Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1504. Extinction (14)

I quietly turned on the Telescope, and I saw several crows circling around Castle Rock.

‘It looks like the mist has thinned a little.’

Until now, the mist had been so dense that even a short distance was hard to see with the naked eye, but once Cheon Kwan-Wi departed on his expedition, the mist surrounding Castle Rock grew slightly thinner.

Of course, it was just slightly thinner. It still wasn’t easy for the enemies to pinpoint the exact location of Castle Rock. The crows lost their way again and again inside the mist.

On top of that, since the last contact, Castle Rock had become extremely sensitive to crows, so I could say with certainty that approaching would be even more difficult now.

Thanks to that...

‘He probably has no idea that I already made contact with Commander Jin.’

Of course, I couldn’t guarantee that there were no informants inside Castle Rock, but the important thing was that he hadn’t witnessed the moment I contacted Commander Jin through the eyes of a crow.

Until he had confirmed it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t be able to trust it completely. Of course, there was a decent chance that he'd simply assume that I had already made contact with Commander Jin.

‘After all, information inside Castle Rock was limited.’

Mikael had been repeatedly emphasizing my safety, so sensitive information about me was probably not circulating even within Castle Rock. At most, it would be something like a high-ranking child from the Republic being protected at the top of Castle Rock Castle while receiving special treatment.

If even information about someone like Mikael wasn’t spreading, then it would be the same for me. Lee Chang-Ryeol seemed even more impressive for managing to track down my whereabouts, but still...

‘The advantage in information was obviously on my side.’

No, it had to be on my side. He didn’t have Lee Chang-Ryeol, but I did. Chang-Ryeol was running a professional intelligence guild using his experience from the second life, so I could confidently say that even compared with the other intelligence guilds here that had spent years building their infrastructure, he wouldn’t be lacking at all.

I didn’t know exactly what level of infrastructure First Life Ki-Young had built, but it was probably nothing beyond what I could already anticipate. While cutting off loose ends, the scale of it had to have shrunk considerably.

“...”

“...”

Since the last incident, he had been looking for a chance to make contact with me, so there was no way he would miss this opportunity. After all, the main force had just set out on an expedition to the Republic.

There was also a chance that he sent troops to the Republic to draw the attention of sharp people like Cheon Kwan-Wi and Yu Ran. More than anything, he wanted to be the one to approach me.

‘As the saying goes, the one who’s desperate is the one who reaches out.’

Even if that wasn’t the case...

‘Missing an opportunity like this would be foolish...’

Sure enough.

Tap, tap.

I heard a sound. After putting away Commander Jin’s letter, which I had yet to finish reading, back into my coat, I turned my gaze toward the window and saw a crow with purple eyes.

‘I knew it. He must be impatient right now because of the Sage’s Stone.’

Opening the window immediately was the natural next step.

“Why did you take so long? No, that’s a pointless question. Of course, it took you a while,” I complained.

Tap, tap, tap.

“Seriously, what the hell is with this crow? Isn’t this too conspicuous for a familiar? I told you not to do anything that would draw suspicion. Do you have any idea how on edge everyone here already is because of you?” I questioned.

“...”

“If nothing had happened in the Republic, you probably wouldn’t have made it in at all. Even the pigeons are getting lost in the sky because of the mist, so you must be confident to bring a damned familiar here.

"You’re lucky it didn’t get shot down by arrows while flailing around out there. Still, slipping in here like a rat is a skill in its own way,” I said.

“Caw! Caw! Caw!”

“Anyway... the commander must still be in Lindel, right? Or maybe Celia? Either way, you’re definitely somewhere in the Empire, correct?” I asked.

Tap, tap, tap!

‘I should at least lay some groundwork.’

For smoother communication. One of the crows flew inside and scanned the room, clicking its beak over and over. It didn’t immediately speak. It probably thought deeper communication would risk detection, or perhaps it was wary of slipping up through its tone or by saying something ridiculous.

“So, is the information you received reliable?” I asked.

“Caw!”

“Come on, say something. Don’t just keep clicking your beak and going caw caw,” I complained.

“...”

“...”

“It. Is. Reliable. Information. You. Can. Trust. It,” the crow said.

‘Our Ki-Young is working hard.’

“The Sage’s Stone came out of nowhere... The Sage’s Stone... how interesting... Sure, the past was affected, but could it really change this much?” I asked.

'Look at this bastard listening so carefully...'

Sitting lightly on the edge of the chair, I tapped my thigh with my fingers.

“I already suspected it to some extent, but it’s hard not to assume that First Life Lee Ki-Young noticed our existence. I’m not sure if he has precise information, but at the very least, it seems he realized that we’re time-traveling through the first life, and he’s probably guessed that the method is the Sage’s Stone.

"Maybe that’s why he’s running around trying to make one? What do you think, Commander?” I asked.

“That. Might. Be. Possible,” the crow answered.

“Did you confirm how he’s making the Sage’s Stone?” I asked.

“Hu. Mans,” the crow said.

‘Okay, so he’s just giving me the information. It's obvious information anyway.’

“Why do you think he's trying to make the Sage Stone?” I asked.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

‘He’d better answer carefully.’

Giving a ridiculous answer would be the worst thing to do here. Of course, saying nothing at all would also be the worst. He had already let something slip with the previous answer. If another absurd response came out this time, it would naturally raise my suspicion, and he was surely aware of that as well.

“Re. Gres. Sion,” the crow answered.

“Or?”

“You. Know. Better. Than. I. D,” the crow said.

