Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: The Companion IV
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Shin Noah
How much time had passed?
In the night sky devoid of even the ticking of a clock, only the periodic, brilliant explosions of fireworks measured the length of the silence.
"An anomaly...? Me? Me, Dang Seo-rin?"
It was only after four fireworks painted the sky red that Dang Seo-rin finally parted her lips.
"That can't be right. What are you talking about, Undertaker? I'm the same as always. Nothing's changed from before. I couldn't possibly be an anomaly...."
"You're right. Nothing has changed. But our abilities themselves are a kind of anomaly. Awakening, transcendence, ascension—no matter how we dress them up with plausible words, they're nothing but utterly alien phenomena in the real world. You must have suspected as much yourself, to some extent."
"......"
I took a sip of my coffee. While serving her an affogato, I'd made myself a café au lait as well.
"I don't particularly care for the habit of likening humans to microcosms, but it's true that a human is still a small space unto themselves. Awakening an ability doesn't instantly transform you into a full-fledged anomaly. It happens slowly. Like how the void erodes the land, the anomalization progresses through various procedures and stages."
"...What the hell do you mean, procedures and stages?"
"I don't know everything either. But in your case, Dang Seo-rin, it's clear. Your golden scales began managing other people's personalities, and that's when your anomalization accelerated dramatically."
"So what does that......"
"Let me tell you a bit of a complicated story."
Let's liken anomalies to forces.
Water falls downward, a coffee can spills on the floor, a ball drops from the Leaning Tower of Pisa—we point to gravity as the 'cause' behind all such events.
Anomalies and the void are the same.
'Why do you drown if you walk to the right in the Inunaki Tunnel?' 'Why does the area where the Meteor Shower falls turn into a gray wasteland?' 'Why do all objects and spaces lose their boundaries in Avici Hell, degenerating into mere qualia?'
The answers to these questions are clear.
'Because it's the Inunaki Tunnel.'
'Because it's the Meteor Shower.'
'Because it's Avici.'
Each anomaly has its own power to generate its unique events.
Just as objects are drawn by gravity, the Meteor Shower simply has the property of turning its surroundings to ash.
Anomalies become causes that bring bizarre results into this world.
Things we can only point to and say, 'The reason this strange thing happened is that anomaly.'
Conversely—this analysis leads to the method of subjugating anomalies.
'The reason parts of the Inunaki Tunnel are flooded is because it has merged with the myth of the Sanzu River.'
'The myth of a river flowing in the underworld appears not only in the Sanzu but also in the River Styx.'
'Therefore, if you carry gold or silver coins as fare for the underworld ferryman, you can infer that you won't drown in the Inunaki Tunnel.'
We analyze the anomaly.
We dismantle the anomaly pointed to as the final cause of the incident, interpreting it as 'In fact, the anomaly itself is merely the result of other causes.'
We reduce the cause from the otherworld back into the chain of causality in reality.
This is the method of conquering anomalies that I confidently declared around the 100th cycle.
Restoring this world to the proper links of causality. Eradicating the voids that puncture the world like holes everywhere.
That was the essence of 'how I, the Undertaker, fight anomalies.'
"Dang Seo-rin. Among the people living in this city, on this land, is there even one who doesn't owe you a debt?"
"......"
"That young man Yoo Cheol-won lives on the top floor of that four-story villa. He used to suffer from insomnia. Five years ago, he underwent your witch trial, and thanks to that, he spends every night, every morning, and every day refreshed. The cause of the event called 'Yoo Cheol-won's daily life' is you, Dang Seo-rin."
"......"
"What made the psychopath Yoo Ji-won capable of genuinely caring for others, liking them, and thus hosting little parties with friends every week? What’s the cause? You, Dang Seo-rin."
"......"
"The reason every human in this city wakes happily in the morning, devotes themselves diligently to their work all day, spends evenings blissfully with loved ones, and goes to bed at night without a care—why the entire citizenry lives this way—is solely because of you, Dang Seo-rin."
"......"
"Simply ruling the city wouldn't advance anomalization. But this city can no longer be distinguished from you, Dang Seo-rin."
Why is this city so happy?
Why do these events, those events occur in this city?
The answer to these questions.
—Because it's Dang Seo-rin.
"This place is a utopia."
"......"
"A land ruled by a witch who delivers perfect judgments in every trial and eternally fills the city with beautiful songs. The void most benevolent to humanity in the world. If you don't believe me... try it yourself. Your equivalent exchange magic should now work on anomalies too."
"Yeah, right."
"You could grant self-consciousness to anomalies, implant pasts in them, gift them human forms. Of course, it'd take countless trials and errors, and even more time.... But if luck is on your side, you could dye the entire world into your domain, a utopia void."
