The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 103

103. Stalemate (1)

Thud.

“Huh…?”

The player with glasses flinched and trembled.

Black threads, once tied to all ten of her fingers, fell weakly to the floor.

Park Ji-soo, standing beside her, was startled and asked, “Why? What’s wrong?”

“…I… lost.”

“Lost?”

“Yes…”

“You did?”

“Yes…”

“That’s impossible.”

Park Ji-soo repeated the question, disbelief coloring her tone, but the answer remained the same.

It wasn’t just Park Ji-soo who was shocked by the loss.

The player with glasses was equally stunned, her head hung low.

“I lost. Definitely… I lost. That bastard… is a monster… at least A rank…? No, maybe S rank. Be careful.”

The player looked up at Park Ji-soo, urging her with her eyes.

The fact that Haetae had been defeated was a result Park Ji-soo hadn’t even considered.

Haetae was their strongest asset.

Even during their full-scale war against Ui-wang, Haetae had been an immortal being, quickly reviving no matter how fierce the attack.

Haetae’s main body was always in a safe zone at least 1km away.

As long as the player’s mental strength held, Haetae was virtually invincible.

But now, Haetae was defeated.

This meant Mangyeong had a capable player as well.

And an overwhelmingly strong one at that.

Park Ji-soo was lost in thought. ‘But if he used that much power, he must have exhausted his mental strength. He won’t be able to counterattack. In the end, this battle is still our victory.’

Even if it was just the advance team, the player with glasses had been pushing forward with an overwhelming numerical advantage.

Securing the upper hand in this first battle would allow them to dictate the flow of subsequent engagements.

In that sense, this initial clash at Ilbeonga was crucial for both Park Ji-soo and Kang Si-on.

Park Ji-soo refused to believe Mangyeong could possibly have more players as strong as the one who defeated Haetae.

That would be absurd.

But that thought proved to be wrong.

Swish-.

Haetae recalled the black threads with a sullen expression.

And at that moment, a tremendous pressure surged through the advance team.

Buzzing…!

Park Ji-soo’s face trembled, feeling as if her entire body was being crushed by immense gravity.

When the oppressive force subsided, an unbelievable scene unfolded before her eyes.

Slash-!

“Ah…!”

“Cough…?!!”

The slash, originating from the front, cleanly beheaded Haetae.

Simultaneously, a guard who had instinctively moved to block Park Ji-soo’s path also fell victim to the same deadly strike.

But it didn’t end there.

The force that had felled Haetae and the guard continued to spread, cutting down everything in its path before soaring into the sky.

Catapults, various siege equipment, flags – all their painstakingly prepared assets.

Everything was sent flying.

“…What, what is it?”

As Park Ji-soo panicked, blood spurted from Haetae’s neck like a gruesome fountain.

Gurgle-!

She fell backward, clutching her neck and sobbing.

“Kahaaa…! Cough…! Ah…! S, save me…! Save me…! I, I don’t want to die…! I don’t want to… I don’t want to…”

Haetae slowly bled out, succumbing to her fatal wound.

It all happened in an instant.

No one could react in time.

Haetae, one of the most powerful players in Doan, and a capable guard were killed in action.

And by the enemy’s ranged attack, no less.

Haetae’s instantaneous death was shocking enough, but the scene that followed was even more horrifying.

Black lightning struck the advance team relentlessly.

At the same time, a ‘black wave’ surged down the road.

The sight was so spectacular that even Park Ji-soo was momentarily awestruck.

“Ah.”

The wave engulfed the warriors of Doan. Countless soldiers were swept away and perished.

“…Lord! Please take cover!”

Wounded guards, bleeding profusely, once again blocked her path.

Warriors also formed a protective barrier around Park Ji-soo.

Park Ji-soo, observing the carnage, was sweating coldly. But soon, regaining her composure, she grinned. ‘…It’s fun after all.’

It’s fun.

It’s insanely fun.

More than any blockbuster action movie.

More fun than any mega-hit game.

It’s the best thing I’ve ever experienced in my life!

It was insanely thrilling and had overwhelming visuals that I had never seen before.

The sight of people dying and killing each other couldn’t be more enjoyable than any pleasure in the world.

