Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1337. First Life Ha-Yan (20)

Kaboooooooom!

“W-What the...”

“Wake up, Big Boy!” I[1] shouted.

“What’s going on?!” Big Boy shouted.

Kaboom! Boooooooooooooom!

“Damn it!”

The world changed overnight. That was the only way to describe it. Simultaneous attacks were occurring all over Lindel, which had been considered a safe zone during the war. Creatures with wings descended from the sky; explosions and loud noises reverberated from all directions.

Lindel's barrier shattered in an instant. Amidst the sudden assault, screams and shouts echoed in a harsh mixture of discordant noises. In a sense, this situation was familiar, as I had seen it many times before.

Lindel had become a battlefield.

“Damn it!” I shouted.

“An attack? Is it an attack?” Big Boy asked.

“Can’t you tell?! You idiot? They’re the winged ones,” I answered.

“Shit... shit... these bastards...” Big Boy mumbled.

“Aaaahhh!”

“Help me! S-Save me!”

“Grab your weapons! Everyone, grab your weapons!”

“It’s an attack! Prepare for battle!”

“Damn it! What the hell was the Magic Tower doing? So suddenly? How is this even possible?!”

“Why the hell are the ones from the northern front here?!”

The Blue Guild was in chaos. Battles broke out everywhere as if the enemy had infiltrated from the inside.

In a situation where each person could only look out for themselves, Big Boy and Yoojin’s faces turned pale. It was natural. At this moment, I also had something on my mind.

‘The Magic Tower...’

Kabooooooooooom!

A roaring sound echoed, and everything around was swept away along with an explosion from the Magic Tower. Clearly, the battle began from the Magic Tower. I instantly recalled a certain stupid kid.

Just like last time, I saw Big Boy’s twisted face.

‘This bastard, seriously...’

I couldn't help but recall the time when he tried to dig his own grave during the Chimera attack on Heren. Staring at the Magic Tower outside the window with a face like he had just chewed on something foul, he looked like he was thinking something bad.

In fact, it wasn’t just him. Yoojin and I were the same. As embarrassing as it was to admit it, that kid was already like family. The dumb things we did like getting stuck here, collecting gold and not relaxing despite having the luxury to relax, it was all because of that kid.

Yoojin looked around before asking, “W-what are we going to do, Big Boy?”

“What do you mean? What about you?” Big Boy asked.

“We have to go,” Yoojin answered.

“Yeah. We have to go. Damn it...” Big Boy said.

This time, there was no hesitation at all. I saw them frantically gathering their gear as if heading to the Magic Tower was the most natural thing in the world.

The only question was whether we could even make it there or not.

‘Damn it... I’m sure it’ll work out somehow. Whatever.’

It would work out somehow. Right now, nothing was more important than the kid.

[An Average-rank quest has been created.]

“Hey, Big Boy. A quest popped up,” I told him.

“Ignore it. Damn it. Getting to the Magic Tower comes first,” Big Boy said.

“Alright. Got it. Whoo... whoo...”

“Yoojin, you nervous?” I asked.

“No... why would I be nervous. It’s just...” Yoojin paused.

“That kid’s fine. He’s an apprentice mage labeled a genius and the future of the Magic Tower. They won’t lose him so easily,” I reassured her.

“Calton, just focus on the path,” Big Boy said.

“You’re the one who shouldn’t get worked up. Big Boy. Don’t go messing around like last time and get Yoojin’s arm chopped off. If we needed an archer who’s good at guiding, you should’ve looked for someone else. Damn it. I’ve always thought it was a mistake,” I said.

“What’s a mistake?” Big Boy asked.

“Being in the same party with you guys was a mistake, damn it! I was just planning to earn some money and retire... but somehow we kept ending up together... and we somehow picked up that weird kid... I’m not normally this sentimental, damn it...” I answered.

“Bullshit,” Big Boy commented.

“Anyway, let’s go,” I said.

“This time, I really feel like we’re going to die,” Yoojin said.

“That feeling isn’t exactly new... That’s life for guys who live by the sword,” Big Boy said.

“Living by the sword this, living by the sword that... The kid told you not to say that, Big Boy,” Yoojin reminded him.

“Right.”

Yoojin and Big Boy exchanged glances. After signaling each other...

“Let’s go.”

Big Boy kicked the door with a bang!

Behind the door, we saw that the Blue Guild was already in the middle of a battle.

“Support! We need support!”

Of course, there was no time to waste in a situation like this.

“Avoid fights as much as possible,” Big Boy ordered.

“Aaaahhh!”

“Ignore it, Yoojin. Damn it!” Big Boy shouted.

“I know. I know...” Yoojin said.

Boom!

Someone was blasted away.

“Ugh!”

“...”

“...”

‘Kim Hyun-Sung?’

Inside the half-destroyed building, the Guild Master of the Blue Guild rose again, facing off with the angel holding a long sword.

The one with long silver hair could only be described as an angel. He descended and clashed swords with Kim Hyun-Sung.

Boooom!

The two exchanged multiple strikes in an instant.

‘Damn it.’

And on top of that...

“Move to a safe place!” shouted the Spear Goddess, even though enemies had surrounded her.

“Didn’t you hear me? Move to a safe place!” she shouted once again.

‘Where the hell is a safe place here?’

