Chapter 24

# 24

User Manual for the Regressor Chapter 024

The Calculating Killer (2)

"How many went out?"

"Seven of us."

Clearly leading the way toward us was Yuseokwoo.

Although the distance was still too great to see clearly, the three people walking behind Yuseokwoo were definitely new to this place.

Out of the seven people, including Yuseokwoo, only one returned, and three new individuals were heading toward the shelter.

Something must have happened to Yuseokwoo's hunting party, and it seems they received help from the people now walking toward us.

In the process,

'All but Yuseokwoo are dead, I guess.'

That's probably the case.

Just by looking at the equipment the people walking toward us are wearing, they don't seem like amateurs.

One of them was holding a small shield and a sword, another a spear, and the last one a bow.

From their demeanor and the bandages wrapped around their wounds, it was clear they had been through multiple battles.

'Mind's Eye.'

[Checking Player Jeong Jin-ho's status and latent abilities.]

[Name - Jeong Jin-ho]

[Title - None]

[Age - 29]

[Trait - Calculating Killer]

[Class - Sword Mage - Rare Tier]

[Stats]

[Strength - 25 / Growth Limit: Hero and above]

[Agility - 23 / Growth Limit: Hero and above]

[Stamina - 24 / Growth Limit: Hero and above]

[Intelligence - 20 / Growth Limit: Rare and below]

[Endurance - 23 / Growth Limit: Hero and below]

[Luck - 15 / Growth Limit: Rare and below]

[Mana - 08 / Growth Limit: Rare and above]

[Special Traits - None]

[Overall Evaluation - Excellent talent, not bad at all. Not only is the overall balance outstanding, but there are no glaring weaknesses. If he continues to grow diligently, he could easily rise to the upper ranks. I particularly like his trait. I recommend keeping your distance, as he could be too dangerous for Player Lee Gi-young.]

'Sword Mage?'

Just by glancing at his stats, it's clear that his stats are perfectly balanced. The most noticeable aspects are his mana and class.

'Mana?'

It's the first time I've seen someone with mana other than Kim Hyun-seong.

The fact that he's a Rare Tier Sword Mage keeps catching my eye.

His mana is 8, even higher than mine.

Just having mana gives him the potential to become a formidable force.

However, the most striking information is his trait.

Calculating Killer.

I've seen many traits, but this is the first time I've seen one like this.

The two others beside him are not much different. Their stats are either better than mine or slightly below Bok Deok-gu, but they don't have any particularly bad stats.

Their traits, like Jeong Jin-ho's, do not appear to be positive, like a Benevolent Mediator or a Pure Advocate.

"We need to prepare for more guests. They look like they can fight... I don't know if that's a good thing."

"Go inside and call Bok Deok-gu and Jeong Hae-yeon."

"Huh?"

"Quickly."

Without responding, he immediately frowned and started chanting a spell.

I don't know what he's thinking, but Lee Ji-hye's expression also hardened as she headed inside the shelter.

I, too, started to back away.

"Lord, I pray, answer my voice, grant me the power to burn my enemies."

They don't seem hostile yet.

They appear to be walking here leisurely.

There's a possibility that their traits and actual actions don't align, like Jeong Hae-yeon's Pure Advocate trait, but I think it's best to be prepared.

'Damn it.'

I've already built up my mana and finished the spell.

Just as I was about to cast it, I held back the words.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jeong Jin-ho."

He greeted me from the other side. Seeing him take a step closer, I took two steps back.

'Range.'

I already know how fast an agility stat in the 20s can be.

Actually, this distance is already dangerous.

The two beside Jeong Jin-ho might not notice the mana I'm suppressing, but Jeong Jin-ho, who has mana, must know I'm holding back a spell.

I kept my distance and responded.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lee Gi-young."

"Ah! I've heard a lot about you from Seokwoo."

"Really?"

"I heard you recently became a mage. You can make fire with your hands... I'd really like to see that."

'You damn Yuseokwoo. Useless bastard.'

"Sure."

"It's really amazing. I already knew this place grants us new powers, but... a mage is something new... Ah! You don't have to be so cautious."

It's a situation where one wrong move could mean death. Not being cautious would be strange.

The swords, spears, and bows they carry are annoying.

Glancing at Yuseokwoo, I could see he looked a bit tense.

I don't know what he's tense about, but I don't think it's a good sign.

"Really, it's an incredible place. I heard there were many survivors, but I didn't expect this. It makes sense that over 30 people can survive here."

