The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 132

132. The Road to Gunpo (1)

In Mangyeong, 5 years before Kang Si-on’s present.

* * *

First day of the Suwon Expedition.

As winter receded and spring blossomed, new life surged forth.

The massive plants clinging to the buildings stretched skyward at an astonishing rate.

Flowers and weeds burst through the solid asphalt.

They resembled familiar species, yet they were monstrous entities with unknown names.

Monsters could be broadly categorized into two types, though the classification criteria differed from traditional methods.

It wasn’t about whether they were carnivores or herbivores, but whether they attacked humans.

Or whether they devoured humans or simply attacked in self-defense.

Plant-based and animal-based monsters showed no significant differences.

After all, the classification of all animals had always been based on human subjectivity.

Now, only the law of the jungle, where the weak are consumed, prevailed.

Slightly beyond Anyang City lay an area completely consumed by forest.

Gunpo City was entirely like this, and so far, no living humans had been found there.

However, numerous corpses of humans, reduced to skeletons, littered the landscape.

The trees towered so high that they obscured the buildings.

The shapes of the trees vaguely resembled faces.

The wrinkles in the bark even looked like the faces of sleeping humans.

Choi Hyun-ji, gazing at the scene, trembled with fear and exclaimed.

“Even the wanderer community [groups of nomadic survivors] has no information about this place. Just a warning not to go? Wang-ah [term of endearment], shouldn’t we turn back? Areas that even wanderers avoid must truly harbor something dangerous!”

Choi Hyun-ji addressed Kang Si-on, but Jin Jae-hee responded.

“To reach Suwon, we have to pass through Gunpo and Uiwang. There’s no alternative route.”

“Ah-. Well, that’s true.”

“If you’re going to complain, put down the cola and start walking.”

“No-. It’s not like that!”

The expedition pressed onward.

From this point, it was pure jungle.

The expedition ventured deep into the jungle for a long time.

After a while, another status window flickered before their eyes.

Ding-!

It had been a while since they’d seen a status window.

Kang Si-on had primarily focused on the lord’s status window and the item windows displayed to individuals.

It had been a long time since he had encountered quests tied to terrain or status windows related to dungeons.

That was because within Mangyeong, there were no undeveloped or untouched areas.

But just outside Mangyeong, quests he had never seen as a lord were popping up frequently.

Kang Si-on looked up at the quest window.

[Lush Forest: Find the Witch’s Trace.]

‘Witch’s trace.’

Kang Si-on repeated the quest title.

The quest details were visible not only to Kang Si-on but also to the other members of the expedition.

Muttering voices filled the air.

Quests were always a source of anxiety for humans.

‘There’s no point in taking the support team any further.’

He decided to dismiss them.

Kang Si-on addressed the support team.

“Support, you’ve only needed to come this far.”

The support team leader responded.

“But the Order Department Head instructed us to escort the King safely to Suwon.”

“It’s alright. The support rearguard will continue to provide assistance, right?”

“Well, that’s true…….”

The support team leader glanced at the other officers.

Kang Si-on reiterated that it was fine.

“The rearguard only needs to provide support up to this point. After all, it’s not that far from here to Suwon anyway. I’ll be back soon.”

“If you say so……. We will comply.”

The truth was, he hoped to encounter Jun-ho here.

The moment he met Jun-ho, the expedition’s purpose would shift dramatically.

The support team leader planted a flag at the supply delivery location for Kang Si-on.

It served as a marker.

The support team bowed and bid farewell to the King.

Kang Si-on left the support team behind and ventured deeper into the forest with the expedition members he had initially assembled.

And everything began to change.

* * *

This dense forest was so lush that it was impossible to distinguish day from night, thanks to the thick trees and the canopy of leaves overhead.

Rustle! Swish!

Jin Jae-hee led the way, cutting through the undergrowth.

Kang Si-on followed behind Jae-hee, and Choi Myung-joon trailed Si-on.

Behind him, Choi Hyun-ji followed, panting like a thirsty puppy.

Then, Choi Hyun-ji abruptly raised her hand and shouted.

“Wait a minute! Time! Rest! Reeeest!”

At her cry, Jae-hee, who was leading the way, frowned and looked back.

But Choi Myung-joon spoke first.

“Hey, woman. How long have we been walking that you’re already like that?”

“Haaa…… Huff…… Hot…… So hot…….”

“Hyungnim [term of respect], should we just ditch her? She was like this 30 minutes ago too. Seriously.”

Choi Myung-joon adjusted his bag as if to show off.

The bag that Choi Myung-joon, the expedition’s designated porter, was carrying weighed over 40kg [88 pounds].

He had volunteered to be the porter.

Usually, when someone volunteers, it’s often just a bluff.

Choi Myung-joon was different.

Choi Myung-joon was a natural-born stamina monster.

Even Jin Jae-hee was catching her breath in this lush forest, but this guy, who smoked two packs of cigarettes a day, wasn’t even panting. His stamina was truly amazing.

Of course, Kang Si-on had considered his stamina when he got him out of jail.

Choi Hyun-ji lowered the zipper of her sports jersey a little and said with difficulty.

