The Regressor Only Protects Me Chapter 22

#Episode 22. Disqualified as Human (1)

I opened my eyes carefully.

The first people who caught my eye were, of course, Lee Joo-yeon and Lee Se-beom.

It was now a familiar scene.

I’ve had this experience twice already here.

“Ah, I’m awake. Thank goodness.”

Lee Joo-yeon smiled and was delighted.

I slowly raised my upper body.

It felt like deja vu, but it was definitely my second time experiencing it.

I’ve fallen twice since I came here.

And then I woke up again like a zombie.

The thigh was covered with a blood-soaked rag, over which a bandage was wrapped.

I looked at the wound and asked.

“What’s the situation?”

Then, the protagonist, who was nearby, said as if he was tired of it.

“Wow… … In the midst of all this, you’re asking about the situation first? First, your condition.”

At that moment, Sebeom interrupted her and answered her instead.

“It’s been about 10 hours since I passed out, and it’s been 6 days today. The wound hasn’t completely healed. And the Blue Team is finished.”

“It’s over?”

I asked again, rubbing the wound with my hand.

It still stung.

“The Blue Team is dead except for the King, and the Red Team has twelve survivors left. They are all resting now. Some have gone out to get food.”

“king?”

“Yes, the king of the Blue team is not dead yet.”

That means that the king of the Blue Team is not Kim Dong-gil after all.

And it also means that Kim Dong-gil has his own kind of insurance.

Honestly, one of the Blue Team members isn’t a threat anymore.

No matter what he does, he can’t stand against the Hong team anymore.

I looked around.

Most of the survivors had their heads bowed, and some were smoking cigarettes one after another.

There were also a few people pouring a drink from wherever they came from.

I got used to it to the point where I could tell they were the Red Team just by looking at their faces.

Now the only problem was the black team.

“… … Reconnaissance?”

“We’re going in turns. To find the king of the remaining blue team.”

So there weren’t many people left here.

At that moment, several people from the Hong team came over after seeing me wake up.

“Mr. Zion. Are you awake?”

“Oh, thank goodness… … Ah… … .”

“What should we do now?”

The people from the Hong team gathered around me.

They were asking me what to do next.

It was a request for advice.

“well.”

But I don’t know either.

It was something I had to figure out now.

I tried to get up.

At that moment, I felt a small force coming from my forearm.

Swish-, thud.

Even though it was a very small force, I was knocked back down by that force.

I turned my head and looked at her.

“no.”

Lee Ju-yeon grabbed the hem of my clothes and laid me down again.

She said firmly.

“Today is definitely a day of rest.”

“… … ?”

When I made a face as if I couldn’t understand, Lee Ju-yeon spoke more strongly.

“The wound didn’t heal properly. If it happens again, it’ll be a big deal. You can’t move until you see a doctor. Rest today, no matter what.”

“… … That can’t be. Hurry up.”

As I lifted my upper body again, Jooyeon now poked my forehead with his finger.

My body collapsed without any strength even when he poked me with his fingers.

When I lay back down and looked up at the ceiling of the theater, I could tell that my body was really tired.

It was barely enough to fall on my finger.

Suddenly, the faces of the two siblings appeared in my sight again.

“If you insist on working even though it’s a break, I have no choice but to stop you.”

The lead actor emphasized the word ‘unconditionally’.

There was a thick, padded pillow wrapped around my head, which was soft and fluffy.

The protagonist continued talking about me.

“And the back of your head was torn too? It wasn’t a deep wound, so there was no need for stitches… … Anyway, your physical condition is not good right now.”

“okay.”

I shook my body a little and closed my eyes.

“Okay, I’ll rest.”

I definitely needed a break, I can barely move a finger, walking would be even harder.

If I continue to wander around the shopping mall like this, I will become easy prey for the ‘black team’.

‘… … .’

When I closed my eyes, I naturally thought of my younger brother Jun-ho.

What is my younger brother doing now?

I tried to think as positively as possible.

If only my brother were alive and we could just meet again, everything would be resolved.

After meeting my younger brother, I have to figure out how to live from now on.

Junho whined about not wanting to go to school, but what will he do now that there is no school?

