Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1476. Continental War (56)

‘Wow...’

“...”

“...”

‘It’s hard to watch... both of them.’

The worst match in history finally came to an end. Of course, it was a positive thing that Sung Ji-Hoon, the Holy Sword Hero, showed tear-inducing growth, but there was no denying that the battle itself ended anticlimactically and somewhat absurdly.

After all, an applause could only generate a sound when both hands were clapping. Watching Ryu Han collapse so rapidly from the middle of the fight, I[1] could understand why Jin Cheong hadn’t rated him very highly.

The phrase "machines are bound to break" crossed my mind because he quite literally looked broken. Of course, I didn’t know whether the kind of breakdown Jin Cheong mentioned was the same kind I was sensing, but one thing was certain—that guy was definitely acting in an abnormal way.

I felt like there was something to it that remained unknown to me.

After all, I knew nothing about Ryu Han.

I had no idea what kind of story he had, what happened with Jin Cheong during the tutorial, or how he lived back on Earth. Honestly, I didn’t need to know any of that, and I wasn’t curious about those, either.

Just at a glance, it seemed like some tragic backstory was prepared for him, but that was entirely his own business. The one thing I could be sure of was that he cared about those he "followed," like Jin Cheong or the Saint of Moonlight.

I had no idea what exactly pushed his buttons, but the fact that he never wavered in the face of Sung Ji Hoon’s eyes and lines made me think that...

‘Does this bastard just want to be Jin Cheong’s little lackey or something?’

Perhaps there was a desire to change—a tiny crack quietly taking root inside him. Even if he himself hadn’t noticed that faint emotion, perhaps watching Sung Ji Hoon's growth right in front of him made that crack grow wider.

I felt like he was starting to change, and perhaps he was regretting his past choices.

Unfortunately, he noticed his feelings far too late, which was why he collapsed on his own.

A small ripple had appeared in a perpetually calm sea, and then it became a storm that engulfed the entirety of that sea. He lost his composure amidst the waves of emotion he was feeling for the first time in his life, and he grew confused and flustered. In the end, collapsed without properly showing his abilities.

He even hesitated at the very end and couldn’t extend his sword.

Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if the bastard had been thinking at all. As I said, he was simply swallowed by chaotic emotions that he couldn't understand. It almost felt like he had gone easy on purpose.

This was a half-baked victory, and the Holy Sword Hero seemed drunk on that half-baked win.

‘What are you doing... Aren't you going to clean this up? Is the war over?’

He was lowering his own sword. Of course, the Republic soldiers who had confirmed Ryu Han’s defeat lost their will to fight, and because of that, it felt like the war would naturally come to a halt, but...

‘Aren’t you going to land the finishing blow? Are you seriously going the no-kill route?’

Our Holy Sword Hero didn’t seem very interested in dealing with what came after. Instead, I saw him right there on the spot, clutching Yuriel tightly and sobbing his heart out.

Of course, I could understand how he felt, but did he really have to act like that in this situation? And why was he crying while staring up at the sky? Why was he tilting his head back and wailing so dramatically as if he were in a drama?

I'd understand if there were a full moon in the sky, but there wasn’t even a hint of one. Compared to the young ladies who carried their grief silently as they headed back to the battlefield, his behavior left a bad taste in my mouth.

Obviously, I knew better than to overestimate the guy too much.

Ryu Han fumbled badly, but looking only at the result, Sung Ji Hoon broke down the wall. Using today’s memories as fuel, he would grow stronger and become even tougher. That much was painfully obvious.

‘If I’m being honest... he was pretty cool. If he reminded me of Kim Hyun-Sung, that says it all.’

The problem was that he had grown while leaning on Jin-Yuriel emotionally.

However, Sung Ji-Hoon’s original story stated that the Holy Sword would eventually lose its light, which ended in him going mad and dying, so it didn’t really feel that strange.

Still, rather than on Sung Ji Hoon crying like he’d lost the entire world, my gaze began drifting toward Ryu Han, who was being escorted off the battlefield by the Republic Army.

He looked like he had come back to his senses at some point. With a somewhat refreshed expression and a calm face, he was being supported along while looking like some comic book villain. He was definitely wondering whether he, too, could change.

Unfortunately, there was no future where he actually changed. Ryu Han no longer appeared in the main storyline. I wondered how someone that strong could simply vanish, but after learning about his circumstances, I realized that a small event later on would serve as the trigger behind his disappearance.

‘Commander Jin’s death.’

He would probably hear that news on his way back to stabilize things, and that would be the end of him, as he would then withdraw into seclusion.

When I finally tore my gaze away from them, I felt Alps’ gaze. Naturally, I realized I had been too focused on their fight. She didn’t speak first, but she probably was curious about what was happening on the 4-2 Front as well.

After all, she was at least somewhat acquainted with the Keepers of the Moonlight and the members of the new Black Rose Salon, so it made sense that she’d want to know the outcome.

Perhaps she found it a bit burdensome to speak to me first, as I saw her swallow dryly.

In the end, I had no choice but to say something.

“Looks like the 4-2 Front... wrapped up pretty well.”

“Ah! So... Mr. Ji-Hoon really did win,” Alps said.

“It was a bit close... and honestly, it looked like the opponent collapsing on his own played a big part... but yes, it seems he pulled it off,” I said.

‘Feels kind of bittersweet.’

“The young ladies from the Black Rose Salon have joined up with them as well... We should watch a little longer, but I think it’s safe to say it’s basically over,” I added.

