How to Use a Regressor

I was working.

After returning from the Royal Palace, there was nothing unusual going on, and work wasn’t particularly busy either.

Yoon Seong and Ho-yeon were out, but since their destination wasn’t too far from Lund, I wasn’t too worried.

‘…Thank goodness Yoon Seong didn’t notice.’

The day I drank with Yoon Seong in the capital, it was a relief that he passed out drunk.

Just thinking about it still makes me grin from ear to ear.

It was fun just having a date with Yoon Seong, but when he passed out and fell asleep…

Thud!

“Y-Yoo Ju, noona!”

‘Huh?’

As I was reminiscing about the good times, feeling uplifted, Hyeon-jin burst into the office in a panic.

“Y-Yoo Ju, noona! S-something terrible happened… What, what do we do? Right now…”

“What’s wrong, Hyeon-jin? What on earth…”

Just as I sensed something strange from Hyeon-jin’s expression and trembling voice, someone else stumbled into the office with shaky steps.

“…Ho-yeon?! What, what’s going on? What’s with those injuries?”

Thud.

“Hah… Hah… Master…”

Seeing Wi Ho-yeon, covered in blood, half-collapsed as she entered the office, my heart started pounding.

“What… what happened? What on earth…”

Instinctively, I knew. The fact that Yoon Seong hadn’t returned with her, and that Wi Ho-yeon had come back alone, made it impossible not to know where my anxiety was coming from.

“Lee Yoon-seong-nim…”

“……”

‘No… please… please…!’

“He was… ambushed by outlaws…”

Thump.

It felt like my heart dropped.

“What… what are you saying? Ambushed, you say?”

“Yes… while we were moving by carriage, suddenly…”

Seeing Wi Ho-yeon struggling to speak, I couldn’t help but shout in frustration.

“What are you talking about?! Explain in detail! Please…!”

I couldn’t keep my composure upon hearing that Yoon Seong had been ambushed.

“…While moving by carriage with Lee Yoon-seong-nim, we were ambushed by outlaws. It seems the outlaws targeted him deliberately.”

“Deliberately…?”

“They said they came to capture Lee Yoon-seong-nim alive. There were about twenty of them, and considering the numbers, it’s likely the Execution Society either sent them directly or hired them to do it.”

At the mention of the Execution Society, my already overwhelming emotions spiraled out of control.

Thinking back to the first incident, the fact that the Execution Society had taken Yoon Seong was the worst-case scenario.

“We… we need to rescue him immediately. Hyeon-jin, quickly gather all the clan members! Tell them it’s an emergency! We don’t have… we don’t have time.”

If they take Yoon Seong to the Eastern Alliance or another country, there’ll be no way to find him.

We need to find him before they move too far.

“Yes, yes…!”

“Ho-yeon, you need to join the rescue too. I know you’re hurt, but we need someone who knows the ambush location. Your injuries…”

“…Of course, I’ll join. My injuries are fine. And I’m sorry… Even though I was supposed to protect him… I was the only one who escaped…”

“That… that’s something we’ll address later. I’m not going to let this slide. You’ll have to take responsibility for this… but for now, the rescue comes first. We’ll talk about the rest after we get back.”

My head was spinning, and I could barely breathe.

Even as I spoke, I felt like I wasn’t making sense.

It felt like when Yoon Seong had died, and I had abandoned him.

******

Thud!

“Ugh… Ugh! Gah…!”

“Well, I think that’s enough beating for now.”

‘Damn it… damn it…!’

I didn’t think they’d resort to violence so quickly.

The pain in my stomach made me feel like I was going to throw up everything I ate yesterday.

The only saving grace was that they didn’t go as far as torture.

It was absurd that they started punching me without even asking questions, but I could endure this much pain.

“Cough… It’s a misunderstanding.”

“What?”

“I don’t know why you’re doing this, but it’s a misunderstanding…”

Thud!

“Ugh…!”

