EP.45 As Long As It Tastes Good
Previous timeline.
The Bottomless Pit collapsed.
The Tantalus prison break, considered the worst incident in the history of the military government, was nothing compared to this. It was a far more fatal and horrific event. The roster of criminals who escaped from Tantalus was also exceedingly vicious, but... what crawled out from beneath the collapsed Bottomless Pit were horrors capable of destroying the world.
Compared to its immense danger, the fact that it wasn't immediately noticeable made it an even more fatal disaster.
The truth that a fragment of the apocalypse lay within the Bottomless Pit was something the regressor only barely reached after several regressions. Gathering the clues unearthed in the previous timeline, the regressor arrived at the collapsed Bottomless Pit.
What awaited there was a horrific monster forged from the flesh of tens of thousands.
"Hey, I'm a victim too, so don't look at me with such eyes. How was I supposed to know?"
The drawn-out sunset illuminated the damp earth. The hue, soaked red by the twilight, was indescribably beautiful, nauseating, and horrific.
For the liquid soaking the earth was entirely blood spilled from human bodies.
The immortal corpse golem that once headed toward the Empire. Even its point of origin was the Bottomless Pit. After a full day and night of battle, the regressor barely managed to subdue the golem and extracted the Undying who was its core.
The Undying who served as its core was murmuring leisurely, making that grueling battle seem meaningless.
"Tsk. I kept my eyes closed for too long. We are undying, but not immortal. When our lifespan ends, we briefly return to the world, and upon receiving life from the earth, we move again. However, some damned thing profaned me. It cursed my flesh and scattered it in all directions. Because it was land cursed by the Earth Mother Goddess, I could not protect myself..."
The flesh monster regenerated even when struck by bullets, remained intact even when scorched by fire, and immediately wielded the corpses it devoured as weapons. Spiked vertebrae flew in all directions, and pus-filled boils burst and scattered across the ground. Sizzle—whenever the yellowish pus dropped onto the ground, the earth began to melt as if splashed with acid. The tightly swollen intestines were closer to bombs than balloons, and shin bones as sharp as blades poured down like heavy rain.
Amidst the stench and filth, the regressor swung her sword.
A body that absorbed ancient corpses and their grudges, regenerating indiscriminately. That thing, coveting the flesh of other humans, was a crawling plague, and in itself, a horrific profanity against the human race. The regressor put all her strength into stopping it as it wandered the earth in search of its next meat.
As a result.
"What! I feel a little sorry for the dead! But what can I do! It wasn't done of my own will!"
The Undying shouted heartily. Laughing lightly as if this were no big deal.
That couldn't be further from the truth. The regressor wiped away beads of sweat with the cloth wrapped around her face to block the stench. A tired sigh leaked through the gaps.
"You destroyed three villages, and the death toll reaches a hundred and ninety."
"If the young lady hadn't stopped me, ten times that number would have died! Well done! You are the true hero!"
"...I didn't say that for a compliment. You must be executed. This time, there's no other way."
Despite the ruthless declaration, the Undying was nonchalant.
"I didn't say it hoping for my life either! Hey, we are undying, not ageless. As we age, our vitality slowly declines until we eventually return to dust. Of course, I'm still a bit too young to die."
The Undying raised his left shoulder. His body, with melted blood dripping long from it, looked hundreds of years removed from a human form no matter how one looked at it. Would it look like this if tens of thousands of maggots gnawed on it for years and then vomited it back up? The contours of his flesh were as faint as a painting with smudged outlines, making it impossible to distinguish where his body began.
Even as his body melted away in real-time, the Undying laughed boisterously.
"Haha! I used my body too roughly! My lifespan is depleting too fast, so I'll die soon! Hey, at least I didn't die inside the Bottomless Pit, so how fortunate is it that I can be buried in the embrace of Mother Earth!"
Again, it was that Bottomless Pit. What on earth happened in that Bottomless Pit?
It was a bust. The regressor of this timeline had been too late. This was because the incident itself occurred right after the regression, leaving too little time.
