The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 172

172. The Four Kings (1)

Administrator A, Administrator F.

For a lord of a faction to have two high-ranking administrators assigned was highly unusual, even across the entire League. It signified that Kang Si-hyun was under close observation, even among the beings.

A was more refined than the existing K.

“Nice to meet you, Player. I am Administrator A. This is my first greeting.”

“It’s F~.”

F was a short woman, while A was a tall man in a suit.

The location was the rooftop of the ancient palace at the Mana Police Station.

Kang Si-hyun, along with the core members of his faction, were all gathered there.

A looked around, then turned his gaze back to Kang Si-hyun.

“Before proceeding with the 3rd round, there was a disruption. I apologize for this sudden, unannounced visit. I ask for your understanding.”

“It’s because of you! Because you don’t clear the rounds quickly enough! We have no choice but to step in! Fu-hya!”

A bowed and apologized, but F was yelling.

“The progress of the 3rd round in this Seoul area is slow, so this is to accelerate the development speed. Therefore, all of you—Mangyeong, Gangnam, Metro, Gangbuk—will have to proceed with the sub-rounds prepared by our side.”

“Kill them all! Kill! Fuahahahaha!”

Kang Si-hyun asked, “Sub-rounds?”

If it were K, he would have acted slyly, but A was different. He explained politely.

“The League’s progress speed is guided to maintain a reasonable level by calculating the average deviation. That is also the role of us administrators. Currently, the power of each faction in the Seoul area is almost equal, so I fully understand that it is difficult to proceed with the rounds. However, the Seoul branch is currently 1.1 rounds behind the average, so from our perspective, we must speed up the development as soon as possible. Please understand.”

A bowed his head to conclude the explanation.

F, who was next to him, screamed, “So!!! Let blood fly!!! Fight each other!!! Don’t dawdle! You inferior race!!!”

Kang Si-hyun, listening to A’s words, laughed inwardly because everything was according to his plan.

“A great wave has swept through Mangyeong, and you, the first king and hero, have overcome the trials admirably, as if meeting everyone’s expectations. However, in the process of overcoming the trials, the faction has not moved forward, resulting in stagnation. The ogre you created was, above all, unbalanced. Originally, Mangyeong should have been destroyed, but due to the strength of the ogre unit, other countries could not conquer Mangyeong, and there was no movement of resources. Of course, this is also a tremendous achievement of Lord Kang Si-hyun.”

Hah Yoon-ha trembled slightly at A’s explanation.

If Kang Si-hyun’s ogre unit had not been created, Mangyeong would have been swallowed up by other countries.

In the end, the reason Mangyeong was able to survive while Kang Si-hyun was away was thanks to his power.

In fact, even Gangnam, which had a substantial alliance, feared Mangyeong’s ogre unit, and there was no other reason.

A continued the explanation.

“Our management committee also acknowledged it—the power that the hero of Mangyeong possesses. So this time, we will proceed with a special round, called Round 2.5.”

At that moment, a notification window appeared in the air with a splendid impact.

Boom! Boom!

It was a notification window after a long time.

Si-hyun had not seen the administrators’ notification window for a while after going through the post-war period and the Shining Expedition.

Once again, small fairies walked out of the air.

They were the fairies he had often seen in the 1st round.

“We will escort you to a place to introduce the four forces participating in Round 2.5. Please cooperate.”

The little fairies created a portal in the air.

Nothing could be seen in the pitch-black portal.

Kang Si-hyun rose from his throne and walked towards it.

The people around him were startled and looked at him, but no one blocked his path.

As only Kang Si-hyun walked out, A pointed to Ha Yoon-ha and said, “The Emperor of Mangyeong, Ha Yoon-ha, you are also included. This Round 2.5 includes all sub-leaders in the system who have been granted power by the supreme leader. Please come forward.”

At A’s words, Ha Yoon-ha looked around.

Choi Hyun-ji was next to him.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, but we can’t not do it, right?”

