Observer I
Some readers might have wondered about the previous story where Kim Si-eun went backpacking to Japan.
It's true; I have been somewhat reluctant to mention overseas topics.
There is a valid reason for this, largely because my main area of activity is the Korean Peninsula.
Although I occasionally venture abroad, I generally prefer not to.Why? Because the Saintess isn't there.
It's not a joke. Without the constant support of the Saintess, it feels like switching from a third-person top-view strategy simulation to a first-person souls-like action game.
It wasn't for nothing that I took the Saintess with me when I went to China to quell the Butterfly Effect.
The role of the Saintess in my life as a regressor is more significant than it might seem.
While I'm not about to sing praises like some Russian Lolita complex author might—'my light of life, my body’s fire, my sin, my soul, Saintess'—I certainly wouldn't plan any hero party without first securing the Saintess. Remember this: Support-Saintess is a fixed pick.
"Mr. Undertaker."
"Yes?""Why must we absolutely never observe Mr. Go Yuri of the Satisfaction Guild with Clairvoyance?"
"Um…"
There was a reason why my mind cataloged a [Saintess User Manual].
It's not that I give the Saintess special treatment; I have strategy manuals for all my party members.
Most people who had awakened find my 'strategy manuals' somewhat creepy.
Understandably, from my perspective, these are the fruits of hard labor, but from others', it's like some random guy popping up and shouting, 'Your power actually gets stronger the more you aggro people!'
Honestly, even I would find it hard to believe.
"Go Yuri has a passive ability of mental corruption. It's top-tier. Anyone, no matter how mentally strong, will inevitably be brainwashed if they contact Go Yuri."
"Ah… I see."
The Saintess never doubted my manuals.
Though she couldn't share my memories, we shared records. My claims were readily accepted by her as truth, and she based her strategies on them.
Tap-tap—
The Saintess typed away, organizing information as we talked.
"Was there an instance where I observed Ms. Go Yuri with Clairvoyance and ended up in trouble?"
"Yes, during the 89th cycle."
"How did it unfold?"
"It happened too quickly to know the details, but at the time, Go Yuri was part of our party. Seo Gyu probably got brainwashed first. And Seo Gyu knows about your abilities and home address, doesn't he? Go Yuri must have approached you using that information. By the time I arrived, you were found hanged by a towel rack."
"Was it suicide?"
"Probably. More precisely, it was induced suicide."
"......"
The Saintess pondered.
"Mr. Seo Gyu. Right. It's crucial to ensure he's always a reliable ally. Apart from that, I think it wouldn’t be bad to delve into Ms. Go Yuri's true nature in this cycle, even if it means risking the cycle."
She glanced at me and nodded.
"…There's no need to take unnecessary risks. Please inform me about any other precautions I should take."
"There's nothing beyond what I've mentioned."
That was both true and a lie.
"I'll handle all remaining risks."
The typing stopped. The Saintess looked at me, tilting her head.
"Mr. Undertaker."
"Yes."
"What happens to me if you leave the risks unattended?"
There was a brief silence.
There were a few things I intentionally kept silent about. The stories involving time seals were one; overseas mentions were another. If I were to unravel these stories, a bit of preparation was necessary.
Although rare, there were stories I had not mentioned yet, like how some Awakeners turn into monsters if they become 'corrupted.'
So, let me tell you about it now.
About the story that unfolds when the Saintess becomes corrupted—the so-called 'Executor Route'.
Since we met at a convenience store along the riverside, I have trusted the Saintess in every cycle, and she has trusted me.
I needed an ally after losing the elder Mr. Sho. The Saintess needed a warrior to compensate for her lack of physical power. Our alliance was inevitable.
[Thank you for your hard work in subjugating Ten Legs, Mr. Undertaker. With that, most threats south of the Han River have been eliminated.]
Initially, there were no problems.
[Udumbara has been… subjugated. If what Mr. Undertaker said is true, the flower that bloomed from that hat would have covered the world. It's a very sad thought. Thank you for your efforts.]
Among those I knew, the Saintess boasted exceptional mental and survival strength.
She always survived until the end of the world. Whether from not interacting with others or not relying on force, the Saintess's heart was strong.
[The Meteor Shower… subjugated. Now, the catastrophe of numerous Awakeners and civilians being exterminated overnight will not happen again. It would have been impossible without Mr. Undertaker. Thank you for your hard work.]
We safely crossed the critical period of 7 years when the Meteor Shower was guaranteed to appear.
Changes started to be noticed from the 12th year.
[Mr. Undertaker.]
"Hm? What is it?"
[A massacre of civilians has occurred in Nampo, North Korea.]
The Saintess's Clairvoyance reached most of the Korean Peninsula. We virtually had unlimited visibility limited to the peninsula.
"What? A civilian massacre? Where exactly? I'll go check it out."
[No, I've just found out too. The massacre has almost finished. It is estimated to have occurred from the morning of July 11 to now, July 13.]
However, the Saintess's Clairvoyance was only effective on 'awakened' individuals. She could not observe all the people living on this land.
That is to say, in cases where civilians killed civilians, the Saintess was utterly powerless.
Murder, massacre, any crime among civilians—she always observed 'already finished scenes' a step too late.
[Mr. Undertaker.]
[My abilities seem to be strengthening slightly.]
The situation got a bit worse.
"Ah, really? It's normal for some Awakeners to grow their abilities while others plateau from the start, but it seems yours were of the former type. How far can your Clairvoyance reach now?"
[It's still a stretch, but based on being in Seoul, I think it can reach the tip of the Shandong Peninsula.]
