Regressor Instruction Manual
Chapter 1200. The Demon King of Sunset’s Castle (20)

Chapter 1200. The Demon King of Sunset’s Castle (20)

It felt like a third party had ruined the piece I had been diligently working on.

“What else did I do wrong?” Woo Hyo-Yeol asked.

“...”

“I already apologized several times,” Woo Hyo-Yeol added.

I definitely looked unhappy. I noticed that he looked frustrated, but a wave of unpleasantness spread throughout me like spilled paint. I was so displeased that I couldn't even pay attention to his reaction.

“...”

“Equipment,” I said.

“What?”

“I think it’s best if we set up your equipment again,” I suggested.

“Why all of a sudden?” Woo Hyo-Yeol asked.

There wouldn’t be that big of a difference in the equipment department, but it felt like his equipment was tainted. I knew this was pointless, and I knew Lee Ki-Young’s choice was a reasonable one, but I couldn't withstand the annoyance within me.

In some ways, he provoked me. I had no idea whether that was his intention or not, he could have at least considered that his actions would put me in a bad mood.

I was sure he didn’t want anything tainting his artwork as well.

This was no different from the crazy crow incident, so he obviously knew that I would be in a bad mood.

‘What the hell does he want me to do?’

There were two instances that could be interpreted as blatant provocations, crossing boundaries that ought to have been expected. I was sure he was aware of that as well, so the fact that he still proceeded with it could only mean either one of these two assumptions—his goal was to provoke me, or he never treated me as his equal.

If any of them was correct, then I would understand why he acted this way.

It was an undeniable fact that we were partners moving forward, but there was a big difference between equals and a subordinate. If he simply considered me as a mere subordinate.

‘He believes that I won’t be able to do anything...’

If he believed that I had no choice but to move according to his planned timeline, then there was no reason for him to be considerate of me. The changes I could make were very small, and even if I strayed from his planned timeline, he was sure that he could put me back on track.

I expected this from the beginning... but there was still a bitter taste in my mouth.

Actually, more importantly...

‘Was this his objective?’

Had he wanted to remind me again... that the only thing I could have was Rohen?

“I’m going to turn in for the night,” I said.

“What? You...” Woo Hyo-Yeol paused.

“...”

“...”

I ignored Woo Hyo-Yeol, who stared at me, and looked at the mirror again. I had to be kind of upset because my face was red, and of course, nothing dramatic happened, like one of my eyes changing or anything.

“Come out,” I mumbled.

“...”

“Come out, you bastard! Stop watching!” I shouted.

I knew I wasn’t going to get any answer. If I wanted to get an answer from him, I would have done this a long time ago. I couldn’t help but become increasingly angry, as his actions were so cruel that it felt like he was just doing this to make me suffer.

And that was when I noticed Jung Ha-Yan staring at me...

“...”

“...”

She was watching me quietly while sitting in a corner.

‘They met, right?’

I wondered what they talked about. I wanted to ask, but it felt like there was something stuck in my throat, preventing me from talking.

Then, I heard her mutter, “We have to go on the expedition... no matter what.”

“What?” I asked.

“We... have to. D-D-Don’t delay it... over something so trivial...” Jung Ha-Yan mumbled.

“...”

I was so confused that I couldn’t endure it. I left the room, leaving Jung Ha-Yan behind. When I wandered around the camp mindlessly, I saw the party members together.

Woo Hyo-Yeol was talking to Lim Chae-Ryeong, but I didn’t know what they were talking about...

‘He wanted to remind me of this.’

I couldn't help but think that way. Lee Ki-Young probably wasn’t interested in this place.

It was highly likely that he couldn't care less about how they were doing or what kind of outcome they would face. He wasn’t the one building a bond with them. Whether Flower Ki-Young’s persona was real or not, the thought that this persona was most likely created as an emotional wastebasket really struck me.

I had no idea if he thought building a relationship in Rohen was worthless, or if he planted a new person to ruin the contract. There was also a chance that he was trying to handle things more efficiently, but at least, his thoughts were somewhat correct.

I couldn’t abandon Rohen.

The moment I thought that this place was the only thing I had left, the crazy asshole started obsessing over it.

Perhaps it’d be better if I were to talk to Ji-Hye noona.

Of course, I wasn’t expecting an answer because I knew she wasn’t going to give me a straight answer. Despite that, the desire to talk to Lee Ji-Hye was probably Lee Ki-Young's habit.

Whenever something happened, Lee Ki-Young always solved his problems while talking to her. Despite knowing that she was poison that I ought to avoid...

“Noona,” I said.

— ...

“Ji-Hye noona?”

I still looked for her, even though I had no idea what to say to her.

— What is it?

“No... it’s nothing,” I said.

— What the heck? That’s boring.

‘Should I tell her?’

“It’s nothing...” I mumbled.

— Have you been taking pills or something? You’ve really been acting strange recently.

“Noona,” I said.

I felt like I was walking on a tightrope.

“Have I contacted you today?” I asked cautiously.

— What are you asking all of a sudden?

“I’m asking if I contacted you today. Is that hard to answer?” I questioned.

— You’re saying strange things again. What’s going on all of a sudden? I thought things were going well over there.

