"Everyone, rest assured! Tantalus is safe. I am your ally!"
I shouted with fierce conviction—the kind of line that would make anyone feel safe and go about their business.
But the Regressor just scoffed at my speech.
'Our ally? How absurd. Does the Military State even have allies?'
Well, she wasn't buying it.
Alright, maybe I should try a more friendly approach. They say no woman can hate a cute animal, right?
In that case… I glanced at the Dog King and smiled sweetly.
I gave the broken golem a light kick. The crystal orb embedded in its eye socket popped out and rolled across the floor. I scooped it up with my foot, then tossed it into the air and caught it a few times.
"Woof! Woof!"
The Dog King's tail began to wag furiously as she trotted over.
She may have a human form, but her essence was that of a dog. She was bound to go crazy for a game of fetch that stimulated her hunting instincts.
Her eyes remained fixed on the crystal orb, her body bouncing up and down every time I tossed it.
I could feel the sheer excitement radiating from her perked-up ears and sparkling eyes. Sensing I had her full attention, I threw the crystal with all my might.
"Fetch!"
"Woof!"
The crystal orb flew in a high arc. The Dog King instantly shot off the ground in pursuit. In a flash, she was gone.
Nothing beats a game of fetch when playing with a dog. I turned back with a gentle smile and spoke.
"What a cute doggy. Are you raising her here?"
That should be enough to lower their guard. I peeked at the Regressor out of the corner of my eye, reading her thoughts.
Now, let's see.
'Doggy? She called the Dog King… a mere dog?'
That's strange. I was trying to lower her guard, but it seems to have made her even more wary of me. Why? Most people relax when you show kindness to animals.
Let's try again.
"Dogs are truly wonderful creatures. They're loyal to humans, helpful, and above all, cute, aren't they? There aren't many animals so useful that don't also provide quality meat."
'…And now he's treating a dog demi-human as completely beneath humans. Did he just compare her to livestock and mention meat? Is he a speciesist?'
Huh. Another misunderstanding. This wasn't what I expected.
Besides, I wasn't treating a dog demi-human like a dog. That Dog King over there might look like a demi-human, but she's actually a dog in human form. What's wrong with treating a dog like a dog?
You wouldn't send an envoy to a queen ant, would you? Just because she's the Dog King doesn't mean she gets a seat at the dinner table with people.
"You see, I came here to establish a friendly relationship with you all. I am…"
The very first step in connecting with someone: establishing common ground.
It would be safest to say I was captured and brought here just like them. They wouldn't be so guarded then.
Just as I was about to say that…
'In one year, this place, Tantalus, will collapse. The Abyss will sink, and countless lives will be lost. Only a handful will survive.'
Uh.
Wait a minute.
Tantalus? This place is going to be destroyed?
'The Dog King, Azzy, and the Progenitor, Tyrkanzyaka. They survive the collapse of Tantalus, but… something happens, and they become corrupted within the Abyss.'
The Progenitor of vampires, who once brought the world to its knees, and…
The Dog King, who represents the collective will of all dogs… Corrupted? They become corrupted?
'These corrupted seeds of the apocalypse will hasten the end that is destined to arrive in ten years. They will slaughter people indiscriminately, plunging the world into chaos. And then.'
In ten years, at the latest. When that inevitable, promised day arrives.
The true 'apocalypse' will come.
And the world will end.
Having read that far, I was completely dumbfounded.
Even when I was captured by the Military State, even when I was dragged to Tantalus, I had felt despair, but I was confident I could find a way out. My plan was to use my mind-reading to get on the good side of the wardens and prisoners, build a reputation, slowly uncover their secrets, and then either blackmail or negotiate my way out.
But what I just read had shattered that plan entirely.
A fixed future is a tragedy and a despair in itself. There's a reason so many prophets took their own lives or went mad.
And if that future foretells an inevitable apocalypse…
…What am I supposed to do?
'And in any future I know, this man never appears.'
Of course I don't. I'm a petty criminal. There's no way someone like me would get involved in a fight to save the world. What a ridiculous thought…
I grumbled internally, but my face hardened at her next thought.
'Even in the last timeline, when I came to Tantalus right after it collapsed, this man wasn't here. There was nothing but a pile of corpses down there.'
The Regressor glared at me, thinking.
'A man who shows up in Tantalus this late… he could be a seed of corruption. Or maybe just an unlucky victim… But one thing is certain: this man does not exist in the future I know.'
So, to summarize…
This world will end in ten years.
And I'm going to die here in the Abyss long before that end even arrives?
"Ha, haha."
A hollow laugh escaped me.
My life had just been spoiled for me.
