Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Tower Master Forgives the [Regressor] at the Man's Full Prostration
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"Regression."
"!"
"Regression."
"!?"
"Regression."
"Hic!"
"Regression."
"Nngh~!"
Every time I uttered the word "regression," Seong-yeon shuddered violently.
She screamed like Sun Wukong trapped in the Brazen Head furnace, her face turning pale blue.
Poor girl.
"Were you reading stuff like this?"
The bookshelf in our guild master's office, freshly moved in after the relocation, was packed with work-related materials and novels.
Mostly [regression stories]. Otherwise, [romance].
Surprisingly, for her personality, it even included a yandere classic from the [male-oriented harem genre] that even I recognized.
"What? You into this kind of thing? Kinda unexpected for you."
"Don't looook~!"
The regression novels were probably reference material.
Evidence of her desperate struggles to assess her situation and break my curse.
"More importantly, where'd you hear it from? Who told you!?"
"The Knight of Pure Love. Some weird constellation with a speech pattern so warped you can't tell which side is the real personality. What, you never met that constellation?"
"-No."
"At least not this loop?"
"Don't put it like that. I'm terrified right now. I don't know when you'll die, so I've been mentally preparing to follow you anytime..."
Seong-yeon's aura was gathering.
Around her neck.
The moment I die, she'll kill herself instantly.
"Whoa, whoa, disperse that aura, you lunatic. What the hell are you doing?"
Truth be told, I was trembling inwardly too.
How far could I go?
How far could I probe?
I had no idea.
"But this is the first time something like this has happened. You mentioning regression at all is abnormal...!"
"That's why I came to tell you. So please stop the extreme crap. You think blowing up your own head instead of mine helps anything?"
"B-But!"
I was clueless too.
So first, I dove in headfirst.
"Curious how I found out and why I'm here? I'll tell you everything that happened right after clearing, so prick up your ears."
"Okay..."
I spilled everything I'd seen to Seong-yeon.
Every detail of the situation, without holding back.
The constellation giving me memories I didn't have, the bizarre memory of my head exploding, the curse on me according to what I heard, and Seong-yeon the regressor trying to save me.
The reason my head explodes is some specific NG action. And ridiculously, it's because I learned some secret from someone.
"The constellation told you everything?"
"Yeah."
"I-Impossible! Constellations side with the Tower Master! So how... And you're fine even knowing about regression! This is weird!"
What am I, a side character?
But that's how it happened.
"Let's sum it up. You're hiding some secret from me, and I have to dig it up myself? If I find out another way, boom?"
"That's right, but... it'll be hard. If you were sane, you'd realize immediately, but you're cursed..."
"You came to the Golden Tower to escape this curse?"
"Misunderstanding. It might look that way now, but my initial reason for entering this tower was far more selfish."
"Personal gain?"
"Something like that. But saying it might really... kill you."
"........."
Selfish, huh.
A regressor's reason for climbing a tower is always the same in any novel.
To cheese through with cheats and snag the rewards.
What reward did Seong-yeon want?
It was frustrating—we both knew, yet couldn't connect.
"So many questions. Why the curse on me, what's your secret, how many loops have you done and what happened in between."
"........."
"Can't even speak when we're this close to the truth. So frustrating."
We were almost there.
Right on the verge.
Yet that unreachable itch ground my teeth.
'Fuck.'
I stood, brewed some coffee.
Cheap instant mix. But the sugar rush made it tasty.
We sat in silence for about five minutes.
Seong-yeon testing her limits on what she could say, me waiting.
......
......It was then.
"Pffft!?"
"Kyaa!"
I spat out my coffee, and Seong-yeon screamed at my antics.
She didn't see the system window floating before me.
"Tower Master!"
"W-What, Tower Master!?"
We both shot to our feet.
What timing is this?
Right when me and my friend were reconciling!?
"R-Really? You're the Tower Master!?"
Quick answer...!
She's watching in real time!
"Eek!"
Seong-yeon's face drained of color too, and she slid off her chair, bowing her head flat.
Her reaction said this wasn't her first time. She'd met her multiple times across loops.
This was the god who cursed my friend...
Of all names, she claimed one from mythology infamous for holding grudges...!
"...Seong-yeon-ah?"
"Something's wrong! You can't tell others about regression...! It's one of the NG actions you mentioned, but since the constellation relayed it through you, no death like usual...!"
"So you descended in person!?"
I rephrased politely.
I hurriedly dropped to one knee.
Cold sweat dripped. My scalp tingled sharply.
"...Ugh!?"
Seong-yeon clamped her mouth shut.
This was bad.
My friend had been broken by this god for too long.
'How many chances do you get to talk to the Tower Master!'
I bit my lip.
Licked it, oiled my throat, mustered courage.
"Tower Master. If it's alright, could you tell this idiot of ours exactly how he exploited the loophole?"
