WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator/Editor: Ryuu

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ I'm an Infinite Regressor, But I've Got Stories to Tell

Chapter 16

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Internationalist ⅠⅠ

First, I lightly plundered the logistics centers of convenience stores across the nation.

It wasn't a simple task to be summed up in a single line, given that the National Assembly had been blown away, leaving the situation half-paralyzed. The quick-witted had already sought refuge in these centers.

“Who's there!”

“Stop! Do not approach!”

But who am I? At this point, a regressor who had lived through 90 cycles.

Screams erupted at the entrance barricade of the logistics center. Soon after, I had become friendly with the center's managers.

“Understand this. If the trucks don't arrive by this Friday, you're going to have a very meaningful time.”

“Yes, yes! Understood!”

Soon, a parade of trucks poured out from the logistics centers in the northern and eastern parts of Gyeonggi Province. Their destination was, of course, our store, the Sixth International Convenience Store.

There was interference from the military and the police along the way, but I easily brushed them aside.

I had experience collaborating with the National Intelligence Service and the government in previous cycles. The very first thing Old Man Scho and I did together was to collect the personal weaknesses of government officials.

Ultimately, our store became a black hole that sucked in convenience store-related logistics in no time.

“Huff... Comrade Manager! The boxes are piled up like a mountain! Thinking that this is all made from the blood and sweat of the workers makes me so sad!”

“Now it's ours.”

“The laughter just doesn't stop...!”

Typically, the signs of a revolutionary falling into corruption were beginning to show.

A massive warehouse was constructed underground at the convenience store. It would have been impossible to promise a completion date if we relied on manual labor, but the power of fairies made many things possible.

After completing the gigantic underground warehouse, the fairies neatly arranged the goods.

“Hmm?”

Yes, not one fairy, but several fairies.

Before I knew it, three fairies were buzzing around, moving products.

I called fairy number 264.

“Fairy number 264.”

“Yes! Comrade Manager!”

The fairy snapped to attention.

“Answer me. Why have the fairies suddenly multiplied?”

“Yes! I requested support from the [Fairy Revolution Club]! Club comrades inspired by your great revolutionary line are joining our cause one after another!”

What.

“Could it be that the number of fairies here will increase even more?”

“Possibly? The cause of the revolution swells like a river flowing downstream, except for the filthy reactionaries!”

“Hmm…”

This was an unforeseen situation. Originally, it was supposed to be just one capable yet unpaid slave that I was carting around with fairy number 64.

But there was no problem. Actually, it was even better.

As is customary in a 'vacation cycle,' the more unplanned events, the merrier.

“Hoh, did my unilateral decision lead to overly adventurous consequences?”

“No, you did well.”

I looked around. Anything else?

Just then, a pile of green Saemaul hats were heaped in a logistics box. I tore open the plastic and put a Saemaul hat on the Tutorial Fairy.

The fairy tilted its head in confusion, wearing a hat much larger than its head.

“What is this?”

“All fairies are equal, but some fairies are more equal than others! Comrade number 264, your fervent passion has moved me. From now on, you will command all fairies participating in the Sixth International.”

“...! Comrade Manager...!”

Staff secured.

The fairies knew how to use magic and even had the ability to separate certain areas from reality. This ability meant that the underground warehouse was isolated from the outside world.

“Deploy the territory in the underground warehouse.”

“Yes!”

Using this ability and ice magic, they indefinitely extended the shelf life of the stored products.

After securing generators, the wiring and installation work was completed, and the convenience store was lit up 24 hours a day.

Now, there really was nothing left to do but receive customers.

On the 6th day since the grand opening, the first customer visited.

“Welcome!”

“......”

Tinkle, and the glass door opened.

A woman in heavy clothes and a ponytail entered.

Nothing to hide. The monumental first customer was none other than the Saintess. She lived nearby and had probably spied on my antics through her clairvoyance.

She glanced at me standing at the cash register.

“...Are you open for business?”

