The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 136

136. Traces (2)

“Kang Junho… He was such a small child. He said he was going to Suwon. Yes.”

At that moment, Zion’s eyes wavered.

“What did you just say?”

“Pardon? He said he was going to Suwon…”

“Before that. Who did you say was going to Suwon?”

“Ah, yes… It was a young wanderer named Kang Junho. His companions were with him too.”

As soon as the name Kang Junho was mentioned, the air in the room grew heavy.

The village chief inwardly swallowed hard.

‘Hmph, this young one has a terrifying aura…’

As Kang Zion’s demeanor changed abruptly, Jin Jaehee was the first to notice.

He clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling.

He was someone who showed no signs of wavering even within Park Jisoo’s memories.

But it was a different story when it came to his brother.

Jin Jaehee recalled the conversation he had with Zion on the rooftop the day before he left Mangyeong.

He said he was ready to accept everything now and would only move forward.

But Jin Jaehee was still worried.

“Kang Junho? What a carelessly made-up name. I don’t know who his parents are. Tch.”

Choi Myungjoon, already drunk and in high spirits, giggled incessantly, seemingly enjoying himself.

Jin Jaehee glared at Choi Myungjoon with sharp eyes, but Myungjoon ignored him and poured another drink into his mouth.

Jaehee sighed and turned back to Kang Zion.

Zion’s expression gradually relaxed.

Fortunately, he seemed to be regaining his composure.

The village chief asked with a worried tone.

“I think this old man has brought up an unnecessary topic. Are you alright?”

“It’s nothing.”

Kang Zion quickly dismissed the old man’s words and fell into thought.

It was fortunate to have obtained a clue about his brother’s whereabouts.

After discontinuing the deal with Administrator K, there was no way to know his brother’s whereabouts.

But he couldn’t act rashly.

The information that his brother Junho had passed through this place was a great gain, but it wasn’t enough.

He had to find a way to get through the forest.

However.

‘It’s strange that they don’t know Suwon.’

Kang Zion recalled the scenery of the village he had seen so far.

Their attire was clearly different from the people outside the forest.

The atmosphere of the village was subtly peaceful.

Looking back at the village scenery, which had seemed so beautiful, it was full of suspicious points.

‘How long has it been since I saw children smiling?’

Zion recalled his memories.

This world, where strength is everything, was especially harsh on children.

Even young children had to struggle to survive, and so many children died.

But here, he couldn’t find that kind of atmosphere on the faces of the village children at all.

In fact, if they only lived in this peaceful village, it might not be strange for the children to look happy.

But that doesn’t make sense either.

Do they really not know the situation outside at all?

‘It’s clearly strange.’

Kang Zion’s eyes gradually filled with wariness and distrust.

Chaeng laughed lightly, trying to diffuse the heavy atmosphere.

“Haha. Oh, dear. I’m sorry. It seems we’ve made you uncomfortable because we’re ignorant of the world. Um… Ah! Would you like to meet the artisans who brew alcohol? If the artisans saw that black liquid you drank earlier, they would definitely be interested.”

“What? No way! I can never give up my Coke.”

Choi Hyunji hid her Coke behind her back and growled.

Choi Hyunji and Choi Myungjoon didn’t know about Kang Zion’s brother, so they didn’t pick up on the tense atmosphere.

“Coke? Ah, so that liquid is called Coke. I understand now.”

Chaeng’s attempt to lighten the atmosphere was well-intentioned, but it backfired.

At Chaeng’s words, Zion’s eyes sharpened even more.

‘They don’t know Coke?’

They don’t even know where Suwon is, and they don’t know Coke either.

These were things that people who lived in 21st century South Korea couldn’t possibly not know.

“Do you perhaps know what South Korea is?”

Zion threw out bait.

“South Korea? Is that also a liquid that you mix with alcohol and drink? Anything is fine. Our artisans would definitely like it if they saw it…”

And Chaeng took the bait.

‘It’s certain that they are not trustworthy.’

Is this a gimmick for the 3rd round [a trick or deception]?

Or are they just pretending not to know?

Zion couldn’t stop suspecting.

It was clear that they were hiding something.

So, maintaining such a close distance with them was dangerous.

Zion made a decision.

“Then we should get going now.”

Jin Jaehee, who had the same thought as Zion, quickly grasped the situation and began packing her things.

Choi Myungjoon and Choi Hyunji, who had also noticed Kang Zion’s sudden change in atmosphere, also began packing their things without complaint.

Then, the village chief, looking troubled, tried to dissuade the group.

“Haha, this is troubling. Have we committed some kind of discourtesy…? The sun will be setting soon, so please stay for at least one night. The outside of the forest is really dangerous.”

The village chief maintained his gentle smile.

His gentle smile now looked different.

Jin Jaehee glared at the village chief’s wrinkled eyes, which curved into a crescent shape.

Greed.

It was the eyes of greed.

At that time, Chaeng also reinforced the village chief’s words.

“That’s right. The night in the forest is rough. Bitna is safe, so please stay. We will find a guide to take you outside as soon as it dawns.”

Despite Chaeng’s persuasion, the group packed their things without the slightest interest.

As soon as the group was ready to leave, Chaeng hurriedly continued speaking.

“Th-That’s right. Suwon. You said you were going to Suwon? I’ll also consult with the guide who led the young wanderer I mentioned earlier. We’ll make sure to guide you to Suwon tomorrow.”

Kang Zion looked at Chaeng and the village chief.

The two of them were sweating profusely, as if they were desperate.

It was almost laughable how openly suspicious they were acting.

