How To Use Regressors

48 – Episode 48 – The Suspicious Request (1)

With most of the members leaving for the expedition, the clan house became dull.

Im Jae-hyo is temporarily serving as the acting Clan Master, but honestly, with this number of people, there’s not much he can do.

It seemed that Lee Jae-hyo had been researching the dungeons we were going to experience recently. Now that most of the members of the three major clans had embarked on an expedition, it appeared that he intended to acquire dungeons of common or rare grades from other clans.

And it wasn’t long before we found out that our clan had gone into extensive promotion mode right after our party completed an expedition to a rare-grade dungeon.

“Are those people the party?”

“Yeah, they’re rookies, but they don’t seem like rookies at all. Especially Seo Yoo-joo, they say she’s a monster…”

“She cleared a rare-grade dungeon right after finishing the training center, and not just tagging along, but actively contributed.”

“Damn, some start from the bottom, while others join Eternity Clan and walk the flower path… Seriously…”

“Shh, keep it down.”

As our party began to roam outside, people started to recognize us more and more. Our party was already well-known for its growth potential, but many people didn’t know our faces. However, as we started to put more effort into promotion, people began to recognize us.

“Do you want to groom us as clan executives?”

To be honest, if I were in the Clan Master’s position, I would have considered grooming us as clan executives.

And there was another significant piece of news… A city in the non-neutral kingdom of Tyos had been attacked by outlaws. Up until now, outlaws had operated outside the cities, and this was the first time they had collectively attacked a city. The reason for all the commotion in Lunde was likely because of this news. It was probably going to cause a ruckus everywhere.

“Did you hear? Branka has been completely taken over by the Taios.”

“I heard that the clan managing the city was wiped out.”

“Oh… the Thornvine Clan?”

“It’s the end times, they say.”

“That’s why they’re recruiting people to reclaim the city in Taios.”

‘… The city was attacked by outlaws.’

Although it didn’t concern him much, as it happened in a kingdom, not a neutral country, the existence of outlaws in this world was definitely troubling.

With a quick glance at Seo Yujoo, she didn’t seem happy. She must have had some clashes with those outlaws during her first reincarnation.

“… Yujoo, are you okay?”

“Oh… yes. It’s nothing, Yoon Seong.”

As they were briefly alone outside, her state of mind worried him.

“For the city to be attacked by outlaws… it’s fortunate that it’s not a neutral country, but Taios must be in chaos.”

“Yes. They will most likely launch a major operation to reclaim the city. Taios cannot just sit idly by either…”

Honestly, he wondered if there would be much meaning in carrying out the city reclamation operation.

‘…Those damn outlaws will destroy the city, take what they want, and then leave the city behind and escape. That’s the end of it.’

“So they’ll run away first, and we’ll be able to reclaim the city right away.”

“I doubt the city will be in good shape.”

I had a question, so I asked Seo Yooju.

“Do even the lawless have a hierarchy?”

“Well… it varies from person to person. Some operate as individuals, while others group together in clans.”

“…”

“I’ve heard there’s a hierarchy among those who operate in clan units. There’s even a leader, but we don’t know who that is.”

“I see.”

Suddenly, Seo Yooju turned to me with a worried expression and spoke.

“If, by any chance, Yoon Sung has to fight the lawless on a personal level, you must absolutely avoid it. They’re not the same kind of people. You must stay by my side, no matter what. Do you understand?”

“Haha… I understand. Don’t worry. With you and the party members, what is there to worry about?”

“But still, you never know.”

“I understand. By the way, Yooju, is there an auction house in Lund?”

“Yes, there is. Do you want to buy something?”

“Well… I’m stuck in my experiments, so I thought I’d look for materials that could help with my research.”

“Since we have some time left, would you like me to show you around?”

“… Thank you, I’d appreciate that.”

With that, Seo Yooju and I went to the auction house and looked around, but I couldn’t find anything useful. Most of the items at the auction were either equipment, weapons, or luxury goods.

Occasionally, catalysts and materials would appear at the auction, but they were nothing special.

“Ha… Should I try looking for a black market or something?”

I heard that there is a hidden black market in this world. They sell all sorts of things, including other species and people as slaves.

“The problem is, how do I find out where the black market is…”

Figuring out the location is a problem, and getting in is another problem. They won’t just let anyone in.

Since there was no progress in the experiment, I felt frustrated and sighed.

“Huff…”

Upon hearing my sigh, Seo Yooju, who was sitting next to me in the auction house, noticed my expression and spoke up.

“Um… Is it that you couldn’t find what you were looking for…?”

I hadn’t paid attention to the fact that Seo Yooju was there, as I was deep in thought about the experiment.

“Oh, I’m sorry for making you worried. It’s just that I’m feeling a bit frustrated, Yooju.”

“Oh, no… I was just wondering if you were feeling frustrated.”

“Though there might be a bit of discomfort due to the experiment, it’s not something you need to worry about too much. It’s okay.”

“…. Is that so? Could you tell me what kind of experiment it is, by any chance?”

‘…. It’s difficult to explain everything.’

Although she didn’t seem like she would go around making a fuss, it was a bit awkward to talk to others about creating a surveillance chimera rather than a combat one, the goal being to make a chimera for monitoring.

