Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Unknown Person II
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Shin Noah
As expected, chaos was erupting on SG Net.
-Anonymous: The Constellations suddenly all went silent. Did they ditch me?
-[Three Thousand]Witch Judge: Checked with the guild members, and no one's received a single message from the Constellations since yesterday. The most recent contact was 28 hours ago. Please share the status from other guilds.
-dolLHoUse: Anxious.
-Anonymous: Guys, I'm scared. What's going on....
-Goryeo Jang: You morons. You sing "Constellation this, Constellation that" every day, and now two days without contact and you're whining like lost puppies. What do you even keep your balls for? Boiling egg drop soup? Bet there's no yolk in any of yours lol.
└Anonymous: Fuck, this psycho gets better at pissing people off every day. Where the hell do you even live?
└[Yeoldo Nation]Sword Marquis: My sword is howling.
Sim A-ryeon was doing her Sim A-ryeon thing, which was everyday routine, but the Awakeners' agitation was no joke.
I knocked on the door, but there was no response.
"You wait here. If you sense anyone watching or approaching, yell right away."
"Yes, bro."
Suppressing my unease as best I could, I stepped into the apartment building. I'd known the front door passcode for dozens of loops already.
A dim living room.
In her sanctuary, surrounded by dozens of aquariums like ramparts and bathed in the bluish glow from four monitors spilling across the carpet like water, the Saintess was dead.
"...."
My mind went cold.
'Strangulation.'
She always had towels ready for maintaining the tanks, and there was a towel rack in the living room. She'd hanged herself from it.
'Suicide.'
No signs of struggle. Still, I knew no matter what happened—no matter how desperate the situation—the Saintess was not the type to commit suicide.
It wasn't just some emotional "that's not her personality" hunch. It was truth gleaned from observing across dozens of loops.
'Murder disguised as suicide.'
The Saintess was the core of my project.
The Constellations had vanished in an instant. The external conscience and ethical firewall attached to the Awakeners had snapped.
That wasn't all. The nonstop communication network we'd maintained with other guilds, using the Constellations as messengers, was gone.
No more wielding the "The Constellations vouch for our identity" as a guarantee to earn trust.
'No traces of the security measures activating.'
I'd been extremely careful with the Saintess's safety.
Had all my painstaking security been neutralized at once?
'Without even a chance to send me one message?'
I approached one of the aquariums. Pushing the tank aside revealed a USB hidden in a recess under the metal bookshelf.
Our prearranged signal for emergencies.
I plugged the USB into the computer and opened Notepad.
──────────
Hello, Z.
If you're reading this, it means I'm dead.
My death came without any warning. Among the data I've observed with [CLA] so far, there's nothing that could have caused it.
CCTV might have caught something, but if the culprit killed me this stealthily, it's unlikely meaningful evidence remains.
As you know, Z, the most urgent issue now is this: with the Transcendents evaporated, the invisible leashes on the Awakeners have come undone.
The only Transcendent we can still activate is the anonymous one known as N's creator.
Post to N using that name: spread disinformation that "a being interfering with the Transcendents' activities has emerged." Adding a performance where N gets attacked and goes temporarily offline would boost credibility.
But quelling the Awakeners' confusion is impossible.
I'm sorry my power falls short.
I pray you find strength again next time.
- From S.
──────────
The Saintess's last words.
To avoid anyone else discovering it, she'd called me not "Undertaker" but "Z."
Clairvoyance was abbreviated [CLA], SG Net as "N." She'd used "Transcendent" instead of Constellation.
'The "next time" in "find strength again next time" must mean the next loop.'
A will befitting the Saintess.
The notepad file's creation date was a whopping year and a half ago.
'As expected, struck down by a sudden blow.'
If it had been suicide, she'd have updated the will.
And if not suicide, there were only two suspects.
The first was me.
"Ah, bro. Is the Saintess okay?"
And Seo-gyu.
I stepped out of the apartment and stared at Seo-gyu.
"Seo-gyu."
"Yes."
"Did you ever tell anyone where the Saintess lives?"
Seo-gyu looked startled.
"Pardon? No? Why would I? You told me a million times never to tell a soul!"
Could I trust that?
A fair amount of time had passed since I'd started traveling with Seo-gyu. But if asked if I trusted him enough to stake my life on it like with the Saintess, our bond was still light.
