Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1250. Blue Guild’s Youth Center (19)

There was no denying that the situation was pretty embarrassing, but seeing the kids come together as one made me nod without realizing it.

‘It’s important to let them experience some real, heartfelt tears early on...’

Perhaps if Hyun-Sung, who likely never had a single close friend, had gone through something like this, he would have had a healthier state of mind. Of course, he probably wouldn’t have faced something like this in the first place, but then again, there were things that could only be experienced on Earth.

He probably had people who came and went; relationships that weren’t that deep, but opening up to someone was a different story.

Crying and fighting over the smallest things, sharing that raw childhood emotion... that was what would help kids grow up. Thinking about the kind of friend he could have had on Earth, it seemed likely that Hyun-Sung would have grown up properly if he had the same kind of bond as these kids here.

‘I keep having pointless thoughts because I haven’t seen him in a while.’

Time passed while I was lightly tapping my thigh, lost in my thoughts.

Before I knew it, the kids were getting ready to head out.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t greet you earlier, Mr. Jin Young. I’m Gregory Maxim, and I’ll be taking point on this mission,” Gregory said, introducing himself.

“Nice to meet you. It’s unfortunate that we met under these circumstances,” I greeted back.

“...”

“Xiaolan, will anyone else be joining us?” I asked.

“The priest-class students are going to join us,” Xiaolan answered.

“Slava, how’s everyone else looking?” I asked.

“There are a total of eleven students from the Republic, six from the Federation, and seven from the Union,” Slava answered.

Felis Hanest chimed in, “And there are a total of twelve from the Democratic Country.”

“Not bad,” I commented.

“...”

“...”

“Also... can we talk alone for a moment, Jin Young?” Felis asked.

“Sure, Felis Hanest,” I replied.

“I’m not questioning your decision, but...” Felis trailed off.

“...”

“It’s about the task you assigned to Kim Myung-Won. He’s not ready yet. He’s determined and courageous, but I’m afraid that might lead him to do something reckless.

"When he encountered the Moon Breakers earlier... he would’ve died if luck hadn't been on his side,” Felis continued.

“You don’t need to worry about Kim Myung-Won. He’s more useful than you think. At the very least, he won’t be a burden,” I told him.

“But—”

“You have no eye for talent," I said, interrupting him. "Is there no one in this academy who can recognize talent?"

“...”

“...”

Felis Hanest clenched his fists. It was clear that he didn’t want to admit it. He was convinced that my only rival was him. When I gave my attention to someone else, he became unhappy. It was a childish idea only a kid would have, but it felt natural.

That anger would push him forward as well.

The story was going to end here.

I didn’t want to drag it out any longer, so I said, “We can’t keep waiting for others.”

“Are we leaving right away?” Felis asked.

“Yeah. You’re aware of the summoned beasts and the rangers’ locations, right?” I asked.

“Of course...” Felis answered.

“We’re moving out. Summon every—actually... they’re already waiting,” I said.

“...”

“We won’t be having any grand departure ceremony. I trust you all understand how serious this is... We’re still young, but that doesn’t mean we lack the right or the will to defend this continent. Remember, we’re not fighting just to survive,” I said.

“...”

“For our comrades standing beside us, and for our families waiting beyond these walls, we will do what we can,” I added. And with one final line, I set their resolve ablaze and sparked a bit of rebellion in them. “Let’s show the ones who thought we were just a bunch of brats what we're really made of.”

“Aaaaah!!”

“Show them that you can do it, too,” I added.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!”

“We can do it! We can do it too! Everyone, gather!” I shouted.

‘Their reactions are good.’

The operation was meant to be carried out quietly, but they were already cheering and shouting. Perhaps they were trying to cast off their fear, but the line about showing the adults what we were made of had to have struck a chord with them.

“Let’s go!”

The kids ran out.

“I’ll lead the operation, Felis Hanest. No objections?” I asked.

“I’m fine with that,” Felis answered.

The operation was simple. It was so simple that it didn’t even need to be called an operation. While the brigade from the first life was dealing with the remaining informants inside the academy, the students just had one task—take out Professor Traore.

It was the kind of twist one would expect at the climax of a classic academy story. The whole “turns out the professor is a villain” twist was kind of overused, but cliches were popular for a reason.

And now, these kids were suddenly part of something way bigger, saving the continent. Fear lingered on their faces, but so did resolve. They were trembling, but one day, they would laugh about how they saved the continent when they were just kids.

‘Thinking about it realistically...’

Just that single line on their resume would be enough to get them a free pass into any guild or organization. Honestly, they probably wouldn't even need a resume, as recruiters would chase them down in the future.

‘They need to at least buy me food when they grow up.’

Opportunities like this were rare in today’s world. Being granted the chance to save the continent? It wasn’t just a resume booster; it practically overqualified them for half the positions out there.

Professor Traore was on the rooftop, which was less than a twenty-minute dash away, but nothing felt more anticlimactic than jumping straight into a boss fight. The lesser foes needed to be dealt with first.

“Shit! It’s a skeleton!”

“Professor Traore, that coward! I can’t believe he’s using necromancy!”

“That professor... I never really liked his face.”

“There are lots of them! What do we do? Jin Young?”

“Break through them,” I answered.

