The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 73

Human Hunters (1)

Human hunters.

Their existence was truly threatening and annoying.

A stream flowed through Anyang City.

The stream, originating from Baekun Mountain, flowed and flowed, eventually becoming the Anyangcheon Stream.

Although smaller than a river, the Anyangcheon had enough water to solve the drinking water problem.

Once the 2nd round ended, all factions would try to solve the ‘drinking water’ issue.

What was needed for this was a water source like a river.

Since ancient times, numerous ancient kingdoms had developed civilizations around rivers.

The Indus River, Yellow River, Nile River, Tigris-Euphrates River, and the birthplaces of the four major civilizations of mankind were all formed around rivers.

A river is an indispensable natural environment for developing civilization.

The system prohibiting acts that damage the river, the administrator’s advice to actively utilize the river, and the battles between factions to occupy the river were all intended to encourage this.

Within Anyang City, the Anyangcheon Stream was the only water source.

And Sion’s faction had secured only the area adjacent to Anyang Station within the long Anyangcheon River basin.

Until now, they had been supplying insufficient drinking water from there.

However, recently, ‘human hunters’ had been rampant in this area.

Their characteristic was that they only hunted workers who drew water.

From a distance.

‘If we lose the river, we won’t be able to maintain control over the faction.’

I summoned the lord’s status window.

The golden-rimmed status window flickered before my eyes.

[Lord of Manan 1st Faction: Kang Sion]

[Capital: Mankyung]

[Resources

●Cities Held: 4

●Number of Citizens: 12,851 (Injured 101 / Minor Injuries 93, Serious Injuries 8)

●Number of Players: 12, S-Class (1) B-Class (1), F-Class (10)

●Ranking in Residence: 2nd

●Food: 75 days (+15)

●Drinking Water: 11 days (-2)

●Approval Rating: 92

●Power:

Troops 2,504 / Defense Force (1,000), Suppression Force (1,000), Military Police (500), Commanders (4)

Weapons 3,335 / F-Class (1,889), E-Class (548), D-Class (88), A-Class (13)]

At a glance, all the numbers were on a different level from a year ago.

They also held many cities.

Centered around the old Manan Police Station, the capital, they had secured Manan-gu Office, Domian Apartment Complex, and Anyang Elementary School.

The number of citizens had increased more than tenfold, and the standing army was 2,500, close to 10,000 including the reserve forces.

There were no problems with food, approval rating, and weapon supply, but the immediate big problem was drinking water.

‘……Time is of the essence.’

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the drinking water ran out.

This was because the supply of drinking water was insufficient to support the entire population.

It was all because of the human hunters.

“I’ll go. I’ll annihilate them all,”

Jin Jaehee confidently said to me.

Of course, if Jin Jaehee was dispatched, everything would be resolved.

But that wouldn’t do.

The lord of Dongan-gu, was her name Park Ji-soo?

She seemed to have used her head quite a bit.

“If you go out to suppress them, we won’t be able to avoid a full-scale war with Dongan-gu right away.”

A full-scale war with Dongan-gu.

That was something I had to prevent at all costs.

For now.

Dongan-gu had at least five times the power of my faction.

Park Ji-soo, who had already unified Dongan-gu, had grown rapidly over the past year.

Even with Jin Jaehee, we couldn’t guarantee victory if we clashed with them right now.

Even if we won, it was clear that we would suffer damage close to annihilation.

The area where the human hunters were active was clearly the territory of the ‘Dongan-gu Faction.’

They used long-range weapons in their territory to hunt workers in our area.

It was clearly a provocative act, but there was nothing my faction could do right now.

To suppress them, we had to invade the territory of the Dongan-gu Faction.

So, if Dongan-gu attacked us under this pretext, there was no way to stop them.

However, it wasn’t as if there was no way to counter this.

If they came out dirty, I would also fight dirty.

I turned my head and looked at the completely crushed catapult.

