The Tales of an Infinite Regressor

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 80 – Questioner II

2

There’s a saying that goes, “trouble within and trouble without.”

Usually, it means experiencing extreme suffering both inside and out, like getting food poisoning and then stepping on a Lego with your bare foot. But the true meaning of this old saying lies elsewhere.

It’s the wisdom that internal worries can be easily resolved by pointing to an external enemy.

This ancient truth was once again proven when I caught 101 Fairy Sians, filmed the scene, and uploaded it to SGNet.

– Anonymous: Is Doctor Jang a god? Is Doctor Jang a god? Is Doctor Jang a god?

– KoreanVillage: Watching those fairies get wrecked feels so satisfying, hahaha.

– Anonymous: Mom, I want to be Doctor Jang when I grow up! Mom, I want to be Doctor Jang when I grow up!

– Literature Girl: Why do we only get to watch this amazing prank on video? Can’t they sell tickets to watch it live?

└ Anonymous: I think I know where this building is. Let’s organize a live support raid party.

– [National] Officer: Truly a case of cause and effect. Proof that justice still breathes in this world. Those who act out at the end of the century should watch this and reflect.

– dolLHoUse: Concern.

– [Yuldo Nation] Sword Maiden: The cinematography is truly excellent!

“Hmm.”

I nodded in satisfaction.

The number of likes on the post alone was the highest I’ve ever seen in my 89 lifetimes!

While each of us Awakened had vastly different personalities and preferences, we all shared one thing: a mutual disdain for fairies!

However, it was too early to relax. No matter how well you deal with external enemies, internal issues don’t just disappear. It’s just a simple distraction.

My internal trouble, a cancerous tumor, was right next to me, exuding a fragrant scent.

“Wow… To think you managed to capture all the tutorial fairies from across the country and gather them in one place. How did you come up with such an idea, Guild Master? You’re amazing.”

Pop quiz.

Who just smiled brightly at me and praised me?

Hint 1: This person calls me “Guild Master,” a title not many use.

Hint 2: This person has rare pink hair.

Hint 3: This is the 89th cycle.

“Guild Master, you really are quite unique. I’m glad I decided to follow you when you recruited me at Busan Station…”

Answer: Koyori!

A normal person would start screaming, “Aaaah! Cthulhu destroys!” and run away upon hearing the answer.

But I was far from normal, and at this point, I had no idea that the 89th cycle would end in total annihilation.

Naturally, I didn’t suspect that Koyori was a mind-controlling Hypno (Pokemon) disguised as a human either.

“Thanks. It’s because you joined that running the guild has become so much easier. Sometimes I think the guild members like you more than they like me.”

“Haha, Guild Master, you’re too kind. It’s just because I don’t have any responsibilities or orders to give.”

Thus, even as I listened to the pink-haired shiny Hypno’s laughter, all I thought was, “What a pleasant voice.” How foolish of me. Run.

“And actually, luck played a part in this mission.”

“Luck, you say?”

“Yeah. Even though I know all the patterns of the fairies left in the Korean Peninsula, they still got captured without much resistance.”

“….”

Koyori smiled brightly.

“Ultimately, it’s fate that dictates human affairs. In reverse, it was just bad luck for the fairies. Guild Master, you should be pleased,” she said.

“Hmm. You’re right.”

No! Doctor Jang. No!

Run away now. Run away immediately!

…But even if I tried to shoot Interstellar alone, there was no way my voice would reach the me of the 89th turn.

If there’s one fortunate point, it’s that Koyori’s mind-controlling Hypno beam didn’t discriminate based on race, affecting not just Homo sapiens but fairies too. Thanks to this, the 101 fairies in custody didn’t cause much trouble even in prison.

“Heok… Where is this?”

“It’s an unfamiliar ceiling.”

The incarceration location was Cheongsong Correctional Facility.

Since the apocalypse, the walls had crumbled, causing a continuous population drain, and now the prison was bustling with new inmates.

“Kidnapping? Could it be kidnapping?”

“Are we creatures created for clichés, turned into toys of clichés?”

“That too is an inevitable cliché.”

“Heok… If I had been born 500 years earlier, I could have dominated world literature. It’s a shame to be born in the wrong era…”

“In the Middle Ages, there weren’t even Cola-flavored chips or cup noodles, so even if I had dominated, it would have been useless.”

