Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1352. Visit (2) [Illustration]

Damn it.

‘What on earth is this?’

I was flustered, but I knew it wasn’t something to be overly alarmed about. When I thought about it rationally, it wasn’t such a strange phenomenon. In fact, it made more sense to consider it a natural occurrence.

‘It’s because I’ve recently been staying in the first life.’

It wasn’t a matter of crossing dimensions; I had traveled to a place that was difficult to explain. It wasn’t exactly the past, but a world that had been erased.

Although it wasn’t exactly a perfect explanation, it was like my mind had chased after my body, which had drifted away. When I thought about the possibility that time spent in the first life could affect the Regressor’s Instruction Manual, then the changes in the color weren't exactly strange.

‘That must be it.’

The problem was that all of this was just an assumption. The hypothesis that staying in the first life could affect the Regressor’s Instruction Manual was convincing, but there was also the possibility that it wasn’t true.

If the fundamental reason for my eye becoming dull wasn’t the first life, then what was the reason behind it? What if there was a third-party intervention, or what if Kim Hyun-Sung’s bond with me was weakening?

What if he was pushing away the connection with me on his own? I knew it was unlikely, but who could say that for sure? What if the bastard actually went crazy and started dreaming of independence, even though I sent him away to fix his mental illness?

Until I opened the lid, I couldn’t give a definite answer about anything.

The only thing I could be sure of was that the Regressor’s Instruction Manual was being affected by something or someone. Of course, it wasn’t a pleasant thought. Whether it was Kim Hyun-Sung, the first life, or me, losing the Regressor’s Instruction Manual was the same as losing control over Kim Hyun-Sung.

I thought that it wouldn't necessarily be that way, but even so, I couldn’t welcome this phenomenon. He was a regressor I had created from head to toe; he was supposed to always be under my control.

“...”

“...”

‘This is annoying.’

I disliked this phenomenon; it was a problem from somewhere unknown to me.

While I was lost in thought, a voice echoed. “Hyung-nim.”

It was Park Deok-Gu's voice.

“...”

“Hyung-nim?” Park Deok-Gu repeated.

“...”

“Can you even hear me, hyung-nim?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“I can hear you,” I answered.

“Why do you look so upset, though?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“Me?” I asked.

“Well, I’ve seen you deep in thought many times, but today, you seem a little more serious than usual. Do you have something on your mind? Especially today, when you’re meeting Hyun-Sung bro...” Park Deok-Gu answered.

“No. It’s nothing, so don’t worry about it,” I reassured him.

“Come on, how can I not worry when you’re like that? It’s been a while since all the guild members have gathered in one place. It's difficult to make everyone gather in one place... I don’t know what’s troubling you, but if it’s work-related, just set it aside for today. Take care of Hye-Jin noonim, too,” Park Deok-Gu said.

“Hye-Jin?” I asked.

“I heard about the fight you two had the other day,” Park Deok-Gu reminded me.

‘Ah, that did happen.’

In fact, it wasn’t really a fight. I was the one who pushed her relentlessly. Thinking back, I couldn’t help but realize that we hadn’t spoken at all since then.

Perhaps that was why the atmosphere felt so tense. Even though it was rare for all the guild members to gather in one place, there was a strange awkwardness in the room.

Rookies like Alps and Belier were tense, carefully observing everyone else.

The other guild members didn't really look comfortable, either.

In Kim Ye-Ri’s case, she seemed pleased about going out to see Kim Hyun-Sung, but she wasn’t oblivious to the bad atmosphere. Sun Hee-Young and Elena were similarly cautious.

Hee-Young, being naturally quiet, didn’t show much outwardly, but she seemed more careful than usual. Of course, she was aware of the heavy mood as well.

Elena stood. She seemed to be trying to break the awkwardness by talking to Hee-Young, but Hee-Young merely blinked and nodded quietly at her, showing no real reaction.

The guild members looked pitiful; it was like the awkward air was suffocating them.

“Uh... M-Miss... Hee-Young... the weather is really nice, isn’t it?” Elena asked.

“...”

“...”

“...”

It wasn’t only her struggling with the awkward atmosphere. Hwang Jung-Yeon was usually chatty and bright, but she had to have found this situation to be particularly grueling.

Normally, she would be chatting away by now, but even she could only manage to say, “Yes. I-it is... nice. The weather's nice.”

Among them, Jo Hye-Jin looked the worst, naturally.

Anyone could see that something had happened, and her face proved it.

From her perspective, it all made sense. She knew I had been traveling through parallel worlds and that I had recently suffered a grievous injury, so it all made sense that she couldn’t easily enjoy this kind of event.

She was probably the most conflicted person in the room. While the other guild members were merely cautious because of the conflict between their sub guild master and Hye-Jin, she knew everything.

Naturally, approaching her felt like the right decision.

After all, she and I were the reason behind the tense air.

“Miss Hye-Jin, can we talk for a moment?” I asked.

“...”

“Miss Hye-Jin,” I said.

“...”

‘What’s this? Is she sulking?’

“Sub Guild Master,” Jo Hye-Jin said.

At this point, I had no choice but to say the words I’d heard from Park Deok-Gu.

“Relax. The guild members might think something serious happened,” I told her.

“You were just—”

“It’s not because of what happened over there. Did I ever apologize for getting angry last time?” I asked.

“Yes, but that actually doesn’t matter. I could understand how you felt back then,” she replied.

