Chapter 280: How to Use a Regressor (1)

Elvis stared intently at Kendrick, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. He simply couldn’t believe that this frivolous man before him was the Kendrick he knew.

But…

Tania… and Lavina…

Why was Tania, who should have died, still alive? And why was Lavina Trujan, who should have been on the Winter Continent, here?

Yet it was undeniable: one of them was a woman named Tania, and the other was his former comrade, Lavina Trujan.

Incredulous as he was, their presence lent credence to the notion that this man truly was Kendrick.

As Elvis’s thoughts gradually untangled, a surge of emotion swelled within him.

Thud.

Elvis strode up to Kendrick, closing the distance between them.

His face was smooth and clean-shaven, the rugged stubble he once wore now gone. Yet, after a careful examination, Elvis was certain this was his old friend.

As the realization sank in, Elvis’s eyes began to glisten. Tears welled up and finally spilled over.

”…Kendrick!” Elvis cried, throwing his arms around Kendrick in a tight embrace.

“W-what the hell!” Kendrick shouted, startled, struggling to push Elvis away, but Elvis refused to let go.

The reunion with his long-lost friend overwhelmed Elvis with emotion.

“G-get off me!” Kendrick stammered.

Passersby whispered and stared as the two men hugged passionately in broad daylight, in full view of everyone.

Meanwhile, Lavina glanced back and forth between Kendrick and Elvis.

“What? No way…”

A sly, mischievous grin spread across her face.

“Your ex-boyfriend?”

Lavina was the type to seize any opportunity to return the favor, eager to retaliate for what she’d endured.

After a prolonged struggle, Kendrick finally managed to pry Elvis off him. He quickly ducked behind Tania and Lavina, using them as shields against Elvis’s renewed assault.

“W-w-what’s that crazy bastard’s problem?!”

Of course, the hulking Kendrick couldn’t truly hide behind the women, but he shamelessly used them as human barriers to ward off Elvis, who was still trying to lunge forward.

In the midst of this chaos, Elvis wiped away his tears, his mind racing with memories of his past hardships.

This day… this is why I endured all that suffering!

Since returning to the past, not a single day had been easy. But today’s encounter made all the hardships feel worthwhile.

Overcome with emotion, Elvis shouted through his tear-streaked face, “Kendrick, Lavina… come with me! Let’s slay the dragon and save the world!”

Silence hung in the air between them. Lavina, Tania, and Kendrick stared intently at Elvis’s hopeful face. Then their mouths opened, and incredulous voices spilled out.

”…Kill what?”

“Is he suicidal?”

“I told you! That guy’s completely insane!”

The three of them glanced around nervously, afraid some sharp-eared dragon might overhear, and quickly edged away from Elvis.

The trio treated Elvis as if he were a dangerous bomb.

This made Elvis realize he had been too hasty. He quickly regained his composure.

Ah… right. I’m not their friend or comrade anymore.

To them, he was simply a stranger they had encountered on the road.

Reflecting on his impulsive behavior, Elvis forced an awkward smile.

“Ah… I’m Elvis Estephan. I’m not a strange person.”

Despite his best attempt to appear friendly, the distance between them remained unchanged.

Instead, his wavering emotions and inconsistent demeanor only deepened their suspicions.

Flustered, Elvis desperately tried to salvage the situation.

“P-please, do you have a moment? I can explain everything!”

Despite Elvis’s earnest plea, the trio remained wary and took a step back. What would happen if Louis found out they’d gotten mixed up with some weirdo talking about catching dragons?

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah, let’s get out of here.”

“We didn’t see or hear anything.”

For once united in purpose, the three slipped away like shadows, vanishing into the crowd with a rustling shashashash.

“Ah…”

Their departure was so swift and coordinated that Elvis lost sight of them in an instant, left staring blankly at the spot where they had been.

Louis continued to ponder the matter today.

Lately, he had been constantly thinking about the Mad Dragon, who had vanished without a trace.

Where could that monster have gone?

Louis traveled across the continent, asking around for any news of the dragon. All he had gathered was a rumor that it had sunk a passenger ship and flown eastward.

Based on this lead, Louis had tried to track the dragon’s movements, but no further sightings had been reported.

Where on earth is it hiding?

