Memoirs of the Returnee - Chapter 168



Only Krnovel

The Regressor’s Notepad 168

2nd test (4)

The booth in the broadcasting room. It’s a fairly spacious booth, and I’m broadcasting from there.

“… … In any case, the number of enemies that rush in with each wave increases steadily.”

To all the seniors in the dormitory, I am conveying the countermeasures I have in mind.

“So, as the number of seniors decreases, you are at a greater disadvantage. It means that you cannot endure 120 hours by ‘competing.’”

This is a test that is impossible to clear from the start without everyone cooperating.

“It is more important to form a front than to be defeated individually.”

Even if only the most proud people gathered together, they would cooperate when faced with the threat of elimination.

“The location I recommend is the park in front of the dormitory.”

Fortunately, the stone statue next to me is quiet. It doesn’t seem to have any intention of causing trouble.

“Form wires and barricades in the open area.”

Only the best talents from all over Edsilla remain. The front line will be formed in no time.

“… … Well. It’s up to you whether you listen to me or not.”

Kyaaa …

At that moment, the faint cries of monsters drifted in from outside the booth. The sound of maddening footsteps climbing upward. The rippling vibrations.

I said, glancing over at him.

“I wish you good luck.”

Boom───!

A monster’s fist pounding the door of the booth.

Click-

I turned off the mic. I looked back at the statue. The statue was also standing there looking at me.

──What are you going to do now?

“well.”

First of all, it’s fortunate that I have a lot of APs. Even if I give up now, I’ll still be in the upper-middle ranks.

──Are you going to give up?

“… … I guess I should at least try it.”

I drew my sword.

These monsters are secretly honest. They only come in through open doors or windows. I don’t know if they can’t break down walls or if they don’t.

This soundproof booth has no windows, so you only need to guard the ‘door’.

Bam-.

“?”

[Fruit] fell from my head.

“ah.”

I quickly swallowed one.

Gulp-

It doesn’t seem to have improved much. Maybe 20%?

How many hours can this last?

──Bang bang bang bang bang!

The knocking on the door is fierce. The beast’s ravenous howl also seeps in faintly.

I drew my sword.

“… … Phew. Maybe.”

I drew a ‘line’ on the floor right in front of me.

I also opened “Notepad”.

Efficiency alone is not enough to survive the remaining time.

So, I’m thinking of writing a very simple ‘algorithm’ in ‘Notepad’.

This is my first time using it, but I’ll try it today.

[Condition: If you cross this line.]

The conditions of the algorithm are simple.

If the monsters cross this ‘line’ that I have drawn.

[Result: Cuts through with an efficient sword.]

The output is also simple.

Self-correction, if I may put it simply, done with a “notepad”. Or, in automatic mode.

Now I can just surrender my body.

Like a gatekeeper.

Kkwaddeuddeuk────!

The door was breached. Monsters poured in from beyond. Dozens of them crossed the ‘line’.

At that moment, my hands moved on their own.

Choaaaak─!

He spat out bullet-like swords at them.

* * *

Same time. A separate room inside the College Board VVIP monitoring room.

Jade, who is busy with construction work, is preparing to leave as she has other plans, but Gia is still engrossed in her tablet PC.

“……hmm.”

Jade glanced at the guy, straightening her tie.

The posture is also strange. He has both legs up on the chair, so that his knees and chest almost touch.

“Do you like it that much?”

“……yes?”

Jia looked back at herself. Jade nodded at the man on the screen.

“That guy.”

Her object of observation was still Zion Askar.

For the first three hours, I looked around here and there, but once I got hooked on Zion Ascal, I was stuck there for almost half a day.

“Ah… … It’s unique… … It’s also interesting… … .”

Gia answered with a sleepy face.

“You are a peculiar fellow, but go to sleep first. Your complexion does not suit Libra’s dignity.”

There are dark circles around Jia’s droopy eyes.

“……yes.”

Even though he said that, his eyes were still glued.

That’s how special Zion Ascal was.

Zia saw Gerken, saw Soliet, saw Elise, saw Laye, saw Kiely, saw Asher, saw Cain, and saw Mel. She observed everyone, from the children of powerful families to famous commoners.

However, they were somewhat stereotypical in the category of promising prospects. They were in the process of learning ‘methodology’ rather than ‘individuality’.

“What is most unusual about it?”

“It’s just… … different… … .”

It is not Zion Askar. It is not even on a slightly different level. His personality is heterogeneous on its own. The talent itself cannot be identified.

It is impossible to predict where the highs and lows are and the ups and downs.

To put it simply──it’s like a lottery.

“Hmm. Just take it easy and go.”

