The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 94

#94. Pamian Apartment Complex (2)

Swish—.

Thud!

Splat…! Trickle…!

Choi Myung-joon’s blood splattered everywhere.

He was defenselessly struck by the Goblin Mask’s attack.

Thump…!

Eventually, Choi Myung-joon knelt, defeated.

“Cough…! Cough!”

Choi Myung-joon coughed painfully and looked up at the Goblin Mask.

‘…I can’t see her hands. That monster…’

Choi Myung-joon’s eyes darted left and right, searching for an opening.

But the Goblin Mask was faster.

Thud-!

“Ugh…?!”

The Goblin Mask’s blade pierced Choi Myung-joon’s left shoulder with precision.

It was so fast he couldn’t avoid it, nor even think of avoiding it.

Even Choi Myung-joon was helpless before a Player [a person with superhuman abilities in this context].

“You bi… Bael…!”

Swish-!

Choi Myung-joon reached out again to grab her, but the Goblin Mask quickly pulled the spear from his shoulder and retreated.

Trickle…!

Blood poured from the wound where the spear had pierced him.

Now, Choi Myung-joon was cornered, on the verge of collapse.

She was like a flying squirrel.

Stab and retreat, stab and retreat.

Just out of reach, she deftly avoided Choi Myung-joon’s grasp.

Moreover, she wasn’t alone.

“Toon Toon…!”

At the Goblin Mask’s shout, Toon Toon charged in from the left.

Choi Myung-joon dodged the deer rushing at him and threw himself to the side.

The Goblin Mask immediately mounted Toon Toon and began circling the kneeling Choi Myung-joon.

Dug-a-duk, dug-a-duk.

Toon Toon, with the Goblin Mask on its back, rapidly circled Choi Myung-joon, disorienting him.

“Huff… Huff… Huff…! Dizzy… I’m dizzy. You ba….”

Phew-.

Choi Myung-joon exhaled rapidly.

Blood continued to flow from his shoulder, and the Goblin Mask’s spear was merciless.

Swish-. Slice!!

“Aaaagh…!”

Swish-.

Thud!

“Ugh…?!”

Swish-.

Slice!

“Kuh-heuk…!”

Gradually, the wounds on Choi Myung-joon’s body multiplied.

Whenever Choi Myung-joon barely regained his senses and tried to attack, Toon Toon quickly turned its head to evade, and the Goblin Mask’s attacks continued to strike his weak points.

At that moment, Choi Myung-joon’s loyal subordinates, having discovered him bleeding, shouted.

“B, Boss-!”

“Boss!!!”

“We’ll help you!”

The elite troops tried to approach him to save him.

But Choi Myung-joon shouted, bleeding.

“Don’t come closer!!!”

At his desperate cry, the elite troops instantly stopped in their tracks.

If they approached, his subordinates would be annihilated.

Choi Myung-joon knew it instinctively.

He felt a wall for the third time in his life.

Choi Myung-joon’s first wall was his boss.

The second was Kang Si-on.

And the third was the blue-eyed warrior before him.

‘…Strong. Really freaking strong. Damn… I’m so powerless. Unlike that bitch Jin Jae-hee, she doesn’t seem to be using any special abilities. I’m… being overpowered.’

Choi Myung-joon thought even as he bled.

A way to break through this battle.

Already, the Doan warriors were crossing the bridges in droves, and the allied forces couldn’t directly confront Doan with their current strength.

The plan was already set, and Choi Myung-joon’s role was to eliminate that Goblin Mask here.

“Sung-chul-ah!”

His voice was as loud and powerful as a lion’s roar.

Kang Sung-chul, Choi Myung-joon’s subordinate who was fighting the Doan warriors, quickly looked up at him.

Kang Sung-chul also shouted.

“Yes-! Boss! What is it!”

Having heard his subordinate’s reply, Choi Myung-joon didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Take the guys! Move into the complex and join the main force! It’s a retreat!”

“Re, retreat… you say?! What about you, Boss?!”

“I’m staying here. Go and set up a defensive position!”

“B, but…! Boss!”

“Don’t make me say it twice! You ba…!”

At that moment, Choi Myung-joon tore off his top.

Rip, riiiiiip.

His upper body, covered in bulky muscles, was already full of blood and wounds.

Choi Myung-joon even chuckled in the midst of this.

Looking at the Goblin Mask who was looking down at him.

“…Kuh-heuk, retreat! Retreat!”

The soldiers of Mankyeong [Choi Myung-joon’s faction] bit their lips and began to flee.

They were able to retreat successfully.

Because the Doan warriors didn’t chase them.

No one knew why.

As the Mankyeong soldiers retreated, arrows began to rain down again from all directions.

The Goblin Mask, having confirmed that the Mankyeong soldiers were fleeing, silently looked down at Choi Myung-joon again.

“……”

Choi Myung-joon wrapped his torn top around his abdomen.

To stop the bleeding.

“You… I don’t know where you crawled out from, but you’re dead today… Cough! Cough!”

Choi Myung-joon provoked her through gritted teeth.

Even with his provocation, the Goblin Mask didn’t budge.

