NOVEL NEXT chapter 8
8 – Episode 8 – The Returner (2)
While verbally expressing his gratitude, he checked the woman’s status window.
[ Name: Seo Yoojoo ]
[ Age: 27 ]
[ Job: Intermediate Spear Artisan (Rare Grade) ]
[ Titles: Regressor, One Who Begins the 2nd Round ]
[ Unique Traits ]
???? (Not yet unlocked)
Rapid Growth (Hero Grade) – Acceleration is applied to your ability growth. You will grow faster than ordinary people.
[ Traits ]
Spear Art Mastery (Hero Grade) – Significantly increases your understanding of spear arts.
Intermediate Martial Arts Understanding (Rare Grade) – Somewhat increases your understanding of martial arts.
[ Ability Points ]
Strength – 24 Dexterity – 28
Stamina – 26 Luck – 22
Magic Power – 19 Resistance – 20
“What is this?”
As soon as I looked at the status window, I was dumbfounded. It was because I couldn’t understand it at all. The stats and unique abilities were problematic, but there was a word that caught my attention.
“…Regressor?”
My brain froze at the absurd word, and I couldn’t continue my thoughts.
“…Regress? Is that really possible?”
If her behavior up until now is that of a regressor, then it makes sense. It would be impossible for an ordinary person to quickly take down three people.
The content was so shocking that I even suspected if the status window was lying.
My mind became complicated and on the verge of exploding, but she responded with a smile.
“No, I should’ve helped. There’s no need to give me food.”
If… she really is a regressor, then I must treat her well without fail. The moment she is determined to be an enemy or deemed a hindrance to the plan, the probability of her being eliminated by her increases.
However, what’s strange is that she is strangely favorable towards me. No, she is openly favorable towards me.
“Could I accompany all of you? It’s… because this place is like this, and I don’t feel comfortable going alone…”
If it were her, it wouldn’t matter if she went alone. In fact, those who foolishly try to take advantage of her would be more dangerous.
The only problem is that I don’t understand why she wants to go with us.
“…Could it be… Was I acquainted with this woman during the first round?”
It’s subtly kind of her to me, and it’s a plausible hypothesis. I don’t know why, but when I saw her just before I died, she was silently angry at that sight.
‘What’s the probability that she was an ill-fated person in the first round…’
There isn’t. If she was an ill-fated person, my head and body would have separated right here, right now.
‘Well then, that’s fortunate. There’s plenty of room to make use of the fact that she, the regressor, is favorably disposed towards me.’
“Yes… Do as you wish. It’s fine.”
“Thank you very much. Actually… I was really scared to walk alone.”
I almost burst into laughter as soon as I heard her say she was scared. The woman who killed three people in an instant is scared of walking alone? Ridiculous…
‘It’s not scary at all…’
“Rather than that, it would be better for you to treat the wound on your arm. It must hurt…”
“Oh… this is…”
“Oh, hyung…! I’ll treat it for you. Just now… I got a job.”
Yoo Hyun’s hand emitted light, and the wound on my arm gradually healed.
“This is…!”
The regressor looked at Yoo Hyun in astonishment. It was like the expression when one discovers a tremendous treasure while walking along the road.
‘… Was Yoo Hyun the one who erased my name in the first round…?’
Or… it could simply be a healing ability.
“Oh…! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Seo Yoojoo. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh, my name is… Lee Yoonseong. Nice to meet you too.”
“Yes… then…”
She spoke with a vague expression. Her expression seemed very complicated.
‘…Was it more than just knowing each other?’
I’ll take my time to get to know her. We have plenty of time since we decided to travel together. I opened Yoo Hyun’s status window, who seems to have retired.
[Name: Lee Yuhyeon]
[Age: 15]
[Occupation: Priest of Protection (Hero Rank)]
[Title: None]
[Unique Traits]
Guidance of the Lost God (Rank Under Evaluation) – A god with a once brilliant light has favored you.
[Traits]
Healing Light (Rare Rank) – Gathers magical power in the hands to heal oneself or others. The speed and effectiveness of healing depend on the user’s magical ability.
The Guardian’s Shield (Hero Grade) – Creating a shield in the shape of a 3-meter diameter sphere. The user and allies within the range receive protection from a certain degree of impact. The range of the shield and the limit of impact it can withstand depend on the user’s magic power ability.
[Attributes]
Strength – 07 Agility – 10
Endurance – 09 Luck – 25
Magic Power – 10 Resistance – 09
“Crazy… my occupation is… Hero Grade?”
Even regressors are still considered rare with their occupations. But Hero Grade? And my magic power attribute has skyrocketed.
Furthermore, as soon as I saw the newly acquired skill, my mouth hung wide open.
“This is so unfair… Some start with Hero Grade occupations, while others are stuck with common grades… Damn.”
I had to stick with both Hyun and Yoo, no matter what. As someone with no special abilities, I had to cling to their coattails just to survive even after the tutorial.
Of course, I had a unique ability to see others’ status screens, but that was something I couldn’t reveal to anyone.
