Regressor Instruction Manual
Chapter 1196. The Demon King of Sunset’s Castle (16)

Chapter 1196. The Demon King of Sunset’s Castle (16)

“Even if I tell you that I’m hiding something from you?” Woo Hyo-Yeol asked.

“...”

“...”

The answer was obvious.

“I trust you,” I answered.

“What?” Woo Hyo-Yeol asked.

“I trust you. Isn’t it obvious? Otherwise, we wouldn't be here together,” I said.

“...”

“Also, you don’t need to hint at me that you have some kind of secret because I know you have secrets. Everyone has a secret or two, and hiding secrets doesn't necessarily mean that there's a reason for me not to trust you,” I explained.

“...”

“From what I’ve seen... you’re an asshole when you’re straightforward...” I said.

“What did you just say?” Woo Hyo-Yeol questioned.

“You’re terrible when dealing with people... and you do have some... character issues... but I have an idea now,” I said.

“...”

“I know that you’re not that bad of a person, Mr. Hyo-Yeol,” I added.

“What kind of ridiculous things are you going to say this time...” Woo Hyo-Yeol mumbled.

“I’m being honest. You’re more warm-hearted than you think, Mr. Hyo-Yeol. You don’t talk much because you’re being considerate of others... and you get upset easily because you’re an emotional person,” I continued.

“...”

“I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that way,” I said.

‘For example, there’s Lim Chae-Ryeong.’

“I’d bet everything that I have that everyone trusts you, Mr. Hyo-Yeol,” I told him.

A strange expression appeared on his face. Well, to be exact, it was more like he felt awkward about this situation. It was a natural reaction from him because no one would say such words to his face.

Of course, I felt like everyone would feel embarrassed to hear cheesy words like, “You’re warm-hearted, emotional, and trustworthy" from just about anyone.

I said those cheesy lines with a face full of sincerity, so of course, he’d be embarrassed. He seemed to regret asking that question. It was pretty obvious how he was going to react since he had a defense mechanism.

“I didn’t ask because I wanted to hear any compliments, you idiot.”

‘I knew it.’

Not only that, he seemed anxious, as if he wanted to get out of this situation. I feltl ike he was struggling to endure the heartwarming atmosphere, and I could sense that he wanted to get out of here.

“Did that answer your question?” I asked.

“Hmph.”

After that, he walked away. He still wasn’t a sociable person, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

‘This jerk... maybe he really is ready.’

It varied depending on the individual.

Unlike Kim Hyun-Sung, who confessed that he was a regressor in an apologetic way, I felt like Woo Hyo-Yeol thought that his regressor status wasn't really a big deal.

Of course, Kim Hyun-Sung hid that truth for a long time, and because our bond was growing stronger, he was worried about looking like he had approached me intentionally and ended up panicking about it, but that wasn’t the case for Woo Hyo-Yeol.

From the start, I knew he was keeping something from me, so basically, we both had secrets.

‘There’s probably a difference in personality as well.’

Woo Hyo-Yeol seemed to be able to take everything lightly, so he was completely different from Kim Hyun-Sung, who would panic over the most trivial things.

What surprised me a bit was that... it was too fast. Although trust, faith, and that line had contributed significantly to this outcome, I was still surprised to see him react so quickly.

The thing was that I wasn’t trying to get a reaction out of him.

‘I really can’t figure him out.’

No matter how much I thought about it, he had always been hard to understand, but of course, that was good news for me.

‘I wonder if our synchronization rate with the Regressor Instruction Manual is going to increase even just a bit.’

Our bond was what was important.

I coughed once and immediately heard William’s voice.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young...”

“Yes?” I answered.

“This side... I mean, I think it’s best if you head inside for now. I’ll take care of the basic onsite coordination. I’ll follow the manual you created, and if there are any variables, I’ll be sure to contact you right away,” William suggested.

“But... cough, cough...”

“Today isn’t the only day. If you want to clear the dungeon until the end, I think it’s best if you take a break,” William said.

Normally, I wouldn’t give in, but...

“Okay. I think it’s best to do that,” I agreed.

