Chapter 8
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Regressor (2)
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I thanked her verbally while checking her status window.
The moment I saw the status window, I was stunned. I couldn't comprehend it at all. The stats and unique trait were issues enough, but one word caught my eye.
'... Regressor?'
The absurd word froze my brain, halting my thoughts.
'... Regression? Is something like that even possible?'
Everything she'd shown so far made sense if she was a regressor. Taking out three people in an instant wasn't something an ordinary person could do.
The content was so shocking that I even doubted if the status window was lying.
As my mind grew tangled to the point of bursting, she smiled and replied.
"No, I had to help. You didn't need to give me rations too."
If... she really was a regressor, I had to stay on her good side no matter what. The moment she deemed me an enemy or an obstacle to her plans, the odds of her eliminating me were high.
But the strange thing was how oddly favorable she seemed toward us. No, she was openly friendly.
"Could I travel with you all, by any chance? This place is... kind of scary to go around alone..."
Someone like her could travel alone without issue. If anything, the fools who targeted her without knowing better would be the ones in danger.
The problem was I couldn't figure out why she wanted to stick with us.
'... Could it be... in the first round, was I acquainted with this woman?'
Her subtle friendliness made it a plausible guess. I didn't know the reason, but when I was on the brink of death earlier, she'd seen it and quietly burned with anger.
'The odds that I had a grudge with her in the first round are...'
Zero. If there had been bad blood, my head and body would've been separated the moment we met.
'Good. The fact that the regressor is favorable toward me gives plenty of room to exploit.'
"Sure... do as you wish. It's fine."
"Thank you so much. Truth be told... I was really scared traveling alone."
Hearing her say she was scared nearly made me burst out laughing. A woman who'd just killed three people in a flash, scared to travel alone? What nonsense...
'Scared my ass...'
"More importantly, you should treat that wound on your arm first. Must hurt..."
"Oh... this..."
"Hyung...! Let me heal it. I just... got a job class."
Yu-hyeon's hand glowed, and the wound on my arm slowly knit closed.
"This...!"
The regressor stared at Yu-hyeon in shock, her expression like someone who'd stumbled upon a massive treasure on the street.
'... Was Yu-hyeon the one who made a name for himself in the first round...?'
Or maybe it was simply because his ability was healing.
"Ah...! I haven't introduced myself properly. I'm Seo Yu-ju. Nice to meet you."
"Ah, my name is... Lee Yun-seong. Nice to meet you too."
"Yes... of course."
She spoke with a distant look, her expression incredibly complex.
'... Is it more than just acquaintances?'
For now, I could learn about her gradually. Since we'd be traveling together, there'd be plenty of time. I opened the status window for Yu-hyeon, who seemed to have classed up.
'Crazy... his job is... Hero Grade?'
Even the regressor only had a Rare Grade job so far. Hero Grade? And his mana stat had skyrocketed.
The moment I saw the new traits, my jaw dropped.
'This is so unfair... Some start with Hero Grade jobs, others with common ones... Damn it.'
I had to stick with the regressor and Yu-hyeon no matter what. With no special abilities of my own, clinging to their coattails was my only shot at surviving past the tutorial.
Of course, I had the unique trait of viewing others' status windows, but I couldn't reveal that to anyone.
Who would leave someone who could peek at their status window alone? My ability had to stay secret.
'Plus, I have almost no combat prowess.'
As I organized my thoughts, Yu-hyeon spoke up.
"Hyung... but something weird happened. When I got my job, there was no selection list—it just forced the class on me..."
"Hmm... Anyway, good things are good. That healing was impressive. From now on, you can patch me up if I get hurt. Haha..."
"Hehe... Just trust me, hyung!"
Yu-hyeon clenched his fist with a determined look.
"Noona! Now I can protect you too!"
"Y-Yeah..."
The regressor, who'd been listening, approached me.
"Yun-seong. What are your plans now? Do you all have a place to stay?"
"No, nowhere to stay. We were hunting monsters for Yu-rim and Yu-hyeon to class up when those guys ambushed us..."
"In that case, I have a camp setup. How about heading there? It's at the northern starting point."
'What? Northern starting point?'
"... Northern starting point?"
"Ah... you didn't know. There are buildings identical to the ones where you all woke up, one in each direction: east, west, south, north. The one you woke up in was one of them."
If there were three more buildings just like ours, that meant four times as many people from that plaza were undergoing this tutorial trial.
"Then... there must be a ton of people here."
"Mm... My starting point has people I've gathered, so most survived, but the others from different starts were probably mostly killed by monsters."
"... How do you know all this, Yu-ju?"
Realizing she'd casually spilled too much info, the regressor hurried to make excuses.
"Ah...! Someone who fled from another start point came to the camp! I heard it from him...!"
'This woman. Is she naturally a bit airheaded... or what? She's totally different from earlier.'
Well, better than someone too sharp and ghostly. If the regressor was too perceptive and thorough, it'd be hard to make use of her.
"I see. I'm fine with it, but let me check with the kids. One sec..."
"I'm okay with it, oppa. You saved us anyway. Sorry for the late thanks. Thank you for saving us. I'm Lee Yu-rim..."
"I-I'm Lee Yu-hyeon. Thank you for saving my noona...!"
The regressor waved it off nonchalantly.
"Haha... no big deal. It was the right thing to do. Um... can I call you Yu-rim and Yu-hyeon?"
"Yes. Of course."
"You two can call me... unnie and noona casually."
"Yes, unnie. Anyway, we're good with going to the camp."
"Great. Yun-seong, I'll guide you. It isn't too far. We should... arrive by evening."
As she said, we arrived at the camp she'd mentioned around evening. I wondered what kind of place a camp would be, but it was inside the starting point building.
Soon, a man came running out breathlessly to greet us.
"Ah...! You're here, Yu-ju...!"
"Yes. I brought some others. Any issues?"
"No. Nothing special."
The man glanced at us. He didn't seem particularly welcoming.
'More people means fewer rations to go around. Supplies are limited.'
From his look, he seemed to be sizing up whether we'd been fighting monsters outside or not.
I checked the man's status window.
'Trash.'
Stats comparable to my starting ones. Not that I could say it to his face, but since he hadn't even classed up, he'd probably given up on fighting monsters out of fear.
The man looked us over, then spoke to the regressor.
"Haha... If you're bringing new people, a heads-up would've been nice... You startled me."
I froze.
Sensing the odd nuance in An Tae-woo's words, the regressor stared at him silently.
"Do I have to report every detail to you, Tae-woo?"
The air turned icy. An Tae-woo read the mood and stiffened, hurriedly replying.
"... No. I meant... we welcome them."
Guess he wasn't completely clueless.
The tension eased quickly, and the regressor patted his shoulder.
"Yes. Take care of it, Tae-woo."
"Yes, yes! Of course! Everyone, follow me. I'll show you to your spots."
"Give these people special attention."
"Got it...! This way. If you're hungry, I'll have food prepared."
As we followed, I reflected. From the exchange, I'd learned two things. First, the regressor only seemed airheaded around us. Second, her authority here was absolute.