◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (3)

Chapter 1. Living with the Demon Lord (2)

KiJun learned something new about the Demon Lord.

That was the fact that the Demon Lord was absolutely terrible at cooking.

"Was the concept of cooking nonexistent in the world where you lived, ma'am?"

"Keep quiet and eat."

However, KiJun didn't eat it. The term 'eating' was reserved for actual food. He couldn't digest charcoal, especially to the extent where even the Unbreakable Internal Clock skill considered it a debuff and refused to accept it.

"I'll make something new."

"Oh? Come to think of it, you have a Cooking skill, right?"

Ignoring the Demon Lord's retort, KiJun took out a well-polished shield from his inventory and placed it on the bonfire.

The purple flames conjured by the Demon Lord instantly heated the shield. KiJun then took out a piece of orc belly meat, aged to perfection and reaching level 85, from his inventory.

Monster meat, especially from high-level monsters, was generally delicious due to its edibility. So, grilling a piece of meat from a high orc commander, a creature of rare grade, made even the most distinguished heroes unable to resist taking a bite.

"High orcs are a rare-grade species. Regular orcs are uncommon, and high orcs are rare. If they're commanders, their job class would be unique grade. Although they were weakened during the tutorial, it must have been quite challenging for you guys."

"I wondered how you managed to withstand them even when hundreds of them charged at you... By the way, what's their job class?"

KiJun, while focused on grilling the meat, suddenly raised his head at the Demon Lord's question.

The Demon Lord seemed to remember something and nodded. "Right, there were no job classes during the tutorial."

"Isn’t ‘Hero’ a job class?"

"That's not a job class; it's just a common title. After the tutorial, Earth's heroes will have their job restrictions lifted."

"And naturally, there are grades for job classes too?"

"Of course. Hey, the meat's burning."

"Is it my turn?"

As the Demon Lord questioned, KiJun didn't miss the perfect moment to flip the meat.

Sizzle―

A satisfying sound filled the air as the delightful aroma of the meat wafted upwards.

While the Demon Lord tried to resist the tantalizing smell, trying to maintain composure, she couldn't help herself but drool slightly.

"It's not that impressive for a cooking skill, just grilling meat, right?"

"Yeah, ma'am failed at it earlier."

"Hero... are you talking back to me?!"

Even after being dragged into this otherworld, well, tutorial, and struggling with eating issues for the first few years, KiJun never compromised on his stance regarding food and cooking.

Even if the person before him was a Demon Lord capable of crushing him with a finger, his resolve remained the same.

KiJun expertly flipped the meat, seasoned with a special spice blend he had concocted, making it perfect for consumption. When he cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, ready for eating, the Demon Lord's face softened as she was about to taste it.

"If it doesn't taste good, I might have to kill you."

"Go ahead."

KiJun didn't hesitate, even if the other person was the Demon Lord. He held a wooden chopstick crafted by a friend who had a common-grade woodworking skill, expertly flipping the meat at the perfect moment.

Chiiing!―

Accompanied by a pleasant sound, the incredible aroma of the meat engulfed them.

While the Demon Lord was suppressing her appetite, pretending to be calm, her face melted the moment she tasted the meat.

"You're... talking back...?"

Even after being summoned to this world, or rather, this tutorial, KiJun faced significant hardships during the early years due to food-related issues. Hence, he never compromised on food and cooking.

Seeing the Demon Lord enjoying the grilled meat, KiJun felt a mix of emotions. He couldn't help but find her somewhat endearing.

Ignoring the bewildered Demon Lord, KiJun continued grilling the remaining meat.

The Demon Lord, her cheeks bulging with a mouthful of high orc belly, curiously asked, "But why do you grill meat on a shield instead of using a grill grate?"

"There's a profound reason for that."

"Tell me."

"I thought grilling meat on a shield might add a bonus to Shield Mastery."

"Are you an idiot?"

At that moment, as the Demon Lord struck the grill grate with her chopsticks...

- You expertly used Shield Mastery to effectively block the attacks of a significantly higher-level foe. [Shield Mastery] has surpassed its limits and grown to the uncommon grade. [Shield Mastery (Uncommon)] has reached level 1!

- An immensely powerful entity sincerely admires your cooking. The level of your [Cooking] skill has increased by 5, reaching level 82!

Not only cooking, but Shield Mastery, which had just reached level 99 and become max level, unexpectedly grew to the uncommon grade!

KiJun wordlessly opened his skill window and showed the Demon Lord the grade of his Shield Mastery skill.

She shook her head as if refusing to accept it, but the reality didn't change.

"Let's continue grilling on the shield from now on."

"No, I won't eat anymore."

Despite her words, seeing the Demon Lord sweeping the remaining meat off the shield made KiJun wonder if she would keep her promise.

KiJun wiped the empty shield with a cloth and said, "Thanks."

"I can't admit it. I just ate the meat on the shield..."

"Not that, I mean, for helping me."

"Ah."

If the Demon Lord hadn't actively tried to save him, the Fairy might have killed him to cover up the situation. Moreover, KiJun felt grateful for her sense of responsibility, keeping him alive and even helping him grow.

"Thanks for suggesting the 2nd Tutorial. If those guys had crossed over to the other world without it, they wouldn't have lasted long. Thanks for giving my friends a good opportunity."

