Chapter 17 — I'm an Infinite Regressor, But I've Got Stories to Tell

Chapter 17

In Chapter 17, the narrator reflects on his emotional state during his 90th cycle, describing a sense of burnout following the events of the 89th cycle where Go Yuri severed his path. After cremating Dang Seo-rin and scattering her remains at the beach, he returns to the convenience store to find Awakeners whispering outside. He displays a signed one-thousand-won bill left by Samcheon (Dang Seo-rin) in the cigarette display case, which had become depleted of stock due to supply shortages. When the Sword Marquess (Hong Bi-cheong) inquires about the item, the narrator explains it is Samcheon's signature before she departed to fight a meteor shower. The Sword Marquess returns the next day with a ten-thousand-won bill bearing a crudely drawn orchid, signed as the 'Sword Marquess of Yuldoguk,' and requests it be displayed alongside Samcheon's. This act sets a precedent; soon, various Awakeners leave behind signed bills of diverse currencies and origins—including East German marks, yen, and North Korean won—to pay for goods or simply as mementos. The narrator finds that filling the empty spaces in the display case with these signatures slowly replenishes his own emotional well. Fairy Number 264 reports that alcohol supplies are nearly exhausted, with only 50 bottles remaining. The narrator gives her a Heaven's Champion sausage, which the fairies adore, and instructs her to gather customers for a final party using the remaining stock. Unable to contact the Hunter Community, now shut down after Seo Gyu's presumed death, the fairies invite guests manually. About a hundred Awakeners gather for a 'Last Supper,' sharing rare vintages like a 1990 Château d'Yquem. The group proposes forming a new guild and heading to the meteor shower gate after the party, but the narrator declines, stating he has one last customer to see. The Awakeners leave to face the end. The narrator then declares a holiday for the forty fairy clerks, handing out fifty-thousand-won bills signed by him as Manager of the Sixth International. The fairies depart joyfully. The Saintess (Jeong Ye-ji) arrives as the final visitor. She orders coffee made from the last beans. While drinking, she examines the display case of signatures. She pays with a fifty-thousand-won bill, leaving a note on the back reading 'Your first customer,' and departs. That night, the narrator locks the store and walks to the Han River. The sky fills with colorful lights as the meteor stream gate fully opens, raining starlight onto the earth. He observes the 'Meteor Ending,' reflecting on the photos and signed bills left by friends like Lee Ju-ho, Uehara Shino, Infinite Void (Cheon Yo-hwa), and Sim Ah-ryeon. Realizing he has found peace and purpose in these final moments, he smiles, acknowledging that twelve years were enough to fill his inner well. As the world floods with starlight, he prepares to regress, retiring as the convenience store manager to begin the next cycle.

Chapter ID

aamvdu8axa

Chapter number

17

Duration

12:35

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