Reborn Regress Return: I Am the Heir of Shadows!-Chapter 89: Frans Concern - I am coming!

Julian logged into the game, the eerie message from Solaria still replaying in his mind as he stepped into the small village, looking for Fran.

However, to his surprise, wooden walls wrapped around the village, and instead of hiding away. The villagers stood on the walls with bulkier and more muscular bodies compared to the first night Julian had met them.

Not just that, the entire village looked larger, with solid buildings and stairs for each one where archers stood watching the night.

Some held makeshift bows—others metal spears crafted from steel pipes.

This sight was nothing like the village Julian left, causing him to feel confused.

He stepped towards Fran's house, but shuffling echoed from either side, and the villagers suddenly pointed their spears at his chest and neck.

"Who are you?"

"What is your purpose for coming here?"

"Call the village chief!"

"W-Wait, I am just here to meet Fran! Tell her Julian has arrived."

Because these people were still NPCs, Julian's character would gain negative karma upon attacking them or fighting back. Of course, if they tried anything, he would slaughter them, but without a reason or explanation, it wasn't smart to move yet.

'Amazing... how did they manage to reach level 20?'

In the original meeting, when he gave them monster food five nights ago, these people lacked any combat skills and were all level 1 villagers with no power.

Julian narrowed his eyes, able to see their jobs, some with the ranger or hunter jobs along with these guards holding him.

'It's changing!'

Convinced that his actions in the nightmare world helped, he also wanted to make more changes in the dream world.

But would there be enough time for him to help these people and become strong enough to fight the devils himself?

That was the main question in his mind.

"Village Chief!"

'It seems they are here.'

All the villagers and guards started making noise, before a soft voice called out with a hint of excitement and delight.

"Julian... you finally came back?"

'It sounds like Fran... but more mature.'

The guards pulled back, and suddenly, a body slammed against him, almost winding Julian despite his increased physical attributes. The soft body embracing him was nearly taller than him because of her extremely long, powerful legs.

Soft pink hair, wavy and tied into a side ponytail that draped over her shoulder... a lean but muscular figure with a longbow on her back, a familiar longbow.

"Is that you Fran?!"

"Hehe~ do you finally recognise me?"

The voice was more mature and sexy than her past cute voice.

But he realised something—the changes to her figure and physique were the smallest.

'She's level 40?!'

No, that wasn't the only thing that confused him a little.

"How long passed since we last met?"

"Hmm... about four months?"

That's when the villagers suddenly started gasping and pointed at Julian.

"He's the village saviour, how could we forget him?!"

"The one who gave us meat and saved us!"

"What... did they all get amnesia?"

Julian looked confused before Fran explained.

"No it's because we've been fighting for so long, clearing the surrounding forest started well, but the monsters would respawn each week... and pushed us back several times."

"I just can't believe that so long passed, for me only a day passed outside..."

"H-huh?"

Fran looked at him in shock.

That's why he realised she might have held some blame towards him because she asked him to return, and that's why their friendship bar lowered, but the moment she heard his words, it started rising, slowly at first, until it rapidly reached the limit.

"Only a day, then what happened to you? Normally you wouldn't take a long break."

"The monsters appeared in my world, but unlike here, only me and my friend could fight... as our power doesn't work there."

The villagers wouldn't understand, but Fran did because she knew more about Julian. After all, he tried to tell her when noticing the difference between the game and the other world.

"This... is terrible. How did you two survive?"

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

"It was tough. But we managed to defeat them, but I got hurt and needed most of the day to recover."

Julian rubbed his head; he didn't want to lie to her, but this situation wasn't easy to explain either, and she would probably meet Sena soon enough, anyway.

"That's fine..."

Her feet tapped the ground as her friendship reached the next level, and she became softer and more welcoming to him.

Fran grasped her bow when her ears suddenly started flicking towards the east. She then tapped Julian's shoulder before leaping over him, bouncing with the base of her feet off a wall, before springing across to the walls like an acrobat.

"Huh?"

"Enemy attack!"

"Five Beasts, archers prepare to fire!" Fran stood on the wall, more mature and focused than before. The change from the shy little hunter made him feel a sense of loss, being unable to see the process step by step.

She stepped onto the wall, and that's when Julian realised how long her legs were... much different from human proportions, but that explained her being over six feet tall.

Fran pulled back her bow, holding three arrows between her fingers as she drew her bow, aiming into the darkness.

Suddenly, three monsters cried in pain before the sound of two more dying followed.

"They're dead!"

"Village Chief is amazing!"

'No... the numbers, where did the numbers go?!' Julian's heart raced—the changes and the sudden assimilation of monsters made him terrified.

Sena said that in the game, the numbers vanished first and that people complained about the bug until the moment monsters started appearing in their world in huge numbers.

But this was happening so quickly; how would they save these worlds?!

'Wait... Fran!'

He rushed over to her side.

However, before he even jumped onto the wall, a pile of dead Bears lay on the ground... all of them at least level 20.

This village went from being on the verge of destruction to such a strength.

Julian covered his face and began to focus.

How could this happen, and why were the changes so large in this nightmare mode?

'Is it because this is a world set in the future, not of Avalon but...

The future of the invasion...

So the more the two worlds assimilate, the faster time flows here?'

Because eventually this world would fuse with his, is it this nightmare world that will fuse with his planet, and not the one everyone enjoyed like a game right now.

That thought suddenly gained traction and made sense, and the time jump was likely because the Devils sped up their invasion from a full year to a few months.

'I can use Fran's age and the time that passes to estimate when the first Devil will arrive!'

If he used this system to judge when the worlds would completely fuse, then it would be roughly eight months until the first devil.

This news was comforting and also dangerous.

'Because if I don't enter this world, the invasion speed seems to accelerate.'

"Nevermind..."

Shaking his head, Julian kept this information in the back of his mind and decided to always ask Frank how long since they met, before marking his calendar and adding met Fran four months ago to it.

With the village safe, he could now focus on his task: heading to the capital to grind and farm monsters with his shades.

Julian turned to leave when Fran leapt from the wall and landed in front of him, spreading her arms.

"Where are you going?"

Her changes made Fran much more imposing as she bent down a little with her eyes peering at him.

"To the capital... but what's wrong?"

"I need to come with you!"

"Huh?" Julian felt confused because she seemed so happy here and managed to level so much.

Fran placed both hands on her waist and shook her head. "No wonder Maria struggled so much with you... Can't you understand a woman's heart?"

She poked her chest with her thumb proudly.

"I, Fran of the Sakurapaw survived and reached Level 42... thanks to YOU."

"What?"

'How is that true?'

Julian knew she must have fought horrible battles and struggled for the past four months, lonely and waiting for him to return like he promised.

And he broke that promise...

"You never realised how much that helped us...

That meat lasted us until now, allowed new children to survive and the adults regain their strength to fight!"

Of course, he knew the meat would help.

There was so much of it, but Fran's story was different. He had almost got her killed in a dungeon, and now she didn't need to follow him around to become stronger.

So why would she want to join him still?

"I want to help you! Idiot!"

'Help me?'

Julian rubbed his forehead; he had never even considered this concept and felt embarrassed for being so stupid.

Yet he couldn't help but doubt the village defences.

Would they really be able to survive if she left them now, even with the archers and spearmen?

"Will the village be alright without you?"

Fran covered her face and let out a sigh, before poking his cheek, "I choose my actions."

She then looked at the villagers, who all nodded and seemed to understand.

"I am coming with you."