The Regressor Only Protects Me

Chapter 24. No Longer Human (3)

The king of the Blue Team was an old man.

The old man lay sprawled haphazardly on the floor of the branch manager’s office.

His emaciated body exposed his ribs, and his sunken cheeks made him look like a zombie.

His bloodshot eyes, unable to close properly, were a glaring red.

He had starved to death.

Kim Dong-gil had locked the king of the Blue Team in his office for the past six days, preparing for the worst-case scenario.

It made sense why the office had an external locking mechanism.

It seemed food had been provided at some point.

However, when Kim Dong-gil and the rest of the team members died, no one could assist the old man with his meals.

Being unable to eat properly by himself, the old man starved to death here.

The old man had been Kim Dong-gil’s insurance policy.

The system had chosen the old man, and since Kim Dong-gil couldn’t become the king himself, he chose to lock the man in the office and protect him from external dangers.

Then, what about Kim Dong-gil’s behavior that seemed like he had checked a status window?

He had likely used some system authority like “delegation.”

This was something I could confirm from my own status window as well.

Each king could delegate their system and authority to a specific person.

This explained why Kim Dong-gil couldn’t distinguish between friend and foe during the battle on the third floor.

He wasn’t the king of the Blue Team.

In the end, Kim Dong-gil’s decision was correct.

After all, we hadn’t been able to find the king until the old man starved to death.

At that moment, Kwon Kyung-soo approached the old man, his head drooping as if he were drunk.

His footsteps were uneven.

Then, he placed a small cloth he had been holding over the old man’s face.

And he turned back.

Everyone slowly began leaving the branch manager’s office, unable to bear the horrific scene.

The only ones left behind were Jin Jae-hee and me.

The surviving members of the Red Team sat huddled in a corner of the hallway, sobbing.

‘What do I do now?’

Among the 11 people behind me, the king of the Black Team was present.

One of them had to die.

The thought that the king of the Black Team, who was targeting me, was in the same space sent shivers down my spine.

What could I do?

I had no time or room for hesitation anymore.

I had to get out of here.

If the king of the Black Team continued hiding their identity for a few more days, it would be the worst possible outcome for me.

I needed to escape this shopping mall as soon as possible and find the king of the Black Team.

As all these thoughts piled up, I arrived at a single conclusion.

Vote to root out the king, one person at a time.

This was the only method left to me.

To survive this game, I thought of a way to eliminate my teammates one by one.

If there was no way to deduce who the king of the Black Team was, I had no choice but to proceed like this.

And if I continued eliminating the survivors one by one…!

Just as that thought crossed my mind, a chilling sensation crept up my back.

“Ha…!”

Thud-.

A hand was placed on my right shoulder.

Startled, I shook off the hand violently.

Whap-!

It was Jin Jae-hee, blinking in surprise.

I glared at her, panting heavily.

“Haah… Haah…”

I wasn’t exhausted or overworked, but my breath came in short gasps.

Jin Jae-hee cautiously asked, “Are you okay? You’re sweating…”

At her words, I wiped my forehead with my hand.

Cold sweat was dripping down in streams.

It was from the overwhelming tension.

“Haa.”

I exhaled deeply and stood up.

Running my hand through my hair, I felt the cool air touch my damp forehead, cooling it slightly.

“Let’s go back. Let’s just go back.”

I repeated the words twice and trudged forward.

When I exited the branch manager’s office, the others naturally followed.

At that moment, Jin Jae-hee whispered as I turned away.

“Don’t worry, no matter what happens. I won’t let you die.”

I heard her voice clearly, but I made an effort not to respond.

When we returned to the 11th floor, Jae-hee caught sight of movement and looked toward the elevator.

There, K’s cherubs were putting out the flames rising from the elevator.

They hummed a tune as they worked.

Even in my second life, scenes like this felt jarring.

Cherubs, shaped like babies, extinguishing the flames consuming corpses—it was unsettling.

Jin Jae-hee averted her gaze from them and entered the screening room.

Everyone collapsed into seats or onto the floor, utterly drained.

Some appeared to be in severe mental distress.

Jin Jae-hee briefly scanned them before approaching Sion.

He was seated, seemingly deep in thought.

But next to him, there was nothing she could do.

In his previous life, Kang Sion had been a great lord commanding the largest army.

He had risen to the pinnacle of humanity, a position that no one could threaten.

And now, he was deep in thought.

He was contemplating his situation, pondering what to do.

She couldn’t afford to interfere with him.

Jin Jae-hee’s role was simply to protect him.

To observe and verify.

That was it.

The round was nearing its end.

