Chapter 8 - The Regressor (2)
While expressing gratitude with his words, Yoon-sung checked the woman’s
status window.
[ Name: Seo Yuju ]
[ Age: 27 ]
[ Occupation: Intermediate Spearman (Rare Rank) ]
[ Title: The Regressor, The One Starting Their Second Life ]
[ Unique Traits ]
???? (Not yet unlocked)
Rapid Growth (Hero Rank) – Accelerates attribute growth. You will grow faster
than ordinary individuals.
[ Traits ]
Master of Spearmanship (Hero Rank) – Significantly enhances understanding of
spearmanship.
Intermediate Hand-to-Hand Combat Knowledge (Rare Rank) – Moderately improves
comprehension of hand-to-hand combat.
[ Attributes ]
Strength: 24
Agility: 28
Stamina: 26
Luck: 22
Magic Power: 19
Resistance: 20
‘...What is this?’
He froze as soon as he saw the status window, unable to comprehend it. The
attributes and unique traits were puzzling enough, but one word caught his
attention.
‘... A Regressor?’
His mind stalled, unable to process the absurdity of the term.
‘... A Regressor? Is that even possible?’
If her actions so far were those of a Regressor, it would make sense. No
ordinary person could take down three enemies in an instant.
The revelation was so shocking that he even doubted whether the status window
was real. As his head swirled with confusion, on the verge of exploding, she
smiled and replied:
“No, it’s nothing. I just had to help. You don’t need to give me rations for
it.”
If… she truly was a regressor, he needed to ensure he stayed on her good side.
If she deemed him an enemy or an obstacle to her plans, the chances of being
eliminated by her were high.
The strange thing was how strangely favorable she seemed toward him. No, she
was openly favorable.
“Would it be alright if I traveled with you? This place… it’s a bit unsettling
to wander alone.”
If it were her, she could roam alone without any issue. In fact, anyone who
targeted her would be the one in danger. The real question was why she wanted
to travel with them.
‘...Could it be that I knew her during her first life?’
Her peculiar favor toward him made it a plausible guess. After all, when he
was on the brink of death earlier, she had silently but visibly fumed.
‘If we had been enemies in her first life…’
That wasn’t possible. If they had been enemies, his head would already be
separated from his body.
‘That’s a relief. If the regressor, Seo Yuju, is favorable toward me, I can
use that to my advantage.’
“Sure… Feel free to join us. It’s no problem.”
“Thank you so much. Honestly… wandering alone was quite scary.”
Hearing her say she was scared almost made him laugh. A woman who had killed
three people in an instant was scared to travel alone? What nonsense.
‘Scared, my foot…’
“More importantly, you should treat that wound on your arm. It must hurt…”
“Oh, this…”
“Hyung…! Let me heal it for you. I just got a new job skill.”
Yoo Hyun’s hands glowed as the wound on his arm began to close.
“This is…!”
The regressor, Seo Yuju, stared intently at Yoo Hyun, as if she had stumbled
upon an incredible treasure.
‘...Was Yoo Hyun someone famous during her first life?’
Or… was it simply because his abilities were healing-based?
“Oh! I didn’t even introduce myself. My name is Seo Yuju. Nice to meet you!”
“Ah, my name is Lee Yoon-sung. The pleasure is mine.”
“Yes… Likewise…”
For some reason, her expression seemed wistful, her face complex with emotion.
‘…Was I more than just an acquaintance to her?’
He decided he could learn more about her gradually. They were traveling
together now, so there would be time. He opened Yoo Hyun’s status window,
curious about his recent advancement.
[ Name: Lee Yoo Hyun ]
[ Age: 15 ]
[ Occupation: Priest of Guardianship (Hero Rank) ]
[ Title: None ]
[ Unique Traits ]
Guidance of a Lost God (Grade Pending) – A once radiant god has taken a liking
to you.
[ Traits ]
Light of Healing (Rare Rank) – Gathers magical power in your hands to heal
yourself or others. Healing speed and effectiveness depend on the user’s magic
power attribute.
Shield of Guardianship (Hero Rank) – Creates a spherical barrier with a
3-meter diameter, protecting yourself and allies within from a certain level
of impact. The shield’s size and resilience scale with your magic power
attribute.
[ Attributes ]
Strength: 07
Agility: 10
Stamina: 09
Luck: 25
Magic Power: 10
Resistance: 09
‘Insane… A Hero Rank job?’
Even the regressor, Seo Yuju, only had a Rare Rank job. But Hero Rank? And his
magic power had skyrocketed.
His jaw dropped at the newly unlocked traits.
‘This is so unfair… Some people start with Hero Rank jobs, while others are
stuck with Common Rank. Damn it.’
Seo Yuju and Yoo Hyun were essential allies. With no special abilities of his
own, sticking with them was the only way he could survive beyond the tutorial.
Of course, his unique ability to view others’ status windows was an advantage,
but it was a secret he couldn’t share.
