The Tales of an Infinite Regressor

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 104

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The Pedestrian II

4

Extermination wasn’t a choice; it was a necessity.

If the situation was left unchecked, tunnels worldwide would sequentially become infected like the Inunaki Tunnel.

Awakened individuals from both Korea and Japan agreed to unite their efforts. In a world where distribution networks had already collapsed, losing the tunnels was unthinkable.

But what kind of people are from East Asia?

“Since an underwater tunnel has appeared off the coast of Busan, why don’t we start the extermination there?”

“Nyaa~. Thanks for the suggestion, but adults should clean up their own messes. We’ll lead the Inunaki extermination!”

In East Asia, it’s customary to list countries in different orders depending on the country: ‘Korea-China-Japan’ in Korea, ‘China-Korea-Japan’ in China, and ‘Japan-China-Korea’ in Japan.

Questions about the relevance of national borders were meaningless. Citizens come first, and the state follows.

Even after a collapse, or perhaps because of it, those who claimed to represent each region clung to their authority.

“Heh. It’s admirable, but I hear your situation isn’t great lately… We’ve just cleared an underwater tunnel, but hasn’t your whole country turned into an ant nest? We’re always ready to help…”

“Nyahaha. Thanks for the concern! It would’ve been nice to have an extraordinary awakened one like the Doctor Jang! Too bad we’re unlucky compared to our neighbors, nya!”

The cheerful banter continued.

The conversation must have been entertaining because even the awakened individuals from China, who hadn’t been infected by Inunaki, subtly hinted, “Hey, what are you doing? Can we join in? Let’s have fun together.”

As the situation grew increasingly awkward, I stepped in calmly.

“The lead for this extermination is not the National Highway Management Corps or the Magical Girl Association. It’s me, the Doctor Jang, as an individual. I want to temporarily gather a party by inviting awakened individuals I know personally. I hope you’ll join me.”

“Hmm…”

“Nyaan.”

This proposal followed the long-standing Korean tradition of “volunteer soldiers.” Respecting tradition, my suggestion was quickly accepted.

A multinational party was formed under the premise of voluntary individual participation. The party members were as follows:

– From Korea: Doctor Jang (party leader), the Saintess (secret participant), and Yoo Jiwon (vice leader).

– From Japan: Manyo Neko (vice leader) and Void Blade.

Though it seemed like a grand Korean-Japanese extermination squad was formed, the number was modest, but it was enough.

As much as it’s embarrassing to say, I, Doctor Jang, was like a walking army. I only needed people to cover areas I couldn’t handle.

The Magical Girl Association even said, “We’re good with two or three people,” so they could only send a corresponding number.

“Excuse us.”

“Nya! Make yourselves comfortable!”

As we were guided to a luxurious ryokan in Japan, Manyo Neko whispered to me.

“Doctor Jang, Doctor Jang.”

“Hmm?”

“I understand that Ms. Yoo is the director of the National Highway Management Corps, but who is the girl with the light-colored hair? I’ve never seen her before.”

The person Manyo Neko pointed to was the Saintess. Only Noh Doha and I knew her true identity in Korea, so it was natural that the Magical Girl Association was unaware.

“She’s my girlfriend.”

“…!”

“We’ve been dating for two months. She was worried about me coming to Japan and insisted on joining. She’ll be staying here until the mission is over, so please take good care of her.”

“I thought Doctor Jang’s girlfriend was the Songstress of the Three Thousand Worlds!”

What the hell? How did that rumor spread across the sea?

“That’s completely false. She’s my first girlfriend.”

“Oh, I see. Sorry about that. With a few Valkyries among the magical girls… Anyway! Since she’s the Doctor Jang’s girlfriend, we’ll treat her as a VIP!”

Watching our exchange, the Saintess tilted her head, puzzled. Among our group, she was the only one who didn’t understand Japanese.

After settling in, we began the main meeting.

“The extermination will be conducted in Japan. However, if the mission is successful, I expect compensation from the association.”

“Compensation? What do you want?”

“A spirit camera.”

“Ah…”

“Specifically, the Polaroid OneStep. The 1977 model.”

“Nyahaha, Doctor Jang, you’re really fixated on that item, huh?”

Manyo Neko scratched her cheek.

“I’d love to give it to you, but it’s such a rare item, and the association only has three… Anyway, I’ll discuss it with the higher-ups.”

As the name “Magical Girl Association” implies, the awakened individuals in Japan weren’t strictly hierarchical.

Each shrine had a magical girl who had received divine possession and managed their own territory.

The association’s headquarters was located on the Noto Peninsula, but compared to the status of the National Highway Management Corps in Korea, it was more of a nominal headquarters.

So, saying “the association possesses three spirit cameras” was more accurately “three magical girls who own spirit cameras are part of the association.”

Without individual persuasion, they wouldn’t easily give up such precious items.