‘I think I know why the ancient emperors were so eager to wage wars of conquest. Why they were sitting in high seats watching the battlefield. I think I know why.’

At the same time, I was grateful to the god who held this league.

Park Ji-soo was reveling in the moment.

This thrill, this war, this anticipation, this fear.

“…Hehehe. Hehehehe…! Hehehahahahaha! Ah…! Ah! Ah! Fucking, it’s so fun!”

Nevertheless, to continue this enjoyment, she had to conserve her strength as much as possible.

The siege of Ilbeonga had turned into a rout, and Park Ji-soo’s advance team was on the verge of annihilation.

“…Rearrange the ranks. Everyone, retreat.”

Park Ji-soo turned around after giving the order.

Once again, Doan’s trumpet blared across the battlefield.

Ppoooo-!

It was the lord’s order to retreat.

* * *

Bisan-dong Pamian Complex.

It was a deep night without a single neon sign, but Bisan-dong was not dark nonetheless.

Because the apartment complex was endlessly burning.

Soaring black smoke covered the night sky, and this area was reminiscent of a living hell with embers floating in the air.

The 23 floors of Building 208, which was closest to the enemy’s fortress, were engulfed in flames.

Some of the soldiers couldn’t overcome the pain of being burned and jumped, plummeting to their deaths.

Building 207 was also on the verge of being captured.

Building 209 was one of the enemy’s targets.

The situation was dire.

No matter how excellent the defense facilities were, they were only buying time against the players.

Whirr-!

The fire continued to spread.

Bisan-dong’s front-line apartment, Building 207.

The firepower was so intense that even the soldiers in Buildings 206 and 210, which were some distance away, felt the heat of the soaring flames.

But regardless of the pain, the soldiers moved across the bridge.

Soldiers from Building 207 were escaping the burning apartment.

They were running on a narrow bridge connected between the rooftops.

Some were pushed by their allies on the bridge and fell to the 23rd floor below.

Nevertheless, their desire to live did not stop.

“Hurry!!!”

“Quickly!!!”

One by one.

Soldiers with burns crossed from Building 207 to Building 206.

Building 206 Commander, Jung Hyun-soo.

Jung Hyun-soo stood precariously on the railing and continued to fire arrows.

His target was the enemy player on the roof of Building 207. But it was no use.

Swish-. Thud. Swish-. Thud!

The player of Doan, whose whole body was on fire, was nonchalantly killing soldiers even after being hit directly by Hyun-soo’s arrows.

The player of Doan slowly turned his head in the flames and looked at Jung Hyun-soo.

Then, he trudged over and destroyed the bridge connecting the rooftops in one fell swoop.

Thanks to this, the soldiers who were crossing the bridge immediately fell to the 23rd floor below.

“Aaaaaa-!!!”

“Kyaaaaaaak-!!!”

Their desperate screams echoed throughout the complex.

Unfortunately, the defense team in Building 207, a space with nothing but flames, was ‘annihilated’ except for two people.

“Keuh…!”

Jung Hyun-soo frowned and looked at him.

The player of Doan was also looking only at Jung Hyun-soo.

At that time, Hyun-soo’s father ran up and grabbed the boy’s arm.

Grab-!

“Hyun-soo…! Hyun-soo! L, let’s run away! It’s dangerous here…! That, that monster is dangerous!”

Hyun-soo frowned even more at his father’s desperate cry as he grabbed his arm.

Hyun-soo shook off his father’s hand several times, but his father grabbed it even more tightly.

Then, Hyun-soo coldly pushed him away.

“Did you forget!? Really?!”

The weak father collapsed helplessly at his son’s rejection.

Hyun-soo shouted at his father.

“Those bastards…! They killed my sister…! While she was fetching water!!! She was hit by an arrow and died!!! My dad’s daughter! My sister!!!! To those bastards!!! I… until I kill those bastards the same way…! I can’t go.”

The father was silent.

Hyun-soo looked back at the opposite rooftop.

“…I’m the commander of the east. I have to protect this place. If you’re going to run away, go alone, Dad.”

“Hyun-soo…!”

Thud-! Whirr-!

The conversation between the father and son was interrupted by a loud noise coming from the opposite rooftop.

