The Tales of an Infinite Regressor

[Translator - Jjescus]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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Chapter 240: Monad II

3

Fragment of the Second Monad.

"Brother."

"Oh, Seo Gyu."

"I... this Seo Gyu is the mastermind behind everything. Hehe."

"......"

This time, it’s a short piece related to 'Mastermind Syndrome.'

'Not this pattern again.'

I sighed.

In case anyone forgot, Mastermind Syndrome refers to a bizarre phenomenon where:

'One firmly believes that they manipulated all the tragedies from behind the scenes, ensuring the world's destruction.'

So, when and how does one get infected with Mastermind Syndrome?

The conditions are quite simple. You just have to survive until the end with me, the Doctor Jang, and then cheerfully declare, "Tonight's dinner is chicken!"

Naturally, the more outgoing you were, the less likely you were to survive.

Awakened individuals who always fought outside against anomalies, like Tang Seorin or Cheon Yohwa, had an extremely low chance of contracting Mastermind Syndrome. After all, you had to survive first before worrying about getting infected.

On the other hand, our guild’s proud introvert alliance got selected as masterminds so often it was almost routine.

People like Sim Aryeon, who didn’t take the 'Northern Saintess Route,' or Lee Hayul, who wasn’t dragged away by her restless fate, or Oh Dokseo, who spent decades in seclusion after her series got discontinued...

Seo Gyu was also a strong candidate, even though he wasn’t exactly an introvert.

The guy was holed up in the hideout all year turn, and his daily routine consisted of [Sleep] [Eat] [Weightlifting] [Eat] [Managing the Cyber-Anomaly Prison] [Eat], and that was it.

"Right, Seo Gyu. Though you would’ve been decapitated by a fairy at Busan Station if I hadn’t saved you, somehow, you’re now the mastermind behind all the tragedies on Earth, orchestrating mass murders."

"Hehe, you know me well, brother."

Normally, I would’ve smashed Seo Gyu’s head in and moved on to the next turn.

But that day, precisely at the end of the 682nd turn, I felt a strange curiosity.

The turn was already a failure anyway. I figured I might as well hang out with Seo Gyu, who was always full of nonsense, for a bit longer.

Without much thought, without any serious intent or purpose, I asked:

"Just one question. You would've been eliminated in the early stages without me, so how do you claim to have orchestrated and controlled everything? If you die, it’s over, right?"

"That’s a foolish question, brother."

To my surprise, Seo Gyu answered confidently.

"Of course, my death was part of my plan."

"What?"

"Think about it. Hehe. If I died, it would mean that you, brother, didn’t have the strength to defeat the Tutorial Fairy in an instant. Or it would mean that you had the kind of personality that would passively watch civilians get slaughtered."

"......"

"In such a world, there’s no way I could succeed as a mastermind. I can only thrive as a mastermind in a world where there exists someone strong enough to defeat the anomalies and yet kind enough to care about those around them. In other words, I could only survive by leeching off the stage you created, brother."

Seo Gyu clicked his tongue.

"Why would I bother striving for glory in a world that didn’t meet these conditions?"

"What."

"Brother, right after the anomalies arrived and we were dropped into the Tutorial Dungeon, I quickly made a decision. Either I would become the mastermind controlling all the world’s evils—or I’d die here and escape all the suffering early."

"......"

I was dumbfounded. Why did this sound oddly convincing?

"No, but... you didn’t even know your ability was ubiquitous. You couldn’t even awaken without my help. Even if you survived and joined my guild, what guarantee is there that you’d succeed as a mastermind?"

"Hehe."

Seo Gyu smiled mysteriously—a sound that had never once been permitted to a muscular man in human history.

My desire to beat him up clashed with my curiosity about how far he could twist his nonsense. Since I could beat him up anytime, curiosity won out.

"Did I really not know?"

"What?"

"I awakened my ability in the very early stages. But you, brother, had no way of knowing whether I awakened or not... The longer I delayed revealing my awakening, the more you’d let your guard down around me."

"Gasp."

