The Regressor Can Make Them All
Chapter 352

Chapter 352

The UD Group and Heroes Association’s purge operation took the world by storm, sweeping across the entire world. But while its impact was so extensive that no place remained unaffected, the place that experienced the most significant upheaval was none other than Babel.

“Hey, hey. Did you hear about it?”

“What now? A midnight escape? An arrest? A dropout?”

“Well... there’s one of each.”

Among the students enrolled at Babel, many had already established themselves in the hero industry to some degree. Of course, that meant several of them had ties to the traitors exposed in the recent purge.

Now, hardly a day passed without news of related students spreading throughout Babel. Most of the time, it revolved around escapes, arrests, or students withdrawing from the academy, and that was regardless of their proven lack of connection.

Yet, despite everything, a select few chose to remain at Babel. Among them was Hans Barmuth, a first-year student who held the second rank in the Department of Blacksmithing.

“...”

With disheveled hair and dark circles under hollow eyes, Hans emerged from a lecture looking like nothing short of a walking wreck. His miserable appearance caught the attention of nearby students, prompting a buzz of whispers among themselves.

“Wow, I'm surprised he's still hanging in there.”

“If he walks out of Babel, he knows he’ll just end up as a punching bag for people who held grudges against the Barmuth family. No matter how awkward it is here, it’s safer to stay.”

“That’s true, but... I wonder how much longer he can endure.”

While the purge operation had destroyed many families, the Barmuth family’s downfall was especially devastating. Evidence had surfaced of their involvement in grand-scale embezzlement, blackmail, contract killings, and even human experimentation—all while actively working with the Demon Force.

The once-prestigious Barmuth family collapsed in a single night, and Hans, the sole surviving family member remaining at Babel, wasn’t spared.

“How long can he hold on? The moment he loses his second rank in the department, it’s over.”

“Yeah, you’re right. No one’s going to fund someone like him, anyway.”

“...”

Hearing all the whispers, Hans lowered his head slightly, his expression darkening.

How did it all come to this...?

All he had done was go about his daily life as usual. Yet somehow his entire family fell into ruin in the blink of an eye, and most of his relatives—his grandfather, father, and uncles—either were killed or arrested. All he had left was his eldest brother, who had married into the UD Group.

However, even that connection was severed when his brother sent him a brief message after the scandal broke: Don’t contact me again.

He was alone in the world, surrounded by hostility, distrust, and animosity. Rather than feeling anger or resentment, though, he was overwhelmed by fear.

If I lose my second rank... no, even if I somehow graduate with it and step outside Babel....

He could already imagine how he would fall victim to horrific torture at the hands of those who bore grudges against his family. It was a situation too bleak to even think positively of, making Hans’s face grow even more despondent.

What on earth am I supposed to do in this situation...?

Weighed down by his thoughts, he was trudging along when he suddenly noticed two pairs of feet blocking his path.

“...!”

Startled, Hans quickly looked up, half-expecting investigators from the Heroes Association. But when he saw the faces before him, his expression froze in surprise instead.

“You... you two...”

“Hey there. We just wanted to ask you something,” Jake said with a gentle smile.

“...”

Standing beside Jake, Erika stared at Hans with a calm, unreadable expression.

The sight of the two made Hans visibly tense. Unlike the fallen Barmuth family, the Myers and Inoue families emerged unscathed, gaining them even greater prestige.

They were, in a sense, in the completely opposite situation of the one Han was currently facing. He might have envied them for it before, but now, he was simply terrified that they might use him as a warning to others.

“W-What do you want from me...?”

“Oh, it’s nothing serious,” Jake replied. “I just wanted to ask you something about the Department of Blacksmithing. It’s nothing heavy, so don’t worry.”

At Jake’s non-threatening tone, Hans began to feel a slight sense of relief, but it quickly disappeared when Erika spoke.

“Is it true that the newly appointed professor is close to Se-Hoon?”

“...Huh?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Hans hesitated, prompting an icy stare out of Erika instead of her repeating herself.

Flinching under the gaze, Hans hurriedly tried to recall the question to answer.

“I-I’m not sure if they’re close, but they do exchange conversations during lectures pretty often.”

“That’s it?”

“And... oh! T-there’s also been talk about Se-Hoon staring at the professor a lot... and they’ve had con-conversations by themselves after lectures, too...” Hans stammered out.

“Is he still there?”

“I didn’t check, but he’s probably still around...”