Suddenly, the woman stomped on my head with her foot.

“What misunderstanding? Do you think we’re idiots? We went through so much trouble to plant a spy, and you ruined it, you bastard.”

‘Damn it…’

I tried to talk my way out, but it was useless.

“You stayed at the Myth Clan House for weeks, did you think we wouldn’t notice? We already know you have a connection with Yoon Yeon.”

‘Damn it…! How did they figure it out?’

“You’re wondering how we’re so sure, huh? Want me to tell you? When the price of rare items plummeted, two groups profited. Your Eternity Clan and the Myth Clan.”

I realized why they were so sure I was involved.

After I visited the Library of Records, I advised Yoon Yeon to sell rare items, so both our clan and the Myth Clan avoided losses and made a huge profit.

‘Anyone with half a brain could figure that out… damn it…’

The outlaws must have been convinced that Yoon Yeon and I had some kind of connection because of that.

And then, when I stayed at the Myth Clan House, the spy was exposed, so it was only a matter of time before they caught on.

‘Honestly, I thought they’d catch on eventually, but I didn’t think it would happen before Eternity and I could grow stronger.’

“…….”

“Anyway, you were too reckless. You tried to hide yourself, but… a chick trying to outsmart a fox is just laughable.”

“Damn it…”

As I gave up on explaining and resigned myself, the woman smirked and spoke.

“But… I’ve only heard about you, but seeing you in person, your face isn’t bad. How about it? Want to be my slave?”

“What…”

“Relax, you bastard. Why? Don’t like it? This is your chance. I’m one of the more normal ones, you know. The other girls are complete psychos. You’ll regret it if you get taken by them.”

‘Psycho…!’

While the woman was talking, the guys who had gone after Wi Ho-yeon returned.

“Noona, sorry. We lost her…”

Hearing the man’s words, I felt relieved. At least Wi Ho-yeon managed to escape safely.

“Ha, losing her is something to be proud of? What the hell are you doing? And why are two of you missing?”

“Well… we ran into the Sword Monarch.”

It seemed like two of them had been taken out while chasing Wi Ho-yeon.

“Ha, you idiots. Whatever, we achieved our goal anyway.”

“So then…”

“We’ll head back now. Of course, we’re taking this bastard with us.”

It looked like they were planning to take me to their base or somewhere else.

If they moved me, even if our clan members came to rescue me, it would be pointless.

Because they wouldn’t be able to pinpoint my location.

Wi Ho-yeon knew this too, which is why she followed my instructions to escape alone.



I had acted.

But as I said before, I also had my own thoughts.

I’m not the type to be overflowing with self-sacrifice. I have absolutely no intention of dying like this.

At the very least, I had already thought of a way to make my location known.

‘The problem is whether the clan will notice…’

I thought they would notice soon enough.

“Ugh…!”

The woman grabbed my head and shouted loudly.

“Everyone, move out now!”

******

Two days had passed like that.

I don’t know where they’re heading, but we’re still in a neutral country.

‘Damn it… how far have we even gone?’

The problem is that we’re quite far from the place where we were attacked.

It’s been two days, so it’s only natural that I’m getting anxious.

‘Fuck… Yoo Ju noona, you’re coming to save me, right? Right?’

I left traces with the chimera along the way.

Of course, I didn’t sense any presence and acted carefully, so I didn’t get caught by the outlaws.

‘Did they not find the traces? Or did Wi Ho-yeon collapse on the way to the clan house…’

All sorts of thoughts are running through my head.

If we leave the neutral country, there’s really no way out, so it’s only natural that I’m anxious.

“Hey.”

“……”

“This bastard is ignoring me? What a fucking asshole!”

Thud—

“Ahhh!”

It’s been two days since I’ve been exposed to violence from these guys.

Maybe because there’s no priest, but they haven’t stabbed me with a sword. They only use their fists and feet to beat me.

