Chapter 13

Ch.13 The Regression Of Calamity-Level Monster Tamer

My vision that had been dyed white slowly regained its color.

The first thing that entered my sight was several military police and Gate Management Agency agents who had been guarding the Blue Gate.

However, their faces were filled with bewilderment.

‘Mm, that’s understandable.’

Kadeuk— kadeudeudeudeuk—

I understand.

Because behind me, the Gate that had been the government’s meal ticket was disappearing.

Perhaps that’s why one agent who appeared to be a senior approached me in protest.

“…Mr. Kang Si-woo, what on earth is this about? I’m certain we requested Follower cleanup.”

Unpleasant half-honorifics.

But getting upset at every little thing like this makes you a rookie.

“Yes, Follower cleanup completed as requested. There was just a ‘minor’ incident in the process.”

“No, such wordplay… This kind of thing should naturally be handled with prior report and post-action, shouldn’t it?!”

“…Report?”

I frowned, but he didn’t care at all.

“Yes—!! That way we can at least prepare some countermeasures!”

“Mm, report…”

Mm. I correct myself.

I must have been a rookie.

Admitting it makes me feel at ease.

“Why should I report to you people?”

“…Pardon? Obviously—”

“I’m not your subordinate employee.”

Moving after receiving Seo Gyeoul’s request, they seem to mistake me for a subcontractor or something.

On top of that, to them I’m a freshly awakened rookie Player.

‘Wow, the day has come when the great Kang Si-woo is looked down upon, haha…’

It’s funny. Too funny.

Perhaps flinching at my fishy smile, the pressing agent shrank his neck like a terrapin.

Yet his mouth alone was floating on the water.

“…E-even so, if you accept a request, isn’t it natural to properly carry out the mission?!”

Perhaps thinking their senior was being pushed back, the few Management Agency agents all crowded in and began snapping at me together.

“That’s right! How can you handle work like this?!”

“You’re done after causing trouble once, but we who clean up the mess are dying here!”

“……”

Ah, they’re whining so annoyingly.

If I respond, my fist will fly first, so I chose silence.

Hoo, if it were the past me, I would have already broken a few things to start…

But I didn’t want to stain my newly obtained clean life with trash like this.

“Do you know how much annual profit that Magic Power Farm brings in and you caused such an accident?”

“If you were going to handle Followers by clearing the Gate anyway, we’d rather do it ourselves, why would we spend good money to commission this?! If you received money, you should earn your keep!”

“This dog…”

But as they say, a habit can’t be changed.

I barely grabbed the thread of reason that was about to snap momentarily.

‘Endure. I must endure…’

Once is difficult, but twice is easy.

My life before Regression was exactly like that.

I wasn’t called ‘Walking Calamity’ for nothing.

But then they began clinging to my slip of the tongue.

“…Pardon? What did you just say?”

Namu Amitabha… Namu Amitabha…

“Don’t tell me after handling work like that, you were about to curse?”

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form… Gate gate paragate…

“As expected, they said you and that ‘Ice Witch’ did it on the side and ate up all the compensation through back channels… The way you act is just—”

Peoeok—!

White corn flew into the air.

There was no signal, no warning.

My fist just flew first.

‘Ah shit, I’m screwed…’

Without even asking my permission.

Reason floated, watching my body’s movements.

No, it stood by.

Peok! Peobeobeok—!

“Eok… S-stop…”

“……”

So I, no ‘Kang Si-woo’ beat the agent with an expressionless face.

Dark red blood splattered on his face.

“You crazy bastard! Stop! Sto—”

A senior-level agent tried to subdue Kang Si-woo from behind, but.

The arm he was swinging struck that agent’s nose.

Fresh blood scattered through the air once more.

“Th-that crazy…!”

“Fuck, just finish him in one go!”

When the senior got hit, his juniors tried to pull out their weapons.

That’s when it happened.

One silhouette passed by Kang Si-woo like a brush stroke.

Kung—!

An agent who was about to throw a dagger flew and crashed into a temporary wall.

It was Ma Geon-woo.

“Everyone choose your words, this old man finds it grating to hear.”

“……”

“……”

Because everyone knew who he was, they simultaneously shut their mouths.

They must have instinctively felt that one more word would really screw them.

“Everyone’s nature is vile. You rescue someone drowning, and they ask why you didn’t save their bundle too. Ei, tsk tsk…”

Ma Geon-woo turned around to look at me, then asked for permission.

“If only you’re okay with it, would it be alright if this old man answered those fellows on your behalf?”

