The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 1

The Regressor Protects Me

#Episode 1. The World of the End (1)

“Squeak-”

A rat poked its head out from the sewer.

Spotting a rotting corpse, it darted over and began gnawing at its cheek.

Crunch, munch.

The rat, with a mouthful of cheek, cautiously surveyed its surroundings.

In the sky, an unidentified creature was flying.

It was the size of a whale, wingless, and freely soaring through the ruined city.

Sion quietly gazed up at the sky before turning his attention to a streetlamp.

Caw-! Caw-!

The crows perched on the streetlamp were gathered, crying out.

Perhaps they were hoping Sion would die soon.

That way, they could feast on his fresh eyeballs.

Sion turned his head to look at the city.

This was Jamsil, near Lotte Tower [a famous skyscraper in Seoul].

Just ten years ago, this place was bustling with countless cars, city buses, and office workers.

But now, it was a slaughterhouse reeking of blood.

Sion walked along the yellow line in the center of the ruined eight-lane road.

Thud, thud.

His footsteps left a trail of blood.

The blood of all sorts of demons and humans.

Living beings were scarce.

Even those who were alive were mostly just waiting for death.

Sion walked through the countless piles of corpses.

Thud, thud.

Walking weakly, he nearly tripped over the corpses several times.

He approached a woman.

She was dying.

* * *

Jin Jaehee trembled as she looked at her abdomen.

A sword was deeply embedded there.

“…Ugh.”

Thud!

Jaehee, struck by the sword, fell backward.

Fortunately, there was a wrecked car behind her, and Jin Jaehee was able to lean against it.

“Haa… Haa…”

Her breathing was ragged.

Her liver had been pierced.

Blood poured out like a waterfall, and her mind grew faint.

The thought that she would die soon filled her head, but she soon accepted it.

At that moment, Jaehee looked forward.

In her blurry vision, a man covered in blood was walking toward her.

It was Kang Sion.

He slowly approached and knelt before Jin Jaehee.

His injuries were no less severe.

He was probably waiting for his end as well.

Thud!

Sion slowly approached and leaned on her shoulder.

Even as he leaned, his body slumped.

With Sion in her arms, Jaehee looked up at the sky.

The sky was split in two above the ruined city.

Through the crack, a black eye blazed.

Eleven administrators surrounded that eye.

Administrators.

The messengers of God who supervised the ‘players’ during the game.

They were waiting for the final winner to emerge.

But in the end, we failed to become the final winner.

Because we failed to pass the final gate of the league.

“…This is too much.”

At that moment, Jaehee shed a large tear.

She had never shed a tear since the league began.

But only when pushed to the very end did tears finally flow.

Jaehee turned her head to look at Sion, who had lost consciousness.

She could feel Sion’s faint heartbeat.

He was still alive, but it was only a matter of time before he died.

“…It’s really too much. It’s really too much.”

Jin Jaehee hugged Sion and wept bitterly.

It had been the league for the past 10 years.

We had killed quite a few players and created many stories.

They had been together for three years since the world had ended.

During that short period, the two had accomplished many things that other players couldn’t even dream of.

As a result, the Gyeonggi Province forces, led by Kang Sion, defeated the last force and reached the final round.

But the final round was a task that the two of them could not accomplish.

They had failed in that final round.

Jaehee lowered her head slightly.

Then, she heard footsteps.

The footsteps that had been heard from afar were now heard from a close distance.

Jin Jaehee mustered her last strength and raised her head.

There was Administrator J.

The administrator with white hair and an eye patch.

The administrator bent one knee to meet Jin Jaehee’s gaze.

“It’s a pity. It was really a close call.”

“…”

Jaehee no longer had the strength to speak.

Knowing Jaehee’s condition, J continued to speak with a faint smile.

“Honestly… you left the greatest achievements among the hybrids. You can be proud.”

“…”

“But even so, you’ve only come this far. You couldn’t cross the threshold of the final victory.”

“…”

“I had high expectations for you, and you failed to meet those expectations. That’s our ending.”

J straightened up.

Jaehee could no longer see the administrator.

All she could see was J’s thigh.

“If there’s anything you want to ask for, I’ll grant it. It’s a reward for satisfying my amusement.”

Jin Jaehee opened and closed her blood-soaked lips, trying to say something.

J bent his knee again and came closer to her.

He was close enough to feel J’s breath.

Jin Jaehee said with her last strength.

“Chance… last… last chance…”

J, having heard Jin Jaehee’s last request, nodded silently.

Then, he raised his upper body again and looked up at the sky.

There, a black eye was watching this place.

J smiled as he looked at the black eye.

And he muttered to himself.

“That’s something even God can’t do.”

“…”

Sion’s heartbeat was no longer felt at some point.

At the same time, Jaehee sensed her end.

J bid her farewell.

“Farewell. Sword Saint.”

J’s footsteps faded away again.