"I could manipulate the timing of my awakening at will. You were bound to trust me and give me an important position. It’s like the art of survival, like Jia Xu from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

"...?"

It’s... convincing!

He even referenced Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the greatest classic ever, making him seem suddenly more credible. It was like I was under a spell, listening to his masterful lecture.

"I subtly incited the anomalies without you or the saintess noticing. For instance, you ordered me to keep Romance of the Three Kingdoms playing on the smartphone 24/7, right?"

"Don’t tell me—"

"That’s right. I intentionally turned off the smartphone for a bit or slightly altered the recorded content, subtly guiding you towards summoning the 'Savior Narrative Anomaly.' Hehe. Maybe it wasn’t perfect, but I would’ve influenced you and those around you in small ways..."

"...!"

"I made many strategic moves behind the scenes. Brother, I orchestrated the world's end."

For about three hours, I listened to Seo Gyu's long speech about how awesome his mastermind act had been.

"That’s interesting, Seo Gyu. It was really fun."

"Hehe. Finally, you're acknowledging how amazing I—"

"See you next time."

Slice!

Seo Gyu was cut in half.

It was almost disappointing that no one was left to criticize me for killing him, as the world was on the verge of ending.

'Could it really be true?'

I paused and delayed my death.

While dodging the endless monster waves, I searched for the evidence Seo Gyu (Mastermind Version) had claimed to leave behind.

And to my amazement, I discovered something surprising.

'...There’s a chance he’s telling the truth.'

For instance, the possibility that Seo Gyu had lied about his awakening timing.

I had no way to prove whether it was true or false. It was like not being able to observe the crown prince's life without opening the rice chest.

His claim that he intentionally triggered the Savior Narrative Syndrome was also the same.

In the 682nd turn, my companions did seem a little more attached to me, a little more obsessed with and reverent towards me than usual.

It wasn’t enough to definitively say, "This is all because of Savior Narrative Syndrome."

But on the other hand, I couldn’t definitively say, "Savior Narrative Syndrome had no effect this turn," either.

I muttered to myself.

"It’s like the proof of the devil."

Whether Seo Gyu had truly acted as a mastermind, whether he had malice or not, was now impossible to prove.

No one, except Seo Gyu himself, could have known his actions or intentions.

A crime no one could prove.

That void of knowledge is what we called emptiness. Mastermind Syndrome turned out to be a surprisingly fitting anomaly of the void.

It was no longer just meaningless nonsense.

"......"

It was now worth testing.

Thus, in the next turn.

This time, I made a special request to the Saintess.

[So, what you're asking is... for me to observe a person named Seo Gyu more closely?]

"Yes, that's right. There's something I need to confirm at the end of this turn. Even the slightest suspicion will do, so please let me know if you notice anything unusual."

[Got it. I'll raise Seo Gyu's observation level to 10 seconds.]

The Saintess had her own system of categorizing the observation levels of Awakened individuals, from "24 hours" to "10 seconds."

[Translator - Jjescus]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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At the 24-hour observation level, she would observe them once a day with her clairvoyant eyes.

On the other hand, the 10-second observation level meant she observed them every 10 seconds or even more frequently.

Of course, the number of Awakened individuals assigned to the 10-second observation level was extremely small.

Seo Gyu, who was originally at the 10-minute observation level, was temporarily elevated to the highest risk level for this turn.

"Is everything still quiet?"

[Yes, nothing out of the ordinary. I haven't detected any signs of him deliberately releasing monsters from the cyber prison. From what I can tell, Seo Gyu is a loyal companion to you, Doctor Jang.]

"......"

[I'm not sure why you're suddenly suspecting Seo Gyu of being the mastermind, but for now, that's all I can report. I'll keep watching.]

The observation level continued until the end of the 683rd turn.

In the end, the only survivors were me, the Saintess, and Seo Gyu.

Seo Gyu clicked his tongue as we looked down at a world being consumed by the monster wave.

"Wow. Once that starts spreading, there really is no stopping it. How did that woman Aryeon manage to hold them off alone for years...?"

