Chapter 9: The Regressor Who Carries the Memory of a Destroyed World

The next early morning.

I stopped the mana circuit I was running.

"It should work."

And I began to conceptualize a new mana circuit in my mind.

Although its stability and mana amplification functions are inferior, I tried to make it as simple as possible for someone to intuitively understand.

If I were to name this mana circuit, I would call it a degraded version of the prototype, or, to put it nicely, an educational mana circuit.

I had conceptualized such a circuit for Kang Yebin.

-From here on, don't think of blood vessels; think of virtual mana conduits. Got it?

-Perfectly understood.

Despite her words, she didn't understand.

Wasn't she sweating profusely while running the prototype?

Moreover, the mana circuit is a forced imitation of a monster's organ, so if she doesn't fully understand it, her body will inevitably suffer at some point.

In other words, for her, a mana circuit that prioritizes stability over performance is necessary. For that reason, I tried rotating my mana as a test.

Fortunately, I could confirm that the educational mana circuit worked normally.

"Although the efficiency is low."

As her understanding of mana gradually improves, I can teach her a better circuit.

"For now, this is the best we can do."

I opened my phone and searched for the video I took yesterday.

Third place in the rapidly rising video list.

Views: 4,234,690.

The video, which became a huge issue thanks to the thumbnail and details that reflect Kang Yebin's efforts, is attracting 100 times, 1,000 times more attention than I planned.

"Too much."

That was the problem.

I'm fine. Naturally, increased interest in the clan is good.

But what about Kang Yebin?

Can she, who has only worked at a desk until she turned 24, handle the flood of attention?

"Not all of it will be positive."

Her ability is still closer to non-combat, and the attention that pours onto a weak person who has drawn attention will be unfiltered.

Therefore, for her safety, I decided to pass on the circuit I just devised.

It was only 6:30, but I sent a message, disregarding the inconvenience.

"Should I have asked for her address from 20 years ago…"

After waiting anxiously for about 30 minutes, I finally received a reply from her.

I replied immediately.

"……"

Kang Yebin doesn't know how vicious things can get when paparazzi and yellow journalism team up with awakened individuals.

How ruthless an awakened individual can become to get what they want, even if it means shedding blood and covering their body in it.

There might be someone watching her from the other side of the wall, and her every move could be exposed through monitored items.

"Hopefully it will just end with surveillance."

Awakened individuals might use coercive means to verify the authenticity of the broadcast, and the attention drawn by the video has exceeded expectations. Something could happen at any moment.

* * *

Underground parking lot.

"This should make it impossible for anyone to recognize me."

Kang Yebin, wearing a large-sized mask and sunglasses that cover half her face, muttered as she walked towards her car.

"I didn't do it without thinking. I put a lot of thought into it before filming."

She had revealed her name and face online and drawn attention, but she had her own resolve.

The association where she works is full of awakened individuals, so there's no need to worry about security.

She lives alone, and the apartment she chose prioritizes security.

It's not far from the police station, and CCTV is everywhere, so nothing should happen.

Her resolve was based on these facts.

"Security is the hallmark of South Korea."

Beep.

Just as she was unlocking her car door with a sense of relief.

"Dad! Kang Yebin!"

Kang Yebin.

A young voice calling her name.

She followed the sound.

In the dark underground parking lot.

In a corner shrouded in darkness, a boy was visible.

"Come over here quickly!"

The boy was looking at her with eyes that shone like those of a nocturnal predator.

"Dad! It's Kang Yebin!"

She confirmed that her face, hidden by the mask and sunglasses, was recognized, and the boy met her eyes.

'Ability?'

Suddenly, the message she received 10 minutes ago flashed before her eyes.

-You shouldn't judge by conventional standards.

Kang Yebin realized in an instant that the ordinary boy who never even greeted her was far from ordinary, and that her thoughts were shallow.

She hastily denied it.

"What? You must have mistaken me for someone else."

"My ability is X-ray vision, hehe."

It didn't work at all.

The boy just laughed and scanned her from head to toe.

Everywhere his gaze landed, it felt like bugs were crawling. It was as if she was standing naked in front of him.

"Kang Hansu! I told you not to use your ability on people recklessly!"

Fortunately, the man who looked like the boy's father seemed to know manners, understood the discomfort the boy was causing, and scolded him.

"Phew…"

Yes, that's normal.

Thinking that she needed to be more careful from now on, as Park Shinhyuk had said, she was about to head towards her car.

"No, Dad! Didn't you say you had to see this girl yesterday?"

"Me?"

"Yeah! The time machine girl!"

"Ah…"

The middle-aged man's tone rose at the boy's words.

"Kang Yebin?"

The situation took a strange turn.

The middle-aged man, who was trying to stop the boy, now looked at her with the same piercing gaze as the boy.

He scanned her from head to toe, then approached her, taking out his phone. His eyes, however, were not on his phone.

"……"

From the angle of the phone, it was clear he was filming her.