"You... you sent them to the other world, but you didn't kill them?"

"I didn't kill them. I sent them through the 2nd Tutorial."

"Do you believe it?"

"I want to believe it."

And unless she was someone capable of deceiving the system messages, regression wasn't a lie.

Though his answer was calculated, the Demon Lord seemed genuinely touched.

"Are you okay with not going yourself?"

"I promised to help you."

With a smile, KiJun put his shield in the inventory, saying, "So please take care of me, ma'am."

"Sure."

An hour later, KiJun stood facing the Demon Lord, each holding a shield in one hand.

It was quite a pitiful sight, KiJun thought.

"Is this right? Can I really trust you?"

"I don't want to waste the Uncommon-ranked Shield Mastery I've grown."

"So you're holding a shield in each hand now?"

"Copernicus said shields could be used as blunt weapons too."

"Ugh! Don't turn the great astronomer Copernicus into a weirdo!"

The Demon Lord still seemed dissatisfied with KiJun's Shield Mastery.

KiJun felt unjustly treated.

"Even my colleagues praised my shield skills when I used a shield for combat."

"Maybe they were worried you might discard your shield and wield a weapon."

"That wicked..."

But he couldn't say more in his defense, feeling unjust in his heart.

"Anyway, it's fine. Your combat sense is excellent as long as I don't point it out. Just keep practicing Shield Mastery properly, learn to block, deflect, and counterattack. I'll teach you."

"Ugh! Agh!"

Two hours.

In just two hours of sparring, KiJun's Shield Mastery had grown by 5 levels.

His Dual Wielding skill had also increased by 1, reaching level 73.

The Rare-ranked skills, part of his Tanker Set, each grew by 1 level as well.

KiJun realized anew that skill growth in real combat wasn't about how much one fought but who one fought against and how.

This was an incredible privilege that regressors could never enjoy.

The cost of this realization was the bruises covering his body.

"When you use a shield as a weapon, you're truly a genius. You concentrate your magic well too."

The Demon Lord still didn't seem pleased with KiJun's Shield Mastery.

KiJun felt unfairly treated.

"But it's okay. Your combat sense is excellent as long as I don't point it out. Just keep practicing your Shield Mastery properly. Even that much will be fine."

"But I won't let the praise slide."

"That's why if I pressure you enough, you might even grow your skills to Unique-rank."

Oh, wasn't that praise?

"If I had enough time, I could have all your skills reach Unique-rank, but the 2nd Tutorial will end much faster than the 1st Tutorial. It's a pity, but it can't be helped."

Sigh, wasn't that regret in her voice?

"Let's definitely make Dual Wielding Unique-ranked. Then you won't be pushed around by other regressors."

"You're putting so much effort into it. I feel like crying from gratitude."

For a whole day, KiJun fought alongside his colleagues against the Demon Lord, nearly died, revived, and then spent two hours being the Demon Lord's punching bag.

Yet, he had to urge himself to stand against her once more, watching as she clenched her fist, ready to fight again.

Nietzsche once said,

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

The Demon Lord was undoubtedly aware of this, relentlessly pushing him.

"Alright, Nietzsche. Let's do this."

"Where did Copernicus go?"

"As long as those two are with me, I won't lose."

"Ah, the two of them are together."

With Copernicus in his mind and Nietzsche in his heart, KiJun raised his shield once again.

Reading his determination, the Demon Lord, as if admiring him, smiled and attacked again.

After being thoroughly beaten for another 3 hours, KiJun achieved Shield Mastery (Uncommon) level 8 and Dual Wielding (Uncommon) level 75.

...His rare skills also grew by 2 levels each.

"But when will you sleep?"

After the training,

KiJun, now reduced to a ragged mop, asked the Demon Lord while setting up a tent in the open field.

The Demon Lord, who had been admiring the rather luxurious tent, heard his question and clapped her hands, and suddenly, a luxurious castle emerged from the previously empty ground.

"What's this?"

"Demon Lord's Castle."

"So it was hidden underground..."

Neither KiJun nor the other heroes had discovered the castle, hidden so slickly.

Speculating, the Demon Lord had intentionally lured the heroes outside to quickly send them off to the second round.

"I'd like to invite you, but it won't work. If you come in, you'll keep taking damage, and you'll die."

"So, you're saying that I originally had to fight and defeat you while enduring environmental debuffs?"

"Exactly?"

The fact that the heroes didn't meet the qualifications for entry felt surreal.

Incredulous, KiJun could only laugh, and the Demon Lord, also laughing, shook his hand and turned away.

"Alright then, goodnight, hero. Let's get more serious starting tomorrow."

"You sleep well too, Demon Lord."

That moment, a certain distance separated the Demon Lord and KiJun.

―The battle has completely ended.

―You have acquired the qualifications for a new job, 'Shield Warrior.' This job is of the uncommon grade. Would you like to change jobs?

―You have acquired the qualifications for a new job, 'Mace Warrior.' This job is of the uncommon grade. Would you like to change jobs?

"Hey, wait a minute! Ma’am, stop!"

"Huh, what's going on? What, what?"

The heroes' job restrictions are lifted after the tutorial ends.

Just as the Demon Lord's power restrictions were lifted, turning him into a formidable monster.

KiJun's job restriction had already been lifted.