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Chapter 2 – Companion II
Chapter 2 – Companion II
Chapter 2 – Companion II
[Proofreader – Prøks]
Chapter 2 – Companion II
The same phenomenon repeated itself in the 24th and 25th run.
I had to experience the world where Old Scho died three times.
The only difference from the other times was the presence or absence of a single companion, and yet the difficulty level increased five or six times.
It was a moment that hinted at how much I relied on Old Scho in many aspects.
Finally, in the 26th run.
“Sorry.”
As soon as Old Scho saw my face, he handed me a coffee.
There was a cafe in the old Baekje Hospital building. He must have predicted that I would come running, as we seemed to have the cafe all to ourselves, with no other customers.
The cafe au lait that Old Scho brewed was really delicious. It was the 11th run, I think. It must have been thanks to the skills passed down by the barista back then.
“Enjoy. Old Man.”
I said in German. Well, by the 26th run, I thought I know how to speak foreign languages.
“Is this forgiveness?”
“7, 7, 7.”
“…?”
“What do these numbers mean?”
“…Casino slot machine jackpot?”
“No. It’s the time of the runs I’ve endured without Old Man. Altogether, it’s been 21 years. Shit, I haven’t seen you for over 20 years, I even forget Old Man’s face now. Let’s talk face to face.”
“….”
Old Scho seemed uncertain in his response.
I sat across from him and sipped my coffee. At this point, I could just walk into any cafe and plunder the coffee beans, but I hadn’t been able to drink it since the fifth year.
To me, it was a warm luxury for those who had lived seven years in the previous run and died. It wasn’t a fake cafe au lait assembled by alchemists after a long time, so there was no better hospitality.
Thus, there weren’t only downsides to regression.
Coffee. Draft beer. Cigarettes. Friends who hadn’t died yet, companions… It was very important for me to be able to experience them vividly again.
“21 years… It’s amazing. From my perspective, it hasn’t even been an hour since I last saw you.”
It didn’t seem like it to Old Scho.
More precisely, the most precious thing was missing from his list of ‘things he could experience vividly again.’
“But I understand. I haven’t seen my wife’s face for over a hundred years either. I know how it feels.”
“….”
“I can see her face in a photo. I can even watch some videos with her voice saved. But still, there’s an empty well inside me that can’t be filled.”
The ominous premonition didn’t dissipate.
If this were like any other regression story, Old Scho would have held onto his mental fortitude, I would have found some miraculous solution within the time limit, and perhaps the elderly couple would have reunited after surpassing over a hundred years.
“I want to see my wife in person.”
But as I said, my story was not a tale of success but merely a postscript to various failures.
Old Scho’s spirit crumbled.
He took his own life three times in less than 30 seconds just to have a brief conversation with his wife. There was no way for me to save him.
“Don’t you understand me? Surely, at least you do. So, use your abilities to help me…”
“No.”
I firmly refused.
Just as Old Scho had innate talent in swordsmanship, I also possessed various abilities beyond regression.
I guess this would be my opportunity to mention my abilities gradually.
The ability Old Scho mentioned this time was ‘Time Seal’ among them. And I had no intention of using this ability on my companion right in front of me.
“You know, Old Man. Once I use Time Seal, it’s over. Finished. No matter how many regressions you go through, the seal won’t be broken.”
“Yeah. But even in dreams, I can still talk to my wife.”
“You’ll just keep repeating the same day forever.”
“What’s the difference between that and our current situation?”
This time, my response seemed uncertain.
“…Still, it’s not possible. I can’t afford to lose my strongest ally.”
“Then do this.”
Had he predicted that I would react like this? As soon as Plan A was rejected, Old Scho immediately proposed Plan B.
“You can try as many times as you want until you find a solution. Until you can save the people in Seoul within a minute of regressing. Or until you admit it’s all impossible and give up like I did.”
“What are you going to do, Old Man?”
“I’m tired. Really… exhausted. So, I’ll take a break until you come to a conclusion.”
That night, Old Scho took his own life.
That was his ‘rest.’
“…Unbelievable.”
As a transcendent being on the verge of Sword Star Enlightenment, Old Scho could easily shatter heads with just exploding Aura. It would have been a painless death.
By the time it reached runs 27, 28, and 29, nothing had changed.
Old Scho was found dead on the rooftop of the cafe building where the hospital used to be in the past.
Whenever I went to the cafe after clearing the dungeon at Busan Station, there would always be a warm cafe au lait sitting on the table where we used to converse.
There was a note on the coffee cup.
– How about giving up little by little, my friend?
I chuckled bitterly.
“…Looks like I’ve acquired a regular cafe that I can visit every ten years.”
Once, I imagined the life of my comrade.
Now, Old Scho’s life would consist of brief phone calls with his wife, lasting about 10 to 20 seconds. And then, making cafe au lait for the old friend who would come looking for him, lasting about 10 minutes.
