The Regressor Can Make Them All

Chapter 485

“Hmm…”

Standing before the black pillar that stood at the heart of the Netherworld, Lea looked up at it, squinting.

The mysterious structure that stretched endlessly into the blue sky resembled the Towers of Heroes at first glance, but after a second, it looked entirely different. As for its presence, sometimes it was faintly like a shadow of the Towers, but vivid yet hollow at other times, like a mere reflection.

A fake that’s almost real… or maybe a real one that’s closer to being fake?

The two impressions lingered ambiguously in her mind, never quite settling into clarity. And the more she examined the black pillar, the more convoluted those thoughts and impressions became. Lea was sucked deeper and deeper in until she eventually forcefully shook her head to snap herself out of it.

Never mind. If I don’t know, I don’t know. What kind of nonsense is this…

If she had a foundational understanding to base her speculations on, then maybe she could understand. But she was without that, making understanding meaningless—which annoyed her.

Tsk, if I’d been completely ignorant, I wouldn’t be having this headache. Having an overachieving partner really is its own problem…

Once again reminded of how elusive the powers tied to the Perfect Ones truly were, Lea gazed up at the pillar one last time with a slightly regretful expression before lowering her gaze to the massive magic array at the bottom. Within it, Se-Hoon was manipulating the Sphere.

Swish!

When Se-Hoon moved his hand, the five rings crossed over one another and spun rapidly. Simultaneously, the constellation within the Sphere quickly rearranged itself. The process repeated dozens of times, adjusted bit by bit, until a new celestial body finally formed within the Sphere.

Click.

At the moment the five rings stopped in unison, a faint wave rippled outward throughout the entire Netherworld from the central black pillar.

Woong-

The shockwave felt neither heavy nor light when it passed by, but an immense force could be felt from it.

“Urgh…?!”

Stuck by the shockwave head-on, Lea’s face contorted. Was what she currently felt how it would be if the entire realm known as the Netherworld was moved at once? It was like she had leaped a vast distance in an instant, giving her a dizzying sensation that caused her to collapse—

Tap!

Appearing at her side, Se-Hoon gently supported her.

“Sorry. It seems I forgot to give a heads-up beforehand.”

“Ugh… that’s not something you should forget…”

Lea’s complexion turned paler. Her brain and organs felt as though they were moving independently, giving her nausea beyond anything imaginable. And that feeling was only intensifying.

Seeing her expression, Se-Hoon raised an index finger and tapped her solar plexus lightly.

Whoosh-

A sore sensation immediately spread from her solar plexus through her whole body. It was somewhat unpleasant, but her nausea was actually fading.

“What the hell did you just do?” Lea asked with a frown.

“I adjusted the structure of the Netherworld slightly using the Sphere and the people on Earth. This setup seems more efficient than before.”

“…You what?”

“I adjusted the structure of the entire Netherworld. Can’t you tell?”

At the sight of Se-Hoon’s gesture to a section of the blue sky above, Lea squinted at where he was pointing—and her expression immediately widened in astonishment.

Wait, it really changed.

Outwardly, it didn’t look all that different, but beyond the sky, the intangible flow created by the stars had undergone an overhaul. In simpler terms, Se-Hoon had kept the outer walls of a building intact but replaced everything within all in an instant.

No way… how is this even possible? Lea was dumbfounded.

Even if he could use the power of Boundaries, was restructuring the entire Netherworld alone—a space equivalent to an entire world—really reasonable…?

It was beyond her understanding, leaving Lea able to do nothing but stare blankly at the sky.

“…How long are you going to stay like that?”

Only when she heard Se-Hoon’s exasperated voice did she snap back to reality, seeing him still holding her up.

“Oh… hm. Sorry. It was just… really comfortable.”

Awkwardly standing up, Lea casually switched topics like nothing had happened.

“Anyway, why’d you change the structure? I thought our work here was almost done.”

It had been seventeen days since the search for Baek-Yeon’s legacy started. Only one legacy remained, and there wasn’t much territory left to search. No matter what happened, everything would most likely be finished that day. Why was he risking changes to the Netherworld now?

