The Regressor Wants to Become a Hero

“Do you think I’ll actually tell you that?”

Ian nodded confidently.

“It shouldn’t be that difficult, should it?”

Outer Gods don’t particularly try to hide their identities. On the contrary, they often strive to make their existence more widely known.

That’s why they tend to obsess over gathering followers and creating idols. Their desires are clear.

Expanding their influence in this world.

However, even after centuries, so little is known about the Outer Gods because their power is overwhelmingly immense.

Merely thinking of their existence and uttering their names can drive ordinary people mad.

They lose their reason and, in the worst cases, may even mutate into monsters akin to demonic beasts.

That’s why they are referred to by aliases. It’s still dangerous, but comparatively less so.

Thus, Outer Gods wish for their names, or at least their aliases, to be known by those with sufficient status.

And having such status means there’s a higher likelihood of encountering Outer Gates. Because of this, those at a superhuman level have no choice but to learn at least something about the Outer Gods.

“Stop stalling and answer quickly.”

Tagroa’s eyes gleamed as he spoke.

“Even if I tell you the alias of that one! Do you think you’ll even understand it?”

“That’s for me to decide.”

“…If you insist, I’ll tell you. That one is known as The Faceless One.”

For a moment, the space around them rippled. There was no other way to describe it—like the sensation of being watched by something.

It was an alias Ian had never heard before. In his past life, when traveling with the Hero, he had learned of several Outer Gods, but they rarely spoke of them.

Only when absolutely necessary would they share limited information. But Ian had an idea of who The Faceless One might be.

It resembled the Outer God he had recently encountered.

“Does it have four arms and wear a hood?”

“How… How do you know that? The Outer God said there weren’t many who knew of its existence…”

Not many know of it?

“Have you also made a deal with that one?”

“I ask the questions. You just answer them.”

“Khehehe.”

Ian furrowed his brow at the sight of Tagroa’s defiant smirk.

“You seem quite composed for someone who’s lost their limbs.”

Tagroa’s trembling body and tightly clenched teeth betrayed the pain he was enduring. Despite being a researcher with likely little combat experience, he seemed unnervingly accustomed to suppressing agony.

“Damn bastard…”

“If the Outer God you mentioned created an idol, where is it?”

“I had crafted it beautifully! But didn’t you destroy the building? It should be buried inside.”

“Hm. And what did you pay in exchange for that knowledge?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“If there’s anything, it’s that I agreed to hand over this research facility.”

“That doesn’t make sense…”

Judging by what the Outer God had done with Garavan, it didn’t seem like a being inclined toward generosity.

Using the byproducts of monsters to create elixirs wasn’t unusual.

Things like horns, blood, or bone powder were already common materials.

But using a living monster—now that was far from ordinary. There must be some sinister purpose behind it.

“Alright, one last question. Where is the research data you mentioned?”

“I already told you, search for it yourself. It should be in there. I don’t know.”

“…….”

“If you have no more questions, keep your promise.”

The head researcher urged impatiently, his breathing slightly ragged.

It was clear that he was desperately clinging to consciousness with the singular determination to witness the battle of superhumans until his final moments.

“Fine, I will.”

Ian raised the holy sword. Tagroa’s eyes widened as he saw it.

“Wait, what are you doing? This isn’t what you promised!”

Without hesitation, Ian drove the blade into Tagroa’s abdomen. It felt as though he was piercing solid rock.

“You… promised…!”

“I said I might keep my promise. I never said I would.”

Meeting Tagroa’s resentful gaze without a flicker of guilt, Ian smirked.

No mercy would be shown to one who had colluded with an Outer God. He summoned flames.

“AAAAAAARGH!”

It is said that the most intense pain a human can feel is burning pain. That might be true.

Even Tagroa, who had barely flinched while his limbs were severed, now thrashed and screamed, unable to endure it.

For someone so resilient to pain, perhaps due to his background as a researcher, this was clearly beyond his limits.

“AAAARRGH…!”

Any ordinary person would have lost consciousness instantly, but Tagroa’s superhuman body persistently healed itself.

Unless his mana ran out or someone extinguished the flames, he would burn for a long time.

RUMBLE!

Ian withdrew the holy sword and turned toward the source of the thunderous roar.

Bellen was still fighting. Who could she possibly be fighting that the battle was still unresolved?

FLASH—

A burst of dazzling light erupted from the violet mist, engulfing a section of the main building.

It didn’t just melt the outer walls—it completely vaporized them. If something like that came his way, he wouldn’t even have time to realize he was dead.

Whether intentional or not, Ian was simply grateful that the destruction didn’t reach him.

“I can’t interfere with that.”

Even if he tried, he wouldn’t be able to see clearly in that chaos. At best, he would be a hindrance; at worst, he’d get caught up in it.

Ian had no intention of taking such a risk, so he turned away.

While Bellen was occupied with her fight, Ian had other tasks to attend to.

From within the debris of the sealed laboratory, faint bursts of otherworldly energy occasionally leaked out.

It was likely an Outer Gate. The source wasn’t hard to pinpoint.

“Let’s see if I can get down there.”

Ian regretted collapsing the building. Perhaps he shouldn’t have thrown Parmael and should have let Bellen handle it.