Should we even build a school in this ruined world?

If possible, I hope my younger brother goes into science and becomes a proper engineer.

Or, even if you go to liberal arts, you might be better off going into law or business.

Every day that I spent at the construction site, I endured it while thinking about my younger brother’s future.

Because that was my only hope.

Because Junho, unlike me, had to succeed.

A moderate amount of drowsiness came over me.

Even in normal times, I enjoyed this moment when I closed my eyes.

Since I didn’t have any real hobbies, sleeping became my only pleasure.

Only at this time could I forget everything and let the fatigue melt away.

After a while with my eyes closed, someone approached me and I tried to open my eyes.

But someone said,

“Come in while you’re sleeping.”

It was Lee Se-beom.

Sebeom put the gun under my hand.

The gun disappeared naturally as soon as it touched my hand.

It probably went into inventory.

Sebeom said.

“When you were unconscious, Kwon Kyung-soo told you to hand over the gun to him.”

I almost opened my eyes in surprise, but held back.

And I couldn’t help but be surprised by what he said next.

Words that continue calmly.

I calmed my emotions as I listened to those words.

Sebeom made one last request.

“That’s why your body’s recovery comes first. I heard from Jaehee that players who are selected as ‘Kings’ recover faster than other people. So it’s best to rest today.”

Lee Se-beom cut off his words.

He’s probably just looking around.

He continued,

“Your surroundings will be taken in turns by me, my older sister, and Jaehee… … If you understand, just wiggle your little finger. Don’t answer. We’re being watched.”

I wiggled my little finger a little.

Soon his voice faded away.

I clenched my fist without anyone knowing.

I felt like I was letting go of some string I had been holding on to.

anger.

No, it was more like a feeling of emptiness.

* * *

Zion had his eyes closed.

To be exact, I pretended to sleep for about 7 hours.

And around him, Lee Se-beom, Lee Joo-yeon, and Jin Jae-hee took turns guarding.

A few surviving members of the Hong Team approached the awake Sebeom.

“Student… … Listen to this. Aren’t you tired?”

The middle-aged woman handed Sebeom a can of canned food and a jug of water.

It’s probably food I got from a few reconnaissance missions.

Most of them were preserved food items that the Blue Team had saved.

Each person had a few cans of food and other items.

Sebeom took the canned food.

“thank you.”

Sebeom accepted it, as there was no chance of poisoning the canned food.

And then he silently opened the can in front of the woman.

It was canned peaches.

Slurp, slurp.

The woman said of Sebeom, who was drinking from the can with his lips without a spoon.

“Go to sleep. I’ll take care of you now, Sion.”

“It’s okay. Thank you for your concern.”

Sebeom finished the can of peaches in one gulp and put it on the floor.

When Sebeom refused, the woman smiled cheerfully and extended her hand.

The woman tried to grab Sebeom’s arm.

“Oh, don’t do that. Just rest for a bit. Okay?”

That moment.

Tamar-!

Sebeom pushed the woman’s hand away.

The woman looked at Sebeom in surprise.

Sebeom spoke coldly to the woman.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Ah… … Yes. I’m sorry.”

The woman looked embarrassed and turned back.

Then he walked over to the crowd gathered on one side and sat down.

They were whispering and glancing at Sebeom, then talking among themselves about something.

He was constantly stuffing his mouth with preserved foods like canned food and goblin jerky.

Sebeom clicked his tongue as he watched the scene.

“Tch.”

Sebeom clicked his tongue and looked back at Zion.

Although he clearly had his eyes closed and a calm expression on his face, he was clearly awake.

Sebeom said quietly.

In a voice so small they couldn’t hear.

“You don’t know me, but I know you. We were in the same middle school and class.”

Sebeom looked at the people gathered and continued speaking.

To be exact, it was something that was being monitored.

“When you disappeared after middle school, I honestly couldn’t understand why you had to make that choice. Your clothes… … look like you’ve been working at a construction site.”

Sebeom clenched his fist.

Soon emotions began to run high.

“You were my goal. You were my only hope. In my boring life, you were the only person who was better than me.”

Sebeom looked back at Zion.

There was still no change in his expression.

Lee Se-beom was a genius.