“Yes. Our store operates 24 hours a day.”

“What is that?”

The Saintess pointed behind me.

There was a poster that read [Store Usage Rules].

──────────

1. Please be kind to the employees of the head office. Despite different appearances, all are valuable human capital and private property of the head office.

2. The head office handles not only Korean won but also Japanese yen, US dollars, and other foreign currencies.

3. Strictly no smoking inside and under the parasols of the store.

4. There is a limit on the quantity of purchases at the head office. The number of items one can purchase is limited to what one can 'reasonably' consume in a day. The standard of reasonableness is at the discretion of the store manager. (Example: You cannot buy 100 sandwiches at once)

5. All physical disputes within 300 meters of the store are strictly prohibited.

6. Failure to comply with these rules will result in unlimited sanctions. Your understanding is appreciated.

7. Happy shopping!

──────────

I flashed a business smile.

“Exactly as written, customer. Just follow the rules, and the head office will always sincerely welcome you.”

“......”

The expression on the Saintess's face was hard to describe.

She wandered around the store like a highly cautious cat, and when she reached a certain corner, the Saintess paused.

It was the pet products corner.

“Oh. Fish food...”

“We maintain a special corner for pets even as the world comes to an end, for customers who refuse to give up on their pets.”

“...Aquariums with driftwood, filter media, soil, adhesive, aquatic plants, oil film removers, and filters...”

The Saintess mumbled absently.

“Professional... This would make managing the aquariums much...”

“Do you like it, customer?”

“...Just a moment, please.”

The Saintess left the convenience store.

A short while later, she re-entered, clutching a wad of 50,000-won bills and hurriedly stuffing aquarium management supplies into her bag.

At the counter, I faced the Saintess.

The light of a shopping spree was in her eyes.

“Please, all of this...”

“Thank you! Customer! This coffee is on the house since our store just opened. Please tell others around you.”

“...Yes. I'll come often.”

Regular customer acquired.

In a situation where proper marketing tools had completely disappeared, it was a point to have ensnared the Saintess as a regular customer. The constellations would do the advertising agent's job anyway.

Sure enough, not long after, the number of customers visiting the convenience store began to increase substantially.

“Can't I buy a carton of cigarettes? Please!”

“I came all the way from Chungju to get to this store.”

“Sir, I'll give you as much money as you want. Just cooperate with our unit...”

It was a grand success.

As the number of customers increased, so did the number of troublemakers. The balance of the world was always exacting.

“Fuck, come out here, you bastard owner!”

“Yes. I'm here, you bastard customer.”

“Huh?”

Every one of the troublemakers got beat up like dogs by me.

A guy who was overly greedy and tried to buy too much at once, someone who emitted smoke while sitting under a parasol, and even those who were okay with drinking soju but went a step further and started fighting…

They all received their punishment.

“Spies planted by imperialists to destroy the International! There's not a shred of mercy for you guys! It's the gulag for everyone!”

“Fuck... why are the fairies...”

“Shut up! Reactionaries!”

Under the supervision of fairy number 264, the troublemakers were put to work cleaning up along the Han River. Thanks to that, the area around our convenience store was as clean as if it had sidestepped the end of the world.

By then, the internet was also buzzing.

-xx: Seriously, why is the International store owner so strong?

-xx: I saw yesterday that even six Awakeners attacking at once couldn't last a few seconds. Even the guild leader got wiped out in one hit. Is this a convenience store owner or a swordmaster? Isn't this guy just the strongest?

-xx: That guy is really strong.

-xx: There are still people making a fuss at the International? Crazy.

-xx: It's a fairy den there...

-xx: But why are the fairies there wearing Che Guevara t-shirts?

-xx: I don't know.

-xx: I asked last time, and they said it's their uniform.

-xx: Seriously, why are fairies wearing Che Guevara t-shirts as uniforms?

-xx: I really don't know.

Ah, right. This site wasn't SG Net. Originally, the name SG Net was my idea anyway.

