Memoirs of the Returnee - Chapter 170



Only Krnovel

The Regressor’s Notepad 170

Inspection (1)

“… … .”

I opened my eyes. I felt the heat of magic on my skin, but my consciousness was still hazy. My ears were numb, as if I had descended into the depths of the sea. Reality didn’t seem real. My eyelids were heavy.

I closed my eyes again.

“… … .”

I opened my eyes. I took a deep breath and tried to move, but I couldn’t feel any strength in my fingers or toes. My whole body was weak.

I closed my eyes again.

“… … .”

I opened my eyes. I had to wake up now. I wiggled my fingers as best I could.

It clicked.

That was the end.

I closed my eyes again.

“… … .”

I opened my eyes. There was a [fruit] on the ground in front of my nose. It meant that six hours had passed.

I opened my mouth. I stretched out my tongue and flicked it like a camel. Flutter-flutter- The tip of my tongue barely managed to wrap around the fruit.

Gulp-

Only then did I come to my senses a little.

I closed my eyes again.

“… … Haaaaaam.”

I opened my eyes. A yawn naturally flowed.

I’m finally starting to feel a little more energetic.

He sighed and raised his upper body.

Ah, I’m hungry. I think I should order something to eat. What time is it now?

“Are you finally awake? Good night, you!”

Suddenly someone called me.

“?”

Karrrrrr───!

The cries of monsters echoed simultaneously.

Wheeeeeeeek──!

The sound of a sword cutting through space.

The reality dawned on me belatedly.

I quickly raised my head. Only Soliet was still standing at the entrance.

A ranged swordsman and an assistant wizard assist her from afar, while Kiely lies asleep on the floor.

“You slept for almost a day.”

“day?”

“uh.”

Gulp!

There was a loud noise from the boat. The guy next to me held out a supply box.

“Eat.”

“thank you.”

I roughly shoved the food in. I quickly got up and looked around.

“… … Hey. Did another fruit ripen by any chance?”

“Oh, that? Solliet ate that.”

“aha.”

Then what.

I stretched out. I was sore, but I felt much better. I was at least 70% recharged.

“Solid.”

I drew my sword next to Soliet. She took a step back and glanced at me.

“Are you awake?”

“uh.”

I looked at the floor. The ‘line’ was still clear.

“Let’s switch.”

“……yes.”

He answers surprisingly obediently. It seems like it’s been quite a while since this stubborn guy has been like this. In fact, his face is pale.

“Leave it to me now. Go to sleep now.”

“I will believe you, Zion.”

She immediately fell to the floor, and I activated the automation.

Sack──! Sack──!

I unconsciously turn the page, but suddenly I feel eyes on me from behind.

Soliette.

Her eyes are looking at me.

To be precise, the movement of the curve my sword draws, zig-zag… … .

* * *

The waves of monstrosity surge in ceaselessly. In the midst of it all, seniors are being torn apart both physically and psychologically.

Some give up, unable to endure, some endure with determination, and some discover a new side of themselves in the ‘extreme’.

Of course, there are some seniors who stand out in particular.

Elise holds up the hastily constructed barricade with surprising sturdiness, and also effectively controls all personnel.

Gerken, who will not collapse no matter what enemy comes.

Raye, Kane, Asher, Mel, etc., who showed off martial arts skills that were much more advanced than in the first quarter…

─It was a worthwhile test.

At the end of that week of testing.

─That’s right. Old memories come back vividly. Of course, it was more severe back then than now.

─That’s right. It was common for people to lose their limbs and die…

The VVIPs in the monitoring room are now preparing to leave one by one.

─… … They’re really working hard over there.

Then they glanced at Jia, who was left alone.

Libra’s illegitimate child who comes to the monitoring room early every morning and stays alone until the very end of the night.

Fortunately, he is observant and does not attend the banquets held every evening.

─I guess you came here to study.

─But didn’t you just not attend school?

─Haha. You’re from a ‘homeschooled’ background, which Libra is proud of.

There were many files and written notes on Gia’s desk.

She analyzed a lot of seniors.

It’s not just Zion Ascal. Including the early dropouts, we’re focusing on seniors with high potential but with the lowest current abilities (=lower salary costs).

It is about selecting people who are worth scouting from the company that Jia herself runs under another person’s name.

─I guess he’s planning on picking up even the scraps. He’ll be kicked out as soon as the succession plan is finalized, so at first glance, it seems like a good idea. If only it weren’t for that cotton swab.

