The Tales of an Infinite Regressor

[Translator - Jjescus]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 153

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Strategist V

7

Speedrun Broadcast, ON.

[We've almost gathered everything we need in Japan. It's time to head back to the Korean Peninsula.]

"No! Absolutely not! There's no way I'm drifting at sea again! No way!"

Oh Dokseo desperately resisted as her character sheet now listed "sea" as a phobia.

But there was no need to worry. We didn't have to rely on Hamel's Drift Journal again.

I remodeled the Inunaki Tunnel into a "Korea-Japan Undersea Tunnel," providing Oh Dokseo with a comfortable walking journey instead.

[Oh. Please note that if you step just a little to the left, you'll die a gruesome death with all your limbs separated.]

"Arghhh?"

Oh Dokseo was delighted by the rare experience of walking from Japan to Korea.

"Comfortable, my foot! It's a nightmare where one wrong step means instant death! ...Wait, did you use this as a hideout in another playthrough? Are you insane?"

[You're progressing slowly. Please hurry up. The character Yoo Jiwon once traversed this void on a bicycle.]

"Who the hell is that?"

[By the way, considering we're still in the early stages, Oh Dokseo's shrine maiden aptitude has already reached an unbelievable level.]

I lightly ignored the complaints from the YOUNG and MZ generation Oh Dokseo. Both the saintess and I were too old to indulge the weak whining of today's youth.

[Currently, Oh Dokseo is exploring various anomalies related to fictional works. The "Korea-Japan Undersea Tunnel" you're walking through right now is also a fictional creation.]

[The Hamel Drift Journal, The Monkey's Paw, The Hate Pill, Magical Girl anime, and now the Undersea Tunnel. There's no other case of someone approaching the alien gods of fictional works this rapidly.]

[At this rate, you'll soon be able to summon the status window without any issues.]

"R-really?"

[Yes.]

The saintess spoke with certainty in my place.

For reference, the saintess was still being carried by me and maintained a distance of several hundred meters from Oh Dokseo.

[Especially within this tunnel, the conditions are even more favorable.]

[Since the Korea-Japan Undersea Tunnel itself is a fictional place, it also functions, albeit weakly, as a shrine to the "The Admin of All-Play."]

[Why don't you try calling it out as a test?]

"......"

Oh Dokseo mumbled in the middle of the dark, eerie tunnel, where it felt like ghosts could jump out at any moment.

"...Status window?"

Immediately, Oh Dokseo was startled.

"It-it's real! The status window actually appeared!"

[Can you see a semi-transparent hologram?]

"Yeah! I can see it clearly now!"

I clenched my fist. It worked.

Initially, it would have taken at least five years for the [The Admin of All-Play] to begin descending to the surface. But its evil influence had already started showing.

From ancient times, both demons and gods could not refuse a summoning. The more they refused, the weaker they became.

With Oh Dokseo as the "shrine maiden" and "altar," the saintess's assistance, my strategy and direction, and the anomalies related to fictional works as "offerings."

We were getting closer to the darkest of gods.

[Great. Within just a week of starting the speedrun, we've successfully summoned part of the "Logout Game."]

[This anomaly is among the most reclusive of the alien gods. The fact that we managed to break its stealth mode is a remarkable achievement.]

[Let's take this opportunity to check Oh Dokseo's status.]

"Ah, yeah. I'll read it out loud now!"

The status window, as described by Oh Dokseo, was as follows:

――――――――――

[Status]

Name: Oh Dokseo

Title: "Shrine Maiden of the Game of All Things"

Occupation: Prophet, RPG Character, Magical Girl, Shrine Maiden, Literature Girl, Protagonist

[Health: E-rank] [Strength: D-rank] [Intuition: B+ rank] [Agility: C-rank] [Intelligence: B-rank] [Charm: B- rank]

Personality Traits: [Misogynist] [Human Worship] [Timid] [Passionate] [Unfortunate (Status Ailment)]

Unique Skills: [Omniscient Regressor's Perspective (EX)] [AT Field (S)]

- Omniscient Regressor's Perspective (EX): A prophetic ability that allows you to foresee events in the world.

By reading a novel where the protagonist is "Doctor Jang," you can perceive what scenarios will unfold in the future.

Knowledge is power. No matter how much the void corrupted the world, to someone who "already knows" what will happen, it's just an event.

Secure the position of the protagonist.

- AT Field (S): An ability that rejects external interference.

It provides an absolute barrier against any physical forces trying to impact or shock you. However, it can only be used once a day, and the barrier lasts for 1 minute.

