◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (5)

Chapter 1. Living with the Demon Lord (4)

The next day, KiJun woke up at six in the morning, sharp as a sword. He exercised, took a shower, and prepared breakfast.

The menu for the morning was golden fried rice made from eggs stolen from the nest of a strange creature called Thunderbird, rice, and stir-fried with oil and crispy green onions.

Although it might have looked shabby, the Demon Lord, who had intended to intimidate his juniors by imitating Chinese-style fried rice, shed tears of admiration as he chewed on the rice grains that captured the essence of Chinese fried rice.

In reality, the concept of golden fried rice was said to have originated in Japan, not China, but since the Demon Lord couldn't differentiate between countries, KiJun decided to play along and proudly declared that golden fried rice was a magnificent part of Korean culinary culture.

"Demon Lord."

"Give me another bowl. Why?"

"Doesn't your stat just go up like this?"

Until she started eating, the Demon Lord had been ridiculing the dish's appearance, claiming it would taste terrible. However, as she chewed on the grains of rice that encapsulated the essence of Chinese fried rice, she shed tears of emotion and stopped mocking it..

The stat she referred to was the Charisma stat. It was a status that, on the surface, seemed utterly useless and was easy to ridicule. But it was also a stat that could easily spark conflicts between heroes.

For example, one could provoke others by saying, "Your boyfriend/girlfriend has Charisma 10~" or challenge someone by saying, "Your Charisma is 80? Open your status window and prove your purity!" These situations often escalated into heated arguments and bickering among heroes.

However, Charisma was not just a numerical representation of a person's appearance and physique. It encompassed the influence and charisma a person exerted on others. Having a high Charisma stat made it easier to gain favor with NPCs, progress through quests, and receive various benefits. It also significantly affected one's presence; individuals with high Charisma were more likely to attract attention.

In extreme cases, beings like the Demon Lord, who commanded awe and respect from everyone, naturally had a high Charisma stat. When Charisma increased, not only did one's influence over others grow, but their appearance also became more attractive. This created a deadly combination of strength and beauty.

...Just like the Demon Lord right in front of him.

"By the way, my Charisma is at the Legendary level."

"What?! Stats can go up to Legendary?!"

KiJun wanted to shout at her to open her status window and prove it, but he refrained.

Getting beaten up during training was enough for one day.

She seemed to understand his thoughts and, with a slightly more subdued attitude, looked at him.

"Your Charisma will increase. You will influence many people in the future. At the very least, you'll reach Unique. You'll undergo a transformation."

"I appreciate the high praise. Is that your personal experience?"

"Heh, my Charisma has been at the Unique level since I obtained the status window."

The Demon Lord seemed to have spoken something that sounded unbelievable.

"In fact, it wasn't that great. Having such a high Charisma made me a representative hero of a civilization. It was an inevitable trend I couldn't refuse. It was overwhelming and rushed..."

"...Demon Lord."

It had started like boasting, but it ended with a sigh. Uncertain of how to react to her words that seemed to mix pride and exasperation, KiJun mumbled, and the Demon Lord, as if it were nothing special, shrugged and concluded.

"It's okay; I've accepted it all now. Perhaps Charisma was a stat designed to make the word 'destiny' a bit less burdensome."

"Destiny..."

"Perhaps there might have been someone on Earth, a hero, born with a heavy destiny, something you can't escape by pretending ignorance."

When KiJun raised an eyebrow in confusion, the Demon Lord, seemingly having read his mind, raised her eyebrows back at him.

"It's possible they pretended not to know about the existence of stats. Destiny is something you can't avoid, even if you pretend not to know."

With that, the Demon Lord, who had emptied three bowls of fried rice, put down the bowl and stood up energetically, speaking with conviction.

"But let's put Charisma aside for now. Today, let's train your Dual Wielding technique."

"I'm ready, ma'am."

After relentless practice throughout the day, KiJun's newly acquired Uncommon-level Endurance had finally reached 5. His skills and magic also increased by 1 each. His Uncommon-level shield and dual-wielding techniques had significantly improved, and the same applied to his Rare-level skills.