"Ms. Kang Yebin. Hello. I didn't know you were my neighbor. I watched the video you posted on MyTube yesterday."

"Video? What are you talking about…? I think you must have mistaken me for someone else. Ha ha."

She said this without looking at the man, intending to leave immediately as she turned to pull the car door.

Click. Click. Click.

But the car door wouldn't budge.

Why not, when she had clearly unlocked it just a moment ago?

The answer came from the man's mouth.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you go without seeing Ms. Yebin. I'll unlock the car door for you. Could we talk for a moment?"

"Open the door before I report you."

Damn. What is this… telekinesis? Metal manipulation? The father and son both have such crappy abilities…

"I'm an awakened individual from the Azos Guild. I have a message for you from above."

What do you want.

"What does that have to do with me? I'm not Kang Yebin. Open the car door before I report you."

"Ms. Yebin, could you look over here for a moment?"

Perhaps intimidated by the threat of a report, the man changed the subject.

'Look over there?'

It must be a trick. She didn't look.

Click, click, click, click, click, click, click.

But the ominous sound made her turn her head.

"It looks like a human neck, doesn't it?"

The neck of the CCTV camera was making a loud noise as it spun 360 degrees. It was clearly not designed to do that.

Sure enough, after about ten rotations, the neck loosened.

Thud.

The camera fell to the ground.

This phenomenon was caused by the middle-aged man again.

"If you report me, I'll be in trouble."

"……"

"Ha ha ha. My son may be rude, but he doesn't lie. If you're not Kang Yebin, could you take off your sunglasses and mask and show me your face? I'll leave immediately if you're not."

His son, who seems to have inherited his manners, has none.

If she was going to show her face to a stranger, why wear a mask and sunglasses?

She wanted to yell at him to get lost.

"……Take the camera away."

The bizarre scene of the CCTV camera spinning kept flashing in her mind, making her voice smaller.

"Let's not do that. Come on. If you could spare me a moment, I'll delete this video in front of you, Ms. Yebin."

The middle-aged man took another step closer.

The sly smile on his face.

"I would appreciate it if you could spare me a moment. Let's end this amicably between awakened individuals."

His words were polite, but his actions felt like threats.

"……"

She was speechless with disbelief.

But then…

Given the absurd situation and her own helplessness, she had a thought.

Maybe he just wants to interview me.

Maybe it will be over with one interview.

With his son right there, he wouldn't do anything bad, right?

Maybe I should just close my eyes, get it over with, do what he wants, and go to work…

Maybe this is the most realistic way, even if it feels unfair…

Just as her eyes started to well up.

Bang!

A car burst through the parking lot barrier and drove straight towards them.

Squeal.

The car door opened, and a man who looked even more handsome today stepped out.

"Mr. Shinhyuk…"

As Park Shinhyuk stepped out of the car, his leg glowed blue.

Then.

He disappeared.

That's how it looked to Kang Yebin.

When she was wondering what was happening, his voice came from right next to her.

"What's going on?"

Turning her head, she saw his sharp jawline.

His piercing gaze, looking down at the middle-aged man from his tall height.

He exuded a presence that was far from E-class, putting pressure on the middle-aged man.

"What did you do with your phone?"

His tone was polite, but his actions were not.

Just like the middle-aged man earlier.

Flick.

Park Shinhyuk quickly snatched the middle-aged man's phone.

As his hand glowed blue again, the phone folded in half like a foldable phone.

Crack!

It wasn't designed to do that.

"If you want compensation, file a claim here."

He pulled out a card-sized piece of paper from his pocket.

Park Shinhyuk didn't hand it to the man but threw it on the ground.

"Of course, we will take the video of the situation just now. There's such a thing as a right to one's image."

The broken phone, with only the memory card removed, was placed on top of the paper.

'This guy is our clan leader! This pervert!'

She felt a sense of relief.

Kang Yebin looked at the middle-aged man.

His face was red, perhaps from losing in front of his son, but he couldn't say anything.

"……"

He seemed to have missed Park Shinhyuk's movements, just like she did.

The arrogance of confidently filming her and the ease with which he used his ability were gone, and he just looked down at the ground.

"Let's go, Ms. Kang Yebin."

Park Shinhyuk, who had quickly resolved the situation, patted her on the back.

The gesture, as if telling her it was safe to leave, made her feel relaxed.

Thud, thud.

She walked ahead with lighter steps, hearing Park Shinhyuk's footsteps following her.

She got into the car and looked at Park Shinhyuk as he entered the passenger seat.

She wanted to thank him.

To say it was quite scary.

To thank him for coming.

But when she saw his tense face, she couldn't find the words.

"Ms. Kang Yebin."

His low, deep voice echoed in the car.

"Yes?"

"Didn't I tell you to wait at home until I got there?"

"Ah, well…"

Kang Yebin, who had graduated top of her class, entered university early, and obtained a Ph.D. in the shortest time, felt like she was being scolded for the first time in a long while.