Chapter 144 – Do-jin

Do-jin

“Is that so?”

Although he was not particularly pleased, Inquisitor Jason was not in a position to tell him off, so he let it pass without saying much.

“When is he coming?”

“Are you talking about Inquisitor Kasim? I do not know. Looking at his usual style, he will probably report to work tomorrow morning. Only the person himself would know for sure.”

Rashid turned his head and looked at Inquisitor Jason.

A device resembling a communicator was visible on his wrist.

Inwardly, he wanted to try communicating through it, but since it seemed like too excessive a move for a first meeting, he decided to hold back.

‘There is still time, so there is no need to rush.’

“I would like to look around the interior of the Inquisition Bureau. Do you happen to have an attendant?”

Inquisitor Jason reacted.

“As for the attendant here, I believe he went out with Inquisitor Kasim. We cannot just wait indefinitely, so why not use a cleric outside?”

“Is there only one attendant in this room? I only see one attendant desk.”

“It just happened that way. I do not particularly need an attendant. As for the one we have, Inquisitor Kasim mostly takes him along.”

“I see. I will look around the Inquisition Bureau and the interior of the cathedral.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Rashid went outside, called over the first cleric he spotted, and instructed him to guide him.

“The Inquisition Bureau first, please.”

Since the size of the Inquisition Bureau was not that large, inspecting it did not take very long.

After giving the Inquisition Bureau a general look, Rashid’s next destination was naturally the detention facility where Do-jin was assumed to be.

“Is there a detention facility here too?”

“Yes, there is.”

“I would like to take a look. Could you guide me?”

“Yes, please follow me. I will guide you.”

He headed down the stairs to the lower floor, following the cleric.

The place they arrived at was a subterranean confinement facility where several people were detained.

‘I wondered where he was, and he was right below the Inquisition Bureau.’

His original plan had been to pull Do-jin out immediately after finding him, but:

since he became able to act as an inquisitor, that thought had changed slightly.

‘Perhaps I can check Sayaka with the help of this place. Since they will deem the Flowering Cult as heresy here as well.’

Looking around the interior under the cleric’s guidance, Rashid spoke.

“Would you wait at the entrance? I want to look around slowly by myself.”

The cleric was slightly puzzled by those words, but did not bother to question him.

“Yes, then I will be waiting in front of the entrance.”

In the spot from which the cleric had departed,

Rashid turned his gaze to the side.

Beyond the iron bars sat a man quietly.

It was Do-jin.

He appeared to be around twenty years old, with an appearance that made it safe to view him as Korean.

Because in the setting, his parents were Korean and Japanese.

‘So he was here? He was in a closer place than I thought.’

Although the place where he met him changed every time, his importance went without saying.

Because he had to find him at all costs in order to catch Sayaka.

Rashid approached as close to the iron bars as possible, and sensing his presence, Do-jin, who had only been staring at the floor, lifted his head.

Rashid expanded his sensory domain to identify any risk factors in the vicinity.

Fortunately, there was no factor that could pose a threat.

“So you were here.”

Even at his words, Do-jin did not show any particular reaction.

“I came to save you.”

Only then did Do-jin show interest in him.

Though it was only lifting his head and looking at him.

“No reaction. Have you even lost the will to live because of Sayaka?”

“You… who are you?”

Only then did Do-jin react.

“Who are you? Do you know me?”

Do-jin thought there was not a single person in this world who knew him.

If there was, there was only one.

Since Sayaka, whom he had chased here, was all he had.

Restrained in restraints, Do-jin stood up and walked over to the iron bars.

With clear-cut features and a tall stature,

he was a figure who looked like the protagonist of a hunter story, no matter who saw him.

‘However, this guy is a villain. In a hunter story, he is not the protagonist, but the most cancerous existence standing in the protagonist’s way.’

Rank 1.

As is the case with most hunter stories, the rank 1 was usually the mastermind.

Do-jin was the same, and he was certainly a person who was only crazy about Sayaka.

‘This guy was the final mastermind who used Korean rankers to reclaim Tokyo, Japan, which Sayaka had seized. However, that was just a superficial reason, and precisely, it was to see Sayaka, who had taken control of the Tokyo Dungeon, again. In fact, Tokyo, which had become dungeonized, was never in his thoughts in the first place.’

In other words, a person who went crazy over a woman named Sayaka, betraying everyone, including the Korean rankers and even Japan, which could be called his other homeland.

That was the character named Do-jin.

‘Simply put, this guy is a rare piece of trash who sold out his comrades and country just for a single woman.’

“I do. Even that your name is Do-jin.”

Only then did Do-jin reach out his hand and grab Rashid by the collar.

“Who are you! Did Sayaka send you by any chance?”

When a commotion arose, the clerics standing guard in the distance reacted, but Rashid raised his hand to lightly restrain them.

“I will handle the matter here.”

The clerics guarded their posts again, and only then was Rashid able to focus on Do-jin.

“Why do you think Sayaka sent me?”

“You are saying Sayaka did not send you? Then how do you know me? There should be no one in this world who knows me besides Sayaka.”

“Even without that, there are plenty of ways to know you. Since I, too, am a regressor like you.”

