◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (6)

Chapter 2. It Seems Only I Can See (1)

He had a nightmare.

A dream where he, along with the last remaining heroes, was annihilated by the Demon Lord, and everything ended just like that.

Somewhere deep inside, he felt it was only natural for it to happen, making the dream even more vivid.

No...

It was the dreadful hardship they had faced.

Days when they fought with their lives on the line, struggles belittled as mere tutorial quests.

Such foolish thoughts.

No matter how valuable the experiences were, they couldn't be exchanged for lives.

The opportunities the heroes, including him, had gained were undoubtedly meant to bring about a better future.

Yet, perhaps it was human nature to let emotions precede logic, denying the obvious truth.

"You're really cute..."

At that remark, KiJun opened his eyes wide and sat up.

The time he habitually checked revealed it to be six in the morning, the same waking time as always.

What differed this time was his body drenched in sweat due to the nightmare and the presence of the Demon Lord, who was silently staring at him.

She placed a hand on her lips and seemed to be slightly worried, as if wondering if KiJun had heard what she said.

Perhaps he had heard wrong. The Demon Lord wouldn't say he was cute.

KiJun raised his head, brushing off the sleepiness, and spoke firmly while blocking her approach with his hand.

"Why are you here?"

"Well, I heard you mumbling in your sleep about nightmares and the whole Demon Lord's castle stirred. So, I came to check."

"That's not it... I think you misunderstood something."

As he said that, he noticed the spot where the Demon Lord had been sitting had sunk slightly.

She might have stayed inside the tent longer than he expected.

But so what?

Regardless of the truth, the fact that she cared enough to come worried about him was undeniable.

"Thank you."

"What's there to thank me for? You ruined my beauty sleep because of your sleep talking. I want to eat something tastier for breakfast today since my morning sleep got ruined."

"Fine, I'll make it extra lukewarm for you."

"Is that a promise? Haam..."

With an unnatural yawn, she stretched and left the tent.

Come to think of it, how did she remove the barrier around the tent? KiJun thought about it for a moment but realized it didn't matter.

Well, it didn't matter anymore.

There was something more serious than the barrier anyway.

—A flower blooming for someone wilts when not looked at. With much care and attention, the flower will bloom beautifully again. Charisma has increased by 3, reaching 60.

"I really don't understand what's happening with my Charisma anymore..."

A week had passed since the first tutorial ended in this world where he now lived with the Demon Lord.

Many changes had occurred during this time, but KiJun believed there wouldn't be a significant change like his Charisma suddenly jumping from 50 to 60.

Perhaps that was why his face seemed more handsome when he looked at himself in the river while washing up.

Even if he said that, when the Demon Lord dismissed her appearance as merely common grade, he couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat.

However, it wasn't just his looks. Whenever he washed his face, he felt like he was washing away something more profound.

"Even though I increase my Charisma, it'll probably reset when the main game starts... I'm probably just deluding myself since I don't know how the growth system works yet."

Despite having such a cute thought, KiJun set a stew pot on the fire without any hesitation.

He put high-quality butter and olive oil, which he could obtain only by completing the troublesome quests on the dairy farm map, into the pot.

Then he added onions and minced garlic, which he finely chopped, to the pot. The tenderloin of the Minotaur's charging commander, which he had been saving up until now, was thrown in.

"I guess I'll finally get to use this."

Thanks to the foreign heroes who didn't know there was such a splendid and delicious part as the marbled sirloin on a cow, he had managed to get the sirloin for free while dividing the spoils.

"Wow, what's this? Why does it smell so delicious!"

Smelling the scent of meat, the Demon Lord suddenly appeared and approached him with gleaming eyes.

"It's Minotaur sirloin, isn't it? But why does it taste so good like this!"

"Meat tastes different depending on how it's butchered and cooked."

"Right, you had butchering skills... I should consider how to enhance that skill as well."

The Demon Lord looked like she was about to use her skills to dismantle the sirloin, but KiJun poured wine into the pot, interrupting her.

