Regressor Instruction Manual

“Please... would you just die?” I requested.

It was important to look him straight in the eye. I had to convey my intent clearly, and I believed that, to some extent, it had already been delivered to him. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered saying all these things to him.

‘Though I’m not completely certain that this bastard values his own life above all else. There’s a chance that’s just my delusion.’

Perhaps things had simply gone wrong. Even in the thousand-year war, the fact that he alone survived was probably not because he lacked the courage to sacrifice himself for others, but because the events just happened to unfold that way.

His survival was probably not because he wanted to live. There was also a chance that he was genuinely looking further ahead, so it couldn't be said that he lacked the courage to die in Kim Hyun-Sung’s place.

There was no guarantee that everything I told him was true, but what mattered was that the conversation we just had would force him to reflect on himself. I was certain he would reminisce. Even if that hadn’t been his intention, people living with guilt or those who had lost everything in wars often believed they were partly responsible for it.

In other words, I was sure that he was wondering about the possibility that he could be that kind of person.

‘The flow wasn’t bad.’

No matter how I looked at it, the flow of the conversation hadn’t been bad. He was doubting himself now, and regardless of whether he was that kind of person or not, he was now putting himself on trial.

If there was a problem, I'd say it was the fact that I had exposed Lucifer myself.

“...”

“...”

I was fairly certain about it, as I had already told him. The fact that I had carelessly spoken about her in a moment of agitation did sting a bit, but I only said it because I calculated that it wouldn’t cost me that much of a penalty.

In any case, she didn’t seem inclined to interfere much in this situation. For a great demon, passively watching had become her hobby, so she was probably just watching from somewhere appropriate.

I couldn’t be sure whether, as Mikael had claimed, she opened the gate purely as a servant of the system without any ulterior motive or not, but if Mikael hadn't lied to me, then the chances of her making an overreaching intervention were slim.

No, she probably wouldn’t be able to interfere at all. Just like in the cases of Lust and Eternal Sleep, the system wouldn’t allow it. Even if she had some level of access to the system, it wouldn’t be so easy. After all, this first life had so many restrictions were in place.

Even if it were possible...

‘The price she’d have to pay would be enormous.’

Even so, it was regrettable. However, if trading Lucifer meant Mikael would sacrifice himself, then it was a good deal. In the end, the most important thing right now was...

‘You.’

“Please... I’m begging you. Please... just die,” I begged.

“...”

What mattered was that he had to make the decision. Naturally, I glanced at him once more. His pupils were still shaking. I couldn’t tell whether my persuasion—if one could even call it that—had worked on him or not.

However, the fact that he was thinking about it alone felt like a green light.

Honestly, the fact that this bastard hadn’t suddenly snapped, grabbed my throat, and shouted, "what the hell do you know about me to say something like that?" meant that I was halfway there.

At the very least, it meant he wasn’t going to turn into some psychopathic killer. He wasn’t evil, just lacking in courage. If someone gave him a push, he could probably take that one step. It wouldn’t be easy, though.

“...”

“...”

“You have some responsibility. It’s not like you’ve done nothing wrong, right?” I asked.

“...”

“You know better than anyone that your fault is the greatest here,” I said.

“...”

“Even if I don’t spell it all out, even if I don’t blame you or curse at you, you know who caused this."

“...”

“You know that only you can set everything right... you know that, right?” I asked.

“I... I...” Mikael mumbled.

“Yes?”

“I...”

“...”

“Maybe... maybe..."

‘Maybe what, you bastard? You’d better choose your words carefully.’

“If... if I could help you, Mr. Lee Ki-Young, I would really like to...” he said.

‘Yeah, so what? If you want to help, then help. That’s your role, maybe even your fate. Maybe the reason you’ve lived until now was for this very moment.’

“...”

‘Who knows? Maybe some kind of miracle will happen, or maybe I’ll take pity on you and come up with a way. Maybe I’ll even put up a statue of you in the second life, who knows?

'I get it. Even if you’re in a position where you should take responsibility, asking you to die in someone else’s place feels like an unreasonable demand, but there might be a way. Maybe...’

But... the fear was obvious. He was afraid. It looked like, in his head, he understood that following my words could be the right answer and that taking responsibility could be his role, but the fear of the unknown had overwhelmed his entire being.

He wouldn’t be able to say it. As a transcendent being with immortality, it was only natural that he was even more afraid of it.

What was death, really? What was the meaning of forgotten? He was stewing in that primal fear and curiosity. He wasn’t someone who climbed up from mortality, but someone born from the highest ranks, so how could he not be terrified of it?

It wouldn’t even be a simple death. To die meant, quite literally, to be forgotten by everything. Even so, I tried to cling to the hope that perhaps he would fulfill his role, but...

“...”

“I... I may not be qualified,” he said.

“...” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

“...”

“Qualification for what?” I asked.

