Chapter 100

# 100

Regression User Manual Chapter 100

The Old Guard (1)

The expedition team, having just arrived at the guild house, hurriedly unpacked their bags and headed downstairs.

They thought it was important to check the body of the guild master first. After a brief moment of consideration, I decided to go down as well.

While I did want to have a conversation with Ji-hye immediately, I figured it wouldn't be too late to do so after assessing the internal situation of the guild.

I glanced at Ji-hye and nodded, and she nodded back.

It seemed she understood what I was thinking without me having to say it. I could also guess what she was thinking.

'Soulmates?'

Perhaps the system's mention of soulmates referred to this.

'Our thought patterns are very similar...'

Actually, not being able to recruit her into the Blue was one of my worst mistakes.

I should have kept her closer and made use of her.

'Tch.'

Of course, my current position isn't bad either.

"..."

In any case, I had to part ways with Ji-hye, who could be considered an outsider to the guild, for a moment.

After she gave a slight nod, I passed by her and went downstairs to the guild house, where I saw a very neatly organized space.

A man lay in a coffin in a room filled with white flowers.

He looked a bit older, and the many scars on his face gave an idea of who he was.

His chin was covered with a beard, and his hair was white in many places.

'In his 40s?'

Perhaps even in his 50s.

Due to the influence of mana, aging was slow, so it was hard to guess his exact age, but he certainly looked to be of a senior age.

He looked very peaceful, and as expected, cries could be heard from various places.

"Ugh..."

"Master..."

"Ugh... Uncle, Uncle. You said you would keep living. Uncle... Ugh..."

I couldn't empathize with their sorrow.

I didn't feel bitter, but the tears that filled the room showed how much others were grieving.

'Uncle?'

Among them, Sang-hee had the most intense reaction.

She seemed to maintain her composure before entering, but after coming in, she couldn't control herself.

I didn't know what had happened between them, but it was clear that their relationship was not ordinary.

The way she pulled the body and kept crying resembled the reaction of someone who had lost a family member.

'Or perhaps a lover.'

Considering the age difference, it wasn't a convincing story, but her reaction was like that of someone who had lost a loved one.

It would be natural to think that she should be left alone.

Some members of the 2nd squad quietly moved to comfort her.

Our 7th squad was the same.

Hyun-sung seemed to want to comfort Sang-hee and was still by her side, but in the sea of tears, Deok-gu was crying with her, and Ye-ri was quietly bowing her head.

"He must have gone to a peaceful place."

Sun-hee-yeong pushed her holy power towards the body, paid her respects, and then started to comfort the others.

I did the same.

With Jung-hyeon holding my arm tightly, we moved upstairs.

"Hyeon."

"Yes? Oppa?"

"Did you notice anything strange...?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like the flow of mana... or any traces on the body. I'm not very sensitive to mana, so I was just asking in case."

"Ah... No, I didn't notice anything strange. To find out more, I would need to look more closely... but I only saw it briefly from a distance..."

"Hmm..."

Her face showed a sense of guilt.

I slowly stroked her head, and she seemed to feel better, humming a little tune.

My thoughts became complicated.

Jung-hyeon is sensitive to mana.

Regardless of her current mana ability, her latent ability is legendary, giving her a passive-like ability.

The fact that she didn't notice even the slightest flow of mana or residual mana on the body suggests that the guild master's death was not a magical murder.

'Ugh...'

When we went upstairs, the members of the 2nd squad came into view.

They were scattered around the guild tavern.

As I approached the group gathered around Jeong-yeon, some of them greeted me.

This could be considered a success from the dungeon.

"Ah, Gi-young."

"Yes. I can see you're very upset."

"No, it's not just us. Compared to Sang-hee... she must be feeling it even more."

"You two must have been very close."

"Yes, she must be very upset. They've been together since the tutorial..."

"Since the tutorial?"

"Yes. I guess the 7th squad might not know. The Blue guild was founded by Sang-hee and the guild master, Joo-seung-jun. They started together from the tutorial and settled in Lindel after that. Sang-hee wasn't an adult at the time, so it must have been a long time ago. About 15 years, I think."

Considering Sang-hee is 33 now, she must have been 18 at the time. Given that people from the other world came here about 20 years ago, she was almost an early member.