Zion’s tension began to ease little by little at the absurd sight.

Kang Zion thought.

They are not at a level that can be a major threat right now.

Even considering that, there were still many things to gain from them.

Zion said calmly.

“Then can you guide us to the lodging where Kang Junho’s group stayed?”

“Of course. Of course, we can. I’ll guide you right away.”

Chaeng said that with a desperate expression.

* * *

The lodging that Chaeng guided them to was on the outskirts of the village.

A lodging that looked like a tree that had grown into the shape of a house, just like any other house in Bitna.

It was a quiet place, far from the noise of the village.

As soon as Chaeng left the lodging, Jin Jaehee approached me as if she had been waiting.

“I think they’re hiding something. And…”

Jaehee sniffed.

“I smell it. The smell of blood. Everywhere in the village.”

“It’s okay.”

I roughly unpacked my luggage and gave Jin Jaehee a small wink.

Jin Jaehee immediately understood the meaning and slipped out of the lodging with me.

“Hyungnim [term of endearment used by a younger male to address an older male], where are you going?”

“A walk.”

Leaving Choi Myungjoon behind, Jin Jaehee and I walked together in the forest.

Bitna’s forest was much larger than the forests on the outskirts.

The size of the forest itself was large, but everything in the forest was even bigger than that.

Plants that looked like ferns about the size of small trees were scattered everywhere, and the unidentified leaves that were split like maple leaves were large enough to be used as parasols.

Even the insects in the forest were huge.

Ants the size of palms crawled in lines, and when something like a dragonfly flew by, it sounded like a propeller turning.

Would this be what the forests of the Mesozoic era, where dinosaurs lived, looked like?

As I looked at the forest without saying anything, Jin Jaehee fidgeted and said to me.

“Is it because of Junho? Because they said he stayed here…”

I nodded slightly.

“Normally, I wouldn’t want to stay in such a suspicious village for even a second. But they mentioned my brother’s name first. For some reason, I feel like there’s a trace of my brother here. It might be dangerous, but there’s still a lot of information I want to get from here. Sorry.”

“What’s there to be sorry about? If you want, I can just slaughter everyone here.”

I chuckled at her nonchalant promise of massacre.

“I decided to stay here because you’re here. Honestly… I don’t think they can beat us. And, it’s possible that they’re really being kind to us.”

“That’s true.”

“Let’s get everything we can and then go back to Mangyeong.”

“…Okay. I understand.”

Jin Jaehee nodded.

* * *

The night in the forest was terribly quiet.

A time when even the noisy insects held their breath to avoid the monsters of the forest.

“Huff… Cough!”

In such a quiet forest, the voice of a man desperately gasping for breath echoed.

He was running forward, terrified.

The man, as if being chased by something, failed to notice the tree root sticking out under his feet and fell headfirst.

The man, covered in mud, desperately got up and ran again.

Feeling the silence chasing him slowly tightening his breath.

“King of Mangyeong…! King…! Heueueueung…! Haaaaaa…! Where are you?”

The man shouted in an almost crying voice.

The moment he stopped briefly to catch his breath, which had risen to his chin.

A pair of eyes sparkled and rose from the nearby bushes.

Whoosh!

“Kkeuaaaak!”

The lasso that flew from the bushes wrapped around the man’s legs in an instant.

The man was unable to move and fell to the ground.

“H-Hiiiik! Save me!”

The man looked at the owner of the lasso approaching him.

A pair of eyes that shone even more in the dark forest.

It was slowly approaching the man.

And.

“Kkeuaak! Keueu…”

The something tore the man’s body apart in an instant with its sharp teeth.

It was a hideous face.

A twisted, gaping mouth.

And sharp teeth densely packed inside.

Saliva was dripping from its mouth.

And.

Crunch! Munch! Crunch!

Dozens of teeth began to break the man’s bones and tear his flesh.

The creature was happily tearing apart the body of the man it had just hunted.

At that moment, light leaked out from between the bushes.

The light slowly approached the something, and the something also turned its head towards the light approaching it.

The light grew closer and closer to the something, and then revealed its identity from between the bushes.

What appeared was a man from Bitna.

It was Chaeng.

Chaeng held up the light and pointed it towards the something.

“You…!”

The something, seeing the light that Chaeng held up, twisted its body, whimpering like a mutt being scolded by its owner.

Long, disheveled hair that reached down to its waist.

Pointed ears that stuck out between them.

And a grotesque mouth that was twisted open.

Chaeng sighed deeply, as if he couldn’t help it.

“Haa… Hana. I told you not to eat humans 함부로 [carelessly], didn’t I? What if it was a tribute to the Witch?”

The unidentified monster that had extended its tentacles and hunted the man was none other than Hana.

Hana picked up the man’s thigh, which was half-boned, and smiled shyly.

“Hehe. Delicious! Delicious! Hungry! Human died! Sorry!”

Chaeng looked at Hana as if he was dumbfounded.

But he didn’t want to scold an innocent child who didn’t know anything.

“The village chief will scold you. Eat everything without leaving anything behind. Wash yourself well in the flowing water and come back. Next time, be sure to eat with the villagers. And, you still have 어눌한 [awkward] human speech, so refrain from it in front of the guests.”

“Understood! Eat! Eat together! Happy! Our villagers! Guests!”

“And, hide the bones separately. I’ll make you a necklace later.”

Hana smiled brightly, revealing her teeth full of flesh.

Chaeng ruffled Hana’s hair with a face that said he couldn’t help it.

Chaeng was always clumsy when it came to scolding his cute younger sibling.

(To be continued in the next episode)