“I could have given regrets to all future literati born 500 years later.”

“Heokk, a terrifying genius…”

Bubbling and bubbling –

Having gathered a total of 101 noisy fairies alone, there was truly no market like the Noryangjin fish market.

Now it’s time to proceed with the main show.

As if prepared in advance, Koyori handed me the microphone with a sly smile (giving me chills). I stepped onto the platform.

“Ah- microphone test. Microphone test. Hello, fairies. Nice to meet you.”

“Erk. Who are you…?”

“I am your guide. I think you must have been very surprised to be kidnapped suddenly like this. But don’t worry. From now on, I will kindly guide you from beginning to end.”

The fairies spread throughout the hall blinked at each other and whispered.

“Where have we heard this repertoire before?”

“For some reason, this line sounds very familiar.”

“This rope is so tough that we can’t unravel it no matter what it’s made of…”

“Busan Station Awakened!”

With a cry, a fairy shouted in the middle of the hall.

“I’ve seen it in the data screen! That human, Number 264, cleared the nightmare-level dungeon Busan Station in less than 20 minutes! It’s definitely him!”

“Hiekkkk?”

“20 minutes? He’s the type of protagonist that seniors warned about!”

Bubbling, bubbling, bubbling!

The fairies became noisy all at once.

But the speaker who believed in his righteousness wasn’t shaken by the chaos outside the stage. Like Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial, I continued my speech firmly.

“Please calm down and listen to me, fairies. When do you think evil arises in this world?”

“What?”

“I believe that evil arises when one cannot or deliberately does not consider the position and feelings of others. Not seeing and not knowing. In that sense, ignorance truly can be considered the root of evil, as the old proposition of Socrates rightly evaluates.”

“…What nonsense is this human talking about?”

“I have no idea at all…”

“Ah, ah. I’ve arranged this gathering place to rescue you all from the abyss of evil. The reason you treat humans like toys is simply because you’ve never personally experienced being a toy.”

Question marks hovered collectively over the fairies’ puzzled heads.

My voice rang out boldly in the now quieter hall like a cry for justice.

“Did you roughly understand? From now on, kill each other.”

“…?”

The bent question marks didn’t take long to straighten into exclamation marks under the hammer.

Fairy-exclusive tutorial dungeon, start.

“Hi-eeeek! Save the fairies!”

“Gyak! Rocks! Rocks are rolling! Gyaaaah! Hi-eeeek!”

Traps overflowing with all sorts of malice, limited resources, stages designed to trap in suspicion and horror, etc., etc.

After all, every creation tends to originate from imitation.

Even when I built the Cheongsong Correctional Facility dungeon, I drew inspiration entirely from the great seniors in this field. Those seniors were now happily frolicking in the buildings designed by their successors.

“How can you wear the guise of a human and do this? Don’t you have any human heart at all?”

“No, I don’t. Instead, I’ve equipped myself with a fairy’s heart. Heokk- hoeeeng-”

“…?”

[Proofreader – Gun]

“Why? What’s the problem, Number 76. When humans begged for their lives in Yeongwol, did you grant their request?”

“Heox! W-we just followed orders!”

“Is that so? The instructor is similar. I am solely my own master and am now commanding myself. As we are in similar positions, I ask for your understanding, fairies.”

“Crazy human… He’s a crazy human…”

The fairies trembled.

Ah. By the way, this entire process was flawlessly recorded by Koyori’s smartphone.

“Ah, Guild Master. Sorry, but you’re not on screen. Please come a bit closer.”

“Like this?”

“Yes.”

As days passed in Cheongsong Correctional Facility, Koyori’s smile evolved from a simple grin to a broad, confident smile.

As a master of mental manipulation, Koyori also had expertise in video editing.

Director & Screenplay: Jang Uisa, Cinematography & Editing: Koyori, Lead & Supporting Fairies.

With our combined effort, the moving documentary series “Tutorial Reversal of the World” successfully achieved 100% viewership ratings every time it was uploaded on SG Net.

“The Guild Master is truly an interesting person.”

…Looking back now.

