The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 153

153. The Returned Hero (2)

I got off the Ogre Bus and looked up at the old palace.

A defensive wall blocked the wide road.

It was made by tearing off building shutters and firewalls, but it was a fairly solid defensive wall with a makeshift appearance.

Beyond the defensive wall, I could see the palace, the old Manan Police Station.

It was a huge and beautiful building.

Behind the Manan Police Station, a stepped structure reminiscent of a pyramid was built.

The walls of the stepped structure were covered with murals.

“Wow, 형님 [hyung-nim, an honorific for older brother or respected male figure]. These are all 형님’s achievements, aren’t they?”

Choi Myung-joon said in admiration.

His words were true.

The boiler that overcame the severe cold.

The execution ground where the tyrant was executed.

The Ogre.

And the war with Doan.

Besides that, the records of my past were immortalized as huge murals.

Looking at these murals felt a bit strange, but on the other hand, I was glad that Mankyung had been maintained for the past five years thanks to this.

My face was also engraved in the mural, but it didn’t look much like me, probably because it was drawn from memory.

As I was looking around, a white-haired guard approached from the defensive wall.

“Stop. Don’t come any closer. This is a restricted area.”

The soldier threatened me, pointing his spear at me.

Then Choi Myung-joon got angry and stepped forward.

“아이, X바 것이 [ai shibal geosi, a vulgar Korean curse word]……. Do you know who this person is?”

“Don’t.”

“Yes, 형님.”

I stopped Choi Myung-joon from shouting at the soldiers.

I could understand that he was getting angry for me, but I had to avoid causing a disturbance now.

The purpose now was to look around Mankyung as a wanderer, not as a king.

I wanted to quietly check the changed Mankyung until I met Ha Yoon-ha.

The white-haired guard said again.

“This is a sacred place to honor heroes. It’s not a place for wanderers like you to hang around. Get out of here.”

“아오 [Aiyo, an expression of frustration]! I memorized your face. I’ll see you later! 어 [Eo, a casual interjection]?!”

“Get out of here. I won’t say it three times. I’ll arrest you if you don’t comply.”

In fact, I could easily break through by using the power of the Edict, but is there any need to do that?

I’d rather walk around the city without anyone knowing, so I’d feel more comfortable.

I turned away.

Then another Mankyung soldier blocked me.

He looked at the right arm of the expedition and said.

“You guys. Are you wanderers? Why didn’t you wear a name tag? And. Wanderers must move to the association office by 6 p.m.”

“…….”

As I stared at the soldier, Jin Jae-hee stepped forward with a grim expression.

But I grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

“It’s okay.”

I could understand their reaction well enough, but there was no need to get angry.

They are doing their job.

If they hadn’t come forward like this, if they hadn’t fully fulfilled their responsibilities, there would have been a problem.

‘This means Ha Yoon-ha has been managing the forces well.’

It was right to back down here.

Besides, it might not be a good choice for us to show ourselves to the force right now.

No matter what the approval rating of the citizens is, there may be forces that don’t recognize me.

* * *

Mankyung, Wanderer Association Office.

It was a village in the city with iron bars around it.

It had a very unique structure.

It was a form of combining an old middle school and high school and fencing it off.

The wanderers here live in Mankyung and play the role of receiving or requesting quests.

Of course, Mankyung citizens also gave quests, and there were not only humans but also various alien creatures here.

The dormitory building, which was made by remodeling the school, was decorated more comfortably than I thought.

In the playground, some residents and wanderers set up stalls and played Yabawi [a Korean street gambling game].

A large tent made of waterproof cloth was set up, giving it the impression of a market.

“Wow, wow……. Wanderers gather in one place like this…….”

Choi Hyun-ji, who was from a wanderer background, was the most amazed by the sight.

Wanderers basically didn’t trust each other well.

Wandering through the rough wilderness and breaking through the league in individual battles, they were beings who lived by relying only on themselves.

But when I looked at the scenery of this wanderer’s dormitory, those things were erased from my memory.

This was truly a guild.

“Looking for a group going to Gangnam! I am a player certified as a guide in Mankyung! We guarantee safety with 50 Lighters!”

