Regression Guidelines For the Supporting Character-Chapter 57

“I must be losing my mind.”

It already rubbed me the wrong way that it was a revelation, but the word night made it feel even more unsettling. It almost felt like it was referring directly to Cha Sahyeon’s skill.

I pressed my fingers against my furrowed brow, sighing as I turned the pages one by one.

I guess it was fortunate in a way — the book wasn’t very long. Most of the pages were blank. The few that had writing only contained one or two lines.

But there were a few parts that weren’t so easy to brush off.

Catastrophe requires patience.

Do not doubt. Even if the Catastrophe is lost and wandering, you must wait.

More pain is needed. The more blood is gathered, the faster peace will come to us.

The birth of the Catastrophe is a fated event. The peace granted to humanity is also a fated event.

As the Catastrophe's power grows, it will draw in the strong. They will become its loyal servants.

On the day the Catastrophe is born, the sky and earth will be cloaked in darkness. A night without even the moon shall bring us peace.

“...Fucking lunatics.”

The curse slipped out before I could stop it.

I slammed the book shut and rubbed my forehead, trying to push through the sharp headache as I forced myself to keep thinking.

“The lab wasn’t the end of it.”

Behind the research facility, there was something even worse — this insane cult.

They must’ve existed before my regression too. Back then, during the raid on the lab, no children were rescued. And unlike this time, the lab had been completely destroyed in an explosion.

Most likely, the chaos caused by the collapse allowed them to sneak Cha Sahyeon out. The drug I managed to stop this time... they probably used it on her back then.

She wasn’t rescued. She was taken again, suffered endlessly... until the Seed of Catastrophe took root and bloomed — and turned the child into the Catastrophe itself.

“......”

I bit my lip, forcing down the storm of emotions rising to my throat.

My chest churned. It was a strange feeling. Pathetically enough... laughably enough, I found myself feeling a little sorry for the being I once knew as the Catastrophe. Even though I knew that so many lives — even my loved ones — were lost by its hands.

“Hah... who am I to pity anyone...”

To think I’d feel sympathy for the Catastrophe one day. It was something I could never have imagined in my past life.

I let out a bitter chuckle — and then I heard soft footsteps approaching, followed by the bedroom door slowly creaking open.

“...Hyung?”

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Cha Sahyeon called out in a sleepy voice, her face drowsy and dazed. She must’ve woken up and come looking for me when she realized I wasn’t there.

For a moment, I was speechless, caught off guard by those sleep-heavy eyes.

She came looking for me the moment she noticed I was gone — even though she was that sleepy. Seeing her like this, she didn’t feel like someone burdened with the Seed of Catastrophe. She just seemed like a child desperate for affection.

“...Come here.”

I put the book back into my inventory and called her over. Even with sleep clouding her eyes, she rubbed them and wobbled her way toward me.

As I pulled her into my arms, her warmth spread through me. She naturally wrapped her arms around my neck and snuggled in tightly. My heart grew heavy.

“Can I really do this?”

Fate? What a load of crap. The thought of it made anxiety crash down over me like a tidal wave.

What if everything I’m doing is for nothing? What if, in the end, I can’t save anyone and we all just die again? There’s no way I’d get another miracle like this regression.

I suddenly remembered what the Catastrophe had looked like before I died. That blank, emotionless face. The long, unkempt hair fluttering in the wind. The body covered in scars, visible beneath tattered clothes.

Even just the drug the Director made was horrifying enough when I saved Cha Sahyeon. I couldn’t begin to imagine what kind of agony she must’ve endured in the previous timeline before she finally became the Catastrophe.

There’s no way Cha Sahyeon wanted that fate either.

Maybe I didn’t know it then — but I do now. This child in my arms smiles when she gets a gift, and pouts when something upsets her... she’s just an ordinary kid.

If we want a future where Sahyeon doesn’t have to suffer — a future where everyone lives — there’s only one path forward. And only I can walk it.

“...Get it together.”

It’s not about whether I can or not. I have to. No matter what.

I pulled myself back from the edge. My resolve wasn’t something so flimsy that it’d be shaken by just this. I closed my eyes slowly, feeling the warmth of Cha Sahyeon in my arms.

***

After the church raid, I had to admit I’d come to respect Eun Woojeong — at least a little. We gained way too much out of it to deny him credit.

I pulled back the curtains that had been drawn shut overnight, revealing a vivid blue sky and brilliant sunlight through the window. Staring out, my mind returned to the “revelations” I’d read in the early morning.

“There’s barely any real prophecy written in that thing, so why even call it a ‘revelation’?”

Typical of a cult — self-important and delusional. I clicked my tongue and started organizing the info I’d gathered from the book.

First, as I suspected, Cha Sahyeon draws in monsters. It started with a dungeon, and the next was a Rift.

There was even a system quest tied to the dungeon, so there’s no room for doubt. What really shocked me was the Rift. Unless Sahyeon had been there — which she was — she wouldn’t have saved me. Like Eun Woojeong, she must’ve been keeping an eye on me nearby.

So the sudden appearance of an S-rank monster in the second Rift was most likely due to the Seed of Catastrophe inside her.

“I had my suspicions even before reading that book, but now I have confirmation.”

From now on, I can’t take her anywhere near high-ranking dungeons. Same for Rifts.

Second, whether it’s that cult or the research lab, they haven’t given up on Cha Sahyeon. They’re definitely out there right now, trying to find the kid who vanished from the lab.

Thankfully, Eun Woojeong said he planted a tracker on one of the survivors from the church. If I wait, he’ll bring back new intel. Until then, I’ll need to avoid drawing attention.

“I need to prepare my side of things too.”

I’ve got new info. There’s nothing urgent right now. That means it’s time to move.

I took a sip from the coffee machine I bought for guests, pulled out my phone, and glanced over at Cha Sahyeon playing a game on the sofa. Then I stepped over to the window and made a call.

Leaning against the windowsill, I waited as the dial tone rang — and finally, the other end picked up.

“......What is it.”

The voice was gruff, annoyed. Typical.

I let out a small laugh before I could help it, and apparently that was enough to set him off.

“Why the hell are you laughing the moment you call me?!”

“Ah, sorry. Didn’t mean to.”

“I’m hanging up.”

“Aw, don’t be like that.”

With a sigh, Hyun Dowoon finally relented.

“...I don’t have any new info for you.”

“I know. That’s not why I called.”

“If you’re asking for a favor, I swear I’ll kill you.”

“Haha.”

“I’m not joking. I’ll charge you ten million won this time.”

“Ooh, I can work with that. Tell you what — I’ll give you ten million won. Just do me one little favor.”

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!”

I took a sip of coffee, snickering as Hyun Dowoon finally exploded in a fresh round of curses.