How To Use Regressors

11 – Episode 11 – Exploration

And so, the six of us set off. There was no need to say anything about Seo Yooju, but even the kids and I were less tense compared to the beginning, although there was still some tension as we got used to it.

The two who were going outside the camp for the first time seemed very tense, with stiff expressions. Seo Yooju noticed their state and spoke to ease their tension.

“No need to be so tense. As long as you don’t shout in the middle of a horde of monsters, we can handle most situations.”

“Haha… Thank you for saying that. But still, it’s inevitable to feel tense when going outside the camp.”

“I understand, Taeu. Are you okay, Haeun?”

“… Yes, yes…”

This woman named Song Haeun seemed quite timid.

‘… Being timid might be frustrating, but it could actually be a good thing. It’s easy to gain favor.’

From now on, I had to consistently work. When I glanced at An Taewoo, his attention was solely focused on Seo Yooju. This woman seemed completely unaffected.

To others who couldn’t see the status window, she might appear as just a shy and frustrated person. But I knew better. I knew her worth.

I lightly moistened my lips and began to speak directly.

“You don’t have to worry too much, Miss Haeun. Everyone gets nervous at first. I did too, and everyone here did.”

“…. Yes.”

‘… She’s definitely very timid. It seems like she lacks self-esteem. How did she gather the courage to apply with this personality?’

“Actually, now that I think about it, I’m curious. How did Miss Haeun decide to apply?”

“Uh… I-I’m sorry. Was it wrong for me to apply…?”

‘I can’t seem to find the right words.’

“No, not at all. It’s just impressive. It’s not easy to muster courage in that situation.”

“…. You may or may not believe this, but… sometimes something speaks to me. It tells me to raise my hand… to listen to its voice…”

Others began to look at Song Haeun, wondering what nonsense she was talking about. I, too, briefly wondered if she was insane until I recalled a trait I had read in her status window.

Blessing of Spirits (Grade Measurement in Progress) – Spirits have tremendous fondness for you. Spirits are always paying attention to you, wherever you are.

“Is there something related to this voice…?”

Unable to withstand the gazes directed at her, Song Ha Eun began to explain anxiously.

“P-Please don’t look at me like that. Please don’t think I’m crazy… I’m not… Sometimes, a strange voice really helps me. It’s because of this voice that I survived from the beginning…”

After hearing Song Ha Eun’s words, Seo Yu Ju seemed to be deep in thought. Unsure of what to say, we walked in silence, but I spoke to Ha Eun.

“Of course, I believe you, Miss Ha Eun. In reality… in this world, there are powers and abilities that we can’t even imagine on Earth. Even I…”

To show Ha Eun, I conjured a small black flame in my palm and showed it to her.

“I can use magic that is unimaginable on Earth too.”

It was the first time they had seen magic, and Ahn Tae Woo and Song Ha Eun widened their eyes in surprise. Especially Song Ha Eun seemed extremely fascinated.

“I think there’s a high possibility that the voice you hear, as you saw just now, is Ha Eun’s special ability.”

“I hope so. Hehe…”

She seemed to be in a good mood, so she started speaking more comfortably.

Suddenly, I felt a gaze on me, and when I looked, Seo Yu Ju was slowly glancing at me.

“What’s this? Could it be… she’s concerned about me talking to Ha Eun?”

“No, that can’t be. That’s just an overactive self-consciousness.”

Anyway, Seo Yu Ju glanced at me intermittently, and this strange situation of me talking to Ha Eun continued for about 10 minutes. Seo Yu Ju, who was walking at the front, gestured for us to stop.

“I’ll pause for a moment. Everyone, be quiet.”

Everyone held their breath.

“I’ll say it quietly once more. There are four monsters ahead of us. I will kill one, and Yoonseong, please handle one with your magic. Yurim and Yuhyeon, subdue one without killing it. The last one, Taewoo and Haeun, handle it together. It doesn’t matter who kills the monster among the two of you.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“I will count. When the count reaches 0, attack them individually. Ready? 3… 2… 1…”

“… 0!”

As soon as the count ended, she swiftly pierced the throat of one monster with her spear.

I immediately began casting the spell I had prepared. The monster hit by the magic screamed and writhed in agony.

“Keeeeeek!”

Yuhyeon had activated a shield in case of unexpected situations, and Yurim attacked one of them.

Yurim seemed quite skilled with her dagger; she slashed the monster’s leg, rendering it unable to stand.

“These monsters are definitely weak. If we’ve advanced in our training, one person can handle one without any difficulty.”

Three out of the four monsters were dealt with, and they started observing the remaining one.

“Argh…! Damn it!”

Antaeu shouted and thrust her spear, but it only grazed the monster’s side. The monster roared and lunged at Antaeu, but Songhaeun deftly sliced its wrist with her dagger.

Song Ha-eun also seemed surprised that the dagger she swung actually struck down a monster. Perhaps by luck, the monster’s wound ended up being fatal.

“Kkkk!”

“Die, you bastard!”

Whoosh!

Because she wasn’t accustomed to wielding a spear, the monster was hit by the shaft instead of the spearhead and writhed on the ground. Ahn Tae-woo immediately rushed over and brought down the spear on the creature’s face.

“Damn it! Die! Die, you crazy monster!”

