Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1445. Continental War (25)

“I... can’t sleep... C-can you hurry up and come inside?” Sung Ji-Hoon asked.

“...”

“I-I dozed off for a bit, but then I had another nightmare...” he added.

For a moment, it seemed like Jin Cheong’s argument had some merit to it, but the sight of the Holy Sword Hero acting like that made all of my trust in him drain away.

The fact that he stuck only his face out of the tent, even though he wasn’t the type to feel the cold, made me clench my fist.

It was impossible not to compare him to Ryu Han’s commanding presence. On top of that, despite all the training, his performance was lackluster, or rather, he hadn't displayed anything that could be considered a performance. In the most recent battle, he hadn’t participated actively at all.

Of course, his mindset did change for the better, but I still felt anxious because there were no results to show for it.

‘No matter how much he changed, it really feels like he can't win.’

I felt like Commander Jin had read too many shonen manga. Sure, whenever this kind of awkward, hot-blooded character came face-to-face with that sort of villain, the rule was that he would eventually win, but that only happened in comics and novels.

‘Reality is ruthless.’

Grit and passion weren't completely meaningless, but one still needed a certain level of strength before one could even talk about mental strength.

The data alone told me that he was at least two levels weaker than Ryu Han. With Yuriel’s help, the gap would narrow a little, but honestly, I couldn't even say for sure whether we'd get to see Sung Ji-Hoon’s sword.

Of course, that idiot was an astonishing genius in his own right, but calling him "genius" still felt insufficient. To exaggerate a bit, it didn’t even seem like he had learned swordsmanship anywhere.

He definitely looked like he was pursuing the most efficient swordsmanship, much like Woo Hyo-Yeol, but unlike that guy, he wasn't arrogant.

Sure, Woo Hyo-Yeol simply found the method that best made use of his flexibility and nimbleness, but even so, from a step back, he came across as overly flashy. This guy was different. Every movement was concise, with nothing unnecessary.

“Didn’t you say... that you no longer have nightmares?” I asked.

“I don’t know. It just happened all of a sudden. I-it’s because you sneaked out while I was asleep!” he complained.

“When did I ever sneak out? You looked like you were sleeping, so I just came out to get some air. What am I, a babysitter? Sitting there watching you sleep?” I argued.

“S-sorry...” he mumbled.

‘Seeing him get discouraged so quickly almost makes him look pitiful.’

“B-but why did you suddenly want to get some air? Do you have something on your mind?” he asked.

‘At least he’s kind.’

“T-there’s not anything troubling you, right?” he asked.

‘Yeah, he’s kind.’

He slipped outside and sat down next to me.

He looked like a small animal caught in the rain.

“No. It’s not that there’s a specific reason. I’m just anxious,” I answered.

“Huh?”

“I feel like I’m fighting back as hard as I can, but there’s no progress. I know we have to take things one step at a time, but right now, we also have to worry about our forces being discovered. We've been stuck on this front line for several days now,” I continued.

“...”

“Even though I talked big... it feels like I’m not actually doing anything,” I added.

‘You know I’m saying this for you to hear, right? Back at the send-off ceremony, didn’t you say we'll die together? Didn’t you say you'd become the full moon?’

He was ignorant, but he had been attending the daily meetings, so there was no way he wouldn’t know the current situation. Of course, the Keepers of Moonlight really were doing their best within the limits of what they could manage.

In fact, with a force of this size, they were achieving results that were hard to believe, setting new records day after day.

They took overwhelming victories in five battles against both the Empire and the Republic forces, seized supplies, and freed conscripts. Their numbers continued to grow as many soldiers chose to join their cause.

It would be wrong to say they were doing nothing to stop the war, but the fact remained that they made no impact on the war whatsoever. The current course of events still could not be stopped.

The Keepers of Moonlight could tug at the trousers of those giants, but it couldn’t stop the Republic and the Empire from colliding with each other.

In reality, the battle of nerves between the two factions, both of which were constantly engaging in small-scale clashes to secure advantageous positions, was growing more intense by the day.

In truth, it was already accurate to say they had moved beyond mere posturing. Some of the engagements were large enough to be called major battles, and the number of casualties was beyond imagination.

On top of that, the allied forces split up the troops they had been preparing for the final battle.

Since they didn’t hold unified control over the entire army the way Commander Jin did, the Masked Duo judged that striking in multiple locations was better than clashing head-on all at once.

First Commander Jin was also repeatedly dividing and recombining his forces to respond to First Ki-Young and First Ji-Hye and test the waters. In other words, the reason a full-scale battle hadn’t yet broken out wasn’t because of the Keepers of Moonlight. It was all because of the Masked Duo.

The battlefield was naturally complicated, but the changes came so fast and chaotically that there was no way the Keepers of Moonlight could respond immediately to those changes.

At this point, even Lee Chang-Ryeol's information guild was meaningless.

‘There have to be so many scammers around.’

With bluffs and outright lies everywhere, it had become impossible to take any news at face value.

‘They’re fighting way too fiercely.’

Given how things stand, it was only natural for Jin Yoo to feel anxious. It was about time for him to get struck by a wave of disillusion, regardless of whether they were doing anything at all, or were just endangering the soldiers by unnecessarily chiming in.

