Regressor Takes Everything

The old man's routine was simple. He slept for 2 hours a day, swung his sword slowly at a constant speed for 12 hours, and walked aimlessly for the remaining 10 hours. He didn't drink elixir like others, and didn't go into dungeons and catch monsters either. In the eyes of others, it was a process that was no different from needless shoveling, but funny enough, the person who did this nonsense became the strongest of mankind.

Whoo!

Such was a sword that seemed to wield no power, but still continued on its smooth flow. A hunter practicing swordsmanship would see it as if he had enjoyed it, but he didn't have much to do with it, so he took out a cigarette and asked.

"I'm sorry….”

It was a daily routine that seemed to go on without a single second of deviation. He wondered if it was a curse, but there was no one who could put a curse on that human, so he was probably keeping the pattern thoroughly himself.

‘It's nice that I don't miss anything, but….’

However, it soon became far too boring to watch. While he was carefully shaking off cigarette ash with a bored expression so as not to splash it on the surrounding grass…

“Come out.” The old man who had been swinging the sword, the Baekcheon Swordmaster stopped his movements.

At that call, a man with his whole body tightly wrapped came out from the right side of the area. Just by looking at their behavior and appearance, they could be identified as a Mine.

Sure enough, his full form was revealed. His clothes were torn and his body was mutated.

Wood deok! Kwadeuk!

Unlike his height of 3m, his body stretched out long and thin like a can of sorghum. It was ridiculous to look at, but if one were to analyze him, it appeared that he was close to a complete mutation. It was the highest level, slightly below the calamity level.

[I am Hao Shen, the 18th rank of the Fighting Spirit Branch Association. Hundred Thousand Sword Masters. I'm here to take your head.]

A thin yet unpleasant voice resounded, and the Baekcheon master indifferently looked up at Hao Shen. “You walked the wrong road.”

[Where is the right and wrong in becoming strong! Whoever kills the enemy and survives is right!]

Kaang!

Hao Shen made a loud noise, almost as if he had been stabbed, and began to pull out white swords, presumably made of bones, from both palms. And the moment he was about to run straight toward the Baekcheon Sword Master…

"That's right." The elegant sword name (劍鳴) resounded from the tip of the teeing sword. Hao Shen looked at it as if possessed by that mysterious tone.

“And so, you are wrong.” The body split in half and fell backwards. Cooong! As the corpse was scattered on the floor, blood began to flow from the wound a step later, and the Baekcheon Sword Master looked at it with a dry expression.

Since the marriage had ended at a glance, the old man probably only felt it necessary to get rid of the bugs that interfered with his training. ‘It's strong, but it's filthy….’

It was probably because his indifferent attitude was continuously supported by that kind of strength. He looked up at the clear sky, all as the smoke from his mouth flowed out at the sight of Baekcheon Sword Master, who seemed comfortable again.

From there, he could feel a gaze so clear, even despite his dull senses. The Sword Master looked at the scene indifferently and pointed at the corpse of Hao, alongside with something like a wink. “Clean it up.”

It was a condition set in order to follow the strongest human beings who tended to live comfortably in the world. He remembered his role as a chore attendant. “Fuck this.”

From there, he got up from his seat.

* * *

“….”

Kang Yoo-sik recalled his memories of the Baekcheon Sword Master. After hearing that Zhao Xinku was his teacher, his words suddenly decreased and he became completely stern in thought. It was the exact opposite of how he had hidden his emotional agitation as much as possible. It probably meant that the existence of the Sword Master would be great for Zao Shinku.

‘If this is the case, I'll have to take care of it myself.'

There was nothing good about waiting too long. Kang Yoo-sik, who had had enough of thinking in his head, immediately asked Zhao Xinku. “Can I ask you a few questions too?”

"Yes? Ah yes. Please speak freely.”

“I understand that Liang Jin’s disciple is the immediate disciple of Lord Cheonmu … Then, was the sword technique used in Dalian passed down by the Lord of Cheonmu himself?”

Zhao Xinku put on a puzzled expression when he pointed out exactly the subject he wanted to avoid, but found that he had no choice but to respond either way. "You're right. To be precise, it is a sword method passed down from the master who is the creator of the sword method.”

Seeing Zhao Xinku accepting it more easily than he thought, Kang Yoo-sik smiled slightly and put a wedge into it. “Then, did that master by any chance carry a sword with the words Baekcheon (白天)?”

“… Yes. you're right." Resignation lingered in Zao Xinku’s expression as he answered. He hoped it wasn't the case, but as he guessed at the existence of his beloved sword, he admitted that Kang Yoo-sik was a being that had been taught by the same teacher as himself.

Kang Yoo-sik, who finally held his leash in his hand, smiled inwardly and stood up from his seat to bow. “This cadet will now greet you!"

In response to Kang Yoo-sik’s respectful greeting, Zhao Xinku waved his hand with a complicated expression on his face. “You don't have to be so polite. He said that if Master hadn't revealed his name, it would mean he didn't want that kind of relationship….”

