Finally Got Stronger but Ended Up Regressing

Chapter 11: Overnight Leave (2)

A duck bulgogi restaurant near our house.

“This place is always delicious no matter when you eat here.”

“Eat a lot, son.”

“Mom! Take care of your daughters too.”

“You girls eat well on your own. And Minji, you always go out and eat delicious food.”

“I only eat kimbap while waiting for shoots! I’m so sick of kimbap that I feel like throwing up just hearing the word ‘kim’.”

My second sister pouted her lips and complained. My eldest sister, who had piled my plate with duck bulgogi, spoke up.

“Then eat the triangular kimbap.”

“Ha, unni. Isn’t that kimbap?”

“Whatever you eat, it’s better than starving like me.”

“Geez, you leave me speechless.”

It was already a busy job as a journalist. My eldest sister, who was at the bottom, not only skipped meals but also couldn’t sleep properly. The second sister, who was grumbling, quietly started eating.

“Hey, eat some of this too.”

Even though she said that, she pushed the braised tofu side dish towards me. The second sister was always like this. Grumbling but warm-hearted.

“Oh, are you taking care of me?”

“Taking care of you, my foot. I’m giving it to you because it seems like you can’t reach it.”

When I asked, pretending to be touched, the second sister replied indifferently.

Father chimed in.

“She’s definitely taking care of you. If you look closely, Minji thinks the most about Yunho.”

“Oh, what are you talking about, Dad? Why would I take care of him?”

“Hahaha.”

Thanks to the second sister, the meal was filled with laughter.

After the meal, we went to a nearby arboretum.

Everyone looked surprised that I was the one who suggested it.

“What’s up with the youngest? Suggesting we go there?”

“Right? You always complained that looking at flowers was boring.”

That was true. When I was dragged there, I would yawn the whole time and come back.

But as I got older, I could understand. The emotion and leisure of strolling through a flower garden and enjoying it.

When you’re with family, the joy doubles.

“As I live my life, I realize the fun in seeing those things.”

“Oh, how old are you to be talking about life already?”

The second sister scolded me. The eldest sister laughed and added a word.

“Our youngest has become thoughtful. Anyway, let’s have fun.”

I understand their reactions. It must be funny for someone in their early twenties to talk as if they’ve realized something.

But I’m saying this because I truly realized it.

In 2055, I would be looking at fifty.

At that age, it’s natural to look back and have regrets about the past.

Coming to the arboretum with the family like this was one of those things.

I need to fix them one by one.

If I don’t want to regret it again.

The arboretum tour lasted for more than three hours.

Before the regression, I would have yawned, saying it was boring, but now I was leading my family around, exploring here and there.

“Sis, it seems like what he said about life earlier wasn’t just nonsense. He’s really proactive today.”

“Haha, indeed.”

“Son! Slow down, slow down!”

And I made a promise to myself. Next time, I’ll invite them to a wonderful travel destination, not just an arboretum.

My beloved family.

*

8:30 PM.

After enjoying a delicious homemade dinner by my mother, I left the house. My outfit was simple. I wore neat slacks and a light shirt.

“Yoonho!”

“Salute. Have you arrived?”

“Ugh, I hate that salute sound.”

In front of Modang Station. As soon as I saw her, I saluted, and Corporal Jeong Yesom frowned.

“Just be like siblings outside.”

“How could I do that? Once a superior, always a superior.”

“A true comrade has arrived.”

“Haha.”

Corporal Jeong Yesom shook her head as if she couldn’t handle it and walked ahead.

Being a drinker, she had already picked a place to go before coming here.

“The gopchang place there has killer soju.”

“Isn’t soju just soju?”

“Ha, you don’t know anything.”

Corporal Jeong Yesom patted her chest as if frustrated.

“Yoonho, soju tastes different depending on the food and the atmosphere around you.”

“The food must be amazing.”

“The atmosphere is great too. They’ve recreated the 80s and 90s alley pubs perfectly.”

“Doesn’t that mean it’s shabby?”

“You insensitive brat. Just follow me without any complaints.”

“Private Koo Yoon-ho! Understood.”

Medicine is best known by pharmacists, and alcohol by drinkers. I obediently followed Corporal Jung Ye-som.

“How is it?”

When we arrived, I realized she was right.

The sight of the well-cooked gopchang sizzling on the grill and its aroma stimulating my appetite.

An old-fashioned atmosphere that you would only see in dramas.

I gave a thumbs up.

“It’s amazing.”

“Right? See, I told you. Let’s go sit over there.”

“Yes.”

We sat facing each other in a suitable corner. There were a lot of people earlier in front of the station, and it was night, so I didn’t notice it well, but now I couldn’t find a place to rest my eyes.

A tight sleeveless top with a thin cardigan.

Her shorts barely covered her thighs.

It’s not an unusual outfit since the heat is coming, but the problem is Corporal Jung Ye-som’s figure.

Her voluptuous figure made the outfit look completely different.

…Today, I’ll just focus on her face while talking.

“Boss~ Two servings of gopchang here! And a bottle of soju!”

“Yes, I’ll bring it right away.”

Corporal Jung Ye-som ordered in a clear voice. While chatting about various things, the gopchang was already being grilled on the pan.

My mouth watered.

“Enjoy your meal. It’s on me.”