"......"
Silence settled.
The fireworks no longer burst.
The whole city seemed to hold its breath. The distant hum of merry drunks and the witches' giggling faded away.
Every time Dang Seo-rin breathed, lights flickered across the city. When the yellow lamps blinked all at once, Dang Seo-rin wore a strange smile.
"So... does that mean you're going to subjugate me now?"
"......"
"It's a classic tale, isn't it? The hero defeats the demon king, only to learn the true black幕 was the king who sponsored him all along, so the hero charges into the final stage.... The greatest ally turns out to be the last boss. A worn-out cliché, right?"
"......"
"You're right. Undertaker. Come to think of it, you haven't properly called Busan 'Busan' lately. Always 'this city' or 'here.' You've known for a while, haven't you? That I'd become an anomaly, and Busan would fall into the void."
"Yes."
"You're a real bastard. But—well, yeah. You warned me from the start. That you couldn't predict what would happen. This situation is my fault."
Dang Seo-rin stood up. Kkaman jumped down from her lap.
*Thud*—A broom flew from the corner of the terrace into her hand. Dang Seo-rin donned the pointed hat she'd set on the table.
"Impressive. Fabricating news of the monster wave being quelled would naturally spark a citywide festival. I'd take leave to drink with you. My direct guards are all scattered, most of them probably wasted by now. Perfect timing, huh? Have you already won over Cheon Yo-hwa? ...Ah, I see. That explains why she quietly backed off from today's meeting."
"......"
"Still, Undertaker. I can't abandon my city. It's the oasis I barely carved out in this fucked-up world. No matter what anyone says, me and my citizens are human. No—from now on, the only true humans. So if you plan to subjugate me and this place—prepare for death."
I stood as well.
"No."
Unlike Dang Seo-rin, I held no weapon. The staff-sword forged by a blacksmith who no longer existed in this world simply lay diagonally beside me.
Because this story doesn't end that way.
"I'm not subjugating you."
"...Huh?"
I gently took Dang Seo-rin's hand.
There was a slight vibration, but I ignored it and pulled her in.
In the exact opposite direction from a thousand years ago.
8
-There's venom in your eyes.
-......
-You're that guy, right? One of the few survivors at Busan Station. The weirdo who wanders around asking people strange questions.
Long ago. In the 4th cycle.
My first meeting with Dang Seo-rin was before I gained [Perfect Memory Ability].
I couldn't guarantee whether our meeting truly happened that way, whether it was really raining around us, or if we actually exchanged those words.
-What's your name?
-...Undertaker. It's a title.
-A person who buries others? Not bad. The depth of a person depends on how many corpses they've buried in their own heart.
But one thing was certain—a truth etched indelibly in my memory, unfading no matter what.
-What do you think?
Back then, Dang Seo-rin extended her hand to me.
Call it the intuition built from countless regressions. The black-haired witch with a broom in one hand and a pointed hat on her head. The moment I looked up at her, I already knew then that an unbroken thread had woven into my endless life.
-Wanna join our guild?
I took that hand.
Just like now.
Only the direction reversed.
"No matter what happens, I'll never harm you."
"......"
"Even if you become an anomaly. Even if you turn this city, beyond the city, or the entire world into the void. Even if you burn the whole world to ashes, Dang Seo-rin. I'm still on your side."
"...Ah."
We were alike.
The ability that earned me the name Undertaker, [Time Seal], merely delivered an eternally happy day to each person.
Even if it was a counterfeit or forgery, if no one could tell, it was no different from the real thing.
Dang Seo-rin's utopia was the same. Even if the happiness people gained through deals with the witch was illusory, it might just be the best happy ending this world could hope for.
This route was never a bad end.
A world where Dang Seo-rin lives to the very end, where her dream city comes true—how could that be recorded as a bad end for me?
"If you ever get sick of ruling the city and want to quit, we can leave together anytime."
"......"
"If you want to turn the whole world into your utopia, I'll gladly be your sword and lead the way."
Her hand trembled.
Dang Seo-rin.
My guild leader.
"You allowed me to stay by your side even as you became an anomaly. Whether it was conscious or unconscious doesn't matter. It doesn't matter at all. You are the reason I live."
You are the cause of my existence.
We can bequeath each other's places to one another and still remain together. That is the sole difference between anomaly and human.
No matter how deep into the void we fall, it will never turn into hell.
"So, don't worry."
"......"
"We can go anywhere."
Dang Seo-rin nestled into my arms.
Lights came on across the city. Witches crisscrossed the night sky. The noise of drunks mingled with the songs from speakers.
Fireworks burst.
"...I wanna go traveling."
"Yeah."
