Regressor Instruction Manual

I was in a situation where one side was an executive of a guild and the other side were survivors hoping that a guild or clan would recruit them. Honestly, I didn’t feel all that bad because it felt like I finally confirmed that my decision wasn’t wrong.

When I quietly looked around, I saw Lee Ji-Hye and the survivors from the shelter and their condition didn’t look so bad. Considering the fact that they had been through difficult training, they seemed pretty healthy. Since they were products that were going to be sold at the market, the Blue Guild worked hard in managing them, and funny enough, it was to the point that their nutritional status seemed better than mine or Jung Ha-Yan’s.

Considering how they had a hard time adapting at first, I thought that they had pretty much-accepted reality by now, and although it was difficult to believe, they realized that they had truly crossed over into this world.

“Uh…”

Even after excluding those that were at the shelter, I guess a lot of people survived because there were many faces that I didn’t recognize. It didn’t take long for me to use Mind Eye’s and look through them. Magic stat above rare, below epic, above epic. As expected, no one caught my attention. I did see some with stats above rare, but I was sure that these people weren’t the ones that Cha Hee-Ra wanted, but of course, I did check those that had decent talent as well.

Even if people were given the same ranks, it was best to put the above ranks on one side and the below ranks on the other, so I started splitting them up in my head.

“This must bring back memories,” the instructor said.

“Yes,” I answered.

The expression of the trainees and the instructor’s attitude had put me in a really good mood. I also noticed that they were trying to leave a good impression because they thought that it would be advantageous to them.

Out of the seven parties that were managing the Blue Guild, they were Tom, Dick, and Harry since they didn’t belong to any of the parties. They seemed to have thought that if they left a good impression of me, they would be able to join the new party that was going to be created. Joining a party that the Blue Guild was officially supporting didn’t simply mean an increase in salary. Not only would they receive a variety of benefits, but they would also be able to grow while receiving support from the guild.

This instructor, for example, joined as an ordinary guild member and tried to join the parties within the guild, but he wasn’t selected by any of them. He probably took care of small tasks or volunteered to do the guild’s small errands. In the end, he ended up where he was right now.

The Blue Guild invested in people that had the potential to grow. There might be people who would think that the reason why they were not able to grow thus far was that no one had invested in them. But this was a fallacy since if one truly had outstanding talent, then any party would want to take them.

When I looked at the instructor with Mind Eye’s, I noticed that there was a limit to his growth.

‘Even the stats…they’re low overall.’

“Hahahaha.”

“It hasn’t been that long since I’ve been here so…I’m curious as to how the survivors are trained around here,” I said.

“I see, then I’ll explain to the best of my abilities. To be honest, they only receive basic training,” he started.

“I see.”

“First, it’s our goal to help the survivors here obtain their jobs, but only a small portion of the group will obtain jobs without heading out. Only a small group of people will obtain jobs just by training and without hunting, so out of the talented people, there are many that have obtained their jobs this way,” he said.

It was the same for Jung Ha-Yan.

“I see.”

“For the people that survived without having any kind of combat experience, it’s difficult for them to find their natural ability, so they will receive different types of training at once. For mages and priests, we do tests to see whether they’re able to feel their mana, so they usually fall into the close-range jobs. Anyways, the trainees learn many different things other than those. They learn basic combat training, units of money and those that we believe aren’t able to fight will join the non-combatant group and receive their job training separately,” he explained.

“When you say job training…”

“Like cleaning, cooking, chores, etc. Some people get hired at the restaurant that’s managed by the empire or by a blacksmith and there are others that use the talent they had back on Earth to get a job in the service industry, like a beauty salon.”

“Oh…”

“The reactions of those that had received an investment from the guild to start their own business wasn’t that bad. Even Miss Cha Hee-Ra of the Red Mercenary Guild hired a hairdresser specifically for the guild,” he said.

“Ahhh, yes, I’m aware,” I said.

Of course, this was my first time hearing it. Cha Hee-Ra seemed like she was taking care of her appearance, but it was more than I expected. Since she was a woman, it was only natural for her to do that, but for some reason, I couldn’t imagine Cha Hee-Ra receiving hair treatments.

“Then, for the people that join the non-combatant group…”

“We usually respect their decisions, but it’s something that’s not recommended at the training center. The results aren’t that good if they’re driven out to the continent without any foundation. We do provide a small amount of gold, but it’s not enough for them to settle down…the majority of people here want to be contacted by a guild or a clan. Even though we’re in danger no matter where we go, but…in situations like this, humans prefer to be affiliated with a group,” he said.

“Hm…I see.”

“Yes, and the majority of people want to join a mid-sized or a large guild, but…guilds that are already doing well usually don’t want to invest in rookies. They want rookies that aren’t like rookies…hm…for example, they want people like you, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.”

I had heard this from somewhere.

‘A rookie that’s not like a rookie or a rookie that has experience.’

“What are the small clans like?” I asked.

“I’m not sure what to tell you, but the small clans are in a more hopeless situation. People that aren’t contacted by large or mid-sized guilds usually join a small clan, but…the survival rate of those people isn’t that high,” he answered.

“That’s interesting. Is there a reason why?” I asked.

“The first reason is that compared to a large guild, they don’t have resources to spare, so they overdo it by going on expeditions. It may be different for each guild, but like how there’s a black corporation on Earth, there are a lot of clans here that are like that. Accidents caused by excessive subcontracts by large guilds are common…and there are a lot of clan masters that would either exploit their guild members or don’t consider their safety because they want to bring in results…most people die without basic insurance and only receive passion pay,” the instructor explained.

