Regressor Instruction Manual-Chapter 1175. A Secret Visitor (3)

Based on the lore, Kim Hyun-Sung was unknown to Flower Ki-Young.

One thing he was sure of was the name he just remembered and... the faint feelings he couldn't exactly remember. There was something strangely familiar and oddly comforting about Kim Hyun-Sung.

I had no idea how I learned his name, but his name filled me with an indescribable sense of longing.

‘Who’s... Kim Hyun-Sung?’

It was an emotion that I couldn’t even understand.

‘Why... am I feeling this way? Why... does his name stir this kind of emotion in me?’

I was sure it was my first time hearing his name... so why was I feeling such a deep sense of yearning?

This girl knew that I had lost my memories. Jung Ha-Yan, who appeared before me all of a sudden, also told me that I had lost my memories, but it was a different story for me since I was the one experiencing it.

Despite feeling really confused, I continued saying the same thing like a parrot.

“We have to save Mr. Hyun-Sung.”

This was, of course, a classic cliche that was often used in apocalyptic stories, but there was a reason why classics were classics.

As expected, Kim Ye-Ri flinched and asked, “What did you say?”

“Mr. Hyun-Sung is in danger. No...” I mumbled.

“What... did you say just now? Oppa,” Kim Ye-Ri asked again.

“Mr. Hyun-Sung... we have to save him... We have to... Hyun-Sung... Kim Hyun-Sung...” I said.

“Ah.”

“Who’s... Mr. Hyun-Sung?” I asked.

“...”

“Ack.” I grabbed my head and started breathing heavily. I was gasping for air with teary eyes, and it made the atmosphere become even more tense.

I felt regretful at the fact that I couldn't play some music, but I grabbed my head as if I was about to remember something, but nothing came to mind in the end. Searching for something that couldn't be found was beyond my capacity at the moment, and Kim Ye-Ri naturally intervened.

“It’s fine,” Kim Ye-Ri said.

“Haa... haa...” I panted.

“You don’t have to try to remember,” Kim Ye-Ri said.

“...”

“Just now...”

“What... and... and who... are you? Actually... who’s Kim Hyun-Sung? No... we have to save him. We have to save him first... He’s in danger! He’s—we need to save him right now!” I shouted.

“...”

“...”

“Maybe that’s what happened...” Kim Ye-Ri mumbled.

“Pardon?” I asked.

“It’s nothing,” Kim Ye-Ri said.

The emotions inside me calmed down when I saw Kim Ye-Ri maintaining her composure. I was still confused, but I knew very well I wouldn’t be able to resolve everything if I was too worked up, so I had to get more information.

“Please tell me why you came here and what that strange thing was. Tell me who Kim Hyun-Sung is as well,” I begged.

Kim Ye-Ri seemed to be thinking about whether telling me all the secrets was the right decision or not. She thought feeding me too much information could affect me negatively, just like the reaction I showed her just now.

She rarely made decisions, but she seemed to be acting even more cautious than usual.

After a while, she finally said, “It was a Memory Bead Fragment.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s a bead with a sealed memory. Don’t ask me why these are all over the Rohen Continent because I don’t know either,” Kim Ye-Ri said.

“Do you... know me? What’s happening to me? There were many times when I felt like I had forgotten something. Miss Jung Ha-Yan told me the same thing, but I don’t understand what’s happening to me... or what happened just now. I want to know why you came to see me and why you gave me that Memory Bead fragment,” I asked.

“You won’t believe me even if I tell you. You’ll eventually find out... but one thing I can tell you is that you didn’t come to Rohen from Earth,” Kim Ye-Ri revealed.

“Then from where...” I asked.

“Before that, I want you to tell me what you saw or what you recalled,” she requested.

She needed to confirm things, as I hadn't revealed exactly what I had seen. If she still remembered the Doom Doom Hyun-Sung incident, then Kim Ye-Ri’s current assumption could be wrong.

‘But Ye-Ri, you got it right.’

The current version of Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t the same Kim Hyun-Sung she knew.

“A man was trapped. It was Kim Hyun-Sung... I’m sure that man was Kim Hyun-Sung,” I said.

“...”

“A dark shadow isolated that man in a dark space, and I saw that dark shadow changing into that man. Those two were talking about something... but I don’t really remember,” I added.

“You saw the black shadow turning into Hyun-Sung oppa?” Kim Ye-Ri asked.

“I-If I’m not mistaken...” I answered.

“Are you sure?” Kim Ye-Ri questioned.

“Yes, I-I’m sure. I heard laughter and someone shouting something...” I replied.

“Damn it,” she mumbled.

Considering the fact that I made it at the last minute, it was an excellent story.

Of course, there were flaws in the story.

I still wasn’t sure how or when Kim Hyun-Sung had met that being, but that wasn’t important right now. Sometimes, a person’s honest words were more convincing than rational reasoning. My existence was like that, and no one could deny my honesty.

‘If I just throw it at them, they’ll do the work and fit it in somehow.’

Why was Lee Ki-Young thrown into Rohen?

‘To run away...’

From who?

‘From the fake Hyun-Sung...’

Why did it have to be Rohen?

‘Because the real Kim Hyun-Sung was here, and I needed to save him.’

I could go with that story.

‘At least it sounds more reasonable than blaming it on the Chanelia Hermes bag incident and the drunk Hyun-Sung.’

I could also frame it so that Jung Ha-Yan and Han Sora were basically acting as my shield. The reason I hadn't notified the guild members ahead of time was pretty obvious.

As always, Lee Ki-Young, the nice guy, had decided to bear everything alone. If a being powerful enough to seal Kim Hyun-Sung was the enemy, I couldn't say for sure that the guild members could defeat them.

