Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1058: Picnic (21)

Desert nights were cold, lonely, and long. If one simply thought about it, one would realize that the Laves Desert had always been like this. The nights here were always lonely. It was a sad, dark, and cold desert. It was like a cursed desert that everyone was avoiding.

The desert had become bustling thanks to Laves City, but the desert would always return to its original state as soon as the lights illuminating the city of Laves were turned off.

“It’s chilly,” Kennen commented.

“It feels like something is going to pop up. Don’t you agree, George?” I[1] asked.

“...”

“What’s wrong, George?” he asked.

“It’s just that… I heard something I couldn’t ignore,” George replied.

“What is it now?” I asked.

“...”

“Damn it, it’s really raining down hard. How unlucky. It’s our first day here, and there’s already black rain… If I had known this was going to happen, I would have changed to a new set of equipment. You tricked me, Alex,” Kennen answered.

“Who’s the one that made a fuss about getting an invitation? Don’t put this on me, Kennen. You really think it's easy to get those invitations? I'm sure you already know, but the Committee only sent out fifty invitations. This isn't a place we can visit just because we want to do so,” I complained.

“Shit…”

“You guys have received the disaster text, right? This is just temporary, and it’ll probably stop within a few hours. It’s just an issue with the climate control system, so I’m sure things will return to normal soon,” I added.

“Do you know how much money I spent on the ticket? How come you're so thoughtless?” Kennen questioned.

“You’re the one who asked me to get them for you! Do you even know how hard it was to get them?” I asked, feeling upset because Kennen was starting to complain.

‘I shouldn’t have shown off to them.’

Laves was a fantasy city that the Guild Master of the Blue Guild had built for the honorary cardinal, and there were only fifty invitations to get into the city.

My first mistake was doing well during the first half of the year. My second mistake was getting a ticket along with a bonus and then showing them off to these guys because I was too happy and drunk.

My third mistake was agreeing to take them with me.

‘These guys are like my enemies.’

Obviously, I couldn’t take them with me just because I wanted to do so. Not only was it hard to find people willing to sell their tickets, but a ticket couldn't guarantee entry into the city. Playboy Kennen and Third-Rate Gambler George only managed to enter the city because they participated in all the continental wars so far.

The logs alone told everyone that they were on the honorary cardinal’s side, and I was sure the higher-ups were aware of the fact that people were selling their tickets, but they had decided to turn a blind eye to it.

‘Well… they're his fans.’

Regardless of what anyone was going to say, Kennen and I were followers of the honorary cardinal. We were pretty good cases among those who wanted to work with him and walk on the same earth as him.

Actually, the fact that we were here was the biggest proof that we were his fans.

“I don’t see Father Lee Ki-Young anywhere… I thought I would at least see Miss Dialuria or some of the members of the Blue Guild. I can’t believe we’re stuck staring at a black rain all day…” Kennen complained.

“We still have a lot of time, Kennen,” I reassured him.

“If they close Laves, will we get our refunds?” he asked.

“Those tickets weren't supposed to be sold in the first place, Kennen. Don’t say things like that. You bought a scalped ticket, so why are you asking for a refund? Do you want me to die?” I questioned.

"I mean, I know that… but it’s too different from what I thought…” he mumbled.

“You’re the one who's been kicking up a fuss, damn it,” I reminded him.

“Who knew it would rain just hours after our arrival here?” he remarked.

“It’ll stop raining tomorrow. Think about it. Do you really think that the Guild Master of the Blue Guild will just stand by and watch? Ominous black rain is falling on the city that he had built for the honorary cardinal. He’ll definitely find a way to make the rain stop. Let’s just wait quietly,” I told him.

And that was when the quiet George chimed in. “I don’t know about that.”

“...”

“...”

“I don’t think it’s raining because there’s something wrong with the climate control system,” George continued.

“What?”

“I happened to see Mr. Elias of the Union of Other Races and Miss Jo Hye-Jin of the Blue Guild talking to each other,” George replied.

“Miss Jo Hye-Jin is here?” I asked.

“There was another man… but I think he disappeared somewhere…” George added.

“Don’t make me laugh, George. How did you even manage to break down their barri—Ah!” I yelled. I had just remembered the fact that Third-Rate Gambler George knew how to read lips. He had learned lip-reading out of the blue, thinking that it would help him with his gambling someday.

At that time, I told him it was useless, but…

“Is this something we can talk about here?” I asked.

“I don’t know if I should tell you this…” George replied.

“Wait, is there something wrong? Are you really sure about that?” I asked.

“Let’s head outside for now,” George suggested.

“Follow us, Kennen,” I said, gesturing to Kennen.

‘Is he saying that this isn't just an issue with the climate control system?’

If that were the case, there wouldn’t be a reason for us to go outside. We could not let ourselves get captured by the first-class adventurers here. The official announcement stated that the black rain was due to an issue with the climate control system, but if that weren't the case, then the higher-ups were trying to hide the truth from everyone.

‘If we say the wrong thing…’

I followed George's line of sight and saw Elias of the Union of Other Races and Jo Hye-Jin of the Blue Guild. I also couldn’t help but look at them. Elias was mumbling something with a serious face, and the Blue Guild’s God of Spear nodded at him.

