Regressor Instruction Manual-Chapter 1179. Lead and Supporting Roles (4)

As always, forbidden power was something one could easily obtain.

They usually had small side effects, but they could drastically shorten the time one would need to become even stronger, and they offered destructive power that was just as powerful as one would obtain through normal routes.

Of course, I wasn’t exactly happy about the side effect of losing consciousness, but I couldn’t help but think that Woo Hyo-Yeol was different from Kim Hyun-Sung.

Unlike Kim Hyun-Sung, Templar Gen, William, and others who used well-honed swordsmanship, Woo Hyo-Yeol was the type who relied on his sharp instincts and maximizing his physical abilities.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a beast with a blade since his fighting style relied purely on raw instincts.

When comparing him to our lovely regressor, I’d take Kim Hyun-Sung’s side in all aspects, but at least, Woo Hyo-Yeol had the advantage when it came to perception and combat instincts.

It was to the point that I thought he was better than Hee-Ra noona in that aspect.

Noona was born as a powerful adventurer, so perhaps there was no need for her to rely on the Perception stat, but Woo Hyo-Yeol was even more savage than Cha Hee-Ra, which meant that it was one of the few advantages that he had over her.

‘It’s just something I thought about...’

But it seemed to be more effective than I thought...

‘It’s probably best to go with the enhancement route, right?’

Rather than going with techniques like Kim Hyun-Sung’s Sword of Sunset and William’s Crimson Flower, it was better to take the same path as Hee-Ra noona, which meant I had to strengthen him physically...

‘Should I look into a demon he can get into a contract with?’

There was probably no need for me to go that far. A contract with a low-ranking demon could actually lower his potential instead of increasing it. It made the most sense to consider a contract with a demon of at least crow-level power or make him awaken on his own.

“We couldn’t eat dinner together because of a certain someone,” Lim Chae-Ryeong complained.

“...”

“I knew you had a strange sense of confidence from the moment I saw you, but I just can’t figure out what he’s thinking. I mean, how does someone who’s barely been here for a year have the guts to face off against William of the Flower and Fertility Familia?

"It’s a miracle that he’s even alive,” Lim Chae-Ryeong continued.

‘Yeah, I agree.’

“We’re in a state of emergency... This is the kind of situation where William could use any excuse and take his head for the sake of discipline. He’s so reckless,” Lim Chae-Ryeong added.

‘Don’t be so blunt. You’re going to hurt his feelings.’

Only if he could hear her...

It felt like he was sleeping for quite a while now.

I thought perhaps he wasn't waking up because he felt humiliated, but his wound was so serious that I couldn’t make that kind of suspicion.

It was so bad that I thought he needed some time to recover, even after receiving treatment. If it wasn’t for his beast-like recovery, he would need at least two months of recovery.

“I’ll look after Mr. Hyo-Yeol, so you can go and rest, Miss Chae-Ryeong,” I told her.

“Ah... do you mind?” Lim Chae-Ryeong asked.

‘She’s not even rejecting it.’

“I don’t mind. I’m sure you’re exhausted, coming all the way to Saint Bell...” I answered.

“I feel kind of bad, but... if you’re offering... ahem... ahem...” Lim Chae-Ryeong said. She quickly left the room, afraid that I would change my mind.

‘She’s not cut out for this.’

Some time later, Woo Hyo-Yeol’s finger moved. The problem was that he didn’t wake up even after that. When I left the room, I started hearing things breaking in the room.

As expected, he was breaking things in the room out of fury.

“Mr. Hyo-Yeol!” I shouted and entered the room.

I saw Woo Hyo-Yeol glaring at me.

‘Why the hell is he glaring at me?’

I was sure he had no idea what to say, and it was proven by how he didn't even swear at me, but it felt like he was demanding that I leave the room.

He wanted time alone because he was embarrassed.

‘That’s not going to work, damn it.’

Based on the character lore, the twenty-three-year-old Flower Ki-Young was so innocent that he was slow-witted. The right move would be to act as if I were offering him full support.

‘We’re close now, right?’

“You’re awake,” I said.

“...”

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“...”

He still had communication issues. If we had the same relationship as the first time we met, I would have scolded or mocked Woo Hyo-Yeol for his foolishness, but...

‘Actually, I think he wants me to scold him.’

The current situation was different. I looked and acted as if I were sincerely worried about him. I really looked like I was relieved that he regained consciousness. I was sure that sight made Woo Hyo-Yeol feel weird.

“Could I take a look at your wound?” I asked.

“No need,” Woo Hyo-Yeol replied.

“Please don’t be like this. I just need—”

“I just told you that you don’t need to do that,” Woo Hyo-Yeol interrupted me.

“I’m just worried,” I said.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about, and it’s none of your business either,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

‘Why is he being so stubborn? You still don't get what kind of person I am? Damn it.’

He was essentially taking out his anger on others, even though he was the one who had made a mistake. He was being defensive; he was embarrassed, and he had no idea what to say.

He was refusing to talk because he was ashamed. This level of humiliation could cause our relationship to revert to the way it was before. I had to be careful, so I decided to get angry.

“I’m worried!” I shouted.

It wasn’t like me to shout like this.

“What?” Woo Hyo-Yeol asked.

My sudden outburst surprised him. Then, I saw him looking at me quietly, and I saw my reflection in his eyes. My face was pale; my body and eyes were shaking. My breathing was unstable as well.

