The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 43

## Episode 43: Wintering (2)

“Wow, you’re really amazing, Manager,” Kim Su-gyeong, who was following behind, said cautiously, his voice trembling slightly.

I was still flipping through the charts and didn’t respond.

After finalizing the internal structure plan for the boiler construction, I explained the overall schedule to Kim Su-gyeong.

“Starting tomorrow, we’ll recruit additional laborers and begin the boiler construction in earnest.”

Kim Su-gyeong muttered, trailing a step behind me.

“You can persuade people with just words… This might sound random, but I actually took a special lecture on persuasion at a cram school before preparing for the civil service exam. Manager, you could have pursued a career in that field! You have a bit of a lecturer vibe.”

It was a truly unexpected comment.

I briefly considered the reason or purpose behind Kim Su-gyeong’s statement but quickly dismissed it.

Tucking the chart under my arm, I checked my wristwatch.

5:30 PM.

An awkward time to start anything new.

And by 6 PM, I needed to report to the police leadership about the day’s events.

I addressed Kim Su-gyeong, who was standing near the stairwell.

“Kim Su-gyeong.”

“Yes, Manager!”

He answered immediately, as if he’d been waiting for me to speak.

“I need your help with a task to be completed by tomorrow.”

“Tell me.”

“Identify all personnel who are physically fit, regardless of age or gender, and mark them on the chart as potential laborers. The total was 812, right?”

“Ah, that’s right.”

A total of 812 people.

I wasn’t sure how many new people had arrived today.

But it was a significant number compared to the population inside the shopping mall.

In the mall, even installing a simple barricade took an entire day.

Using hundreds of laborers would be a completely different story.

“Is it possible?”

Honestly, handling that much work in a single day seemed nearly impossible.

He had to investigate all the personnel within the police station, classify them, and mark them accordingly.

And we had only met today.

So, it would be impressive if he could investigate even 400 people.

Kim Su-gyeong received the chart I handed him and stared at it blankly.

Then, in a slightly trembling voice, he replied.

“Ah, yes. I’ll do it. It needs to be done before tomorrow’s roll call, right?”

“That’s right. I’m counting on you. It’s crucial. Things will be really hectic starting tomorrow.”

“I understand, Manager. I’ll do my best.”

Kim Su-gyeong flipped through the chart, bowed to me, and hurried away.

After walking a short distance, he broke into a run.

Probably to save every possible second.

Investigating 800 people in one day.

I waited until he was out of sight and checked my wristwatch again.

Time for the report.

I started up to the 5th floor.

* * *

On the 5th floor, a long line of citizens was already forming to receive the additional food that had arrived.

Sergeant Lee Cheong-chun was near the front of the line.

Even though I hadn’t seen him for only a day, it felt like much longer.

That’s how unusually long today had been.

I walked past the rows of people and headed toward the executive conference room.

Without hesitation, I opened the door and went inside.

They were eating.

The leadership had claimed the freshest food brought in by the reconnaissance team today.

“Ah, you’ve arrived, Manager,” Councilman Gil In-ho said, reacting first.

Then, the leaders who had been focused on their food looked up at me one by one.

I addressed them as they ate.

“Please open the underground detention center.”

Gil In-ho, holding the plan I had written, stuffed a stiff, frozen sausage into his mouth.

“Haha, I never imagined you’d ask for something like that so soon. But well, it’s Kang Si-on, after all.”

After chewing for a moment, he asked.

“But why the detention center?”

“I’m planning to draft inmates for labor.”

The police chief, who had been listening quietly, chimed in.

“Hmph… that won’t do. According to the Constitution, inmates must remain in the detention center until their sentences are finalized or they are transferred to prison. Keeping them there is in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Korea.”

While the police chief spoke, Councilman Gil In-ho continued eating in silence.

It was the expected objection.

But knowing the police chief’s personality, I had prepared a countermeasure.

“But Chief, please consider what happens after we’re rescued.”

“What do you mean, after we’re rescued?”

I calmly continued.

“I visited the detention center today. It’s not a place where people can live. I completely agree with your opinion that the inmates deserve to be punished. But what if it’s revealed that even one inmate died down there after the rescue? You will be held responsible for the management of the inmates. Fortunately, no one has died so far.”

The police chief’s eyes widened.

He was remarkably easy to read.

And terribly unintelligent.

I couldn’t understand how he had risen to the position of chief.

Ah, wait. I think I do.

He must have attached himself to powerful figures like Councilman Gil In-ho and taken care of his own interests, just as he was doing now.

“But we can’t just let anyone go. The only reason we’re keeping the inmates there is to maintain order and stability within the police station. The police’s duty is to maintain order, not manage living conditions, right?”

Gil In-ho wiped his mouth with a tissue and said.

As expected, Gil In-ho was not easily swayed.

“Full release is out of the question. Our investigators will handle the classification. But let’s give them basic treatment. Allow them to use food, clothing, and restrooms like ordinary citizens. And they can help with some cleaning too.”

It wasn’t a terrible outcome.

Although limited, I had finally secured some freedom for the inmates.

And I only needed that gangster anyway.

I returned to the main point.

“I’m going to convert the 2nd and 3rd floors into living spaces for the citizens. But to do this, we need to consolidate the personnel’s living space into one area. If we start construction on one floor, they can’t live there.”

“Are you asking for control over the police force?”

Gil In-ho asked, pushing the plan aside and eating cold bean sprout soup with a plastic spoon.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But even now, citizens are living in cramped conditions. Wouldn’t there be complaints if they lived even more narrowly than this?”