He’s not just a mouthful, he’s a true genius.

Father is a prosecutor and mother is a professor at a university hospital.

Lee Se-beom, who grew up in an affluent environment, was able to do anything from a young age.

Musical instruments, sports, studying, even painting.

Sebeom has shown genius in everything he has done throughout his life.

By the time he entered middle school, he was already over 170 cm tall and his appearance was outstanding.

People around him were already saying that Sebeom was the best of the best, the genius of the geniuses.

He also showed off his talents by appearing on some entertainment programs.

Because he received everyone’s respect and expectations, Sebeom had no choice but to grow up relatively arrogant.

To Sebeom, life was nothing more than a trivial existence.

For humans, life tends to feel boring when there is no sense of challenge or purpose.

But there was someone who made Sebeom feel like he was blocking a wall.

That was Kang Si-on, whom I met in middle school.

On the day the school rankings were announced, Sebeom couldn’t believe his eyes.

[1st place, Kang Si-on]

[1st place, Lee Se-beom]

It was the first time I lost something to someone else.

Of course, they both got full marks and shared first place, but they were different.

Sebeom had private tutoring, a study environment, and all the academic elements, but Zion only focused on school classes.

I lost to that guy.

Zion wasn’t just about studying.

He also won first place in the middle school gifted contest where he represented his school.

Always first place in sports days at school.

He was from another dimension.

Sebeom felt jealous of him but also respected him.

When Sebeom heard the news that Zion suddenly dropped out of school around the third year of middle school, he couldn’t help but feel quite shocked.

It was because the boy I thought was my only friend disappeared.

Sebeom was the type of person who pursued infinite excellence, but when someone with such outstanding talent gave up on his studies.

Young Sebeom felt like even his goals in life were collapsing.

And the news from Zion was unknown.

Sebeom lived a free life and was ranked first in his high school class, and was also admitted to Seoul National University’s law school as the top student.

And only after the world was destroyed was I able to meet him again.

But when I met Kang Shi-on again, he had changed.

It was not the Zion it had been before.

The Zion in front of him now was a monster who only chased after his goal, perhaps resembling Sebeom when he was young.

‘shit.’

Crack!

Sebeom bit his fingernails.

He looked down at Zion again, continuing to bite his nails.

Longing, and goals.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, Zion was that kind of person to Sebeom.

Sebeom let out a short sigh and looked around.

Everyone inside the theater was either talking quietly or sleeping.

As Sebeom looked at them, he began to reminisce about the past again.

Kookung!

Suddenly the lights in the movie theater came on.

A few surprised people tilted their heads and looked around.

Only then did Zion slowly open his eyes.

And then a blue hologram appeared on the movie theater screen.

[The king of the blue team is dead.]

[There are now two kings left.]

“What… … ? No.”

Sebeom frowned.

There were now 10 people gathered here, excluding Jin Jae-hee and Kwon Kyung-soo.

There was no one left in the shopping mall.

Not a single one.

That much was certain.

This is because the Hong team has been conducting a large-scale search for survivors for several hours.

But it was clear that the king of the Blue team was dead.

Right now.

The results were unbelievable.

Lee Ju-yeon, who had been sleeping next to him, woke up in surprise after drooling.

“Huh, huh? What, what is it?”

The protagonist wiped the saliva off his hand and looked around.

Everyone was flustered and didn’t know what to do.

At that moment, Zion raised his upper body again.

He felt a little dizzy, so he held his head, then spoke calmly.

“I don’t have any friends.”

That was said about Lee Se-beom.

Sebeom looked at Zion who said that.

Zion shook his head for a moment, then turned to Sebeom and spoke.

“That’s why I don’t trust people.”

Zion rose from his seat.

Although he still limped, his condition seemed to have improved significantly.

Zion looked around at the people from the Red Team who were there.

And he muttered as if talking to himself.

“I’m bored. Let’s end it now.”

Zion’s words were so cold and harsh.

When he said the words “ending”, Sebeom must have known how cruel the ending would be.

Kang Shi-on so far, and Kang Shi-on in the future.

Sebeom felt goosebumps all over his body for a moment.

Zion approached the Hong team.

(Continued in the next episode)