Chapter 513: At Lindel (4)

Regressor Instruction Manual

‘Did we get here too quickly?’

“It doesn’t matter which side,” I said.

I knew Lee Ji-Hye would make her move soon, but it didn’t really matter because approaching them while they were still preparing to fight wasn’t such a bad idea. I knew that I would have to adjust the details, anyway.

The humans simply had to defend and look for an opportunity to strike, but the demon army had to consider many things.

My one-on-one battle with Kim Hyun-Sung wouldn’t happen that easily, so I had to make sure that the journey there would be smooth. Obviously, I had to make sure that the humans wouldn’t suffer too much damage.

The plot was basically this—I was going to make Kim Hyun-Sung run around so that he would be exhausted, and we would encounter each other in a touching way at the place where we were supposed to meet.

It sounded great on paper, but it was easier said than done.

There were many uncertain elements, so I had to be extra cautious. To be honest, I was worried because there were so many variables. I even started doubting if my plan would even work, but as we got closer to Lindel, I saw a scene that made me nod.

I used Mind’s Eye to take a closer look at the human army, their condition, the location where the reinforcements were hiding, and their particularly tight formation. It seemed one couldn’t really extract a lot of information from such things.

‘As expected from Ji-Hye noona...’

It was a stage for me.

‘So she knew all along… It seriously feels a bit eerie…’

It wasn’t strange that she was quick-witted. After all, she was a villain along with the masked scum in her past life.

Her nature was similar to mine as well, and since we had worked on many projects before this incident, it wouldn’t be strange if she still hadn’t noticed it.

However, the perfect stage was so perfect that it caught me off guard.

I knew what she wanted, and she knew what I wanted—this was basically it.

She gathered those who would have to die in one place while ensuring that her allies wouldn’t take that much damage.

The sector where I had to send more troops had better defenses, while the sector I had to break through would definitely open like an automatic door to me.

Moreover, she had also set traps for the demons that I had to kill here, so I felt like she really knew what I wanted and set things up according to my desires.

‘I wasn’t sure what you’ll like, so I prepared everything I could prepare.’

It felt like she was handing me a pair of chopsticks after preparing a scrumptious buffet for me. It was the same case for Kim Hyun-Sung. I was sure that he would move separately as a support unit, and I could see that Lee Ji-Hye herself would take control of the tactical nuke named Kim Hyun-Sung.

Of course, she wasn’t as efficient as me because she didn’t have Mind’s Eye. The orders she could give Kim Hyun-Sung would definitely be limited, but I wanted to shout in delight when I realized that she could still lead Kim Hyun-Sung to my location.

It was then that I realized that I didn’t have to think about complicated things.

‘This is how you plan things out...’

I was surprised by the quality of the production, and I was looking forward to the stage she had made for me. My headache went away, and I felt refreshed. Lonovera—my new attending secretary—noticed my smile and said.

- Advisor Lee Ki-Young.

“Yes, Miss Lonovera?”

- What will you do? Won’t it be great if you say something here while maintaining the line? If it’s a propaganda war…

“No, it’s not necessary. I would have offered several negotiation cards, but being a wicked being who does not have the capacity to hold a proper conversation should be more effective here,” I replied.

- As expected… you want to see them as soon as possible.

‘Of course, I do. I put a lot of work into this..’

“Yes, I’ve been eagerly waiting for this moment. We spent a lot of time preparing, so I feel pressured about wrapping this up. I can’t disappoint demons like you. I need to bring results so that the demons can return to hell with relief,” I explained.

- We’re already satisfied, Advisor Lee Ki-Young. Whenever I think about all the things you’ve done…

“Hahaha. Even if that’s true, won’t it be better if the ending is phenomenal as well? Please deliver this message to the demons. Make sure they’re aware of when to retreat and return to hell so that they won’t experience the same thing Mr. Donovan did, and please tell them to complete the missions I’ve given to them separately,” I ordered.

- I understand, Advisor Lee Ki-Young.

‘Wow, this is making me nervous…’

I had many reasons to smile, but I felt nervous for some reason. Was this what the people of a game company would feel whenever they were about to release a new big game? My heart pounded madly against my chest, and I felt short of breath at the thought of filming something with Kim Hyun-Sung.

The reason was slightly different, but the demons here probably felt the same. The actors of the 27th Legion were nervous. They had accumulated enough results, but they also wanted to end this arc properly.

They looked like actors who were waiting for their turn in an important shoot.

‘At least they look a little better than them...’

The humans knew that they were about to fight the demons of the 27th Legio, and they were beyond scared.

I even saw someone incessantly trembling with an extremely pallid look.

Of course, there were people courageous enough to stand tall while wielding their swords, but I believe that they were scared as well.

I started wondering whether a war was actually going to break out, but a loud voice interrupted my train of thought.

“Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle…!”

Park Deok-Gu pounded his shield with his fist with an awkward expression, but he was shouting at the top of his lungs.

“Prepare for battle! Prepare for battleee…!”

[You have been affected by the Legendary attribute, Morale Shout. Your stats have been greatly increased temporarily.]

Wow, Park Deok-Gu…’ He was my younger brother, so I was happy to see his growth. I started smiling while staring at him. ‘You really grew a lot. Hey pig, your hyung is proud of you. I’m really proud.’