It was the right move for now.

‘At this point, it’s best to increase the tempo.’

I would probably never get this chance again. I had a feeling that he would soon reveal that he was a regressor, but it was too soon to be careless.

He seemed like he was going to confess now, but once he went into hiding, who could say how long it would take for him to confess? The time we can spend together was short in the first place, so it was better to do this fast.

‘I should set the mood.’

First of all, gathering the party members was a great start.

Ignoring Yoo Ah-Young, who couldn't stop glancing at me, I returned to the camp and called the party members. Rather than a room, we had to be outdoors so that I could forcefully bring out our memories.

The location itself wasn’t a problem. We just had to be somewhere without anyone else. Fortunately, we were inside a dungeon so that wasn't really hard to do. Will was also being considerate so that I could rest comfortably.

‘I should set up a campfire.’

It didn't really matter whether we had a campfire or not, but it would be helpful to build the mood.

I also decided to prepare some blankets...

‘And some food.’

Rather than using my coins to buy expensive food, I decided to get the adventurer’s set meal that we often ate with Raymond Bolt. The hearty meat stew tasted like Raymond Bolt had made it himself, and it was pretty popular among us.

The twenty-three-year-old Flower Ki-Young liked it, but not Lee Ki-Young.

‘We can light candles and have an honest conversation.’

“Ah! You even cooked? Mr. Lee Ki-Young!" someone exclaimed.

“I just... wanted to treat everyone,” I said.

“You’re not even feeling well... I knew this was going to happen. Sit down. I’ll take care of everything. I’ve memorized his recipe. Ah! Hold on. I brought that,” Lim Chae-Ryeong said.

“What?”

“Our utensils. I forgot to clean them and brought them just as they were, but it’s a good thing I brought them. Heh... Grandpa’s food tastes better when served here than on a ration tray,” she answered.

‘No, it’s so dirty.’

“Sit down, sir. You’re in no condition to move...” No Dam-Hye suggested.

“No, I’m fine, Miss Dam-Hye. I’m almost fully recovered...” I told her.

“But still...”

Nam Goong-Seon, Lim Chae-Ryeong, and No Dam-Hye came right on time when I was starting to feel exhausted.

The three of them chattered around me.

“Did Miss Jung Ha-Yan go on a mission with that woman named Han Sora...?” Nam Goong-Seon asked.

“Yes,” I answered.

To be exact, I had no choice but to send her away. Her task was to break the barrier to the Cursed Elf Queen Elena’s indoor garden.

“She’s working hard when everyone is resting,” Nam Goong-Seon said.

‘Probably not.’

It looked pretty fun. It actually looked like it was designed so that solving the puzzle would be fun, even based on Jung Ha-Yan’s standard.

It was the barrier that Han Sora had discovered while dealing with the Gladiator of the Underground Arena, so I was sure she felt motivated to do some more.

The part I was kind of confused about was the identity of the puzzle's designer. I couldn't believe that they managed to create a puzzle that even Jung Ha-Yan would have fun playing it, but...

‘I’m sure it was Ji-Hye noona.’

She was probably busy pretending to be Dominions, but she did say that she had prepared everything. For a moment, I felt like I was overlooking things, but at the moment, it was meaningless to think about it.

I promised myself to resolve the problems that were right in front of me first before anything else.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young... are you feeling uncomfortable?” Nam Goong-Seon asked.

“No, I was just thinking about something...” I answered.

“Would it be alright if I examined your body?” Nam Goong-Seon asked.

“I’m really fine, Miss Nam Goong-Seon,” I reassured her.

“But...”

“Really, and you already know that nothing will really change... It’s not because I don’t trust your abilities...” I told her.

‘Ah...’

I ruined the mood. The three girls who were trying to be happy now looked gloomy.

I had basically ruined their efforts.

‘Ah... this is bad.’

No Dam-Hye was already crying, so I tried to remain calm, but I had a feeling that it was going to make things worse. I gulped out of nervousness and heard a certain someone.

“You’ll be fine for now,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“...”

