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 Hypocrite VIII

There is an epilogue.

“Ah, oh my! How did you end up with such injuries?! My goodness, not a single part of your body is unscathed!”

We quietly went to receive treatment from Ah-ryeon.

For the record, every joint in Ji-won’s body was broken and she couldn’t move on her own. I had to carry her all the way back to the hideout.

“Honestly! With injuries this severe, not even my abilities can heal them all at once. Here, does this hurt?”

“Ah! Oh no, it does hurt, doesn’t it? I’m so sorry... Then what about here?”

“Grgh!”

“Oh dear, this hurts too... Poor thing. Oh no, our poor Operations Team Leader. What ever shall we do with you?”

Ah-ryeon was tough on the weak but subservient to the strong. She didn’t miss the chance to tease Ji-won, who had temporarily become one of the “weak.” Under the guise of treatment, she poked at wounds and pressed them firmly with her bare hands. It was so blatant that even I, lying on the adjacent bed, was left speechless.

Ji-won endured it for about five minutes before finally speaking out.

“Ah-ryeon...”

“Hm?”

“To confess the truth, I am a psychopath.”

“Huh?”

“I committed my first murder in middle school. It was my family—two people. After killing one, I framed the other and made it look like they had fled during the night, then I killed them in turn.”

No response.

“Looking at you now, Ah-ryeon, I’m reminded of my family. I must feel some instinctive kinship with you... If you’ll allow it, I’d like to treat you as my little sister from now on. Would you be willing to call me your elder sister?”

“Ah, n-no... I’m fine...”

“I see. That’s unfortunate.”

Ah-ryeon clamped her mouth shut and focused on the treatment.

When dawn next broke, an SG Net user called OldManGoryeo posted a thread titled “That Silver-Haired Jinx from the National Road Management Corps.” It probably had nothing to do with the earlier incident.

Ji-won and I met again once our bodies had fully healed.

“Your Excellency, I apologize for the trouble I’ve caused you thus far. I will take full responsibility for cleaning up the Misfortune Workshop, so please rest assured.”

“Just to check, how exactly do you plan to handle the cleanup?”

“Certainly. I intend to—”

She detailed various methods, ranging from memory erasure, brainwashing, evidence destruction, media manipulation, witness intimidation, confinement, and silencing, all through Cheon Yo-hwa. Naturally, she showed no sign of remorse.

“I see,” I said when she had gone through her list. “That’s very you.”

“Thank you. I will begin the follow-up immediately.”

“That wasn’t a compliment. Stay out of it.”

“Pardon?”

“Do-hwa and I will handle it. You just stay put.”

Ji-won tilted her head in confusion. “I don’t wish to trouble you further. May I ask how you intend to proceed?”

Like so.

Notice

From: Noh Do-hwa

It has been confirmed that Yu Ji-won, the operations team leader of the National Road Management Corps, has abducted 173 civilians across the Korean Peninsula, including Busan, over the past two years and seven months. Of the 173 civilians, 13 have died. The remaining 160 are reporting severe psychological trauma.

The National Road Management Corps immediately arrested Ji-won upon obtaining this information and confined her in the headquarters’ underground prison.

I, Noh Do-hwa, take full responsibility for this incident as the leader of the National Road Management Corps. As such, I am resigning from my position as Corps Leader and passing the role to Dang Seo-rin of the Samcheon Guild.

Additionally, the Undertaker, who recommended Yu Ji-won as team leader, will also be removed from his post and reassigned to the penal unit.

For the remaining 160 victims, secure housing with thorough protection will be provided in Busan, and dedicated Tutorial Fairies will be assigned to help them recover from their trauma.

This concludes my statement.

SG Net exploded.

- Anonymous: ? Noh Do-hwa—the actual corps leader?

- Anonymous: But the corps leader doesn’t use SG Net.

└ ForbiddenBooksDepartment17: This is legit. Posters with the same announcement were plastered all over the National Road Management Corps headquarters this morning.

└ Anonymous: ???

└ [Baekhwa] NewspaperDepartment2: So does this mean the Great Witch is now officially the corps leader?

- [Samcheon] MeteorIsIceMagic: lol I’m at the guild headquarters, and they’re handing out corps uniforms here

- [Samcheon] MeteorIsIceMagic: everyone including the witches are totally confused lol

└ Anonymous: This guy went from guild member to corps slave. Why is he laughing?

└ Anonymous: Because now he doesn’t need to cosplay as a witch anymore... oops

└ Anonymous: Ah.

- OldManGoryeo: These people are always boasting about protecting humanity, but their operations team leader was kidnapping civilians. Morons.

- 趙泳洙: “The people's will is the heavens’ will. The corps must thoroughly investigate this matter and ensure justice is served.”

- Anonymous: But if Noh Do-hwa steps down, doesn’t that screw us over? With the Constellations already failing, can the corps even hold up?

The public was in uproar.

“Why?”

Even Ji-won seemed startled.

“Your Excellency, why make such a reckless move?”

“Reckless?”

“Yes. I specifically targeted civilians with no close ties. No one would miss them. A little effort, and we could have easily erased this incident from existence.”