It was kind of hard to guess the answer, but Woo Hyo-Yeol probably knew why I was acting this way. I couldn’t help but see Raymond Bolt when looking at Woo Hyo-Yeol’s wounds.

‘I don’t... want to lose any more comrades...’

“...”

‘I don’t want to experience it again.’

The fear of losing another ally. Despite thinking that I had overcome it all, the memories of that day were still in my mind. The entire party was suffering from Raymond Bolt syndrome, so Hyo-Yeol quickly caught on.

“Hmph.”

“...”

“The wound isn’t that serious,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

‘Really? You say that but you became unconscious when you lost blood.’

“His sword didn’t cut that deep. I know what you’re worried about, but you really don’t need to worry. This kind of wound is nothing,” Woo Hyo-Yeol reassured me.

I pitied him a bit because he looked like he was trying to save face by saying that it didn’t really hurt, but I decided to let it go. In any case, we were in a situation where we could talk. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

“If that’s the case... then I’m glad,” I said.

“...”

“Actually, I take that back. How could you act so recklessly?” I scolded him.

“...”

“You haven’t changed at all from when you were at the academy. I don’t know why you rushed in like that, but it was really reckless. I know you’ve always been reckless, but what you did was unnecessary,” I continued.

“...”

“You’re strong and you’ll become even more powerful,” I added.

‘I’m going to help you evolve.’

Skull Gray Hyun-Sung and the disgusting Bahamut were the only dark evolutions I was involved in, but one failed, while the other was a masterpiece.

However, that failure was a mistake. If I were to do it properly, Woo Hyo-Yeol would have an ultimate move like William's. Actually, it would be more like a passive skill since he would be taking the enhancement path.

There was a reason dark evolution was easy to do. When it came to normal evolution, things like the target’s mental state, their backstory, and the scheme were important, but when it came to dark evolution, the key factors were much simpler.

‘One of them just has to die, and that's all it would take...'

Once someone who had reached a certain level was consumed by raw emotions like anger, and it became too much for them to handle, a path would naturally open up for them.

While there was a difference in how one could trigger it as well as the methods used to do so, it was still easier compared to the normal evolutions.

For someone like Woo Hyo-Yeol, who was already qualified for an evolution, only one thing was needed...

‘We need to become closer.’

We had become a bit closer since the Raymond Bolt incident, but if I were to die right now, my death wouldn't consume him with fury at all.

Helplessness and inferiority could be effective, but they needed to blend well with his main emotions for them to be effective. For instance, if he ended up losing his comrades because of his flaws...

That was worth trying...

I stopped nagging, and Woo Hyo-Yeol fell into deep contemplation.

“You.”

“Yes?”

“What the hell did you do to William?” Woo Hyo-Yeol asked, speaking bluntly.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

‘It’s only natural for him to ask that question.’

It was only natural for him to suspect something since William had gotten insanely stronger compared to his first life. The only difference was that I was beside him, and I played a part in the first match back at the academy.

Obviously, explaining this to him was easy because there was no need for me to hide it from him.

“It’ll take a while for me to explain everything. I didn’t really do anything... he actually appeared in my dream world. Actually, I don’t know if that’s the right way to describe it, but... anyway, Mr. William and I spent a lot of time in that dream.”

“...”

“He fought one demon over five hundred times... and he died over five hundred times. It became so unbearable that he wanted to run away... but in the end, he pulled through. What you just witnessed was the result of that,” I explained.

“I see,” he said.

I continued the conversation after that because I needed to explain the backstory.

It talked about the possibility that something was sealed inside me; the demons were after that particular being, and that being had to have created that dream world.

All of it sounded like a ridiculous story, but it didn’t take long for Woo Hyo-Yeol to think in a similar direction as William.

It was the thought that the saint before him was the key to clearing this mainstream event, and that I was probably his key to becoming even stronger.

As expected, a slightly desperate Hyo-Yeol asked a good question.

“Lee Ki-Young, this is a bit of a random question, but...” Woo Hyo-Yeol paused.

“Yes?”

“What do you think...” Woo Hyo-Yeol paused again.

“...”

“What do you think I need to do to become stronger?” Woo Hyo-Yeol asked.

When he asked that question, I was so shocked that it felt like I was struck by lightning.

‘So... this is how things are connecting.’

I was kind of slow to realize it, but...

‘Based on the lore, didn’t I come to Rohen to help this scum?’

Based on the lore, the being inside me... was probably a set-up for Woo Hyo-Yeol’s dark evolution. Actually, I think that was the case.

I was just throwing in whatever ideas that came to mind, and somehow, it all ended up forming into a story like this. I instantly made a decision.

“I... I... ha... haha... I can’t offer a clear solution, but... right now... don’t you think getting rest is the right thing to do?” I asked.

It was a slightly strange reaction, but Woo Hyo-Yeol looked at me without thinking too much, and at this point, I couldn’t help but think it was the right time to add a bit of foreshadowing.

“I’m sure you’ll grow stronger, Mr. Hyo-Yeol," I mumbled with a slightly sad expression, like someone who realized something a bit too late.

“I guarantee it. I’m sure... you’ll grow stronger,” I added.

“...”

“...”

Flower Ki-Young was a vessel, and the power inside me that could potentially destroy the world... it was a power that I needed to transfer to Woo Hyo-Yeol. And I also added to my lore that I was a tool that could be used to suppress, purify, and refine that power.

“I’m sure of it...” I mumbled.