RCMT-Chapter 9

Ch.9 The Regression Of Calamity-Level Monster Tamer

―Do you always have a plan?

―Si-woo, always, always, always, has a plan.

―So the leader’s a plan-obsessed guy?

There was a time I told my comrades.

No, I told those traitors.

That there was a famous movie from Earth, and it had my favorite line.

After that, they used to tease me with phrases like that.

‘Those damn bastards…….’

Yeah, that’s right.

Even though I realized the world doesn’t work according to plan.

I, by nature, make plans as naturally as breathing.

So naturally that I don’t even realize I’m doing it.

This time was no different.

From the moment I thought I needed to get a Record Transfer Ticket, I had it all planned out.

‘First, I exclude skills.’

Skills can be created or copied as long as the conditions are met.

Of course, there are some that are impossible, but generally, it’s possible.

‘So, shut up and go for talents.’

That being the case, which talent should I choose?

Actually, I’d already decided which player’s talent to select.

‘Originally, I was going to take Zhuge Shang’s talent…….’

Zhuge Shang, who led China’s Tian Dun Guild in my previous life.

His talent was widely known, as he was also famous as an outstanding tactician.

His talent was [Zhuge Liang’s Dumplings (B+)].

It was a ‘talent that creates sacrificial dummies,’ and it was an excellent ability when using skills or powers that required paying a price.

‘I thought it would be perfect for using Limit Break…….’

……That was before I learned about Joo Geon-ryul.

[Joo Geon-ryul’s Talents]

Super Regeneration (A+), Malsajiche (S)

As a result of examining him with the Record Casket, Joo Geon-ryul was also a Double Talent holder like me.

Except his grades were different.

A+ and S-rank.

“What is he, a zombie? That’s why he doesn’t die even when stabbed.”

He definitely seemed to have a skill or talent related to regeneration.

I immediately became greedy.

Given the Tamer class characteristic of the player’s main body being targeted as a weakness, it seemed like it would be extremely useful.

But there was something that piqued my curiosity.

“But what’s this? Malsajiche……?”

[Malsajiche]

―Rank: S

―Information: Your body becomes impervious to malevolent energy.

(All negative effects received by the user reduced by 90%)

“……Are you kidding me?! Isn’t this level balance-breaking?”

What kind of fraudulent talent is this?

Reduction of ‘all’ debuff effects.

Moreover, at 90%, most things clearly wouldn’t even make a dent.

‘Wait, if it’s a reduction of ‘all’ negative effects……?’

It would include not only enemy curses but also debuffs from items, titles, and even ‘talents.’

“Then this…… is the perfect talent for me right now?”

I picked Joo Geon-ryul’s talent without hesitation.

[‘Record Transfer Ticket’ will be used x1.]

[Transferring Joo Geon-ryul’s talent, ‘Malsajiche (S)’ to the user.]

[The user’s talent has been added.]

With this, I became not a Double Talent holder but a Triple Talent holder.

“But…… God still has one more ticket left!”

I took out the Record Transfer Ticket from my chest and recited a famous line.

A ticket that could make me a Quadra Talent holder!

I could immediately steal Joo Geon-ryul’s Super Regeneration (A+) with this, but a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.

“Record Casket, show me Julie Pearson’s talent list.”

The mega-corporation that mass-produces Artifacts, Bluestone.

Its owner, ‘Julie Pearson.’

‘If I could steal her main talent?’

The things I could do branched out like tree limbs in my head.

Soon, goosebumps rose all over, and I rubbed my arms.

Even I didn’t know how much I would grow, at my infinite potential…….

“Even I’m scared of myself…….”

And the corners of my mouth rose at the thought of showing this terror clearly to those bastards who betrayed me.

***

Once I received all the rewards, the Record Casket opened.

The Player Test had ended.

The first person I faced was the civil servant who had guided me.

I came outside, but I couldn’t forget his expression and attitude toward me until then.

‘No, I’ll probably never forget it for the rest of my life.’

Because he treated me as if he were assisting the president.

He was so anxious, worried he’d break me if he let go, wear me down if he touched me, that it was annoyingly burdensome.