Not bothering to listen to Hans finish, Erika began walking toward the lecture hall. In contrast, Jake, who missed his chance to stop her, gave Hans an apologetic smile.

“Sorry about that. Thanks for answering our questions.”

“Y—Yeah.”

“Well, take care. Get home safely.”

With a wave, Jake quickly followed after Erika, leaving Hans standing there with a conflicted expression.

But just as Hans turned to continue trudging along, he heard Jake call back to him.

“Oh, right.” Jake looked over his shoulder at Hans. “A family is just a family. You’re still yourself. Don’t let it get to you too much. Hang in there.”

Although they weren’t close, Jake felt compelled to offer some encouragement, likely because he remembered how constrained he once felt by his own family ties.

“...”

Hans remained still where he stood, a dazed expression on his face. It was only a moment later that he lowered his head and walked in the opposite direction. And at the sight of his retreating figure, Jake let out a bitter chuckle.

Guess I can’t cheer up someone as well as Se-Hoon.

Feeling a bit disappointed, Jake quickened his pace, realizing that Erika had already gained some distance ahead.

“Oh shoot...!”

Considering Erika’s temper, there was no telling how she might react if she found Se-Hoon and the professor together. Worried, Jake broke into a run, rushing toward the lecture hall, only to stumble upon an unexpected scene.

“Stop sticking so close to me.”

“Shh. They’ll hear us.”

At the corner connecting the lecture hall and the hallway, he saw Erika and Luize pressed together with faint traces of mana flowing from the two into the lecture hall.

Instantly realizing they were up to something, Jake peeked around the corner and spotted a dog-shaped spell and a crow perched on the lecture hall wall.

“...”

Their behavior wasn’t as reckless as he feared, but it was still concerning in its own way. Sighing, Jake was debating whether to intervene when his phone suddenly vibrated softly.

Aria: Let me know as soon as you find out anything ^^

Reading the message, Jake slipped his phone back into his pocket and decided to just wait quietly.

Meanwhile, Luize and Erika were deepening their focus on the scene happening inside the lecture hall.

“This approach seems better, don’t you think?”

“You don’t seem to understand. In situations like this, it’s better to focus on dense organizational structures...”

Se-Hoon and Meirin were standing at the podium, casually chatting over some materials—a sight that made both Luize and Erika’s expressions grow cold.

Why are they standing so close?!

There’s something different about him.

While Luize was irritated by their proximity, Erika found herself unsettled by the subtle emotions Se-Hoon was displaying.

As they continued observing, silently radiating their chilly thoughts, Meirin, who was continuing her explanation, began casually tapping her finger on the documents in front of her.

Swish-

Sentences appeared on the documents, before rearranging themselves as if revealing a hidden message.

“Yesterday it was the Dean, and today it’s the students? You’re quite a popular kid.”

Glancing over at the document, Se-Hoon chuckled dryly and tapped his side of the document to reply.

“Everyone’s just a bit curious. I hope you can bear with it.”

“I don’t mind, but... if you keep acting without modesty like that, someone’s bound to stab you in the back.”

“I told you, it’s not like that.” Se-Hoon curtly wrote back to Meirin’s teasing, his expression a mix of exasperation and disbelief.

If only I attended lectures now and then...

The reason Se-Hoon attended Meirin’s lecture was simple: to deliver false information to the UD Group’s traditionalists. Meeting her in private would raise suspicions, and it was more convincing to make it seem like she had picked up the information naturally.

That was why he exploited the opportunity to appear genuinely curious about the newly appointed professor and pretended to grow closer to her. Unfortunately, however, his sudden attendance at lectures had led to others misunderstanding.

This feels like something out of a bad romance novel...

As Se-Hoon sighed inwardly, Meirin tapped the documents again.

“So, is the information you gave me today the final version?”

“Yes, please deliver it as is.”

“Hmm... It’s a bit surprising. Considering your abilities, I thought you’d have been named successor of the UD group already.”

The information Se-Hoon provided suggested that he had once been offered a management position and heirship to one of Wurgen’s key businesses. However, that was entirely false.

“He has plenty of legitimate heirs at his disposal. Why would he give it to me?”

“But they’re all pathetic compared to you, aren’t they?”

“Pathetic or not, they’re still his children. That’s never going to change.”

Unless he married into the family, there would never be a discussion of Se-Hoon inheriting anything. He was well aware Wurgen wasn’t the type to go against such conventions.

“Hmm...”

Meirin studied Se-Hoon with a steady gaze before adjusting the glasses that she wore mainly as an accessory.