But if there was a massive answer within that Bottomless Pit. Perhaps in the next timeline, she might find hope. A sliver of expectation sparkled amidst the deep fatigue.
"What happened inside? Who did what to create a monster like you?"
"It's a bit hurtful to describe a person as a monster, but I can't deny it! My current state is certainly that of a monster!"
"No time for small talk. Hurry."
"Ah, right. I was being too selfish! You must be a busy person!"
Death approached slowly yet certainly, like the sunset. Although the Undying's tone was no different from before, the shadow of death had palely settled on his face. Words barely formed leaked from his shadowed face.
"By chance, do you know that someone escaped from the Bottomless Pit?"
"I know."
"Then the story is easy! I fought with one of the bastards trying to escape. If that had been on the surface, I would have regenerated in an instant and torn his neck off, but unfortunately, in the lifeless Bottomless Pit, I couldn't regenerate! My limbs were torn apart by some incomprehensible sorcery, and my vitality depleted, so I fell asleep. But..."
He frowned like a person trying to squeeze out a faint memory.
"When I first opened my eyes, there were a few people. The first to approach was a man called the Instructor, who said he was the one who woke me. He asked me something, and then said it was too bothersome to 'manage' me, so he told me to go back to sleep. My vitality hadn't recovered much then, so I went back to sleep."
The regressor, listening to the story, scowled deeply.
"...That's it? Any other stories?"
"I think he said something else. I can't remember."
"Try a little harder to remember!"
"I'm sorry, but I don't have the hobby of memorizing every word a man mutters. Especially if it's just the vain words of a sorcerer."
"There must be something that could be a clue! Like the number of people, or who was there!"
"A clue. Hmm. When I saw them. There were two women, I suppose? Both were attractive."
"...That's it?"
"Why are you like that when it's such important information? Isn't it ten times more important than the number of men?"
Was he accustomed to death, or had he rather gone mad because death was too unfamiliar? The regressor grabbed her throbbing head and interrogated him again.
"Anything else?"
"When I opened my eyes next, I don't know well, but it was in a state of chaos. The building was shaking ominously, and I could hear the roar of a beast from afar. The people who woke me said the Instructor was trying to kill them, and they asked me to fight against him."
"Who were those people? What did they say?"
"Well? I don't know that either. The only certainty is that they weren't women."
"..."
The information was too insufficient. But she couldn't expect anything more from the Undying, who had only intermittently opened his eyes and slept.
Nevertheless, the regressor was not disappointed. Because, anyway, in the next timeline, the regressor would definitely go into that Bottomless Pit. This was merely a clue to unearth information.
"I fought, and I lost. If that place hadn't been underground... No, if only my hands and feet had been intact, I wouldn't have lost so helplessly, but honestly, even if I had defeated him, it wouldn't have made much difference. Because he was with the King of Beasts."
"The King of Beasts?"
"That's right. What was it... The great wish of humanity, or something? Did he say that a desperate struggle was necessary to find Him...? Really, it was such an absurd remark that I ended up remembering the bastard's ramblings. Hehe..."
The dry laughter fell to the ground and flowed away. The vessel shattered, and his life leaked out from it. The infinite life of those called the Undying, too, must be but a momentary candle that would eventually end someday.
"When I opened my eyes for the last time, I was no longer myself. Only pain and resentment remained, rampaging to exact an ancient grudge. I was so hungry as if there was a hole in my body, and my body hurt as if someone were pricking it with needles. Driven by starvation, I ate this and that... I think I ate things I shouldn't have."
"Yeah. It was a bit gruesome."
"Hey. If only the end hadn't been like that, it would have been a... fine life. Keuk. If only I could, I would carve out the end of my life..."
With a short, bitter laugh that seemed to symbolize his life, he died. Confirming it, the regressor slowly stood up.
"I don't know if it's a comfort, but rest easy. You'll come back to life in the next timeline anyway."
Unfortunately, his end had not yet come. He would probably live again. When the world rewound due to the regressor's death, a different result would emerge then.
