Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1283. The Right Path (3)

‘Th-that lunatic...’

I held my breath once more.

‘What now... damn it...’

Naturally, I came to realize that even the quest I had given him was a necessary step toward the right path. His story was made complete by the quest I issued. The way he looked up at the sky with blood pooling underneath him left me with an indescribable feeling.

A chill ran down my spine, not just from his ending, but from how strangely everything had fit together. It was like an eerie puzzle was completed before me without my knowledge. It was no wonder I found myself speechless at the current situation.

Even now, blood was still welling up in his eyes. I felt like the world looked beautiful in his eyes during his final moments, and it was because of the faint, creepy smile tugging at his lips.

It didn't seem like he was dead. His eyes were still staring intently at the skies. His body looked cold and lifeless, but somehow, it felt like he would stand up and swing his sword again at any moment now.

‘Damn it...’

I just couldn’t understand this situation. I wondered if the outcome would’ve been different had I not given him that quest, but it was a meaningless question at this point.

I hadn’t come to a definite conclusion, but I had already sorted out my thoughts, so nothing really changed.

‘I just need to do what I can... within my limits.’

The atmosphere around me made me feel kind of solemn.

"..."

"..."

"..."

We clearly won the battle, but there were no cheers. No one was shouting that Jung Jin-Ho was finally dead, and there were no fireworks signaling the end of the brigade.

The surroundings were so quiet that it was hard to believe this was the signal of a battle’s end.

The silence made it clear how people were processing Jung Jin-Ho's final moments.

Everyone looked worn out.

Even the players who had long become desensitized to murder and crime after being stranded in a world that was so unlike Earth were at a loss for words at the sight of Jung Jin-Ho's demise.

It was absurd, but the atmosphere almost felt like a memorial. People were just looking at each other, unable to celebrate his death. Or rather, they couldn’t believe that he was actually dead.

‘He’s definitely dead, though.’

Even Kim Hyun-Sung seemed to be swept up in the mood, unable to speak.

An unknown amount of time later, a mutter shattered the silence.

"Is he... really dead?"

"..."

"..."

"Someone go over there and check."

"You go there... damn it. I don’t want to."

"Someone go and check! Is that thing really dead?"

"Y-you cowards..."

The one who received the order to check up on Jung Jin-Ho stepped forward with heavy, deliberate footsteps. Even the one who appeared to be the guild master didn’t seem eager to check for themselves because he just stood there.

Carefully, they approached Jung Jin-Ho’s side and brought a hand to his nose. Jung Jin-Ho’s corpse, unable to resist gravity any longer, collapsed once more to the ground.

"Ah!!" they screamed and bolted. If this had been any other day, the people nearby would have scoffed at the sight, but no one laughed at them. They probably thought that they wouldn't be much different from them if they were in their shoes.

"Did you check?"

"H-he doesn’t seem to be breathing."

"So is he dead or not?!"

"D-dead! I think he’s dead!"

"You think?"

"I-I’m sure he’s dead."

"C-collect his body."

Even the people who were ordered to collect the corpse approached Jung Jin-Ho with their shields raised. The sight was almost funny.

After confirming Jung Jin-Ho's death, they nodded at each other.

"We’ve confirmed the death of Jung Jin-Ho!"

The tension finally shattered upon hearing that announcement, and I saw people exhaling in relief. Of course, they looked quite pleased. I was sure they were already thinking about the rewards and loot they’d receive later.

"We got him! Damn it! We took down Jung Jin-Ho!"

"Hahahahaha! Laugh more, damn it! Laugh! We’re the ones who killed that monster! There were a few sacrifices... but we still took him down!"

"Ha... hahaha..."

"Come on, this calls for a celebration, right? He was more of a monster than any real monster. Tch, hey. Hey, over there... Blue Guild Master, you don’t look too happy."

"That’s not true."

"Really? You don’t look too happy. Are you regretting the fact that you can't hand the body over to the Empire? Normally, the hero of the Empire deals with things like this. Looks like we just got lucky this time."

"..."

"Let me give you some advice: stay out of this. Whether you had a fight with him or not doesn’t matter. In the end, we’re the ones who killed him."

"No, that’s not it. Honestly... I just can’t believe it. That Jung Jin-Ho’s dead... that the brigade is truly finished with this... It just doesn’t feel real. I’m not here to steal the credit, so don’t worry about that. Well then..."

"..."

"..."

"Tsk. What a boring guy."

Kim Hyun-Sung stared at Jung Jin-Ho’s corpse for a long time, but other than clenching his fist, he didn’t lash out or say anything. In the end, he turned around and walked awy.

It wasn't like he actually couldn’t believe Jung Jin-Ho's death. It was more like there was something he still wanted to say. He probably had a ton of unanswered questions. Why had he been targeted?

Why had Jung Jin-Ho done all of this?

Unfortunately, Jung Jin-Ho, the only one who could answer him, was already dead. In addition, it seemed like Kim Hyun-Sung had already reached his conclusion.

There was no reason at all. Kim Hyun-Sung believed that Jung Jin-Ho was just insane. From the very beginning, he was different and impossible to understand. I was sure Kim Hyun-Sung concluded things that way.

Even I couldn’t understand Jung Jin-Ho. At the edge of the cliff, Jung Jin-Ho probably believed that he had finally found someone who understood him, but unfortunately for him, that wasn’t the case at all.

There wasn’t a single person here who could truly understand him.

‘Well... things are pretty much wrapped up.’

The corpses from the battle were being retrieved. There were still a few loose ends to tie up... but overall...

