Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1427. Continental War (7)

‘Crazy bastards... crazy scums...’

“...”

‘Damn it. Those guys have really lost their minds.’

“...”

‘I knew they were ruthless, but they really don’t have any sense of morality.’

However, it was undeniable that this method was efficient. The guy was a weak-hearted high schooler and clearly not the type to easily adapt to the continent.

Of course, it was also understandable why they chose Sung Ji-Hoon as the Holy Sword Hero.

Whether he was capable of wielding the Holy Sword, in other words, whether he was suitable, was the most important factor, but besides that, he had overwhelming talent.

His swordsmanship alone made him comparable to people like Cha Hee-Ra, Kim Hyun-Sung, and Jung Ha-Yan. He was still developing, but if he followed the proper growth path, he would become a monster on the same level as those four.

It was no wonder the higher-ups became greedy at the sight of him. There was only one obstacle, and in front of such a talent, the obstacle had to have seemed trivial.

Now, they only needed to do one thing. To prevent him from feeling any discomfort or fear. To provide an environment where he could adapt easily and act freely. That was why there was a filter in his eyes and mind.

Honestly, if it were me and there were no other options...

‘You have to do it. There’s no other choice.’

It was better than letting this guy die or lose his mind and become useless.

This guy was worth the investment. The cost of putting him under a filter wasn’t small, but if one considered obtaining a transcendent-level warrior as a result of it, it was a bargain.

If preparing for the Outer Gods War was the top priority, then there was no other choice.

‘Maybe he can see the enemy's HP, or he can see some feedback whenever he deals critical damage. Maybe he can also see other effects, and he thinks that he's not just making them bleed.’

Judging by his reaction, that seemed likely. Even with blood on his face, he didn’t seem uneasy at all.

“How is it?”

Seeing him smile innocently while wiping the blood off his sword as if he had done nothing but pick up a delicate flower off the ground was terrifying.

The scene he had created wasn’t grotesque or disgusting in itself, but the fact that his expression fit so oddly created a sense of dissonance.

Even Lee Chang-Ryeol and Alps were wary of him. Since they still had no idea what was going on, they probably saw him as a dangerous person. Naturally, from my perspective, I had no choice but to say something stupid. I needed to test this guy first.

“There was no need to go so far... as to kill them...”

“Ah, it must’ve been shocking. Did I go overboard? But it couldn’t be helped. It’s a war. If I hadn’t stepped in, there would’ve been casualties on the Republic’s side too... and maybe you would’ve been hurt as well.

"Or maybe I... looked a little scary? Don’t worry, don’t worry. I never draw my sword against my friends. I only believe in drawing it when there’s no other choice... so... what just happened was something that couldn’t be helped.

"You’re not really that scared, are you?” Sung Ji-Hoon asked hesitantly.

“No, not really...” I muttered.

“Then we’re still friends, right?” he asked.

“Y-yes...” I answered.

“I-I’m sorry if I startled you. I got a little excited too... I’m not usually like this... I just... wanted to look cool... a little... Maybe I shouldn’t have done that....” he mumbled.

‘Man, I don’t even know whether I’m supposed to call this guy kind or not.’

I felt like it was right to say that he wasn’t a bad guy.

‘Why the hell is he even kind to characters?’

The fact that he had mercilessly cut down the guys who charged in just moments ago made him feel like he was a lunatic, but if one thought of those enemies who had attacked him as mere mobs, his reaction wasn't strange at all.

If one were escorting a character and a few worthless mobs somehow showed up, of course, one would cast a skill and send them on their way.

“Were you startled? D-do you want some cold water?” he offered.

‘Why are you panicking?’

At the very least, it was proof that the Holy Sword Hero wasn’t insane. If some truly deranged idiot had obtained that kind of power and crossed over, I could say with certainty that he would be committing all sorts of insane acts.

If everything looked like a game to him, what reason would he have to hesitate?

However, I couldn't help but think that Sung Ji-Hoon could be an idiot, and my speculation wasn't groundless. After all, there was a standard trend in trendy isekai stories where the protagonist would go straight to the retainer market upon being realized that they had been summoned to another world.

Sung Ji-Hoon hadn't done anything like that, so he was an idiot, but he wasn’t a twisted idiot.

He didn’t swing his sword just because he disliked something, and he showed respect to companion NPCs he believed weren't mere mobs, or NPCs who could become his companions.

If that hadn't been the case, he would’ve pulled some ridiculous stunt on Alps.

He was the foolishly pure type of person.

“A-anyway, you believe that I am a hero now, right?” Sung Ji-Hoon asked.

“No, I do. I told you I believe you,” I said.

“Still, you looked like you didn’t believe me. You did say that, though. Ah... wait a second... no. There’s no need to loot. Ugh... a lot of people died. Our side lost a lot, too. This is really going to slow down the march, huh?” he commented.

“They were probably lying in ambush for that purpose to begin with. To stop this march, even for a while,” I said.

‘Anyone could see that coming.’

I looked around and saw the devastation left behind by the brief battle. It was a situation completely at odds with Sung Ji-Hoon’s expression, as he was still observing my face.

“Mom... heuk... please save me... Help...”

“Here! Medic! Is there a medic?!”

“Aaaaargh!”

Heuk... kgh...”

The screams of the dying filled the air; blood and guts were scattered everywhere. The trees were either burning or had been split apart by magic, and a foul stench assaulted our noses.

The corpses of those from the Republic, the Union of Kingdoms, and the Empire were tangled together. The supply wagons were their targets. Surely, this ambush wasn’t only aimed at our side.

With such a massive force moving all at once, there were bound to be gaps, and from their perspective, forcing the march to stop was entirely advantageous.

