Chapter 289
Chapter 289
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 289
Chapter Title: Regressor (5)
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‘He’s different.’
Kibou’s breath hitched.
He knew Shuten-doji possessed such power.
But he had never applied it in this way.
‘He’s stronger… than in any other regression!’
A cold sweat trickled down Kibou’s neck.
Perhaps he had been too arrogant for a moment.
The disaster hadn't even moved yet, and he was already imagining victory as if it were a foregone conclusion.
‘Still.’
The Hero raised his sword.
‘I have to do this.’
That was the mission entrusted to the name of Hero.
“Uraaaagh!”
With a powerful war cry, Kibou charged forward.
It was a signal, a catalyst for the other players who had been watching cautiously to finally move.
“Min-woo!”
“I know!”
Blue flames incinerated the yokai.
Those with resistance to fire were cut down by lightning-like flashes before they could regain their senses.
“There’s no end to them!?”
“If you’re whining already, you’ll never be able to stand by Se-hyeon’s side.”
“Who said I’m having a hard time…!”
Provoked by Han Hyeok-jun’s light taunt, Jo Min-woo fought with even greater vigor.
Kim Se-hyeon had trusted him with this; he couldn't betray that expectation.
At the same time.
Jeong Ha-yeon’s eyes were fixed on one place.
‘He told me to keep a close eye on Kibou and Kaede.’
She didn't fully understand Kim Se-hyeon’s intentions.
But she knew one thing.
They were important, so she had to protect them.
From a distance where they wouldn't notice, Jeong Ha-yeon positioned herself to protect them at a moment's notice.
“We can do this! We can win!”
“Keep pushing them like this!”
Since keeping the disaster from running rampant was part of the plan, players from the Yamato Guild were also spread out around the Osaka residential area.
Their numbers were sufficient to handle the horde of yokai, even though they were empowered by Shuten-doji's strength.
Thus, at a glance, it seemed the tide was slowly turning in their favor.
That is, until the stationary Shuten-doji decided to move.
[Good. This is how humans should be.]
Shuten-doji smiled and took a sip of his sake.
[Well then, shall I make my move as well?]
*Kwoong!*
A single step, taken as lightly as a stroll, sent a shockwave powerful enough to make the ground ripple.
Everyone within range, oni and human alike, was sent flying without so much as a scream.
[It’s no fun if you fall from something like this.]
Shuten-doji hummed.
“Don’t you dare ignore us!”
A few of those who had withstood the shockwave charged recklessly.
Shuten-doji made no move to dodge, simply smiling without taking any action.
There was no need to.
“Huh…?”
Everything that touched Shuten-doji had shrunk.
Swords, spears, axes.
Regardless of the weapon, they had all been reduced to the point where only the very tips, barely extending past their wielders' grips, were visible.
The power to control size.
The players’ faces hardened as they finally realized what his ability was.
[What is this? Even ants wouldn't use such a thing. You didn't truly believe you could harm me with this, did you?]
He flicked the person closest to him.
The force, however, was unparalleled.
*KABOOM!!*
Cha Eun-ha squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away.
She had grown used to seeing people die, but even she couldn't remain unfazed watching a living person’s head explode.
[Then I suppose I must punish the other wicked things tormenting my children.]
“I won’t let you!!”
[Ugh!? Roasted beans? How cowardly!]
Shuten-doji flinched and recoiled.
For a moment, Kibou’s face brightened.
When an oni is hit with roasted beans, they feel an intense pain as if their soul is being crushed, which is why they fear them.
No matter how strong he had become, Shuten-doji was still an oni.
He couldn't escape this weakness.
[…That's what you thought, didn't you, my dear?]
However, Shuten-doji’s next action was the complete opposite.
[If you thought something so trivial would work on me, I am truly disappointed.]
He seemed unfazed by the beans, even picking up one that had fallen to the ground, popping it into his mouth, and rolling it around with his tongue.
[Still not a particularly tasty food.]
His established weakness no longer worked, and the enemy had grown stronger.
A bead of cold sweat dripped from Kibou’s chin.
[Here. You can have them back.]
A few beans were thrown.
However, they could no longer be called beans.
The moment they left Shuten-doji’s hand, they had grown to the size of a single-family house.
*KWAAAAANG!*
Massive damage was inflicted once again.
Kibou bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.
Every time Shuten-doji made a move, so many people were injured that Hwang Yu-jin couldn't keep up on her own.
Even when those who hadn't given up charged again, the result was the same.
‘This is bad.’
Shuten-doji’s other name.
The Disaster of Tradition.
There was a reason he was called that.
The strategy to defeat Shuten-doji relied solely on tradition.
Only by using the methods described in the old tales could one face him; otherwise, it was impossible.
‘Without that sword, I can’t damage Shuten-doji…!’
Kibou’s mouth went dry.
The sword should be with the Sword Saint by now, but the Sword Saint himself was not here.
Normally, he should have arrived long ago to help fight Shuten-doji, but for some reason, he had yet to show himself.
[What is it? Do you wish to play tag with me?]
With their forces tied up by Shuten-doji, the players could no longer hold back the horde of yokai.
As the horde broke through, they began to ravage the civilians who were hiding or trying to flee.
In an instant, the tide of battle had turned so completely that even Kim Se-hyeon's formidable companions couldn't spare a thought for the disaster.
