The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 17

The Only Regressor Who Protects Me – Episode 17 (17/221)

#Episode 17. Thought

First floor, Hong Team’s base.

With the notification that the Flag Monster had been defeated, small cheers erupted from various places.

“Ah…”

“Thank goodness. We succeeded.”

“Sion, you’re amazing. You’ve done something again!”

“Really, thank goodness.”

People rejoiced with relief.

They thanked me, and I silently stared at the notification window among them.

I couldn’t understand.

It was a result I hadn’t intended.

It was even more perplexing because it was the first unintended outcome since coming here.

If Jin Jaehee really obtained the flag alone, it would definitely be a great benefit to us.

Because we achieved results without any losses.

But the problem was what came next.

I ran a hand over my forehead.

The situation had become complicated.

‘Damn it.’

In the end, it’s a good direction.

But the plan was disrupted because of it.

The plan was to go up to the 9th floor with the main force, break the momentum of the Blue Team, and buy time again.

The plan to eliminate our allies’ losses and effectively suppress the Blue Team required a day or two.

But now, attacking again has become meaningless.

With the Hong Team already having acquired the flag, there was no reason to deliberately take risks and invade.

Of course, the desire to end the first round quickly was still there, but this case is different.

For now, we needed to buy time.

It was highly likely that those bastards would come straight here.

Thinking about that, I couldn’t just relax.

I immediately called the security personnel.

They immediately responded to my words and raised their heads.

“All three of you, move to the 3rd floor right now. If you spot any enemy movement, come down immediately.”

The old man and two girls hurriedly ran up to the 3rd floor without answering.

After they left, people enjoyed a moment of peace, talking among themselves.

But I couldn’t afford to enjoy that peace of mind.

Let’s think.

I have two problems.

The Black Team’s King, and the Blue Team’s next move.

First, the Black Team’s King.

What is that person doing now?

Does that person even exist?

Is that person around me?

That person must have participated in this special game because they exist.

After that thought, I shook my head.

‘Let’s not think about simple questions.’

Just thinking about the next move was enough to make my head explode.

Let’s think really simply.

If the Black Team’s King is hiding in the Hong Team, I can’t explain why they haven’t killed me yet.

Because everyone in the Hong Team knows that I am the ‘King’.

Of course, there are people who were additionally brought in from the 2nd to 6th floors.

They still don’t know I’m the King.

There is a possibility.

I need to monitor them without being obvious.

‘Wait a minute.’

A thought that flashed through my mind stopped me.

Thinking about it a bit more, it might be natural that the Black Team’s King isn’t showing up right now.

The Black Team’s strength was not shown on K’s map.

What that means is that the Black Team is an ‘unrevealed’ third force.

‘Why wasn’t it visible on the map? Did they perhaps receive an advantage?’

I don’t know whether the Black Team really received an advantage.

I also don’t know about the advantage for an unrevealed force.

But the fact that the Black Team exists is true, and it’s also true that the existence of that Black Team is not visible in the system.

Then I had no choice but to assume that they were given an advantage.

I quickly looked around and counted the number of people.

Our team gathered here is exactly twenty-eight, including me.

If you add the three sent for security and Jin Jaehee who is up there, it’s thirty-two.

‘Even so, I can’t completely rule out the possibility.’

If the gun K gave me was intentional, the Black Team’s King might have received a corresponding advantage as well.

If that is a characteristic that cannot be confirmed in the system window.

‘That bastard might be hiding here.’

The moment my thoughts reached this point, goosebumps rose.

My thoughts leaned towards the most likely direction.

If the Black Team’s King received the ability to not be detected in the system window as an advantage, I cannot distinguish that guy with the system window alone.

That means the Black Team’s King could be among our Hong Team’s 32 people.

The odds are fifty-fifty.

That bastard will be in the Hong Team or the Blue Team like a bat, and will appear and attack at a good timing.

‘That was the Black Team’s way of surviving.’

I only turned my eyes and quickly looked at the people around me.

Suddenly, everyone around me felt like my enemy, and their eyes felt fierce.

Their numerous gazes seemed to be fixed only on me.

It was a situation where I had to consider the internal enemy in a situation where the external enemy was not completely defeated.

