Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1269. Hee-Ra of the First Life (3)

To be exact, my future self visited a point in time earlier than the present.

‘We’ve met before?’

And what did she mean by time traveler? Could it be that... I already scammed her?

‘Had I already told her about how she would die?’

Cha Hee-Ra's words were enough to make me feel unsettled, but I couldn’t let it show.

Perhaps I had been here before and wiped my own memory again like last time, but honestly, the first possibility seemed far more likely. This time, I was sure my memory was intact, and more importantly, I never really had the time to visit this place.

It was only recently that I learned about the Six Stars. The flow of time in the first life and the second life wasn’t the same, so perhaps one year here was merely a fleeting moment over there.

That possibility would explain a lot. However, the real hint came from Cha Hee-Ra's words. She told me that I looked younger, which could only mean that Cha Hee-Ra of the past met my future self.

“...”

“...”

Since my body was growing gradually, it wasn’t really too surprising.

‘That’s not the only magic circle that can be activated.’

I used to worry about getting stuck here in the first life with no way back, but I felt like that wasn't going to happen anymore. Once our party was done with this mission, we’d return to the second life. There was a high chance that we’d appear somewhere else if we were to use a different magic circle.

It could be a point even further in the past than now.

‘What the hell is going on?’

How long had that magic circle been here, and who could have hidden all those hexagrams throughout the continent?

Moreover, why were they even doing that?

No wonder my head was a mess. I figured from the start that this wasn’t just some coincidence, but now, it was way outside my plans.

Had something gone wrong during the return from the first life? Or... had the regression always been incomplete? Thinking of the hexagram as some kind of side effect wasn’t entirely unreasonable, but the more I thought about it, the more it felt like someone was behind all these.

There were fanatics worshipping the Six Stars, and there was also that octopus monster.

That wasn’t the only thing I had to think about.

Since it was possible for us to return to the second life from here, then someone from the first life could cross over into the second life as well. If someone from the first life discovered a hexagram and figured out how to activate it.

‘No... way...’

And if something like that were possible, the second life would be destroyed by now.

Perhaps I was just trying to comfort myself here, but either way, I really didn’t want to accept that theory. If key figures in the first life—people like those masked scums or Kim Hyun-Sung—ever crossed over to the second life, the second life would most likely get wiped out in an instant.

Hopefully, I was just overthinking things.

‘Ah, Hee-Ra noona.’

I saw Cha Hee-Ra staring at me. First Life Hee-Ra seemed even less patient than the one from the second life, so for now, all I could do was refill her glass and offer a bright smile.

‘She doesn’t seem like she wants to kill me.’

There was no trace of hostility from her. Even if she ended up killing a kid she disliked, it wouldn’t change anything. It wouldn't do anything other than leave a bad taste in her mouth.

More importantly, she wouldn’t be able to satisfy her own curiosity. For now, I decided to act suspicious and mysterious. Hee-Ra from the first life went missing—according to official news—and I had no clue what happened to her.

It was better to drop the innocent childlike gaze and keep a sly, mysterious aura.

‘I’m a time traveler after all.’

I staggered briefly and stabilized myself. After clearing my throat, I slyly asked, “Are you afraid of death?"

“...”

‘It’s a nice start.’

Hee-Ra noona downed her drink in one gulp before answering my question. As usual, I politely refilled her glass.

“That’s a stupid question. Do I look like someone who’s afraid of death? I’ve never been scared of death, kid. If I were, I wouldn’t be doing this for a living. I wouldn’t go out there fighting in wars or stepping into dangerous places if that were the case.”

‘Judging by how talkative she is, it looks like she’s kind of drunk.’

“I’m just curious about where my final place will be. Whether it will be a meaningful death or not, and if it will be a death worthy of my identity...” Cha Hee-Ra added.

‘But I don’t know how you died, noona. You went missing...’

At the very least, it didn't seem like she would have the honorable death she desired. Unlike in the second life, she was probably losing her sanity as we speak. Back then, she showed signs of losing her sanity, and the fact that she was being exposed to nonstop violence made it safe for me to say that her condition was getting worse.

I was sure Cha Hee-Ra was worried about...

‘She's worried about going crazy.’

Whenever she entered a battlefield, she would go berserk and lose control. There was no guarantee that the condition was starting to affect her daily life at this point.

‘The answer’s obvious considering her sudden outburst earlier.’

She was anxious. She was feeling uneasy at the fact that she could only watch herself being gradually consumed by her instinct.

“Are you worried about losing your sanity?” I asked.

“That’s right. I’ve changed too much,” Cha Hee-Ra answered.

“...”

“I’ve been living too close to war. Even if I explain everything to you one by one, you probably won't understand... I actually feel dead most of the time, but I feel alive on the battlefield.

"I never thought that was wrong here... in fact, it's actually necessary. But now that I think about it, your warning might have been right. Actually, it was definitely right,” she explained.

“I can’t promise that... the symptoms will get better,” I told her.

“I also think it’s too late for me to go back, and I’m not even sure if it’s necessary to force myself to change, especially in situations like this... At least...” Cha Hee-Ra paused.

“At least you won’t die because of the people you care about. You don’t have to worry about that,” I reassured her.