And the ending was a tragedy. Given that this was Tantalus, a gruesome death, one I couldn't even bear to speak of, was surely waiting for me.
By reading the thoughts of a Regressor who had seen the future, I, too, had seen it.
Just like countless other prophets.
However.
I am different from them.
This timeline has a Regressor, and I have read her thoughts. A Regressor is someone who leaps through time, changing the past to find a future that shouldn't exist. Since I've read her thoughts, my own future—my death—can also be changed. A prophecy, once observed, can be altered.
Don't be nervous. Relax. Wear a smile as a mask and step forward with confidence.
Nothing has changed. When have I ever survived because I was strong? I made allies of the strong, and if they became enemies, I avoided them. To survive, I needed knowledge, not power.
The same goes for this colossal enemy called fate. There's no need to fight it head-on. I just have to make it so that fate doesn't kill me.
Fortunately, I have the pieces.
The Progenitor of vampires.
The Dog King.
And the Regressor.
I will win their favor. I will build a friendly relationship. I will form bonds and connections so that they can't kill me. No, I'll make it so they have to protect me instead.
I will survive. By any means necessary.
Alright. I've made my decision.
In a previous timeline, I probably would have told them the truth. That I'm a laborer, captured by the Military State just like them, and that we are by no means enemies. I would have persuaded them and then lived quietly, avoiding these dangerous individuals as much as possible. That would have been the best way to survive.
But now that I've seen the future, sticking to the original plan like an idiot would be foolish. I have to avoid the choice I was fated to make to grasp a different future.
Time to con fate itself. I will become a different person from the me of before, from the me of the previous timeline.
I lifted my head high and shouted in a loud voice.
"Because I am the warden from the Military State, sent here to guide you trainees!"
"Warden?"
The Regressor asked, her eyes sharp.
Impersonating a soldier in the Military State was a serious crime. But who cares? Better to be caught for impersonation than to be dead in a year.
I had decided to get actively involved. If I was going to stick my nose everywhere, it was better to have a title. I declared shamelessly.
"That's right, trainees! You all possess extremely dangerous abilities and violent temperaments. Due to your lack of social skills, you were scheduled to receive socialization training here in Tantalus, completely isolated from the world! However, an unfortunate incident has occurred!"
Reciting the golem's words verbatim, I continued.
"In light of the recent mass escape, the military authorities have determined that resocialization training for the remaining heinous trainees is urgently needed and have dispatched me personally! I will reside here to manage and supervise you all!"
I'm changing the first step.
A tiny, trivial change. But this alone will alter the future significantly. My situation and my position from here on out will change dramatically…
But wait a second.
A variable… Frowning, I looked at the Regressor.
Wasn't the Regressor also a variable who wasn't in Tantalus last time? If a variable had already appeared, was there any need for me to step in?
Just as a vague sense of regret washed over me, wondering if I'd done something unnecessary…
"A warden… So. That's how it is."
A cold killing intent pierced through me.
Before I could even process it, she had already drawn Chun-aeng. A sharp hostility toward the Military State erupted from her, so sudden it was almost convulsive. That hostility took a clear form and aimed right for me.
I'd made a mistake.
Regression. Knowing she possessed the cheat-like power to return to the past upon death, I had let my guard down. I had overestimated her based on her ability. I had mistaken her calm, observant gaze for unshakable composure.
It was just the detached watchfulness unique to a Regressor.
The fact that she had grown stronger over thirteen regressions also meant she had died thirteen times.
In other words, this woman was a walking bundle of PTSD!
Worse, she had been killed by the Military State, directly or indirectly, seven of those times. She was carrying the grudges of seven lifetimes!
'Kill him.'
The killing intent swelled without warning. The emotional shift was so violent it made me suspect schizophrenia. Then again, after dying thirteen times, it wouldn't be strange to have a mental illness or two, but I never thought she'd swing her sword so readily.
And its trajectory was aimed right at my arm.
'First, I'll cut off one of his arms. Then I'll interrogate him. Find out what business he has in a prison where all the inmates have escaped, and what 'thing' he's after.'
Did I just hit a self-destruct switch? Or was this the coercive power of fate?
Whatever it was, the reality before me was this:
A weightless sword was swinging toward my right shoulder.
Chun-aeng was a sword with neither weight nor thickness. Compared to its speed, my body was painfully slow. With a mere flick of the Regressor's wrist, the invisible blade extended.
I saw the future. Chun-aeng grazing my shoulder, and my right arm falling off with a thud. If I were a normal person, I wouldn't have been able to react before my arm was severed.
But I can read minds.
A split second before the Regressor swung her sword, I sensed her killing intent and my mind raced.
