◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (27)

Chapter 6. Call Me Ishmael (2)

—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.

—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.'

Having awakened in the new land of Reta after the transition, YeMin gazed quietly at the message before her, pondering.

A representative, even though she no longer desired to lead others – who would be happy with such a troublesome role?

Of course, it was fortunate that Earth's civilization wouldn't face defeat as long as she lived, but that was it.

It didn't matter who appointed her as a representative.

She must not repeat the mistake of caring for less important people while playing the role of a righteous hero, only to neglect someone truly important.

Never again.

"Right, KiJun oppa!"

Recalling what the fairy had told her after defeating the Demon Lord, YeMin lifted her head.

The fairy had stated that KiJun, due to a bug, couldn't regress and remained alone in a closed tutorial channel, training and eventually moving to Reta.

Though she had been agitated and rampaged upon hearing this, finding the hidden dungeon and growing even stronger was fortunate.

Nevertheless, KiJun was what mattered now.

"Noona."

"It's good, everyone is together."

"Ha, it really wasn't the end. I'm seriously craving a drink…"

Her party members, who had been with her until the moment they cleared the dungeon, were all summoned nearby.

The problem was that everyone else was mixed up, making it difficult to find KiJun.

YeMin asked her party members to disperse and search for KiJun, but it didn't take long for her to realize a crucial fact.

Not everyone on Earth was gathered here.

KiJun was not among them.

"Ah…"

Overwhelmed by intense frustration and despair, YeMin clung to the belief that KiJun was somewhere in this world, alive, keeping her sane.

'But still, oppa is somewhere here. I just need to find him.'

With KiJun's skills, rumors about him would surely spread. Even if not, her party's reputation would lead him to her.

Or perhaps, a more romantic scenario – KiJun finding her!

Imagine, returning exhausted with her party at dusk, and KiJun, as if he had been there all along, casually greeting her.

Surprised, she drops her weapon, and he gently embraces her, whispering, "I've finally found you," followed by a kiss―!

"Everyone, pay attention! I, the fairy from the tutorial, have come to assist you, newly arrived in Reta! Let's start with an introduction to this continent, Reta, and about being a civilization representative―."

YeMin's delightful fantasy was shattered by the irksome voice of the fairy.

Already at the end of the 2nd tutorial, YeMin's anger towards the late-truth-telling fairy was at its peak.

Thus, even as the fairy spoke about tutorials and civilization representatives, she skeptically received its words.

'Civilization representatives are crucial. If they die, the civilization ends. That sounds important. But asking for help to identify the representatives? That's like fraud.'

YeMin finally fully grasped the term "Tutorial's fairy."

The tutorial was a space to educate Earthlings before entering the main stage, Reta, meaning fairies were only helpful there.

After 25 years of training, including 10 more in the tutorial, another tutorial in Reta?

Impossible, the fairy here is no longer an NPC.

It's an enemy trying to deceive us.

"Cough―!"

At that moment, as the fairy floated in the air, its head was suddenly severed.

The fairy, shocked and unable to comprehend, hadn't expected that among the Earthlings who just entered Reta, there would be someone capable of stealthily reaching such heights to decapitate it.

Staring in disbelief, the fairy's head, unable to fall to the ground, rolled down an invisible dome-like barrier.

"A barrier?! And the corpse is sliding on top of it―."

"Who killed the fairy? Was it actually our enemy?"

"So, what exactly is a representative?!"

Amidst the chaos and murmurs of hundreds of thousands of humans, EunShin, hooded, quietly appeared behind YeMin and spoke.

"Did I do the right thing?"

"Perfect, EunShin—- ah. It was a fake."

"I moved right away, thinking that's what big sis would want."

The remaining party members, having concluded their fruitless search, regrouped with YeMin.

Their mere presence drew the attention of everyone around, not just due to YeMin's bewitching beauty captivating all genders, but also because of their legendary achievements throughout the tutorial.

Of course, those legendary achievements had only yielded rare-grade rewards, and now in Reta, they were painfully realizing their insignificance.

"We need to think about our next move."

As JiHye surveyed the unsettled crowd, YeMin wanted to say they should find KiJun, but JiHye's concern was probably not about that.

"That's right... It's unrealistic for hundreds of thousands to move as one."

The architect, true to his former profession, paid special attention to the land and the barrier covering it.

"This land is not fit for settlement. Low productivity and not spacious enough for many people. It's just a starting point."

"A starting point."

"Right, like the temporary shield that protected us from crashing into a dragon when we first arrived in the other world. Remember, in games, when you start and you're invincible for a few seconds? It's exactly that."

"Moreover, the way people look at our party isn't so friendly either."