Park Deok-Gu raised the morale of the terrified troops of the Continental Union, and he gave them a buff as well. It was clear that Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t the only one who grew during all this.

The lump of meat had also grown to the extent that he could finally lead his own group of adventurers.

Of course, the others had grown as well. I swept my gaze across the people beneath me using Mind’s Eye, and I saw that the entire human race seemed to have gotten stronger overall.

In addition to the Blue Guild, the nameless small to mid-sized clans and the soldiers of the Sacred Democratic Country had grown a lot. I could only imagine the experiences that they had to go through to improve this fast.

Their minds had matured as well. Jung Ha-Yan had become more obedient, while Elena looked like she had become stoic. Cha Hee-Ra also seemed like she had learned how to think rationally, while Kasugano Yuno seemed like she had grown a bit more independent than before.

I was sure that they were still lacking if I were to compare them to their past lives, but mankind was currently strong enough to stop a division of the 27th Legion.

I raised my hand and revealed a wicked smile. The troops of the Continental Union went quiet as the demon army marched closer and closer to Lindel. The high priests of the army used their own methods to boost the demon’s morale.

At last, the demon army got close enough to Lindel.

“Kill those pesky humans,” I ordered, and the demons roared at once.

The cacophony of roars made the earth tremble as the entire demon army charged toward Lindel’s walls.

- Roaaaaaaaar!!!

- Grrrrrrrr!!

‘I wonder how long they’ll last.’

Lindel’s walls weren’t that strong because it wasn’t located on the border like Castle Rock, and it was also supposed to be starting city for adventurers since the advent of the tutorial dungeons.

I was sure that they could last for a while as long as the Federation poured their mana into the walls, but Lindel wasn’t that great against a siege.

- Pour more mana into the wall! We have to endure for as long as we can! We can’t let them break through!

- These pesky humans sure are running wild. Where’s the hero who will take the ax of the high priest Ballitos? Ha! I’ll turn you into minced meat!

- Send reinforcements to the western region as quickly as possible! Hurry up! We can’t let them break through.

- Ah!

- Roaaaaaaaar!!

- Goddess Benigoa is with us! The Swordsman of Light is with us!

‘It quickly got violent. Geez…’

The Continental Union was probably thinking that they could prevent the demons from venturing beyond the walls, but that was impossible to do so in Lindel.

It didn’t matter how great the commander in charge of the siege defense was. At some point, they would be forced to either give up the walls or break the walls down themselves to kill the smaller demons below.

I was sure that both sides had the same thought in mind.

It was an unprecedented large-scale street battle. A battle inside Lindel was inevitable, and that was exactly why this street battle was important. This skirmish would determine the number of soldiers that would go on to fight in the main battle.

Of course, they didn’t have to be extremely desperate here, but they had to fight with that kind of determination without being sloppy.

The battlefield quickly became chaotic; they were obviously showing that kind of determination as they fought.

‘Man, why are they… they’re fighting so hard that I’m seriously getting goosebumps.’

Meanwhile, a certain region of Lindel had a high proportion of female adventurers and demons.

The battle between them looked fiercer than in any other region.

- Goddess Benigoa! Annihilate these dirty… demons!

- These dirty humans who don’t know their places actually dare to harm me! Know your place, ignorant and stupid humans!

- Die! You demons! It is a humiliation to be under the same sky as you, filthy beings! Soldiers, give them no quarter! Light and justice still exist, and we must show them to those demons! Elune! Please annihilate these demons!

- You bitches are the ones who have to disappear from this land! Don’t retreat! Proliferate, oh—darkness of the legion!

- Die! Die…!

- Aaaaaah!

- Cast a spell! Hurry up! Burn them down with holy power! Use your potions only on heavy injuries!

‘You should treat any injuries, guys…’

- Don’t even think about running back to hell, demons! Fight to the death…!

‘You know you’ll die if you don’t go back to hell, right?’

I had no idea why they were so fierce, even though the battle had just begun. However, it quickly became clear that they were trying to set me up to become the main character of this battle.

The adventurers here definitely had a powerful priest with them because I could see flashes of light with every fierce shout about how they would annihilate the demons.

I wanted to see the priest’s job, but I had to focus on the other regions of the battlefield, so I didn’t have the luxury to do that.

The region where the high priests were located was obviously the main stage of the Battle of Lindel. As expected, I saw a variety of scenes. Ballitos, Rimoura, and a few high priests were there to show their overwhelming presence.

The mages were blocking Rimoura’s large tentacles, while Ballitos—who was acting like he was enjoying human meat—was quietly standing on the battlefield with a massive kitchen knife in hand.

The other high priests were also oppressing the Continental Union with their own unique skills.

At this point, I could already see who would come here as a reinforcement.

It was a swordsman roaming the battlefield with a sword.

‘Hyun-Sung…’

Kim Hyun-Sung had to be pushed to his limits.

‘I need to make him consume his stamina.’

I needed to make him consume at least half of his stamina and mana by any means necessary. Otherwise, my weak body wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

‘Man, our Hyun-Sung is fighting hard. Hang in there! You can do it! Good job! That’s it!’