Regressor Instruction Manual 200: Lee Kiyoung’s Hidden Camera Prank (1)

It wasn’t as if the man wasn’t desperate.

I figured he had to be more desperate than anyone else. The way he kept throwing himself into training made it obvious just how cornered he really was.

And yet, I couldn’t understand why he still refused to accept this. Still, I decided there had to be some reason he couldn’t say out loud.

Maybe it was some clumsy excuse like wanting to repay my faith in him. Maybe he simply wanted to stand beside me with his own strength. Either way, what mattered to me wasn’t why he was acting like this, but that I could make him stronger, even if only by a little.

Because he’s an idiot.

He was in no position to diagnose himself. If he didn’t even know what his own problem was, of course he’d be frustrated.

From the start, it had been a stretch to place himself on the same level as geniuses like Kim Yeri, Kim Hyunsung, or Cho Hyejin.

Kim Yeri had been right.

The man had his own role to play, and even if Park Deokgu accepted the serum, he still wouldn’t be able to keep up with the geniuses in Kim Hyunsung’s party.

I was in much the same position. Once I realized I could never ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠catch up to geniuses from the beginning, I changed course.

Even if I claimed to have grand ambitions in magic and believed I could grow through sheer grit, catching up to someone like Jung Hayan was impossible from the outset.

With the talent I had, I was certain I could train for a thousand years and still never reach Jung Hayan.

Of course, Park Deokgu at least had a chance of reaching them that lazy old me didn’t.

“So that’s why you came up with this method?”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“Yes.”

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea, but… if this goes wrong, you could end up ruining a person completely, you know? I’ve seen him a lot since the Tutorial, but his mental fortitude didn’t seem that strong. If anything, he’s dependent and… to be honest….”

“Hm?”

“To be honest, if it hadn’t been for Oppa, this guy would’ve died in the Tutorial.”

Lee Jihye came into view, casually saying things that would make Park Deokgu want to cry if he heard them.

She looked tired, probably because things at Black Swan had been rough lately.

Even so, that usual confident expression and easy composure of hers were still intact.

“You’re not exactly one to talk, Jihye.”

“Oh? Well, let’s see. I think I would’ve scraped by just fine even without Oppa and Hyunsung. But whatever, that’s all in the past, so let’s stop digging it back up. The important thing now isn’t that. And why do you keep calling me noona, Oppa?”

Because you’re the noona.

Apparently, she had no idea I could check her age.

It seemed like a secret she wanted to keep to herself, so I quietly turned away, chewing over the “second generation” line from her overall assessment in silence.

“You don’t even look old, though… anyway, it is kind of amazing.”

“What is?”

“I didn’t think you’d care this much. I thought you were the colder type, but… maybe it’s hard to cut him off cleanly because you’ve been together for so long?”

“It’s for a similar reason.”

“That’s what I mean. I knew you kept saying Hyunsung this, Hyunsung that, but this time it feels like you’re handing everything you’ve got to that huge middle-aged man…. If I hadn’t heard you’d been in the royal castle with Kasugano Yuno, I would’ve started wondering if Oppa was actually gay.”

“What?”

“I’m joking. You know better than anyone that’s not what I meant. But if you really do prefer men, you should at least give me a heads-up. Stirring up my competitive spirit is one thing, but if it were true, I’d be heartbroken.”

“It’s not like that.”

“I know. I just tossed it out there because it’s so obvious how much you’re thinking about Deokgu. I can see you want to keep him close even though there’s no reason not to let him go. You know people in other guilds and even the party are talking, right?”

“No. I’ve been pretty busy with research lately. What, is there some bad rumor going around?”

“Something like that. Rumor has it the Blue party, with Kim Hyunsung and Lee Kiyoung—the continent’s Eight Seats—might be looking for a usable vanguard.”

“That’s nonsense.”

