He closed his eyes.
From far off in the distance of the Providential World, something was flying in like a comet. A fast and enormous colony of large fragments. While protecting something at the epicentre, the fragments covered the sky but gradually, a difference in speed could be spotted.
The ones at the forefront were slightly faster. Like scouting warplanes, the fragments increasingly became faster as they rushed through the Providential World.
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] warns the coming of the [First Night].>
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] claims from observation that it is approximately 1,000 monsters and a boss.>
Soon, a detailed observation of the Vintage Clock was shared in numbers. According to the data, it would be similar to a monster backflow of an SS+ dungeon, which would be enough to flip a country upside down if they weren’t prepared for it.
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] estimates the boss’s characteristic to be [Plague].>
Plague huh…
As if to prove it, a murky aura of green appeared in his mind and drew a trail behind as it seeped its way across. Those moving molecules were extremely small and fine.
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] assumes that there are 7 days left till its arrival.>
7 days?
Why is it so soon.
You should’ve told me at least a month ago.
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] informs that it has only finished 10% of the analysis…>
Yu Jitae thought to himself.
To be honest, an SS+ dungeon was something he could get rid of by himself without letting anyone catch wind of it. However, anything more would be impossible for him to completely deal with no matter how strong he was as an individual.
This was due to a problem with the difference in numbers. It was the same with humans and superhumans but anything in existence would amplify in strength when gathered in a cluster. It was also the exact reason why Catastrophe-ranked demons, who cannot be defeated even when the current Rank 2, 3 and 4 were to gather their strength, were growing their numbers in a corner, reluctant on going against the superhumans of the entire world that were 1,000 times more than them in numbers.
1,000 against 10,000 might be possible,
But 1,000 against 1,000,000 was not.
It would instead be troubling for the demons themselves if they provoked the superhumans too much.
The same was for Yu Jitae.
Yu Jitae was strong, to the point that thousands of monsters wouldn’t be a problem.
However, if dozens and hundreds of thousands of monsters – or millions of monsters were to strike them, he would not be able to stop the horde of monsters without anyone shedding blood. It was exactly why Earth had been destroyed when dozens of adult dragons raided the Earth.
He was just an individual. Although it would be easy for him to protect a few hatchlings, the fundamental cause of regressions was the destruction of humanity and that was why he was here right now, standing in the Association.
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] says that the notice would be a lot, a lot earlier after 20% of analysis…!>
Any new data about the new room?
<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: …>
Whatever.
Forget it.
<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (´•̥ω•̥`)…>
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states it is working without taking a single rest…>
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is trying its best…>
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] was unable to sleep at all last nigh…>
Shaking his hand, he got rid of the messages full of excuses.
In any case, it wasn’t the worst timing.
Although One was still just a staff member of the Association, it was about time to flip the board upside down. He sent his memories and after a few minutes, he received the sign from Clone 1 that he had finished receiving the memories.
“Umm, Season. Will you be going for the next schedule?”
That was when Kang Ahjin voiced her question. Yu Jitae’s hazy gaze travelled down and reached her eyes.
“The Association headquarter is very complicated but you can call me a human navigation. I’m ready to do anything you say!”
“Anything?”
“Of course. Anything. Well, if you tell me to make coffee, then my pride as a graduate of Seoul Superhuman University might be hurt a bit.”
“I want you to make some coffee.”
“Ohh… You must be unpopular with women…!”
Kang Ahjin giggled after saying that. It seemed that she was comfortable already after going around with him for a few days.
Yu Jitae really wanted a coffee though…
In any case, he shook his head after some thought.
“No. Don’t mind it. Call the Strategy council right now.”
“Yes?”
Kang Ahjin asked, wondering what it was about.
“And tell them. An SS+ dungeon will appear in 7 days. Near the southern region of Amazon.”
It would sound like absolute nonsense.
The position of a 4th grade agent was 2 stages above the lowest official. Clone 1, the military advisor, was a 3rd grade agent while Yu Jitae was considered by the Association to be his subordinate.
And yet Yu Jitae was currently saying that a war was about to break out in the south of Amazon.
“Uh, what do you mean all of a sudden?”
“Why. Can’t do it?”
“No, it’s just too sudden… So you’re saying that a fissure of an SS+ dungeon is going to appear? What makes you say that?”
She wasn’t wrong to ask such a question.
The basis of any information was important.
If he were to continue dealing with the Association in the future, and if he were to convey new facts to the Association, Yu Jitae was bound to be asked the same question dozens of times.
