The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 88

The Great Rebuke

“What are you doing?”

The lord’s sharp rebuke instantly silenced the conference room.

No one dared to speak rashly or meet the lord’s eyes.

Sion sat in his chair, propping his chin up with his hand.

His gaze was fixed on the executives, his displeasure evident on his face.

His clothes were covered in mud.

The lord was returning from building the ramparts with the workers.

His voice was heavy as he addressed the executives.

“…Even at this moment, the residents of Mangeong are working tirelessly, shedding blood and sweat to prepare for war. Children and the elderly are working 14 hours a day. A child of just 15 is carrying out missions deep within enemy territory, working through the night. Why? To save us all. And because they believe in your abilities. They believe that if they follow your instructions, we will win the war. Everyone in the faction is working with that mindset.”

For the past month, workers had been enduring 14 hours of intense labor to prepare for the war.

Yet, the representatives of those workers were here, wasting days in meaningless squabbles.

This infuriated Sion.

He couldn’t help but be furious.

“And what are you doing? Sitting comfortably here, all you do is tear each other down and fight? Is this the National Assembly? So, did your bickering and fighting lead to any conclusions?”

No one could answer.

“You are not in those positions to be more comfortable or to stand out. You are here to serve Mangeong. So, don’t be conceited.”

The executives cowered at Sion’s words not to be conceited.

They were terrified.

They feared the ‘edict’ that Kang Sion possessed, but more than that, they were overwhelmed by the dignity he exuded.

The lord’s tone, manner of speaking, and actions.

All of it made the executives sweat.

“Have I… overestimated you all?”

For a subordinate to hear such words from their lord was heartbreaking, a deep wound.

Especially for Choi Myung-joon.

“L-Lord!”

Thump-!

Choi Myung-joon shot up from his seat.

He was about to bow and apologize to Sion.

But then, a sudden sense of dread made Choi Myung-joon tremble.

“Who told you to stand?”

Sion emanated an immense killing intent.

It was not the kind of killing intent one could feel from a mere human.

A mouse before a cat.

No, Choi Myung-joon was a mouse before a tiger.

Choi Myung-joon once again felt how infinitely small he was compared to his lord.

Kang Sion was different.

A being beyond human.

That thought permeated his entire being.

Just what kind of existence is Kang Sion in the League [a likely reference to a governing body or organization within the story’s world]?

Perhaps, is the system itself helping him?

There was nothing he could know.

Choi Myung-joon had never been intimidated by anyone in his life.

But from the first time he saw him in the police station detention center until now.

Kang Sion had consistently displayed overwhelming dignity.

Swish-.

Choi Myung-joon, tense from the lord’s rebuke, quietly sat back down.

Kang Sion spoke again.

“Head of the Disciplinary Department.”

“…Speak.”

“Effective today, all executives will be assigned to labor on alternating days. Draw up a plan and report it to me by the end of the day.”

“…Understood.”

Workers die from drawing water, are brutally devoured by monsters, and continue to work even with frostbitten little fingers.

Among those who die, the youngest is 13 years old, and the oldest is 72.

What Sion emphasizes most within the faction is labor.

Before the labor defined by the lord, everyone was equal.

The reason Sion gave them power was to carry out that labor more efficiently.

Just today, Sion was on his way back from seeing the body of an unknown man who had fallen to his death while building the car ramparts.

In this era’s construction sites, safety equipment was inevitably poor, so such deaths were unavoidable.

What greeted Sion when he returned to the palace after handling that matter were the executives’ agitated voices, lashing out at each other.

“No one is to leave the worksite until I issue a recall order. That is all.”

Thump-!

With those words, Sion rose from his seat.

As he left the conference room, not a single executive dared to speak rashly.

They were acutely aware of their mistakes.

But even if they were aware, it would not change the lord’s decision.

Their attitude had angered Sion, and now they had to pay the price.

Afterward, the executives were put to work alongside the laborers.

They followed the lord’s orders without the slightest complaint.

Even Jin Jae-hee.

* * *

Whenever I want to think, I always come up to the police station rooftop.

From here, I can see all the streets and people of Mangeong.

