The Regressor Can Make Them All-Chapter 386

It was already the second day of field training at Jason’s orchard. The first day had gone by smoothly, just like any other ordinary field experience.

However, today was different. Right from the start, the atmosphere was different.

“...”

Jake planted his feet firmly on the ground, his eyes wide open and alert. He tensed every muscle in his body, ready to launch forward at any moment. He locked all of his senses onto the figure before him.

The moment Jason took a casual step forward without even a glance at Jake, he moved.

Now!

His body shot forward like a bullet.

Boom!

His legs, coiled like springs, exploded with force and propelled him off the ground. The sheer intensity of his mana sharpened, slicing through the air upon acceleration. In less than a second, Jake had reached full speed.

With gleaming eyes, Jake thrust his right hand forward with all his might, aiming for Jason’s hand.

Slash!

An apple branch was sliced clean off, and the fruit tumbled to the ground.

“Ah.”

Jake’s eyes widened. His hand had missed its mark. Rapidly taking in his surroundings, Jake found Jason just a short distance away—holding the very apple he had been after.

“...”

Seeing Jason’s indifferent gaze, which was unreadable, Jake stiffened. He felt like his head would be smashed in at any moment.

Pluck-

But all Jason did was simply pluck the apple from the branch.

“Pick it up.”

“Ah, y-yes!”

Jake hurriedly scooped up a fallen apple and handed it over.

Taking it, Jason inspected it briefly before offering some advice. “You’ll damage the fruit if you use mana so roughly when harvesting. Try to refine your control.”

“I-I’ll be more careful.”

“Put this one in that basket over there.”

Without another word, Jason handed the apple back and resumed his work as if nothing had happened.

Watching from behind, Jake wore a look of fascination.

Se-Hoon was right about him.

Before beginning his training, Se-Hoon had given Jake just one piece of advice.

“Think of this as a real farm experience. Forget about how he’s a Perfect One or whatever else.”

At first, Jake had doubted whether treating Jason as an ordinary farmer was truly the right approach. After all, Jason was unpredictable. But since Se-Hoon had been the one to get closest to him yesterday, Jake followed his advice.

And just like the exchange moments ago, the training continued to unfold similarly.

“Don’t dig too deep into the ground. It affects the roots.”

.

.

.

“This one has a blemish—it’s no good.”

.

.

.

“That fruit isn’t ripe yet. Pick the one next to it.”

Even when Jake lunged at him, hoping to test his power, Jason responded as if he were simply teaching a novice farmer how to harvest properly.

Yet Jake had still been on edge, expecting things to take a turn at any moment. However, after experiencing similar interactions over and over, Jake finally started to understand.

How I approach him changes how he responds.

If someone treated Jason as a farmer, he acted like one; if someone treated him as a conqueror, he responded in kind—in other words, Jason’s personality and actions depended completely on the mindset of the one approaching him.

It’s so simple... but difficult to fully accept.

While anybody could fake their outward behavior, changing their inner mindset was much harder. And Jason wasn’t just anybody. He was a Perfect One who could easily see through even the tiniest gap in a person’s synesthetic mindscapes. If someone approached with hidden motives, Jason would see right through them and strike without hesitation.

Is that what happened to the ones who went missing?

Jake recalled the chilling rumors about Jason and shuddered. But he quickly shook it off.

Focus.

Now wasn’t the time to be distracted by pointless thoughts. Returning to the task at hand, Jake focused once again in an attempt to perceive the gap Jason was seeing.

“Urgh...”

A sudden wave of dizziness hit him like a truck. He gagged, nearly vomiting.

“...Tsk.”

Noticing from a short distance away, Kwang-Soo waved a hand with a click of his tongue. In the blink of an eye, swords had materialized in the air and stabbed into Jake’s back.

Woong-

The blue-hued swords then pulsed, restoring Jake’s distorted senses. With the emergency treatment given, Jake staggered back to his feet, his face pale.

