How To Use Regressors

40 – New Beginning (3)

The next day, after having breakfast, we were receiving equipment.

Everyone was clearly excited as they received new equipment.

“Wow… this bow is incomparable to the one I used during the tutorial. It must be because it’s a heroic grade bow. It not only raises my stats but it’s also really good, right?”

“Of course. Since it’s a heroic grade equipment, it’s bound to be better than the one you used during the tutorial.”

“That’s true. Hey, what’s that sparkling thing on the staff you received? Is it a gem?”

“It’s not a gem… I heard that it’s a refined mineral that helps manifest magical power. In fact, this mineral is the main part of the staff.”

I heard that the reason why a mage’s equipment is generally more expensive than close-range professions is because of these minerals.

I stared at the black staff I received. Since I was given the staff and robe, I also had the chance to check their information and recall it again.

[Silent Verge’s Staff (Heroic Grade) – This staff was used by the infamous black mage, Vergos, 150 years ago. Wearing it increases magical power by 5.]

“It’s really good.”

First of all, I liked the clean black design, and the fact that it increases my magical power by 5, which is perfect for someone like me who lacks magical power.

From Noble mtl dot com

[Silent Verge’s Robe (Heroic Grade) – This robe was popularly worn by the infamous black mage, Vergos, 150 years ago. It helps circulate the user’s magical power and increases resistance by 4 when worn.]

Furthermore, the robe I received was also quite good. It had a clean black design with the Eternal Clan’s emblem attached. The design was not too flashy, which I liked.

Hyunjin was swinging the sword he received around.

“Wow… the one I used before was heavy, but this one is definitely lighter. What material is it made of? It’s really nice.”

Although we all received heroic grade equipment and it may seem like heroic grade equipment is common, in this continent, heroic grade equipment is considered quite valuable. It’s because we are part of the Eternal Clan and receive such treatment as newcomers.

Guyeon Jung, who watched us with satisfaction as we received our equipment, spoke up.

“Well, now that you’ve received your equipment, you should all train diligently before going on the expedition. You should work as hard as what you’ve received, right?”

“We will work diligently, Clan Master.”

Naturally, receiving this much support meant we had to produce results. A substantial amount of gold and equipment of hero-grade, along with an environment for training, had been prepared for us. If we couldn’t produce results with all of this, then we were the ones who were worthless.

“From my perspective, I’m slightly worried, but…”

Since my talent was pretty much trash, I didn’t worry too much. As long as the direction I contributed to the clan wasn’t about combat power, it was fine.

“Yoonseong, where are you going?”

Seo Yooju noticed me as I moved from my seat and asked me.

“I’m planning to go for training now that I’ve received the equipment. It’s about time to start learning new magic as well.”

To be honest, it would be quite challenging to achieve significant results even if I trained in magic diligently, but it was in front of the Clan Master. I needed to show that I was making an effort since I had received something.

Sure enough, even though Guyeon Jung knew that I lacked talent, she watched me with satisfaction as I headed off to train.

“Regardless of talent… no one dislikes someone who puts in effort.”

No matter how talented you may be, without putting in effort, that talent becomes meaningless. You need to start with hard work before talent can even be discussed.

Perhaps influenced by my actions, the others also started speaking up, one by one.

“Oh, since our senior is going to train, I can’t be lazy either.”

“I should try using the new bow I got. My body feels restless.”

“Oh! Wait a moment, Hyunjin. I have something to say to everyone, so wait for a bit.”

“Yuju-nim?”

Seo Yujoo stopped Hyunjin, who was about to head down to the training room, as if she had something to say.

“Well… this is just my thought, but what if those in close combat professions train together? Like, if we spar with each other, we can identify each other’s weaknesses, don’t you think?”

Listening to it, it was indeed a good suggestion. In my case, who focuses on using magic, it’s necessary to concentrate in a quiet environment. But for those in close combat professions, especially since Seo Yujoo is a regressor, she can provide guidance by sparring with them.

Yurim, who was listening to Seo Yujoo’s opinion, replied.

“It sounds like a good idea, Unni.”

“It does sound good, right, Nuna?”

In the end, it seemed that those in close combat professions decided to train together. I also moved to the training room to practice.

‘The magic I’ve been able to use so far… only magic of one attribute.’

Even that, just two types. Basic fire and a wall of flames. Since receiving the staff and my magic power stat became 18, I was thinking of trying a new magic.

I had thought about it quite a bit on my own, but in the end, it was difficult to see significant effects with destructive magic with my weak magic power. So, thinking of a magic that could be helpful to the party, I came up with an illumination spell.

“Light.”

As soon as I uttered the incantation, a glowing orb similar in size to the spirit summoned by Song Haeun appeared.

“Definitely a basic spell; it doesn’t consume much mana.”

Even with my feeble magical abilities, it seemed like I had done well in learning this magic, as it didn’t put a significant strain on my mana.

“There might be a chance I’ll venture into a dark dungeon someday.”

Light magic was a spell I had been practicing on my own for a while, and the new spell I was about to learn over the next week was the Alarm spell.

“Something like the Alarm spell would come in handy when setting up camp or such. Since the Alarm spell consumes a significant amount of stamina.”

It might reduce the chances of being ambushed by rogues and the like.

Actually, it would be unusual for a dark mage to focus on utility spells like this, but there was no other option.

“Our party has sufficient firepower.”

