Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1520. Extinction (30)

If he were Second Life Cheon Kwan-Wi, he'd escape Castle Rock. He would surely choose to run away on his own. Even if not that, at the very least, he wouldn’t have stayed trapped in a cage, fighting until the very end.

The moment his best partner, the Long-range Sniper, was taken out, Castle Rock’s fate had already been more or less sealed. I was sure Cheon Kwan-Wi himself knew that more than anyone.

Whether he had lost his mind over Yu Ran’s death or judged that it was already too late to escape, I couldn’t say for sure, but unlike his usual self, he chose to stay and defend Castle Rock to the end.

The only consolation was that he managed to deal the pigeons a critical blow. While I was still thinking about why he made that choice, I saw a small figure slipping out of Castle Rock. The moment I saw that figure, I understood why he made that choice.

‘Ah... so that’s why.’

Through the Telescope, I saw Junior Cheon Kwan-Wi wiping away his tears as he fled Castle Rock. He looked like he was escaping in a hurry with a few rangers, probably trying to make it to Lindel. It seemed that even if Cheon Kwan-Wi himself had to die in Castle Rock, he didn’t want his son to die there as well.

Judging by how red Junior Cheon Kwan-Wi's face was, he had to have said something stupid about staying behind to fight and got himself slapped for it.

‘Figured the kid wasn’t normal from the start, with all that inherited talent stacked on him.’

The situation was anything but calm, but he seemed to be making fairly rational decisions. Of course, he was still wiping away his tears, but the important thing was that he wasn’t being consumed by rage or getting lost in useless thoughts.

Right now, he understood that he had to focus on the mission. Someone had to make it to Lindel and report that Castle Rock had fallen.

‘He hasn’t given up yet.’

Even though Castle Rock had collapsed and his father had been killed in battle, he still believed that the war wasn’t over yet. He was biting his lip hard enough to draw blood, so it was clear that revenge was on his mind, too. No matter how long it would take, he clearly swore to avenge his father.

Of course, his wish would not come true. If he was lucky, he could make it to Lindel, deliver the news about Castle Rock, and die resisting alongside them. If he was unlucky, he could get caught by the pigeons before he reached his destination.

I would like to keep watching him grow, but all I could see was his ending.

Even if this was a doomed timeline, watching a child’s final moments play out wasn't exactly pleasant, so I turned my gaze away. At this point, what mattered wasn't whether Junior Cheon Kwan-Wi lived or died, but the fact that Castle Rock had fallen.

I didn't know how much time Lindel and Everia had remaining, but I had to prepare for it in advance. No, judging by how the Everia front was already collapsing, it was clear that this place didn't have much time left either.

As I said before, once the first domino had fallen, the rest would follow. I was already half certain that the continent’s collapse was going to happen faster than I originally expected.

Mikael had just declared that he’d sacrifice everything for me, so I took that as my cue and pushed myself up to my feet.

“Then there must still be something we can do,” he says, throwing out a line meant to encourage me. As always, the one who had fallen into despair would eventually stand back up.

Hedgehog Ki-Young was not any different. No, if anything, it was because he was Lee Ki-Young that he could push through even in a situation like this one. Even if Mikael’s line was kind of uncool and nowhere near moving enough, he clearly believed he had just dropped something profound, so the right move here was to act as if it worked on me.

“...”

“Mr. Ki-Young...” he muttered.

“...”

“If this is a situation where you can’t trust anything... if you can’t bring yourself to choose anything... then I hope you’ll trust me,” he said.

‘Seriously, those lines are so bad. I’m not feeling moved at all.’

“In times like this, you know more than anyone that giving up isn’t an option,” he added.

‘Man, I need to cut this off before he keeps going.’

“O-Okay... yeah...” I muttered.

As I wipe my tears away and rise up to my feet, I saw Mikael in front of me, smiling brighter than ever. Whether all those cheesy lines were sincere or he was just impressed with himself, I had no idea, but his eyes were welling up with tears as well.

He grabbed me tightly as I nearly stumbled. It was like he was trying to say that he'd support me from here on out, but honestly, it didn't really land at all.

‘All talk... and not even good talk. He doesn’t even know what he’s supposed to be doing right now.’

“You probably already know this, but... I came here to meet First Lee Ki-Young,” I told him.

“...”

“I’m sure... I’m sure he has the answer,” he added.

‘This guy’s got nothing going on in his head...’

“I don’t fully understand what’s happening or what we should do either... but for now, I think meeting him has to come first,” I said.

“...”

“I’m sure he’s somewhere around here.”

With a determined look, he nodded and helped me stabilize myself. Afterward, he made some weird hand signs. It seemed like he was trying to use some kind of technique to locate First Life Ki-Young, but ridiculously enough, it did not look very reliable. There was a hint of tension on his face. Despite all the big talk about solving everything, it seemed like he was not going to deliver anything concrete.

He closed his eyes, trying to focus, but he was obviously having trouble picking up any traces. Well, First Life Lee Ki-Young was backed fully by Belial, so he wouldn't be so easy to find. There was a reason Belial became a leader of one of the 72 legions.

“Is it hard to find him?” I asked.

“It’s not like there aren’t clues...” he answered.

“...”

“...”

‘Man... seriously... this useless idiot...’

'We don't have time, you useless idiot.'

I let my gaze drift over the battlefield again. Everywhere I looked, I saw pigeons and humans tangled together, fighting. Sure, it was something to be proud of. Our soldiers were pushing forward for victory and for the light, but right now, we neither had the resources nor the breathing room to spend on them.