"Chang-gi-ya...!?"
I stepped forward.
Had to protect this guy instead of the one bowing.
Only then could our story progress.
-A man?
He cleared the 10th floor that way?
Who knew you could strategize like that.
Sigh, so that's it...
"Pardon me. Isn't this tower's theme love? Strictly speaking, homosexuality isn't a sin. Shouldn't it be embraced?"
"Chang-gi-yaaa..."
She called from behind, but I pressed on boldly.
Might die, but no choice.
She pondered.
Didn't snap like I expected; her tone softened a bit.
"...Sorry! The kid's talking out of line! Chang-gi-ya, you apologize too!"
Luckily, reason worked.
We could work with this.
Then... butter her up.
Make her feel good, praise her.
"Thank you, Tower Master. Your sincerity toward the tower explains why you couldn't forgive my friend's foolish act. That's why you cursed him, right?"
-She bit.
Answering meant room for dialogue.
My mind was unusually clear, and the [Clear Reward] from the knight shone in my heart.
"No. Not trying to persuade. Just... want to apologize to you."
I didn't know why it glowed.
My tongue and body moved on their own, like puppeted.
"If I may presume, this bastard used his regression knowledge to bypass trials? So you cursed him in anger."
"You did it?"
"Not this loop."
"Still, my bro fucked you over. He started the bypassing trend. Suspicious as hell. Basically trashed half your tower?"
"Then you have every right to be pissed. No excuses from me. The fucker was wrong."
The [Clear Reward] inside me spoke.
"And... I feel like his messing up the tower was vaguely because of me. So isn't it natural for me to apologize?"
I didn't know.
Just following the [Clear Reward]'s lead.
My brightly glowing heart kept advising even now.
Show sincerity first.
Half-assed flattery doesn't work on gods.
It stripped my shame, instilled the spirit of full prostration.
"Your reaction confirms my guess. Then, as his associate, I apologize again. Truly sorry. Allow me to atone sincerely here."
Dignity be damned. Lives were at stake.
I stripped off upper and lower clothes, went full dogeza naked.
Ultimate male humiliation... but opponent was a god.
.........
...How would she react?
The naked dogeza at this timing caught her off guard; system stalled.
But I felt her presence. Close by.
Aura might reveal her, but I desperately held back.
A small query appeared right before my nose on the floor.
I didn't move.
"Pride comes second. No matter how many loops my friend does... right here, right now, my neck and his life are on the line. In this situation, I can't even talk to hear why—it's suffocating."
The frustration was beyond limits.
Truthfully, I barely knew why I was dogeza-ing.
Like leaping into fire, instinctual.
"A friend I hadn't seen in years approaches like we met yesterday. Then pushes girls on me, practically forces me into the tower. Pissed me off when he suddenly said climb it, but I thought it'd reveal why he sent me. Nothing. Says talking blows my head off—what questions can I ask?"
"I was. Punched him a few times when I got here. But violence solves nothing. Amid the headache, you appeared, Tower Master."
I slammed my forehead pleading.
"I'm desperate. Tormenting him isn't fun anymore. Let me entertain you royally instead."
Slam.
"Naked dance fine. Run outside like this if ordered. Anything short of harm, I'll do."
Slam.
"Please, let us talk. I earnestly beg you, Tower Master."
Trance-like.
Humiliation to this degree.
Only my glowing [Clear Reward] heart knew why.
"Want to hear it from him, get righteously mad. He's died on me who-knows-how-many times unknown to me, manipulated my life repeatedly."
"Talk... if he's sorry... forgive at the end."
"If he were truly evil, he'd have been viler. I don't know the curse details, but couldn't he? Avoid Golden Tower entirely, ignore my death."
Her tone edged toward her true self.
She was deliberating.
Then the window shifted to Seong-yeon bowing.
A mocking laugh suddenly burst.
──True nature emerged.
"...My heart's tearing apart."
"Right now, I want to strip bare... go outside... kowtow to the tower..."
How much grudge against Seong-yeon?
Light with me, merciless with her.
Yet this felt positive...
Some premonition.
"I'm so ashamed... want to claw my neck... suicide... shred my body... feed it to birds..."
"Please kill me... don't want Chang-gi remembering this..."
Scary.
Staying silent to avoid notice, another anomaly.
System window suddenly shook wildly.
Constellation—the Knight of Pure Love?
She'd called earlier; now beside her?
"...Eh?"
"!"
Seong-yeon slammed her head down.
"Th-Thank you! Truly, thank you!!"
She's watching me.
Just protected friendship, yet she ascribes grand meaning.
Faintly, she smelled like the Knight of Pure Love.
Final words to Seong-yeon, then the system vanished.
Golden light lingered on Seong-yeon.
"Ah...!"
She said it'd ease the curse.
Didn't know how much, but Seong-yeon's face brightened more than ever.