Regressor Instruction Manual

“...”

“...”

“Oppa,” Lee Ji-Hye said.

“Hm?”

“The Blue Guild looks pretty relaxed,” she said.

“It's been handled, right? What’s wrong? Are you that busy at the Continental Protection Management Committee?” I[1] asked.

“That's easier said than done, and… there aren’t any huge issues at the Committee. Colonel Smith has been pretty busy, though. I was worried that the entire guild was like him, but it looks like only Colonel Smith and his team are like that.

"I think he visited us three or four times yesterday… No adventurer has yet to die from overworking, right? It’ll be interesting if Colonel Smith becomes the very first adventurer to die that way,” Lee Ji-Hye answered.

“...”

“Right?” I said.

“I’m talking about you, not Colonel Smith. You have a really good eye. I know he’s a great combatant, but when you said you were going to use him as the press secretary, I honestly questioned your decision.

"However, the results showed that you were right. The fact that he's from the Federation has worked to our advantage. Ah! Gregory is okay as well,” Lee Ji-Hye informed me.

“Are you talking about the sad interview that made the denizens of the Federation cry? That made me cry as well, noona,” I said.

“It was a pretty memorable scene,” Lee Ji-Hye commented.

‘Gregory didn’t do anything wrong, but…’

What he had done was pretty effective. When he woke up in the hospital, he appeared in several media outlets, including press conferences.

‘At least he’s a man of perseverance.’

Gregory couldn’t really move, but he actually appeared at an official press conference and kneeled before the denizens of the Democratic Country and Federation, who were worried about the recent incident. �

He lowered his head despite being severely injured, making it the most memorable scene of the year. Who would criticize Gregory when he had asked them to trust the Federation one last time and that he wouldn't let that incident happen ever again? He also looked pretty desperate and sincere, to boot.

Moreover, the scene was even more sincere due to the fact that he had no time to prepare a script for it.

The comrades who fought with him were now with Benigoa.

I'd understand if he ended up collapsing because of that, but he was actually thinking about the bigger picture, which was surprising even to me.

His actions were not enough to quell the dissatisfied politicians, but at least he had succeeded in capturing the hearts of the people and their opinions.

Colonel Smith was also doing great at breaking the confidence of those politicians and ensuring that they wouldn't be able to ignore the public.

“He left for the sanctuary, even though he hasn't recovered yet. He’s truly a man of perseverance. Personally, I don’t like his type, but it wouldn’t be so bad to have him nearby. His beard is pretty cool, and his mindset is better than Kim Hyun-Sung,” Lee Ji-Hye said.

“No one asked the Continental Protection Management Committee to intervene, right? No one complained as well?" I asked.

“Of course, there were some complaints. Do you know how much time and money went into the Federation Restoration Project? It's not strange for people to feel dissatisfied at the fact that the money all went to Squiat and those scums in power.

"There are also many people dissatisfied with how aggressive you were with this project. I'm sure the complaints will die down soon, but…” Lee Ji-Hye paused.

“Yeah, I should use this opportunity to change everything. There has to be a law against total corruption,” I said.

“The investigation team and the Heretic Inquisitors have already been dispatched to the Federation. Isn’t that good enough? Did you not do all these to push those scums out?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

“It’s kind of complicated if I tell you from the very beginning…” I said.

“And how did you manage to execute Squiat? His execution wasn’t public, which has never happened before,” Lee Ji-Hye said.

“You want to know?” I asked.

“No, you don’t need to tell me. I’m sure you handled it well. I asked because I was curious, and it’s been a while since you were so spiteful.

"It’s been a while since you got angry, so I’m wondering what Squiat had done to make you so angry. That’s what I’m curious about,” Lee Ji-Hye answered.

‘Look at her.’

I could see hearts in her eyes. She was intentionally staring at me with that look.

‘She’s asking despite knowing everything.’

Ji-Hye noona definitely knew everything. After all, she had her own information network and ears inside the Vatican, so it’d be strange if she had no idea.

“You know I love you, right? My other half,” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

‘I knew she was going to act like this.’

“My soulmate. Don’t worry about what those stupid people say. Even if the world betrays you, I’ll be beside you, okay?” Lee Ji-Hye said.

“It’s nothing like that,” I told her.

“Aww, our Ki-Young is cute. Come here, want me to hug you? Were you heartbroken by the thought that nobody really liked you?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

“I told you it’s nothing like that,” I said.

“You’re really cute when you act like that,” Lee Ji-Hye commented.

“Stop it with the jokes,” I said.

“The problem is that I’m not joking. Your self-esteem is pretty low, and I've been wondering whether you became mentally ill upon getting summoned here, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

"Did you have a traumatic experience back on Earth? Come to think of it, was it Lee Yul-Ha? I never really heard anything about your life back on Earth except for the fact that you have a younger sister,” Lee Ji-Hye said.

“There’s nothing interesting to tell you. More importantly, I’ve been thinking… and it’s not satisfying enough to just drive out the Federation scums,” I told her.

“What?”

“I think we need to start over from scratch,” I suggested.

“Will the people understand that decision, though?” Lee Ji-Hye questioned.

“I want to change everything, starting from the tutorial dungeon,” I said.

“...”

