Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1309. The Magic Tower (22)

“Damn it... damn it... shit...”

Big Boy kept muttering curses under his breath.

‘Of all times, this had to happen now.’

I saw his face, twisted with self-disgust. He seemed to be using his mana to sober up, but after drinking himself half-dead, there was no way he’d recover anytime soon.

He slept for a few hours, but it was obvious that he was still drunk. Frankly, it was a miracle he managed to spring up and react the moment the explosion hit.

“H-Hyung, are you okay?” I asked.

“Damn... I’m fine. You didn’t... get hurt, did you?” Big Boy asked.

“No. The blast came from somewhere else. Looks like the chimeras are attacking the castle,” I answered.

“R-Right. Wh-Where were we supposed to head again?” Big Boy questioned.

“The third wall. It’s a bit far from here, though...” I answered.

“Right, right. Where the hell’s Carlton?” he asked.

“He went up to report something. He should be back soon,” I told him.

“You can do this, right?” I asked.

“Yes. As long as you’re with me, I’ll be fine,” I replied.

“Kid, quit spouting crap at a time like this,” Big Boy said.

“Heh...”

‘Still, he’s pretty calm.’

Perhaps it was a kind of presence only a seasoned veteran would have. The strange brat made him feel shaken earlier, but as a mercenary, his ability to judge the situation was astoundingly quick. The way he was guiding me to the designated area and picking the safest route on the way told me that Big Boy’s survival wasn't just dumb luck.

The moment we stepped outside, he saw the chimeras swarming the castle walls. Whether it was luck or not, there didn’t seem to be any special variants among them. Still, the adventurers trapped in Heren were barely managing to stop the normal ones from climbing.

“Damn it! Hold them back! Don’t let them up!”

“Die! Die! You bastards!”

“We need more arrows! Arrows!”

“Someone toss me some arrows! Now! Hey! Don’t just stand there gawking, damn it! Do something! You want to die?!”

While Big Boy carried me toward the third wall, many fighters moved past us, locked in combat. Chimeras with ranged abilities were relentlessly hammering against the castle’s defensive barrier, while others were clawing and scrambling up the walls.

Some had already made it to the top, swinging their claws at the adventurers defending atop the wall.

“Damn it. Hang on tight,” Big Boy said.

“O-Okay!” I answered.

I wrapped myself around Big Boy’s torso like a koala. He secured me with his belt. It was unsettling, like I’d become part of his armor, but since he was holding me firmly with one arm, it didn’t seem like he planned on using me as a meat shield.

He swung his one-handed axe at a chimera, and the creature fell off the wall with a sickening crack.

“Out of the way! Move, you bastards!”

“Make way! The mage’s coming through!”

“Open the damn path, idiots! The mage needs to go through, damn it!”

“Gahhh! Aaaaaargh!”

“Pour the oil!!! Bring anything! They’re climbing! The bastards are climbing!’

“Frontliners, what the hell are you doing?! Hold the line!”

‘Damn it.’

“Keep pushing them back! Don’t let those bastards climb up!”

‘So much chaos.’

“Move! Move it!”

Big Boy clearly couldn’t stand still with me in his arms in the middle of a battlefield because he shoved through the crowd with growing urgency.

Meanwhile, the constant pounding of ranged attacks against the barrier made my ears ring. Even Big Boy’s figure was swaying slightly. I felt like the shockwaves were affecting him, too.

“A-Are you okay?” Big Boy asked.

“Yes! Are you okay, hyung?” I asked.

“I think they’re just attacking the defensive barrier. I think we’re still fine... but more of them got on top of the walls,” Big Boy answered.

“S-Shouldn’t we help them?” I asked.

“First priority is getting you somewhere safe,” Big Boy replied.

“But—”

“Just keep holding on, okay? Trust me and shut your eyes tight. It’s too chaotic for you to cast properly here,” Big Boy said.

“O-Okay!” I answered.

‘Big Boy’s little adventure is turning out to be pretty thrilling.’

Contrary to the loud noises, things didn’t seem to be that threatening.

‘They haven’t even released the special variants yet...’

'Doesn’t look like they’re going all in.'

‘No strategy, no tactics. They’re just charging in blindly.’

To be blunt, Heren was not capable of withstanding a real chimera assault. If the enemy truly wanted to destroy the castle, the walls would fall within hours.

The fact that they were taking their sweet time... this had to be a warning. Some kind of intimidation aimed at Kim Hyun-Sung. It was almost like they were asking, “So are you just going to let everyone in Heren die?”

At least, there was no real risk of the castle falling in this fight.

‘So this is basically a countdown...’

This attack wasn’t going to end in just one day. Even if we managed to hold out today, tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that, the casualties would keep piling up.

In the end, there wouldn’t even be a single rat left inside the castle, unless Kim Hyun-Sung came here.

‘Damn it.’

“Move, damn it! Out of the way!” Big Boy shouted.

I saw those poor bastards struggling with just the first wave, and my thoughts were confirmed once again.

“Huff... huff...” Big Boy panted.

“Hyung, are you okay?” I asked.

“I said I’m fine. Damn it... we’re almost there. Get ready,” Big Boy said.

“O-Okay!” I answered.

“Hey, Big Boy! You idiot!”

“C-Carlton? And...”

“The mage!” Song Soo-Kyung shouted.