I leaned against the railing and looked out over the city.

Power is sweet.

Those who wield power often become conceited, as if they are something special.

I wanted to suppress the executives’ lust for power.

The reason I harshly reprimanded them was all a means to suppress that lust for power.

If discord arises among them before the war, it will inevitably lead to catastrophe.

It was also to reduce the gap between the workers and the executives.

From the start, it’s not as if the workers had no complaints about the executives.

Executives are no different from workers.

It was simply a matter of placing people with specialized knowledge in higher positions to accelerate the faction’s development.

But now that the executives are directly involved in the labor force, the workers will also begin to see the executives in a new light.

Only 10 days remain until the war.

War is, in essence, a contest of all the power a faction possesses.

Labor, productivity, combat power, economy, politics, relationships, population—all of it.

I will unite the faction and subdue the enemy.

To do so, internal cohesion must be achieved.

Doan’s Park Ji-soo is by no means an easy opponent.

He will be far more powerful than any enemy I have faced so far.

Kim Dong-gil, Park Geon-woo, and others.

Knowing it won’t be easy, I have no desire to delay.

Only 10 days remain until the non-aggression pact expires.

In other words, only 10 days remain until the war.

On the day the treaty expires, their great army will descend upon this place.

Now, with Jin Jae-hee and Choi Myung-joon at the forefront, the executives were leaving the police station with pickaxes and shovels to begin their work.

As I looked down at them, I suddenly looked at the palm of my hand that was supporting the railing.

“…”

The scarred and worn hand was trembling slightly.

I tightly gripped my trembling right hand with my left.

‘It’s just a little longer, just a little. Endure… endure.’

I’ve prepared well so far, and I just need to endure a little longer.

Everything is for my brother, Jun-ho.

* * *

While on reconnaissance, Yoon-ha was licking a chocolate bar as she observed the enemy’s forces.

It had already been over a week since the operation began.

Lonely, cold, and anxious, Yoon-ha volunteered for this difficult task for the lord.

‘…The enemy’s cavalry numbers 4,501. The simple infantry also numbers 12,010. Wait, what’s that?’

A bizarre weapon that instantly caught her eye.

Gulp-.

Ha Yoon-ha swallowed hard as she faced it.

It was a truly innovative weapon.

Doan’s warriors had created a new ‘Apocalypse Tank’ using city buses.

The floor of the city bus had been completely removed, but the four wheels were still attached.

Instead, thick wood or iron bars were inserted into both windows of the city bus, allowing them to be grabbed and pulled.

Thus, the structure allowed the bus to move forward when the warriors inside pushed the wood and iron bars.

In addition, spears and shields were inserted into the remaining front, side, and rear windows to defend against enemy approaches. Furthermore, the enemy’s ranged weapons were mounted on the roof of the bus.

Its appearance was like a turtle ship [a type of Korean armored warship].

The bus tank.

It was Doan’s lord Park Ji-soo’s war invention.

‘…T-That’s real…!’

Although deeply shocked, Yoon-ha memorized all the information about the bus tank.

This was critical information.

This was the first time she had learned about this bus tank.

Players would have no problem, but it would be difficult for Mangeong’s ordinary soldiers to defeat that bus tank.

It was like the British tanks that appeared before the German army in World War I.

To develop a strategy for that ‘Apocalypse Tank,’ the information had to be delivered to Mangeong as quickly as possible.

Yoon-ha wrote it down densely on paper.

With a chocolate bar in her mouth.

Then, showing the paper to the guards who were talking right behind her, she said.

“This.”

Yoon-ha realized she had a chocolate bar in her mouth and quickly took it out with her hand, continuing.

“This! Please send it to the lord quickly! It’s critical information!”

“Puhaha- Ah, so back then Si… Huh? What, already?”

Two C-class players [referring to a power ranking within the story’s system].

The two were Sion’s mercenaries hired by Madame Bisan.

And now they were guarding Ha Yoon-ha.

Ha Yoon-ha shouted again in a somewhat agitated voice.

“Hey! Please deliver it really quickly. It’s really important!”

