REGRESSOR INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Chapter 1106: Woo Hyo-Yeol (13)

‘Incompetent fools.’

Incompetent and useless fools.

“They went down… without being able to endure it at all,” I[1] complained.

I was sure that it was an easy task—protecting the flag for a certain period of time was a really easy task. Of course, I knew what Lee Ki-Young was capable of on a battlefield like this, but that was the reason I thought they could hold out.

If the stage were a smaller battlefield instead of a large battlefield like this, we could buy as much time as possible, even if we ended up losing.

The point of the game was to buy time; that was the only thing those incompetent fools needed to do. They just had to do that, and I could take care of the rest. Even if there was a difference in level among the troops, my allies had the defender's advantage.

The defender's advantage was more valuable than any other advantage, especially on this kind of battlefield.

‘But they threw all of that down the drain.’

I wasn't expecting much from those incompetent fools, but I was surprised that my plan was ruined this badly. Of course, I had to admit that I had made some mistakes as well.

If one were to chase after it, it would run away; once one was close enough, it would get farther away.

The enemy troops I had seen so far were nothing but bait to lure me out.

I was overwhelmingly faster, so I thought I could easily catch them, but it wasn't the case at all.

I had no idea what spell they cast on each other, but Lee Ki-Young had thrown a bait that I had no choice but to bite. Of course, Han Seung-Yoon's battered state was the highlight of this situation.

The Shield of Arhendel. He had an unusual nickname. He was the head of a familia that governed small and medium-sized cities located on the edge of the continent.

He was in charge of a small mainstream group, and he had a high reputation as a player. Although he was insignificant when compared to the entire continent, he was talented enough to make a name for himself.

Strictly speaking, he was a player with no connection to me, but I remembered him because we worked together for a short period of time in my past life.

Back then, he had yet to obtain his title, the Shield of Arhendel; he had just graduated from the academy, and he was wielding a large two-handed sword. He was a cold guy, and he was someone I couldn’t really read.

I couldn’t really call him a comrade, but I remembered creating a party with him, which ended pretty badly.

“Let’s stop,” Han Seung-Yoon suggested.

“...”

“There’s no point in staying together anymore, Woo Hyo-Yeol,” Han Seung-Yoon continued.

“...”

“You’re too self-righteous. Everyone is having a hard time trying to keep up with you. I’m sure you can feel that the team is holding you back as well.

"I think it’s best if we stop here for everyone's sake. It’s better for you to play in the bigger leagues, and I’m sure you’re aware of that as well,” Han Seung-Yoon added.

“...”

“I haven’t said anything until now, but you probably know it better than anyone,” Han Seung-Yoon said.

“All right, let’s do that,”

“I paid you a little more than usual. It should be enough to start a new life in the big city,” Han Seung-Yoon said.

“I don’t need it, you bastard,” I told him.

That was it. I wasn’t upset, and I wasn't feeling wronged as well. I wasn’t the one disappointed, and I never thought of them as valuable comrades. They were just people I met temporarily.

When I met him again later on…

“It’s been a while, Woo Hyo-Yeol,” Han Seung-Yoon greeted.

“...”

“Back then—”

“Go away,” I interrupted him.

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Han Seung-Yoon said.

I could still remember how I couldn't care less about his words, and his apology didn’t really sound like an apology. I had no idea why he had apologized or why he had even brought that up. At that time, his attempts to talk to me were bothersome.

It was meaningless communication in my eyes. In other words, there was nothing to gain from it.

We were completely different from each other. I was high up in the ranks while he was all the way down at the bottom. I heard the news of his death a few hours later, but I felt indifferent. After all, it happened on a huge battlefield, and he wasn’t the casualty.

Many people had died, and he just happened to be one of them.

'He's dead.' This was the only thought I had in mind upon hearing about his death.

Anyway, the Han Seung-Yoon that I remembered wasn’t the type of person who would follow someone unconditionally.

He was more focused on hiding his feelings, and he had no trust in others at all. I wasn’t insulting him by saying this. Just like every ordinary human being, he was cautious, doubtful, and wary of other people. He knew how to draw the line as well.

“What is that bastard so happy about?” I questioned.

Many things had changed, and it was all because of him.

“You shall not pass, Woo Hyo-Yeol,” Han Seung-Yoon said.

“...”

“...”

“Yeah, you changed as well,” I commented.

“What?”

What was her name again?

As far as I could remember, she was a famous player who enjoyed playing solo. Her job name was "Swordsman with Eleven Swords."

I had no other encounters with her, but I knew she wandered around with blood all over her. There was even a ridiculous story about how there was so much blood on her swords that it looked like she was wielding crimson blades.

Her doll-like eyes… and the fact that she was calmly accepting her fate were things that I would never see on her face at the time.

‘I don’t like this.’

These feelings weren't because of these rookies around me, nor was it because of the people blocking my path by shooting arrows and casting spells at me while thinking that they could beat me.

