The Regressor Can Make Them All

Chapter 499

Baek-Yeon’s arrow had now been fired, transcending the bounds of the world for the sake of humanity’s future.

However, because of that, the foreign beings across the cosmos descended upon Earth after following its traces.

“Harbingers of Destruction? You gave such a name to a mere B-rank being? Pathetic.”

“Looks like the civilization is type three or so. I feel like dying from boredom.”

“Starting today, our Pantheon shall rule this world.”

Being an organization that far surpassed even the Demon Force, Pantheon left no hope for humanity. All they could do was abandon all resistance and bow before them for mercy, calling them the Constellations—

“That’s just bullshit.”

Of course, nothing like that ever happened.

“Hey, why not? It could happen, right?”

Taking a break from assembling a massive observation device in the courtyard of Se-Hoon’s workshop, Lea wiped some magic stone powder off her cheek with the back of her hand as she glanced at Se-Hoon.

“If there are that many lifeforms in the universe, then couldn’t there be even scarier things beyond the universe itself?”

As always, humanity remained deeply interested in whether potential neighbors—or invaders—were lurking somewhere in the cosmos. Even after the appearance of the Towers of Heroes and the Abyss of Demons, that was still the case. In fact, back when they had just appeared, it was a common theory that the Towers and the Abyss were constructs sent by extraterrestrial beings.

“Earth is barely a speck of dust; surely, beyond the Golden Ring are transcendent beings who play marbles with galaxies…”

“How many times do I have to say it? There’s no such thing.”

“Why are you so sure? Do you have some sort of absolute proof?”

She was like a stubborn child who still wanted to believe in Santa Claus, which was starting to annoy Se-Hoon.

Sure, there was no guarantee that there was nothing outside the Golden Ring. The only ones who had ever reached beyond were the Doppelganger and Baek-Yeon, after all—and both had died afterward.

To humanity, the realm past the Golden Ring remained a mystery. No one could say for certain what was out there. Yet, even then, Se-Hoon was certain: there was nothing beyond.

“…”

He had never ventured out like the Doppelganger nor had he seen it like Baek-Yeon. Still, he felt utterly certain that such things didn’t exist beyond the Golden Ring.

“…Anyway, just know that there’s nothing out there. If such beings existed, there’s no way they would’ve stayed hidden until now.”

If even someone like Ludwig could freely venture beyond the universe if he wanted to, what could be stopping the so-called transcendent beings from revealing themselves?

Hearing Se-Hoon’s exasperation, Lea smiled smugly.

“Don’t you know anything about causality~? I’m sure beings like that are always bound by restrictions and can’t act freely…”

Lea continued to ramble on and on, her imagination running wild with cosmic revelations. Sighing once again, Se-Hoon counterattacked in another way.

“Terra.”

Poke-

“Agh!”

With a yelp, Lea jumped back.

“W-What the heck was that for?!”

She looked at Terra, who was standing nearby in the Warhound with a toolbox in hand.

“The Administrator told me to poke you whenever you start spouting nonsense!” Tera explained with a bright smile, completely unfazed by Lea’s pained expression as she clutched her side.

“I was just making a logical deduction…”

Poke-

“Aghh!”

Grinning mischievously, Terra looked at Lea after jabbing her other side. Clearly, she was ready to strike again.

“Ugh… Fine! I’ll get back to work if that’s what you want!”

Knowing she had no way of winning in such close quarters, Lea grumbled and returned to her task.

Maybe she’s a little too receptive… Se-Hoon thought, rubbing his chin.

It had been a week since he returned from the Tower of Pristine, and like Baek-Yeon had done, Se-Hoon kept the state of the cosmos a secret. After all, the war with the Demon Force hadn’t even ended yet. The last thing they needed was some kind of cosmic revelation stirring chaos—or bizarre theories like Lea’s.

Sure, knowledge is power. Right now, though, ignorance is bliss.