No one would tolerate someone capable of peeking into their status windows. It
was a power he had to keep hidden at all costs.
‘Especially since I have no combat ability.’
While he was deep in thought, Yoo Hyun spoke up.
“Hyung… There’s something weird. I didn’t get to choose my job. It just
appeared out of nowhere.”
“Hm… Well, let’s just take it as a good thing. Your healing ability was
amazing earlier. You’ll be our go-to healer from now on. Haha…”
“Hehe… Hyung, just trust me!”
Yoo Hyun clenched his fists tightly, determination written all over his face.
“Noona! I’ll protect you now too!”
“Uh… okay…”
The regressor, Seo Yuju, who had been listening to our conversation, spoke to
me.
“Yoon-sung-ssi, what are you planning to do now? Do you have a place to stay?”
“No, we don’t have a place to stay. Originally, I was hunting monsters here to
help Yoo Hyun and Yu-lim with their class advancements, but… then we were
ambushed by those people…”
“In that case, how about coming to the camp I’ve been staying at? I’ve set up
a camp at the northern starting point.”
‘What is she talking about? A northern starting point?’
“…The northern starting point?”
“Oh… You didn’t know. There are buildings identical to the one you woke up in,
located in the north, south, east, and west. The place where you woke up was
one of four buildings.”
If her words were true, and there were three more buildings like the one we
had been in, then four times the number of people from that plaza were
undergoing this so-called tutorial.
“So… there must be a lot of people in this place.”
“Well… the point where I started has some survivors because I gathered them
together, but most people from the other starting points were probably killed
by monsters.”
“…Yuju-ssi, how do you know all this?”
Realizing she had let slip too much information, Seo Yuju started making
excuses.
“Oh…! Someone from another starting point escaped to my camp! I, uh… I heard
it from them!”
‘Does this woman have a clumsy side? She’s completely different from how she
was earlier.’
Well, it’s better than her being overly sharp and calculating. If the
regressor were too meticulous, it’d be hard to take advantage of her.
“I see. I don’t mind, but I’ll check with the others first. Just a moment…”
“I’m fine with it, oppa. She’s the one who saved us, after all. I’m sorry for
not thanking you sooner. Thank you for rescuing us. My name is Lee Yu-lim.”
“M-My name is Lee Yoo Hyun. Thank you for saving my noona!”
The regressor waved it off with a dismissive hand and a nonchalant smile.
“Haha… It was nothing. I had to do it. So… Yu-lim and Yoo Hyun, is it okay if
I call you by those names?”
“Yes, of course!”
“You can call me unnie or noona if you’d like.”
“Yes, noona. As for going to the camp, we’re fine with it too.”
“Alright, great. Yoon-sung-ssi, then I’ll guide you there. It’s not too far.
We should reach it by evening.”
*****
Just as Seo Yuju had said, we arrived at her camp around evening. To my
surprise, the “camp” was inside one of the starting buildings.
Before we could settle in, a man came running to greet us.
“Ah…! You’re back, Yuju-ssi!”
“Yes, I’ve brought some people with me. Any unusual activity while I was
gone?”
“No, nothing noteworthy.”
The man glanced at us briefly, and his expression suggested he wasn’t exactly
thrilled to see more people.
‘It’s probably because more people mean fewer resources to go around. Supplies
are limited.’
From the way he looked at us, it seemed like he was assessing whether we were
capable of fighting monsters.
Curious, I checked his status window.
[ Name: Ahn Taewoo ]
[ Age: 28 ]
[ Occupation: Not yet advanced ]
[ Title: None ]
[ Unique Traits ]
Survival Tactics (Grade Pending)
[ Attributes ]
Strength: 10
Agility: 09
Stamina: 11
Luck: 17
Magic Power: 00
Resistance: 07
‘Trash.’
His stats were comparable to my starting attributes. Not that I was in a
position to talk, but the fact that he hadn’t advanced meant he likely avoided
fighting monsters out of fear.
The man continued looking us over before turning back to the returner,
speaking with a forced laugh.
“Haha… If you’re bringing new people, could you give me a heads-up next time?
You startled me.”
A pause.
Sensing a peculiar undertone in his words, Seo Yuju stared at him intently.
“Do I really need to inform you of every single thing I do, Taewoo-ssi?”
The air instantly grew colder. Ahn Taewoo, realizing his mistake, visibly
tensed up and hastily replied.
“N-No, that’s not what I meant… I was just welcoming them, that’s all.”
It seemed he wasn’t completely clueless.
The tense atmosphere dissipated, and Seo Yuju patted his shoulder lightly,
smiling faintly.
“Good. Then please take care of them, Taewoo-ssi.”
“Yes, of course! Follow me, everyone. I’ll show you where you can stay.”
“And make sure to treat these people well.”
“Y-Yes! Right away! I’ll even prepare a meal for them in case they’re hungry.”
As we followed Ahn Taewoo, I mulled over two important realizations. First,
Seo Yuju only seemed clumsy and open around us. Second, her authority here was
absolute.