‘You could call this a clean ending.’

That’s when I heard a voice beside me.

“Um... hyung,” Rafael said.

‘He’s still acting like this?’

“What happened?” Rafael asked.

“He’s dead,” I answered.

“What?”

“He was surrounded and shot to death with arrows. I saw it with my own eyes, so you can rest easy,” I reassured him.

“...”

“Huh... that psychopathic murderer is really dead?” Rafael questioned.

“Yes, it seems like it,” I answered.

“So... what do we do now..."

“I’m not sure. We still need to find Mr. Lee Joo-Hyuk and Miss Marian... but in this situation, I don’t think we’ll locate them easily,” I answered.

“Then... how about asking the Red Mercenary Guild for help?” Rafael suggested.

‘Ah... damn it. That promise.’

Still, I managed to keep at least half of it. In the end, the Blue Guild and the Red Mercenary Guild did call a truce, and no matter how it happened, she did face Jung Jin-Ho.

‘I was the one who contacted her anyway. She should be mostly up to speed.’

“That doesn’t sound too bad. For now, blending in with the group would be best,” I said.

“Are you planning to head straight into the city like this?” Rafael asked.

“Yes. I think we should head toward Lindel first,” I answered.

“I was hoping you’d say that. Honestly, I’ve been feeling gross for a while now. I’ve been wanting to take a bath for hours... and I miss a soft bed, too. I know it sounds bad coming from me... but you probably feel the same way, right, sir?” Ahn Ki-Mo chimed in.

‘I agree...’

Just knowing that this guy and I were thinking the same thing kind of annoyed me.

“If we run into Rafael’s party along the way, we’ll go back soon. The lockdown in this area should be lifted soon, so we should be able to find Mr. Lee Joo-Hyuk and Miss Marian in no time. Actually, I’m already searching for them,” I told him.

I was, quite literally, combing through the forest. It was like with the brigade, as there were no major clues this time, but finding certain people amidst a crowd wasn’t all that hard.

The camps had all split off in different directions, but Lee Joo-Hyuk and Marian were probably heading to Lindel. They would want to return to somewhere familiar, or perhaps they were heading to where they first found themselves here.

“Anyway, let’s join the group for now,” I ordered.

“Hahaha, okay,” Ahn Ki-Mo said, laughing.

‘Ugh, look how cheerful he is. So annoying...’

“Miss Ah-Young, can you take care of the sub guild master?” Ahn Ki-Mo requested.

“Ah... sure, Mr. Ki-Mo,” Yoo Ah-Young answered.

“No, I want you to carry me, Mr. Ki-Mo,” I said.

“What?”

‘Don’t think you’re getting a free ride.’

“I’m light anyway,” I told him.

“Haa... yes, sir,” Ahn Ki-Mo said.

For some reason, I caught a glimpse of Yoo Ah-Young’s slightly disappointed face, but right now, all I wanted to do was make Ahn Ki-Mo’s life just a little more miserable.

My eyes were constantly looking around, feeling frantic, but Ahn Ki-Mo looked like he’d gotten the sweetest deal out of all of this. That was why I wasn’t going to let him off easy.

I scanned the surroundings.

‘I found—’

Just then, I felt someone staring at me—no, it was more like I noticed the gaze when my gaze landed on him. It felt like he was looking right back at me. He probably had no idea that I was here, but he definitely sensed something.

It was like he was absolutely sure that someone was keeping an eye on him.

‘Yeah, of course he'd show up. He’d want to confirm it with his own eyes.’

“Change of plans,” I announced.

“Huh?”

“We’re going back right now,” I said.

“What? Right now?” Ahn Ki-Mo asked.

“Wh-what do you mean, hyung?” Rafael asked.

“We’re going back right now!” I shouted.

I could feel someone tracing my Telescope.

‘I figured this would happen, but damn... He’s really under contract.’

It wasn’t him, but something above him.

I could feel the presence of a higher being. It wasn’t something he could control, not with his current strength. No, it was more like the being above had taken an interest in the irregular who had suddenly appeared.

Rafael stared at the sky and noticed a creeping shadow. His face turned solemn, realizing that things were becoming serious. In the end, he bit his lip and moved forward.

“Wh-where are we heading, sir?” Ahn Ki-Mo asked.

“Where do you think, you idiot?! Back the way we came!” I shouted.

“You mean... the ruins?” Ahn Ki-Mo asked.

“...”

‘Shit. We’re going to get caught.’

Of course, I immediately channeled a spell. I scattered the catalyst across the hexagram without any hesitation.

Just as the scenery around me shifted, I saw two figures—a masked man and a masked woman—staring up at a sky from a distance so far away that normal human eyes couldn’t possibly see them.

***

“Belial, what was that just now?” I[1]

asked.

"I found something a bit interesting... I just tried to make contact, but got rejected."

“Needless to say, I won’t be paying the price for that little stunt. You acted on your own,” I said.

"..."

“...”

“Don’t be so sensitive, oppa. That headache, Jung Jin-Ho, is finally dead. Instead of sulking around here, how about we go home and throw a party or something? And don't we have a guest?” Lee Ji-Hye suggested.

“Yeah... noona,” I answered.

“What’s with that face? Got something weighing on your mind? Or... don’t tell me you still have feelings for that psycho killer?” Lee Ji-Hye questioned.

“Don’t joke like that, noona. It’s just...” I trailed off.

“Hmm?”

“It’s nothing,” I said.

1. Masked Lee Ki-Young’s POV ☜