"Maybe I shouldn't have given up on the national highways. Or the railroads. Railroad Management Corps or something. Instead of holing up in Busan, build a train fortress like Snowpiercer and roam the country nonstop. That would've been way more fun."
"Yeah."
I held Dang Seo-rin's shoulders. Stroked her back.
"Dang Seo-rin."
"Yeah......?"
"I'm actually a regressor."
Dang Seo-rin looked up at me.
"A regressor......?"
"Yeah. In truth, I've been repeating the world endlessly. My life has already met its end over a hundred times. Whenever I open my eyes, it's always the Busan Station Tutorial Dungeon."
"......"
I told her.
That the magic called Incantation Song burns lifespan to spread its melody, but that lifespan actually accumulates across cycles.
"And in my tenth life, you told me. Never to reveal to myself that I'm a regressor. Because I'm greedy—if I learned that secret, I'd burn all my remaining lifespan in that cycle just to force a happy ending."
"Ah....... Yeah, that tracks."
Even knowing I was a regressor, Dang Seo-rin quickly wore a look of acceptance. She must have had her own theories about my identity.
Soon, Dang Seo-rin smiled.
"You're an idiot."
"Who? You from the 10th cycle?"
"No, you."
When I gave her a puzzled look, her smile deepened.
"Why didn't you kill me right at the start of each cycle?"
"...What?"
"Idiot. The earlier I die, the more 'original lifespan' carries over to the next cycle's me. If I had 60 years left, you could've shoved those 60 years into the next cycle every time....... Why didn't you kill me?"
"Wait, what. You can't just say that—"
I couldn't continue my rebuttal.
Dang Seo-rin's eyebrows were right in front of my nose. A faint breath. The scent of coffee and ice cream I'd made earlier.
The smell of grass fresh after a summer shower.
Dang Seo-rin slowly pulled back.
"......"
"Was that your first kiss in life just now?"
"That's......"
"Ah. No. Don't answer."
Dang Seo-rin parted her lips and let a song flow. A small golden scale appeared above us.
Dang Seo-rin whispered playfully.
"Undertaker. Put all your memories of kissing on the scale. Whether they exist or not. Not just this cycle, but all of them."
"......"
"Hurry."
I did.
I couldn't tell what Dang Seo-rin placed on the right pan in exchange for my memories on the left.
Nor could I mention what memories I'd lost. The golden scale deemed the balance met and emitted a brilliant light in the air.
"Yeah. Now close your eyes."
An ancient night sky. Amid golden light embroidering it like fireworks, Dang Seo-rin pulled my arm.
"—Now this is our first kiss."
Our shadows overlapped.
As fireworks scattered in the distance, a thought suddenly struck me.
Just as Dang Seo-rin is the cause of my existence, perhaps I am the cause of hers as well.
If so, then this night was a moment when the gentlest 'method of conquering anomalies' briefly existed.
And.
Though I'd never remember it again, that certain memory Dang Seo-rin erased with her golden scales was probably no different from the person before me now.
9
There's an epilogue.
When I opened my eyes, I wasn't on Utopia’s terrace—I was staring at the ceiling of the Busan Station Tutorial Dungeon.
The 173rd cycle had ended.
"......"
Why?
What led me to death?
Regarding the reason for my death, I hypothesize as follows.
First hypothesis: The moment she heard that lifespan accumulates across cycles, Dang Seo-rin resolved to die with me.
'Utopia' Busan wasn't established without cost. The songs from speakers, the equivalent exchange of the golden scales—all stemmed from Dang Seo-rin's 'Incantation Song.'
The price of Incantation Song is lifespan.
No matter how trivial, Utopia's magic ran on burning Dang Seo-rin's life as fuel.
Of course, she'd stockpiled thousands of years' worth. But an end was inevitable someday.
Didn't Dang Seo-rin decide to conserve that fuel?
For me.
For some destination we hadn't reached yet, a slightly better true ending.
...But there's a completely different second hypothesis.
In truth, Dang Seo-rin might not have died with me right after the kiss.
We might have lived out the 173rd cycle as if nothing happened, spreading 'Utopia' from Busan across the entire Korean Peninsula, the whole world.
After countless joys and sorrows, fortunes and misfortunes—after completing a grand epic, when Dang Seo-rin's lifespan finally burned out.
For some reason beyond my current imagination, she might have asked me to forget 'the memories from the kiss to now.'
As a result, I regressed with only the memories up to our kiss.
Both interpretations can hold true simultaneously.
I have no intention of digging into which is correct. Either way, it's not a bad end for me.
I willingly leave that blank space of the moment, the white page of 'incomplete memory,' the night sky of fireworks—as a single void in my heart for Dang Seo-rin.
Forever.
- The One Who Was a Companion. End.