Regressor (3)

It wasn’t just Jung Hayan.

Kim Hyunsung was the same.

Whatever the reason, there was a good chance that he was one of those rare strongmen who had already seen the end of this world once.

He knew everything that would happen from here on out, and he had the will to change the future that was coming for them, to use it for himself.

If I borrowed the sort of language you’d only ever see in a fantasy novel, then the guy was a kind of chosen hero.

There was no reason not to keep a good relationship with him.

A lucky bastard.

I wasn’t jealous of the burden on his back.

What I envied was what he would gain, and what he would be able to exploit.

His rise had already become a foregone conclusion.

Which meant I needed to take as much as I could from this side while I had the chance.

“How much farther do we have to go? Are you sure this is the right road?”

“Yes. We’re almost there.”

Park Deokgu muttered in a bored voice, and the other man gave a short nod.

Watching him keep his guard up as he scanned the area felt strangely new.

He was watching for monsters too.

At the moment, his stats clearly weren’t that high. Sure, having gained a trait and a class, and possessing mana, put him ahead of ordinary people, but if monsters came swarming in from every direction, there wasn’t much he could do either.

So that’s why he couldn’t protect them.

If he’d been able to, there wouldn’t have been any deaths at the Start Point.

“Still, it looks like more of us survived than I expected. I thought most of them would be dead….”

“Honestly, I think I could have saved a few more. I was too out of it at first to really face the monsters properly. If there had been a few more people who could fight….”

“Well, same here. I was too busy running for my life to do anything else…. If it hadn’t been for you, sir, I’d probably already be dead. Were all thirty people the ones who were there back then?”

“Ah! Not exactly. It looks like there were Start Points at other locations too. The one we were in was a bit far from here, though….”

“Hmm… so we weren’t the only ones who came here.”

“Yes. If we expand the search area, I’m sure we’ll hear some good news. The search teams are already finding traces of other people little by little.”

I couldn’t begin to imagine what part of that was supposed to be good news.

“You’re planning to look for more survivors?”

“If the conditions allow it, I think we absolutely should.”

His eyes were honest.

That little word attached to his disposition—good—didn’t seem to be just for show.

I had no idea what the details were, but it looked like he was thinking along the lines of saving everyone, of surviving together, and that made my head hurt.

This bastard….

For some reason, I could already see exactly how a survivor camp like this would end up functioning.

“You look a little off. I-is something wrong?”

Maybe my expression had soured a little, because Jung Hayan glanced at me nervously and spoke up.

“Ah, no. That’s not it. I was just thinking about something for a moment….”

“I-if it’s uncomfortable, then maybe….”

“I’m fine.”

“Ah… um….”

“Yes?”

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

“I-it’s a little late, but… thank you for saving me.”

At her words of gratitude, I answered with a faint smile.

Supporting this woman was a little awkward, but it wasn’t a problem.

If there was even the slightest chance to score points, I needed to take it.

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

Jung Hayan’s face had gone a little red. Apparently, physical contact between men and women wasn’t something she was used to.

Rather than clinging too closely, keeping a little distance would probably do more to lower her guard.

Once I kept my most likable smile in place, I could finally watch her lean against me without complaint.

After walking a little farther, we came upon a surprisingly spacious clearing.

Not bad.

It was a pretty decent place.

Having only a single entrance was a good thing.

It looked like they’d set up some sort of barricade to block monsters coming through the opening, and you couldn’t see inside from the outside.

“Amazing. How did you find this place?”

You already knew about it, didn’t you?

“We found it by chance. We were looking for a decent place to shelter the survivors when we stumbled across it.”

“You were really lucky….”

He must have used this place in a previous life.

This was nothing like the Start Point, which was open on all sides and let monsters flood in all at once.

It was a bit rough around the edges, but in a place like this, it was practically a fortress.

The odds of randomly finding this spot, so far from the Start Point, were slim.

Just a little, but I was starting to feel more and more certain that the guy really had regressed.

“This is impressive. Right? Sir?”

I gave a small nod.

“At this rate, I think we could hold them off even if more than a hundred of those bastards came charging at us.”

