The Tales of an Infinite Regressor

Chapter 164

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Blood Donor I

1

Given that "Metamorphosis" was mentioned in the last episode, I figured we could talk about another kind of bug today.

The most beloved insect in Korea. The ruler of summer. The quantum-mechanical bug that you can’t confirm the presence or absence of until you observe it.

The bloodsucking pilot currently buzzing before my eyes.

Bzzzzz...

That\'s right.

Today\'s star is none other than the mosquito.

2

"Hyat! Heit! Hiiit!"

One day, when I returned to the hideout, I found Sim Aryeon dancing in the lobby.

Of course, that’s if you define “screaming bizarre noises while clapping in all directions” as dancing.

Clap clap! Clap! Clap clap!

Sim Aryeon\'s palms slapped repeatedly at the empty air.

As far as I knew, Sim Aryeon had not yet reached the level of Aura mastery to achieve the state of “Mind Sword,” nor was she likely to in future episodes. It was hard to believe there was any special technique in those movements. Unless she was performing a cult ritual to summon Cthulhu or Nyarlathotep.

"Aryeon, what on earth are you doing?"

"Ah, Guild Master! Please help me catch the mosquito!"

I blinked.

"A mosquito? There’s a mosquito in our hideout? Did it make it through the Inunaki Tunnel?"

"Yes, yes! Since last night, a mosquito has been following me around. Ugh, it keeps buzzing around my face, but I can\'t catch it at all..."

Sure enough, on closer inspection, Sim Aryeon had mosquito bites on her wrists and forearms, looking like plump pimples.

"Come on, Aryeon, you’re a guild member who’s received Aura training from me. You can\'t be losing sleep over something as trivial as a mosquito..."

"It’s not my fault! It\'s so fast!"

Sim Aryeon twisted her body around, clapping her hands as she went.

Bzzzzzzzz.

Her strikes missed entirely. The mosquito\'s flight was elegant and leisurely, as if mocking her clumsy attempts.

"You saw it, right, Guild Master? This mosquito! This mosquito is mocking me!"

"..."

"Please don\'t look at me like that! Really, this summer’s mosquitoes are strange. They’re super fast and super tough... Guild Master, haven\'t you noticed?"

"Of course not. I always have an Aura shield up 24/7, so there\'s no way I’d get bitten by a mosquito. It’s probably been hundreds of years since a mosquito last drank my blood."

Sim Aryeon\'s mouth dropped open.

"No way... Sometimes I wonder if you’re really the same kind of person as me, Guild Master. You’re just too inhuman..."

It was an amazing coincidence. I often had the exact same thought whenever I looked at Aryeon.

But in this case, it might have been wise to take the words of the mosquito-defeated, helpless Aryeon to heart.

After all, even a broken clock hits a critical two seconds out of the 86,400 in a day.

3

It was summer.

A particularly hot summer.

- Anonymous: Mosquitoes these days are going crazy...

└ Anonymous: For real, no matter how many I kill, they keep coming out from somewhere. I even built my hideout in the middle of a void, and these damn mosquitoes still find their way here. I killed 15 just yesterday;

- Anonymous: Damn bastards, stop sucking so much!

Two weeks after Sim Aryeon started whining.

The SG Net was flooded with posts titled "The weather is insane" and "I want to kill all the mosquitoes."

To be honest, I didn’t think much of it at the time. I even clicked my tongue at the weakness of these awakened people.

"Kids these days. If it’s too hot, just raise your Aura level to keep your body cool."

Above all, this rapid increase in mosquito hate during summer had happened in every era. It wasn’t something to make a fuss over.

Especially in the post-apocalyptic end times, humanity had lost its once-close relationship with air conditioners and fans.

Now, every summer, humanity was given the deathly dilemma of "close the windows and experience a sauna" or "open the windows and donate blood to mosquitoes." Most people gladly chose the free blood donation option.

Even the awakened, belonging to a tiny privileged class, couldn\'t escape the Korean summer.

"Tang Seorin, are you okay?"

"Huh...?"

"You look really tired. You can go back to the hideout and rest if you’re worn out. There’s no need to force yourself to eat with me when you’re not in good shape."

The face of Tang Seorin, who was sitting across the table from me, looked gloomy, like someone who had stayed up all night.

We made it a point to go out and eat together at least once a month. But on this particular day, Tang Seorin seemed unusually drained.

"Ah... Thanks for worrying. But it’s nothing serious."

"Are you troubled by something?"

"No, it’s not that... It’s just that mosquitoes have been so noisy at night that they keep waking me up. I can\'t get a good, deep sleep, so I guess the fatigue is piling up."

Tang Seorin let out a long yawn.

I blinked.

"You\'re losing sleep over mosquitoes, Seorin?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I’ve developed a spell that repels bugs and cast a weak version every night. But it doesn’t seem to work on mosquitoes. I’m thinking of modifying the spell."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Well... Hmm. I think I’ve been sleeping poorly since last week."

"..."

That’s when a sense of foreboding started creeping up my spine.

It was hard to believe that even Tang Seorin, of all people, would be tormented by mere mosquitoes for a whole week.

After finishing our meal at the restaurant, I immediately contacted the Korea-exclusive Science Vessel.

"Saintess."

[Yes.]

The response came promptly. A clear sign that privacy is a luxury that doesn’t exist for a regressor.

"Are you also being bothered by mosquitoes these days?"

[Ah. Many people are suffering from mosquitoes lately. The summer is hotter than last year, so people’s vitality has significantly decreased.]

[I stop time when I sleep, so I’m not disturbed like others.]

But, she added:

[However, when I’m awake, mosquitoes keep coming at me too, and it’s troubling.]

"Are mosquitoes sticking to you more than usual?"