Of course, I was well aware of the association’s situation. Therefore, I made a difficult request first and then backed off subtly.

“Then, at least, could you tell me where you originally found the Polaroid camera?”

“Nyaa?”

“I’m a huge fan of that item. Think of me as a collector. Of course, receiving the actual item would be ideal, but if that’s not possible, I’d like to gather as much information as possible.”

That way, I could swoop in and grab the item during the next turn.

Manyo Neko’s face brightened up.

“Nyaa! If that’s all, I’ll definitely get that information for you! Leave it to me, nya!”

Normally, the location of important item drops would be classified, but since we were offering to exterminate Inunaki in Japan instead of Korea, she obliged.

Sure enough, a few days later, Manyo Neko returned with good news.

“I found out the farming location. And…”

“And?”

“Tadaaan~!”

Manyo Neko revealed the item she had been hiding behind her back with exaggerated flair.

“Wow.”

It was a camera. A Polaroid OneStep (Land Camera 1000) released in 1977.

It was an item I had been eyeing for dozens of turns, now in the hands of the cat magical girl.

This was the very camera that would later come in handy when I went on a vacation with Shim Ah-ryun at Sauron’s Tower.

My eyes widened.

“Could it be, Manyo Neko…?”

“Nyahaha. Even though Doctor Jang came to our neighborhood with his girlfriend and trusted subordinate, just giving the farming location without anything tangible would be ungrateful. So… ahem. The owner agreed to hand over the camera under the condition that we exterminate the Inunaki Tunnel!”

“Manyo Neko, we are friends from now on.”

“Yay~! Tomodachi!”

We high-fived.

The morale of the extermination squad was at an all-time high.

Leaving the Saintess at the inn, our four-person team—me, Yoo Jiwon, Manyo Neko, and Void Blade—set off on the first official joint Korea-Japan mission.

5

Upon arrival, the two local magical girls stood on a platform (rock).

“Nyaa! Thank you so much for deciding to help with this extermination mission!”

“… …”

Manyo Neko pointed behind her with the tip of her umbrella. There lay the Inunaki Tunnel.

Its entrance was 90% sealed off by a stone wall, which was covered in various colorful graffiti.

“This was originally the Soroji Tunnel. But, as you can see, it got infected by Inunaki!”

“… …”

[Proofreader – Gun]

“Since it wasn’t a path frequented by pedestrians, we thought people could just take a detour… But nyaa~. The god I serve resides in a nearby shrine, so it kept bothering me.”

Manyo Neko opened her umbrella with a flourish.

This umbrella was peculiar. The outside was painted gold, but the inside was pitch black like the night sky, dotted with stars.

It wasn’t a fashion item; it was Manyo Neko’s divine artifact. Every magical girl had such a sacred item.

“Thanks to the cooperation of Doctor Jang and the awakened ones from Korea, we can attempt this surgery to remove the tumor from our land once again! Please take good care of us!”

“…! …!”

“We also look forward to working with you. Since we haven’t been working together for long, there might be minor mistakes and misunderstandings. I’ll ask for your understanding each time, so I’d like to ask for your understanding in advance.”

“Of course, nya!”

“…! …!”

At that moment, Yoo Jiwon, who had been quietly holding a trunk, raised her hand. By the way, Yoo Jiwon was also fluent in Japanese.

“I have a question.”

“Nya?”

“Why is the awakened one next to you just moving their lips and not speaking? Are they mute?”

Our eyes turned to the person beside Manyo Neko.

There, a lone figure, unable to join our conversation, was trying to make their presence known.

That’s right.

The “…” in the dialogue was actually the mute magical girl trying to get attention.

This magical girl wasn’t just mute; she also had no arms. If there were a god in heaven, this would be a strong argument that he was a sadist who took pleasure in tormenting humans.

“Oops. Void Blade, did you forget to use your telepathic magic? We can’t hear you.”

“…!”

Upon Manyo Neko’s remark, the mute and armless magical girl jumped up and down. Suddenly, a voice began to echo in our minds.

[Oh dear, I apologize for the confusion, Doctor Jang-sensei, Yoo-sensei. I mistakenly thought I was already sending telepathic messages. Haha, I feared you were deliberately ignoring me.]

Her archaic speech was at odds with her cute appearance.

Void Blade.

Literally, the ‘armless swordsman.’

I was already familiar with her mannerisms. Attentive readers might recall that during the 99th turn, when I fought against UFO aliens, the magical girls who fought alongside me were Manyo Neko and Void Blade.

Among the Japanese awakened ones, they were the individuals I trusted the most.

“Hmm…”

On the other hand, Yoo Jiwon seemed to view the magical girls in front of us as complete eccentrics. Her expression turned peculiar.

It was undeniable.

Yoo Jiwon whispered in Korean.