Choi Myung-joon gripped a dagger and slowly raised his guard.

It meant he was going to fight properly without holding back.

Clunk.

At that moment, Toon Toon stepped forward and approached Choi Myung-joon.

It was nothing for the Goblin Mask to finish off Choi Myung-joon right now.

But then, the sound of a trumpet was heard from somewhere.

Boo-ooo-!

The sound of the trumpet echoed throughout the complex.

“……”

At that moment, the Goblin Mask looked towards the Doan main force located in Anyangcheon [a stream in South Korea].

And after surveying the apartment complex once, she turned the reins.

“……?”

Confused, Choi Myung-joon released his guard and watched her flee.

“Where are you going? Hey.”

But the Goblin Mask began to retreat without looking back.

The same was true for the Doan warriors.

The warriors also put away their weapons and began to retreat over the walls again.

Confused, Choi Myung-joon looked around in bewilderment.

“Hey, hey. Damn. What’s going on?”

The Doan warriors disappeared in an instant.

It was unbelievable.

Could it be that the Boss’s plan had been seen through?

The plan was to lure the Doan vanguard into the center of the apartment complex and surround them from the numerous apartment windows.

Because all the streets in the complex were surrounded by apartment buildings.

In other words, it was Si-on’s trap.

But the Doan vanguard really just took a look and left.

As if they had seen through Si-on’s plan.

Now, only the Mankyeong soldiers were groaning on the floor here.

“You ba… Aaaagh!!!!!”

Choi Myung-joon shouted in great anger.

He gnashed his teeth and looked at the dark apartment windows on the opposite side.

Then, he waved his bleeding arm around nervously.

Order to cease fire.

It was an order to save arrows and bolts.

After his order, several people ran out of the apartment to check on the wounded.

* * *

Doan was instantly engulfed in flames.

The ogre was constantly placing stones on the catapult.

I quietly gave the order after looking at the burning city.

“……Cease fire.”

At my command, the subordinate shouted.

“Cease fire!”

The bombardment that had continued all night finally came to an end.

The sun was rising.

Doan was in flames, and there would be no living creatures left there.

Saving weapons was also necessary in war.

But soon, bad news came.

A messenger who had rushed over urgently approached me and whispered.

“Choi Myung-joon’s Bisan defense force has failed in the first engagement.”

It was bad news enough, but I didn’t waver.

Because a lord cannot waver in front of his subordinates.

And the apartment defense battle was already expected to be lost.

But the timing was just faster.

“The troop strength?”

“It was roughly between 1,000 and 2,000. Moreover, the enemy’s main force has not yet joined.”

With approximately 1,000 troops, the main force hadn’t arrived yet, and they broke through the apartment’s defense force.

This was something I didn’t expect.

“……I understand. Tell them to focus on preparing for the second defense.”

“Yes.”

The messenger bowed to me again and turned back.

The messengers were in charge of all the necessary tasks for each communication.

Their mission was to run around and send my orders to each defense commander.

Anyway.

For the Pamian defense force to fail in the engagement this quickly.

‘…Is it a Player?’

I couldn’t help but think that a Player had appeared.

It became troublesome.

It was because I couldn’t know the scale or information of the Players the enemy possessed.

Unexpectedly, the enemy’s war preparations were also quite thorough.

The enemy’s attack routes that I had anticipated were a total of two.

The first was the Pamian apartment complex, which was closely connected to Bisan.

Park Ji-soo’s main force, having taken over Bisan, would slowly advance down to this Ilbeon-ga [likely refers to a district or area].

The second was a detour from the enemy’s main force from Anyang Station.

After all, Anyang Station was a strategic stronghold where all of our Mankyeong’s resources were gathered, so they would use this place.

If they were to push in, it would be Anyang Station and Pamian.

Those would be the two places.

The Gunpo direction in the south and the Myeonghak Station defense line were irrelevant to the immediate battle.

This side was also a worthless land, and that side wasn’t a territory that they would care much about.

If they succeeded in seizing the initiative with the first battle, now I needed to break Park Ji-soo’s momentum.

“…….”

I turned my head and looked at Jin Jae-hee.

War is about momentum.

If they sent their best warrior, we would also send our best force.

The victory report would boost the morale of our troops.

Jin Jae-hee, understanding my gaze, tilted her head slightly to the left and asked me.

“Shall I go?”

The words ‘Shall I go?’

They were truly trustworthy words.

Jin Jae-hee.

She would be the strongest force, at least at this point.

More than anything, she was a returnee, and if she stepped up, she would be able to achieve victory no matter how many Players the enemy had.

“……Are you ready?”

“Whenever you want.”

Jin Jae-hee’s skills were certain.

Because there hadn’t been a force she couldn’t defeat so far.

But what was important now was Anyang Station rather than Pamian.

If Anyang Station fell, Mankyeong would be completely finished.

I stood up from my seat and said.

“You go to Anyang Station.”

After those words, Jin Jae-hee asked me with a slightly puzzled expression.

“Not Bisan?”

Most of Mankyeong’s main defense forces were stationed at Anyang Station.