On this vast continent, the dragon could easily remain concealed if it wanted to. The real problem was not knowing what the dragon was planning while in hiding.

But just because the Mad Dragon hadn’t reappeared didn’t mean Louis could sit idly by. His days had never been busier.

Kendrick and Tania have successfully reached the Top Tier… Now all that’s left is for the Twins to attain Zero’s Domain.

For the past six months, Louis had focused primarily on refining his spatial attribute to reach Zero’s Domain and overseeing the Twins’ training.

Perhaps sensing a vague sense of crisis as the Flame siblings ascended to the Top Tier, the Twins had also thrown themselves into their training with renewed fervor.

Even now, they were likely sparring vigorously, trading blows in their relentless drills.

Of course, reaching Zero’s Domain wasn’t easy, but Louis believed the Twins would achieve it soon.

Once the Twins reach Zero’s Domain, dealing with the Mad Dragon will become much easier.

Louis still hadn’t revealed the Mad Dragon’s existence to the other dragons.

Or rather, he couldn’t.

To explain the danger posed by the Mad Dragon, who had yet to act overtly, would require a lengthy and detailed explanation.

Perhaps only the Twins and his father, who trusted him implicitly without needing explanations, would understand.

Could he truly convince the other dragons of the Mad Dragon’s existence with fabricated tales?

Louis was doing his utmost within the limits of his preparations.

The Order of the Divine Body on the Winter Continent.

The Tower of Wishes on the Autumn Continent.

The Frenche Empire on the Summer Continent.

These were the powers he had forged in less than a decade, crisscrossing continents and weaving bonds of kinship.

Louis actively leveraged these connections.

But even so…

“It’s still not enough…”

Political power was one thing, but he needed the direct combat strength to confront the Mad Dragon himself.

Among those key figures were Mother of the Stars Abel, Heavenly Palace Jerome, and Sea God Palace Atelierize.

The only problem remained: Abel’s whereabouts were still unknown.

I need to find him as quickly as possible. There’s no telling how long he’ll stay hidden…

As Louis was lost in thought, a vibration rippled through his pocket dimension.

Hmm?

Recognizing the vibration as coming from his communication stone, Louis quickly retrieved it. Mana seeped into the stone, and a voice soon echoed through it.

Genelocer’s voice, brimming with affection, greeted him. Louis replied curtly,

“What is it?”

“We saw each other yesterday.”

“Yes, yes, whatever. What’s the matter?”

A mumble of complaints drifted from the other end of the communication stone.

“If you have nothing to say, I’m hanging up.”

Just as Louis was about to abruptly end the call, Genelocer cried out urgently.

“Wait, wait! I have something to say!”

“What is it?”

“Um… the Elder Council has requested your assistance. They need your help.”

“Requested my help?”

“Yes.”

“What’s going on?”

“It seems the barrier protecting Mahyeol has been weakening recently.”

“So?”

“So Elder Bartholomew is planning to reinforce the barrier properly this time, not just patch it up temporarily as we’ve done before. He wants your assistance with this task.”

Genelocer elaborated further.

“Traditionally, Elders with spatial attributes have always reinforced the barrier with their successors in this way. This ensures the barrier remains stable until the next successor appears.”

No matter how diligently the barrier is maintained, wear and tear are inevitable.

Moreover, there was no telling when a rare dragon with a Non-Natural Attribute might be born and reach Zero Rank.

Therefore, whenever an Elder with a spatial attribute was replaced, or when at least two Zero Rank individuals with spatial attributes gathered, they would always undertake a major reinforcement of the barrier.

Louis nodded as he listened to Genelocer’s explanation.

“If that’s the case, I should go.”

Although he wasn’t an Elder yet, it was virtually certain he would inherit the position unless another Zero Rank spatial attribute user emerged. It was wise to learn about such matters in advance.

Elder Bartholomew, who reached Zero Rank long ago, must have much to teach me.

Besides, he was curious about Maha, the forbidden sea, and what kind of place it was.

With his journey to Maha tentatively decided, one thing still lingered in his mind.

“By the way, how long will this take?”

“Is it a long-term assignment?”

“Hmm…”

Louis looked slightly troubled. He hadn’t even located the Mother of the City yet, and now he might have to leave for months. Moreover, while there were no signs of trouble yet, the Mad Dragon could appear at any moment.

