Regressor Instruction Manual - Chapter 425. Winners and Losers (1)

I would probably have to make sure that the details were right, and there were also some parts that I had to think deeply about. However, I already had a gist of what I was about to do.

Lee Ji-Hye and my lovely son, as well as a manager of the museum, Max, did some maintenance on the Rift Museum a few months ago, so I was sure that we would be able to open the Rift Museum before Benigoa’s dumb actions influenced the continent.

My footsteps became light and springy, and when I opened the door, I saw the people waiting anxiously for me. The first person I noticed was naturally Father Basel. He was with Sister Jayna and Sister Helena.

I unknowingly stepped back when I saw Father Basel pushing Sister Jayna and Sister Helena away. However, I was currently in a good mood, so I was willing to accept his behavior.

“Father Lee Ki-Young! Did you… hear the goddess’ voice?” he asked.

‘I did. That dumb bitch was planning on ruining us all. Don’t trust Benigoa, Father Basel.’

I wanted to say that, but there was no way I could say something like that, so I just gave him a vague answer.

“Yes, I did. I honestly don’t remember much, but… I vaguely remember having a connection with her,” I answered.

“Really?” he asked.

“Yes. This is… actually my first time receiving a message from her this way, so I’m sorry for making you wait, Father Basel,” I replied.

“No, it’s fine. You spent time with the goddess. By the way… what did she say? Is she well?” he asked.

“Well…” I paused.

“That doesn’t sound like good news,” he commented.

“Yes, it’s not,” I said.

“Huh… huh… Are you saying something happened to the goddess?” he questioned.

“But… it’s nothing for you to worry about. The goddess is safe for now, but she warned that strange phenomena will start happening all over the continent, and this was just the beginning,” I told him.

“What… do you mean?” he asked.

“I heard that Benigoa and the other gods of the continent are really weak right now. I’m sure you already know, but it’s because of the demonic forces taking root all over the continent. They are siphoning the continent’s energy for their own. The servants of the demons who are still all over the continent are threatening our holy land,” I clarified.

“T-T-Those… bastards…” he cursed.

Father Basel started trembling. At the sight, I couldn’t help but think that he would dispatch the holy knights without hesitation as long as I convinced him of my story.

‘Not bad.’

I knew Father Basel trusted me, but I didn’t think he trusted me this much. I was sure the advent of the goddess incident influenced it.

‘It’s not strange.’

I proved that the Goddess of Benigoa went inside and communicated through me, so it would be strange if he didn’t believe me when I told him that I had spoken a word or two to her.

‘This can be useful.’

Now that I thought about it, I didn’t need to be in a hurry about opening the museum. The majority of the dungeons would be closed, along with some epic and legendary-ranked dungeons.

The people working for the demons were probably located near those dungeons. The system didn’t label the places where the demons were living as dungeons, but who cared? Killing humans—no, demons was also another way to level up.

Mediliv, a demon officer, was living in the Demon Spire. And the Demon Spire was a place where one could earn experience points, items, and fame. There was a limit to how many people could enter at once, and only parties were allowed entry.

Of course, aside from the Demon Spire, there were also many demons living in other places similar to the Demon Spire.

The continent was apparently creating dozens—no, hundreds of dungeons a day. The bastards interfering with the union of mankind were those demon bastards.

This would also be considered a holy war because people would be fighting for the gods they were serving. Therefore, we would be able to obtain holy power from the believers in this manner. Benigoa and the other gods should be able to rest without worries.

‘Nice… it’s perfect. Perfect. This is how you manage things, Benigoa.’

There were definitely some questionable parts, but I could worry about the details later.

I looked at Father Basel and heard his voice again.

“Do you know where they’re located, Father Lee Ki-Young?”

“She didn’t tell me… the exact location, but I’ll do my best to find their trail, Father Basel,” I replied.

“You’re reliable and worthy of the title of Honorary Cardinal. You really are an envoy sent by the Goddess of Benigoa herself. It’s because of you that we’re able to go into so many wars and overcome many threats. If it weren’t for you, not even the Sacred Democratic Country could have grown this much. I’m genuinely grateful to you, and it’s a relief that someone like you is standing next to the goddess. Really…” Father Basel complimented.

“It’s nothing, Father Basel. The Goddess of Benigoa actually said…” I trailed off.

“…”

“She asked me to tell you that she’s always watching, and she’s thankful to you,” I continued.

“Huek…!” It was empty words for the dummy who only cared about the goddess. I wasn’t used to seeing an old grandpa crying. I lied to him, but when I saw him happy, I couldn’t help but think that my lie was worth it.

“Oh, goddess…! thank you. Thank you, Goddess of Benigoa!” he exclaimed.

“…”

“I wasn’t wrong to serve only the goddess…” he continued.

“I’m sure that… I’m sure that she’s been watching all this time since she’s always with us,” I commented.

Of course, I wasn’t sure if she was really watching us all the time, but as long as Father Basel was happy, that was all that mattered.

