All Good Novel
Chapter 137 - The Impostor II
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 137 - The Impostor II
3
“Wait. Hold on a second, mister!”
Oh Dokseo, who had been listening to me, was startled. Sge spoke so urgently that some of her espresso spilled.
“So, so you're saying that Japanese guy was a regressor too!”
“Calm down.”
“How can I calm down? If that’s true, that means there were three regressors, not just that old geezer Old Scho or you!”
“Well, just try to calm down for now.”
I calmly wiped the table with a handkerchief. Oh Dokseo, who had been completely absorbed in watching the ‘Monkey’s Paw,’ had now fully shifted her attention to the diary.
At that moment, the diary opened to the page I had mentioned, revealing the sentence, “Time is looping.”
“When I first read that line in the diary, I was just as excited as you are now.”
It was natural. How could anyone’s heart not race?
If there really was a ‘third regressor,’ it would be an incredible discovery.
Even if that person’s body was found on Seongsan Ilchulbong, it wouldn’t have mattered. There was a good chance they would survive in the next round.
But to give a bit of a spoiler, no such miracle happened.
Not in the next round, nor the one after that.
No matter how much time passed, the hairy corpse remained motionless in a corner of Seongsan Ilchulbong.
“Can, can I read the diary too?”
“I don’t mind. Unlike the Monkey’s Paw, that diary is just an ordinary notebook.”
“Thanks, mister!”
Flap.
Oh Dokseo eagerly flipped through the pages.
For a moment, her hands overlapped with my own in the past.
The same hands that had first discovered that diary.
4
――――――――――
《Day 5???》
Again. Again, centaurs attacked and started killing our party.
Why do I keep returning to Day 5? Was it the wish I made with the Monkey’s Paw that became the trigger?
I don’t know anymore.
Because I knew the ambush was coming this time, we managed to drive the centaurs away without anyone dying. The party members are praising me, saying I’m amazing.
Even the stoic Yō looked at me with a surprised expression, but for some reason, I didn’t feel happy about it.
――――――――――
To you, this note may seem neatly written, but in reality, it was not.
The handwriting in the diary gradually became more chaotic, like the scribbles of a madman.
Occasionally, when the writer regained some sanity, the handwriting would become neat again, but it was merely a facade.
The content of the will, that is, the mental state of the diary’s owner, was already spiraling uncontrollably into madness.
――――――――――
《Day 12??????》
It’s certain now. No matter what I do, I can’t leave this dungeon.
Next, I’ll try to catch and interrogate the ‘fairy’ who seems to be the host of this death game. That creature must know something.
――――――――――
《Day 13??????》
The fairy ran away as soon as it saw me.
It said something like, “Oh no! This isn’t the place! I made a mistake!” I don’t understand what it meant.
I wanted to capture it by force, but honestly, it was impossible. The fairy waved something that looked like a magic wand, and people died instantly. Then, it turned invisible and disappeared.
I’ve reached the final stage again. The place that Koreans call Seongsan Ilchulbong.
When others reach the summit, they are engulfed in a bright light and disappear somewhere. But I remain stuck inside the dungeon.
Why?
Why am I the only one who can’t leave the dungeon?
I begged the Monkey’s Paw countless times to let me out of this dungeon. But nothing changed. Why?
I asked to see my family and friends, but again, there was no response. Why?
In anger, I threw the Monkey’s Paw away. The next day, when I woke up, it was lying on my chest.
――――――――――
《?????????????》
Someone, please help me.
――――――――――
《Day 5??????????????》
Back to the ambush on Day 5.
I’m suddenly overwhelmed with apathy. This time, I didn’t stop the centaurs and just let them be.
Instead, I joined them. I attacked my party members from behind as they fought the centaurs. Without Yō and me, they were utterly helpless, and the group collapsed easily.
I saved Yō for last. When our eyes met, Yō widened her eyes.
“You―――,” she tried to say something.
But at that moment, a centaur trampled over Yō.
When a human is trampled by a horse, they die in a gruesome way. I felt a thrill I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was a bit fun.
