Regressor Instruction Manual-Chapter 1178. Lead and Supporting Roles (3)

“He’s probably working right now,” I answered.

“It doesn’t matter. Take me to him, Lee Ki-Young,” Woo Hyo-Yeol commanded.

‘Why can't you understand how I feel?’

'If you go there now, your pride will get hurt.'

Woo Hyo-Yeol wasn’t weak. At a mere glance, I could tell that he had worked hard to regain his former form.

The problem was that he only worked hard; he still didn't have the same stats that he had during his first life.

He seemed like he was stuck between phases and needed time to actually get back on track. The fact that he wanted to duel against William in his current state seemed like he was desperately trying to hurt himself.

Moreover...

‘Even if he finds the form he had in his past life, I don’t know if that will be enough to beat William.’

After five hundred regressions, Will of Flower and Fertility had grown incredibly powerful. The current version of William was a lot stronger than the William in Woo Hyo-Yeol's first life.

I wasn't sure about anything else, but William was definitely stronger in one-on-one duels. It was true that his inexperience had left him without a weapon that would naturally appear over time, but William’s crimson flower carried such powerful symbolism that it could easily cover his flaws.

Kim Hyun-Sung’s Sword of Sunset, Will’s Crimson Flower, and Hee-Ra noona’s Red God of War were their signature moves.

Those moves were so powerful that they could instantly turn the tables.

“Why are you looking for Mr. William?” I asked.

“I’m sure I told you that it’s none of your business,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“If you’re trying to get in a meaningless fight with them, I suggest you do otherwise. We're at a critical juncture,” I warned him.

“I’m trying to meet him because we're at a critical juncture. Figuring out the enemy’s patterns is important, but knowing the patterns of our allies is just as important,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“You just had to do this as soon as you got here,” I commented.

“Strike while the iron is hot,” Woo Hyo-Yeol remarked.

“Wait...”

‘He’s overconfident...’

Perhaps getting beaten could be a good thing, but then again, it would hurt his pride.

Woo Hyo-Yeol started walking away as if he no longer wanted to hear my words.

The party members stared at him in a daze, but...

“Miss Sora, please register the party members. It should be fine if you give them my name,” I instructed her.

“Okay, sub—I mean, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,” Han Sora said.

“Let’s eat dinner together, Mr. Ki-Young!” Lim Chae-Ryeong shouted.

“Okay! Mr. Woo Hyo-Yeol... you should eat with us if you have time,” I suggested.

Woo Hyo-Yeol walked with big, confident strides, but his mood felt more like someone going to meet the leader of a rival school gang.

‘Hyo-Yeol, you punk. After regressing and aging twice as much, you still don’t know how to behave like a grown-up.’

After moving to where the Flower and Fertility Familia was located, Woo Hyo-Yeol looked like he was trying to find the best fighter in the school.

“Where’s William?” Woo Hyo-Yeol asked.

“Mr. Woo Hyo-Yeol! Please don’t do this!” I begged.

Obviously, I had to act as if I were desperately trying to stop him.

“Saint Ki-Young, is this...”

“I’m sorry. Mr. Hyo-Yeol seems to be—”

“Didn’t you hear me? Where’s William?” Woo Hyo-Yeol interrupted me.

It was getting noisy. The blond-haired, tanned thug was throwing a tantrum and was demanding the presence of the war hero. His actions were enough to grab Saint Bell’s attention.

“What’s going on?”

Even the guards, who were supposed to maintain order, were walking toward us. The leaders of the other familias and the officers in the command center glanced this way.

Perhaps Woo Hyo-Yeol wanted to take on the role of the expedition team’s troublemaker.

“Who’s that?”

“I think his name was Woo Hyo-Yeol. He's the party leader of the Saint of Flower and Fertility's party. I heard he arrived in Saint Bell today.”

“Why is he causing a commotion in front of the Flower and Fertility members?”

“I’m not sure... Maybe it’s because of the Saint of Flower and Fertility...”

‘Hey, extras, it’s nothing like that.’

“Ah, maybe he hasn't officially left the party. He wasn’t part of the familia from the start, right?”

“He’s still not part of the familia.”

“Tsk, tsk. He's called the Genius Commander and Saint, but he clearly lacks social experience... It’s not good to get caught up in scandals like this right before an expedition."

"He should’ve resolved the issue with his party ahead of time. Seems like his contract with that thug’s party isn’t over yet... Not even the Flower and Fertility Familia can...”

I really had to shut those guys up. They instantly turned me into the guy who joined the Flower and Fertility Familia without resolving the issues I had with my previous party.

“I won’t say it again. You. Bring out. William,” Woo Hyo-Yeol demanded.

Obviously, the members of the Flower and Fertility Familia looked hostile. He uttered William’s name as if William were some kind of dog, and his words could easily be taken as a challenge to the familia’s authority.

It was different from the mistake Hyo-Yeol had made the first time he met William. Back then, it was a mistake made by a rookie who had just cleared the tutorial dungeon.

The reason they hadn't done anything yet was that I was showing them that I wanted to mediate this situation. Frankly speaking, he would have no excuse if they started pummeling him right now.

And that was when I heard a voice behind me...

“What’s going on?”

The members of the Flower and Fertility Familia opened a path, and I saw the speaker.

‘It's obviously Will.’

The meeting between the best fighter from the neighboring school and the best fighter from our school was enough to hype up the onlookers, but unfortunately, Will seemed like he had no intention of putting on a show for them.

“Could you please step aside?”

I was sure everyone wanted to watch the drama, but the onlookers had no reason to ignore his words. Regret hung in the air as they scattered slowly, and Will turned to Woo Hyo-Yeol, who was staring at him.

“Follow me,” Will said.