Gil In-ho, having finished his soup, glared at me.

“The manager’s biggest responsibility is to mediate effectively to prevent riots from breaking out. You understand that, right?”

“You were the councilman who told the manager to solve the cold problem just yesterday.”

At those words, Gil In-ho fell silent and shut his mouth tightly.

Then he sniffed and swallowed his snot twice.

There was a kerosene stove in the room, making the temperature somewhat cozy.

It was a fairly rare resource these days, but the leaders had commandeered it.

Gil In-ho smacked his lips and picked out bean sprouts stuck between his teeth with a toothpick.

“Okay. Give it a try. There’s only one day left anyway. It seems like you have a plan, and you said you’d take all the responsibility, so do it your way.”

I frowned at his words.

That responsibility, responsibility, responsibility.

Isn’t that where the responsibility should lie in the first place?

Why don’t the higher-ups try to take responsibility, even though they’re in a position to do so?

I felt frustrated, but it didn’t matter.

I had gotten what I needed from this report.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

“Good luck, Si-on.”

Gil In-ho said as I grabbed the doorknob.

I bowed slightly and left the conference room.

Squeak—, empty.

As soon as I stepped out of the conference room, goosebumps rose all over my body from the cold.

I walked back to my room.

A day had passed.

I had taken care of so many things.

Nevertheless, looking at the many tasks that remained, I could see how poorly the situation had been managed.

The incompetence of the chief and the councilman was keenly apparent.

But there shouldn’t be any major problems in utilizing labor.

In the first place, the citizens hadn’t been working.

It will be busier from tomorrow.

* * *

Faaaat-!

Light flickered again in Jin Jae-hee’s grip.

The light gradually took shape, forming a sword.

Nine consecutive hours of training.

While Si-on was walking around the police station all day, Jin Jae-hee had been focused on artifact implementation training.

Her body was drenched in sweat.

The power to draw out intellect required a simple yet difficult process.

Intellect is also a system, after all.

The otherworld abilities inherent in humans were not something that original humans could produce.

Meditation, concentration.

Humans can draw out intellect through these two training methods.

In this process, heat is generated in the human body according to the inherent input values within the system.

“Hoo…”

Jin Jae-hee let out a faint groan.

Then, before the sword could fully materialize, she lost her focus.

Sreureuk- Plop!

She lost strength throughout her body and collapsed to the side, breathing heavily.

“Haa, haa.”

Jin Jae-hee couldn’t move a single finger, like a limp rag.

In the midst of the continuing cold weather, there were several people who tried to maintain their body temperature through such meditation and concentration.

But that was a foolish thing to do.

Because the side effects of intellect were far more painful than the pain felt from the cold.

Even if you just stayed still, you would feel nauseous, sweat would pour from every pore, and you couldn’t even close your mouth, forcing you to keep it open like an idiot.

That was intellect training.

Squeak—.

At that moment, the door opened, and Si-on entered.

Si-on glanced at Jin Jae-hee, who was slumped over, and sat down on the opposite bed.

“What? Training?”

Si-on could roughly assess someone’s condition just by looking at them.

Jin Jae-hee moved her jaw and tongue and said in an awkward tone.

“No… it’s not. I’m just still far from good enough.”

Jin Jae-hee struggled to sit up.

It was the recovery power that only a regressor could possess.

If an ordinary person started intellect training, they wouldn’t be able to move for days.

Si-on quietly looked at the chart and said.

“To achieve results, there’s a boring process.”

“…Yeah.”

“So, just bear with it a little longer.”

Si-on said it casually, but he probably didn’t realize how much strength those words gave her.

Jin Jae-hee took a sip of water.

It was melted snow in a 2L plastic bottle.

Si-on put the chart down and opened the quest window.

He glanced at Jin Jae-hee beyond the quest window.

Gulp, gulp.

She was so hot that she had even taken off her outerwear.

Despite the cold weather, she was wearing only a black tank top and cargo pants.

Jin Jae-hee, sitting on the bed with her legs stretched out, was gulping down the water.

Sweat was beading from her neck to her collarbone.

Even her black hair, which reached her chest, was wet with sweat, indicating how hot she must have been.

“Are you looking at the quest window? Is there any progress?”

Jin Jae-hee wiped the water from her mouth with the back of her hand and asked.

Only then did Si-on look at the quest window.

[Quest: Government’s Dog]

[Achievement Progress:

●Achieve a comfort level of 30% or more for citizens (current level 2%)

●Resolve a continuous food supply route (0/1)

●Achieve 100% of available labor force within the police force (current level 37%)

★ Reward: Achievement Points – 150]

‘The comfort level has decreased, and the available labor force has increased.’

Si-on looked at the quest window and asked her.

“If the level becomes 0%, will the quest fail?”

“Yeah. How many percent is left?”

“2.”

“It’s a little dangerous.”

“It can’t be helped.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Jin Jae-hee asked, fastening her top again, as if she had suddenly gotten cold.

“There is. But not yet.”

“What is it?”

Si-on closed the quest window.

To protect the remaining 2 percent, he had to produce meaningful results tomorrow.

And it was important to show the remaining citizens that their lives were clearly improving.

“I’m going hunting. Besides you, there’s one more person I’ve been watching. Let’s go to the basement together tomorrow morning. I want to ask for your opinion too.”

“Hunting?”

“Yeah.”

Si-on looked at Jin Jae-hee again.

Jin Jae-hee was putting her arm into the sleeve of her field jacket.

Si-on looked at her and concluded.

“Monster hunting.”

(To be continued in the next episode)