A Regressor's Bucket List Chapter 116

“Alright-”

With a light grunt, U-jin passed through the red, translucent membrane that signified the mine's entrance.

Confirming that U-jin had safely entered the mine, Tom finished severing the neck of the Mutant he was holding and stepped in after him.

Shwaaa-

As he passed his body through the translucent barrier.

The Mutants, which had been rushing at them as if to devour them at any moment, struck the barrier once and turned away.

“Phew……”

After confirming their initial success, U-jin took a deep breath, lightly swept back his blood-soaked hair, and spoke to Tom.

“Not bad, was it?”

“……”

Nod-

While unconsciously nodding at U-jin's question, Tom couldn't help but think to himself.

‘Not bad?’

It wasn't something that could be dismissed so lightly.

The battle just now had been brilliant.

No.

If I dared to say it, calling it ‘perfect’ wouldn't be an exaggeration.

To the point where, considering the short time he'd known U-jin, the battle was completely incomprehensible.

Chik-

Lighting his cigar by striking a flint with his fingernail, Tom exhaled a puff of hazy smoke instead of questioning U-jin and replayed the recent battle in his mind.

Hooo-

‘…….’

He was sure, until U-jin first insisted, that it made no sense.

Having rotted in here for so long, Tom himself couldn't objectively grasp his own combat power, but.

Even just thinking roughly, based on his strength before entering this place, he was someone who could easily handle a one-on-one fight with a Baron.

At the very, very least, his power easily surpassed that of a 3-star Hero.

Assuming U-jin was at a 1-star level, the gap between them wasn't one that could be described simply as ‘strong and weak.’

It was for the same reason that he had burst out laughing when U-jin first suggested they match their rhythm.

A 1-star trying to match rhythm with him was no different from a chick asking a wolf to hunt together.

That fitting yet ridiculous analogy had come to mind, making him laugh.

Furthermore, matching combat rhythm was only possible between those who had accumulated deep understanding and experience with each other.

You had to grasp not only skill, specialties, and combat tendencies, but also the unconscious combat habits that manifest during a fight for a joint attack to become more efficient and meaningful.

If such basic conditions weren't met, a joint attack would lose its meaning.

But the time he and U-jin had known each other was too short.

The symptoms of his Moonlight Syndrome had only just completely disappeared a moment ago.

Although it was difficult to calculate precisely, considering the Moonlight Syndrome lasts for about a day, it had been about half a day at most.

So, from Tom's perspective, he couldn't understand U-jin's insistence on a joint attack.

It was obvious to anyone that it would be far more efficient for him to clear the path alone with U-jin following, rather than attempting a clumsy joint attack.

‘…How on earth.’

But as soon as the battle began, Tom couldn't help but be astonished internally.

U-jin, who he thought would surely be unable to keep up with his overwhelming combat flow and would just be flailing around, was following his combat quite passably.

And by the end of the fight, he had matched him so perfectly that it wouldn't be a waste to call it ‘perfect’.

‘…….’

Of course, strictly speaking, it was Tom who had disposed of most of the Mutants.

After all, given the gap in their power, it was right for him to take the lead role in clearing the path.

Ultimately, objectively speaking, what U-jin did could be called ‘combat support’ for Tom, rather than something that could be compared one-to-one as an equal.

However.

But Tom was certain.

That even if he brought anyone else in this world, even a 2-star or 3-star Hero.

They wouldn't have been able to grasp him so well in just half a day and support his combat so effectively.

‘Combat support’ was easy to say, but.

Following the combat flow of a target with a significant power gap and enhancing that target's combat convenience was no easy task.

Combat flow wasn't just about the sequence or speed of attacks.

It was an incredibly broad and complex concept that included attack timing, evasion timing, the reason for an attack, the decision to continue a combo, and more.

It was a field so intuitive that the expression ‘just figure it out’ was more fitting than any academic explanation.

That was why experience was so valued in joint attacks.

Inhale-

The word ‘perfect’ was by no means an empty compliment.

He had controlled the speed of the charging Magical Beasts using chains made of Mana and a strange stomp that slowed the surroundings.

The degree of that control was so close to perfect that it maintained the combat distance Tom preferred.

That wasn't all.

He occasionally dealt with Magical Beasts coming from blind spots himself, allowing Tom to focus all his attention on the battle in front of him instead of worrying about his blind spots.

Of course, it wasn't as if he had taken down dozens of Magical Beasts, nor could an attack from a blind spot Magical Beast even leave a scratch on Tom's body.

But from Tom's perspective, who was sustaining the fight, a single Magical Beast in a blind spot was more bothersome than ten Magical Beasts charging from the front.

Just by being able to ignore it, he could save a considerable amount of energy and focus on breaking through.

