A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation

Chapter 814

Side Story - Loot Farming Heavenly Lord

Dududududu—

In a dark room,

There, a silver-haired woman with a hollowed-out face is tapping on a keyboard.

"Archer ult, ult! I said use your ult!!"

The great Mount Sumeru Thirty-Three Heavens.

The Eight Seats that enforce the justice of the world, the Radiance Eight Immortals!

The being who betrayed those Radiance Eight Immortals and sided with the mountain divine spirit who was the enemy of Radiance Hall, the Crystal King Star Genesis Supreme Deity Seo Eun-hyun, and climbed all the way up to the position of [Sword Extreme Heavenly Venerable].

One of the beings who overturned the balance of the world.

One of the foremost Governing Immortals of Mount Sumeru, and the [Silver Snake] whom no one can look down on.

The Sword Extreme Heavenly Venerable Ji Hwa!

Right now, that great existence is absorbed in one of Earth's cultural products, loot farming.

"Hey, you trash, before I smash your heads in with a shotgun, I said, focus on the raid, ahh!"

At a guild she founded in a game,

Ji Hwa shouts wildly at the guild members of [Loot Farming Heavenly Lord].

'I already left the company Oh Hye-seo used to work at. An immortality soap company run by Lizard Race wearing human-skin masks—there is no way I can work in such a dangerous place. With bastards like that, they would notice that I am not Oh Hye-seo but a fellow alien being that has taken over her body and ambush me, so there is no need to take that risk.'

Ji Hwa, sweating coldly, focuses on taking down the raid boss.

Since leaving the company,

As her living expenses became insufficient, she had no choice but to make her living by selling items obtained in a game through the Earthling culture called 'Loot Farming' in games. That is what the current Sword Spear Heavenly Venerable Ji Hwa is doing.

In other words, for Ji Hwa, who cannot earn living expenses otherwise, the rare item that this raid boss drops has this month's living expenses riding on it.

'I poured all the potions and scrolls that increase item drop rate into this raid. As long as we just kill the boss, I am 99.9999 percent guaranteed to get the item...! But...'

Grinding her teeth, Ji Hwa shouts at the guild members of [Loot Farming Heavenly Lord].

"Dog bastards!!! Focus, I said!!!"

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

In the middle of the raid, Ji Hwa explodes in a roar at the guild members who are sending her private chats.

—ID Ahseo: Unnie, once this raid is over, you really are going to introduce me to the friend who go to SJD, right?

—ID NorthernTakbu: I'm sorry, Guild Leader-nim, but could you give me this raid item?

—ID ILikeCurry: Noona, you're coming to the guild offline meet-up, right?

—ID EnricoEmporio: Noona, you said you're coming to the guild meet-up, right? It's my treat, so is there some favorite restaurant you like...

—ID Rihyunjok: Noona, I've been wanting to say this for a while, but actually, I like you. Maybe this weekend, we could...

"These goddamn punks..."

Even while hunting the raid boss, Ji Hwa, at high speed, writes replies one by one to the guild members who insist on sending private chats right in the middle of the raid.

—YesIwill introduceyoutothefriendnamedJeonMyeong-hoonsolet'stalkaboutitlater.

—Whyareyoutalkingaboutthatnowwealreadytalkedearlierbeforetheraidabouthowtheitemdistributionwillgo.

—I'mcoming!!Sinceourdamageislackingpleasehurryanddealmoredamage.

—Icaneatanythingsojusthealfaster!!

—Ihavealoversostoptryinganythingandjusttankproperly.

Dududududu—

Ji Hwa's hands move across the keyboard as if possessed by a god, and while she pours nagging onto the guild members who are full of pointless desire, she simultaneously pours attacks onto the raid boss.

However...

Because of the troll-like coordination of the [Loot Farming Heavenly Lord] guild members, who are more interested in crumbs than in the rice cakes themselves,

In the end, the [Loot Farming Heavenly Lord] guild members are swept away in an instant by the raid boss.

Ji Hwa fights back, controlling her character with godlike control until the very end, but...

Separate from Ji Hwa's control skill, the reaction speed of the character cannot keep up with her...

And in the end, Ji Hwa's character is hit by the raid boss's flames and burns to death.

Ji Hwa stares at the computer screen with a stupid expression.

Ding!

Ding!

