Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1604. Transmigrated to the Central Plains’ Murim (9)

"I-I'm sorry, Mother... heuk... I'm sorry..." Jin-Cheon said while crying.

“...”

“...”

“Hic! Hiccup!”

‘Ah, here we go again.’

“Hic... hiccup!”

‘Whoo...’

“Hic! hiccup!”

He wouldn’t stop hiccuping, and he would always do that whenever he was too nervous, too anxious, or felt like he was being cornered.

He knew I hated that strange habit of his, so he was desperately trying to hold it back, but once it started, there was no stopping it. He even covered his mouth with both hands, yet tiny hic sounds kept slipping through his mouth.

Realizing that the atmosphere had turned sour, the tears he'd been holding back finally began to spill down his face. Were his tear glands bottomless or something? The fact that he could cry endlessly was honestly impressive.

'Seriously, who did this kid take after?'

It had been so long that I barely remembered what I was like at that age, but I was pretty sure I wasn't anything like him.

'I definitely didn't cry like that...'

"..."

'You'd think the world was ending just because he got scolded a little.'

"..."

'Do you need to see your sketchbooks and notebooks ripped to shreds right in front of you before you come to your senses?'

"..."

Then again, it wasn't as if I'd been scolded over grades very often in the first place. My mother passed away when I was still young, so most of my childhood was spent with Yul-Ha, but even if Mother were alive, I would grit my teeth and endure the scolding.

I would never react like this guy. Yul-Ha was the same. If anything, she was even more stubborn than me. Whenever she made a mistake and got scolded, she would lose sleep over it for days.

'Does this kid not have that kind of grit?'

Perhaps this was what Commander Jin had been like when he was still a child. That bastard. For someone who strutted around every day acting like he was the smartest man in the world, I felt like he was actually a crybaby all along. Perhaps he had spent every day studying until his teeth hurt; I felt like he had cried his eyes out while desperately trying to earn a word of praise from his parents.

This kid was practically Seraphim 2.0.

'There's no way he didn't take after that bastard. He definitely got it from him.'

At least, Squirmy was cute compared to Seraphim. His glossy black hair was tied back neatly, and when he wasn't crying, there was even a bit of strength in his eyes. Of course, he spent most of his days looking timid and lacking confidence, which dulled the characteristic eye shape that he had inherited from Commander Jin.

Even so, he was undeniably the most handsome kid in town, even though he had an eyepatch covering his purple eye. Sure, the other children teased him for being one-eyed, but considering there were more than a few kids secretly crushing on him...

'At least he got blessed in the looks department... He’s my son, and he turned out pretty handsome.'

He was a little too slender and small for his age, but with the blood of the Jin Family running through his veins, he'd grow eventually. The Jin side had always been bigger than the Murong side, after all.

'Yeah. If only this were one of those worlds where being good-looking was enough...'

If this weren't the Central Plains’ Murim, I wouldn't worry so much. Then again, I couldn't honestly promise that I would stop nagging him about it, even somewhere else. Still, the bar was a lot higher here.

“...”

“...”

'My kid has to be perfect. I can't afford to let even the slightest mistake slide.'

"..."

Especially now. I had to talk to Commander Jin about this, but...

'Things might’ve gone wrong somewhere.'

We had no idea where the Heavenly Demon was or what he was doing, and the rest of the group still hadn't appeared. Of course, I was anxious. At this point, there was only one thing to say.

‘I fail to see what exactly you think you did wrong. To begin with, I wasn't expecting anything from you.’

"D-During the examination... m-my stomach suddenly hurt... th-that's why... I knew all of the answers. It was just a mistake..." Jin-Cheon muttered.

"You call missing seven questions a mistake?" I questioned.

"W-Well..."

"And your excuse is a stomach ache?" I asked.

"..."

"What a ridiculous excuse. Even if what you're saying is true, that is your mistake, too," I told him.

"..."

"That's precisely what I'm telling you. It doesn't excuse anything. How is it that you have some new excuse for every important day? During the swordsmanship examination at the Martial Academy, you claimed you had chest pains.

“Before that, it was a headache. Before that, you said you felt like you couldn't breathe. How exactly am I supposed to take your words at face value?" I complained.

"..."

"Or are you hoping that I will pity you? That I'll sympathize with you?" I asked.

"..."

"I truly don't understand. No matter how much I think about it, I can't understand what goes through your head. I can't understand why you keep babbling these pointless excuses to me," I said.

"N-Next time... I promise—"

"There it is. Next time. Then the time after that. Then the one after that," I said, cutting him off.

"W-Well..."

"Next time. Then next time again. I'm sick of hearing that. Who knows when this so-called next time will finally arrive," I said.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Enough," I said.

"..."

"I don't even know why I bother coming to see you anymore. So-So," I called out.

"Y-Yes, my lady..." Soso answered.

"You no longer need to report Jin-Cheon's results to me. Unless he places first in an examination, I won't bother checking," I instructed her.

