Chapter 8 of the Regressor of the Fallen World

Personal broadcasting studio in Gangnam.

After setting up the sound, lighting, and camera angles, Kang Yebin finally took her seat in front of the camera.

"How does it look? Is it good?"

"Yes, it looks great."

Phew—

She took a deep breath and looked at herself on the monitor.

She had to admit, today was the most beautiful she had ever looked since she was born.

She had applied heavy makeup to look more striking and wore a flared dress from a brand favored by news anchors. The studio was the most expensive one she could afford, and the background was luxurious.

It seemed she had done all the preparations she could think of.

"Don't be nervous, Miss Yebin. After all, the content of the video is what matters. Don't worry too much about the details. It's okay to stumble or make mistakes. Just be comfortable. Be comfortable."

Those were the words of Park Shinhyeok, directed at her.

"Hmm..."

She knew he was trying to ease her burden, but... after preparing so hard in a short time, his words were a bit hurtful.

Especially because she somewhat agreed with them.

Perhaps, as Park Shinhyeok said, the promotional video for the clan didn't really need great visuals or details.

The goal was to use future information to attract as much attention as possible and imprint the name of our clan in people's minds.

That was the purpose of the promotional video and the first request and order from the clan leader to her.

The content, which she believed was already perfect, was ready.

"Still..."

But they say, "If you're going to do something, do it well." After ten years of dedication, Kang Yebin trusted herself. She didn't regret the hard work she had put in.

No matter how good the content is, it only has meaning if someone watches it.

First, the thumbnail needs to be good, and only then will people click and see the content.

Some people say that just reading a script is enough, but who finishes watching an explanation video these days?

"Since you've entrusted the promotion to me, please leave it to me."

After giving Park Shinhyeok a quick glance, Kang Yebin faced the camera.

Don't be nervous. She pressed the record button.

The introduction started with a self-introduction.

"Hello, I'm Kang Yebin, the director of the Magic Analysis Research Institute, a subsidiary of the current Awakened Association."

She introduced herself with a bright smile.

As the director of the research institute, she believed her name and face had some influence. Though not widely known, her name occasionally appeared in news articles, and she had some recognition.

By putting her name and face on the line, it would help increase the credibility of her claims.

"I am also an Awakened with the ability called Time Sleep."

She then introduced her ability.

"The ability called Time Sleep might be unfamiliar to you. In short, it allows me to reverse time."

Since she was the only Awakened with this ability so far, she needed to provide an example before introducing it to the public.

At her signal, Park Shinhyeok brought a glass and placed it in front of the camera.

"You said explanation videos have low views, so I prepared an example right away."

He placed a transparent plastic sheet on top of the glass and struck it with a hammer.

Crash.

The glass shattered into pieces with one hammer blow.

He didn't stop there. Clang! Clang! Clang! He struck the broken glass again and again.

Kang Yebin spoke after the glass had turned to powder.

"I will reverse the time of the glass."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, she blushed and gracefully extended her hand.

Following her ability, the glass fragments, now reduced to powder, began to reassemble.

The fragments floated in the air, retracing their path to their original position 30 seconds ago.

The glass fragments slowly reassembled in mid-air, fitting together like a puzzle to form the shape of the glass. The cracks on the glass gradually faded.

It took only 5 seconds for the glass powder to return to its original form.

To make the effect more noticeable, Park Shinhyeok even poured water into the glass.

Not a single drop spilled.

"The range of Time Sleep is not limited to objects."

She continued with the example.

This time, Park Shinhyeok brought a Vancouver geranium, a plant that changes color with the seasons.

"It's also possible to apply it to living beings."

In fact, Kang Yebin herself didn't know if she could reverse the time of a living organism. She had tried, but saw no changes, so she assumed it was impossible.

Until yesterday, it was definitely impossible.

According to Park Shinhyeok, it was because of insufficient [Magic Power] and low [Stored Magic Power] that she couldn't even attempt it.

'Can I do it...?'

Now, it was different.

She held Park Shinhyeok's hand, which was under the desk. It fit perfectly, and the strange familiarity made her wonder.

'Focus.'

She ignored it and guided the magic power he transmitted through the magic stone into her magic circuit.

She filled the magic circuit with the magic power he transmitted, as she had learned a few hours earlier.

Although a significant amount of magic power leaked into the air due to her lack of familiarity, more was being supplied than was leaking.

After amplifying the magic power from the magic stone through her magic circuit, she used her ability.

Since the broadcast was ongoing, she couldn't stop talking.

Focusing all her attention on the plant, she spoke again.

In the middle of winter.

"In winter, the leaves fall."

Leaves that had fallen about a month ago from the plant stand floated up and reattached to the branches.

"In autumn, the leaves turn red."

The brown, faded leaves turned red. The bare branches were now in full autumn foliage.

"In summer, the green leaves flourish."

The red leaves swelled with vitality, and the leaves turned a fresh green.

"In spring, new buds sprout."

The leaves gradually shrank, continuing to do so until they became white buds.

"This is the past year of the Vancouver geranium."

The strain of pushing her magic power to the limit made her head throb, and cold sweat drenched her back, sticking her dress to her skin.

"Do you get a sense of my ability?"

She didn't show it. It was a broadcast. She smiled calmly and moved on to the main topic.

"I have been researching the application of my ability for the past seven years."

Seven years.

Even though it had only been five years since the gates opened and humans gained abilities, she deliberately said seven years.