Louis sighed softly. “I need some time to think about this.”

“Understood.”

With that, the communication with Genelocer ended.

And Louis’s dilemma began.

Why does everything have to pile up at once?

“If only I could at least locate the Minimum Saintess or secure the Sea God’s Bow, I wouldn’t feel so uneasy,” Louis muttered to himself.

But he couldn’t simply ignore the Balto Elder’s request.

“Ha… I wish I had two bodies.”

He was so desperate that he even considered creating a Clone Technique Sacred Scripture.

As Louis grumbled to himself, the commotion outside his door grew louder until the door burst open, and the Flame siblings (one boy and two girls) and Lavina barged in.

“Teacher!”

“Lord Louis!”

“We’re back!”

Having recently reached the Top Tier, the Flame siblings and Lavina had been frequently going out and about, as if releasing the accumulated fatigue from their training.

Louis maintained his usual nonchalant expression. Their daily routine involved wandering around outside and then chattering endlessly about their adventures right in front of him.

Suddenly, Tania darted forward, pointing at Dan. “Teacher, this idiot here—!”

“Hey!”

Tania recounted to Louis how Kendrick had swindled a merchant with his fake self-harm scam.

Louis responded with a single word: “Well done.”

From his perspective, buying a 10-gold item for just one gold was the best possible outcome.

Louis nodded approvingly, acknowledging the excellent bargain.

Kendrick puffed out his chest at Tania, as if to say, “See? I told you so!”

The praise would have ended there if Tania hadn’t continued her story.

“That idiot said you don’t even have a reputation worth tarnishing, Teacher!”

“I-I-I di… Gak!”

Before he could finish his sentence, Kendrick clutched the back of his head and collapsed face-first.

It was his poor, much-abused head that suffered yet another blow today.

“Tania, if that bastard insults me again, let me know immediately.”

“Yes!” Tania replied with a bright smile.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she said, “Oh, right! I met a strange person today.”

“A strange person?” Louis blinked, surprised by the sudden change in topic.

Lavina answered his question. “I’ve never seen them before, but they acted like they knew me. And the weirdest thing was… they hugged Kendrick and started crying.”

“Kendrick, you… is that your type?”

“No! That’s not true!” Kendrick shouted indignantly.

Louis casually ignored Kendrick’s vehement denial. “So?”

”…That’s all, I guess? Oh, and…”

“And?”

“Ah, it’s nothing!” Lavina said, hastily clamping her mouth shut mid-sentence.

At that moment, her eyes met Tania’s. They exchanged a silent agreement not to mention it.

But their mistake was failing to silence the oblivious one.

“That jerk asked us to go slay a dragon with him,” Kendrick grumbled from where he lay sprawled on the floor.

Lavina and Tania glared at him, but Kendrick wore a perfectly innocent expression, as if he had no idea what he’d done wrong.

Meanwhile, Louis’s face hardened into a grim mask.

“What?”

“He was just crying his eyes out and then suddenly asked us to join him in killing a dragon and saving the world?”

”…Tell me more. In detail.”

“Is that all?” Lavina and Tania chimed in urgently as Kendrick finished his story.

“O-of course, we didn’t say a word!” Lavina stammered.

“That crazy guy just blurted it out of nowhere!” Tania added.

“We didn’t even speak to that lunatic after that—we came straight here!” Lavina and Tania took turns babbling their excuses, but Louis’s grave expression remained unchanged.

No way…?

A stranger who recognized Lavina and Kendrick. And then, out of nowhere, proposed hunting a dragon?

Louis lowered his voice. “By any chance… did that guy happen to mention his name was Elvis Estephan?”

The other three stared at him, their eyes wide with shock.

“Huh?!”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“Wow… creepy…”

As the Flame siblings and Lavina blinked in surprise, Louis’s gaze turned serious.

That bastard showed up?

He had already investigated the Estephan Family and Elvis, but Elvis’s whereabouts had remained a mystery.

And now he had suddenly appeared?

On the Islet, of all places?

Louis pondered for a moment.

Wait a minute…

Something flashed through his mind, and his eyes lit up.

“Where is that bastard now?” Louis demanded urgently.