A Regressor's Bucket List

With a soft sigh, Jerry muttered.

“…I had a feeling this would happen, so I stayed put.”

“……”

“I should have just intervened earlier.”

Hearing Jerry's muttering, Einstein burst out laughing and turned his head.

Kekeke-

“Isn't this a bit disappointing, J.J.?”

“……”

“If there's anyone who wishes for the revival of the vampire race more than you, it would probably be me.”

“……”

“You should have told me there was such a happy occasion. I would've bought a cake on the way.”

Chwa-reu-reuk-

As he laughed, countless mana chains shot out from Einstein's outstretched hand.

The chains, splitting into numerous branches, rushed forward and naturally bound my limbs.

[Warning! Your Mana Circuit is being deactivated due to external mana intervention!]

[Warning! The mana concentration in your body is decreasing significantly.]

[Warning…!]

Countless system window messages warned me of the danger.

But there was nothing I could do.

No, to be precise, there was no way there could be.

Some brilliant move to escape this situation.

Grind—

As the mana chains tightened around my limbs, a suffocating pressure seized me, and my body collapsed with a powerful sense of exhaustion.

Thud—

‘…Dammit.’

It was a fatal mistake.

To have shown him my vampire Trait.

‘…I should have hidden this, no matter what.’

I was too complacent.

I should have considered every possibility, at least until I was completely out of his grasp.

The moment I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking I had drawn his attention away, was far too soon.

“A sample of a new vampire race... Since I've received such a wonderful gift, I feel like I should give something in return...”

Cupping his chin and tilting his head this way and that, Einstein snapped his fingers and exclaimed.

“Ah, right! I'll just let you go, J.J. Playing hide-and-seek with you was quite fun. Try running away again. I'll be 'it' one more time. Kekeke-.”

“……”

Einstein laughed as he looked at the silent Jerry.

‘At this rate... am I headed for the White House…?’

Despite holding the high rank of Count, Einstein, as a Court Count, was not granted a separate territory.

Instead, he resided in Top Hill, a direct territory of the Demon King, and primarily lived in his laboratory there.

That lab, built with an entirely white exterior, was infamous for its wickedness even within the Demon King's domain, a place overflowing with all sorts of harm.

A laboratory that most Magical Beasts in the Demon King's Allied Forces, and even demons with titles, avoided.

.

It was known to be filled with the highest-level experimental equipment in the Upper Plane and to contain biological experiment samples of every living creature in the world—a place that any living being, let alone a Magical Beast, couldn't help but feel uneasy about.

…And one of the few biological experiment samples that didn't exist in his White House was a sample of the vampire race, which was known to be extinct.

…To be precise, it would be more accurate to say it was a sample that no longer existed after Jerry escaped from there.

“Kekeke-, Junior.”

“……”

“Aren't you curious too, Junior? Just how incredible the limits of that ability are. Let's go together.”

“……”

“I'm also curious about your brilliant 'Demon King Hunt' plan... But a 'new sample' is a bit hard to resist. As it is, I've been running out of samples worth experimenting on lately.”

In his eyes, I seemed to no longer be an 'interesting Hero candidate', but merely a 'sample of the vampire race'.

What they call a 'state of seeing red'.

Escaping from the grasp of an 'Isaac Einstein' whose eyes had gone wild over a new sample was more than impossible.

My mind went blank, and I couldn't think of any countermeasures.

Crrreeak—

The mana chains tightened their grip on my whole body, and the little mana I had left to resist with completely subsided.

I turned my head and scanned my surroundings.

Shuten, now tightly bound by Einstein's sturdy mana chains instead of my own crude ones.

Loxy, collapsed on the ground with a rope around her neck, just as she was at the beginning.

And Jerry, who seemed to be deep in thought, looking back and forth between Einstein and me.

…No matter how much I looked around, I couldn't see any variable that could turn the situation around.

‘...If I'm dragged away like this, I'll probably…’

…spend the rest of my life trapped in a solution of unknown composition, my memories gone, repeating a cycle of my limbs being severed and regenerating. That was the high probability.

I wasn't particularly afraid.

Rather than that.

The thought of how the grand Regression, carrying everyone's hopes, could end so pathetically just made a hollow laugh escape my lips.

Pfft—

Just like that.

As I watched Einstein pull on the chains.

At the very moment I was about to helplessly accept the situation I could do nothing about.

- Come hither~!

“Hmm…?”

Suddenly, from somewhere beyond the darkness, a voice was heard.

‘…?’

For a moment, the surroundings fell silent.

Everyone's gaze in the area moved toward the darkness behind us.

Swish, swish—

The appearance of a mysterious figure, impossible to identify as friend or foe.

The area was steeped in tension.

However.

Soon after, hearing the familiar footsteps and seeing the familiar silhouette emerge from beyond the soaking darkness, I couldn't help but let out a smile.

Pfft—

‘…To think things would work out like this.’

Hearing my quiet laugh, Jerry asked softly.

“…An acquaintance?”

…Of course I know him.

There was no need to get a closer look to be sure.

Just by the appearance of the shadow cast in the darkness and the sound of his distinctive footsteps, I could tell who he was.

The long pole slung over his shoulder.

The reddish-brown rags, patched up here and there.

The sharply grown beard.

And.

- Ahem… Is no one there? I said, come hither.

And, as always, that distinctive bamboo hat perched on his head.

In other words.

“Yes.”

“……”

“…A nosy, talkative,”

“……”

“a gentleman who loves to wander around.”

…It was the Bamboo Hat Mister.

“It seems you're in need of a little help.”

“……”

“What do you say… do you need some?”

Lightly—

The Bamboo Hat Mister, who had nonchalantly inserted himself into the scene, asked as he lightly hopped onto the head of the mana-chain-bound Shuten.

