The Regressor Can Make Them All-Chapter 337

Returning to the Heroes Association branch in Washington, Se-Hoon underwent a brief interrogation with Seon-Woo. But it wasn’t much of an interrogation, more of an opportunity to elaborate on his previous testimony.

And with the information gained, the Heroes Association systematically rooted out all remaining members of Succession that were hidden across Washington.

“This is my first time feeling this unnerved in over a decade as an investigator...”

There was a hint of unease on Seon-Woo’s face as muttered those words while reviewing the documents detailing the captured members.

Just the mere idea that dozens of traitors could be found in a city so tightly monitored—especially in a region under the Heroes Association’s direct jurisdiction—was deeply unsettling. Some were even staff members working inside the Washington branch itself, adding an extra layer of horror.

If they had coordinated with Rachel all at once...

The thought made Seon-Woo shudder. Among those apprehended were long-serving employees and even members of the Special Operations Division, who were regarded as highly skilled investigators within the association.

A more thorough interrogation had yet to be done, but it was likely they’d been behind more than just a handful of incidents.

“Senior Disciple, what do you think?”

Having concluded the interrogation, Seon-Woo shifted his tone, making Se-Hoon visibly more relaxed.

“I think that the association is rotten to the core.”

“...You think so too?”

“With traitors like them appearing everywhere, it's likely that the corruption extends much deeper. If it was me, I’d even consider every senior officer in the association a suspect.”

Leaks from within the Heroes Association, both before and after his regression, were numerous and persistent. Of course, it was essentially inevitable, with the association’s sheer size and the persistence of its enemies, but Se-Hoon didn’t consider that as a reason to be lenient.

Reforming the entire hierarchy will be too exhausting and digging too deep might only backfire.... I guess keeping a safe distance while using the association to my advantage is the best course of action for now.

Unless forced into a corner or facing an existential threat, Se-Hoon preferred not to engage too deeply with an organization as murky as the Heroes Association.

“What about the President?” Seon-Woo suddenly asked, breaking Se-Hoon’s train of thought.

“The President?”

“Yes, Gregory Nelson.”

Gregory Nelson—a formidable S-rank hero once known as the “Guardian of the United States.” Being a first-generation hero with a broad network of connections, he had fought alongside the likes of the Perfect Ones, causing many to believe he was born to lead the association.

Though the public never stops criticizing him for it, Se-Hoon thought dryly.

Given the association’s constant scandals and controversies, Gregory spent much of his time issuing public apologies, bowing his head, and enduring public outrage. To Se-Hoon, who had known him before the regression, Gregory was still the same as ever: a man who stuck to his principles despite his circumstances.

“Honestly, he’s just a pitiful old man.”

“Pitiful?”

“He gets all the blame but can’t step down. How else can you describe him?”

Se-Hoon recalled how Gregory had briefly resigned once before, only to return three years later when his successor drove the association into chaos. During that time, measures like militarizing the association, mandatory service for heroes, and hiring criminals for punishment units had caused a public outcry. Because of that, Gregory had then been unanimously reinstated.

He probably dreams of quitting even now...

Se-Hoon imagined the old man sighing over a cigar, a familiar sight to him once.

“Then... do you think the President is doing fine now?”

“Well, if I had to say so, yes.”

“...Actually, the President recently asked if I could arrange a meeting with you,” Seon-Woo cautiously said.

“Officially?”

“No, privately. He wants to meet you personally, which is why he requested this from me.”

Se-Hoon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

A personal meeting? That’s unexpected.

The Gregory that Se-Hoon knew was a man who adhered strictly to protocol, much like Seon-Woo. He might have reached out privately before as well, but it was unusual for him to skip formalities altogether.

Not that it matters much either way.

Regardless of the reason, meeting with the head of the Heroes Association was inevitable at some point.

“Okay. Let him know I’ll meet him, but I’ll choose the time and place.”

“Understood. I’ll relay the message.”

“Then I’ll be heading out now. Did you get the materials I asked for?”

Prompted, Seon-Woo handed over a thick file from a separate pile.

“Here you go.”

Se-Hoon had requested detailed information about the clash between the Perfect Ones and the Ten Evils in the South Atlantic the previous night. He could have just directly questioned the involved parties, but Se-Hoon preferred to first review objective reports.