‘Phew, it was fortunate that Seo Gyeoul appeared then.’

The one who saved me was Seo Gyeoul.

On top of that, she guided me not to the audio-visual room where officials were waiting, but to a secret passage leading outside.

‘If I’d gone there, I would have been surrounded by Guild Scouts or related civil servants and had to fend off a barrage of questions.’

Since I knew well that Seo Gyeoul wasn’t someone who showed kindness without compensation, I persistently asked why she was being so nice to me.

―It’s a gesture of gratitude for keeping your promise.

―The Test A+ grade? Of course I was going to―

―If you don’t understand, let’s just say it’s because I’m in a good mood today.

―……?

She only said things I couldn’t understand at all.

Anyway, since there was nothing for me to lose, I followed her guidance and safely escaped the government building.

“Myeongil-dong Coco Mansion.”

The taxi I took after paying the late-night surcharge.

The place I arrived at was a house I only saw occasionally in dreams.

The old mansion I lived in with my mother before leaving home.

Even that was a house my mother barely managed to purchase with a lifetime of savings plus a loan.

To fully savor the emotions welling up, I headed to my home via the stairs instead of the elevator.

[708]

“…….”

The front door is covered in grime.

Through the gaps of the old and shabby door, the sweet and spicy scent of Spicy Stir-fried Pork flowed out.

Beep beep beep beep―

When I entered the door lock number, I felt signs of life inside.

“Si-woo!”

When I opened the door, our Park Mi-kyung greeted me with a bright face.

I couldn’t express how much I’d longed for this sight.

“What, son. Are you tearing up right now? I didn’t raise my son to be this weak?”

“Weak…… Didn’t you see earlier? Me beating down magic beasts?”

“That’s what I’m saying! You should have at least told me! Why did you keep it secret even from your mom?!”

“Aah―!!”

My mother pinched my forearm with her spicy hands.

I rubbed my arm frantically from the sting and talked back.

“Ugh…… Didn’t you watch the movie Spider Boy? Heroes are supposed to keep it secret.”

“……What?! If this kid can’t even speak properly…… Hurry and come in, you’re hungry, right? I made your favorite Spicy Stir-fried Pork. Let’s eat quickly.”

I couldn’t express how much I’d wanted to hear those words about eating that Spicy Stir-fried Pork.

I forcibly suppressed my surging emotions and answered dryly.

“Yes, Mother.”

***

I finished showering cleanly.

Then I fiddled with the remote for no reason, flipping through TV channels I had no interest in.

After hesitating for a moment like that, I gathered my resolve and got up from the sofa. And faced the door to my room.

“…….”

“What are you doing there? Why aren’t you going into your room?”

“……I’m going in.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and turned the doorknob.

Creak―

“…….”

I slowly opened my tightly shut eyes.

Then a narrow room that fit entirely in my not-so-wide field of vision appeared.

Drawn by the sight of my room, both unfamiliar and familiar, my legs moved on their own.

“My room…….”

I completely entered like that.

The pastoral atmosphere of the room was such that if someone saw it, they’d ask if it was a monk’s room.

A single bed, desk, bookshelf, chair, and old computer—that was all.

Just for this moment, I was grateful to those traitors.

Because thanks to those bastards, I got the chance to regress anyway.

‘I’m damn grateful, you rotten bastards. As thanks, I’ll kill you painlessly…….’

My body naturally pressed the main power button as if drawn to it.

Even though I could use the new technology called Tower Net through the System, I deliberately turned on the old clunker computer.

Whirrr―

As the cooling fan caked with old dust screamed, the monitor displayed an internet window.

“Wow…… I used to hate this so much, but now even this sound is endearing.”

I clicked the malfunctioning right-click mouse and started surfing the internet.

[Today’s Trending Articles]

“I wonder if my story made it?”

I entered the server people used most often and started checking the reactions.

There were more eye-catching headlines than I thought.

[Irregular Who Cleared Today’s Non-Precursor Gate in Gangdong-gu, Who Exactly?]

└Is it true that an Irregular cleared it?