“I have a meeting with the Dean later on, so let’s leave it here for today.”

“Okay. I’ll see you next time.”

Upon seeing Meirin packing up the documents that the two had been using for their covert conversation and preparing to leave, Luize and Erika quickly pulled back to avoid detection.

Meirin, however, had noticed their retreat. She glanced back at Se-Hoon, offering a brief comment.

“It seems they’ll be setting the conditions today.”

“Ah... I see.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

With those parting words, Meirin left the lecture hall under Se-Hoon’s watch, his expression turning contemplative.

Special equipment for undead units, huh...?

At first glance, it seemed like equipment meant to enhance the undead’s power. But if that were the case, Wurgen wouldn’t bother commissioning it; he could simply deploy stronger undead or amplify their power using the near-infinite darkness mana of the Netherworld.

If he’s bothering with equipment, it’s more likely about control than enhancement.

Although Wurgen had the ability to command tens of thousands of undead, he couldn’t precisely control each individual unit. Of course, using command entities could mitigate such issues, but such measures only worked in centralized locations.

And in areas like Danger Zones, where the undead would often be scattered, a more efficient control mechanism was necessary.

In that case...

Considering the various possibilities, Se-Hoon fell into deep thought until his phone buzzed softly, notifying him of a message.

“Hmm. Looks like I can head there now.”

About to teleport away, Se-Hoon suddenly stopped when he sensed a presence in the hallway. Recognizing them, he smiled faintly and stepped outside instead.

“What are you guys doing there?”

“Taking a walk.”

“...”

“Haha... Well, it’s...”

Luize responded curtly, Erika stared silently, and Jake gave a sheepish laugh as the vibrations from his phone continued to echo in his hand. At the sight of the three, Se-Hoon realized how tangled they had become in baseless rumors and was about to deny everything outright. However, he paused.

...Is there even a need to deny it?

Regardless of the details, the important part was that his interest in the situation had been conveyed clearly. In fact, he potentially could leverage that later when dealing with Offering.

So, choosing to embrace the situation rather than deny it, he deliberately went with a different tone for his answer.

“Don’t bother Professor Meilin too much. She’s a good person.”

Seeing the three exchange puzzled looks before their eyes gradually widened in surprise, reactions as easy to read as an open book, Se-Hoon laughed inwardly.

“Well, I’ve got somewhere to go right now. See you around,” he said with a dismissive wave.

Swoosh!

And just like that, before they could say anything, Se-Hoon shifted into Whitespace, and in the next moment, he was standing in a luxurious room.

“Oh, you’re here.”

Sitting behind the desk in front of Se-Hoon, a man with long black hair, Richard, stood up to greet him.

“Sorry for calling you so suddenly. The matter is somewhat urgent.”

“No problem. What’s going on?”

Although he already had some idea as to what, thanks to Meirin, he needed to confirm the specifics directly with Richard.

Richard gestured toward the sofa with a wry smile. “Have a seat. This might take a while.”

“Alright.”

Though the atmosphere felt a bit off, Se-Hoon sat down and Richard took the seat across from him.

“Hmm... How should I put this...”

After hesitating for a moment, Richard seemed to have made up his mind to just be outright.

“Do you know what’s happening right now?”

“I know there’s fierce competition over the management of the Danger Zones. The development of special equipment for undead units is the most contested part.”

Richard nodded.

“Exactly. And the conditions for that equipment were just announced... the focus seems to be on control capabilities.”

“I see. Are there any other conditions that were stated?”

Se-Hoon focused, expecting Wurgen to have set detailed requirements.

But then, scratching his head awkwardly, Richard denied it.

“There aren’t any.”

“...What?”

“To be precise, there are conditions, but I wasn’t given them.”

Confused, Se-Hoon squinted his eyes, prompting Richard to let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“Looks like the reformists cut me off.”

“...Cut you off?”

Though Richard technically was a reformist, they had still severed ties with him, seemingly out of nowhere.

“What about the development project, then?”

“They probably found some other blacksmith to handle it. We won’t be participating.”

Se-Hoon’s eyes sharpened. If the reformists had learned of their intent to seize control of the UD Group, then it wasn’t entirely surprising.

But... how did that information leak so suddenly?

As Se-Hoon pondered, a possibility soon came to mind.

“Could it be...?”

“Yeah, it probably is.”

With his voice tinged with frustration, Richard affirmed his guess.

“The President seems to be wary of us... or more specifically, of you.”

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