The Memory of a Loser
My school days were.
A dark place.
Beneath a wall pierced with patterns that allowed light to spill outward, the leaking radiance gave the room a solemn, reverent atmosphere.
The two people standing under that light answered Kaits.
"Yes."
"Okay."
One was Raband.
Kaits’s comrade, a former thief who had been granted the title of Blade of Light.
The other was the Scholar.
He hadn't revealed his real name, but because of Kaits’s strong endorsement, he was trusted by those around him. He was the man who had received the title of Scripture of Light.
They were making some kind of preparation in this cathedral-like space.
That preparation was...
"Exploring Yeodre's memories."
At Kaits's words, the Scholar nodded, and Raband curled the corners of her lips.
"I’m saying this now, but is it really necessary?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, just looking at him, he was obviously either a loser or a piece of trash. You know how accurate my eye for people is, right?"
"..."
Kaits stared at Raband without a word.
If it were the Raband from just a while ago, she would have mumbled, wondering if she had done something wrong, but she was different now.
"No matter how many cycles of memories you’ve received, you are just you right now. You are not the seasoned veteran I once knew. Do not judge so recklessly."
"Hmph."
Just as Kaits said, Raband and the man called the Scholar had received 'memories' from Kaits.
Memories that contained the battles between Kaits and them throughout all previous cycles, though certain information had been restricted.
At first, she thought it was some kind of illusion, but after trying to follow and imitate the techniques she saw from her past-cycle self, her skills improved drastically. Moreover, as if her body remembered, she experienced emotions that surged up whenever she recalled those memories, leading Raband to fully accept that those memories were indeed her own past.
And because she acknowledged the memories of the previous cycles, the good-natured Raband, who had always been a companion to the Hero, could not accept a man named Yeodre. She believed Kaits was making a wrong judgment.
"Our Captain overestimates that guy Yeodre way too much."
Unlike Raband, the Scholar remained his usual self even after receiving the memories of the previous cycles. He believed that whether there were past cycles or not, the current 'self' was just himself.
"Kaits. Tell us the reason now."
As Kaits and Raband looked at him, the Scholar spoke.
"Why did you call us?"
"......"
"Normally, if you wanted to know what kind of person he was, you would have looked into it alone. The Divine Maiden and the Prophetess of the previous cycles did the same."
"That they did."
"You, who handled even those beings by yourself, why did you call us during such a busy time?"
Kaits lifted his head.
His emotionless eyes seemed to glisten with a strange sense of anticipation.
"I had a gut feeling that I couldn't handle Yeodre's memories on my own. That is all."
A brief silence.
It was broken by Raband’s snort of laughter.
"See, Scholar? Captain Kaits overestimates that bastard way too much, doesn't he? Hahahaha!"
"Use proper language, Raband."
Even at the Scholar’s clearly annoyed tone, Raband did not stop laughing.
Kaits did not refute it, maintaining his usual emotionless face.
The Scholar argued on his behalf instead.
"You know it too, Raband. Kaits’s 'intuition' isn't just a feeling; it’s truly in the realm of prophecy."
"I know. That’s why I’m not vehemently opposing it, right?"
The Scholar shut his mouth.
Kaits looked at the Scholar and asked.
"Do you have no complaints?"
"I do. Yeodre. That guy is impressive, but I don't think he’s a subject worth spending a day or two on to look into his past. Even at this very moment... we don't know when Astarloth will crawl out of the 'Forest of Magic Stones'."
Kaits had provided an estimated appearance date for the creature, but it was only an estimate. He knew well that 'two months later' was an optimistic observation. The Monster Kings in the memories he received from Kaits were all terrifying beings, and Astarloth, whom he had encountered the most, was particularly horrific.
It wasn't that the monster deer was exceptionally strong among the Monster Kings.
In fact, the Scholar thought it would be in the lower ranks in terms of pure strength.
However, that standard of strength only applied among the Monster Kings themselves.
