A Regressor's Bucket List Chapter 81

“…I couldn't believe it, but.” “……” “So it was him. The subject of that rumor.” Hearing the meaningful mutter next to his ear, Jackson turned his head to see Colonel Hank also looking at him. “…A rumor? What do you mean by that?” When Colonel Hank’s tone hinted that he knew something about Penal Soldier 4331, Jackson pressed him for an answer. “…Last week, when I was away on a short trip to headquarters, I heard a strange rumor from another unit I visited.” “……” “A rumor that some battalions these days are requesting ‘Penal Soldiers’ instead of Heroes.” “……” “I dismissed it as nonsense at the time… but it seems that phenomenon was all because of him.” At Colonel Hank's quiet explanation of the 'rumor', a few memories flashed through Jackson's mind. “…Then, don't tell me.” He had heard of it, too. Not with the exact keyword 'Penal Soldier', but he had heard some peculiar news from within the Orc Mountain Range recently. “The fact that the 82nd and 27th Garrisons suddenly achieved a great victory right before their bases were to be dismantled…” Nod- “I don't know the exact details either, but from the looks of it, that's probably what happened.” “……” “Those places, like us, had requested Hero personnel and were dispatched a Penal Soldier from the higher-ups.” It was shocking news. To think that the few pieces of good news that had come from the Anti-Demon Front, the ‘Orc Mountain Range’, were all the result of a single Penal Soldier. The fact was especially shocking to Jackson, who had personally seen the document summarizing his information. ‘…A Hero candidate.’ Unless he had seen it wrong, Prisoner Number 4331's original Hero rank was 'Hero candidate'. Naturally, that was the lowest rank among the personnel drafted as Penal Soldiers. Of course, that was his rank ‘before’ he was imprisoned for the crime of 'Hero-slaying', so it was possible he had gained skills beyond that afterward. But that was, quite literally, just a 'possibility'. Even for a Penal Soldier, they were locked up in a cell during normal times, so it was practically impossible for them to have significantly improved their skills beyond their previous rank. In the first place, even if his previous rank had been written as a 1-star Hero instead of a Hero candidate, it wouldn't change the fact that this situation was incomprehensible. A situation that was utterly impossible to understand. However, it was also a situation that could not be denied. It had happened right before everyone's eyes, right before his own. Thud, thud- Unable to bear the growing questions in his mind, Jackson approached him. How on earth was the current phenomenon possible? What was his true identity? Was it true that he was once a Hero candidate? He wanted to break the unspoken, unwritten rule of 'not asking about a Penal Soldier's past' and ask him directly. …But. When he actually reached Prisoner Number 4331. “You.” “……?” “What was it again… Mr. Jason?” The one who spoke first was not him, but Prisoner Number ‘4331’. “…It's Jackson.” “If you've got nothing to do, don't just stand around. Let's get a job done.” Tiring-! [The Constellation, 'Olympus's Ruffian', wears a satisfied expression and agrees with the Penal Soldier.] [The Constellation, 'Olympus's Ruffian', says this is not the time to bask in victory.] [The Constellation, 'Olympus's Ruffian', offers you a Sudden Quest.] [QUEST: Worker Hunt] Classification: Submission Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ Client: Quest Details: Infiltrate the strategic resource mine of the 77th Garrison in the 'Orc Mountain Range', eliminate a significant number of workers, and escape. Quest Reward: 500 Coin. Grin- “I think if we just do this, we'll be pretty much set.” * * * The Sudden Quest given to Jackson along with Penal Soldier 4331's words, 'Let's get a job done,' was one of the most common quests given on the Anti-Demon Front. And in the Orc Mountain Range, it was one of the most important missions: the 'Worker Hunt'. The goal was to infiltrate the mine where 'rare earth minerals', a key strategic resource the Orcs mainly used for their shamanism and weapon enhancements, were being extracted and hunt the relatively weak worker groups. The ultimate objective was to disrupt the smooth supply chain of the Orc race. It was a mission Jackson had undertaken before when he was active on other battlefields. …However. He had never imagined he would be carrying out this quest in the 77th Garrison, which had been repeating retreat after retreat, unable to break through Bloodflow Gorge. “……” As with most infiltration missions, the most important part of the quest, 'Worker Hunt', was breaking through the heavy security to reach the 'strategic resource mine'. That was precisely why the Constellation, 'Olympus's Ruffian', had hastily bestowed the Sudden Quest before the afterglow of the war had even faded. The Orc horde that had been confronting the 77th Garrison had never had their strategic resource mine beyond Bloodflow Gorge exposed to danger before. This meant that the level of security was bound to be much weaker than before. Right now, in the chaos of their retreat, was the golden time to carry out the 'Worker