◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (26)

Chapter 6. Call Me Ishmael (1)

—You have been summoned to Reta. All physical information of the summoner is initialized to the lowest level.

—Class possession confirmed. Due to Unique rank class adjustment, Strength (U) and Durability (U) increased by 10, and the rest of the stats, which have reached Legendary rank, increased by 5 each.

—Inventory item information confirmed. King of the Well (U), RetaPhone 15 (U), Shock Absorption Device (R), a total of three items have been preserved.

—All summonees of Earth civilization must pay a yearly tax for the operation of Reta in Reta Points (RP). Reta Points can be earned through quests, achievements, dungeon exploration, raids, trading, etc., and failure to pay can lead to great misfortune.

TL/N: Now this is when we get to know “Leta” is supposed to be “Reta” :D because the Korean letter “ㄹ” can be pronounced as both “L” and “R”. Going forward, I’ll use “Reta”.

—The Earth civilization belongs to the 'Light' faction. Therefore, alliances with civilizations of the 'Dark' faction are impossible.

—You are one of the three representatives of the Earth civilization. Representatives receive monthly dignity maintenance points, but if all representatives die, the Earth civilization is 'defeated.'

When KiJun opened his eyes, he was already in Reta, a world where the survival competition of civilizations took place.

He stood in a vast basin surrounded by incredibly high mountains, as if enclosing the basin.

KiJun felt both suffocation and relief from this. He guessed that the mountains served both to confine and protect him.

Though having completed the tutorial twice, Earthlings were still weak compared to the strong beings of this world. Heroes who failed to discover the secret dungeon might face unweakened monsters and suffer setbacks.

—Contractor, there are a lot of people here who look like you!

Lucy, perched atop his head, whispered this to KiJun, who then turned his attention from the terrain to the people.

He thought about how much he had changed since he was first dragged to another world. Back then, he would have first sought out other people and assessed the situation regardless of the environment.

But...

'Why does it feel like everyone is looking at me?'

The crowd, a diverse mix of races and nationalities but clearly Earthlings, was enough to make him want to embrace and greet them. But the fact that they were all staring at him brought more unease than joy.

Could it be that news of his disappearance in the second round of the tutorial had spread widely? Perhaps his party members, led by Yemin, had distributed flyers searching for him?

Just as he thought this plausible explanation made sense, Lucy, seemingly reading his thoughts, spoke up in disbelief.

—But that's because, the contractor...

However, she suddenly fell silent, as if reluctant to share something so precious and personal, even with him.

KiJun worried that the people might suddenly surround him and start clapping.

At that moment, a fairy appeared to clarify the confusing situation.

"Attention, everyone! As you may know, I am the fairy from the tutorial!"

The fairy appeared high in the sky, forcing everyone in the basin to look up at her.

She resembled the fairy KiJun knew from the tutorial, but he was certain she was a different entity, slightly stronger and more murderous.

"Let me explain about Reta, where you've all arrived! First, let's talk about the point system governing Reta, and the representative system closely associated with the points. Now, let's see who the representatives are..."

"There shouldn't be a tutorial in Reta," KiJun interjected.

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone, including the fairy, could hear him.

Suddenly, hundreds of thousands of gazes poured onto him, making him awkwardly realize that his Charisma stat had reached the Legendary grade.

"And you, here you're just one of the competing races like us. Don't try to swindle too much."

"Well, ignoring the nonsense, it's really unfortunate to reject the tutorial fairy," the fairy continued, her expression unchanging.

"Shall I leave then? Without a proper understanding of this world, Reta, and guidance on how to survive... Reta is different from the tutorial you've experienced. Missions are never forced, and fairies can abandon you."

It was a threat.

The fairy had boldly come to scam the newly arrived Earthlings, who knew nothing about Reta. Yet she nonchalantly suggested she could leave if rejected.

But surely the Earthlings, who had not just once but twice endured the tutorial, would not fall for such clumsy lies and threats.

"Why are you trying to drive the fairy away?"

"That person, he looks like the one who survived till the end in the first round. He wasn't there in the second round."

"Oh, I remember! The strongest and prettiest hero who desperately searched for him until the end...!"

"He's as suspicious as they come. Annoying as the fairy is, this guy is worse."

"Looks like a leech..."

"Too handsome, even more suspicious."

Wait, what?

Shouldn't high Charisma have a strong positive influence on people?

Could it be that KiJun's sudden appearance in combination with his absence in the second round, is causing his Charisma to work in reverse?

He had tried to do something but ended up making things worse.

'This is really something Yemin would handle better.'

Yemin, a natural leader.