“Is that possible?” she asked.

“Probably. I talked to Benigoa and Belial, and it didn’t seem like it was impossible,” I replied.

Lee Ji-Hye looked interested.

“I learned many things from the Squiat incident, and I realized that there’s going to be no end to it if there are no further changes. There are too many people who believe they’re the protagonist after surviving the tutorial dungeon and ending up in this world.

"Don’t you think it’ll be better to educate them early on?” I asked.

“Hmm…”

“I’m suggesting that we turn the tutorial dungeon into a cram school. We can teach them basic knowledge about dungeons and about the influential figures here inside that school…” I informed her.

“So you want to show them who’s in power from the very beginning. It won’t be so bad if that’s even possible. We can create a safe zone, keep the people in line, and tell them many things as if they were about to embark on a tour all over the continent. We are then going to send the summoned ones to different parts of the continent.

"But how are you going to select the eliminated candidates?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

“...”

“It’s not like tutorial dungeons just appear out of thin air. The system programmed that content, so if we accept everyone who was abandoned on Earth, the continent would become overpopulated. In other words, we have to let go of some people.

"Now that I think about it, the tutorial dungeon is pretty old-fashioned, but it’s the best in sorting out the people incapable of adapting to the continent. There’s a reason the system chose a method like that,” Lee Ji-Hye added.

“Hmm.”

“To us, it seems very old-fashioned, but to the system, it’s the easiest and simplest way to go about it,” Lee Ji-Hye added.

“No, we don’t need to sort them out. Think about it. Is there really a reason for us to consider the situation on Earth? Altanus was the one who made the deal carelessly. I’m going to start sorting out the refugees as well and tell Benigoa not to send the invitations to everyone anymore,” I said.

“Then what are you going to do about the abandoned refugees?” she asked.

“Belial said he’ll try negotiating with the other dimensions,” I answered.

“Another dimension? Where?” she asked.

“That’s none of our business, noona. We just need to worry about those who come here,” I said.

“The people summoned here are lucky… I feel bad for those being summoned to other places like the one Belial had introduced to you. They’re not going to be sold to some apocalyptic dimension, right?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

Actually, they were being sold.

'Look at her asking when she already knows the answer. Where do you think we’re getting the funds to update the tutorial dungeon? Picking up the refugees from Earth and selling them to another dimension is what I call a creative economy.'

This was made possible because Belial was taking care of it.

Anyway, less than thirty percent of people were capable of clearing the tutorial dungeon.

Rather than letting seventy percent of people lose their lives in vain, it'd be more reasonable to sell them to another dimension. It was more humane, too.

I was sure the other dimensions had their own rules, but it basically guaranteed that seventy percent of the refugees would survive a bit longer. It was profitable to both sides and making everyone happy was what I called revolutionary.

It was strange that we had never thought of a way to make all the managers of this place happy, but I understood why. If it weren't for my connection to Belial, this project would be impossible.

‘We should have charged Earth during the first deal.’

The old Altanus and Benigoa had to have no idea how to make a proper deal.

“The situation has worked out for us. I have an idea as to why Altanus decided to take in the refugees first and why the summoned people were invited to the continent, but the continent is no longer the continent of the distant past.

"The continent has stabilized, and we no longer need a summoned warrior to save the continent,” I explained.

“That’s true. The important thing is that we need adventurers to help the continent run smoothly. The continent cannot survive without summoned people. I don’t think it’s a bad idea. We can keep accepting refugees from Earth, but we sort them out and accept only those we need.

"Then, we're going to educate them so that the continent’s economy and system will run even smoother. We can consider it a welcome party for the newcomers—no, a workshop for the new recruits,” Lee Ji-Hye said.

“That’s it.”

“So, who’s taking care of that right now?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

“Belial,” I answered.

“Commander Jin isn’t going to join us?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

“He probably thinks that a tutorial dungeon is required,” I replied.

“That man is living in the past. We need to move fast and keep up with the trend. We don’t need a tutorial dungeon right now… But is it okay to have Belial take care of this?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Lauren is working with him as well,” I told her.

“Ah! Ahh… Lauren… hates demons… due to that incident. She must be grateful for what you did for the Federation. You decided to support the Federation and the Order of Lauren in the revamped tutorial dungeon, right?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

“Yeah.”

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem. I agree that Belial is competent, but it's not in a good way. I'm at ease knowing that Lauren is going to work with him. I honestly want that project for myself… Can you give me a piece of it ?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

“No, you’re on vacation,” I answered.

“...”

“Didn’t I tell you to keep your schedule open? I want to go on a short group trip with the Blue Guild and a few of our acquaintances,” I told her.

It was time to take a break.

“When?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

“Right now,” I answered.

“What will you tell the public?” she asked.

“The honorary cardinal is currently recovering,” I replied.

“Where are we going?” she questioned.

“I’m not sure…” I said.

“And the preparations?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

“Hyun-Sung prepared everything,” I informed her.

“...”

“...”

“I see, but this is an actual vacation, right?” Lee Ji-Hye questioned me.

“...”

"How about Dialuria, Max, Domi, Cheru, Sera, and Thro? Are they going as well?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.

'Who knows?'

1. Lee Ki-Young’s POV ☜