"Seo Gyu. Don’t you feel like laughing all of a sudden? Like, ‘heh heh,’ or something?"

"Pardon?"

"Have you, at any point, felt the sudden thought that you were behind everything that happened?"

"...I don’t know what you’re talking about, boss."

"Hmm."

Failure.

Perhaps this whole "Mastermind Syndrome" wasn’t something worth worrying about after all.

But then, a thin line appeared across Seo Gyu’s neck.

“Huh?”

Seo Gyu reached for his neck with his thick hands. Blink. His gaze turned to me.

"Boss――."

Thud. His head rolled to the floor.

"......"

"Oops. Sorry about that, Doctor Jang."

The Saintess, now holding an axe, wiped the blood off and smiled brightly. It was an utterly foreign expression on her usually stoic face.

"Surprised?"

"...In a way."

"It must have been, what, 20 years ago in your time, right? When you told me to watch Seo Gyu, claiming he was the mastermind? I was a bit surprised at the time. You were suspicious of those closest to you."

I rubbed my forehead.

"So this time, it’s the Saintess who’s been revealed as the mastermind, huh."

"'Revealed'? That's a bit hurtful, Doctor Jang. I orchestrated all the destruction. From the very beginning, I was watching you, playing the role of the mastermind all along…"

Before she could finish her sentence, the Saintess’s body erupted into flames, evaporating in an instant due to my aura.

I didn’t want to watch this "Mastermind Syndrome" mock her any longer.

‘If she set her mind to it, of course the Saintess could easily play the role of the mastermind.’

Manipulating Awakened through the constellations, subtly distorting reports to me, committing perfect crimes by stopping time, and so on.

Only now did I realize the insidious nature of Mastermind Syndrome.

'...Isn’t this unsolvable?'

――――――――――

[Choice 1]

No matter if it’s Seo Gyu or Sim Aryeon, whoever is the last survivor will be designated as the "mastermind."

This mastermind will claim they plotted everything during the moments I failed to observe.

I couldn’t observe those moments. Therefore, I can’t determine whether their claim is true or false.

[Choice 2]

If I rely on the Saintess’s [Clairvoyance] to observe all events, the mastermind title will eventually be assigned to the Saintess herself.

The Saintess may have committed crimes while stopping time, moments that I couldn’t observe. Therefore, I can’t deny the theory that she is the mastermind.

[Choice 3]

To prevent any of my companions from being designated as the mastermind, I suppress their growth. I prohibit them from taking active roles. I prevent them from making their own decisions.

I abandon my companions before any of them can become the mastermind. I allow their deaths to happen.

I prioritize control over efficiency.

In this case, the cause of the world’s downfall will be my tyranny, my distrust, my stubbornness. In the end, I, Doctor Jang, will be designated as the mastermind.

This fact alone can be proven.

――――――――――

‘…No matter which option I choose, Mastermind Syndrome remains in effect.’

Take this turn, for example.

The monster wave that Sim Aryeon, as the Saintess of the North, had been holding off suddenly intensified at a certain point.

New Sinuiju was breached, and the Eastern Divine Nation was destroyed. The armies of annihilation didn’t take long to reach Busan.

‘What if the Saintess stopped time and moved around, wiping out cities across the world, causing the monster wave to grow stronger suddenly?’

Can I prove whether this hypothesis is true or false? I cannot.

Even as a regressor, it’s impossible for me to observe every event.

Could it be true, as the so-called mastermind claims, that Seo Gyu, or the Saintess, or at times Lee Hayul, Sim Aryeon, or Oh Dokseo were accelerating the world’s destruction in certain turns――?

I can never deny it.

Not ever.

"......"

I looked down at the armies of the monster wave, now completely blackened and covering the earth, leaving no space for life to stand.

At that moment, the creatures, the last beings on Earth, turned their gazes toward me.

The twisted limbs of the grotesque creatures seemed to be laughing.

-Boss, I destroyed the world.

-Doctor Jang, I orchestrated all the destruction.

This was the second piece of the puzzle.

[Translator - Jjescus]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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