Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 66

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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66. System Update (1)
“Honey, what are you doing?”
“Oh? Nothing, really. I just noticed how quiet the house is.”
Young-in, Ha-jin’s mother, sat at the dining table in the living room sipping a cup of mixed coffee, and answered her husband with a smile.
“It’s quiet because Ha-jin isn’t here.”
Ha-won, who was preparing for college entrance exams, had been spending entire weekends at the academy lately for special entrance exam lectures. Ever since Ha-jin, who used to rest at home on weekends, had left for the survival camp, the days had become a routine of just the two of them.
The semi-basement apartment that had once felt cramped with four people now felt eerily empty.
Beep, beep, beep, beep—
And through that quiet routine came the familiar sound of a keypad.
“What’s that? Did Ha-won come home early?”
“No. Ha-won said he’d be late today and asked me to pick him up later….”
“Then who’s punching in someone else’s password like that?”
The startled couple reflexively turned to look at the front door facing the living room, and soon it swung open as a faded suitcase suddenly thrust itself through the gap. Behind it came a boy barely taller than the door, making a loud clattering noise.
“Mom! Mom! Can you grab this for me?”
“What’s going on? Is that you, Ha-jin?”
“Mom, hurry! Ugh! Your son is dying here!”
“Wait, what is all this? How did you get here?”
As Ha-jin shoved the suitcase in with his foot and squeezed through the half-open door, the mysterious baggage he’d been carrying in both hands came tumbling down.
“Oh my, Kang Ha-jin! I can’t take this!”
Young-in, realizing that the quiet moments from just minutes ago had been peace, ended up smacking Ha-jin’s back while picking up the scattered luggage. His father, Jung-wook, quickly rushed over to help organize the fallen bags.
Young-in asked her son in a startled voice.
“How did you get here without even calling? Weren’t you supposed to be filming?”
“I got a break. Ah, Mom.”
The two, watching their suddenly arrived son with a mixture of worry and joy, turned to look at him when he called out. Tangled among the luggage, Ha-jin plopped down on the entrance floor with a thud, grinning and drawing a V-sign near his eyes.
“Mom, your son came in first place.”
* * *
Yes, first place.
I came in first.
-For the second mission, To the Top! The first-place team is Sad Ending Team! Congratulations!
-Huh?
I’ve emphasized it several times, but I never expected to do this well. It seemed Sarin had been deeply impressed by our performance.
“Still, I thought the masquerade team might take first.”
Well, what does it matter? Doing well is never a bad thing. As I flopped onto the mattress, I was oddly glad to see the old ceiling again.
In the second mission, we took first place, and Han Sung-woo’s team, Turmoil, recorded third. Thanks to that, all our team members earned benefit points. So the Wings Rank likely changed as well, but the results weren’t known yet.
-Your next Wings Rank will be determined by your existing scores and the benefits from this mission, and one more thing.
-The viewer voting scores.
Viewer voting.
Starting at 6 PM this evening, Miro Maze will begin viewer voting along with our performance video being released on AiTube and the Miro Maze website.
‘Once the broadcast airs, the votes will probably accumulate more, so the next recording is probably after the first airing.’
There was still some time before the first airing, but in any case, my break was one week. After a week of rest, the trainees had to return to the Company as usual and continue their practice.
And a week was more than enough time to reorganize a great many things.
[System Notification: 183 accumulated notifications…. 。：゜(；´∩｀；)゜：。]
…Right, I should deal with that too.
As I stared irritably at the pile of unread red circles, someone knocked on my closed door.
“Ha-jin, should I order chicken?”
“Out of the blue?”
“Well, it’s been so long since I’ve seen my son’s face. And you got first place, no less. Unless you don’t want to.”
“Mother. There is no circumstance in my life where I would refuse chicken.”
“Good, then I’ll order. Mom’s treating.”
“Not now though—can we order it for dinner later? I need to sleep.”
“Sure. Get some rest and we’ll order later, then.”
“Yes!”
I clenched my fist and cheered with genuine enthusiasm. Mother laughed as if exasperated, and though she must have been tired, she told me to sleep well before closing the door again.
I stared at the closed door for a moment. An old door with paint peeling halfway off.
“…Moving out would be about three years from now, wouldn’t it?”
Since I’d lived here for half my life anyway, I hadn’t noticed the discomfort much before. But after spending several months in Miro’s gleaming new Company Building and Ju Eun-chan’s luxurious semi-basement room, it became starkly apparent.
The poverty of my family that I hadn’t fully grasped as a child.
“….”
Suddenly, countless thoughts rushed through my mind. Along with countless memories and emotions.
-Why are you like that, Ha-jin? Mom believes in you. You can definitely do it.
-…Mom knows you do well.
-And Mom is fine with you even if you don’t do well.
Living in a place like this, facing today with fear of tomorrow.
How could Mother say such things?
She didn’t know the future like I did.
“…This time, I absolutely won’t regress.”
Three years from now, Mother and Father will finally achieve their dream of owning their own home. An apartment with an elevator, facing south with sunlight so brilliant that without curtains your eyes would open at dawn—
So different from this semi-basement where the fluorescent lights must stay on or it’s pitch black, where ventilation barely works even with windows open, and where you can see the feet of passersby right at eye level.
“I won’t let it slip away so pathetically.”
