Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1524. Chance Encounter, Fateful Meeting (2)

It felt unsettling. It was an unpleasant place, and it made me feel uncomfortable, so it was only natural for me to have such thoughts.

‘What a great performance...’

Everything was orchestrated by that bastard, but the cheap inn or the dolls chattering in the dining area weren't staged. They had been here from the very beginning.

However, his entrance using those props was what could truly be called a performance. From stopping the dolls with a clap of his hands to deliberately holding an axe in one hand before making a grand descent from the second floor.

‘Your Strength stat is low, isn’t it?’

Of course, the scene of him hacking Song Jung-Wook to death with an axe had been grotesque and shocking, but he wasn’t a vanguard. He had only swung the axe in a frenzy, and there was no way he had the ability to keep fighting with it.

After a few full swings, he would obviously be completely drained. To begin with, the fact that a black mage had come down holding an axe instead of a staff made his intentions completely clear.

‘This bastard’s got nothing left either.’

I had anticipated this. It wasn’t just me who had been burning through resources nonstop. He had also used an absurd amount of resources. His mana had to be depleted, and I could confidently say that all his other resources had already been exhausted as well.

The fact that he had come up with a performance meant that he was bluffing, and the reason he was bluffing was...

‘He can’t be sure, can he?’

He couldn't say for sure whether I had used up all my resources or not.

‘This bastard isn’t sure either.’

If he were in perfect condition and were confident that he could win, he wouldn’t put on such a ridiculous show. Whether the dolls could function properly or not, he would have already attacked me. He would fire mana arrows right away.

‘Can he use one proper spell, or maybe two?’

He had to be in condition so bad that he couldn’t even borrow mana from Belial. I immediately assessed both him and myself. What I had were a few catalysts for alchemy summoning, enough mana to do that once, two Dragon Breath potions, and a dagger.

What he had was enough mana to use a spell once or twice, the resident dolls of this shabby inn, and the axe in his hand.

It wasn’t easy to predict the odds of winning. Other factors didn’t matter much, but the difference between an axe and a dagger was hard to ignore. He didn’t have a trait like Beginner Axe Mastery, but I didn’t have Beginner Dagger Mastery either.

Of course, his stamina would run out faster, and I could move more nimbly, but in a brawl like this, people would inevitably rely on the raw destructive power of their weapons.

At the very least, to use the fatal swordsmanship I had learned from Kim Hyun-Sung, I needed a proper sword rather than a dagger. I needed something like the one hanging from the waist of one of those dolls. I slowly approached that doll.

My throat went dry from the tension, but both he and I knew that in situations like this, it was all the more important to make oneself appear larger than the truth.

I had to move as if I could crush him with a flick of my finger. Without taking my eyes off him, I slid over and dropped down into a seat beside the doll holding the longsword.

“You pathetic bastard. The best you could do for your little nest was a cheap inn?” I said, criticizing him.

“That’s none of your business, isn't it?” First Life Ki-Young argued back.

“I’m only saying it because I feel sorry for you, you idiot. I think I know why you bothered to create a place like this. Rather than some pathetic excuse about wanting to remember that pig or hold on to old memories, it’s more like a device to keep your desire for revenge from wearing away,” I said.

“...”

“You’ll deny it, but when the people you loved died and you even came to pity the one you thought was your target of revenge, your thoughts had to have started drifting. Your goal and destination are clear, but they're separate matters.

"The very fact that you’re staying in a crappy place like this proves that you’re weak, you moron. Creating a refuge only proves just how much you’re wavering,” I continued.

“What a load of bullshit,” he replied.

He was slowly approaching as well. I was worried he'd step into range to swing that axe, but he was just as wary of me. Without coming too close, I could see First Life Ki-Young removing his mask and saying, “You only got one thing right, you bastard. This place exists so my desire for revenge won't disappear.”

“...”

“Of course, it’s not some trivial story about loved ones dying or me pitying the one I wanted revenge on...” he added.

“Oh, is that so?” I mockingly replied.

“What? Does it look like I’m lying?” he questioned.

“At the very least, I know you’re not telling the truth. Habits aren’t something you can just throw away,” I said.

“...”

“...”

“Do you know who this hairy bastard next to me is?” he asked.

“How the hell would I know? You idiot,” I answered.

“His name was probably Jung Baek-Soo. He was the first guy who invited me and that pig to a party after we got out of the tutorial. The woman next to him, and the old man beside her, too... were all just unlucky,” he said.

“So your first party turned out to be a bunch of bastards preying on newbies? Happens all the time. Doesn’t that just make you an idiot for falling for it?” I said.

“No, they were just ordinary guys. Not the type to scam beginners, and they had a fair amount of experience. They were even somewhat well-known among newcomers, but... you know how it is... Once people are cornered and on the brink of death, their own lives will matter the most to them.

"We were unlucky and fell into a trap while hunting goblins. Those bastards just left us behind. That’s all,” he explained.

“...”

“While we were at the hunting grounds, which we followed those trash into, the pig broke his ankle. His left shoulder was shredded by goblin daggers, and his lung was pierced, so he could barely breathe... Do you really think we had money to go to a temple back then? All we had was a cheap healer and low-grade potions...” he said.

“...”

“There was no way that could fix everything. The worst part was that it left him with trauma. That’s pretty fatal if you’re trying to make a living as an adventurer,” he added.

“Ah, is that so? That must’ve been really sad,” I commented.

“Do you think I felt sad? I was furious. As you said, the reason I made this crappy inn isn’t that I miss that pig. There’s nothing grand about it... It’s just so I don’t forget my own mistakes and complacency. I also want to vent some stress,” he said.