He bowed his head slightly. “Thank you, Professor.” Then Jake sprinted after Jason again, barely getting his words out.

Watching him, Kwang-Soo’s face twisted in disbelief.

He really doesn’t know how to give up, does he?

Even the slightest shift in one’s vision could make a person feel nauseous. And Jake had experienced a complete sensory distortion—like someone had reached into his brain and scrambled everything.

Yet, instead of backing down, Jake charged forward again as if nothing had happened. It was almost as if Jake thought he just needed to fix whatever was wrong to keep going.

Seeing such behavior, Kwang-Soo could only shake his head.

Just because something is visible doesn’t mean it’s easy to see.

The “gap” was the world’s fastest and most precise path to an end—the ultimate shortcut—but finding the path itself was nearly impossible in the first place.

It shifts multiple times in a single moment, and once missed, it never returns.

That essence of the gap had been the reason Jason could become a Perfect One. Could Jake, with his lack of experience, really perceive something like that?

Kwang-Soo doubted it.

What the hell is he thinking...?

Did Jake possess an unseen talent? Or was he simply misunderstanding the nature of the gap? Kwang-Soo had no answer to either.

“Aaagh!”

Hearing Jake’s wretched scream ring out from ahead, Kwang-Soo—who had just been about to think about it further—sighed deeply at the pitiful sound.

“Take a break, you idiot!” he yelled, exasperated.

Then he hurried toward Jake, once again writhing on the ground like a dying worm.

Meanwhile, far away from the chaos, Se-Hoon was continuing his work on his own: picking fruit for Luize.

“Hm... this one looks good.”

Keeping in mind the fruit selection method he had learned from Jason, he carefully chose fruits that would suit Luize’s tastes. It was a slow process; out of a hundred, he might find only one that met the criteria.

But he didn’t mind. If it meant appeasing Luize’s anger, it was a small price to pay.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. Checking it, he saw a new message from Luize, along with their recent conversation.

Vrrr-

Se-Hoon: Do you still eat cherries these days?

Luize: ?

Se-Hoon: I was just reminded of you when I saw them at this orchard. I can bring some back if you want.

Luize: Sure.

Se-Hoon: They have other fruits too. What about apples?

Luize: No.

Se-Hoon: Peaches?

Luize: Yes.

Each of her replies was just a single word, implying she still seemed upset. But, at the same time, her replies were instant, which was a good sign.

Sung-Ha: It’s kind of annoying to see her lips keep twitching.

Amir: She’s already forgiven you, honestly.

Adding the reports he received from those around her, the situation clearly wasn’t too bad. As long as he delivered his gift properly, Se-Hoon thought it should all smooth over.

All that’s left now is training and recruitment...

Jake’s training was progressing well thanks to his natural talent. That left the real problem, which was recruiting Jason.

This won’t be easy.

If it were during the warring period against the Demon Force, things likely would have been different. But at the moment, humanity solidly had the upper hand, making it difficult to drag Jason back into the battlefield.

There were some ways Se-Hoon had thought of, but he was being especially careful to not turn Jason into an enemy. Treading carefully was an absolute must.

A walking time bomb—that’s what he is.

Perhaps that was why the Frost Dog had always warned against getting involved with Jason.

Keeping everything in mind, Se-Hoon was pondering his next move—

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Out of the blue, Doppelganger appeared before him.

“...”

There was no warning whatsoever, as if it had always been there. Taken aback, Se-Hoon’s eyes widened briefly before they rapidly narrowed in suspicion.

“...Are you out of your mind?”

They were still in Jason’s orchard. If a battle broke out, he, as well as the other two, could reach them in the blink of an eye—and Se-Hoon could easily buy that much time.

However, it wasn’t Doppelganger’s boldness that surprised him but its current state. Doppelganger had completely suppressed its mana, abandoned all hostility, and even relinquished any intent to attack or defend.

It’s basically offering itself up to be hit... pretty gutsy.

