The Regressor Only Protects Me Chapter 65

#Episode 65. Each Star (1)

From notification windows of all kinds of systems.

[Open the message.]

[You have 81 unconfirmed emails.]

[Selected as the item of the week. ‘Ogre Mastery’.]

[Get extra points.]

[Selected as the item of the week. ‘Ogre Mastery’.]

[#1 in the Trade Market for 6 consecutive weeks. ‘Ogre Mastery’.]

Even emails received from other monarchs belonging to the Republic of Korea.

[Anonymous Monarch: How did you make the boiler? I will pay you 100,000G for sharing the information.]

[Anonymous Lord: Please help me build a boiler. There are many old people and children here. I will pay you 150,000G.]

[Anonymous Lord: How on earth did you tame an ogre? Please tell me. Please. The bridge is currently collapsed and the road is impassable, but if you use a monster like an ogre… … .]

[Anonymous Lord: I am a Lord of the Seoul area. If you can teach me how to master the Ogre, I can fully support you with gold. We will provide full support for the transaction. In addition, the amount of gold paid is… … .]

There were a whopping 81 personal messages like the one above.

Here, items could be exchanged between monarchs, almost like in a game.

Items that can be traded in the Market are not the usual resources, weapons, or manpower, but rather items that belong to the monarch’s inventory.

Additionally, there were two things that surprised me.

First of all, the chief executive officer put my achievements on the trading market as if they were his own.

And the reaction was explosive.

Secondly, as Round 2 began, more people than expected had already adapted to this system and were steadily participating in the league.

The monarchs had already started their full-scale game the moment I left the shopping mall.

“In fact, this is probably why the chief was so friendly to you, and why he didn’t kick you out of the manager position despite his suspicions. He probably didn’t want to lose a talented person like you. But guess what? You got hit in the back of the head, and now you’ve got your head cut off? Phew. When you become the monarch, Sion, you should definitely remember that. If the citizens’ opposition continues for a long time, unexpected situations like this can occur.”

“Be quiet.”

I stared at K, who was mumbling all day.

My head was already spinning with so much information in front of me, and I didn’t have the leisure to listen to what K had to say.

K answered, scratching the back of his head.

“Ahaha. Oh, then just wait. This will do. Silence.”

Woof-.

At that moment, all the people, landscapes, and objects in the area stopped and turned black and white.

Only me and K had color.

Even though the surrounding scenery changed drastically, I didn’t care.

For now, understanding the given system was the priority.

“Is this okay?”

K looked at me and smiled, but I didn’t respond to her anymore.

Ultimately, the position of monarch is that of one who has been granted the power by God to control the majority of citizens.

Moreover, in a time when we cannot use the invention of civilization called telecommunications, the ability to communicate in real time with thousands of monarchs residing within the Korean Peninsula was a great strength.

And now, the information written for each weapon is all stored in the system, even if it is not recorded separately.

‘There is also a community for sharing information about Round 2.’

To combat the cold, monarchs formed groups and shared information.

But there was one strange thing.

The winning condition in round 2 is to survive winter.

But for some reason, the response to my crafting method for the Ogre was more explosive than that for the Boiler.

In short, while the market ranking of boilers is at most 13th, Ogre still maintains the top spot.

‘Anyway, it’s a huge advantage for me to have the number one item on the market.’

It is still unknown where this gold currency used in the market is used or how it is earned.

But what is clear is that the monarchs were using this gold and it would become a key resource.

Round 1 is a building game.

Round 2 is bitter cold.

So what will round 3 be like?

As the round progressed, the environment changed rapidly.

I was curious.

Only then did I look at K.

Before I knew it, she was crouching down next to me, looking up at me.

“Are you interested in me now? Are you curious about something? I’ll tell you what I can tell you.”

“… … When will round 2 end?”

“Um… I can’t say that.”

“How many rounds are there in total? 5? 10?”

“I can’t speak~”

Frowned.

“Who are you?”

“… … Hehe. I can’t say that either.”

