Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1105: Woo Hyo-Yeol (12)

I had always believed that rookies who had just cleared the tutorial dungeon wouldn’t be able to show so much potential. I always believed in that until today. The mock battle before me was still ongoing. It was lasting longer than I thought.

I was sure everyone, including the small and major familias, felt the same way as me.

‘Doesn't this mean that they're geniuses?’

“What… was I[1] doing right when I just graduated from the academy?”

As far as I could remember, I was just learning how to swing a sword at the time.

I was not saying that the academy was incompetent.

When the Rohen Continent started accepting players, they built academies and had made significant progress since then. Many familias and nations thought long and hard about the academy curriculums; they about how they could teach the players more efficiently and how they could help the players adapt to their new environment.

The more players were there in the mainstream, the higher their chances of survival would become, so it had to be done. Of course, it was an undeniable fact that the academy had no time to teach them everything, but despite that, the academy's education system was actually pretty effective.

From common knowledge about Rohen to combat and Rohen's culture, I knew that they were one of the reasons I got this far, so I definitely wasn’t belittling them.

Regardless of how good the academy’s curriculum was, most of the players spent that one month trying to adjust. The only knowledge they had about swords and magic was from reading novels or watching movies.

The mock battle wasn’t exactly what the trainees had imagined.

Han Sora and Woo Hyo-Yeol’s powers were shocking, but Lee Ki-Young was the one who caught my attention. Actually, it was more like my attention was on the party he was leading.

‘What in the world happened… to the players this year?’

“They have no hesitation at all.”

“I know they won’t die… but aren’t they scared at all? They’re rookies who have just arrived on the continent. What’s with that move? How is that possible?”

If I had to exaggerate, it was like they were already seasoned fighters.

It wasn’t a matter of whether they were strong or weak.

None of them acted like rookies. Whether they were swinging swords, casting spells, or pulling the strings of their bows, they were skilled with their weapons. They also seemed to have an understanding of what they were capable of doing, what they needed to do, and their limits.

‘What kind of spell was cast on them?’

“Who’s the academy instructor this year? In such a short time, you achieved—”

“If you’re curious, I can tell you, Miss Choi Seol-Ah. I don’t think it has anything to do with the instructor or the academy’s curriculum,” they interrupted me.

“What? What are you saying? Actually… I think I understand what you’re saying,” I said.

Lee Ki-Young and the players working with him were the only ones moving like they weren't rookies.

“That’s right. I assume it’s because he’s at the center of it.”

“I can see it, but it’s surprising. He looks so young. The fact that he’s able to lead people so skillfully at that age… Has he perhaps attended a military academy before? He looks like an ordinary person, though.” I asked.

“...”

“Actually, attending a military academy doesn’t necessarily mean that one will have leadership skills. Some of the rookies were former soldiers. Anyway, how come he's so good at leading people?"

"There are even a few things that I can’t quite understand. Isn't it funny? If what we’re assuming is correct… then Lee Ki-Young has just turned the academy’s curriculum useless, even though it was created by basically the entire continent,” I said.

“That’s one way of interpreting it,” they commented.

“Has it only been one week? Are you telling me that he gathered all those people, convinced them to take his side, and trained with them all within a week? I just… can’t… understand it… no matter how hard I try,” I said.

“The only thing I can say about him is that he’s a genius,” they said.

“Woo Hyo-Yeol is a genius as well, and so is Han Sora. William of the Flower and Fertility Familia is also a genius… I’m embarrassed to say this, but I was called a genius as well.

"I’ve seen every genius out there, but it’s my first time seeing someone who seems so out of place with the title. Do you understand what I’m saying?” I asked.

“Yes, I think so,” they answered.

“It’s to the point that I’m questioning if he’s even human. What on earth do people like him think about? Anyway, do you know?” I asked.

“Know what? What do you mean?”

“I'm talking about how talented professional go players or chess players can play the game in their heads without looking at the board. When I first heard that, I thought it was just interesting, but look at that. Imagine that huge battlefield being inside someone’s small head,” I said.

“...”

“He doesn’t even know if things will work out according to his plan… but he’s still playing the game…” I added.

“...”

“Doesn’t it give you goosebumps? It’d be a waste if only humans got to witness that. I feel bad for the higher-ups, but I’m sure the great GENIUSES haven’t seen or heard of something like him. His talent is even more surprising than his innate talent for magic and the instincts of his body. Now that’s what you call a genius,” I said.

“...”

“I’m sure everyone watching this mock battle will realize that,” I added.

“What do you mean?” they asked.

“Whether he likes it or not, the Rohen Continent will do its best to accept him. Regardless of who takes him in, he will be at the center, and everything will change because of him.

"The first trigger that will fix the mainstream, the war between nations, the struggle between familias, the battle against the demons, and every conflict imaginable will start from that man’s head,” I answered.

“I understand… but you’re…”

'Overinterpreting it? I disagree. I definitely wasn’t overestimating him.'

‘He deserves that kind of treatment.’

I couldn’t help but think that way when I saw the battle starting in each zone. The last mock battle was pretty shocking, but this battle was also worth watching.