—ID DivineSwordPalaceLord: But Guild Master-nim, separate from the guild meet-up, it seems you live nearby...I'm saying this because I want to buy you a cup of coffee, so maybe once at Café **...

—ID ChaebolHouseMelonDirectorPOV: Guild Master-nim. This raid turned out a bit unfortunate. Every single one of them are trolls... This raid is a shame, but let's aim for the next chance... It just so happens I've gotten two tickets to the Melon House script point-of-view preview screening.

***

"...Hah, f*ck."

Ji Hwa seriously thinks about just turning off the mic and kicking out all these damn-brained guild members.

They are fairly skilled users, and since they don't get too greedy about the loot farming Ji Hwa does, she scouted them and brought them into the guild, but...

After hearing Ji Hwa's voice once, the five who are presumed to be men kept trying like crazy to do something with her.

Of the two who are presumed to be women, after one of them happened to start talking with Ji Hwa and found out that Ji Hwa has connections with Jeon Myeong-hoon, she kept pestering her to introduce Jeon Myeong-hoon.

The last one does not bother Ji Hwa with matters outside the game, but since they are the type who, like Ji Hwa, maintains food, clothing, and shelter with items through loot farming, they keep clashing with Ji Hwa over item distribution at every turn.

But...

She knows.

'These bastards... Every single one of them either has a job or comes from a good family so they can live without worrying about their meals...'

Of course, Ji Hwa also does not particularly worry about her meals.

However, ever since coming to Earth, there were many new things she discovered or that stimulated her desire to buy, so there is a lot she wants to buy.

On top of that, there are many things she has to pay for, like rent, maintenance fees, electricity, water, and so on.

Compared to such a Ji Hwa, the other seven guild members are quite well-off.

And yet, despite being such wealthy humans...

'My one month of living expenses...! You're saying you blew it away by spamming me with private chats in the middle of the raid...!?'

Ji Hwa feels her hands and feet trembling and her rage surging up.

"Huuuuk... Huuuuuuk..."

It is when she is trembling with fury.

Diririririk—

A call rings on Ji Hwa's smartphone.

Caller unknown.

Number also unknown.

Since Ji Hwa knows who these kinds of calls come from, she answers in a slightly improved mood.

"Hello, what's up, you're sending a direct message all the way from Mount Sumeru? Are you coming with your main body? Hehe, this time let's definitely choose a day and...ah...you're not coming with your main body? You have a favor to ask? Tsk..."

Whether because she feels it is a shame or what, she stuffs back into the drawer the handcuffs, blindfold, bunny-man costume, and so on that she was just about to happily take out.

"What kind of favor? Oh...really? You say a door opened? Ah...well...recently, on Earth's side too, a door that connects with otherworlds opened, so things like strange and bizarre creatures keep coming. The Lizard Race is already annoying enough, and ghosts or monsters from the otherworld also sometimes come so, it's irritating me to death..."

Clicking her tongue, Ji Hwa kicks away with her foot a stray spirit that has just come into her room and chases it out.

Recently, some kind of outer deity of another world ascended.

As an aftereffect, a [Door] that connects with otherworlds opened on Earth as well.

Through that Door, fragments of separate worlds that the Future King has smashed, and strange and bizarre creatures that lived in things like the fragments of the corpses of the Creator Gods are occasionally flowing in.

"What are you talking about!? You're saying the Lizard Race don't live on Earth!? It's obvious that you too, when you were in your incarnation body, were influenced by the broadcast brainwashing of the wicked Lizard Race. I told you to go around wearing an aluminium hat, didn't I!? That blocks the broadcast brainwashing of the lizard people. I'm telling you, do you even know how detailed the evidence is that has been researched and stored on Oh Hye-seo's computer!?"

Chatting about this and that with the other side, after a little while, Ji Hwa is able to hear the other party's main point.

"Ah...so you're saying to grab seven suitable kids and send them to Mount Sumeru?"

At Ji Hwa's voice overflowing with annoyance, the one on the other end of the call, the great divinity of Mount Sumeru, the Crystal King Star Genesis Supreme Deity Seo Eun-hyun speaks in a slightly worried voice.

—Hey, Ji Hwa. I'm saying this just in case, but don't just grab any innocent person at random and send them. Choose people who really want a new world, or people who are dissatisfied with Earth itself...and who have proper talent and potential...

"Yeah, don't worry, I already have kids like that I've been keeping an eye on. I'll send them soon."