“It may sound like nonsense to people with loose lips. But from the outside, there’s always something to see. It’s no secret that Deokgu can’t keep up with that party anymore, and it’s also true there are plenty of reasons to worry about putting him in Blue’s vanguard, right? Word that you’re looking for a capable frontliner has stirred the transfer market in a pretty strange way. Freelance tankers are apparently getting excited, hoping someone might call them up….”

“……”

“I understand how you feel, Oppa, but if you want to succeed, you have to know when to cut people loose. Well, I’m sure you’ll handle it yourself, but… it’s not really my place to judge that. Just think of this as me babbling because I’m worried about my dear husband.”

“No. You’re partly right.”

“Really?”

“Hyunsung has actually floated the idea of creating a second party for me. It wasn’t so much that he wanted to abandon Deokgu as that he judged the man might be in danger if he stepped into somewhere even riskier than before. He also seems to be considering recruiting another tanker or training one up from scratch….”

“That’s rough… for Deokgu. If he’s going to train one up, is he planning to save someone from this Tutorial Dungeon?”

“Probably. Sanghee has retired, but she’s still serving as Blue’s advisor, so it’s not like we’re in any rush. Still, we do need to prepare. Taking care of Park Deokgu is only going to go as far as this. You understand what I mean, right?”

“Yes.”

“Honestly, I’ve already poured a ton of time and resources into making that enhancement serum, and I’m way too busy to keep babying him like this. My position is what it is, and I’ve got too much to do besides the guild. Blue isn’t the only one taking this batch of rookies seriously.”

“True… Blue’s settled down a bit now, so I guess you’d want to recruit as many decent newcomers as possible. I get it.”

“This is the first and last time. If there’s no result, or if he doesn’t change….”

“You’ll kick him out of the guild?”

“Hardly. It’d be more appropriate to assign him to the second party, or pull him out for training as an instructor, or maybe transfer him into an administrative role.”

“You really are soft-hearted.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, noona.”

Lee Jihye was grinning from ear to ear, clearly entertained.

She really did look amused.

It was a little unnerving to see her watching me so closely, but I’d gotten my promise of help, so the objective was basically complete.

“Thanks for looking out for me when you’re busy, noona.”

“I’ll just think of it as buying a few stocks. I’ll get a return on it someday.”

“You’ll probably see a few crumbs fall Blue’s way before long.”

“Yeonju will love that. Oh, and Oppa? Please tell Hyunsung to make some time for me.”

“Hm?”

“Our guild master keeps saying she wants to meet him, but he won’t even respond.”

“Park Yeonju-nim?”

“Yep. Haven’t you heard anything?”

“Not a thing….”

“Looks like our unnie’s taken a real liking to Hyunsung. She’s been nagging me to set up a meeting. Just asking in case, but… he’s not impotent, is he?”

“He’s not… I think….”

From my perspective, where I thought things were going well between him and Cho Hyejin, it was a completely new story I’d never heard before.

Who would have guessed Kim Hyunsung would end up caught in a strange little romance rumor with the guild master of Black Swan?

Of course, this was helpful to Blue. From what I knew, Kim Hyunsung didn’t seem particularly interested, but still….

This is good news.

I hadn’t even imagined news like this would exist.

“So he really has just shut himself away and done nothing but research lately. There wasn’t any official move, but this was one of those rumors drifting around quietly, same as the Deokgu story….”

“What rumor?”

“That the reason Blue Guild rose to its current position was the guild master and vice guild master’s history with women. Honestly, it’s not exactly wrong, is it? Maybe not for Kim Hyunsung, but it fits Lee Kiyoung perfectly. It’s really fascinating. Attractive, sure, but what on earth is it that makes women cling to you like magnets…?”

There was a very sad story behind that, but I had no intention of opening my mouth about it.

Still, the fact that Jihye was saying this much meant I really had been spending a ridiculous amount of time buried in research.

I couldn’t help but wonder if there were any other rumors I’d missed.

“Are there any other rumors I haven’t heard about?”

