The Regressor Can Make Them All - Chapter 543

Chapter 543

Fwoosh-

Terra stared into the gentle blaze of the furnace that burned steadily 24/7, recalling the proposal Se-Hoon had made a few days ago.

Me… become a Perfect One…?

It was something she’d heard repeatedly ever since the framework of the Planetary Reinforcement Plan was completed, so it wasn’t exactly surprising. Still, her feelings about it were complicated.

Is that even possible?

To others, becoming a Perfect One would be an unfathomable concept. But to a fragment of the Seeker like her, it felt like something she once knew. The details were so faintly familiar, yet frustratingly out of reach whenever she tried to recall them.

In some ways, that gave her an advantage over others. But in others, that same half-formed understanding only made things worse.

“Ugh…”

Could she, someone who wasn’t truly the Seeker, really attain such a profound revelation? She’d been agonizing over it for days, yet no answer emerged.

The Administrator hasn’t brought it up again since then… so maybe he will let it slide? Like last time?

Sure, it was something she’d have to face eventually, but did it really have to be today? Hoping for a little more time to find a better answer, Terra silently wished that the Administrator wouldn’t show up—

“You’ve been waiting long, haven’t you?” Se-Hoon asked, walking out of the special rift that appeared before her.

“…Welcome.”

Terra silently mourned the death of her wish, prompting Se-Hoon to tilt his head at her expression.

“Did something happen?”

“No, not really. More importantly, what brings the Administrator here today…?”

“You remember how I told you about promoting you to a Perfect One? I’m here for that.”

“Ah, right. I completely forgot. Haha…”

With even her last hope crushed, Terra resigned to her fate.

Thankfully though, Se-Hoon noticed her tension.

“There’s no need to be so nervous. It’s not like you have to become a Perfect One today,” Se-Hoon reassured her, chuckling softly.

“R-Really?”

“This agenda concerns the future of humanity. It’s more important to proceed carefully, even if it takes time.”

“Then…”

She wanted to suggest that someone else more suited—someone better prepared—should go first. Alas, before she could finish the thought, her hopes were once again crushed.

“But of course, the sooner, the better.”

Her fate was sealed. Producing perfect results within the deadline was, too, a virtue of a skilled blacksmith.

“…Understood. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Sensing that she couldn’t delay this any longer, Terra braced herself. If she couldn’t avoid it, then she’d just have to live up to expectations no matter what. For that, she steeled her resolve.

“What do I have to do first?”

“Before that, I’ll first give you a brief explanation of the Planetary Reinforcement Plan. Have a seat.”

Waiting until Terra had taken a seat, Se-Hoon waved his hand toward the flames.

Whoosh-

The fire leapt out of the furnace like a living creature, bursting into multicolored lights that shimmered around his palm.

“The Planetary Reinforcement Plan is divided into three major phases: the fusion of powers, the creation of a Law, and finally, the ascension of a qualified administrator.”

A sphere formed from blue flames, around which smaller flames of various colors flickered.

“The first step—the fusion of powers—is pretty straightforward; it’s just combining fragments of existing powers. Not the whole, just parts.”

With a gesture from Se-Hoon, the flames around the sphere swirled together to form a giant ring that wrapped around it.

“These fragments will transform into entirely new powers. Then, by supplying energy from the Golden Ring, they will evolve into fully formed Laws—that’s the second phase.”

FWOOSH-!

With a flare, the ring of multicolored flames was overtaken by external golden fire in an instant. Se-Hoon held out the completed construct to Terra.

“Once you can control this Law as its administrator, the Planetary Reinforcement Plan will be complete.”

“…”

Terra stared at the fiery construct held out to her.

Can I really control this…?

Even though it was only a demonstration, the idea seemed absurd. However, she quickly shook off the negative thoughts upon remembering her resolve.

“Are the first and second stages already done?”

“Almost. They were mostly wrapped up while preparing for the Prayer Operation. We’ve got backup methods so that they can be redone anytime too.”

Backup—a word that made Terra tense.

“Do I… also have a backup?”

“No.”

Se-Hoon shook his head, his voice firm.

“In this plan, there is absolutely no replacement for you.”

“…”

“That’s why your role is so important.”

Her body trembled faintly. She wouldn’t be abandoned—no one could take her place. That reassurance was comforting… but also terrifying.

Everything depends on me? Someone like me?

She wasn’t even the Seeker. Terra knew better than anyone that she was just a broken remnant with lost memories and knowledge.

If I fail partway through…

Wouldn’t that mean not just her, but the Administrator and everyone else on the planet could… die? At that thought, Terra became overwhelmed by the mental weight of her task for the first time since leaving the planetary core.

Her trembling increased, making Se-Hoon furrow his brow.

Just as I thought… the burdens are too heavy for her.

If it were the Seeker herself, she’d almost certainly rush in gleefully despite the risk of world-ending failure. But having been separated from the original, Terra had become different. During her time alone, she had regained something the Seeker had lost long ago: humanity.

While that made her emotional and unstable, it also meant she’d earned the right to challenge the Towers of Heroes once again.

Telling her that now would probably just make her more anxious…

Seeing her gelatinous body already trembling so hard it was on the verge of disassociating, Se-Hoon placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

“Terra.”

