The Regressor's Burden
“We need to pick a leader. Who do you guys think would be good, personally?”
“Well, the eldest, In-ah hyung…”
“Yu-jun.”
“……In-ah hyung?”
“Who else but Yu-jun could lead, Director?”
It suits Yu-jun better than me.
After the long story came to an end, Seo In-ah suddenly remembered.
Come to think of it.
‘Why me?’
Why had Park Sa-ha come to him? Of all people, the one they'd parted from in the worst way possible.
‘Back then, I couldn't bring myself to ask because I felt sorry and didn't want to burden him…’
Thinking about it now, it was awfully strange.
Seo In-ah silently gazed at Yul, who was listening to his tale without a word.
He hadn't mentioned anything about Park Sa-ha's life after becoming a hunter.
‘It's about that person's future.’
A strong conviction that it would be dangerous to speak of. And a churning sense of rejection.
“……Do you believe me?”
He asked cautiously. It was the first time he'd laid bare his entire past like this, and he felt unnecessarily tense.
Yul stared at him wordlessly.
‘……Star-nim. Is this even possible?’
[Constellation, ‘Blind Sovereign of the Sky’ answers that it is possible.]
[But it says only a very rare few earn the qualification to return to a divergence point, staring intently at him.]
[It remarks that his soul is already worn thin from wear.]
Yul fell silent, covering her mouth with her hand.
If he really went through all that…
‘As Star-nim said, he's probably become that listless from being worn down so much.’
[Constellation, ‘Blind Sovereign of the Sky’ agrees.]
[It shakes its head, saying frail humans aren't designed to endure memories like that.]
[It adds that vast spans of time change even living beings, and even the divine incarnations are no exception.]
Yul recalled what the constellation had said a few weeks ago at the café, upon seeing Seo In-ah.
When he mentioned yielding the leader position, it had remarked not knowing if he had quick or slow self-objectification.
It must have been because it took until the third time for him to grasp his own capabilities, viewing it as pathetic.
It wasn't just his nature—it was how he'd changed.
‘He called himself a lone wolf or whatever, but now it's hard to believe that.’
Stepping back one pace in the team, calmly supporting the leader's opinions with a detached air. That was the Seo In-ah fans knew.
“Well…… There's no reason for Seo In-ah to lie, right?”
“That's it?”
“Coldly speaking, my constellation acknowledges it.”
Seo In-ah let out a small chuckle at Yul's frank answer.
Most convincing.
“I get that you went through something like that, but is this the main point?”
“No. The main point is, something's changed from before. Thanks to you.”
“……Me?”
“After the tower appeared, our concert got canceled originally.”
The first time, it hadn't even gotten that far, but last time, it definitely had.
Park Sa-ha had testified that Yul was still their fan back then, but she hadn't lent a hand.
‘Probably because of the rampage when the tower appeared.’
And that was likely related to Yul's mother.
Seo In-ah clearly remembered what Kim Jae-won had said at the stadium.
“This time, I saved your mother. That's what that hunter said.”
“……So before that, he didn't?”
“What I know is that you rampaged the day the tower descended.”
The area around the tower had been nearly obliterated.
Seo In-ah explained calmly.
Yul swept a hand over her face.
It felt utterly unreal, but relief outweighed it. Her mom was alive now, after all.
‘That's what matters first.’
The present was most important to Yul. So while she felt conflicted about what Seo In-ah had endured, the shock of losing Kang Young-hwa in some unknown previous(?) timeline wasn't that great.
It just soured her mood that Kim Jae-won had been right.
“Anyway.”
She stood and extended her hand.
“Let's get up. Better to close up quick and head out.”
“Ah, right. I've held things up.”
“They'll be blocking outside, so it's fine.”
Seo In-ah took the offered hand and rose.
Yul glanced down at their clasped hands for a moment.
After a brief silence, she spoke.
“You've been through a lot.”
“…….”
“I thought you were way more mature than me, but it's not just four years' difference.”
Yul shook his hand comfortingly.
Seo In-ah blinked.
He'd heard “good work” plenty, but always limited to this third loop's achievements.
Yul was the first to acknowledge all his struggles from before.
“Thanks for becoming my idol.”
With that, Yul released his hand and turned away.
“Alright, time to take down the boss. Gotta finish quick and get back to your members, In-ah.”
Seo In-ah's eyes stung unexpectedly.
The sight of Yul with her baseball bat slung over her shoulder overlapped with some moment from the past.