K smiled faintly.

I lost interest and looked at the status window again.

Then K got up from his seat and came towards me.

“But I’ll tell you one thing. It’ll help you a lot. It’s a special prize just for you.”

“… … .”

I didn’t care.

Because I decided that it would be more valuable to find out for myself rather than expecting information from K.

K slowly approached me and soon put his face next to mine.

She whispered.

“It’s a secret~ Should I tell you something special?”

And when I heard her words, my pupils shook.

* * *

A total of four S-class players.

The rarest and most powerful player among players.

Zion’s forces had an S-class player named Jin Jae-hee.

The power of an S-class player was comparable to that of a single force.

And now they are starting to bring about big changes in the league.

Top floor of No. 1 Tower, Jamsil, Seoul.

There was a man sitting there.

The man sat here for a whole week, just looking at the ruined city.

I didn’t eat, sleep, or rest.

I was just sitting on the rooftop of the tallest building in South Korea, looking out over the snow-covered city of Seoul.

“Phew-.”

The man was holding a cigarette in his hand.

Actually, I wasn’t burning it, I was just holding it.

The man with black hair and disheveled hair took a drag only when his cigarette was halfway down.

A boy was flying in front of him.

The boy was a loyal administrator A of the system.

A asked the man.

“Hey. Hey. Why don’t you leave the building? With your strength, taking over Seoul would be no problem.”

“… … .”

The man had a pale face, but his lips were red.

It was because blood was refluxing from the esophagus.

The man wiped the corner of his mouth every time blood came out.

Thanks to that, both of my hands were dyed red.

“In my opinion, you are the closest to winning the championship in this league. Your power is the most overwhelming in the entire world. Look at the results you have achieved.”

“… … .”

Even though A muttered, the man remained silent.

Round 1, Notte Tower.

The moment the largest building in South Korea was selected as the location for Round 1, it became the biggest battlefield.

A total of 31,235 citizens were trapped here and played the first round.

But after three months, only one person was left here.

Because the man ate them all.

The man who had been maintaining silence finally looked at A and spoke.

“… … You. How long are you going to be here?”

“Hmm… …until you die?”

“……okay?”

The man who was looking at A’s unpleasant smile got up from his seat.

Now he stood on top of the bronze tower.

Below it was a 554m high cliff.

“When I die, will you just turn off now?”

“Phehheh… …! Yeah, yeah. I’ll get out.”

The man slowly leaned in.

His body leaned forward and then fell from the roof.

It didn’t take long for the man to fall to the floor.

Whioooooo- Kkujik-!!!

The man’s body was completely crushed, flattened like a rice cake.

A, who came down from the top of the tower, approached the man while bursting into laughter.

“Puhhhhhh… … ! Puhahahahahahahahahaha!!! Jonghyun! I told you not to do that! Keukkeukheuk… … !”

A burst out laughing at the man who had become a bean pancake.

And soon, the man’s body, turned into a rice cake, began to move.

At first, the bones began to move and come together, and soon the muscles and skin also began to form.

The man’s body was regenerated.

The man covered in blood looked up at A again weakly.

“Official Player Ranking #1. Artifact Predator. The player chosen by this body. Kwon Jong-hyun. You can’t die. You have 31,000 lives left. Wouldn’t that be more boring? Phehehe… …!”

“… … .”

Jonghyun looked up at A, then looked around.

This place was filled with… …blood clots from his countless suicide attempts.

A reached out his hand towards Jonghyun.

“Okay, Jonghyun. You win the league with me. Then, you become a god in this world. Puhehe… …! Puhahahahaha!”

A’s sly laughter echoed through the corpse-filled streets for a while.

* * *

Second S-class.

In Gangwon Province, there has been a pseudo-religious group organized by a woman since ancient times.

Also known as the Church of Mary.

The woman claimed that she was the reincarnation of Mary, and that the child in her womb was the savior who would save the world.

And the ‘League’ that started became an opportunity for more believers to flock to the Church of Mary.