And Jin Jaehee’s consciousness also faded away.

It wasn’t long before she met her death.

Her last emotion was emptiness.

* * *

“…”

It was a quiet morning.

It sounded like birds were singing, and it sounded like a noisy construction site.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was an old, faded ceiling.

Jin Jaehee carefully raised her upper body.

Looking around, this was a studio apartment.

She could easily realize that this was her old studio apartment.

But it didn’t make sense.

She had clearly fought her last battle in Jamsil and met her death.

But suddenly, it’s a studio apartment.

“…What the hell is this?”

Jin Jaehee clenched and unclenched her hands, trying to get a sense of reality.

And she could easily see that all of this was real.

Even if it was 10 years ago, even if it was 10 years with unrealistic supernatural phenomena, she couldn’t fail to recognize the studio apartment she always wanted to return to.

The trophy for 1st place in the Korean Kumdo Federation Games [a Korean swordmanship competition] and the clothes scattered haphazardly.

And even the displayed real sword.

This was before the league started.

So, exactly 10 years before the time Jin Jaehee met her death, in her studio apartment.

She had regressed.

“…Haa… Haa.”

Jin Jaehee gasped for breath as she assessed the situation.

After organizing her thoughts for a moment, she remembered what she had to do.

10 years ago, Kang Sion.

She had to meet him.

Because Kang Sion is a player who advances to the final round of the ‘League’.

There is no player as strong as him again.

If she helps him, if she meets him from the beginning and starts the ‘League’ unlike in her previous life, she will definitely be able to clear the final round.

Thump-!

Jin Jaehee immediately picked up the clothes around her and put them on.

She knows where he is.

It was Gyeonggi Province [a province surrounding Seoul].

Click, beep-!

Jin Jaehee headed straight to Busan Station without even noticing that the door to her studio apartment was open.

In her right hand, she held a sword scabbard.

* * *

Thud! Swish-.

I endured my sleepiness and shoveled cement into the cart.

Sweat poured down like rain, and each time, I wiped it off with a towel around my neck.

“Hoo…!

Thud!

I took a deep breath and plunged the shovel back into the cement.

The more I shoveled, the more my elbow ached as if pierced by an awl.

I was hungry, sleepy, and exhausted, but I silently continued my menial labor.

From 7 AM to 4 PM.

It was already the ninth hour of work.

Once I finished shoveling, I had to cook for my younger sibling at home, get some sleep, and then wake up again at 1 AM.

As soon as my overnight convenience store shift, which started at 1 AM, ended, the shoveling would inevitably begin again.

Still, I could replenish my strength on the weekends.

Because there was no construction work on the weekends.

But even that was regrettable.

It was because I could escape this hellhole of a life even a day sooner if I worked on the weekends as well.

Thud-.

I pulled the cart full of cement.

In the distance, a group of laborers gathered, smoking cigarettes.

‘Just endure a little longer. Just endure. With grit. And guts.’

I endured with only that thought in mind.

With grit and guts.

A busy life of being chased and chasing.

A young head of household who had given up on academics and was responsible for his sibling’s livelihood.

I worked hard to save money, but the future was still bleak.

But even in that moment, I didn’t give up.

It was because I felt like my life would completely collapse the moment I gave up.

For my sibling’s sake.

And for my own future.

Now was the time to step forward.

Clunk-.

I placed the cart full of cement at the construction site and pulled the cart back to where the cement was.

Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat…….

A day that continued like a treadmill.

A non-stop construction site.

Then, I heard a voice calling me from afar.

“Hey, Sion! The foreman wants to see you!”

I stopped shoveling and looked at him.

And I wiped the sweat from my forehead with a towel around my neck and said.

“Ah, okay. I’ll go now.”

Thud.

I stuck the shovel into the cement and hurried to the foreman’s office.

* * *

And on one side of that construction site.

Jin Jaehee was wearing a hat pulled low and smoking a cigarette.

Her right hand was busy smoking, and her left hand was checking her wristwatch.

‘It was definitely a shopping mall, right.’

Manan-gu, Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do [a district and city in Gyeonggi Province].

If it was a newly built large-scale shopping mall there, there was only one place.

And after searching all the construction sites for a whole day, she was able to find Kang Sion.

It was certain.

There was no way Jaehee couldn’t recognize Kang Sion.

First, she came up from Busan to Anyang to belong to the same area.

And her goal was to follow him and belong to the same ‘building.’

In any case, she had to protect Kang Sion.

“Cough! Ah…….”

Jin Jaehee pressed her temple with the hand holding the cigarette.

After the regression, her body was not used to nicotine.

Tuk, fizz.

Jin Jaehee threw the cigarette on the ground and rubbed it with her foot.

And she continued to watch Kang Sion’s actions.

There were only about 3 hours left until the League began.

* * *

On the way home after 9 hours of construction work.

