Chapter 285
Chapter 285
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 285
Chapter Title: The Regressor (1)
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“...What’s with all these paper cranes?”
When I returned to the original world, a bizarre scene unfolded before me.
The teleportation spell they were supposed to be preparing was nowhere to be seen, and instead, giant paper cranes were strewn about the room.
“My apologies, Se-hyeon-nim. Some kind of force is interfering, making it impossible to travel across space. For now, this is the best we can do.”
“That’s right. I tried using my teleportation, but even with the coordinates, it didn’t work.”
“So this is the solution you came up with?”
“Hyung. They say these can actually fly!”
Well, of course they fly.
They’re mounts created with Onmyōdō.
It’ll take quite a while to ride these instead of using teleportation.
‘Shuten-dōji must be up to something.’
It was a ploy to buy time.
Not only us, but the Yamato Guild would also know about the Disaster's appearance, so his goal must be to delay everyone from joining up.
‘The only ones left there are two or three S-rankers from Yamato and the Regressor.’
They didn’t have enough power to stop Shuten-dōji.
That would be the case even with just Shuten-dōji, but it seemed another Disaster had appeared this time.
Unless the Regressor possessed overwhelming power like those in novels or comics, it wouldn’t matter. The Regressor in EOA was not such a being.
“Well, it’s not slow... but it’s a bit underwhelming.”
Jun Bo-ra pressed down on her bangs, which were being blown up by the headwind, a subtle expression on her face.
“It’s amazing that a paper crane can go as fast as a car on the highway, but it takes hours to get from near Tokyo to near Osaka even by Shinkansen. At this rate, we’ll be late.”
“Isn’t there anything we can do?”
“We could set them on fire, but...”
“Then let’s do that.”
Jun Bo-ra jumped in surprise.
“Are you crazy?! You want us to bungee jump in mid-air?! Besides, it’s made of paper, why would setting it on fire make it go faster! You, explain yourself properly!”
“P-Please calm down. They may not look it, but they react like living creatures. If they catch fire, they get flustered and speed up.”
Of course, they weren't real living things, so the moment the spell's power ran out, they'd turn back into ordinary paper.
If you kept the fire going without letting it spread, you could use it as a kind of booster.
Seimei said, looking troubled.
“But if they burn up completely before we arrive, we’ll really have to run the rest of the way.”
“What’s there to worry about when we have a fire control master right here?”
“...You’re not talking about me, are you?”
Who else would I be talking about?
Han Hyeok-jun scoffed in disbelief and conjured a flame on his fingertip.
The paper cranes, their tails now on fire, panicked and began flapping their wings faster.
They've gotten quite a bit faster.
“Wait, enemies ahead!”
*Kwoooosh!*
The moment Cha Eun-ha shouted, a ball of fire shot past, narrowly missing the paper cranes.
The flames spread to the wing of the crane Han Hyeok-jun was riding, but he casually swatted them away.
“One person setting fires is enough... huh? Isn't that one of those?”
Jun Bo-ra’s eyes widened as she identified the enemy.
A yokai in the shape of a dragon.
It was an A-rank demonic beast called a Gwimyeollyong.
Jun Bo-ra and I met eyes, and we both grinned.
***
“To think of riding a yokai...”
Seimei groaned, his face a mask of uncertainty.
“Getting there quickly is the priority, no matter what we ride. That’ll reduce the number of casualties. Compared to that, temporarily subjugating a yokai is no big deal, right?”
“That... is true.”
The Gwimyeollyong, contrary to its appearance, is quite cowardly.
It’s fine with frightening people, but when it’s on the receiving end, it overreacts.
In other words, it was an easy target to subdue through force.
“Fly faster. If we’re late, I’m holding you responsible for everything.”
[P-Please, just spare me!!]
The Gwimyeollyong replied, on the verge of tears, and picked up speed.
It was incomparably faster than the paper cranes.
At this rate, we’ll reach our destination within ten minutes.
I glanced at my companions’ faces for a moment, my gaze stopping on Jeong Ha-yeon.
I still hadn’t told Jeong Ha-yeon why I wanted her to come along for this.
In the past, she would have asked, but she showed no signs of doing so now.
She was just tagging along to repay the debt she felt she owed me. That was the impression I got.
‘I said that with her in mind.’
She didn't seem to care much, silently staring off into the distance.
If she wasn’t going to bother, then I didn’t need to say anything either.
Whether a situation would arise that required Hwang Yu-jin and Jeong Ha-yeon’s power was a matter of probability.
I brought them both along to prevent the worst-case scenario, but even their simple assistance is a great help.
I cleared my throat to get Seimei’s attention.
“Seimei. You said something strange to Yaogami earlier. About the 3rd generation.”
“That’s right.”
“You were talking about artificial Players, weren’t you?”
Seimei’s eyes twitched faintly.
Han Hyeok-jun also turned his head to focus on the conversation.
“...You already knew?”
“We came to Japan chasing after them as well. Could you share what you know?”
The keyword ‘artificial Player’ is always linked to Cromwell.
I was already tracking Cromwell’s whereabouts, so I couldn’t let a sudden clue like this slip by.
After a moment of thought, Seimei nodded in understanding.
“There’s no reason I can’t tell you.”
Seimei touched his lips, as if organizing his thoughts.
“It happened not too long ago. I learned about it when a gate suddenly appeared inside the Tokyo residential area. Thanks to a swift response, there wasn’t much damage, but something about the process was strange. It was too swift. So much so that I wondered if there had always been this many Players in the residential area. A significant number of people who were ordinary civilians just the day before had become Players. That must have been when it started. When Players who weren't officially awakened, who felt... disconnected, began to appear.”