Of course, he was not a regressor, but he said it for the sake of persuasion.

Do-jin let go of the collar he was grabbing.

“You are a regressor?”

The reason he understood so easily:

was because he himself was a regressor.

However, Do-jin was in a state where he could no longer regress.

Since he had consumed the final round of regression.

“Do you understand roughly now? Why I know about you.”

Do-jin wore a devastated expression for a moment, then:

reviving the light in his eyes, he asked demandingly.

“You, how much do you know about me? How far does your knowledge go?”

“Almost everything. I also know well enough that you are crazy about that woman, Sayaka.”

Do-jin, looking resigned, went to the bed at the back and slumped down.

Rashid did not stop speaking.

“I know that you were a regressor. Of course, I also know that you can no longer regress.”

Do-jin stared at him with eyes drenched in fear.

“You…”

If he knew even that much,

further doubt became meaningless.

“It seems you really are a regressor.”

The reason he was convinced more easily than expected was clear.

Since he himself had been like that.

Rashid’s current appearance was a complete spitting image of how he had acted in the past.

Rashid said to him, who looked resigned:

“What I want is simple. It is to stop Sayaka. You know the reason without me telling you, right?”

He did not use the word “catch” here.

Since it was he who betrayed everyone and refused to kill Sayaka in the final battle.

Meaning that:

he still had no intention of killing Sayaka even now.

‘However, he will eventually realize. Just how futile and pathetic the deeds he committed just for a single woman were.’

Making him realize that was what Rashid had to do from now on.

‘Actually, making him realize that is not so difficult. Sayaka will be the same as before anyway, and unlike in the past, he will not be fooled twice.’

The important thing was to take him to Sayaka.

Rashid spoke.

“To do that, I must save you first, and you also must believe in me.”

“If you are a regressor, why not go and stop her alone? What is the reason you are coming to me and doing this? A regressor should be able to do everything alone.”

In truth, Do-jin was not a character Rashid liked much either.

Since he was the mastermind among masterminds who ruined everything for a single woman.

However, that cancerous existence was the only solution.

To cut down Sayaka.

“I will bring you before Sayaka again. How does that sound?”

“Before… Sayaka?”

His eyes, which had been resigned, began to regain vitality once more.

It was a somewhat cancerous side of him that had ruined everything for a single woman.

‘However, the moment you stand before her again, instead of begging for her love, you will be drenched in a sense of betrayal and snap her neck.’

Rashid was certain of this.

Because he would make it so.

‘I shall trample your misguided devotion as brutally as possible. That is the only way for me to survive.’

“Even so, will you not cooperate?”

At Rashid’s final proposal,

Do-jin also had no choice but to agree in the end.

“Sayaka…”

Lifting his head, Do-jin looked at him.

“If you bring me before her again. Then I will help with anything.”

“First of all, you have to survive. For now, wait. It is not like you will be executed immediately.”

Now that he had hope that he could survive, or rather, hope that he could see her again,

Do-jin changed and became more active than expected.

“It seems this is the problem. Can you not unlock this?”

Do-jin showed him the restraints bound to his hands.

“This is the issue. I cannot draw out my magic power because of this.”

“I do not think that is the issue.”

Rashid rebuked him.

“This is a world where players are not welcome. You had better watch that mouth of yours first. From now on, never reveal the fact that you are a player. And starting from this moment, you are not a player. Deny it in any way possible.”

“I got it, so can you do something about this?”

If Do-jin were entirely on his side,

there was nothing bad about releasing him.

Since he would not have become rank 1 for nothing.

However, Do-jin, who was only crazy about Sayaka, was not entirely on his side.

‘This guy needs to be restrained to some extent. If there really is no other way, I will have to release him, but not yet.’

“Wait on that. I will look for a way.”

Was it because he saw hope through Rashid?

Unlike before, he had become a bit more active.

“They said they are executing me. What do you plan to do about that?”

“Hey, what is with you all of a sudden? The person who was giving up on everything until just now.”

“You will need me to stop Sayaka. Because I know Sayaka better than anyone else.”

I am sure you do.

He was a guy who betrayed the entire world for that woman.

“I admit that you are the Sayaka expert. However, what you must show right now is composure and patience. There are still a few days left until the execution.”

Do-jin recognized Rashid, who wore an outfit similar to the one who had captured and imprisoned him.

“The one who locked me up here wore the same outfit as you. In that case, can you not take me out of here?”

“There are procedures here too. Do you think I can just drag you out recklessly?”

Do-jin shook his head.

“You know nothing right now. Sayaka will be spreading the seeds of infection knowingly or unknowingly even at this moment. Everyone infected will soon destroy everything in the world. It is… like a horde of crazy zombies. Since they will lose their reason and only engage in destruction.”

Do-jin continued speaking in a serious tone.

“So what I am saying is that the system here will also collapse soon. You keeping me here while worrying about others’ eyes will eventually become meaningless anyway. So do not worry about your surroundings and save me first.”

Rashid chuckled.

Then, with a serious face, he spoke to the man who was talking gravely by himself.

“Hey, do you think I do not know that?”

This single word was enough.

“Just wait quietly. When the time comes, I will take you out on my own, even if you say you do not want to.”