I couldn’t think of a way to counter the internal enemy right now.

Those worries continued to torment me.

At the same time, I had to make a decision about the Blue Team.

Everything was like a sweet potato vine [Korean idiom for a series of interconnected problems], and every time I unraveled a case, another case popped out one after another.

Even though I had won an overwhelming victory in the last battle, I couldn’t laugh.

I couldn’t be guaranteed even a little mental rest.

What tricks will Kim Dong-gil use now?

If I were Kim Dong-gil, what would I do at this moment?

I looked at the case from his point of view, and then thought about countermeasures from my point of view.

The conclusion I came to after calm thought was that Kim Dong-gil would never leave me alone now.

He must have already recognized that the Blue Team was at a disadvantage as time went on, so he would wage an all-out war.

It felt like someone was squeezing my brain with both hands.

And the incident came suddenly.

“They’re here again!!!”

The old man’s cracked voice echoed throughout the store.

It was the old man and the child who had been sent up for security duty a little while ago.

It hadn’t even been five minutes since they went up.

“The bastards are coming! They’re heading straight here right now! Oh my!”

Everyone looked at the old man, and my heart started beating faster.

As expected, Kim Dong-gil moved as expected.

It won’t take 5 minutes, no, not even 3 minutes for them to come.

* * *

“Sion! What, what should we do now?!”

“First, we, we should grab our weapons?! What should we do, Sion?”

Now everyone was looking at me.

Not just consciously, but really everyone was looking at me.

Each and every one of their eyes was looking only at my face.

“Hyung [Korean term for older brother or male friend], what should we do now?”

“We’ve used up all our fire extinguishers, what should we do now?!”

“Oh my! What should we do now!”

Even while thinking, I take in people’s words.

My head was full of countless possibilities and their demands, mixed up in a mess.

So I couldn’t fully concentrate on ‘thinking’.

I couldn’t make a decision and ‘moves’ kept swirling in my head.

In the meantime, I hated the voices of these people that kept bursting out.

I even momentarily hated them.

“Sion, what if the enemies attack?”

“Sion, what should our throwing spear unit do? Just tell us!”

“Sion, what about the night watch?!”

“Sion.”

“Sion, Sion!”

“Sion! Say something!”

Three letters filled my white head.

The letters ‘Si’, ‘On’, and ‘Ssi’ began to fly around randomly like atoms.

SissionSionSionSissionSionSionSionSionSionSionSsiSionSionSsiSionSionSionSionSsiSionSionSionSionSionSionSionSionSionOnSsiSionSionSionSsiSionSsiSionSionSsiSionSionSionSionSsiSionSionOnOnSsiSionSion.

I was so confused between ego and reality that I wondered if I was really Kang Sion anymore, and soon anxiety and anger came.

‘Why me.’

Why do only I have to worry and worry?

Can’t they be independent without me?

Are they newborns?

I have no obligation to protect them.

Why put all the burden on me?

Why do I always worry, why always me…….

Only me…… Only me…….

The moment everything went dark, two hands suddenly popped out from the darkness.

Smack!

“Wake up.”

“Ah.”

Her two hands were on both of my cheeks, and soon my cheeks were tingling.

The woman in front of me was Lee Juyeon, and she had the most serious expression I had ever seen.

“Do what you want to do. We’ll just follow.”

I came to my senses as if I had woken up from a dream.

I carefully looked at her.

Our eye levels were the same.

“What are you worrying about? You are our king. A king is someone who does what he wants. What was that, Louis? Louis the Tenth?”

“14th, Nuna [Korean term for older sister or female friend]…….”

Lee Juyeon looked back at Sebeom to confirm if she was right.

Lee Sebeom shook his head silently.

“Haha.”

My lips twitched for a moment.

It was a stupid sound.

The position of ‘king’ is just a temporary role given by the administrator, and I am just an ordinary day laborer.

Therefore, just because I receive that position does not mean that I have the authority to control the people of the Hong Team as I please.

It’s just that they believed in me and followed me.

But.

At this moment, that stupid sound touched my heart.

“That’s right! Hyung! Do what you think!”