Tens of thousands of new believers flocked to the mountainous areas of Gangwon Province.

The leader, ‘Shin Maria’, planned her own religious group with tens of thousands of followers and after the first round, she entered the second round.

“God! Maria!”

“God! Maria!”

“God! Maria!”

The believers praised the Virgin Mary.

They believed that the child in Mary’s womb was the one who would save them.

The power of Shinmaria was building a fence around the mountain and creating their own kingdom there.

Even within the kingdom filled with snowfields, the majestic appearance of the New Maria stood out even more.

They designated every Monday as the day to welcome their god, and on that day, people gathered one by one.

It was to welcome the new Maria.

“God! Maria!”

“God! Maria!”

“God! Maria!!!”

And then a woman with a voluptuous chest and belly slowly appeared before thousands of believers, attended by male believers.

Park Mi-seon, 41 years old.

Cult leader.

He is an S-class player ranked 2nd in the official rankings and the ruler of the Maria Church forces.

He was the monarch of the greatest power with the most citizens and forces at the present time.

He was also the unrivaled monarch of the Gangwon region.

“Let’s get started. Come on.”

As Park Mi-seon spoke, the believers began to quickly prepare the offering.

The human who was dragged in was already dead.

He appeared to have died not long ago.

This was a sacred ritual unique to the Church of Mary.

All believers knelt and worshiped before the sacred ceremony of offering sacrifices to God.

Park Mi-seon shouted in front of the believers.

“It is the time of the Second Coming! We are to welcome Him! He is the only God who can save us! Bow down! Worship Him!”

The believers began to raise their heads and bow with both hands.

* * *

Third S-class.

An 8-lane road in Hogye-dong, Dongan-gu, Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, toward Uiwang.

Knock, knock.

Sparks flew and lodged themselves in the pure white snow.

There was a group of warriors there who were continuously throwing corpses into a burning fire pit.

The power structure of the first force in Dongangu was simple.

The Queen’s closest confidant.

The Queen’s Warriors.

And they were the queen’s slaves.

Slaves were tasked with all sorts of chores.

They were called up to search for food, dig snow, dispose of corpses, and even serve as combat troops in times of battle.

But most of them were busy taking care of chores.

Lee Joo-yeon, who played the first round at the shopping mall with Kang Si-on, was also the queen’s slave.

She has been working on this for several months in Dongangu.

“… … .”

Lee Ju-yeon slowly carried the dismembered corpse on her back and threw it into the fire pit along with other slaves.

It was a work that continued from the time the sun rose until it set.

Even though it was a very cold day, her body was already drenched in sweat.

I was dizzy.

All they had to eat was canned food and hardened sweet potato roots.

I even wondered if I could possibly eat that.

“It’s rest! Rest!”

At that moment, the manager who was managing the slaves shouted.

Then, one by one, the slaves who had been moving the corpse straightened their backs and moved to the designated places.

Lee Ju-yeon also followed them.

What the First Force was building was one large wall.

He made the snow hard by mixing it with water and making it as hard as bricks.

Just like an igloo.

And they piled it up between buildings to fight against the ‘Ui Wang forces’.

That was all the rumors Lee Ju-yeon knew.

“It’s time to eat. Everyone, put your hands out.”

The warriors, wielding bludgeons and carrying baskets, approached slowly.

As the warriors approached, the slaves sat down and held out their hands.

chin.

The warriors took the food out of the baskets and placed it into the slaves’ hands one by one.

Soon, food was in Lee Ju-yeon’s hands too.

It was a convenience store triangle kimbap that was as hard as a brick.

It was way past its expiration date, but even that was worth it.

The only reason triangle kimbap was edible was because the rice grains would break apart if you rubbed them.

Lee Ju-yeon took off the plastic wrap and bit into the rock-hard triangle kimbap.

And then, feeling the presence of someone, Jooyeon looked around.

Ah, ah, ah.

He was a young boy.

The boy was gnawing on a frozen potato in his hand with his front teeth.

It wasn’t something a child could possibly eat.