“No, I’ll pay. You’ve treated me so much already.”

“Pfft, how much have I even bought you? Anyone would think I’ve spent hundreds.”

Hundreds?

It would be thousands, probably.

Even in 2055, just before the regression, Corporal Jung Ye-som would always say, ‘How can a senior take food from a junior?’ and only use her own card.

So today, I was determined to pay.

“Just in case, don’t sneak off to the bathroom to pay secretly. I might really get mad.”

“…Yes.”

He was not one for empty words. Not wanting to get scorched by fire magic in the middle of the city, he decided to postpone it.

After all, Sergeant Jeong Yesom was a lifelong connection.

He could return the favor one by one.

“The first shot is a one-shot. You know that, right?”

“Of course, no need to say it twice.”

They tilted their glasses for a long time. They also ordered two more servings of gopchang. Sergeant Jeong Yesom was crazy about gopchang, and I had a good appetite in general.

In the meantime.

The TV on one side of the store was broadcasting the news.

– A dungeon that formed in Chiaksan a week ago suddenly exploded today, causing hikers to evacuate. Fortunately, the nearby Hunter Corps quickly dispatched, and the situation was resolved without any casualties. Authorities report that such phenomena can occur at any time and urge constant caution…

“Thank goodness. Dungeon explosions are unexpected events where people can get killed or injured in an instant.”

“Exactly. It’s a huge relief.”

As I nodded, a sudden sense of déjà vu struck me.

To be precise, a forgotten memory resurfaced.

“Sergeant Jeong Yesom, do you know what time it is now?”

“22:32.”

“22:32?”

“Yes.”

“We almost had an incident.”

“What?”

It was someone else’s business then, but not now. If you know in advance what will happen, it could become your business.

I put down my soju glass and stood up abruptly.

“Sergeant Jeong Yesom, let’s go to the second round.”

“Second round? We still have some left.”

Sergeant Jeong Yesom shook the half-empty soju bottle. There were also about a dozen pieces of gopchang left on the grill.

I usually finish any food I start, but today was an exception.

“I know a place that I’ll regret not going to, and they stop taking customers at 22:40.”

“Really? How good is it?”

“They say it’s a taste you’ll never forget.”

Sergeant Jeong Yesom’s eyes, which had been looking up at me wondering why I was acting this way, suddenly sparkled as if nothing had happened.

“Is there such a place? Let’s go quickly!”

I would like to go alone if I could, and I could handle it alone, but people’s lives are at stake.

It’s better to do it as safely as possible.

I hurriedly left the gopchang restaurant.

I took Corporal Jeong Yesom and ran back to Modang Station.

It finally came to mind.

Around 10:40 PM on May 11, 2030, a dungeon is created at Modang Station.

It explodes as soon as it is created.

And it spits out monsters.

In the chaos, dozens of citizens walking nearby are injured or killed.

The nearby Hunter Corps heard about the situation and immediately dispatched, but it took considerable time to enter the middle of the city on a weekend night.

By the time they arrived, the vicinity had already turned into a sea of blood.

We cannot let the disaster repeat. If we didn’t know, it’s one thing, but if we do, we must stop it.

As a Hunter.

“Yunho, a bar you recommend? Haha, I’m already looking forward to it!”

Corporal Jeong Yesom just had an excited face.

But it was only for a moment.

In front of Exit 3 of Modang Station. She also started to focus on the place I was staring at intently.

“Doesn’t something seem strange over there?”

“Yes. There is something flickering in the air.”

The dungeon was created at that moment. In that short time of less than a few seconds, a circular door appeared on the pavement.

“Wow, it’s a dungeon!”

“Guys! Look at that!”

The first safety rule of this era was to run away as soon as a dungeon was created, regardless of the explosion.

However, because there were many drunk people, they rather approached it.

Even turning on their phone flashlights.

That’s why there was more damage before the regression.

I immediately shouted.

“Everyone, run away! If you don’t want to have your guts spilled out!”

I deliberately warned more strongly. Then, not only the sober people but also the drunk ones were startled and backed away.

At that moment.

Boom!

The intact dungeon exploded as if it were a lie, ejecting something.

Garok.

A monster about 175cm tall, holding a broad knife like a kitchen knife, an upgraded version of Noli or Deriphon.

The number of them quickly increased to five.

Corporal Jeong Yesom immediately recognized them.

“Yoonho! It’s Garok!”

Like other monsters, Garok has the same nature. When they see humans, they kill them indiscriminately. Especially in the case of Garok, they slit the belly, take out the intestines, and chew them up.

I didn’t warn the citizens for nothing.

“If we leave them like that, the citizens…!”

Corporal Jeong Yesom instinctively drew up her magic power.

Her hands blazed with red energy.

I asked.

“Corporal Jeong Yesom, can you do it?”

It was a call to fight.

Corporal Jeong Yesom naturally agreed.

“Yes! But Yoonho, you…!”

She wasn’t ignoring me. Until now, I, Private Koo Yoonho, who had been repeatedly passed over for promotion, didn’t have the strength to face Garok, so she was worried as a senior.

I cracked my neck a couple of times and stepped forward.

Garok, before my regression, was a being I had to run away from when I saw it.

But now it’s different.

“I will fight too.”

It’s worth a try.

No, I can play with them instead.