Who would leave someone alone who could potentially steal a glance at their status screen? My ability was something I couldn’t disclose to anyone.
“My combat abilities are almost non-existent, too.”
As I was pondering this, Yoo Hyun approached me.
“Hyung… by the way, it’s strange, but when I obtained my occupation, there was no selection list. It just appeared forcibly…”
“Hmm… Anyway, let’s think that good things are good. Your healing ability was amazing just now, right? If we get hurt in the future, we can just rely on Yoo Hyun to treat us. Haha…”
“Hehe… Hyung, please trust only me!”
Yoo Hyun clenched his fist with a determined expression.
“Noona! From now on, I’ll protect you too!”
“Well, um…”
As we were conversing, the Regressionist approached me and spoke.
“Yoon Sung, what are you planning to do now? Do you all have a place to stay?”
“No, we don’t. We were originally trying to catch monsters to advance the occupations of Yoo Lim and Yoo Hyun who are here… but we were attacked by these people…”
“In that case, I have a camp facility where you can stay. How about everyone coming there? I’ve set up a camp at the starting point in the north.”
“What are you talking about? North start point?”
“…North start point?”
“Oh… you didn’t know. In each direction, there is a building that looks exactly like the one where you woke up. The place where Yoon Sung woke up was one of the four buildings.”
If what she said is true, and there are three more buildings exactly like the one we were in, then there are four times the number of people in that square undergoing this tutorial.
“So… there are a lot of people here.”
“Hmm… The starting point where I began was where I gathered people, so most of them have survived to some extent. But the people from the other starting points have mostly been killed by monsters.”
“… How do you know all this, Miss Yoo?”
The Returnee seemed to realize the fact that she had casually mentioned too much information and began to make excuses.
“Oh…! Someone from another starting point escaped from the camp! I, I heard it from that person…!”
‘This girl. I wonder if she’s always a bit foolish… She’s completely different from before.’
Well, it’s much better than being too sharp and cunning. If the Returnee was too sharp and thorough, it would be difficult to take advantage of her.
“I see. I’m fine, but I’ll ask the children what they think. Just a moment…”
“I’m okay, oppa. Anyway, she’s the one who saved us. We thanked her too late. Thank you for saving us. My name is Yurim…”
“I, my name is Yuhyeon. Thank you for saving our sister…!”
The Returnee waved her hand with a nonchalant expression.
“Haha… No, it was something I had to do. Can I call you Yurim and Yuhyeon?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“You can also call us unni and nuna, if you’re comfortable.”
“Yes, unni. Anyway, we’re fine with going to that camp.”
“Alright, great. Yoonseong, then I’ll guide you. It’s not too far to go. Probably… we’ll arrive in the evening.”
******
As she had mentioned, it was around evening when she arrived at the place referred to as ‘the camp.’ I wondered what kind of place it was, but the starting point turned out to be a building.
Not long after, a man rushed over to greet us.
“Oh…! Have you arrived, Miss Yoo…!”
“Yes. I’ve brought some others with me. Was there anything unusual?”
“No, there wasn’t anything in particular.”
The man started to size us up, and it didn’t seem like a particularly welcoming atmosphere.
“Maybe it’s because the more people there are, the less food there is to go around. Food supplies must be limited.”
Judging by his gaze, it seemed like he might be trying to discern whether we were people who had been fighting monsters outside or not.
I checked the man’s status screen.
[ Name: An Tae-woo ]
[ Age: 28 ]
[ Occupation: Has not yet been promoted. ]
[ Title: None ]
[ Unique Trait ]
Social Adaptability (Rating in progress)
[Ability Stats]
Strength – 10 Agility – 09
Endurance – 11 Luck – 17
Magic – 00 Resistance – 07
“Trash.”
These are ability stats that rival my initial ones. Though I had no words for this man, it seems he gave up fighting monsters, considering his lack of prior experience.
The man glanced at us and then addressed the returnee once more.
“Haha… If you’re bringing in new folks, it’s best to give a heads up… You surprised us.”
A moment of silence.
Perhaps detecting a subtle nuance in An Tae-woo’s words, the returnee started to stare at him in silence.
“Do I have to explain that to Mr. Tae-woo personally?”
Suddenly, the air turned icy. An Tae-woo, too, seemed to have picked up on the atmosphere and stiffened his expression. He replied in haste.
“… No, not at all. I meant… to welcome these folks.”
The man appeared to be not entirely oblivious.
The chilly atmosphere dissipated quickly, and the returnee patted his shoulder, speaking again.
“Yes. Then, please take care, Mr. Tae-woo.”
“Yes, yes! Of course! Come on, everyone, follow me. I’ll show you where to stay.”
“Please be especially considerate of these people.”
“Yes…! Well, come on, follow me. If you’re hungry, we’ll prepare a meal for you.”
He thought as he followed the man. In this series of events, he had learned two things. The returnee seemed to be acting carefree, but that was only the case for us. And the returnee’s authority here is absolute.