Whether it was due to losing her senses in her first battle or not, even though the monster was already dead, she continued striking it with the spear.

Thud.

“That’s enough, Tae-woo. Ha-eun, you did well too. You both worked hard.”

Seo Yoo-joo grabbed Ahn Tae-woo’s shoulder and calmed him down. After regaining some composure, Ahn Tae-woo took a deep breath and started speaking.

“Hu… Hoo… I’ve shown you my pathetic side… I apologize…”

“No, Tae-woo. Everyone goes through that at first. You did more than well enough. Can I ask if the job selection window appeared?”

“Oh… yes. The job selection window has appeared.”

Seo Yoo-joo nodded and then spoke to Song Ha-eun.

“You also need to change your job, so you can finish off the monster that Yoo-rim and Yoo-hyun have subdued over there.”

“Yes…”

Song Ha-eun hesitated as she approached the monster that had been subdued. It seemed like she was trembling as she tried to kill the monster.

She decided not to hesitate any longer and approached her to speak, fearing that if she left it like this, it would take months.

“Just think of it as killing a bug. It might be difficult at first, but if you close your eyes tightly and kill it, it’ll be fine.”

She listened to my words and closed her eyes tightly, exerting force in the hand holding the dagger.

Thunk –

“… Well done. Everyone finds it difficult to kill at first. There’s no need to blame yourself too much.”

I comforted her, thinking that she might feel guilty for finding it difficult to kill the subdued monster.

“T-Thank you, Yoon Sung.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Both of you have worked hard. If it’s not too much to ask, can you tell me what options appeared in the job selection list?”

“Well… I have options like spear wielder, swordsman, and thief.”

“Um… I can only see one job… It says elemental mage…”

Seo Yu-ju’s eyes widened at the mention of elemental mage. It seemed like the job of an elemental mage was quite rare.

“Um… This is just my personal recommendation, but I think it would be better for you, Tae-woo, to choose spear wielder. Since I also use a spear, I might be able to help you. And Ha-eun, since you said there’s only one job on the list, just choose that one.”

Upon hearing Seo Yujoo’s words, both of them chose their professions and a light began to emit from their bodies. Assuming they had completed their previous occupations, I checked the status windows of the two.

[ Name: Ahn Taeu ]

[ Age: 28 ]

[ Profession: Lance Magician (Normal Grade) ]

[ Title: None ]

[ Unique Traits ]

Social Skills (Measuring grade) – Receives a slight bonus when communicating with others.

[ Traits ]

Fundamentals of Lance Magic (Normal Grade) – Increases understanding of lance magic to some extent.

[ Stats ]

Strength – 14 Agility – 11

Endurance – 12 Luck – 18

Magic Power – 00 Resistance – 09

[ Name: Song Haeun ]

[ Age: 22 ]

[Occupation: Spirit Mage (Rare Grade)]

[Title: None]

[Unique Traits]

Blessing of Spirits (Grade Assessment in Progress) – Spirits hold a profound affinity for you. Spirits are constantly drawn to you, paying attention to your every move no matter where you are.

Flawless Mana Conduit (Grade Assessment in Progress) – Your mana conduit is astonishingly pristine. You excel in all uses of mana.

[Abilities]

Spirit Contract (Rare Grade) – You can form contracts with spirits. Make a contract with a spirit when you’re alone. Spirits tend to be quite shy.

[Attributes]

Strength – 07 Agility – 10

Endurance – 10 Luck – 11

Mana – 13 Resistance – 06

My abilities are not much different from mine. To put it simply, my abilities are below average.

On the other hand, Song Haeun’s occupation is already of a rare grade.

Without even mentioning her unique traits, the fact that her mana attribute is 13 stands out. Considering that a Regressor’s mana attribute was 19, one can only wonder how extraordinary a mana attribute of 13 is at this point.

“A starting line different from others.”

Of course, while Yoo Hyun’s occupation is of a hero-grade, it was noteworthy that Song Haeun’s magical abilities exceeded Yoo Hyun’s.

In the end, Yoo Hyun and this woman were crucial figures who must never be excluded from the Regression Party. Yoo Rim, with her average abilities, was also granted a free pass as Yoo Hyun’s sister.

On the other hand, for me and Ahn Tae-woo, we were dispensable components of this party.

One fortunate aspect was that there seemed to be some connection between our side and Seo Yooju from the first cycle. Nonetheless, we couldn’t afford to be too complacent.

“I need to prove that I have utility in ways other than just strength.”

People are discarded whenever they become useless. A truth I had felt keenly even while living on Earth. Regardless of my abilities or appearance, the only person who stayed by my side was my sister.

I started thinking about it now that I was back on Earth. I worried a bit about my sister being alone on Earth, but she was such a tough woman that she would manage just fine on her own.

“I hope she isn’t too sad…”

Comparing myself to others made me entertain needless thoughts. In any case, memories from when I was on Earth were stored in a corner of my mind and were no longer necessary.

Seo Yooju seemed pleased with the results, nodding with a contented smile.

“Alright. So, now that Tae-woo and Haeun have obtained their professions, I think we should head to the western starting point. If there are any remaining survivors, we’ll check their conditions, and even if there are no other survivors, there might still be food supplies.”

“That sounds like a good idea, Miss Yooju.”

“Alright. Then, let’s move on.”