Managing this battle immediately was also a problem. All the wagons with broken wheels had to be repaired, and the fallen horses would be abandoned. Commanders had to be cautious in moving their troops, never knowing when or where an ambush could happen.

“Damn it! Blast it! Put out the fires first! Are there any surviving mages?!”

‘This is absolute chaos.’

“What the hell was the advance scout doing?!”

Sure enough, I could see those guys moving around frantically in every direction. With smoke rising everywhere, it was hard to get a clear view, and it seemed unlikely they could get their troops moving in such a short time.

The foolish Holy Sword Hero didn’t seem to understand why the enemies were throwing away troops just to buy time.

“Stop the march?” Sung Ji-Hoon asked.

“Yes. Even just stalling would be beneficial. If the enemy commanders hadn’t made mistakes, it could’ve been even more devastating for our troops,” I answered.

“R-really?”

Naturally, I picked up a small stick and started drawing on the ground.

“This is the current frontline maintained by the Republic, the Empire, and the Union. The Republic redirected its troops to reinforce this spot, the Tenia Front.

"Just a few days ago, we expected to reclaim this line, but for some reason, it’s now being pushed back,” I explained.

‘Probably thanks to First Ji-Hye and First Ki-Young.’

“Ah!”

“The Tenia Front is the backbone of this war. I don’t know what the enemy commanders think, but at least General Jin Cheong set the line this way. If it hadn't been for our forces controlling this front, this rushed advance couldn't have been sustained for long.

"Now that the line is being pushed back, we have no choice but to move our troops as fast as possible. There may be other reasons, but this is likely the main one. And the enemy surely knows the importance of Tenia too...” I continued.

“So?”

“They’ll probably strengthen the line until our forces arrive. Enemy troops are likely gathering as we speak. Calling it the ‘final battle’ might be too early, but it’s clear that the fights at this front will play a pivotal role in this war,” I told him.

“Jin Yoo, you...” he trailed off.

“Yes?”

“You’re actually smart!” he exclaimed.

‘What the hell is he saying?’

“This is interesting! Could he be... an SSR? Yeah... he must be,” he muttered to himself.

‘This guy’s showing off again.’

“So, what should we do?” he asked.

“What can we do? We can only pray that this march finishes as quickly as possible. The situation isn’t good,” I answered.

‘Damn it, I’m already moving around clutching his empty stomach, and now all the food’s burned. What else can we do?’

It was already a grueling march. Having been ambushed, we were forced to proceed with even greater caution while keeping an eye on our surroundings.

“No, that’s not what I meant... Ah... for now, it’s probably best if we all talk together... Lady A-Alps. Please come here so we can have a strategy meeting... ” he said.

“Okay,” Alps answered.

“A-and the nameless hyung too...” he added.

“...”

Lee Chang-Ryeol and Alps, who had been observing the situation, quietly approached us. Amidst the chaos, it was absurd to see the four of us gathered here, but for now, it seemed we were following his lead.

In the meantime, this Holy Sword Hero was already acting as if we were members of a hero party, seemingly convinced that we were already on the same side as him.

‘Man, does he think that if he sends a party invite, NPCs just automatically form a party with him. He makes no sense at all.’

“S-so... what should we do?” Sung Ji-Hoon asked.

“What do you think we should do, Hero?” I asked.

“...”

“...”

“Well...” he paused.

“...”

“I was only told through a divine message to come this far... Honestly, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do after that. I feel like everything the gods say has meaning, but because of security and all that, they never explained anything to me, saying they don’t know the details themselves. But there’s one thing I think I understand,” he said.

“And what would that be?” I asked.

“I'm here to meet you,” he answered.

“...”

“I'm also here to meet Lady A-Alps and the nameless hyung. I think that’s what the gods wanted. To find companions you can move with and rely on together. At first, it felt like they wanted me to lead the war to victory without the Holy Sword’s help... but now, I feel like there’s some other meaning behind it,” he explained.

‘Come to think of it, this guy was abandoned by the Holy Sword, too.’

It sounded illogical, but coming from his mouth, it was still oddly convincing. The fact that the higher beings had pinpointed my exact location couldn't be a coincidence. It also didn't matter whether Altanus and the others were really paying attention to me.

I could only think that they dumped Sung Ji-Hoon onto me. No, even if it wasn’t them, the Six Stars could have ensured that Sung Ji-Hoon and I would meet. Of course, it was still hard to guess the reason, but the answer seemed obvious enough.

‘They want me to clean up their mess.’

From a short-sighted perspective, it wasn’t wrong to say that the higher-ups’ method had worked, but looking further ahead, it wasn’t so simple.

Our Holy Sword Hero was still a talent in the middle of growing stronger, and while their methods could develop his body, they would never develop his mind. It was easy to guess why the Holy Sword no longer responded to him.

This guy wasn’t growing mentally; he was actually regressing. He didn’t take death seriously, and he wasn’t prepared to take responsibility for his actions.

He was strong, and he could grow even stronger from here, but if things continued like this, he would hit his limit.

He had followed his tech tree in a completely idiotic way. For someone like him, mental growth was far more important than physical growth. At this rate, he would never reach the level of someone like Kim Hyun-Sung or Cha Hee-Ra.

‘Basic education is a given...’

And on top of that...

‘Are they asking me to strip off the filter?’

'And maybe clean up after him while I’m at it?'

It felt like both sides were forcing me to choose, and the situation didn’t sit well with me, but... I owed Altanus a debt.

I quietly looked at him again.

“You’re going to become my soldier! That’s what the gods want! T-that means you must already know the answer, Jin Yoo!” Sung Ji-Hoon shouted.

He looked back at me with eyes that were perfectly clear and untainted.

“What do you want to do?!” he asked.