“Thanks.”

“Anytime. If you need anything else, let me know.”

With a respectful bow—a sign of their now-familiar relationship—Seon-Woo saw off Se-Hoon, who suddenly paused mid-step.

“Oh, do you think you’re close to reaching S-rank yet?”

“My grandaunt said I’m still far from it,” Seon-Woo admitted.

Although his skills had improved thanks to training with Baek-Yeon, he hadn’t yet broken through the threshold.

Thinking, Se-Hoon scratched his cheek and then casually added, “Well, work harder. I’ll make you a bow when you hit S-rank.”

“Wha—?!”

“See you around.”

Leaving behind the startled Seon-Woo without another word, Se-Hoon exited the interrogation room, his mind drifting to pre-regression memories.

Seon-Woo had reached S-rank, becoming the team leader in the Special Operations Division. Yet, despite his remarkable skills and lineage, Seon-Woo had died so abruptly—found blind and lifeless on the street after being targeted by Heaven Eye. Even now, Se-Hoon couldn’t believe it.

If that bastard gets his hands on Seon-Woo’s Enhanced Vision, things will get even more annoying. I should start preparing now.

Forming a plan in his mind, Se-Hoon returned to his temporary accommodations, a luxury suite arranged by the Heroes Association.

“Phew...”

Once he settled in, Se-Hoon opened the documents from Seon-Woo. The file included photos of the battle in the South Atlantic, which captured the chaos in vivid detail.

“Slashing, blasting, overturning... they’ve made quite the mess.”

The fight between the Perfect Ones and the Ten Evils had turned the Black Seas into a battlefield, with the White Whale struggling desperately to survive amid the carnage.

Skimming the file, Se-Hoon noted the participants.

“Three Perfect Ones—Emperor of Ascension, Pilgrim, and the Visionary; and three from the Ten Evils—Tuner, Beast King, and the Puppeteer.”

No wonder Ha Baek-Yeon couldn’t help. She must’ve been busy with this.

The timing of the clash coincided with his raid on the Succession base. Baek-Yeon had made it clear, during the preparation to hunt the Dream Demon, that she refused due to the importance of monitoring the Six Great Demon Realms.

Clearly, to her, they were a higher priority than the Ten Evils or the Watchers.

I should ask her how she weighs her decisions next time.

Making a mental note of it, Se-Hoon flipped through the file, when his hand paused upon reaching the section on the Ten Evils.

Wait... why did Heaven Eye attack me?

According to the report, Heaven Eye had taken up position in South America, supposedly for the whale hunt. Yet, instead of supporting his fellow Ten Evils, he had targeted Se-Hoon.

And as a result, the Ten Evils had failed in dealing with Eun-Ha and retrieving the Harbinger Shard inside the White Whale.

It doesn’t make sense...

Though Heaven Eye’s exact motive remained unclear, Se-Hoon knew one thing for certain: Heaven Eye had deliberately aimed for him.

For now, though, Se-Hoon set aside the mystery and continued reading.

Hmmm... The Perfect Ones came out victorious this time, but it was close.

If the efforts to persuade Li Kenxie and eliminate Apostate had failed, the outcome could have been far different.

The White Whale was spared this time... looks like there’ll be another clash soon.

Se-Hoon briefly deliberated on how he would intervene, if the White Whale hunt itself was a trap set by the Ten Evils, before shaking his head and clearing his thoughts.

Let’s think about this later.

The situation would ultimately depend on how the Tuner acted, anyway. Thus, he just needed to focus on strengthening his foundation so he could respond to any scenario in the time being.

He closed the documents and picked up his phone.

Eun-Ha should be back by now.

The changes in her emotions and the Primordial Ring lingered in his mind, so he sent her a message asking if they could talk briefly so that he could check both.

“Hmm?”

She read the message almost immediately, as if she had been waiting for it, but there was no reply? The silence dragged on, long enough for Se-Hoon to wonder if she had fallen asleep with her phone on.

Then, just as he was about to send another message—

Ding!

A reply finally appeared.

Eun-Ha: I'll be waiting in my room.

Se-Hoon raised an eyebrow. She’d usually call first. Could her emotions be causing the change?

Intrigued, Se-Hoon put his phone away and headed to Eun-Ha’s room.

