The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 197

197. Farewell and Reunion (5)

The tide turned when the main Mankyung force joined up with the elite squad.

The enemies were still attacking Anyang Sports Complex, focusing on the Mankyung monster while leaving their rear guard exposed.

They had been consistently reporting minor and major victories against the monster.

But Kang Si-on’s army arrived just in time.

The Mankyung army surged into the streets, an unstoppable force.

A small elite squad, including Kang Si-on and Jin Jae-hee, headed straight for the stadium.

Jin Jae-hee intercepted Woo Ji-hye’s attack on the monster, and Kang Si-on confronted Kim Kang-seok.

The final battle began, and the hunters, cornered, fought back with everything they had.

The order the hero gave to the Mankyung soldiers was simple: “Leave no ant alive in our city.”

* * *

I released spheres to shoot down the earthen pipes floating in the air.

The earthen pipes shattered and fell.

The enemy player floating in the air seemed taken aback and attacked again.

I quickly analyzed the abilities of each earthen pipe based on its shape.

Flame, water, thorns, wind, lightning…

Even from what I could see, they possessed a wide range of abilities.

Perhaps a more advanced version of my own.

Confronting him directly might be foolish.

A simple, effective strategy didn’t immediately come to mind.

‘Use the stone knife…?’

I have an instant-kill item.

But it’s crucial for my final plan.

Guns wouldn’t work on ordinary players, and I didn’t have an ally who could fight alongside me right now.

I went to the ground and destroyed all the flying earthen pipes, then shouted to the two children.

“Both of you, evacuate to the stadium. Stay put until I tell you otherwise.”

“…Yes, yes!”

Ha Yun-ha responded immediately and helped Jung Hyun-soo.

I assessed their condition as I sent them away, and it was clear they were quite injured.

If I had been any later, I might have lost two valuable players.

I used spheres and lines to protect them until they were safely away.

Soon.

The player in the sky descended.

He walked down the dusty, ruined asphalt street and approached me.

“I’ve been wanting to meet you. I can’t believe it’s like this.”

I half-listened to the insignificant guy’s voice, letting it wash over me.

I began to manipulate the spheres with precision.

The guy spread his arms.

Then dozens of earthen pipes floated into the air again.

“If I take your head, maybe I can finally live the high life in the Metro.”

‘I will do my best.’

Jin Jae-hee’s assessment of my offensive abilities with the artifact was that they were among the worst.

She said I’d be able to use the artifact effectively after the 5th round of the plague anyway.

It’s round 2.5 now. And if my plan works, there’s no need to reach round 5.

Normally, I wouldn’t be able to beat the artifact player in front of me.

But I’ll use every trick I have.

I delicately bent my fingers, manipulating the spheres and lines.

The guy put his hand forward.

The earthen pipes opened their mouths, aiming in the direction of his hand.

“…Mankyung is finished.”

Tsutsutsutsu-.

Abilities were unleashed from the mouths of the earthen pipes.

Various attacks poured toward me.

And I rang the bell in response.

Ddalang-.

Instantly, a giant ogre that burst through the building next door roared and charged at the guy.

Kwaga Kwang-!

-Kuaaaaaaaaack!!!

-Kaaaaaaaack!!!

The guy was startled and looked to the side, but it was too late.

The two ogres crushed him with such force that they collided with each other.

Bang!

The earthen pipes, losing the player’s control, closed their mouths and fell.

A thick cloud of dust billowed into the sky.

Just as I thought I had him, the guy’s foot lashed out from the dust cloud.

It was a swift and powerful kick.

I instinctively sensed it and raised my hand to block my temple.

Kwajik-.

“Kkeueut……?!”

Is this what it’s like to have your brain scrambled?

I almost lost consciousness.

My body was thrown into the air and then slammed to the ground.

As I struggled to regain my senses, I heard the guy’s voice again.

“Ah-. Ogre taming? I’m impressed.”

As the guy swung his foot at me again, I leaned back to dodge.

After falling, I controlled the bell again and ordered the ogre to attack.

The ogre burst from the dust cloud and attacked.

Kukung-!

Artifact ability users weren’t just able to use supernatural powers. Their physical abilities were also far superior to ordinary people.

The reason Jin Jae-hee considers my abilities underwhelming is because my physical abilities are similar to ordinary people.

If I get hurt, I suffer like anyone else.

That’s why Jin Jae-hee… Jin Jae-hee was desperately trying to protect me…

“Kulk……! Kulk!”

I coughed a few times, spitting out blood.

I barely got up and gathered the spheres.

The spheres scattered in all directions began to orbit around me.

‘Think.’

I always think.

The dust cloud created by the ogre pounding the ground was thick.

The enemy can’t see me, and I can’t see him.

I bought some time thanks to the ogre, so I had to use it wisely.

There was something I was practicing.

Sphere and line, what’s next?

I interpreted this by connecting it to dimensions.

1D is a dot.

2D is a straight line.

3D is an object with height.

The technology to create objects has already been implemented while refining the bell.

But the problem was that I needed finesse to control them as I wanted.

‘…Landmine.’

An explosive hidden in the ground that detonates when someone passes or steps on it.

I shifted my thinking and considered how to create such a device in the air.

In fact, when I returned from Bitnam and took over Mankyung, my artifact ability had grown to the point where I could send spheres and bells to the entire force.

If I could install landmines in the air.

If I could set a human-specific trap.

I will overcome this.

I transformed the sphere.

The sphere became a line, and the line became a curve.

As I focused, the earthen pipes reappeared.