“…I just had a bad feeling,” Se-Hoon responded, giving a simple answer.

“A bad feeling?”

“Three days. We haven’t seen any movement for three days.” Frowning slightly, Se-Hoon lightly scanned through the world with the Heavenshrouded Eyes of the Netherworld that he was manifesting on the surface. “Heaven Eye. He’s definitely up to something.”

Despite the certainty in Se-Hoon’s words—which made it seem as if Se-Hoon had already glimpsed the future—Lea looked at him with a skeptical expression.

“Hmm… maybe he’s just seriously injured?”

They both knew Heaven Eye had suffered extreme wounds in recent battles. Limbs being blown off was routine by now, and once, he’d even escaped with just his head. Although he had come back the next day stronger than ever before, like nothing had happened, it was highly doubtful that had come without a price.

“Even with his regeneration, he got far too strong in such a short time. That means not just his body, but his synesthetic mindscape must also be unstable. And considering how demons work…”

“He should be in a state where it wouldn’t be too surprising if he died,” Se-Hoon finished.

However, despite knowing that as well, Se-Hoon remained stoic.

“That’s exactly why I’m feeling uneasy.”

Se-Hoon thought the same, that Heaven Eye was taking the time to heal or lie low for a better opportunity—but only if it were the Heaven Eye he knew before regressing. The Heaven Eye he’d fought lately? He was a completely different person.

He’s burning everything—his power, even his life—obsessing over Ha Baek-Yeon’s legacy.

Would someone like that just stop because of an injury? Se-Hoon didn’t think so; the odds were low.

“Hm… when you put it that way, yeah. If he cared about his condition, he would’ve taken a break already.”

Finally understanding his concern, Lea’s brows also furrowed.

“But then why disappear? What’s he up to?”

“There are only two possibilities that could explain his absence right now: he found the last legacy fragment before us… or he gained some kind of insight.”

Either way, it wasn’t a favorable outcome for them. And because of that, Se-Hoon had been preparing for the worst-case scenario ever since Heaven Eye went quiet. Altering the structure of the Netherworld—and by association, the Heavenshrouded Eyes of the Netherworld—as well as his other contingencies was for that purpose.

“Legacy… insight…” Pondering his words, Lea made a curious look. “Is that even possible to gain?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“A few days ago, you explained to me what was in the Visionary’s legacy, right?”

Lea’s eyes narrowed, recalling the discussion.

“I get what you’re implying. But if you ask whether the legacy relates to the power of Perception, I don’t really think so.”

Baek-Yeon’s legacy mostly used stories of her own or others’ experiences to explain the concept of future sight.

“Unreliable foresight that only partially comes true and predictions that force their realization via butterfly effects. The Visionary used these two cases to illustrate how flawed future sight is.”

“Hm.”

“And while she didn’t say it outright, the power of Perception was likely her solution to overcome those flaws.”

A power that filtered through countless possibilities and chose only the future the user needed—before making that future reality. Thanks to the many examples provided by the legacy, even someone previously clueless like Lea had understood the core of the power of Perception clearly.

“The problem is, even that power ended up no better than traditional foresight in the end.”

While the echoes of Bael-Yeon in the legacy fragments had precisely predicted what questions would be asked and who would be where during the conversations, they had failed to predict accurately when they would be discovered. In other words, even when they were created, the power of Perception had been incomplete.

“Basically, the ultimate point the Visionary was trying to get to is that even the power of Perception is just another version of flawed foresight…. Does Heaven Eye really gain anything from that?”

Having uncovered most of the legacy by Se-Hoon’s side, Lea was confident in her conclusion. Thus, Heaven Eye, who hadn’t even recovered a tenth of it, was certainly floundering.

With so little, Lea doubted whether he could even have a meaningful revelation in the first place.

“Hmm… This is interesting.”

Se-Hoon, who simply listened quietly, looked at her with a slightly surprised expression once she was done.

“You’ve got a knack for this stuff, huh?”

“…Huh?”