A male student plucked up the courage to shout, and other voices were heard from here and there.

“We wouldn’t have survived this far without Sion.”

“Don’t feel any pressure. Student. We are prepared.”

“That’s right! Let’s fight! Let’s fight!”

Now everyone’s voices began to be heard fully.

Ha.

A hollow laugh came out.

There was no need to think deeply.

We are ultimately like pieces on a chessboard, and if we make plans based on ‘death’, everyone will end up dying.

Everyone here at the same time as me is detached from the laws of the existing world.

This place is the wild.

In order to survive in the wild, sacrifices must be made.

I had forgotten for a moment.

We no longer have human dignity, only animal dignity remains.

The dignity of an animal is ultimately survival.

And the people of the Hong Team were able to accept such sacrifices for survival.

What was I thinking?

I am not a historical figure who achieved peace.

That kind of thing is just a theory of justice that only works until a week ago.

To me, justice is just the survival of the majority.

Complete victory?

There is no such thing in the world.

Even Napoleon, who conquered Europe.

Even Genghis Khan, who dominated the world.

Did not win without sacrifice.

As I let go of all the burden, I became cold-hearted.

I ordered them.

“Everyone, line up. Hurry.”

At my words, smiles finally spread across people’s faces.

They moved to their respective positions in an orderly manner.

This place was originally a barricade to effectively deal with goblins.

But now I had to carry out the mission of defending the castle.

It was an unscheduled battle, but geographically, this side was advantageous anyway.

I climbed the barricade.

Soon everyone was holding weapons and staring at one place.

A quiet silence fell.

Then, in that silence, their footsteps were slowly heard.

Thump, thump, thump… Thump! Thump!

The slow footsteps slowly approached and soon became close enough to spread in all directions.

It was as if they were in every space.

I opened my inventory and grabbed the gun.

I felt the heavy sensation of the gun.

I said to them one last time.

“Don’t hesitate. The moment you hesitate, you will be the ones who die.”

And the bastards’ footsteps grew louder.

Thump-!

At that moment, the door on the left staircase floor opened.

There was the Blue Team’s main force armed with kitchen knives and axes.

At the same time, more people were gathering from the escalator side.

It was the bastards’ pincer attack.

* * *

5th floor.

Kim Dong-gil shouted.

“Divide the people into two! Attack the escalator and the staircase floor at the same time!”

At his command, the people split into two and moved.

The troops led by Kim Dong-gil went straight down the stairs.

Thud thud thud!

Even if it was dozens of people, when their footsteps gathered, they continued in a loud voice.

One subordinate asked Kim Dong-gil.

“Branch manager! Aren’t we rushing too much?”

Kim Dong-gil ignored his words and ran in the front row.

The Blue Team is still at an advantage.

That is an undeniable fact.

Now it was all or nothing.

The point was not how many troops were left, but just to win the game.

Just get closer.

If they just got closer, the Blue Team with a large number of people would win.

‘Even if it’s a lower floor than the first floor, it’s the basement. The basement is even better.’

In the end, even if the Hong Team retreated to the basement, they were rats in a trap.

This battle is the last.

Kim Dong-gil will definitely win the battle and get out.

He will escape from this damn shopping mall.

And he will regain his social status.

Luxury imported car.

A wife who is 9 years younger.

Two precious daughters who resemble him.

A luxury penthouse in Gangnam [affluent district in Seoul] with 75 pyeong [unit of area, approx. 2660 sq ft] and a sale price of 12.5 billion won [South Korean currency].

Two buildings.

Luxury watch.

Luxury clothes.

Hundreds of subordinates who follow him.

Even alumni who look up to him and respect him.

That was all the rights that Kim Dong-gil deserved.

Until now, it was so damn.

His life, which had been locked in a room and studying, waiting for the days to win in life someday, was now beginning to see the light, but he couldn’t collapse here.

A little bit.

Tears welled up in his left eye.

Kim Dong-gil is desperate now.

More desperate than anyone else.

He was struggling to get out of the abyss.

The last staircase floor was visible.

Below that is the first floor.

Kim Dong-gil went down at once and opened the door of the staircase floor.

Thump!

(Continued in the next episode)