Chapter 7

Chapter 7

◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (7)

His parents named him Jun, meaning that no matter what he did, he should establish his own standards and act according to his own justice rather than following others.

It also meant becoming a model, a symbol that others want to emulate.

Certainly, the Chinese characters were different, but perhaps they named him Jun because it sounded nice, and later on, they might have added a plausible story. Nevertheless, Jun was deeply grateful that his parents imbued meaning into his name.

However, living so independently was incredibly difficult.This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.

Rather than becoming a standard for others, it was burdensome to follow the standards set by others.

It was too overwhelming to assert his own beliefs and act according to his own judgment.

To fit in with others, he had to learn how to adjust himself, avoiding expressing his opinions openly. He mastered the art of conforming to others and avoided presenting his own thoughts openly.

He didn't need to rush to conform to standards; he had his own uniqueness, his own standards, and individuality.

That was his special quality.

He knew it existed within him but had been denying it vehemently.

Because he didn't want to suffer anymore.

He knew how difficult and arduous standing alone was.

But in this world, left alone with the Demon Lord, he had no choice but to stand alone.

At this moment, his long-standing mental escape had finally come to a complete end.

"Be careful, handle it gently..."

"Could it be... you hear the voice because it's a rampaging spirit?"

"That can't be true, are you silly? That's inspiration. You'll soon develop additional stats, right?"

Wow, I hit the jackpot in a situation like this? — the Demon Lord marveled at herself and murmured in amazement.

Such an attitude seemed to prove his talent.

Talent that no one could deny.

Talent as a Summoner.

Did he really have it?

What difference would it make to contract with a spirit now that he had inspiration?

He pushed aside such thoughts. Seeing the Demon Lord genuinely happy, he suppressed those weak feelings.

For her support, he needed to discard such feeble thoughts.

Set your own standards.

Instead of belittling himself, he should affirm himself as he was.

"Demon Lord, teach me Summoning Magic."

"Are you asking a favor? How surprising."

The Demon Lord chuckled and tilted her head.

"Sorry, I can't handle Summoning Magic either. But it's perfect timing. If we manage to soothe the rampaging spirit and contract with it, would you really need to learn Summoning Magic from someone else?"

"Is that easy?"

"Is Summoning Magic easy then?"

Argh! This horned woman! I hate her!

The Demon Lord, poking the cube with her finger, glanced at him and said while struggling to appease the spirit and comfort him.

"Even if there is a trap in the final dungeon of the tutorial, it's not like you can instantly finish it without trap disarming..."

The Demon Lord, joking to break the serious atmosphere, watched KiJun start to focus and stabilize the Rubik's Cube.

There was no way to stop the rampaging spirit without practicing Summoning Magic at this point. The influence of his talent for seeing and hearing spirits must have played a role, but more accurately...

"Could it be... was his talent originally related to his abilities?"

Without hesitation this time, the Demon Lord pierced through KiJun's abdomen.

“Kuhhhhh――!”

―No, what should I do...!

KiJun's groans, bitten back in pain, caused the Rubik's Cube lying on the floor to vibrate and glow for no apparent reason.

Although KiJun himself was unaware, this was evidence that the spirit sealed inside the cube had begun to communicate with him.

Watching the cube react so strongly to KiJun's suffering, the Demon Lord thought that this might be a good opportunity for KiJun to acquire spirit magic.

Ah! Teaching several things at once, what an excellent mentor she must be!

“Hero, I'll keep going in succession. If you feel like you're about to die, you have to raise your hand, okay?”

“Even if I raise my hand, you won't stop, right?”

“How did you know?”

“I heard it at the dentist! Aaargh!”

―Ffffttt!

The doctor waved her hands, starting to pierce KiJun more.

Unable to rely solely on regeneration, he tried his best to block her attacks by using his Indomitable Will and even resorting to Metalization. However, his resistance was futile; holes pierced through his body, and blood splattered out.

Although his wounds were healing due to the regeneration, the spirit, unaware of this, started to glow explosively, as if it would explode the Rubik's Cube altogether.

―Don't do this! Don't hurt that person!

“Warrior, you might really die like this. Are you okay?”

“Noooooo!”

Even though his wounds were healing, he couldn't erase the pain. In the midst of this, he had to force a smile, or he couldn't even endure the fatigue of regeneration, so what was this if not hell?

―No... no! Don't hurt that person!

The cube, reacting more violently, began to split into pieces. Seeing this, the Demon Lord smiled with satisfaction.

Of course, seeing KiJun suffer so much made a small part of her heart ache, but... this was all for him.

Villains... were familiar, after all...!

“Hero, you're really going to die like this. Really...!”

“Uaaaaaa!”

As KiJun screamed, surpassing his limits, something extraordinary happened.

―The skill [Persistent Regeneration] responds to a strong will and performs a miracle. All wounds have completely healed!

―The skill [Persistent Regeneration] transcends its limits and evolves into the unique skill [Rapid Regeneration]!

Firstly, KiJun's entire body, which had been torn apart by the Demon Lord's attack, was restored to its original state as if time had been rewound for a moment. Even without checking the system message, it was clear that his regeneration skill had completely surpassed its limits.

―I can't just stand here and watch! Let's defeat that evil demon together, make a contract with me!

Secondly, the cube shattered into pieces, revealing a radiant spirit enveloped in bright light.

To the Demon Lord, it looked like a massive lump of light, but KiJun could see a lovely woman dressed in white silk.

Is that the rampaging spirit? Where did she even see that?

―Quick, take my hand! Please...!

With a desperate voice, the spirit of light cried out. At this point, KiJun could tell that she was strongly deluded, but now was the time to ride this huge wave created by the Demon Lord without hesitation.

―Alright, got it!

The moment he extended his hand, the spirit's hand firmly gripped his.

As the souls of the person and the spirit were tightly bound, one potential inside KiJun, which had been dormant, fully awakened.

―The rare-grade stat [Spirit Power] has been awakened! Spirit Power allows communication with spiritual beings and exerts influence on them, allowing mutual interaction and stronger power usage. Spirit Power (Rare) has reached 10.

―Contracting with the Light Spirit grants the rare-grade skill [Light Spirit Magic]! Successfully calming the rampaging spirit and forming a contract greatly enhances the Light Spirit Magic skill. The [Light Spirit Magic] skill has increased by 19 levels, reaching level 20!