I stared blankly, waiting for the bus, and looked at the people on the opposite street.

Many people were returning to their respective homes.

A child was riding on a man’s neck, laughing.

Next to them, a woman with brown straight hair was holding the man’s hand.

It was a happy-looking family of three.

It was getting dark, and since it was midsummer, the sun hadn’t completely set even at 8 PM.

The commuter bus was coming from the opposite road, but the large mart on the other side caught my eye.

Today was my sibling’s once-a-year birthday.

And it was their 13th birthday.

A 13th birthday is different from other birthdays.

At 13, they would be entering middle school next year.

Even though I was a skinflint, and the most expensive birthday present I had ever given was a used toy I bought from Carrot Market [a popular online marketplace for buying and selling used goods in Korea].

For some reason, I felt like I shouldn’t spend their 13th birthday the same way.

I stood blankly at the bus stop and let the commuter bus pass by several times.

And after much deliberation, I headed to the large mart on the other side.

I had already thought about what to buy.

Since the entrance day is in March, it will be very chilly.

I was thinking of buying them a thick coat.

“Are you looking for something?”

The clerk rushed out to greet me, but soon took back their expression after seeing my appearance.

I awkwardly looked at the clothing racks and pointed to a black fleece jacket.

“H-how much is this?”

The clerk said with a noticeably forced smile.

“It’s 118,900 won. Who will be wearing it?”

“My sibling. They’re 13 years old.”

“Oh my. You have great taste. This is a very popular item among elementary school students these days.”

E-eleven, eleven thousand eight?

How can a fleece jacket be so expensive?

Eleven thousand won is my daily wage.

It was the money I would earn after shoveling for 9 hours.

I looked at my shabby outerwear.

It was a 3,000 won windbreaker I bought from Dongmyo [a district in Seoul known for its affordable clothing and vintage finds].

I shook my head.

‘……No. Let’s buy it since I’ve made up my mind.’

My sibling would be entering middle school now, and unlike me, they had to succeed and go to college.

I suppressed my trembling hands and picked up the blue fleece jacket.

“Please give me this one. It’s new, right?”

“Yes~ It’s the latest new product. It’s the most popular these days, you know? It’s so popular that we can’t sell enough of it. You’re very lucky. Please come this way.”

The clerk smiled and took the fleece jacket to the counter to wrap it.

I took out 12 crumpled 10,000 won bills from my pocket.

It was today’s wage.

I counted it again in front of the clerk, wondering if they had given me even 10,000 won more, and barely gave it to them.

Blood-like money…….

I had never spent such a large sum of money at once.

I was an infinitely small being in front of money.

Still, I felt good.

Swish-!

The clerk snatched the money from my hand as if intercepting it.

“120,000 won. Thank you very much. Thank you, customer!”

The clerk handed me a well-packaged shopping bag.

I smiled secretly as I looked at it.

Due to circumstances, I couldn’t give my sibling, Junho, a birthday present every year.

But Junho never complained.

Seeing my sibling’s appearance, who was greatly pleased with even the smallest things, always left me with a sense of guilt in my heart.

They always muttered that their clothes were worn out, but today I was finally able to buy them a piece of clothing.

I headed to where the elevator was to leave the shopping mall.

‘They’ll like it, right?’

At first, I didn’t pay attention because I was only looking at the fleece jacket in the shopping bag.

But gradually, I heard people whispering.

And when I looked up, there was a crowd of people there.

“……?”

As if something had happened in front, citizens who had finished shopping were pushed back in order.

I stood on tiptoe and looked at the person at the very front, who was struggling to open the door leading to the stairs.

The elevator did not seem to be working.

Not knowing what was going on, I pushed my way through the crowd.

I asked the man in the front row.

“What’s going on?”

The man pulled on the handle with force, but it didn’t budge.

Soon, the man said, panting.

“It looks like someone locked it from the outside. Aish. I’m busy. And the staff isn’t coming, damn it.”

The middle-aged man cursed and looked around.

He was probably looking for a staff member.

I approached the man who was struggling with the handle.

I was going to try.

But that was the moment.

The scene in front of me turned into a white blank sheet, and then regained its original view.

And soon a hologram appeared.

The hologram cast in front of my eyes was clear and distinct.

It was definitely not a hallucination or something I had misseen.

[@#$%…… @#$…… Welcome…… .]

[Welcom…… @#$ .]

[Wel…… Earth…… @#$]

An incomprehensible notification window.

And unknown characters.

It wasn’t that danger had arrived, or that something was threatening me right away, but my heart started beating like crazy.

And at that moment.

The hand holding the handle became lighter.

Creak…….

And the door opened carefully.

The citizens who were looking at the notification window all looked at the stairwell at the same time, as if they had made a promise.

[Welcom…… @#$]

[Welcome, Earthlings.]

[Administrator, K. greets you.]

(To be continued in the next episode)