Chapter 13

# 13

User Manual for the Regressor 013

Embarrassment (1)

[Checking Player Lee Ji-hye's status window and potential abilities.]

[Name - Lee Ji-hye]

[Title - None. You need to try a bit harder.]

[Age - 29]

[Tendency - Selfish Ambition]

[Occupation - Unemployed]

[Stats]

[Strength - 05 / Growth Limit - Below Average]

[Agility - 09 / Growth Limit - Below Average]

[Stamina - 10 / Growth Limit - Below Average]

[Intelligence - 20 / Growth Limit - Rare and Above]

[Endurance - 08 / Growth Limit - Below Average]

[Luck - 15 / Growth Limit - Below Average]

[Magic - 00 / Growth Limit - Below Average]

[Overall Evaluation - Congratulations, Player Lee Gi-young. You've finally caused some trouble. A perfect couple has been born, both with low stats and poor potential abilities. Be sure to use protection; it would be too pitiful if a child were to be born.]

“What couple?”

This woman is a bit smarter than I thought. Not that she's exceptionally intelligent, but she has a good sense of judgment, decisiveness, and action.

She's quick to notice things and knows how to scratch where it itches.

From the way she threw Jeong Hae-yan into my lap, I could roughly guess what she wanted.

I understand why Kim Hyun-sung entrusted the group to this woman. She must have been trying to maintain at least a minimal connection.

Of course, she might have other purposes, but I don't need to know them.

I swallowed once and began to review Lee Ji-hye's status window again.

Lee Ji-hye's stats have improved. Compared to the last time I checked, her Stamina has increased by 1, Intelligence by 2, and Luck by 3.

‘How are they increasing?’

I'm curious about how the stats are increasing.

For example, Intelligence doesn't seem to be based on simple thinking ability or knowledge.

Jeong Hae-yan, for instance, has high Intelligence but still seems a bit dim.

On the other hand, Lee Ji-hye, despite having lower Intelligence, is sharp.

Perhaps Intelligence is based on understanding specific knowledge or magic.

Luck is also a bit puzzling. The last time I checked, her Luck was 12.

I can't understand how it increased overnight.

I wondered if it might be related to my high Luck, but it's still just a guess.

I need to think more about the stats.

“You woke up early.”

“I had some things to think about.”

I saw Lee Ji-hye looking at me intently from the side.

Her expression seemed a bit better, so yesterday wasn't too bad.

“Take care of Yoo Seok-woo and keep an eye on Jeong Hae-yan. Report any unusual activities related to Jeong Hae-yan immediately.”

“Seems like you're telling me what to do, even though we're on the same side….”

“Don't say stupid things….”

“Alright, I'll do my best. I can kind of guess what you're thinking, but what does that woman have?”

‘Sharp girl.’

“You don't need to know.”

“You!”

I could see her face turn red when I called her "sister."

She must be feeling some stress about her age.

I saw her biting her lip slightly.

We didn't become a couple or comrades who can watch each other's backs just overnight.

It's a contractual relationship.

There are no specific terms like "client" or "service provider," but we have tacitly agreed to use each other to some extent and have gone through a process of negotiation.

Even if the contract can easily fall apart, it will contribute to a certain level of trust.

The question is how long this relationship will last.

As long as we respect each other's boundaries, there shouldn't be a problem, but no one knows what will happen in the future.

I sighed slightly and then spoke.

“Why did you choose me, Ji-hye?”

“I told you, Gi-young. I like ambitious men.”

It's not just her who needs to live up to expectations.

I can discard her at any time, and she can discard me.

The important thing is my own growth and Jeong Hae-yan.

Lee Ji-hye won't spread the word about what happened between us.

It's in her best interest not to.

However, she might create an atmosphere that something is going on.

What impact this has on Jeong Hae-yan is important.

Being bad at interpersonal relationships means being bad at expressing and accepting emotions.

She hasn't had contact with her parents for a long time, and her communication with her sisters has been cut off for a while.

In other words, Jeong Hae-yan is not only unfamiliar with forming relationships but also likely to have a lack of affection.

She needs to be more dependent on and attached to me.

Lee Ji-hye will help with that.

* * *

The matter was resolved more quickly than expected. There was no trial or any significant evidence in Yoo Seok-woo's case.

Yoo Seok-woo quickly admitted his mistake and received a punishment that everyone found acceptable.

Of course, Lee Ji-hye's influence played a role in this process, but interestingly, she maintained an attitude of "I had no choice."

She subtly shifted the blame to me and started a public opinion campaign to shift some of the blame to Jeong Hae-yan.

‘I had no choice because of Gi-young.’

‘He cares about Hae-yan.’

These were the nuances she started to spread.

Naturally, Jeong Hae-yan became unpopular among the group members, and through this process, I could feel that Lee Ji-hye was more ruthless than I thought.