“……You crazy. Tattooed freak……. Am I you? Stamina…… Stamina…….”

In fact, Choi Hyun-ji was normal.

They had already been wandering through this forest for over 10 hours.

Even excluding breaks, it was 9 hours.

Kang Si-on endured with perseverance and patience.

Jin Jae-hee was reasonably fit.

Choi Myung-joon had monstrous stamina, but Choi Hyun-ji had extremely ordinary stamina.

So it was inevitable that she would be tired.

Kang Si-on looked around and conceded.

In fact, he was also reaching his limit.

For some reason, since entering this forest, he had been feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

He didn’t know why.

Why only he was affected.

Kang Si-on pressed down on his throbbing temples and said to the expedition.

“Okay. Let’s set up camp here for today.”

Thud-.

Only then did Si-on put his bag down on the ground.

And wiped away the cold sweat.

* * *

“Cola. Cola. Cola. Cola.”

Choi Hyun-ji chugged the cola.

Choi Myung-joon, sitting slovenly and smoking, clicked his tongue.

“If you drink carbonated drinks when you’re thirsty, it makes you even thirstier.”

“I don’t get more thirsty though?”

“Does cola run through your veins?”

“Bullshit. Then your lungs must be full of nicotine, right?”

“That’s true.”

The two of them passed the time exchanging trivial words.

Kang Si-on sat in the shade of a tree and took a breather, and Jin Jae-hee looked around.

Then she approached Si-on, who was sitting in the shade of the tree.

“Something’s wrong.”

“……I felt it too.”

They had been walking for 10 hours.

10 hours of walking is enough time to go from Seoul to at least Cheonan [approximately 80 km or 50 miles].

But even though they had been traveling from Anyang to Suwon for over 10 hours, the forest hadn’t ended.

They could roughly determine their current location using the signposts found along the way in the dense forest.

The expedition had walked for a full 10 hours, but they still hadn’t left Gunpo City.

A common occurrence.

A natural phenomenon in a dense forest.

They had gotten lost.

Of course, they weren’t foolish enough to keep walking for 10 hours straight.

Si-on had sensed something was amiss an hour after entering the forest, and he had gradually started looking for a way out.

He left marks on every visible tree and used spheres to calculate the distance they had traveled.

But escaping the forest was impossible.

“I’ve tried everything. But the fact that we can’t get out means that something is keeping us here.”

“I agree. I don’t sense any strange power……. It’s like I’m dreaming. I feel a bit hazy right now. Mentally. A little strangely.”

Si-on pressed down on his throbbing temples with his fingers.

He didn’t usually talk about his physical condition.

But the fact that he himself said that his head was throbbing and aching meant that he was truly in unbearable pain.

Could this also be the witch’s doing?

Jae-hee took out a chocolate bar from her pocket, looking a little worried.

“Maybe your blood sugar is low…….”

“No.”

Si-on flatly denied it.

“Okay.”

Jae-hee carefully put the chocolate bar back in her pocket.

Si-on looked around.

Excluding Choi Myung-joon and Choi Hyun-ji, who were bickering.

Everything was the same: trees with the same appearance, strange flowers and stems.

And even the water flowing under the huge tree roots rising above the ground.

Occasionally, they could find traces of modern society’s civilization, but even those were so corroded that they were unrecognizable.

Of course, they could find human skeletons without difficulty.

No, it even felt like there were more of them.

“I really don’t know what these trees are?”

“Yeah……. Sorry.”

“There’s no need to be sorry. It’s natural not to know. I was just asking.”

Si-on comforted her.

Just because he’s a regressor doesn’t mean he knows everything.

In this other world spread out on Earth, he couldn’t know everything just because he had lived for a few years.

Even the bugs flying around buzzing right now.

They sucked human blood like mosquitoes, but their size was as big as sparrows.

The appearances of the trees that made up the forest were all different.

Besides, Jin Jae-hee’s starting point was Gyeongsangnam-do [province in southeastern Korea], so there were different environments, nature, and forces compared to Gyeonggi-do [province in northwestern Korea].

‘I have to find a way to get out of the forest.’

It’s never good to wander inside somewhere for a long time, no matter where it is.

To get to Suwon, they had to go through Gunpo City and arrive in Uiwang City.

But looking at this forest, it was understandable why the Suwon forces hadn’t invaded Anyang City so far.

He knew that there was a small alliance of wanderers in this forest.

Some of them fought a war with Park Ji-soo, and Park Ji-soo lost despite having quite a few warriors.

At least the forces inside this forest had the power to resist outside forces.

But right now, those forces weren’t visible.

Only human corpses were everywhere.

Could it be related to the quest?

Si-on was well aware of this and was careful.

But no matter how careful he was, eventually, they would have to encounter people for a confrontation to occur, but right now, they hadn’t even met a small animal, let alone people.

He had thought of a method, but it was difficult to implement right away because the expedition members were already very tired.

Meanwhile, Choi Hyun-ji was sweating profusely and panting.

“It’s humid……. It’s annoying……. I want to wash……. I feel like I’m going to die from the heat……. I’m sleepy…….”