The question of: ‘How do you know such a thing?’
He was a regressor. In the previous iterations, he had once presented them with valid facts and revealed that he was a regressor. However, such actions didn’t usually end on a positive note.
No matter how reasonable his claims about an unknown event were, they were refuted and after his words gained credit, there were more and more people that sought profit from his words. Like Galileo who yelled that the Earth was revolving around the sun, and how the church was trying to kill him since he was against their interest.
On the other hand, when he revealed that he was a regressor and proved it, he became the enemy of the entire world. He was trying to prove the coming of an unknown event and yet had become an unknown existence himself. People tended to fear and distance themselves from the unknown.
The answer he finally came up with in the 5th iteration was the existence of a ‘unique person that could tell them about the future’.
Three conditions needed to be met for this to work.
1. There had to be a superhuman that could see the future.
2. That superhuman had to be protected by an existence with absolute strength and have trust for each other.
3. At the same time, the superhuman with absolute strength cannot be seen as an unknown, threatful existence.
The existence with absolute strength here was Yu Jitae himself. In other words, he only needed one person who could see the future and cooperate with him unconditionally and…
There was one person who was the perfect fit for this.
However, now wasn’t the right time to reveal all his cards. For now, he had to give reasonable answers as to how he foresaw the event and in the last 2 weeks, he had been searching for decent puzzle pieces just for this.
“The data I confirmed when I went to advise the 11th Search Squad was the basis. 11th of August. Open the mana density graph on the southern dungeon.”
“Ah, yes.”
Although flustered, Kang Ahjin accessed the data on her watch and put it on hologram display mode. At the same time, she moved her fingers again and started recording his voice.
Soon, complicated theories started leaving his mouth.
“You can see the mana density jumping rapidly in the PL section. This is usually the byproduct when a problem occurs with the rotational axis or when a fissure above 500Mla rank closes. Prior signs for fissures like these often go against the Kendlock Fissure Analysis Method. The jump in the graph should approximately consist of 15 hours but in this graph…”
Yu Jitae had served the Association for 90 years and had once served as its chairman.
It was him talking based on his long years of experience. The explanation and comparison of theory and phenomenon caused Kang Ahjin’s eyes to roll as she had trouble understanding more than half of what he was saying.
However, when she compared what she understood with the graph and the data, she realised that all of his words were true. It didn’t sound like an absurd gibberish of information.
There was a fact without anything to prove it, so he had to weave lies and facts to prove his words in a plausible manner. It was a tedious task but the Regressor was used to it.
“Uh, please wait. So what you said just then…”
“We would need all day to have you understand, but this will happen in approximately one week.”
“Ah…”
The puppy widened her eyes.
“What. I thought you were a human mobile phone.”
“Well, I’ve never been a human phone though…”
Despite the doubt on her face, Kang Ahjin obediently nodded. “I understand. Let me convey it straight away,” she said since the headquarters will be the one making the judgment. She hurriedly called somewhere and sent the voice recording before explaining whatever she could.
Now, all he had to do was wait.
Yu Jitae and Clone 1 were like hot potatoes of the Association already. People tended to stop after gazing at them like strange beasts inside a cage from a distance, but it was natural for the beast to gain more attention when it suddenly started talking.
Just like what he expected, on the same day, a special guest came looking for Yu Jitae before it was time to get off work.
Creak. Knock knock–
The guest opened the door and belatedly knocked on it.
“Do you have a bit of time.”
He was an old black man standing straight. With grizzled white hair and a face filled with wrinkles and white beard, he gave off a ferocious aura complemented by his tall height. The cross hanging on his neck and the rosary on his thick wrist didn’t suit him that well.
During his earlier days, during the Great War, the man used to be ranked 3rd. A soldier who participated in countless battlefields without a particular organisation.
Now, he was a superhuman who was considered an elder veteran – one of the 5 Transcendents of Chaliovan.
His alias, [King of Mercenaries]
Christoph Willibald Freeman*.
The old man in front of him was one of the superhumans who had the biggest influence inside the Association.
Yu Jitae was in the middle of taking care of Jung Taebaek in his inner dimension, on the sofa of the personal office that he got from Clone 1.
He opened his eyes.
Out of everyone possible, the guest had to be the most stubborn and the most self-centred person out there.
“Yes. Please come in.”
In order to maintain the appropriate attitude for the conversation, he decided after some thought to imitate a person treating an elder veteran soldier. This was one of the basic wisdoms he recovered while living daily lives.