"Two days ago, you reported going out and stepped outside briefly, right?"
"Y-Yes.... But why...."
"Go Yo-ri spent the whole day in the dorm that day."
"Did she?"
"But [Presence Block] lets you slip out without the rest of the party knowing. And if you tail someone going out, the risk of getting caught drops way down."
"Bro, what are you...."
"The Saintess's place has countless defenses you don't know about. One scans and records shoeprints of anyone entering. The data refreshes weekly."
A lie.
But my expression and tone didn't waver.
"Why are your shoeprints at the Saintess's place?"
"...."
Silence.
"Weird, huh?"
A unfamiliar voice leaked from Seo-gyu's mouth.
"No such info exists."
A gunshot rang out.
Seo-gyu's body toppled like a reed.
He'd drawn a pistol and instantly aimed it at the roof of his mouth, pulling the trigger.
Untended atopic dermatitis-cracked asphalt drank in the red blood.
"...."
I clenched my fist.
Calming my heart again, I logged into SG Net.
[Cannot connect to the site.]
The Seo-gyu who'd died before my eyes was the real deal.
The odds of him being a puppeteered marionette, an apostle of an alienated god, or something else plummeted.
Our control tower—with influence over Awakeners nationwide—two pillars, the Saintess and Seo-gyu, had crumbled in a flash.
By then, my mindset had already shifted to "gather max info for the next loop."
Familiar territory for me.
I drew my sword and headed to the guild dorm.
The usual lookout duo was nowhere in sight.
"...."
It was quiet.
No one on the training grounds where members should be drilling. Instead, Sim A-ryeon was dead.
Untouched food sat on the cafeteria tables. The wheelchair my cherished guildmate always used rolled lonely without its owner.
No signs of life in the halls or dorms. Just German graffiti scrawled here and there on pillars and walls.
[Don't trust the pink hair.]
I stepped out to the grounds and slumped onto a bench.
Summer. Cicadas blared their siren alarms furiously.
Before I knew it, Go Yo-ri was demurely seated beside me on the bench.
"Welcome back, Guild Leader?"
"...."
"Whew. This summer's really hot."
Go Yo-ri fanned herself by flapping her outer jacket. Cicada cries faded to white noise behind her.
"Your ability isn't [Presence Block]."
"Yes."
Go Yo-ri affirmed simply.
I muttered.
"[Presence Block] was just surface level. When your ability activates, it merely results in presence fading. Analyzing the current situation.... Your true power is [Perception Impairment]. No, perception manipulation type."
"Ah, spot on."
Go Yo-ri beamed.
"You're amazing, Guild Leader! Just like when we first met."
"...Should've realized sooner."
I reflected again.
In the previous loop, what evaluations had Go Yo-ri—aka Cooking Queen—received?
-Cooking Queen? Haven't observed her that long, but she's no bad person. Takes good care of her guildmates, even does volunteer work every Sunday. Personally, no Awakener's as trustworthy as her.
Witness 1: Saintess.
Just from leaving a secret USB will, you could tell the Saintess was more cautious than anyone.
She was the one who'd arranged our meeting, suspecting there might be a Regressor in this world.
For such a person to admit "haven't observed long" yet call her "most trustworthy character"?
Suspicious from the start.
-Ah, Cooking Queen. Yeah, great member. Run SG Net, seen all the shitshows, never once saw her cause trouble. Boring? Nah. Posts fun humor threads, never acts superior. Sigh. If all members were like her, I wouldn't suffer....
Witness 2: Seo-gyu.
Seo-gyu testified Go Yo-ri "posts lots of fun humor."
But wasn't that odd?
I'd never once seen Cooking Queen post anything funny.
-[Satisfaction]Cooking Queen: Seeking peace of mind? Join Satisfaction Guild! Main base: Seoul!
-[Satisfaction]Cooking Queen: Words reflect thoughts, and thoughts rain fog on the self like misty days. How about clearer, brighter language?
-[Satisfaction]Cooking Queen: Brother, if you have a secret you can't tell anyone, consult me anytime. People kill people, but live by them too.
-[Satisfaction]Cooking Queen: Curses poured on others will return someday. How about time for self-reflection? You surely hold a bright nature, brother.
Zero trace of humor in the style.
Upright, righteous, straight-arrow.