‘Should I give up on this regression?’
The outlook was far too bleak.
No matter how fiercely the S-rank players fought, they couldn't undo the damage that had already been done.
“It’s alright! We have the Regressor! He’ll take care of it!”
The Yamato Guild players, dispatched with the Sword Saint to monitor the Regressor and the disaster, shouted to boost morale.
Their words made Kibou flinch and snap back to his senses.
Only then did he see the true state of the battle.
[You're quite nimble, my dear!]
Shuten-doji was focusing his attacks on Kaede.
The thought that Shuten-doji might have noticed their relationship and was trying to exploit it sent a wave of panic through Kibou.
Kaede shouted.
“Don’t worry about me! Focus on saving the people!”
Kibou bit his lip.
To hear those words again.
But the answer was already decided.
“Just hold on a little longer!”
“It’s fine. There are others here, right?”
He moved until his lungs burned, unable to catch his breath.
He plunged into the most dangerous areas to rescue people.
Just as he always had.
Because he was the Hero.
‘This should be enough.’
Once the evacuation and rescue of the civilians were nearly complete, Kibou hurried back toward Shuten-doji.
*Thwack!*
The moment he turned, he saw Kaede being struck by Shuten-doji, sent flying as she coughed up blood.
“Kaede! Kaede!”
There was no sound of breathing.
He placed a trembling hand over her mouth, but he felt no airflow.
Kibou’s heart plummeted.
***
He became a Hero to save people.
But after arduously defeating his enemies, a shadow of immense damage always lingered behind him.
So, the Hero chose to regress.
To reach a slightly better outcome.
Again, and again.
He repeated the same time over and over.
‘There must be a better way.’
One step further than yesterday.
And one step further than the day before that.
Sometimes he couldn't advance, but still, he pressed steadily forward.
“It’s your fault.”
Sometimes, his spirit broke.
“My brother died because you were late!”
Even if all he received in return was resentment and blame.
The Hero chose to go back again and again, for a happy ending for all.
“It’s okay. You can do it.”
The Hero had someone precious to him.
A soulmate with whom he had shared a long time, promising to spend their lives together.
The Hero must protect the people.
He must not be swayed by personal affection.
“I’m fine, so please, save the people.”
He had to watch his lover die countless times.
There was a Hero who had to protect others while failing to protect his most precious person.
That’s why he tried not forming a bond at all.
He saved people while chewing on solitude, all alone.
‘No.’
As that time piled up, so did the empty space in his heart.
He couldn’t bear it, so he repeated it again.
He could endure because she was there.
Even if he could never get used to his lover’s death, he believed that one day he would find a way to save them both.
He moved forward, befitting his duty as a Hero.
Unaware that his heart was slowly bruising.
“Is this any time to be worrying about your lover!”
He was used to the criticism.
He considered hearing resentment and blame to be inevitable.
Because his power was not yet enough to save everyone.
“What kind of Regressor gets into a relationship!”
“You can go back and start over as many times as you want, but we can’t!”
“Just do your job properly!”
But that didn't mean he was immune.
Some things you can never get used to, no matter how hard you try.
Nowhere, was there any support for him.
“You’re the Hero!!”
The light in Kibou’s eyes slowly died.
‘Right, the Hero’s duty… I have to do my job….’
He stands before the disaster with staggering steps.
As he met Shuten-doji’s sinister smile, a question suddenly occurred to the Hero.
‘How many times have I failed?’
How many tens of times had he fallen, how many hundreds of times had he died?
How many thousands of times had he seen his lover die?
The people’s accusations echoed in his head like auditory hallucinations.
An event from so long ago that he couldn't count how much time he had lived through regression.
…What have I gained in all that time?
‘What was I regressing for? Why did I try to protect people?’
The color drained from the world.
In a world of black and white, all he could see were things in human skin, busy blaming him while shifting all responsibility onto him.
‘What value do those things even have?’
*Thump.*
Someone shoved his shoulder and stepped forward.
Defeating a disaster brought immense rewards.
The players who knew this well were driven more by greed than by fear.
“If you can’t do it, then just step aside. We, the real heroes, will defeat the disaster, not some fake hero like you.”
The criticism turned to ridicule.
Being pushed and falling felt like sinking into a deep, deep abyss.
The sounds grew distant.
And when he could hear nothing at all.
The Hero let go of something he had been holding onto until now.
‘I’m done. I’m tired too.’
[Trait, ‘Corruption’ has been created.]
[It affects other traits.]
[Trait, ‘Hero (S+)’ is changing.]
[Trait, ‘Unbreakable Belief (S)’ is changing.]
[Trait, ‘For the Greater Good (A)’ is….]
*Swish!*
“Huh?”
The man, a sudden hole in his chest, collapsed with a look of confusion, as if he didn't understand what had just happened.
The horrified gazes of the people focused on one spot.
There stood someone who, just moments before, had been the Hero.
“Why all of a sudden… Gack!”
“He’s… insane! The Hero is attacking us!”
Kibou’s eyes flashed with black light.
*Splaaash!*
The moment his sword gleamed, a spray of blood erupted.
As the Yamato Guild players were cut down without putting up any meaningful resistance, Shuten-doji burst into laughter.
[That’s it. You’ve been fighting for worthless things all this time. There’s no need for that anymore. Now, run wild. You poor child.]