

I went back to looking down at the book.

My conversation with Go Yuri was on hold for the moment. The revelation that “Leviathan” and the “Puppet State” were in fact the same Anomaly had been a shock to my system. Plus, I first had to take care of the study session I’d promised the Saintess.

“Well then, I’ll read the next paragraph.” The Saintess’s gentle voice flowed like water as she read, “‘The commonality between Neo-Kantian arguments and Hobbesian arguments is as follows: both presuppose that each individual acts according to their own sense of reason...’”

Letting my mind follow that hushed rhythm, I began thinking about something else, all on my own.

Leviathan.

Looking back, Leviathan also possessed an incredibly wide-range brainwashing ability.

Back in the 664th cycle, when hundreds of sailors were trapped inside the Super Monsoon Anomaly, they all complained of severe mental contamination. Even Ha-yul, who was with me then, couldn’t remain unaffected.

- When we were submerged and turning into frogs, I felt strange.

- I felt nostalgic. Happy. I couldn’t breathe through my nose or mouth and yet... I felt it through my whole body.

- It felt like I was breathing through my skin, and that by just breathing, everything that makes me “me” opened wide up. Like I was becoming one with the world...”

That was it.

Ha-yul’s testimony contained a clue: a sense of oneness. It was the sensation of merging with something far bigger than oneself. Intoxication. The pleasure of self-forgetting.

For humans, that sort of euphoria is most readily found when identifying with a crowd. To view it through a negative lens, the iconic case of this would be Nazism.

The illusion that oneself and the State are fused into a single body—that alone yields a potent rush of intoxication. So if we assumed that the root identity of Leviathan was “the State,” then the frustration that had been bottling up, like a jammed holiday highway, suddenly cleared.

‘That’s right... Leviathan’s mental contamination was strong enough to beguile my companions. Very few can pull off such intense brainwashing.’

Even so, there remained one mystery, lodged in my mind like fog clinging to a rainy road.

‘I understand that Leviathan is dangerous. Maybe it’s even grown to an Outer God-class threat level. But... why is Go Yuri so wary of it?’

Because it was an Outer God? That kind of reasoning wouldn’t cut it.

Even when Cheon Yo-hwa had seized both the Infinite Void and the Mastermind at the same time, Go Yuri never showed herself. If it were just about an Outer God-level threat, Cheon Yo-hwa back then would have been impossible to ignore. Indeed, Cheon Yo-hwa had even used her simulation ability to “duplicate” as many as 5,427 copies of Go Yuri. Though she had then gone on to scramble for her life at the sight of the Pink Legion, she still mocked Go Yuri’s very presence.

‘Even then, Go Yuri didn’t contact me directly or warn me about Cheon Yo-hwa. Then why? Why is Leviathan the exception?’

If I could solve that mystery, I might also glean a clue about the true identity of Go Yuri, who I’d always kept at a distance and avoided.

“Ah.”

The Saintess’s voice brought me back to reality.

“It’s raining.”

“Pardon?” I looked out the window. Sunlight was still streaming through a gap in the blackout curtains, and I couldn’t hear any rain. “I’m sorry, Saintess. Were you making a metaphor about rain?”

“No, it’s actually raining. It started in the waters off Busan about a minute ago.”

Oh, right. She could see it with Clairvoyance.

Still, I tilted my head slightly. Why tell me about rain in Busan specifically? Was she offering to lend me an umbrella for the trip?

The Saintess parted her lips to speak.

“It’s reached Gimhae now. Yeosu. Daegu. Pohang. Gwangju. Jeonju. Daejeon. Sejong. Suwon...”

The average speed of a rain cloud was around 30 km/h, yet the Saintess listed the cities one by one in precise order, reporting the raincloud moving north.

“And...”

Plip.

“Seoul.”

Patter-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r...

A few seconds ago, the sky beyond the window had been all sunlight. Now, out of nowhere, raindrops were pelting the glass.

I could no longer hear the pages of the Saintess’s book turning or the low hum of the computer. Everything was drowned out by the deafening sound, leaving room only for the rain’s din until the boundary between inside and outside blurred. The window filtered out the physical rainwater, leaving only the sound—but that sound alone was enough to drench a person’s very soul.

“It’s already reached Sinuiju as well... All of Korea has been blanketed by rain, Mr. Undertaker.”

I checked the calendar on my phone.

April. Usually, that was the time for spring breezes.

‘Go Yuri warned me that Leviathan would make landfall this summer...’

