The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 85

Training

“You drink too.”

“Ah… Is it okay for me to have something so precious?”

“Of course. Drink comfortably.”

“…Thank you, Lord.”

Yoonha carefully accepted the cola from Sion.

At that moment, Choi Hyunji, who had already downed her eighth can of cola, looked at Sion.

Sion was sitting at the table with Jaehee, eating.

Choi Hyunji frowned and looked at Sion, saying,

“…You’re so cunning, Lord.”

Hayoonha immediately scolded her.

“…Hey. What kind of way is that to talk to the Lord? Show some respect.”

“Oh, why? Why? Can’t I say what I want?”

Sion nonchalantly ate the food they had left behind and replied.

“Please, speak.”

Sion looked at Choi Hyunji while chewing his food.

Looking at her, he wondered if there was alcohol in the cola.

Choi Hyunji continued, as if drunk on cola.

“Hoo… Haa… It’s because you’re tempting people with what they like. It’s not like I’m a kindergartener… Well, for me, this is all I need. Hehehe.”

She shook the cola can, sloshing it around.

A lord of a faction could have asked for a new table setting rather than eating what others had left behind.

But Sion spent his evening eating what they had left.

Choi Hyunji squinted at the sight of such a lord.

The way he ate the food so neatly.

Indeed, Sion was showing a different side than any other lord she had seen in the past.

Was it humanity?

Choi Hyunji was also curious about the woman next to Sion.

‘Jin Jaehee… was it?’

She was a woman with such a beautiful appearance that one couldn’t believe the world had fallen apart.

Short hair and strong features.

Clear features without makeup.

An entertainer? An actress? A model?

That’s what she seemed like.

Above all, her power could be felt.

A very powerful force.

Crunch-.

Choi Hyunji picked up a shrimp cracker and chewed it thoroughly before asking Sion again.

“So, what do you want me to do?”

“…What exactly are your abilities?”

Choi Hyunji seemed a little surprised by the lord’s direct question, but soon chuckled.

Asking a player about their abilities was something that shouldn’t happen under normal circumstances.

Because if you go around telling everyone about your abilities, you might get caught with your weaknesses.

But Choi Hyunji thought she could tell this man her abilities.

“My ability is… simple.”

And when she answered, everyone there was surprised.

Except for Jin Jaehee, who already knew.

Jaehee was silently scraping the instant rice container with a spoon.

* * *

Several days passed.

Three children sat side by side in the front row, looking up at Choi Myungjoon.

The ‘killing classroom,’ which began by order of the lord, was conducted for 1 hour after the regular labor at 5 p.m., and was mandatory for 100 residents.

The residents gathered and sat in the central street.

To listen to Choi Myungjoon’s ‘special lecture.’

Choi Myungjoon in front of them scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“Haa… geez.”

Choi Myungjoon was just awkward in this situation.

The word ‘class’ was a bit distant to Choi Myungjoon, who had even dropped out of school.

In any case, the lord’s order had been given, and Choi Myungjoon was in the position of an educator who had to deal with 100 people gathered here.

‘This is difficult… damn it.’

Choi Myungjoon took out a cigarette and looked around at the residents.

They each held what they thought was a weapon.

Shovels, vacuum cleaner poles, safety bars, box cutters, and so on.

They were told to bring their own weapons prior to the training.

Scratch-.

Choi Myungjoon scratched the back of his head once more and took out the fruit knife he was holding.

“Okay. Let’s start.”

When Choi Myungjoon opened his mouth, the sound of applause was heard from a few people.

Soon everyone gathered there applauded.

Clap clap clap clap-.

Choi Myungjoon was very embarrassed and troubled right now, but he had to carry out Sion’s orders anyway.

“Okay, look closely. How to kill people. In general, you would stab vital points like the heart with these blades… That’s how you see it in movies or dramas. But reality is different. In a situation of many against many, you have to avoid killing the enemy for sure. The reason is simple. Because it’s not necessary.”

Choi Myungjoon walked around a little, focusing the attention of the crowd.

“Then, why isn’t it necessary? The reason is the ultimate goal. If you were asked to kill someone, it would be right to aim for vital points or stab them several times to kill them ‘for sure.’ But if a war breaks out, our goal is to annihilate the enemy forces. Ah… So. What you’re thinking of is suitable for ‘assassination,’ and what we have to do is ‘combat.’ Weapons are needed only once when necessary. It is most important to stab only enough to neutralize the enemy. …Hey, you. Come forward.”

“Yes, yes? Me?”

“Yes, you.”

A boy who looked about 17 years old, sitting among the crowd, quickly jumped out at Choi Myungjoon’s call.

Choi Myungjoon handed the boy a tree branch the size of a kitchen knife.