Despite following the wisdom of internal and external affairs, it was difficult to evoke such a consistent reaction in the crazy SG Net overflowing with lunatics.

Perhaps Koyori had embedded manipulation in the edited videos themselves. They were satisfying enough to be acknowledged by experts in sincerity and post-review.

From this point on, Koyori undoubtedly developed genuine interest and obsession with me.

3

Of course, the purpose behind establishing a fairy-exclusive prison wasn’t merely to settle accumulated racial grievances. (That was only 50% of the reason.)

I looked down at the fairies falling 60 meters into the underground in real-time tug-of-war defeats.

“I’m capturing all the remaining fairies on the peninsula and turning them into mere jesters. Aren’t I even hiding my face like this?”

Fairy Lord.

Indeed. It is estimated that Koyori, who manages and dominates not only the Korean Peninsula but also simultaneous appearances of ‘Tutorial Dungeons’ and ‘Fairies’ worldwide, is a special kind of eccentricity.

According to the future classification system of the Library Association, she might be judged as Level 5, Alienation, and Outer God grade… a dreadful figure.

“I’ve invested so much effort into capturing fairies. This time, we must gather as much information about these guys as possible.”

“Hi-eeeek!,” the fairies screamed in terror.

Surprisingly, even up to this point, I still knew nothing substantial about the Fairy Lord’s identity.

Through a span of up to 89 turns, I hadn’t obtained any meaningful information even once.

That very fact spurred my vigilance.

“He’s not to be underestimated.”

Unlike fans of other works who are interested in subtly revealing their identities as villains, the Fairy Boss was a true antagonist.

The only information I had was the four-syllable word ‘Fairy Lord.’

“Hey. Massacre.”

“Hoeeek…”

I lightly tapped the forehead of the fallen fairy with my finger.

“Can you start telling me more about your boss? Do you think I’m only going to end things with a brawl on the Korean Peninsula? China, Japan, India… They might be a stretch, but fairies can be found in almost any neighborhood.”

“Heox, w-we can’t say…”

“Why? Because you only have one mouth? Would having two or three make rational conversation possible?”

“Hi-eeeek!”

I heard footsteps. When I glanced back, Koyori was standing behind me with a burden.

“Are you interrogating, Guild Master?”

“Yeah. Well, since it’s not a pretty scene, don’t film it.”

“Not a pretty scene? It’s actually a very beautiful scene, so we should cherish it so others can’t steal a glance.”

Koyori tilted their head.

“Um, if you’re having trouble because the fairies aren’t responding, I’d like to help if there’s anything I can do.”

“Hmm? If you can help, that’d be great, but these guys aren’t exactly easy to crack. Just grateful for their minds.”

“…”

Koyori smiled broadly.

“No need to thank me. What were you asking them just now?”

“Oh, I was asking about the Fairy Lord’s real name…”

“――The Fairy Lord is the Fairy Lord.”

Murmuring.

I stared at the fairy. Our eyes met. Despite interrogating for a fortnight, the lips of the fairy, who consistently refused to talk, were twitching.

“But humans misunderstand the true meaning of ‘lord’.”

“…Misunderstand? What misunderstanding?”

“The lord you think of is ‘King’ (monarch), meaning someone above whom others serve and pledge loyalty to. But our Fairy Lord is different. Our lord is ‘Lord’ (group leader). The Fairy Lord is the master of a collective entity.”

The fairy laughed brightly.

“We are one. One is us. Therefore, when we say ‘our Fairy Lord’ in the truest sense, resistance is merely betrayal of oneself. We――”

Boom!

The fairy’s lips trembled, then exploded from the inside out. The fairy’s body swelled like a balloon.

Flash. I immediately summoned a barrier between us and the fairies, causing the red liquid to splatter against the glass-like shield.

After a moment of explosions subsided, there was nothing left in the spot where the original fairy had been sitting except for chunks of flesh.

“No, what in the world…?”

“Oh, looks like there was some kind of bomb planted here for secrecy.”

Koyori murmured from beside me.

“Hmm. This is the first time for something like this… Still, Guild Master, you won’t be in big trouble, will you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“We still have 100 fairies left.”

Koyori clasped their hands together.

“So, you can ask questions another 100 times.”

[Proofreader – Gun]