Third-Rate Gambler George walked through the black rain without saying a word. He remained silent even after walking past Elias and Jo Hye-Jin.

“What’s going on, George?” Kennen asked.

“I think something happened,” George answered.

“That’s why I’m asking what’s going on,” Kennen repeated.

“I couldn't deduce the details, but I heard them talking about the destruction of the continent. A divine message from Elune and something about a woman. Do you guys believe in destiny?” George asked.

“What… do you mean?” I asked.

“You know, like a calling we’re given at birth. To put it simply, I’ll use Father Lee Ki-Young as an example. He was born to love everything on the continent. He was born to forgive and to sacrifice everything for the continent. That is his destiny.

"I can also use the Guild Master of the Blue Guild as an example because, just like the God of Sunset, we could have been born for someone or something,” George explained.

“So you’re saying…”

George calmly told us about a woman with uncontrollable powers, a woman born with a burdensome destiny that was forced on her by other people. There was a high chance that the woman was the reason behind this bizarre phenomenon.

“What kind of nonsense is that?” Kennen questioned.

“No, it’s not nonsense at all, Kennen,” I told him.

“What did you say, Alex?” Kennen asked.

“Think about all the things that have happened on the continent so far. It’s not that strange at all, especially if you think about Father Lee Ki-Young… I wouldn’t be surprised if there were one or two people who have been chosen or have been abandoned by transcendent beings.

"Anyway, where are we going right now, George?” I asked.

“Have you guys heard of Gela, the evil god of the Desert?” George asked.

“I have, but—”

"Legend has it that Gela and Sahaga, the god of the Desert Elves, met and parted ways during a rainy day in the Laves Desert. There was a passage written in a book I got from a bet with a Lizardman who’s crazy about gambling,” George interrupted me.

“...”

“On the day Gela descends, black rain will fall on Laves,” George continued.

“...”

“The black rain will reduce all living beings on the continent to ashes, and the continent will inevitably turn black,” George added.

“The woman you mentioned earlier is she…” Kennen paused.

“Is she Evil God Gela?” I asked, finishing Kennen's sentence.

George nodded quietly as we walked through the black rain. Obviously, we had no idea where we were heading, but George's answer made Kennen stay quiet as he followed George. He was aware of it as well.

‘George… is acting up again.’

Out of the three of us, George was the most immature, and he was crazy enough to gamble away all his savings, but there were times when he acted this way.

There were times when he'd start moving by instinct, and he would have this face that seemed to transcend all worldly things. He looked as if he was sober instead of his usual face, and he'd say things we couldn’t understand at all.

He told us that it was a gambler’s intuition, but…

‘We only survived this far because of that gambler's intuition of his...’

At the very least, we wouldn't lose everything by listening to him.

Eventually, we started running, and the desert around us got darker and darker the farther we ran. It felt like the black rain was getting stronger as it poured down on Laves.

At the same time, it was like we were running through a black typhoon.

The desert sand, soaked by the black rain, became like a swamp, making it difficult for us to move our feet.

I was curious whether George knew where we were going or not, but I couldn't do anything other than nod. We were heading deeper, and the surroundings were getting darker. We were running as if we were searching for light in a dark cave.

When we reached the end of the darkness, we saw a calm clearing that resembled the eye of a storm.

‘Have we somehow found ourselves in a different world?’

All we did was take one step forward, but it felt like we had stepped into a completely different world. It was still dark, but this clearing had neither black rain nor sand. It felt like we were in the middle of a calm and placid lake.

The skies were dark; the earth was dark, and there was a woman standing quietly at the end of it. The woman had mesmerizing eyes that looked as if it could suck everything into it.

Despite having pale skin and lips, her beauty seemed to be overflowing with life. She was as alive as she was dead. Her deep eyes were so dark that it seemed like they couldn't reflect anything. They looked like the black rain that was falling outside.

Her eyes were completely black. If there were darkness opposing Father Lee Ki-Young’s light, then it would probably look like her eyes.

Her eyes represented the purest form of darkness. If that woman weren't trapped in ashen ice, I would turn around and run away. Kennen and George were at a loss for words, and they looked at the being in front of them with their mouths agape.

“Kennen… am I… dreaming right now?” I asked.

“That’s what… I wanted to ask, Alex…” Kennen answered.

“Why… why are we here in the first place? Hey, George. Why did you bring us all the way out here?” I asked.

“I don’t know either. I just…” George paused.

“Just?”

“I just ran wherever my feet took me,” George continued.

“You… crazy bastard…” I mumbled.

I decided not to trust George again.

***

‘But who the hell are these guys? Why are they here?’

[God of Sacrifice and Revival, they are…]

‘Gela? They’re…’

[They’re uninvited guests. What should we do…]

‘I[2] don’t know either, noona. Did you invite them?’

***

“Ki-Yeon… Ki-Yeon!”

***

‘Noona, there are strange guys here, damn it…’

1. Alex’s POV ☜

2. Lee Ki-Young’s POV ☜