They were no longer in the old world where such things would’ve ended as another conspiracy theory. When even one person’s strange idea—or synesthetic mindscape—could create a new weaponized phenomenon, there was no need to take unnecessary risks.

That said, there were two main reasons Se-Hoon had let Lea in on the state of the cosmos. First, because she had the type of unshakeable personality that would take it all in stride. And second, because Lea’s enchantments relied heavily on Celestial Magic.

Even a small difference matters here.

Even with the same Celestial Magic, the caster’s understanding of the cosmos heavily influenced the output. What seemed like a minor factor now may later become the decisive edge in her battle against Puppeteer.

Well, as long as she isn’t seriously saying that stuff. I guess it’s fine for now.

Thankfully, Lea didn’t seem ‌seriously convinced. Most likely, she was just messing with him for his reaction. And if things worsened later, he could always just “edit” her memory a bit. So far, though, there was no issue.

Satisfied with his plans, Se-Hoon returned to his work.

Thud-

Lightly dropping a freshly crafted transparent circular disk—a massive lens—onto the workbench, Se-Hoon began inspecting its surface. Naturally, it was one of the lenses meant for the celestial telescope Lea was assembling.

Once he was done with the inspection, Se-Hoon placed his hand on it and activated the power of Perception.

Swish-

A stream of pure white light spread from his palm, gliding along the lens’s rim and circling back to form the White Ring. Seeing that he had successfully embedded the power into it, Se-Hoon connected the lens to the observation functionality of the ring.

Woong-

The White Ring spun rapidly, clinging to the rim as it fused with the lens. There was a faint glow, the entire surface shimmering. Everything was snapping perfectly into place little by little, like a camera coming into focus.

Ding-

With a clear, resonant chime, the energy stabilized within the lens.

“Phew…”

Finished, Se-Hoon lifted the lens and raised it to look at the bright midday sun overhead. Normally, a regular lens was useless in such light—if not outright dangerous for the eyes. But of course, it wasn’t a regular lens.

Woong!

The White Ring manifested the precise focal point Se-Hoon desired, clearly displaying the celestial body hidden behind the sun: pinpoint observation using ultra-localized future realization.

In every aspect, its performance was leagues above any commercial telescope.

Looks good enough, Se-Hoon thought as he nodded in satisfaction.

Once he added the Arrow of Vowed Fate lens to Lea’s device and calibrated it, the telescope would allow Lea to observe celestial phenomena across a massive scale—almost matching what could be seen with the power of Perception. With it, Lea would be able to conduct proper celestial research all on her own.

There was still more to do, though, so Se-Hoon moved on to the next task—

“By the way.”

Having just finished enchanting a part, Lea leaned back and looked up at Se-Hoon.

“If you’re trying to hide what’s going on in space, shouldn’t you also do something about what’s happening out here? Things are going wild because of the Blessing of Prevision.”

When Baek-Yeon pierced the Golden Ring with the Arrow of Vowed Fate, Se-Hoon hadn’t noticed anything unusual because he had been inside the Tower of Heroes.

Outside, though, unidentified shockwaves erupting from the Towers of Heroes and the Abyss of Demons were causing massive earthquakes. To make matters worse, the appearance of the Blessing of Prevision—what Lea had mentioned—only stirred the panic further.

“…Hey. You’re going to fall over if you keep that up.”

“Huh? What are you—aaah!”

“Why are stars visible in the daytime?”

“Huh? I don’t see anything.”

All over the world, people began simultaneously experiencing precognition and enhanced vision. It wasn’t just a few either: millions were experiencing it.

With so many people, it didn’t take long for a cause to be found.

It’s a new Blessing!

It’s the Blessing of the Visionary!

With the appearance of the power that humanity had been anticipating the most since Baek-Yeon’s death, the Heroes Association and related industries quickly invited those blessed to conduct research and testing.

“Short-term precognition and enhanced vision, huh.”

