The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 155

155. Excellent Porter (2)

Kang Si-on stood among the spectators, enjoying a rare moment of amusement.

No matter how much the world changed, the most entertaining spectacle was still a fight.

The Orcs collectively raised the tension of the duel with strange cries.

Where there’s a fight, there are always gamblers.

A young boy with a hat was darting around, collecting money.

“Humans win, it’s 3x! 3x!!!”

“Come on, place your bets~”

The gambler boy approached Kang Si-on, holding out his hat. The hat was already filled with lighters and coins.

“Boss~. Humans win, it’s 3x. Orcs win, it’s 1.1x. It’s a guaranteed chance to make money, you know?”

‘……Gambling, huh.’

Kang Si-on had never gambled before.

Not even a single lottery ticket.

Thinking and judging coldly, the gambling system is structured so that the bettor always loses.

But gambling is addictive because of the pleasure of winning money and the tension until the result is determined. However.

‘Since it’s a special occasion.’

Kang Si-on took out a cigarette from his inner pocket and put it in the hat.

The gambler boy was startled and horrified.

“B, B, Boss! Even so, a cigarette is a bit……. If the human wins, we’re bankrupt. Bankrupt.”

“Then exchange it for me. With the money in the hat.”

“W, W, Wait a minute. I have to ask the master. Just wait a moment!”

Scurry!

The boy squeezed into the crowd and disappeared.

He ran away.

The street gamblers were far from capable of handling Si-on’s wealth.

Si-on looked at Choi Myung-joon again.

He clenched his fist and slowly approached the Tattoo Orc.

* * *

The Tattoo Orc shouted.

“You dare to be fearless. Certainly. Your body seems sturdy enough that I wouldn’t think you’re human. But still, you’re just a human. Come. Brother. Let me show you the difference in strength here and now!”

“That brother, brother crap. Damn. Too much talk.”

Choi Myung-joon carefully watched the Tattoo Orc’s movements.

He was definitely big.

Everything was overwhelmingly superior.

In reality, fighting strength against strength was impossible.

‘I have to aim for the joints.’

Choi Myung-joon mulled over his memories.

He had never fought someone bigger than him.

He had always had the upper hand in strength, and with that advantage, he had literally crushed rival gang members.

But just once.

Choi Myung-joon, known for his fists, had lost.

Not in a situation where he came to serve someone like Big Brother or Kang Si-on, but in a fist-to-fist fight.

He remembered it as just a street thug rather than a rival gang member.

About 1m 70 tall [approximately 5’7″].

But that guy was a beast.

A lion isn’t afraid of a buffalo, even if it’s bigger than itself.

The reason is simple.

To a lion, a buffalo is ‘food’.

No matter how much the buffalo thrashes, it clings to the body and sinks its fangs deeper into the neck.

Choi Myung-joon felt it for the first time when he was defeated by that thug.

Size is everything. That’s bullshit.

In a fight to the death, what determines victory or defeat is mindset.

In school life, you’ve probably easily heard of the hierarchy of bullies and outcasts.

But when you think about it, it’s funny.

A skinny bully with visible ribs unilaterally beating up a chubby and physically strong outcast is a funny situation.

Of course, if the two fought to the death, the outcast could unilaterally beat the bully to death.

Again, it’s mindset.

The outcast defines himself as prey from the start and is busy defending himself.

The bully is under the illusion that he is strong and chooses to devour.

That’s the phenomenon that occurs.

But those who don’t know that fear, in other words, psychos, are beasts.

You never know where they’ll jump.

Choi Myung-joon changed his mind after losing the fight with that thug.

He decided to become a crazy psycho.

Especially when fighting, his eyes go wild.

Whoosh-!

“……?!”

The Tattoo Orc momentarily hesitated, seeing Choi Myung-joon jump at him.

There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation.

The human’s fist went straight for the Orc’s right cheek.

And Choi Myung-joon’s preemptive strike hit the Orc accurately.

Thwack!!!

The Orc almost lost his mind for a moment, but he immediately grabbed Choi Myung-joon’s hand and slammed it down on the other side.

Whirr-. Bang-!!!

It was just a battle of strength against strength.

The Orc’s downward force was so strong that a cloud of dusty smoke spread everywhere.

The crowd went wild.

“Woo-yah-!!!”

“Not bad!!! Human!”

“Fearless! Like our brother!!!”

But then the crowd went wild again.

“……Eeeek?!

“…….”

Clearly, Choi Myung-joon had been slammed into the ground by the Tattoo Orc, yet Choi Myung-joon was still holding onto the Tattoo Orc’s arm.

And seeing Choi Myung-joon clinging to his arm, the Orc grinned, revealing his teeth.

“Interesting! I like you! Brother!”

“Really? Then let’s make it even more interesting.”