“I’ve dealt with stuff like this plenty of times during training!”

They charged in as if they were a litter of piglets dreaming of becoming Park Deok-Gu. They took space and swung their weapons toward the skeleton horde.

It was pretty intense. Heads were smashed with blunt weapons, and arms were severed cleanly with blades. The priests cast shields and buffs while the others focused on close-quarters combat.

For the first time, I had to admit that they really were gifted kids after all.

‘They’re pretty good.’

Their attacks weren’t that powerful, but their coordination was almost on par with that of ordinary adventurers. Surprisingly, they didn’t even look that awkward. Even the ones who were being overwhelmed at first were starting to adjust, finding their footing in the heat of real combat.

Little by little, they were learning how to fight. They were putting their hopes and dreams into every swing of their weapons.

“Hyaaah! Shield Bash!”

“Body Slam!”

‘Don’t shout your skill name.’

“Healing Wind!”

‘Don’t do that either.’

“There are even skeleton mages... Traore, that bastard...”

“Cast a shield!”

“We need a large amount of mana to stop them!" I shouted.

Talking about formations and whatnot was like preaching to the deaf, as they had yet to receive that kind of training.

“Get in sync,” I ordered.

“Well... that’s... It hasn’t been that long since we learned—”

“What we’ve learned is meant to be used. The mages will form a team of three, synchronize their mana, and then cast the same spell in unison. Without that, we won’t get anywhere. We might get past the skeletons by sheer luck, but against Professor Traore... it won’t be enough,” I explained.

“Jin Young is right. Our mana reserves are tiny... so we should start getting used to that technique,” Felis said.

“A little more! Just a little more! Push through!”

Magic spheres were launched from the skeleton mages’ staffs. A perfectly timed barrier blocked their attacks. Meanwhile, the baby Deok-Gus charged in, ramming the fragile skeletons, crushing them completely with their bodies alone.

‘I wonder what they ate to grow that big. They look like they’re at least high schoolers...’

A few of them had baby faces, but there were patches of beard growing on their faces.

“Keep pushing! Break through them!”

“Cast a purifying spell! We don’t know what kind of cowardly tricks that sneaky Traore has prepared for us!”

“What are the priests doing?!”

“That cunning bastard!”

Poisonous clouds erupted at just the right moment. I wasn’t sure if Professor Traore had prepared that, but most were furious at his cruelty for using forbidden spells so casually.

“Jin Young, what should we do?” Felis asked.

“All we can do is break through. We have no other options,” I answered.

In the middle of it all, Kim Myung-Won’s performance was quite impressive.

“...”

‘I think...’

“...”

‘He chose the wrong field.’

I had this feeling since the twins appeared, but his movements didn’t look bad at all.

With proper training, he could become a decent swordsman. Whether Ha-Yan was helping him or not, his mana flow seemed to be warming up, as he was delivering effective damage to the skeletons. His casting had gotten precise as well.

‘Maybe his mana hasn't been flowing freely until now.’

He was getting faster and faster as he moved and cast spells, which was a fascinating sight. He had yet to master any powerful spells, but his speed and accuracy were steadily improving.

Watching Kim Myung-Won, I couldn't help but think about giving him some pointers later. Even Felis Hanest seemed inspired by Kim Myung-Won's improvement, as he started shouting his spells at the top of his lungs.

Of course, Felis, who was closer to a traditional mage, was casting safely from the back lines, but his power and timing were impressive. His decision to abandon powerful spells like the Griffon of Sunset and use spells passed down by veteran mages showed that he had grown a lot.

“I think those two can become useful...” I mumbled.

The trio from the Republic was no different. The fear and pressure from the twins had to have been overwhelming because when the skeletons screamed, they stood unflinching and did their jobs.

The brittle skeletons dropped more easily than I expected, so I thought perhaps we could have made this more difficult for them.

Soon, the kids rushed to the rooftop. After the fierce but not-so-intense as I expected battle, we finally saw Professor Traore standing in the middle of a gigantic magic circle.

“...”

“...”

Ha Yeon-Soo had done a great job preparing all this. The final stage’s atmosphere, the production, and the barrier made it impossible for us to see the skies. Professor Traore was standing inside a sinister-looking magic circle that seemed to have been painted in blood.

“Hehehe... hehehehehehehehe!” Professor Traore looked like he had lost his mind, and it was clear from how he was drooling. It seemed that some kind of drug was used on him as well.

“Finally... hehehe! It’s time... hehehehehehehe! We’re... the Moon... Breakers... kgh...” Professor Traore mumbled.

“Damn it... he's already working on the spell...”

“I’ll kill you! Hehehe! H-Hey kids... I-I, Traore, am going to be the God of Magic...! hehehehe! Hehehehe!”

“Everyone, watch out!”

And the boss fight began...

The time to give up everything for the sake of honor was fast approaching.

***

“...”

“...”

Clang!

“Huh? What the?! Are you worried about Lee Ki-Young teasing you or something? I’m surprised you dropped your cup.”

“...”

“...”

“It’s not that. It’s just...” Jin Cheong paused.

“Hm?”

“F-For some reason... I have a bad feeling that something terrible is going to happen again. Damn it. Why? Why won’t this nervousness... go away?”

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