You have observed everything that happens in this world from an "omniscient" perspective. You are clearly a being superior to the characters in the novel.

Turn a bad ending into a happy ending, or an even more tragic bad ending. You were born with the destiny of being the protagonist of this world.

May fortune be with you.

――――――――――

"...That's what it says!"

Hmm.

After listening to Oh Dokseo's description, I smiled darkly. I whispered softly, just loud enough for the saintess to hear.

"How despicable. It seems the alien god is in quite a rush."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. They even explicitly gave the title 'Shrine Maiden of the Game of All Things.' That's like marking their territory, a very childish instinct."

"Sounds like good news for us."

"Indeed."

From the [The Admin of All-Play's] perspective, it must feel like being struck by lightning out of nowhere.

They painstakingly analyzed and hacked someone like me. They nurtured Oh Dokseo as a champion to fight me.

And now, suddenly, their champion is cooperating with me. How infuriating must that be?

[The status window is practically begging you to become the protagonist.]

[No problem. We're already running the game broadcast. Oh Dokseo's success is our success. The alien god has been caught in a trap.]

[So let's go ahead and become the protagonist.]

The major events of the Korean Peninsula awaited us in sequence on the schedule.

First up was Baekhwa High School vs. the Great Void.

I entered Baekhwa High School with the saintess and Oh Dokseo. Of course, the saintess and I stayed in the background, letting Oh Dokseo take the lead.

After various twists and turns, the void was subdued. Not much had changed.

――Except that, originally, the psychological connection that only existed between me and Cheon Yohwa had now shifted its direction.

"Dokseo! Let's hang out this weekend!"

Wham.

Cheon Yohwa linked arms with Oh Dokseo.

"Ah. Uh, uh-huh. Yeah."

"Hehe. They say an amusement park called Void appeared where Lotte World used to be. Let's go there!"

"...No. It's the Void. Isn't that dangerous?"

At Baekhwa Girls' High School, Cheon Yohwa's mental state was extremely unstable.

It was only natural, considering that the children of her guild, who were also her school friends, had been dropping dead one after another.

In the gap of that mental state, I positioned Oh Dokseo.

Under the influence of the "Hate Pill," Cheon Yohwa initially harbored a dislike for Oh Dokseo.

[Translator - Jjescus]

[Proofreader - Gun]

However, after experiencing the hunt for the Alien gods together, the negative first impression was easily overcome.

[Baekhwa Girls' High School, cleared in ten days.]

[Originally, the Endless Hell's Domain is a highly dangerous Void that can stretch time like taffy.]

[But from another perspective, it's no different from the "Room of Spirit and Time." We'll help Oh Dokseo grow significantly here.]

Ten days passed outside, but inside the Endless Hell's Domain, several years had passed.

I focused on training Oh Dokseo as much as possible without catching Cheon Yohwa's attention.

I didn't even take the lead in subjugating the Endless Hell. I just swung my staff sword at the last moment to land the finishing blow. All the spotlight was on Oh Dokseo.

As a result, the relationship between Cheon Yohwa and me remained distant.

"Oh! Hello, security guard!"

"Yes. Good job, Student Council President."

"Yes! You too, sir!"

Cheon Yohwa probably still harbored subtle resentment towards me, even though she didn't show it outwardly.

But that didn't matter. The speedrun broadcast continued.

[Good.]

[Now Cheon Yohwa, who originally should have been fond of another character, Oh Dokseo has made that character their best friend. It's an extremely "protagonist-like" move.]

[Everything is going smoothly.]

"..."

Oh Dokseo chewed on her lip.

I knew that she felt uneasy about something, but in the great task of subjugating the Alien gods, there wasn't room to care for every emotion.

Next.

[The Ten Clans are advancing south. If this continues, the refugees trapped north of the Han River will be annihilated.]

[The remnants of the national army and some awakened ones have prepared for a desperate final battle, but they are outmatched.]

[I had already recruited Baekhwa Girls' High School for this moment. Oh Dokseo, Cheon Yohwa, and the awakened ones of Baekhwa Girls' High School will save Seoul.]

After enjoying the level-up event in the Endless Hell's Domain, Oh Dokseo and her group easily defeated the Ten Clans.

I recorded the entire battle on video.

And I uploaded it through Seo Gyu's SGNet (I had saved Seo Gyu in the tutorial dungeon and left him in Busan).

-Anonymous: Who are these kids? They're insanely strong;

-Anonymous: Didn't the army get wiped out by the Ten Clans? How did they kill them so easily?