“These vermins…” I mumbled.

“Stop him! Hold on! Don’t let him cross over! He's just one! He's the only one left!”

“Hirose!”

“Yeah, I’m watching right now.”

I had a pretty great memory, but I didn’t want to use it.

There were a few people who caught my attention. I had seen them only a few times, and I couldn't really remember much about them, but they had definitely changed. I was sure of that, as they all had the same expression as Han Seung-Yoon's.

They were participating in this ridiculous mock battle as if they were putting their life on the line. They were moving as if they couldn't care less about the injuries that they could sustain.

Those who weren't getting much attention weren’t being greedy.

The recruiters from those familias were watching, but they seemed to care more about completing their mission than showing off. Now that I thought about it, William had the same look as them, so I was sure he had changed as well.

‘It’s annoying.’

Arrows rained down wherever I went, and spells that could barely penetrate anti-magic barriers landed on wherever I was hiding. The vanguards’ attacks weren’t much of a threat. They were just annoying, and it bought them some time to move.

“Move! Move!”

“I won’t let you pass, you bastard!”

“You’re being annoying, you asshole.”

The guy who stabbed my chest with his sword held his sword as tightly as possible. I had never seen this guy before, so I was sure that he was a nobody who died like a fool without making a name for himself in my past life.

I kicked him away, and he immediately rolled away. A wave of holy power engulfed him, and he got up immediately to grab the hem of my pants.

“Ki-Young!”

“Lee Ki-Young!”

“Ki-Young!”

They wouldn't stop shouting his name into their communication artifacts.

“Shit. This is fucking annoying,” I mumbled.

“Stop him! Stop him!”

“Incompetent fools…”

“Hirose!”

“Yeah, I’ll stop him,” Hirose said.

“Who’s stopping who?” I questioned.

“Kgh…”

“These naive fools… do you really think that incompetent fools like you can stop me just because I've been playing along?” I said.

The difference in our skills was big. The enemy’s formations were designed with incomprehensible precision, but my instincts had already adapted.

It had been a few minutes since all this began, so one would be a fool if one still couldn't realize where the arrows were coming from, where the magic traps were set, and where the shield-wielding vanguards as well as the annoying spearmen were coming from.

“Just protect your necks, guys! You don’t die anyway!”

“How long are you going to continue this ridiculous nonsense?! You think I’m going to keep playing around, you fools?!” I shouted.

“Don’t worry, noona.”

“...”

“You…” I said.

“...”

“You… Lee Ki-Young…” I mumbled.

I wanted to punch his face right now.

“...”

Unfortunately, it was impossible. The fact that he had come all the way here meant that our flag had already been taken away.

“The mock battle is over. The winning team is…”

I heard the announcer's voice and the crowd cheers.

“Ki-Young!”

“I knew we could do it! I told you we’d win!”

“Hyung… noona!” Lee Ki-Young shouted.

“Haha! You’re a lucky charm!”

“What’s that? You’ve been hiding that? Didn’t you originally come here as a swordsman?”

“I just ended up being lucky… hah…”

Everyone ran to him and either hugged him or ruffled his hair.

There was a bustling scene similar to a festival before me, but screams soon followed it.

He was experiencing the consequences of casting such a massive AoE spell despite being incapable of housing so much holy power. In other words, he had gone beyond his limits and had collapsed to the ground as a result of it.

Lee Ki-Young was the one who collapsed to the ground, but I was the one filled with a sense of defeat. I comforted myself by saying that this was nothing but child’s play, but I wasn’t used to losing. At this point, I had no choice but to accept it.

He was a threat, even to a regressor like me.

‘Should I kill him?’

I seriously considered it.

The higher-ups said that he would be helpful even to me, but I couldn’t rule out the possibility of him becoming an enemy who could get in my way.

He was an unknown variable to me, and I had no idea of what was going to happen to him in the future. The people who met him all ended up changing, including Han Seung-Yoon, William, and even those fools whose names were still unknown to me.

“What the hell… Woo Hyo-Yeol.”

“...”

Just then, I realized that everyone around me was glaring at me.

I could feel their hostility as they held up their weapons. Their arms and legs were shaking, but they were prepared to fight me.

They were prepared to protect Lee Ki-Young, even if it meant risking their lives.

‘I don’t like this.’

He was a completely different person from me.

It was ridiculous, but in my eyes, Lee Ki-Young was shining brightly amidst the sea of people before me, and the sight made me think that perhaps… I had the supporting role, and he had the leading role.

“I hate this,” I mumbled.

“...”

“I… hate this,” I repeated.

***

“...”

“...”

“Woo Hyo-Yeol, you fool. You weren’t even that strong,” I said.

“...”

“Flower Ki-Young was pretty impactful. Right, Miss Sora?” I[2] asked.

1. Woo Hyo-Yeol’s POV ☜

2. Lee Ki-Young’s POV ☜

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