Adding to JiHye's words, the architect smiled bitterly in agreement.

"We can't help it, we did quite well."

Like many heroes, YeMin's party hadn't been considerate of others during the 2nd tutorial.

For the sake of the party's strength, they secured everything valuable, even if it meant harming competitors.

It was a necessary evil to defeat the Demon Lord, and everyone acted similarly.

The problem was that YeMin's party had become the strongest, overwhelmingly so.

Now, at the start of the 'real game', those sacrificed for their ambition or excluded by other parties had reasons to resent and focus on YeMin's party.

YeMin could turn the situation around with her charisma, but her current state was apparent to all her party members.

"Who would've known that was just a tutorial."

"So, there's something I want to tell you."

EunShin spoke quietly, nodding in agreement with the architect's words.

The unique-grade dagger that EunShin had brought from the tutorial shone brightly from his pocket.

"I'll stay behind for a bit to sort things out. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up soon."

"EunShin."

"It's necessary."

Understanding what "sorting things out" meant, JiHye protested with a stern voice, but EunShin firmly replied, "There are many among us who will never forgive each other. Many are waiting for a chance to take our lives. I'll only take care of the truly dangerous ones. ...Fortunately, they're all gathered here."

"How can we let you, the youngest, do such dirty work? We should do it together."

JiHye was adamant, but EunShin cut her off, "It's my job. It suits me."

JiHye sighed in resignation.

Just then, a man loudly intervened.

"Everyone, please listen to me just once!"

It was a familiar-looking blond Caucasian. Recalling who he was, the party realized he was the leader of the opposition who had argued against killing the Demon Lord, advocating for the use of purification magic. Coincidentally, he was also on EunShin's 'list'.

"First of all, I am one of Earth's representatives."

Representative? Really?

His claim stirred murmurs among the crowd. His voice, amplified by a spell from his party's mage, reached tens of thousands and was further spread by other mages. He was a well-known leader from both the first and second rounds, and his words were critical.

"Do you remember the term 'representative' the recently deceased fairy mentioned? It's crucial because the representative plays an essential role in the survival of a civilization."

Nods were seen around.

Even YeMin, who generally avoided entanglements with others, narrowed her eyes at the man's words.

"It's like chess. If the king dies, the game ends. If a civilization's representative dies, the entire civilization loses. As the fairy explained at the end of the tutorial, if a civilization loses, its members become slaves, regardless of individual prowess."

The man then reiterated the fairy's words.

"You all must have seen the message about paying annual points as tax upon entering this world. Yes, the representative is responsible for collecting these points. Without a representative, a civilization unable to pay taxes faces destruction..."

At that moment, Choi Kang interrupted with a sneer.

"You don't even know what a representative is, you fraud! A representative is not some tax collector. It's more like a civil servant who represents the civilization and uses the collected points to provide welfare benefits to its people! Just read the status window! Are you planning to scam everyone and run?"

"Are you a representative too?"

To the blond man's question, Choi Kang retorted, "Yes, I am a representative! And you're definitely not, you liar! Do you even know how many representatives there are? Tell me!"

"I assume it's just us. If there were other representatives, they should've come forward by now. Right? You're the most likely to be lying."

Choi Kang sighed at the man's calm response, but others seemed to find his reasoning plausible. Choi Kang was known for being impulsive and lacked a convincing argument. Moreover, his demeanor didn't inspire much trust.

"Enough! You bastard! If you're a representative, prove it by opening your status window! If it's so important and secretive, why don't you show yours first?"

"Forget it, let's go."

YeMin turned away after observing the scene.

JiHye and Uncle Soo looked at her with questioning eyes as she spoke to EunShin in a low voice, "Can I ask you a favor, EunShin? I'm really sorry, but you're the only one I can ask."

"Leave it to me, noona. It's my job."

EunShin replied cheerfully but with a hint of uncertainty, "So... it's okay to 'sort things out', right?"

"It's fine."

The party realized then: if Earth's representatives were to be chosen, someone else at the scene would have been selected before those two men.

"Are you sure it's okay not to step in?" JiHye asked.

"That blond idiot, he's acting up because he thinks I won't intervene," YeMin realized.

Indeed, the blond man had politically maneuvered against YeMin in the second round and probably predicted she wouldn't get involved in the role of a representative, especially knowing her past dedication.

YeMin and her party left, leaving EunShin's shadow behind. His exceptional stealth skill blended seamlessly into the background, especially with everyone's attention on YeMin's radiant beauty.

"Ah...!"

"Let's rest for now. We don't know what might happen."

The standoff between the blond and Choi Kang reached a temporary calm.

As night fell and morning returned, no representative of Earth's civilization perished.

Not a single representative.

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