Absolute Regression

Episode 4 Is this the first time I’ve eaten Gyesamyeon in decades?

After returning to my residence, I stood in front of the bronze mirror.

When I was young, I was green and full of life. It seemed like it would be a good idea to just stare at the mirror all day.

After enjoying my youthful appearance for a while, I suddenly thought of Hwamugi.

What is he doing now?

Is he somewhere going through hell training to become stronger?

It’s an easy solution if you can find and kill him before he gets stronger. The problem is that finding firearms is not easy. He appeared in the martial arts world as if he had fallen from the sky, and after achieving the three peaks, he left the martial arts world and went into seclusion, so no information was known about Hwamugi. However, sending people to the entire central office to find a person named Hwamu-gi is a dangerous attempt that will cause Hwamu-gi to behave unexpectedly.

In the end, it is best for me to become stronger than Hwamugi.

Fortunately, heaven gave me enough time to prepare. I will become stronger with time on my side.

Was it because he was thinking of fire weapons? Danjeon’s inner energy wriggled and responded.

Sanggongdog had disappeared as if it had never been read in the first place. After the dance, there was no sign of poisoning, so it seems Gu Pyeong-ho got the poison right.

Well, I guess he would have dared to think of taking a mountain pass from the flesh and blood of the Heavenly Demon.

After being lost in thought for a while, I called out the name of the person I am most thankful for in my life.

“Ian (李安).”

A welcome voice came from outside the door when I called.

“Yes, master.”

“come in.”

Then the door opened and a young woman came in. She looked like she was bursting out of her clothes, and she was a woman who could be described as bloated rather than fat.

Ian, the reception guard.

I didn’t know at the time. The reason she is so huge is because of the martial arts she has learned. No, it’s because of me.

Whole body petrification.

It was a martial art that temporarily made flesh as hard as stone, and it was a secret technique of non-human beings that was secretly passed down only to her. Growing larger is a fatal side effect of this martial arts skill.

I asked, looking at her through the mirror.

“How do I look?”

She answered coolly in the mirror.

“You are the most handsome in Gangho.”

Ian’s voice was so good.

So much so that I can guarantee that if I were to enter a contest to select someone with a good voice in the midfield, I would definitely win.

“Not funny.”

“There is always a fixed answer to the question of the person giving the monthly salary.”

Not only did you have a great voice, but you also had such a cheerful personality.

Ian asked me as our eyes met through the mirror.

“Why do you look at me like that?”

It was thanks to Ian that I survived that day.

She threw herself to block the sword that Fire Mugi fired to kill me.

The fire weapon’s sword energy penetrated her entire body, but slightly changed direction in the process. That’s why it narrowly missed my heart.

Hwamugi did not confirm my death. Because he wouldn’t have thought that his attack would have missed. Ian’s sacrifice and his pride are what saved my life.

‘Thank you Ian.’

She was ready to give up her life for me, but at that time, I thought of her as just another escort. I took her existence for granted. It’s as if we don’t know how grateful we are for the air.

“You did a good job dancing today. “It was really awesome.”

I turned to her. I slowly walked towards her in real life, not in the mirror.

There was a difference between the girl in my memory and the real girl.

‘It’s bigger than I thought.’

I quietly looked at her and remembered her as a child.

A doll-like appearance that was so pretty when it had sad eyes and a sharp nose. Everyone agreed that if she grew up like this, she would be the most beautiful girl in the world.

One day, the pretty girl appeared fat. Because she had gained so much weight, I didn’t realize how much she cried and how swollen her eyes were.

That little girl spoke to me with the same look in her eyes as she does today.

I will protect you, Master.

How on earth did that girl feel?

Her only crime was being born into a demonic cult and growing up as a bodyguard. The price she had to pay was too great.

Would I have comforted her heart even though she gave up her looks that would make her the most beautiful woman in the world? Maybe he started to treat her coldly after he became fat? I don’t remember much about my memories with her.

On the other hand, she kept her promise. I threw my big body to block the sword, and thanks to that, I survived.

I think this return is worthwhile just by saving Ian.

‘Ian, let me make a promise too. I will make sure to eliminate the side effects of full body petrification.’

I blurted out to her.

“We shouldn’t become friends.”

She asked with a puzzled look.

“yes? “Why?”

“Being attached to a guard, not just another warrior, is accumulating points by asking him to die for me, right? “It’s a mean thing.”

“What are you saying? “It is natural for me to protect you, Master.”

“Where is the natural sacrifice? Always put yourself first, then your family, then the escort. “I want a reasonable person like that to protect me.”

Ian didn’t even worry at all.

“That can’t be possible. I am a master once again. And I don’t have any family.”

I don’t dare measure the level of loyalty this stubborn woman has for me.

“You’re feeling strange today.”

“Shall I show you something more strange? let’s go.”

“Where?”

I said as I strode out.

“To overturn the table.”

That way, I went straight to the kitchen.

Then, he summoned all the kitchen family members, including Master Lim, who was in charge.

The person I called out from among those lined up was an assistant clerk who had been working here for three years.

“Why did you do that?”

“yes? “What do you mean?”

“Why did you put acid poison in my rice?”

Everyone was surprised by those words.