Shuten's response to that was simple.

“I don't know about help… but get off me first.”

“Hoho, I'll just borrow it for a moment. This head of yours is nice and wide, perfect for sitting on.”

It seemed Shuten had sized up the situation and figured out that the Bamboo Hat Mister was an ally.

Grind—

“…I don't know who the hell you are. But you'd better get down while I'm asking nicely.”

“Hoh hoh. Those don't sound like very nice words to me…”

“……”

“Alright, if you ask me nicely, I'll get down without another word. Go on, try it. Some nice words.”

It seemed Shuten didn't trust him one bit.

Well… that was understandable.

His unique, blunt way of speaking.

His unusual appearance.

His lighthearted demeanor.

Judging by his looks alone, which seemed more suited to a street beggar than someone who could turn this situation around, it would have been stranger to trust him at first sight.

Pfft—

However, as one of the people who knew the Bamboo Hat Mister better than anyone, I could declare with certainty.

That limited to this current situation, the Bamboo Hat Mister was someone who could be more helpful than anyone else in the world.

No, perhaps he was the only person in the entire Upper Plane who could be of help.

“Ah, right. Let's start with introductions. It seems most of you are new faces.”

“……”

“A pleasure to meet you.”

“……”

“I am the 'Wandering Poet', Kim Satgat.”

Kim Satgat.

His name was one that any Korean who had gone through the mandatory elementary and middle school curriculum would know.

The image his name evoked was quite strong, and he was even included in the historical children's song '100 Great People Who Glorified the Nation', a song on par with the national anthem.

So, even if one didn't know the details of his life or his achievements, they were bound to have heard his name at least once throughout their history classes in elementary, middle, and high school.

But surprisingly.

His name was far more famous in the Upper Plane than in the Lower-Dimensional Plane.

In the Lower-Dimensional Plane, Kim Satgat's fame was limited to the single nation of South Korea.

But here, the fame of the unique Hero with the moniker 'Wandering Poet' was something that could be called 'pan-continental'.

“…The Wandering Poet.”

Jerry's low mutter proved that fact.

“Hoh hoh. It seems that gloomy-looking friend over there knows me.”

“…I know you as a Hero belonging to the Beggars' Sect. Is that correct?”

“Correct. I was just passing through on a personal request.”

“…A coincidence.”

“Call it a fortuitous encounter. It's only a little, but my own sacrifice was involved.”

“……”

Hoh hoh—

A 1-star Hero with an Exclusive Contract with the Beggars' Sect, one of the great sects of the Murim Empire.

That was the official position of the 'Wandering Poet, Kim Satgat' in the Upper Plane.

However.

While it was certainly amazing enough to have passed the Hero candidate period, had his achievements recognized, and been officially appointed as a 1-star Hero…

…the reason the Bamboo Hat Mister was famous in the Upper Plane wasn't simply because he was a 1-star Hero.

“…My, my. What special day is it today? Look who it is.”

“……”

“Kekeke- It's been a while, Mister Satgat. Has it been about 50 years?”

‘…He was the promising talent who competed with this guy for the top spot.’

Isaac Einstein.

This man, who should have been the last 'Chosen One' and who was giving The Order the most trouble in the recent battles of the War against Demons, was originally a Hero candidate from the same generation as the Bamboo Hat Mister.

The one who received 'The Chosen One' Trait as the most promising candidate of that generation was Einstein, now acting as the strategist for the Demon King's Army, and the next most promising candidate was none other than the Bamboo Hat Mister.

…Ironically, that was also the reason why the Bamboo Hat Mister was one of the most famous among the 1-star Heroes.

From people's perspective, it seemed utterly strange that while a strategist for the Demon King's Army had emerged from his generation, the man who had competed with him for the top spot was stuck as a mere 1-star Hero, doing odd jobs in a remote corner of the eastern continent.

Of course.

From my perspective, knowing some of the details behind it, the Bamboo Hat Mister seemed the more impressive one.

“I haven't seen you once since your betrayal. So it's probably been longer than that.”

“Is that so?”

“Well, be that as it may…”

“……”

“So you're the one, eh? The top of this year's class they've been chattering my ear off about.”

Judging by the way he spoke so openly, it seemed this gentleman had come with some knowledge of the situation.

…It wasn't strange.

He belonged to Murim's greatest information network.

The Beggars' Sect.

He was bound to have heard the rumors about the rookie 'Chosen One' who was the talk among the Constellations, no matter how much he closed his ears.

Besides.

…in the first place, the fact that he'd barged in here calling it a 'fortuitous encounter' without any logical reason meant that someone had whispered in his ear.

‘…And I have a pretty good idea who it was.’

Swoosh—

“…I'd heard about you beforehand. But seeing you in person like this, it feels quite new.”

“……”

“I never thought there'd be another fellow to wear that purple border besides you.”

Gazing at 'The Chosen One' insignia, the Bamboo Hat Mister sent a melancholic look, as if reminiscing about the old days.

And toward him, Isaac scratched the back of his head and muttered.

“Ahh, well... But Mister Satgat, are you interested in this junior here too?”

“Well, for now. It seems so.”

“What to do... I just called dibs on him? Even for you, Mister Satgat, it's a bit much to ask me to give this one up.”

Isaac replied with a genuinely troubled expression.

“Hoh hoh…… Still, I can't just see people in distress and walk away.”

“……”

“This is a kind of fate, too. As a senior from the same hometown, shouldn't I help out my juniors?”

He chuckled, ho ho, and lifted his bamboo hat with the end of his pole, meeting my eyes.

“We're in a foreign land. We Koreans have to stick together.”

Grin—

“School ties, regional ties, blood ties. Am I wrong?”