Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1301. The Magic Tower (14)

I had no idea why Kim Hyun-Sung had a change of heart, but, as always, I felt like I understood his patterns well enough.

My trip to Filnes was nothing more than an excuse. It was actually a trigger to set him in motion. The truth was that he probably wanted to see it all with his own eyes.

He was rescued unconscious by the Blue Guild, so there was no way he knew the full extent of the devastation.

Hearing about it wasn't the same as seeing it. Was Jo Hye-Jin truly dead? What had become of Filnes? Though he hadn’t caused it himself, he felt responsible, and now, he wanted to confront it directly.

‘What a coward, damn it.’

On the surface, it was nothing more than him playing guardian to the boy.

‘And thanks to that, my packed schedule’s been completely thrown off...’

[Shouldn’t we take a carriage?]

“I’ll take you there myself. Like I said before, it might be dangerous if we get too close, so I’ll only bring you near,” Kim Hyun-Sung replied.

[Then how will I find my sister?]

“I’ll figure it out. That’s a promise. Do you have anything that could help identify her?” he asked.

[Not really... but now that I think about it, she always carried a flower-shaped staff.]

“Okay.”

[But is it really true? That Filnes has disappeared?]

“...”

‘And even now, he won’t say out loud that she's most likely dead.’

I wasn’t sure how Kim Hyun-Sung intended to deal with it, but for now, he hoisted me up and sprinted toward Filnes.

From Heren toward Celia, one would reach a canyon first, and beyond the canyon was a small city. Even in the second life, the city never amounted to much thanks to its geography. Before warp gates existed, it served as a rest stop.

Once the warp gates appeared, it became nothing more than a place adventurers would visit to relax.

It was probably the same in the first life, too. It was a place where carriage horses were given a break, like a rest stop on the highway. On foot, it would take forever to cross, but the scenery peeled away before me as Kim Hyun-Sung surged forward.

“If the speed makes you feel dizzy, let me know,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

“...”

‘Damn, what do I even say to Big Boy? No matter how fast he is, it’ll take at least a day.’

I had an excuse ready, but thinking about how that guy would throw a fit wasn’t exactly pleasant. Kim Hyun-sung’s wild sprint gradually slowed down, and it was about the time I started to feel a little uneasy.

Naturally, I could sense that we were getting close to Filnes Canyon and the village, but now that we were actually here, hesitation crept into my heart. The air had changed, and a nauseating stench stung my nose.

Kim Hyun-Sung unclasped his necklace and handed it to me.

“Don’t ever take this off. No matter what,” he muttered.

Even without checking it, I knew it was an artifact against the plague. I nodded silently.

“From here on, we're stepping foot into Filnes Canyon. Best not to get too close. The village... we can see it well enough from the top,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

‘Still... is this really something a kid like me should be looking at?’

Kim Hyun-Sung turned to glance at me with hesitation. Naturally...

[It’s okay. I’m used to it.]

“...”

[I’ve seen it many times before.]

It wasn't uncommon to see a body or two on the streets of Heren. Kim Hyun-Sung knew that well enough, which was why he said nothing about it. Of course, it could also be the possibility that he couldn't reassure me, as his mind was just as frayed as mine.

His legs trembled as he moved, until eventually, he climbed to high ground and looked down.

We saw a mass of tangled corpses. The sheer number of them stood out at once. Scattered weapons, the torn and fallen banners of the Blue Guild, were all over the place. The dead had died curled in pain, clear signs of biochemical magic.

Among them were his comrades and subordinates, but the sight before me wasn't identical to what I saw through Yuno.

‘The trap started here.’

The scenes manifested in my head. The troops were exposed to biochemical magic right from the very beginning. While weakened, the battle began, and faced with an enemy force larger than they expected, they panicked and retreated through the canyon.

Hundreds died while fleeing, and they had to abandon their allies to reach Filnes, but Filnes was already in Saladin’s hands. They had ended up like rats in a trap. It was all a setup from the start.

It even made me wonder if their earlier defeat in Lindel was part of the plan as well.

‘Saladin had grown too large. They had to decrease their forces... and Kim Hyun-Sung had to prepare as well.’

After setting me down, he stared blankly at the scene, as if the memory of that day was replaying in his eyes. Slowly, he descended toward the corpses, gazing at them as he went.

“Can you wait here for a moment?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.

He was going to burn these corpses.

‘I’d prefer it if they were buried...’

They were infected corpses, so burning them was the best option.

‘Ah... but damn, this is going to take forever...’

Gathering the corpses was a task in itself. Then, the curled up corpses would be straightened up, and laying them down properly was another task entirely.

I could say with certainty that there was no way anyone could do it alone. If he weren’t superhuman, even a full day wouldn’t be enough. Despite that, he seemed determined to do it.

