Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1424. Continental War (4)

“Jin Yoo?” Oksana called out.

“...”

“Hey. You... look a bit worn out... It’s tough, isn’t it?” she asked.

“No, I’m fine, noona,” I answered.

‘What should I do about this? For now, putting him to sleep and asking Chang-Ryeol to come collect him would be the right call, right?’

“Let’s hurry up,” she said.

“Okay.”

‘Why did he have to show up all of a sudden? Damn it.’

“Hoo...”

“...”

‘I figured I would meet him at least once someday...’

I had never imagined it would be in a situation like this. No, to be honest, I had completely forgotten about the guy. In the second life, our gray warrior, Rafael, assumed the Holy Sword Hero role.

‘Come to think of it, Rafael was a fake hero.’

Unfortunately, in the second life, the Holy Sword Hero project was never carried out due to budget issues.

Back then, we thought we needed new blood for the Outer Gods War, and we ended up implementing a project that gave birth to the fake hero, Rafael.

Kim Hyun-Sung searched through every tutorial dungeon to find the Holy Sword Hero from the first life, but since he ultimately couldn’t find him, we had to create an alternative.

We had no idea if he was even summoned, or if he had met his end in the tutorial dungeon, but unlike the first life, the Holy Sword Hero did not exist in the second life.

He was an important named SSS character comparable to Kim Hyun-Sung, Cha Hee-Ra, and Jung Ha-Yan. He was another cheat character chosen by the Holy Sword, and he possessed earth-shaking power.

According to Kim Hyun-Sung, the guy went mad and died, thanks to the masked scum's machinations, but the fellow was a card absolutely necessary to maintain the first life.

He was so strong that people even considered entrusting the entire northwestern region to him.

He also had an exceptional intellect. I remembered hearing that he had always been unique. From the moment he entered the tutorial, he was already carrying the Holy Sword, and he cleared the tutorial in the shortest time possible. Unlike the rest of us, who were shoved into the continent, it felt as though he was invited.

He was a genuine powerhouse acknowledged by Kim Hyun-Sung, who evaluated Rafael and even Thronus as having average talent.

The admins of the continent had invested a ton of holy power in the project that led to him becoming a hero.

Honestly, setting everything else aside, just having the title of "hero" already deserved reverence, especially in a world like this.

Since I wasn’t the type to obsess over projects that were already closed, I erased him from my mind, but there were more than a few times when I regretted the very absence of his existence.

Today, I met him somehow.

The problem was that his appearance was nothing like the one I had wanted.

‘What is this lump of blood?’

“...”

‘Why on earth is this guy playing dead here?’

The guy was sneaking glances in my direction. Just who exactly was he? On top of that, he immediately fell asleep when a bit of sleep powder was lightly sprinkled on him. It was a sight to behold.

Of course, he was extremely exhausted, which was why his resistance was basically zero. However, the way he sprawled out among the pile of corpses, motionless as if he had passed away, looked truly absurd.

“So, things are more or less wrapped up, aren't they? I was worried we wouldn’t finish everything today, but... it looks like it’s somehow coming together,” Oksana said.

“...”

“I’m glad we can get a bit of rest. Want me to take you back to your tent?” she offered.

“No. I’m fine, noona,” I answered.

“Ah, okay. Well... if you say so. If there’s anything troubling you, visit me,” she said.

“O-okay. Thank you so much for today,” I said.

“It’s nothing. People who are having a hard time should help each other.”

After saying goodbye to Oksana, I moved in a hurry. As soon as I entered the cramped tent, I saw Alps, who had been waiting for me.

After returning her greeting, I found myself pacing around inside the tent with needless anxiety.

Just then, Chang-Ryeol opened the tent door. He was finally back after that harsh ordeal. Naturally, I also saw the sleeping Holy Sword Hero slung over his shoulder. I wanted to ask questions about the Holy Sword Hero right away, but I couldn’t do that.

Before that, I had to give credit to the guy for rescuing me from the hands of the mob.

“Mr. Chang-Ryeol, are you okay?” I asked.

‘This comes first, after all.’

“I’m perfectly fine, sir,” Lee Chang-Ryeol answered.

“Perfectly fine, my foot. Your Endurance isn't even that high... Take your top off for now. I’ll at least apply some potions,” I instructed.

“It’s fine,” he refused.

“Stop talking back and sit down here. Seriously, why did you step in like that? If you just passed by quietly, it would’ve ended after taking a few hits... whoo... Your base recovery is good, and your resistance is high, so you probably won’t get infected or anything, but you never know. For the record, this isn’t a request; it’s an order. Hurry up and take it off,” I ordered.

‘If it’s an order, he’ll follow without complaint.’

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lee. I...” Alps paused.

“It’s fine,” he replied to her.

‘He’s even being sweet. He really is unfit to be an assassin.’

Alps hadn't been able to sit still the whole time, and the sight of him comforting her made it easy to understand why Yoo Ah-Young had fallen for him. The sight of him casually patting Alps on the head while shirtless was anything but ordinary.

He always went around covering his mouth with that annoying mask, but if I were being honest, he was good-looking enough to have plenty of admirers, so the scene somehow felt like something straight out of a drama.

Meanwhile, I was in the middle of slathering potions onto the back of a wounded loyal retainer.

As Oksana had said, the injuries didn’t seem like they would leave much of a mark, but when it came to competent people, one had to show that they were cherished. That was an unspoken rule that one had to follow if one wanted to keep such people.

A lord personally tending to the wounds of a loyal subject. From Chang-Ryeol’s perspective, it was impossible not to be moved. Of course, my gaze eventually shifted toward the Holy Sword Hero that Lee Chang-Ryeol had brought with him.