The problem was, after wiping out our group, the centaurs hunted me down too.
What an idiot. As expected of a monster, they don’t understand concepts like cooperation or alliances.
――――――――――
“......”
I swallowed hard.
This was a typical sign of corruption.
The “owner of the diary,” who believed themselves to be a regressor, was gradually losing their humanity.
Humanity only exists when people live together with others.
In other words, if my space is unable to interact with others and my time cannot intersect with others, a person rapidly transforms into “something other than human.”
The saintess who fell and became an executioner was a prime example.
The owner of the diary was no different.
――――――――――
《Day 17???????????????????》
I reflect on my past self.
Reflection on the past leads to the path of the future. I’ve grown to the point where I can believe that now. Since no progress can be made in this space, only the training of the self holds any meaning.
Why did I hate Yō so much before?
Was it because her hair looked similar to the girl Sena cheated with? Because her expression was annoying? Because she seemed like a model student?
I repent of my prejudices.
Now, I like Yō. I really do. Other people break down within three days, but Yō has endured for nearly three weeks.
She keeps muttering “Rika- Rika-,” the name of someone who seems important to her.
Does she have a promise to keep when she gets out of here? I laughed at how foolish that sounded.
――――――――――
《Day 20???????????????????》
The world outside this space must already be gone.
There’s no such thing as a “stage clear.” When you're engulfed by the light during the final tally, it actually means you’re dead.
So it’s definitely better to stay here with me. Monsters pop out occasionally, but it’s better than dying, right?
By this point, even the Korean group we parted with at the starting line arrives at the summit one by one. But I don’t let them leave.
It reminds me of a game I enjoyed with Sena called Fall Guys. Did you think you’d reached the finish line? Too bad.
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
I hung Yō in the center of the crater. Then I caught and rolled everyone who got close to the summit down the slope.
They tumbled, tumbled, tumbled. If I was lucky, they rolled right into the center where Yō was hanging. Bingo! Hole in one.
I used to wonder why Korean students would come here for a school trip, but now I understand the real beauty of this place.
The angle and force with which you roll people cause their trajectory to vary greatly. This is a deep game. I hereby declare this my private golf course. It’s my property.
One of the Koreans looked at me and yelled, calling me the boss monster. How rude. I’m a young lady, you know.
――――――――――
《Day 27???????????????????》
My heart skipped a beat after a long time.
A group that seemed pretty strong rescued Yō and ambushed me. Did the last survivors form a desperate team?
When a spear grazed my neck, I thought my heart would drop. I barely survived the ambush and killed them.
I felt alive. This is what human interaction feels like.
I gathered all the wounded and killed them one by one in front of Yō. I took special care with the one who almost beheaded me.
That Korean glared at me with terrifying eyes until the very end.
Too bad. Sorry, but I’m someone who’s maxed out ‘luck’ with the Monkey’s Paw.
Yō made a good sound. Wasn’t the violin an instrument born from human screams? I’ve become more knowledgeable.
――――――――――
Flap.
The diary was full of content that was hard to describe.
Unless someone is particularly into gore or ryona (sadistic) material, to me, it all felt like just more of the same.
Torture scenes carried out solely to elicit a “new reaction from others.” A tragedy so extreme that even the tutorial fairy would say, “This is too much.”
But the reactions of humans, as toys, couldn’t last forever. Creativity also had its limits.
In the end, the diary was filled with yellowed pages, with just one last sentence scrawled at the end.
A shaky handwriting.
――――――――――
I’m sorry I was born.
Monkey’s Paw, please make me disappear.
――――――――――
Tap.
I closed the diary. Then, I looked down at the hairy corpse that had been holding onto this will with both hands.
The corpse’s posture almost looked as if it were praying to someone.
5
What on earth had happened to the “hairy corpse”?
Was she really a regressor? How did the Monkey’s Paw even work?
An ordinary person might have found it difficult to continue investigating from here.
But I, Doctor Jang, was an experienced “true regressor.”
Even if it seemed useless at first, I had never neglected building connections with others.