It was still a ways off from monsoon season, so why was it raining today?

‘This isn’t the full effect of the typhoon. It’s just the preliminary showers. Yet even this indirect front is enough to drench the entire Korean Peninsula.’

I held my tongue, staying quiet.

The longest summer was coming.

https://dsc.gg/reapercomics

“Damn it. This rain is so fucking nasty...”

Bang!

Noh Do-hwa slammed open the door and walked in, muttering obscenities as her white doctor’s coat dripped onto the entryway floor, the fabric soaked clean through like a cheap raincoat.

“That’s why I told you to train your Aura on the regular,” I said, skipping the greetings. “Everyone else is walking around just fine in transparent Aura raincoats, so the NRMC Commander stands out, looking like a drowned rat.”

“I have zero interest in relying on that suspicious power you people call Aura. The thought of exerting physical force with mere will? Hah, I fail to see how that’s any different from an Anomaly...”

Do-hwa took the dry towel I handed her and roughly scrubbed down her hair. Meanwhile, I accepted her monocle with a practiced hand, rinsed it clean, and returned it.

“So, how’s the Sword Marquess doing?” I asked.

“You were right. He says these damned raindrops are making any crops that drink ‘em accumulate Void Poison at dangerous levels...”

“Hmm.”

When the rainy season began in April, I immediately called for an emergency mobilization of the Regressor Alliance. We had to rally all the resources and manpower we’d amassed so far if we wanted to survive this summer.

“I’m baaack!”

Dang Seo-rin came in right after Do-hwa. She was as neat and dry as ever, but the broom she flew on was drenched from top to bottom.

“Ugh, seriously. What’s with this rain? It’s all slimy and gooey—nearly fell off my broom mid-flight.”

“You did great. How’s it looking out there?”

“Mm, the Magical Girl Association says it’s raining over the entire Japanese archipelago. I haven’t personally checked Okinawa, but chances are it’s raining there too.”

“...So it’s everywhere.”

The Saintess even used Time Stop to travel across mainland China and back. It was the same non-stop downpour there, which meant nowhere near the peninsula was safe from Leviathan.

‘The rain is so heavy that we can’t rely on signal fires for scouting. And I’d bet good money it’s raining all across the Eurasian continent.’

The idea of evacuating civilians anywhere else was a non-starter, and we couldn’t repeat our old plan of building 12 Arks. That had only worked when we could limit Leviathan’s target to Busan, but this cycle’s Leviathan seemed hell-bent on sinking the entire world. Even the Himalayas might not be safe.

I bit my lip. “That leaves me no choice, then... Noh Do-hwa, we’ll evacuate everyone into the Inunaki Tunnel.”

“Huh? Can it handle that many people...?”

“We’ll make it handle them. Even if we have to expand the underground floors to 100, or even 1,000 levels. I’ll negotiate with Inunaki directly.”

“Uh... Are you sure about that, mister?” Dok-seo asked, sounding unsure.

I couldn’t blame her. Increasing the tunnel’s capacity basically meant letting the Inunaki Tunnel grow stronger.

“I know what you’re worried about. Using one Anomaly to escape another... It’s like paying off one credit card with another, but we have no choice. We have to secure a shelter for civilians, even if it means making sacrifices.”

Dok-seo clamped her mouth shut.

I looked around. “Once the people are inside, we’ll use Tutorial Fairies to put them all to sleep.”

“Hoh...”

“Who knows how long this monsoon could last? Pack millions of people into a closed environment, and you’ve got endless variables on your hands.”

“So you’ll just have them sleep, guaranteeing some semblance of comfortable living through their dreams... Not a bad plan.”

This wasn’t limited to only the Korean population. Japan, China, and possibly everyone beyond—anyone we could manage, we’d evacuate.

Except, of course, for the Awakeners who’d join our Leviathan Subjugation.

“Everyone,” I called out. All of my companions in the meeting room turned to look at me. “I know you’re all reeling from this unprecedented situation, but we must remain calm and act swiftly. Please use the Tutorial Fairies whenever you need rest or sleep. We have to maximize our waking hours. Every minute, every second, we stay active can save that many more lives. Don’t forget that.”

They nodded.

April and May raced by.

In places like Pyongyang or Sejong, where a single authority figure maintained clear control, evacuations went smoothly.

We hammered it home on SG Net, on radio broadcasts, and via telepathy from various Constellations—how perilous this summer would be, and why. Still, some people outright refused to evacuate.