For a Ten Evil to appear so disarmed near a Perfect One, there were only two plausible reasons: it was so confident that it could still subdue its opponent despite the disadvantage or...

“Care for a little chat?”

Doppelganger was simply interested enough to take the risk.

“...With me?”

“The last time we met at the Flame Sect, I didn’t get the chance to speak because of that one.... If you’re not up for it, you can refuse.”

Hesitating, Se-Hoon mulled over it for a second before nodding in agreement.

“Fine.”

If Doppelganger truly had planned something, it would have made its move long before showing up. In Se-Hoon’s mind, a brief conversation now wouldn’t put him at any disadvantage.

“What do you want to say?”

“How far have you mastered the Celestial Infinity Blade?”

“The Celestial Infinity Blade?”

It was an unexpected question, making Se-Hoon frown. Then, a beat later, realization struck.

Right.... There was the chance that they were from the same school of martial arts.

Not much was known about Doppelganger’s past. But before regressing, Se-Hoon—who had Kwang-Soo as a regular customer—had picked up a few clues.

The Celestial Infinity Blade, Kwang-Soo’s signature swordsmanship, had been taught to him by someone else. And it was highly likely that person had been killed by Doppelganger.

That was all he knew, and for the longest time, it had just remained a hypothesis. But, judging from the question, the likelihood had just shot up.

“I’m not too sure... but I can project some sword auras.”

“I saw that for myself last time. Judging by the way you use them, you’ve succeeded in even modifying them. But... you haven’t established them yet, have you?”

“...?”

Modification? Establishment? Se-Hoon had never heard such terms before, which didn’t go unnoticed by Doppelganger.

The swirling black mass that made up Doppelganger’s face froze.

“...Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of them?”

“I haven’t. Umm... How should I put this...”

For a split second, Se-Hoon debated over not telling the truth. But because Doppelganger seemed to have already figured things out, he decided to just be honest.

“I never actually learned the Celestial Infinity Blade from the professor.”

“What...?”

“I sorta just picked it up by watching him. That’s why all I really learned was how to project sword auras.”

To the outside world, Se-Hoon was known as Kwang-Soo’s disciple, which he even acknowledged himself to some extent. But they weren’t truly master and disciple.

They were simply a professor and a student—Se-Hoon had never formally received Kwang-Soo’s signature swordsmanship.

“...”

The silence stretched. Doppelganger seemed genuinely shocked.

It was only a long while later that a quiet, stifled chuckle finally leaked out as the black vortex around its face trembled.

“So that’s why something felt off.... That old bastard is just as stubborn as ever, huh.”

Again, Doppelganger was saying something unexpected. Frowning, Se-Hoon watched as Doppelganger quickly composed itself.

“My apologies. Just had a moment of nostalgia.”

“Then cut the cryptic crap and get to the point.”

“You really haven’t heard anything? Well, I guess you wouldn’t go around blabbering, anyway.”

Getting fed up, Se-Hoon was about to shut the conversation down.

“Kwang-Soo and I were fellow disciples.”

However, Doppelganger continued in an even, quiet tone at that moment.

“We trained together under the same master, learned swordsmanship side by side, and even fought in wars together. Though that was a long, long time ago.”

Since Doppelganger lacked a real face, it was impossible to read its expression. But its voice... carried a trace of longing. It was a bittersweet nostalgia, lingering over an unreachable past.

This... isn’t what I expected.

As if reading Se-Hoon’s mind, Doppelganger got to the point.

“But the past is the past. What I want to talk about... is the future.”

“The future...?”

“Become my disciple, Lee Se-Hoon.”

Immediately, Se-Hoon smirked.

“So, you’re saying you can teach the Celestial Infinity Blade better than the professor?”

“Yes. And if you’ve never been properly taught, that’s even better. That bastard’s swordsmanship is already shattered.”

“...”

Shattered? That was an odd way to describe swordsmanship. Yet Se-Hoon quickly caught on to the meaning.

Perhaps he’s referring to his synesthetic mindscape... or maybe his directionality.

