Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1423. Continental War (3)

It was pathetic.

‘What the hell? He looks like he’s seen it all.’

Perhaps it was just me, but he looked like a socially awkward loser trying too hard to look cool. What was definitely filling that annoying face was loneliness and isolation.

It looked like no one in the world could comfort him. He looked bored and weary. His face told me that he was living without truly living, and it was like he had lost all of his emotions.

Even at a glance, one could tell that his mind had shattered into pieces.

Despite all the chaos happening right now, it seemed like he couldn't feel anything at all.

‘This situation is seriously bad.’

Wouldn’t this be a perfect example of what would happen when a human with untouchable power went mad? Right now, this place was nothing short of hell.

This place truly looked like hell, regardless of whether one was from the Republic, the Union of Kingdoms, or the Empire. Of course, every war was horrific, but there was no doubt that his actions were irrational.

The guy who had overwhelming approval ratings in the Republic watched his reputation plummet day by day. In fact, there was no reason to keep looking at this guy anymore because he wasn't doing anything at all.

Whether he was resting or coming up with a new plan, no one knew what he was thinking. It would be nice if he tidied the room a bit, but he hadn't even done that.

Looking at the chessboard and pieces left abandoned in a corner, it seemed like he had stopped playing games altogether.

It was like the game addict had quit gaming.

“...”

“...”

‘I get why First Ki-Young and First Ji-Hye sided with the Empire and Union of Kingdoms.’

A broken Commander Jin was far too much of a threat to them.

He could not be controlled, and any attempts at negotiation were useless with him. On top of that, he was excessively capable. If I were First Ki-Young, I would surely make the same choice.

He had proven just how dangerous he was, so I became even more convinced that I would surely deal with him if I were First Ki-Young.

The advance of the Republic’s forces was, quite literally, on a level that defied understanding. Of course, this achievement came with many sacrifices. Jin Cheong’s own reputation, the lives of countless people, and a front line that looked unstable, but even so, it was undeniable that the result itself was absurd.

To First Ki-Young and First Ji‑Hye, his existence was something beyond irregular.

I had no idea when they sensed the gravity of the situation, but it was clear that they could no longer ignore him.

‘It looks like they’re not active yet.’

No, it seemed like that assumption of mine wasn't entirely true, as the sight of First Life Commander Jin quietly staring at one side of the map came into view.

In the plans of our wounded First Life Commander Jin, a variable appeared right there.

‘At least he isn’t saying that even dying would be fun.’

A sudden flicker of interest appeared on his face, but that was all. From his perspective, the change was too subtle to count as a variable, and it was too minor to heal the wounded First Life Commander Jin.

Yet, there was no stopping the twitch at the corner of his eyes.

Just then, he picked up the pieces of the board. With a momentary look of hesitation, he began moving the forces stationed at the castle toward the place where First Ki-Young and First Ji‑Hye were presumed to be located.

Even though Pastel and the sleeping Peneloti were right in front of him, he chose to redeploy the troops.

‘What the hell is this guy thinking?’

Was there really any reason to move the troops that were already stationed here?

Of course, I knew he was irritated by First Ki-Young and First Ji‑Hye, but still, the necessity of such a move was questionable.

Perhaps he didn’t have the confidence to face Aina Peneloti, or he knew that the Empire, the Union of Kingdoms, and Paint were preparing for a final showdown, but who could ever know that guy's thoughts?

One thing was certain—the troops here were going to suffer for it.

‘Looks like I’m going to have to march. Damn it.’

“Sir, do you see something?” Lee Chang-Ryeol asked.

“They’re moving to another location soon,” I answered.

“When we’re close to the castle?” he asked.

“There’s no strategic value in that castle anyway. Not that it’s completely useless when considering the entire front, but who knows what decision he'll make. After a night’s sleep, he could suddenly order an assault on the castle. Right now, it feels like he’s playing a game,” I answered.

“Then do we follow him?” he asked.

“Well... I think we should. However, we should probably leave some forces at the front. But considering the Empire and Union of Kingdoms are consolidating troops, staying on this front might be a bit risky,” I explained.

“Ah...”

“Moving a force of this scale normally requires a lot of planning and verification. So for now, we should just observe the situation—”

“Damn it! Move, move, move!” someone shouted.

‘Wait.’

“Finish the job tonight! Move fast!”

‘No way.’

“We got our orders!”

‘Just like that?’

In the distance, the makeshift barracks were being packed up. The sight of it made it absurdly believable that they could actually start marching by tomorrow morning.

I had no idea what pressure they were under, but the officers were scowling, shouting at the soldiers working on the tasks.

Whether they could actually finish it by tomorrow morning was another question...

‘If we pull an all-nighter, it should be doable.’

Whether anyone could still march in that condition was a different question altogether.

‘Damn it, that jerk. He’s treating people like machines.’

“What are you doing, you bastard?! Didn’t you hear that we’re moving tomorrow?!”

I groaned and tried to fake being hurt, but this shameless jerk immediately stretched a foot this way.

“You turtle-like piece of shit!”

“Aaaagh!”

“I said hurry up and work! How many times do I have to tell you?!”

