Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1469. Continental War (49)

His stiff, hard face stood out the most. He even looked a little gaunt.

‘Damn it... My baby... why have you gotten so skinny?’

Of course, I never thought he’d been living and eating well, but he looked even more worn down than I’d expected. Honestly, he looked like a pet dog that had run away from home and gotten lost.

His skin, which was always kept neat and clean, looked completely dried out, like all the moisture had been sucked away from it. Even his lips looked cracked.

That remark of his was still stuck in my head, and just thinking about it made my anger flare up again, but it seemed that he could also feel the fact that the Regressor Instruction Manual was fading away.

The distance between us wasn’t that far, yet the fact that his eyes weren’t shining at all was practically proof that the manual was growing fainter. More than anyone else, Kim Hyun-Sung could feel that keenly.

His anxious and restless face and the way he kept rubbing one eye told me that he was worried about losing access to it.

‘Yeah, of course you would be. Of course...’

I was absentmindedly tapping my thigh when Lee Chang-Ryeol’s voice came through again.

— It doesn’t look like he’ll be leaving for now, so I’m keeping my distance.

"Good. Don’t make contact and don’t provoke him. Focus on maintaining that distance."

— Yes, sir

"Tell Miss Yeon-Soo, Miss Hee-Young, and all participating personnel to stand by as well."

Just as Chang-Ryeol said, it didn’t look like he’d be leaving the 4-1 Front line anytime soon. He was standing in the middle of the battlefield, surveying the entire front like an observer.

Naturally, I saw the rejuvenated Dr. Michele standing beside Kim Hyun-Sung. I’d figured that he had to have been fairly handsome when he was young, and sure enough, he had that pretty-boy look. Externally, the only thing that seemed different was his age, but when I focused a little more, I could feel some kind of unusual mana inside him.

Just like I thought, it definitely felt like he’d received some kind of blessing from something.

‘So the bastard made a deal with a demon after all.’

They seemed to be talking about something when a random spell flew toward them. Kim Hyun-Sung immediately rushed forward and knocked away the spell aimed at Michele with just one arm.

‘Wow, look at you playing the knight. So cool. Damn... so cool. Kim Hyun-Sung, you idiot.’

I knew I shouldn’t provoke him carelessly, but before I realized it, I had already sent a message. He didn’t even have the hand mirror anymore, but we still had another communication channel.

[Creating a Mythic Forced Quest,]

[Mr. Hyun-Sung.]

[The Mythic Forced Quest wasn’t delivered.]

‘Huh?’

[Creating a Mythic Forced Quest.]

[Mr. Hyun-Sung, right now...]

[The Mythic Forced Quest wasn’t delivered.]

‘...’

[Creating a Mythic Forced Quest,]

[Hey, why aren’t you picking up?]

[The Mythic Forced Quest wasn’t delivered.]

‘Did the bastard block me?’

I already knew it was pointless, no matter how many times I tried, but I kept sending quest prompts anyway. Even so, the messages weren't getting through.

‘Did he seriously block me?’

There was no other explanation except that he had shut off the channel through which quest messages could reach him.

‘Wow...’

It was so absurd that it left me speechless. I’d never even imagined Kim Hyun-Sung would block me, which only made me feel more flustered. No matter how many times I tried, the result was the same.

‘That bastard... That ungrateful... bastard!’

Just then, a loud crash rang out from nearby.

Kabooooooom!

Of course, I turned toward the sound.

"Aaaaaaaagh!"

"Damn it! That’s another one dead!!!"

"Serves him right."

"Agreed. The smoke’s tricky, but not enough to get caught."

"Those were the shields protecting me, you know!"

‘Ah, damn it...’

"It’s fine. Well... a few deaths can’t be helped. Besides, unlike earlier, you can say these are meaningful deaths, right? It’s impressive how they rushed in, driven by revenge, and they even grew this strong in such a short time... but it seems they still haven’t made up for their stamina. They’re probably getting tired by now."

‘Come on, seriously?’

Right now, I wanted to run straight to Kim Hyun-Sung. I wanted to storm over and smack him across the face, but the voices kept going.

"Hmph. Yeah, it does look that way. No way they can keep up invisibility magic like this all day. Same with the smoke. Their attacks are losing their edge little by little... It’s annoying, but if this turns into a long fight, we’ve got the advantage."

"..."

"But that’s what pisses me off! It’s nothing special, just a petty little spell. Damn it... if you idiots had just cooperated with me—not that we have a choice—Aaaaargh! This is so annoying!

"Whatever! I don’t care! Everything else is fine, but don’t touch the wench using the invisibility spell! Don’t kill her either! You hear me? You’d better be ready. I’ll make you suffer in the lab for the rest of your life! I’ll torture you until you beg me to just kill you!"

"Could you please stop talking about your lab? It makes me sick."

"It’s for the advancement of magic! It’s coming... it’s coming!"

BOOM! Craaaaack!

"Grab her before she disappears into the smoke! If she hides, she’ll get another invisibility spell and pop back out!

"Isn’t that reaching its limit, too? Her casting speed has slowed down, and she’s squeezing out the last of her mana. If we just wait... Tch! That was close."

"Leave it to us. Let’s just use it at random!"

"Yeah!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang out everywhere, blasts roaring together with clouds of dust. The twins finally lost their patience and were firing wide-area attacks in every direction. It was only for a moment, but the firepower was enough to feel like it could wipe the entire area clean.