Block it? Impossible. She was a Regressor who had honed her skills over thirteen lifetimes. If I took a defensive stance, I'd be cut down just the same.
Dodge? It was too fast. Even though I moved as soon as I read her thoughts, Chun-aeng was too quick. The best I could hope for was to have my upper arm cut off instead of my shoulder.
What other options were there?
None.
Huh? Am I going to die? Was I supposed to die in one minute, not one year?
I couldn't let that happen.
I have to survive. I have to cling to this pathetic life, no matter what it takes.
After all I'd been through to survive this long. The humiliation and misery I endured to survive in those back alleys!
I didn't survive all that just to lose my life in this damn Abyss!
I had no special power or talent, but there was one thing I could rely on.
Mind-reading. The power to read the minds of others. On the verge of death, I pushed my only power to its absolute limit.
The Regressor was strong. So strong that she knew exactly when and where her sword would land. She had reached a state where she could control her own body at will, a level only attainable by mastering Qi to its extreme.
Thanks to that, I also knew exactly when her sword would arrive.
It didn't matter that I couldn't see it. It didn't matter how fast it was.
Because the Regressor swinging it knew.
And so I, the mind-reader, also knew.
Of course, knowing doesn't guarantee you can block it. If it were that easy, everyone would succeed. But it gave me a chance.
Gritting my teeth, I reflexively flicked the fingers of my nearest hand. It was a desperate act, a last-ditch effort using a skill I'd once learned flicking cards. A pathetic struggle with nothing behind it, just to raise my chances of survival by even 0.1%.
But, as they say, salvation comes only to those who save themselves.
'What?!'
A clear ting rang out. A ripple spread across the invisible blade. Its trajectory, shifted ever so slightly, grazed the air a hair's breadth above my shoulder.
Sparks flashed along the sword's path. Chun-aeng was a sword that could sever even the air. The air caught on its blade shattered, carving a bolt of lightning as if it had pruned the space above and below. A beat later, a clap of thunder assaulted my eardrums.
Every hair on my body stood on end. I couldn't tell if it was from the static electricity or from sheer terror.
'He deflected Chun-aeng?!'
Huh? Am I alive?
Arm, intact. Body, fine. Pain, none.
I survived. Chun-aeng missed.
No, wait.
Did my hand hit Chun-aeng and knock it away?
Did that actually work?
'He didn't just block it… he flicked it away with his fingers? Impossible. He doesn't look that strong…! Was he hiding his power?'
Flicking a blade away with one's fingers should have been utterly impossible. But the Regressor's sword was the weightless Chun-aeng. Forged from condensed space, the sword bent the moment it touched my fingers, and I had avoided losing my arm by a paper-thin margin!
I actually pulled it off. Wow. I've achieved something I'll be proud of for the rest of my life.
No, that's not important right now.
The astonished Regressor leaped back and raised her sword. If her attitude before was that of someone just doing a job, now she was on high alert… as if facing a powerful enemy.
This crazy woman. Why are you on guard? Shouldn't I be the one on guard after being attacked out of nowhere?
"…My mistake."
Damn right, you made a big mistake. I almost died.
The Regressor glared at me like a cornered cat, her body tense.
"A warden dispatched to Tantalus would have to possess at least that much strength… I apologize for underestimating you."
"No. You're apologizing for the wrong thing."
I appreciated her overestimating me due to her own carelessness, but this wasn't the time for that. If the Regressor branded me an 'enemy,' not only my future but also the future of the next me would be in danger.
Seriously. I was furious and wronged by the sudden attack, but whether we lived or died, we were stuck in Tantalus together. We'd have to see each other's faces for months.
No matter how resentful I was, I had to steer this conversation in a friendly direction.
So.
"You shouldn't be apologizing for underestimating me, you should be apologizing for attacking someone out of the blue! Have you no manners!"
My sudden lecture made the Regressor's brow furrow. Acting frustrated, I ran a hand through my hair and looked around.
"I understand your anxiety. After all, that terrible incident happened here just a few days ago…. Starting a riot, killing people, looting equipment, and even breaking out of prison. It's only natural that you've lost faith in the Military State, which is supposed to protect you. Even if you doubt the State, that is a burden I, as one who eats its bread, must accept."
'I never trusted the Military State in the first place. Why would I trust a country like this?'
"However!"
I don't trust it either! Just play along!
I cut into the Regressor's thoughts and shouted.
"That aggressive attitude is still not right! You are already confined here for committing crimes. If you continue to act with such a lack of social skills, what will become of me, the one who came here to help you!"
"Help us… you say?"
"That's right!"
Just then, the Dog King returned with the crystal orb and dropped it at my feet. She nudged my calf with her nose, as if to say, 'Enough yapping, throw the ball.'