“No, I’m not!”

The good thing about regression is that you don’t have to go into people’s minds. I already know why this guy got on the Sanggongdog. He was addicted to gambling and had a lot of debt. He squandered his parents’ money and all his friends’ money, and even committed a great act by poisoning his relatives with Cheonma’s blood. Gambling is this scary.

“You went gambling again with the 3,000 nyang you received, right?”

For a moment, the guy flinched and fell flat on the spot.

“Please save me. I was wrong. “I committed a big sin because I was blinded by money.”

“Did Gu Pyeong-ho personally come and give you money?”

“yes.”

The moment he admitted, I cut off his head with a single sword.

Suddenly!

It was my first murder after returning, but I wasn’t particularly impressed. Because he lived a life of ruthlessly killing those he thought were evil. The last mercy shown to him was to kill him painlessly.

Even in his life before returning, he died today. He died after being stabbed to death in a gambling room on the night of the martial arts competition. It was probably an assassin’s sword sent by Gu Pyeong-ho to kill a murderer.

In any case, poisoning the food you eat was something that should never be tolerated. Because one forgiveness will lead to another attempt.

“It’s not just anyone else, but Sooksu, who is poison to the rice!”

Sook-soo Lim, who had a miserable expression on his face at my words, knelt down.

“I’m sorry, Master.”

“Come on? “Are you having bad knees?”

“Everything is my responsibility.”

“Why is this Lim Sook-su’s responsibility? “It’s the poisoner’s fault.”

“Everything that happens in the kitchen is my responsibility.”

I helped him up.

“Im Sook-su. “If something unjust happens at our school, is my father responsible?”

“yes? No, absolutely not.”

“But why does Suksu Lim say it’s his responsibility? Don’t be silly, just ask for chicken noodle soup for dinner! “I want to eat for the first time in a long time.”

How many decades have you been eating this?

“Did you eat it the day before yesterday?”

“Lim Sook-su, I’m still holding the knife. Blood dripping.”

“I will make it delicious and serve it.”

When I left the kitchen, Ian, who was waiting outside, asked urgently.

“sorry. “It’s my fault as the person in charge of the escort.”

“Why are you so anxious to take responsibility? “Have you got the disease of responsibility?”

“We will make sure this never happens again.”

“That’s it. Let’s spread rumors around school about this incident. “Gu Pyeong-ho instigated it, and I cut down the poisoned Sook-su.”

“Hyeolcheon Doma will deny it.”

“That’s okay. “There are many eyes and ears here to see and hear.”

Everyone in the kitchen saw it, so denying it would be useless.

“If you do something dirty, bad rumors will spread. Spread the word! “Make the dogs on campus bark ‘Sangong Sangong!’”

“All right.”

“let’s go.”

Ian, who was following behind, spoke cautiously.

“Ah… It really seems like something has changed today.”

Because she was the one who helped me closest, she was the first to notice my changes.

“You tell jokes that you don’t normally do. “It seems like your actions and words have changed as well.”

“I decided to live a different life starting today.”

“Suddenly?”

“Yeah, suddenly. I don’t think people change a little bit every day. When something happens, things change drastically. Isn’t that why everyone says people don’t change because it’s difficult and doesn’t happen often? let’s go.”

I walked away again without giving her a chance to ask what was the reason.

* * *

“Is all this necessary?”

Ian was surprised to see the items I prepared for hunting with my father.

I nodded as I packed the prepared items into a large leather bag.

“I need.”

“I didn’t know you had any expertise in camping.”

Ian, I don’t think anyone at our school has gone camping as much as I have.

“I have to prepare a lot since I’m with my father.”

“I hope you have a good time.”

“Is that going to happen?”

It wasn’t an unnecessary harsh treatment. I was confident about other things, but I wasn’t as confident about my relationship with my father. Since I’ve lived longer than my father’s age… I’m even less confident.

“You have to make it happen. “It will happen.”

Ian smiled and greeted me.

“Have a nice dream today.”

But I didn’t sleep well that day.

I really had a nightmare. In my dream, I was still looking for ingredients for the method of regression. It was a dream where I was wandering around all over the place because there were no materials where I was supposed to be.

Ian’s voice was heard at that time.

“Master, are you okay?”

He probably screamed while dreaming.

“It’s not okay. “It was a dirty dream.”

“What did you dream about?”

“To compare it to your case, is it a dream to start from the lowest level unmanned again?”

“iced coffee! “Please kill me instead.”

I sat down on the bed and looked at the dream on the wall. I saw myself as a young person, as if a dream was just a dream.

I felt good again because I looked younger.

Yes, if I could face the mornings of my youth again, it would be okay to have nightmares every day.

“You seem nervous.”

“You’re traveling with someone scarier than a tiger.”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to breathe properly.”

“I’m going to take a shower. “Please prepare new military uniform.”

“yes.”

In my past life, when I was having a hard time, I imagined what I would do if I returned. Just imagining it felt good and helped me overcome the pain.

But nowhere in my imagination was there any hunting with my father the day after his return. I will know whether my instinctive choice was right the moment the hunt is over.

After completing all preparations, I strapped on my large leather bag and walked slowly toward Cheonmajeon, where my father was waiting.