—No, Ji Hwa, don't send them right away, but carefully...

"If you're not coming in your main body, then hang up~ And since you dumped an annoying favor on me, I can take your clone and play with it a bit, right? You're thanking me? It's an honor? Yeah, same here, you've worked hard~"

Thinking that she now becomes able to legitimately snatch away Seo Eun-hyun's clone that is going to be together with Kim Yeon-ui's clone, Ji Hwa changes her clothes with the corners of her mouth hooked up to her ears.

And then she goes into a chatroom on her smartphone and sends a message to the [Loot Farming Heavenly Lord] guild members in the chatroom.

—Everyone, so we can have fun at the guild meetup.

—I've found a kind of concept cafe. It's a concept cafe that takes you into an xianxia world, would you all like to go?

After a little while, the guild members all send back the answer, unanimously, that they want to go.

"Everyone voluntarily wants to go, huh. Well then, let's see..."

Soon, as she thinks about something a bit more, she begins to conduct a survey toward them.

***

—A Mount Sumeru World for you!—

—If you go to Mount Sumeru World, with what realm, what race, and from what clan line would you like to enter? The choices...

One of the [Loot Farming Heavenly Lord] guild members that Ji Hwa has gathered.

A 25-year-old youth whose username is [Rihyunjok].

'Lee Hyun-ah' looks a little gloomily at his smartphone.

“I failed the confession… *uck…”

It had been a confession he made after mustering up his courage, in his own way.

Guild master of [Loot Farming Heavenly Lord], [Silver Snake].

When she founded a guild specializing in loot farming and went around gathering members, he had joined without much thought.

Because his older sister, Lee Seo-ah, who is Lee Hyun-ah's older sister, had nagged him to go in and try making contact, there was also the part where he had joined somewhat against his will.

However, during a previous raid, the moment he heard the guild master [Silver Snake]'s voice, Lee Hyun-ah fell in love.

How can a voice be that beautiful?

And then...

When his older sister Lee Seo-ah, as a fellow woman, had found [Silver Snake]'s ****gram ID and he had first come to know her face.

Lee Hyun-ah once again became completely entranced by that face.

That face, so beautiful!

That voice, so loveable!

And on top of that, the way she specializes in loot farming, and her usual behavior that makes it seem like she barely scrapes by on item farming...

Although he is not quite a chaebol, as someone belonging to the so-called 'third-generation semi-chaebol,' Lee Hyun-ah thought he would be able to appeal her.

So, during this raid that she said she considers important, he had tried sending a private chat just once.

He knew that doing this in the middle of a raid is rude, but...

'If just me alone' sends one message, then the guild master, who is rumored to have god-level control as usual, should be able to pleasantly accept it.

However, that day, the coordination of the guild members was oddly disordered, and the guild master Silver Snake's mood stayed sharp the whole time.

On top of that, after Lee Hyun-ah heard the fact from Silver Snake that she has a lover, he felt as if his mind was going to shatter and had not been able to focus on the raid.

Because of that, the raid failed, and from Silver Snake's mic, along with the sound of slamming the keyboard several times, the voice call had been cut off.

'She's...probably really angry...'

Honestly, even now, because of the aftereffects of his failed confession, Lee Hyun-ah does not feel good.

He does not even want to attend the guild meetup that will be held tomorrow.

However...

'B-But still...I still want to see her...'

Honestly, because he just failed in confessing, he knows that if they meet, things might become awkward.

But...

Even so, Lee Hyun-ah wants to see the guild master again.

And...

'Honestly, even if she has a lover...I've heard a lot that I'm cute... And besides, my family...we've got quite a bit of money...'

Of course, because Lee Hyun-ah is a game addict, physically weak, short, and on the gloomy side in personality, even the elders of the house tend to look down on him...

Even so, while he is being objective about himself, he still wants to try talking to the guild master.

'Damn...I'm pathetic...'

Even as tears well up over how pathetic he is, Lee Hyun-ah fills out and sends back the cafe questionnaire that guild master Silver Snake had sent.

—Starting realm: Penglai Island (former Head Realm) (tutorial area)

—Starting race: Human.

 —Starting Guide: Makli Clan.

—Spirit Root aptitude: Wood Spirit Root.

—Gender: Male.

 —Righteous/Devil: Devil.

—Constitution selection: Ghost Path Body.