Jung Hyun-soo turned his eyes back to the roof of Building 207.

A bigger fire was soaring high into the sky.

The player of Doan was standing in front of the fire. He had stormed Building 207 alone and killed all the defenders.

He was a subordinate of Park Ji-soo, who had been newly dispatched to Bisan, and was immune to fire.

His skin was melting and his white skull was exposed, but he didn’t budge.

The player in the flames muttered as he moved away from the railing without a word.

“…It’s useless.”

And one step, then another.

He walked back towards the collapsed bridge.

No matter how much of a player he was, he wouldn’t be able to cross this distance.

That’s what Jung Hyun-soo thought.

But the player engulfed in flames started running towards the opposite rooftop.

He kicked the railing hard and jumped into the air.

Whoosh-!

“…!!”

“!!….”

“?!”

The burning player, who had flown up to 50m in the air, jumped between the buildings against the dark night sky.

The soldiers of Mangyeong, Jung Hyun-soo, and Hyun-soo’s father, who were watching this, turned pale.

It was a truly beautiful scene, but at the same time, it was a terrifying scene.

Thud-.

The player landed on the opposite rooftop, but soon slipped and fell. The flames he created began to burn brilliantly.

Now, the player who arrived at Building 209 looked around.

With a face that had turned into a skeleton but was still burning.

Jung Hyun-soo gritted his teeth and glared at him.

The boy took out an arrow and put it on the string.

“…Everyone, start the battle!”

At the command of the commander, the soldiers of Building 206 began to fire arrows.

Hyun-soo also drew his bow towards the roof of Building 209.

But it was all in vain.

Because the player was an existence that far surpassed the limits of humans.

* * *

“Building 208… Building 207… Building 209 have all fallen into enemy hands.”

“Buildings 101 and 104 are also on the verge of being captured….”

“The fire is spreading rapidly inside the apartment complex. Fire extinguishers are useless.”

In a dark room relying on candlelight.

Each of the staff members and commanders gathered around Si-on, who was lying in bed.

Two days had passed since the enemy’s supply route interception battle in front of the bridge.

Si-on, who had forcibly used his awakening ability, was not recovering easily.

But if he hadn’t used his awakening to cut off the supply route, their all-out offensive would have been even more severe.

Because Si-on blocked it, only about five buildings had been taken over by the enemies.

There were still 29 buildings left in Mangyeong.

But considering the time it took for them to be captured, they couldn’t rest assured. They needed to buy more time.

“…Hoo.”

Si-on took a sip of water and sat on the bed.

Even though it was quite far away, the screams of the soldiers and the sound of burning could be heard.

Si-on, who had recovered some of his strength, got up immediately.

Stumble.

Those around him tried to support Si-on with his staggering steps, but Si-on shook off the hands that were offered. Then, he left the bedroom and headed to the living room.

In front of the long desk placed there, the work of each commander for information gathering was in progress.

The information gathering process was simple.

In the evening, it was possible to communicate with Ilbeonga using the ‘signal’ created by Si-on.

When information was received from Ilbeonga, it was immediately collected here.

In this way, this 117 Building 1501 was functioning as the apartment complex defense command.

“How’s the situation?”

“Yes. They say they won in Ilbeonga.”

“…”

It was a blessing in disguise.

If they had lost in Ilbeonga, things would have become complicated.

For now, the initial goal of the war had been achieved.

By diverting a large number of troops that should have been deployed to Ilbeonga to Bisan-dong, they succeeded in dispersing the enemy’s central forces.

And they won the first battle, breaking the enemy’s momentum.

Now, they had to think about the next move.

Si-on trudged over and sat in a chair.

An expensive portable flashlight was constantly illuminating the ‘Anyang City Map’ placed in the center of the desk.

On it, the expected routes of advance of friendly and enemy forces were marked.

The commander-in-chief here was the 2nd Army commander.

He was a man who had risen to the rank of captain in the Republic of Korea Army in the past.

“Currently, the enemy’s routes of advance are in three directions, unlike expected. Here, here, and here.”

The 2nd Army commander pointed to the north of the map in turn.

The enemy’s forces were at least 10,000.

Doan sent new players and troops suitable for this battlefield.

If they take a new strategy, we must also take a new strategy.