The Regressor Only Protects Me

Chapter 33: The Swamp of the Alligator Snapping Turtle (1)

Kang Sion and Jin Jae-hee had been assigned to the reconnaissance team for four days now.

There was just one day left until the artifact would open.

During that time, they had gone on five reconnaissance missions, but no monsters had been found.

One peculiar thing was that from the moment Kang Sion and Jin Jae-hee joined the team, there had been no casualties among the reconnaissance team.

This was welcome news for the police, but everyone knew it wasn’t mere coincidence.

“Whoosh—!”

A dagger swiftly swung toward Jin Jae-hee’s side.

However, she easily dodged it and then tripped Sion’s leg.

Thud!

Kang Sion fell forward, burying his body into the snow.

“You’re slow and weak. Even if you managed to stab me, it wouldn’t have been a fatal blow. Again.”

Sion raised his head and brushed the snow off his face with his hand.

Then he stood up and faced Jin Jae-hee again.

“Stop trying to overpower your opponent with brute strength. Physical limitations can’t be overcome no matter how skilled you are.”

“...”

Sion moved slightly, then quickly swung the dagger.

But as expected, Jae-hee blocked it and twisted his arm behind his back.

It was just like how Kwon Kyung-soo had subdued Kang Sion back at the shopping mall.

“Ugh...!”

“Remember the time you were overpowered by Kwon Kyung-soo in the mall? If he had truly decided to kill you, you would’ve died right there. You know this too. When you resolve to kill your opponent, there can’t be even a moment’s hesitation.”

Jin Jae-hee let go of his arm, and Sion immediately tried to elbow her from behind.

But she tilted her head slightly, dodging it effortlessly.

Then, once again, she tripped him, making him fall.

Thump!

Kang Sion tumbled forward again.

Before long, the area was covered in the deep impressions of his repeated falls.

“Stop attacking without thinking. In battle, your opponent will already have anticipated every move you can think of. Remember, everyone you fight will be stronger than you.”

Sion brushed off the snow sticking to his face once more.

Then he stood up again, clenching his fist.

In his grip was the dagger.

Seeing the look in Kang Sion’s eyes, Jin Jae-hee spoke.

“Yes, that’s it. That look—one that shows you’re determined to kill your opponent. When you attack, there must be no hesitation.”

Kang Sion exhaled deeply and lunged at her once more.

He fell countless times, but he stood up countless times as well, doing his utmost to land a single effective blow on Jin Jae-hee.

However, the gap between them was clear.

She was a warrior who had spent ten years on the battlefield in her past life, while Sion’s current abilities didn’t even match those of an ordinary person.

But that didn’t mean there was no improvement.

‘His growth is rapid.’

As she faced Sion, Jae-hee thought to herself.

Considering that he had never undergone any training before, this pace of development was remarkable.

It was faster than her own progress when she was young.

Kang Sion had only started training three years after the League was established.

Until then, he had served solely as the strategist leading his group.

But despite starting his training later than Jae-hee, by the time they reunited, his skills were nearly equal to hers.

Jin Jae-hee was determined to help Sion grow his combat skills as quickly as possible.

If they started now, it would undoubtedly make a difference in the final round.

“More.”

Jin Jae-hee demanded that he attack her without holding back.

Kang Sion accepted her challenge.

He kept coming at her as if he truly intended to kill her.

Yet no matter how many times he struck, the result was always the same.

Watching the two from afar, Lee Chung-chun exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke.

The reconnaissance team had finished their morning work and was now taking a lunch break.

Even though they had spent the entire morning digging through snow, those two always used their spare time to train, showing no signs of exhaustion.

Lee Chung-chun couldn’t understand how they managed to replenish their stamina.

“Being young really is the best.”

He murmured to himself.

For most people, enduring the cold alone would have been draining.

That was normal.

Yet those two had been moving without rest every single day since they arrived.

Their adaptability was on a different level compared to others.

It was as if they had meticulously prepared for this situation.

They were looking far beyond the immediate future.

Watching them, Lee Chung-chun began to feel as if he were the one who wasn’t normal.

Dropping his cigarette into the snow, Lee Chung-chun stood up.

He checked his wristwatch.

It was almost 1 PM.

It was time to loot the second store.

“Everyone, let’s get moving.”

Lee Chung-chun approached the exhausted people lounging around.

While training with Jin Jae-hee every day, I kept an eye on the situation unfolding around me.