"Under certain conditions, it can be applied to humans."

From this point on, it was a complete lie.

Park Shinhyeok said that due to magic resistance, unlike plants, it was very difficult to apply the ability to living humans.

"I can make people younger, and even send them back in time, like a time machine."

Time machine. This was also a lie.

-If you can escape the timeline, wouldn't there already be a future version of Kang Yebin here?

That one sentence made sense.

Although she wondered what the future they saw was, his comment that it might have been possible due to system intervention was quite plausible.

Since some of the rewards from the gates were unrealistic, it made sense.

For that reason, he said a time machine was impossible.

"I applied my ability to myself. So—"

But now.

She claimed she had done it.

"I come from the future, from the year 2030, two years from now."

She said she had come from the future by escaping the timeline using the Time Sleep ability.

She trusted Park Shinhyeok and recited his story to the camera.

"I know that saying I come from the future might sound like nonsense to you, but I am here to prove it."

She said something that would make people scoff.

"I will tell you about the events that will happen in the next week. Exactly six days from now, the light from the unexplored gate will expand..."

But if Park Shinhyeok's memory was true, all of this would actually happen.

Predicting a disaster that would soon befall humanity?

If someone believed her, they could at least prepare to some extent.

According to Park Shinhyeok's additional comments.

"Our clan is currently preparing to recruit new members. We ask for your attention and support for the upcoming recruitment."

The attention she attracted through this promotional video would, as he hoped, be converted into interest and expectations for our clan.

It would be a huge benefit for the clan. That was why she accepted the offer to shoot the promotional video.

"I will upload another video six days from now, after the first gate break, to prove my words."

The clan promotional video was edited and registered on Mtube.

* * *

B-class regenerator Ju Jinhyun's Mtube algorithm mainly recommends videos about Awakened and Hunters.

After finishing a gate and lying in bed, Ju Jinhyun scrolled through the recommended videos.

"This one I've seen, and that one too..."

Just as he was about to fall asleep, something caught his eye.

"Huh?"

A thumbnail that stood out immediately caught his attention.

While thumbnails for Awakened-related videos usually show a moment of swinging a sword or a massive flame from a nature-type Awakened, this one featured a goddess smiling brightly, urging viewers to watch.

He thought, "Is this one of those Awakened who are now appearing in variety shows and movies?"

"Wow, she's really beautiful..."

With a face like that, she would definitely become famous. Even without abilities, she could survive on her looks.

He was suddenly wide awake.

Other people must have felt the same way, as the video, which had been uploaded today, already had a million views.

Hypnotized by the thumbnail, he clicked to play the video.

Soon, the goddess greeted the viewers gracefully.

└Wow, is she starting a broadcast?

└Oh, she's famous?

└I don't know. She just looks like an elite, so I thought she might be doing a broadcast.

The real-time comments caught his eye.

Below the video title, it was marked as "10th Most Popular Rising Video."

He immediately understood why it was trending.

└Who is the handsome guy at 3:25?

└Please just search his face.

└He's an aspiring actor from Sky Actors.

└Huh? Why hasn't he debuted yet? With that face, he could easily be a lead actor, even with bad acting.

└Something must have happened. His profile was on an acting agency's website five years ago, but it's not there now.

└Wow, that's a shame. I hope he gets a role.

This video was truly a visual masterpiece.

The man who appeared next, seemingly unstyled, was even more impressive than Kang Yebin.

"..."

How could the reflection on his phone screen make him look like a squid?

He usually had some confidence in his looks...

"Wow, is that possible?"

This video wasn't just visually perfect.

└Wow. The leaves, the red leaves, the flowers, the buds. It's really spine-chilling.

└Why hasn't this ability been revealed until now?

└As a research institute director, why would she reveal it? She's already living well.

The video, which reversed a year's time in just 5 seconds, was... He could guarantee it. This would definitely become a meme.

"I shouldn't get sucked into this."

└It gives me chills. What an amazing ability.

He usually didn't comment, but he couldn't just watch, so he joined in.

└Haha, someone asked when the apocalypse will happen.

└Haha, crazy. But it's a good kind of crazy.

└Yeah, really 'good' crazy.

└Huh?

└But this person is a real Time Sleep Awakened. You can check on the Association's website.

└Isn't it possible for a Time Sleep Awakened to come from the future?

From the middle of the video, he was just in awe.

"Wow... Look at the attention it's getting."

While he was impressed by the attention it was getting, he also thought, "Maybe it could happen."

At the very least, Kang Yebin's name was definitely etched in his mind.

└I'm on a pilgrimage. Please help me clear this gate without any issues.

└I'm on a pilgrimage. Kang Yebin will marry me next year.

└Yeah, so he came back to the past.

└2222. It was worth the desperate research on Time Sleep. I would want to reverse time too if I were him.

└What are you talking about, idiot? I know?

He was so engrossed that he didn't realize 10 minutes had passed.

Just watching an Mtube video, but the aftertaste lingered much longer than the video's length.

"So, a gate break? The light from the unexplored gate will expand?"

The information in the video was essentially a warning about an upcoming disaster and a call to prepare.

Whether or not she really came from the future, the information could be beneficial to Hunters.

But for some reason, his eyes kept drifting back to it.

"A clan that knows the future."

If he joined that clan, maybe things would be different. There must be a reason they formed a clan instead of just sharing information.

With his guild contract period almost over,

Ju Jinhyun, just in case, clicked the subscribe and like buttons.