Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1284. The Lonely Benigoa (1)

‘I’m feeling dizzy.’

The scenery changed once again. Although they had already experienced this phenomenon once before, everyone was clearly flustered by the scenery peeling away around them.

The scene finally made them realize that they had just returned from a parallel world.

In the middle of all this, Rafael’s slightly dark face caught my attention. It was understandable, as he had just left his party members behind in an unknown place. Ahn Ki-Mo seemed happy to be back, but it felt like he was gauging my reaction.

Even the members of the Friendship Guild noticed that there was something amiss with the mood, as they looked at each other in silence.

I felt the need to bring some order to this chaotic situation, but I couldn’t shake the uneasiness.

I wasn't uneasy because of Rafael’s missing party members. I was feeling anxious due to the scene I saw just now—a masked man and a masked woman staring at the sky together.

‘Of course they were watching us... I should’ve expected that.’

From the perspective of Ki-Young and Ji-Hye in the first life, Jung Jin-Ho’s death was a significant event. They had probably spent a lot of time setting things in motion to eliminate someone who had outlived his usefulness, and he wasn’t just anyone—he was Jung Jin-Ho.

They had to have been really meticulous. I was sure that he had no Telescope, so he couldn't have been watching from the very beginning, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that our presence was exposed.

He likely had Mind’s Eye, so if he saw me with his own eyes, he would have a ton of questions.

‘He also made a contract with Belial.’

I had no idea when the contract was made, but it made sense. The power he could draw from Belial had to be limited, but still, I had always questioned how someone seemingly powerless managed to thoroughly destroy the first life.

I couldn’t see his full appearance due to the cloak and mask, but I still remembered the sight of his exposed, bony arm. He looked different from me, who was in better condition.

I had no idea if it was the price for the contract or if he simply lacked time to care for himself, but he didn’t look great at all.

‘He didn’t notice me, did he?’

I felt like we managed to slip away before being spotted, but I couldn’t tell for sure.

For now, I decided to check things out through the Telescope, just in case the first life had somehow affected the second life. At a glance, there didn’t seem to be any problems, but...

‘How long have we been away?’

I wasn’t the only one confused.

Eventually, Lee Chul-Woo from the Friendship Guild said, “It's been... two hours... Looks like the flow of time is different.”

‘How long were we over there? About two days, wasn’t it?’

“It seems one day over there equals one hour here,” Lee Chul-Woo said.

“And... the hexagram is gone.” I pointed out.

“It seems the gate disappears once we come back. That’s interesting,” Lee Chul-Woo said.

“What about you, Mr. Rafael? How was it... when you came back...” I asked.

“I’m sorry. Things were chaotic, so I couldn't keep track of the time, but...” Rafael paused.

‘You didn’t notice a time difference like this last time, huh?’

It seemed that everyone felt the need for some clarity, and I could tell from the way their eyes were fixed on me. Unfortunately, I also had no answer. I wasn’t even sure if the time ratio was fixed at all.

Rafael hadn’t checked it properly as well, but it was probably because he didn't have the luxury of time to do so. After the fierce battle, he had to have been frantically running around looking for his party members. He probably wasn’t even in the right state to measure whether time had passed in a flash or whether it followed a one-to-one ratio.

Everyone was staring at me like they were begging for an answer, so I had to say something. Rafael looked particularly troubled. His party members were practically experiencing accelerated aging, so of course, it was only natural for him to be worried about them.

The gray dove who had achieved nothing but getting a beating was looking like a tragic hero.

“It’s still too early to jump to conclusions. We only have two cases to go by. We haven’t even identified the type of magic circle involved, so... it’s hard to definitively say that one day over there equals one hour here,” I said.

“R-right... You’re right,” Lee Chul-Woo said.

“Yes, so please try not to worry too much, Mr. Rafael. I doubt the worst-case scenario you’re imagining will actually happen... and... about the choice I made at the end... I don’t really have anything to say. I’m sorry,” I said.

“I-it’s fine, hyung... It’s okay. I know it was something you couldn’t help. I felt... that presence too. Even if I had been the party leader, I would’ve made the same decision. But more than that... what was that, at the end...” Rafael asked.

“I don’t know either, but... it certainly didn’t seem like it was welcoming us. Based on the situation, it’s likely the overseer of that dimension,” I answered.

“Ah... I see. Then... when will the next expedition be?” Rafael asked.

“First, we need to investigate this situation thoroughly. I’ll ask the Continental Protection Management Committee and the Blue Guild to look into the location of the hexagram, so you can rest easy,” I told him.

“Then... is there really nothing I can do right now besides wait?” Rafael asked.

“For now, there’s no other way, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do, Mr. Rafael. Members of the Friendship Guild, please focus on locating and securing samples of that tentacled—no, the entities we previously encountered,” I requested.

“Yes, sir.”

“Understood.”

“But before that, you should all take some time to rest. Once we arrive in Lindel, let’s take a short break. Since we just returned from another dimension, it’s also a good idea to get checked for any potential physical anomalies,” I suggested.

“Right.”

“O-okay.”

I was smiling when an unfamiliar voice caught my attention.

‘Huh?’

Amidst the crowd of people blankly staring at me, I spotted something that wasn't supposed to be here—a pig.

“...”

“...”

“...”

‘What the hell...? How did he get in here?’

He blended in so naturally that I hadn’t even noticed him until I saw him. I had no idea when he joined us, but he was standing there like a proper member of the party, and he looked so confident at that.

He even nodded in sync with the Friendship Guild members.

‘What is with this pig? Why is he even here?’

I wasn’t the only one who sensed something was wrong. The moment they realized that there was an intruder, everyone instinctively stepped back. They drew their weapon and aimed it at the pig.

