How To Use Regressors

12 – Part 12 – Trio (1)

“This is…”

As soon as we arrived at the western building, what we discovered inside were the remnants of the corpses that the faintly visible monsters had feasted on. From the outside, it appeared that there were no people inside the building, and the stench of decaying bodies inside the building was overwhelming.

“…It’s horrifying.”

The stench was so overpowering that everyone except Seo Yooju couldn’t help but gag. I was no exception.

“Damn it… Ugh…”

“…There might still be food inside, so let’s go in for now.”

Following Seo Yooju, we entered the building, and An Taeu began to speak.

“Yooju, do you think most of the people who started here… are dead?”

“I can’t be sure, but I think that’s probably the case. We’ve managed to survive relatively well, but I heard that it wasn’t as bad in Yunseong’s starting area.”

“…You’re right. I woke up in the southern starting area, and while many people did die, I remember that it wasn’t as many as this. From what I recall, some people managed to escape from the building.”

Perhaps the people who started here had all initially decided to fight but missed the opportunity to escape outside and were gradually cornered and overwhelmed in the corners of the building.

As evidence of this, there were no signs of bodies outside the building, and only the remains of the corpses left inside.

Usually, if some people managed to escape outside, there would be at least a few corpses outside due to attacks by the monsters, so it was normal to have some bodies outside the building.

Thanks to this, many bags were scattered on the ground along with the debris, and inside the bags were the rations and water that people had packed.

…The monsters didn’t seem to target humans; they were after food and water.

‘Not sure if we should be happy about this…’

Since they had obtained a lot of rations, it was understandable that someone could be pleased, but in this gruesome scene, everyone silently grabbed only what they needed.

“… Unnie, it’s heavy…”

“… Endure it. If we bring this with us, we won’t need to worry about rations for a while.”

Everyone carried their bags like war refugees or stopped wherever they could.

In particular, the sight of the siblings was the most amusing. While Yurim was fine, Yuhyeon, being young and small, was tightly wrapped in a bag, which was amusing.

If the place we were in right now wasn’t like this, we would have played happily.

After everyone gathered their belongings to some extent, Seyooju spoke up.

“… I’m not sure if we should be happy about this, but somehow we obtained a tremendous amount of rations. We’ve gotten much more than I expected, so let’s return to camp for now.”

Everyone agreed. In this situation where we had so many belongings, there was nothing more we could do.

******

Right before we almost reached the camp, we discovered three people near the camp entrance.

Seyooju made us stop in their blind spot. Then, she quietly spoke.

“Just a moment. I’ll make a stop. There are unfamiliar people near the camp entrance. Everyone hide.”

Everyone hid in the bushes. I recognized one of the three individuals as someone I knew.

“… Cha Hyeonjin?”

I heard the time traveler ask me while I was muttering to myself.

“Do you know Yoon Sung, by any chance?”

“….I was one of the people who used to accompany Yooju before seeking help from her. Due to circumstances, we got separated but…”

I replied to Seo Yooju and then checked the status panels of three individuals. Although Cha Hyunjin was one of them, I was more concerned about the other two by his side. At least they seemed different from the useless bastards who had given up on the tutorial, displaying a semblance of experience in capturing monsters through their gear and appearance.

[Name: Cha Hyunjin]

[Age: 20]

[Occupation: Swordsman (Normal Grade)]

[Title: None]

[Unique Trait]

Strong Will (Grade under evaluation) – You possess a strong determination and are not one to easily give up on something.

[Traits]

Basic Swordsmanship (Normal Grade) – Your understanding of swordsmanship slightly improves.

[Stats]

Strength – 13 Agility – 15

Stamina – 17 Luck – 13

[Occupation: Shield Soldier (Normal Rank)]

[Title: None]

[Unique Trait]

Steel-like physique (Rank Measurement in Progress) – Your body is as strong as steel. Resistance ability permanently increases by 8.

[Traits]

Basic Understanding of Shield Magic (Normal Rank) – Understanding of shield magic slightly increases.

[Stats]

Strength – 16 Agility – 14

Stamina – 15 Luck – 18

Magic – 00 Resistance – 22

[Name: Kang Iseo]

[Age: 26]

[Occupation: Archer (Common Grade)]

[Title: None]

[Unique Traits]

Archer (Grade Assessment in Progress) – Receives aiming adjustments when using a bow. Your arrows will pierce through the enemy.

[Traits]

Fundamentals of Archery (Common Grade) – Slightly enhances your understanding of archery.

Basic Trap Disarmament (Common Grade) – Slightly increases your understanding of trap disarmament.

Tracking (Common Grade) – Can track the footsteps of people or monsters.

[Attributes]

Strength – 13 Agility – 18

Endurance – 14 Luck – 17

Mana – 00 Resistance – 08

Upon inspecting their status windows, it became clear that this party was incredibly well-balanced.

Tank, swordsman, archer… just hearing about it, their balance was impeccable. The only thing missing was a priest. Hyunjin had decent stats, and the status windows of a middle-aged man named Kim Howon and a red-haired woman named Kang Yisuh were also remarkably outstanding.

Yoo Hyun and Song Haeun had such extraordinary talents that even with just the two of them, the party was quite exceptional.

Especially astonishing was Kim Howon’s resistance level, which was 22. Up until now, excluding the regressors and luck level, I had never seen any other ability level exceed 20.

The characteristic that caught my attention in the woman named Kang Iseo was her marksmanship.

