The Regressor Only Protects Me

Chapter 14. Flag Retrieval (1)

“Flag retrieval! That’s the game.”

Ziiing—.

Once again, the holographic map of the mall unfolded.

It displayed the residential areas of each team.

I stared at the map and noticed something strange.

The unease I had felt since the start of the game.

There was no designated residence for the “Black Team” on any floor.

Of course, the Black Team’s target flag was marked.

The number and strength of the Black Team remained unknown, but they were undoubtedly within the mall.

That was a fact unarguable by the rules.

I studied the holographic map.

On the 3rd floor was the Blue Team’s flag.

On the 6th floor was the Black Team’s flag.

And on the 9th floor, the Red Team’s flag.

Each was planted on a different floor.

“Each flag is located on a separate floor. The 3rd floor has the Blue Team’s target, the 6th floor the Black Team’s, and the 9th floor the Red Team’s. Easy, right?”

If I thought about it logically, the Red Team should go for the flag on the 9th floor, closer to the Blue Team.

Conversely, the Blue Team would aim for the flag on the 3rd floor, nearer to the Red Team.

K claimed it was simple, but it was ultimately a game requiring careful offense-defense balance.

“A massive penalty will be imposed on any team that fails to retrieve their target flag. So, you must secure your target flag, no matter what.”

Spin, spin—.

K twirled in the air a few times before lying down.

She literally lay down in midair.

The exact penalty wasn’t clear, but judging from her tone, it would be comparable to death.

Likely, it would overturn the game entirely.

In this round, retrieving the flag was non-negotiable.

“You all weren’t fighting enough, so I had to make this choice. If only you had started battling sooner! Blood spilling, guts flying! Wouldn’t that have been fun?”

K shot me a quick glance.

I stared back at her.

From the first moment we met until now, she had been consciously watching me.

The reason remained a mystery.

K continued twirling her fingers as she explained.

“The time limit is four hours starting now. By the way, as with the previous game, killing the King ends the first round immediately. Simple, right?”

Pop!

A bucket of popcorn appeared in K’s hand.

She swirled her hand inside the bucket and tossed a piece into her mouth.

Then she spoke casually.

“Alright then, game start.”

Her tone was indifferent, as if this was nothing out of the ordinary.

The moment she finished speaking, two figures came running down the escalator leading to the 2nd floor.

They shouted, panting and gasping for air.

“Something’s there! Something! A rat with a flag on its head!”

“There’s a monster on the 3rd floor!”

It was the two who had been assigned to keep watch.

I glanced at them, then at K.

Lee Saebom, standing next to me, asked quietly.

“What’s the plan?”

His question sounded oddly peculiar to me at that moment.

What’s the plan?

Was there any other option?

The only choice was to confront the situation head-on.

“We start.”

I gathered everyone again.

The people, faces tense with determination, gathered around me one by one.

The real battle with the Blue Team was about to begin.

In that brief moment, I came up with a strategy.

“Wait. Lee Saebom, Lee Joo-yeon.”

I called the siblings over.

11th Floor, Blue Team’s Residential Area.

“Alright, you understand? Then let’s begin immediately. No questions allowed.”

Here too, K had just finished explaining the rules of the special game to them.

Kim Dong-gil turned to K and asked.

“You mentioned a massive penalty. What exactly is it?”

K frowned deeply and glared at him.

“I am under no obligation to share that. If I needed to tell you, I would have already. Didn’t I just say, no questions allowed? Think before you speak, Dong-gil.”

“….”

Kim Dong-gil lowered his hand silently.

‘What a vile woman.’

The situation grew complicated.

The Blue Team had been relying on their superior supplies of food and water to dominate the Red Team.

But that plan was entirely derailed by K.

Now, they had no choice but to fight, even knowing the Red Team had guns.

Some sacrifices would have to be made.

“What’s the plan, Manager?”

“…Pick ten people. Only the strongest. We’ll guard the 9th floor first.”

“Yes, understood.”

His subordinate bowed politely and began selecting people.

They chose ten tall, sturdy men.

These were the troublemakers in the Blue Team, the gangsters who occasionally rebelled against Kim Dong-gil.

While it was unwise to include them in the attack force, they were perfect for defense.

Kim Dong-gil ordered the others to arm themselves.

They equipped themselves with kitchen knives and blades.

At least in terms of weapons, the Red Team would be overpowered.

