Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1480. Backstage (1)

‘Don’t try to grow or change... You’ll never... be able to leave.’

“...”

“...”

I knew what Kim Hyun-Sung was thinking right now.

The Regressor’s Instruction Manual was broken, so I couldn’t read him perfectly, but I could make great assumptions about his thoughts based on prior experience. A cornered Kim Hyun-Sung would always prioritize my decision over his own.

Whenever he was in a panic, he would rely on me more than usual. Whenever he could no longer trust himself, he would trust me.

Whenever he couldn't think, he would believe that my thoughts were his own thoughts. If I told him he was doing well, he would believe that he truly was doing well.

If I was sad, he would be sad with me, and if I was happy, he would be happy with me.

If I told him that I was not in my right mind, he would doubt himself.

Hence, Kim Hyun-Sung himself believed that he was acting in an abnormal way, and he was scared of that possibility.

One idea gave birth to another, and he finally became trapped in a maze he couldn’t escape from. He broke out into a cold sweat and was gasping for air. He believed his own mind was gradually falling apart. No, his mind could actually be crumbling down in real time.

“Mr. Hyun-Sung,” I said.

“Whoo... whoo... whoo...” Kim Hyun-Sung was breathing hard.

I was aware that my eyes had grown cold.

“You have to answer me, Mr. Hyun-Sung,” I said, demanding that he answer me.

“Haa... whoo... haa... haa... haa...”

He knew that I was doubting him. This had to be stressful for Kim Hyun-Sung.

He was already feeling as if he were trapped inside a small box, so the fact that I couldn't trust him and was doubting him while looking at him with such cold eyes was definitely something he couldn't withstand.

That was why he couldn't stop stepping backward. His actions told me that he wanted to escape his current situation.

‘...’

Was it just my imagination? The strong hero now looked incredibly small. It felt like just one poke was enough for him to burst and collapse on his own. I even found myself wondering if I had pushed him too far. He was driven into a more extreme situation than I had assumed, and he felt more desperate than I had expected.

It felt as though just one more step forward would be enough to break him.

If I were to take one more step, I felt like I'd end up staring at a broken Kim Hyun-Sung.

“Heuk... heuk... ugh...”

An ordinary person would collapse or hyperventilate by now. Perhaps Kim Hyun-Sung wished to collapse, but his stats wouldn’t allow his mind and physical body to collapse.

“Haa... heuk... heuk... haa... hoo... hoo...”

He didn’t even know where to ask for help. Well, that kind of reaction was only natural. The very person he ought to be asking for help was right in front of him. Even Dr. Michele seemed to be thinking that he couldn’t help him. Even so...

“Mr. Hyun-Sung...” I mumbled.

Even so, Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t backing down...

It was an unbelievable sight, knowing how much agony he was in. Even though he was feeling indescribable fear, he still refused to bend his will. I had no idea why, but it felt like he was still thinking about continuing this meaningless fight with me.

After checking his eyes, I realized that Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t brainwashed.

His eyes were filled with terror. He was frightened, afraid, and confused. His eyes resembled the eyes of someone floundering in a swamp of self-loathing. Even so, something inside those eyes remained strong. It was a cheesy way to put it, but I could see a small light in his eyes.

“...”

“...”

‘This is why I liked Kim Hyun-Sung in the first place...’

I felt like I could understand the feelings of his enemies. One could attack him many times, but he would never break. Even if he ended up falling, he would get right back up. Of course, it felt like more than half of it was because I had pushed him myself, but if Kim Hyun-Sung never had his own will to begin with, standing up would be impossible.

Who would have thought that I, who called the fight between Ryu Han and Sung Ji-Hoon a sloppy match, would end up feeling shaken by the look in his eyes? It even made me wonder whether it was the right decision to break that will. He looked like he could be shattered, yet I found myself not wanting to break him.

‘That’s Kim Hyun-Sung...’

The hero who saved the continent, our beloved regressor.

“Hyun-Sung...” I said.

“...”

“Mr. Hyun-Sung...” I said.

“...”

'Should I give in?' I normally wouldn't have this thought, and I had no intention of yielding in the future either, but I felt like compromising just this one. I found myself wondering if I ought to be a little more lenient with him.

Even though he was driven to the very edge mentally, I grew curious about what exactly he was holding that he couldn't let go of.

