The Tales of an Infinite Regressor

Chapter 70 – The Record Keeper II

3

As Doctor Jang, I never mingle with people, but I’m extremely selective when it comes to recruiting talent. Thorough screening is the name of the game.

In terms of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, it’s like having a military power of 70 and a literary power of 70, without even considering the military might of 70 and the intellectual power of 70. That’s my gaming style.

Through dozens of regressions, I carefully selected and created the control tower known as the “Regressors Alliance”… a top-secret conspiracy that strategically planned while fully understanding that I was a regressor.

The personnel? Simple. At the 95th regression, it was even simpler.

Me, the Saintess, and Noh Doha. That’s it.

Among them, the Saintess acted as the villain of the Constellations, casting gaslighting on all awakened individuals on the Korean Peninsula, while Noh Doha, as “Ah, you’re trying to use the Apocalypse Road! Then you should show some respect to us,” teased all the awakened individuals. They were each worthy of being called the ruler of both the spirit and material of the Korean Peninsula.

Therefore, the standing directorship of the Regressors Alliance at that time consisted only of me, excluding the two. Well, occasionally, temporary directors like Seo Gyu or Yoo Jiwon would join, but that was always an exception.

Of course, it was absolutely impossible for a talent like Sim Aryeon, with just [Military Power 4], [Political Power 3], [Charisma 16], and [Intellectual Power 77], barely scraping an A+ grade in skills, to join our alliance like in the past.

“G-Guild Master… a regressor?”

But, ta-da. There’s no such thing as ‘absolutely.’

With a cup of the café mocha I bought, Sim Aryeon had her mouth wide open, forming an ‘O’.

“Yes.”

“A-Are you saying… that you’re not just a regressor, but someone who single-handedly monopolizes all kinds of tricks and even makes others envious of your unnecessary popularity, someone who’s not just a diamond spoon with awakening abilities but a diamond spoon that makes others miserable by having such a good heart?”

“…Yes.”

What did this guy usually think of me as?

Fortunately or unfortunately, Sim Aryeon’s astonishment didn’t last long. By the time I had emptied half of my café mocha, her expression had relaxed as if she had entered a hot spring.

When I asked for the reason, the answer was absurd.

“N-No… um. Honestly, many things have been understood. After all, you were the first to figure out the conditions for my ability [Primordial Energy]…?”

“Um.”

“A-And, above all, I feel a bit relieved to think that your current position is not the result of pure talent or luck, but rather the result of rolling around in regression. Well, it’s a bit… strange to see you working so hard…”

“……”

“Oh. Uh, by the way. Guild Master. Can I upload this anonymously on SGnet?”

“Sure.”

“It’s definitely going to get a lot of recommendations…”

This community’s like a ghost.

“Isn’t Koyori dangerous, so it’s not allowed?”

“Koyori? Oh, Satisfaction Club… I, I’m actually a bit bothered by that person. It’s like my character is being copied by her… well, it’s not entirely unpleasant…”

“……?”

“……?”

The ratio of question marks always skyrocketed when I talked to her. Maybe this was Sim Aryeon’s hidden awakening ability too.

Continuing to explain, I relentlessly bent the question marks in my mind. SGnet was actually created by Seo Gyu, and the Constellations were nothing more than puppets of one person.

“Ah, hehe… hehehe…!”

Having witnessed the truth of the world, Sim Aryeon’s SAN continued to decrease. The hand holding the café mocha cup trembled.

“W-Why are you sharing such secrets with me? I feel burdened! I didn’t want to know all this…!”

“Calm down. Aryeon. How would you feel if the bizarre drawings you create were recognized as ‘official illustrations’?”

Pointy. Sim Aryeon’s ears moved.

“O-Official…?”

“Yeah. Even now, I’ve been discreetly uploading the strategies I’ve learned through regression on SGnet, but starting from the next round, I’m thinking of refining the strategy posts a bit more. And I plan to make good use of your drawing skills there.”

“H-How…?”

Just like this.

A few days later, I called the Saintess and Noh Doha as well and handed them a small booklet.

The Saintess tilted her head.

“Doctor Jang, what is this?”

“Take your time and read it.”

The booklet, printed with exquisite precision, contained illustrations along with text.

――――――――――

[Library Society Encyclopedia of Bizarre Creatures]

‘Ten Clans’

Alias: Crawling Cthulhu Spawn, Shadow Lord, Thorn Hell, Lurker

Danger Level: City-class (Polis)

Contamination Level: None

Habitat: Entire Korean Peninsula

Characteristics: The main feature is the tentacles that resemble human fingers. Contrary to the name ‘Ten Clans,’ they actually have hundreds or thousands of tentacles. Not all tentacles are attached to the main body, and small tentacles grow from large ones.

