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

Chapter 298

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

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The Exile IX

“Hello, my name is Ji-soo. From now on, I will be serving as Team Leader Yu Ji-won’s direct disciple.”

A week after Ji-soo met me, I formally introduced her to Ji-won.

“Nice to meet you,” Ji-won said, offering a handshake with an emotionless expression. “I’ve heard much about you from His Excellency. I understand that in a previous cycle, I recognized your potential and helped develop it. Unearthing talent is the foundation of all endeavors, so you could say that I earned merit in a past life. However, the fact that my contributions translate into benefits for your recruitment rather than rewards for myself...

“How should I interpret this? Should I call it nepotism? Or perhaps a form of cronyism? Regardless, it seems clear that your current skills are insufficient to be accepted as a full-fledged member of the Regression Alliance. His Excellency must have entrusted me with your training for a reason. I look forward to working with you, Miss Kim.”

“I look forward to working with you as well. But... wow.” Ji-soo blinked several times as she shook Ji-won’s hand. “You really... feel like absolutely nothing.”

“?”

“If I had to describe it, it’s like tasteless water. No, there’s a faint metallic tang, like tap water.”

“??”

Ji-won tilted her head and looked in my direction. “Your Excellency, I think I’m being mocked right now.”

You think?

And so, the Ji-won–Ji-soo party was formed.

Coincidentally, removing the “Ji” from both their names created the word “won-soo,” the word for “enemies” in Korean. They were, quite literally, an enemy duo.

‘In many ways, they’re perfectly opposite as a mentor and mentee.’

One was an emotionless sociopath. The other was an emotional superconductor who could fully absorb others’ feelings through Empathic Resonance.

One had silver hair. The other, black.

One had blue eyes. The other, red.

‘They’re like a reversed-color decalcomania.’

Their only similarity was their tendency to carry forward their past selves in each cycle, yet even in this, their paths diverged.

Ji-won inherited the power and authority she had achieved through her abilities and accomplishments. Ji-soo, on the other hand, bore the weight of her hatred and guilt—accepting her history of being tortured by Ji-won and her crimes of killing seven ordinary people.

One chose the path to the skies, toward heaven. The other, a descent into the endless abyss, toward hell.

‘How ironic that she would adopt a child so diametrically opposed to herself.’

This too must be Ji-won’s karma.

Anyway, Ji-soo, the “soo” of the enemy duo, was assigned to the National Road Management Corps.

“Hmm...”

Noh Do-hwa, the individual who shared personnel authority over the National Road Management Corps with me, glanced at Ji-soo while flipping through documents.

“Empathic Resonance, huh? It’s certainly a rare ability, but whether it’s impressive remains to be seen. Getting a job here at the National Road Management Corps isn’t exactly easy, you know. So... Do you have any combat prowess?”

“We share a deep connection from a past life, Commander Noh. Assigning this child to the National Road Management Corps will allow her to interact with Ji-won more frequently.”

“Oh. I knew I was the commander in this life, but I didn’t realize I had responsibilities in past lives too. Dealing with regressors means it’s not just a leash around my neck anymore—it’s like I’ve been sentenced to eternal damnation...”

She bore an expression of someone who inherited nothing but debt during a final will reading.

‘To hear about the lives of Ji-won and Ji-soo and still react like that... As expected, the king never understood the human heart. Well, given Do-hwa’s personality, I can see why she wouldn’t like this arrangement.’

Do-hwa had no interest in inheriting her past self. On the contrary, she was hostile toward the very idea of it.

Life was a one-time event. What did it matter if there was a past or future life? Her existence was tethered to the present moment.

That was Do-hwa’s philosophy—diametrically opposed to the worldview of regressors who could never escape the flow of reincarnation.

‘Come to think of it, Do-hwa and I are also opposites in many ways. Our hair and eye colors might be the same, but...’

I wasn’t in any position to lecture Ji-won while flaunting my own superiority.

I smirked wryly. “It’s fine. While she’s Ji-won’s direct disciple, I only plan to make them roommates, not assign them to the same team.”

“Oh? Then where do you plan to station her, if not in the operations command center...?”

“The counseling office.”

Do-hwa raised an eyebrow. “The counseling office? To my knowledge, there’s no such department in the National Road Management Corps...”

“That’s correct. I’m about to create it.”

I had been considering this for quite some time.

“Awakeners tend to have extremely fragile mental states, don’t they?”

No, calling them “fragile” was inappropriate. A more accurate description would be “unstable.”

“The root of an Awakener’s power lies in their deep psychological scars. The stronger their abilities become, the deeper their wounds grow.”

“That’s odd,” she mused. “I don’t recall my mental state changing even when I crafted prosthetics...”

This café, in particular, could be seen as the guiding spirit of its time.

