Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1567. A New Normal (22)

‘He got here faster than I expected.’

“...”

“...”

“Mr. Ki-Young?”

Kim Hyun-Sung came into view, asking if I was alright. As always, he had a faint smile. It was a slightly distorted smile at first, but the moment he confirmed that I wasn’t hurt or injured anywhere, I could see the tension leave his face.

‘Even if I don’t want to compare them... I end up comparing them anyway.’

Compared to that hypnosis guy, Hyun-Sung’s clean and handsome face stood out. Kim Hyun-Sung already stood out even among good-looking guys, so being surrounded by people like these only made him stand out even more.

I felt a little bad saying it, but it honestly felt like they belonged to entirely different species. It was a strange thought, but at that moment, I suddenly understood the hypnosis guy’s lack of faith.

‘I kinda get it...’

Even knowing Benigoa truly existed, and even after the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival's display of miracles, he still had no faith, so there had to be a reason behind it. There had to be a reason he became a villain, and that reason was standing right in front of him.

Why had everything been given to Kim Hyun-Sung while he himself had been given nothing? Why the hell had Kim Hyun-Sung been blessed with a huge build and a cool face while none of that effort had gone into customizing him?

I could practically picture the guy screaming in tears of blood before Benigoa’s altar. Of course, at this exact moment, the hypnosis guy looked far too overwhelmed to be thinking about any of that. His face had gone completely pale.

He probably felt like there wasn’t enough air in the room. He couldn’t even properly see the large man with the mangled, bloody nose anymore. He looked like he could collapse from suffocation at any second, and he trembling as if he was having a terrible fever. It even looked like he peed himself a little.

Meanwhile, the sunset-colored wings wrapped around me. To me, the light felt warmer than anything else in the world, but to him, those sunset-colored wings probably looked more terrifying than anything imaginable.

He couldn’t even think about showing off the only skill he had left. At this point, there was probably nothing in the hypnosis guy’s head except for the fear of death.

“I thought you might need my help, so I came, Mr. Ki-Young. Honestly, I was trying to hold myself back for a while...” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

“No, you came at the perfect time. Though it would’ve been even better if you had contacted me before coming,” I told him.

“Ah, r-right. I’m sorry. As you instructed, I turned off the Goddess’s Hand Mirror...” he reminded.

“...”

“...”

“Ah! How did work go?” I asked.

“It’s still ongoing, but the remaining work and meetings will be handled through video calls,” he answered.

“It wasn’t too difficult for you?” I asked.

“I’m not used to coordinating work with this many people, but everyone has been very kind, so things are going smoothly without major problems. There are actually so many ideas that it’s hard to accept all of them. I never imagined there would be so many passionate people,” he replied.

‘Of course they are. Do you know how much money we handed those companies?’

If Kim Hyun-Sung said he wanted to build Mirror Lake right in the middle of Rahel, they would probably scoop up the lake water by hand if they had to do so. We had also casually hinted that if this project ended up succeeding, they could hop onto the Blue Coin and continue receiving work from the Kim Hyun-Sung Order...

‘So they better be passionate.’

“I’m glad to see you adapted well,” I said.

“It’s all thanks to you, Mr. Ki-Young. Th-that aside, Mr. Ki-Young...” he paused.

“Ahhhh, it’s fine. It wasn’t actually a dangerous situation like you were thinking. Priest Benet happened to help me out as well,” I reassured him. freewebnøvel.com

“Huh?”

“Huh? ...What?”

Both Kim Hyun-Sung and the hypnosis guy reacted with confusion at the exact same time.

‘No way...’

It seemed Kim Hyun-Sung had already decided that the hypnosis guy was a villain. There hadn’t even been any explanation, yet he immediately treated the man as an enemy. It seemed that even Hyun-Sung wasn’t free from prejudice, or perhaps the hypnosis guy was just a special case.

‘Yeah. Honestly, it would be stranger if he weren't a villain.’

Naturally, I could see the obvious panic on Kim Hyun-Sung’s face. He assumed the man was some disgusting villain and unleashed his killing intent to threaten him, only to find out that the guy had actually helped me instead. On top of that...

“It seems the person lying over there was impersonating Priest Benet,” I added.

“Ahhhh! I-I see. M-my apologies, Priest Benet. H-How could this...” he said.