Just then, I felt myself being pulled away.

Ahn Ki-Mo had wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me back to put some distance between me and the intruder.

The mages channeled their spells, and even Rafael, who looked defeated just moments ago, bared his teeth, glaring at the pig. If that pig hadn’t raised both arms in surrender, a fight would have started.

“I-I... don’t want to fight. It's painful...”

“...”

“...”

“I-I surrender. I give up,” the pig added.

‘What the hell? How did he even cross over? I thought people from the first round couldn’t cross over here. Or... was it because he became a Templar?’

“I don’t... want to eat that. So... don’t kill me,” the pig begged.

The pig was already at his limits, and it seemed like he wasn't capable of resisting. His fleshly body was breaking down in real time, but for some reason, it appeared like he wasn't feeling any pain at all.

‘Is it because I’m nearby?’

Many things were unknown and incomprehensible to me.

Everyone kept an eye on the pig, waiting for someone to give an order, but out of all of them, I was the one who knew best that killing him here wasn’t the right move to make.

“Restrain him,” I ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

“If he resists—”

“I won’t... resist,” the pig interrupted me.

He even raised his hands and dropped to his knees, showing that he had no intention of fighting back. The members of the Friendship Guild cautiously approached him and restrained him. He looked like he was accepting defeat in peace, but...

‘This pig is more cunning than he looks. I can’t afford to let my guard down...’

“Please escort him to the Blue Guild,” I ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll... stay quiet. I won’t... cause trouble,” the pig mumbled while glancing at me. His eyes, oddly shiny, looked like they were silently asking if I was really going to abandon him. He didn’t say anything out loud, but somehow, it felt like he instinctively believed that I would take care of him. It was like he trusted me completely.

‘No, what the hell, man. There’s no way the first Templar can be some pathetic pig like him.’

“I-I’m hungry,” the pig said.

“...”

“I-I’m hungry! I’m hungry! I-I’m hungry!” the pig yelled.

“Um... sir... what... should we do about him?” they asked.

“Give him something to eat,” I ordered.

“S-Sir, did you not see him eat people? That’s a bit...” Ahn Ki-Mo said.

“Did I say to feed him a person? Just give him something. I’m pretty sure he’ll eat anything, including monster meat. Just buy a ton of glazed meat or something and toss a little his way whenever he starts screaming. As long as he’s full, I doubt he’ll cause any real trouble,” I told him.

“Can we trust him?” Ahn Ki-Mo asked.

“He doesn’t seem like he wants to cause trouble. And besides, regardless of that, a valuable sample like him has just walked right into our hands. We should examine him,” I added.

“Ahh... understood,” Ahn Ki-Mo said.

“He probably doesn’t even have the strength left to resist or go berserk,” I said.

“Right. So... should we put him in the underground area?” Ahn Ki-Mo asked.

“Yes,” I answered.

Even while chatting with Ahn Ki-Mo on the way back, I was busy working. I had to send word to Oscar that we were back, and I needed to check up on Kim Hyun-Sung’s condition.

It seemed that the Regression Instruction Manual stayed connected to him while I was away, and it was proven by how he was still calm. Well, it was a Mythic trait, so it made sense that he would stay calm unless something extreme were to happen, like the Rohen incident.

‘Looks like Ha-Yan’s doing okay, too...’

I replied to the backlog of messages, and soon enough, I saw Jung Ha-Yan's face on the Goddess’s Mirror. Her eyes were wide in surprise, and she was clutching her hand mirror with both hands.

‘I should send her a picture, too.’

Startled, Jung Ha-Yan looked around and brought her lips up to the mirror.

When I saw that, I quickly averted my eyes.

‘Looks like she’s okay.’

I was genuinely worried that she was panicking upon realizing that her tracking spells on me had inexplicably disappeared. Fortunately, it seemed like she hadn't panicked at all.

Of course, I was sure she cast more than just basic tracking spells, like more intricate spells with advanced mechanisms.

“This time, I really plan to get some proper rest, sir. It’s been a while, so how about we go out for a drink?” Ahn Ki-Mo suggested.

“I’m going to head straight to the temple,” I answered.

“What? Right away?” Ahn Ki-Mo asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“Ah... I understand. Is there anything I can help you with?” Ahn Ki-Mo asked.

“No, there’s nothing. Actually... Mr. Ki-Mo, you should join the Friendship Guild and Mr. Rafael’s party instead,” I told Ahn Ki-Mo.

“Wh-what?” Ahn Ki-Mo asked.

“Don’t worry. Today is a rest day,” I reassured him.

“Ha... haha... That’s... a relief,” Ahn Ki-Mo laughed awkwardly.

“...”

“...”

“But... sir, what business do you have at the temple?” Ahn Ki-Mo asked.

‘Obviously, I need to take care of this.’

I needed answers.

‘It’s been a while since I went there...’

I had to go to that temple in the central region. Rather than burning through holy power by having beings like Benigoa, Belial, and Lauren communicate between the upper and lower realms, I decided to build an administrative district right in the central region.

It was a joint project by Ji-Hye noona and Belial; it was their masterpiece. It improved everyone's work efficiency, but I never really had to use it myself. There had been an incident in Rohen, and most of my duties so far were limited to signing documents or exchanging paperwork with Ji-Hye noona.

“...”

“...”

‘Maybe I’ve been too indifferent.’

I couldn't help but think that way when I saw Benigoa’s tear-stricken face.

“L-Lee Ki-Young! Heuk... hiccup... Lee Ki-Young!” Benigoa shouted. She ran full-force toward me as if she was going to slam herself into me.