I cannot allow the fruits of my parents’ labor—the life they worked so hard to achieve—to be lost again so meaninglessly.
And to prevent that, there was much I needed to verify and prepare.
“Alright. I’m ready.”
At my solemn words, a blue system window flashed and displayed a large notification.
[System Notification: The authority of the (Fixed) Regressor has been updated from the last patch.]
[System Notification: You can now access more information regarding the ‘timeline’ of humans.]
[System Notification: Would you like to enter the ‘Unconscious Space’ to view this information? (Entry condition: unconscious sleep)]
“Yes. Let’s go—let’s see what exactly they’ve been updating.”
I nodded, and once again a blindingly bright light burst forth. I quickly shut my eyes as my body went limp, feeling myself slide down onto the mattress. It was like taking cold medicine—my entire body felt like it was sinking through the floor below.
[System Notification: The (Fixed) Regressor has entered the ‘Unconscious Space’.]
I fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in that familiar space—a vast emptiness stretching endlessly in all directions.
A blue window materialized before me almost immediately.
[System Notification: Confirming the authority of the (Fixed) Returner over this ‘Unconscious Space’.]
[System Notification: Designating this ‘Unconscious Space’ as the property of the (Fixed) Returner.]
[System Notification: You may now manifest any space you imagine.]
“So I can reshape this space however I want?”
I paused to consider. In other words, this was my own space—something I’d never possessed in my entire life. My imagination in this regard was painfully impoverished.
“Well, at least I’d like it to be spacious.”
I calmly conjured the image of my own studio, something I’d vaguely yearned for.
If possible, I wanted a view of the sea.
Since I’d be doing all sorts of things here, a proper desk would be nice too.
My back would ache from sitting all day, so I’d place a large, comfortable sofa somewhere.
As I envisioned these details one by one, the empty surroundings filled in, and before long, a convincingly furnished studio atmosphere took shape.
[System Notification: The interior design of (Fixed) Returner Kang Ha-jin’s ‘Unconscious Space’ has been finalized.]
“Oh, that authority upgrade is incredible.”
[System Notification: (Proud) ＼＼(۶•̀ᴗ•́)۶//／／]
“Now let me process those pending notifications.”
I checked the 【Update Details】 at the top of the notification list first. Information began cascading before my eyes.
[Kang Ha-jin (Fixed Returner) Authority Update (1.0) Details]
1. More detailed information about the ‘Human Timeline’ becomes accessible.
2. The ‘Unconscious Space’ becomes your property. You may enter whenever needed.
※ Entry keyword designation required ※
※ Please note: Time flows differently within the Unconscious Space compared to reality ※
3. Your influence over ‘colleagues’ increases. You can exert greater impact on them.
4. Your security clearance is upgraded.
“Number two is self-explanatory. The rest could use some clarification.”
I should sit down for this. I walked toward the massive sofa beside me—visibly plush and inviting at first glance. It looked like my entire rear end would sink at least two meters into it—
“Ow!”
[System Notification: You only implemented the visual elements of the interior design. You need to specify the tactile sensations separately….]
“Really… thanks for telling me… so late… you—”
Pain shot through me like I’d belly-flopped onto stone, radiating from my rear end up through my lower back. I collapsed forward, gritting my teeth against the unbearable ache.
“What the—is this a sofa?”
[System Notification: If you imagine things more specifically and with greater detail….]
“Right, my impoverished imagination turned this big, spacious, beautiful leather sofa into a rock. That’s on me.”
[System Notification: If you’d like to modify the interior, please nod! (≡^∇^≡)/]
My back hurt too much to argue further. I nodded vaguely and channeled every ounce of imagination I possessed to fully realize all the sensations in this space.
[System Notification: The interior design of (Fixed) Returner Kang Ha-jin’s ‘Unconscious Space’ has been updated.]
Pouring all my imagination into it, I reclined against the sofa—now perfected with texture, cushioning, and even the precise temperature against my skin, all tailored to my preferences.
“Ah, this is perfect. It feels just like Ju Eun-chan’s bed.”
[System Notification: Space implementation complete. Please designate an entry keyword.]
“An entry keyword, huh? So if I say it, I can enter? Then it can’t be something too ordinary.”
I could be wide awake here, but back in reality, I was sleeping like the dead.
I couldn’t just pick something I’d normally say—if the keyword accidentally triggered and turned me into a narcolepsy patient, that would be a problem. I needed something difficult or strange, something unusual.
“What should I use? Something I’d never accidentally say in my normal life―,”
[System Notification: The entry keyword must be at least 10 characters and include Korean, English, and special characters….]
“Really, you’re full of conditions?”
[System Notification: …However, I’ve specially arranged it so you can use only Korean characters.]
“Thanks. Always appreciate it.”
Ten Korean characters meant I couldn’t just use a simple word—it had to be a full sentence.
“Okay. I’ve decided.”
[System Notification: Designating user entry keyword. (Entry keyword: )]
“I hate mint chocolate.”
[System Notification: (?_?) …But?]
“I hate mint chocolate.”
[System Notification: (Fixed) I’m not curious about the Returner’s taste preferences. (╭ರ_⊙)]
“What are you saying? That’s the keyword. I hate mint chocolate.”
Exactly ten characters, and something I’d never say even as a joke in my normal life.
“I’m a mint choco lover, after all.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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