“Analyzing flows like that is just a form of computation. If only you learned to use the Sphere properly…”

Trailing off, Se-Hoon glanced back and forth between Lea and the Sphere, deep in thought. He had suddenly gone silent, leaving Lea puzzled. Not long later though, he broke it, having made his decision.

“When all of this is over, I’ll teach you how to use the power of Perception. Until then, study up on future sight.”

“…What?”

“It might seem a bit complicated, but if you modify the Sphere according to the blueprint I showed you before, you should be able to manage.”

“Wait, hold on…”

All she had done was ask about Heaven Eye, so how had it suddenly been decided that she would be learning the power of Perception?

Can I even use it if I learn it?

Still reeling from the abrupt declaration, Lea couldn’t stop the doubt. After all, up until now, she had only scraped the surface of the power of Perception while watching from beside Se-Hoon. How was that enough to claim she could learn it?

However, it was that very thing that made Se-Hoon look at her and smile slightly.

“The thoughts that just popped into your head—that’s the answer to your question.”

“Answer…?”

“As long as you can observe the power, even if it’s just clumsily, you can learn it.”

While Lea had been gaining an understanding of the power of Perception through Baek-Yeon’s legacy, Heaven Eye was gaining it by directly experiencing it through the Cursed Eye of Perception. Even if Heaven Eye hadn’t intended to, he would just naturally start to comprehend and accept the power of Perception that way.

Whether that’s a blessing or a curse for him… I can’t say.

Se-Hoon fell silent, pondering what kind of being Heaven Eye was now. He, who had taken in both the blessing upon ascension and the curse of demons—two utterly incompatible forces…

“Ah! Administrator!”

Terra’s urgent voice suddenly echoed in his head.

“What is it?”

Something was unusual.

“Th-the legacy… the last legacy is missing!” Terra nervously revealed.

“…What?”

Thinking he had heard wrong, Se-Hoon asked again. But alas, he hadn’t.

“We’ve checked every last area, but the legacy isn’t anywhere. I’m sure I didn’t mess up…” Terra explained, sounding wrongly accused.

“I’ll check it myself. Step aside.”

“Ah, yes!”

Wasting no time, Se-Hoon immediately shared the Warhound’s vision and looked upon the snowy Siberian forest where Seon-Woo and Jason stood.

“Missing? What do you mean it’s missing?”

Realizing that Se-Hoon had taken over, Seon-Woo stopped using his Enhanced Vision and faced him, visibly confused.

“I don’t know either. We searched every inch, but there was nothing…”

Had they missed something? Had Heaven Eye arrived first, confirmed the legacy, and left? Both Se-Hoon and Seon-Woo stood there uncertain, the possibly needing to start the search from scratch looming over—

“You didn’t miss it.”

Jason finally spoke up, his tone calm.

“It was hidden somewhere else from the beginning.”

“Somewhere else… like outside the Pilgrim’s Path?”

“No. Not that way.” Shaking his head, Jason stared beyond the snowy field. “I can’t see it clearly, but I’m sure it’s somewhere along the path we’ve already taken.”

Jason narrowed his eyes. Even now, he could faintly sense something akin to what he had been seeing while tracking down Baek-Yeon’s legacies. It was unmistakable.

“There’s a reason neither I nor this guy could see it. It’s not something that can be found through shortcuts.”

“…”

At those words, Se-Hoon remembered what Baek-Yeon’s echo had said.

“I suppose getting help from that guy is one option, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Even if our powers are similar, they’re ultimately different forces.”

Could that warning have been meant for right now?

In other words… from this point on, I’ll need to use only the power of Perception to locate it.

Unfortunately, though, Se-Hoon couldn’t leave the Netherworld. The moment he did, the Eyes of the Nether spread across the entire world would all be undone. How could he so recklessly discard the entire system he had set up in a situation where Heaven Eye’s plans were unknown?

Is there another way…

He needed to use the power of Perception at a level comparable to Baek-Yeon’s, without leaving the Netherworld nor using the Hero’s Ring, all while maintaining the Heavenshrouded Eyes of the Netherworld…. The sheer absurdity of the requirements made him let out a dry laugh.

