Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1205. The Demon King of Sunset’s Castle (25)

It was highly likely that he saw Rohen as nothing but a plaything. He probably wouldn't go out of his way to get rid of Woo Hyo-Yeol, but he wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of him if something went wrong.

‘He probably thinks that the Dummy World and Rohen are the same thing.’

He focused more on Rohen, but what was important to him were the valuable resources in Rohen rather than its people.

Since he would be discarded if he stepped out of line, Woo Hyo-Yeol’s development was important to me as well. Obviously, I had to ensure that he wouldn't become too powerful. If Lee Ki-Young believed that he was a threat, he would be deleted right then and there. He didn’t want Woo Hyo-Yeol to become stronger than Kim Hyun-Sung.

He already knew that was impossible, but I was sure he felt uncomfortable knowing there was someone who could be a threat to his strongest card.

Kim Hyun-Sung had to be the strongest, and his authority had to remain unchallenged.

‘Of course, anything unrelated to combat is excluded.’

Analyzing myself from a third-person perspective was kind of awkward, and at the very least, the version of Lee Ki-Young inside me had those thoughts deep in his heart.

‘Actually, I feel like it’s meaningless to worry about it...'

Woo Hyo-Yeol would never be stronger than Kim Hyun-Sung.

Even if he were to grow just enough to follow Kim Hyun-Sung's shadows, I’d already call that a success.

He had to become powerful enough that he couldn't be discarded, but he couldn't become so powerful that he was a threat.

‘That's perfect.’

Regardless, I got another card I could use.

Of course, I still couldn’t figure out the path I needed to take because his exact goal was unknown to me. Naturally, I felt frustrated because we were making preparations without knowing what kind of test we were going to take.

Despite knowing that it was going to be a treacherous path, we had to take that path, making it an unbearably difficult situation.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young, can I come in?” William asked.

“Yes, come in,” I answered.

‘Rohen is probably what’s important, right?’

“How are you feeling?” William asked.

“I’m feeling a lot better. My eyes have improved a lot, but... I still can’t move my arm...” I said.

When looking at the bigger picture, his goal was clearly Rohen, but the problem was the approach. Would I reach that ending following the contract with Jupiter and Chanelia Hermes? Or would I reach that ending using the Demon King of Sunset?

The choice available to me was the first one.

‘That’s the reason behind my existence, and he's probably expecting me to do that as well...’

The latter could be easier, but when thinking about the future, it was better to lean toward the former more.

I wouldn’t want to acquire a failing company amidst its fall into the abyss. It was only natural for anyone to take it after things had stabilized. It was highly likely that the fate of Rohen would be determined by how I handled and dealt with it.

The Demon King of Sunset wasn’t the only enemy.

There were two demon lords, the rift, and some GENIUSES.

I wasn’t sure whether Kim Hyun-Sung had intentionally descended here or not, but the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle was kind of a trial. It was to see if the key figures, who would lead Rohen in the future, were worthy of leading it.

It was a trial to see if they could settle down here and carry out their roles properly, even without me.

If they couldn't do that, then Rohen would become a playground for the demons. Lee Ki-Young would probably lead the remaining demon lords on Rohen and tear Rohen apart before swallowing it whole.

‘Power isn’t everything.’

That was why William visited me so early in the morning. His visit made me tap my thigh.

“Excuse me... Mr. Lee Ki-Young?” he said.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was thinking about something. Here, take this...” I said.

“Huh? This is...”

“It’s about the future of Rohen,” I told him.

“What do you mean?” William asked.

“It’s a manual detailing the path Rohen should follow once I’m no longer around,” I answered.

“...”

“This here is my backup plan in case my predictions turn out to be incorrect. If the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle is successfully cleared, discard my backup plan immediately, but if the raid fails, you must follow it no matter what.

"It may be hard to understand, but this is the top priority,” I explained.

“This is...”

“I believe I told you about this before, but I’ll explain it again. This expedition isn’t the end, but the very beginning. I’m sure you know very well that there are still many problems in Rohen.

"On a smaller scale, there’s the conflict between players and the natives as well as the tension between nations. On a large scale, the territories that the two remaining demon lords have captured must be retaken; there's also the rift and some of the GENIUSES,” I explained.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young, I... I can’t take this. I shouldn’t be the one—”

“You’re the only person I can trust, Mr. William,” I interrupted him.

Actually, there were a few others whom I could have chosen instead of William. This document was a bit different from the previous one, but they were quite similar.

“Did you actually...”

“Yes, I hope it all works out, but you should always have a backup plan,” I said.

“...”

“And... this is unrelated, but please take care of Mr. Hyo-Yeol,” I requested.

“Pardon?”

“He seems to be living for the sake of his pride, and at times, he's frustrating and immature. He has communication issues, and he often acts stubborn for no reason... Actually, there are many things he can improve on, but he’s not a bad person,” I said.

“...”

“I believe he just became a little twisted... because he’s been hurt too many times. His self-defense mechanism has grown stronger thanks to his past experiences. He looks like he’s used to losing people, but he’s not... and he gets offended easily despite what he does. I’m sure you already know, but the only person he considers his friend is himself,” I continued.