‘Right. Not exactly the correct answer, but a decent one.’

It was also an answer given on the assumption that I knew everything about the first life, this continent, the narrative, and him. At the same time, it took into account that not everything was shared with Jin Cheong.

It even seemed like he had put some thought into Commander Jin’s character. Apparently, he didn’t think the two of us would suddenly become close friends.

I gave him just a small hint...

‘But he picked it up well...’

“Why are you so on edge? I was just asking in case any other information came in. I mean, seriously, if there’s nothing else, then what the hell did you even come here for?” I asked.

“Didn’t. I. Tell. You. That. He. Is. Trying. To. Create. The. Sage’s. Stone. What. Other. Reason. Could. There. Possibly. Be. What. Do. You. Think. He. Wants?” the crow asked.

“Saving Park Deok-Gu is impossible,” I told him.

“What. Do. You. Mean?” the crow asked.

“It's exactly what it sounds like. Whether he tries to resurrect the dead through alchemy or goes back to the past through time travel to save that pig, both of those things are impossible,” I said, clarifying things.

“...”

“You seem pretty well-versed in black magic, so you probably know better than anyone how absurd resurrection is. I tried it myself once to save Jung Ha-Yan. I kept turning things back again and again, but fate isn’t something that bends to one's will so easily.

"I don’t know if it’s because the second life already exists, but the people of the first life always seem to meet their destined end. Even if First Life Lee Ki-Young were to go back to the slums from that time, Park Deok-Gu would still die, and Ki-Young would still survive."

“...”

“And that will always be the case,” I commented.

“So. The. Only. Option. Left. Is. A. Reset,” the crow said.

“Who knows? Maybe there are other options, but right now they’d be pretty hard to find,” I said.

“The. Fact. That. We. Still. Exist. Even. Now. Does. That. Not. Explain. That. There. Is. No. Other. Way. Besides. A. Reset."

“Maybe, you’re right about that,” I said.

‘That’s right. There’s no other choice besides that. I already confirmed that no matter what happens in the first life, it doesn’t create a time paradox in the second.’

At this point, the best thing I could do was shut down any attempts to chase pointless alternatives or test the waters. I wasn’t lying. Gathering Park Deok-Gu’s fragments and bringing him back to life was impossible, and reviving him through time travel was just as impossible.

The only real option was to abandon the first life entirely and begin the second life.

I had to remind him of that.

That way, the chances of him wasting time on useless schemes would drop significantly. I needed to prevent things from getting even more tangled because of First Life Ki-Young’s stubbornness.

I had to give him information he could accept. I had to give him information that would benefit him and me. Then, I had to steer him toward the path of the original first life.

“Besides... the Sage’s Stone... Well... it’s not exactly the wrong method...” I mumbled.

Since the two factions had to destroy each other anyway, there was no need to tell him that it was impossible at this stage.

“So how are the pigeons moving?” I asked.

“It. Seems. They. Are. Focusing. Their. Full. Offensive. On. The. Republic."

‘Really? He’s not lying?’

“The. North. As. well. The. Northern. Front. Will. Not. Hold. Much. Longer. Of. Course. The. Pigeons. Are. Not. Without. Losses."

‘Naturally.’

“That means the Empire still has some time to spare,” I said.

“You. Could. Say. That."

“There’s no need to rush anyway... but that’s still not bad,” I said.

“Yes. It. Is. Not. Bad."

“What about First Life Kim Hyun-Sung?” I asked.

“He. Is. In. Lindel,” the bird answered.

“What do you think? Will First Life Ki-Young and the pigeons prioritize targeting Kim Hyun-Sung after all?” I asked.

“I. Cannot. Say. That. The. Probability. Is. Low."

It seemed he had yet to decide on making Kim Hyun-Sung regress.

“That’s troublesome. It wouldn’t be good if something happened to Kim Hyun-Sung here... You can take care of him, right, Commander?” I asked.

“Of. Course,” the bird answered.

“...”

“...”

‘This really feels like we’re putting on a play.’

This was only a hypothesis, but it felt like both of us knew the other was wearing a mask. It felt like we were pretending not to know each other simply so we could exchange whatever information the other side had on hand.

In reality, that possibility was hardly a small one. Wasn't it typical for people like us to suspect first rather than trust right away?

'Even I was technically talking to myself, it doesn’t really change anything.'

The conversation itself was trivial, and we even bickered a little, but it still felt like walking down a tightrope. How could I make myself seem more formidable? How much information was I supposed to reveal? If I were to reveal something, would it actually benefit me?

It felt like both of us were observing each other with intense focus.

‘This is seriously frustrating.’

'This bastard really is ridiculously stingy. Just loosen up a little, dude.'

The information being shared wasn't truly valuable anyway; they were only bits of half-useful information circling around, so in the end, both of us were basically wasting our time.

The crow in front of me seemed to be thinking the same thing, as it rolled its purple eyes repeatedly. At this point, I felt like dropping the act, revealing who we really were, and talking openly, but no.

‘That'll be going too far.’

In situations like this, it was best to bring up the one piece of information he was most interested in knowing. Something that would cost me nothing, but was exactly what he wanted to know.

‘You don’t have a pig of your own, do you?’

“...”

‘I have one.’

It had nothing to do with the battle happening right now, but it was the kind of information he desperately wanted to hear, even if it meant trading away the most important information he had on hand.

‘Aren’t you curious what happened to our pig in the second life?’

“...”

‘If I want, I can eat with him every day, go to the sauna with him, and do everything together with him, Ki-Young.’