“That won’t happen.”

“I-I may have exaggerated a little.”

With enough people, maybe they really could hold out. But having no retreat route was a weakness too.

If a number of monsters truly beyond what they could handle ever broke in here, it would be a massacre.

Except for a few lucky ones, everyone would die. I looked at Kim Hyunsung and slowly opened my mouth.

“It’s sealed off on all sides. If a large number of monsters enter through the gate….”

“That’s why we’re being as careful as possible. We’ve also been clearing out the monsters gathering nearby.”

“You’re going out hunting regularly?”

“Yes. For now, until we find some other clue….”

I became very curious about exactly who was doing that hunting.

As we slowly made our way to the entrance, I could see the woman who had come out to greet us. She was a little short, with a generally cute, friendly face.

“Hyunsung oppa, you’re back? Ah, and you brought new people too.”

She startled a little when she noticed Park Deokgu’s huge frame, sword and shield in hand, but she didn’t lose her smile as she spoke in a bright, friendly tone.

She’s pretty warm.

Looks like she had good social instincts.

“Jihye.”

“I was worried because you seemed a little late.”

I forced down the curse that had nearly burst out of my throat. That status window message felt like it was deliberately provoking me.

After hastily closing the window, I recalled the woman’s information in my mind.

Her miserable talent and miserable stats were nothing compared to the most striking thing about her: her disposition.

Selfish ambition.

Maybe she was the type most like me.

Unlike the others inside, her choice to come out and greet Kim Hyunsung was clearly an act made to be seen. She’d chosen to cling to him in order to survive.

“Hehe. May I ask your names?”

“Park Deokgu.”

“I’m Lee Kiyoung.”

“J-Jung Hayan. Pleased to meet you.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you all. Then I’ll guide you to a place where you can rest first. That’s okay, right? Hyunsung?”

“Of course. Thank you, Jihye.”

“Yes. Leave it to me, Hyunsung oppa.”

She clenched her fist, and while it might have looked cute at a glance, it was not especially pleasant once I remembered what sort of person she was.

As she gave us, Jung Hayan, and Park Deokgu a quick up-and-down scan, it seemed she was calculating how we had ended up joining the camp.

In Park Deokgu’s case, with his big build and sword and shield, he at least passed the first screening.

Jung Hayan, limping along, and me—this feeble man supporting her—seemed to have failed outright.

It was ridiculous how openly she latched onto Park Deokgu and chattered away.

“Did you run into any monsters?”

“We didn’t just run into them. We’ve already killed a few.”

“Oh my… weren’t you scared?”

Her little look of surprise was clearly contrived.

“W-well, of course I was scared, but… ahem. Honestly, if it hadn’t ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been for sir here, we’d have been in big trouble.”

The moment Park Deokgu said something unnecessary, Lee Jihye’s eyes shifted back toward me.

I wasn’t sure if it was because we were of the same kind, but I could tell exactly what she was doing now.

She was revising her internal assessment of me.

I’d probably been upgraded from some forgettable nobody to something like Park Deokgu’s “sir.”

“Ah, I see. So Kiyoung helped fight too.”

“Helped fight? Ha! Every time sir here thrusts that spear, three or four of those monster bastards go flying.”

Shut up, you pig….

I wanted to clamp my hand over Park Deokgu’s mouth.

I had thought I’d made a somewhat impressive first impression, but his affection for me was far too much.

At least I didn’t have to worry about being stabbed in the back, but his behavior still left me flustered.

“Ah, really? That’s a relief. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Then the Shelter will be safer.”

Her tone sounded a little hopeful.

But I wasn’t feeling especially pleased. I could read the eyes of the survivors watching us come in.

Even though I was activating Mind’s Eye and checking everyone’s information, there were no especially notable people in sight.

Still, I could clearly tell what sort of gaze they were sending us.

Relief.

They were all relieved. They were sighing in relief at the sight of us—spear, sword, and shield in hand.

“Hah….”

I had sort of expected this, but seeing it with my own eyes still made me sigh.

The place Kim Hyunsung had built was an incredibly safe one.

That is, for everyone except us.