Right now, I might be a rookie, but once I make some progress on the growth curve, our party won’t be lacking in firepower. We had Seo Yooju, and everyone was brimming with talent.

“I… just need to support my party members.”

My role was to provide a solid foundation for them to grow more comfortably.

“….. Ugh!”

Perhaps it was due to these thoughts invading my mind, I failed to activate the Alarm spell.

People usually pick up basic spells quickly, but I wonder why it’s so challenging for me.

“Damn… Let’s try it once more.”

After dedicating themselves to rigorous training, a significant amount of time had quietly slipped away, and before they knew it, it was time for the evening meal.

Upon showering and heading to the dining area, they coincidentally encountered each other, post their respective training sessions, having just showered.

“Oh, my lord! Have you finished your training?” one asked.

“Yes, my magical energy is depleted, and I can’t do much more,” the other replied.

One drawback of professions that heavily rely on magical energy was precisely this. Once you exhausted your magical reserves, you were left unable to do anything until your magical energy recovered. In other words, you couldn’t continue training.

Of course, studying theory was still an option. Reading a book didn’t require magical energy.

“Have you all tried sparring? You seem quite exhausted,” one inquired.

“Yes, Mr. Yunseong. After a long period of sparring, we’ve all become tired,” another responded with a laugh.

Indeed, the others appeared worn out, but Seo Yujoo didn’t seem particularly fatigued. It appeared as if she was simply stating that she too was tired due to the physical limits of the others.

“No, please, don’t say that, sir. Yujoo is just a monster… I’ve felt it since the tutorial dungeon. She’s on a whole different level, isn’t she?” someone commented.

“Well, she is a returnee, so it’s only natural, kid…” another mumbled.

Perhaps Seo Yujoo had demonstrated her skills quite intensely during their sparring.

Nevertheless, Mr. Howon didn’t seem greatly fatigued. After Seo Yujoo, he had the highest stamina among the party members, so it was a natural outcome.

While they dined in the restaurant, they surveyed their surroundings and noticed that there were noticeably fewer people than the previous day.

“What’s going on?”

It seemed that Kang Yi-seo felt the same way as I did, so I began to speak the words I had intended to say.

“But… there seem to be fewer people here today compared to yesterday. What’s going on?”

Seo Yoo-joo relieved Kang Yi-seo’s doubts.

“They’ve gone on an expedition.”

“Expedition?”

“Yes. I heard it from the Clan Master. Today, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th parties all went on an expedition.”

“… What?”

If they had just gone on an expedition, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But when I looked at Seo Yoo-joo’s face, she seemed very serious.

“… Why do you look so serious?”

Seo Yoo-joo’s expression was not usually this serious, so for some reason, a thought crossed my mind in that moment.

“… Could it be that the expedition failed?”

As a Reverser, she would probably know the outcome of this expedition by the Eternity Clan. Kang Yi-seo asked Seo Yoo-joo for more details.

“Expedition? If the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th parties all went on an expedition, isn’t it a large-scale one?”

“It was a large-scale expedition. It wasn’t just our clan that went on the expedition, but all three major clans collaborated to undertake it.”

“An expedition where all three major clans collaborated and failed?”

I couldn’t contain my curiosity and asked her for more details.

“Are you saying the three major clans combined forces to go on an expedition to a dungeon?”

“Yes. Do you remember your time at the academy?”

“What…?”

“In the Hwasin Clan and the Eternity Clan, the clan masters came to the academy to personally recruit, but in the Golden Wing Clan, it was not the clan master who came but one of the high-ranking officers.”

As I listened, memories came flooding back. It was true; in other clans, the clan master had come personally, while in the Golden Wing Clan, a high-ranking officer had come in their place.

“I’ve heard that the reason for this was that the Golden Wing Clan’s master went on an expedition to the dungeon our clan is about to embark on four months ago and went missing.”

“Missing, you say?”

“Yes. Typically, if someone goes missing for just a month, they’re declared dead, so in all likelihood, he’s dead.”

“The master of one of the three major clans, presumed dead…”

“The problem is that the three major clans are in an alliance with each other. That’s why the Golden Wing Clan requested assistance from the other two clans.”

In other words, the Golden Wing Clan sought help from the Hwasin Clan and our clan. So our clan’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th parties went on an expedition to that dungeon.”

“…. Then, isn’t this extremely risky? Regardless of our alliance… Why did Clan Master accept such a demand?”

If one of the three Clan Masters went missing in a dungeon, it wouldn’t normally be a significant issue. It might mean the dungeon is exceptionally dangerous.

Despite our alliance, I couldn’t fathom why they would agree to such a request.

“…. Perhaps it’s because when they first went on an expedition with the Golden Wing Clan, they went with a small group.”

“Oh…”

So, her explanation was that the Golden Wing Clan Master was among the initial expedition team members, but the group was so small that they considered the expedition a failure and decided to retry with a larger force.

‘… No way, it can’t be.’

For a moment, Seo Yooju had a frightening thought, but it couldn’t be true.

‘I never understood why Seo Yooju joined the Three Great Clans, but… could she have intentionally joined them?’

I may not be a time traveler, but she would likely know what fate awaited the Three Great Clans in the future.

‘…. If they fail this expedition, and then fail another rescue expedition…’

All three Great Clans would fall.

And those of us who survived without going on the expedition would gain control of the Eternity Clan.