If a human were to face it, unless they possessed a certain level of martial power, it would be as if the monster didn't exist at all. That was how unimaginable its defensive power was.
Thinking of the enemies to come, there was no time to waste on things like this. They had to be as prepared as possible.
"I still think we should receive the armaments from Nanar now."
"......"
The Scholar knew Kaits’s answer well.
The pattern engraved on the wall, the shape of light spreading out—the fact that Kaits alone was outside the pattern of Nanar and in the darkness must have been a backlash against his fanaticism.
"I know Yeodre’s attack power is absurdly strong, but I can't believe it will apply to Astarloth as well. I think it was impressive that he cut 30% of Prostia, but you know, right? Prostia becomes a completely different monster with every 1 percent difference."
Just because his sword strike landed on 'a mere' 30 percent of Prostia, one couldn't assume it would do the same to Astarloth.
According to information he heard from the gods in the past, the creature was considered the top in terms of defense across all of Elynar, along with the Holy Dragon.
"Scholar."
"..."
"Trust me."
"I do. Of course."
In this world, if you don't trust Kaits, who else would you trust?
That was why, even if he voiced his objections, he didn't protest actively like Raband.
No, even before trusting him, the Scholar understood Kaits’s feelings.
Perhaps. The only Hero in this world wanted to confirm one thing.
'Whether Yeodre and he are of the same kind.'
He had fought a lonely battle for too long.
He fully understood the desire to lean on a new variable.
'Originally, the authority of memory should not be used carelessly.'
If it were his own memory, he could extract it whenever the cooldown was over, but extracting someone else's memory could only be done once per cycle, and he had wasted that powerful chance.
The Scholar thought Kaits, who had gone through so many cycles that he would waste it on something so meaningless, must be exhausted.
'But Yeodre will not be of the same kind as you. Kaits.'
In the Scholar’s view, Yeodre was nothing more than a lazy person who had accidentally stumbled upon immense power. An ordinary person who occasionally couldn't control his own temper.
'However, if you can move forward in this tedious and arduous world because of this... I will endure it.'
Nevertheless, if this event could be the driving force of Kaits’s life—no, even if it wasn't as grand as a driving force, if it could be even a small help to his life, then two days of time was a cheap price to pay.
"Then, we begin."
Kaits took a red bead from his pocket and placed it on his palm, and Raband and the Scholar frowned at the same time.
"Eww. What is that?"
"Ominous."
It looked as if blood had congealed. It also looked like it was burning.
The shape of the memory bead is determined by the person's temperament.
They had seen a great number of memory beads, but it had been a long time since they had seen one this unpleasant. They had seen all sorts of horrific and bizarre things, but there was something in this bead that stirred instinctive disgust even in them.
"Is that Yeodre’s memory? That bastard. Was he a more sinister bastard than I thought?"
"Raband."
When the Scholar called her name quietly and glared at her again, Raband shrugged her shoulders.
Ever since a minor quarrel with Yeodre on the floating island, Raband had harbored a strong, subtle hostility toward Drae.
"Then. Let’s really begin now."
"Yeah, I got it."
The Scholar’s affirmation. And Raband nodded her head quietly.
The moment they reached for the bead, the Scholar spoke as if he had just remembered something.
"I’m really sorry, Kaits. I’ll ask one last thing before we start. Is Yeodre’s side okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the Gold Taeyang Clan... if you don't go into their headquarters, it’s not that dangerous, so that can be ignored, but the one behind them is that big shot, right? And the 'Outsiders' at the main branch supporting the Gold Taeyang Clan are also quite powerful."
They had already captured that there were suspicious movements around Yeodre.
Not just Yeodre, but among the acquaintances related to him as well.
If he were a person he might recruit after the memory exploration, shouldn't they be in one piece? Besides, most of those related to Yeodre were also people who had ties to Kaits.
But Kaits shook his head.
"It’s fine. If it’s him, he’ll handle it himself."
"..."
Yeodre. You have quite a lot of trust in this regressor.
Immediately after the Scholar and Raband were impressed, Kaits said.