Choi Hyun-ji took a sip of water and said to Kang Si-on.

“Captain……. Can’t we rest a little? No, not just resting for 10 minutes like this. I really want to wash up and get some sleep.”

“……Is this a hotel? What do you mean wash up and sleep? There’s no place to wash anyway.”

“Then you can groom yourself and sleep.”

Kang Si-on said to Choi Hyun-ji, who was bickering with Choi Myung-joon.

“There’s a place to wash?”

“Yeah, yeah……. There’s water collected under the tree roots. I checked it out, and you can drink it……. It’s cooler than I thought……. How about it?”

Si-on looked around and nodded.

In fact, Si-on, who had a throbbing headache and was short of breath, wanted to close his eyes for a bit.

It was a time when rest was needed.

“Okay. It would be good to rest for about 4 hours. One person will stand guard every hour, and the rest will rest.”

At Kang Si-on’s order to rest, a smile finally bloomed on Choi Hyun-ji’s face.

She took off the rough bag straps that had been rubbing against her skin since earlier.

“Wow-! Ah……. Finally……!”

“I’ll take the first watch.”

“Hyungnim. Have some water. I brought it.”

“…….”

It was the expedition’s first rest.

* * *

It was a truly strange terrain.

It was as if there were two surfaces.

The first surface where the expedition walked, with soil and lush grass.

And below that first surface, a humid and damp area created thanks to the huge tree roots forming pillars.

Although sunlight barely reached it, there was water collected underneath like a stream.

Choi Hyun-ji, who was assigned the last turn for guard duty, immediately went down below.

She looked for a suitable place to wash.

And then she found a place where the water depth was just right and the water temperature was moderately cool.

Choi Hyun-ji opened her bag and took out soap.

Even if the world were to end, she couldn’t give up this much hygiene.

In fact, she hated this stuffy feeling more than hygiene.

So she always carried soap with her.

“…….”

Choi Hyun-ji looked around.

She was cautious, wondering if anyone was watching.

And she carefully took off her top.

She carefully stacked the clothes she took off, and she moved her underwear to one side to wash it with soap, intending to do laundry as well.

The composition of her wanderer’s backpack was really simple.

The huge backpack that backpacking travelers carry contained over 100 items.

Really simply, 5 sets of underwear to change into, 2 towels, toothpaste and toothbrush, soap.

Nail clippers, hairpins, an analog clock, a razor, two sets of spare clothes each. Essentials among essentials, cola and various canned goods and food.

There was no end to listing them.

It was impossible to think that it was the composition of a backpack after the world had ended.

But she didn’t give up.

Chika- Chika- Chika-.

Choi Hyun-ji brushed her teeth and put her feet in the stream to get used to the water temperature.

“Ah- Cold.”

A chill ran from her toes to her back at the cold water temperature.

But it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling since she had been sweating.

“Ptoo-.”

And after spitting out the toothpaste water, she tied her hair with a hair tie and slowly put her body into the water.

The cold waves wrapped around her body, and the stuffy and humid feeling disappeared at once.

She scooped water with her hands and wet her face, and put her neck below the surface of the water.

This place where sunlight occasionally fell.

Choi Hyun-ji began to swim carefree in the beautiful valley that the roots had created.

But, it was then.

Footsteps.

Rustle-,

“?!”

Choi Hyun-ji was startled and covered her chest with her hands, and looked in the direction where she heard the footsteps.

A black object was between the vines and disappeared in an instant.

‘What the, X……?’

Choi Hyun-ji put her body further below the surface of the water and slowly approached the side where her clothes were.

Could it be Choi Myung-joon? That crazy pervert.

‘Ah, no. Even if he’s stupid…….’

There was no way that this crazy muscle tattoo freak would play such childish pranks.

Besides, that body wasn’t a size that could be hidden even if he tried to hide.

‘What……. X……. Ah, shit.’

Honestly, it would be a million times better if it was a monster.

If it was a human, she would definitely kill them.

If it was a ghost, she would go crazy and jump up and down.

Choi Hyun-ji was even afraid of the haunted house at Seoul Grand Park, which even little kids laughed and came out of.

Ghosts were the worst.

Her liver turned cold, and she regretted a little that she had chosen to wash up a little away from the group.

‘Save me……. Mom……. Please……. Me. No, me. Please. No…….’

Choi Hyun-ji carefully came out of the valley.

Splash- Dripping…….

Water droplets clung to her hair and fell onto the surface of the water in turn.

Choi Hyun-ji carefully approached the side where her clothes were.

She was preparing to summon artifacts to devastate this area at any moment.

But no matter how excellent a wanderer she was, her senses were bound to be paralyzed in the face of fear.

In an instant, Choi Hyun-ji recalled the countless skeletons she had seen coming here.

In fact, she didn’t know when she was with everyone, but they were really scary figures.

It wouldn’t be surprising if a ghost popped out right now.

And she didn’t realize that someone was approaching from behind her.

Stomp……. Stomp……. Stomp…….

Someone holding something was approaching Choi Hyun-ji.

And Choi Hyun-ji turned her head like a broken robot.

“…….”

She turned pale.

(To be continued in the next episode)