“Song Soo-Kyung...” Big Boy mumbled.

‘Of course he’d come out to greet me.’

I saw Song Soo-Kyung, leading Carlton and several vanguards as they rushed out to greet Big Boy and me. Naturally, Big Boy looked relieved at the sight. At last, he lowered me down, and I noticed just how many cuts and scrapes he’d accumulated.

He had to have unknowingly taken the brunt of all the injuries for my sake..

‘This idiot...’

“D-Damn it... urgh... you’re here. Finally... damn it...” Big Boy mumbled.

He even collapsed right on the spot as if all his tension had melted away. Carlton hurried over to prop him up.

“You troublesome bastard...” Carlton mumbled.

“Don’t give me that, you idiot. Whoo... whoo...” Big Boy panted.

“H-Hyung, are you okay?!” I asked.

“Of course... I’m okay. Now get up there already,” Big Boy said.

“But... how...” I mumbled.

“I’m fine, so get up there. Most of them are just scratches,” Big Boy said.

‘Big Boy, you’re going to make me cry.’

He wasn’t lying because most of his injuries really were just scratches.

Thanks to him and Song Soo-Kyung guiding me, I was able to take my position on the third wall. Together with the mages, I started casting. Since the targets were only normal chimeras, there was no need to waste a Dragon’s Breath potion or anything like that.

‘Let’s focus on fire magic.’

Conveniently, plenty of oil had already been poured out there. Not long after I began casting, a massive fiery giant’s upper torso materialized from the magic circle in midair.

Gasps erupted all around. It probably looked like I summoned something impossible for any ordinary summoner or spirit mage to control. Well, given that it was summoned using a Legendary catalyst, that wouldn’t exactly be wrong.

‘The only downside is the short duration...'

The fire giant swung its arm, and the chimeras screeched before being blasted away by the impact. Those caught in the flames writhed and shrieked, and when the fire giant roared and breathed fire like a dragon, an even more terrifying sight was made.

The sight alone was overwhelming enough that our allies’ morale soared higher than ever.

‘It’s cool.’

The mages, each in their positions, kept casting fire spells at the chimeras, and their numbers gradually thinned out. Just like that, several hours went by amidst this brutal clash between the seemingly demotivated attackers and the defenders fighting for their lives.

‘They should be leaving soon.’

Sure enough, the chimeras slowly retreated.

“They’re running away! The chimera bastards are falling back! Hahaha! We’re alive! We’re alive!”

‘You’re way too happy considering the second wave is coming tomorrow.’

“We did it! Damn it, we actually did it!”

“Haa... ugh... haa...”

“...”

“Haa...”

“Are you okay?” Song Soo-Kyung asked.

“Yes, I-I’m fine,” I answered.

“You did really well,” Song Soo-Kyung said.

“It’s what I’m supposed to do,” I said.

“You don’t need to push yourself too hard,” he said.

‘Looks like Song Soo-Kyung is going to make his move on Big Boy soon.’

The timing couldn’t be more perfect.

Sure enough, he quietly approached Big Boy.

“Can we talk for a moment?” Song Soo-Kyung asked.

“Sure... fine,” Big Boy answered.

“I think it would be better to move somewhere else...” Song Soo-Kyung suggested.

“...”

‘I already know exactly what he’s going to say.’

Big Boy still smelled of alcohol, after all.

"Were you drinking?"

"..."

"..."

‘I knew it.’

"I can’t believe this. Drinking in the middle of an important defensive battle? Are you even aware that you’re supposed to be the mage’s guardian?"

‘Yep. I knew he’d say exactly that line.’

"Do you know how much he trusts you? Whoo..."

"..."

Big Boy had no choice but to sit there like a mute.

"I respected his wishes when I entrusted him to you, and of course, I should thank you for bringing him here safely... but drinking during a battle... how am I supposed to accept that?"

"I can’t argue with that. Damn it... it was a mistake. It was a stupid, idiotic thing to do. I’m really sorry."

I was sure he felt worse than anyone else. He had already been questioning if he was really the right person to protect me, or if a fool like him even deserved to be responsible for such a young child.

Even though Song Soo-Kyung hadn’t verbally lashed out in a harsh way, Big Boy’s face slowly contorted with guilt.

"Whoo... I don’t know how you usually spend time with him, or how you two even met..."

"..."

"But he’s a child who deserves better treatment."

"...

"Honestly... I don’t think someone like you is the right fit for him... Regardless of the outcome of this Heren defensive battle, I hope you'll take a moment to reflect on yourself. Please."

In a way, it was a decisive blow.

‘That’s it, Song Soo-Kyung. Yup. That’s how you gaslight people.’

It looked like a dark shadow was looming over him. And then...

“Big Boy hyung?” I said.

“Damn it... leave me alone for a bit, kid,” Big Boy said.

“Hyung, what’s wrong?” I asked.

“I said leave me alone, damn it!” Big Boy shouted.

“...”

“...”

“Big Boy, why are you taking it out on the kid? Are you okay, kid?” Carlton asked.

“Damn it.”

A misunderstanding was built between Big Boy and me.

Big Boy had yet to realize that Villain Song’s dark touch was already creeping toward the innocent retainer in front of him.

“Allow me to take care of you,” Song Soo-Kyung said to me.

“Huh?Ah... okay,” I said.