“Sir, why are all the magic-type awakened ones like this? First, there was the witch cosplay Tang Seorin, then the school uniform cosplay Cheon Yohwa. Now we have magical girls? And it’s not just our country’s awakened ones, but even the ones from the neighboring country are like this.”

“Indeed… I didn’t realize that the [Mini Map] was a magic-type ability either.”

“…?”

I looked around at everyone.

“Alright, even though there are only four of us, each of us is worth a hundred warriors. Today, the most infamous anomaly in Japan will be exterminated. Manyo Neko, are you ready?”

“Nyaa! From today, the Inunaki Tunnel will be renamed Nekonaki Tunnel!”

“Void Blade?”

[Yes! The Magical Girl Alliance has attempted to exterminate Inunaki four times before, and all the data is stored in my mind. We are fully prepared!]

“Yoo Jiwon.”

“I will follow your orders, sir.”

I glanced up at the sky. Right on cue, the Saintess’s voice resonated.

[We’re ready, Doctor Jang.]

Perfect.

I rarely felt this confident before tackling an anomaly. We advanced, maintaining an extremely positive atmosphere.

‘I have a good feeling about this.’

We boldly demolished the stone wall at the entrance and entered the tunnel. The cozy darkness of the tunnel embraced our four figures.

66 minutes later.

The Korea-Japan alliance party was wiped out like dogs.

5

Again.

Next, the 142nd turn.

“Nyaa! From today, the Inunaki Tunnel will be renamed Nekonaki Tunnel!”

“That’s a good spirit. Excellent. But before that, there’s something we need to confirm.”

“…Nyaa?”

The outcry to boost morale was met with a stern expression that lowered the surrounding temperature by a degree.

Of course, I hadn’t suddenly awakened any temperature control ability. Literally, the temperature around the Inunaki Tunnel entrance was dropping in real-time.

“The anomaly has already sensed our approach. Manyo Neko. Did you bring the spirit camera?”

“Nyaa? I did bring it…”

“Take it out and take a picture.”

“…Understood, Captain.”

Sensing the shift in my demeanor, Manyo Neko’s face turned serious as well. She pulled the camera out of her backpack without any complaints.

Yoo Jiwon remained expressionless, used to my behavior. Void Blade stayed calm.

Manyo Neko carefully lifted the spirit camera, one of only three in Japan, with one hand.

“Where should I take the picture?”

“At the entrance of the tunnel. Include the surrounding scenery in one shot.”

“Roger that.”

*Click*

The flash went off. The instant camera soon developed the film and spat it out with its thin lips.

All five of us—me, Yoo Jiwon, Manyo Neko, Void Blade, and even the absent Saintess—looked at the photo together.

Void Blade’s expression hardened.

[This is…]

In the spirit photograph, corpses were nailed to the cedar trees lining the tunnel like temple pillars. They were wearing extravagant outfits adorned with frills and decorations, unsuitable for ordinary people.

They were the corpses of magical girls.

“Are they familiar faces?”

[Yes. Though the photo quality isn’t great, judging by the costumes, they seem to be our comrades who went missing in previous extermination attempts. Some of them disappeared seven years ago.]

As expected.

I maintained a calm expression. The leader of an extermination squad must always remain steadfast.

The question came from a team member instead of me.

“What the heck is this? How…?”

“It’s a taunt. As I said, the anomaly already knew we were coming. It’s daring us to come closer.”

“But still… it doesn’t make sense. Both I and Void Blade aren’t spiritual power weaklings. How could we not notice anything until we took a picture with the camera…?”

[Wait a moment.]

I turned my head.

Void Blade was staring intently at one corner of the hazy instant photo.

[The bodies here. These ones hanging right next to the stone wall.]

“Nyaa?”

[Even though it’s a bit blurry… don’t their faces resemble ours?]

“…”

The sound of cicadas filled the air.

The Japanese called it kanakana. But as with all languages, it was a unique sound that couldn’t be fully captured by words.

Perhaps it was a lament that couldn’t quite become a cry, just a series of raspy gasps. The sound echoed continuously through the cedar forest surrounding us.

“Take another picture, Manyo Neko. This time, focus on the stone wall.”

“Got it, nya.”

*Click*

The flash went off.

At that moment, the cicada sounds in the entire forest stopped. It might sound strange, but it felt as though thousands of insects were all staring at us.

Jiiiiiing-

The Polaroid camera slowly developed the picture, making an excessive noise.

We looked at the photo once again.

“…”

The corpses in the picture were now lighter.

Everything was the same as the first photo, except now the heads and arms were missing from the bodies hanging on the cedar trees.

No, on closer inspection, there was another difference.

On the stone wall at the tunnel entrance, covered in various graffiti, there was now a bright red message that hadn’t been there in the previous photo.

– Welcome back.

[Proofreader – Gun]