Tsk. How distracting.
This time, I aimed for the prison building and threw the orb.
"Fetch!"
"Woof!"
As the excited Dog King chased after the ball flying into the distance, I turned back to the Regressor and spoke.
"While all that chaos was unfolding, you all followed orders and waited without escaping the education facility. Light always emerges from darkness. The high command of the Military State is watching you with great interest, for you who steadfastly abided by the rules in the midst of fear and confusion."
'No. The Dog King had no intention of escaping until a 'promise' was fulfilled, and the Progenitor of vampires was asleep. As for me, I had things to do here.'
She refutes everything I say! Why is she so negative? Just accept it!
Her attitude was terrible. She was the type to formulate a counterargument the moment you gave her a second to think. I pressed on, not giving her a chance.
"That is why I was dispatched personally! The high command of the Military State sent me here themselves, to support you!"
It wasn't a lie. I was dispatched here to perform labor. It was also true that the high command sent me. They just needed a handyman who could die without consequence.
But just as words can be twisted, if I emphasized 'me' instead of 'support'…
"So I look forward to working with you! Just trust and follow me, trainees!"
…I could make them mistakenly believe I was someone important.
And if everyone believed it…
'I can't figure this guy out at all.'
…then I would actually become someone important.
"Woof!"
The Dog King returned with the crystal orb again. No matter how far I threw it, she found it like a ghost. I just kicked the ball as hard as I could. My instep throbbed from hitting the hard crystal, but it was worth the pain as the orb flew farther than ever before. The Dog King panted as she gave chase once more.
'That composure while dealing with the Dog King… The relaxed, fluid movement that deflected Chun-aeng… He's an unfathomable man. I can't gauge his strength at all. As I am now…'
Of course you can't gauge my strength. In terms of power, I'm a bug on the street. For you, who has fought against exceptional powerhouses like the Sword Saint and the Saintess, my life as a maggot is beyond your imagination. The absolute cannot comprehend the maggot.
But I can comprehend you.
In any case, it was a success. I clenched my fist.
Humans are animals at heart. When faced with the unknown, they feel danger and become wary. Ignorance is danger, and keeping a distance from danger is a basic principle of survival.
So she wouldn't dare touch me carelessly.
However, we couldn't live in this narrow Abyss constantly on guard against each other. We had to maintain at least a neutral stance. I put on a benevolent smile and extended my hand toward the Regressor.
She flinched and aimed Chun-aeng at my arm. If she had put any force into it, my arm would have been sliced like tofu.
But if I showed fear and pulled back now, I'd be showing her a weakness to exploit. Feigning composure, I offered a handshake without letting my fingertips tremble.
"Well then, how about a handshake to mark our good relations from now on?"
The Regressor glanced back and forth between my outstretched hand and my face, then whipped Chun-aeng away and turned her body.
"…Hmph. As if I know what you're planning."
"Excuse me. Wasn't I the one who was just attacked? The one who swung the sword is acting like the victim."
Thanks to reading the Regressor's thoughts, I had glimpsed a future that was never meant for me. I, who could only delve into one person right in front of me, had perceived the flow of the world like a prophet.
If I hadn't known, I might have been done for. But now, things were different.
They say the future is shy and hides itself the moment it's glimpsed. Now that it's hidden, I hope it disappears for good. I have no use for a shrewish future that's out to kill me.
"Then let's introduce ourselves. You may call me Warden, with respect and reverence."
I tapped my chest and made a vow.
I will survive, no matter what.
Even if the future dictates my death, I will deceive that future.
The Regressor, who had been glaring at me with extreme caution, finally tossed Chun-aeng over her head and answered curtly.
"…Shei."
At the same time, her inner resolve echoed in my ears.
'I'll watch him for now. If things go south, I can just give up on this timeline and move on to the next.'
Thankfully, it seemed the Regressor had decided to observe for the time being. Someone who's died a few times really is different. Even though she thought I was a threat, she was willing to wait and see what happened. It was curiosity, or perhaps the Regressor's complacency in wanting to observe even the smallest clue.
The Regressor shot me a sharp look.
'…It's unsettling to be with such a flippant man. But the others won't be so easily taken in.'
What kind of eyes are you looking at them with? Over there is a dog wearing a human skin and a corpse that's been dead for a thousand years. What kind of strange ideas are you having about a dog and a corpse? I am not a paraphiliac. I have perfectly normal tastes befitting an average human being.
'Besides, my disguise as a man is perfect, so I should be fine!'
Ah…
I see.
Having to live for months with a Regressor who firmly believed her disguise as a man was perfect… this wasn't going to be easy.
Muttering to myself, I gave the Regressor a strained smile.