"I was also surprised when I first saw this place. It's all thanks to Hyun-seong. By the way, what happened...?"

"Ah. Actually, we found the people who were with Seokwoo surrounded by monsters nearby. Unfortunately, we found them too late to save the others, but... we managed to save Seokwoo. He was lucky."

Looking at Yuseokwoo again, I saw him nod.

'Really...'

I'm baffled that he brought these guys.

The ominous aura they give off.

That ominous feeling is coming from him.

It might be the effect of my luck stat. My senses are screaming at me to stay away from him.

"That's fortunate. I was a bit worried when I heard Seokwoo went hunting. The others... it couldn't be helped."

"If we had found them a bit earlier, we could have saved everyone... It's really disappointing."

As I nervously glanced around, I felt Jeong Hae-yeon and Bok Deok-gu come outside.

"What's going on? Brother."

"New arrivals."

Finally, the tension eased a bit. The sight of Bok Deok-gu stepping out with a heavy shield was definitely intimidating.

Of course, his stats don't need to be mentioned. His overwhelming endurance and stamina stats make me think even Jeong Jin-ho couldn't break through.

Jeong Hae-yeon, wearing cheap leather armor, showed a hostile stance toward the three in front of her, which was quite reassuring.

Jeong Hae-yean was also bowing her head and muttering something.

I haven't felt any significant mana yet, but she's definitely preparing for any situation.

"Thought we'd be welcomed... a bit surprising."

He realized he was showing too much caution.

"I'm sorry. Given the situation... I can't help but be cautious when meeting strangers. If I was rude..."

"No, Mr. Gi-young. We understand. We've been attacked by people after our food before."

"Ah."

"It seems there are groups of bad people roaming around. We managed to escape, but there were other victims. We saw many women killed on our way here."

I want to ask if they did it.

My trait doesn't lie.

I don't know if he really killed people, but Jeong Jin-ho definitely has the potential to cause problems.

A normal person having a trait like a Calculating Killer is hard to understand.

"It was really gruesome. The monsters had already eaten half the bodies, but there were clear human-made marks all over. Definitely knife wounds."

"Really?"

"Yes. There were also arrows in their backs, as if they were trying to escape. There were signs of resistance... There must have been an archer among those bad people. There were also sword cuts, so they probably carried swords. Have you seen them before?"

"Yes."

The archer standing quietly beside him caught my eye.

I can't understand his intention. One thing is clear: a strange tension is building.

'Is he testing us?'

I wonder if he really is.

Seeing my expression, Bok Deok-gu subtly raised his shield and moved forward to protect Jeong Hae-yeon and me.

I wonder if he can't see Bok Deok-gu.

He must be...

'Does he think he can do it?'

The probability is high.

While everything might just be in my head, he definitely seems to be targeting us.

Jeong Jin-ho's hand keeps moving toward his waist. Bok Deok-gu must be watching his hand too.

"Maybe they're active in an area you haven't been to."

"Maybe. I've never heard of such people."

Just as his hand, which had been touching his waist, moved toward his sword hilt,

I immediately cast the spell.

Or rather, I almost did.

If I hadn't heard Kim Hyun-seong's voice, I would have definitely summoned a fireball.

"What's going on?"

His hand, which was moving toward the sword hilt, shifted to his pants.

After wiping his hand on his pants, he extended it to shake mine, which was quite a sight.

I don't know if he planned it from the start, but his demeanor changed when Kim Hyun-seong appeared.

After canceling the spell I was chanting, I shook his hand.

"Anyway, nice to meet you, Mr. Gi-young."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Jin-ho."

I turned my head slightly to look at Kim Hyun-seong, who was approaching.

He must have been through a lot over the past few days, but he didn't look tired.

He calmly turned his gaze to the people Yuseokwoo brought.

"You're safe. The explanation is a bit long. This is... Yuseokwoo brought..."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jeong Jin-ho."

I noticed something was off right then.

Kim Hyun-seong's expression, looking at Jeong Jin-ho, was a bit stiff.

It feels like a déjà vu. His expression is different, but it's very similar to when he first met Jeong Hae-yeon.

'Does he know?'

Kim Hyun-seong might know the future Jeong Jin-ho.

While nothing is certain, his stiff expression and the anger in his eyes gave me a bit of confidence.

Even my body was trembling.

'Why is Kim Hyun-seong acting like this?'

It was a bit different from the Kim Hyun-seong I know.