Se-Hoon knew that Kwang-Soo’s path had been broken a long time ago. Kwang-Soo, though, either didn’t realize it or was just stubbornly clinging to it. There was no way to be sure without asking, but given Kwang-Soo’s recent struggles with his inner self, it didn’t seem to be the former.

“Most people think the Celestial Infinity Blade is just about summoning masses of sword auras. But in truth, those are just fragments of its true form. The real Celestial Infinity Blade... is something far greater.”

“And what exactly is that?” frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

“Ascendance.”

There was no hesitation.

“An ultimate martial art that leads anyone to ascendance. That was our master’s secret sword technique. With it, he was even able to catch a glimpse of the top of the Tower of Heroes before the Emperor of Ascendance did.”

“...”

“However, Kwang-Soo will never be able to show you that realm. So, come to me.”

Doppelganger reached out its hand, offering an undeniable promise.

“I’m not asking you to become a demon or to join the Demon Force. I don’t even care if you follow me as your master. Just learn the Celestial Infinity Blade from me. That’s all.”

It was a simple proposition. A warrior was offering his swordsmanship to another warrior—free of allegiance, free of obligation.

From anyone else, such a thing would have been suspicious. Strangely enough, though, Doppelganger seemed sincere.

The true form of the Celestial Infinity Blade...

Se-Hoon didn’t know who their master was, but if they had reached ascendance before Ludwig, then they were anything but ordinary.

Thinking it over, he then looked at Doppelganger once he arrived at an answer.

Abgrund.

A pitch-black sword tore through the air.

Thud!

The blade pierced straight through Doppelganger’s solar plexus, sending it staggering. The creature glanced down at the wound before meeting Se-Hoon’s gaze again.

“Why?”

It was a simple question.

That was why Se-Hoon, too, responded with something simple.

“I don’t know how great your ‘true Celestial Infinity Blade’ is, but seeing how the one who learned it ended up like you...”—Se-Hoon’s gaze sharpened—“I’d rather keep learning on my own.”

The technique might actually be incredible. But if the best proof of its success was Doppelganger, then Se-Hoon wanted no part of it.

“...”

Silence fell as Doppelgänger was taken aback. Then, all of a sudden, that silence was replaced by the laughter of the shaking black vortex.

“Hahaha, hahahahaha... I see. That is a fair point. My mistake.”

Still chuckling, it glanced down at the sword embedded in its torso.

“Is this one of your treasured weapons?”

“To some extent.”

“Then... you should treat it with more caution.”

In an instant, Doppelganger’s right hand moved to the hilt of a sword at its waist.

“You might not be able to use it again.”

And with an unseen sword strike, Abgrund was violently repelled.

Clang!

A third of its blade had been sliced away. The sheer speed and force of the attack didn’t even allow time to activate its weapon skill, and Se-Hoon had no time to be shocked either—

Thud-

Someone suddenly appeared between them.

Feet pressed firmly against the ground, right fist clenched tightly—a man stood there.

And the moment Doppelganger saw the man emerge—Jason—it unleashed all its power in a desperate sword strike.

Boom!

Jason’s fist shattered the afterimages without pause, tearing apart the very space between them.

BAM!

Doppelganger’s body was blasted apart.

A deafening explosion erupted as its fragmented remains scattered in all directions. Even Doppelganger—a Ten Evil—couldn’t withstand that overwhelming power.

Se-Hoon’s eyes shot wide open..

What the hell...?

He had expected a difference in power between the two—but not like that.

Jason withdrew his fist and frowned.

“It’s still alive.”

“Alive...?”

Did Doppelganger even have regeneration abilities? Looking around in confusion, Se-Hoon’s gaze was instinctively drawn to one spot.

Within the darkness of a shadow cast beneath the orchard trees, a crimson gemstone pulsed—not mana, not demonic aura, but something far more ominous.

Ba-dump-

A new Harbinger Shard began beating violently.

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