Jin Jae-hee could only watch as Kang Sion concluded this round.

If he couldn’t resolve this, then the Kang Sion of this life wasn’t the same as the one from his previous life.

Sion checked his watch.

Then, lifting his head, he began to rise.

At that moment, Kwon Kyung-soo approached him.

“Why don’t you eat something? You must be hungry.”

Contrary to my worries, Kwon Kyung-soo approached, holding cans of food in both hands.

He offered them to Sion.

Sion gazed at the cans for a moment before picking one up.

A can of tuna and a bottle of water.

“There’s no fork, so you’ll have to eat with your hands.”

Kwon Kyung-soo chuckled awkwardly and began scooping tuna out of his can with his fingers.

No one cared about hygiene or manners anymore.

Everyone here hadn’t eaten or washed properly for days.

They looked disheveled, and some even reeked.

Sion stared at the can in his hand before opening it.

He sipped the oil from the tuna and scooped out a piece with his finger, taking a bite.

“Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen you eat, Sion.”

Kwon Kyung-soo, having finished his can in no time, commented as he looked at Sion.

Sion was working on his second can.

“I’ve been snacking occasionally. Jerky and… things like that.”

Tap-.

Sion placed another piece of tuna on his finger and ate it.

Chewing slowly, he tried to focus on feeling full rather than the taste.

Chewing for a long time made it feel like he had eaten more.

Of course, it didn’t actually fill his stomach, but the sensation helped.

Kwon Kyung-soo licked the inside of his can to get the last tiny scraps of tuna.

Clang.

Then he tossed the can toward the left wall, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.

“Phew—.”

The smoke dispersed into the air.

Watching the cigarette burn down, Kyung-soo muttered to himself.

“You can’t exactly get cigarettes here, can you?”

“……”

Sion continued eating, seemingly unfazed.

Or rather, Kyung-soo was the one ignoring him, speaking to himself.

“That’s why I’ve been scavenging for them from corpses. Seriously, this feels like a war movie. You know, those scenes where they loot dead enemy soldiers… yeah, like that.”

Still, Sion didn’t reply.

Kyung-soo lit a second cigarette.

“But at some point… no, from the beginning, I didn’t realize how wrong this was. I just thought it was natural. I mean, I can’t last a minute here without cigarettes…”

Inhale—, exhale.

The smoke wafted away again.

Kwon Kyung-soo’s hand trembled slightly as he held the cigarette.

Sion noticed his trembling hand.

At the same time, he focused on the hand Kyung-soo was keeping hidden under his left hip.

“You know what this is? Möbius. It’s a brand I saw all the time. Back when I was a teaching assistant. Oh, I mean, before I enlisted, in my early twenties. Hah! The kids always smoked this brand behind the playground. So I thought, what’s so special about it… and started smoking it myself. Man.”

Exhale.

“That was the start of it. Thanks to that, I’ve been a chain smoker for ten years now. But do you know whose pocket I found this in?”

Flick, crackle…

Kwon Kyung-soo stubbed out his cigarette on the ground.

The idle chatter continued aimlessly.

By that time, Kang Sion had finished a can of tuna and was drinking water.

Now, he began to glance at Kwon Kyung-soo, who was lighting his third cigarette.

“Some… middle school student in a uniform… That’s who it was. The student had blood gushing from their neck but was still breathing. Do you know what kind of expression they had? Watch closely. Like this. Gweeeeeek! Kehuk! Kehuk! Puhahaha! Oh, you should’ve seen that expression, Sion!”

Kwon Kyung-soo suddenly twisted his face into a grotesque expression, mimicking the dying student.

It was a stark contrast to the composed demeanor he had maintained until now.

At that moment, Sion sensed something strange and set the can of food down.

“Kyung-soo.”

“But you know? Do you know what I was doing at that time?”

Kwon Kyung-soo’s right eye began to glisten.

It looked as if tears might fall at any moment.

Yet, he still wasn’t looking at Sion.

He simply kept puffing on his cigarette.

Sion frowned and asked again.

“Kyung-soo, what exactly are you trying to say?”

“No, no! Sion, please listen to me. Just listen, I beg you! It’s my last chance anyway.”

“Las… last?”

The word “last” made Sion’s expression harden.

The Kwon Kyung-soo standing before him now seemed profoundly unstable.

His body trembled sporadically, and the man who had kept his composure thus far was on the verge of breaking down.

Kwon Kyung-soo, with a cigarette perched between his fingers, spoke as if lost in a memory.