Maybe it’d be easier to just use the Eyes of the Nether to find Heaven Eye first…

His mind began working as usual, drafting plans—until it suddenly stopped when his gaze landed on the sky.

An expanse so vast that no human eye could possibly capture it all… yet the flow shaped by the infinite possibilities seemed to fill it completely. Had Bael-Yeon been able to use the power of Perception because she could encompass such a world in a single glance…?

…If that’s the case, then maybe with the Heavenshrouded Eyes of the Netherworld that let me see the entire world, I can do the same…!

The idea filled his brain. Wasting no time, Se-Hoon quickly checked every tool he had at his disposal before addressing the two men.

“I’m going to try a quick experiment. Just in case, please keep watch here.”

“Got it.”

“Understood.”

Immediately, Se-Hoon severed the connection with the Warhound and turned to Lea.

“Lea, I’m going to fuse the entire world with the Netherworld and use the Eyes of the Nether to activate the power of Perception. Can you support me?”

Although Lea was clearly surprised by the sudden question from her widened eyes, she quickly surveyed the Netherworld’s sky, the magic array at their feet, and the Sphere. Then, after doing a few quick calculations under her breath, she nodded with confidence.

“I can do it. But I doubt I can hold it for even ten seconds.”

“That’s more than enough.”

“Alright, let’s begin then.”

Swish-

Pulling out the purple-jeweled hairpin from her head, Lea pulled out two more pins and seven hair ornaments, unravelling her braided hair. With them all in hand, she stepped up the Sphere and, without hesitation, stabbed the purple-jeweled hairpin into the inner celestial structure.

Clack!

With a mechanical sound, the five rings aligned horizontally before both the ornaments and pins floating in the air moved into place.

Chrrrk!

The two hairpins unfurled and linked to create a temporary sixth ring. The seven hair ornaments filled the gaps, forming a virtual star system.

“Simulated star system expansion!”

Woong!

The Sphere’s output shot past its limits, resonating with the entire Netherworld. Immediately after, the two faintly overlapping realms grew rapidly closer. The Netherworld and Earth. The world of the dead and the world of the living.

Through those who had walked both, the two worlds merged through collapsed boundaries. And just as they began pushing back against one another…

Phase Manifestation: Boundary Overlap

Lea’s unique skill, which turned illusion into reality, transformed the Netherworld into the surface. Now one and the same, the backlash between the two realms vanished.

“Now!”

At her shout, Se-Hoon pushed the Eyes of the Nether to their limits. The power of Boundaries surged across the globe, cloaking the land in the Eyes of the Nether.

Then, when Se-Hoon saw the entire world through the eyes, infinite possibilities unfurled across the sky.

Swish- Drip-

He had just started, yet blood was already trickling from his eyes and nose. Without the energy of the Golden Ring to sustain him, Se-Hoon was thoroughly overwhelmed by the endless data that no normal person could endure. In fact, most would’ve gone blind and lost control of their spirit.

This much… is manageable…

However, Se-Hoon forcefully persisted. He had realized seizing the future was another matter, but simply observing it? That he could do that. The near-infinite possibilities generated by every single person around the world swirled in front of his eyes, and within them, he saw it—something alien yet familiar.

A strange possibility among the countless was tied off by someone’s hand, sitting awkwardly alone in the sky.

That’s…

Tracing the location, it ended up being at the very summit of Mount Baekdu: the starting point of it all. Hidden there all along, the last legacy fragment floated in the sky above.

Finding it, Se-Hoon understood at last. The trajectory shown by the first echo had been a misdirection. The final piece hadn’t fallen but remained in the sky, deceiving everyone.

If even Heaven Eye couldn’t find it, then maybe you really do need a global perspective like this to see it.

All that was left now was to approach and use Metamorphosing Dreams to confirm it.

Having fulfilled his goal, Se-Hoon released the power of Perception—

Swoosh

A gray arrow from the edge of his vision, from beyond the Pilgrim’s Path, pierced through every thread of the flow. It then circled back, completing a vast ring of light that enveloped the world’s possibilities.

Infinite Divination: Sealed Heavenly Net

All movement stopped, the future of the world taken away.