Chapter 230
Chapter 230
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 230
Chapter Title: Otaku Test
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Now, I'm sure all of you can guess by this point, but anomalies come with an inherent otaku-like quality by default.
They can't distinguish between "reality" and "fiction."
To be more precise, to anomalies, everything is just as real as anything else. Much like with otaku.
Just as a profound world of 2D ideals exists beyond an otaku's monitor, the objects reflected in an anomaly's eyes hold value equal to—or greater than—physical reality.
'Of course, each anomaly has its own preferences for certain objects over others.'
I put this "otaku test" to use on the Ice Age anomaly.
From when? Right from the early moments when we first encountered it.
—Saintess, when using telepathy on the prisoners, make sure to pretend you're communicating through a radio.
—Pardon? Why?
—There's a reason. And if you can add some static noise to mimic real radio quality, I'd be grateful.
The radios the prisoners carried out had no functionality whatsoever, and the Saintess had never actually used one.
Even so, the Ice Age anomaly perceived the radio communications with the prisoners as "real."
Without hesitation, it corrupted the radio transmissions and even added noise that the Saintess hadn't mimicked.
By this point, I was already certain.
'As expected. This one's not the type of anomaly fixated solely on the physical world.'
I'd actually gotten a hunch from the moment it was lured to New York by a replica Statue of Liberty.
The fewer physical senses an anomaly possessed—like sight or smell—the more likely it was to be this type.
They tried to grasp the world purely through concepts.
It was the same principle as burning a single talisman paper inscribed with "one million dollars" instead of real money during an old ritual to appease a stray spirit.
For the same reason—.
"…Undertaker Awakener. Sorry, but what exactly are you doing right now…?"
"Can't you tell? I'm editing a video."
A tragedy unfolding in reality.
A tragedy unfolding in fiction.
The Ice Age anomaly was highly unlikely to distinguish between the two.
"A video? What kind of video…?"
"A movie."
Click, click-click-click—click.
I moved the mouse cursor and continued the video editing.
My editing skills weren't pro-level, but they were fitting for a regressor with hundreds of loops under his belt.
The source footage was, of course, the videos we'd just shot inside the Statue of Liberty.
「Let's go! For our comrades!」
「Yes! Let's rescue the humans!」
「Ooooooh!」
Just then, footage played of the ten brainwashed individuals brushing off their comrades' pleas and heading out of the bunker.
I reassembled multi-angle shots and added sound effects.
Without a professional director, the cinematography was nonexistent, but I didn't care one bit.
「Let's go! For our comrades!」
「Ehehe, ehe, hehehehehe!」
「Yes! Let's rescue the humans!」
Besides, I didn't even need to try— the anomaly was inserting itself into the video at random points, staging horror elements with eerie realism.
The edited video was nothing like reality.
In the footage, frozen corpses clung thickly to the backs of the ten brainwashed ones.
The brainwashed weren't moving on their own. Ghosts of the frozen dead dragged them by the wrists and ankles toward the gate.
"……."
No Do-ha, peering over my shoulder at the laptop, wore a stunned expression.
And it wasn't just the brainwashed.
Ghosts clung relentlessly to the other survivors who hadn't fully succumbed to the anomaly.
A ghost riding on someone's shoulders, wrapping its arms around their head. Another gnawing at No Do-ha's foot with its maw wide open. One slamming its own head against the bunker door, thud-thud-thud-thud.
"What the hell are these…?"
"These are the true nature of the 'cold' we're feeling. The ghosts are making it feel that way."
"Shit…?"
"No point chasing them off now. Corps Leader No Do-ha. Our filters are different—we can't interfere."
For reference, we weren't filming with cameras at the moment. All Corps members except the top brass were asleep.
I'd snuck in some quick editing during the rest period.
Once I'd finished editing up to today's footage and hit play, the anomaly had apparently auto-corrected it further—the on-screen "Undertaker" and "No Do-ha" were spouting new lines that never existed.
「Undertaker Awakener.」
「Yes.」
「Now that it's just the two of us, I'll ask something I've been curious about. Don't you like me…?」
A "what the fuck?" curse slipped out beside me.
Naturally, it was from the real No Do-ha, not the video version—100% fresh fruit juice voice. Durian variety, probably.
"I've never said any such dogshit…?"
"Yeah."
It was pretty intriguing to me too.
"This must be the anomaly's version of the truth. A distortion, from our perspective."
"Why the hell did it have to distort it in such a fucked-up way…?"
"Because it's an anomaly. Hmm. If I had to guess, maybe because we kept holding hands under the blanket, it figured we were lovers or something."
"Fuck, that's why I felt uneasy. Should've let go even if it meant freezing to death…"
"Why overreact? It's just the anomaly's worthless distortion."
On-screen, the credits rolled: "Script: Ice Age, Editing: Ice Age, Sound: Ice Age."
「Of course I do. I can't start my day without seeing those rotten eyes of yours, Corps Leader No Do-ha.」
「Hmph. You know that's not the question I meant…?」
"……."