The Brigade’s side seemed to have also taken some damage from the twins’ attacks, but there was no way they could be hit as hard as the ladies.

Even after defending with smoke and defensive magic, they still received substantial damage. They had to have burned through a massive amount of mana in an instant, which meant they didn’t have much time left to maintain the invisibility spell.

Sure enough, the ladies’ silhouettes slowly began to reappear.

"Yipeee! Nice one, twins!"

"Damn it... my left arm and left leg are completely burned off!"

"If you got hit, that’s because you’re stupid! Well? Feeling it now, noble ladies?"

"We never planned to keep hiding in the first place."

"Ha! Still bluffing, huh?"

Obviously, they still had dozens of other tactics and plans left. Even so, the uneasiness in me wouldn’t go away.

The pig was charging straight at them. Lady Hamgardia was facing off against the tall stick of a guy and that average-looking bastard. Rainelpia acted as the tank ahead of the other girls holding swords, but the composition just wasn’t suited for a head-on fight.

The real problem was the high proportion of mages. Up until now, the smoke had been substituting for a frontline, but the moment their mana ran dry, the formation would collapse in an instant.

It would be like all the time they had spent holding on had been a lie all this while.

‘Damn it...’

The dilemma I had been struggling with earlier surfaced again. I’d already made my decision, but actually seeing Kim Hyun-Sung made it hard to move my feet. I gnashed my teeth and was just about to head toward the young ladies when something suddenly sped past my vision at incredible speed.

When I looked again, I saw two-tone hair fluttering in the wind.

“Pastel.”

I already knew she’d grown absurdly strong, but even so, she was unbelievably fast. The sight of Pastel’s face, teeth clenched tight, flashed by.

‘How is she so fast?’

Hand-to-hand combat was her specialty, especially kicking techniques, so considering the strength of her legs, that kind of speed wasn’t really strange. Even so, my mouth fell open without me realizing it.

I wondered why she was here in the first place, but the reason was probably obvious. She said she would stay by Aina Peneloti’s side, but she had to have been keeping a close watch on the battlefield.

The moment she saw the ground collapsing with that massive explosion, she probably couldn’t hold herself back anymore and rushed out. I wasn’t sure how she had pinpointed the exact location, but they probably had some artifact that let them track each other’s positions.

The important thing was the expression on her face. She looked absolutely desperate. It was only for a brief moment, but her eyes were fixed on the area hidden by smoke.

There was a clear fear that she could end up losing another friend. Her breathing was ragged, and tears were pooling in her eyes. A complicated expression suffused her face—regret, fear, and resolve.

‘There’s no need to go over there... Looks like she can handle it herself.’

I was heading toward the young ladies, but I stopped in my tracks. It felt like I could head toward Kim Hyun-Sung instead. Of course, my gaze stayed fixed on them anyway.

Just as expected, their formation was on the verge of collapse. The tall, lanky bastard had already broken through Hamgardia and Rainelpia's defenses. The girls kept casting their spells while trying to back away from him, but there was no way they could avoid that grotesque weapon of his.

One of them, acting as a sub-tank, was gritting her teeth and trying to hold him back, but even that didn’t look easy. The tall bastard’s target was obviously the head of the Black Rose Salon. He had to have figured out the operation's leader, and it was a smart choice on his end.

"PAINT!!!"

‘Still... this is a little nerve-wracking...’

And then...

Thud!

With a heavy impact, Pastel’s kick burst through the smoke and slammed straight into his face. For a second, I was worried she had accidentally hit Paint instead, but it looked like she still had her head on straight.

Boom!

The power packed into her leg was beyond imagination. The skinny bastard flew far to the left and crashed into a wall and trees.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

"P-Pastel...?”

"Huff..."

"Pastel!"

"Pastel!!"

"Huff... huff... huh..."

Pastel looked toward Paint.

"..."

"..."

And then I saw her hesitate. The sight of Paint was probably nothing like what she had imagined. A face covered in burns, brittle hair, a pathetically thin body. Realizing she’d misunderstood her all this time was only natural. She couldn’t even open her mouth, as she just stared blankly at her.

"What the..."

"Pastel..."

"..."

"..."

"Why... do you look... like that..."

"..."

"I asked you why!"

"..."

"At least... at least! You could’ve shown off... that you were living well... or made it obvious you were successful... W-why are you in that condition...?"

Her voice trembled, on the verge of tears.

"You could’ve at least married Count Kim Hyun-Sung or... lived so well it’d drive me crazy with jealousy... then... then I could resent you... then I could at least curse you... But why do you look like that?"

"I-I’m sorry. Pastel. I..."

"I don’t need an apology. Heuk... I don’t need you to say sorry!"

‘It’s kind of a touching moment, though.’

Naturally, I smiled faintly at the sight. It was the kind of warm scene I wouldn’t mind watching a little longer, but the enemies weren’t the kind, Saturday-morning cartoon villains who’d politely wait for the scene to finish.

It looked like the young ladies needed time to sort out everything that had piled up between them, and if I wanted to manage the traffic here...

[Creating a Legendary Forced Quest.]

[The light... (0/1)]

[Delivering the Legendary Forced Quest to Pastel and the eighteen noble ladies.]

"Huh?

"H-huh?

"Uh... huh? Uh..."

"Heuk... heuuuk...

[Light it.]

"Heuuuuung..."

"Heuuuk..."

[Ladies! Let us shine our light together!]

"Heuk... heuuuk..."

"Heuuuuk... Peneloti... Heuk..."

...I thought this would be enough.