We searched every shop at the entrance of the first street.

Our haul wasn’t limited to just food.

We gathered blankets, medical supplies, kitchen utensils, stoves, fuel, and anything else we deemed necessary.

The existing personnel had also been bolstered by five additional members per team.

Originally, the citizens were reluctant to participate in reconnaissance missions.

However, the absence of casualties in recent days, combined with the extra allowances given after each mission, changed their minds.

Just yesterday, several people volunteered for reconnaissance.

The situation had flipped.

Though it wasn’t the direction I wanted things to go, I wasn’t particularly concerned.

Reconnaissance inevitably leads to casualties.

When that happens, the citizens will once again turn their dissatisfaction toward the current police leadership and avoid reconnaissance missions.

All I needed to do was wait and handle the tasks at hand.

Finding monsters that could be used for labor was proving to be difficult.

I wanted to domesticate them.

In the natural world, wolves evolved into dogs under human influence.

Cows, pigs, and sheep provided humans with meat and leather.

As for cats, I’m not sure.

Why they allowed themselves to be domesticated remains a mystery.

If this world was indeed one of otherworldly nature, there had to be creatures that could be domesticated.

I needed to find those creatures.

If I succeeded in domesticating even a select few, turning them into labor forces, it would greatly strengthen our faction.

They could even become tools of war.

But I knew this wouldn’t be easy.

For now, there weren’t even any monsters in sight.

Jin Jae-hee’s words about the world being wild were incomprehensible given the current situation.

Why?

Why were there no monsters here?

There had to be a reason.

All I could see was the thick layer of snow covering the area.

‘...Is there a predator here that even other creatures fear?’

Honestly, that was the only conclusion I could reach.

Animals possess superior senses of smell, hearing, and sight compared to humans, allowing them to detect danger and flee beforehand.

Some dogs and cats can even sense impending earthquakes.

Humans developed intelligence, while animals honed their senses.

So the lack of monsters here was likely due to their animal instincts sensing danger.

The closer we got to the center of the first street, the fewer Snow Nepenthes we encountered in the snow.

Realizing this, I began to think that leisurely hauling food here was dangerous.

However, with Jin Jae-hee by my side, I wasn’t too concerned.

If the others fell into danger, it might even work to my advantage.

Higher mortality rates during reconnaissance would exhaust both the police and citizens, leading to dissatisfaction with the leadership.

What I wanted was ultimately conflict between the classes.

Just as Britain caused India to collapse under colonial rule, I would bide my time until the leadership changed.

“Looks like we have some time left.”

“Yes, sir. What will you do, Sergeant?”

The people carrying sacks of supplies looked to Sergeant Lee Chung-chun for instructions.

With a cigarette in his mouth, he stared at his wristwatch before glancing toward the center of the first street.

“Going to the large supermarket would be ideal, but for today, let’s search that building over there first.”

Everyone followed his gaze to a six-story mixed-use building.

The first floor housed a café, while the upper levels included an all-you-can-eat buffet, a barbecue restaurant, a karaoke room, and a hotel on the fifth and sixth floors.

It was a veritable treasure trove.

The people sighed as they took in the sight.

“We might find bedding in the motel. It’s been so cold lately.”

“Coffee would be nice. Caffeine is a stimulant, after all.”

“The buffet and barbecue place—most of the food should be preserved in this weather, right?”

“Ah, it’d be amazing if we could grill some meat.”

One by one, they voiced their thoughts.

Lee Chung-chun assessed their reactions and then gave his order.

“Alright, let’s drop off these sacks at the station and come back.”

The group agreed.

After delivering the supplies to the food team, we reconvened on the first floor of the mixed-use building.

“Let’s go in.”

At Lee Chung-chun’s words, everyone began to enter the building one by one.

The people grabbed sacks and swept up every item they could find inside the building.

It truly looked like a feast for thieves.

Sion took only what was reasonably allotted.

Since food was the priority, he gathered partially spoiled frozen meat, vegetables, cold noodles, and dry noodles from the barbecue restaurant.

He also picked up several canned goods.

The food’s preservation was in decent condition.

The cold weather had made it possible.

The collected food was tossed straight down to the first floor through the windows.

The process went smoothly as people moved back and forth to gather and transport the supplies.

One strange thing stood out—the corpses in the building.

Most of the bodies were missing parts of their limbs.