Choi Myung-joon bent his back and jumped to the other side.

It was an elasticity rarely seen in that massive body.

Choi Myung-joon, who had both feet on the ground, finally swung his fist again.

Now the Tattoo Orc didn’t back down either.

The two warriors now began to shower each other with punches.

A slugfest had begun.

Every time their fists poured forward, the crowd went wild.

‘He’s good. Did he become toxic?’

Kang Si-on, who was watching the duel with the crowd, briefly admired.

It was truly a breathtaking slugfest.

Thud! Thwack! Thump! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!!!

It wasn’t a childish fight like those made by people who don’t know how to fight.

Blood splattered with every punch.

Punches were exchanged with the genuine intention of killing the opponent.

The Tattoo Orc swung his fists and drove Choi Myung-joon.

Choi Myung-joon took more damage himself.

There was a difference in strength.

But Choi Myung-joon was not at all intimidated.

His eyes became even sharper.

Meanwhile, the Tattoo Orc used the difference in strength to bet everything on the next blow.

The Orc’s massive fist cut through the air towards Choi Myung-joon.

Whoosh-!

If hit, it would be a concussion at minimum.

The current situation was like a giant rock flying towards Choi Myung-joon.

But Choi Myung-joon.

Whirr-.

He dug into the inside of the Orc’s arm, using his small height to strike the chin.

Thwack-!!!!!!!!!!!

The massive vibration felt in the chin shook the Orc’s brain beyond his cheeks and temples.

“……Keuheok?!

“…….”

As expected, the chin was a sure thing.

The Orc’s eyes rolled over in an instant, and he fell forward.

Thud!

The Orc fell, creating a cloud of dust.

Choi Myung-joon gasped for breath, with a nosebleed streaming down.

And the crowd watching this duel was breathtakingly silent.

But the silence was soon replaced by cheers.

“Wowwwww-!!!”

“Waaaaaaa-!!!!”

The crowd shouted in unison for victory.

This desolate street was instantly transformed into a festival ground.

It was Choi Myung-joon’s victory.

He roared in response to the cheers of the crowd pouring out to him.

* * *

Mangyeong, the Doan Assembly Hall.

The representatives of each district and the ministers of Mangyeong gathered to discuss state affairs.

The chairman looked around the assembly hall and soon raised the gavel.

Bang, bang, bang-!

“Everyone, please be quiet! Everyone may be excited about the news we just heard, but the work we have to do remains unchanged!” The clear sound of the gavel cut through the silence of the conference hall.

The audience was in an uproar of astonishment.

No one opened their mouths easily.

The chairman, watching the scene, opened his mouth again.

“We will now begin the 349th regular meeting. Let’s discuss the first agenda item.”

At the chairman’s words, the councilors and ministers were startled and rummaged through the papers in front of them.

“District 7 Head. Report.”

The District 7 Head was the head of District 7, which included the border outposts of Gwangmyeong, known as a lawless zone.

“Recently, the Metro forces have been continuously sending small units along Line 1. We request the support of one unit from the Ministry of National Defense.”

The Minister of National Defense stroked his chin and opened his mouth.

“If you submit the damage status and current defense line status to the Ministry of National Defense, we will report it to the King. Then we will discuss it again.”

The Assembly Hall soon proceeded with the meeting as usual.

Those gathered here were all loyal to Mangyeong and the King, and they knew well that they had to serve no matter what unforeseen events occurred.

Therefore, no one deliberately spoke about the news that the messenger had brought just before the start of the meeting.

They simply continued the meeting.

“And the next agenda item is a slightly important matter. Minister of Intelligence?”

“Yes. Chairman. According to the Intelligence Department’s current assessment, the leaders of the Gangnam forces are continuously traveling back and forth with the Sinkhole.”

The Assembly Hall was abuzz with the Minister of Intelligence’s announcement.

“The Sinkhole? How long has it been since we signed the non-aggression treaty that they are already snooping around the Sinkhole!”

“Anyway, we have an alliance with Gangnam. There’s nothing they can gain from breaking the alliance, so could something have happened?”

“Gangnam is currently engaged in a full-scale war with Gangbuk [Gang north]. Could they be secretly contacting the Sinkhole to replenish their insufficient supplies?”

The conference hall instantly became a scene of chaos.

The Sinkhole.

It referred to a very large hole that formed on the way from Doan to Gwacheon.

That Sinkhole, which was created at the start of Round 3, contained large deposits of red ore.

Gangnam and Mangyeong.

Both sides were eyeing the abundant resources, but they were still cautiously exploring each other.

“First, we will report directly to the King. Minister of Intelligence, please gather information as carefully as possible through intelligence agents and wanderers.”

Bang, bang, bang-!

Just before the meeting became excessively heated, the chairman struck the gavel.