Click. Jade changed the cuff links on her sleeve. Looking at the expensive accessories that cost 300,000 ren each, Zia asked absentmindedly.

“But… … . Is that okay… … ?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The Lord of Arcne… … .”

Jade went out of her way to pick a fight with Igiris. There was no need to do that. There was no need to come out and make an enemy.

Jade twisted her lips.

“He was a person I didn’t like from the beginning. I don’t wear a mask and act cute. I’m different from those who claim to be nobles but act like servants.”

… … Those were really arrogant words.

Jia blinked silently and changed the subject.

“That person… … was also looking at Zion Ascal… … .”

“[The Eight Swords] must have caught your eye. They are a family that takes pride in nothing more than swordsmanship.”

Zion Ascal was expanding and contracting the [Eight Swords] at will. In Jade’s and Zia’s eyes, this in itself was a talent.

However, Igiris dismissed it as nothing more than a minor skill, a mere trick, and even ‘foolish show’.

“If you take pride in swordsmanship itself, you will become like that person. You will pursue swordsmanship for the sake of swordsmanship. You will not know what the means are or what the goal is.”

Swordsmanship cannot take precedence over humans. It is such an obvious fact.

Therefore, humans who aim for swordsmanship are not monsters or evil spirits who are swallowed up by the sword.

“But still… … Igiris is the best sword on the continent… … .”

The best swordsman on the continent. Igiris is definitely called that in the world. When you list the strongest swordsman on the continent, his name is always included.

“I don’t really think about it.”

Still, Jade doesn’t think much of it.

The expression ‘I don’t really think about it’ is perfect.

Jade can measure the strength of her opponents as well as her own. In that sense, Igiris is clearly a strong player. He is one of the best on the continent.

However, there is a difference between someone who is ‘one of a kind’ and someone who is ‘one of a kind’.

Jade has never met anyone stronger than herself.

It’s somewhat embarrassing.

“There is nothing more insignificant than a person who prides himself on physical strength, whether he is the best or the strongest on the continent. It is no different from the worthless gossip of the high society.”

“… … Is that so?”

“That’s right. A person’s nobility and baseness do not come from the strength of his body.”

Those who show off their strength actually look weak.

This is why Jade hates those who brag about being warriors.

“Zia. Are you going to stay here any longer?”

“Yes… … Just a little more… … Let me look around… … .”

College Board’s VVIP monitoring. No matter how much Libra, the youngest who has no foundation is not even invited to the original place. Since I came here thanks to Jade, I plan to get my fill.

“Call me when you’re done.”

“……yes.”

Jade left the room like that, and Zia looked at the tablet PC again.

Zion Ascal.

I followed the sword he was unfolding with both eyes. My pupils were colored in various colors like a PC screen.

Kwarrrrrr───!

Sion Ascal is fighting off countless monsters all by himself, with only a single line drawn on the floor. It’s a spectacle that makes me clench my fists without realizing it.

Suddenly, Jia becomes anxious. What if other families are also keeping an eye on Lee Ja…?

She has this desire to collect talent. Her radar is also developed.

Your intuition is telling you.

Zion Ascal is a lottery ticket that you absolutely must scratch.

* * *

Immediately after Zion’s broadcast ended.

The seniors rushed out of the dormitory. Some jumped from the rooftop or windows, some came straight down the stairs, and some came running with their summoned creatures.

“Don’t join.”

Of course, Gerken jumped from the rooftop with the higher-ups.

“Ellie!! We’re here too!!”

Raye, Kane, and even Asher came waving their hands.

One, two, three, four… Elise led the seniors who were quickly gathering.

She formed a front line centered around Zion’s supply cart and the park lake, and together with seniors who could “flex”, she built a circular barricade like a makeshift wall.

“600 people?”

“Oh. Elise, including you, there are exactly 613 people!”

This guy is the senior that Zion sent back after throwing him a chocolate bar and half a pound of meat.

They survived, and he, with his spectral senses, was able to accurately convey the number of people.

“It’s decreased a lot.”

“It seems like there might be a few more people, but they’re probably hiding by digging the ground?”

Hiding is also a method, of course. If it’s a spectrum like a quiet one that can last for 120 hours.

Anyway, from Elise’s perspective right now, they are cowards.

“Tsk. I’ll start by assigning personnel. Everyone, listen up──!”

Elise shouted loudly and divided the space.

The east was led by Soliet, the west by Gerken, the south by Kane and Esher, and the north by Mel, and each direction was given an appropriate number of personnel.

“Ellie, what the!! Why don’t you make me the person in charge?!”

“If you get hungry, you’ll just steal the supplies and eat them.”

“What? When did I!!”

“Solid. Take her with you.”

Elise placed Raye under Soliet in the east.