“Well… I’m trying to create a chimera, but since I’m a dark magician, experimenting with chimeras seems to cause difficulty due to being perceived as a malevolent entity.”

“Ah… it can’t be seen as a malevolent entity?”

“Yes. The goal is to at least remove the malicious tendencies, if not to create a completely benevolent being.”

“…. In that case, how about trying to mix catalysts or ingredients with a positive inclination?”

She seemed to want to be as helpful as possible, as she began suggesting ideas.

“Actually, I’ve been considering that too. So, I came to the auction house to look for ingredients or catalysts, but unfortunately, I haven’t found anything worthwhile.”

“Then, shall I look into ingredients or catalysts for you?”

“…. I’m sorry, but would you mind doing that for me?”

Honestly, it felt a bit uncomfortable to ask for her help, but I accepted her offer, realizing it wasn’t the time to be stubborn.

“Yes, of course! Don’t worry about it. It’s not such a difficult task.”

“… Thank you, Miss Yujoo.”

It seems that she, being a regressionist, has her own way of finding a solution.

“Hehe, no, if you need my help, just say so!”

“Next time… I will treat you to a meal. Thank you so much.”

At the mention of me treating her to a meal, Seo Yoo-joo’s eyes widened in excitement.

“Wow! Really? Yoon Seong, you can’t take back what you just said!”

“I really mean it.”

“Oh! Since you might cancel, I should write it down.”

She suddenly took out a notepad and started jotting things down.

I looked at her as if she were unbelievable for making such a fuss over just that.

“Hehe… now there’s no going back.”

“… No, there’s no need to write it down…”

“Oh well, just in case. Anyway, let’s go back now!”

When I returned to the Clan House with Seo Yoo-Joo, I saw a woman lingering in front of the Clan House.

‘… Who is it?’

From her appearance, she seemed like a maid from a noble family. She was a woman in her early twenties with short black hair, wearing a maid’s uniform. Based on her appearance, she seemed to be a local resident rather than a foreigner.

I spoke to her. Since she was boldly lingering in front of us, I didn’t think she was a strange person.

She seemed to have something to do with our Clan.

“… Excuse me, but do you have any business with our Clan?”

“Ah… Oh!”

When the woman heard me speaking from behind, she turned around with a surprised expression. Without thinking, I opened her status window.

[Name: Sharis]

[Age: 21]

[Occupation: Judgment of Darkness (Legendary grade)]

[Title: Maid of Count Silverstein, Second Finger of Citri]

[Unique Characteristics]

Judgment of Darkness (Legendary grade) – Unleashes the judgment of darkness in a wide range. Reduces all abilities of everyone within the area by 5, excluding oneself. Additionally, continuously launches mental attacks on everyone except oneself.

Citri’s Favor (Heroic grade) – You are favored by the Demon Legion Commander, Citri.

[Characteristics]

Archmage (Legendary Grade) – Understanding of magic increases tremendously.

Hatred of Good (Heroic Grade) – When confronted with beings of a good nature, all abilities increase by 3 for a brief period of time.

[Stats]

Strength – 28 Agility – 30

Constitution – 40 Luck – 25

Magic – 94 Resistance – 27

I opened the woman’s status window and stood still, my whole body freezing. My mouth was so stiff that I couldn’t speak.

“…What is this? Judgment of Darkness? The ruler of the Demon Legion…?”

An awkward silence came suddenly.

“…Damn it, I should say something, anything.”

If I keep standing here like this, the woman will think something strange. I glanced at Seo Yu-joo, and it seemed like she didn’t know this woman. She just looked puzzled because I was frozen.

“…Um…”

Just as I was about to say something, the woman spoke first.

“Oh…! I’m sorry! Uh, are you by any chance a member of the Eternity Clan?”

She appeared to be a pure maid from a noble family with an impeccable manner.

“Damn… this crazy girl!”

Every action and expression of hers seemed like an act, sending shivers down my spine.

“Haha… yes, that’s right. I am a member of the Eternity Clan, but… do you happen to have business with our clan?”

“Oh, yes… I want to entrust a request to the Eternity Clan…”

“A request?”

I had heard that other players and natives occasionally entrusted requests to large clans, but it was rare for a native to do so. Above all, I wanted to scream at the fact that this crazy woman wanted to entrust a request to our clan. It couldn’t possibly be a normal request.

“Whatever it is, we must refuse it at all costs.”

I didn’t know what kind of request she wanted to make, but we absolutely could not accept it. Since others couldn’t see the status window, I had to block her request from my end.

“Haha, well… Unfortunately, our clan is currently not taking any requests…”

Just as I was about to politely decline, Lee Jae-hyo appeared in the clan house.

“Hmm…? Mr. Yoon Sung, Miss Yuju. Who is this person?”

“Nothing at all, Jae-hyo. It’s just a misunderstanding…”

“Ah, Mr. Jaehyo! He expressed his desire to entrust us with a request for our clan…”

‘This crazy guy!’

I cursed inwardly without even realizing it. Fortunately, I didn’t let those words slip out of my mouth.

This time, I really wanted to hit Seo Yooju on the head. Seriously.