“Phew... that’s a relief. I kept saying I believed in him, but honestly... I was still worried,” she confessed.

“...”

“Um... well... then... Are you alright, sir?” she asked.

“Hm?”

“I’m not sure if it’s even my place to say this, but... you... don't look so well,” she pointed out.

“...”

“You spent the most time with Mr. Ji-Hoon... and with the others from the Black Rose Salon too... We’re mostly fine, but... since you’ve been working on the front lines with them, I figured you must’ve grown pretty attached to them, and... it suddenly made me wonder if you’re really okay,” she clarified.

‘She’s worrying over nothing. Is that a habit she picked up from taking care of Hye-Jin or something? Who’s supposed to be looking after who here?’

“...”

“...”

“I’m sorry if I overstepped. But... if I were you, sir... I think it'd be really hard for me,” she said.

She probably assumed that since she was struggling, I had to be struggling, too. After all, she had lost the girls she’d gotten close to back during her debutante days. Of course, she had always been planning on going back to the second life, so she probably tried not to get too attached to them, but humans were social creatures.

Even if one were to keep pushing people away, one couldn't push everyone away.

Not that I really felt much either way...

‘Still... being comforted doesn't feel so bad. It’s kind of motivating too...’

“I’m fine,” I answered.

“Pardon?”

“I’m fine. There are more important things to worry about,” I told her.

“Right... of course... there must be... more important things... yes... um...” she mumbled.

“More importantly... could you pick up the pace a bit?” I requested.

“Yes, sir.”

‘We need to move faster.’

Saying there were more important matters wasn’t a lie. From her perspective, she was probably imagining us saying our goodbyes to Sung Ji-Hoon and the Black Rose Salon girls and parting on a calm note, but we didn’t have that kind of luxury.

‘As fast as possible...’

I had a pretty good idea why Kim Hyun-Sung was still here, after all. My thoughts were interrupted by Ryu Han and Sung Ji-Hoon's fight, but it wasn’t hard to guess what he was waiting for.

‘First Ki-Young and First Jin Cheong, probably.’

There was nothing else he could possibly be waiting for. Since he was still around here, he was obviously waiting for the two of them to talk. The bastard was actually trying to reach the truth.

I had no idea what had gotten into him to make him want to confirm all of this, but Kim Hyun-Sung was curious about everything, about the stories behind the scenes, about the tangled connection between himself and the masked man, and about the things he had to see with his own eyes.

‘Someone must’ve put that idea in his damn head.’

Honestly, I still wasn’t sure what position I ought to take here, but meeting him came first, no matter what. The 4-1 Front, which was closely tied to the 4-2 Front, was collapsing just as quickly as the latter. No, it was safe to say it had already collapsed.

We passed through the 4-2 Front and entered the 4-1 Front, but Alps hadn’t run into a single soldier. Since stepping into 4-1, she hadn’t fought even once. In other words...

‘They’re all dead.’

They were either dead, fleeing, or hiding. Whatever the case, it meant the war was coming to an end. In a way, it was almost impressive.

“This is horrible. How did it get this bad... The war that started on the 4-1 Front... Didn’t it begin similarly to the 4-2 Front?” Alps asked.

‘Exactly my point.’

“Yes, you’re probably right, Miss Alps,” I answered.

“...”

“What on earth happened here? This level of devastation...” she commented.

It wasn’t like the 4-2 Front had taken light losses. The mines the Brigade had set off alone wiped out countless lives in a short time, and plenty more died once the battle truly began.

Even so, it couldn’t compare to the casualties from the battle between First Ki-Young and First Jin Cheong. Those bastards who had been cautiously probing each other, conserving troops, and trying to gain even the slightest advantage, suddenly threw their soldiers into the grinder the moment the real fight began.

When I was spying on Kim Hyun-Sung earlier, it still looked like a normal war, but in the short moment my attention drifted to Sung Ji-Hoon, people died in droves. They were deployed all over the place as well.

The ones killed by large-scale magic or blades were the lucky ones.

‘Chemical weapons, plagues, and curses...’

Some had their bodies twisted grotesquely from curses, others showed signs of taking their own lives, perhaps driven mad by mental-type magic. I could say with certainty that this entire region would remain contaminated for a long time after the war.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“Huff... huff... yes... sir,” Alps answered.

“I’ll put a blessing on you at least,” I offered.

“T-thank you.”

Alps' resistance wasn't really high, so she was clearly being affected by the contaminated ground. I couldn’t even begin to guess what they had done with that tangled heap of corpses rolled together into one massive lump of flesh.

Honestly, it made me think it was better to look at this than at Sung Ji-Hoon or Ryu Han.

This was a war where both sides had deployed all their forces, employed tricks on top of tricks just to drive a single arrow into the other’s skull, and pushed their soldiers to their deaths over and over again.

This was a war between two monsters.

As if I still had no idea how it ended, he appeared in the Telescope.

‘First Ki-Young.’

He walked across a battlefield littered with corpses, and then he stopped in front of ruins that were on the verge of collapsing. After stepping inside, he stared at someone who had been sitting in a chair, waiting for him.

"I’m not sure whether I should say nice to meet you or long time no see..." he said.

"..."

"Anyway, it’s good to see you, Commander Jin."

"Yeah, good to see you too, Lee Ki Young."

"..."

"..."

"You look bored... How about we play a game or something?"

"..."

"You’re even funnier than I expected."

1. Lee Ki-Young’s POV ☜