There wasn’t much we could do about that. You can’t lead a person from water if the world has no breathing room left.

“Phew. We’ve evacuated all the residents in th-the Eastern Holy State...”

“Good job, Ah-ryeon.”

“Hehe. N-no, this just means I can finally ditch most of the Saintess work, s-so it’s actually a relief.”

Outside the tunnel entrance, lines of people snaked out like trails of ants. The cacophony of displaced souls made the whole city roar with noise.

“Don’t cut in line! Don’t cut in line! Please proceed in an orderly fashion to avoid any stampedes!”

“Group 31! Group 31! Those of you from Daegu, please move out now!”

Even in the pouring rain, members of the Samcheon World guild zipped around on flying brooms or soared overhead, trying to keep the crowds in check.

“Gosh, what a mess.”

“They say some terrifying sea dragon or whatever is coming. And it’s not just the North—the entire world’s in danger.”

“Don’t push! I said don’t push!”

“Mom, give me that bag. Why do you keep carrying it alone?”

“Everyone, do not drink the rainwater! Please be extra careful not to ingest any of it!”

It wasn’t just one city. The Inunaki Tunnel entrances in Seoul, Busan, and Kyushu were each swamped by enormous lines of refugees. Assigning a number to every city and controlling the population flow day by day was already stretching the administrative capacities of the National Road Management Corps, the Magical Girl Association, and others to their limit.

– Ooooooh...

Suddenly, from far off in the sky, there came a ghastly wail.

In an instant, the uproarious city fell silent. Tens of thousands of evacuees and Awakened alike all turned toward the southern sky.

– Gwoooooo...

– Oooooooh...

– Uwooooooo...

The sky-rattling roar gradually faded, lost to the white noise of pouring rain and the rising swell of whispers on the ground.

“Man, that’s creepy.”

“Hasn’t that sound been happening more often lately?”

“My brother’s an Awakener, he said that noise means the sea dragon or whatever is getting closer.”

The refugees moved on, but you could see a deep fear lurking in their expressions.

“Group 32! Group 32, move now! Those from Daejeon!”

“Don’t all rush forward at once! Two lines! Please form two lines, Daejeon group!”

The procession shuffled forward.

Unlike those of other cities, Awakeners and ordinary citizens alike from Daejeon were all remarkably orderly. Their eyes seemed somehow blank, vacant.

Right at the front of the line, pink hair shimmered brightly through the hazy rain.

Go Yuri glanced my way for a moment.

“...”

“...”

She smiled.

Go Yuri lightly pinched her skirt at the sides and offered a polite curtsy. I bowed my head in return.

“We have no choice. Let’s make a temporary alliance just for this cycle!”

“I still won’t forgive you!”

Some silly meme along those lines popped into my head.

I still had no idea what was going on in Go Yuri’s head, but it was better to choose a lesser evil than the worst scenario.

‘Just for this run. Once we figure out how to defeat Leviathan, we’ll keep our distance again next run.’

Suddenly, Dok-seo beside me started waving excitedly. “Ah! Yuri unnie! Heeey! Long time no seeee!”

“Wait...”

“Huh?” She paused as I pulled her back. “What is it, mister?”

“Why are you acting like you know Go Yuri? I mean, why greet her as if you two are close? This should be your first time ever meeting her face-to-face.”

“Eh?” Dok-seo asked with a tilt of her head. “What are you talking about, mister? Yuri unnie’s been one of our original crew since the Busan Station waiting-room days...

“She said she’d rather stay behind and help the ordinary folks who got stranded instead of living it up alongside you. But she’s still been commenting on my SG Net posts all the time. Of course I’m happy to see her! Man, you won’t find someone as genuine as Yuri unnie anywhere else...

“I mean, the Noh-Undertaker ship is great, but next in line is definitely the Go-Undertaker ship. Ha! Pink can be tricky to pair with other colors, but it goes perfect with black, don’t you think?”

“...Hmm.”

Choosing a lesser evil was better... Right?

Summer was coming.

Footnotes:

[1] In The Sources of Normativity, the author Christine Korsgaard identifies four schools of thought on what defines morality. The first school is what Hobbes believed, that those ordained with absolute authority like God or a tyrant dictate the boundaries of what is the common good. For those interested, the other three are (broadly) that there are objective truths and universal goods in the world, that the greater good of humanity determines what is good for the individual, or that morality is inherent and specific to each individual person (Kantian).