Of course, the mana and killing intent that filled the room vanished instantly. Just moments ago, it felt like a massive beast had been occupying the entire room, but now, all that remained was a young man who looked innocent and clueless about the world. The hypnosis guy finally let out the breath he had been holding.

Having just escaped the pressure bearing down on him, he still looked like he couldn't grasp what was happening, but he wasn’t stupid enough to throw his life away. After glancing at me, he immediately put on a gentle smile.

“Please do not worry, Sunset God. This was all done for the sake of the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival,” Benet said, reassuring Kim Hyun-Sung.

“Ah...”

“Rather, I should be the one expressing gratitude. When that shameless bastard suddenly barged into this private prayer room... I was so shocked that the only thought in my mind was that I had to protect the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival.

"I wish I could open my heart and show you just how grateful I am that you came here personally,” he explained.

‘Please don’t literally open your heart.’

“I’m the sinner here for placing the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival in danger. There’s no need for you to bow, Sunset God,” he added.

‘Yeah, why are you bowing to the sinner, Hyun-Sung?’

It seemed he really did feel guilty for judging someone by their appearance, as Kim Hyun-Sung kept on apologizing to the hypnosis guy.

As Hyun-Sung lowered his head, relief appeared in the hypnosis guy’s eyes. Even if Benigoa hadn’t given him anything else, it seemed she had at least blessed him with an overwhelming survival instinct.

Seriously, even while his legs were trembling nonstop, he was still acting like a benevolent priest.

Calling it shocking did not even begin to describe it. He clearly regained his senses by now, yet he didn’t even attempt to hypnotize Kim Hyun-Sung. Naturally, his expression made it obvious that he was fully convinced that his ability wouldn’t work on Kim Hyun-Sung, anyway.

Honestly, I also leaned toward the idea that hypnosis would not affect Kim Hyun-Sung, but even if it did, it wouldn’t really matter. Mind-type spells and curses were always broken by abilities of a higher rank.

Even if Kim Hyun-Sung somehow fell under hypnosis, that guy’s powers would instantly become useless as soon as I appear in the Lust and Eternal Sleep form. I could even wake him up myself with the Regressor Instruction Manual. Whether the priest was lucky or just gutsy, Benet ultimately found the correct answer by himself.

“Rather than standing around here, I think it’s about time we cleaned this up. Priest Benet, could you contact the headquarters inquisitors?” I requested.

“Y-yes. O-of course,” Benet answered.

“And could you spare me a little time afterward?” I asked.

“Y-yes... o-of course. Naturally, I should. I could devote all of my time to you,” he replied.

‘Please tone down the excessive loyalty...’

After that, Priest Benet hurriedly contacted the headquarters. Meanwhile, Kim Hyun-Sung still looked restless over the misunderstanding. More importantly, I was curious where the hell Ahn Ki-Mo had gone.

‘Turns out the bastard is already waiting nearby.’

The moment we stepped out of the prayer room, I saw him standing there waiting, and I couldn’t help but click my tongue at the sight of him. Anyone looking at him would think he had just gone through some grand heroic adventure to protect the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival. The moment he saw my face, I saw him letting out a huge sigh of relief.

I had no idea why he was sweating so much, but his hair was drenched, and he was covered in marks that made it look like he had rolled across the ground in the middle of a battle.

“Greetings, Guild Master!” he exclaimed, even snapping into a sharp salute. Judging by his face, the hypnosis was clearly no more. Honestly, it even seemed likely he had broken free from it himself.

Of course, Kim Hyun-Sung’s gaze toward Ahn Ki-Mo was far from friendly. He looked genuinely unaware that the guy was even here. His face practically screamed, “You were here, and this mess still happened?” and also, “Where the hell were you while all of this was going on?”

From Ahn Ki-Mo’s perspective, though, the situation was pretty unfair. He didn’t come here as a bodyguard in the first place, and he was one of the guild members who firmly believed that I was a transcendent being.

His mindset was basically this—if anything were to happen, my Lust and Eternal Sleep form would just step in and handle it. Of course, he didn’t know the details of the penalties involved, but he secretly viewed me as the strongest existence in the world.

‘To be fair, he really did do everything he could...’