“So, what happened was… Well… Ah. Ah…! That dying student was begging me to save them… But I was… I was rummaging through their arms for a cigarette. Yeah… That’s right, I was searching for a cigarette. Sssss—whooo. But do you know what’s truly terrifying? It’s that I thought that was completely normal! Sssss—whooo. Puhahaha! But it wasn’t normal at all! …Why are you trembling, Sion? Sssss—whooo.”

Kwon Kyung-soo exhaled a puff of smoke, turning to face Sion.

The cigarette smoke scattered as it collided with Sion.

Flinch.

Sion’s body gave a slight shudder.

He stared back at Kwon Kyung-soo.

His bloodshot eyes spilled tears that streamed down his cheeks and dripped onto his chin.

Kwon Kyung-soo showed no intention of wiping them away.

“But this isn’t normal, right? Isn’t that right? Sion, you’re human, aren’t you?! You know it’s not normal! Tell me! TELL ME!!!”

“You’re dangerous. Step back.”

Thud!

At that moment, Jin Jae-hee stepped forward from behind Sion, blocking Kwon Kyung-soo.

Before Kwon Kyung-soo, the gleaming blade of a sword appeared.

The people in the theater, startled, began to rise from their seats one by one.

They turned their attention to the three figures.

Kwon Kyung-soo’s gaze settled on the blade.

“Haa… Hahaha. Ah, really. Jae-hee, you’re always interfering, huh? Can’t you just leave me alone?”

Sion quietly drew his pistol without Kwon Kyung-soo noticing.

He hid the gun behind his back, ready to fire at any moment.

Finally, Kwon Kyung-soo wiped his tears away with his sleeve.

“But, you see… My role ends here anyway.”

“Stand up.”

Jin Jae-hee pressed the blade against Kwon Kyung-soo’s neck and commanded.

But Kwon Kyung-soo didn’t budge.

“I… am the King of the Black Team. And my role is over.”

“Then die.”

Swoosh—!

Jin Jae-hee swung her sword.

There was no hesitation.

It was a swift moment.

Too fast for an ordinary person to react.

But in that instant, Kwon Kyung-soo twisted his body, throwing Jin Jae-hee off balance.

“?!”

Thud!

Kwon Kyung-soo toppled Jin Jae-hee and pinned her chest with both legs.

Consumed by near-madness, he shouted at her.

“You think you’re the best, huh? You’re wrong!!!”

Drooling, Kwon Kyung-soo glared down at Jin Jae-hee under him.

Beneath him, Jin Jae-hee silently stared back.

She had intentionally left an opening and allowed herself to fall.

No matter how frail her body might be, she wouldn’t be subdued by an ordinary person.

But Jin Jae-hee had the same thought as Kwon Kyung-soo.

Her role ended here.

At this moment, Kang Sion had to resolve the situation himself.

If he was truly deserving of winning this League, Kang Sion needed to prove it.

Jin Jae-hee wanted to confirm that.

At that moment, Kang Sion pulled out his gun and aimed to shoot Kwon Kyung-soo.

But Kwon Kyung-soo was faster.

Whoosh—Bang!!!

Kwon Kyung-soo intercepted Sion’s arm and twisted it backward.

The bullet intended for him embedded itself in the ceiling.

Only one bullet remained in the chamber.

Kwon Kyung-soo screamed bitterly.

“Sion!!! Damn it. That’s not how you shoot a gun! Who shoots at close range like that?! What is this, a movie?!!! You’ve been doing it wrong from the start!!! You haven’t served in the military, have you? I’ve held a gun for ten years. Do you know how many times I could’ve snatched your gun already? But why didn’t I? Don’t you want to know the answer? Huh? Huh?? Huh???”

“Urgh… Aaaargh!!!”

Kwon Kyung-soo twisted Sion’s arm even further.

Sion groaned in pain.

He struggled to break free, but Kwon Kyung-soo didn’t budge.

The physical difference between the two was vast.

Kwon Kyung-soo, standing over 180 cm with a robust, muscular build, was a former Special Forces soldier.

Kang Sion, standing under 170 cm with a frail physique, was just a laborer.

When these two faced off head-on, the outcome was obvious.

At that moment, Lee Joo-yeon and Lee Saebom rushed forward to stop him.

But in an instant, Kwon Kyung-soo held Sion hostage, pointing a gun at his temple.

“Stop! Or I’ll shoot.”

At his words, the two siblings halted in their tracks.

Beads of sweat formed on Lee Saebom’s temple.

He couldn’t let Sion die.

Lee Saebom slowly spoke to him.

“Don’t…”

“Why not?”

“What do you want… anything.”

“What I want? Who knows. Lots of things.”

Kwon Kyung-soo gave a hollow smile.