“Aren’t they taught under the same teacher? Even if you act indifferent, you have taught me a lot, so please allow me to call you as such.”

“…Ah, yes. Do what is convenient for you."

Zhao Xinku, who swallowed a sigh inside him, calmed his anxious heart and looked at Kang Yoo-sik. His sudden presence made him feel confused. It felt as if his head would explode, but there was one important thing he should take note of right now.

‘The existence of the heavenly army… The fact that I'm supporting them should never be known.'

Two things were needed to learn swordsmanship from the Baekcheon Sword Master. These were: a talent for martial arts and an oath not to covet extravagance. If those two things were met, the Baekcheon Sword Master would then pass on the secret sword method he created to anyone.

However, even if the latter were to break the oath and it became known, he would personally come and take his head! ‘Killing without getting back is… No, it's not an opponent that can do that. I won't be able to handle it, and I'll rather only attract the attention of my teacher.'

In the end, Shinku Zao had only one option left. He canceled all plans to scout Kang Yoo-sik as a researcher of Heaven's Army, end the exchange meeting, and then sent him back to Korea. That was the only thing Zhao Xinku could do against Kang Yoo-sik.

“First of all, it was nice to meet you, priest. I admit it is quite a sudden meeting, and it's right after the disciple did something disgraceful, so I'll talk about the details later.”

"Yes. Okay. then….”

Kang Yoo-sik nodded and tried to leave without hesitation. The moment Zhao Xinku was about to breathe a sigh of relief…

"Ah. After all…” Kang Yoo-sik turned his head and looked at him. “The oath I made with Master. Do you remember?”

"Sure. Isn’t that the most important thing?”

Kang Yoo-sik put on a relieved expression at him, who answered calmly and seemed even more intimidated. “I’m glad then.”

“… Did something happen?”

"Nope. It's no big deal, but… Before you left for the last time, you said that you found traces of an affair in one of your students in China.”

Kang Yoo-sik’s response left a chill running down Zao Xinku’s throat, but he desperately held back the change. However, Kang Yoo-sik simply smiled brightly. “I am relieved to hear that the brother-in-law did not forget. Then I'll see you next time." He then walked out.

There was a heavy silence in his room, and Zhao Xinku, who was still in his seat, looked down at his hands. He was trembling slightly. He must have been prepared and stepped in, but he was trembling just thinking that his master might be watching him.

‘Come now… There is no going back.’

In order to seize the power of this country, and furthermore, to achieve one’s long-cherished wish, one must maintain a relationship with the Heavenly Army. And if one were to truly obtain immortality, they wouldn’t have to fear the master's sword!

“Yes… … There is no turning back.” Zhao Xinku muttered as if brainwashing himself, and he couldn't stand up for a long time.

* * *

After the second friendly match.

According to the agreement between the two sides, the unsavory incidents that occurred during Dalian did not spread outside. However, the news that Liang Jin, a disciple of Zhao Xinku, had entered Gyosim-dong could not be stopped, and rumors circulated that the elders must have made a mistake.

Even this alone gave Cheonmu Palace a negative image for being rude to guests, and from there another bad rumor circulated. “I heard Sai Yan went out of Gyosim-dong?”

“No. From what I've heard, he must have just left Cheonmu itself.”

“Huh. Then why did you join another guild?”

“Rumor has it that he is going to transfer to Seongjin… .”

Despite the fact that there had been an unsavory incident, Sai Yan, who was once a promising representative of Cheonmu Palace and was speculated to be the next S-class hunter, found that her interest in the incident skyrocketed. Regarding the rumor, Cheonmu Palace tried to gloss over that nothing special had happened, and Seong-jin had followed the schedule of the exchange meeting without saying anything. Just when they thought that things were going to calm down…

“Accept me as a disciple too!”

Bao Linsen had dropped out of Cheonmu Palace and came to Kang Yoo-sik.

“Disciple?" Kang Yoo-sik, who was studying lion purification in the room assigned to Tao Fei, put down his paper to look at him.

“Why me?"

“Because I want to become strong like that guy named Lee Byung-ho!”

The way he said it was direct, but his look felt sincere. Seeing Bao Linsen's easy-to-understand appearance, Kang Yoo-sik raised the corner of his mouth and looked at him. “Then what can you give me?”

“What do you want?”

Kang Yoo-sik pondered for a while before he returned to his appearance, which was not much different from what he had heard through rumors, and then opened his mouth. “I will on one condition.”

“One condition?"

“Yes. Beat Byung-ho 3 times until the exchange meeting is over. Then I will give you a chance to become as strong as you want.”

“What if I can’t?”

At Bao Linsen's question, Kang Yoo-sik shrugged. “Then you get a chance to become a little stronger first.”

In response to Kang Yoo-sik's answer, Bao Linsen made a mysterious expression. “Then aren’t they both good in the end?”

Usually, when it was like this, one side was just a joke. Seeing Bao Linsen's incomprehensible appearance, Kang Yoo-sik smiled kindly. “We need to give this level of opportunity to those who dropped out and came running.”