‘No.’

I had no choice but to shake my head.

'If you give in once, you'll give in twice. If you'll give in twice, before long, you'll start taking steps backward.'

I knew that from experience. The initiative in a relationship wasn't something one could hand over. Of course, it was hard to imagine Kim Hyun-Sung drifting away from me right now, but that could happen later. I could expand his cage, but I couldn’t open its door.

No, even expanding the cage required a great deal of agreement. I even found myself thinking that it was probably better to break his wings instead.

‘You... will never... get out.‘

Just as I was about to take one more step forward...

“Uh... huh?”

I found myself sinking into the ground.

“Huh?”

“Mr. Ki-Young!” Kim Hyun-Sung shouted.

“Huh? Hyun-Sung... Hyun-Sung?” I said.

His eyes were shaking, and he looked as if the ground were collapsing. Wait, the more accurate way to describe it was that a glass floor had shattered, and I was falling through it.

Dr. Michele, Alps, Lee Chang-Ryeol, Sun Hee-Young, Ha Yeon-Soo, and Commander Jin seemed unable to perceive what was happening. Only Kim Hyun-Sung was aware of what was happening to me.

It was as if time itself had stopped, but I was sinking into the ground.

“Hyun-Sung!” I shouted.

“Damn it!”

Kim Hyun-Sung thrust his hand toward me, acting as if he had never been mentally cornered just a few moments ago. Naturally, I grabbed his hand. Though it was only for a brief moment, I realized that what had pulled me was the will of the first regressor.

It was absurd, but there was no other way to explain what was happening.

“Mr. Ki-Young! My hand!” Kim Hyun-Sung shouted.

“Huh? Ah!”

Just as I was about to enter a free fall, Kim Hyun-Sung spread his wings wide and reached out toward me while gnashing his teeth. Even though he was rushing toward me at great speed, he wasn’t getting any closer.

Kim Hyun-Sung chased me down and fell with me—No, I wasn’t even sure if falling was the right word. I couldn’t tell whether I was rising upward, being swept sideways, or flying somewhere else. However, I felt like I was being carried away by a sea current.

‘The sea of dimensions?’

No, the first life did not exist in the sea of dimensions. The first life was a dead timeline. Rather than the sea of dimensions, it would be more fitting to say that we were wandering through the sea of the first life.

We were in the backstage, so to speak. The scenery changed rapidly and shattered like a mirror.

— Please...

As she walked away from First Life Lee Ki-Young, I saw Kasugano Yuno staring straight at me. It was strange. I was flailing around, but my gaze remained on her for some reason.

— Please... the right choice...

It felt like our eyes met... I could see her smiling as she looked this way. Since she had a pair of special eyes, I wondered whether she could actually see me, but there was no way that could be true.

“MR. KI-YOUNG!!!” Kim Hyun-Sung shouted.

I was swept somewhere again. Once more, the world shattered like a mirror and came to a stop. After that, I saw people fighting a war. It was a scene I had already seen so many times I was sick of it, so I paid it no attention.

I couldn’t even tell what battlefield it was. In the first life, wars broke out almost like a habit, so I simply thought that yet another meaningless war had erupted.

— Aaaaaah!

— KILL THEM!!! Kill them all! Make sure no one escapes!

I reached out my hand toward Kim Hyun-Sung. He was still doing his best to grab me. Once again, I couldn't reach him. Blood was flowing from Kim Hyun-Sung’s lips. Unlike me, he was being injured. Whenever the scenery shattered like a mirror, the fragments of the dimensions cut through him as he fell toward me.

“Damn it!”

Once again, the world came to a stop. Then, it collapsed, and I fell down.

— Hee... hehehe... Yuriel! Hehehehe! JIN YOO!!! Let’s go! Let’s go save the world! Let's gooo!!!"

I turned and caught sight of Sung Ji-Hoon charging at the pigeons while carrying Yuriel. He had thrown away that strange hero costume, grown his hair out, and matured into a rather cool-looking figure. However, I soon realized that it was only the surface.

His hair wasn’t styled; it was tangled and unkempt. Taking a closer look at him, I saw that his pupils were unfocused and drool dripped from his lips. Surrounded by countless pigeons, he swung his sword wildly while letting out peals of bizarre laughter. I looked at the sword in his hand and saw that Yuriel had lost its light.