Kang Sion was still in his grasp.

The gun remained pressed against Sion’s temple.

Looking around at everyone, Kwon Kyung-soo spoke.

“The condition for the King of the Black Team to win is to survive for six days in this mall. If that happens, no matter how many other kings remain, I win. And exactly ten minutes from now, we’ll have been here for seven days.”

At those words, Lee Saebom checked his wristwatch.

11:50 p.m.

As Kwon Kyung-soo said, in ten minutes, it would mark the seventh day since this game began.

Kwon Kyung-soo fell silent for a moment before continuing.

“I’ve been thinking… Can God forgive everything we’ve done here… things like that.”

“…Wait.”

Kang Sion, still in Kwon Kyung-soo’s grasp, spoke.

He was breathing heavily.

“In ten minutes, you could’ve won. Why reveal yourself now? It’s contradictory.”

“…”

Sion’s words were true.

If Kwon Kyung-soo had just kept quiet, he would have secured his victory.

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But he didn’t do that.

Instead, he deliberately approached Sion, exposed his identity, and launched an ambush that might have succeeded.

The result was what they saw now.

Tears streaming down his face, Kwon Kyung-soo smiled faintly and spoke.

“You’re always like this to the very end… Haha. Fine. I’ll tell you why.”

It was at that moment.

The right arm gripping Sion began to tremble violently.

It was the tremor of a man overcome with fear.

Sion could feel that trembling completely.

“I told you, didn’t I? I don’t think I can live as myself anymore.”

He lowered the gun that had been aimed at Sion’s temple.

But that didn’t change the situation.

The gun was still firmly in his grasp.

“I kept thinking about it. Whether I deserve to survive or not. If I kill you here, all ten of you will die, right?”

“K-Kyung-soo! Calm down!”

“P-Please! Just put the gun down first!”

“If Sion dies, we all die!”

The other survivors from the Red Team were even more visibly shaken.

But Kwon Kyung-soo addressed them instead.

He wore a faint smile, but tears continued to fall from his eyes.

“If we get out of here… It’s just going to be more of the same, over and over again…! And then one day, I’ll lose my mind…? I’ve thought about it over and over. Whether I’m really the right person for the end…! Hey, Sion, do you think I’m fit for the end? I told you before. Why didn’t I take your gun when I could’ve? And during the flag retrieval… When I secretly went out to hunt monsters… And when I quickly warned you that the Blue Team was attacking… My actions were full of contradictions. But the reason for that… It was painfully simple. I was weighing it. Whether it should be you who survives here… or me!”

“…”

Sion, still trapped in his arms, didn’t respond.

At that moment, Lee Joo-yeon quietly slipped away in the confusion.

She picked up a crossbow.

The odds were slim, but this was their best option for now.

Lee Saebom noticed her and subtly blocked Kwon Kyung-soo’s line of sight.

Joo-yeon loaded a single arrow into the crossbow.

‘I must hit. I have to…!’

She kept repeating this to herself.

Carefully, she pulled back the band.

Kwon Kyung-soo cried out to the others through his tears.

“But no matter how much I think about it, I’m not the right person for the end! Sion, you… You’re so calm in all this, aren’t you? Huh? You’re not enjoying this, are you? This is hell. Hell! The gates of hell are wide open now!”

Lee Joo-yeon cautiously raised the crossbow.

She aimed at Kwon Kyung-soo’s head.

Her hands were trembling uncontrollably.

But she didn’t let go of her focus.

This one shot.

If she missed, the Red Team would be finished.

While Joo-yeon took aim, Jin Jae-hee observed in silence.

If she wanted to, Jae-hee could end the situation in an instant by cutting Kwon Kyung-soo’s throat.

But she didn’t.

There was no need to, and Jae-hee wanted to see how this situation would resolve.

In Sion’s previous life, he cleared the first round even without her presence and rose to the position of ruler.

If he couldn’t overcome this moment and died here, then this life’s Kang Sion wasn’t worthy of reaching the final round.

Jin Jae-hee observed quietly, holding her breath.

Kwon Kyung-soo continued to speak.

“So… I’m escaping hell. I… I’m breaking out of this hell. Farewell. Farewell, everyone. Goodbye!”

Swoosh—!

At that moment, Kwon Kyung-soo raised the hand holding the gun.

And almost simultaneously, Lee Joo-yeon released the band holding the arrow.

Whizz!

The arrow shot toward Kwon Kyung-soo.

But, of course, the gun fired first.

Bang!

A single gunshot echoed.

Moments later, a notification window appeared.

[Round 1 complete.]

[The surviving team is…]