But that was merely Kim Dong-gil’s assumption.

Once the attack preparations were complete, a subordinate approached him.

“Everything is ready, Manager.”

“Move out.”

Following his command, the 89-member attack force began descending the escalator.

Remaining Time: 24 Hours.

A short window to settle the score.

We also needed to act swiftly.

In terms of manpower and individual armament, the Blue Team held the advantage.

“Is this enough?”

“We gathered everything on this side too.”

“Hyung, is this okay? Fire extinguishers.”

A group of three students brought fire extinguishers from various spots in the store.

It would have been better if they were portable, but there wasn’t time to modify them.

I addressed the three students.

“All you need to do is release the extinguishers when I give the signal. Follow my orders precisely. Stay close to me at all times.”

“…Yes!”

“Understood…!”

The kids nodded.

[Fire Squad (1) has been formed.]

I moved on to the next group.

Three people, including Lee Saebom, Lee Joo-yeon, and me, equipped with the completed crossbows.

It made sense for those who had used them before to handle the weapons.

We packed our bags with arrows stored in the shop.

While stuffing arrows into the bags, someone ran up to me.

“Hey, student. This side is ready too.”

I turned to look.

Standing there was a middle-aged man, accompanied by the primary attack squad: 22 individuals armed with mop spears.

These were the most able-bodied adults we could muster, excluding the students.

Still, they couldn’t match the sheer numbers of the Blue Team.

The Blue Team likely had at least 70 fighters.

“Good. Line up and wait in front of the escalator.”

“Got it, kid.”

[Spear Squad (1) has been formed.]

Ziiing—!

The three of us packed 17 arrows each into sports bags and slung them over our backs.

[Crossbow Squad (1) has been formed.]

For some reason, Lee Joo-yeon grinned, excited.

“This is thrilling! Feels like being at a survival game venue.”

“Our lives are on the line, and you’re thrilled? Seriously, noona?”

“Ugh, why are you so grumpy? It was just a joke.”

I squeezed past the bickering siblings to address the assembled group.

Taking stock of our resources:

Scout: 1.

Food Production: 4.

Lookouts: 6.

Crossbowmen: 3.

Spearmen: 22.

Fire Squad: 3.

The Red Team had a total of 39 members.

The 6 lookouts were tasked with defending our base.

We couldn’t predict all infiltration routes, so some forces needed to stay behind.

Our base also had rudimentary barricades for now.

The priority was securing the flag on the 9th floor.

Defending the flag on the 3rd floor would come down to luck.

We had to avoid the penalty at all costs.

Everyone appeared resolute and ready.

I spoke to them.

“Follow my orders to the letter.”

I explained the operation.

The people initially reacted with shock and nervousness but eventually nodded in agreement.

“We will survive. I’ll make sure of it. Trust me.”

With that, I stepped forward.

And I was the first to set foot on the escalator.

Behind me, 28 people followed.

7th Floor, Food Supply Area.

Kwon Kyung-soo, who was making goblin jerky in the restroom, cautiously peered outside, sensing movement.

A woman blowing softly on embers noticed and approached him.

“Kyung-soo, what’s wrong?”

“Shh, someone’s coming. Put out the fire.”

Whoosh—.

At his words, the group hurriedly extinguished the embers.

They waited for Kyung-soo’s next move.

Carefully stepping out of the restroom, he surveyed the 7th floor.

It didn’t take long to spot members of the Blue Team.

“….”

Kwon Kyung-soo’s eyes widened as he spotted them.

The Blue Team was descending in formation.

At least fifty, maybe more, were coming down, each armed with a weapon.

Their presence was both commanding and intimidating.

At the very front of the formation was their manager, Kim Dong-gil.

An escape route was already in mind.

If they turned left from here, there was a staircase.

“Hurry up. The Blue Team is on the move.”

Kwon Kyung-soo hurriedly grabbed the goblin jerky.

Following his lead, the others scrambled to prepare to leave.

He needed to inform Sion of this immediately.

Kwon Kyung-soo and his teammates quickly headed down the stairs.

But midway, Kwon Kyung-soo stopped and told them.

“You… go on ahead! I need to check something.”

“Kyung-soo?!”

Without waiting for a response, he rushed back upstairs.

Not long after, Kwon Kyung-soo rejoined his team and descended to the floor where Kang Sion was.