"If his heart breaks, I will be able to use him as he is broken."
"..."
A scary guy.
Kaits, who had repeated countless cycles, was cruelly cold when necessary.
The Scholar had nothing more to say, and immediately after, Kaits erupted with Ryunar and crushed the red bead tightly.
The crushed red bead flowed down like blood and spilled onto the floor, and soon, it burned black-red, covering the world.
The once-solemn space instantly turned into a hellscape that one would only see in the Demon Realm.
Raband was flustered.
"According to the memories of the previous cycles, didn't light particles usually swirl around before the scenery changed?"
"The production is dramatic."
The Scholar answered calmly on the outside, but he was quite flustered on the inside.
As Raband said, when entering a memory world, usually light swirls and that’s it.
'The phenomenon when entering a memory world differs depending on the capacity of that memory.'
The larger the memory and the higher the quality and grade, the more intense the space becomes.
To be burning and viscous to this extent means...
'It means the capacity is incredibly large. Just like Kaits...'
Glancing at Kaits next to him, he was still expressionless.
But the Scholar could tell that he was a little excited.
Immediately after, the crushed red bead spread out, taking form in the blood-red space that was burning black-red.
The world changed completely.
"Achoo!!"
"Why are you doing that, Hyung-nim?"
"Who is Hyung-nim... No, it’s just that some bastard seems to be talking behind my back."
"What?! Which son of a bitch dares to talk behind our Hyung-nim’s back?! I’ll go beat him to death!"
"Sit down before I beat you to death."
"Yes, sir."
The Gold Taeyang sitting down so obediently. It would be a funny sight if seen from the side.
Three Gold Taeyangs sitting quietly in the cafe from earlier, drinking coffee, and one man wearing shabby adventurer clothes.
"Hyung-nim. Isn't that delicious?"
"It is delicious."
I drank the Strawberry Blizzard that the guy named Yunhan recommended, and it was fucking sweet, mixed with strawberry pulp, appropriately melted shaved ice-like milk, and sweet water presumed to be honey.
I liked it.
"Personally, I don't think the Choco Blizzard is that sweet. This is just right."
"But why is your tone like that?"
"A-are you being too arrogant?! I’ll fix it!"
"No. It’s not that, it’s just that your tone seems a bit different from earlier."
Not a bit, it’s very different.
You’ve become like a junior in a sports club living somewhere, haven't you?
"This is his original tone. He was just trying to act tough earlier!"
"You punk!"
"..."
Friend 1, who was giggling, and Friend 2, who had been bitter since we met. What are these guys?
They clearly brought me here to beat me up, but suddenly it’s 'Hyung-nim' and all that...
And after talking to them, I realized they were more naive than I thought.
The talk about 'Amcat corruption' earlier also seemed like an exaggeration.
"But why am I Hyung-nim?"
"Ayy, Hyung-nim, come on. Didn't I tell you earlier?"
Yunhan’s eyes sparkled.
"This world, Elynar, is a world where hypnosis and sexual assault are actually possible."
"Oh... yeah."
Hypnosis and sexual assault, huh.
Are you a fellow nerd like me?
"It’s only possible for ordinary people or those among the nobility with weak bloodlines, though. Do you know why?"
"You clearly said earlier... that the pleasure differs according to level and grade."
"That’s exactly it! Actually, there are other factors besides level, but anyway, if there’s too much difference in grade, no matter how much you have sex, the one with the higher grade doesn't feel good at all! Especially if the mental power stat is intermediate or higher, most mental-type skills or sexual skills don't work!"
"Hmm."
Huh.
For someone who says that, Emily was like that, and although it wasn't sex but a quasi-sexual act, the Principal seemed to feel pretty good, didn't she?
My level is currently... 70.
It wouldn't be low, but it wouldn't be high either.
"When it reaches high-level mental power, even max-level rankers can't cast mental-type skills. But Hyung-nim, you fucked three such women!"
"And two of them have top-tier mental power! This is insane!"
