Regressor Instruction Manual-Chapter 1137: Fallen King’s Tomb (3)

The party formation was nearly perfect, and I was not talking about levels or stats.

I was talking about the overall feeling of the party.

Nam Goong-Seon was kind and considerate of others, while Lim Chae-Ryeong was somewhat wild, making it kind of hard to predict her next move, but she was perceptive.

She also played the role of the mischievous youngest sibling in the party.

No Dam-Hye needed attention, but she knew how to stay in her position quietly. She knew how to set the atmosphere and play background music for the party.

As the oldest member, Raymond Bolt guided the younger party members well.

I didn’t even need to mention my position in the party.

Jung Ha-Yan had a pretty good relationship with the Nam Goong-Chae-Ryeong duo.

Woo Hyo-Yeol had always been an outlier. He had always been an outsider who refused to have normal conversations with other people, but in any normal family, there was bound to be one misfit.

At least in this party, no one judged Woo Hyo-Yeol harshly or tried to change him.

They actually accepted him for who he was.

Lim Chae-Ryeong, the youngest and the mischievous member of the party, wouldn't stop chiding Woo Hyo-Yeol for acting tough earlier, and the sight made me feel happy.

"Why did you stand still earlier?! That was really dangerous!" Lim Chae-Ryeong complained.

‘She must be talking about the incident earlier.’

When those monsters surrounded them, Woo Hyo-Yeol had his arms crossed and simply watched them from the sidelines.

I was sure Woo Hyo-Yeol's actions had made her feel annoyed.

"Hmph."

"Unni, did you see that just now?! Look at him! He just went 'hmph!' Does being strong excuse him for his actions? I-It’s my first time entering a dungeon, but I heard that one must cooperate with party members in a place like this!” Lim Chae-Ryeon exclaimed.

She wasn’t too aggressive, and from Lim Chae-Ryeong’s point of view, it was reasonable for her to complain like this. I didn’t see the need to stop her because there wasn’t a rule that said family members couldn’t argue.

Actually, a good amount of conflict would help them think about each other more, and I was preparing a serious conflict with Woo Hyo-Yeol as well.

This amount of conflict was in an acceptable range because it was important to establish Woo Hyo-Yeol’s position within the family.

He was reckless and couldn't blend well. Not only was he causing trouble every day, but he missed family meetings pretty often as well. However, in difficult situations, he was the most reliable person, and that was exactly his position in the family.

"There's no point in continuing this conversation," Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

"Conversation?! All you’ve been saying is hmph!” Lim Chae-Ryeong argued.

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"Chae-Ryeong, that’s enough," Nam Goong-Seon intervened.

"But… Goong-Seon unni… we need to talk about this. Miss Jung Ha-Yan, please say something,” she begged.

"O-O-Oppa d-didn't tell me to. F-From his perspective…” Jung Ha-Yan trailed off.

"It’s exactly as the mage said. The party is just now coming together, so I was just standing by until Lee Ki-Young said something. I had no other intentions,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

‘Of course he won’t admit the fact that he was dumbfounded when he saw Ha-Yan spells.’

At this point, it was best to take Woo Hyo-Yeol’s side.

‘When playing tug-of-war, you have to give in at least once because that’s what makes it fun.’

"I won’t say that Mr. Woo Hyo-Yeol’s decision was wrong," I said.

"Ah!”

Woo Hyo-Yeol didn’t show any reaction, but Lim Chae-Ryeong obviously looked upset.

The general consensus was that Woo Hyo-Yeol hadn't done anything wrong, and since I had jumped in as the mediator and told everyone that his decision wasn’t wrong, it wasn't strange for Lim Chae-Ryeon to feel angry.

Woo Hyo-Yeol hadn't said anything or showed any reaction, but… he was probably enjoying the moment. Although he wasn’t showing it, I could tell that he had been annoyed earlier, but now, I could see a small smile tugging at his lips.

Normally, whenever Lim Chae-Ryeong talked to him, he would either have to avoid the conversation or simply walk away, but he couldn't do any of that.

Considering the situation, he probably allowed it to happen, but I was sure he wasn't welcoming it at all. Siding with him was a childish move, but Woo Hyo-Yeol had toddler-level communication skills, so I believed that this was a new experience for him.

‘No matter how childish or trivial the arguments are, winning will always put anyone in a good mood.’

'Don’t you agree, Hyo-Yeol?'

“But…!”

“I already told everyone that I was going to divide the party into two groups, right?” I reminded them.

“Ugh…”

“You’re just running around recklessly without knowing your place,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“What did you say?! Are you done talking?!” Lim Chae-Ryeon shouted.