Ha Yoon-ha broke away from Choi Hyun-ji and walked next to Kang Si-hyun.

“Then we will escort the two leaders. Please enter the portal.”

“Walk faster! You inferior!!! Race!!! I have to go first.”

F threw himself into the portal first, followed by Kang Si-hyun and Ha Yoon-ha.

A remained until the end, bowed to the remaining people, and then followed them into the portal.

There were four kings there.

* * *

I followed A, who was walking ahead.

When my foot met the air, a certain wave occurred.

Wherever my foot stretched, a path was created.

The place where the footsteps arrived was a dark and round terrain.

Centered on the round terrain, there were human figures in the east, west, south, and north, respectively.

Their entire bodies were covered in black silhouettes, but their eyes were filled with white.

I felt like I knew even without A’s explanation.

They were the leaders of the three countries participating in this Round 2.5.

A stood next to me and said, “Based on the center of Seoul, Gangnam is the East King, Metro is the West King, Mangyeong is the South King, and Gangbuk is the North King. All four have gathered.”

The West King.

According to Ha Yoon-ha’s report, this was the force with the most overwhelming power among the forces centered on Seoul.

Also, they claimed to have inherited South Korea and were actually electing a president through voting.

He had sharp eyes like a tiger and a huge body like a bear.

The West King of Metro had been staring only at me since I arrived.

Then, the West King said, “I heard the news that the hero of Mangyeong has returned, and it is truly amazing to meet you like this. For the past 5 years, hunters have traveled all over the country to find you, but they couldn’t find you in the end. Where on earth were you, South King?”

The West King’s voice was calm and dignified.

He was a man with spirit.

He had the appearance of a leader who ruled everything.

Just hearing his voice, I could tell that he was by no means an easy opponent.

“Hey~~~~!”

Then, the East King, who was on my right, spoke.

She was short, and her hair was down to her waist.

“Don’t divert the topic by saying Kang Si-hyun came and focus on me, you rotten bastard. That glib tongue—I’ll tear it off someday.”

“I don’t particularly want to pay attention to a chieftain on the verge of collapse.”

“Chieftain?! Hey!”

“Besides, your forces are not recognized by South Korea. I clearly gave you a chance by trying to appease you in the beginning, but you both refused. Now, all that’s left for you two is punishment according to the constitution. It would be better to stop resisting, which has no more value or meaning. If you don’t surrender, I will turn your territory into a sea of fire someday.”

“Fuck you.”

At the West King’s threat, the East King raised her middle finger.

A war of nerves continued between the West King and the East King.

I looked at the North King.

He had a smaller body compared to the West King, but his eyes were sharp.

Then, A walked forward and calmed each king.

“Please calm down. In order to proceed with Round 2.5, it is necessary to share the information that each force has first. This Round 2.5 is a task that requires each force to pour out all its capabilities, and the winning force will be given the best reward to clear Round 3, while the losing force will be penalized. First, let’s start with the introduction of the forces.”

A walked into the center of the four kings and created a status window.

“First is Mangyeong.”

[Mangyeong] [Leader Kang Si-hyun]

[Economy: 1st]

[Military: 3rd]

[Food: 2nd]

[Territory: 4th]

“As you can see from the numbers, Mangyeong is a fairly balanced force. It is considered to have the greatest potential among the four forces. The leader is Kang Si-hyun. The current overall force ranking is 2nd. Let’s move on to the next.”

A moved on to the next force.

The moment the symbolism of the next force was visible, not only Kang Si-hyun but also Ha Yoon-ha frowned.

[Seoul Metro] [Leader Seo Ji-ho]

[Economy: 3rd]

[Military: 1st]

[Food: 1st]

[Territory: 1st]

Seoul Metro, the largest force among the four forces centered on Seoul.

It was an underground force throughout Seoul and is currently active mainly in the western Seoul area, where Commander Jeong Hyun-soo has gone out to suppress it.

“Undoubtedly, it can be said to be the core force for clearing Round 3. It has the largest territory and population, and the main force is hunters using firearms. The leader is Seo Ji-ho, the 23rd President of South Korea, and diplomatic relations with Mangyeong are currently severed.”