“Laye. Welcome.”

“Uh, uh… …”

Somehow I feel like I can’t move against Soliet.

“Terrence. You divide the food and water here into small pieces and distribute them to the supply boxes.”

“Yep! And here!”

Terence took out the megaphone.

“Oh, thank you. I needed that just in time.”

Elise put it to her lips.

“──Everyone! If there’s a problem on the front lines, send a messenger right away! From now on, there are exactly 110 hours left!”

* * *

The seniors gathered together and formed a front line. Golems, turrets, and servant horses took up positions on the barricade.

─Don’t get pierced!

A large number of monsters swarmed into the park, but it was manageable. The 600 seniors were a force of legion level.

─If it looks like it’s going to break through, switch!

The rotation also gave them the luxury of taking a break from combat.

Thanks to placing the park’s lake within the barricade, the food problem was also solved to some extent.

“… … Hmm.”

However, the problem still remains.

Elise sits still with her arms crossed, staring at the radio on the field desk.

I picked it up and clicked the button.

“hello.”

There is no answer from the radio. It is either dead or not receiving.

He’s probably in the broadcasting room.

But the structure is impossible. The facility management office is too far from the park, and the waves are constant.

We must persevere in our own way, and Zion must persevere in her own way.

“… … Can you hear me?”

Elise asked quietly.

“… … Or did you give up?”

There was no answer.

I probably gave up. I was pretty low on energy when I left.

Elise was letting out a bitter sigh.

─No.

Chijijik – A voice flowing with a sound.

─I haven’t given up yet.

“!”

Elise quickly picked up the radio.

“You, you are still in the broadcasting room?”

─Uh.

“Can you hold out?”

─… … It’s tough. How many hours have passed now?

His voice was powerless. His soul itself seemed to have withered.

“There’s not much time left. Just hold on for 90 hours.”

─Are you crazy?

Elise smiled faintly.

“Then are you going to give up?”

─Well, I’ve earned a lot of AP. I think this is somewhat within the Edsilla stability zone.

“Stop talking nonsense.”

He looked at the radio with his eyes drooping.

“You found a way, but what if you die? Don’t you feel wronged? Or do you have no heart? Pathetic.”

─No, I’m not saying you won’t die. Are you making a movie? Just give up.

“… … There are a lot of guys who ride for free. Guys who hide underground and wait for you to do everything for them.”

─You’re just talking about yourself again.

“Are you listening?”

─I’m listening.

Kwaaaaa─!

There was a huge explosion. It was some senior’s spectrum.

Elise looked at him and let out a small sigh.

“… … You know.”

─Uh.

He bowed his head slightly.

“I…….”

He bit his teeth hard.

She worries every night.

Petra.

About Petra.

Should I confess everything?

Or should I just cover myself up like this?

─What.

He said. Elise slowly raised her head.

─If you have something to say, say it.

Something to say.

Elise closed her eyes tightly.

“therefore…….”

─Uh.

“… … If I-”

─Oh, man, I’m so tired, and you’re filming a movie alone. I’m hanging up.

chin-

The radio was cut off.

“… … ?”

Elise tapped the radio twice.

“Hello, hello?”

No answer came back.

“Oh my… … .”

Elise looked at the radio with sunken eyes. She tossed it down on the desk without a second thought.

“……ha.”

However, he himself cannot choose either side.

If she confesses to Zion, she will be abandoning Petra. She will be trampling on her family, her father’s dreams, and his ambitions.

“But why… … .”

Then suddenly, a fundamental question arises from deep within.

Why am I worrying about this?

Among other people and family, it would be natural to choose family.

Why on earth am I suffering like this?

… … suddenly.

An old memory came to her mind.

Those were the days when Endex students, including Kane and Asher, bullied and ostracized Zion.

The reason is simply ‘because Elise hates Zion.’

Plus, the foolish self who aided it.

“… … .”

Elise cupped her face. Silently, she thought about Zion Ascal.

He is special.

He is a special, unique, and sorry person in many ways.

These days, thoughts about him occupy half of my time.

If so, then the reason is… … .

To be honest,

Elise seems to have a vague idea.

I think I know a little bit why I keep dreaming of Zion.

But I’m forcibly holding it down.

I’m trying hard to ignore it.

Because I can’t do ‘that’.

Because I don’t even have the ‘right’ to do that…

“Lady Ellis!”

Just then Terence arrived.

“The supply has arrived!”

He took charge of providing supplies through fishing and water, and brought supplies from “home”.

Fish and drinking water were piled up on the floor.

Flap flap flap- Flap flap flap-

“……great job.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

Loyalty! Elise nodded as she watched him salute.

This guy, he might be more capable than I thought?