"Wow. That's impressive. Congratulations."
[Thank you.]
"Why don't you consider taking up martial arts training? It would be good for your health, not just for increasing your power."
[I'll think about it… thank you.]
Originally, the Saintess's powers developed slowly.
When Ten Legs swept through the Korean Peninsula, when the world ended due to Udumbara, when the world fell apart from the Meteor Shower, the Saintess died.
She died before her powers could mature fully.
However, as the cycles progressed, the lifespan of the Saintess also extended.
5 years, 7 years, 12 years, 15 years. As her time stretched longer, so did the breadth of the world she could observe.
Moreover, I was practically funneling all the life elixirs that were of no use to me anymore to her, my most trustworthy ally.
[......]
As a result, the tragedies the Saintess had to handle also increased slightly.
It was fine when limited to Korea.
Even if we couldn't take care of everyone, we had created a societal system with the National Road Management.
Moreover, the existence of the constellations reduced the frequency of severe misbehavior among the Awakeners, and if any occurred, it could quickly be detected through [Clairvoyance].
The major guilds in Korea, like the Samcheon World of Dang Seo-rin, were also cooperative with us.
But beyond the sea was a different story.
We didn't have the capacity to care for those areas. We lacked resources. Before even discussing the lack of materials and manpower, simply the time available to me, a regressor, was absolutely insufficient.
For instance, it took at least a week to travel to and from Tianjin, China. That meant I was absent from the Korean Peninsula for a week, and during that time, situations that only I could handle were missed.
[......]
The Saintess was wise. She deeply agreed with the proposition that all good starts with the efficient allocation of resources.
Rather, she was considerate of me.
Just once, after she mentioned the massacre in Nampo, North Korea, the Saintess never again brought up any tragedies outside the jurisdiction of the National Road Management. She feared it might unnecessarily burden me.
However, her silence didn't stop the killings.
[......]
Thanks to our subjugation of the Milky Way, numerous lives, both domestic and foreign, were saved. However, what to do with those saved lives was up to each individual, and the appropriation of one life by another was commonplace.
I could have ignored it.
If I had cut it off, there would have been no problem.
But the Saintess never stopped 'observing'.
As much as she ignored, the world did not shrink. Such things never happened.
As long as the world existed, and as long as someone died without even screaming, the Saintess wanted to remember those deaths at the very least.
Poison.
Drops of poison accumulated in her heart.
[......]
The Saintess's heart was strong.
It could handle 16 years of time.
Clang-
A sound like shattering glass echoed through an old playground.
The playground, once set in the middle of an apartment complex, was now surrounded by crumbling buildings that mourned the real estate values of long past. Even with just the half-destroyed remnants, echoes resonated well.
It wasn't actually the sound of breaking glass.
It was the noise of metal clashing against metal, more precisely, aura against aura.
"Wow."
I marveled as I deflected the hand axe thrown by the Saintess with my sword.
"You're impressive. Not just your aura, but you have a natural talent for martial arts."
"…Thank you. I still have much to learn."
"No, no. You're practically flawless compared to me. I've mastered aura training, but without any natural talent. If I had your martial prowess, I would have saved the world and then some."
It wasn't entirely flattery.
In truth, I was practically talentless in martial arts. To use a martial arts analogy, I was someone who just kept accumulating internal energy and clumsily crushed others with my power. Even this had only been achieved after my skills persisted across regressions from the 10th cycle onwards.
"Your aura's also fascinating because it's transparent. Seriously, how do you have transparent-colored aura?"
"……"
Above all, the Saintess's aura was imperceptible.
Literally colorless and odorless. A transparent, clear aura.
When clashing, it made sounds like clang- hiss- as if glass was breaking, suggesting her inner image might be a 'mirror.' It was an aura form that suited her well.
"Let's call it a day. Well done."
"Thank you, Mr. Undertaker."
"If you've achieved this much in just a year, you might as well be running around the battlefield instead of me in three to five years. Why have you avoided training until now?"
"It’s not really a hobby of mine."
"Has that changed now?"
"...Yes."
I felt a sense of pride internally.
'Even the perennial hikikomori Saintess can change.'
It took about 16 years for this change to occur, but what did that matter? Throughout my regressive life, this was the first time the Saintess had taken up martial arts.
I handed her a towel as I spoke.
"Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"
"...…"
"Saintess? Saintess."
"...Ah."
The Saintess blinked.
This had been happening frequently.
Originally, the Saintess had a strong vibe of observing the world from one step behind, but recently that aura seemed a bit denser? Like now, during our conversation, she would suddenly stare blankly into space.
"Are you okay?"
Her absent-minded expression strangely suited her, making it aesthetically unproblematic, but I was worried she might have a health issue.
If the Saintess were to collapse, Noh Do-hwa would probably come twisting my wrist immediately. The Saintess's Clairvoyance was too crucial for managing the National Road.
"Yes, I'm fine… Sorry. What did you just say?"
"Do you have any special plans for today?"
"No."
The Saintess answered immediately.
"I don’t."
"That's good. Safety has been a bit shaky recently, hasn't it? I know you can handle yourself well, but please be careful, especially since you tend to overdo it sometimes, Saintess."
"...Mr. Undertaker, you know me well."
"Of course. I've been observing for years."
The Saintess took the towel from me and wiped her face.
At that moment, I thought she was just bending down to wipe off sweat.
Looking back, perhaps she was using the towel to naturally avoid my gaze.
"Thank you always, Mr. Undertaker."
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