No matter which direction the operation ended up going, it was an undeniable fact that there were some risks.

I needed to rescue Kim Hyun-Sung, who was sealed in Rohen, and gather enough strength to fight the fake Kim Hyun-Sung.

I came to Rohen to protect the Blue Guild, and if I really wanted to do so, I could justify interpreting it that way.

Of course, no one could have foreseen that some being had transformed into Kim Hyun-Sung, and no one could have known that losing my memories would lead to the guild members' arrival in Rohen, but...

‘I’m sure the puzzle pieces are falling in place.’

Kim Ye-Ri wasn’t stupid.

I had given her so many hints, so there was no way she wouldn’t understand what was happening on the surface level. Her confused face turned into certainty, which made it clear that she caught on.

The current version of Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t Kim Hyun-Sung but something else.

And they were the continent, Rohen, and the Blue Guild’s enemy...

“Do you know... where Hyun-Sung oppa is sealed?” Kim Ye-Ri asked.

“I don’t remember anything except for the fact that it was a dark place. I’ve never seen the place before. I don’t know why... but I’m sure... it was Rohen. I can feel it. Kim Hyun-Sung is in Rohen right now. I want to recall his exact location, but...” I paused.

“The Memory Bead Fragment,” Kim Ye-Ri said.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“If you keep absorbing the Memory Bead fragments, you might remember the location where the real Hyun-Sung oppa is sealed,” Kim Ye-Ri suggested.

“Ah!”

Kim Ye-Ri was quick to catch on. I saw her tapping her thighs with her fingers. It was a habit that would come out unconsciously whenever I was deep in thought, so I was kind of surprised to see Kim Ye-Ri doing it.

She seemed to be thinking about her plans after organizing the timeline in her mind.

It was natural for her to be this serious, as she had just discovered that Kim Hyun-Sung was the fake one.

The being who had sealed the God of Sunset and had taken away the memories of the God of Sacrifice and Revival. The enemy’s goal was still unknown, but the enemy was an explosive that we couldn’t handle by ourselves.

‘Yeah, even if we make a big deal out of this, we won’t get anything out of it. She can be pretty level-headed when she wants to be.’

“The fake Kim Hyun-Sung is looking for the Memory Bead fragment as well,” Kim Ye-Ri said.

“Ah!”

“I’m sure the enemy is trying to get the Memory Bead fragments so that you won’t get your memories back,” Kim Ye-Ri said.

“Is there a need to do that?” I asked.

“In our current state, it’s impossible to face off against the fake,” Kim Ye-Ri said.

“...”

“We need to find where Hyun-Sung oppa is sealed and free him. We also need to find your memories,” Kim Ye-Ri suggested.

“Pardon?” I asked.

“We need you, oppa,” Kim Ye-Ri said.

“But...”

“Come find us at the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle. We’re going to pretend like we don’t know this information for the time being. We’ll treat the fake like the real one, so just keep that in mind when you and the people of Rohen start the dungeon raid.

"There’s a chance you’ll encounter us since we’re tied to the dungeon,” Kim Ye-Ri explained.

“Does that mean we’ll have to fight you?” I asked.

This was going well.

“No, we’re going to open up the path, but only within the limits so that you won’t receive any penalties from the dungeon. Officially, the people of Rohen will succeed in clearing the dungeon, and then they'll move toward the fake version.

"We need to build as much strength as possible to fight him,” Kim Ye-Ri answered.

‘Having experienced the Park Deok-Gu enhancement plan, she knew what she was doing.’

In other words, they would give us experience points.

‘Our Ye-Ri is really smart.’

If the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle had the basic layout of a dungeon, we wouldn’t be able to meet the other bosses until we had defeated the first boss.

With a well-executed plan, we could control the time it would take to approach the Demon King of Sunset and provide ample experience points to the people of Rohen.

Since we fought Sun Hee-Young only once, we still had no idea just how powerful the buff that the mainstream event had bestowed upon us. Three? No, if we received four more of such buffs, it would be enough.

Although it was a bit lacking compared to the continent, Rohen's overall level of strength would increase if we also obtained bonus currency and experience points.

“Until then, I’ll keep bringing the Memory Bead Fragments to you. If you can fool the fake’s eye even after obtaining it—”

“I honestly don’t understand what’s happening right now,” I interrupted her.

“I understand,” Kim Ye-Ri said.

“But... I know you’re not the enemy, just like the Forsaken Saint,” I added.

“Yeah, we’re family,” Kim Ye-Ri said.

“...”

“We’re a real family, not tied by a familia like in Rohen,” Kim Ye-Ri clarified.

I felt like she was becoming more and more emotionally aware, but her comment didn’t upset me or anything.

‘It actually puts me in a good mood...’

I was happy because it felt like I saw a new side of her.

I thought she was just wasting her time with Park Deok-Gu and Ahn Ki-Mo, but her ability to read the situation and her attempt to take control of it wasn’t half bad.

I wasn’t sure whether she could obtain full authority from Sun Hee-Young, but it was clear that she could persuade the Blue Guild members with the information she had just obtained from me.

It was to the point that I thought the new position in the Blue Guild would be a better fit for her than Han Sora.

‘Our Ye-Ri has grown up to be such a fine lady.’

“I’m going to keep visiting you whenever I have time,” Kim Ye-Ri said.

“Okay,” I said.

“Also...”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry,” Kim Ye-Ri said.

“...”

“For always being a burden,” she added.

‘It’s okay. You’re not a burden, so don’t cry.’

“For not being able to become a reliable comrade,” Kim Ye-Ri continued.

‘What’s wrong with you? You’re overreacting right now.’

“For... making you experience... difficult situations... every time...”

“...”

“This time, we’ll protect you,” Kim Ye-Ri vowed.