“...”

“I want you to be his friend, Mr. William. On top of that, I would like for both of you to become the pillars that uphold Rohen in the future,” I requested.

“Your request—”

“It’s my last request,” I interrupted him before his excuse got too long.

I quickly ended the conversation.

William looked like he wanted to keep talking, but I needed to show a more resolute stance because what he wanted to say to me was pretty obvious.

He would say things like “I can’t accept this,” “Don’t do this,” “Don’t do that,” “Don’t lose hope,” and “the future of Rohen blah, blah, blah.” The idea of hearing those excuses alone was already exhausting.

“How many people can move? I also want to know if the priests have recovered their holy power...” I asked.

“Some of the troops are prepared to move out any time... the aftereffects of the recent battle were significant, but approximately one-third of the priests have recovered their holy power,” William answered.

“That’s not bad. Looks like we’ll be able to leave soon. Are there any people expressing their exhaustion?” I asked.

“Actually...” William paused.

“Yes?”

“They seem really nervous. I think it’s because... of the rumors about how you're feeling unwell,” William continued.

I was sure it was the fault of this fool. Strange rumors had been spreading for quite a while now, but William had added fuel to the fire.

“It looks like I’ll need to visit them,” I said.

“Will you be okay?” William asked.

“How do I look right now?” I asked.

“Excuse me?”

“Do I look kind of normal?” I asked.

I hid one of my arms and tried to make it look like my eyes were focused. I was sure people wouldn't find anything strange as long as they refrained from examining my face.

However, I definitely looked pitiful acting like that, as William was already crying.

“If you act that way, the others will notice,” I told him.

“I-I’m sorry, but...”

“Let’s head out. I’m sure the troops are curious...” I suggested.

They were probably waiting for me to show myself.

I needed to make an appearance to straighten out the strange rumors. Looking after the troops and talking to them was my job, but this time, it was a little more special.

It was an opportunity to let them see for themselves that I was fine. As expected, the moment I showed myself, the troops brightened up. It was only natural, as I was solely responsible for this expedition.

“See, I told you he was fine.”

“I’m really glad...”

I heard similar comments everywhere.

Meanwhile, my breathing was already labored. I was simply visiting the barracks, but it was exhausting. My legs were shaking, and my vision was becoming blurry.

I kept running out of breath, making it hard for me to breathe properly.

The constant ringing in my ears was making it worse.

If William hadn't helped me leave by saying, “Mr. Lee Ki-Young, I need to speak with you,” I would’ve ended up looking pathetic.

“I’m really pathetic...”

There was no need for me to say it, but my character, Flower Ki-Young, would say something like that at least once in a situation like this.

“That’s not true. They looked happy,” William said.

“What?”

“I’m talking about the troops. It’s proof that you did well, so you don’t need to criticize yourself. Actually...” William paused.

“Yes?”

He was trying to comfort me somehow, but his words weren't enough to make me feel better. As time passed, he grew increasingly anxious. Whenever there was an awkward silence, I would see him looking pretty desperate.

“I’m going to head back and rest. You should—”

“Ah... Mr. Lee Ki-Young...” William called out.

I obviously knew what he was going to do.

“...”

“...”

“A duel?” Woo Hyo-Yeol asked.

“That’s right,” William answered.

“How ridiculous... Actually, it’s kind of surprising. Are you trying to take your anger out on me?” Woo Hyo-Yeol asked.

“It doesn’t matter if that’s what you think... I just want to fight you. Also...” William paused.

“...”

“I would like to talk to you as well,” William continued.

“You and me?” Woo Hyo-Yeol asked.

“Is that a problem?” he asked.

“I don’t know about us talking, but... a fight... is what I want as well. Follow me. I’ll crush you,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

‘I asked William to be friends with him, and he’s already doing it. He listens to me well.’

From a place where I could see them, they were putting on a performance, shouting and training like they wanted me to notice them. It was a pretty entertaining sight.

“Yaaaaaaaaah!”

“Hmph!’”

Their swords clashed as they roared, seemingly venting out the anger within them.

‘Do you see that, Gen? There are geniuses here who are better than you. There are even two of them.’

They were evenly matched, and the clashing of their swords made it hard to tell who had the upper hand. The battle between Rohen’s undisputed top-ranking players was like a monster brawl, but between them and Kim Hyun-Sung, there was still a huge gap.

Even if I were to help them, all I could see was them ending up as nothing more than meat for the grinder. With little time left before the Demon King of Sunset's appearance, I had no choice but to come up with a plan.

It didn’t take me long to find the answer. Actually, the idea of looking for an answer was meaningless because there was only one choice. It was a bit of a gamble, but...

‘Let’s try training them both.’

The best move was to connect with both of them at the same time.

***

“Whoo...”

“Guild... Master.”

“...”

“Excuse me... Guild Master!”

[The Monarch of Sunset rises from his throne.]

[The Monarch of Sunset desperately searching for the God of Sacrifice and Revival seeks to destroy his enemies.]

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