That was why……
「Please tell her I'm sorry.」
“Ham-su-kkun stopped by.”
Ryu Shin-ah's message to pass on.
Maybe just that one could be shared.
“……He said to tell you he's sorry.”
A brief silence followed.
Unlike tense Seo In-ah, Yul shrugged nonchalantly.
“He doesn't need to apologize to me.”
Faith? Trust? At least, her tone held something unshakable beyond mere words.
Seo In-ah found himself laughing hollowly without realizing.
“……Yeah.”
He followed her steps.
This moment—plunging into the gate, pushing through dense underbrush not knowing when a monster might leap out—didn't feel half bad.
“It'll probably stay that way.”
With you, you might craft an even better future than what I've managed now.
You're that kind of great hero.
Dungeon time—20 minutes after entry.
‘Whoa.’
Seo In-ah was genuinely awed, a rare occurrence.
Even to a total layman like him in hunter matters, Yul's movements were breathtaking.
Monsters several times his size toppled with her languid, unmotivated motions.
“No blood splatter on you, right?”
And she had the leisure and care to check on him.
Protecting him thoroughly, Yul navigated the swamp until they reached the boss's lair.
[System—You have arrived at the boss's domain, ‘Temple of Silence and Tacit Agreement’.]
An ancient stone temple buried in the jungle, overgrown with vines and moss everywhere.
Yul checked the system window and turned to Seo In-ah.
“Boss is inside there. Sometimes entering a domain like this imposes specific restrictions, so stick close. Or you could just wait here…”
“No, that…… would make me more anxious.”
“Ah.”
Yul nodded readily.
As they stepped into the temple, a new system window appeared before them.
[Entering the domain of the boss, ‘Twin-Headed Crocodile of Silence and Tacit Agreement (B-)’.]
[Entry penalty ‘Deal of Silence and Tacit Agreement’ is applied.]
“Fancy name for a C-rank dungeon…”
[Penalty Explanation: Attack power increases by 0.5% for every desire to speak that is silenced and every tacit promise kept.]
[Defense power decreases by 0.5% if true feelings are voiced or tacit promises broken.]
[This penalty links to all entrants.]
“Shh.”
“……It's a penalty so lovable it's natural to love it.”
At Seo In-ah's restraint, Yul rephrased.
The system window alerted that their attack powers had increased.
Yul's face twisted in annoyance.
She didn't care if hers dropped by dozens of percent, but the problem was Seo In-ah.
Defense down by 0.5%? Are you kidding?
A civilian, no less? Already fragile Seo In-ah could turn a serious injury into instant death if defense fell.
Fine. I'll protect my fave myself.
[Constellation, ‘Blind Sovereign of the Sky’ says our Yul's defense rivals a tank's and cheers her on.]
“Seo In-ah!”
Yul turned to him solemnly.
“Even if it drags on forever, we gotta enter first.”
Who cares if it does—let's end it as fast as possible.
“FYI, if I get in danger, I'll ditch you and run.”
Even if my life’s at risk, I'll protect you.
Seo In-ah got it fully, but it still felt like a personality-bankrupt's declaration of war.
[System—‘Lee-seonjwa Killer (S+)’ and ‘Seo In-ah’'s attack powers increase by 0.5%.]
If Ryu Shin-ah saw, he'd probably click his tongue: “What's the point of bandages, General……”
The temple interior twisted like a full maze.
‘Not a minotaur, but a labyrinth?’
[Constellation, ‘Blind Sovereign of the Sky’ recalls that bullhead and sinks into nostalgia.]
[It shrugs, regretting not making it into a bullhead bear soup and only taking the horns.]
‘You'd get reported to the FDA.’
Reports for adulterated food: 1399.
While Yul seriously pondered demolishing the maze, Seo In-ah was distracted by an odd sensation.
‘……Something feels off.’
A nagging poke at the edge of his nerves. And an inexplicable headache and fatigue.
If Yul hadn't noticed, it was one of two things.
Just his imagination, or……
「It's like awakening pains, they say most hunters with precursors feel it. Not Lee-seonjwa-nim, though.」
……Something only other awakeners couldn't sense, like signs of awakening.
Recalling Park Sa-ha's words, cold sweat broke out involuntarily.
Yeah, he'd expected it. Better this way, even.
Park Sa-ha becoming a hunter? No—better him this time.
“In-ah?”
“Ah.”
And the moment Yul turned to him.
Thud.
His legs gave out, and he collapsed.
In the corner of his flickering blackening vision, he saw a blue status window.
[Blue status window]