"M-My lady... if I may be so bold..." She trailed off before continuing, "O-of course the results are important, but... shouldn't Young Master's efforts also be taken into consideration?

“As you know... his reputation here is extraordinary. Master Tak of the Martial Academy and Instructor Yong at the academy both say that his talent is immeasurable. They also praise his intelligence every chance they get.”

"Talent... talent..." I muttered.

'Like I don't know that. I know better than those academy fools ever could.'

"And yet his results still turned out like this," I argued.

'And that's exactly the problem. The results aren't there.'

"It seems he becomes excessively nervous whenever an examination approaches. W-When we did practice tests together, he answered all one hundred and fifty questions correctly.

“The same thing happened during the sparring as well. I was convinced he had no equal among children his age. Even though he hasn't even begun cultivating an internal arts method..." So-So explained.

'Ha... yeah. That's another problem, too.'

"..."

"..."

"So what exactly are you trying to say?" I asked.

"I-If it pleases you, my lady... perhaps this once, you could acknowledge Young Master's efforts..." she replied.

"..."

"..."

'These little schemers... They talked this over beforehand, didn't they? Wow, Squirmy's more cunning than I thought.'

I had no idea how he managed to win So-So over, but he had obviously prepared for the possibility of bombing the exam. Considering he had ruined every important test so far for one strange reason or another, he had probably figured that this one would end the same way, or perhaps he visited her after the exam.

Rather than calling it some elaborate plan, it was probably more accurate to say that he had sent a desperate cry for help in So-So’s way.

He had already made his move before he even realized that he was doing it. Sure enough, Squirmy was looking at So-So as if she were a relief pitcher sent to save the game.

He seemed completely convinced that she would get him out of this situation. The moment our eyes met, he flinched. He immediately held his breath, looking like someone whose thoughts had just been exposed.

'The Shim sisters really need to watch out for scammers. They're way too gullible.'

"So..." I asked, "How do you think I should reward this effort of yours, Jin-Cheon?"

Naturally, his face brightened at once. He looked convinced that his little scheme had worked.

"..."

"Don't let So-So speak for you. Tell me the answer yourself," I instructed.

'Still a long way to go. He didn’t even realize that it was a trap.'

"..."

"..."

"I-I would like to go on an outing with you, Mother... to the hill behind town," Jin-Cheon answered.

'Why is everyone in this family so obsessed with outings?'

"And? Is there anything else you want?" I asked.

"I want to play the grass flute with you, Mother," he answered.

'He still remembers that? With a memory like that, how does he keep failing his exams?'

"And?"

"And after that, I'd like to visit the inn beside the academy with you, Mother!" he replied excitedly.

So-So seemed excited as well, and she chimed in, "A-Actually, when classes end, many of the mothers come to pick up their children. It's customary for them to eat at that inn before heading home... I think Young Master wishes he could do the same with you, my lady."

"Is it true?" I asked Jin-Cheon.

"I-I'm embarrassed to admit it, but... yes, Mother..." Jin-Cheon answered.

Rip!

"Ah..."

I saw his shocked face as he stared at me tearing up his exam results right in front of him.

'Why are you making me play the villain here? Damn it. I wasn't planning to go this far.'

Rip!

'If I didn't love you, I wouldn't be doing this. Everything I'm doing is for your own good.'

Rip!

'I didn't even pay this much attention to Seraphim. If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't bother doing this in the first place.'

Unsurprisingly, tears gathered in Squirmy's eyes.

"Hic! H-Hic! Hic! Hic!"

The hiccups were back, too.

"Hic!!! H-hic!!! Hic!!!"

It became worse than before.

"He has talent..." So-So muttered.

"..."

"It was just a mistake..."

"..."

"He just gets nervous..."

"..."

"And what exactly does any of that have to do with the results before us? I fail to see how getting every question right on a practice exam or performing well in a spar has any bearing on these results. There are countless talented people in the world, and there are countless intelligent people out there as well, yet only a handful ever make a name for themselves.

“What matters is producing results. Turning that talent into something truly your own. That is what you need," I explained.

"..."

"Without results, you gain nothing. If there is praise to be gained, it will come after you've achieved something," I added.

"..."

"And instead of doing everything in your power to be fully prepared, the best you could come up with was hiding behind So-So? No wonder you turned out this way. You always think that there's a safety net waiting for you," I said.

'If memory serves, this is where a slap is supposed to happen.'

However, that seemed a bit excessive, so I lowered my hand and questioned him instead. "Just how much longer do you intend to shame me, your mother?"

Rather than a slap, I settled for reciting one of the lines I remembered. It was a toned-down version, anyway.

"Will you only come to your senses once I’m dead? Is that what it would take?" I questioned him.

Naturally, that set him off, and he shouted, "P-Please don't say that, Mother! Hic! Huuuuuh—Hic! I made a mistake! It's... all my fault! Hic!!! Hic!"

Amidst a deluge of tears and breathing so ragged that he could barely breathe, Squirmy threw himself at me.