Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1512. Extinction (22)

"Ryu Han is completely empty right now. Can you give me the lines you threw out during the tutorial? You can do that, can't you?"

— ...

"..."

— ...

"..."

— Didn’t I tell you that I already forgot about what I said back then?

‘That delay was pretty long.’

"No, you’re just choosing not to remember them. In the end, you even recalled that whole new scenery thing."

— That was a long time ago. Instead of worrying about useless things, shouldn’t we first think about how to get to Mesla Castle?

"How is this useless? I’m telling you, this guy is completely out of it right now. He’s still one of our major assets, but he’s not some undead summon, so how am I supposed to drag him around?"

— Is that a problem?

"..."

— ...

‘Is it... not a problem?’

It wasn’t like I wanted him to make decisions on his own anyway. Of course, if he were conscious, we could make use of him in more ways than one, but what mattered was that functionally, there wasn’t any issue with him.

Wasn’t he already swinging his sword at anyone who showed hostility and acting as if he were protecting us? From the start, he was equipped with exactly the functions I had wanted from him, so waking him up could actually be more of a gamble.

‘He’s not wrong... Better this than having him wake up and go off the rails...’

If we woke him up for no reason, things could only get more complicated. Who could say for sure whether that bastard wouldn't brood over Commander Jin’s death again and turn into some vengeful spirit?

Of course, given his personality, the chances were slim, but it was possible. The situation was already complicated, so rather than being dragged around by an unnecessary variable, it could actually be better to just use him like this.

"I-it doesn’t seem like a problem."

— ...

"..."

— So, when do you plan to enter their nest?

"I haven’t set a specific date. As soon as possible, the moment preparations are ready. The Republic’s troops have settled into Mesla Castle by now. After all, we can’t exactly pull forces out of Lindel, Castle Rock, or the Kingdom of Everia, so it looks like we’ll have to work with the troops stationed there.

Anyway, as for me, I’ll probably be leaving Castle Rock as early as today. As for you, Commander... Actually, it would be better if you stayed in Lindel."

— Is there a reason?

"Thronus has to die there."

— So, it’s a predetermined future.

"Yes. Thronus will die at Kim Hyun-Sung’s hands. In the original future, First Life Ki-Young also played about half a role in it, but looking at the situation now, I’m not sure if he’ll push ahead with his old plans. Of course, I did plant the hint that Kim Hyun-Sung is a regressor."

"Judging by his reaction, it seems he has already marked Kim Hyun-Sung as a regressor from this point onward. One way or another, the fact that he’s kept Kim Hyun-Sung alive until now means he intends to use him eventually, right?"

— He’s unlikely to revise the plan. Your existence may irritate him, but there are too many things tying him down to change a long-prepared scheme. After all, he’s hostile not only to humanity but to the pigeons as well.

"That’s more or less what I think, too, Commander. If he had intended to redraw the whole picture from the start, he wouldn’t have sent Dominions and Seraphim to the Everia front."

He definitely felt that he had invested too much into it to simply throw it away. I was already part of his plan as well. He had long since accepted that the time traveler, the Second Life Ki-Young, who possessed the Sage’s Stone, actually existed.

‘There will be no change to the plan.’

As I sat in the chair tapping my thigh over and over, I saw Ryu Han taking a seat beside me. Without thinking, I picked up a comb and ran it through his hair. Naturally, I continued my conversation with Commander Jin the entire time.

"Still, I can’t deny that my existence has changed the future too much."

— I agree.

"I understand that the results tend to end up the same, but this time, we can’t completely rule out the possibility that they won’t. And it’s awkward to just sit back and do nothing. To begin with, Commander Jin, unlike me, you came here through the hexagram."

— ...

"At this point, in this incident, it might not be me but you who has to fulfill the conclusion of the narrative."

— By narrative, you mean...

"Before long, First Life Ki-Young may appear in Lindel. Before Thronus dies, he’ll hear First Life Ki-Young’s name. Not long after that, not just him, but all four archangels will die.

"Most of the ordinary pigeons will die as well, and humanity’s extinction will be right in front of us. The continent will then fall into a state beyond recovery. The final resistance lines will be the World Tree front, Castle Rock, and Lindel. In the end, only Lindel will remain, and a small number of people will stand against the pigeons there."

— Are you telling me to keep fighting a meaningless war of attrition?

"That’s up to you, Commander. As long as the first timeline ultimately reaches the destined future, it doesn’t matter how we get there."

After combing all of Ryu Han’s hair, he no longer looked like a complete mess. It felt like he finally regained a bit of his old face again. The only problem was that he now looked too much like Ryu Han, which meant there was a high chance others would recognize him.

It was little more than a flimsy disguise, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to change his style a bit, so this time, I braided his hair. It had been a long time, but since it was something I had done since childhood, my hands quickly got used to it again.

The result wasn’t finished yet, but I was already satisfied.

— So the key question is whether problems might arise even if I fulfill the conclusion of the narrative. Wasn’t this place prepared for you and Kim Hyun-Sung?

"I don’t think it’ll be a big problem. From the moment I asked you for help, there’s a good chance it has already been determined that you were involved in this incident, and strictly speaking, you also have some stake in it.

"Of course, it all depends on the system, but the fact that you came here alone through the hexagram without me is practically the same as having received entry permission already, isn’t it? How you manage to obtain the working visa is up to your ability, Commander."

— ...

