The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 49

## 49. Anyang Station: Underground Shopping Center (2)

“Ugh…!”

Thump-!

I tumbled away from the monster’s head, clutching my own. Despite the dizziness, the instinct to survive kicked in, and I immediately looked up.

Gurgle…!

Then, the ogre stirred and rolled to its side.

The ogre’s massive head threatened to crush me.

“……!”

I scrambled to my feet and crawled towards the opposite wall.

Thud-!

Fortunately, its head didn’t land on me. It was just tossing and turning in its sleep, but to me, it felt like a giant boulder rolling down.

-Kurgh…! Kurghhhhh.

The ogre seemed uncomfortable, snoring erratically.

Gasping for breath, I wondered.

‘Why? It shouldn’t be sunrise yet.’

It had happened so fast, I couldn’t even react. The ogre moved with surprising agility for its size, and Jin Jaehee had thrown herself to save me.

I stared at my trembling hands, covered in blood.

It wasn’t the ogre’s, and it wasn’t mine.

It was Jin Jaehee’s.

A sudden feeling of dread washed over me.

I had to find her.

I strained to see through my blurring vision, trying to locate her.

But in this underground shopping center, devoid of flashlight or moonlight, finding her was a daunting task.

All I could see was the ogre’s head in front of me.

First, I needed to find the flashlight.

Luckily, I spotted its beam nearby.

I rushed over and grabbed it.

Then, I immediately checked on the ogre.

-Snore… snore….

The ogre was still asleep.

It had only shifted from sleeping on its back to its side.

The ogre hadn’t woken up.

I couldn’t understand how it had attacked me.

It shouldn’t move without sunlight, yet it had clearly raised its hand and struck me.

But that could wait.

I had to save her first.

I swept the flashlight beam around, searching for her.

She must have been thrown somewhere by the force of the ogre’s palm.

The flashlight beam wavered erratically.

My hand was shaking.

And soon, I found her.

I rushed to her side and examined her.

She was lying on the floor, having been thrown against the wall.

She was covered in blood.

The injuries were so severe that it was hard to believe she was still alive.

Her bones seemed completely crushed.

In this state, even if she regained consciousness, she wouldn’t be able to walk.

No, even if she could walk, she wouldn’t survive in this world any longer.

I couldn’t believe it.

I didn’t want to believe it.

How could things have turned out like this?

“Damn it… damn it.”

My breathing became ragged.

I tried to steady my trembling hands as I checked her over.

The bleeding was severe, and I didn’t know how much longer she could hold on.

The impact had been so great that the katana [a Japanese sword] she always carried was shattered.

Her bones, weaker than the sword, must have been pulverized.

If I had seen her like this normally, I would have given up to ease the pain.

But….

‘I have to save her.’

I had to save her.

She was a great source of strength for me.

I needed Jin Jaehee’s power to navigate this league.

I took off my clothes.

People who lose consciousness have difficulty maintaining body temperature.

In this freezing cold, nearing -20 degrees Celsius [-4 degrees Fahrenheit], her body temperature would drop rapidly.

Preventing hypothermia was more important than stopping the bleeding.

I took off my field jacket, fleece, and vest, and covered her with them.

I wouldn’t be able to last long here either.

Just taking off three layers of clothing made me feel like my bones were freezing.

Besides, I had to get out of here before morning.

Before those things woke up.

I quickly scanned the surroundings with the flashlight.

‘Think, think. I have to think.’

My heart was pounding.

The moment Jin Jaehee became incapacitated, this space, which had felt safe, was now filled with fear.

That’s how significant Jin Jaehee’s role was to me.

The situation was desperate.

The only entrance was blocked by another monster lying down.

The other passage was blocked by a pile of corpses, making it impossible to pass.

In the end, I had no choice but to go back the way I came.

To do that, I had to climb over the monster’s body, which felt like a giant boulder.

‘There’s no other way.’

Unless the monster stirred again, there was no way out.

Tick, tick, tick.

I quickly reset the timer on my digital watch.

Only about 4 hours left until sunrise.

I had to escape this dungeon before then.

I tried to carry her on my back.

The weight of a person nearing 50kg [110 lbs], plus the 10kg [22 lbs] of clothes I had wrapped around her.

Before the world ended, I weighed less than 65kg [143 lbs], and I must have lost even more weight from not eating for days.

But with a desperate resolve, I put her arm around my shoulder.

‘I have to save her….’

That was all I could think.

I would save her no matter what.

And I would survive.

I dragged her to the thinnest part of the monster’s body, its neck.

-Drrrrrrr! Coo… drrrrr!

I stabbed the ogre’s neck with my dagger as it snored mindlessly.

Stab-! Stab! Stab! Stab!

One stab wasn’t enough to make a dent, so I stabbed it several more times to create a foothold and tried to climb up.

‘Please…!’

But it was no use.

My body was too weak.

I changed my plan and climbed onto its neck first, then tried to pull her up.

I grabbed her arm with both hands and tried to lift her with all my might.

But it was still no use.

‘Just once…!’

Two times, three times, four times, five times, six times, seven times.

I dropped her on the ground several times.

I tried lifting her from below, and I tried to get over it through other parts.

I looked around again to see if there were any other passages.

I tried to use the artifact, but the small bead couldn’t do anything.

Still, I kept trying.

My body and her body repeatedly fell to the cold underground shopping center floor.

I didn’t give up.

I couldn’t give up.

I kept stabbing the monster’s neck with my dagger, desperately climbing.

My desperate rescue efforts continued.

My teeth chattered involuntarily, my vision blurred, and my hands and feet felt frozen.

I lost track of how many attempts I had made, my desperate struggle continued.

Just to carry her over the ogre’s body.