I looked at the notification window that I had turned off again.

These were the spoils of war from this battle.

[Citizens +569]

[Territory: Anyang Elementary School and the surrounding area]

[Weapons +103 / F-Class (91), E-Class (9), A-Class Destruction (3)]

[You have acquired the Apocalypse Catapult Blueprint!]

[Gold Acquired +300,000G]

[Due to excessive combat, the approval rating temporarily decreases.]

[The approval rating around Anyang Elementary School is low. If you do not raise the approval rating to a certain level, a rebellion may occur.]

[Current Approval Rating of Anyang Elementary School: 3]

Among them, the catapult blueprint was the best for now.

I was going to use this catapult to shake Dongan-gu.

Very viciously.

* * *

Near Anyang Station, Anyangcheon Stream.

Here, many workers were already dead, hit by arrows.

Workers were moving again to that riverbank of death.

Only 50 troops were escorting them.

All of them were holding car door shields, responding to the long-range attacks of the human hunters.

The workers hurriedly drew water from the Anyangcheon Stream with the buckets they had brought.

And the villa across from them.

There were two human hunters designated by Park Ji-soo.

“How foolish.”

“Do they think they can block it with that?”

A woman with her feet on the window frame was smoking a cigarette, closely observing them.

“Even if they increase their troops, it’s impossible to respond to the Queen.”

The woman, who grinned, raised her bow.

Her arrow was aimed at a Manan worker drawing water.

“Let’s make a bet, senior. First, I’ll bet three cigarettes. Marlboro Red? Your favorite brand.”

A man with his hair tied back brought his bow and grinned.

The woman, who was already aiming her bow, released the string and answered.

Twang-!

“Oh. Are you confident? I used to be on the national archery team for youth…”

The woman chuckled as she reloaded her arrow.

The man gave a lewd smile and took out three more cigarettes.

Now a total of six cigarettes were on the table.

The currency in Park Ji-soo’s faction, the 1st faction of Dongan, was cigarettes.

That’s why the ‘human hunters’ were enjoying hunting while betting cigarettes.

The man also loaded an arrow into his bow and aimed forward.

His arrow was aimed at an old man drawing water.

“I’ve practiced a lot? To beat you, senior. I’ve killed about 50 people here, right?”

Twang-!

The man released the string.

Then he grinned and looked at the woman.

“I still can’t match your record, senior. You had over 100, right?”

“You’re not focused. Archery is all about focusing. You put too much strength into it, so you’re shaking. Now, watch carefully. Like this.”

Twang-!

The woman released the bowstring again.

Her arrow stretched forward and hit someone again.

“See. I hit it accurately, right? This is how you shoot a bow.”

The woman looked at the man with a smile.

The man quietly watched the woman shoot the bow, then put down his bow and approached her.

The man carefully put his hand on the woman’s waist and kissed her.

Saliva connected between their lips.

The man whispered, parting his lips.

“Senior..”

“…….”

At the man’s voice, the woman lowered her head.

“Senior. When this league ends.”

“……It hasn’t even ended yet.”

Thud.

The woman answered in a barely audible voice and pushed the man away a little.

But the man approached the woman again.

“I’ll end it. I’ll win this damn league and turn everything back! Senior, you dreamed of being a national athlete, right? I’ll make it happen. Let’s live together. I, I mean it. I think I’ll be really happy if I live with you, senior. I’ve never felt this way about another woman.”

“Wooseon-ah…… I’m married.”

“Ah, senior. Please. Your husband died in the 1st round, and now you have me.”

“Wooseon-ah. No, it’s not possible.”

The man clung to the woman even more, but the woman moved further away.

Swish-!

The man tried to grab the woman, but it was impossible.

The woman was already near the door, and her heart was even further away.

“……Let’s pretend nothing happened today.”

“……Senior.”

The woman left the building without filling her quota for the day.

The man took a deep sigh as the woman left him.

