Regression Guidelines for the Supporting Character

Chapter 5

Ridiculously, as I realized this, my fingertips reaching for the child froze cold. At the same time, I felt utterly pathetic.

It hadn’t even been a few hours since I decided to do my best to prevent this world from being devoured by the Great Calamity, and now what use was there in regretting?

With a bitter smile, I picked up the child lying on the operating table. The child, who had been staring at me blankly with an expressionless face, came into my arms without resistance.

Supporting the child with one hand, I picked up the scabbard from the floor and sheathed the sword. Then I picked up the syringe that was placed next to the scabbard.

The director, noticing the syringe in my hand, seemed to come to his senses and shouted with a twisted face.

“Damn it, what are you doing? Stop that bastard right now!”

“Uh, uh…”

“I-I’ll call the guards!”

No matter how much the director raged, these ordinary researchers couldn’t possibly attack me holding a sword.

Among the confused researchers, the female researcher who had handed the syringe to the director hurriedly pressed a red button on the wall.

Wee-ing!

Then all the lights that were off in the lab turned on, and a warning sound echoed. Slightly frowning at the spreading bright light, I raised the corner of my mouth.

“Seems like you still have some leeway. The Hunters are right on your tail though.”

Hearing my taunt, the director gritted his teeth and glared at me as if he wanted to tear me apart.

“Who are you? Sent by the Association? Or from the Management Bureau?”

“Think whatever you like.”

Tap tap tap, the sound of multiple footsteps was heard from outside the lab. About five people. The red button pressed by the researcher must have been a guard call button.

First, I put the syringe into my inventory bag and gripped the scabbard.

“I’ll be taking this child, just so you know.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the lab door opened and guards rushed in. As I had guessed, there were five of them.

“This bastard, how did he get in… ugh, gah!”

I struck the solar plexus of the leading guard hard with the scabbard. Unable to finish his sentence, the guard screamed and collapsed.

“Hold on tight.”

As I whispered quietly enough for only the child to hear, the child wrapped both arms around my neck, clinging tightly. Firmly supporting the child with one arm, I kicked off the ground and leaped.

“Uh, uh, ugh!”

I hit the face of the second guard, who hadn’t noticed me flying right up to his face, with the scabbard while spreading my legs wide and leaning my upper body forward.

Making sure the child wouldn’t slip by supporting their back, a baton swung by a guard grazed over my head.

Maintaining that posture, I put strength into my legs and swung widely horizontally, pushing away the third guard’s ankle. As the guard lost balance and fell backward with a gasp, I struck their abdomen with the scabbard.

In an instant, three out of five had lost consciousness and fainted. I adjusted my hold on the child while looking at the remaining two backing away with pale faces.

“Wait! D-Don’t come!”

One of the frightened guards shouted as I slowly approached.

“Put down your weapon and s-surrender now! Then we’ll let you go unharmed…”

“Hold on, what are you saying?”

As the terrified guard started trying to persuade me, his colleague was rather flustered.

Geez, this is ridiculous. Not holding back a scoff, I strode forward and struck the face of the guard who was making useless attempts at persuasion while still holding the sword hilt.

Smack!

“Ugh.”

The guard collapsed with a short scream from one punch. Seeing this, the last remaining guard’s jaw dropped.

What are you looking at? I planted my fist into the solar plexus of the last guard, and he collapsed next to his colleague who had just fainted. I clicked my tongue at their pathetic sight.

‘Instead of being grateful that I’m beating you with the scabbard instead of the sword, you’re talking nonsense.’

It’s because I’m kind that I’m sparing your lives. Killing trash like you would only make me the same kind of trash.

‘But that person is different.’

After confirming that all the guards who had rushed in were unconscious, I put down the child I was holding and turned to the director.

Thinking that I would obviously be caught by the guards, the researchers who had been watching me with shocked expressions turned pale at my gaze.

“P-Please spare us…!”

“Ah. I’ll spare you, so move aside, move.”

Indifferently pushing aside the researchers begging for their lives, I strode towards the director. The director, who had been watching the situation while holding his swollen hand, bit his lip and stepped back.

“Hey, Director. You’re quite smart, aren’t you?”

“…”

When I asked leisurely, the director swallowed dryly while glaring at me. I didn’t expect an answer anyway, so it didn’t matter.

“I’m too stupid to know what to do with this thing.”