“Not doing anything, my ass! If it hadn't been for you, a massive war would’ve broken out already, and everyone would have been dead by now,” Sung Ji-Hoon said.

‘It’s not that extreme. If you’re trying to comfort someone, do it properly.’

A faint smile was all Jin Yoo could manage. Of course, he had no idea whether the guy actually realized that his words earlier were for him to hear. The guy simply raised his voice, throwing praises on the achievements of the Keepers of Moonlight.

However, there was no way such clumsy consolation could actually lift my spirits.

“Yes, you’re right, Hero,” I said, but he absolutely wasn't right.

“Then shall we go back inside?” I asked.

“A-are you really sure you are okay?” he asked.

‘Yeah, like I would be okay.’

“You really are okay now, right?” he asked.

‘You think I would be okay?’

The Holy Sword Hero also seemed to know that I wasn’t okay, but he looked as though he thought that if he kept joking around, I'd eventually feel better.

From tossing out pointless jokes and impressions of anime characters to even performing a dance that had once gone viral on social media, he seemed to have done everything. I couldn't quite remember it, but he performed a dance once performed in a storage room by those guys who really loved Japanese culture.

He fell asleep, looking fairly satisfied, but he probably hadn't expected that my mood would still not improve even by the next day.

“...”

“...”

Sure enough, I noticed his eyes shaking. “Y-you’re already up.”

This was an awkward situation that made him feel self-conscious.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

‘No, I didn’t sleep a wink because I was talking to Commander Jin. Meanwhile, you slept like a log.’

“Y-you’re okay, right? You really are okay, right?” he asked again.

“Yes, I’m fine. Today, we should hope the front line has loosened up. Ever since they discovered us, we haven’t been able to do anything,” I answered.

“I-I told you yesterday too, b-but it’s not like you did nothing. We had lots of meetings, tactical training too,” he said.

Just then, I caught sight of Oksana and several others approaching from a distance. They looked like they were in a hurry, and seeing those faces, I couldn’t help but realize that Jin Cheong had actually done his job.

‘He took care of those bastards.’

After being attacked by the Imperial army, they had to have concluded that their position had been exposed and decided to withdraw, or perhaps they abandoned the line altogether to regroup elsewhere.

Whether it was a decision made at Second Life Commander Jin’s discretion, or whether Yevkarina’s forces had some other goal in mind, the important thing was that there was an opening in the line around us.

On top of that, the most unsettling presence of all, Yevkarina, had conveniently disappeared on her own. This would definitely make it easier for us to operate.

I had a rough idea of why they had come looking for us, but it was only right to greet Oksana first.

“Miss Oksana,” I greeted.

“Mr. Jin Yoo,” Oksana greeted back.

“Did something happen...?” I asked.

“It seems there was a battle between the Imperial and Republic forces on a nearby front,” she replied.

“What?!”

First, I put on an act of surprise.

“The troops have already moved on, but it was by no means a small engagement. Most of the casualties appear to be Imperial soldiers, and the rangers are currently preparing to secure the site and conduct an investigation. We haven't confirmed the presence of any other Imperial units in the vicinity,” she reported.

It was the shocking news I had been waiting for.

“Are there any survivors?” I asked.

“It hasn’t been confirmed yet. For now, we thought it was more important to determine whether there are other soldiers or camps nearby...” she answered.

“T-then I’ll send out a rescue team. No, I’ll go with them myself. Miss Oksana, please also find out where the Republic forces decided to go,” I ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

As always, moving in haste was the natural course of action. The mere thought that there could be soldiers dying at this very moment while waiting for rescue was enough to make tears well up in my eyes.

It was an activity that suited more closely with what the Black Rose Salon usually did, but the Keepers of Moonlight also placed top priority on protecting the victims of war.

It was especially true in situations like this. After all, we were a group of people who had a considerable amount of power. One thing, however, continued to bother me.

‘Did that bastard leave the front together with Yevkarina?’

It made sense to assume he had left with Yevkarina, but he had always operated alone to begin with, which made it difficult to pin down his whereabouts. I scanned the area once through the telescope, but nothing came into view.

On the surface, there was no trace of him, but who could say that for sure?

The silence felt unsettling.

Including Lee Chang-Ryeol and Alps, and even Sung Ji-Hoon in the rescue team was the obvious choice here. If Ryu Han decided to attack the main force, it would be easier to retreat with a small group.

‘Ah... I have a bad feeling.’

“...”

“...”

‘I feel uneasy.’

“...”

“...”

'For some reason, I feel like I’m going to meet him.’

“...”

“...”

‘For some reason, I have a feeling that he’s waiting. Or that I’m going to run into him... no, even if I don’t go, it feels like he’ll come to me...’

Every anxiety had a reason behind it.

“...”

“...”

Soon, I saw Lee Chang-Ryeol pressing a hand on his bleeding stump. His face remained hidden behind his mask.

“Don’t cry, Alps,” Lee Chang-Ryeol said.

“B-but... it’s... because of me... Sir... your arm!” Alps shouted.

“...”

It wasn’t as if some sea monster had suddenly ripped off Lee Chang-Ryeol's arm. It was the handiwork of Ryu Han. He had severed the arm of the Blue Guild’s combat benchmark.