Right then, he slammed the axe down on the shoulder of the doll called Jung Baek-Soo.

The doll immediately clutched its shoulder and screamed, “Aaaaaah!”

Blood splattered, and it grabbed at its wound. It was startling because it felt as if it were alive, but after seeing him act as if nothing had happened, I realized that it was all just programmed behavior. I couldn’t help but think that he had put a lot of effort into it, but...

‘Nice, free stamina burn.’

He had just wasted some of his stamina. Of course, his showmanship affected my mental state and momentum, but the fact that his actions had given me even a slight advantage in the fight to come made me nod.

“I’ve already come too far. I’m way past the point of worrying, agonizing, or indulging in pointless melodrama,” First Life Ki-Young said.

“So, what is it you want?” I asked.

“Complete destruction, and then starting over. When I first saw you, I couldn’t tell you how happy I was. It meant my plan was halfway successful. No, it meant that because of you, a new possibility had opened up. I thought about the possibility of restarting before, but seeing it with my own eyes is a completely different matter, isn't it?” he answered.

“...”

“That’s why I started making the Sage’s Stone, and thanks to that, all my hesitation disappeared. Of course, as you said, a lot of things did happen,” he added.

“Ji-Hye noona died, and Kasugano Yuno died too?” I assumed.

“Yeah,” he answered.

“And you gradually came to understand Kim Hyun-Sung, right?” I added.

“I won’t deny that either. To be honest, I don’t hate Kim Hyun-Sung that much anymore. If we started together from the beginning, I can roughly guess that things wouldn't have ended like this... I also know that you are the result of the second life that began because of these thoughts. The problem is that you failed,” he said.

“...”

“Altanus isn’t here, right?” he asked.

‘Sharp, aren’t you?’

“There’s something strange about it...” he muttered.

‘Annoyingly sharp.’

As I said, the Order of Altanus existed here. Since everything was downloaded as it was, traces of Altanus remained... but realizing that she herself was missing was a completely different matter.

Then again, hadn’t that Dummy Ki-Young also realized he was just a dummy? Thinking about it that way, it didn’t feel all that strange that First Life Ki-Young noticed that Altanus was missing, but...

“Her traces are clearly here, but I can’t feel her presence,” he added.

‘That’s what makes it annoying.’

His awareness was sharp enough to make the whole situation irritating.

“We both like making deductions and speculations, don’t we? Let me tell you an interesting hypothesis, Ki-Young. I don’t know how you made the Sage’s Stone, but Altanus is one of its materials, right?” he asked.

“...”

“Seeing that she’s not here right now, it looks like something that’s been used once can’t be used again... and judging by the fact that you’ve become something similar to her... I’d guess Kim Hyun-Sung has also become something like her...”

“...”

“Ah! Maybe Kim Hyun-Sung is trying to take her place?” he assumed.

“...”

“Is that why you’re desperately looking for him? Is that it?” he asked.

“...”

“Come to think of it, it’s not that strange. Of course, I don’t know if I can understand Kim Hyun-Sung as well as you, who spent so much time with him, but I rolled around in the mud with him for quite a while, too. If you want to call me an expert, then sure, I’m an expert, and I more or less know that the guy’s an idiot.

"I mean, he’s the hero who saved the continent. Our righteous Count Kim Hyun-Sung,” First Life Ki-Young said.

“...”

“When he was still just a rookie, he wavered and made plenty of mistakes... but when you look at it in the end, he always tried to take responsibility for what he’d done. I don’t like that he goes about it his own way, but still... He’s probably trying to take responsibility for this, too, isn't he?

"Did he somehow come back to the first life and end up witnessing what he did again? I don’t know if there’s another reason or not, and frankly, it’s none of my business...”

“You’re spinning a whole story. Your premise is wrong from the start. I don’t see why I should bother adding anything to what you’re saying, First Life Ki-Young,” I replied to him.

“I wasn’t expecting an answer anyway. Just like you don’t believe me, I don’t believe you either, and people like us only believe what we want to believe. In the end, we have to judge for ourselves and make our own decisions, Ki-Young,” he said.

“...”

“The reason you came here first is to ensure that Kim Hyun-Sung and I won't meet,” he said.

“...”

“And the reason you want to kill me is that you think I might use Kim Hyun-Sung as some sort of material, isn’t it?” he asked.

‘This bastard still believes in the Sage’s Stone like it’s some damn gospel.’

“I don’t have any great regrets. If this were the original first life, I'd choose Kim Hyun-Sung as the regressor, but what can you do? Altanus isn’t here, and it looks like he’s the only one who can become the Sage’s Stone.

"Of course, you might have another way to go about it, but as you know, we’re not the type to hand the wheel over to someone else. You failed, and I have no intentions of repeating that failure,” he declared.

The fact that there wasn’t really anything to challenge except that damned stone irritated me once again. It also drove home the realization that negotiating with him had always been impossible. My hand slowly reached for the longsword.

“Looks like you brought all these dolls with you,” I commented.

“Some I dealt with myself, some I dug up from graves, some I made,” he said.

“And the weapons and equipment, too? What’s this? These are a bit too high quality for gear worn by adventurers staying at a cheap inn.” I pointed out.

“Well, I’ve been a bit too busy to get into that level of detail. I just grabbed whatever,” he said.

“Do they move, too?” I asked.

“...”

“...”

“Yeah, they move,” he replied.

It looked like I had naturally drawn the longsword from the doll’s grasp, but even to me, it looked unnatural. He probably knew it as well. He knew that we were both completely broke.

‘Damn, this is nerve-wracking.’

The axe-wielding maniac went silent, watching for an opening. I could tell instinctively that a brutal, all-out brawl was about to begin.