“I understand what you’re saying.”

Honestly, I didn’t think that there was a need for me to listen anymore because I had an idea of how this continent was being managed. It seemed that the only thing that changed was the environment.

It was difficult for me to point out exactly what it was, but it felt like I was looking at the perfect miniature version of modern society. Large guilds were the reason for everyone’s envy and the small clans overworked their guild members too much. There was probably a difference in pay.

After the people with vested interests settled down here first, they succeeded in gifting a hellish environment for the rookies.

The interesting thing was that the ratio of people joining the production or service job wasn’t that low. I was sure that they had no choice though, but I thought that it was necessary to check in on the non-combatant members because there could be people that were idly selling bread because they hadn’t realized their talent just yet.

“We also provide training about the general knowledge of the continent. Guilds, relationship with guilds, the relationship between the Holy Empire, the Republics and the Union of Kingdoms as well as the history,” he said.

“That’s something that we haven’t properly learned either,” I said.

“For you, the guild itself will provide you with the training and also for the trainees. Even when the remaining survivors join a different guild or clan, each guild still provides their own training. You can consider that to be the start since each of the guilds have their own training period and they will help the rookies grow based on their preference,” he said.

“Ohhh.”

“The Blue Guild is pretty free compared to others. The other guilds are kind of picky.”

“I see, thank you for the information,” I said.

“It was nothing. I’m really happy that I was able to help,” the instructor said.

I lightly patted his shoulder and it might make me seem a bit arrogant, but his mouth naturally opened.

“I’ll be sure to pay you back for the information you provided today,” I told him.

“T-There’s no need…”

“No, thank you very much,” I said, cutting him off.

In cases like this, commoners who lived a rough life knew the best when it came to information like this.

When I turned my attention away from the happy instructor, I looked around again and I saw Lee Ji-Hye looking at me strangely.

‘Should I bring her?’

Of course I didn’t mean to bring her to the party because I was sure that I was going to be busy for the time being. I had to create a list of names for Cha Hee-Ra and also recruit members for Kim Hyun-Sung’s party. I didn’t have the time to receive training from the Blue Guild. I also had to help out with the overall administrative work. Not only that but…

‘Dungeon expedition, potion-making.’

I had to help with the dungeon conquest that Kim Hyun-Sung was planning and create products to sell in the Holy Empire. I had so many tasks that even 10 copies of me wouldn’t be enough, so I needed a team that could at least help me with my tasks. Since Lee Ji-Hye was a pretty smart woman, I felt like I could trust her with simple tasks.

“Hm…”

“Do you need something?” the instructor asked.

“No, I’m fine,” I answered.

When I looked around again, I saw a familiar face entering the training center.

‘Lee Sang-Hee.’

And Kim Hyun-Sung.

I didn’t see that obnoxious old man Lee Seol-Ho. Since he was on probation, I was sure that he was resting his old body.

When I saw a few administrative team leaders, I lightly greeted them and then saw them lightly bowing their heads. Our ranks were pretty much the same, so I expected that kind of reaction, but the instructor that I was talking to and the guild members that were on stand-by quickly greeted them as well. Lee Sang-Hee, who was greeting each and every guild member, approached me and spoke. “You came before me.”

“Yes, I did, Miss Lee Sang Hee,” I said.

“I told Mr. Hyun-Sung this before, but if you need people, I’ll approve the recruitment. After I figure out whether the guild can provide assistance, I’ll do my best to help,” she said.

“Thank you.”

I saw Lee Sang-Hee smiling quietly.

‘I’ll do my best.’

I felt like my energy was being drained because I was surrounded by unusual people, but when I was with Lee Sang-Hee, I felt relieved. This probably wasn’t something that I shouldn’t be saying to a 33-year-old woman, but she was like my mother because she gave off that comforting feeling.

“Thank you very much for always working hard,” she said.

“No, I should be the one thanking you,” I said.

After the light greeting, they took a seat at a suitable location, causing the trainees to feel nervous. I was sure that they were thinking about whether they were going to get an offer or not because the people that were in front of them were the big shots of the Blue Guild.

There wasn’t any great pretentiousness and even though I wasn’t expecting them to salute a flag or something, the ceremony was extremely simple.

After the Blue Guild’s sub guild master got on the podium, she spoke. “Thank you all for your hard work. I know you experienced hardship after being dragged here without knowing anything, but thank you for enduring it well even though it had only been a short time.”

“...”

“If I could, I would like to train all of you for a little longer until you settle down on the continent, but due to various reasons, we’re unable to do that and I would like to apologize for it. Soon, you’ll be leaving this place and will be heading towards the Benigoa Holy Empire. After today…some of you may get contacted by a guild or a clan and some of you may gather together and create a clan yourself.”

“...”

“If not those, then some of you will settle down in the Holy Empire as a non-combatant. Everyone has different ways of living, but there’s one thing I would like to say to you all.”

The atmosphere in the hall became strange.

“Please survive.”

It felt like it applied to me too.

“The Blue Guild has a guild house in the southern region of Lindel, a free city and we’ll always be waiting there for your applications.”

After lowering her head for a moment, she immediately started walking away, which caught me off guard.

‘Not even one…’

The Blue Guild wasn’t planning on recruiting any of the survivors that were there and I was sure that the other guilds had similar thoughts. They believed that it wasn’t worth using the guild’s money and manpower to help them grow.

‘How cruel…’

This place was like everywhere else. People here were also intertwined through common interests.