"If it doesn’t work, we’ll find a way. And if that still doesn’t work, we’ll find another way."

— Ridiculous. Even if you hadn’t pushed me like this, I was planning to produce results on my own.

"Ah, there’s no need to send Hee-Young or Belier. Just contact Chang-Ryeol and Alps and send them to Mesla Castle. Kim Hyun-Sung will reach First Ki-Young anyway."

— If anything unusual happens, I’ll contact you again.

"..."

— ...

"I’ll be counting on you, Commander."

‘You’ve got to throw in a little praise once in a while.’

"You can show me a new scenery, right?"

Click.

As expected, I heard a cold click as he ended the call. Ryu Han’s not-quite-a-disguise was just about finished, so the conversation ended at the perfect moment. When I looked at Ryu Han with his hair braided, he truly looked a bit different.

If one looked closely, one would notice it, but at a glance, no one would ever think that he was Ryu Han from the Republic. Throw a blanket over him, and it would be even better.

Once I strapped the bag full of luggage onto him, he ended up looking like an ordinary adventurer. What came next was obvious. The moment I opened the door, I saw the trio staring at me in surprise.

“Mr. Alex?” I said.

“Yes? Ah! Yes!” Alex answered.

“We’re leaving Castle Rock right now and heading to Mesla Castle,” I informed him.

“Huh? P-pardon? Pardon?! Right now?” he asked.

“Do you know an exit that leads out of Castle Rock?” I asked.

“Huh? I... yes? I...” he mumbled.

“I know one. We’ll have to go through the drainage, but we can definitely get out. Especially in a chaotic situation like this...” Kennen chimed in.

“What? Kennen? Really?” Alex questioned it.

“...”

“...”

“If you have anything to pack, pack it,” I said.

“What? Ah... okay! Hey, George! Grab your things and run back here in one minute,” Alex instructed.

“Understood.”

Anyone could see how flustered they were. While George hurried off to grab his belongings, the other two whispered to each other in voices that were completely audible.

“W-what are we doing right now, Kennen? Leaving now? Are you crazy?” Alex said.

“Alex, weren’t you the one talking about puzzles earlier? About it being the will of God, about there being some meaning we don’t understand, and about those above us are drawing a big picture?

"If that's the case, shouldn’t we follow it no matter what? Everything’s already falling apart, and we’re one step from dying anyway. We might as well bet on this,” Kennen argued.

“I thought... we were going to move with Castle Rock’s main force... I didn’t know we’d suddenly leave like this without any preparation. Can five people even reach Mesla Castle? A-and what about Mr. Mikael? He hasn’t even arrived yet. Are we really leaving right now? Wouldn’t it be better to wait a little and join up with him...” Alex suggested.

“The voice of God told us to head to Castle Rock, Alex. Calm down,” Kennen said.

“But that doesn’t mean the exact timing was decided. We should observe the situation more calmly first... Maybe with other troops, or Mr. Cheon Kwan-Wi. At the very least with Mr. Mikael,” Alex said.

“Mr. Mikael will not be coming with us,” I told them.

“Ah...”

“...”

“...”

“Please get ready right away. If you don’t want to go, you can stay here,” I added.

“No, I’ll come with you,” Kennen said.

“Kennen, you—”

“If you don’t want to go, then stay here, Alex. I’m going to take a gamble on this puzzle or whatever it is,” Kennen interrupted him.

“Fine... then I’ll go too,” Alex said in defeat.

‘When you return, all of you are getting promoted by one rank. If you die gloriously in battle, I’ll promote you two ranks.’

“But Mr. Mikael really won’t be coming with us? If we just wait a little—”

“There’s no time,” I said.

Of course, there was time to wait for him, but there was no reason to go together. If anything, it felt like it was better that we stayed apart for now.

‘His split personality has already started showing anyway.’

Upon discovering that I was missing, he’d probably panic even more. The pigeons had attacked Castle Rock, after all, so I was sure that he was sweating bullets right now.

Of course, this was an unavoidable decision for our side, but in the end, it meant leaving alone someone who was grieving and could make an extreme choice at any moment.

The small and harmless Hedgehog Ki-Young...

‘When he panics, he tends to be impulsive.’

From his perspective, it was the worst possible mistake to ever make. Sure enough, I saw deep worry on Mikael’s face. The sight of him constantly muttering to himself was quite something, and it was like feeding endless bait to his growing madness.

— Damn it...

— ...

— Can we move any faster?

— ...

‘It’ll probably only get worse.’

One day...

— Mr. Ki-Young?! Mr. Ki-Young! Damn it!

‘He’s turned into a “damn it” bot.’

— Didn’t I tell you, Michele?! Didn’t I keep telling you how desperate Mr. Ki-Young is!

Two days...

— This is all your fault. You ruined everything.

‘Yeah, it always starts like that.’

— You expect me to believe that?! You know nothing... nothing at all. Don’t even try to understand us.

One week...

— Shut up, Michele. Don’t say another word.

‘Looks like his personality’s changed a bit.’

— This isn’t the time for pointless chatter!!

‘Looking at him like this, he really does look like a madman.’

Even as our group drew closer to Mesla Castle, the muttering of the man chasing us alone continued without end.

— I will no longer listen to you, Michele.

Finally, Mikael started devouring Michele.

‘How is he any different from a demon? First, he parasitized someone else’s body, and now, he’s trying to take it over...’