The Tales of an Infinite Regressor

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 98

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The Savior Syndrome I

1

The Endless Hell was subjugated from the 117th turn.

This meant that Cheon Yohwa, an awakened one who ‘commanded a hundred ghosts,’ ‘sealed a god-level monster of alienation,’ and led hundreds of guild members, made a dazzling debut.

From now on, the awakened ones in Korea would have to make slightly more difficult choices.

– KoreanVillage: Hmm… Honestly, isn’t Baekhwa the strongest guild in Korea now, rather than Three Thousand Worlds…?

The public opinion on SG-net changed immediately.

– KoreanVillage: Baekhwa’s unique features) The guild leader is stronger than all the other guild members combined. The guild members are all high school students, so they wear school uniforms. It’s not cosplay.

– KoreanVillage: Three Thousand Worlds’s unique features) The guild leader is stronger than all the other guild members combined. The guild members all have to wear witch hats. There’s a mandatory “broom maintenance time” every day at 2 PM. It’s cosplay.

– KoreanVillage: Just looking at this, I believe it’s obvious which guild is superior…

└ Anonymous: As expected, the facts are as they are, lol.

└ [Three Thousand Worlds] Witch Judge: You son of a bitch.

└ Anonymous: I’m a Three Thousand Worlds guild member, and this is true.

– Anonymous: So, are Baekhwa’s guild leader and Doctor Jang dating?

└ dolLHoUse: Not easy.

– Anonymous: Why do they stick to witch cosplay regardless of gender or age? I really don’t get it.

– [Yuldo Nation] Sword Maiden: Oh, how lamentable! The young ones today are so absorbed in sorcery-like martial arts and neglect the training of mind and body; how can this not be regrettable?

└ Anonymous: Please leave.

└ Anonymous: (A person who would have died long ago if not for skill’s power actually said this)

– [National Road] Officer: Objectively comparing their power, Baekhwa does seem stronger than Three Thousand Worlds.

– CookingQueenBee: Interesting.

– Anonymous: So, are Baekhwa’s guild leader and Doctor Jang dating?

└ dolLHoUse: Not easy.

As you can see, Tang Seorin’s position as the most revered idol in Korea was shaken.

Coincidentally, Tang Seorin’s headquarters was in Busan, while Cheon Yohwa’s base was in Sejong. Since the unprecedented plummet in Seoul’s property prices, these two cities had each become representative cities of Korea.

“I really don’t understand.”

Tang Seorin’s stress levels mirrored the consumer price index before the end times.

“If she summons spirits, she’s a necromancer. Even if it’s black magic, she’s still a magician, right? So why doesn’t she wear a magician’s attire and instead wear something like a school uniform?”

“It’s a sign of belonging. It means, ‘Even if the world ends, we’re still from the same school.’ Something like that.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Hmm. How about thinking of it as a Hogwarts uniform? They’re magicians and wear uniforms too.”

I thought I had given advice tailored 100% to her taste, but Tang Seorin responded with a very serious look.

“Are you crazy, Doctor Jang? The Hogwarts uniform isn’t a sailor suit. Really, not at all. I’m sorry, but please don’t ever make such absurd comments in front of me again.”

“……”

Even as magic users, Tang Seorin and Cheon Yohwa created a new rivalry of ‘white mage versus black mage’… Well, I’ll have another chance to talk about that later.

For now, let me recount a story from the 126th turn.

2

One day at the National Road Management Headquarters, Noh Doha said to me,

“Doctor Jang, I really don’t want to say this, but…”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you think you two are sticking too close together…?”

As she spoke, Noh Doha looked at me with his default expression etched into his facial muscles.

It was like he was staring at food waste left out in the summer.

Noh Doha had a talent for making people wonder if his species was homo sapiens or a centipede. If he wasn’t better at managing organizations and winning hearts than this, he wouldn’t have lived long.

But at this moment, there was no suitable rebuttal to Noh Doha’s ocular violence.

“Hehe, teacher…”

Because Cheon Yohwa was clinging to my left arm, devolving into a koala.

Although Cheon Yohwa was naturally affectionate and often engaged in skinship, this was definitely crossing the line.