「You know the Three Thousand Worlds Guild Leader has feelings for you. Anyone who matters knows. You. So why do you keep testing him…?」
「Hmm. Didn't expect us to have this talk.」
"……."
"……."
Silence.
An odd quiet settled between us as we stared at the laptop side by side.
To reiterate, the Undertaker and No Do-ha on-screen weren't real. Back then in reality, we'd just been trading idle chit-chat.
However.
「You might find it surprising, Undertaker Awakener, but I actually find those stories you tell from other loops somewhat interesting…」
「I thought you weren't interested?」
「From a practical standpoint. Well, the one about me strangling you to death was pretty amusing. Most useful for understanding who you are, too…」
Between No Do-ha and me, our exchanges weren't just vocal. There was always that "silent" mental radio signal.
Like the G in the English word "SIGN," forever unpronounced.
That signal on the G line was a constant background hum between us.
Human relationships are valued not just by what words can be spoken, but by what words can be swallowed.
Compared to others, No Do-ha and I had particularly strong G tones.
To use a metaphor, we were like bandmates at a concert, shoulders touching, savoring the faint bass notes.
Thus.
「But there's one intriguing thing about the tales you spin…」
「Just one? I'm hurt.」
「No romance in them…」
We'd never had that conversation in reality.
Never.
We'd never explicitly agreed on it aloud, but neither of us ever crossed a certain "line."
No Do-ha strangling me to death? That didn't even stray from the scale on our shared G line.
It was just an anecdote we'd laugh off with "yeah, that could happen" and turn into a joke.
If anything.
「Well now. Didn't know Corps Leader No Do-ha was interested in romance talk. I'll keep it in mind next time.」
「Playing dumb, huh. Hmph. Fine. I'll spell it out so even those ears of yours can get it. Undertaker Awakener. What interests me is your trait of 'never bringing up romance' itself…」
「I'm impotent.」
「Oh. That's a hypothesis. But you seem fine, so ignore that…」
That kind of talk was light-years beyond our line.
The on-screen No Do-ha turned her head, looking up at the on-screen Undertaker from breath-close distance.
「Shall I share my hypothesis…?」
"……."
「You, in other loops—with me—」
Click.
Without deciding who went first, we both clicked the laptop mouse.
Mine was faster, so my left hand did the clicking. No Do-ha's palm rested on the back of that hand.
Silence lingered.
Oddly, the real No Do-ha was gazing up at me at an angle, just like the frozen video frame.
Maybe that's why. It felt like real time had stopped.
No Do-ha was an awakener, yet her hair was jet black. Like mine. Her eyes unchanged black. Like mine.
Black pooling in black.
Eyes veiling each other's gazes, and without deciding who started, Morse code of silent tones queried.
'Pretend it never happened?'
'…….'
'Or?'
The silence stretched.
No Do-ha parted her lips.
"I."
"……."
"No matter how the loops change, that gaze of yours—seeing Dang Seo-rin as Dang Seo-rin, Yoo Ji-won as Yoo Ji-won, Lee Ha-yul as Lee Ha-yul—it's sometimes fucking infuriating, but I don't mind it. That's how I can believe you're the same self, whether 10th loop you or 100th loop you."
"Yes. I know."
"The fucked-up reason is that you remember everything while I don't."
"I know."
"So, if I can't know it all, I'd rather hear nothing. No matter what I bring up, to you with [Perfect Memory Ability], it's just replaying a recording. That's fucking infuriating. Hmph. Wonder how others see it? Fun every time, fresh feelings each go…?"
"I know."
"You fucked-up bastard."
No Do-ha grabbed my tie. Less pulling, more clawing.
That was the moment.
「Do you want to hear my voice?」
Click.
No one touched the cursor, yet the video resumed on its own.
「Then save this goddamn world first.」
「Or lose your regression ability. Learn to forget.」
But I couldn't turn to the screen. No Do-ha demanded my gaze from inches away.
No need to, anyway.
「Shall I tell you the truth…?」
The on-screen and real No Do-ha were striking the same pose regardless.
「I'm not expecting you to save the world.」
「The opposite, actually.」
「Undertaker Awakener. I'm the only one hoping you'll 'fail.'」
「That seems far more likely anyway. I'm not the type to bet my life on false hope…」
No Do-ha smiled with her eyes.
「So the day you stand on my level will come when you abandon regression. Only in your final life.」
「It'll be hell for you.」
「In that final hellish life, yes. I'll gladly join you to the bottom…」
「I'm really looking forward to it… How about you? Doesn't that unique funeral—your one and only life, a hell—make you itch for it too?」
「You can thank me for it all…」
「It's a shame this loop isn't when you fall into hell…」
No Do-ha covered my eyes with her palm.
Because of that, I couldn't tell if the final voice came from her lips or the laptop speaker.
"Don't forget…"
Cold black body heat.
Like a midnight snowfield blanketed in flakes where nothing was visible, in the pitch-black curtain where all light had faded, a faint musical tail-end whispered to a close.
"I'm waiting for you in your true bad ending."
7.
The next day.
We began the full-scale anomaly subjugation.