I felt like she wanted to hear that, but I honestly wasn't sure, as I basically knew nothing.

“Of course, even I don’t know everything. The future is constantly changing, even at this very moment. The only part of the future I can say for certain... is that the problem you’re worried about now will be resolved soon,” I told her.

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. So that bastard’s finally kicking the bucket, huh?” she asked.

“Yes. That’s a fate that can’t be changed,” I answered.

‘There’s no way Ki-Young in this life would leave him alone.’

“They’ve been a problem for far too long. Those bastards... seriously. So those bastards are going to die in the end as well... So that means... at the very least, I'm not going to die here... Then... why did you come here this time?” Cha Hee-Ra asked.

‘I don’t know either, damn it.’

However, it was best to start building up the story.

“There are people who aren’t supposed to be here. A rift in spacetime pulled a few people in here. I’m here because I need to send them back to their dimension...” I answered.

“That sounds annoying. So you have it hard as well,” Cha Hee-Ra commented.

‘Looks like Hee-Ra noona and I always get along...’

She was pretty friendly, too.

“Yes, but it’s not as bad as you... I have my own tasks I need to take care of. There are many things I need to worry about beyond this continent. As you know, many things tend to happen here,” I said.

“Really? Well, if you say so,” Cha Hee-Ra said.

'Pour her another drink.'

“You don’t need to know all the details, but things like dimensional rifts... the flow of timelines... the sea of dimensions... Let’s just say I have more than a few things to deal with,” I said.

“So things like that happen too,” Cha Hee-Ra commented.

'Feed her some food.'

“Yes, it’s honestly really tough, and it’s to the point that I want to give up sometimes... By the time I’m done, I become completely exhausted and just collapse,” I said.

“Really?” she asked.

'Complain a little, too.'𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“Of course, it’s probably not as tough as the things that you do,” I said.

'And also praise Hee-Ra noona.'

“I think it’s because of cooperative people like you that people like me can work harder,” I told her.

'Time to show her the cute expression she loved so much.'

“Actually, interacting with the residents of the continent is something we inevitably have to do. The difficulty of the work changes depending on which collaborators we meet. I’m fortunate to have good collaborators," I added.

“I don’t know... I don’t... really do much. Have I helped you before?” Cha Hee-Ra asked.

“You can help me from now on,” I replied.

“...”

Let’s ease into the conversation naturally.

“If it’s alright with you, could you make sure my teammates’ identities are protected? And—”

“Why should I?” Cha Hee-Ra interrupted me.

'Was this not it?'

‘Are we not that close?’

“...”

“...”

‘Hey... we’re buddies... What’s wrong... noona? What’s with that look?’

I saw Hee-Ra noona’s palm, and she grabbed me by the neck before I could react.

“Why... should I... consider helping the bastard who stabbed me in the back?” she questioned.

‘Shit... maybe we weren’t that close. Looks like we weren’t buddies.’

“If you had any sense of shame, would you really come crawling like this? If I were you, I’d try to run away somehow. I never imagined that you’d fall right into my lap like this... What should I do with you, hmm...” Cha Hee-Ra asked.

“Cough... cough...”

“Breaking your neck is going to be too easy. Whether it’s the spacetime rift or the continent, it’s none of my business... and honestly, what you’re doing here has nothing to do with me, don’t you agree?

"I’m not even sure if I was ever really your collaborator, but if you actually chose me as your collaborator, then you’ve got some bad luck,” Cha Hee-Ra continued.

“So—”

“Shut up, you sneaky little punk,” Cha Hee-Ra interrupted me.

‘Shit, shit.’

“You’ve got guts. You must’ve thought that I was a fool. Did you think that if you showed up like this and acted like nothing had ever happened, the past would just become water under the bridge?" Cha Hee-Ra asked.

‘No, damn it. I don’t know. I don’t know anything. Shit, I didn’t do it, noona.’

“You sold us to the brigade... and now what? Jung Jin-Ho is dead? Do you think saying that will just end... everything?” she questioned.

‘I never sold you to the brigade. I’ve always been loyal to you, Hee-Ra noona.’

I couldn’t tell her that, of course. Even though she seemed to be holding back, it felt like my neck was going to break. If she makes even a small mistake, my neck would snap.

She was just holding me, but I could barely breathe. I thought about calling Rafael, but if I were to make any sudden movement, my fragile neck would certainly be crushed right away.

Cha Hee-Ra seemed to be losing her mind, and it scared me because First Life Hee-Ra noona was someone who knew exactly what it meant to take a life. She could snap my neck at any time, so all I could do was mumble quietly with all my strength.

“I... I need you... for something...”

“You don’t need me for anything, you sneaky little punk,” Cha Hee-Ra said.

“I-I have... information... that will be... helpful...” I muttered.

“You’re going to betray me again? Don’t make that pitiful face and don’t cry either. I know it’s all just an act. You’re just a cute kid on the outside... but on the inside, there are hundreds of sly snakes...” she said.

“I-It really... hurts... noona...” I mumbled.

Even though she knew, I had no choice but to put on a desperate act.

“It... really... hurts...” I repeated.

After all, I was just a kid right now.