Ha Yun-ha considered securing the red ore to be important.

Therefore, although the previous agenda item was also important, there was something else that needed to be discussed first.

“Now, it wasn’t a scheduled agenda item, but there is something else we need to discuss separately. I’m talking about the shocking news that you all received before the meeting.”

At the chairman’s remarks, the councilors and ministers fell silent again.

The anomaly that had occurred was beyond everyone’s expectations.

“The Hero……. has returned.”

The chairman said so in a tone that seemed to be gasping for breath.

Everyone gathered in the Assembly Hall was equally excited about the news, but no one showed it.

Of course, there were also quite a few voices mixed with concern.

Most were representatives of the 3rd generation residents.

“Is the information reliable? He’s returned after 5 years.”

“Still, it’s a good thing that the Hero has returned. If that’s true.”

“But why hasn’t he shown himself for the past 5 years?”

“Well, that’s not important. What’s important is that the Hero has returned.”

“So where is he now?”

“He’s said to have disappeared inside Mangyeong. We’re mobilizing search parties to find him now, but.”

At that time, a heavy voice echoed in the conference hall.

“Stop it.”

Tap……. Tap……. Tap.

A man in a suit was slowly tapping the desk with a coin in his hand.

He was Lee Seok-jin, the Minister of Land Affairs of Mangyeong.

A young man who looked barely in his 30s.

And he was also a representative figure of the Mangyeong 3rd generation residents who had never seen Kang Si-on in person.

Of course, Lee Seok-jin didn’t really care whether the owner of Mangyeong was Kang Si-on or Ha Yun-ha.

‘What’s important is money.’

He wanted Kang Si-on’s wealth.

In fact, Ha Yun-ha was protecting Kang Si-on’s cigarettes, so he couldn’t touch even a single one.

The plan he was currently pursuing.

In other words, if he could just get Ha Yun-ha on his side, that money would be his.

Minister Lee Seok-jin looked around.

Among the councilors and ministers, there were a few who seemed to be thinking similarly, quietly watching each other.

In that silence, Minister Lee Seok-jin calmly continued his voice.

“No matter how great his achievements were in the past, he is someone who abandoned Mangyeong and ran away for 5 years. Returning after Mangyeong has achieved so much development means he wants to suck up the sweet water [exploit the benefits]. Keep in mind. It was all the King who made Mangyeong grow this much.”

Those who had been with Kang Si-on from the early days of Mangyeong, including the chairman, frowned.

“What nonsense are you talking about!”

“Th, th, crazy. Who do you think you can eat good food and wear good clothes thanks to!”

The Assembly Hall became heated in a different sense than before.

With criticism directed at the District 3 Head.

But the District 3 Head could see.

That even among those who were criticizing him, there were definitely councilors who were quietly nodding their heads.

The District 3 Head put even more strength into his argument.

“No one will deny that Kang Si-on is a hero. But, the leader of Mangyeong is only Ha Yun-ha! When the Hero abandoned his position and left for 5 years, it was the King who led us and grew Mangyeong to this point. It’s time for the Hero to step down and rest comfortably. Does the returned Hero know the practicalities? How Mangyeong works. What the state affairs are like. He also lacks information about external forces, so are we going to put such a person back in the King’s seat? The forgotten Hero should remain in history as forgotten. Remember. 3 years ago. During the Great War. When Mangyeong was having a hard time.”

Now the councilors were listening to Minister Lee Seok-jin’s words.

3 years ago, the Great War.

It was a war fought in Seoul by large forces to kill the dragon.

At the time, Mangyeong’s situation was dire.

The King who ruled the forces was not inside the forces, it was chaotic, and the flow of wanderers who had been constantly coming in since Round 2 was cut off.

But Mangyeong also had a weapon.

That was the national treasury.

A huge amount of cigarettes was a currency that was distributed throughout the country.

The 3rd generation Mangyeong executives tried to use that national treasury to resolve the situation, but the existing executives thoroughly opposed it.

If they had used Kang Si-on’s wealth at that time.

You never know.

Whether Mangyeong would have swallowed the other 3 forces and cleared Round 3.

Lee Seok-jin dug into these points.

That disaster was more horrific than the Round 2 winter, so the councilors gathered in this Assembly Hall who had experienced that disaster would know very well.

That their precious ones would not have had to die if they had only used that money.

Even he, who had made such remarks, could not say to kick out the hero who had founded Mangyeong and unified Anyang.

Instead, Lee Seok-jin concluded with the following words.

“Let’s bring the Hero to the Assembly, and then let’s hear the discussion from the Hero’s mouth.”

Of course, there would be Lee Seok-jin’s prior work.

Lee Seok-jin slightly raised both corners of his mouth.

(To be continued in the next episode)