“Y-Yes!”

“You don’t need to overthink it. Once you reach the realm of ascension, everything will come naturally.”

The plan wasn’t about success or failure—it was simply if one could meet the conditions.

“So just focus on reaching that state. I’ll take care of everything else.”

“…”

Her trembling slowly stopped. It wouldn’t be easy to attain ascension, but if Se-Hoon was by her side… then maybe it was possible.

Right. No more pointless doubts.

Letting go of her fear thanks to her trust in him, Terra had gained a hint of hope. With it, she once again asked, “Then what should I do first?”

“First, you have to understand yourself.”

“Understand myself?”

“Yeah. Not the ‘you’ defined as a fragment of the Seeker or a planetary control system. The version of ‘you’ that you define yourself.”

Objectively, Terra was stronger than most S-rank heroes. In terms of the strength of her synesthetic mindscape, though, she didn’t even match an A-rank. With her immense knowledge and power being borrowed from the Seeker, her own identity was still unformed.

“As you are now, not only can you not control a Law, you can’t even sustain it. That’s why you need to define who you are and slowly shape your synesthetic mindscape.”

“…”

A strange look crossed her face. Besides being linked to the Seeker or the planetary control system, was there even anything else that could define her? She’d never considered the question before, never even needed to.

“…I don’t know.”

What was she? What category did her identity belong to? What… Her thoughts began spiraling out of control—

Clap!

She looked up at Se-Hoon, having been broken out of her dread.

“Alright. Let’s not figure it out alone and start with our lesson first. I brought someone who struggled with the same question.”

“Someone like me?”

Was there really someone else in this world in the same situation? Terra couldn’t help but gawk in disbelief.

“Come in.”

“Mm.”

Right before her eyes, a black-haired girl appeared beside Se-Hoon like she’d always been there. Surprised, Terra stared with widened eyes.

“Hello,” the girl greeted cooly.

“Ah, h-hello…”

“…”

“…”

Silence fell as their greeting ended abruptly. However, Erika continued to stare at her quietly, eventually making Terra turn away due to the discomfort. Like that, silence fell until Erika finally opened her mouth.

“I think it’ll be fine,” she said, nodding. “Leave her to me.”

Seeing Erika’s enthusiasm, Se-Hoon smiled.

“Alright, I’m counting on you then. Call me if anything happens.”

“Got it.”

“Terra, good luck.”

“Y-Yes!”

With that, Se-Hoon stepped out to leave the two alone. Once again, they stared at each other.

Unlike before, though, Erika broke the silence soon with a calm voice. “Tell me, what do you identify yourself?”

“…Huh?”

“For me, it was a tool for my family. I was created for that purpose, so it never confused me.”

“…”

“But that changed after my family fell, and… I found something I actually wanted.” Glancing at the door Se-Hoon left through, Erika continued. “I think that’s when I began to change. And I think the same goes for you.”

Even if they perfectly mimicked living flesh, why did they not transform into true human beings? It took a while, but Erika had eventually arrived at her own answer to that question.

“Desire.”

“…”

“Emotion, soul, synesthetic mindscape—these things don’t really matter as much. What truly matters is whether you genuinely want something.”

Erika stepped closer, making Terra instinctively flinch. Though Erika was smaller and more delicate, her presence felt overwhelming… like something enormous was bearing down.

“Finding that desire is the first step. And I think you already have it.”

“M-Me?”

“Yeah.”

Terra was uncertain. Aside from her wish to depart the planetary core, was a desire truly present for her?

Perhaps it’s not wanting to be abandoned by the Administrator…? Somehow, that doesn’t feel right…

What Erika spoke of wasn’t something so superficial; Terra knew that. It was something deeper, something that pierced through emotion, soul, and mind. It was on the tip of her tongue, yet she couldn’t figure it out.

“Hm. This won’t do.”

Seeing her struggle, Erika nodded.

“Looks like you’ll need to die a few times.”

“Wha… Excuse me?!”

Ignoring Terra flailing in alarm, Erika spread her shadow across the workshop floor.

“When it’s time to die, you remember what you regret. That’s when desire shows itself. That’s how it was for me.”

Caw- Caw- Caw-

Crows flew out of her shadow, only to burst apart midair. Turning into dark mud, their bodies dropped, splattering and engulfing the room in darkness. Slowly, the abyssal realm of mud and shadow opened beneath Terra, distorting the very space and laws to create an area beyond imagination.

“What the…”

Terra stared blankly, shocked.

Rumble!CAW- CAW-

Monstrous crows began appearing throughout the darkness, bringing with them a surge of killing intent that flooded toward her like the world itself wanted her dead

“I-Is this really okay?!” Terra screamed, instinctively rousing her mana.

Although Se-Hoon had vouched for Erika, her help felt way too extreme???

Erika, though, was completely calm.

“It’s fine. You probably won’t die.”

“Probably?!”

“If you do die…”

She paused in thought… then smiled gently.

“I’m sure Se-Hoon will do something about it.”

A blend of trust and affection colored her words.

At the sight of her expression, Terra had two thoughts. First, she was a little envious.

“So you mean it’s still uncertain—aghh!”

And second, it was that, as expected, there were no normal people around the Administrator