The Regressor Only Protects Me Chapter 17

#Episode 17. Thoughts

1st floor, Red Team’s base.

As soon as the notification window appeared that the flag monster had been defeated, small cheers could be heard from various places.

“iced coffee.”

“Thank goodness, it worked.”

“Mr. Zion, you’re really amazing. You’ve done something again!”

“I am so glad.”

People rejoiced with relief.

They thanked me, and I just stared at the notification window in silence among them.

I couldn’t understand.

Because it was an unintended outcome.

It was even more disconcerting because it was the first unintended outcome since I had come here.

If Jin Jae-hee really got his hands on the flag by himself, it would definitely be a huge gain for us.

Because we achieved results without any damage.

But the problem came next.

I touched my forehead.

Things got complicated.

‘shit.’

In the end, it’s a good direction.

But that ruined the plan.

The plan was to go up to the 9th floor with the main force and break the Blue Team’s momentum to buy some more time.

It took a day or two to come up with a plan that would eliminate friendly casualties and effectively suppress the Blue team.

But for now, there is no point in attacking again.

Because there was no longer any reason to risk invading the Red Team, since they had already captured the flag.

Of course, I still wanted to finish Round 1 quickly, but this case was different.

For now, I had to buy some time.

There was a high chance that they would storm here right away.

When I thought about it, I couldn’t help but feel relieved.

I immediately called the security guard.

They now raised their heads in response to my words.

“All three of you, please go to the third floor immediately. If you detect any enemy movement, please come down immediately.”

The old man and the girl ran up to the third floor without answering.

After they left, people talked amongst themselves and enjoyed a brief moment of peace.

But I couldn’t enjoy that peace with ease.

Let’s think about it.

I have two problems.

The king of the black team, and the next move for the blue team.

First of all, the king of the black team.

What is that person doing now?

Does this person actually exist?

Is it around me?

I guess that’s why I participated in this special game.

I shook my head at that thought.

‘Don’t think about simple questions.’

Just thinking about the next number made my head feel like it was going to explode.

Let’s think really simply.

If the king of the black team is hiding in the red team, then I still can’t explain why he hasn’t killed me.

Because everyone on the Red Team knows that I am the ‘King’.

Of course, there are some people who added from the 2nd floor to the 6th floor.

They don’t know yet that I am king.

It is possible.

We need to monitor them, not blatantly.

‘wait for a sec.’

A thought crossed my mind and stopped me in my tracks.

If you think about it a little more, it might be natural that the king of the black team is not showing up right now.

The black team’s power was not indicated on K’s map.

What this meant was that the black team was a third force that was not ‘revealed’.

‘Why isn’t it shown on the map? Did it receive an advantage?’

It is unclear whether the black team actually had the advantage.

The advantage over undisclosed forces is also unknown.

However, it is true that the black team exists, and it is also true that the black team’s existence is not visible in the system.

In that case, we had no choice but to assume that we had been given an advantage.

I looked around and quickly counted the number of people.

Our team gathered here consists of exactly twenty-eight people, including me.

If you include the three who sent the alert and Jin Jae-hee who is up there, the number is thirty-two.

‘Even so, the possibility cannot be completely ruled out.’

If the gun that K gave me was intentional, the king of the black team may have also received a corresponding advantage.

If it is a property whose existence cannot be verified in the system window.

‘He could be hiding here.’

The moment my thoughts reached this point, goosebumps came up.

My thoughts were tilted in the most likely direction.

If the king of the black team has an advantage in the ability that cannot be detected by the system window, I cannot tell him apart by the system window alone.

That means that among the 32 members of our red team, there could be a king of the black team.

The chances are 50/50.

He belongs to the red or blue team like a bat and will appear at a good time to attack.

‘That’s how the black team survived.’

I just turned my eyes and quickly looked at the people around me.

Suddenly, everyone around me felt fierce in their eyes, as if they were my enemies.

Their numerous gazes seemed to be focused solely on me.

It was a situation where we had to consider internal enemies as well, while external enemies had not yet been completely subdued.