When Seo Gyu acted alone, it was called 'Hunter Community,' abbreviated as HunCo. It wasn't a membership-based site; anyone could freely access it and write anonymously.

Given my reputation, occasionally Awakeners came to the convenience store not to buy anything but to see me.

“I am known as the Sword of the Mount Hwa Sect. I have often heard rumors of the international store owner's formidable martial prowess. May I request a lesson?”

“......”

Too much reading of martial arts novels had gone to his head, calling monsters 'demons' and Awakeners 'martial artists,' and referring to employees as 'store warriors,' like a crazy 60-year-old with a bizarre concept.

I'll have another opportunity to talk about this old man. He was a fellow I wandered around with during another vacation cycle, not the 90th.

Anyway, the Sixth International was a success.

A gate had burst open, turning the Han River area, which had been desolate, into a gathering place for minor guilds and even lone Awakeners who stubbornly played the lone wolf game without joining a guild.

This so-called 'convenience store zone' had formed.

Before the world ended, it might have been one thing, but currently, in Korea, this was the only convenience store zone. It might have been the only one on Earth.

Thus, 12 years had passed.

One day.

“The manager is really amazing.”

A guild leader who had brought her entire guild members for a party in the convenience store's front yard said this. She was from one of the two major guilds in Korea, known as Samcheon.

Wearing a cone hat, characteristic of the Samcheon guild, she grinned.

“What are you talking about?”

“Whenever I come here, it feels like the world isn't in this state at all. You know, today I was startled when I saw the price of potato chips exceeding 3,500 won. I wondered if the price was correct.”

She looked very happy.

“The fact that I can still worry about such things isn't so bad. You are a good person. I don't know exactly how, but…”

“Thank you, customer.”

“And, thanks to the manager's store, this area is relatively safe, you know. Do you know what we call your store among ourselves?”

“Convenience store?”

“No, police station. No matter what dispute arises, if you just come to this store, it will be moderately resolved. Even if your head is boiling with rage, seeing fairies wearing T-shirts and Saemaul hats, you can't help but calm down out of sheer absurdity.”

“Hmm.”

Seo Gyu probably wouldn't agree.

Since he always starts with the words "This fucking asshole" even at the Busan Station terminal.

“Anyway... our guild is going to deploy to seal a gate that opened yesterday. The execution day is the day after tomorrow at 1100 hours. If you're interested, let me know. I'll even give you the position of sub-guild leader. Our guild is a bit closed off to outsiders, but you're always welcome.”

“Thank you for the kind words, but I have no intention of getting directly involved in the fighting.”

“Is that so? I figured.”

“Don't push yourself too hard in the fighting, customer.”

“What are you talking about?”

The Samcheon guild leader chuckled as she placed a money bag on the counter, presumably for the party expenses. She then pulled out an additional thousand-won bill and handed it to fairy number 264.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the blue thousand-won bill but a rare red one. Nowadays, it's something you can't find anywhere.

“Customer, this is...?”

“A tip.”

The Samcheon guild leader chuckled.

“I wrote my signature on the back.”

I flipped the bill over.

[This coffee shop has great coffee. Samcheon, Dang Seo-rin]

The handwriting, possibly written with a brush pen, was very elegant. It was clear she had formally studied calligraphy.

She must have been in a very good mood to write something with a brush pen otherwise.

“It's a valuable item.”

“Why, they hang up celebrities' autographs at popular places, right? Manager, if you feel like it, you might as well act like a celebrity... It's embarrassing, but... Anyway, there aren't many Awakeners left in Korea. This should qualify as famous, right?”

The Samcheon guild leader walked away.

Waving lightly behind her.

“Bye-bye- I'll come again after closing the gate. Then, I'll ask for an affogato service, Manager.”

A few days later, the coffee beans and vanilla ice cream I had prepared in advance were not used. The Samcheon guild failed in their gate raid, and all 301 guild members died.

Footnotes:

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