“I’ll guide you! Don’t move from there, and stay with the rear... Ugh,” the Spear Goddess exclaimed.

‘There are too many of them.’

Jo Hye-Jin of the Blue Guild was surrounded by the winged angels in an instant. Even in the chaos, she didn’t stop helping Kim Hyun-Sung, who was fighting the silver-haired angel.

I knew perfectly well why Jo Hye-Jin was trying to protect us, but in reality, there was nowhere to go.

It was frustrating.

‘That damned kid.’

Surely that arrogant kid had cast some spell.

Thinking back, it was strange; we just hadn’t thought of it before.

Why were we being treated this way in the Blue Guild, and why were we always excluded from dangerous wars and battles? How come we managed to stay away from the frontlines under the ridiculous name of Lindel Defense Force? Why was Jo Hye-Jin still trying to protect us? Anyone not an idiot could figure it out.

I had no idea if it was because the kid would join the Blue Guild after graduating from the Magic Tower, or if there was some unknown contract, but there had to be some hidden story behind all these.

Otherwise, there was no reason for the Blue Guild to struggle to protect useless people like us. At first, we were the kid’s guardians, but now, the kid seemed to have become our guardian.

“Let’s go,” Big Boy said.

“...”

“But Jo Hye-Jin—”

“I said, let’s go! Damn it!” Big Boy interrupted me.

Big Boy quickened his pace, but he was struggling to move away.

Seemingly proving the fact that they were transcendent beings, the silver-haired angel and the Guild Master of the Blue Guild exchanged fierce attacks.

The young swordsman—now a hero of Lindel—struggled desperately but was gradually being pushed back. The problem was that their fight was affecting the surroundings.

Every time a loud crash rang out, buildings would collapse. Between the spells flying from all directions, finding a safe place to move was nearly impossible.

Explosions erupted everywhere, adding to the chaos.

Since this wasn’t an official battle but urban warfare, the destruction was just incomprehensible. The Mercenary Queen of the Red Mercenary Guild was clashing with the blue-haired angel wielding a large scythe.

The red beast seemed to have already lost her mind as she grabbed the blue-haired angel by his hair and slammed him repeatedly into the walls.

‘What... is that?’

The blue-haired angel barely managed to free himself from Cha Hee-Ra’s grasp. He kicked her away, sending her flying into the ground. Cha Hee-Ra got up instantly, and the two fought once again, throwing their arms and legs at each other as if the chaos around them was nonexistent.

Kaboooooooooooom!

Given the situation, injuries were inevitable. Shards and debris flew in from all directions as magical blasts blasted them away into the walls.

I even saw people I hadn’t anticipated seeing her.

“What are you idiots doing!?”

“Kennen? You’re alive?”

“Hurry up and give us support! Damn it! Didn’t you get the quest?! We’re pushing them back right now! The quest is helping us!”

“We have to get to the Magic Tower, you idiot!”

“W-what...?”

“I’ll explain later! Tell Alex and George I said hi!”

“Are you... okay? Right now, you’re...”

“Later! You bastard!”

“Calton, you okay?” Yoojin asked.

“Y-yeah... damn it, I’m fine,” I answered.

We were battered, but we had no choice but to press on toward the Magic Tower. The distance that normally would take us only thirty minutes felt unusually long today as if it was stretching further.

As we neared, I saw the top of the crumbling Magic Tower, where a golden-haired angel was facing off with the others.

Kim Ah-Young?

Hunting Dog?

I thought they were dead...

Even Marian, the Miracle Priest.

“Jung Ha-Yan,” I muttered.

Beside Jung Ha-Yan was the kid, and he was almost clinging to her.

“I see him,” I said.

“What!?” Big Boy asked.

“He’s alive right now. He’s stuck right next to Miss Jung Ha-Yan. That kid,” I told him.

“R-really?” Big Boy asked.

“Yeah. They’re in the middle of a battle. You can see Kim Ah-Aoung, the Hunting Dog, and Marian, too,” I answered.

“The Hunting Dog? I thought he was dead,” he said.

“I don’t know, idiot! The important thing is our kid’s alive. Let’s get up there, fast,” I suggested.

“That damned kid...” Big Boy muttered.

There was probably nothing we could do, even if we went up.

The battle unfolding before our eyes was enough to make our blood run cold. We knew better than anyone that, unless it was Kim Hyun-Sung, Cha Hee-Ra, or Jung Ha-Yan, no one could stand against the named angels.

Still, we couldn’t just stand by. Back in Heren, I had foolishly scolded Big Boy for standing before the chimeras in a battered state, but now, I understood what he felt at the time.

‘Even if we die...’

We had to save that kid.

And it wasn't because he was the future of humanity, or a genius backed by the Magic Tower and the Blue Guild.

It was all because he was family.

Though we hadn’t known him long, there was no doubt he was family.

Without parents, he came into our arms, and we were the only ones he could truly trust as family. I never understood Big Boy, but now, I could finally understand his feelings. I had never understood those who sacrificed for others, but now, it was no longer the case.

“Is it dangerous?” Big Boy asked.

“I don’t know. Still...” I answered.

“Yeah. We have to get our kid,” Yoojin said.

If my memory was serving me correctly, the three of us had never united with a single purpose... until now.

“It’s for our kid,” I added.

1. Carlton’s POV ☜