“These people really want to join our side…”

I observed them as they seemed to be conversing with the people from the camp. The entrance was still blocked by rocks and trees that had not yet been cleared.

I saw the man named Kim Howon speak up.

“Um, could you please open it? I promise I won’t cause any harm!”

“… How can we trust you? Please go back. We have no intention of opening the entrance.”

“We need a place to rest. Please, I’m begging you!”

“… Go back.”

The man seemed frustrated. He probably had been searching for a place to rest and ended up coming this far, but since they wouldn’t open the door, he looked exasperated.

I saw the woman with red hair named Kang Iseo open her mouth next to him.

“… It’s fine, old man. I have no intention of opening even if these people die. Damn it, they seem like people who gave up fighting against the monsters and just ran away, so let’s just leave them be. Let’s go our way.”

“… Hm.”

“… Hey, Iseo-nim. But still, how did you find this place… Maybe if we ask nicely, they will open up to these people too?”

“Hyunjina, wake up. Cowards like these won’t open up even if they die. They’re just cowards who hide in fear of doing something. Damn it, they’re just decorations on the bottom.”

Note: The phrase “decorations on the bottom” refers to useless people who contribute nothing.

“Sister, please… say something…”

The woman seemed quite spirited. From the way she swore to her appearance, she had the look of someone who used to chew gum during school.

After Seo Yooju examined them, she spoke to us.

“… They don’t seem like bad people at first glance. One of them said they used to hang out with Yoon Sung, so let’s approach them for now. But still, please don’t let your guard down just in case. Don’t worry too much. Our numbers are much greater.”

We revealed ourselves and began slowly approaching them. The woman who had been cursing was the first to notice our presence.

“What the hell are you guys?!”

She aimed her bow at us. Kim Howon, a man named, belatedly realized the situation and held up his shield to protect the party’s archer. Hyunjin also drew his sword and prepared for battle.

“…Certainly not pushovers. They move fast.”

When I saw that each of them quickly took their positions during that short time, their party’s skill level seemed better than ours.

“Of course, our party has the cheat code called Seo Yooju.”

Seo Yooju raised both hands and insisted that they had no intention of harming us.

“Please calm down. We don’t plan to harm you. It’s just that this camp is where we’re staying.”

Even though Seo Yooju expressed that she had no intention of fighting, the opposing party’s wariness didn’t easily go away.

Even if it were me, if a group suddenly revealed themselves, twice our numbers, I wouldn’t easily let my guard down.

In the midst of the strange confrontation, Hyunjin started to recognize me and my two siblings from the other side, his eyes widening.

“Huh? Yunseong hyung…!”

“… Hyunjina, you’re alive. It’s good to see you.”

The man named Kim Howon and the woman named Kang Iseo seemed slightly taken aback by the fact that Hyunjina and I were here.

“Hyung! What happened? Who are these people…?”

“These are the people I met after we got separated. They’re all good people, not bad ones.”

While Hyunjina and I were having a conversation, the archer woman asked him.

“Hey, Cha Hyunjin, who are they? Do you know them?”

“Ah… Nobles. I mentioned before that I got separated from them. They’re Yunseong hyung and those kids over there.”

I smiled softly, trying to assert that I had no intention of harming them.

“For now, I hope you can let your guard down. We have no intention of harming any of you. We just want to know what the situation is. The camp in front of you is where we are staying.”

The man named Kim Howon said, easing their wariness. It seemed like he played the role of the leader among them.

“Ah… Nice to meet you. My name is Kim Howon. Since it seems like Hyunjin knows you, I won’t dwell on that. And this girl here… cough! This girl’s name is Kang Iseo.”

I almost burst into laughter at the mention of “girl”. It seems like people’s thoughts are all the same.

The woman gave the man a quick glance. But since she was in the middle of a conversation with someone else, she didn’t say anything.

“For now… The reason we are here doing this is because we stumbled upon this place while looking for a place to stay. The entrance was blocked with rocks and trees, and it seemed safe, so we asked if they could open it for us. But we were rejected by the people inside…”

“I understand the situation. Can you wait for a moment? We’ll discuss it on our end and get back to you.”

“Yoon Sung, how can it not work? Please, I beg you. Mr. Howon and Nuna Lee here are both wonderful people.”

“…I wish I could. I can’t give you a definite answer, but probably… a positive response will come. Don’t worry too much.”

He immediately asked So Yooju what she thought. It was my personal prediction, but… she would probably accept them.

Because from So Yooju’s perspective, it was good to secure as many capable fighters as possible, and they fit the profile she was looking for.

Sure enough, when she was asked about her intentions, So Yooju nodded immediately.

“We’ll take them in. For now, they don’t seem like bad people, and they seem experienced in fighting. I think they’ll be helpful. If anyone has second thoughts, please feel free to speak up.”

“I agree with you, Miss Yoo. Your opinion is my opinion, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

With unwavering trust, Ahn Tae-woo said to So Yooju.

“All right. I don’t think there’s anyone opposing them. I’ll have a conversation with these folks.”

So Yooju stepped forward and began talking to them. The conversation seemed to go smoothly, and the atmosphere looked fine.

Finally, she went to the camp entrance and spoke to the people inside.

“I’m here. Please open the gate.”

“Oh? Miss Yooju? Okay, okay! Just a moment!”

From inside, confused voices were heard. Soon, the sound of people moving rocks and wood could be heard from within.