“Ji-Hye noona, Right now... I’m feeling kind of strange, and that’s why I’m asking,” I told her.

— I’m always on your side, oppa. You’re acting really strange. Let’s go for a consultation once this is all over. Actually, where are you right now? Should I go to you? Do you want to meet up?

“...”

— I told you not to be so stressed out.

“...”

— Haven’t I told you to just focus on your task? You’re receiving a lot of support, and the raid is going smoothly, so what’s the issue?

I was feeling frustrated. Despite knowing that I couldn't be doing this, I couldn’t stop myself from saying the things on my mind.

“Noona,” I said.

'Don’t tell her...'

‘Don’t ask. Don’t ask anything and just accept it.’

I knew hanging up now was the right thing to do, but...

“Am I...” I trailed off.

'Don’t tell her.'

“Am I the real Lee Ki-Young?” I asked.

— ...

“...”

— Haa...

'Damn it.'

I closed my mouth quickly, but it was already too late. The sudden silence felt heavy. The moment I uttered the questions I had been wanting to ask and relayed the issues I had been keeping to myself, it felt like I had vented out my frustrations.

However, I was immediately engulfed by a powerful wave of anxiety.

- Should I cancel the expedition? Your condition seems pretty bad. I think it’s best if you leave for a bit. I never imagined you were this stressed... It looks like you’ve been overdoing it.

“...”

— To be honest, what happens to Rohen doesn't really matter to both of us. We may stray a bit from the plan... and there might be some losses... but they’re things we can recover from pretty quickly. It might impact the management of the continent, but that’s not as important as your mental health.

“That’s...”

— The contract is the problem... but... if we just leave it alone, Rohen will get destroyed in the end. If we stall for a few decades, it’ll collapse on its own... and we have no responsibility to uphold the contract.

“You know it’s not that simple. This contract is tied to the system...” I reminded her.

— There’s always a solution. If things don’t work out, we can contact the higher-ups or the demons to intercept... and the penalty for breach of contract? The amount is quite a lot, but—to be honest... it's a pretty big amount... But the situation isn’t so serious that we can’t handle it, so why don’t we just let it go?

“What are you saying?” I asked.

— It’s none of our business what happens to the people of Rohen, so let’s just forget about this place.

It sounded like a threat, but I could never...

‘I can never give up...’

Actually, it wasn’t a problem. Although we were bound by a contract, if Flower Ki-Young was the one who signed it, then the contract was never established from the start.

The contract was the main reason they decided to make use of a new person—or rather, a spirit. The contract itself was a scam, so he wasn’t worried about the penalty.

The problem was the resources they had already invested in this. As expected, they invested a lot of time and resources. They tended to extract maximum profits even from nothing, so they probably wouldn't leave until they had recovered their investments.

“Do you know how much time and resources were invested... And you want to give it all up?” I questioned.

— So you do know. But like I said, there’s nothing more important than your health. That’s why you should’ve gotten a consultation when I told you.

But...

‘Just throwing it all away?’

If we were to leave, Rohen would collapse in an instant, and it wasn’t simply because of the summoned demon lords. The rift in Rohen’s dimension was also getting bigger to the point that Woo Hyo-Yeol’s first life seemed like a better life.

Recovering Rohen on his own was nearly impossible.

Actually, it was completely impossible.

“No...” I mumbled.

— What?

“No... I think... I was just exhausted, noona,” I told her.

— Really?

“There aren’t any issues, and the expedition tomorrow will proceed smoothly. So don’t worry too much. I’ll try to finish this as quickly as possible,” I said.

— Ah... I’m worried...

“Don’t worry too much. After hearing what you said, it seems like I’ve been pushing it a bit recently... so I’m going to end this as soon as possible,” I told her.

‘Psychotic bastards.’

Those jerks treated Rohen as a place that they could abandon anytime.

I knew this from the beginning, but I realized it once more.

‘An assistant.’

I had no idea how to help and how to get help. The situation I was in was unknown to me as well, but I realized that I needed an assistant. At the very least, I wanted Rohen to survive somehow... and unlike Ji-Hye noona, I knew someone who wanted nothing more than to see Lee Ki-Young suffer.

I had no way of contacting them right now, but contacting them wasn’t a difficult task.

Since Kim Hyun-Sung could see me, it was highly likely that he had some sort of connection with me.

‘I...’

“...”

‘I’ll never compromise.’

Lee Ki-Young knew that truth better than anyone, and—

[That’s unfortunate.]

“Huh? You...”

[I... never compromise either.]

“Damn it...” I mumbled.

— Haa...

“Ji-Hye... noo... na...” I stuttered.

— You’re really annoying.

“Ah...”

— Looks like this is as far as you can go.

“Wait... Lee Ji-Hye... you...”

— Ah! Oppa! How many times has it been already?! I told you that this was going to be a problem! Kasugano stirred up some unnecessary trouble, and... why the hell were you there—wait...

“Ah... ugh... ah... heh... heh... ack...”

— This bastard is fuckin’ smart! Do you know what would have happened had I not given him a hint?!

‘What hint... What... I said... to you... hint...’

— Ack... I’m going to reset it.

And then—

“...”

—there was darkness.

My vision darkened.