‘Hyo-Yeol.’

“Seeing that you took it upon yourself to cook, you must be in good condition,” Woo Hyo-Yeol added.

“Ah, why are you always talking that way?! There’s seriously something wrong with you,” Lim Chae-Ryeong complained.

“Hmph.”

“You’re always doing that whenever you have nothing to say,” Lim Chae-Ryeong said.

“It’s not that I don’t have anything to say. It’s more like I don’t see the need to keep talking to you, kid,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“You say that, but you talk a lot,” Lim Chae-Ryeong said.

“Hmph.”

“Do you two... have to fight on a day like this?” Nam Goong-Seon questioned.

“Unni, look at how Hyo-Yeol oppa is acting. How can I not act this way?!” Lim Chae-Ryeong shouted.

“Is today a special day?” Woo Hyo-Yeol asked.

“It’s been a while since we gathered and ate together like this. It’s very meaningful to me,” I answered.

Actually, it hadn't been that long since we last saw each other. Before leaving for the expedition, I forcefully made time so that we could all hang out together. Perhaps this moment felt even more special because we had just experienced a pretty fierce march.

All the party members seemed pretty satisfied with it as well.

“Take some more meat, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. Hyo-Yeol oppa said he doesn’t like meat,” Lim Chae-Ryeong said.

“Haa...” Woo Hyo-Yeol sighed.

They were arguing over the pieces of meat in the stew. As always, we talked about many different things. Of course, we also talked about work.

“How’s the item you got, Miss No Dam-Hye?” I asked.

“Ah! I think it’s really good. Stielike’s Violin... I never imagined I would be the one to use it,” No Dam-Hye answered.

“It’s a good item, so I’m sure it’ll be helpful, and it fits you as well,” I said.

“But, sir, when are we leaving again?” No Dam-Hye asked.

‘We’ll probably leave once Emilia’s party finishes the sub-quest.’

Flower Ki-Young knew when to rest and have fun, so he enjoyed the thrill of small indulgences like this.

“Does anyone want... some rum?” I offered.

“Ahh! Are we allowed to drink it? This is against military discipline...” Lim Chae-Ryeong said.

“I’m drinking it secretly. I like acting like this from time to time,” I said.

“Sir!”

“You can’t drink this, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.”

In some ways, I was building the mood. I wasn't really a fan of using alcohol to build the mood, and I also wouldn't recommend it, but it would always loosen up just about anyone.

Woo Hyo-Yeol probably thought that there was no reason for him to decline, and I saw him drink one cup after another.

As for the others...

“Heuk... heuuung... don’t die... heuuuuuuuung... You can’t die, Mr. Lee Ki-Young!”

“You said you would sing with us, sir... hiccup... No take backs.”

“Whoo...”

How are you three drunk when Woo Hyo-Yeol is still sober?

“This is why I tried to stop the kid... Damn it... I can’t believe she drank until she got drunk... She’s such a handful...” Woo Hyo-Yeol complained.

The three party members were asleep.

Lim Chae-Ryeong was rolling around, drunk, while Nam Goong-Seon was mumbling something to herself. It sounded like a prayer.

I could hear violin noises from nearby, so I believed No Dam-Hye had to have decided to start a small concert in her own room.

‘The mood isn’t so bad.’

The campfire was crackling, and Woo Hyo-Yeol was tipsy. It was funny, but he wasn't annoying when he was tipsy. There was faint background music in the background.

The conversations were successful, so I believed that I could slowly make him open up until he revealed his secret by himself.

“So... Mr. Hyo-Yeol...” I said.

Woo Hyo-Yeol suddenly got up and said, “I’m going to head in first. It’s pretty late."

'Wait, you can’t just leave.'

“Lee Ki-Young...” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“Yes?”

“...”

“...”

“I’m a regressor,” he confessed.

‘What?’

“...”

'Wait, now that you said it just like that... what am I supposed to do?'

Woo Hyo-Yeol turned around and walked away.

‘Wait, you need to hear my answer first.’

Seemingly refusing to hear any feedback or comments, the idiot walked away.