‘Sung Ji-Hoon?’

Like earlier, he had a face and build that looked like he was a first or second-year high schooler, and overall, he looked fairly handsome.

I didn’t know whether the admins of the continent gave bonus points for appearance, but the fact that he was decently good-looking was hard to deny.

Of course, as always, he fell short of Kim Hyun-Sung, who was the most handsome.

Still, if this guy were raised and trained properly, he could probably challenge Kim Hyun-Sung’s position, but for now, the fact that he was still just a high schooler held him back.

‘His physique is lacking.’

His muscles weren’t fully developed yet. He was even lacking in height. Of course, compared to his peers, he was on the taller-than-average side, but despite that, he still looked small all the same.

One thing was certain—once he was mature, he would be better than Rafael, not only in appearance but in stats as well.

Compared to a pigeon pretending to be a hero with a fake Holy Sword from somewhere, this guy's stats were fundamentally better. His traits were decent, and the growth limit of his Stamina and Mana were Legendary or higher.

There were a few points that bothered me, but above all else, the fact that he was the chosen one of the genuine Holy Sword rather than a knockoff was what I liked the most.

After all, talent wouldn't just disappear.

The admins of the continent at the time had gathered their heads to select him. The one puzzling thing was that no matter how I looked at him, he had no sword that resembled a Holy Sword.

He wasn’t even carrying a common dagger or any sub-weapon.

“Mr. Chang-Ryeol, do you remember if there were any swords or other weapons near him?” I asked.

“I remember there being none,” Lee Chang-Ryeol replied.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes. I can check again just in case...” he offered.

“No, there’s no need. If you say there were none, then there probably wasn’t anything. It wouldn’t be an ordinary item either... Could he have hidden it somewhere else...” I mumbled.

“...”

“...”

“Sir, if you don’t mind me saying this, may I ask why you told me to bring that boy here?” he asked.

“There’s nothing to hide, so of course. He looks like the Holy Sword wielder of this parallel world,” I answered.

“So the hero of this place was not Mr. Rafael,” Alps continued, looking startled.

‘He’s a fake.’

“Yes. More importantly...” I paused.

“Yes?”

‘He should be waking up.’

He twitched slightly.

‘He just woke up.’

I wasn’t the only one who sensed his movement.

If anything, Lee Chang-Ryeol reacted even more sharply to the guy’s subtle motion.

Seeing him sneaking another sideways glance this way was a sight to behold.

There were only three people inside the tent, and he probably thought he could deal with us because he sprang up to his feet in an instant.

Alps immediately drew her sword. She was being treated like a rookie back in the Blue Guild, but she had undeniably grown into a top-tier powerhouse on the continent.

Even though her strength was effectively halved due to Shiro’s absence, she wasn’t so incompetent that she couldn’t deal with him.

The Holy Sword Hero seemed to have sensed the danger as well.

Thinking it was disadvantageous to face an enemy with a weapon, he switched his target to Lee Chang-Ryeol, but it was a case of avoiding a wolf only to enter a tiger’s den.

Lee Chang-Ryeol grabbed the guy’s fist and twisted it.

The Holy Sword Hero spun with a whir. Before he could even hit the ground, Lee Chang-Ryeol twisted his wrist and pressed his leg on the former's throat, successfully subduing him in an instant.

“Aaaagh. Damn it!” Sung Ji-Hoon shouted.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

“You! You weren’t just some ordinary soldier NPC. Damn it!” he exclaimed.

‘What is wrong with this lunatic?’

“If only the Holy Sword were intact!” he shouted.

‘What is he talking about? What on earth is he saying right now?’

The sight of him flailing while his throat was being pinned by a leg was ridiculous.

‘What is wrong with this guy?’

“Yuriel! Yuriel! Come out! Holy Sword!”

‘What the hell am I watching?’

I was staring at a random high school brat throwing a tantrum.

I blinked, and it remained a baffling moment. I even doubted my own eyes. The sight before me was that absurd.

On top of that, he had terrifying strength, and I saw Lee Chang-Ryeol’s face twisting. It seemed he couldn’t subdue him without pressing down on his throat with more force or breaking something.

Lee Chang-Ryeol looked at me as if he was asking for my permission to do just that.

However, I had no choice but to stop him.

“Stop it, hyung!” I shouted.

“...”

“He’s going to die!” I added.

“...”

Lee Chang-Ryeol silently got to his feet, while the Holy Sword Hero sprawled out there, looking utterly bewildered. He seemed to have enough intelligence to comprehend the situation.

He understood what was happening, and it seemed like he knew why he was still alive.

“Uh...! Ugh!”

The idiotic noises he made were ridiculous, and on top of that, his awkward glances made him look completely incompetent.

It took him about three minutes to arrive at the conclusion that we had saved him and brought him here. Upon realizing that, he scrambled to stand up and took a few steps backward before speaking.

“Why... did you save me?” Sung Ji-Hoon asked.

“...”

“...”

“W-well... that’s... obvious, isn’t it? You were lying down, and it didn’t look like you were... dead...” I answered.

His eyes sparkled at those words.

“Y-you’re a good kid.”

Then, he swept his gaze across the three of us.

“Hmm... hmm... I suppose I should introduce myself first. My name is Sung Ji-Hoon. I’m the hero chosen by the Holy Sword,” he said.

‘So... what am I supposed to do with that information?’

“...”

“...”

“Alright! You! Be my companion!” he demanded.

“...”

“...”

“...”

‘Damn it...’

“...”

‘Damn it... My goodness...’