And then...

—Flowers bloom for those who gaze upon them. The same goes for you. Charisma has increased by 1, now at 52.

...On that night, his Charisma had undeniably increased.

* * *

[YeMin]

[Title - Chosen Hope (Unique)]

[Human Lv1]

[Strength - 8+10]

[Dexterity - 11+10]

[Endurance - 9+10]

[Mana Power - 12+10]

[Charisma (Uncommon) - 27+20]

'Ahh.'

Upon seeing the status window floating, YeMin closed her eyes. It was just as she had expected.

It was the same as before.

Since the moment she arrived in this world, there hadn't been any change.

"All right, everyone understands what's happened, right? You've all regressed! It means you've been given a second chance!"

The only difference was her occasional blunt use of the word 'regress' in front of people.

At first, she had suspected it to be a hallucination just before dying. Then, she wondered if she had returned to the past alone. But it wasn't any of that.

"Surely there isn't some garbage of a human thinking, 'I've returned to the past alone! I won't be fooled like a fool anymore; from now on, I'll live only for myself!' and trying to monopolize all the resources and opportunities in this world? Logically, they wouldn't give privileges to only one person! Hmph, equal opportunities, equal competition! Why don't you try fighting until you're covered in blood!"

The insensitive Fairy taunted all the regressed heroes, letting out a nasty laugh. But YeMin chuckled upon hearing her words.

To think that just because they had regressed, they would monopolize all resources and opportunities? There was no need for that.

The greatest opportunity lay within oneself; if she nurtured it well, she could become the strongest.

'But this time, I won't unnecessarily stand out in front of others.'

Before her return... well, at the beginning of the 'first round'.

She was well aware that her status was special without needing to compare herself to others.

Others struggled to achieve even one Uncommon-level title, but the moment she entered this world, she had a Unique-level title.

Knowing that her status was inflated, she bravely stepped forward and had stood at the center of the group ever since.

She didn't explicitly mention her uniqueness, but everyone around her naturally accepted her.

Perhaps that's why she had made a mistake.

The one who truly needed to be accepted, who should have been called hope, wasn't her.

'KiJun...'

YeMin clenched her fist as she recalled her final moments.

Every time she thought of his face, resembling a bear's expression, pitiful and weak because he had sacrificed and compromised for her and the other pathetic heroes, her heart ached.

How much pain had he endured? How much more suffering had he experienced, all alone?

'But this time, many things will be different, Oppa. I'll find you as soon as possible and make sure you're placed in a position that suits you perfectly...!'

If there was anything she regretted, it was that she hadn't made weapons for him sooner and hadn't told him that statuses had grades.

The former was because there was no one willing to step forward to wield a shield. The latter...

'I was afraid that Oppa would hate me once he realized how special I was. Half of my fear was that.'

And yet, it wasn't possible to go back.

She felt overwhelmed by the fact that she had deceived him. But the fact that he had died together with her was just absurd and crazy.

But it wasn't over.

She and KiJun!

They had returned to the starting line.

They had a chance to correct everything!

"Let's start the Tutorial Mission now! Everyone remembers, right? You can do better, can't you? Shall we double the target amount? Hehe, just kidding♥"

With her hood flipped over to hide her face, YeMin turned away from the crowd.

She no longer had time to mingle with others.

In her mind, she thought about how she could assist KiJun after joining him.

'Oppa gave up his Unique skill to me. I have to find a way to make sure he learns it this time. In addition to that, all the rewards from the secret quest I gained thanks to my high Charisma...!'

She had failed once due to her abilities.

So this time, instead of becoming a King herself, she would become a Kingmaker.

She would make KiJun, who was most suited to be a King, the Strongest Undefeated King.

'KiJun, I'll go meet you now.'

YeMin's determined eyes sparkled brightly.

Surely KiJun was still in this world.

Right now, he was probably... in a dream she hadn't dared to imagine.

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