“It’s not just eyesight. Their reflexes and mana circuits are entirely different. With this structure…”

“Cursed Eyes! The Visionary’s Blessing creates the foundation for us to awaken our innate Cursed Eyes!”

Until now, only a select few heroes had either precognition or a Cursed Eye. But with the Blessing of Prevision, humanity’s once rare observation capability soared sky high.

Naturally, academic interest in the subject also exploded.

“To find the cause of this phenomenon, we must use it to observe the summit of the Towers!”

“If those unidentified waveforms picked up by observation equipment are indeed caused by the Blessing, then it’s only a matter of time before someone with a Cursed Eye that can perceive them appears!”

“If humanity is to survive, we must identify and define every anomalous phenomenon as quickly as possible! That’s why we need the budget…”

The sudden appearance of the Blessing of Prevision caused all of humanity to turn their focus toward “seeing.” How could they not use it to discover the source of all irregularities?! And of course, that included the cosmos as well.

“Right now, most people are focused on the Towers, but anyone interested in Celestial Magic is bound to look elsewhere, too. If they do…”

While spotting lifeforms on some distant planet might take time, anything around Jupiter would likely be discovered right away. It was a valid concern, yet Se-Hoon just dismissed it after glancing up at the sky.

“No. That won’t happen.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Because that’s why the Blessing of Prevision was created in the first place.”

Unlike when Wurgen or Li Kenxie altered incomplete aspects of their powers, nothing had changed with Baek-Yeon’s. Sure, he had reinforced the White Night Bow using Seon-Woo’s Fatestone, but that was just a form of reinforcement—nothing that would fundamentally alter the power.

In other words, the Blessing of Prevision born was entirely Baek-Yeon’s doing, without Se-Hoon’s involvement.

“You’re saying that’s why it happened?”

“Ever wonder why the Blessing of Prevision only manifested in certain people?”

“Um, I’m not sure. Maybe they just had the right talents…” Lea gave the obvious answer immediately, but midway through, she suddenly paused. It had clicked. “Wait… you mean the Blessing of Prevision appeared in people who could observe the cosmos?”

As with any lens, once its focus is misaligned, even things that were once clearly visible become blurred. All Baek-Yeon had done was use that basic principle by crafting a special “lens”—the Blessing of Prevision—to mis-align humanity’s focus and distribute it widely.

“Precognition guides people away from the cosmos, while the Cursed Eyes filters out accurate perception.”

If Baek-Yeon had forcibly blocked out the sky, it was human nature for them to try even harder to peer beyond. By subtly shifting their focus and orientation, she made it so that they would just naturally stop. Who would care when they’d just gained precognition or potentially a Cursed Eye?

“Whoa… that’s honestly kind of scary.” Lea shivered at Se-Hoon’s explanation.

What if Baek-Yeon had chosen to weaponize her blessing instead by making it attack those who tried to look outward? If she did, millions of people who joyfully received the new blessing most likely would’ve lost their lives or gone blind. No matter which, the world would be plunged into terror.

Is this why he’s so wary of the Perfect Ones…?

The other side of the Perfect Ones—something those ignorant of the truth could never grasp—was now partially revealed to Lea. Falling into contemplation, Lea stared off into space with a strange expression—

“AAAH! What the hell was that for this time?!”

Jabbed in the side again, Lea looked at Terra in chagrin.

“Administrator said to keep working unless he says otherwise! No breaks!”

“That’s just insane—!”

Poke-

“Gah! You… you hunk of scrap metal!”

Lea exploded in fury and lunged at Terra with a basic enchantment. Terra, however, just sneered as if to say, “How cute,” before engaging.

“…”

Watching the petty physical scuffle unfold between two people with no talent or experience in close combat, Se-Hoon shook his head and looked up at the sky instead.

The Demon Force is far too quiet right now.