—Fate (not required): ...

"Well, this much should be fine...?"

There are a few more optional items, but since many of them are marked (not required), Lee Hyun-ah does not bother with those and just sends in his survey answers.

"Ah, damn, this is embarrassing..."

He blushes over the fact that his confession failed, and...

He searches for clothes to wear to the guild meetup tomorrow.

***

"Hey, Lee Hyun-ah, what's with those clothes?"

"Wh-What? Why? What's wrong with them?"

Lee Hyun-ah snaps back grumpily at his sister, Lee Seo-ah, who has dressed herself up nicely for the guild meetup.

 "Didn't I tell you to wear a skirt when you go outside?"

"Ah, cut it out already! I'm a guy!"

"You're so tiny...I'm telling you, cross-dressing suits you best."

His sister lets out a slightly gloomy chuckle and taps Hyun-ah on the shoulder, and Hyun-ah sigh at how girly he looks and walks together with her toward the meetup place.

"Sis, where did they all say they are?"

"Wait a sec, let me see what kind of clothes they're wearing... Ah, are those people over there them?"

"Ah, yeah, that's them...the ones over there waving are [DivineSwordPalaceLord] and [ILikeCurry], right?"

"Yeah, that's right. And the ones next to them are...[NorthernTakbu] and [EnricoEmporio]...? And that person over there must be that [ChaebolHouseMelonDirectorPOV], right?"

Lee Hyun-ah and Lee Seo-ah can see the group from across the street.

The Loot Farming Heavenly Lord guild members also seem to see them, and soon they cross the road and come over to them.

"Hello, you're [Ahseo] and [Rihyunjok], right? Nice to meet you, heh heh...I'm [ChaebolHouseMelonDirectorPOV], who newly joined this time. You can call me Park Sung-hyun, or call me Chaebeol-jip (lit. Chaebol Family)."

"Ah, yes...hello... It's nice to meet you."

Looking at the man with a cheerful impression who seems to be in his forties, Lee Hyun-ah greets him.

Soon, behind Chaebeol-jip, the other guild members appear.

A black-haired girl in black clothes, with a gloomy face and looking like a shut-in, [NorthernTakbu]. Real name Ahn Geum.

A slightly chubby man in black clothes with glasses and a gloomy impression, [ILikeCurry]. Real name Ahn Gyeong.

A tall, lanky guy with dyed blond hair, awkwardly pretending to be an extrovert, [EnricoEmporio]. Real name, Jegal Mikhail.

A man with no particular distinguishing features other than red glasses, [DivineSwordPalaceLord]. Real name, Kim Shin-ju.

"Hahaha, so then, now we just have to find the guild master, right? I hear she is already at the cafe..."

Chaebeol-jip, Park Sung-hyun, who is giving off a cheerful vibe, smiles brightly between Lee Seo-ah and An Geum and says they should go look for the guild master Silver Snake, Ji Hwa.

"Yes, yes, I heard she is nearby."

"Ah, do you perhaps know the location? You said your name is Seo-ah, right? I'd like to ask you to guide us there."

Park Sung-hyun blatantly clings to Lee Seo-ah, grinning, and at that sight the other guild members' expressions grow a bit sour.

"By the way, have you all done the questionnaire? Ahaha, a concept cafe with the concept of going to another world, I'm already excited. Everyone, what do you call it again? Another world? Isekai? I hear you younger folks these days really like going to another world, right?"

Park Sung-hyun sticks to Lee Seo-ah, and sometimes to Ahn Geum, smirking as he blatantly talks only to them.

"Especially you, Mister Ahn Gyeong, that kind of isekai? You look like you would really love that sort of thing...ahaha!"

At his loud words and actions, which feel a little clueless, all the guild members start to feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Well, work at the company hasn't really been going well for me either these days. If I could really go off to a completely different place, I do feel like I'd want to go. Miss Seo-ah, have you ever felt that way?"

"Ah, yes, well...there have been times when I wanted to go somewhere far away together with someone I like... You too, right?"

Awkwardly smiling under Park Sung-hyun's blatantly interested gaze, Lee Seo-ah tosses the question to Lee Hyun-ah.

"Y-Yeah...me too, since...honestly, everyday life is boring..."

Starting with Lee Hyun-ah, the others also begin to open up with various remarks about the concept cafe they are soon going to.