By the way, this wine could only be obtained by completing the quest at the vineyard.

He added vegetables such as tomatoes and potatoes, along with spices, and let it simmer. After seasoning it, the stew was complete.

"Let's eat this after it simmers. It should take about an hour."

"A whole hour just to sit here and watch this delicious smell wafting into

the air...?"

"Then I'll work out and come back. It'll probably need to simmer for an hour."

"Lies, right? You want me to watch this amazing smell for a whole hour...?"

Turning pale, the Demon Lord was left unattended while KiJun finished his jogging and returned.

Ignoring the Demon Lord, whose complexion had turned white, KiJun opened the pot and adjusted the seasoning.

"Let's eat now. It should be even more delicious than before."

"Before? What are you talking about? I have no idea."

"Alright, pass me the rice bowl."

In truth, KiJun was aware that bread went well with Western-style beef stew.

However, as a Korean, he had to abide by the principle of eating rice for breakfast, so he had no choice.

"You seem to be under a certain misconception these days."

Having quickly finished the stew-rice, the Demon Lord, who had asked for seconds, wiped her mouth with her rice bowl pressed against her lips.

"Are you perhaps thinking you can domesticate me by feeding me? If that's the case, I want to wake up from this dream."

"Take the rice bowl away and talk."

Tossing the rice bowl she had removed back into her mouth, the Demon Lord spoke.

"This is my fair compensation for helping you learn and improve. So don't get any ideas like I'm relying on your cooking or waking up every morning with expectations... Don't have such cheeky fantasies. Got it?"

"I am thankful for the delicious meal, though."

"It's uncomfortable to be treated like food... Ah, give me another bowl."

Satisfied after consuming three bowls filled with the hearty stew, the Demon Lord was surprisingly kind during their sparring sessions that followed.

Normally, he seemed like she might collapse with just a single hit, but today he managed to endure two blows.

—Right before falling for the enemy's elaborate ruse, you realized it and counterattacked. Dexterity has increased by 1, reaching 99.

—Dexterity has reached its limit!

KiJun only realized that his Dexterity had reached 99 after one round of sparring.

"This is strange."

While KiJun lay on the ground, completely exhausted, the Demon Lord, looking as if she hadn't broken a sweat, tilted her head in confusion.

"No matter how close you get to the maximum for common grade, the growth rate slows down. Yet, mine increased by 4 in just a week."

"My durability as an uncommon grade is already 17."

"Uncommon grades have low stats, right? Normally, when the limit expands, the growth rate increases for a while... Even so, that's surprisingly fast."

After some contemplation, the Demon Lord blinked at KiJun and eventually nodded.

"I must be incredibly amazing, that's why."

"Of course, ma’am. I'm always grateful."

"Good, then I'll leave you be. I'll think about how to upgrade your skills."

Left alone, KiJun instinctively opened his status and skill windows, then was taken aback.

He was already aware of the incredible growth in his stats, but there were significant changes in his skills as well.

[Skills/Spells]

[Common]

[Cooking Lv90, Butchery Lv85]

[Uncommon]

[Shield Mastery Lv24, Dual Wielding Lv82, Strong Provocation Lv99, Boomerang Throwing Lv87]

[Rare]

[Persistent Regeneration Lv99, Metalization Lv96, Indomitable Will Lv83]

"Persistent Regeneration... I didn't expect it to reach level 99 already."

Persistent Regeneration had evolved from the uncommon grade 'Feeble Regeneration' he had grown. Originally, Feeble Regeneration slightly increased natural healing, but after evolving into Persistent Regeneration, it applied his tenacity to endure until the verge of collapse, significantly enhancing its effects as his health dropped.

"But it's already at level 99..."

KiJun thought about how harshly he had to train for the skill to reach level 99 twice. He was both astonished and thrilled at the prospect of what would happen when it evolved again.

"I should probably... ask the Demon Lord for help?"