“Ugh…”

Honestly, I feel like I’m reaching my limit.

Just because they’re not stabbing me with a knife doesn’t mean the pain is any less.

It’s not like they’ve only beaten me once or twice; they beat me up whenever they’re bored.

“Kick… bastard.”

“Hey, take it easy. This guy looks weak, what if he dies from being beaten too hard?”

“Eh, what do you take me for? Of course, I’m controlling it.”

“We can’t kill him. We were told to capture him alive. If this guy dies, we’re screwed.”

“Got it, got it.”

‘You guys… I remember your faces. You bastards…’

The guy who kept beating me spoke up.

“…But as long as he doesn’t die, it’s fine, right?”

‘What…?’

“We can just grind this guy’s face, right?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the guy grabbed my head and smashed my face into the ground.

Bang!

“Ugh…!”

‘You crazy bastard!’

At this rate, my face is going to get ground off.

“W-wait…!”

I was about to speak up urgently.

“What the hell, who are these guys?”

A different woman’s voice was heard for a moment.

Everyone turned their heads towards the direction of the unfamiliar voice that suddenly appeared.

With my face still smashed into the ground, I struggled to look in the direction of the voice and saw a woman.

She had an eyepatch on one eye and tattoos on her body.

“Who… are you? How did you get here?”

Of course, everyone was flustered.

“Who the hell are you?!”

As the man shouted and asked, the woman with the eyepatch frowned and spoke.

“Ah, fuck. You’re shouting so loud it hurts my ears.”

At the woman’s calm words, the leader of the group stiffened her expression and spoke.

“Who are you? Did you come to save this guy?”

At the leader’s words, the woman with the eyepatch glanced at me, whose face was smashed into the ground.

“What are you talking about? I don’t know who he is, I was just passing by.”

“…You expect me to believe that?”

“Ha, you bitch, whether you believe it or not, what does it matter? I answered your question and you’re still bitching.”

“What? You crazy bitch…!”

As the leader reached for her waist, the man next to her turned pale and stopped her.

“N-noona! Wait!”

“Why the fuck?!”

“Th-that woman is Yanagiya Riki! She’s a ranker! Just…!”

“…What?”

Ranker.

It’s a term used to refer to the top 10 strongest players in this world.

The names of the past three clan masters, who are now dead, were also on this list.

Currently, in the neutral country, Yoon Yeon and Ha Yu-ri also hold this title.

The man’s words shocked not only the leader but also me.

‘That woman is Yanagiya Riki?’

With an eyepatch on one eye and tattoos on her arms and back, she was a decadent beauty.

There was something strangely ferocious in her gaze.

At first, I didn’t realize it, but her vibe was exactly like the Yanagiya Riki I had only heard about.

I opened her status window.

[ Name: Yanagiya Riki ]

[ Age: 28 ]

[ Job: Demon Oni (Legend Grade) ]

[ Titles: Sword Demon, Kuro Oni, Executioner of the Eastern Alliance, Competitive Spirit ]

[ Unique Traits ]

Heaven-Severing Oni (Legend Grade) – The Heaven-Severing Oni refers to a demon that severs the heavens. Temporarily enters an Oni state.

[ Traits ]

Divine Sword Unity (Legend Grade) – Greatly increases understanding of swordsmanship.

Master of Martial Arts (Hero Grade) – Significantly increases understanding of martial arts.

[ Stats ]

Strength – 95 Agility – 91

Stamina – 90 Luck – 59

Magic – 84 Resistance – 84

Her stats are almost similar to Yoon Yeon’s.

‘What the hell is going on, damn it!’

Just dealing with the outlaws is giving me a headache, and now this woman shows up out of nowhere. It’s beyond ridiculous.

I have no idea what’s going on.

Someone swallowed hard and muttered quietly.

“Yanagiya Riki…”

“This is an honor. I don’t know who you guys are, but it’s an honor that someone in the neutral country knows my name.”

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