As I took out the syringe I had put in my inventory earlier, the director’s eyes shook greatly.

If I had put it in a normal bag or pocket, the needle would have broken, but it was in perfect condition, probably because it was in the inventory.

“But breaking the syringe here wouldn’t mean much, right? The research results are in our director’s head, so you could make it many times over.”

“W-What… are you talking about…”

“Nothing special. This is just me venting my anger.”

Holding the syringe, I grabbed the director’s collar in one swift motion. Dragged right up to me, the director struggled as if he finally realized what I was about to do, but it was already too late.

“You should know well about the performance of the drug in this syringe, since you were excitedly talking about it earlier.”

“D-Damn! You crazy, let go! Let go!”

“Tsk tsk, why are you like this? You were going to use it on that small child.”

“Aagh!”

As I unhesitatingly stabbed the needle into the director’s neck, he thrashed wildly. But as the drug was injected, the thrashing soon stopped, and he drooped his head as if falling asleep.

I mocked the director who had gone limp while still in my grasp and threw him to the floor.

“Well, if your head gets a bit damaged in the process of me venting, all the better for me.”

It was a drug made by sacrificing dozens of awakened people they had kidnapped.

A horrible drug created solely for the purpose of inflicting pain on others. Having it used on himself, he must feel quite wronged.

The director who had fallen victim to his own drug, the researchers frozen stiff with fear, and the unconscious guards. After surveying the chaotic interior of the lab, I walked to the child who was standing upright where I had put them down, looking only at me.

“Take my hand.”

When I held out my hand, the child blinked a couple of times with a dazed expression and carefully took my hand.

As I left the Central Research Lab with the child holding my hand, a status window appeared before my eyes as if it had been waiting.

《Main Quest: Meet the villain with the ‘Seed of Calamity’ Cleared!》

《Main Quest clear reward will be given.》

What? There was a reward too? Why wasn’t it written in the quest?

‘Could it be… that there are hidden rewards for each quest?’

Then even if the failure penalty is minimal, should I try to succeed to check the reward? Because there might be good rewards not written in the quest guide? That’s really sneaky.

While inwardly complaining, I checked what the reward was.

《Representative Skill Rank Up!》

《Representative Skill: Guardian’s Bond rank will increase.》

《Representative Skill: Guardian’s Bond rank has changed from B-rank to S-rank.》

“What?”

I stopped in my tracks, surprised by the reward that far exceeded my expectations.

The child who had been following me holding my hand also stopped. A faint hint of curiosity flashed across their expressionless face as they looked up at me, but now wasn’t the time to pay attention to the child.

‘Guardian’s Bond is the skill I originally had. This became S-rank?’

I’m not sure if I should be happy about this or find it absurd. Still, holding onto a last hope, I checked the skill description.

Representative Skill: Guardian’s Bond (S-rank)

Replenishes the target’s energy through physical contact while also enhancing their existing stats. (Buff duration: 05:00)

└Buff: Representative Skill damage increase

└Buff: Base speed increase

└Buff: Stability effect

After reading the skill description, I muttered with a dejected feeling.

“I don’t need this…”

In the end, I couldn’t escape from being a support skill.

On top of that, the hidden skill I got this time can only be used at night or in dark places, which is inconvenient. I couldn’t help but sigh.

‘Instead of this, they could have just increased my basic stats.’

Right now I’m flying around with just a sword, but when this hidden skill is deactivated, I’ll once again become a weak and useless F-rank support with a frail body.

Of course, I’m grateful just for obtaining the hidden skill… but for this to be the reward for clearing a difficult main quest, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Squeeze.

As I was standing there for a while thinking about the skill, I felt a strong grip on my hand. Looking down, I saw the child who had been waiting for me all this time.

Meeting the child’s green eyes, I snapped back to my senses. Right, now is not the time for this.

‘Stop being greedy and focus on what needs to be done right now.’

There will be plenty of time to think about how to utilize the skills after escaping from the research institute. I squeezed the child’s hand back and started walking.

User Information: Cha Seo-hu

Age: 26 (28)

Representative Skill: Guardian’s Bond (S-rank)

Hidden Skill: Silver Protection (S-rank)

Attack Power: F-rank

Attack Speed: F-rank

Movement Speed: F-rank

Agility: F-rank

Traits▼

└Wet Cat (F-rank)

└Just Lie There (F-rank)