If they had died fighting one another, there should have been visible wounds, but none were found.

Instead, it looked as if some large creature had bitten off parts of their bodies in chunks.

“...”

Sion carried on with the search, keeping these questions in mind.

He approached the table near the window in the barbecue restaurant.

There were two frozen corpses lying there.

Both bodies were missing their upper halves.

As Sion searched their belongings for anything useful, he felt a gaze on him.

“...”

He raised his head and looked at the opposite building through the broken window.

That building had shattered windows.

Through the broken glass, he saw two or three women standing there.

All of them were wearing masks and were armed.

The women stared blankly at Sion before disappearing from sight.

Sion frowned as he watched them.

He couldn’t tell whether they had been watching him or if there was some other reason for their presence.

“What’s wrong?”

At some point, Jin Jae-hee had approached him and asked.

Sion glanced at the opposite building once more before looking away.

Then, holding a handbag from one of the corpses, he replied.

“Nothing.”

Sion took a lighter and a hairbrush from the handbag.

An hour passed since they began searching the building.

The sun was beginning to set, casting the streets in a reddish glow.

They were pushing their luck by continuing the search for this long.

However, the risk had yielded significant rewards.

The amount of food gathered from this building was equivalent to what they would normally collect in three days.

Sergeant Lee Chung-chun surveyed the area outside and then addressed the group.

“It’s time to head back. Things could get dangerous. The snow is falling harder, too.”

Some people groaned in disappointment.

They were on the fourth floor, and Lee Chung-chun began to move ahead to lead them out.

“Sergeant, uh, excuse me.”

A man stopped Lee Chung-chun.

He was a young man with yellow hair.

Lee Chung-chun paused and replied.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Ah, I just... I need to use the restroom. Could you wait for a bit?”

“Ah, sure. We’ll wait on the first floor.”

As Lee Chung-chun turned to head out, the man grabbed his arm again.

“Ah, wait. Sergeant, could you... stay here instead?”

“Huh...?”

Lee Chung-chun looked back at him in confusion.

The man glanced around nervously before speaking again.

“Ah... it’s embarrassing, but honestly, given the situation... monsters could jump out from anywhere, and... well, asking the kids to do this would be silly, but I’m just... yeah, scared. To go alone.”

“...You want me to go to the restroom with you?”

“No, no! Just stay on the fourth floor, that’s all.”

Lee Chung-chun checked his watch.

The sun would set around 5 PM, and it would be completely dark by 6 PM.

It was 5:10 PM now, and they had to leave the building by 5:30 PM.

Lee Chung-chun looked at the man and said.

“Be out in ten minutes.”

“Yes, yes, of course! Hahaha.”

The man chuckled and rushed off to the restroom.

While he was in the restroom, the group remained on the fourth floor.

From inside, the man kept calling out to Lee Chung-chun like a frightened child.

“Team Leader! You’re still there, right???”

“Team Leader! Don’t leave, okay???”

“Team Leader! Team Leader!”

Lee Chung-chun and the others rested or smoked cigarettes as he called out.

Each time, Lee Chung-chun would respond audibly.

He didn’t blame the man.

Returning to the station without using the restroom wasn’t an option, and in a building where monsters might appear at any moment, it would indeed be terrifying to go alone.

Lee Chung-chun smoked a cigarette while waiting for him.

Exactly twelve minutes later, the man emerged from the restroom, laughing sheepishly.

“Hahaha, sorry about that. The... uh, poop was frozen solid, so it was tough. Thought I’d tear something!”

Lee Chung-chun glanced at his watch, dropped his cigarette, and said.

“Let’s go. We really need to leave now.”

“Yes, yes, got it.”

The man placed his hand on the wall to steady himself as he prepared to move.

At that moment—

Crunch—!!!

The man’s body disappeared in an instant.

To be precise, only one of his feet was left, flying through the air before hitting the ground. The rest of his body, including his head, was gone.

The event happened so suddenly that the witnesses couldn’t react.

A massive, dinosaur-like creature’s head had lunged out, devouring the yellow-haired man.

The creature’s head turned invisible again, vanishing as if nothing had been there.

All that remained were the man’s severed left foot and a splatter of blood.

“Don’t move a muscle.”

Surprisingly, Jin Jae-hee was the first to speak.

Her eyes darted sharply left and right.

At her words, no one dared to move.

“Damn it.”

Jin Jae-hee scanned her surroundings nervously.