"......"
Unlike the two guys chatting excitedly, one guy was watching me.
Whether he was embarrassed or thinking something else...
"Is that so."
"That’s so! And. And to think they were 'virgin married women'!"
"They are extremely rare! I don't think anyone among our executives has fucked them?!"
Nilla was a unique case.
I gained some useful information.
I thought it was a bluff when they said Emily or Prostia were fine despite all kinds of pleasure, but it seems it was true after all.
It seemed to be common sense in Elynar that the difference in pleasure depends on the gap in level or grade.
It might seem like a useless conversation, but there was definitely something gained.
Still, I want to go home now.
...To my home in the original world.
I thought that without thinking.
I must be a bit tired.
"The scary thing about this mental power is that shortcuts don't work!"
"Shortcuts?"
"There’s an anecdote like this. Some guy targeted a woman with much better specs than himself. So he attacked her while she was deliberately lowering her specs for training. But after she was soaked in pleasure, time passed and the prey returned to her original specs, making the previous pleasure nothing, so he cruelly killed the target he was trying to train!"
"Is that so..."
So, things like manga are possible for now, but perfect reproduction is difficult. It was interesting knowledge in its own way.
"I’ve heard enough. I’ll pay for this, so now stop..."
"Oh? Hyung-nim! Are you leaving already?"
"Huh? Didn't you tell us to keep him here?"
"Ayy. How are we supposed to keep Hyung-nim here?"
"That’s true!"
They are real Dumb and Dumber. One of them is quiet, but he seems to be plotting something.
I have an inkling.
They said to keep me here earlier.
The two guys seem to think it’s nothing, but the one who is silent throughout seems to be sweating, conscious of the mission.
"But didn't Rikka-nuna say this mission was suitable for us?"
"Did she? Come to think of it, I think she said you guys would work on Yeodre Hyung-nim..."
Is it okay to let me hear such things?
When I looked at them in disbelief, unlike the two guys, the silent Han-yun’s Friend 2 was sweating profusely.
"Hey... let’s go..."
Friend 2, the Gold Taeyang who finally opened his mouth, had an unexpectedly timid voice.
"Let’s do that. Hyung-nim! Please give us your contact information!"
"We’ll take you to a good place next time!"
"No. That’s okay..."
Somehow, the tension was completely released.
I thought we were going to fight.
After leaving the cafe like that. I felt the tension that had been released returning.
In front of me. Standing proudly in front of the store was a guy.
A muscular Gold Taeyang with his hands in his pockets in a delinquent manner, wearing a confident smile.
"......"
"Oh? Captain Takashi?"
"It’s Captain Takashi."
"...Hey. L-let’s go quickly."
"Huh? Go where? We have to recommend our Hyung-nim to join to the executives!"
I’m not joining something like the Gold Taeyang Clan, you punk.
More than anything. That guy doesn't seem to have any intention of being on the same team as me.
"You kept him well. You guys."
"Yes? Ah... yes? Did we?"
"Come to think of it, did you do it as a result?"
"I, I said let’s go. Quickly."
Compared to Yunhan, who still couldn't grasp the situation, Friend 1 seemed to have grasped the situation now and was quite flustered.
Friend 2... now that I see it, I can only laugh.
"Go. I won't stop you."
"...!"
"Yes? Hyung-nim? What did you say..."
"Let’s go...! Let’s go quickly, you idiots!"
Yunhan’s Friend 2 led the two people away.
The guy called Captain Takashi shrugged his shoulders.
Before I knew it, most of the people who had been lining up for the warp gate had disappeared.
It’s a timing that looks like it was aimed for.
"It’s a bit awkward to do it here, right?"
"Lead the way."
"...Ha! You want to die."
After growling, Takashi walked ahead.
I followed him obediently.
This time, it will be fun.
The place I followed him to was a different park than before.
Since there were almost no footsteps of people, the landscaping was ambiguous and it was a bit dark.
I don't think anyone would know even if one person died.
"Welcome."