I thought he would stop once I fell flat, but it seemed the officer had decided to make an example of me by stomping on me as well. A bone-jarring pain washed over me briefly. Alps looked like she had no idea how to react to the sudden situation, but our loyal retainer, Chang-Ryeol, was different.

He immediately threw himself forward and covered me, taking the kicks in my place.

“Who the hell are you?! Hey, drag this one away!”

“He’s still a child,” Lee Chang-Ryeol said.

“You little shit!”

Naturally, Chang-Ryeol drew all the aggro. Once several officers rushed over, I saw them beating Chang-Ryeol in earnest.

‘No... damn it, Chang-Ryeol...’

I wanted to wipe out every one of them right here, but there was no way I could do that. Watching Chang-Ryeol curl up and endure the clubs swinging down on him was painful beyond words.

These ruthless thugs didn’t even look my way anymore.

“Take this scum away! Tch! Crazy lunatic!”

‘What the hell? He’s not a slave. Is this really how you treat a soldier?’

Of course, in wartime, disobeying orders meant execution. From the officer’s perspective, he probably just wanted to punish me a bit and boost work efficiency, but the sudden appearance of a self-styled champion of justice had turned things awkward instead. The officers were still human, and they likely didn’t want the situation to get worse, but it became even worse than they had intended.

With too many eyes watching, they had no choice but to punish Chang-Ryeol. After a brief moment of hesitation, what he chose for the sake of his pride was striking down the one who had interfered.

“Tie this scum up!”

One by one, the others joined in, stripping off Chang-Ryeol’s upper clothes and binding his hands to something that looked like a thick log. What they pulled out next was a whip.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. It was surreal, but the whip sliced through the air and struck Chang-Ryeol squarely across the back. I wanted to rush over, but the look in his eyes seemed to tell me not to worry, that he was fine, and that it wasn't painful.

Just as the second lash descended on his back, a voice echoed next to me.

“Come over here. Don’t try to get yourself involved for no reason.”

When I turned my head, I saw a woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties.

“Ah...”

“They’ll probably stop before it goes too far. There are too many eyes watching. At worst, a few lashes and maybe withholding food and water. More importantly... are you okay?” she asked.

“Me? Yes... I’m fine,” I answered.

“This might be a bit awkward to say, but don’t hate them too much. Those guys... they’ve all got their own reasons. They’re being pressured by the higher-ups, so there’s not much they can do. Kicking you earlier probably wasn’t meant to seriously hurt you.

"It was just to scare you. They have to finish the work today, no matter what,” she explained.

“...”

“So... do you know him?” she asked.

“Huh? Yes... a little. We met after coming here...” I answered.

“He’s not someone you see every day,” she commented.

‘Yeah, definitely not common. His loyalty’s on another level.’

“Anyway, let’s get back to work before they find another excuse to pick on you. Here, drink some water,” she offered.

“Th-thank you,” I said.

“My name’s Oksana. What’s yours?” she asked.

“I’m... Jin Yoo,” I answered.

“Jin Yoo? That’s a pretty name,” she commented.

“Thank you.”

“You know... kids like you really shouldn’t be in a place like this,” she said.

“I’m kind of... used to it now,” I muttered.

‘It just seems that way.’

A kid looking like a first-year high schooler was hauling corpses around. Over there, Chang-Ryeol was getting whipped. As far as one's eyes could see, people were shouting and throwing curses. I even saw addicts hooked on potions, people who looked like they had lost all hope in life, and others walking around with blood and chunks of flesh stuck to their armor.

Thinking about it, someone like me being here did not make any sense at all. The sense of incongruity became even stronger if one thought about the fact that our task was to bury the murdered prisoners of war.

It was no wonder she looked at me as if I were pitiful.

“I don't know whether that's a good thing or not...” she muttered.

“...”

“Then again... you’re hardly the only one. The Empire, the Union of Kingdoms, the Republic, and the Federation... At some point, they all decided to use child soldiers. It’s only been four years, but the war has completely changed everything.

"The Republic has changed a lot. The commander wasn’t like this before. At the very least, kids like you deserve to see, hear, and learn better things than this...” she added.

Naturally, she didn’t seem pleased with the situation at all. With a bitter smile and face, she would let out a sigh or murmur a prayer whenever she tossed a corpse into the pit.

This was only natural.

There weren’t many, but every so often, one could spot people who looked like they had yet to hit puberty. Some faces looked even younger than that.

Staring at corpses that had already gone cold made the horrors of war painfully clear to me. The two of us were even carrying a corpse that looked like a high schooler at best.

If he hadn’t been summoned to a place like this, he would have been living an ordinary school life—

‘Huh?’

“What is it?” she asked.

“Ah... it’s nothing,” I answered.

“Yeah, he looks about your age, doesn’t he?” she asked.

‘No, it’s not because of that...’

Wait... this kid is still alive. He’s awake. No matter how I looked at him, he was pretending to be dead. Just as I was wondering how he was still alive, my jaw fell to the floor in shock. His status window told me something shocking.

“...”

“...”

[Title - The Hero Chosen by the Holy Sword]

The hero chosen by the Holy Sword hadn’t existed in the second life, but he was here, playing dead for some reason.