Regressor Instruction Manual

“I can see it on the wall and on your bed,” Hwang Jung-Yeon said.

“...”

“Can I tell you about the wall first?” she asked.

“Please,” I answered.

“Miss Ha-Yan is using the room right next to yours… right?” she asked.

“Yes, she is,” I said.

“Miss Ha-Yan’s kind of cunning,” she said.

I had an idea what she was going to say. From the start of the tutorial, I saw Jung Ha-Yan create a wall using illusion magic, but it was dumbfounding that I hadn’t caught on to the fact that she changed an entire wall. I tried touching the wall doubtfully, but the wall in front of me was an actual wall and not made of magic.

‘Maybe she didn’t change the entire wall?’

It was definitely an ordinary wall. I looked at Hwang Jung-Yeon with a slightly confused look and she spoke with excitement. “She didn’t change the entire wall. But there’s a small hole.”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“Place your finger here and you’ll understand what I’m saying,” she told me.

As if she was trying to maintain a safe distance from me, I saw her slowly guiding me with her finger. When I slightly inserted my finger into the wall, the way my finger poked through really surprised me. I was shocked by the fact that I had been living all this time without realizing that there was a hole here. After touching it with my hand, I was able to check the presence of magic.

“How could I not know…”

“I told you it was a faint spell. And since this entire room is already surrounded by magic, it’s understandable for you to not notice it. I’m sure you’re not that sensitive to magic either, Mr. Ki-Young… it also hasn’t been that long since this hole was made,” she explained.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes. I think it’s been less than a month… I’m not sure why Miss Ha-Yan was trying to peep into your room, but… I think I have an idea. Hehehe,” she said.

“Ah, I see…” I said.

I guess this could be considered a stroke of good luck in the midst of misfortune. Even though I couldn’t recall any rigorous activities happening in my room, thinking that Jung Ha-Yan was watching me even in my room made me feel uncomfortable. To make things worse, there had been times when I walked into my room and lay down on the bed naked after taking a shower. I felt a bit uncomfortable, but I guess I could understand it if we considered all these things as reasonable.

‘Since I’m the reason why…’

I never imagined that it would turn out like this, but since I was the one that pulled Jung Ha-Yan into our group, this was something that I had to endure. It was to the point that I felt relieved that it ended here. But before I could nod, I heard Hwang Jung-Yeon’s voice again. “What surprised me the most was your bed.”

“My bed?” I asked.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that this item is revolutionary,” she said.

“I see…” I said.

I felt bitter that she looked like she was having fun since it wasn’t directly related to her, but seeing her dumbfounded look, it made me think that there really was something unimaginable hidden in my bed.

When I glanced at her, she spoke as if she had been waiting for it.

“It's fatigue recovery magic,” she said.

“I see.”

“That’s not the only thing. Not only does it check your condition, but a variety of spells are used on it too. There are so many that I can’t explain each and every one of them. From energizing magic to improved brain activity and even a spell that increases blood circulation. There’s also a crime prevention spell and even a protection spell that’ll protect you if something happens. If a large spell falls on this guild house, you’ll probably be the only person that’ll be safe from it. Since the spells that were used are magic, it’s understandable for you to fall into a deep sleep. You’ve never felt tired after you’ve woken up, right?” she asked.

“Yes… I think so. There have been times where I felt really refreshed…” I answered.

“It’s only natural for you to feel that way since you slept on a bed like this. How romantic…” she commented.

Even if it was a tiny bit, I felt my heart warming up. I assumed that the spells used were the ones that I didn’t know about, but I never imagined that it would be these types of spells. What surprised me a bit was the fact that the type of magic Jung Ha-Yan used was known as enchantment.

“Then are you saying that she used those spells on the bed itself? That’s…”

“Yes, it’s impossible. Even if it was possible, it wouldn’t be very effective. Forcefully casting a spell on an item instead of a human being is something that many schools have given up on,” Hwang Jung-Yeon explained.

“I can understand them since the majority of items with such effects on this continent are all finished products. I have personally looked into this matter as well,” I told her.

“That’s why I said it’s revolutionary. If I were to describe the concealment method of the tracking spell as thesis worthy, then the spells that were used on this bed will not only shake up the magic world, but it has the potential to create a whole new school. A rookie that’s been here for less than a year actually managed to cast a spell that only remarkable mages are able to cast. It’s to the point that as someone that does extensive studies and research on magic, I feel ashamed,” she explained.

“...”

“Of course, there are restrictions,” she added.

I knew that there had to be. Even Jung Ha-Yan shouldn’t be able to perfectly execute an enchantment since it was a field of research that many mages had tried and given up.

“This spell only activates for you, Mr. Ki-Young,” she told me.

“I understand,” I said.

“I think she used a catalyst for this as well. She probably used a part of your body and after compressing the spell a few times, she made it so that it only activates for you, Mr. Ki-Young. If the spell activated for everyone, then she wouldn’t have been able to contain this kind of magic. It’ll be very ineffective as well, so this bed is for your use only,” Hwang Jung-Yeon explained.

“I see, but still…”

“It’ll probably be easier to understand it if I told you that the spell was only made possible because your genetic information and the genetic information contained in the catalyst are a match,” she said.

I somewhat understood it.

“The second spell needs to be recharged through.”

“I see.”

“The caster has to put their mana into it at least once a month and considering that the spell has been maintained up until now, I guess you two must have spent a lot of time on your bed, hehehe,” she chuckled.

“...”

“One more thing.”

“Yes?” I asked.