“No, I’m terribly embarrassed about this too.”

“Embarrassed, my foot. Actually, you like it but don’t show it, trying to play hard to get with others. Hmph. Even if you deceive the heavens, you can’t deceive my eyes. Your insidious and sordid instincts are clear as day to me…”

“Noh Doha, head of management. I’ve repeatedly told you, it’s time for you to change those eyes.”

“Oh. Just like how your conscience flexibly changes, huh?”

“Oh, what a pity. Like Liu Bei who couldn’t recognize your talent despite the three visits.”

“You old bastard, I’ve told you dozens of times not to bring up those damn Three Kingdoms analogies…”

“What’s this? You want the Records of the Grand Historian instead?”

“Do you really want to die…?”

“This is a monster. And a mental confusion type monster at that.”

Blink.

Noh Doha looked closely at my face, then at Cheon Yohwa again.

“Hehehe, teacher… Teacher saved me. Teacher. My light of life, my flame of existence, my sin, my soul, my Lolita.”

“Hmm.”

Noh Doha took out a glasses cloth and meticulously cleaned his glasses. He then put them back on and nodded.

“Indeed, this is a monster…”

“Right?”

“Yes, I apologize, Doctor Jang. I thought you were the type who helps people, then establishes a mental hierarchy and converts that into romantic feelings. I must have been mistaken, and I inadvertently offended you…”

“No problem. You’re already an offense to the world just by existing, so there’s no need to apologize.”

After exchanging warm pleasantries, we delved into a serious strategy meeting.

“When did the Baekhwa guild leader start acting like this…?”

“Exactly one week ago. Suddenly, without any guild members, she entered my hideout and clung to me.”

“Hmm. She handles a hundred ghosts like Pokémon, right? It’s no surprise her mind is a bit corrupted from dealing with monsters…”

“If it were just Yohwa, I’d think that too…”

“…?”

Noh Doha tilted her head.

“You have more than one person clinging to you? Where? I don’t see anyone…”

“Ah, you can’t hear it? The [voice] of that person.”

“Damn. Here he goes again…”

“If you’re a mere mortal who can’t hear it, there’s nothing to be done. As the only one who can converse with them, I, the Doctor Jang, must translate.”

“Why does this lunatic pretend to be normal in front of others but acts like a brat only with me…?”

I ignored her and started writing on paper.

[Doctor Jang, I can’t imagine a world without you.]

[Doctor Jang, ethics are social norms, and society requires at least two people.]

[Doctor Jang, in that sense, you have become a bridge for me, who is alone.]

The words continued to flow.

“Huh? What is this…?”

At first, Noh Doha looked at me as if wondering what I was doing. Gradually, his face grew darker.

[Doctor Jang, if there were no regressors in this world, countless lives would have been sacrificed by the Ten Clans.]

[Doctor Jang, even if no one else acknowledges it, I know it.]

[Doctor Jang, I’m sorry for always burdening you.]

[Doctor Jang, you are saving the world.]

[Proofreader – Gun]

“…”

Noh Doha’s mouth dropped open. If his expression were turned into a gacha game skin, it would at least be UR rarity.

“Could this be… the Saintess…?”

“Yes.”

“Haaaaah…?”

“Amazing, right?”

“I’ve never been more terrified in my life…”

“For reference, she sends these messages in real-time like KakaoTalk messages. Once every ten seconds.”

“…”

“This is even after I begged her to reduce it. A week ago, it was once every second. Wow, I never imagined telepathy could be used as infinite KakaoTalk. Thanks to that, my mental state is like melting chocolate.”

“Hmm…”

Noh Doha sighed. A silent stillness settled in the meeting room (though it wasn’t very quiet for me, as the Saintess’s messages kept coming).

Meanwhile, Cheon Yohwa beside me kept giggling, adding to the BGM.

“I understand. So… do you have any idea what kind of monster this bizarre phenomenon is…?”

“I do. It’s a matter of identifying the commonalities between the two people showing abnormal symptoms.”

Cheon Yohwa clung to me, saying I ‘saved’ her. The Saintess continually praised me, saying I was ‘saving the world.’

‘Savior Syndrome.’