“Exactly how long ago was that?”
“The first sighting was the day before yesterday.”
Hwang Chan-jin rescued Han Hyeok-jun four days ago.
If Cromwell fled to Japan right after escaping the research facility, the timing would match.
“Were there any unusual traits among the artificial Players?”
“Most of them used the power of fire. Ah, now that I think about it, it felt odd at the time, but I think I saw a few people who resembled... no, who looked almost identical to your companion.”
Han Hyeok-jun’s face twisted into a frightening grimace.
The one Hwang Chan-jin fought at Cromwell’s research facility was Han Hyeok-jun’s clone.
Not only were those clones still around, but the ‘power factor’ that Han Hyeok-jun possessed was being used to mass-produce artificial Players.
Han Hyeok-jun was clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
There was no way he'd feel good about his mortal enemy copying and using his power as he pleased.
[W-We’ve arrived.]
At the Gwimyeollyong’s words, everyone’s gaze simultaneously turned downward.
Osaka, the city representing the Kansai region.
All traces of its famed reputation were gone; Osaka was burning and destroyed in every direction.
“Are we already too late...?!”
Seimei clenched his teeth.
The Yamato Guild was nowhere to be seen.
Just as teleportation was blocked, the warp gates must have been blocked too.
They might not have arrived yet.
“I’m going ahead.”
Han Hyeok-jun leaped from the Gwimyeollyong’s back.
Despite falling from a considerable height, he landed safely by stabbing his sword into the head of a four-meter-tall yokai, using the impact to his advantage.
It probably wasn't intentional, but to the fleeing people, he must have looked like a hero, as fervent cheers erupted.
[Um... can I go now?]
After landing on the rooftop of a relatively intact building, the Gwimyeollyong glanced around nervously.
The others, assuming I would handle it, paid no mind and were already heading down from the building.
“Yeah, you can go.”
[H-Heehee. I’m saved!]
“Just kidding.”
*Thump.* The thing that had been on its neck a moment ago fell off.
Looking at it again, its face was truly grotesque.
That must be why it’s called Gwimyeon (Oni-faced).
‘Everyone will probably scatter and do what they need to do.’
The Disaster itself was not yet visible.
For now, only the yokai, who could be considered the Disaster’s subordinates, were attacking.
That meant there was still time.
Once I reached the ground, the situation became much clearer.
It was like seeing Seoul on the first day the world changed.
People were screaming and running, with yokai hunting them from behind.
The only difference was that there were people fighting back.
Among them, my focus fell on one particularly conspicuous individual.
“Hurry and evacuate! It’s dangerous here!”
A young man was fending off yokai while helping people evacuate.
The person I had come to Osaka to find.
The core of the Japan storyline, the Regressor.
[Using skill, ‘Extreme Eye’.]
[Character Information]
Name: Nakajima Kibou
Gender: Male (23)
Strength: 71(+8) Stamina: 70(+8) Agility: 73(+8) Mana: 70(+8)
Unique Ability: Regressor (EX)
Traits: Blessing of Time (S), Curse of Time (S), Hero (S+), Unbreakable Conviction (S), Vessel of Divinity (A), For the Greater Good (A)
Skill: Sword of the Protector (S)
‘Just as I thought.’
He was the one with Regression.
The immutable law of unique abilities. If someone has one, no one else can.
With this, the possibility of Salvatio’s leader being the Regressor was completely gone.
‘I’ll have to assume he doesn’t have Regression, but something with a similar effect.’
The contradiction of him having as much information about the future as I do, despite only becoming a Player a few years ago.
At least it was now confirmed that he didn’t have future sight or regression, so that assumption was correct.
‘He might have obtained reincarnation, rebirth, or possession.’
And though it’s the worst-case scenario.
If it’s not even that...
“You just looked at my status window, didn’t you?”
The Regressor abruptly approached me and threw out the question.
Normally, people wouldn’t notice. How did he figure it out?
I need to maintain a friendly relationship with him.
Rather than starting off on the wrong foot by lying, it was better to admit it honestly and make an excuse.
“...That’s right. You stood out, so I wanted to see how strong you were. It was rude of me.”
“Then you must have seen that I’m a Hero! They’re still swarming in from all over. Will you help me?”
My eyes were naturally drawn to the Regressor’s clear, bright eyes.
He hasn’t changed.
This was the kind of person he was.
Someone who doesn’t know how to doubt others, who steps up saying it’s only natural to help those in trouble.
Next to him... is his lover.
This isn’t a good start.
Each time the Regressor starts a new cycle, it’s divided into cases where he has a lover and cases where he doesn’t.
This is purely a matter of probability; no other factors interfere.
Among them, the easier route was the one where he ‘didn’t’ have a lover.
‘There are already two Disasters, and now the chances of things getting more difficult have increased.’
I narrowed my eyes and stared at his lover.
Seeing Rasty peek its head out from my clothes, her face softened as she called it cute.
Just like always, she’s ordinary.
Her stats, her abilities.
It was hard to say she would be helpful, even to be kind.
“I also came here to stop the Disaster I heard had awakened.”
“Then...!”
“I’ll cooperate.”
A smile bloomed visibly on the Regressor’s face.
“Let’s move. The faster we stop them, the fewer casualties there will be. I’ll take that side.”
I swung my sword toward a group of yokai that happened to be swarming in.
Purple blood sprayed out behind them.
Seeing this, the Regressor’s eyes widened, and he muttered to himself in confusion.
“...Something’s really strange about this cycle.”