"......"
"And let me introduce you."
As soon as Takashi’s words ended, guys appeared from here and there.
Are there about a hundred of them?
There are quite a lot.
"Those guys earlier were apprentices. We are the real Gold Taeyang Clan. I am the Combat Chief 'Muscle' Takashi."
"......"
I didn't answer and looked at the guys standing on both sides of Takashi.
Each of them looked different, but they were familiar appearances.
Appearances that one would see once in a manga.
As if my gaze was a signal, they started introducing themselves.
"Bu-hit. I am the Education Chief Jang-sung."
There really is a bastard who makes 'bu-hit' sounds in this world...
True to that tone, he was a fat-ass.
"Control Chief Black Nungar."
Black? Wow, he’s rugged.
"Booking Chief Ubai."
"Promotion Chief Bandman."
Each of them was a middle-aged man with a beard, and a handsome delinquent.
Ubai was looking at me with a strange gaze.
What is it? It’s a gaze a little different from the other guys.
But soon, he returned to a vulgar gaze like the other guys.
It must be my misunderstanding.
"Operation Chief Blatar."
He’s a middle-aged man who looks like he has some power.
That was the end of the introduction.
...Haven't these idiots watched too much anime?
Why are they introducing themselves before fighting?
"There is one more, but he is shy, so he doesn't show himself?"
"Is that so."
"Yeah. Hahahaha."
Laughing unpleasantly at the end of every sentence, what a pain.
"But what business do such people have with me?"
"First of all, to cut to the chase."
Takashi raised both hands and smirked.
"You, you’ve never cried, right?"
"...?"
"You’ve never been beaten up, miserably fallen over, and tasted the dirt, right?"
"..."
"That’s why you’re arrogant, right? So... let’s get beaten up first."
Whoosh!
Fast.
The black guy, who looked like he was about to burst with red and blue muscles, kicked a low kick.
Meanwhile, the solid strings stretched by the chiefs wrapped around my sword.
Perfect coordination.
So, I returned it with a low kick.
Crack!
"...oh...?"
Oh, what oh.
The bastard called Black, whose leg was twisted bizarrely, soon let out a scream that sounded like it was about to tear.
"Waaaaaaah, argh!!"
"It’s noisy. You nigger bastard."
My eardrums are about to fall out.
I grabbed his face and slammed it into the floor, and cut off the strings containing mana that wrapped around my sword with the edge of my hand.
I watched to see what he would do, and for someone so confident, he’s quite sloppy.
The surroundings were agitated.
"B-Black-ssi is..."
"What the fuck."
I’m the one who wants to say 'what the fuck'.
Looking at these reactions, this nigger bastard. Was he a pretty strong guy?
It could be an act to lure me into being off guard, but these things... they might be below expectations.
Looking at the guys whose expressions had clearly hardened, I tilted my head.
"You asked if I’ve ever been beaten up earlier."
"W-what?"
Takashi stepped back.
"I have."
"..."
"Game-limited is cowardly... but in reality, about a thousand times?"
Inside Yeodre’s memory.
Kaits, Raband, and the Scholar opened their eyes.
Thud! Thwack! Bam!
"Oh, what is this..."
They turned their heads at the sound of impact that rang out as soon as it started.
It seemed like this foul-tempered bastard Yeodre was good at beating people up even in the original world.
'Anyway, you stubborn bastard...'
And Raband, who turned to the side where the sound was heard.
"...Huh?"
Raband let out a stupid groan.
Surrounded by about five students, being lynched and taking a defensive posture was...
"Yeodre...?"
Thwack!
"Ugh."
A boy crouching, protecting the back of his head with his hands, making a very typical sound.
"He said 'ugh', ugh! Hahaha!"
"Hey. Does it hurt? Does it hurt?"
"Ow... fuck."
Yeodre grimaced.
As if that was unpleasant, the violence started again.
"......"
"This is..."
While Kaits and the Scholar couldn't continue their words, Raband said.
"This bastard... was he a loser?"