Regression Isn't All-Powerful
Even if it gets nerfed hard compared to other novels, regression is still an overpowered trait, right?
That’s true. It’s an ability that ability users would never want to give up.
Basically, it’s pretty close to being all-powerful since it’s in the realm of future foresight.
Knowing an unknowable future in advance is an enormous advantage. Even in gacha games, just knowing the future lets you manage your resources way more efficiently.
Fuck. Why are Ilseop and Hanseop’s future visions different?
Well, maybe you shouldn’t have gone and fucked everything up like that.
I’m barely scraping the ceiling here.
Regression—the ability to know what you’ll experience in the future and what events will unfold. That’s precisely why it’s such an interesting subject that shows up in countless creative works.
Let’s suppose, for the sake of argument, that you could regress.
Assuming something that doesn’t exist? That’s as harsh as telling me to assume Hye-ji has big tits.
……Let’s assume that someone can regress.
I felt a tiny pang of guilt toward Hye-ji. But what was I supposed to do about something impossible?
If someone who regretted a tragic future caused by their own decisions were to regress, what do you think they would do?
They’d choose different decisions so that tragic future wouldn’t happen, right?
Exactly. If they simply regress, they would try to prevent that future from happening.
Which just proves how great regression really is.
If they could only regress once or twice, they would act with extreme caution and only try to correct the worst mistakes.
Yeah, that makes sense.
Piece paused for a moment before continuing.
What if that careful regression could be done ten times? What if there were no problems even after doing it hundreds of times?
……
No words came out. No, I couldn’t say anything at all. Infinite opportunities. There was nothing sweeter than that. After all, I had once desperately craved it myself.
Regression that can be repeated endlessly makes people complacent, dependent, and passive.
Because they can’t be sure of their own path, they regress at every single decision point.
Exactly. Whether the choice succeeds or fails, they will regress no matter what.
And even if it succeeds, they regress because they want to be absolutely sure that choice was safe.
There’s a saying about the right path. The correct road. A path without failure. People tend to follow even paths others have already walked. Especially if it’s a path they’ve walked themselves. There would be no more hesitation in choosing that path. Without even considering any other route.
It would be so nice if your brain worked this well normally. Why does it only sharpen during setting exposition?
Hey, quiet down. Just think of it as novelistic allowance for the sake of the plot.
She kept digging at my sore spots so much that anyone listening in might mistake her for a hunter.
That is why they regress countless times in pursuit of a more perfect life.
Of course, a truly perfect life probably doesn’t exist.
Correct. No matter how far into the future they regress, no matter how often they do it, creating a perfect life is impossible.
Even so, they’ll keep regressing over and over in pursuit of that perfect life. Avoiding bad futures and following only the certain ones.
Let’s take an example. It’s like drawing a picture, not liking it, hitting Ctrl+Z, and repeating until you get a perfect drawing. That’s also an action taken in pursuit of perfection. People regress for the sake of a perfect life.
However, there is one slight difference with regression in this world. I pointed that out.
This world has some kind of cooldown after one regression, doesn’t it?
Yes. To regress again, you need a waiting period longer than the time you regressed.
Was it really necessary to add a cooldown mechanic like that? Did they mess up the coding?
Who do you think gave out this regression ability?
I dunno lol.
Piece continued in a calm voice.
The creator of the world saw that everyone was dissatisfied with their futures and simply handed out the regression ability to them all.
What an irresponsibly shitty bastard.
Indeed. The problem is that at the time, regression didn’t require a waiting period like it does now.
But it does now, doesn’t it?
At that moment, I thought I heard Piece let out a sly chuckle.
Isn’t that because you exist?
Why am I suddenly involved?
Didn’t I tell you at the beginning that you are the Observer?
When was that again?
Around chapter 24, I believe.
It came back to me. That was right after I fought the ear-picking guy. I even remembered cursing her out like crazy back then, thinking she was just fishing with telepathy.
Because you became the reference point, regression before the timeline you are currently experiencing has become impossible.
And that’s what caused the cooldown?
Your brain really works so well like this! Why are you usually just a lunatic!
What can I do when my very nature is like this? I’ve got to grab onto possession or reincarnation at least.
But something felt a little off. The irresponsible asshole who left the world to rot had actually designated someone like me for the sake of balance.
Then who exactly designated me as the Observer?
This body, a fragment that broke off from the creator, scraped together the dregs and designated you as the Observer.
Why me of all people? There must have been some noble reason, right?
I felt a slight surge of anticipation. Since I was the protagonist, there had to be some special reason.
……Actually, I was aiming for someone named Siwoo, but my aim was off.
Fuck, of course there wasn’t.
There were roughly four candidates. Shin Siwoo. Baek Siwoo. Yoon Siwoo. Han Siwoo.