The protagonist, unable to stand watching, used force to break his own triangle kimbap.

He crushed it into small pieces and handed it to the boy.

The boy looked up at the lead actor blankly.

“Eat it. It’s okay.”

At that affectionate voice, the boy put the broken triangle kimbap in his mouth and chewed.

The protagonist was hungry too, but he was more worried about the boy’s teeth.

The protagonist stared blankly at the boy eating the triangle kimbap.

He strangely resembled someone.

The protagonist asked the boy.

“What is your name?”

“… … .”

The boy was eating a triangle kimbap while keeping a close eye on his surroundings.

He would look around while eating, wondering if anyone was going to steal what was his.

The protagonist patted the boy’s head to reassure him.

“It’s okay. Just chew it slowly and thoroughly.”

“… … .”

The boy looked at the protagonist again.

The lead actor was showing a warm smile.

It was the first time I saw an adult smile since coming here.

The boy silently chewed on the hard rice grains and muttered quietly.

“… … Kang Jun-ho.”

“Junho? Is that your name?”

Junho nodded.

Jooyeon asked Junho again.

“How did Junho end up here alone?”

“… … while looking for my brother.”

“Brother? Where did you go?”

“… … My brother is at the construction site.”

Jooyeon stared blankly at Junho and then looked back.

When I saw Junho, I was reminded of my own younger brother.

The protagonist became a little disturbed.

“… … Sister.”

“… … .”

Junho handed Jooyeon a triangle kimbap.

The protagonist picked it up carefully.

“You’re hungry too, sister.”

“… … .”

The part that Jun-ho handed over to Joo-yeon was the center of the triangle kimbap, the part with the bibim seasoning.

Jooyeon looked at Junho and smiled.

It was special.

“It’s okay. Eat a lot. I ate a lot secretly earlier.”

“are you okay?”

“Yeah. It’s okay.”

Jooyeon wiped Junho’s running nose.

And only then did I realize that Junho was shaking.

Flutter-.

Joo-yeon took off her nightgown and covered herself with Jun-ho.

Junho was shocked at first, but soon regained his composure.

Misread, misread.

Junho, who was chewing on a grain of rice, stared blankly ahead and muttered quietly.

“Sister.”

“huh.”

The protagonist answered weakly.

I was hungry, but I really didn’t have any strength.

And Junho continued speaking quietly.

“Sister… … I think you’re really lucky.”

“uh?”

Junho’s voice quieted down.

It wasn’t a child’s voice.

Jooyeon looked at Junho in surprise.

And I couldn’t help but be surprised.

Because Junho’s eyes were faintly sparkling.

The light was spinning.

Junho said.

“… … Tonight. I was going to kill everyone here and go to Uiwang. Whether they were slaves or warriors. Everyone.”

“What is that… … ?”

“Don’t you feel it, Sister? The walls are disappearing. The boundaries are being released. I can feel it.”

Only then did Jooyeon look at Junho.

I felt a faint power.

No, it was a powerful force.

It was an artifact.

The protagonist was also aware of the system.

And the power I felt from the boy in front of me now was by no means ordinary.

“I’m going to see my brother.”

I don’t know what the boy’s abilities are.

But what was certain was that what the boy said, ‘kill everyone here’, did not seem like a lie or a bluff.

The gold shimmered little by little.

What was gold?

The protagonist remembered K’s words.

What K said after leaving the shopping mall.

And the gold color clearly signifies… …the power of an S-class artifact.

“I have to protect my brother. He is precious. He is more precious than the Earth. That’s why I will kill anyone who gets in my way.”

I felt a strong desire to live.

The boy in front of me possessed such great strength that he could never be called a ‘child’.

Yeah, it was just like Zion I met at the shopping mall.

The protagonist shivered slightly.

And Junho asked Jooyeon.

“Sister, do you want to go with me?”

Zion’s younger brother, Kang Jun-ho.

The boy was an S-class player, officially ranked 3rd.

(Continued in the next episode)