When the dust cloud cleared, the Metro player who had killed two ogres alone was standing there.

His right forehead was torn, and blood dripped from it onto his chin.

The guy smiled and shouted at me.

“Ah…! That was fun. As expected, you’re a high-class monster. Your ability to control that monster… I’m a little jealous…! Hahaha.”

The guy approached.

I needed more time, and I had to buy it.

I used the skill and said to the guy.

“It was fun…? Then let’s play some more.”

My second ability. Zombification.

The mark I had placed on the ogre’s bodies began to glow red.

Geugeugeugeu…

“…?”

The guy, sensing a faint vibration, slowly turned his head.

At my command, the two dead ogres raised their upper bodies.

Holes riddled their bodies, and their joints were twisted.

But the two ogres were definitely looking down at the guy.

The guy, looking up at the reanimated ogres, let out a hollow laugh.

“You son of a bitch… Okay. I’ll play with you.”

The guy started controlling the earthen pipes again to fight the zombie ogres, and after a few minutes, I completed the needle.

I twisted this needle delicately so that it would never come out once it pierced flesh.

And I released power, spreading it in all directions.

‘Okay. With this.’

I waited until the guy subdued the ogres.

Eventually, the guy subdued the ogres three or four more times and rushed at me, enraged.

“You son of a -X!”

I could tell he was furious with the zombie ogres.

But I needed to annoy him even more.

I twisted my fingers, condensing the needles further.

Hwirik- hwirik- hwirik-.

On command, the needles filled the air around me.

As a result, the guy was scratched and stabbed all over his body just by moving forward.

“Kkeueut?!”

It wasn’t an attack skill with destructive power.

But it was certainly irritating.

The guy grabbed the end of a thorn stuck to his skin and pulled it out.

Then.

Chwaaaaaaaak-!

As if a fingernail was tearing off a small piece of skin, the skin on his arm tore away.

The guy stared at his bloody arm and then glared at me.

His body was already covered in thorns.

“What did you do?”

I ignored him and gathered the lines.

As the lines converged, they began to merge.

Until they became one giant line. Until it resembled Jin Jae-hee’s large and beautiful holy sword.

The lines gathered in my grasp.

The guy clenched his fists and summoned the earthen pipes.

But I had already prepared for that.

Overlapping lines create a net.

I had placed a net in every space where the earthen pipes could enter, blocking his artifact ability.

Soon, when all his tricks failed, he would realize.

That he was trapped.

The guy turned pale and screamed.

“You… son of a bitch…!!!”

And before he could react, I severed his neck with a black line without hesitation.

Chwaaak!

A stream of dark red blood erupted into the sky. I didn’t have the strength to cleanly decapitate him like Jin Jae-hee.

But I could cut off his neck now.

The guy’s scream echoed across the battlefield.

“Kkeuaaak.”

He fell, clutching his blood-soaked neck.

The zombie ogre threw itself onto his crumpled body.

-Kuaaaaaaaaack!!!

Kukung-!

It began to tear through his body with its massive grip.

Ripping limbs and tearing flesh. Then it popped his head like a bottle cap.

As if that wasn’t enough, it swung its fist wildly at the corpse, leaving behind a bloody mess.

I averted my eyes from the gruesome scene and looked at the sky, where a long streak of blood hung.

My pupils dilated.

“…”

Jin Jae-hee was collapsing, spitting blood.

And the streak of blood came from her left arm.

* * *

Woo Ji-hye’s ability wasn’t just fire.

The fire she wielded would relentlessly burn its target until it was reduced to ashes.

She summoned a fire sword that would surely incinerate her enemy, and several of Woo Ji-hye’s fire swords were already embedded in the monster’s body.

And Woo Ji-hye was overwhelmingly strong.

More so than Jin Jae-hee had anticipated.

“…”

“…”

The two women glared at each other on the monster’s belly.

Jin Jae-hee’s left arm had small, crossed fire swords embedded in it.

She felt the burning pain constantly.

But without showing it, she held the holy sword in her right hand, pointing it at Woo Ji-hye.

Jin Jae-hee thought.

‘Strong.’

There was no such player in her previous life.

The woman was another variable introduced when she interfered with Kang Si-on’s round.

She didn’t know where she came from or how, but it was clear that the woman was one of the most powerful players around.

Jin Jae-hee placed the blade of the holy sword on her left shoulder and steeled herself.

‘I have to end it here.’

The woman would definitely interfere with Kang Si-on’s plan.

Jin Jae-hee bit her lower lip until it bled and brought the sword down on her left arm.

Seo- geok! Chwareureuk.

A stream of bright red blood splattered.

Jae-hee had severed the burning flesh.

“…”

Jin Jae-hee didn’t scream, but she was in so much pain that she couldn’t help but groan with her head down.

Woo Ji-hye looked at Jin Jae-hee and crossed her fingers again.

Woo Ji-hye remained silent.

She simply attacked.

Again, fire swords materialized around Jin Jae-hee, aimed at her.

Hwareureureureuk-! Puk! Puk!!

But Jin Jae-hee dodged the fire swords and rushed at Woo Ji-hye with the holy sword.

Woo Ji-hye tried to create a pillar of fire for defense.

Jin Jae-hee had anticipated this.

Hwiing-! Seogeok!

In an instant, light gathered and sliced through Woo Ji-hye’s pillar of fire.

Even with her defense breached, Woo Ji-hye didn’t panic.

She immediately deployed her ability and attacked Jin Jae-hee.

Of course, Jin Jae-hee, emerging from the pillar of fire, swung the holy sword mercilessly.

(Continued in the next episode)