Why is this old man suddenly acting like this?

He was famous for being prickly even in the past.

Such a person is trying to defend me.

I knew he viewed me favorably to begin with, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.

When I nodded, Ma Geon-woo slowly opened his mouth toward the agents.

“Since it may be confidential, I’ll end it in one sentence.”

“……”

“……”

“Player Kang Si-woo had no choice but to clear the Gate at the time. Moreover, he risked his life and succeeded. That’s all. I’ll stake Dokkaebi Guild’s honor that all of this is true.”

“But elder—”

Kung!

When the one who appeared to be senior tried to talk back, Ma Geon-woo stomped his foot.

That distinctive red energy exploded outward.

“I. Staked. Dokkaebi. Guild’s honor, I said.”

“……”

“Everyone stand down.”

Then a voice cold as frost cut in.

It was Seo Gyeoul.

“I order all personnel to return. Only I will remain here.”

“Officer, we—”

The most senior agent stepped forward as if to make excuses, but Seo Gyeoul cut off his words without even looking at him.

“Clerk Park Yul. I order you as field commander, not as an officer. One week job suspension starting from this time. Return and write up a report to submit.”

“…Understood.”

Following Seo Gyeoul’s order, all military police and Management Agency agents withdrew.

Since the Gate they should have been guarding disappeared to begin with, they were unnecessary personnel anyway.

Thus, me, Ma Geon-woo, and Seo Gyeoul.

Only the three of us remained in the wide open space surrounded by temporary walls.

“First, on behalf of the Gate Management Agency, I apologize to both of you.”

Seo Gyeoul bowed at the waist in proper posture to express her apology.

Seeing that, Ma Geon-woo glanced at me and opened his mouth.

“Hmph, apologize to both what… Since there’s only three of us, let me speak comfortably, but you don’t need to apologize to that bastard. Rather, you should thank me.”

“…I cannot deny that. Thank you for resolving the situation. And Mr. Kang Si-woo, once again I apologize. I will definitely repay this wrong.”

Seo Gyeoul bowed her head to me once more in apology.

Seeing that, Ma Geon-woo clicked his tongue and glanced at me.

“I said there was no need to apologize. If I hadn’t stepped in, that bastard would have caused big trouble. He was really about to kill those idiots earlier. Is it because he just awakened? He’s a wild horse alright, what kind of killing intent is so fierce.”

As expected, he didn’t eat his age for nothing.

Seeing how incredibly sharp he is.

That said, saying I’d kill someone is too much of an exaggeration.

I just tried to pat them a few times.

Really, that’s all.

“…Ahem, I just hit them a few times.”

“Hehe, hitting a few times would cut someone’s lifeline. Anyway, it’s not that I don’t understand you. I was quite hot-blooded in my youth too. That’s why I like you more. You seem like the old me, keukkeul.”

Is he cursing?

I deliberately ignored Ma Geon-woo and turned my gaze to Seo Gyeoul.

She had her usual neat appearance.

Without a single bit of dishevelment.

However, the gaze looking at me seemed full of complex emotions.

‘Tsk, I got too heated unlike myself…’

To cover the incident I caused, Seo Gyeoul will probably have to suffer quite a bit.

So like someone with a guilty conscience, I calmly spoke.

The playfulness from before of wanting to put her in an awkward situation had long since disappeared.

“…It seems you need an explanation.”

“Yes. Very much so.”

“That… about clearing the Blue Gate.”

“Not that.”

“…Pardon?”

Bewilderingly, what she was curious about was something else.

“The battle between Mr. Kang Si-woo and the Followers. And the Gate Break rush. There’s some connection between these two incidents, right? You seem to know.”

“……”

“Did I overstep too much?”

As expected, is it because she’s Director Baek Mi-ran’s child?

Her turning head is nothing short of extraordinary.

She’s exactly like a lunatic who doesn’t even care about Magic Power Farms.

I was going to spill everything to Seo Gyeoul anyway.

Because she was a person I needed.

That Ma Geon-woo standing beside would also learn the content was an unexpected development though.

“Since you seem to know everything, I’ll cut to the chase and tell you the conclusion.”

“I’m listening.”

“They’ve figured out how to artificially generate Rifts.”

I pulled out the golden heart from my pocket.

Relic, ‘Heart of Evil.’

It still beats while spreading ripples.

But in this state it’s harmless to humans, so it’s fine.

“It’s a Relic seized from them. It’s essential for them to cause artificial Rifts like this time. The problem is this might not be the only one.”