Ding-dong.

The sound of hurried footsteps followed, and seconds later, the door swung open to reveal Eun-Ha.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

Stepping into the room, the first thing Se-Hoon noticed was that it was a bit more cluttered than usual.

These are all...

Clothes, toys, books, tools of unknown purpose, and even food ingredients—items with no apparent common thread—were scattered all around.

Looking at the chaotic assortment, Se-Hoon raised a puzzled brow.

“What are all these?”

“...”

Eun-Ha’s expression stiffened slightly.

“I just... splurged,” she answered in a small voice.

“What?”

“It’s the first time I’ve ever felt interested in something other than weapons, so... I just bought whatever caught my eye.”

She avoided his gaze, embarrassed by her own words.

Ah, impulse buying. Se-Hoon looked at the mountain of items piled high.

Until recently, Eun-Ha showed zero interest in anything unrelated to weapons. But now, with her emotions now flowing freely, even a flicker of curiosity made her heart race. And rather than suppressing it, she just acted on it—buying everything in sight on impulse, just as she had in the past with weapons at auctions.

“Hmm. I never knew that you had such unique tastes,” Se-Hoon remarked, picking up a chicken-shaped squeaky toy.

He pressed it experimentally, producing a sharp squeak that made Eun-Ha’s expression twitch in response.

So this is... shame.

If she’d known such a thing would happen, she would have cleaned everything up beforehand.

Desperately battling the surge of shame that made her face flush, Eun-Ha hurriedly changed the subject.

“Ahem. So, what brings you here?”

“Ah. I wanted to check your condition. Is now a good time?”

“Of course.”

“Then if you could come over here...”

Gesturing for Eun-Ha to sit, Se-Hoon then brought over another chair and sat down beside her.

“I’ll check your wrist.”

Activating Soul Honing, Se-Hoon gently held Eun-Ha’s wrist and began carefully scanning her body. Her blood vessels and internal organs seemed normal aside from one peculiar change that stood out—the Primordial Ring that had taken place near her heart.

I thought it would have dissolved, but it settled in completely.

In fact, the Primordial Ring that settled next to her heart was functioning almost like a new biological organ. Not only was it stabilizing her powers, but it also stored the raging energy within Eun-Ha. It was a remarkable development.

I could remove it... but I guess there’s no need.

Removing it could restore Eun-Ha’s emotions and powers to their previous state—a significant loss. Instead, it’d be better to study the Primordial Ring’s properties and then forge something to prevent any unforeseen issues that it could cause.

As long as her body remains stable, that should be enough.

However, there were some moments when her heart rate spiked unpredictably. Noting down such moments, Se-Hoon released her wrist and asked, “Have you noticed anything unusual compared to before?”

Questioned, Eun-Ha, who had been looking away, turned back with an awkward expression.

“Honestly... everything feels strange nowadays, so it’s hard to say.”

“Ah, yeah. That’s to be expected.”

Se-Hoon couldn’t imagine what she felt like, having decades of suppressed emotions and dulled thoughts suddenly unleashed, but it was unlikely to be entirely pleasant.

Emotions are inherently disruptive.

His personal belief was that emotions often turned trivial matters into crises and numb rational thought into regrets. While joy and happiness were part of the package, so were sadness and anger. That was why he wouldn’t be surprised if Eun-Ha occasionally wished her awakened emotions had remained dormant.

“Dean.”

“Yes?”

“Do you ever feel like it was better when you didn’t feel any emotions?”

Eun-Ha gazed at him quietly, taking a moment to think.

“To be honest... I have.”

She had been swept up in unexpected emotions, impulsively buying things she didn’t need. Minor issues that she once ignored now irritated and angered her. And after reacting those ways, she felt bouts of frustration and disappointment about herself.

In those moments, the simplicity of her emotionless past seemed appealing.

“But I’ve never wished for them to go away again.”

Being understood by others—or understanding them in return—didn’t always guarantee positive outcomes. Conflicts and misunderstandings were still possible, and even her relationship with Se-Hoon could someday fracture. Thoughts of such a future made her chest ache, yet even so, Eun-Ha had no intention of abandoning her emotions.

“Because even the unpleasant feelings... help me understand others.”