“That issue has been mostly settled, so you don’t need to worry about it. I may have gotten a bit heated at the time... or maybe I was just too young and emotional... Ah. Anyway, we’ll talk about that later, Miss Hye-Jin,” I said.

“....”

“....”

“More importantly, look around you,” I told her.

I knew there was no way she couldn’t see what I was seeing. The guild members were standing awkwardly here and there, looking uncomfortable. Upon seeing them, she finally realized what day it was and what the situation was.

“Ah...”

“You get the general idea, right?” I asked.

“Yes. I understand,” Jo Hye-Jin replied.

Perhaps conscious of the guild members’ gazes, Jo Hye-Jin appeared even more tense.

‘Damn, maybe I shouldn’t have pointed it out.’

“Sir, today... the weather is really nice, isn’t it?” Jo Hye-Jin asked.

‘Why does she only talk about the weather?’

It was her attempt to ease the atmosphere, but it only made her even more awkward. It looked almost forced, as if she were pretending to be friendly, which made the mood even more awkward. It felt like staying silent would have been better.

Even Shiro looked uncomfortable. Those who were already cautious began to observe Jo Hye-Jin and me even more closely. Of course, there were some who acted as if the atmosphere wasn't bothering them at all.

That bastard Ahn Ki-Mo was still a step behind. He was watching with a sly smile and was grinning as always to make his presence known.

‘That Ahn Ki-Mo... somehow really annoys me.’

Yet I couldn’t deny that his presence was helpful sometimes.

“I wanted to say that, too, Miss Jo Hye-Jin. Man... the weather is really nice, isn’t it? It’s as if the sky itself is blessing our reunion with the guild master,” Ahn Ki-Mo said.

Even talking about the weather, he didn’t sound awkward.

“I have no idea how long it’s been since I last went out, Sub Guild Master. Hahaha. I’ve always wanted to enjoy a proper holiday... but today, I finally feel like I can really relax. It’s been so long since the guild members went out together.

"Sometimes, we really need moments like this,” he continued.

‘Alright, I have to admit, I like his cheekiness.’

“Right?”

“Haha. I’ve been waiting for this day. I’ve been really busy lately. Honestly, the schedule has been brutal; I just didn’t mention it. I thought joining a good guild would mean wealth and glory, but instead, too much work might get me to first—Ah... ah! Of course, I’m not blaming you, sir... I’m just saying I’ve been busy. Hahaha,” Ahn Ki-Mo said.

“You’ve skipped a lot of important expeditions... by making all sorts of excuses. You—”

“Ha... hahaha...” Ahn Ki-Mo interrupted Kim Ye-Ri by laughing.

“Well, Ki-Mo bro has slacked off quite a bit. You’d see if you checked the performance record, hyung-nim,” Park Deok-Gu chimed in.

“Even up until recently, he’s been resting—”

“Well... there were unavoidable circumstances, right? Isn’t that right, Miss Ah-Young?” Ahn Ki-Mo said, interrupting Kim Ye-Ri again.

It seemed like she was being asked for help. I knew best that Yoo Ah-Young had been stuck in the workshop without being able to take a break. Realizing that the attention was on her, Yoo Ah-Young hastily shook her head.

“Ah-Young unni has to stay in the workshop, so she can’t go on expeditions. You really just played around, Mister Ki-Mo. I heard he even asked Miss Kim Mi-Young... to take him off the schedule... I don’t like seeing that kind of favoritism,” Kim Ye-Ri said.

“Ha... hahaha... T-that hurts... You know this is a misunderstanding, right? Sir? I would never do such a thing...” Ahn Ki-Mo muttered.

“Once we’re done visiting the guild master, you can go on the support missions requested by the Red Mercenary Guild,” I suggested.

“What? S-sir... anything else is fine, but... that place... you know I don’t get along with them,” Ahn Ki-Mo stuttered.

Kim Ye-Ri looked pretty satisfied with the arrangement. Finally, everyone was starting to relax. Even Shiro was wagging his tail, telling me that the mood had improved.

"I-it really... has been so hard...” he mumbled.

“...”

“...”

Jung Ha-Yan was really exhausted dealing with the Seraphim incident, so I reached out to her, and she immediately rushed over to hold my hand. She grinned at me while holding Han Sora's hand with her other hand. Clearly, she had been looking forward to this outing.

‘Looks like things are finally returning to normal.’

As always, the pig meddled with everyone, and his loud voice pervaded our ears. Hwang Jung-Yeon became chatty as if she had thrown all caution to the wind, and Elena exhaled the tension she had been holding in.

Jo Hye-Jin smiled faintly, and even Alps and Belier became more comfortable. Lee Chang-Ryeol and Park Lian remained expressionless, while Colonel Smith looked as if he had reluctantly joined his superior’s hike, but everything was as usual.

‘If only Kim Hyun-Sung were here, it would be perfect.’

I couldn’t help but notice that someone was missing. Various worries swirled in my mind, but just being able to see him brought me a sense of relief. I rubbed one eye and spoke to Ha-Yan. “Ha-Yan, let’s get going.”

“O-okay! Oppa,” Jung Ha-Yan answered.

As soon as Ha-Yan cast her spell, the scenery shifted.

Then, a familiar scene appeared before my eyes.

“Mr. Ki-Young?” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

He was standing in the green meadow.