The tentacles grow continuously and are repeatedly cut off. These tentacles can rapidly grow to tear apart the opponent’s body (called ‘Tentacle Assault’) or even shoot the tentacles themselves to pierce through the opponent (called ‘Tentacle Lance’).

In addition to the visible tentacles, there are always at least dozens of tentacles wandering underground. Therefore, one must never be complacent when fighting the Ten Clans, as tentacles can emerge from behind or below at any time.

It is necessary to be vigilant. Due to these ‘thorns that rise from the ground,’ it was also widely known among Awakeners by the alias ‘Lurker’

Compared to the tentacles, the main body is very small. It consists of two hearts, both of which must be struck simultaneously…

――――――――――

The Saintess blinked.

“The Library Society Encyclopedia of Bizarre Creatures?”

“Yes. It’s a kind of strategy guide. I plan to create these kinds of guides and distribute them under the name of a new Constellation from the next round.”

“….!”

In other words, the “Constellation in charge of information.”

Up until now, the Saintess had controlled Constellations based on names from human history. The “Saintess of Salvation” was Joan of Arc, and the “Conqueror of the Alps” was Hannibal.

This methodology had the intuitive advantage of borrowing originality from history, but… it was time to add a little more substance to the identities of the Constellations.

“By any chance… are you planning to establish a Constellation responsible for managing information and strategies about the creatures?”

“Yes. It wouldn’t be bad for me, as a regressor, to monopolize information, but then too much attention would be drawn to me. Just like Koyori, a mysterious existence, would become overly interested in me.”

There were many existences in the world whose identities were still unknown, not just Koyori.

“We’ll create a separate board on SGnet for the encyclopedia and make it appear as if it’s managed by a new Constellation. Of course.”

I quietly pointed to Sim Aryeon sitting next to me.

“The actual person managing the board will be Sim Aryeon, our guild member.”

“….I see.”

“It’s quite a responsibility. Seo Gyu doesn’t even participate in activities, but Sim Aryeon… she’s quite a famous villain in the community. It might be a bit rude to say this in front of her, but I wonder if she can handle the position…”

“It’s okay. We’ll test it out from the next round.”

“Oh, sure…”

Noh Doha’s laughter echoed softly in the meeting room.

“I, too, belong to the category of those whose validation is achieved ‘in that way.’ Hm. Sometimes I can’t keep up with Doctor Jang’s concept of time…”

4

Now, the next round, the 96th.

I took Sim Aryeon and traveled all over the country. The purpose? Naturally, it was to supplement the illustrations for the Encyclopedia of Bizarre Creatures.

We visited Onyang in Chungcheongnam-do to see the continental-class creature “Udumbara,” and on the Donghae Line subway, we encountered the village-class creature “Trolley Dilemma,” which is not easy for ordinary people to come across. I listed and showed her various creatures.

“Wow, amazing…!”

Every time we encountered various creatures, Sim Aryeon busily worked on her drawings.

That’s how we collected drawings for half a year.

– The playground of the Constellations!

– The only safe internet community!

– Come to SGnet!

Finally, SGnet opened.

It opened slightly later than usual rounds. However, as it had been prepared for a long time, SGnet underwent significant changes, almost like a “renewal.”

“Huh? The Library Society Encyclopedia of Bizarre Creatures…?”

“What’s this?”

The full-scale appearance of the “Encyclopedia of Bizarre Creatures” that we had planned since the last round.

Originally, SGnet had only [Free Board], [Creative Board], [Community Board], [Guild Recruitment Board], and [Chat Room]. But now, at the top, there appeared the words “Library Society Encyclopedia of Bizarre Creatures.”

Moreover, while all the other boards were displayed in gray, only the Encyclopedia was in red. It was clearly unusual.

And the contents were even more unusual.

“Why are there descriptions of monsters written here?”

“What?”

“From the Ten Clans to the Gremlins… Udumbara? Trolley? Really. I didn’t know there were creatures like these?”

Along with the visual materials we had carefully collected over the past half year, there was a flood of data accumulated over dozens of rounds.

[The ‘Grand Librarian’ manages the encyclopedia.]

It was the debut of the new Constellation.

[The ‘Grand Librarian’ browses through the information of all things in the world, especially preferring the collection of data on creatures.]