Had she been here, would the people's reactions have been different?

Considering the number of Earthlings in this basin, they might have been summoned in two or three groups.

Given that Yemin and her party members haven't been spotted yet, they likely landed somewhere else.

'Wait a minute.'

KiJun realized something.

The fairy was up to no good.

He pointed it out, but the people didn't trust him either.

He lacked the dramatic eloquence to convince everyone quickly.

So what should KiJun do in this situation?

"Flashbang throw!"

The answer was to strike first.

A rare skill unleashed with Unique level strength!

The Unique grade shield, [King of the Well], soared through the air at an unreactable speed, ascending hundreds of meters high. Laden with bright magic power, it illuminated the sky like a firework, precisely hitting the fairy at its apex.

"Ugh!" The fairy, caught off guard, was struck by the shield of light, vomiting blood and plummeting from the sky.

The next moment, hundreds of thousands of Earthlings were in disbelief, as the falling creature didn't hit the ground but instead seemed to be repelled mid-air, as if blocked by something. It appeared as though a protective barrier existed around the area where the Earthlings were summoned, which the fairy could not penetrate.

"Now," KiJun cool-ly caught the returning shield, as if he had practiced this in a movie, and opened his mouth again. "Now, who seems more suspicious?"

Honestly, both were suspicious, but the Earthlings reluctantly nodded in agreement with KiJun, none wanting to be struck by a shield flashing like lightning.

KiJun sighed, seeing people stealthily avoiding his gaze, but he had no regrets about thwarting the fairy's scheming.

'I’m used to being alone...'

—But you're not alone, Contractor! I'm here!

'Thank you, Lucy. I wish I had some brown sugar... Ah, not now.'

'Hehe, I'm just happy when the contractor is happy! Of course, I also like brown sugar.'

KiJun, having developed his interpretation skills over 10 years with Lucy and the Demon Lord ― Bice, interpreted Lucy's words as her saying she's enduring with affection for the contractor while urging him to get brown sugar quickly.

He started walking towards his destination, the protective barrier's outside, where the fairy had fallen. He intended to extract any information from the captured creature.

Though hesitant to leave the protective barrier voluntarily, staying inside indefinitely wasn't an option either.

As he moved, people around instinctively widened their distance, opening a path. Previously, his presence wasn't imposing, and he often had to ask for consideration. Now, with his Charisma at Legendary rank, he parted the crowd as easily as Moses parted the sea!

'Don't cry, Contractor. You mustn't cry!'

'I want to see Bice...'

After walking for about a minute outside the barrier, he saw the fairy, knocked unconscious by the force of the shield, lying sprawled nearby.

"Should we bind it?"

'Leave it to me.'

Responding to KiJun's words, Lucy immediately shot chains of light, wrapping the fairy tightly. This strong constraint not only physically restrained but also blocked the fairy's magic circulation, a skill developed to counter the Demon Lord.

"Uh?!" The fairy regained consciousness. Apparently, it was pretending to be unconscious to attempt a surprise attack, but KiJun and Lucy's unexpected restraining power foiled its plan.

"What are you? I've never heard of humans in the tutorial wielding light like this!"

"So, you only know about the second round. Still, isn't it odd to underestimate strong people?"

KiJun was surprised to see that about one-fifth of the heroes he saw had upgraded at least one of their stats.

Though they were infants compared to KiJun, who had completed training with the Demon Lord as a specialized trainer, this was a significant difference from the first round, where the existence of grade upgrades was unknown.

Probably someone discovered the grade advancement first and shared it with all the heroes.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand."

The fairy, likely having its own agenda, persisted in feigning ignorance.

"Fine," KiJun nodded and lifted his shield. "I'm going to hit you now."

"What? You vicious human! As if ambushing me wasn't enough... Agh!"

KiJun struck the fairy sharply with the edge of the shield. He had gauged its endurance from the flashbang throw, hitting hard enough to hurt but not kill.

"So, if you don't want to die, tell me everything you know. Got it?"

"I will not succumb to violence! If it's known that you've abused the tutorial fairy like this, all of you will― Agh!"

"Lucy, shall we gag it?"

'A good idea. Maybe it's trying to scream to attract monsters.'

Though the fairy seemed slightly flustered, it defiantly yelled.

"How will you hear the information if you gag me― Mmph, Mpph!"

"That's fine."

KiJun, wearing a kind smile, assured, "When you want to talk, I'll know."

About five minutes later, the fairy, looking as if it might die any moment, desperately shook its head, making muffled sounds.

KiJun realized it was time. The information from the fairy was incredibly valuable.

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