“Hmph.”

The "hmph" implied that he wanted to ignore her.

“Stop fighting, and let’s eat. Giving feedback is good, but I think the atmosphere has gotten a bit tense. I understand your position as well, Miss Chae-Ryeong, but—”

“Right? Right? You understand me, right?” Lim Chae-Ryeong interrupted me.

“What did you say a moment ago?” Woo Hyo-Yeol asked me.

'Look at him raising his eyebrow just because I’m not siding with him.'

“I’m just saying that I understand it from your perspective. I didn’t mean anything else by it. More importantly, have some of this. It’s going to get cold,” I offered.

“I-I want to e-eat more, o-o-oppa,” Jung Ha-Yan said.

“Sure, Miss Ha-Yan,” I said.

While Lim Chae-Ryeong and Woo Hyo-Yeol were having their little episode, Jung Ha-Yan had already finished a bowl of stew.

‘I’m sure it’ll taste good.’

I didn't enjoy cooking, but I knew how to cook. Yul-Ha would always complain about my cooking, but I followed the exact measurements according to the recipe, so it’d taste okay, at the very least.

After being summoned to the continent, I didn't really have a lot of opportunities to cook, but I was still confident in my cooking.

“It’s delicious,” Raymond commented.

“Have some more, Grandpa,” I offered.

“I would’ve helped if you had told me… It must’ve been difficult,” Nam Goong-Seon said.

“It wasn’t hard. I didn’t really do much…” I said.

“Still, I didn’t think you’d prepare this much during an expedition…” Nam Goong-Seon remarked.

“We’ll be eating combat rations until we’re sick of them… so I thought it'd be best to get the nutrients we need whenever we have the time,” I told her.

'I can’t serve combat rations to my family.'

The seven of us were eating while looking at each other, so there wasn’t even a moment of silence.

“How did you come up with this formation?” Nam Goong-Seon asked.

“I just read strategy books at the academy…” I answered.

“Ahh. I’ve heard a lot about you, but seeing you in person…” Nam Goong-Seon paused.

‘What? That I’m a genius? I know. You don’t have to compliment me, Goong-Seon noona.’

I started messing with the campfire.

“But Grandpa Bolt—Ah! Please speak comfortably,” Lim Chae-Ryeong said.

“I’ll do that,” Raymond said.

Lim Chae-Ryeong cast her friendly skill on Grandpa Raymond.

“S-S-So…”

“The wedding march? That’s random,” No Dam-Hye said.

“L-Later,” Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.

“Ah… okay…”

Jung Ha-Yan was talking to No Dam-Hye, and they talked about more topics as time passed. Whenever the topic changed, the number of people joining the conversation would change as well.

Whenever Raymond Bolt asked No Dam-Hye and Nam Goong-Seon a question, Jung Ha-Yan and Lim Chae-Ryeong would whisper to each other.

It was like we were in the middle of a freshman orientation or in the middle of a drinking night, as no one was talking about anything important. There was also no need to talk about anything serious.

Just talking about everyday life was enough for people to grow closer to each other.

‘But he’s staying quiet and trying to act cool in the corner.’

Woo Hyo-Yeol looked kind of uncomfortable, but the fact that he was here was important. That was enough to make them feel like a party.

“Why are you standing around like that?” Lim Chae-Ryeong asked.

‘No, Chae-Ryeong. Don’t be so direct with him…’

“I’m going to scout the area,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

‘Or else he’s going to run away.’

“You don’t need to do that, Mr. Woo Hyo-Yeol. We have a safe zone, and standing watch should be enough,” I told him.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young said that you don’t need to do that. Stop standing there and let’s talk. I want to know what you did on Earth… Did you learn how to wield a sword while you were on Earth?

"You didn’t receive military training back on Earth, did you? I feel like you were alone on Earth as well… You didn’t have any friends, right?” Lim Chae-Ryeong asked.

‘No, don’t try to get close to him.’

“Your questions are not worth answering,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

Just as I expected, Woo Hyo-Yeol’s patience was running low, and he seemed like he was ready to run out of this place at any moment.

And that was when Lim Chae-Ryeong said, “I was alone.”

Woo Hyo-Yeol's steps came to a halt, and I felt like I was looking at a stranger.

Lim Chae-Ryeong had spoken indifferently as if it wasn’t a big deal to make it sound more realistic. Lim Chae-Ryeong had described what she was like in the past, but she didn’t seem to care that she used to be alone.

“...”

It wasn't like I intentionally gathered people with tragic pasts, but they all had one.