Therefore, it wasn’t difficult to gather information about the “Japanese person” who had been dragged into the tutorial dungeon in Jeju Island.
"Nyaa? Are you talking about Yō?"
Manyo Neko flicked her cat-like tail. Sitting across from me, Manyo Neko blinked, pausing mid-sip of her green tea.
"Suddenly, you want to meet Yō? What are you talking about, Doctor Jang?"
"She's your childhood friend, isn't she? I heard she's from the Jeju Island tutorial dungeon."
Yō.
No need to hide it. The person who repeatedly appeared in the diary was, in fact, someone I was familiar with.
There were so many people with the name “Yō” that I wasn’t sure at first, but several clues gave me certainty.
She was stronger than most Awakened individuals. Despite awakening, she still had black hair. And most importantly, she murmured the name "Rika" while being tortured.
That’s right. It had been mentioned a few times in the episode where the Inunaki Tunnel was raided.
Manyo Neko's real name was Rika. And she had a childhood friend named Yō.
If I hadn’t subdued the Inunaki Tunnel, I wouldn’t have been able to request this meeting.
Fate is mysterious.
“Nyaa. I did hear that Yō was kamikakushi-ed (spirited away) to an island in Korea….”
“I’ve been investigating something related to the Jeju Island dungeon recently. I’m dealing with a rather troublesome spirit. I’d like to get some testimony from your friend.”
For reference, the Magical Girl Association is extremely exclusive when it comes to outsiders.
From the fact that they named their group the “Magical Girl” “Association,” you could tell they didn’t care at all about public opinion.
“Nyaa. If it's a request from the Doctor Jang, I'll grant it. Understood, nya!”
And I was someone who had even received a thank-you plaque as an “Honorary Magical Girl” from the head of the organization, also known as the Great Priestess.
It wasn’t something I was particularly thankful for.
In any case, my request was quickly fulfilled in a society that runs on connections.
Before long, I was able to meet with Yō, whose magical girl name was "Kurokoto" (Black Jade).
"You wanted to see me?"
The person before me was relatively normal in a place overflowing with all kinds of concept-crazy people.
Kurokoto was wearing a black mask with an "X" on it, covering her mouth. For people who had experienced the COVID era, this could be understood as just a fashion statement.
"Yes. We met briefly when I was working on the Inunaki Tunnel case, right? It's good to see you."
"Ah... Yes. Thank you very much for that time."
“I heard you cleared the tutorial dungeon at Seongsan Ilchulbong on Jeju Island.”
"......"
"There seems to be a strange creature there. To assess how dangerous it is, I need your testimony. I ask for your cooperation. Can you tell me what happened in the tutorial dungeon?"
To be honest, I was quite cautious when bringing this up.
According to the diary, the person in front of me had, with high probability, been tortured by the "owner of the diary."
If even a fraction of what was in the diary was true, Kurokoto would have been marked with an indelible trauma.
When such a buried, painful story is brought up, the other party usually reacts negatively.
A flinch, perhaps. Or a startle.
“This is the first I’ve heard of it. Was there really a creature dangerous enough for you to take an interest in that place?”
But Kurokoto’s reaction was neither.
There was only pure curiosity in the tilt of her chin. Her response was too composed for someone with supposed trauma.
Despite sensing something odd, I continued my questioning.
"...Have you seen the figure in this photo?"
The photo I pulled out from my pocket showed the "hairy corpse."
Finally, Kurokoto uttered an "Ah" as if she recognized something. She seemed to have identified the figure.
Yet, it was still a strange reaction, not one you'd expect from someone who had encountered a person who left an indelible scar on their life.
"...I think I know who this is. Is this the person you're interested in, Doctor Jang?"
"Yes. Even a small clue would be helpful. I would like you to share any information you have on this person."
“I can certainly share what I know, but...”
Kurokoto furrowed her brow.
I tensed up. This might be the moment when I could get a clue about the third regressor.
"I'm not sure how helpful it will be. I don’t have much information, actually."
Behind the black mask, Kurokoto's lips moved slowly.
"――That's because this woman died almost as soon as the tutorial dungeon began, being too weak."
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]