In other words—the archetype I, the Undertaker, typically "like."
"Go Yo-ri."
"Yes."
"You're not showing people 'the version they like most,' are you?"
"...."
Moral to the ethics-focused Saintess.
Humorous to the fun-loving Seo-gyu.
Upright and solid before me, who believes life hinges on one's mentality and posture.
Different personas to different people.
Like a magic mirror.
That was Go Yo-ri's true nature.
The reason even twisted Awakeners adored her lay here.
"...Wow, Guild Leader. You really surprised me this time!"
Go Yo-ri clasped her hands and tilted her head.
But had she really struck that pose?
Had she smiled when seeming to? Used polite speech? Worn pink hair, tended flower beds mornings, maintained diligent demeanor?
All could be lies.
With my perception untrustworthy now, all prior "knowledge" of Go Yo-ri was scrapped.
"But it's not just [Perception Manipulation]. You controlled Seo-gyu into suicide."
"Yes. Believe it or not, I'm a multi-ability user."
"...Now I get why the Fairies avoided you. What's Busan Station's waiting room made of? Rare multi-ability users crawling all over the floor."
"Ahaha. Yeah. Weird coincidences happen sometimes."
"Why do this?"
"Hmm, I could tell you. But would you believe me, Guild Leader?"
No.
At that moment, a roar came from the guild dorm.
Crack—the concrete outer wall shattered, and the building collapsed in one go.
A massive lump of flesh writhed atop the debris. In a blink, it swelled to seven stories high.
Red and blue veins throbbed endlessly, muscle fibers whipping air like tentacles, like tails.
-Giiiild maaasteeerrr.
-Huuungeer--yooouuuur.
-......, ....
-Undertaaaakeeerrr.
Each tentacle tip's twitch tore space, emitting eerie noise.
The sounds mimicked guild members' voices.
Black stripes etched the tentacles' surface. Voices rang, stripes rippled infinitely.
"...."
A phenomenon absent from all 88 prior loops.
I glared at its cause.
"Sorry, Guild Leader."
Go Yo-ri stood from the bench with an "up you go," dusted her skirt. Took a few steps forward, turned with hands behind back.
Pink hair draped slantwise.
"I think everyone's happier that way. Didn't want to sadden you, Guild Leader. Or anyone. Tried so hard.... But unlike others, your mind's too sturdy. My ability slipped for a moment."
"Just one question."
I looked up at Go Yo-ri.
"Did I kill the guild members? Under your control?"
"...."
Go Yo-ri stared straight.
"No."
"Lie."
"Yes."
My sword left its sheath, slashing Go Yo-ri's throat.
A diagonal cut. Pink hair strands fell first, sifting down. Her head slid a beat later.
Before it fully did, her lips moved.
"Become one, Guild Leader."
Behind Go Yo-ri, red flesh spread to blanket the sky.
That was the last scene I remembered from loop 89.
5
After that day, I avoided contact with Go Yo-ri.
Direct meetings? Finger-countable. Over hundreds of loops, maybe three or four entanglements.
Go Yo-ri's power: unknown. If I grew stronger than in loop 89, maybe I'd subdue her someday—I judged.
Whether right or not, one fact: excluding loop 89, no loop ever featured the "red flesh."
Go Yo-ri in loops without me? Always harmless Awakener, causing no big issues until suddenly monster-killed or vanished one day.
-Become one, Guild Leader.
What did those words mean?
Red flesh a monster? Contamination? Too distinct from fallen Awakener results. Then her unique ability?
Her true form, unfiltered by [Perception Manipulation]—what?
Curiosity bubbled sometimes. But no urgency to probe.
Not until discovering a way to nullify [Perception Manipulation] perfectly. Until then, never approach Go Yo-ri.
-[Satisfaction]Cooking Queen: Seeking peace of mind? Join Satisfaction Guild! Main base: Daejeon!
Occasionally spotting the Cooking Queen nickname on SG Net, I'd slyly comment.
-ZERO_SUGAR: Your constant enthusiasm is a joy to see^^..
Soon, a reply notification.
-[Satisfaction]Cooking Queen: Thank you! In this broken world, keep faith in yourself and hope in others, and good things will come. Wishing you a happy day, No-Sugar!
"...."
Hm.
I nodded to myself.
Fine attitude indeed.
- Unknown Person. End.