“Let’s see… Okay, you come out too.”

“Yes!”

Similarly, a girl of the same age also quickly came out.

The two were holding the tree branches Choi Myungjoon had given them, aiming at each other.

Choi Myungjoon grabbed each of their shoulders with both hands and said to the crowd.

“In a fight of many against many, the difference in height or gender doesn’t matter. For example, this girl. She’s obviously shorter than the boy, right? So you might think the boy has an advantage… but that’s not true. The moment you pick up a knife, the odds of winning are fifty-fifty. …You two. Fight.”

“Yes… Yes?”

“Yes?”

“Fight.”

With those words, Choi Myungjoon stepped back.

All the crowd’s attention was focused on the two children.

The height difference between the two children was clear, and generally, the boy would win.

The boy and girl were flustered by the sudden confrontation, but soon followed the commander-in-chief’s orders.

The boy rushed in first.

“Eeyah-!”

“Kyaa-!”

Thud!

The girl was quickly subdued by the boy and fell to the ground.

The boy finished by pretending to stab the fallen girl’s neck with a knife.

But the result was a tie.

Because as the girl fell, she stuck the tree branch into the boy’s side.

Because the weapon they were holding was a tree branch, it seemed like the boy had won.

If they had been holding a dagger, the result would have been that they both died.

“The odds of winning may be equal in a 1-on-1 situation, but 2-on-1 is different. Hey, kid. Fight with the girl.”

“…Me?”

“Yes, you. Kid. Please. Just do it right away when I tell you. Don’t ask back.”

“Okay. I understand.”

“‘Okay’ is informal.”

This time, the same situation was repeated.

The boy was facing the girl and the little kid.

He rushed in right away in a 1-on-1 situation, but not in a 2-on-1 situation.

He hesitated, hesitated.

He wasn’t moving, just being wary.

After the boy hesitated for a while, Choi Myungjoon stopped the demonstration.

“Stop, stop. Okay, how did it feel?”

Choi Myungjoon asked the boy.

Then the boy scratched the back of his head and answered.

“It was kind of… difficult to approach. I just… I felt like if I attacked that little kid, she would attack right away…”

“Yes. Yes.”

Choi Myungjoon put the children who had demonstrated back in their seats.

This situation may seem obvious, but what Choi Myungjoon wanted to emphasize was different.

“In a situation of many against many, the force with the larger number is overwhelmingly advantageous. This is immutable. But do we have more numbers or more weapons than those bastards from Dongahn [a fictional district]?”

“…”

No one could answer Choi Myungjoon’s words.

The officially announced number of warriors in Dongahn District was unknown, but what was certain was that Manahn [a fictional district] was at a numerical disadvantage.

But Choi Myungjoon was confident.

He was confident in winning the battle.

At least the unit he led.

“But if we change the way we fight, we can turn it around enough. As I said before, we only make the necessary ‘attacks.’ We don’t make unnecessary attacks. Even if we have far fewer numbers, we can win if we have a good strategy. When the battle starts, we create a 2-on-1 situation like this and eliminate them one by one. To create a 2-on-1 situation, we need quick attacks and accuracy. So, where should we stab for this accurate attack? Huh? Right here.”

Choi Myungjoon stabbed the boy’s neck, stomach, and thigh with a tree branch.

The boy flinched every time he stabbed.

“Eck, ugh, ack…!”

“The blade is duller than you think. Even a very sharp blade can’t easily penetrate a human bone. So you choose to stab these soft flesh. The neck is weak. But it’s hard to aim for. The stomach is the most common. The stomach I’m talking about includes the back. So why the thigh?”

“The thigh…! It’s because if it hurts, you fall down!”

The little kid next to him answered quickly.

Choi Myungjoon pointed at the little kid and pursed his lips.

“Not bad. That’s right. The calf won’t work. You stick the knife in the thigh. This is a pro tip for women or children who are short. People inevitably want to get rid of uncomfortable feelings. The greatest discomfort is pain.”

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Choi Myungjoon stabbed the thighs of the people next to him in turn.

“Of course, the thigh is the third priority. The first priority is the neck. So, generally speaking, here. This part.”

Choi Myungjoon stroked his side and then moved to his lower abdomen.

“The flesh in this part is very soft. There are no ribs, so even a dull blade can easily go in. Think about it. If a person has a hole in their stomach, they will lose strength in their legs. Then? You don’t have to stick to them and stab them two or three times. They’ll fall down on their own. Got it?”

“Yes.”

The crowd answered in unison, though awkwardly.

“And the knife is rhythm. Rhythm. Stab and pull out. Stab and pull out. Stab and pull out. This rhythm. You have to feel the sensation. It’s like… Ah, yes. Tug-of-war, tug-of-war. This tug-of-war is also about pulling and resting slightly, pulling and resting slightly. Hey, you two stand up.”