“I was alone even after arriving here, but when I met Goong-Seon unni—”

“Do I need to hear more?” Woo Hyo-Yeol interrupted her.

“Ugh! I’m trying to be serious here! Why would you talk to me like that?” Lim Chae-Ryeong complained.

“...”

“I-I’m trying to say that I’m sorry,” Lim Chae-Ryeong added.

“...”

“I-I think I overreacted a bit just now. I’m sure you have your own plans…” Lim Chae-Ryeong added.

“I accept your apology, so get out of my sight,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“Ugggh! What’s with that attitude?! If I apologize, then shouldn’t you at least try to pretend to apologize as well? What the hell is wrong with him?!” Lim Chae-Ryeong yelled.

“Whoo…”

“Ack! I’m mad! Ah! I’m angry!” Lim Chae-Ryeong yelled.

‘Good job. You’re doing great!’

The Level 2 rogue[1] wasn’t even expecting to melt Woo Hyo-Yeol’s cold heart, but their conversation wasn’t going anywhere.

Although this wasn’t the best way to describe it, useless input had value.

“Fine! You win. You’re the star in the sky, while I’m a pebble stuck on the ground, so t-teach me how to fight!” Lim Chae-Ryeong requested.

‘That was random.’

“I don’t want to,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“Ack! Man!” Lim Chae-Ryeong shouted.

“I have never taught anyone how to fight, and if I taught you how to fight, I don’t think you’ll get any better,” Woo Hyo-Yeol told her.

“I-I know that as well, but…” Lim Chae-Ryeong paused.

“But…” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“Yes?”

“I can at least spar with you. I have one condition, though."

“...”

“If you stop chattering, I’ll consider sparring with you,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“Are you serious?!” she yelled.

“...”

“Just you wait. I’ll make sure to land a hit on you!” Lim Chae-Ryeong said confidently.

“How ridiculous,” Woo Hyo-Yeol commented.

‘This is kind of surprising.

I wasn’t sure if his goal was to make Lim Chae-Ryeong shut her mouth or if he could see potential in this party, but it was encouraging to see him agree to spar with her.

‘What if he’s agreeing to spar just so he could beat her up?’

I thought that way, but I believed that he wouldn't beat her up out of malice.

After our meal, I actually saw them spar in an empty clearing, and the sight made me rub my eyes in disbelief.

“Kyaaah!”

“You’re slow, and your posture is bad,” Woo Hyo-Yeol commented.

“Ugh!”

“Your breathing and the way you’re wielding your daggers are wrong,” Woo Hyo-Yeol added.

“Hyaaaah!”

“The way you're moving your body is really disgraceful,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

‘Did he want to beat her up using his words?’

The spar didn’t last long.

“I’ll hit you one day!” Lim Chae-Ryeong shouted.

“If you manage to do that, I’ll grant you one wish,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“Pant… pant… that's a promise,” Lim Chae-Ryeong remarked.

I couldn’t believe how much she improved in that short period of time.

I thought the difficulty was lower than I expected, but he was…

‘A lot easier to get along with than I thought.’

I thought I had chained him up pretty tightly, but the lock had to have gotten loose, or perhaps it was easier for him to open up because I had unlocked the lock on him.

Obviously, I had no choice but to think he needed counseling.

Perhaps while we were on watch together and sitting by the campfire…

“...”

“...”

A few hours later…

“Ugh… uh… O-Oppa… no. No… not there… ah… yes… yes… yes…” Jung Ha-Yan mumbled.

“...”

“Ah… eek… eeek… hehehe… hehehehe…” Jung Ha-Yan giggled.

I had no idea when she walked into my tent, but after moving away Jung Ha-Yan’s arm, I left the tent and saw Woo Hyo-Yeol sitting by the fire.

“Looks like I’m late. I’m sorry,” I apologized.

“I can stand watch by myself,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“No, it should be done in pairs…” I said.

‘He’s not even looking at me.’

The fire crackled, shattering the silence.

Woo Hyo-Yeol, who was looking at the fire as if he was deep in his thoughts, looked as if he was telling me to stop bothering him.

However, I had to say something because I had taken this shift for myself to talk to him.

“How were things today? What do you think about the party?” I asked.

“They were a mess,” Woo Hyo-Yeol answered.

‘This jerk.’

“Cough! Cough! Cough!”

“..”

“Cough… cough!”

Before he could say anything, I quickly hid the blood that was on my right hand.

“T-The air… feels kind of cold,” I stuttered.

However, Woo Hyo-Yeol was already focused on my bloody right hand.

‘Just coughing makes me spit out blood now.’

“Cough! Cough! Cough! Ugh… ha…”

1. rogue from now on ☜