Or ‘Savior Narrative Syndrome.’

That was the name of this bizarre monster.

3

Salvation.

In genre fiction, it’s a common narrative where the protagonist dramatically rescues a character who is unfairly oppressed by the world and everyone participates in this unfair treatment.

The protagonist is the only one who swoops in and saves the character.

Naturally, the character feels boundless gratitude and affection for the protagonist who saved them.

Why is this natural? Well, imagine giving a gambler who has lost everything at Kangwon Land a gift of 1 million won without asking anything in return, and you’ll understand.

The difference between a saved character and a Kangwon Land gambler is that while the latter’s life doesn’t change much because it exists in reality, the former, being a fictional character, truly escapes from the depths of despair thanks to the 1 million won worth of help.

To highlight the key points of the salvation narrative through a simple example:

‘Ah! I was originally a noble’s daughter, but my family was ruined by evil conspiracies, and I was sold to a slave trader.’

‘If you hadn’t helped me, I would have fallen into despair and hatred for all humanity, becoming a minion of the Demon King’s army and bringing about the worst bad ending. (Point 1)’

‘But thanks to your help, I avoided the bad ending route and discovered hidden talents within myself, awakening as a much stronger being. (Point 2)’

‘You didn’t hesitate to make sacrifices and efforts for a mere slave like me. You were wounded and bled. You could have ignored me like everyone else. Why did you do so much for someone like me? (Point 3)’

‘Being with you, I realized that you’re inherently such a person. Someone who saves others even at their own expense. In that case, I’ll support you from behind. I’ll dedicate everything I have. (Point 4)’

Of course, this cliché has many variations. Just like how successful restaurants spawn numerous ‘original’ copycats around them.

For instance, Point 4 can change to: ‘Being with you, I realized that you’re only kind to me. You treat only me specially. In that case, I’ll dedicate everything I have for you.’

The core idea remains the same: for the character, the protagonist holds value comparable to ‘the world itself’ or bears the ‘weight of the world’ alone on behalf of others.

Thus, the protagonist deserves to be ‘praised.’

No matter how much the protagonist’s achievements and attitude are praised, it’s still insufficient. Because the misfortunes of the world are endless, and the protagonist continues to bear that infinite misfortune, eternally receiving ‘wounds.’ (Point 5)

“――as summarized by one of our National Road Management Team employees who is well-versed in the grammar of genre literature…”

“Excellent.”

If I had encountered Oh Dokseo, I might have figured this out myself, but in the 119th turn, I was quite distant from genre literature.

Noh Doha? Needless to say, this person hasn’t even watched movies like [The Lord of the Rings] or [Harry Potter].

As mere laymen, we were satisfied reading the perfectly compiled [Analysis of Salvation Narrative] report created by our management team members.

In other words, it was like office supervisors who are complete outsiders to a field reading a well-organized report by their subordinates and feeling like ‘Okay, with my brilliant mind and rich social experience, I’ve perfectly grasped this field I’ve never encountered before in my life.’

“This means the solution is simple.”

“Oh, what is it…?”

“It means the person who saved the characters just needs to be ‘not a very noble person,’ right? For example, if I secretly harass cute fairies behind people’s backs, or do some pathetic things, then the ‘Savior Syndrome’ won’t hold up.”

“Oh…”

“Let’s start harassing fairies today. Then the perception of me as something sacred will collapse quickly, and the anomaly will lose its effect and disappear.”

“Indeed, Doctor Jang. Your personality is vile, but when it comes to anomalies, you’re a consummate expert…”

“Thank you. Although, compared to the head of the management team, I still have a long way to go.”

“Hmph…”

Confident of our victory, we congratulated ourselves.

I must emphasize again that Noh Doha and I were not experts in genre narrative grammar at all.

Nonetheless, we were the authorities and decision-makers overseeing the yin and yang of the Korean Peninsula. Usually, the Saintess would perform her role as an inspector appropriately, but she had gone off the deep end this time.

History repeats itself.

The combination of a lack of professional insight and the collapse of oversight over absolute power has been amply demonstrated by humanity over thousands of years.

The tragedy was set in motion from this moment onward.

[Proofreader – Gun]