"Yes, honestly, everyday life is boring for me too, so I've kind of wanted to go to a place like that. And...Mr. Mikhail, what about you?"

Like Lee Hyun-ah, Divine Sword Palace Lord says that his daily life is dull.

"Eh? M-Me? Ahahahaha! O-Of course, I've thought about wanting to get away from this boring Earth since long ago! To leave Earth and become an archmage in an isekai..."

"Yeah, that's enough—and Mister Curry and Miss Takbu?"

Divine Sword Palace Lord Kim Shin-ju starts passing questions around to the others as well, one by one.

Ahn Gyeong pushes up his own glasses and nods once.

Ahn Geum speaks while looking down at the ground with a gloomy face.

"I don't know about an isekai, but I do kind of want to stop living on this shitty Earth like this."

And then, after the circle goes all the way around and everyone's opinion passes by.

"Ahaha, you all seem like young folks, so it looks like you have a lot of leisure."

Back at the center of the conversation, Park Sung-hyun chuckles and speaks.

"When work is hard, you don't really end up thinking like that, you know. If you're too absorbed in thoughts of wanting to leave your hometown, you need to think about whether you're letting yourself be a little too comfortable. I actually know all about that from having experienced it myself..."

Of the seven, only Park Sung-hyun keeps talking, and as time goes by, the faces of everyone, starting with Lee Hyun-ah, grow darker and darker.

Lee Hyun-ah sighs and thinks.

'Whatever happens...I just want to get out of here quickly.'

It seems the others are thinking exactly the same thing as Lee Hyun-ah, as everyone except Park Sung-hyun has the same expression as his.

And then, while they are listening to Park Sung-hyun's chatter, Kim Shin-ju pushes up his red glasses and points across the street.

"Ah, was it that cafe?"

"Ah, yes, I think that's right."

"Let's hurry and go."

The seven, having found the meeting place with guild master Silver Snake, Ji Hwa, all move at once to escape from Park Sung-hyun's chatter.

And then, just as they hurry to cross the street,

Paaaaaaang!

They freeze in place at the gigantic truck that suddenly bears down on them.

It feels as if time stops, and it feels as if their minds go blank.

And in that urgent situation where their lives are in danger, Lee Hyun-ah suddenly is able to see the figure of the truck driver.

"Uh...?"

The truck driver is the guild master wearing sunglasses.

It is Silver Snake, Ji Hwa.

Is he seeing wrong, or is it real?

Without even any time to think about such things...

Just like that, the guild members of [Loot Farming Heavenly Lord], starting with Lee Hyun-ah, get hit by the truck and lose consciousness in an instant.

***

Lee Hyun-ah opens his eyes.

An unknown sky.

And the moment he realizes that it is a 'sky', he opens his eyes wide.

"Heoheok! I-I definitely..."

He hurriedly gets up and pats down his own body.

"By a truck..."

And as he remembers the last moment, Lee Hyun-ah suddenly realizes that he is in a strange forest.

Around him, his guild members are sprawled out unconscious, and blinking his eyes, Lee Hyun-ah looks around.

"Uh, uhh...am I...dreaming?"

Or is it the Underworld?

It is when he is looking around in a daze.

Kwarurururung!

Suddenly thunder rumbles in the sky, and a huge mass of light falls down toward where Lee Hyun-ah and the guild members are.

The guild members start to wake up, blinking their eyes, and Lee Hyun-ah sees a beautiful woman in blue clothes appear from within the mass of light that has come down in front of them.

"Uh, uhhh..."

'Is this a movie shoot? What is this? A dream? Or the afterlife...?'

While he is standing there dumbfounded.

The woman in blue looks at Lee Hyun-ah and cries out in admiration.

[You brat, to have a ghost path body of this level! Where in the world did such a treasure appear from? You, I shall take you as my adopted daughter. What is your name?]

"Pardon? I-I am...Lee Hyun-ah... And I'm a guy, but you are...?"

[A good name! You were a man? You look so cute I mistook you for a moment. Anyway, from now on you will be the adopted daughter...no, adopted son of me, Makli Cheon-sa. From now on, you are Makli Hyun-ah.]

"Pardon??"

After being hit by a truck, falling into a strange forest, meeting a strange person who descended from the sky, and being forcibly renamed to Makli Hyun-ah, Hyun-ah can only gape with his mouth hanging open.