“Let me think. Something about Red Mercenaries staking everything on the rookies coming out of this Tutorial Dungeon. Why, the Mercenary Queen still hasn’t shown her face in any official setting, right? I’m guessing there’s another reason, but the public seems to have decided it must be that.”

That’s right.

“And what else was there? Oh, there’s also a rumor that the continent’s Eight Seats will be officially announced soon. I think that rumor was probably spread by the Holy Empire. It’s less of a baseless lie and more of an official leak, really.”

“Nice. I was already expecting some sort of official announcement anyway… and the timing works too. Probably….”

“After the Tutorial Dungeon opens? Ah! And there’s another one saying the Blue’s Lee Kiyoung might marry Lady Marlin and swallow Castle Rock whole….”

“That one’s nonsense.”

“Thought so. The source was apparently on Lady Marlin’s side.”

“You know everything.”

“Black Swan’s intelligence network is the best in the Empire, if I do say so myself.”

She paused, then glanced at me again. “Oh, and Oppa?”

“Yeah?”

“Kim Yeri from your guild.”

“What about her?”

“You know she’s gotten pretty close to one of our girls lately, right?”

“I don’t know much about her. Hyunsung’s the one taking care of Kim Yeri….”

“You should probably tell her to stop coming to Black Swan so often.”

“Is she causing trouble or something?”

“No, not exactly… actually, Yeri’s been getting along with one of my direct subordinates, and she’s not exactly the best kind of kid. She’s not doing anything bad, but in a lot of ways she’s just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠too much like one of these kids these days… I’m less worried about Yeri causing trouble for Black Swan than I am about our girl being a bad influence on her. We’ve been having a pretty hard time keeping her in line, too….”

“What, is she a psychopath or something?”

“No. Her personality’s fine. She’s talented, capable, and honestly, she’s being evaluated as someone who could lead Black Swan’s future.”

“If that’s all, then I don’t really need to worry about it. That’s a good thing, actually. The future of Blue and the future of Black Swan getting along is politically beautiful, too… and if they’re making friends, then there’s a good chance they’ll influence each other in a positive way. Our guild’s kid has always been a loner. Honestly, hearing she has a friend makes me feel relieved. Hyunsung will probably like it too. Don’t worry about it.”

After I delivered that near-textbook answer, Lee Jihye suddenly raised her voice and called out to someone.

“Shira? Chae Shira?”

Of course, the answer to that loud call came almost immediately.

“You called for me because you needed me, unnie? Approved? Oh, absolutely approved. In a meeting with Oppa, who’s been unofficially nominated as one of the continent’s Eight Seats, the fact that you called for me means Jihye unnie has finally acknowledged me! That’s insane. That’s legendary. This is the kind of vibe that makes me feel like I’ve been summoned on a quiet, quiet night! I’m even worried this might mean you want the three of us to hang out together, but honestly, it’s kind of thrilling too. Ahhh!”

“No. You don’t need to come in.”

“……”

A woman’s voice boomed from outside the door.

I couldn’t see her face, but it was no wonder I suddenly felt like I should be desperately blocking Kim Yeri from ever setting foot in Black Swan.

“Got it… I’ll block it with everything I’ve got.”

“Yes… Anyway, you’re going into the dungeon soon, right? I’ll get everything Oppa ordered ready, so don’t worry. I’ll make sure things go exactly according to the script.”

“Thanks, noona.”

“Don’t mention it. What are we to each other… Anyway, do your best. That huge middle-aged man was a good person, at least, so I hope this ends with a good result.”

“You mean that sincerely?”

“Of course. Every powerful person needs a loyal subject or two like that, don’t they? I won’t bother seeing you out. My love.”

“Yeah. See you next time, my best friend.”

The die had already been cast.

Phase One of the Park Deokgu Awakening and Enhancement Plan.

The Captain Lindel plan could wait. For now, getting into the dungeon with him was the first step.

Of course, before that….

I should warn Hyunsung once.

There was no way I was going to let Blue’s future grow in a direction like that.

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