"That's a long time."

"Yes. We haven't been in the Blue for long, so we don't know the details, but Sang-hee followed the master like a father. When the master was cursed, she even tried to enter the dungeon herself."

"Ah..."

"I remember they always moved together. Even when they first founded the guild... and when they first went to the dungeon or hunting. I'm not belittling Sang-hee, but without the master, there wouldn't be the Sang-hee we know today."

I turned my head slightly to look at Jeong-yeon, who nodded.

"I feel a bit bitter too. Not as much as Sang-hee, but I've been in the Blue for a long time. Joo-seung-jun was..."

"Yes."

"He was a great person. He was willing to sacrifice for others and cared for us a lot. He didn't want to expand the guild too much because he thought it would be hard to take care of each member if it got too big... and everyone in the guild liked him. The 5th squad even transferred here just to follow him. Of course, that's not the case now."

"..."

"I thought I was used to parting with people, but I can't seem to adapt."

I didn't know Joo-seung-jun, but I could tell he had a very good character.

Not only that.

"He was strong."

'Competent.'

He was very competent.

I was already suspicious about the state of the Blue.

Sang-hee is strong but not an ideal leader. Being a good person isn't enough to lead a group.

The Blue was a centralized guild centered around Joo-seung-jun.

Without a head, the body was bound to waver.

It wasn't surprising that the old guard like Seul-ho was causing trouble.

"Was Seul-ho one of the early members too?"

"Yes."

'As expected.'

"Seul-ho was also with us from the tutorial. He was very active as a combatant and contributed a lot to the Blue's establishment. Of course, he often clashed with the master, but they had a good relationship. The same with Sang-hee. Although not recently..."

"Ah... I see. He must have trusted him a lot."

"Yes. As you can see... Seul-ho must be heartbroken too."

"Maybe. I'm not sure if he's really that upset..."

"Yes?"

"Nothing."

I tapped the table, and Jeong-yeon, who looked a bit tense, came into view.

"Could you all give us a moment? I need to talk to Gi-young a bit more..."

"Of course, Jeong-yeon. Take your time."

It seemed she had a lot of questions.

I glanced at Jung-hyeon, who looked at me with a pitiful expression, wondering if she should go up too. I shook my head slightly, and her face brightened.

"What were you talking about? Gi-young."

"Nothing. I just... thought you were ruling out the possibility of murder."

"Murder?"

"Yes. Of course, it's just a fantasy."

"..."

"I thought you had similar thoughts, but I was wrong."

"No, I actually had the same thoughts. I didn't rule out the possibility, but... after seeing Joo-seung-jun's body..."

"You didn't find anything?"

"No."

"Same here. There were no visible injuries or traces of mana. Right, Hyeon?"

"Yes, Oppa."

"But there are other ways to kill someone on this continent besides magic. It's best to keep all possibilities open. There might be a few people who would benefit from the guild master and us disappearing. That could be a motive."

"Yes, that's true."

"Whatever it is, examining the body will definitely reveal something. If you can convince Sang-hee..."

"Yes, I will, but..."

"The sooner, the better. The residual mana might disappear if we're too late. If we had arrived any later, we might not have had time to examine the body. The murderers might have hurried the funeral. It's fortunate we arrived in time."

"Yes."

"Since we might find something else, it would be good for me and Sun-hee-yeong to join the autopsy. Alchemy or holy power might have been used... we need to consider all possibilities."

"Phew... I feel a bit conflicted."

"Yes?"

"It's about suspecting a fellow guild member. Sang-hee must feel the same way..."

She probably felt even more conflicted than Jeong-yeon.

If Seul-ho, the old man, had been through life and death with her since the tutorial, the situation would be even more complicated.

'It can't be.'

The moment I started to deny it, the situation was over.

The situation I didn't want to suspect was upon us.

Ironically, the person who could see the situation most objectively was me, who was almost an outsider.

Sometimes, it's easier to see things from the outside than from the inside.

I was tapping the table and thinking when...

"What are you talking about?"

It was a very unpleasant voice.

I turned my head slightly to see the face I didn't want to see.

"I don't know."

It was Seul-ho and his followers.