The people from behind nodded at the heartwarming scene.

I was sure the high-ranking officials were happier than me because they had to deal with Father Basel’s anger all this while. Honestly, I could even see them throwing looks of gratitude at me because I made Father Basel feel better.

“I-I’ll head in first, Father Lee Ki-Young. I want to spend time with you, but I should pray to the goddess for the rest of the day,” he stuttered.

“That’s a good idea, Father Basel,” I said.

“And if you find the location of the dirty demon servants that are located all over the continent, could you let me know right away? I’ll send the holy knights myself,” he requested.

“Sure.”

“How dare they try to harm the goddess! Sister Helena!” he called out.

“Yes, sir,” Sister Helena answered.

“I want you to start questioning that demon summoner Jin Cheong about the demon servants located all over the continent. We can’t just stand by without doing anything,” he ordered.

“Yes, Your Holiness!” she replied.

‘Ah, that Jin Cheong bastard… today is going to be a long day for him.’

I didn’t expect that Jin Cheong would get hit while he was lying down. I thought he would be able to rest in the next few days until his trial, but I couldn’t help but dedicate a moment of silence for him upon realizing that he would get tortured today.

Honestly, things would become easier for me if he confessed, so I naturally thought that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to meet him.

I was sure that it would be a bothersome negotiation, but we had already determined who was strong and who was weak, so it didn’t really matter that much anymore.

If I made him an offer, he would definitely accept it.

‘Strike the iron while it’s hot, I guess…’

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to visit him right now.

“I’ll visit him myself, Father Basel,” I volunteered.

“You don’t mind doing that?” he asked.

“I don’t. I’m worried about the goddess as well, so I can’t just sit by and watch. I’m not sure if I’ll be helpful, but I’ll try convincing him,” I answered.

“I’ll feel relieved if you could do that for us, Father Lee Ki-Young,” he said.

“I’m just doing my best for the goddess,” I told him.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

‘Yeah, I trust you as well.’

We briefly hugged, and he started walking away. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Father Basel walking away. Jung Ha-Yan quickly seized the opportunity, and she ran toward me as soon as she realized that it was finally over.

Jo Hye-Jin and Kasugano Yuno were walking slowly while talking, while Elene still looked like she was walking on thin ice.

The members of the task force I brought with me in case of an emergency started playing mind games among themselves.

It would have been a lot better if they were here to have fun among themselves, but the issue was that they waged a war of nerves against each other.

I thought Hee-Ra noona was going to approach me immediately as well, but she seemed like she was curious about something else.

“Darling,” Hee-Ra noona called out.

“Yeah?”

“Benigoa’s voice… Did you really hear her?” she asked.

“You don’t believe me?” I questioned.

“I mean, you do lie a lot… Well, that’s karma,” she commented.

“…”

“…”

“I’m telling the truth, noona. I honestly didn’t think that I’d hear her, but it worked out somehow. I’m sure I asked all the questions you were curious about, but I’ll tell you about them later. More than that, there’s a serious issue. You’ll be surprised once you hear it,” I told her.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Quest Creation all over the continent will be paused for the time being. Of course, it’ll be different depending on the situation, but aside from job-related quests and the quests in tutorial dungeons, we won’t be receiving any quests soon,” I answered.

“You’re joking, right?” she asked, astonished.

“A few legendary-ranked dungeons can still be accessed, but entry is limited. Apparently, something happened up there,” I added.

“That sounds… bad. However, it’s really interesting to hear that… So you can really communicate with the gods,” she muttered.

“I just got lucky,” I said.

“Anyway, it looks like things are going to get chaotic. Can this be resolved? Before that, how long would it take for things to go back to normal?” she asked.

“Three years at the earliest, but of course, we can do something to shorten that. I have a plan in my head on what we should do, and that’s the reason why I’m going to visit Jin Cheong. I don’t really want to see him, but it looks like I have no choice,” I explained.

“Hm.”

“I-I don’t really like him,” Jung Ha-Yan chimed in.

“I feel the same way, Ha-Yan. But I have no choice. I need to do this. Ah, you don’t need to keep following me. I want all of you to rest for now, and we can go out to eat later tonight once I’m done,” I told them.

“That sounds good. I have plans of my own here anyway,” Cha Hee-Ra said.

“Okay…” Jung Ha-Yan answered.

“Will you be fine?” Jo Hye-Jin asked.

“I’ll be fine. I’m just going to talk to him,” I replied.

Jung Ha-Yan looked at me as if she was begging me to take her with me, but if I took one of them, then I would have to take all of them with me. It wouldn’t take long anyway, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go by myself.

‘I wonder how he’s doing…’

This visit was actually kind of overdue. After all, I had never visited him again since he landed in prison.

‘That bastard doesn’t die easily as well…’

I walked into the underground interrogation room located within the Sacred Democratic Country, and I was greeted by the dark and moist interior of the interrogation room.

It was obvious, but the colors and the atmosphere of the place made Light Ki-Young stick out like a sore thumb.