As for the enemy within, there is no way to deal with it right now.

Those worries continued to plague me.

At the same time, I had to make a decision about the Blue Team.

Everything was like a sweet potato vine, with each case being solved, another one burst out in a row.

Even though we won a one-sided victory in the last battle, I couldn’t smile.

I couldn’t afford even the slightest bit of mental rest.

What will Kim Dong-gil do now?

If I were Kim Dong-gil, what would I be doing at this very moment?

I looked at the incident from his point of view, and thought about countermeasures from my point of view.

After some calm thought, I came to the conclusion that Kim Dong-gil will never leave me alone anymore.

As time goes by, he will realize that the Blue team is at a disadvantage, so he will go for an all-out war.

It felt like someone was squeezing and releasing my brain with both hands.

And then the incident happened out of nowhere.

“Here we go again!!!”

The old man’s cracked voice echoed throughout the store.

It was the old man and child who had been sent up for guard duty a little while ago.

It had not even been five minutes since they had gone up.

“They’re coming!!! They’re heading straight for here!!! Oh my god!!!”

Everyone looked at the old man, and my heart started beating faster.

As expected, Kim Dong-gil moved as expected.

It won’t even take five minutes, let alone three, for them to arrive.

* * *

“Mr. Zion! What do we do now?!”

“First of all, I need to grab a weapon, right?! What should I do, Sion-san?”

Now everyone was looking at me.

It wasn’t just a conscious effort, everyone was really looking at me.

Each of their eyes was looking only at my face.

“Brother, what should we do now?”

“We’ve used up all our fire extinguishers, what do we do now?!”

“Oh my! What do I do now?”

Even while I’m thinking, I keep hearing people’s words in my ears.

My head was filled with a jumble of possibilities and their demands.

So I couldn’t focus entirely on ‘thinking’.

I couldn’t decide and the ‘numbers’ kept going around in my head.

In the meantime, the voices of those who kept bursting out were so unpleasant to hear.

I instantly began to hate them.

“Mr. Zion, what should we do if the enemies invade?”

“Mr. Zion, what should we do with our javelin unit? Just tell me!”

“Mr. Zion, what about the night watch?!”

“Mr. Zion.”

“Mr. Zion, Mr. Zion!”

“Mr. Zion! Say something!”

Three letters filled my blank mind.

The letters ‘si’, ‘on’, and ‘ssi’ began to flutter around like atoms.

Sission sision siion …

I became so confused between my ego and reality that I began to question whether I was really Kang Shi-on anymore, and soon, anger came along with anxiety.

‘Why only me?’

Why should I be the only one worrying and concerned?

Can’t they be independent without me?

Is it a newborn?

I have no obligation to protect them.

Why do you put all the burden on me?

Why am I always the one who worries, why am I always the one… … .

Just me… … Just me… … .

At the moment when everything went dark, two hands suddenly appeared from the darkness.

Crack!

“Wake up.”

“ah.”

Her two hands were on my cheeks, and soon my cheeks began to feel cold.

The woman in front of me was Lee Ju-yeon, and she had the most serious expression on her face that I had ever seen.

“Do whatever you want. We’ll just follow.”

I came to my senses as if I had just woken up from a deep sleep.

I looked at her cautiously.

Our eye level was the same.

“What are you worrying about? You are our king. A king is someone who does whatever he wants. What is it, Louis? Louis XIII?”

“14 years old, older sister… … .”

Lee Joo-yeon looked back at Se-beom to confirm that what she said was right.

Lee Se-beom shook his head silently.

“haha.”

The corners of my mouth twitched for a moment.

That was stupid.

The title of ‘King’ is ultimately just a temporary role granted by the manager, and I am originally just an ordinary day laborer.

So, just because I am given that position, it doesn’t mean I have the authority to control the people on the Hong team as I please.

They just trusted me and followed me.

but.

At this very moment, that stupid sound struck a chord in my heart.

“That’s right! Hyung! Do as you say.”

The boy shouted with courage, and other voices could be heard from here and there.