[Yes. It wasn’t like this before. But ever since Doctor Jang told me that story about the ‘Potato Robot’ from a different round, mosquitoes have become unusually aggressive.]

I had no idea what connection there could be between the story of the potato Saintess and mosquitoes, but this made things half-clear.

"This is likely a paranormal phenomenon."

[Excuse me?]

"You might not have heard, but Tang Seorin has been tormented by mosquitoes for a week now. Even with her bug repellent spell active while she sleeps."

[I hadn’t heard. I intentionally tune out when you talk to others.]

"Nothing like this has ever happened before. It might be that these strange occurrences are appearing because other Alien Gods have been vanquished."

Whenever a Alien God was vanquished, things that "never happened in previous turns" began to occur.

It was similar to aftershocks rumbling through the ground after a major earthquake.

Strange events would occur due to the collapse of the delicate balance maintained among the Alien Gods.

"This \'mosquito anomaly\' likely emerged under those circumstances."

[A mosquito, an anomaly.]

Bzzzzzz.

Right on cue, a mosquito buzzed right in front of me. Normally, I wouldn’t pay it any attention, but with the suspicion of an anomaly attached to it, it was now incredibly irritating.

[…But if a person contracts an anomaly after being bitten by a mosquito, how can we possibly stop it?]

The Saintess\'s voice, usually emotionless, had a hint of distress.

[Unless you’re someone like Doctor Jang with a mastery of aura, is it even possible to avoid being bitten by a mosquito during the summer in Korea?]

[Is there a way?]

I reached out and gave the mosquito in front of me a light slap.

Smack! The mosquito, hit by my aura-infused slap, exploded on the spot, its body bursting apart. Black blood, presumably from someone it had fed on earlier, splattered everywhere.

I shook off my hand.

“We’re going to find out how.”

____

I immediately went to Sim Aryeon and explained the situation.

Of course, she was startled.

“What? You’re saying it’s because of an anomaly…?”

“Yeah. And as far as I know, you’re the first person to notice this anomaly. I need your help.”

“Eeeek…”

As we talked, I noticed something strange about her appearance.

There were dark circles under her eyes. She looked almost skeletal, probably from weeks of sleepless nights due to the mosquitoes.

But there was also something else—what I could only describe as a "tired satisfaction." A peculiar sense of calm and ennui.

“Actually, I did think something was odd.”

“What exactly?”

“I’ve been extremely tired from losing sleep, but strangely, I’ve been feeling better these past few days…”

Feeling better?

A chill ran down my spine.

“You’re not saying you feel good like someone who’s high on drugs, are you?”

“What? Uh… No, it’s different from drugs. My mind is still clear. It’s more like I don’t feel stressed anymore, even when I recall embarrassing memories, my mental state remains intact… Ah.”

Bzzzz.

A mosquito landed on Sim Aryeon’s hand.

She smiled faintly, something she would have never done before—normally she would have freaked out and slapped it away. Now, she looked down at the mosquito almost affectionately, as if it were cute.

“Aryeon?”

“Look, Guild Master. Normally, when I recall embarrassing moments, I’d be screaming ‘Gyaaah- Gyaaah-!’ with my hands and feet cringing.”

“…That’s true.”

“Right now, I’m recalling one from middle school. Back then, I thought I was a genius greater than Da Vinci, so every breath I took generated more embarrassing memories. I used to go to art exhibitions, set up an easel at the entrance, and hang my paintings there. Ha ha ha. Just thinking about it would normally make me roll on the floor in shame…”

Slurp.

The mosquito plunged its proboscis into Sim Aryeon’s skin and began to suck her blood. Its technique was so precise that it could rival a seasoned nurse\'s.

“Ahhh…”

Sim Aryeon shivered slightly, as if she were experiencing pleasure.

“It… It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“…”

“Yeah. Maybe I made mistakes back in middle school. But wasn’t looking at the world so lightly a privilege of youth? Maybe I’ve been too harsh on myself…”

This was unreal.

“Aryeon.”

I put on a serious expression.

“You were vice president of your high school, right?”

“What? Oh, yes. I was… I was quite rebellious back then… But how did you know that…? Ah! Another version of me from a different turn must have told you.”

“Yeah. You said you once got up on stage to give a speech but deliberately threw away the prepared script in front of the students.”

“Uh.”

“And you shouted, ‘Everyone! These shabby letters cannot fully express my feelings for you!’ and tried to give a brilliant live speech. But since you weren’t used to live speeches, you started stuttering after throwing away the script—”

“Gyaaah!”

Sim Aryeon freaked out.

“Aaaaah! Stop! Please stop! How! How do you know that? Which version of me told you about that? Why are you telling me this? Ah, ah! The embarrassment! The shame! Gyaaah!”

Slurp.

The mosquito’s proboscis sucked more blood.

“Ah.”

Then something remarkable happened.

Sim Aryeon’s face, which had been contorting in agony, suddenly relaxed.

She looked as serene as a monk who had achieved enlightenment.

“Ah… Well, things like that happened, too. But aren’t those things part of the privilege of youth? Pretending to be special… No one starts out with something truly unique.”

“…”

“Pretending to be special, acting as if you’re already special, and continuing to build your own uniqueness over time… And then, when you realize that this uniqueness isn’t as fulfilling as you thought, you start to let go of your obsession with it and cherish the connections around you. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Just a rite of passage everyone goes through in their youth…”

At that moment, I recalled what the Saintess had said.

-Yes. It wasn’t like this originally.

-But ever since Doctor Jang told that story about the ‘potato robot’ from a different turn…

-The mosquitoes have been unusually aggressive.

Indeed.

The mosquito anomaly that appeared this summer wasn’t just about drawing human blood.

Amazingly, these mosquitoes were also sucking up people’s "embarrassing memories."