─So what’s so special about that cotton swab?

─Libra is a bit unusual, isn’t it? Especially the closer you are to the collateral line.

Jia is extremely reluctant to go out. Therefore, when she goes out, she always wears an artifact that prevents photography and video recording, as well as a ‘veil’ that covers her face.

VVIPs are the typical Libra type that people dislike – they make a fuss.

─What. Let’s go. Let’s tell the youngest to play house. This is it.

─Yes.

Ji-ah, who had been silently staring at her tablet while ignoring such gossip, suddenly…

I caught something on the screen.

I frowned slightly, thinking I had seen it wrong, but I saw it correctly.

“I…….”

She cautiously called out to a nearby VVIP. He didn’t seem to hear her and just walked past.

“I……”

It was the same with all the other VVIPs. They all got up and disappeared in an instant.

Zia looked around and found a person.

“……I.”

Teia Isil, Professor Emeritus at Edsila University.

Gia reached out to her.

“hey…….”

Teia clearly heard her own voice.

But she just gives Jia a cold look and blatantly ignores her as she leaves.

“… … .”

Jia got up without saying a word.

Todododo- I walked to the stone statue in one corner of the monitoring room.

“I…….”

The statue remained still, but Zia showed her the tablet screen.

“What is this… …?”

Then, drrrrrrrr!

The stone statue turned its head. It looked at the tablet screen.

A black figure shimmering in the bushes of the planarium. It has limbs like a human, but it is neither human nor beast-like or monstrous.

The stone statue answered.

──It’s a spirit body.

“The spirit body… … Is that also a test?”

──No. It seems like they intruded on purpose.

“… … .”

Zia blinked, and the stone statue looked at her.

“The spirit body is… … .”

──He’s a difficult guy to deal with.

A spirit that has taken shape. That is the spirit body.

Since it is not a material problem, it is not a problem that can be solved at a senior level.

──However, this test is based on the principle of non-interference. That’s how Planarium negotiated. If you want to interfere, you can negotiate by paying a different price.

Gia turned her eyes back to the tablet screen.

If things continue as they are now, it is clear where this spirit will go.

The broadcasting room where Zion Ascal is located.

“… … .”

She thought about it carefully.

“……no.”

shook his head

I sat back down on the chair.

“I’ll watch a little more… … .”

Jia plans to watch.

How far he can go and how far he can solve.

* * *

… … 160 hours have passed. Now 8 hours short of a week.

Finally, the number of monsters is gradually decreasing.

“It’s over. Finally.”

We’ve been working three shifts so far.

It was a three-shift system, and Soliet was in charge of 12 hours a day, but thanks to the [fruit] that ripened twice a day, she was able to hold out for a while.

“Let’s get back on track now.”

“Whew… … How did it end?”

“Oh, this is really hard.”

The other guys each breathed a sigh of relief. I also stretched my body.

Now, it’s time to get out of this boring booth.

Keruk-! Kerruruk-!

“Me and the Shakis. There are only a few of us.”

We left the broadcast room, killing the remaining monsters.

It was nice to see the sunlight after a long time. The wind was gentle. The grass was green.

“Phew… … The road is completely empty. Let’s go.”

Solliet took the lead without showing any sign of fatigue, and the rest followed.

I tapped Kiely’s shoulder next to me.

“Hey. Thanks?”

“… … I paid off my debt.”

Kiely answered, raising her eyebrows. I snickered.

“Is this the price of life? I was up against a monster.”

“… … .”

He just pouted his lips quietly.

“I, Zion.”

Suddenly, Soliet glanced at me.

“Zion’s sword… …was it [the Eight Swords]?”

“Oh, that?”

She watched me every time I swung my sword.

Well, he must have been worried since he was the owner of the original eight swords.

“It’s a sword, but I changed it on my own. Does that bother you?”

“No. It’s just… … . There was someone like Zion who bent the [Eight Swords] to suit himself.”

There was a hint of sadness in his voice. I asked back.

“Felix?”

Then the people around me were startled. They looked at me as if I was crazy.

Pass the pass─

The wind that had just arrived shook the tree branches.

“yes.”

Solliet nodded bitterly.

“It was Felix.”

“… … .”

She said that and walked away, and we followed behind quietly.

at that time.

There was a rupture.

There was a flash of light too strong to be sunlight, and before I could turn around, Solliet was the first to pull up her body. She raised both arms in a defensive stance.