└Yeah. My relative is in Jotunn Guild. Said they came back empty-handed today.

└Your relative is in Jotunn Guild? Then I’m a rookie in Dokkaebi Guild.

└I’m the Dokkaebi Guild’s Master, and the commenter above is indeed our guild rookie.

└But if it’s really true, doesn’t that mean our country is producing a player like Joo Geon-ryul or Miyamoto Daichi?

└Damn, you think all Irregulars are the same Irregular? Is this bastard’s head just decoration?

└No, it’s true! Our team leader got totally wrecked by that guy. Got completely embarrassed in front of the girl he likes!

└’Our’ team leader? Jotunn Guild Master, sir, over here. There’s an idiot here who leaked guild confidential information.

“Hehe, they’re still playing around like this here. Such interesting guys.”

I scrolled down with the wheel and clicked the next headline.

[The Protagonist of the Suddenly Conducted Special Player Test. Intelligence Obtained That He May Have Taken 1st Place in the ‘Record Casket’!]

└Ah, this reporter bastard. Does he think anything becomes an article if he just spews it out? Writing speculative news as if it’s fact.

└No, that’s actually true. And I heard that Irregular is a Tamer. He crushed Joo Geon-ryul as a Tamer.

└Just passing by but writing a comment. As a player who once exterminated magic beasts in the same Gate as Joo Geon-ryul in 2011, when I was active in Beijing back in my youth, I used to beat Beijing ducks with my bare hands and chewed rice cakes like steel bars―

└Long post cut!

└But really, really really if. What happens if that article is true?

└What do you mean what happens. It’d be a really really historic moment. Even Miyamoto on the 200th floor of the Tower bows to Joo Geon-ryul. He beat that Guardian? I’d immediately belt out the national anthem from verse 1 to 4, record it, and post it here.

└This will soon become a holy comment.

I wrote the last comment with a grin.

Thinking I’d definitely have to come back later to listen to the national anthem.

‘I don’t know why, but it seems the government is controlling information about me?’

The situation was still full of only hearsay.

Probably because of ‘adult circumstances.’

‘Even better.’

I was already worried about excessive attention toward me anyway.

In case my mother would be harmed by it.

Of course, they can’t block the information forever.

But if they delay the information spread like this, I can buy time to respond.

‘Anyway, the biggest part of those adult circumstances is probably Seo Gyeoul.’

And ‘Seo Gyeoul who confirmed my skills with her own two eyes’ at that.

In the past, after she consumed the [Moon’s Eye], she devoted herself with great passion to ‘certain activities.’

“By now, those guys should be starting to expand their sphere of activity…….”

Scroll―

As the scroll bar went down, a new article appeared.

[‘Followers’ Terrorist Acts Increase by 20% in One Year…….]

‘As expected…….’

Seo Gyeoul and other high-ranking people would want to use me as a blade to catch these guys.

Originally, clearing Gates was the contract content, but conditions could be adjusted through negotiations.

‘And there’s a close connection between the two incidents from the beginning anyway…….’

The Followers’ terrorism.

And Erosion from Non-Precursor Rifts.

No, between these two, the term ‘causal relationship’ is more fitting than just connection.

‘Because the Followers’ terrorism started artificially generating Gates.’

Of course, it wasn’t like that from the beginning.

After intense research, they discovered how to cause Gate Breaks and began actively using it.

And the beginning is around this time.

The reason I didn’t act like I knew this fact in front of Seo Gyeoul earlier was because this was still a matter kept top secret.

‘Anyway, to catch those guys together, I need to find something suitable and give it to Seo Gyeoul as a gift. Since I stole the [Moon’s Eye]…….’

A granary swarming with rats.

It was a situation like pulling out the teeth of the cat guarding it.

I was pondering what to give her when I stopped all my movements after seeing a freshly posted article.

“……!?”

[(Breaking News!) Just Now, a Group of Followers Attacked a ‘Gate Farm’…….]

Bzzzz―

At that moment, my phone vibrated.

It was a text.

The sender was Seo Gyeoul.

The text content was just one sentence.

―Are you free right now?

I immediately grabbed my outerwear and burst outside.