“We help with identity verification in Mankyung! Only 10 Lighters!”

“Looking for an Incheon Alliance informant! I will give you a generous reward!”

“I’m buying maps, maps. Southern Gyeonggi.”

“Various monsters……, by-products…… I’m buying……. Various monsters……, by-products…… I’m buying…….”

Wanderers are trading each other’s assets.

The quest bulletin boards all over the streets were full of interesting information.

Today’s main request list:

Request for exploration of the 6th mining district, ore veins. Requester: Head of the 6th mining district

Border monster ecology survey. Requester: Head of the Border Control Bureau

Delivery to the Incheon Alliance…….

Numerous wanderers in the Gyeonggi area were gathering in Mankyung.

The road to the south was blocked by dense forests, and the north was all battlefields.

Therefore, the best choice for wanderers to use as a base was Mankyung.

In the commercial district directly managed by Mankyung, the Wanderer Association Office, safe transactions were possible compared to other areas where fraud and black market transactions were frequent.

In addition, there were well-equipped infrastructures for wanderers, such as accommodations and request bulletin boards, so it was rumored among wanderers to be the best base.

Wanderers from all over the country exchanged information and supplies.

Mankyung entrusted the wanderers who had gathered in this way with requests that were difficult to solve on their own.

It was building a system similar to the ‘guild’ that appeared in other novels and comics.

The more wanderers gathered, the more wealth Mankyung was accumulating.

The income from the facilities where wanderers eat and sleep, as well as the brokerage fees earned by entrusting requests to wanderers, were also considerable.

Mankyung swallowed up the markets of all the forces in the area.

Swallowing up the market meant that all the money was flowing into Mankyung.

Mankyung’s currency can be largely divided into three types.

The smallest unit, coin.

Regardless of the type, it has a value of about 500 won [approximately $0.40 USD].

Then the lighter, which plays the role of paper money.

Only lighters with Mankyung’s unique pattern were recognized as currency, and they were worth about 5,000 won [approximately $4 USD].

Then there was a pack of cigarettes.

Cigarettes were an item that replaced gold in the old world.

There are several ways to store cigarettes, but the most common method is to store them in a metal case.

It was not an official currency, but its value was about 20 Lighters per pack.

Moreover, due to the nature of consumables, its value was bound to increase.

In fact, cigarettes had almost tripled in value over the past five years.

For this reason, people collected cigarettes even if they were not smokers, and it had been a long time since a rare sight occurred where smokers could not afford to smoke because they were too precious.

Mankyung grew rapidly.

It was all thanks to the fact that the first lord and hero, Kang Si-on, had laid a good foundation.

Of course, not everything was as beautiful as jade [perfect].

Wherever people gather, there are bound to be evil beings.

Mankyung, a building in Beomgye.

“…….”

Corpses were piled up in the hallway.

A man walked up there.

The woman with the sword bowed her head to him and said.

“All. I took care of it.”

“…….”

The man smoked a cigarette and walked through the narrow hallway, avoiding the corpses.

At the end of the dark hallway was a half-open wooden door, and a faint light was coming from there.

The man was annoyed when he walked past the corpses and they got in the way.

“Hey. Clean up these things. Quickly.”

“I’m sorry. Chief. I’ll take care of it immediately.”

The woman who followed him ordered the two subordinates behind her to dispose of the bodies.

The man, called the chief, frowned as he opened the wooden door with the hand holding the cigarette.

He was wearing a white suit and leather shoes.

A luxury watch was on his wrist, and his hair was completely swept back, revealing his face.

The man tied to the chair trembled and shouted at such a chief.

“Chief Lee- Chief Lee!!! I’m sorry. I-. I’m sorry.”

Chief Lee looked at the man’s fingers tied to the chair.

Iron nails were 박혀 [bakhyeo, hammered] in each finger joint.

“Just once-. Just once-. Forgive me. Actually, I didn’t even know that Chief Lee was still-. Looking after me from behind.”

“Behind? No, what are you talking about, 형님 [hyung-nim]?”

Chief Lee squatted down and looked up at the man.

“It’s not behind……. 형님 [hyung-nim]. It’s a problem because you take that X-like story and report it to the king.”