Kim Hyun-Sung was paying his respects in his own way.

‘Priests or whatever... they said they’d handle the purification work... but I don’t see a thing... Just talk, talk, talk. Seriously, whether here or there, they’re the same. They’re trying to win hearts with words.’

Of course, I wouldn’t wait for Kim Hyun-Sung to finish everything.

‘It’ll take all day.’

If I snuck to Filnes, he’d figure out what happened and catch up anyway. Right now, confirming Jo Hye-Jin’s death was what mattered the most to me. Leaving Kim Hyun-Sung to tend to the corpses, I descended to the canyon.

The ruins soon came into my view.

‘Here it is.’

It felt familiar. Unlike Hwang Jung-Yeon, my memory wasn't photographic, but this place felt unmistakably familiar to me.

“This is it.’

The last time I saw it, this place was reduced to complete ruins. Any trace of what originally stood here was gone. Grotesque remains were scattered all over the place, creating an apocalyptic sight. The smell of decaying corpses seeped through the bandages around my face, making it hard for me to breathe properly.

This was definitely that place. Here, Jo Hye-Jin had begged the masked scum for Kim Hyun-Sung’s life. After killing her, the masked scum burned her with black flames. Unlike the other corpses, she was treated with some respect.

‘The scum did say that he didn’t dislike her.’

I took another step forward. There was more to see with Mind’s Eye than I expected, but there was nothing useful here. There were corpses everywhere; they were nothing but numbers... but in Kim Hyun-Sung's eyes, they probably carried a different weight.

When I moved a little closer to the center of the ruins...

“...”

“...”

A single spear caught my eye. It was planted in the ground, as if it had always been there, frozen in time. Beneath it, something that looked like ashes was scattered. Even the wind couldn't blow it away.

As I took a step closer, it began to drift away slowly, being carried somewhere by the air. I tilted my head at the sky, wondering if it wanted to make a journey around the continent, but it vanished from my sight as if it had never existed in the first place.

‘It’s Jo Hye-Jin.’

There was no need for me to confirm it. The ashes near the spear told me that she was there.

‘It’s annoying.’

Strictly speaking, First Life Jo Hye-Jin wasn’t really connected to me, but...

‘It’s frustrating.’

Perhaps I was imagining the death of Second Life Jo Hye-Jin. Of course, I believed that it couldn't be the case.

Just then, Kim Hyun-Sung's voice echoed from behind.

“What are you doing here?!” Kim Hyun-Sung shouted.

“...”

“I told you to wait! Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking? I warned you that this place is dangerous!"

“...”

“I clearly said—”

‘Yeah, you can see it too, can't you? It’s Hye-Jin. You can see it... right?’

“I-I... told you—”

He noticed the spear, and his words came to an immediate halt.

The anger that had been driving him forward dissolved almost instantly. As soon as his gaze fell on Jo Hye-Jin’s spear, every emotion inside him erupted like a typhoon. He was at a loss for words, and the only thing he could say was, “I-I... told you” on repeat.

His eyes were glued to the spear. He knew that survival here was impossible, but acknowledging it and facing death was far harder than he had imagined.

Considering their relationship in this life, it was even more understandable in my eyes.

In the end, I heard him cry, and it happened very naturally.

“Ah... ahh...”

‘Damn... this is hard to watch.’

“Heuk... ahh... ahhhh....”

‘Still... he needs to see it.’

“Kgh... heuk...”

Kim Hyun-Sung knelt before the spear, crying.

Jo Hye-Jin’s body wasn’t anywhere in sight, yet instinctively, he knew she was dead.

“Heuk... ahhh...i”

Watching him like this was hard, and his suffering didn’t sit right with me, but...

‘Still, he had to be here.’

This would make Kim Hyun-Sung even stronger. Facing the death of his comrades and friends head-on, taking responsibility for actions, and understanding the truth instead of merely deflecting blame.

Overcoming all these was essential for him.

I could see him, clinging to the spear, tears streaming down his face. Every sob was etched into him, shaping him into something stronger. And I, too, felt a tangle of conflicting emotions, despite having observed this scene before.

Even though I was seeing it for myself, the timeline felt off for me.

‘Everything was normal.’

The backdrop, the manner of death, and the spear...

Everything matched exactly what I saw in the Dark World through Kasugano Yuno. The only difference was the order. I found it hard to believe that Jo Hye-Jin was no more when she was supposed to stay alive even after Jung Ha-Yan's death and during the war against the Outer Gods.

Just then, an uncertain idea began to form in my mind.

“...”

“...”

Perhaps the Jo Hye-Jin whom I saw in what was to come in this timeline wasn’t First Life Jo Hye-Jin, but Second Life Jo Hye-Jin...

‘Or it could be a dummy. Damn it...’