The Regressor Is A Former Call Center Agent

CHAPTER 02 – THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

The final bell rang, and Zhavri packed her bag slowly, watching as classmates streamed out of the room. Ji-hoon had already left — she’d caught a glimpse of his black hair disappearing around the hallway corner, his shoulders tense like he was carrying a weight she couldn’t see. 'Three days until his first monster attack,' she thought, zipping up her backpack. 'And exactly one year until the Cataclysm hits. Three days to get a head start before everything goes to hell.'

She took the train back to her apartment, the cash card her father had left feeling heavy in her pocket. The streets were busy with evening commuters — people laughing, talking, going about their lives like nothing was wrong. It made her chest tight. She knew what was coming: the day the sky turned red, the day monsters poured out of every dark place, the day half the city would be wiped off the map. 'They have no idea,' she thought, scanning the alleyways and rooftops. 'But I do. And I’m not going to let myself be caught off guard.'

When she got home, she dropped her bag by the door and headed straight to her bedroom. She knelt down by the closet and pulled out a heavy wooden chest she’d forgotten about — the one the old Lee Zhavriyana had hidden behind a pile of blankets. Inside, wrapped in soft cloth, was a straight sword — its blade sharp and gleaming, its hilt wrapped in worn black leather. Carved into the base of the hilt was a single word: “Wisp.”

'She ordered this online too,' Zhavri thought, running her fingers over the carved name. 'Watched every action manhwa and sword-fighting video she could find to learn how to use it. Named it Wisp because she wanted to move as fast and light as one. But she was too scared to even take it out in front of anyone. If only she knew what’s coming in a year — fear wouldn’t be an option.'

She pulled Wisp from its sheath, and it made a clean, sharp shing sound that echoed in the quiet room. She stood up, holding it with both hands, and fell into a familiar stance — feet shoulder-width apart, blade held diagonally across her body. The muscle memory kicked in instantly — the same fluid, precise movements she’d practiced in secret, late at night when her father was asleep.

She moved through the forms: a sharp downward strike, a quick side s***h, a graceful parry that turned into a counter. Each swing was smooth, Wisp cutting through the air with barely a sound. Her body moved with a strength and grace she’d only seen in the pages of her favorite manhwas — the kind of skill she’d need to survive when the Cataclysm came.

After an hour, she was sweating, her arms burning in the best way. She spun, bringing Wisp around in a wide arc that barely missed the wall, and the system window popped up:

SKILL PROGRESS: SWORDPLAY (ADVANCED) → 75% COMPLETE.

STANCE OF THE QUIET STORM → SPEED BOOST INCREASED BY 10% (APPLIES TO WISP TOO).

STRENGTH +2, AGILITY +3.

REMINDER: CATACLYSM INITIATION IN 362 DAYS.

She grinned, lowering Wisp to catch her breath. 'Not bad for a first day back,' she thought. 'But I need to remember how this goes in the manhwa — he freaks out at first, almost dies, then somehow manages to kill the Shadow Stalker right as his system activates. I can’t interfere too much, but I can make sure he doesn’t get hurt worse than he has to.'

She pulled out her laptop and typed “first monster attack Seoul High” into the search bar. In the manhwa, Ji-hoon had faced a Shadow Stalker — a fast, invisible creature that fed on fear. It had nearly gutted him with its claws before his system kicked in, giving him his first OP skill: “Shadow Sight.” But would it be the same here?

The search results were weird — a mix of normal news and strange, vague reports about “unexplained animal attacks” in the area around the school. Zhavri saved the articles to her desktop, then pulled up a map of the neighborhood. According to the manhwa, the attack would happen in the alley behind the convenience store where Ji-hoon worked part-time — right after his late shift ended at 10 PM.

'I need to be there,' she thought, marking the spot on the map. 'Hide in the shadows, keep an eye on things. Let him fight his own fight — it’s how he gets his skill. But if he’s about to die for real… then I’ll step in. Every win between now and next year is one more step toward making it through the Cataclysm.'

She spent the rest of the night preparing: packing a small bag with water, bandages, and a flashlight; checking the cash card to make sure there was enough money to buy a proper leather sheath for Wisp; and practicing her singing — just a few notes at first, then a full verse of the song she’d recorded online. The Voice of the Storm skill hummed around her, making the lights flicker slightly.

SKILL PROGRESS: VOICE OF THE STORM → 60% COMPLETE.

NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: “FEAR DISPELL” — SINGING CAN CALM FEAR IN YOURSELF AND OTHERS. CRITICAL FOR CATACLYSM SURVIVAL.

As she climbed into bed that night, Wisp resting against the wall beside her, the city outside was quiet. But Zhavri could feel it — a low hum in the air, like the first rumble of an earthquake. 'Two days left until the first fight,' she whispered to the dark room. '362 days until the end of the old world. Let’s make every one of them count.'