Choi Myungjoon called the two teenagers again and made them face each other.

“In our organization, we trained with knives like this. We attack each other, thinking that we are sincerely aiming knives at each other, and learning this rhythm. Attack.”

“Yes… Yes. Yaah-!”

“Ugh. I got hit.”

The girl awkwardly held the tree branch and rushed at the boy.

The boy also awkwardly accepted it.

Then Choi Myungjoon stopped the girl.

“Are you kidding me? Is this really child’s play? That’s not it. You have an enemy right in front of you, are you going to do that? Hey, hey. Demonstration instructors, come forward.”

Then, two elite members with sturdy physiques stepped forward.

They were instructors selected to give a demonstration.

Both were holding small tree branches.

“Real fighting practice is like this. It’s not about matching each other like some X-like special martial arts demonstration. Start.”

“Euryah-!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Agh!!!!!!!!!”

At Choi Myungjoon’s gesture, the two elite members collided.

The crowd watching them couldn’t help but be surprised.

They were only holding tree branches instead of knives, but the attacks and the emotions in the attacks were sincere.

They bit each other’s earlobes, stabbed each other’s stomachs with tree branches, screamed desperately, and started fighting each other as if they were sincerely trying to kill each other, rolling around.

“You’re practicing defense? What a load of crap. You won’t be able to dodge a fist swung sincerely by an adult unless you practice like a boxing player. Do you think it’ll be different for real players? How are you going to react to a sudden attack? We had these X-s in our organization too. Younger siblings who learned some sports in society and fought a little… Is the battlefield a sparring match?”

The two elite members clung to each other like lions and tigers, trying to kill each other regardless of what Choi Myungjoon was saying.

In fact, if Choi Myungjoon hadn’t stopped them, one of them would have died.

“Got it? Remember. Don’t think of the opponent who is trying to kill you as a human being. The being trying to kill you is just a monster. So kill them. For the sake of the hyung [older brother or respected male figure]. For the sake of the organization. Kill them all-! Got it?”

“…”

They answered Choi Myungjoon’s words with silence.

“If you understand, everyone get up. Fighting is only practical. Theory that only babbles with the tongue is for going to some X-like school. In my class, be prepared to break something. Okay, start!”

At his stern order, the residents stood up one by one.

Choi Myungjoon’s first killing classroom ended with this.

The theoretical lecture on ‘killing techniques,’ which had not seen the light of day in modern society, has now become a tremendous lecture.

Because most people don’t know how to kill or subdue people.

Choi Myungjoon may be the ‘top instructor limited to the apocalypse.’

Of course, the residents needed practice.

They paired up and rushed at each other.

Screams echoed from everywhere.

Their combat training was progressing steadily.

* * *

Choi Myungjoon’s killing classroom was truly brutal.

Sion, who was watching the scene from the 5th floor of the police station, took a sip of canned drink.

The head of the Order Department, who was watching the training scene with him, frowned.

“It’s too brutal. If someone gets injured, the labor force will be reduced.”

The head of the Order Department expressed dissatisfaction with Choi Myungjoon’s training method.

She was basically dissatisfied with Choi Myungjoon.

She argued that he should remain as one of the simple commanders, not the commander-in-chief.

But Choi Myungjoon was clearly one of the people who played the biggest role when Sion took over the police station.

That’s why Choi Myungjoon was given the power of each ‘department head’ level.

Besides, Choi Myungjoon followed and served Kang Sion well, so there was no need for Sion to distance himself from him.

“Instead of creating two injured people, we create soldiers who can kill three people for sure.”

“…”

The head of the Order Department was silent at Sion’s sudden words.

“Currently, the labor force of the force is all geared towards ‘war.’ I need soldiers who can kill a lot of people, and furthermore, soldiers who can win the war. I think Choi Myungjoon’s training method was appropriate for ordinary residents with little practical experience. But if you have a better opinion than mine, please tell me. I’ll pass it on.”

Sion said, looking at the head of the Order Department.

The head of the Order Department thought about Sion’s words and then lowered her head and backed down.

“…I understand. If that is the Lord’s will…”

No matter how great the power of the department heads was, they became infinitely small when they stood in front of the Lord, Kang Sion.

Sion was the central figure who created this force, and he was their savior.

Furthermore, Sion was the force itself.

Sion leaned back on the railing and looked at the training ground again.

Then he took a sip of cola and asked.

“By the way, how is the new weapon coming along?”

At the question, the head of the Order Department’s expression brightened again.

“It’s going smoothly. The enemies will be completely destroyed by our new weapons. Would you like to take a look?”

“…How far has it progressed?”