“Season, was it?”
“Nice to meet you. Christoph.”
His eyes twitched.
“Right… I received an extremely strange report. Looking at it made me very upset. 3 years ago was it? It was even more annoying than that one time when the old lady in my house was preaching from the side while I was working on my computer.”
Although his words resembled a joke, his tone didn’t. He appeared to be sincerely feeling uncomfortable.
“What could be the matter.”
“This. Is this what you found yourself?”
Drop.
After throwing down the report on the table in front of Yu Jitae, the old man sat on the sofa placed on the other side of the table. Then, he crossed his long legs.
“Yes. It was me.”
“How laughable. It looks decent. And it’s a surprising perspective as well. The central command centre is in a mess right now.”
Yu Jitae’s expression didn’t change, since it was an obvious result that he had been expecting.
“Then, what do you think is the problem?”
“In my eyes, you see… it doesn’t make sense.”
“Based on which.”
For at least 70 years, he had been seeing this man’s face in the Association. Spending so much time with this old man, there was something Yu Jitae found extremely mysterious.
“My instincts.”
It was none other than that instinct of his.
It wasn’t an ability, authority nor a blessing. It wasn’t a look into Providence either. It was something that was impossible to understand for people like Yu Jitae who moved only based on concrete facts.
The power of trying to instinctively understand the world.
Those were the instincts of a genius, sharpened to an abnormal degree.
“It feels really strange. The chief aide, the counsellors, the strategists, the commander. Everyone except for Zhuge Haiyan says it’s plausible and an amazing achievement. They are blabbering gibberish, apparently wondering how someone could possibly find out such things. But not me.”
“…”
“I think this is wrong. Reason? Nothing. Just my damn instincts.”
Yu Jitae remained silent.
The mercenary who avoided thousands of hazards across numerous battlefields based on his instincts became an old man with sharp eyes after building more wisdom.
“I don’t know if you young friend know about it, but this old man has fairly good instincts.”
But because of that,
The old man was wrong.
Yu Jitae skillfully weaved falsehood and presented the source of danger and the old man realised that it was fake from his instincts.
However, the truth was in fact placed within that falsehood. The truth had already been proven by the principles governing the world- something that meagre instincts of a human cannot dare compete against.
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] shrugs its shoulders.>
“And what,” Yu Jitae asked.
“You must persuade me now.”
“You’re saying it’s wrong based on your instincts, and yet you want me to persuade you?”
“You won’t be able to. And that’s why you’re wrong.”
“…Old man. Maybe it’s time for you to drop your sword and retire.”
“Hahaha. How arrogant.”
Christoph sneered, causing the wrinkles near his mouth to lift up.
“Right now, you’re trying to make the entirety of the fissure observation team of the Association into fools. And though you sound very plausible, I am certain that it isn’t and that’s why it isn’t. Most of the 5th Command Room’s members will think the same as me.”
“It seems that the 5th Command Room is commanded by people like you who live based on their instinct.”
“That’s not it. Don’t you understand what I’m trying to say?”
It seemed that he was saying that he would persuade the Command Room to think like that.
In the end, he was just here to say that he didn’t like Yu Jitae.
Why?
Would there even be a reason for it? Probably nothing but his instincts.
Christoph was always like that.
There were perhaps a lot of other people in the Association like him that were against Yu Jitae and Clone 1. Some random guys that were acknowledged for their tracking skills and military knowledge just because of luck – they might be thinking of them as lucky bastards appointed due to connection.
The old man was simply the most hasty guy that came first.
“Then, are you saying that the Association will simply watch the appearance of an SS+ dungeon?”
“It would be better for you to not hope for any help from all the troops that I can influence, at least,” replied Christoph.
Yu Jitae gave a faint smile.
After a short silence, the Regressor opened his mouth.
“Christoph. I’m not sure if you know.”
“About what?”
“Instinct is credit.”
“Hoh. So you’re saying 70 years of credit is a fairly trustworthy power?”
“That might have been the case so far. But when it breaks once, 70 years of history that you’ve built up with correct judgments will crumble all at once.”
“Really now? That’s interesting. So when do you think that will be, hnn?”
The old man gave a wide smile. He seemed amused from the sight of a laughable young man.
“What do you mean when. Look.”
Facing him, the Regressor returned a smile. He had seen Christoph’s instincts crumbling countless times, as well as how he lost his credibility inside the Association.
“Your instincts have gone down the drain already.”
The smile disappeared from the old man’s face.