“Okay, okay. I got it. Give it here.”

The way Ha Yoon-ha delivered information to Mangeong was always like this.

Ha Yoon-ha was here 24 hours a day, and one of her guards would deliver the information to Mangeong.

“If I leave now, right?”

“Yes… Please. Mister.”

“…Mister? I’m only twenty-five.”

“Ha, anyway, go quickly. This is really important.”

“Ah, ah- I got it. I’ll be back. Take good care of our VIP.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

One guard remained here, and the other set off back to Mangeong for delivery.

C-class players are strong.

They were benefiting from the system to an extent that could not even be compared to ordinary people.

The two C-class players attached to Yoon-ha right now were among the most powerful players Sion had recently recruited.

Sion was worried about Yoon-ha, who was obtaining information alone, so he had taken this measure.

But even those C-class players could not handle certain beings.

“Give it here.”

“Here you go.”

“Uh-…….”

Thwack-.

It was the moment the C-class player grabbed Ha Yoon-ha’s letter.

Swish……

His face was sliced into a checkerboard pattern and fell to the floor in pieces.

The player’s body, with its head severed, stood there like a statue.

“…….”

Ha Yoon-ha turned pale at the player’s death.

No sound of anyone approaching was heard.

Perfect assassination.

And it began to appear.

Something bloody in the air.

“…Found you-. Little rat. Hehe.”

Something transparent gradually began to take shape.

He licked his long tongue and sucked on his sashimi knife.

The long-haired Doan player twitched his blood-stained lips.

Then, looking at Ha Yoon-ha, he said.

“Do you know- how long we’ve been looking-?”

“…….”

“You have to think about fighting- fair and square. If you keep stealing information like this-. Am I- sad-? Am I not sad-?”

“…….”

Ha Yoon-ha’s arms began to tremble.

Her legs also began to tremble.

A C-class player died in an instant.

The long-haired Doan player standing before her had a ‘transparency’ skill.

“Y-You, you son of a bitch!”

At that moment, the remaining C-class player behind her rushed at the long-haired man in an instant.

The long-haired man straightened his back and looked at the C-class player rushing towards him.

Then he grinned.

“Stupid- heh. Did I- not clearly say-? ‘We’.”

“……!”

The C-class player, chilled by that voice, stopped rushing.

But by the time he realized it, it was already too late.

“If you’re stupid-. You have to die-. Puhuhu……!”

Thwack!

At that moment, a huge red spear pierced the C-class player’s heart.

The C-class player’s hand, which had not even been swung, stopped in mid-air.

“Keuh…… Ugh……!”

Thud!

The players hired by Sion all died easily.

Even though they were the two most powerful among the hired players.

Ha Yoon-ha’s pupils shook wildly.

She slowly turned her eyes to where the red spear had come from.

There, a man with a massive body was gaping his mouth open.

The red spear was none other than his ‘tongue.’

“…….”

Ha Yoon-ha remained silent.

She couldn’t say anything.

What the girl was most worried about now was not her own life.

It was the information about the Doan bus tank that had not been delivered to Sion.

“Let’s- go together-. Little girl. Your oppas [a Korean term for older brothers or male friends]- will play with you-. The first game is-. Heueueueum…… Toe nail pulling gaaame-?”

The long-haired man had long fingernails, and he continued speaking as he folded those fingers one by one.

“The second one is-. Dalgona game [a Korean candy game often featured in survival scenarios]! The dalgona game is-. Leaving marks on every corner of your body with a heated iron-. And-. Carving out flesh with a knife-. Let’s carve- pretty patterns, shall we? Hehe. Oppa is- from art school-. So I’ll draw it prettily for you?”

“…….”

“And the third one is-. Eueueueum…… Yeah, yeah. Let’s play historical drama-. Torture her! This- I mean. Hehe.”

Thwack-!

The long-haired man grabbed Yoon-ha’s arms and said, meeting Yoon-ha’s eyes.

“How is it-? Until you hand over Mangeong’s information to us-. Our games will…… Con-tinue. Puhuhuhu……!”

It was a cunning and evil laugh.

(To be continued in the next episode)