‘A woman who is skilled at tormenting others.’

If this could be expressed as a talent, she would be at the legendary level.

She never moves herself.

Instead, she successfully created an environment where Jeong Hae-yan could be thoroughly isolated or bullied by others.

In a situation where everyone hates her, Jeong Hae-yan has no choice but to stay here.

As a result, I've been listening to her complaints for a few days.

“S, so… hic….”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, yes… thank you. O, O, Oppa. I've been talking too much… you must be busy….”

“No, not at all. I appreciate you sharing this with me. If you work a bit harder, others will recognize your efforts. Of course, I already know how hard you're working.”

Pretending to be nice isn't easy.

“Still….”

“It'll be okay. We've agreed to go hunting together from now on. I've already talked to Kim Hyun-sung….”

“R, really? Is it okay for someone like me…?”

“Of course.”

I gently patted her head and saw her smile slightly.

This could be considered a significant achievement.

Considering that she usually finds it difficult and scary to interact with others, the fact that she's showing this level of response means that the time spent has not been in vain.

I want to seal the deal before we go out together.

However, I know I shouldn't rush.

‘Slowly.’

I don't want a relationship that will crumble like a sandcastle.

Lee Gi-young and I need to become more solid.

“O, Oppa, I'm glad you're here. If I were alone….”

“No, I'm also relieved to have you by my side. By the way, how's your magic practice going? Any progress?”

“Yes. F, for now. I can feel something inside. When I send it to my arm, it feels a bit stronger….”

“Magic?”

“A, I'm not sure yet.”

In fact, I haven't just been focusing on Jeong Hae-yan.

Like Park Deok-gu, who has been struggling to get used to his job as a shield soldier, I've also been thinking more about my own job as a mage.

Kim Hyun-sung's frequent solo outings might also be intended to give us more time.

‘Imagination.’

Magic is the result of visualizing the accumulation of magic power.

To visualize more easily, incantations are used as a means.

I struggled quite a bit to manifest my first spell. I had the basic knowledge in my head, but I faced difficulties in finding the right answer.

I build a tower with some of the magic power inside me. It's a solid, seamless tower.

At the same time, I visualize the spell I want to manifest in my mind.

The visualization is of a flame rising from my fingertips.

“Respond to my voice, flame.”

At the same time, a small flame rose from my fingertips.

Jeong Hae-yan, who saw this, looked a bit surprised.

“Wow….”

“Visualizing in your mind seems to be important. Incantations can be concise, but if it's impossible, a longer incantation is fine. The key is what you visualize.”

The downside is that most easy-to-visualize incantations are unnecessarily long.

Thinking about incantations that could be described as middle school syndrome made my face turn red.

“I see.”

“In my case, I visualize borrowing power rather than manifesting magic myself… I think you'll find your own method. It might feel difficult now, but if you get a job, it will become easier.”

“Indeed… I see.”

Perhaps you can't use magic until you get a job.

Even Kim Hyun-sung, who has a lot of magic power, can't use magic, which suggests that the limits of a job are insurmountable.

Still, the reason I'm pouring knowledge about magic into Jeong Hae-yan is obvious.

‘Affinity.’

There's no easier way to get closer than teaching and learning something.

Even if I tell her what she'll learn later, it won't be a loss.

“Maybe you can't use magic until you get a job. Still, let's practice accumulating magic power step by step.”

“Yes. I, I'll do my best. O, Oppa.”

I nodded involuntarily.

[Your Magic Power has increased by 1.]

[Your Intelligence has increased by 1.]

‘Good.’

“Your magic power will continue to increase the more you use it. I'm really looking forward to it.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Shall we stop here for today?”

“Actually, there's something I don't quite understand….”

“Really?”

“Yes. R, recently, my magic power increased again….”

While listening to her, I unconsciously checked Jeong Hae-yan's status window.

I was curious about her progress.

[Checking Player Jeong Hae-yan's status window and potential abilities.]

[Name - Jeong Hae-yan]

[Title - None. You need to try a bit harder.]

[Age - 21]

[Tendency - Pure Advocate]

[Occupation - Mage - Common Level]

[Stats]

[Strength - 11 / Growth Limit - Rare and Below]

[Agility - 11 / Growth Limit - Rare and Below]

[Stamina - 14 / Growth Limit - Hero and Below]

[Intelligence - 22 / Growth Limit - Hero and Above]

[Endurance - 14 / Growth Limit - Rare and Below]

[Luck - 23 / Growth Limit - Hero and Above]

[Magic Power - 15 / Growth Limit - Legendary and Above]

[Equipment - None]

[Special Ability - How to Become a Mage - Hero Level]

‘What? Mage?’

The job title "Mage" caught my eye.

“My magic power doesn't move well.”

I saw Jeong Hae-yan, who was smiling brightly, again.

‘What are you?’

I could tell something was wrong.