‘Follow me to the roof[1].’

“Hmph.”

“Mr. William, this is—”

“I’ll take care of this, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,” William interrupted me.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Woo Hyo-Yeol commented.

“I don’t know what you want... but it looks like my assumption was correct,” William said.

“...”

'Don’t act like a bunch of delinquents, guys.'

“I won’t criticize you for your childish behavior. We actually need someone like you here,” William said.

“You talk too much,” Woo Hyo-Yeol criticized.

“I don’t mean to sound formal, but... can I ask why you came here?” William asked.

“It’s to beat you up, of course,” Woo Hyo-Yeol answered.

“Is that so?”

'You’re the one who’s going to get beaten up.'

Honestly, Will was a really considerate guy. I wouldn’t be surprised if William decided to publicly humiliate Woo Hyo-Yeol, but instead of doing that, William called him aside to scold him privately.

There was no need for a lengthy conversation, as the reason behind this encounter was pretty clear.

William raised his sword.

Woo Hyo-Yeol jumped and got ready to fight.

Obviously, masters can recognize other masters.

As soon as William raised his sword, Woo Hyo-Yeol looked puzzled—a sense of disconnection. He wasn’t the same William he knew, and I was sure he was different from the William he met in his first life.

It was understandable.

After all, William had died five hundred times, allowing him to become stronger both physically and mentally.

“Come,” William said.

“Hmph.”

However, Hyo-Yeol didn’t run.

Instead, he lunged toward Will with his sword in a reverse grip. It was a fast, powerful, and unpredictable move. Rather than just being quick, he used every muscle in his body to push himself forward, and his first move was undeniably impressive.

It was explosive and dynamic.

Like a rubber band, he sprang from his spot and appeared behind Will. In an instant, he swung his sword. However, Will took a step forward and then to the side, blocking the ambush.

“Ha!”

After releasing an annoying shout, Hyo-Yeol tried to swing his sword again, but...

“It’s clearly... not going to land.’

The skill gap between the two was still massive.

In fact, it had increased, and I was sure Woo Hyo-Yeol felt that better than anyone.

‘He was certain that he had grown even stronger.’

I wasn’t sure how Woo Hyo-Yeol was evaluating his own growth, but his development was exceptional. Carrying Raymond Bolt’s legacy, he worked desperately. At this stage, comparing himself to the version of him in his first life was out of the question.

‘It’s like he had some kind of lucky break or something.’

“This is fun,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“...”

‘Is this really fun?’

“It’s fun,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

‘It doesn’t look fun at all. You...’

The more their swords clashed, the angrier Woo Hyo-Yeol became.

He realized that Will was coaching him through this spar. Rather than saying that his goal was to hurt Woo Hyo-Yeol’s pride, he was trying to train him so that he could become a powerful force during the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle raid.

For a beast with a lot of pride, this was the greatest humiliation ever.

“You act all high and mighty for being part of the Family and Fertility Familia!” Woo Hyo-Yeol shouted.

His eyes turned red with fury, and he started moving aggressively.

Unable to perform a stab at such a close distance, he let go of his sword and tried to grab William’s wrist to dislocate the latter's arm. However, there was no way William would let that happen.

Will remained calm, seemingly unaffected by Woo Hyo-Yeol's unpredictable movements.

Since he had already realized Woo Hyo-Yeol’s goal...

‘He can see his moves.’

It was proof that there was a difference in their skill level, but...

‘Strangely, I feel like he’s getting faster.’

Woo Hyo-Yeol seemed to be capable of becoming even stronger the more cornered he felt, as I saw him launching an attack that sent a shiver down my spine.

Will, who had been calmly parrying his attacks, no longer looked as relaxed as earlier.

The sight told me that my assumption was right.

“You bastard!”

Woo Hyo-Yeol, who targeted William’s chest, moved back upon getting parried.

The moment Will instinctively extended his sword toward the retreating Woo Hyo-Yeol, Woo Hyo-Yeol bounced forward.

‘It’s really interesting.’

That was a technique even Kim Hyun-Sung couldn't do... He was clearly in a disadvantageous situation, yet somehow, he launched himself in the other direction, making it seem like he was completely defying the laws of physics.

‘Not even monsters can do that.’

And when Woo Hyo-Yeol finally managed to get close to William...

A crimson flower bloomed.

There was a fwoosh, and I saw Woo Hyo-Yeol getting blasted away.

“Damn it...” Woo Hyo-Yeol mumbled.

“...”

“...”

‘You’re still alive, right?’

Woo Hyo-Yeol collapsed to the floor. He seemed to be frustrated because he kept mumbling something while sprawled out on the ground.

Of course, I had no choice but to shout.

“Mr. William!”

“Ah...”

“What do you think you’re doing?!” I yelled at him.

It was Woo Hyo-Yeol’s fault, but I decided to criticize William instead.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve held back... but it happened before I realized it...” William apologized.

I was taking Woo Hyo-Yeol’s side, but as someone full of pride, I was sure this entire situation only made him feel stressed. He was the type who couldn’t handle others being considerate of him.

Of course, regardless of the result, I wanted to praise him. Honestly, I thought their skill gap was so big that there was no need for William to use his crimson flower, but Woo Hyo-Yeol...

‘Made him do that...’

To be honest, I never really doubted him, but... Woo Hyo-Yeol truly had the potential to become even stronger. However, I needed to think a little more about the best way to make him evolve.

“...”

“...”

‘Whenever we’re short on time, evolving in a dark way is the most efficient choice.’

For a moment, I recalled the nightmare called Skull Gray Hyun-Sung, but evolving in that way didn’t seem to be so bad for Woo Hyo-Yeol's case.

1. A famous line from the Korean movie "Once Upon A Time In High School" ☜