It looked as though that light had faded a long time ago. Judging by his appearance, it looked like he had been wandering across countless battlefields in that state.

— Ha... he... hehe... ha... huh... hehehe... he... hehehehe...

Anyone could see that he had gone completely mad. The soldiers fighting the pigeons stared at Sung Ji-Hoon in shock.

— We’re saved... It’s the mad hero! Damn it! The mad hero is here! Hahaha!

— Get ready for battle! We can win!

— What do you mean, 'get ready for battle? Fucker! You want us to fight alongside that lunatic?! We’d be better off running while that crazy bastard buys us some time!”

“...”

— Hurry up and run, you bastards! This is our only chance!

— But... we can’t just leave him...

“...”

— Hee... ha... hehehe! I’m going to protect it! I’m going to be like the full moon! He... hehehe! Hehehehe! I’ll never lose to you guys!

— Damn it! Just run while that lunatic buys us time!!!

— No one can stop us! We’re the best! Hehehehe! PARTNERS!!!

The soldiers turned and ran. The pigeons were swept away by the Holy Sword. Though the Holy Sword had lost its light, it didn’t seem to have lost its function as a weapon.

— Yeah! Trust me! Jin Yoo! ...Yeah! Yeah! Yeaah! I’m ready! I’m ready! WE’LL SAVE THE CONTINENT!!! WE’LL SAVE THE PEOPLE!!!

I heard that he had gone mad and died, but the sight was far more absurd than I had imagined, and I was left speechless. His condition could only be described as the absolute worst.

I even noticed him trying to use that moonlight gathering technique, the same technique he had used on Ryu Han. Of course, no moonlight gathered, but mana converged on his blade.

Once again, countless pigeons were swept away, but I realized that there were simply too many of them. If he were in normal condition, I'd say he could drive them back, but his haggard appearance told me that he hadn’t been eating properly.

Merely resisting them seemed to be taking everything he had. Having wandered across countless battlefields, his arms and legs were in tatters.

Before long, spears pierced him, but it was clear that he could not feel any pain.

— Great... Cough... I’m completely healed!

Unlike before, he was no longer in a state of constant recovery. He pulled out the spears sticking out of him and struggled to fight to the very end to protect the continent.

Before I knew it, the myriad of pigeons dwindled.

Soon, he was riddled with holes and trudged away from the battlefield step by step.

Then, I saw him collapse onto the snow. The light was gradually fading from his eyes, yet he was reaching out his hand toward somewhere. It looked as though he was looking at me as I was falling downward.

— Jin Yooo... heh... hee... hehehe... Jin Yoo...

He wasn't sane, but just before the last spark in his eyes went out, it seemed as if he became just a bit lucid—no, it wasn’t like that. His sanity hadn't returned. I simply found myself staring at the young Sung Ji-Hoon, who I met back then.

Tears welled up in those once-bright, confident eyes.

— Hee... hehehe...

“...”

— Hee... hehe... hehehehehe... hehe... heuk...

“...”

— Heuk... hehehe... heh... heuuuk... heh... heung... heuuuung...

“...”

— Heuuuk... heuuung... In the end... I-I couldn’t become a hero... heuuuk... heuuuk... I’m sowwy... I’m soooowy... Jin Yoo... Jin Yooo...

“...”

— I’m sowwy... for not becoming... like the full moon... I... must be stupid... heuk... kgh...

“...”

— I couldn’t... keep my promise... I-I’m... sorry...

“...”

- J-Jin... Jin Yoo... Jin... Yooo... heh... hehe...

“...”

— Jin Yoo... heh... heugh... heh...

“...”

— Let’s... g-go look... at the full moon... one last... time... One... last time... Let’s... go see... the full moon... O-okay?

“...”

— Heh... cough... cough! Cough! Let’s... go see... the full moon... I-I... kegh... cough...

“...”

— Let’s... go together... like we did... a long... time ago... heuk... Like we did... long ago... heuuk...

“...”

— P-please? Let’s go... see... the full moon...

“...”

— Let’s... go see the... full... moon... cough...

“...”

— Let’s...

Kim Hyun-Sung’s arm wrapped around me tightly.