A was explaining other countries with Mangyeong as the center.

Even just looking at the numbers, it was definitely a huge country.

If Mangyeong had not taken the economic power, it would have undoubtedly had an overwhelming advantage.

“Let’s go to the next.”

[Gangnam] [Leader Kang Da-hye]

[Economy: 2nd]

[Military: 4th]

[Food: 3rd]

[Territory: 2nd]

“Gangnam was originally the number one force in the region, based on its wealthy areas and resources, until the Great War. But after losing in the Great War, it is now barely maintaining the foundation of its power. However, Gangnam also has an excellent leader no less than Mangyeong, so it has been able to survive until now.”

Kang Si-hyun listened to A’s words and began to organize the information he had.

Gangnam was a force that had a substantial alliance with Mangyeong.

The advantage that Gangnam has is a myriad of resources.

In particular, the mountainous area that Gangnam secured by expanding its territory to the east has many medicinal herbs, monster by-products, and, above all, a large amount of red ore deposits.

It would be good for Mangyeong to maintain its relationship with Gangnam, but the problem is that Gangnam’s military power is ridiculously weak.

Gangnam is currently hiring Mangyeong’s mercenary unit, and the cost of that mercenary unit is only covered by red ore and resources.

The fact that Mangyeong is maintaining its number one position in the economic sector is also thanks to Gangnam’s resources.

A finally introduced the North King.

[Gangbuk] [Leader Kim Guk-jong]

[Economy: 4th]

[Military: 2nd]

[Food: 4th]

[Territory: 3rd]

“Gangbuk started as a small armed group ruled by Kim Guk-jong, the head of the Black Dragon Clan [a Korean crime syndicate] in the past, but he conquered Gangbuk one by one with a powerful warrior group. However, his forces have now been conquered by the Metro forces and are only maintaining a nominal state. But the most frightening thing is a beast that is quietly hiding.”

Gangbuk was the force with the least contact with Mangyeong.

But since it is currently under the control of the West King, it was not a target of vigilance.

Anyway, I don’t know how Round 2.5 will proceed.

Round 2.5 was a future that Jin Jae-hee had not experienced.

The fact that these national secrets are being revealed publicly probably means that these four factors will play a major role in the next round.

‘Overall, it’s true that we are at a disadvantage compared to the West King, but we have the economic power here.’

As long as the Wanderers’ Association resides in Mangyeong, money will start and end in Mangyeong anyway.

According to Ha Yoon-ha’s report, Mangyeong’s currency has overtaken the currencies of other forces, and Gangnam is currently using lighters as its main currency.

The Metro forces were no different, and they even waged several wars of conquest to take away the economic power, but Jeong Hyun-soo blocked them well.

Even if the Mangyeong-Gangnam alliance is pushed back in terms of numbers, there was enough of a breakthrough.

The problem is the theme of Round 2.5.

Depending on the theme, it will be revealed whether the key is ‘economy’ or ‘military’.

The kings were now focused only on A.

A suffocating silence.

A looked around at the kings once and then continued to speak.

“Then I will now announce the theme of Round 2.5. This is the theme of Round 2.5.”

At the end of his words, a brilliant light rose in front of each force’s king.

I was looking at that light, and what popped out of that light was an egg.

A small egg, the size of a chicken egg.

The egg was placed on the palm of my hand.

The East King smirked and said to A, “Huh? What is this? Fry it? Are you telling me to eat it? Oh-goo-ya! [a Korean expression of delight] Thank you, Administrator!”

A looked at the East King once and then said to the kings again, “Raise it—the creature inside that egg.”

Raise it?

“If that creature dies in any way, you will be eliminated. That is the theme of Round 2.5.”

I looked at A, holding the egg.

Just in time, A looked around at the kings and made eye contact with me.

He concluded, “You will have to mobilize all the power of the force—all the power. That is.”

(Continued in the next episode)