Everyone Else is a Regressor

Chapter 4

◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (4)

"Changing your job once you've obtained it is very difficult," the Demon Lord said, having learned that KiJun's job restrictions had been lifted and he had two uncommon-grade jobs available. She stopped her intention of going to bed and seriously pondered the situation.

"Of course, it's possible to raise the grade of your job. It's called a job advancement. But rather than aiming for that, isn't it better to obtain the highest grade job possible in the beginning? That way, the possibilities for job advancements become more abundant."

"It's like a fresh graduate finding a job. It's best to get hired by the best company possible in the beginning, right?"

"I don't know much about that, but it seems similar."

There had been a time when KiJun also pondered his future job options. Would he ever have imagined himself deliberating between becoming a Shield Warrior or a Mace Warrior?

While recalling himself from 15 years ago, he chuckled, prompting the Demon Lord to speak.

"So, based on my thoughts..."

Pressing her lips with her index finger, she contemplated for a moment before reaching a conclusion.

"Since there's a chance to obtain a job before entering the main game, let's make an effort to get the highest grade possible. It would be nice if you started with at least a rare-grade job."

"Alright, I'll do that."

The Demon Lord was a bit surprised to see KiJun rejecting the two job change messages without any hesitation. She knew he trusted her, but she had expected him to ponder a bit at least.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. It wasn't the job I wanted anyway."

"I see..."

"By the way, what's so good about obtaining a job?"

Perhaps he should have asked this before rejecting the job change messages. Perplexed, the Demon Lord patiently explained.

"Firstly, you gain stat bonuses. Additionally, there are adjustments applied to skills related to the job. For example, a Common-Grade Swordsman would have a 10% increase in Swordsmanship-related skill effects and a 10% increase in Evasion success rate."

"Wow, I should have picked a job then."

"Get a good one later. Besides, there's no urgent need for you to defeat any enemies right now..."

While speaking, the Demon Lord suddenly noticed that KiJun was staring at her intently.

"Dream big. Want to play another round before going to sleep?"

"Ah... I want to, but it's getting late. Let's continue tomorrow. Goodbye."

"Huh? Uh..."

Finishing their conversation quickly, KiJun moved towards his tent. Watching him, the Demon Lord felt a bit puzzled.

She hadn't thought about wanting to talk to him more or anything girlish like that, but his sudden change in attitude was somewhat surprising.

Even more surprising was the sound of snoring that started to emerge not long after KiJun entered his tent.

"No way, really?"

Although KiJun's high-quality tent had a barrier included by default, the Demon Lord was a master of magic, and she could easily dispel it and peek inside.

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Then she saw KiJun, who had fallen into a deep sleep without even realizing someone could lift him up.

It made her realize he must have been really tired.

Well, he had endured quite a lot up until now.

"His sleeping face is quite cute."

Smiling at the sight of the sleeping hero, the Demon Lord repaired the tent's barrier and headed back to her own Demon Lord's Castle.

She hadn't slept for a long time, but tonight, she felt like she could finally get some rest.

---

The next morning.

Exactly at six in the morning, KiJun woke up, washed his face, started a campfire, washed some rice, and put it in a pot.

Then he lightly explored the surroundings to see if there was anything left in this "remaining world." While there were no monsters left, he found some edible herbs, medicinal plants, and a few nearby animals.

There were also quite a few trees and a believable river nearby.

The problem was that both the starting and ending points of the river were cut off by black boundaries, leaving him curious about how the river flowed.

Frankly, it was a bit frightening.

"I have a lot of water in my inventory, so I shouldn't drink this water...."

After thirty minutes of running, KiJun found that there was not a single element in this world that could potentially "aid his growth."

It seemed that anything that could be helpful had already been taken away. As it was the final battleground against the last boss, maybe there was something hidden like the Demon Lord's Castle that appeared yesterday, but he couldn't find anything he couldn't discover with his abilities.

"Hey, hero. Where did you go?"

When he returned after his run, the Demon Lord was sitting outside near the campfire. She was sniffing the pot emitting a pleasant aroma and looked somewhat resentful. 

"I went for a run. Wait a moment, I'll prepare breakfast."

"No, I didn't come out to ask for food. But since you've prepared it, I'll eat."

However, contrary to her words, the Demon Lord's expression changed when she saw KiJun washing the herbs he had gathered.

"What are you doing? Are you making potions?"

"Didn't I tell you? I don't have that skill. These are all herbs verified by Koreans, so you can wait and trust me."

"Sigh, go ahead and trust a plant verified by Koreans as long as you're satisfied."

The Demon Lord was upset when she saw KiJun adding seasoning to the herbs, taking out his shield, frying an egg, and putting it all neatly in a bowl before presenting it to her.

"Here's your ordered bibimbap."

"... Why are you mixing it like that?"

"I'll mix yours too."

"Ugh, seriously! I can't forgive you, hero!"

When she let her guard down, KiJun mixed the contents of her bowl too, causing the Demon Lord to become furious.

However, once they started eating, her thoughts changed again.

"...It's surprisingly good."

"When you mix different things, the taste comes out better than when you eat them separately."

I remember our party being like that, KiJun thought but stopped himself, feeling uncomfortable. It wasn't something he could say to the Demon Lord who annihilated his entire party.