Since Kim Hyun-Sung had no way of knowing any of that, it was not strange that he looked like he disliked Ahn Ki-Mo. He looked like he wanted to say something, but it seemed he had decided that this wasn’t the right situation to lose his temper.

The biggest reason behind his silence was probably the fact that I was standing right beside him.

Honestly, part of me wanted to see this bastard get scolded at least once, but I couldn’t ignore the way Ahn Ki-Mo was staring at me with those big eyes. I knew that if Kim Hyun-Sung got his hands on him, it wouldn’t end with a simple beating.

‘Seriously, this guy’s got a talent for sucking up to the right people. He knows I let him get away with things, too.’

“Mr. Ki-Mo... you were here as well...?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.

“Please punish me, Guild Master! ” Ahn Ki-Mo yelled out.

‘I’m seeing way too many disgusting scenes today. There are four people here, but only two are honest.’

“Everything... everything is my fault! If Priest Benet hadn’t been here... I-I would’ve spent the rest of my life drowning in regret and self-loathing... Thank you, Priest Benet... heuk... Thank you!” he shouted.

What shocked me was how fast he picked up on the situation. The moment he saw Priest Benet and me walking out together, he had to have realized that there had already been some sort of silent agreement between us. I wasn’t the only one stunned by Ahn Ki-Mo’s lightning-fast change in attitude.

Priest Benet stared at him with an expression that seemed to be asking, “What the hell is this guy doing?” but after quickly glancing at Kim Hyun-Sung, he put on a gentle smile again and remarked, “Although requesting a private audience with the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival was entirely my own decision, hearing you praise my contribution like that is a bit embarrassing.

"I should be the one apologizing. If I hadn’t been so stubborn...”

“It’s okay, Priest Benet... heuk... thank you so much,” Ahn Ki-Mo said.

‘The two of them are really going all out. Jeez.’

At this point, I had no choice but to play along with them.

“I hope you won’t scold Mr. Ki-Mo too harshly. Honestly, none of us expected a situation like this... myself included. And it looks like Mr. Ki-Mo also struggled quite a bit just getting here...” I said

“S-Sir!” fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

“A-And besides, you’re still not used to escort missions, anyway. Usually, escort duties are handled by Chang-Ryeol or Lian. Punishing someone over this would honestly be ridiculous,” I added.

“W-wait, sir! Even if I’m inexperienced with escort duties, failing to properly protect you is still a crime deserving death! I’ll gladly accept any punishment! If you order me to cut off this right arm that failed to protect you, I’ll cut it off!

"If you command me to gouge out these eyes that had failed to watch over you properly, I’ll gouge them out immediately! Please!” Ahn Ki-Mo shouted.

‘Why is this bastard overacting again?’

“It’s okay, Mr. Ki-Mo... you do not need to worry so much," Kim Hyun-Sung finally said, “I do think it would be good for you to properly learn how an escort duty works from the very bottom. If you don’t know something, then you learn.”

“Ah...”

“Once this mission is over, I’ll arrange for you to participate in the Red Mercenary Guild’s Six Weeks of Hell program. Personally, I don’t think this is enough punishment, but considering the unique circumstances and the fact that both Mr. Ki-Young and Priest Benet have both asked for leniency, I will adjust things accordingly,” he said.

“G-Guild Master...” Ahn Ki-Mo mumbled.

‘This bastard Kim Hyun-Sung... Maybe he actually knows better than anyone how to completely torment Ahn Ki-Mo.’

I would bet that from Ahn Ki-Mo’s perspective, losing an arm would actually sound preferable. No, he was probably already thinking that cutting it off and reattaching it later would be easier.

Six sweaty weeks trapped together with the hulking monsters from the Red Mercenary Guild was just....

This was the first time I saw his eyes go that wide. Those trembling large eyes were staring directly at me. His expression practically screamed for me to save him, but...

‘Nope. This is karma. You deserve this. If you hadn’t overacted one more time just now, this wouldn't have happened.’

“I... understand,” he muttered.

“...”

“...”

“I-I mean, sir, yes, sir!” he roared.

There was obviously no other choice.

“...”

“...”

There was still one more person standing here in complete anxiety. The hypnosis guy quietly approached me.

‘Ah man, that’s creepy! Please get away from me, hypnosis guy.’

“W-What’s going to happen to me now?” he whispered into my ears. “Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep...”