“If it weren’t for Mr. Zion, we wouldn’t have survived this far.”

“Don’t worry, students. We are prepared.”

“That’s right! Let’s fight! Let’s fight!”

Now everyone’s voices are beginning to be heard fully.

under.

I suddenly burst out laughing.

There was no need to think deeply.

We are ultimately like pieces on a chessboard, and if we plan based on the premise of ‘death’, we will all die in the end.

Everyone here, including me, is outside the laws of the existing world.

This is wild.

To survive in the wild, you must make sacrifices.

I forgot for a moment.

We are no longer left with dignity as human beings, but only with dignity as animals.

Our dignity as animals ultimately comes down to survival.

And the people of the Red Team were able to accept such sacrifices for survival.

What was I thinking?

I am not a historical figure who achieved peace.

That’s a theory of justice that only worked until a week ago.

To me, justice is simply the survival of the majority.

Complete victory?

There is no such thing in the world.

Napoleon also conquered Europe.

Genghis Khan, who ruled the world.

There was no victory without sacrifice.

Now that I’ve let go of all the burdens, I feel calm.

I ordered them.

“Everyone, get in line. Hurry up.”

Only then did smiles spread across people’s faces at my words.

They each went up to their positions in unison.

This place was originally a barricade to deal with goblins effectively.

But now, he had to carry out the mission of guarding the castle.

It was an unplanned battle, but we ended up having the geographical advantage.

I climbed the barricade.

Soon everyone is holding their weapons and staring at one place.

A tranquil silence descended.

Then, in the silence, their footsteps could be heard slowly.

Thud, thud, thud… … Thud! Thud!

The sound of slow footsteps gradually approached, and soon became close enough to be heard in all directions.

It was as if they were everywhere.

I opened my inventory and grabbed the gun.

I felt the heavy feel of a gun.

I told them one last time.

“Don’t hesitate. The moment you hesitate, you will be the ones to die.”

And their footsteps became louder.

Rattling-!

At that moment, the door on the left staircase floor opened.

There was the main force of the Blue Team armed with knives and axes.

At the same time, more people started to flock towards the escalator.

It was a diversionary operation by them.

* * *

5th floor.

Kim Dong-gil shouted.

“Divide the people in two! Attack the escalator and stairwell floors at the same time!”

At his command, the people split into two and moved.

The troops led by Kim Dong-gil went straight down the stairs.

Doo doo doo doo doo!

Even if there were only a few dozen people, their footsteps would become louder when they gathered together.

A subordinate asked Kim Dong-gil.

“Manager! Aren’t you charging too hard?”

Kim Dong-gil ignored his words and ran from the front row.

The blue team still has the advantage.

That is an undeniable fact.

Now it was a do or die situation.

It doesn’t matter how many troops you have left, just win the game.

Just approach it.

If they just get closer, the blue team with more numbers will win.

‘Even if you say it’s lower than the first floor, it’s still a basement. The basement is actually better.’

In the end, even if the Hong team retreated to the basement, they were still rats in a trap.

This battle is the last.

Kim Dong-gil will definitely win the battle and go out.

I’m going to get out of this fu*king mall.

And you will regain your social status.

Luxury foreign car.

A wife who is 9 years younger than me.

Two precious daughters who resemble her.

A luxury penthouse measuring 75 pyeong in Gangnam, priced at 12.5 billion won.

Two buildings.

Luxury watch.

High-end clothes.

Hundreds of subordinates following him.

Even classmates who look up to and respect you.

These were all rights that Kim Dong-gil deserved to enjoy.

So far, fu*king hell.

His life, which he had been studying in his room, waiting for the day when he would finally win in life, was now beginning to see the light of day, and he couldn’t let it fall apart here.

A prick.

A tear welled up in his left eye.

Kim Dong-gil is desperate now.

More desperate than anyone else.

I was struggling to get out of the pit of hell.

The last flight of stairs came into view.

Below that is the first floor.

Kim Dong-gil went down in one breath and opened the door to the stairwell.

CLANG!

(Continued in the next episode)