“You… He was a better guy than I thought.” Kang Yoo-sik laughed at Bao Linsen's appearance. “How are you? Anyway, since that's the condition, go to Byung-ho. The opportunity to challenge him would be twice a day.”

“Great. I'll finish it by tomorrow, so wait for me!"

With that, Kang Yoo-sik found himself smiling.

‘Even if I die and wake up, I won’t be able to win.’

He knew Bao Linsen was talented, so he might be able to recognize the weakness of the Thunder God and win, but the situation was different now. He was convinced that Bao Linsen would come to find him, because Kang Yoo-sik had informed Lee Byung-ho of his weakness in advance!

‘Because they are weaknesses that were found by adding Lao Chang’s advice to Percival’s arithmetic.’

However, since he possessed a natural talent, his weaknesses would be compensated and he would become stronger than before after sparring with Byung-ho a couple of times. ‘Kids who simply want to become stronger just need to make themselves stronger, so this is really convenient.'

Kang Yoo-sik, who had simply solved the problem with Bao Linsen, looked at the scenery outside. After Dalian, he was gradually getting to know Han Moo-jin, who was also interested in him. Zhao Xinku was so much quieter than he had previously thought. ‘

I was wondering if the other side would move first… You seem to have shrunk more than I thought.’

He had been caught trying to organize himself clumsily for the best thing, but he seemed to have chosen to spend his time quietly. If possible, it would be better to pressure Zhao Xinku together with Tao Fei, who would have the facts or evidence that Zhao Xinku had cooperated with the Heavenly Army

‘It's still not enough to pressure him properly…’

This was because, from Tao Fei’s point of view, a wrongdoing could endanger not only his life but also the lives of everyone he had cooperated with.

‘You have to have a clear card that you can pull in.’ And for Tao Fei, there was only one that held that value.

Kang Yoo-sik, who lifted up the paper he put down on his desk, slightly frowned as he looked at the spell written on it. ‘I think I understand, but I don’t know why.’

He, who had been struggling for several days, looked at the spell written down for a long time, then crumpled it and burned it. ‘This isn’t it.’

Most people started formulating formulas after concluding ideas and calculations in order to create new magic. However, he didn’t feel the need to do that.

‘For now, I’ll do it my way.’

Kang Yoo-sik took out a new piece of paper, decided on a direction, and then thought of the effect of lion purification. ‘The key is to nullify the magic applied to the opponent.’

The problem was that the effect must have strong interference power that could work even with a magic technique powerful enough to make a human immortal. As he recalled that point, a formula naturally flowed from Kang Yoo-sik's head.

‘Black lotus bloom.’ There was nothing comparable to this when it came to interference with reality. As a new arrangement of the black lotus blooming spell, letters were engraved on the blank paper, and Kang Yoo-sik reflexively moved the ballpoint pen.

After about 2 hours like that, the 32 pages of the spell were completed. The effect was almost as intended, but Kang Yoo-sik immediately crumpled and burned them and took out the paper again. ‘More efficiently, so that others can use it.’

As more and more detailed goals were set, the structure of the formula was compressed, and the amount of paper used was reduced. Kang Yoo-sik moved the ballpoint pen while squeezing his hair nonstop, feeling that it worked better than grunting for the past few days. “Kang Yoo-sik….”

When it was time to go back, Lao Chang opened the door and found Kang Yoo-sik was concentrating for a long time, and stopped walking. The moment he moved even one more step, he realized that he could break Kang Yoo-sik's concentration.

‘That kind of concentration at that age… After watching Kang Yoo-sik for a while, Lao Chang closed the door again and went out to guard the entrance so that others would not interfere. As time goes by, the sun sets, the night deepens, and the dawn begins to brighten again.’

Kang Yoo-sik, who was moving his ballpoint pen without even losing his sense of time, wrote down his last value and then raised his head. “Whoa….”

There was a total of 8 spells that had been compressed, all from white lotus dream and black lotus bloom. And the concepts that made up the core of magic were jumbled together. Though he couldn't recognize the original form, but it still felt good.

‘It can be triggered… All that remains is whether the desired effect has been achieved?’

‘What… … What's going on this early…?’ Ban Hye-young's voice subsided, as if she hadn't woken up yet.

Kang Yoo-sik immediately looked at the paper in his hand. “There is a new recipe I made this time. I was wondering if you could take a look.”

-Ah? Umm… … I'm a bit sleepy right now… … I'll take a look at it once, so go ahead and send it.

"I know." Kang Yoo-sik immediately applied a code that only Ban Hye-yeong could understand to the calculation formula and sent it by fax. ‘Since she said she would be looking at it, it must be hard to hear the answer right off the bat.’

Kang Yoo-sik decided to sigh for the first time, took the paper with the recipe written on it, and went back to the hotel. And the moment he just lay down on the bed after washing his body…

[Debtor ‘Ban Hye-yeong’s debt increases.]

“…Well?"

A notification popped up suddenly.

[Hey, hey, you madman, what did you make!!] Ban Hye-young's cry resonated alongside the fairy's whisper.