The troop’s movement, tactics, and combat styles—I still couldn’t quite understand them, but one thing I was sure of was that everything was going according to his plan.

Even though I couldn’t understand it, I had an idea of what was going on. If the higher-ups were watching this battle, then they’d see that one side was overwhelmingly ahead.

There was a difference in skills between each party member, but Woo Hyo-Yeol’s party could never defeat Lee Ki-Young’s party.

It could be a change in the terrain mid-battle, a difference in their field of view, or how the players were going about the fight, but unlike Lee Ki-Young, who was naturally leading his party, Woo Hyo-Yeol was being bogged down.

Lee Ki-Young’s side lit the fuse while the other side was busy trying to take care of the explosive.

Woo Hyo-Yeol was also surrounded by enemy troops, so he couldn’t move at all.

“That man is dedicated,” they said.

“Was his name Han Seung-Yoon?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“They must be pretty close,” I commented.

“That seems to be the case,” they said.

“Regardless of the result, I think we should recruit one of them. We may not be able to recruit Lee Ki-Young, so we should recruit one of the people he cherishes. I thought there might be hope, but…” I paused.

Just then, a large pillar of light descended.

“It looks like our GENIUS can’t convince that man to join our familia,” I commented.

“So he has chosen… his GENIUS,” they mumbled.

“That’s right.”

Everyone’s jaw, including mine, dropped as they looked at the pillar of light. I’m sure this wasn’t their first time seeing someone get chosen by a GENIUS, and it was actually a pretty common sight in Rohen.

For some reason, however, everyone stared at it with their mouths open.

‘Haaa…’

The faces of the audience members bothered me because some of them clearly looked upset. Choosing the same GENIUS as a familiar wouldn't necessarily mean that one would end up in the same familia, but it was only natural for people serving the same GENIUS to stick together.

I was sure they were really upset because they had lost their chance to recruit a talented player.

Even I was upset.

The Flower and Fertility Familia was different from us. William—famous for the fact that he rarely showed his emotions—was smiling brightly.

I could feel the Goddess of Flower and Fertility’s unique energy, but William's delighted look basically confirmed for me that Lee Ki-Young had chosen the Goddess of Flower and Fertility as his GENIUS.

When the light went away…

‘...’

I saw Lee Ki-Young standing in the middle of radiant lights.

“...”

I couldn’t quite describe what he looked like.

The holy power blooming from him resembled hundreds of flowers that were in full bloom. A flower crown made out of platinum-colored lights was shining on top of his head, and it was so beautiful that even an angel's halo paled in comparison to it.

His eyes were sparkling, and there was an indescribable elegance in the way he walked. He looked so natural. He stretched his hand toward the incomprehensible light and touched them.

His actions looked so natural.

“O God…” I said unknowingly. I immediately shut my mouth, but I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. I felt a sense of respect one would naturally feel upon witnessing something holy and sacred.

It was pure admiration one would feel when looking at a religious work of art or a masterpiece.

When Lee Ki-Young gathered his hands quietly and started praying, the holy petals that spread throughout the entire battlefield healed the wounds of those who had sacrificed themselves for him.

I heard their confused voices, but soon, they realized that they were being protected. They looked around and smiled when they saw the petals of light in the wind.

It looked like a well-written script.

It was like everything was on a stage created just for him.

‘AoE holy magic.’

Those who were about to lose consciousness started getting up.

I thought the winner had been decided a long time ago, but…

‘There are no variables.’

It was to the point that I felt bad for the warrior named Woo Hyo-Yeol.

Unlike in the beginning when he was overflowing with confidence, he looked angry and was even frowning deeply.

Most of his party members had been eliminated. In addition to failing to defeat the enemy troops, their performance wasn't quite impressive either.

If they had somehow taken out some of Lee Ki-Young's key party, they would have had some hope of winning, but at this point, it was impossible to turn the tables.

He had lost.

His first mistake was not knowing that an ordinary warrior named Han Seung-Yoon would get in his way.

I wonder what he was thinking. Could he have imagined that a warrior, whom he thought was beneath him, would hold onto him while withstanding his attacks?

Had he ever imagined that an "insignificant" warrior would behave that way?

Actually, had he even thought about the other players except Lee Ki-Young?

There was no way he ever considered the possibility that Han Seung-Yoon and the other members were talented as well. Of course, their stats were pretty low compared to Woo Hyo-Yeol’s stats, so he probably thought that they were insignificant and that he could get rid of them in an instant.

The beastly man seemed like he was on his instincts, but he was being calculative.

So, what was missing from his calculations?

‘Was it Lee Ki-Young being chosen by a GENIUS?’

Or was it the fact that Lee Ki-Young was smarter than he had expected?

I was sure there were countless variables Woo Hyo-Yeol could have considered.

“Except for a few variables, that is…” I mumbled.

Faith and trust.

“If you can't realize the difference between you and Lee Ki-Young, you can become a pawn, but you will never become a hero, Woo Hyo-Yeol,” I said.

1. Choi Seol-Ah’s POV ☜