Hunt' mission. Of course. That didn't mean there would be no security at all. Although relatively weakened, the strategic resource mine was a vital supply point that the Orcs had to protect with the highest priority. They had to break through at least a minimum level of security and vigilance, and that was not something that could be described as 'easy'. Thump- “Looks like we're here.” “……” …Which was why Jackson couldn't understand the current situation. It was hard enough to accept the fact that even though he had started first, he was barely keeping up with him by the time they reached the mine. It was also hard to accept why 'Prisoner Number 4331', who had come here as a Penal Soldier, knew the geography of the Orc Mountain Range near the 77th Garrison better than he did. No. It wasn't something that could be explained by simply 'knowing it well'. To exaggerate a little, it felt as if he might know this mountain range better than the Demon King's Army's Baron who led the Orc division, Orc Lord 'Nedkul'. Prisoner Number 4331 had easily identified the path to the strategic resource mine. ‘…In just an hour.’ Because this wasn't the first time he had undertaken this quest, Jackson found the situation all the more unbelievable. If his memory served him right, when he had performed this quest before, it took at least half a day at the earliest to break through all the security and reach the strategic resource mine, and there were countless times it took several days. But following the path that Prisoner Number ‘4331’ had walked, it took less than a tenth of the previous time to reach the mine. No matter how significantly lower the security level of the 77th Garrison was compared to other places, that was an absurd difference. “……” Of course, having walked the path himself, it wasn't as if he didn't know the reason. Normally, the common method was to bypass the 'front area' of the mine, which the Orcs used themselves and where security was tightest, and enter through the rear area, which was farthest from the mine and had lax security. In contrast, the path Prisoner Number ‘4331’ chose was a kind of 'shortcut' that exquisitely pinpointed and advanced through the weak points in the security of the front area that the Orcs frequented. The problem was that pinpointing those exquisite spots was practically 'impossible'. It was true that the gaps between the guards were significantly wider compared to other places. But that was only in a 'relative' sense; it was merely a situation where guards who stood at 10-meter intervals were now standing at 20-meter intervals. The front path to the mine still maintained a dense security formation. There were not only iron fences and Orc soldiers on rotating guard duty to block entry, but also shamanistic traps from 'Orc Shamans', who were classified as Named Monsters, which could be spotted from time to time. Yet, Prisoner Number ‘4331’, as if he knew the guard rotation system of the Orc soldiers, accurately timed their shifts to break right through the heavily guarded area. He even pinpointed the exact locations of the shamanistic traps, guiding him safely past the dangers. It was something that couldn't be understood with common sense and his experience. And naturally, something he had never seen before. “……” But. Above all those numerous questions, there was something else that Jackson couldn't accept. “…Why are you going this far?” “What?” “You’re… a Penal Soldier, aren't you?” It was '4331's' proactiveness. That proactiveness, which couldn't be found in any other Penal Soldier, was the part Jackson found most incomprehensible. “……” The key reason why 'Penal Soldiers' were treated as lower-priority personnel compared to regular Heroes, despite being of the same Hero-class, was precisely that 'proactiveness'. Of course, there were bound to be individual differences. Heroes fundamentally carried out quests driven by positive incentives, and they also had a sense of responsibility imposed by their own image as 'heroes' of the battlefield, which made them work harder on quests. In contrast, for Penal Soldiers, although the success of a quest did affect the degree of their reward or punishment, what was more absolute was the time they spent carrying out the quest. Therefore, regardless of the success or failure of the quest, most Penal Soldiers showed a half-hearted desire to perform. And Jackson knew this fact well from his previous experiences with Penal Soldiers. But 4331 was different. For some reason. Not only did he take the lead in battle to earn merits, but he also suggested the continuation of the next quest before the afterglow of battle had even faded. He was showing a behavior as a Penal Soldier that Jackson's mind simply could not comprehend. Unable to hold back his curiosity any longer, Jackson finally asked him. “Hmm…” Perhaps because his question sounded quite serious, Penal Soldier ‘4331’, after a moment of thought unlike before, finally answered in a low voice. “…I didn't become a Hero-Slayer just to rot in prison for the rest of my life.” “……?” It was a meaningful answer that he couldn't immediately understand. “Let's leave it at that.” There was no further explanation. Shrug- “Let's just get to work.”