I silently looked at Ji-won. She paused.

“Ah. So it’s the same logic as before—when you said you refused to become Corrupted. Even if the events are erased, they’ll remain in your memory as the Undertaker.”

“Exactly.”

“But it’s still a foolish choice. With the Saintess gone and now Noh Do-hwa stepping down, the system will collapse.”

It didn’t.

The National Road Management Corps experienced some turmoil, but Do-hwa had often joked about quitting her "crappy job" any day. Many within the corps had mentally prepared for such a scenario. Plus, I had already made contingency plans, ensuring Seo-rin would immediately inherit power if Do-hwa died or resigned. The overlapping locations of the Samcheon Guild’s stronghold and the National Road Management Corps headquarters in Busan were deliberate—precisely for moments like these.

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“Thanks, Undertaker. Without the manual you gave me, I would’ve died of overwork,” said Seo-rin as she pointed to a black, untitled notebook. It contained 600 meticulously detailed pieces of advice for her.

“I’m glad it helped even a little.”

“I never expected you to anticipate this outcome. Reading the notes, it feels like I wrote them myself. It’s almost unsettling how well you know me.”

I chuckled dryly.

The notebook compiled insights accumulated over countless cycles, with its core guidance inspired by the 173rd cycle, when Seo-rin had created a dystopian utopia in Busan after falling into Corruption.

“By the way, I’ve been considering replacing the corps uniforms with witch robes. What do you think, Undertaker?”

Fortunately, we managed to preserve some dignity for the corps members.

Ji-won and I were assigned to the penal unit. Ha-yul and Dok-seo also joined, under the pretext of disguising their crimes. The existing prisoners scowled at the new arrivals.

“Huh? Who’s this brat?”

“...”

“Oh? Glaring at me, huh? You think I’ll go easy on you because you’re a kid? Huh? Oh? Owwww!”

The existing prisoners quickly fell in line after encountering Ha-yul.

In hindsight, Ha-yul and Ji-won had similar backgrounds—both had first spilled the blood of family members. When left unchecked, Ha-yul would go on to massacre her father and even members of the Second Provisional Government.

When it came to their designation as serial killers, Ha-yul’s potential rivaled Ji-won’s.

“Ah, this is heaven...”

Do-hwa retired and opened a personal rehabilitation center and forge. Occasionally, she visited the underground prison to mock me. Her well-rested appearance practically glowed.

“If I’d known it’d be this easy, I’d have quit ages ago and dumped the job on the Samcheon guild leader.”

“This arrangement won’t last long. The system will likely collapse within seven years.”

“Not my problem.”

I didn’t grace that with a response.

“By the way, tell Ji-won thanks. And if possible, I hope she pulls a similar stunt next cycle. Who’d have guessed my retirement would be all thanks to her?”

Although the Saintess’s death and Do-hwa’s resignation didn’t destabilize the system entirely, they accelerated its decline. Where it might have lasted a few more years, its collapse now loomed closer.

My world travel plans also fell through, as I spent every day responding to crises as the ace of the penal unit, though that also meant we managed to mitigate the damage.

I wanted Ji-won to see it—a battlefield littered with defeated Anomalies and shattered caravans, where our swift intervention minimized casualties.

After the battle, Ji-won stood silently, gazing at the world.

I patted her shoulder. “What do you think? It’s bearable, isn’t it?”

Ji-won looked back at the unit.

The setting sun bathed the carnage in an orange glow. Yesterday’s battle had been grueling, leaving Dok-seo whining and Ha-yul methodically retrieving puppet strings. It was a twisted but undeniable routine.

“Yes,” Ji-won acknowledged with a nod. “It’s exhausting and overwhelming, but the world won’t end tomorrow.”

“You’re not alone, Ji-won.” When she didn’t reply, I continued. “No one is. For every step you take, others are supporting you. And no matter what you’ve done, I at least am ready to share the responsibility with you.”

“Responsibility.”

“Yes, responsibility.”

Again, she went quiet.

“Can you keep your promises? Can you bear the consequences? For me, that’s the measure of humanity. And Ji-won, you’re as human as anyone else.”

Ji-won stayed silent. The silver-haired girl, who had learned to kill before she could connect with others, flexed and curled her fingers repeatedly.

Without thinking, I reached out and held her hovering hand.

“Promise me one thing.”

“What kind of promise?”

“I won’t ask you to stop killing.” I smiled, then said, “But if you do, tell me first. Convince me. If you can, I’ll help you kill them.”

“There’s no way I could convince you.” A faint breeze of laughter touched her lips. “But fine. I promise.”

“Even binding the next cycle’s version of you?”

“Hm. I suppose that depends on her opinion, but she’ll likely agree.”

Then, Ji-won gently squeezed my hand.

“I was born without a heart... For every beat my heart doesn’t make, let yours beat in its place. For every good deed I fail to do, let yours make up for it.”

She lowered her head.

“I will simply follow in your footsteps.”

Softly, she placed a light kiss on my middle finger. The setting sun slid gently between us.

“Let this hypocrite strive for goodness, Your Excellency.”

I thought that was the sound of human Ji-won’s heart.

Footnotes:

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