“I’m sorry……. I’m sorry, so I did everything wrong.”

“What did you report?”

Suck. Phew-.

Chief Lee took a deep breath of the cigarette and blew smoke at the man.

The man bleeding trembled and answered.

“The, the, the hero has returned……. The hero! B, but! Chief Lee! Please listen to me. What I mean is……! The hero……. He really came back. But I’m sorry! I, I, I’m sorry. I didn’t think about Chief Lee……!”

The man had no front teeth, so blood spurted out every time he spoke.

“Chief Lee doesn’t like heroes, does he? Kang Si-on? That guy. Th, th, that’s right? That dead guy!!!”

“…….”

Chief Lee listened to the man’s excuses, smoking silently.

“I’ll help you! Chief Lee. Chief Lee is aiming for Kang Si-on’s cigarettes, right? Th, th, that’s right?! That huge amount of cigarettes in the old palace!!! I know. The way to that room!”

Kang Si-on’s property.

That was the hero’s legacy that Ha Yoon-ha had risked his life to protect for the past five years.

Ha Yoon-ha did not use Kang Si-on’s property.

But other Mankyung executives thought differently.

That property.

Those cigarettes, which are more precious than gold.

The hero’s property, piled up in the room, and Mankyung’s treasure.

With that alone, he could become a god in this world.

Lee Seok-jin, the current head of the land department of Mankyung, was a thorn in Ha Yoon-ha’s side.

Ha Yoon-ha is stuck in the old palace, protecting that huge amount of property.

Chief Lee did not like the return of the hero.

If that happens, what about the property left in that old palace?

Everything will go back to the original owner, Kang Si-on.

Chief Lee took out a small dagger from his pocket.

“형님 [hyung-nim]. 형님 [hyung-nim] is really……. Making it difficult for people. When did I say I didn’t like heroes……? Kang Si-on. A hero and the first king. He is the founder who built this beautiful city. I’m living here too……. And 형님 [hyung-nim] is also making a place for himself in Mankyung thanks to me……. All.”

Thud.

Chief Lee pointed the dagger towards the man’s groin and continued.

“……It’s all thanks to the hero, right? I respect the hero. But. What did that person do. In the war of dynamism for the past 5 years……. What did he do? Didn’t he run away?”

“Yes, yes……! That’s right. Chief Lee is right. I totally agree!!! So Chief Lee, please……!”

Chief Lee stabbed the man’s groin slightly with a dagger.

“Ah-! So! What I mean is?! Yes?! 형님 [hyung-nim]. No, after running away for 5 years and coming back to Mankyung……. It’s a bit unfair to be in the same position as the king. Huh? No, so. X-like 형님 [hyung-nim]. Do you know what I want to say?”

Chief Lee glared at the man with a fierce look.

It was truly a greedy look.

“……That money. Those cigarettes. It’s a waste. It would be better to use it for our Mankyung.”

At Chief Lee’s words, the man nodded vigorously.

Every time the man nodded, blood splattered everywhere.

Chief Lee concluded.

“……형님 [hyung-nim] crossed the line. People originally die because of their tongues.”

“W, wait a minute! Chief Lee! Please listen to me……!”

Whirr-. Phew!!!!!!

“Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!!!!! Cough…… Kahaha……. Ah…….”

The man fainted.

Chief Lee looked at the dagger stuck in the man’s groin.

Pus and blood were soaking between his legs.

Chief Lee frowned.

And he instructed the secretary, who was watching all this from behind.

“Throw this bastard into the Ogre farm. And. Did you find out about Kang Si-on’s information?”

“Yes. Chief. He is currently residing in the wanderer residential area.”

“Attach a surveillance officer. Report everything to me without missing a single thing. And.”

Thud-.

Chief Lee threw the cigarette he was smoking at the fainted man.

The cigarette butt hit the man’s cheek and fell to the floor.

“Increase the number of guards more than double under the pretext of protecting the emperor, and don’t let him out of the palace for a while. Kang Si-on, our hero. We will kill him.”

Chief Lee left those words and walked back through the hallway full of corpses.

The remaining secretary bowed to him.

“Yes. Chief.”

(Continued in the next episode)