-Officer: They're much younger than me, but I honestly respect them. Seeing proof that hope still exists in this world warms my heart.

-Anonymous: What's their name?

-[Three Thousand] Witch Trial Judge: Oh Dokseo and Cheon Yohwa.

└Anonymous: Ah, call them Oh Dokseo "nim" (honorific).

-KoreanVillage: But honestly, wasn't the magical girl transformation scene a bit cringy? lol

└Anonymous: Oh Dokseo herself seemed super embarrassed after transforming lol

└Anonymous: The hope of the Korean Peninsula being a magical girl and a student council president... What on earth is this...

└Anonymous: I'm grateful for subjugating the Ten Clans, but honestly, it's a bit much;

In this post-apocalyptic world where civilization was completely destroyed...

The title of "awakened ones who fought to protect refugees and achieved a miraculous victory" was worth its weight in gold.

Reputation was a valuable resource.

Using the greatly heightened reputation, Oh Dokseo posted on SGNet.

-Literature Girl: [Tip Post] How to quickly grow your awakened abilities in a short time using the 'Status Window'.txt

-Literature Girl: Honestly, I didn't want to share this tip with others, but it's not right to keep it to myself in this difficult apocalypse, so I'm sharing it.

-Literature Girl: Everyone knows that they always tease me on SGNet whenever I transform into a magical girl.

-Literature Girl: But actually, this magical girl transformation isn't my unique ability; it's a power that anyone can implement if they follow a specific route.

-Literature Girl: There's an organization in Japan called the Magical Girl Association, and they have an awakened one known as the Chief Priestess...

The awakened ones' interest was intense.

Of course, this was a natural reaction because the person with the highest reputation in Korea was sharing her tips, but it wasn't just because of that.

Oh Dokseo was showing off overwhelming achievements. However, the subtle animosity caused by the "Hate Pill" also lingered among the people.

‘Is she really that great?’ ‘She might be strong, but does she really deserve this level of worship?’ Such murky and insidious feelings.

So many people subconsciously thought Oh Dokseo's success was due to sheer luck, that she had used some unofficial cheat code that they didn't know about.

In the midst of this, Oh Dokseo herself released her "personal know-how."

The awakened ones quickly took the bait, mistakenly believing that this was the secret luck or fortuitous encounter that Oh Dokseo possessed.

I monitored the SGNet's public opinion and immediately invited the High Priestess through the Inunaki Tunnel.

"No way... Are there really this many Koreans who want to join our association?"

The High Priestess's eyes widened as she saw the group of awakened ones gathered in Haeundae.

"Indeed, beauty knows no borders! I never imagined there would be so many comrades of our association abroad! After all, magical girls are beautiful, and beauty is justice! I was not wrong!"

"Hey, what's that strange person with the fox tail shouting about?"

"I don't know. It's Japanese, but the accent is so thick it's hard to understand..."

"Isn't that not even an accent, but ancient language?"

Overcome with emotion, the High Priestess gladly established the "Magical Girl Association Korea Branch" and appointed Oh Dokseo as the branch head.

In addition, she contracted hundreds of Koreans as magical girls on the spot.

It was an unfortunate truth for the High Priestess, but to be precise, the Korean awakened ones had not gathered because they sympathized with the beauty of magical girls.

In a country that had long been filled with min-maxers, the rumor that "Hey, I heard the magical girl class is super OP in this game?" spread, and people immediately pressed the transfer button without a second thought.

-Literature Girl: Oh, and one crucial thing to keep in mind when making a magical girl contract.

Oh Dokseo delivered the final blow to the min-maxers.

-Literature Girl: As a magical girl, you must decide which guardian deity you will serve.

-Literature Girl: Technically, it doesn't matter if the guardian deity is a pet or a plant, but it must be a "powerful god" to strengthen the magical girl.

-Literature Girl: I recommend contracting with a god called [The Admin of All-Play].

-Literature Girl: I can guarantee 100% that if you make a contract with this god, you’ll immediately be able to see your status window, know what your abilities are, and find out how to develop your awakened abilities efficiently.

That day, a total of four hundred awakened ones contracted with a final boss-level entity, a being that had never even revealed itself before.

In the end.

[The 'The Admin of All-Play' responds to the users' call.]

The alert of the Alien god echoed in people's minds.

[The 'The Admin of All-Play' officially declares the game's open.]

On the 30th day of the speedrun.

I successfully dragged out the Alien god, who had been hiding until the very end, to the surface.

[Translator - Jjescus]

[Proofreader - Gun]