On top of that, during the sporadic, convulsive roars that burst out like a habit during battle, U-jin would, on his own, create distance and cover his ears.

It was ambiguous to call it an attack, but it was still a shout infused with Mana, so it could be dangerous if hit directly at close range.

How on earth he knew, U-jin had grasped the timing for evasion perfectly.

…Yes.

It was perfect.

As if they had already coordinated countless times.

It was a comfort like being with a long-time battle partner.

The degree of his excellence was far beyond the normal standard to be simply wrapped up with the word ‘talent’.

‘…….’

At this point, Tom faintly grasped it.

That U-jin was not a person who could be summarized simply by the phrase ‘one born with talent’.

Being Isaac's test subject.

The fact that Vampire blood flowed in his veins also couldn't fully explain U-jin.

There was something.

Something unknown that surpassed all of that, something he didn't know.

U-jin had it.

***

‘…Hoo.’

It was a pretty close battle.

It had been a while since I'd matched my rhythm with him, and besides, keeping up with his combat flow with my current body was still a demanding task.

Even though I had anticipated it, I was so preoccupied with following his flow that I forgot about his habit of roaring with Mana, and I almost ended up disgracefully falling over in the middle of the Mutants.

Luckily, he was focused on the fight and hadn't ramped up his combat flow; if I hadn't been lagging behind, I would have been caught for sure.

Well, still.

“……”

Judging by the look in his eyes, it seemed to have made quite an impression on him.

Pfft-

In truth, I hadn't intended to break through here by insisting on a joint attack.

There were plenty of other hurdles inside the mine besides the entrance, and the Source Stone of Quark wasn't something you could obtain at a leisurely pace.

Normally, I would have done as Tom said, letting him clear the path while I followed at his heels.

So. My recent insistence on a joint attack was an unplanned, so-called ‘impulsive act’.

And the reason I went through with this unplanned, impulsive act was.

Because of the half-hilt I brought into the dungeon, the ‘Fragment of the Nameless Sword’.

『Shk-.』

『Vmmm-.』

『……?』

I felt it in an instant, and the situation was so urgent that I just let it go at the time, but.

The moment I cut off the Succubus's neck, I felt a vibration in the hand holding the hilt.

A small but clear, quite serious reaction.

At first, I thought it might have reacted to Isaac's Mana, so I brought it close to the black sphere he had given me, but there was no particular reaction.

Concluding it wasn't Isaac's Mana, I shifted my gaze elsewhere.

It didn't react to Loxy's Mana either, so it wasn't a reaction to the Succubus's Mana.

‘…In that case.’

The one I shifted my gaze to was none other than ‘Tom’.

A joint attack was the best way to check the Mana he was emitting from up close, which is why I stubbornly went through with something unplanned.

…And that stubbornness.

Was not wrong.

Vwooom-

[The Holy Relic, ‘Fragment of the Nameless Sword’ reacts to a certain energy.]

‘…As I thought.’

The Fragment of the Nameless Sword had indeed reacted to Tom's Mana.

I guess I didn't notice during the Howling because I wasn't holding it in my hand.

But holding it directly in my hand and checking his Mana up close, I could tell for sure.

If the system window reacted, there was no need for further verification.

However.

‘…It's a bit of a shame, though.’

That I noticed the existence of the vibration.

It was a little disappointing that that was all.

I had only noticed the clue that it reacted to his Mana.

I couldn't tell exactly why it reacted.

Well, still, from my perspective, it was a welcome development.

Whether it reacted to the Mana of the Beastkin.

Or to the blood of the Lycan Clan.

Or if it was due to some unknown trait of his that I didn't know about, I couldn't be sure.

Just by grasping a clue, I had already achieved the initial goal of bringing it into this dungeon.

It was enough.

It was much better than before when it was no different from a rock despite being a Holy Relic-class item.

…On top of that.

“…You.”

“What?”

“…There's something more you're not telling me.”

Pfft-

“Curious?”

The fact that Tom was curious about me wasn't a bad thing either.

Of course, I should refrain from acting unnecessarily suspicious when it wasn't yet certain he would become our party member.

But I could use it as a bargaining chip to get him out of this place.

“Are you going to tell me?”

“If you agree to leave with me.”

“…There you go with that strange talk again. If you're going to spout nonsense, let's just get moving.”

“It's true, though.”

As if he hadn't heard my short addition, he whipped around with a *swoosh*.

And I asked the back of his head as he took the lead and headed into the mine.

“Aren't you going to see him? My partner is waiting for you outside.”

At that.

“Stop with the tricks. No matter if he's a Vampire, recovery from death is impossible.”

“……”

“He died long ago.”

He answered quietly, snorting with a *hmph*.

”...By my hand.”