With her lightning magic, as demonstrated in the main building, she could have efficiently incinerated the membranes and cleared out any monsters or traps inside.

In hindsight, throwing Parmael recklessly had been a rather brute-force approach.

Recalling how the head researcher had emerged, Ian reasoned there might still be a way down and began moving.

Fortunately, deeper inside, he found an open space resembling a hollowed-out donut.

Peering inside, he spotted the Outer Gate and a wooden idol.

“It’s intact.”

The idol, likely modeled after the Outer God, bore four arms and was draped in a tattered hood, just like what he had seen in the fortress of Helrem.

It seemed that when Ian threw Parmael, the head researcher had managed to protect this relatively vast area in that brief moment.

The twelve glass tubes encircling the Outer Gate and the idol appeared untouched by the flood. Scattered papers littered the mucus-covered floor, and amidst them, a single notebook lay alongside a few stray pens.

“Hmm.”

Ian stroked his chin. A single spark of flame here would end everything.

The idol seemed to be carved from wood, and as for the Outer Gate, it could be sealed with magic. No issues there.

However, the papers and the notebook would inevitably be incinerated in the process—and Bellen wanted that data.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Ian descended. The drop was considerable, but he landed gracefully.

“Unpleasant.”

The slimy membrane coating the floor had a disturbingly soft texture. He picked up the notebook first. If he had any aptitude for magic, he wouldn’t have had to come down like this.

As he frowned and looked up, he saw one of the glass tubes directly in front of him.

Though partially veiled by the mucus, it wasn’t hard to discern what was inside.

“People.”

Within the green fluid filling the tubes were what appeared to be researchers, presumably the subjects of experiments conducted here.

Dressed in white lab coats, they seemed to have struggled desperately to escape. Their appearances, however, were far from normal—veins bulged grotesquely across their necks and faces.

In the adjacent tube was a monster, equally disfigured.

Ian exhaled softly, averting his eyes from the grotesque scene.

From above, he hadn’t noticed the complexity of the devices scattered across the area. Looking around for anything worth taking, he found nothing of particular value—just a few vials of unknown substances on a desk. He decided against taking them.

“The Outer Gate…”

Beyond the torn dimensional fabric, an eerie glow rippled. Staring into it felt as though his mind might unravel.

Typically, such a gate would be spewing monsters by now. Yet, the Outer Gate stood open with only a sparse number of creatures present—an anomaly given the circumstances.

Considering this was the domain of an Outer God, such stillness was unusual.

Ian’s eyes narrowed as he observed the gate. The energy flowing out seemed to dissipate elsewhere, as though being drawn away.

“Someone’s siphoning it.”

Leaving the gate open didn’t seem like a good idea.

Ian raised his gaze to the idol beyond the Outer Gate. It almost felt as if it was staring back at him.

Lingering any longer in this place felt like inviting disaster. Ian swiftly turned and exited the chamber.

Though he worried the idol might attack, his fears proved unfounded. Once back above, Ian glanced down again.

“!”

A chill ran down his spine.

The idol, which had been staring downward, was now looking up at him.

Though it lacked a face, he felt an unmistakable gaze emanating from within its hood. Yet, it did not move. No strange energy emanated from it.

“I’d better burn it quickly.”

Ian extended his hand forward.

Fwoosh.

A flame sparked at his fingertip, thick and molten like lava.

Drip.

The moment the fire touched the membrane below, it spread outward, consuming everything in its path.

What began as a small flame grew voraciously, engulfing the area like oil-fed fire.

The glass tubes shattered and melted under the immense heat, incinerating the experiments within.

The wide-open Outer Gate sealed shut under the blaze, and the idol burned more fiercely than anything else.

“…….”

Relieved that nothing else happened, Ian checked the contents of the notebook in his hand.

Though compact, it contained detailed notes on the formulation, ratios, effects, and side effects of various drugs.

It was likely a condensed summary of research that had consumed vast amounts of resources.

While its true value was unclear, handing it over to Bellen might yield additional rewards.

Ian tucked the notebook into his coat and glanced once more into the pit. The idols had burned to ash, and the Outer Gate was completely sealed.

Vrrrrrrooom!

The air vibrated, and as Ian looked up, the sky was returning to its original hue.

The veil that had enclosed this small realm was dissipating. The Outer World was closing.

Believing the ordeal over, Ian stepped through the debris to head back to Bellen. That’s when a blinding light burst from the cracks in the ground.

Flaaash!

“!?”

There was no time to escape. As the light exploded, the surrounding space began to warp.

Everything—matter, color—was distorted and twisted, except for the spot where Ian stood.

When he looked up, a hole had formed in the sky, from which a curtain of darkness spilled, swallowing all light as it descended.

“Wait, this is…”

From beyond the rift, a gaze bore down on him.

-□□□□.

An incomprehensible voice.

“!”

The pressure felt like it would crush his very body, as though it might burst. Breathing alone was a struggle, and he could barely remain standing.

Yet his heart pounded furiously in his chest, its rhythm loud in his ears.

Thump-thump.

Despite the deafening heartbeat, his mind went completely blank. No thoughts, no questions—only an eerie compulsion to stare beyond the rift.

-□ □□.

The voice resonated in his mind this time. Though the words were unintelligible, their meaning was strangely clear.

See you again.

———-