The regressor calmly rose to her feet.
"...The great wish of humanity, Him, the King of Beasts.... Their plan started from there? Seriously, no matter how much I dig up the roots, it never ends."
Anyway, it was certain that important clues lay sleeping within the Bottomless Pit. She was already too late in this timeline, so should she regress right away while this memory remained, or investigate a little more.
Pondering, the regressor drew out Cheon-aeng.
"Since I'm going to regress anyway, it's better to raise hell one last time before dying than to just kill myself. Alright, let's throw away this timeline."
At that moment, the fate of that timeline was sealed.
The flashback ended.
The regressor recalled the memory of the previous timeline and stared intently at the Undying.
'When he first opened his eyes. He said the Instructor woke him and asked him this and that. To be sure that this is the exact moment... He definitely said there were two women. He also said they were attractive.'
As the regressor's thoughts lengthened, the Undying urged her.
"Hey, what is it you have to say that you're thinking so hard, boy? If you have something to say, say it quickly. I don't want to wait long for a man's words."
"Ah, I got it. I'll ask."
Finishing her thoughts, the regressor asked the Undying with an extremely serious expression.
"In this place. How many women does it look like there are?"
It was a very natural flow of thought. To confirm that this was the moment he first opened his eyes, the regressor intended to compare his past testimony with his present one. If he said there were two women this time too, then the time the Undying spoke of in the past was right now...
'Shea? What kind of question is that? With what intent did you ask such a question?'
No. Wait. Thanks to the vampire's thoughts, I regained my reason.
Isn't the flow of this conversation strange without mind-reading?
The Undying, having received the bizarre question, counted the number of women as asked for now. One vampire sitting in front, and Aji lying on her stomach in the back made two.
Why isn't he counting the regressor? Ah, she's cross-dressing. Having finished counting, the Undying held up two fingers and replied.
"One, two. Aren't there two? Unless you're a fool, you'd naturally know the number of women at a glance."
"Are both women attractive? And no one else?"
"Of course. In the first place, there is no unattractive woman in the world. They all just possess their own unique charm. Men, well, they're none of my concern... But why do you ask?"
Even the Undying doubted the intent of that question.
It was a natural doubt. The flow of the conversation was subtly—no, blatantly—off track. The regressor said that because she had information carried over from the previous timeline, but the bystanders, unable to follow the gap in the conversation for a moment, filled it with their own imagination.
The vampire in particular. Bringing both hands together to cover her mouth, she looked at the regressor and the Undying and sighed.
'Why? Why ask that brute about the number or charm of women? What in the world are you curious about? Don't tell me you're curious about that savage's tastes?'
Astoundingly, the Undying caught onto something in this bizarre atmosphere. Looking at me with a face of suspicion, he asked.
"Wait. Teacher. Could it be that this boy's interest in me is... that kind of interest?"
"Wow. You remember that, of all things. What's with this selective memory?"
Whatever, I don't care anymore.
I nodded my head vigorously, affirming his words.
"That's correct. Trainee Shea has a history of shouting out loud that he likes men one day."
"What? Why is that coming up here? That's completely irrelevant!"
The regressor, who was about to reflexively rebut my words, only then noticed the gazes of the people around her. The vampire had forgotten about the heart matter for a moment and was covering her mouth with her hand, and I too nodded in empathy with the vampire's thoughts.
Above all, the Undying was stroking his chin and seriously evaluating the regressor's appearance.
Huh? Hey, why are you seriously evaluating him?
"Hmm! Normally, I don't even glance at men!"
-Wait? The ending is weird. That implies a contrasting opinion to the previous statement, right?
No way, is it exactly as I read in his thoughts?
"With a face that pretty, it might just be possible somehow!"
Is he crazy?
"You crazy bastard!"
The regressor yelled out.
Ah. Our minds connected. Having finally realized what she had said, the regressor fumed and shouted.
"No! Absolutely not! I have no interest in the likes of you!"
"Your ferocity puts ordinary girls to shame. It seems you were born the wrong gender."