“This spell wasn’t actually used on the bed itself because like I mentioned earlier, it’s a spell that was cast by using a catalyst. Hm, could you turn the mattress over? If not there, I’m sure there’s a space somewhere…” she said.

“Sure, I can do that,” I said.

If what she said was true, then it meant that there was a device on this bed that maintained the spell. It only took me a moment to search the mattress. I saw something white lodged inside the mattress.

‘A tooth?’

“I knew it… I was right. Is this your tooth, Mr. Ki-Young?” she asked.

“Yes, it most likely is,” I answered.

“Would it be easier to understand if I told you that the information contained in that tooth is what’s maintaining the magic for you?” she asked.

“Of course. It’s… similar,” I said.

“Ah, you specialize in catalysts, right?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t say that I specialize in it,” I told her.

‘This method is definitely similar to alchemy.’

It couldn’t be seen as a simple spell. Even if it was just an artifact that personally maintained my condition, the spell wasn’t possible just by matching my mana wavelength. The spell was only able to activate because the overall information that the human named Lee Ki-Young had and the information that was contained in the tooth that was used as a catalyst matched. It was difficult to imagine the amount of effort Jung Ha-Yan had placed into trying to research this type of magic.

‘Huh…’

Thinking about it more, this method was exactly the direction that I wanted to take in my growth. The idea of mixing different types of magic into a catalyst and using one’s genetic information applied not only to homunculus, and chimera but also to magic potion research. No matter which path I took, it was the best teaching material that I could take advantage of.

‘This is amazing…’

Of course, the method wouldn’t be the same because Jung Ha-Yan approached it as a mage, while I had to approach it as an alchemist. When it came to using a catalyst or genetically modified formulas, I was more knowledgeable about it. The method was the same, but it opened up completely new research topics and it was to the point that I thought that maybe Jung Ha-Yan had arranged all of this.

‘This will work.’

It was definitely going to work because I wasn’t going at it without any information. The results of numerous experiments and efforts were right in front of me. If I did this on my own and completely focused on the research, it could take years for my textbook to become close to perfect. It would be strange if I wasn’t excited about it.

“Oh my, I guess you really are happy about it,” Hwang Jung-Yeon commented.

“Oh… yes. I honestly feel… happy,” I said.

“It’s too early for you to start enjoying it. There’s another surprising function hidden in this bed,” she said.

“There’s something else?” I asked.

“Yes. It’s a spell called Reverse.”

“Oh.”

“There’s a built-in debuff that reverses these buffs and of course the target…”

“...”

“...are people other than you, Mr. Ki-Young. It’ll probably activate if the person gets near your bed or lies on your bed. Since the target’s information and the catalyst doesn’t match, it won’t be very effective, but even a low-level curse is still considered a curse. I could’ve been in danger if I sat down on it. If the spell that’s been used on this bed had been studied for about 10 years and was then developed before being used here… the moment you and another woman lay down on this bed, a high-level curse would be cast, causing her immediate death,” she explained.

“So that’s why you asked me to lift the bed,” I said.

“That’s right and it’s a cute message from Miss Ha-Yan to not let another woman lie on your bed. How romantic,” she commented.

It wasn’t romantic at all. It was actually a bit scary.

“Anything else?” I asked.

“No, that was all I found. If you decide to officially start researching, the result may change, but besides the information that I told you, I can assure you that I have very little knowledge about magic, but I’m somewhat of a confident mage,” she said.

“Thank you,” I said.

It was in a random and strange time, but the result wasn’t bad. Rather than being happy that Jung Ha-Yan arranged all of this for me, I was happy that a new growth path opened up for me. Of course, I had to quickly research this, but right now, growth was more important.

Currently, my room seemed to have become a dungeon or ruins that was filled with unspeakable secrets. In addition to the spell that was used on my body, my very own bed had also become the best research subject. I felt a bit happy that I would be able to do research in the comfort of my own room. This could be an inappropriate example, but the gift that Jung Ha-Yan gave me was no different from giving me a cup of water to drink while I was incredibly thirsty. It probably wouldn’t be that easy to drink since the cup was complicated and narrow, but if I was able to resolve that issue, all I had to do was drink.

I looked at my bed in joy; the tooth that was lodged into it seemed to look very lovely.

‘A tooth?’

It was for a moment, but a question popped into my head.

“Excuse me,”

“Yes?” Hwang Jung-Yeon asked.

“If my current location is being sent to Ha-Yan, does that mean that she has something on her that’s a part of my body?” I asked.

“Yes.”

‘What the hell…’

I knew for sure that she must have taken my tooth with her, but since the tooth was here. I found it difficult to imagine what body part of mine Jung Ha-Yan had right now. My hair was still on my head, and I couldn’t remember her taking my blood. No, there was no way that she would injure me to get some blood. There also wasn’t a part of me that had been severed, and I didn’t lose another tooth.

‘What did she take then?’

Monsters usually had a lot of parts that could be used as a catalyst. Their teeth, hair, their mana-filled blood, and even their eyeballs could be used as well. The heart was the most effective and even bones and internal organs were useful as well. The saliva of certain monsters and the fluid produced by male monsters were effective as well, but it was difficult for me to guess just what exactly did Jung Ha-Yan take from me. I thought of a few things that she had most likely taken with her, but imagining them alone was unpleasant.

‘There’s no way… right?’

I was curious as to what part of my body she took and was using as a catalyst, but of course, I didn’t know what it was. Still, it didn’t matter what it was, what was more important was the fact that it made me feel anxious.

‘It can’t be that…’