Given the damage they suffered during the last incident, it made sense for them to lie low. Heaven Eye had been eliminated, and Tuner had been forced to absorb the Abyss of Demons’ erosion in Baek-Yeon’s place after falling into her trap by snatching a Sevenfold Cursed Eye core.

So why was Se-Hoon expecting some reaction from the Demon Force? It was because of her arrow, or more precisely, the suppressive force it had left behind.

“…”

Above the bright sunlight warming the blue sky, countless possibilities drawn by the suppressive force were naturally converging above the spot where Se-Hoon stood. They formed a massive current, flowing in from all over the world just to support Se-Hoon—the one who would secure peace for humanity. The power was so immense that even calling it “fate” itself wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

I thought it was a sign that something big was about to happen… but maybe it’s something else?

There was no doubt it was there to help him. But… how was he supposed to use it? Even when he used the power of Perception, he couldn’t get any clearer idea.

With no idea, Se-Hoon easily got lost in his thoughts for a while.

Vrrr-

Snapping out of it, Se-Hoon glanced once more at the current above before taking out his vigorously buzzing phone.

Amir: Brother. There’s word that the Inoue family is about to make a big announcement. According to what I’ve found out so far, it looks like Lord Ryuuma is going to challenge for ascension. The truth isn’t confirmed yet, so I’ll investigate thoroughly and report back.

“…”

Se-Hoon furrowed his brow.

Ryuuma… is going to try ascension?

Inoue Ryuuma, the current head of the Inoue family, was also Erika and Ren’s father. Within him, it wasn’t unthinkable that he’d attempt such a feat. After all, he’d been an S-rank hero for over a decade. Regardless of whether it was possible, he’d long since met the qualifications.

The only reason Se-Hoon found it strange was that it hadn’t happened before.

I know it’s silly to keep comparing things to before I regressed, but still…

Ryuuma had never made a move toward ascension, even up to the point when humanity was on the brink of extinction. Yet he was doing so now, at a time when humanity had gained the upper hand: a major variable had been introduced.

Perhaps it was the mythical-tier equipment Heaven’s Well? Or was it something due to their affiliation with Succession? Perhaps it was even related to the Seeker’s body, which had been stolen from Dawn.

Going through the list of variables the Inoue family may possess, Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes.

Should I step in?

Having reached their current point, the birth of a new Perfect One was no longer something to celebrate for humanity. Then, should he act preemptively? Or was it still better to wait for Amir to bring back solid intel?

Weighing the two, Se-Hoon leaned slightly toward the latter—

Whizz!

Something shot down from the sky and struck the ground right at Se-Hoon’s feet.

“What the—?!”

“It’s an ambush, Administrator!”

Hearing the whistling noise, Lea and Tera, who had been rolling on the ground bickering, instantly ran to Se-Hoon’s side.

“This is…”

“A… an arrow?”

Lea and Tera both stared at the white arrow in front of Se-Hoon’s feet, dumbfounded.

Who the hell would have the balls to snipe Se-Hoon inside Babel? Unable to believe what they were seeing, the two looked on in confusion.

In contrast with them, though, Se-Hoon was studying the arrow with a curious expression.

This… no way…

The arrow felt strangely familiar. With an inkling in his mind, Se-Hoon looked up at the sky again and made a decision.

It doesn’t matter what the Inoue family is planning. Ignore them. I need to focus on modifying Terra firs—

Whizz!

Before he could even finish the thought, another white arrow had landed precisely between his feet. It was the second time—which was enough for Lea and Tera to grasp how serious it was.

“L-Let’s run! Now!”

“Administrator! We need to retreat immediately!”

Both of them clung to Se-Hoon’s shoulders and arms, trying to drag him away. However, Se-Hoon stood firm, his gaze glued to the arrows at his feet.

An unidentified arrow, falling from the sky as if reading his thoughts…. A warning?

It was so blatant that Se-Hoon chuckled softly.

“So this is what they call… a revelation from the heavens.”