And how much time had passed?

The timer started ringing.

Beep, beep, beep.

07:01 AM.

I couldn’t move a single finger.

I had exhausted all my strength, and the chilling cold made me drowsy.

I had tried to escape this dungeon with her for 4 hours, but I had failed.

With my weak body, it was impossible to carry a person and climb over that giant body.

“Huff… huff… huff… huff… huff….”

My breathing was ragged.

Because of the cold and the exhaustion.

But that didn’t change anything.

I put her arm around my shoulder again.

I had to get over it again.

It’s almost morning.

It’s almost morning…….

“…….”

Stop.

I stopped walking.

Even in my fading vision, I couldn’t move a finger when I saw what was in front of me.

I slowly looked up at it.

-…….

The monster’s grotesque eyeballs were meeting my gaze.

The black pupils in the bloodshot whites were looking around.

Then, it met my eyes again.

I was still carrying Jin Jaehee, staring into the monster’s eyes.

Kugugugung…….

The monster rose with a slight tremor.

The opposite passage, which I couldn’t cross for 4 hours, was finally open.

It wasn’t just one.

The three sleeping behind it woke up at the same time.

‘Run.’

Swish-.

Instinctively, I took a step back.

The monsters were twisting their backs, looking down at me in grotesque poses.

It was because the underground shopping center was too narrow for them to straighten their backs.

And saliva was dripping from the monster’s huge mouth.

-Groooooo…

The ogre slowly reached out its hand.

It wasn’t a sign of friendliness, but a threatening gesture.

I just raised my head, carrying Jin Jaehee, and faced the palm.

It was pure terror.

I crouched down, and the monster slammed its palm down.

Thud-!!!

* * *

“…….”

My heart was pounding.

Realizing that I was still alive, I opened my tightly closed eyes again.

And I realized that a silver shield was surrounding me and Jin Jaehee.

[Guardian’s Blessing Activated.]

The notification window appeared in front of me.

A brilliant silver shield formed around my body.

The ogre’s palm, which had struck me, was pierced in a circular shape by the shield.

-Guheok……?

The ogre raised its hand, looking at the huge hole in its palm.

A silver flame was burning on the cross-section of the hole.

The shield was burning the ogre’s palm.

I thought I was going to die for sure.

Just when I was about to give up, this shield enveloped my body.

I had never been so close to death.

The fear I felt in the shopping mall, the fear I felt from the alligator snapping turtle, none of those fears could compare to this.

Then, Jin Jaehee’s body tensed up.

More precisely, it was vibrating slightly.

I naturally let go of her hand that was around my shoulder, and Jin Jaehee floated up.

“……You.”

I called out, but there was no answer.

Jin Jaehee had her eyes closed.

Whoosh- whoosh- whoosh-.

Three silver swords were orbiting around her body.

And as her body floated up a little, a flash of light spread out from her body, brightly illuminating the dark interior of the underground shopping center.

Another notification window appeared in front of me in succession.

[Guardian Activated, Caster: Kang Si-On.]

[Please enter the command.]

It was strange.

Even though the skill was being cast around her body, the notification window appeared as if it was originally mine.

-Gwaaaaaaack!!!!!!!

The ogre roared in anger, but it couldn’t easily approach.

Probably because of the silver light that Jin Jaehee was emitting.

What is she, really?

Is she not human?

More than anything, ‘Caster’ Kang Si-On.

I hadn’t done anything.

I had just struggled to get out of here with her.

It wasn’t an artifact either.

The only thing I could confirm was that the silver light was emanating from Jin Jaehee’s body.

Her body floated up and moved forward a little.

Now she was completely blocking my path and protecting me.

As I remained silent, the notification window reappeared.

[Please enter the command.]

Command?

If it’s a command, what should I say?

If I told her to kill those monsters that looked like they were about to rush at me, would the command be executed?

It was worth a try.

“Make the four ogres in front of me incapacitated.”

I was half-doubting.

Was this really a skill that I could command, or….

[Command has been entered.]

[Guardian is activating.]

Flash-! Crackle…….

I was thinking in a half-doubting state.

But with the notification window that the command had been entered, ‘Guardian’ Jin Jaehee flew forward.

And it was a momentary thing.

-Guheoooock!!!!

-Gaaaaaaaack!!!

-Gyaaaack! Gyaaaack!!!

Both feet of the four ogres were all cut off.

The ogres fell to the floor, screaming.

It was a speed that the eyes couldn’t even follow.

“……!”

My mouth opened involuntarily.

It was really just a moment.

The Guardian, having annihilated the enemy, sheathed her sword.

Then, she slowly flew towards me.

She still had her eyes closed.

[Command execution complete.]

[Entering sleep state to recover.]

At that moment, the silver light began to fade from Jin Jaehee’s body.

As the silver light that enveloped her body disappeared, Jin Jaehee, who had been floating in the air, fell to the ground.

Thud!

I caught her in my arms as she fell.

“Phew… huff…….”

She was moaning softly, unconscious.

‘What the hell is this…….’

Jin Jaehee was definitely unconscious.

But just now, she wasn’t human.

It was like a weapon.

A weapon that moves according to the caster’s command, just like my artifact, Gu.

What kind of skill did I implant in her in my past life?

‘…….’

I pushed her away a little and looked at her face.

As always, she had her eyes closed and was unconscious.

And the wounds were healing little by little.

This was also the Guardian’s ability.

Caster, Kang Si-On.

I needed to think about that.

“…….”

I hugged her and carried her on my back.

Anyway, I wanted to get out of this damn dungeon as soon as possible.

Because the ogres with their legs cut off were screaming and crawling towards me.

I carried her on my shoulder and walked towards the entrance where the sunlight was shining.

(To be continued)