“Ugh!”

Thump!

The man kicked the innocent ground because things didn’t go his way.

“Haa…… Fucking hell.”

The man took a deep breath and looked at the opposite riverbank beyond the window.

On the riverbank, an old man who had been drawing water was dead with an arrow piercing his neck.

It was the old man who died from the arrow shot by the woman.

While the two were filming a third-rate 막장 [makjang – Korean drama trope characterized by exaggerated and often absurd plotlines] drama and shooting arrows, hell was unfolding on the opposite riverbank.

* * *

“Aaaaaaack!!!!!!! Aack!!!!”

A man who had been pierced through the thigh was screaming, bleeding.

Shield soldiers holding car door shields hurriedly went forward and blocked the man’s surroundings.

“Fuck…… Fucking bastards……! Shooting arrows every day……! I’m going to kill them all……!”

“Hey, Kim! Don’t shout……! You’re bleeding more.”

“Fucking bastards……! Ah……! Am I going to die? Jeong. Am I going to die?”

“Die my ass. You just scratched your thigh a little……!”

In fact, the arrow had touched the man’s artery, and blood was pouring out like a waterfall.

The workers of Manan-gu hurriedly began to evacuate the injured.

Swish, swish, swish!

Arrows continued to be fired from the building across the street.

The human hunters kept attacking without rest while the workers were working.

Already two old men had died instantly from the arrows shot by the human hunters.

“Monster-like bastards……! Don’t they feel any guilt……!!!”

“Let’s get out of here first. Those bastards suddenly stopped shooting! Hurry. Hurry!”

The relentless arrow attacks suddenly stopped, and the workers had a chance to escape.

The workers of Manan, carrying buckets of water, hurriedly left the Anyangcheon Stream.

* * *

After finishing the suppression of the 2nd faction, Sion returned to Mankyung and checked the condition of the drinking water work team first.

This work team also suffered considerable damage.

His precious labor force had already lost three people today alone.

Human hunters.

If he didn’t do something about them, he would lose not only his approval rating but also his labor force and morale.

Above all, if he didn’t secure a new water source within a week, there would be no hope for the faction anymore.

At this point, before the 3rd round was over, Sion wanted to stabilize the faction further.

It wasn’t as if there was no way.

If the enemy came out dirty, he could just use dirty tactics as well.

Thud. Thud.

In a dark room with only candles lit.

Sion thought.

He thought and thought again.

With his eyes open, he looked at the flames burning on the candle and thought about the next move.

This is all just a game.

The most perfect way to overcome this situation.

Even without the power of artifacts, Sion had the most powerful weapon.

It was thinking.

Thud. Thud.

Sion held a chess piece and tapped the table at regular intervals.

When he started thinking, the situation changed.

First of all, the lord of Dongan-gu, Park Ji-soo, was currently focusing all her attention on Uiwang.

According to the informant, she was at war with the Uiwang faction.

He had to turn her attention to himself.

Even if he hit the back of the Dongan faction now, Mankyung could not beat Dongan-gu.

It was inferior both numerically and qualitatively.

Therefore, he wanted to turn her attention to himself and make some kind of treaty.

Sion had to unify Anyang City.

To find out the ‘location of his younger sibling’ promised by Administrator K.

Although the boundaries of the city had disappeared, the range of activities was limited due to conflicts between factions.

He didn’t know what would happen if he tried to find his younger sibling recklessly.

In the end, he had to destroy Dongan-gu.

He had to cause another massacre like the one he had committed when he occupied Anyang Elementary School today.

Thud!

Sion slammed the rook hard on the table.

A method came to mind.

“Administrator.”

“Yes, please speak.”

A man who had been silently waiting for orders in one corner of the office bowed his head.

Sion ordered him.

“Prepare to go there tomorrow morning.”

The secretary thought for a moment and then asked.

“By there, you mean…….”

(Continued in the next episode)