novelburst
Chapter 292
Chapter 292
Discord: https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
? I’m an Infinite Regressor, But I’ve Got Stories to Tell
??????
The Exile III
A new serial killer had joined the criminal squad under the command of the psychopath.
Even for a regressor like me, this was not an easy situation. After all, this rampage by Ji-won was something that had occurred for the first time here in the 703rd cycle. Who could have predicted something like this?
[Oppa, are you tired?]
Thankfully, the cute and cheeky kiddo Ha-yul was in our unit. That was a small consolation.
Ha-yul clung to my back like a snail, kneading my shoulders with her small hands. It wasn’t much of a massage, but the action itself brought a sense of warmth to my heart.
“I am. On top of stomping out Anomalies, now there’s this weighing on my mind. I’m at a loss as to what to do with Ji-soo.”[Let me know if it gets too much to handle,] Ha-yul whispered softly. [If needed, I can silence them without a trace.]
Correction.
While Ha-yul was my emotional sanctuary, she was like a roller coaster in an amusement park—unpredictable and wild. Her thought process was far from normal.
Meanwhile, Dok-seo was sprawled out on the other side of the barracks, groaning, “Haaah... So tired... It’s so damn exhausting...”
Her life mantra seemed to revolve around three phrases: I’m tired, I’m exhausted, and I’m dying. She was about as helpful to the team’s morale as LDL cholesterol is to heart health. Omega-3 supplements were urgently needed.[1]
‘Wait a second... Am I the only sane one here?’
Saintess, I miss you more than ever today.
Still, I set aside my mental exhaustion. I didn’t want to block Ji-soo’s transfer to our unit. No matter what anyone said, she was a victim whose life had been ruined by Ji-won’s psychopathic antics. If she sought revenge, it was only right to support her wishes.
The next day, I called Ji-soo aside for a one-on-one conversation.
“Ji-soo, now that you’re part of our unit, I hope you’ll answer honestly. What brought you here?”
She didn’t respond.
“You killed seven people, but that’s a burden you’ll have to bear. It’s your problem to resolve moving forward.”
I placed a coffee cup in front of Ji-soo. Unsure of her preferences, I made a warm café au lait, the most luxurious item available in our unit.
“As for me, I aim to take responsibility for what Ji-won did at the Misfortune Workshop. If you desire revenge, I’ll cooperate to the best of my ability.” ???????
Ji-soo tilted her head. “Even if I were to ask you to die right now?”
“Yes.”
For a long moment, her dark green eyes stared intently at my face. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
Since her transfer to the unit, her gaze had always been fiery, but this was the first time it softened, even slightly. There was a subtle change in her tone as well.
“I don’t intend to hold you accountable, Undertaker. If I started blaming you or the former leader for letting Ji-won run free, I’d eventually have to blame society and the entire world.”
“Hmm.”
“I’m not that immature.”
Ji-soo lifted the coffee cup and took a sip. For a fleeting moment, her eyebrows raised. I didn’t need Mind-Reading to guess. The silent impression of delicious was almost audible.
She blinked rapidly, her expression shifting. “My goal is Ji-won, the only one directly responsible. No one else.”
“Do you want her dead?”
“No. Death is too swift. It’s not a punishment I can decide alone.” Through the steam rising from the coffee, her eyes gleamed ominously. “I want her to suffer.”
I paused. “You must realize, having experienced it yourself, that Ji-won is a self-contained individual. Inflicting true pain upon her may be impossible.”
“Perhaps,” Ji-soo acknowledged. A faint smile tugged at her lips. “That’s why I’m going to experiment.”
Experiment.
“Undertaker, I have a request. Can you order Ji-won to obey me without resistance? If you do, I’ll promise not to harbor any resentment toward you as a victim of the Misfortune Workshop.”
It was a request I couldn’t refuse.
https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
Ji-soo adapted reasonably well to the 703 Unit. She didn’t particularly mingle with Ha-yul or Dok-seo, but for a murderer, she displayed a surprising deft with social skills.
Even Ha-yul, who had an almost animalistic sense for people’s personalities and character, said, [She doesn’t seem like a bad person.]
Her abilities were even more impressive. Quick decision-making. Proficient use of Aura. Survival skills strong enough to escape from the Void alone. She lacked some real-world combat experience, but that gap was quickly filled due to Unit 703’s unique environment.
All in all, she was a bright and capable individual.
Kieeek!
Ji-soo’s Awakening ability, known as Phantom Torture, was often effective even against Anomalies. Given their tendency to struggle with distinguishing reality from illusion, when Ji-soo inflicted the sensation of decapitation, the Anomalies genuinely reacted as though their heads had been severed. Though this ability only worked on village-level Anomalies and below, it was still incredibly useful.
In fact, against these low-tier creatures, Ji-soo exhibited near-absolute dominance. Without lifting a finger, she could wield her Phantom Torture to eliminate dozens, even hundreds, of low-tier Anomalies.