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

Of course, success didn’t come overnight. As a novice counseling director, Ji-soo made her share of mistakes.

“The world is filled with so many emotions and such a wide array of minds.”

On days when she counseled high-profile Awakeners like Yo-hwa or Seo-rin, Ji-soo would drag herself up to the Azit café, utterly exhausted.

“President Cheon’s psyche... It’s too complex. While the Great Witch Dang Seo-rin’s mind was fascinating, President Cheon’s was terrifying. I can’t even comprehend how she maintains her cheerful facade every day.”

A counselor wasn’t supposed to share their personal impressions with others. But she was still a beginner, so it was understandable.

Curiosity got the better of me.

“Who’s more difficult: Sim Ah-ryeon or Cheon Yo-hwa?”

After much groaning, Ji-soo finally let out a sigh. “Their challenges are completely different.”

Fair enough. Both of them were candidates for the Corrupted, with multiple world-ending events under their belts. Their mental landscapes would be formidable indeed.

“Excuse me.” Then, Ji-soo hesitated, staring into her coffee cup. “I’m sorry for making this request, but... can we do it again today?”

“Of course. Don’t worry about it.”

I reached out and held Ji-soo’s hand. Her face, weary from fatigue, gradually softened into a look of serenity.

To be honest, Ji-soo was using Empathic Resonance on me. Whenever her mind was worn down by counseling sessions, she would come to me for support.

Mental tuning, as I called it.

“I can feel it every time...” Ji-soo murmured. “Your emotions are so tranquil, Undertaker. But unlike Team Leader Yu’s neutral presence, yours feels transparent—like a blue hole. A blend of sky, water, and shimmering coral.”

“Who would’ve thought I’d receive compliments for my emotions?”

“I wasn’t expecting it either...” she admitted with a faint smile. “One day, I hope to reach a level where I can not only feel others’ emotions but also share my own.”

“Ah, so you’d combine Phantom Torture and Empathic Resonance?”

“Yes. And when that day comes... I want to make Team Leader Yu feel emotions.”

Her crimson eyes sparkled with determination.

“My previous cycle once said that the reason she couldn’t feel emotions was simply ignorance. One day, however distant, when I help her experience emotions... She might reevaluate the atrocities of the Misfortune Workshop. Perhaps, even in a different cycle, she could apologize to her adopted children.”

I thought Ji-soo’s declaration was as clear and pure as the waters she described.

Until that day came, Ji-soo would Awaken at the start of each cycle to face herself from the 703rd cycle. The wounds she endured. The wounds she inflicted. She wouldn’t look away but would confine herself to the basement of a certain tunnel.

Like still water.

But if the pool of Ji-soo in the 703rd cycle had stagnated and festered, the waters of subsequent cycles were different.

They were transparent, endlessly so, just like the blue holes she admired.

Hence, Ji-soo named her office not for the stagnant waters of a festering pool but for the still waters that remained calm despite storms beyond their reach and remained present despite droughts that threatened to sap them dry. By continuing to absorb and reflect the emotions of others, she aspired to one day bring abundance even to the driest deserts in the world—to Ji-won, who had never shed a single tear.

“Until that day...”

“Hmm?”

Ji-soo shyly fidgeted with her fingers. “Until that day comes, may I call you godfather?”

“Godfather?”

“Yes. You gave me a new life when I would’ve died nameless. If Team Leader Yu was my godmother in the past... then I think you’re my godfather now.”

I see.

To think that my first ever goddaughter would end up paired with Ji-won. Life, even for a regressor, was full of strange twists.

“Alright. I’ll be your godfather. And when you meet Ha-yul, make sure to address her as your older sister.”

Ji-soo smiled brightly.

“Yes. Please take care of me... Godfather.”

Afterword to the epilogue.

“Your Excellency, I heard the news. You’ve taken over as godfather to Ji-soo, whom I once adopted as my goddaughter in a previous cycle. By this logic, isn’t it fair to interpret this as an indirect proposal to me? Your Excellency, this is troublesome. There’s no need to express your trust and affection for me in such a manner—I’ve always understood your feelings. However, I am surprised. To think that Your Excellency harbored such personal emotions for me... I apologize for failing to grasp your heart, Your Excellency. As an unworthy disciple and a mere sociopath, I, Yu Ji-won, humbly ask for your forgiveness.”

“Ji-won.”

“Yes, Your Excellency?”

“Shut up.”

“Okay.”

The end.

Footnotes:

[1] Editor’s note: “SSS-class [X]” is a common enough reference in novelhalls, but likely still a nod to the author’s other work, SSS-Class Suicide Hunter. The translation team for this novel also works on that comic here on Reaper, so do check out our work there if you’re interested.