"Well... It may not look great, but when you try it, it's not bad when everything comes together."

After that, whatever the Demon Lord was about to say, she stopped herself, surprised by her own thoughts. The atmosphere became slightly awkward, and both of them silently finished their bibimbap.

After finishing the bibimbap, the Demon Lord, who had also prepared a miso soup made by dissolving miso in anchovy broth, let out a deep sigh.

"It was edible, I guess. There was no meat, but there was an egg instead."

At that moment, a message appeared in front of KiJun.

― Encountered a surprisingly delicious dish, thanks to an extraordinarily high-tier entity. [Cooking] skill level increased by 3, reaching level 85!

He couldn't help but chuckle. Seeing KiJun smiling, the Demon Lord furrowed her brow and asked why he was laughing.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing, it's just... Your lie about my swordsmanship increasing after rejecting your bibimbap was amusing."

The Demon Lord looked slightly annoyed as she continued to eat her own portion of bibimbap.

"Take off your upper garments. Since you're not wearing armor for endurance training."

"Okay, okay."

Following her instructions, KiJun removed his upper garments. His well-trained muscles were revealed as he took off his shirt and inner garments.

Even though she had underestimated a common-grade human, the Demon Lord was secretly impressed when she saw his perfectly toned muscles. Despite concentrating on improving his strength and magic, KiJun had plenty of opportunities to train his endurance as the frontline tank. Nevertheless, his endurance didn't increase.

"But I've reached my limit now."

However, he reached his limit three years ago when his endurance became 99. Despite focusing on improving his physical and magical strength, he had numerous opportunities to train his endurance as the tank on the front lines.

"That's because I'm the Demon Lord. My power limit is lifted, allowing me to achieve exceptional levels. I can deliver a powerful attack you've never experienced before."

Even so, it seemed impossible, didn't it?

The Demon Lord's nonchalant attitude made KiJun increasingly uneasy.

"By the way, did I upset you because I mixed the bibimbap as I liked...?"

"If I had thought of you as a petty person, I would be disappointed. Although I was a bit irritated."

Although she honestly admitted her irritation, it made KiJun even more uneasy.

"Just take it off. I'll heal you immediately afterward, okay?"

"Got it, I understand."

As he took off his upper garments, the Demon Lord suddenly moved her hand toward his chest but quickly shifted it toward his abdomen.

He felt more tension than during their intense sparring sessions. Swallowing his saliva nervously, KiJun forced a smile and braced himself, holding his body tightly.

He concentrated on enduring the pain as the Demon Lord struck his abdomen with her fist. Despite the excruciating pain, he managed to maintain a smile and held his body together.

The power of Persistent Regeneration lay in his stamina, magic, and mental strength. Although he felt his magic depleting rapidly, he thought, 'Oh, this is a good opportunity to train my magic power.'

"Defense skill? Can I use it?"

"Use it. I'll hit you considering that."

"Okay, prepare yourself."

The Demon Lord's words seemed oddly suspicious. But without thinking too much, KiJun activated his Defense skill.

"German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, 'What doesn't kill you makes you strong—’"

"Sure, sure, I think I heard that name yesterday. Anyway, with Nietzsche by your side, it's fine."

Even so, it wasn't Nietzsche that made you stronger, but ma’am who delivered perfect blows while controlling her strength so that you wouldn't die—don't forget that fact.

The Demon Lord threw a punch with a smirk on her face.

Crack!

Despite using Metalization to maximize his defense, his abdomen was pierced easily.

Although he felt the sharp pain, KiJun forced himself to maintain a smile and endure it, using his Persistent Regeneration skill to heal the most critical part first.

He thought it was amusing to remember Nietzsche's words at a time like this.

"Uh... Why are you smiling? Do you prefer getting hit?"

"No, it's because Nietzsche said, 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.'"

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, with Nietzsche by your side, it's fine."

The Demon Lord struck him with a fist, accompanied by a powerful shockwave. At that moment, KiJun recalled another saying by Nietzsche.

"God is dead."

Gasp!

He couldn't hear the Demon Lord's words clearly due to the pain, but he could sense her concern and kindness in her voice.

"Good job. Endure a little longer. I'll heal you right away, okay?"

Honestly, he thought she sounded psychotic.

However, her warm magical power made him feel at ease.

Once his recovery was complete, a message appeared in front of him.

―Endured an extraordinary level of shock. Overcame the limit of endurance, reaching Uncommon grade (Uncommon)! Endurance (Uncommon) has become level 1.

―[Persistent Regeneration] skill level increased to 98, [Metalization] skill level increased to 92, [Indomitable Fatigue] skill level increased to 69!

He smiled faintly, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he realized that the trials that didn't kill him instantly became his strength.

"Well, well... Why are you smiling? Should I hit you again?"

"Is that what the person who put a hole in my stomach should be saying?"

The Demon Lord, although she had congratulated him on increasing his endurance grade with just one punch, looked even more frightening during their subsequent sparring session.

However, for some unknown reason...

―Even a plain flower can be liked if you continue to seek it. Charisma increased by 1, reaching level 51.

His Charisma had increased by 1 that day.

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