“It’s all thanks to my excellent teaching,” Ji-won suddenly interjected with self-praise. “I referenced the academy system Your Excellency established in past cycles. While I might sound boastful, all Awakeners from the Misfortune Workshop are capable of performing at least as well as a member of the National Road Management Corps’s operations team.”
Everyone fell silent.
This would have been the perfect time to quip, “It’s not boasting but smearing yourself with gold,” or to point out, “It wasn’t education, it was torture.” But no one dared to criticize Ji-won’s audacity. Even Ji-soo, the victim, merely smiled faintly and refrained from reacting.
There was a reason for this eerie atmosphere.
“Godmother.”
“Yes, Ji-soo.”
“Please follow me.”
On days when the 703 Unit had no assigned operations, Ji-soo and Ji-won often disappeared together. Their destinations varied—sometimes a nearby forest, other times the basement of an abandoned building in a small town. After roughly six hours, the two would return to the unit, visibly drained.
When questioned about their activities one day, Ji-won firmly replied, “I can’t disclose that.”
“Why?”
“Because Ji-soo forbade me from speaking about it. Furthermore, Your Excellency ordered me to obey Ji-soo’s instructions.”
“You’re not doing anything strange, are you?”
“Hmm.” Ji-won stroked her chin thoughtfully. “If by ‘strange,’ you mean unusual, then yes. But I would describe it as meaningless.”
“Just to clarify, Ji-won... Don’t cause further harm to Ji-soo or any other victims in any way.”
“Oh, rest assured,” Ji-won said confidently. “What you fear will never happen. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.”
The opposite?
“Oh dear, I’ve said too much. Of course, if Your Excellency rescinds the order, I’m ready to confess everything.”
This routine continued day after day.
One weekend evening, while the rest of the unit enjoyed a rare break, Ji-won and Ji-soo left the barracks again.
‘I need to find out what’s going on.’
I decided to secretly follow them.
In the pine forest near the barracks, the air was unexpectedly chilly, like autumn rather than summer. The trees’ bark seemed to peel under the cold wind, exposing raw flesh.
I followed their tracks deeper into the woods, my footsteps silent on the fallen leaves. Through the dense foliage, faint voices reached my ears.
I crept closer, hiding behind the bushes and straining to listen.
“Not there,” Ji-soo’s voice instructed. “The tree next to it. Yes, that one. Stand there.”
“You know I don’t struggle much. There’s no need to tie me up. The task could be done in midair just as easily.”
“I don’t like that, Godmother. After all, we were all bound or imprisoned when we endured your sessions.”
“It’s problematic to equate our strengths of will. My endurance surpasses the average human threshold.”
Peering through the branches, I finally saw them.
Ji-won was tied to a tree.
The scene was beyond what I expected. Ji-won was not merely tied up—the ropes were meticulously arranged to immobilize her entirely, from her ankles to her neck.
Ji-soo inspected the bindings before stepping back to face Ji-won.
“Yes, you’re right, Godmother. We were weak, and we didn’t appreciate the grace given to us. But not anymore.” She clapped her hands and declared, “Today, let’s recreate the session you inflicted on Ye-ji. Do you remember her?”
“Hmm... Was she the telekinetic one?”
“That was Ye-seul.”
“Ah, close enough.”
“Ye-ji was the one whose flesh was constantly flayed as if being prepared for sashimi. Eventually, even on days without a session, she clawed at her skin, saying it was too thick and needed to be thinner.”
“Oh, I remember now. She Awakened a high-level resilience ability. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much different from Aura training... What a waste. If I had administered poisons instead, she might have Awakened a perfect resistance to toxins—”
Ji-won’s sentence was cut off by a scream.
It was a sound unlike anything I had ever heard from her. Even when her limbs were broken, she had only groaned. But this... This was a cry of pure agony.
It was to be expected. No human could endure the sensation of their flesh being methodically shredded.
Ji-soo was replicating the tortures Ji-won had once inflicted at the Misfortune Workshop, reversing the roles of victim and perpetrator.
Even when Ji-won fainted, Ji-soo used her Aura to forcefully Awaken her.
For five hours, the forest was filled with Ji-won’s screams and Ji-soo’s shouts. It was not an interrogation, nor was it a means to any end. It was the manifestation of rage compressed over countless looping days, finally erupting.
When it was over, Ji-soo’s shoulders rose and fell heavily. Despite her talent and abilities, she was visibly drained after maintaining Phantom Torture for hours.
Ji-won, on the other hand, looked utterly wrecked. Her pristine appearance was gone, replaced by a hollow, trembling figure slumped against the tree.
After a long silence, Ji-won spoke in a hoarse voice. Despite everything, her tone was eerily calm.
“Ji-soo... I told you...”
There was no hatred, anger, or resentment in her voice. Instead, it was devoid of emotion.
“This is all meaningless... You can’t hurt me.”
Ji-soo bit her lip so hard it bled. It was the first real blood spilled that night.
Footnotes:
[1] LDL cholesterol is commonly known as “bad” cholesterol since having too much of it is associated with plaque buildup in the heart. Taking omega-3 supplements in moderation can help reduce this risk.