The repetition continued, from the 29th run to the current 1183rd run. A body on the rooftop. A cup of cafe au lait on the table.
I couldn’t tell whether the regressed individual who repeated life over a thousand times without taking their own life even once was insane, or if the one who relentlessly ended their life over a thousand times without rest was crazier.
But as the regressions continued, there was a change. It was the content of the phone calls between Old Scho and his wife.
[God! I finally got through!]
[Emmet? What’s going on? I’m at the conference right now…]
[I love you, Adele. I love you forever.]
Was it to listen to the repeated phone calls before ending his short life? Old Scho always recorded the conversations with his wife. Thanks to that, I could eavesdrop on the conversations the elderly couple had each time.
[I love you, Adele… I love you.]
During the first ten or so regressions, there wasn’t much change. Old Scho desperately devoted himself to conveying his love to his wife.
However, from the moment it crossed the 30th regression, the content of the calls began to change little by little.
[Adele, actually, I’m repeating life. The world is going to end. But I still love you.]
[Oh my goodness. Have you been drinking? Why are you acting like a child? Huh? Wait, Emmet. I hear something strange from the sky…]
Regression.
[Do you remember by any chance? Twenty years ago in Turin. I went under the bridge and picked a yellow flower for you. What was the name of that flower?]
[What? You called me just to ask that?]
[Please, Adele, answer me. If you don’t answer, I’ll die.]
Regression.
[Sorry. What was your younger brother’s name again?]
[Maximilian, but why…]
[Oh! That’s right! Maximilian! Haha, I forgot about that! Thank you!]
[Sigh… Can’t stop you. Huh? What’s that sound from the sky…]
It was strange.
As the regressions continued, the phone calls between Old Scho and his wife gradually became more like real conversations, rather than one-sided deliveries.
Of course, each call only lasted about 20 seconds, but when put together, it felt like a genuine conversation.
[I never liked that Maximilian guy from the start.]
[Huh? Why all of a sudden?]
[He never cared about family at all! He’s a selfish jerk. He just pretends to listen to you in front of you.]
[Emmet? Hold on a second. Something strange, I hear something from the sky…]
[Honey, do you remember last Christmas? Your brother brought someone as his girlfriend then. Be honest with me. Is that Maximilian guy actually gay?]
[Huh? Why now? Why would you ask me that over the phone… Wait, Emmet. This is strange. I hear something from the sky.]
[I knew it! My intuition never fails. Adele. Your brother was indeed gay!]
[My God! Emmet, why are you suddenly saying such things?]
[No, I don’t have any prejudice. I’m just disappointed that you and your brother have been keeping it a secret from me until now, as if I wouldn’t accept it.]
[This is crazy. What… Wait, wait. Let’s talk about this when we meet in person later! I hear something strange from the sky.]
[Adele. We need to be more open-minded to each other! I’m not some old man stuck in his ways like your father!]
Ignoring the fact that the lives of the elderly couple were ‘paused’ intermittently, the conversations between them were clearly two-way dialogues, no matter how you looked at it.
“There was logic in Old Man’s words.”
In the end, I had to admit it. As Old Scho said, this was indeed a ‘rest.’
As the regressions continued, as the calls grew longer, Old Scho’s voice became livelier, and memories from his forgotten past also resurfaced. Now, even the fact that this world was ending didn’t seem to matter much to him.
But still, Old Scho didn’t stop taking his own life. Or, to put it in his perspective?he didn’t stop the continuous conversations with his wife.
Eventually, around the 500th regression, I decided to stop eavesdropping on Old Scho’s phone calls. The content of the calls had become uncomfortably intimate, almost to the point where outsiders shouldn’t listen in.
Honestly, I had no desire to know the Old Man’s sexual preferences.
Perhaps the Old Man couldn’t even imagine that I was eavesdropping on his phone conversations.
However, without fail, each time a regression started, he would always stop by the cafe to have a cup of cafe au lait.
Emmet Schopenhauer. A colleague from the distant past that had become dim.
The cafe au lait he brewed became like a ritual for me, a sort of mental preparation for the upcoming regression.
And this remained the same even as we reached the 1183rd regression.
There was still a note under the coffee cup.
– Still haven’t given up, huh, friend?
Well, to be honest, I had given up.
But I didn’t want to admit it to this kid (I’m now overwhelmingly older than him) so easily. Well, someday I would confess, but at least for now, I wanted to play hard to get.
After spending thousands of years alone, what harm would a little stubbornness do?
‘…Come to think of it, I wonder what kind of conversation he’s having with his wife now?’
I suddenly became curious.
It had been a long time since I collected Old Scho’s smartphone and decided to listen to the recorded calls.
As I pressed the play button, Old Scho’s lively voice burst forth.
[Honey! I’ve told you countless times to drink zero soda! Sugar isn’t good for your health!]
[What?]
I took a sip of cafe au lait as their bickering served as background noise in the shop.
It was a delicious cup of coffee.
[Proofreader – Prøks]