[The ‘Grand Librarian’ wants you to share information with others. Sharing. That is the way to praise and honor the ‘Grand Librarian.’]

[The deeper your faith in the ‘Grand Librarian,’ the more information you didn’t know before will be unlocked.]

As planned by the Saintess, messages were sent to awakened individuals across the country.

In the monitoring room, Sim Aryeon nervously chewed her fingernails and fidgeted with her smartphone with an anxious look in her eyes.

“Stop staring at it. You’ll wear out the screen.”

“Y-yeah, but… I mean, deceiving so many people like this… I-I wonder if I can do it well…”

“Oh. You’re gonna do great.”

“Really?”

“Aye. You’ve got a natural talent for this.”

“Me?”

I know from experience over dozens of rounds that you’re a genius when it comes to anonymous role-playing.

And sure enough, not long after, chaos erupted among the members of SGnet.

– Anonymous: I went to Onyang as mentioned in the Bizarre Creature Encyclopedia and there was a flower tree growing on top of a corpse, just like the illustration. What should I do about this?

└ Literature Girl: What do you mean, what should you do? Burn it! It’s a zombie virus!

└ Anonymous: But it grants eternal life?

└ Officer: Just wait there. I’ll come with you to burn down the entire inn.

└ Anonymous: Oh.

– CookingQueen: Interesting.

– Anonymous: Hey, I always thought those green bugs were just goblins, but they’re actually gremlins. I destroyed the machine as instructed in the encyclopedia, and they disappeared on their own.

Constant testimonies.

People reported seeing creatures exactly as illustrated in the Bizarre Creature Encyclopedia when they visited certain places, and by following the strategies, they were indeed exterminated.

Eventually, the “Grand Librarian” quickly gained recognition among awakened individuals.

There were also some small incidents where even those who didn’t want to admit it had to acknowledge it.

– Anonymous: But if you’re really a Constellation who manages all information, don’t you have to know everyone’s identity, including mine? Hey, whether you’re a librarian or whatever, try guessing who I am.

└ [Grand Librarian]: Park Sang-soon. 37 years old. Guild Master of Cheonghae Guild. Currently logged in from Yeongdo, Busan, on the Korean Peninsula.

└ Anonymous: ?

└ Literature Girl: ?

└ Anonymous: Wait, what? He was the guild master of Cheonghae?

└ [Three Thousand Worlds] Witch Judge: Lol

└ [Three Thousand Worlds] Officer: Is that one of the guilds representing Busan? Shameful.

Identity reveal!

It was revealed that anonymous nicknames were useless in front of the “Grand Librarian.”

Naturally, all non-member identities could be viewed by Seo Gyu, and based on that information, the Saintess could accurately identify the identities of the awakened individuals through her Clairvoyance.

But for awakened individuals who didn’t know about this secret, the “Grand Librarian” was nothing short of terrifying.

After the incident where identities were revealed, voices of doubt or criticism against the “Grand Librarian” disappeared from SGnet.

“Guild Master…! This is so fun!”

Sim Aryeon also humbly acknowledged that the three letters “community management” were firmly attached to her soul. Yeah. I knew it would be like this.

Unlike Seo Gyu, who somewhat obligatorily managed SGnet, Sim Aryeon was energetically engaged in her “Constellation duties.”

Naturally, the number of awakened individuals following the “Grand Librarian” increased.

– Anonymous: Found a way to repel gremlins without destroying machines.

– Anonymous: Trolley <<< I\'ve already encountered this guy three times, and as long as I act as instructed, there\'s no danger of dying. Thanks to this, it became much easier to spread strategies against creatures, and the habit of awakened individuals hoarding valuable information and hiding it diminished significantly. "This should be enough to continue delegating tasks steadily in the next rounds." Truly satisfying results. I watched Sim Aryeon, who was diligently engaged in her work on her smartphone, with a satisfied smile. Of course, although unexpected incidents occurred because of this "Bizarre Creature Encyclopedia," let\'s save those stories for later. "Ah... Guild Master. S-something big happened." "Hmm? What is it?" "I, I accidentally left a comment under the nickname [Grand Librarian] instead of [Consideration]...." "......" "I deleted it immediately, but several members have already seen it. Eek. M-many eyewitness accounts are popping up in real-time! Screenshots are circulating! These... ghostly community spirits. Why did they take screenshots in that brief moment... If they had time to be on the community, they should live their lives... W-what should I do...?" "......" Right. I should remind her to be a little more careful when commenting from the next round onwards. Ah, there\'s no end to the stories. - Record Keeper. ------------------