The only way to increase his Regeneration skill was to endure a strong shock, similar to how he had increased his Indomitable Will skill by raising his durability stat and recovering from the shock.

Having such a notion in mind, KiJun felt both nervous and excited. The idea of receiving the Demon Lord's help was an incredible opportunity.

"Found it!"

Just as KiJun was contemplating, the loud, echoing sound of the Demon Lord's voice reached him. She had emerged from the Demon Lord's castle, her hand high in the air, holding something triumphantly.

In KiJun's eyes, it looked like a Rubik's Cube.

"Are you asking me to solve it?"

"It contains a rampaging light spirit sealed inside. It was one of the traps originally installed in the Demon Lord's castle."

"Why are you bringing such a bomb with you? I don't like the thought of that being near me. Ma’am, I object."

The spirit was a high-level concept KiJun hadn't even been aware of back in his days as a beginner hero.

In the face of such information, the warriors who come across it gradually begin to have thoughts like this:

The path to becoming a Summoner has opened—!

However, to put it bluntly, it was all a big dream.

For most warriors, the opportunity to encounter spirits came through quests like, "A rampaging spirit has destroyed the village, please put this spirit to rest," or "Due to the spirit's anger, waves are rising, and ships can't set sail. Please bring an offering to appease the spirit's wrath."

That's right.

These spirits were in no state to even consider a "contract," whether they were rampaging or in a state of anger.

"Isn't that obvious? Why would a perfectly fine spirit reveal themselves to humans? They're busy living their lives in peace amongst themselves."

"Didn't humans not know about that? In the games and novels we knew, it was common to form contracts with powerful and beautiful spirits and sweep everything away."

"Aren't you underestimating Summoners too much? To become a Summoner, you need a diverse range of talents, from being inspired by witnessing natural state spirits and hearing their voices, to having a pure heart to receive the spirit's love, and possessing social skills to communicate and appease the spirits."

It's not even an ability one can train, you have to be born with it.

Even though he still harbored dreams of becoming a Summoner deep within his heart, KiJun still neatly put away the dream of becoming a Summoner while holding the Rubik's Cube, then looked at it, caressing it, he asked the Demon King a question.

"So? What am I supposed to do with this Rubik's Cube containing the rampaging spirit? Just to let you know, I don't have any rogue skills to dismantle traps or anything."

"You don't even need to dismantle traps. Just watch."

The Demon King gently pushed one side of the Cube held by KiJun.

—Ah, aah...

In that moment, KiJun was horrified as the Cube shook uncontrollably, and from inside it, a faint, deep voice seeped out along with a light.

"How is it?"

"It feels like it could explode any moment."

"Exactly. Now, you just need to align the Rubik's Cube carefully so that it doesn't explode from the shock."

"And what happens then?"

"The sealed door inside opens."

"Where's that door?"

"Inside the Demon King's Castle."

In other words, even if he solved it, it was a trap that had no meaning. KiJun, who had hoped that the anger of the rampaging light spirit would be resolved and she could return to the spirit realm, felt disappointed and was about to put down the Cube when he felt it shaking, causing him to panic and return it to its original position.

—Don't torment me like this, oh god...

"How do I do this? It's terrifying to just hold it in my hand!"

"That's why you have to carefully align it without letting go. If you can do that successfully, I guarantee your skill level will definitely rise."

"Ugh, really..."

As expected, it was the Demon King's doing.

Casually installing a death trap in the hands of a warrior!

—Don't get angry...

"Alright, I got it. I'll try my best."

"...Huh?"

As his emotions intensified, the sealed spirit inside the Rubik's Cube also reacted sensitively.

In an attempt to pacify the spirit, KiJun looked at it with a bewildered expression. The Demon King stared at him with a dumbfounded expression, then at the Rubik's Cube, then closed her eyes tightly, opened them, and looked at KiJun again.

And, to confirm, she asked him a question.

"So, you're saying you can hear the spirit's voice now?"

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