When he reached the first floor, there was a small stain of blood on his clothes.

Kim Dong-gil deployed defenders on the 9th floor.

His main force moved from the 7th floor to the 6th floor.

“…Damn it.”

The first words out of his mouth upon reaching the 6th floor.

Kim Dong-gil stared at the monster wandering between the display shelves with a flag stuck in its head.

Tunk, tunk, tunk.

It was less than one meter tall.

Its smooth, hairless skin had legs, but no arms.

And atop its head, the flag was firmly planted.

The flag on the 6th floor was black.

The flag monster seemed uninterested in their group.

Even so, it continued to roam the floor.

“Damn it, what has this world come to?”

Grit—.

Kim Dong-gil ground his teeth.

It had been three months since he became the mall branch manager.

Starting from nothing, he clawed his way up, bowing to the strong and trampling on the weak.

That was how Kim Dong-gil, born into poverty, lived his life.

Finally, he had reached the top, standing in a position where others looked up to him.

And then the world decided to end—utterly ridiculous.

But even he still had a sliver of mercy left.

Mercy that lingered because he was still human.

“Don’t attack first. Capture anyone who surrenders.”

“Yes, Manager.”

After all, they were just like them—human.

Under the system’s dictated rules, they were pitted against each other in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

But Kim Dong-gil would choose a bloodless method if victory could still be achieved.

Even this first attempt was to avoid bloodshed as much as possible.

Once again, he aimed to elicit their surrender.

That was Kim Dong-gil’s way.

“We’re at the 3rd floor now, Manager.”

“Get ready.”

At his words, everyone swallowed nervously.

The Blue Team’s main force slowly entered the 3rd floor.

Their flashlights illuminated the dim space.

It was silent.

Eerily so.

It even smelled faintly of rotting flesh.

Ahead of them, near the entrance of a shop, was the Red Team’s flag monster.

“Manager, there it is.”

“Don’t move yet.”

The Red Team had a particularly dangerous man.

There was no way he would let the monster go without resistance.

That made Kim Dong-gil cautious.

And then, the change began.

Fsssshhhhh—! Fsssshhhhh!!!

A hissing sound came from ahead.

Startled, the Blue Team members flinched.

Before their eyes, white smoke began to rise.

It wasn’t just smoke—it looked like flour scattered into the air.

Even as they shone their flashlights around, their vision was obscured by the thick smoke.

The Blue Team quickly fell into confusion.

Kim Dong-gil covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve.

And he realized what the smoke was.

“…Fire extinguishers?”

The moment he identified it, an arrow shot through the smoke.

Swoosh—!

“An arrow?!”

The scene played in slow motion before Kim Dong-gil’s eyes.

The arrow flew past him and embedded itself in the forehead of a subordinate standing nearby.

Thwack!

Bright red blood splattered in the air.

“Wha… What…?”

The subordinate reached up to touch his forehead in confusion before collapsing backward.

Thud!

He lay there, dead, with the arrow still lodged in his head.

Before they could react, another arrow flew toward them.

Swoosh—!

This time, it grazed Kim Dong-gil’s right cheek.

“Ugh!”

Had it hit even slightly differently, it would have been fatal.

Blood trickled from the wound on his cheek.

With trembling fingers, Kim Dong-gil touched the blood.

Seeing the bright red liquid, he finally spoke.

“This… this…!”

Kim Dong-gil staggered.

His subordinates helped him up as he swayed.

Their vision was still obscured by the white smoke.

Under normal circumstances, he would have responded rationally.

But he was far from rational at that moment.

The thought of sparing the Red Team out of humanity clouded his judgment.

It was arrogance.

Greed.

In the end, they were just “enemies,” locked in a kill-or-be-killed battle.

Just as Kim Dong-gil had always lived his life.

Survival of the fittest.

In this new world, only the strong would prevail.

Excessive compassion would only lead to death.

The veins on his temple bulged.

The blood dripping from his cheek pooled at his jawline.

He muttered.

“Kill them all… kill them all…”

“M-Manager?”

Thwack!

Another arrow flew, hitting the shoulder of a woman behind him.

She screamed and fell backward.

At last, Kim Dong-gil roared.

“Not a single one of them alive! Kill every last one—!!! Charge!!!”

At his desperate shout, the 79-member main force of the Blue Team charged into the mist.

Each of them wielded a kitchen knife.