I handed the Heart of Evil to Seo Gyeoul.

“Please deliver this to Director Baek Mi-ran.”

“…To my mother?”

“Tell her it will help with ongoing research, and she’ll probably understand. Then she’ll give you a detailed explanation.”

Director Baek who receives this will have no choice but to call me.

Because she’ll be curious about many things.

I’m not a researcher so I don’t know much either, but befitting someone from the future, I know a few facts.

Like how ordinary people know concepts like heliocentrism, quantum mechanics, and relativity ‘exist,’ but don’t know how to prove them.

“Anyway, to find out even a little more about them, I’ll have to show this to Mother. And knowing Mother’s personality, she’ll look for Mr. Kang Si-woo.”

As expected, Seo Gyeoul quickly realized Director Baek would look for me.

“Mr. Kang Si-woo has been predicting up to this point since we first met.”

“Not exactly. I didn’t know I’d meet those Follower bastards this quickly either.”

“Anyway, then our contract ends here too.”

“Probably.”

I could feel her eye corners, which always wore an indifferent expression, droop ever so slightly. But they quickly returned to their original state.

“Then may I ask not for a contract but one favor? Instead, I’ll somehow wrap up the Magic Power Farm matter on my end.”

“……”

Eh shit.

We’ve socially agreed to call such things not favors but threats.

‘I’d rather you deal comfortably…’

Anyway, since there’s nothing good from both sides getting hurt, I accepted the talk.

“Let me hear it first.”

“Until now we’ve been blocking rumors about Mr. Kang Si-woo, but it will leak out soon now.”

“Because I’ve outlived my usefulness.”

Originally, I should have been going around catching Followers for a while as the government’s hidden blade.

But my contract with Seo Gyeoul just ended.

Now that the deal conditions that could hold me are gone, there’s no need to expend human and material resources for maintaining secrecy either.

“Scouts from numerous Guilds will attempt to recruit Mr. Kang Si-woo. With sweet proposals difficult to refuse.”

“It will be an enjoyable time.”

“Please reject all those proposals.”

“…Pardon?”

No, is this person trying to block someone’s path?

Surely scouts will come with tremendous salaries and conditions.

‘Of course, I can’t even imagine settling in any one Guild…’

But there’s a big difference between ‘not’ joining and ‘can’t’ join.

Then Seo Gyeoul corrected her words.

“To be precise, I’m asking you to maintain ‘Monster’ Guild.”

“Ah…”

Ah, that’s what she meant?

But why? Specifically?

Is it because she is attached to the Guild she created?

“I’ll explain the reason later. Let me say it again, but this is just my request. If you don’t like it, feel free to refuse.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“That alone is sufficient for now. Then. I’ll contact you again later.”

Having finished speaking like that, Seo Gyeoul went straight to the Gate Management Agency, saying she had many things to handle.

Thus only Ma Geon-woo and I were left behind.

“Really, an unpredictable lass.”

“Indeed.”

Unpredictable…

That’s a fitting expression for her.

Anyway, I should find out why she made such a request.

Setting aside whether I’ll accept the request or not.

As I was turning my head, Ma Geon-woo suddenly clapped and shouted.

“Ah right! But that lass might not know well, but I who kept watching from the side know something about you?!”

“What do you mean?”

Wondering what this old man is about to say with that fuss, I turned my head to look.

“……”

In silence, he was staring at me with narrowed eyes.

“…Wh-why are you staring like that?”

“You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

“…!?”

Suddenly cold sweat flowed down my spine.

Though I tried to be discreet, the thought flashed through that I might not have been able to fool that cunning old man’s eyes.

“That lass seems to think you ‘found out the Followers’ secret inside the Gate,’ but that’s not actually it, is it.”

“……”

“You already knew everything. Right? The Followers’ purpose, how they’ll move for that purpose, even the aftermath. Otherwise your movements can’t be explained.”

“Haha… I don’t quite understand what you’re saying but…”

“Come to think of it, your combat style is also somehow skilled…”

Awkward silence flowed.

Am I being outed right after Regressing?

Ma Geon-woo stared at me piercingly, then clapped, going ‘That’s it!’

“Rejuvenation!”

“…Pardon?”

“You’re actually the same age as me! You reawakened through Rejuvenation that I only heard rumors about! Even laundering your identity to live young.”

“What nonsense…”

“Hehe! You’re also an incredible actor! I almost fell for it again!”

Suddenly my head throbbed.

I’m about to become friends with a grandfather whose age I couldn’t reach even combining my past and current life.