“T-this first life... is, in the end, a stage created for sacrifice, resurrection, and the sunset. According to the system, both of you must establish that narrative... I-I’m merely an assistant. I’ll do anything I can for this continent, but even if I were to become the sunset, there’s no guarantee everything will return to how it was,” he clarified.

“You don’t want to become the sunset, but you want to replace Kim Hyun-Sung?” I questioned.

“T-that’s not what I mean, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. I’m... speaking in terms of plausibility. If my true body... if I had descended here the proper way, the chances might be higher. But you know this as well, right? That I’m incomplete. I’m merely borrowing Dr. Michele’s body, and contrary to what you might think, Dr. Michele still exists within me.

"This body is nothing more than that of a mortal's body. I-I don’t believe I’m qualified. I don’t believe the system will permit me,” he said.

“I see. You might be right, Mr. Mikael,” I said.

“...”

“It’s not like I never considered whether you could do it or not,” I added.

“Yes... I—”

“But... in a situation like this... isn’t making excuses like that a bit pathetic?” I interrupted him.

“...”

“You won’t know unless you try,” I said.

“As I said before... I am speaking about plausibility... It’s not as if we’ve lost all chances yet. We might be able to return to the past again, or there may be other opportunities. If I disappear here for nothing, then even those possibilities will vanish... Don’t you understand that? Rather than gambling on an uncertain outcome, it would be more rational to choose a more certain and safer option...” he suggested.

“That’s all just excuses. Of course, I don’t think you’re entirely wrong, Mr. Mikael. There’s a real chance your death might just be meaningless, and maybe we’re the ones making a mistake right now.

"As you said, choosing a more certain option over an uncertain gamble is the rational thing to do, but that’s not why you’re hesitating,” I told him.

“It’s not like that,” he said, denying it.

“You’re just... afraid of dying,” I said.

“...”

“You’re afraid of being forgotten by everyone. You're afraid that your existence might disappear into nothingness. You're afraid of what comes after death, of what might be waiting for you. Of course, you’re scared. For transcendent beings who live eternally, what does death even mean to you?

"I'm from the bottom, so I can’t fully understand your kind, but even for us, the end is unknown. You don’t have to be ashamed. Everyone is afraid of it and will avoid it; it's not just you,” I said.

“...”

“I can understand that fear you’re feeling. If it’s not just death but complete erasure, then... of course it would feel even more terrifying,” I added.

“...”

“Come on...”

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young... I—”

“Mikael, I don’t think I have any expectations left for you, nor any reason to be angry anymore. I just realized how stupid it is to argue with a coward like you. Did you really think what I wanted was for you to sacrifice and die?” I questioned.

‘Well, that is what I wanted.’

“I was giving you a chance. A chance to take a step forward, and a chance to atone,” I said.

‘This is seriously irritating.’

I had no choice but to turn around and walk away.

The fact that I held even a sliver of expectation for a useless bastard like him...

‘Yeah, I was an idiot.’

Of course, I felt like tearing him apart and killing him. I wanted to thrust a dagger into his throat right then and there or smash his head in with a rock. Of course, unlike in the world of sunset, he wouldn’t go down that easily. In reality, it was impossible for me to kill him and offer him up as a sacrifice. He was far stronger than I, after all.

If I really wanted to deal with him, I’d have to call upon Lust and Eternal Sleep, or find some other way around it. In fact, even at this very moment, several ways to deal with him were already coming to mind.

I was still boiling over in fury, and there were too many things bothering me to just leave that idiot alone, but even that anger wasn’t enough to make me lay a hand on him.

It wasn’t because there was no time, and it wasn’t because every second was critical. It also wasn’t because I needed to reach First Lee Ki-Young as quickly as possible.

It was simply because Mikael wasn’t worth it. Literally, this bastard wasn’t worth touching. He was not worth killing, not worth thinking about, not worth talking to, and not worth dealing with. He had no value. And—

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young! Wait... just a moment. Could you hear me out one more time? This is reckless. For your own sake and for Mr. Kim Hyun-Sung, this is... this is dangerous. It’s dangerous,” Mikael shouted.

“Do you think I don’t know that? Do you think I don’t realize how stupid it is to roll the dice here?” I said, arguing with him.

“...”

“But life is always a series of choices where you roll the dice. Choosing to gamble for something is always a dangerous decision,” I added.

“...”

“Don’t follow me, you bastard."

“...”

“Don’t go poking around trying to do something pointless, just get lost."

“...”

“You’re not even worth killing or dealing with. The time I wasted on you is a shame, idiot."

“...”

“Were you afraid of disappearing? You were, weren’t you? But you know what?” I paused.

“...”

The greatest judgement I could give him... was to forget him.

“You’ve already disappeared from me,” I continued.

“...”

“...”

“You stupid bastard,” I added.

I caught sight of him standing there blankly, staring in my direction.