Kwaaaa …

The Qi wave surged. It engulfed the entire area.

Soliet made my body into a breakwater.

Knock knock knock

Soon, the sound of the earth, trees, and sky burning.

My ears are ringing. Beep, beep, beep. My tinnitus repeats like the tide.

My vision is blurry because of the intense light. It’s like I’ve been hit by a flash grenade.

I shook my head. I forced myself to breathe and came to my senses.

“……her.”

I felt all over my body. My limbs were fine.

Not just me, but Kiely and the other guys too.

but…….

Soliet is lying on the ground.

Both arms and legs were almost burned.

“… … .”

I blinked.

In my head, something clicked!

The sound of it breaking was clear.

“What, what! Over there!”

Kiely pointed somewhere and shouted.

I looked back. There was a figure about 2 meters tall.

──It’s a spirit body.

A familiar voice was heard. It was a stone statue.

The stone statue was buried inside a tree.

──You’ve been on my mind since the airship.

“Ugh, euaaa… … .”

The other guys shivered, probably out of instinctive fear.

The qigong wave just now had a magical power that caused fear. It was ‘vital energy’.

I quietly took up my sword.

Sling-

The sound of the blade scraping against the scabbard was refreshing.

“Ugh, euaaaah!”

The other guys ran away first, and Kiely grabbed the hem of my clothes with his fingers from behind.

“… … Ah, I don’t think that’ll work? Hey! Let’s run away!”

I tilted both eyes.

My back was stiff.

A fever rose in the back of my neck.

My head was hot.

The thought didn’t last long.

The extremely boiling anger actually froze all other distracting thoughts.

Only the killing intent to ‘kill’ stood up straight like an ice pick.

──It seems like he wants your body. Are you okay? Why don’t you give up now?

“Stop talking nonsense. Tell him I’ll give it to him if he wants it.”

Hot hot hot

He drew a line on the ground, gritting his teeth and gritted his teeth.

“If I can cross this line.”

──… … .

The stone statue frowns, and the spirit entity approaches, like a gorilla running towards it.

But there is no sound. There is no weight. It just rushes on silently, like a disaster.

Because he is not material. Because he is not real. Because he is a remnant of the soul clinging to the world.

however…….

I raised my sword above my shoulder.

The sword can cut the bastard.

The sword can cut the invisible.

The sword can cut through things that are not intangible, things that are not material.

‘Benda’ is a concept that is maximized, and is like magic in itself.

Because it is the ‘Sword that Cuts Off [絶劍]’.

Suddenly, a spirit appears in front of my nose.

The hand he extends to me.

That thing that clings like a tentacle, the moment it crosses the line on the ground──

Unfold the sword.

My whole body works.

The keynote is simple.

In a very short period of time, it kills a lot.

A realm of 0 where not even a single second exists. In between, 9 vertical slashes and 9 horizontal slashes follow.

81 divisions that can even cut through the air.

The spirit body was trapped within those countless grids.

* * *

At the same time, silence settled in the VVIP monitoring room.

In that place where even the administrator has left, only one person remains, Libra’s youngest, ‘Zia’.

She took off her cumbersome veil and looked at her tablet PC.

Swipe, swipe, I keep sliding the screen to the side with my finger.

If I do this, I think it might rewind.

Because I want to rewind.

I want to rewind time and see that scene again.

But the tablet doesn’t rewind, and the image lingers only in her head.

“… … .”

She clearly witnessed it. She captured it on my retina.

Zion Ascal projected his own sword and cut down the spirit being with it.

Cut the invisible.

I cut something that had no shape.

No, ‘it was cut off’.

That was the possible sword.

Perhaps, it was the talent he had been searching for.

… … that can extend your life.

Ttukbuk-

The sound of heavy, sinking footsteps.

Heels of shoes fill the empty monitoring room.

“… … It’s still there.”

It was Jade. He was dressed in a perfect suit, as if he had just finished an extracurricular activity.

He waved his hand at himself.

“Come out. It’s over now, isn’t it?”

Zia looked back at him. She looked straight into his sharp eyes. She got up and walked towards him.

“Brother.”

Jade looked a little puzzled, but the corners of her lips twitched as if she was pleased by the word “brother.”

“Hmm. Did something happen?”

When he asked me that, I showed him my tablet PC.

“Yes, there was.”

In it was Zion Ascal.

“… … this test.”

Pointing at him with her finger, Zia spoke bluntly.

“Give it to me.”