The Anyang Station battle would be the fiercest battle.

And by dispatching Jin Jae-hee there, I would lay the foundation for defense.

Send the most important combat resources to the most important place.

It was a simple principle.

And I would go to Bisan.

“I’ll go to Pamian.”

After stabilizing the Pamian battle, I would join Jin Jae-hee.

Either way, the battle of Bisan-dong [Bisan neighborhood] would be lost.

Since that was my plan from the beginning, I had to set up a strategy for a ‘delaying action.’

* * *

Pamian Apartment Complex, Building 217, Unit 902.

The places attacked at night were Buildings 208 and 207, which were located on the outermost edge of the complex.

This place was Mankyeong’s strategic headquarters, and all the unit leaders were here.

The wounded Choi Myung-joon lay on the bed, groaning.

“Da…amn. It freaking hurts.”

“Please bear with it…!”

The doctor carefully examined Choi Myung-joon’s wounds.

The wounds were deep.

He was bleeding so much that an ordinary person would have fainted instantly.

The bed was also stained bright red.

But Choi Myung-joon was enduring it with his mental strength.

“How… how are those bastards…?”

Next to Choi Myung-joon, who was receiving treatment, were the unit leaders of the 2nd Defense Force.

Among them, a middle-aged executive said.

“They say they’ve discovered the enemy’s forces on the opposite side of Anyangcheon at Bisan Bridge, Buildings 102, 103, and 101.”

The young unit leader next to him chimed in.

“The same goes for Buildings 209 and 207, which were engaged in combat. The enemy’s main force will be rushing in soon.”

Having received their reports, Choi Myung-joon struggled to speak.

“Just focus on defense, here… we have to wage a war of attrition. Fight to the death….”

“Don’t worry. Boss.”

“Don’t worry. Boss…!”

In a word, they were guerrillas.

One apartment building was like one castle.

Defensive positions were set up on each floor, and there were all sorts of obstacles and traps below the 5th floor.

And the soldiers set up defensive positions above the 5th floor to prevent the enemies from climbing up the apartment.

The soldiers of Building 101 would defend Building 101.

The soldiers of Building 204 would defend Building 204.

For this purpose, food and water were prepared in each building.

The plan was to deploy troops in each building and wage a guerrilla war against the Doan warriors.

Si-on had anticipated that the Doan forces would make this their primary target, and accordingly, he had built a defensive fortress.

The enemy sent a vanguard led by the Goblin Mask for preliminary reconnaissance, and now the Bisan invasion force would rush here.

If the Bisan invasion force came, the key was how long this Bisan-dong defense line could hold out.

Thud-!

At that moment, a man entered Unit 902 with his aides.

A dry voice echoed in the room.

“You’re in a terrible state.”

It was Kang Si-on.

Choi Myung-joon, who was lying on the bed, was startled and tried to lift his upper body.

But the doctor next to him laid Choi Myung-joon back down.

Thanks to that, Choi Myung-joon shouted while lying down.

“B, Boss…?! No, this place is dangerous!”

“How are the enemy’s soldiers?”

Drag-. Clunk.

Si-on dragged a chair and sat next to the bed.

He got straight to the point.

The main figures of Mankyeong were now filling the room.

“…They’re just crazy bastards. As you said… they’re a group of killers accustomed to battle. Moreover, the enemy’s Player. Is powerful. I couldn’t even do anything.”

“…To the point where you couldn’t even counterattack?”

“Counterattack… I don’t know. Whether that’s the bitch’s greatest strength. Or if she was holding back. Anyway… I’m ashamed, but it was difficult.”

Si-on fell into thought in front of Choi Myung-joon, who was speaking with difficulty.

The reason Si-on came here was one.

It was to command the soldiers directly on the front lines.

Guerrilla warfare is a battle that is difficult both mentally and physically.

Before that battle, Si-on would personally tour the battlefield and comfort the soldiers.

“It’s okay. There’s nothing to worry about. Because I’ve come.”

And in the first place, Kang Si-on was a savior to them.

Just him telling them that there was nothing to worry about was enough comfort for them.

The war is now on its first day.

This place is the second battlefield where guerrilla warfare will be waged soon.

Jin Jae-hee will block Anyang Station, and Si-on will participate in the battle here.

The only ones who can stand against Players are Players.

And Kang Si-on was also a Player.

“…I will fight to the death. So, Boss….”

“No. Wait.”

Si-on fell into thought again.

When he was contemplating, no one disturbed him.

Only Choi Myung-joon let out a faint groan.

Si-on rested his chin on his hand and fell into thought.

The moment Si-on started to worry, he always produced results.

Choi Myung-joon had lost, but the war was not lost. Even if the enemies could defeat Choi Myung-joon with force, they could never defeat Si-on’s tactics and abilities.

His brain always shone.

He had already examined the Pamian apartment complex and examined the battlefield situation.

And after a few minutes of silence, Si-on came to a conclusion.

“…2nd Army Commander.”

“Yes!”

The 2nd Army Commander next to him immediately answered.

And Si-on gave him an order.

“Prepare protective suits.”

(To be continued in the next episode)