Alps was doing well on her own, and Lee Chang-Ryeol was doing his part; Ha Yeon-Soo was doing the same. All of them were swinging their weapons with all their might, but the lines were still getting pushed back.

The only reason things remained intact was that Ryu Han was keeping things together. First Life Ki-Young’s attention was on him, so this was the perfect window to move into position.

Mikael knew that, too. If I had to exaggerate, he knew this chance was not going to happen again. It was now or never. Yet, nothing had really changed, despite his presence here. I was starting to be annoyed, but it was better than moving alone.

At least, my safety was guaranteed. Unfortunately, when the melodrama ended, it was like they’d been waiting for it, as the pigeons and those zombie pigeons rushed in all at once. He killed the ones rushing at us, but there was no way he could move freely.

His priority was still my safety above everything else.

‘Come on, this is ridiculous..’

“Mr. Ki-Young!” Mikael shouted.

Now that we were right in the middle of the battlefield, it became even worse. His stats were overwhelming, sure, but even he was starting to look worn down by the constant waves of enemies pouring in. In the middle of all that... one side of the World Tree front finally collapsed.

It did not look like it had completely fallen just yet, but it was clear that we had even less time than I thought. If we were lucky, they could hold out for a few more hours, but with those bastards actively trying to accelerate the collapse, there was no telling when it’d all come crashing down.

Lindel was still standing, but if Seraphim and Dominions at the World Tree front fall back to Lindel without taking any real losses, then even if the Commander and Sun Hee-Young were trying to hold the line...

‘Damn it... this is getting annoying...’

Honestly, what bothered me the most was that this idiot had yet to say his goodbyes.

‘Look... I hate to say it, but... isn’t it about time you wrapped things up?’

“...”

‘Didn’t you say you’d take responsibility? That you’d go all in and sacrifice yourself for this?’

“...”

‘Feels like this is the moment, doesn’t it? No matter how I look at it, there’s no solution here. You’ve been stuck in the same spot for minutes now, just going in circles, fighting pigeons while time keeps ticking, and you’re not actually doing anything.’

'It’s not my imagination; it’s actually getting darker. I can feel it instinctively; the end of the continent is getting closer. It’s not like a normal sunset. The world isn’t turning orange; it’s actually dimming and darkening.'

‘This is okay, isn't it?’

“...”

‘It’s really okay... right?’

“...”

‘No. Damn it, don’t panic.’

Even if this darkening signaled the continent’s collapse, the world had yet to go completely dark. If I had to put a label on it, it looked like evening had just descended. There was still time before everything went pitch black.

“Mr. Mikael?” I said.

“...”

“Mr. M-Mikael?” I asked once again.

‘Are you seriously going to keep this up? Shouldn’t you be saying your goodbyes by now?’

“...”

‘Forget finding First Life Ki-Young... Shouldn’t you be breaking down, admitting there’s no other way left or something...?’

I grabbed my head and breathed hard on purpose. This was a clear signal that we were running out of time. I was urging Mikael to make a decision. He could see it, too. The way the world was getting darker, and the last stand happening down below.

A battle was still unfolding inside this Nest, and of course, Kim Hyun-Sung knew that time was running out as well. What mattered was that I moved before he did. He was still doing his drama, but I was not ready yet either.

KABOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Just then, even the Nest started crumbling along with deafening explosions. More precisely, it looked like everything was caving in, starting from the distant north. Little by little, the world itself is beginning to fall apart.

‘Shit... shit, come on...’

Just like that, Mikael finally bit down on his lip and said, “Mr. Ki-Young.”

“Y-yes?”

“...”

“...”

“We should get out of this nest first,” Mikael suggested.

“???”

“It’s dangerous. If we stay here any longer, we might end up getting swallowed along with it,” he added.

“...”

“...”

‘What the hell are you even talking about?’

“For now, we need to secure a safe location first, and then...”

‘I’m asking what kind of bullshit you’re talking about.’

“T-there’s not much time left. Just getting inside this ark was already a miracle. If we pull back now, we might never get back here again. Even if we return to the past, there’s no guarantee we’ll ever make it back to this exact point,” he explained.

“...”

“And I-I told you, I can’t remember anything. I said I’m starting to forget everything. You told me to trust you. You said if I can’t trust anything else, I should trust you. You said I shouldn’t give up,” I said.

“...”

“We can’t retreat right now. No matter the cost, I’m staying here,” I told him.

“...”

“...”

“Kim Hyun-Sung asked me for something,” he revealed.

“What?”

“If you were ever in danger... to protect you, no matter what...” he said.

“...”

“...”

‘So... what, what am I supposed to do with that... and how the hell am I supposed to believe you?’

“But I’m not saying this out of obligation. I’m saying it because I know better than anyone that you’re not someone who should fall in a place like this. Because I know better than anyone that this continent, no, this entire dimension still needs you."

“...”

“I’m not saying this just because of Kim Hyun-Sung’s request or some contract. Even in the worst-case scenario, at the very least, you need to leave this stage right now. I know it won’t be easy. I understand it’ll be harder than anything. It might become a long journey, a long fight. You might even completely forget Kim Hyun-Sung, but through all of that, I'll always be by your side...” he said.

“...”

“By your si—”

“Hey,” I interrupted him.

“...”

“...”

“Who the hell do you think you are, you bastard? You think you can replace Kim Hyun-Sung?” I questioned.