"I said... no...!"
Oh. This is bad. At this rate, the regressor is going to explode. If the regressor loses her mind and swings her sword, the Undying might survive, but I'll definitely die.
And I also couldn't understand the Undying's way of thinking. I also yelled at the Undying.
"What are you talking about? Trainee Rash! Trainee Shea may be neurotic, hard to please, violent, and like men, but you shouldn't be like that too! Didn't you say you had no interest in men?"
"Haha. Teacher. Whether it's male or female, as long as it tastes good, isn't that enough?"
"Huh? What are you saying."
"It's rather a relief. I am an Undying. I cannot make a child without permission from the Tribal Council. Creating a half-blood was even more strictly forbidden. Because of that, sadly, I have lived alone, rejecting the courtship of countless women. A man might be better... Oh, this is a new perspective! I have definitely made the discovery of the century!"
This won't do. The regressor already has her hand on her sword. I need to do something about this Undying before that.
I suddenly looked down at the skewer in my hand. And then looked back at the Undying.
The Undying's chest was still open.
Hmm.
"Trainee Rash. Just a moment."
"Hmm? What is it, Teacher?"
I approached him, hiding the skewer in my hand. Then, he scratched his head as if troubled.
"Phew. Being popular with men is troublesome too."
What?
I suddenly felt offended. Whatever misunderstandings he had about the regressor were none of my business, but I couldn't forgive that bullshit directed at me. The bullshit ends here. I thrust the skewer deep into his chest.
The Undying looked puzzled at the skewer that had sunk deep into his body.
"Huh? Teacher? What's this."
"Bolt."
"Kruueeegh!"
And electric shock. The lightning that struck directly into his heart spread throughout his body. The Undying's entire body trembled violently.
"To think... I'd be... on the... receiving end..."
The large frame crumbled in spasms. The Undying trembled fiercely, then grinned and left his final words.
"This... also has a unique taste of its own."
Crazy bastard.
Until the very end, he spouted dog-like nonsense and closed his eyes. Soon, his consciousness completely cut off, and his right arm dropped with a thud.
Phew. I barely managed to sort it out.
"Alright. There was a brief disturbance."
The fuming regressor pushed Cheon-aeng, which she had half-drawn, back in and muttered while glaring at the fainted Undying.
"Never wake him up again. He just makes all sorts of bizarre misunderstandings. Ugh. With this, there's no point in me wearing the Mask of Agartha..."
Wait, isn't she shifting too much responsibility onto the Undying? As if she has no fault in this.
"But honestly, you know this is mostly Trainee Shea's karma, right?"
"What karma!"
"What do you mean 'what'. You went around saying and doing things that would make anyone misunderstand. If you don't get it, look at Trainee Tircanjaka."
The moment the regressor looked at the vampire, the vampire whipped her head around, avoiding her gaze. The vampire, who didn't even sweat, was even fanning herself with her hand.
Instinctively realizing what kind of misunderstanding the vampire had, the regressor held out both hands and smiled awkwardly.
"No, it's a misunderstanding. Tircanjaka."
"It's alright. I understand everything..."
"Your face says you don't understand at all!"
"B-but it seems a bit too early for me. Is the world truly advancing so fast that even I cannot keep up... P-please, if possible, do it where I cannot see."
"I'm telling you it's a misunderstanding!"
Watching the two converse, I chimed in as well.
"If you just needed Trainee Rash's body, let me know. I'll lend you whatever part you want. He probably wouldn't hate it too much either..."
Just before the infuriated regressor grabbed Cheon-aeng again, I hurriedly clapped my hands and wrapped up the lesson.
"Everyone. Do you understand how the military nation discovered the cardiac resuscitation phenomenon via electric shock? It's all because cardiac arrest occurred first in a suspect who suffered a shock during friendly interrogation accompanied by electricity, not electric torture. So when they applied another electric shock, the heart stopped! So today's lesson. Let's not carelessly show our hearts to others. That is all!"
With those final words, I swiftly opened the door and fled.