Eun-Ha recalled the emotions she had felt when Se-Hoon gave her his sword. While there was joy, there had also been guilt and regret—emotions she still couldn’t fully comprehend.

Why had he felt those things? Why hadn’t he shared them with her? To uncover those secrets, she believed she needed to adapt to her newfound emotions and learn to navigate the storm within her.

“I see. That’s... reassuring to hear.”

Though the uncertainty worried him, Se-Hoon was glad that she stood firm in her decision. So, he suppressed his unease and rose from his seat.

“Well, I’ll take my leave. Rest well—”

Clink.

Eun-Ha’s hand caught his wrist. Puzzled, Se-Hoon turned around at the sudden action.

“Anything wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, this... uh...”

Eun-Ha blinked repeatedly at her hand as if realizing what she’d done only now. She then became clearly flustered, visibly unsure why she had acted on impulse.

Another drawback of her condition, I suppose.

Staring at her hand, Se-Hoon was debating whether to pry her hand away gently or wait for her to collect herself when Eun-Ha suddenly murmured, “Cook.”

“Cook?”

“I want to cook something for you... if that’s alright?”

“All of a sudden?”

At his confusion, Eun-Ha hesitated before confirming with a determined look. “Yes. I’d like to repay you by cooking something for you.”

Perhaps she wanted to give back after all she’d received. Thinking like that, Se-Hoon nodded after a moment.

“Sure. I am a bit hungry right now.”

“Then I’ll start right away.”

Grabbing a cookbook from her stack of impulsive purchases, Eun-Ha headed for the kitchen.

Crash! Bang!

And almost immediately after, loud, worrying sounds echoed from there.

Is this really okay? Se-Hoon’s expression grew uneasy.

Leaving the kitchen in its current state aside, he wondered if the resulting dish would even be edible. Still, Eun-Ha seemed determined to handle it alone, so Se-Hoon waited patiently.

Then, after what felt like a battlefield’s worth of chaos—complete with flames, a broken cutting board, and a snapped knife—a single dish emerged.

“Here you go.”

“...”

Bread, ham, eggs, and vegetables—the components of a simple sandwich. How had making it caused such a commotion? Se-Hoon couldn’t even fathom it, but he refrained from asking. After all, it looked like it had exhausted Eun-Ha more than battling an S-rank monster.

“Thank you for the food.”

As long as it doesn’t kill me...

With that thought, Se-Hoon took a cautious bite while Eun-Ha watched anxiously.

“...The bread’s burnt, the ham and eggs are undercooked, and the vegetables are squashed. There’s no texture in this food.”

“...”

Eun-Ha’s face fell, understanding his words weren’t compliments.

Did I overdo it...

She silently regretted not practicing beforehand, but then—

“But.” fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Se-Hoon took another bite and smiled faintly.

“I think it tastes absolutely delicious.”

The taste didn’t matter. What did was the effort and intent behind it.

And upon seeing his smile, Eun-Ha’s eyes lit up with understanding.

So that’s why he looked happy when I consumed the weapon he gave me.

Finally able to comprehend his emotions, Eun-Ha felt a deep sense of fulfillment.

“This feels... nice.”

There was a warm smile on her face.

[The bond with ‘Ryu Eun-Ha’ has grown to Lv. 4.]

[Since the bond has grown to Lv.4, your Relationship with ‘Ryu Eun-Ha’ can now be redefined as ‘Companionship’.]

[Relationship: Companionship]

[Understanding and empathizing with each other leads to the realization that no relationship, no matter how deep, is eternal.

For someone who has long sought a companion capable of truly understanding them, such a truth may carry a bitter sting. However, at the same time, their unguarded sincerity has paved the way for mutual acceptance of regret and sorrow, creating a resolve to embrace them together.

Walking such a path together, both know an eventual end may come, but both also understand that, because it is a chosen journey, there will be no regrets.

*A Fatestone is created whenever the subject achieves something while by your side.

*The maturation rate of the Fatestone increases whenever the subject feels like you are by their side.

*The probability of the subject’s synesthetic mindscape manifesting inside the Fatestone increases as the Relationship deepens.

*Currently created Fatestones: 1]

Glancing at the messages and then at Eun-Ha’s serene smile, Se-Hoon had the thought that, right now, everything felt like a dream.

He took another bite of the sandwich.

“Yeah... it’s not bad.”