A Regressor's Bucket List Chapter 67

Plunge— “…It seems we’ll have to find a new burial site.” Staring at the horde of Magical Beasts that filled the sea, Jerry muttered, his face covered in dirt. “…I knew something like this would happen.” “……” “I thought it was strange how quiet things were compared to what you said earlier……” Loxy, too, sighed as she slammed the shovel she was holding into the ground. “How many do you think there are?” “…At least a brigade’s worth, it seems.” “Looks like my eyes aren’t deceiving me. I was really hoping they were.” “…In terms of numbers, that would be around 5,000.” Along with Jerry’s dry assessment, a system window from The Order popped up in Loxy’s vision. [The Constellation, ‘Sword Saint,’ requests your urgent participation in the War against Demons.] [QUEST: Defend the Peninsula] Classification: Defence Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ Client: Quest Details: The Shandong Peninsula is in crisis due to the sudden appearance of a horde of Magical Beasts. Defend the Shandong Peninsula by any means necessary. Quest Reward: 1,000 Guardian Coins, 2x Merit Points based on contribution. Reading the urgent message, Loxy muttered. “…That's not even funny. There's no way this is only a 1-star quest. Especially when we have to tank it without any proper forces.” “…What’s the reward?” “First, they give you 1,000 coins, and it seems they’ll double the merit points if we succeed?” Jerry’s eyes sparkled. “It's an investment with a closed downside and an open upside.” “…How so?” “The worst that can happen is we die, and if it goes well, we might get a Constellation’s Artifact, no?” “…If you like the terms so much, you do it.” “…Why?” Jerry tilted his head and asked at Loxy’s ice-cold reaction. “It's not like we can get away from our partner anyway. The 'NO' option is already off the table.” “……” “…I think it's better to die holding something, if it comes to that.” Heh— “…That’s true, I suppose.” Shaking her head with a self-deprecating laugh, Loxy let out a deep sigh. “Haaa…” Honestly, if asked for her own opinion, Loxy had no intention of participating in such a ridiculous battle. This was beyond a simple matter of likes and dislikes; participating was a crazy quest akin to a suicide mission. To begin with, the minimum rank for a Hero to qualify for the War against Demons was 1-star, and ordinary Hero candidates weren't even given the right to participate. The fact that the message appeared immediately seemed to reflect the urgency of the situation, but for a normal Hero candidate, the standard procedure was to hunt Named Magical Beasts in their respective regions to gain experience, not to set foot on the front lines of the War against Demons. And yet, this battlefield, which had appeared so suddenly without any context, was the size of a brigade. By the Demon King's Army's standards, this was the scale of a full force organized under a titled demon of 'Baron' rank. Of course, there were huge differences in the detailed organization, tactical aspects, and above all, the presence of a titled demon. To exaggerate a little, it was like facing an entire brigade of the Demon King's Army. So, considering the state of the Shandong Peninsula, which didn't even have a proper front line established, jumping in there to defend it wasn't just crazy; it was the kind of bizarre act that only a completely deranged woman would attempt. “…We can’t just walk away, can we?” …The problem was that the deranged woman was probably going to be Loxy herself. “…Seems that way.” Although she had no idea how he planned to rebuild that blasted Demonic Cult, Loxy was certain of one thing: it hadn't happened yet. And given U-jin's personality as she had seen it so far, he wasn't one to just let something he decided on slide. She could clearly see a future where U-jin would grab her by the hair and drag her onto that battlefield, one hundred percent. Tap, tap— Jerry, who had been watching Loxy, dusted off his hands. “Let’s go find our partner first.” Then, with the unique ‘clip-clop’ of his dress shoes, he muttered. “…If it's our partner, he probably has something in mind.” * * * “Long time no see.” “Long time no see.” At my brief, friendly greeting, Cheong-yi, who was next to me, raised his hand in imitation. The two people staring blankly at the sight muttered in protest. “…I don't think this is a situation where we can leisurely exchange greetings.” “…I agree.” It was a joke meant to lighten the tense atmosphere, but it seems it wasn't very funny. “…Well, you're right. I didn't expect a whole brigade-sized horde to wash up either.” Swoosh— The surface of the beautiful sea, which should have been embroidered with sunlight, was now covered in disgusting scales. ‘Deep Sea People.’ A swarm of grotesque fish-like bastards with half-human, half-beast appearances was approaching. The cause was probably… Swoosh— [The Holy Relic, ‘The Most Sacred Demonic Sword,’ asks what you're looking at.] [The Holy Relic, ‘The Most Sacred Demonic Sword,’ declares it has no intention of lending its power to a punk like you.] [The Holy Relic, ‘The Most Sacred Demonic Sword,’ emphasizes that you should handle it yourself.] …the consciousness of the primordial Magical Beast, partially freed when I drew the Demonic Sword, setting off celebratory fireworks. “…Didn’t you have a plan?” “I have a plan.” Although I hadn’t predicted the exact scale, the flood of Magical Beasts that would occur the moment I pulled the Demonic Sword from the primordial Magical Beast’s heart was practically a foregone conclusion. It was true that more of them had appeared than I had anticipated. But it wasn't to the point where I thought I couldn't handle it. ‘…If I can just push through and pull it off somehow.’ It was a decent début stage. If the scale had been so large that it was impossible to proceed with the plan, or if it had been too small, that would have been a problem. But a brigade-sized horde of Magical Beasts seemed about right. Other than the fact that the difficulty had risen slightly and the expected return had also increased as a result, there was no change to my plan for rebuilding the Demonic Cult. “…Of the three seas surrounding the Shandong Peninsula, the only passage to land is a single, narrow coastal bay in the center.” “……” “The other areas are blocked by high vertical cliffs, and a large amount of ‘Blackwater Moss,’ which secretes a slippery substance, grows there, making them unusable as passages unless you’re a flying species. Even more so for such a large number.” Information that one wouldn't easily know unless they were a resident of Shandong. “And even within this narrow bay, there isn't much usable space on the seafloor.” “……” “Due to the nature of a bay, the seafloor itself is shallow, and aside from the central channel, both sides are full of reefs.” “…So?” Perhaps they sensed some level of preparation in my words. The gazes of the three focused on me. Their eyes seemed to be expecting some incredible countermeasure. “The point is, the only passage they can use is the central part of that narrow bay.” “……” “So, we…” And to meet their expectations… I proudly declared my plan. Swoosh— “…will stop them over there.” Following the declaration of the plan, a silence fell over the area for a moment. Loxy, who was looking back and forth between my finger and the coastal bay as if she had misheard, broke the frozen atmosphere and spoke up. “Uh……” “What?” “So… maybe it's because I'm uneducated, but I don't quite understand.” “What about?” “I think… there should be something more after that……” “……” “Is that all there is to it?” …It wasn't an entirely wrong point. Normally, a battle plan would include countermeasures for when things went wrong due to variables, and its most basic framework was the 5 Ws and 1 H: who, when, where, what, how, and why. But my plan had none of that. No, in most of the battles in the latter half of my first life, there were no such things as detailed plans. There was no time to make them in the daily battles, and it was a battlefield where there was no ‘next time’ if you didn't risk your life to defeat the enemy in front of you right now. In that hellish battlefield, there was only one thing to remember. I had to defeat the enemy before me for me to live, and for my comrades to live. “That's it.” …Well, I didn't really expect them to understand. A second silence fell. The one who broke it this time was Jerry. “…I shouldn't have even asked.” It was a natural reaction, really. This plan, which was close to being no plan at all, was not only the complete opposite of Jerry’s disposition… but it also looked reckless beyond measure on the surface. ‘……’ Even though it was technically part of the War against Demons front, there were no notable troops from The Order or the Empire stationed on the Shandong Peninsula. That meant there were no soldiers to form a front line and halt the advance of the Magical Beasts as was usually the case, and Hero-level personnel would always have to suffer the risk of being surrounded. If anything, we might be able to hope for help from Namgung Soso's New Demonic Cult, which acted as a self-defense force here. But it was a tall order to expect a significant role from them, as they had only ever hunted the Magical Beasts that occasionally appeared here. Not to mention the numerical inferiority. Perhaps having roughly calculated in his head that it was impossible… Jerry shook his head and raised his hand. Swoosh— “…I am a non-combatant. I request to be excused, partner.” It was something I had fully expected, considering his disposition, and I had never considered him as combat personnel in the first place. So, I raised a hand and nodded at the guy requesting to be excused. “Don't worry.” “……?” “You have something else to do.” And to the guy who was slightly frowning as if he hadn't expected this, I handed him a note I had written in advance. Rustle— The guy took the note, unfolded it to check the contents, and fell silent for a long moment, his pupils shaking for an instant. “……” Then, with his brows furrowed in a somewhat grave manner, he replied. “…Impossible. I can guess the general intention, but this is a defunct method, and it's not something I can handle on my own.” “That's why I'm asking you. We're heading into that death trap, so if you're going to call yourself a partner, you should at least do that much.” “……” “Right?” From the side, Loxy quietly asked, ‘…By any chance, am I included in that 'we'?’ but I lightly ignored her and continued to stare directly at Jerry's face. “…No matter how I think about it, it's impossible. This isn't something that can be done with money alone.” “Just try it anyway. Who knows, you might get lucky, right?” “…I can't imagine what level of luck would be required. I don't even have a clue where to start, and the direction is…” Seeing his eyebrows, which seemed to show he was still reluctant, I threw him a carrot. Swoosh— “This.” The magic circle engraved on Cheong-yi's neck. When I pointed to the red magic circle, the thrall formula of the Blood Demon Art, his eyes shook violently. “Aren't you curious how I did it?” “……!!!” “Okay?” From his perspective, it was a carrot he couldn't possibly refuse. “…Understood. I will at least attempt it.” “Okay.” “…However, since this is something unprecedented in the last 100 years, I cannot guarantee its success or failure.” “Well, let's cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, just look into it.” *Nod—* Although there was some grumbling, seeing his furrowed brows return to normal, it seemed he was motivated enough to at least give it a try. “…Then I shall make my move first. It doesn't seem like something that can be handled here.” “Alright. See you after you're done.” “…Understood.” After sending Jerry off first, I… [Urgently accepting the quest ‘Defend the Peninsula (★☆☆☆☆)’.] “…Let's go.” “……” “Us too.” I accepted the quest that had appeared and started walking toward the coastal bay. “…Just who is the real demon?”