……The last one looks like he’d be really good at exorcism (physically).
Show some respect. He is someone beyond comparison with this body.
Recently there’s also someone named Cheon Siwoo or whatever. The timing was just bad.
Piece began muttering in a slightly tired voice.
One thing you were curious about ended up producing this long-winded result.
When else would I get the setting dump if not now?
……That’s also true, so it’s hard to argue.
Anyway, I was able to learn the true nature of regression. It’s useful, but not all-powerful. Yet people still treat it like it is and regress over and over in pursuit of the best life, forgetting that doing so could slowly devour their own existence.
In the end, that creator bastard is the problem.
Indeed. Life is precious and fierce precisely because it cannot be undone.
……But because it can be undone so recklessly, that very preciousness diminishes.
Unfortunately, that is the case.
Still, there’s no reason to criticize someone for pursuing a life without failure. Failure is painful for anyone. There’s a saying that you learn from failure, but very few people can casually spout that. Because failure can knock a person down, make them sit there broken, and in severe cases, prevent them from ever standing up again. Never again.
Even if a life that experiences failure is precious, the person going through it would find life itself agonizing.
That is why this body cannot simply condemn those who regress.
Because regressing is easier and faster than rising up after experiencing that kind of pain.
Piece spoke with a bitter voice. I felt something similar. If it had been me, I probably would have chosen regression too. A life without ups and downs. There’s nothing sweeter than that.
So, do you regret your current life?
……Well. It’s not so bad right now. I even have abilities.
Hehe. Even if you didn’t have any abilities, even if you couldn’t see other people’s regression counts, you probably would have been fine.
Why do you think that?
Because this body chose you.
Piece spoke with full confidence. But this was bullshit.
……Earlier you said your aim was off and that’s why I got picked.
……
……Answer me, damn it.
Everything worked out for the best in the end, didn’t it?
At that moment, the “sister-making sound” that had been coming from the master bedroom stopped. Instead, the door cracked open slightly and a small, unintelligible murmur leaked out. It sounded like it was being spoken to someone other than me. As soon as the words finished, Choco knocked on my door two or three times, barked once, and left. It seemed like he had been given orders from the master bedroom.
What did they say?
They said it’s noisy so stop messing around and go to sleep already?
……Where do I even begin?
More importantly, how did they know we were talking?
Piece let out a deep sigh.
Give me back the intelligent Kim Shinu I was just talking to a moment ago!
That Kim Shinu has been sealed inside this body. Give it up.
Worried that Choco might knock on the door again, I hurriedly tried to fall asleep. Fortunately, the sound of making another sibling didn’t reach me this time.
For ten minutes.
No, what the fuck, why is it round two!!!
It looks like it would be fine if you don’t come home next vacation.
That was how I stayed awake until Choco knocked on my door two more times.
After visiting Hye-ji’s house, she said she couldn’t invite me over anymore. The reason was that when she said she was bringing me, Kim Baekhong shed bloody tears and eventually started a hunger strike. In the end, Hye-ji surrendered this time, and it became difficult to visit her house again.
Is that really that effective?
A three-star general collapsing from a hunger strike? All sorts of trash bastards will swarm in like dogs and rip him apart.
True. They’re the kind of trash reporters who stick their heads in the moment any incident happens.
As a side note, Hye-ji’s house was apparently bought solely by her mother. Only then did it make a bit more sense. It wouldn’t be easy for someone with a military background to own a house like that.
So there was a reason after all.
I see. Then, just as Hye-ji said, her mother must have truly been a famous hunter.
Kang Hyuk came to mind at Piece’s words. After all, he had once been a famous hunter too.
But the door next door has been half-destroyed for a long time now.
He’ll probably spend his whole life running away.
Thinking that, I stepped outside, and right then I saw a group of people gathered in front of the house next door. They were none other than the mechanics. In an extremely short time, they had installed a brand-new door. Once they all left, there was one person watching with a regretful gaze.
Yes. It was Kang Hyuk.
Kang Hyuk stared at the newly installed door and muttered with clear disappointment.
Seeing him like that made emotions surge up inside me. Without hesitation, I waved at him.
Instead of answering, I started running toward him with all my might. Maybe I couldn’t control the emotions welling up. Without realizing it, strength surged into my legs and I accelerated. To express my overflowing heart, I jumped forward with full force. Flying straight toward Kang Hyuk. In that state, I spread my arms wide and shouted in greeting.
Kang Hyuk answered indifferently. Looking at him, I raised my right elbow. Then I slammed it down hard toward the top of Kang Hyuk’s head.
- CRAAAAAACK!!!!!!
Kang Hyuk, who had been off guard, couldn’t react to the sudden change and took a clean hit.
From the prologue to chapter 57. It had been a long journey if it felt long, and a short one if it felt short.