Day One of the Second Loop
Click.
My breath, it eases.
It was not a body that was leaking life force.
Life force now flows through my entire body.
“…This is it.”
The familiar forest.
I understood what had happened in an instant.
I had regressed again.
“…Regression. It turns out it was never truly one chance.”
Until now, I had regarded each regression as another miraculous opportunity granted to me, and I had lived with utmost fidelity.
Even after acquiring the regression ability, I knew nothing of its principle, nor how many loops I had already endured.
But I had experienced two regressions.
Regression is not one chance—it never was.
In that case, the probability of this loop being the final one was high.
…Infinite regression?
While I sank into deep thought, I felt Jeon Myeong-hoon, the manager, storm over to me with familiar fury.
“Seo Agency, you little bastard!”
Shuuwuk!
Whiiiish!
I easily dodged the hand aimed at my cheek, which Jeon Myeong-hoon had swung in my direction.
Wh-what? Evading me?
Shuuk! Shuuwuk!
Driven by rage, Jeon Myeong-hoon charged at me again, yet I kept my thoughts flowing and continued to dodge his reach with casual ease.
Why… did I regress?
I stared blankly at Jeon Myeong-hoon as he rushed toward me, my face expressionless.
In my previous life,
I had truly lived with all my heart.
Truly faithfully.
I had lived a life that brought me satisfaction, and peacefully passed away.
Even with a slight sense of regret, I had not wished for anything more.
Why… did I regress…?
This body overflowing with life force.
A newly obtained opportunity.
It should have been good.
But…
Everything I had accomplished over fifty years—all of it—
Where had it gone?
I could never find it again.
Yes.
Because I had regressed, all the things I had built over fifty years had vanished without a trace.
This… this Seo Agency, you scoundrel! Because of you, what kind of situation is this? How can you have the face to keep dodging me over and over!
Jeon Myeong-hoon shouted at me in blatant defiance, charging forward.
I stepped lightly and dodged his fists with ease while continuing to ponder.
But… it feels familiar somehow. What could this familiar sensation be…?
Ah, I see.
“…That must be it. Perhaps I unconsciously feared days like today.”
Seo Eun-hyun, you little bastard! Even if you try to run, I want you to face me!
Regression.
I could clearly obtain another miraculous chance through this ability.
Yet everything gained from that chance had been completely erased by yet another regression.
Because the life had been so miraculous, the fear of losing that era through another regression had arisen paradoxically.
This familiar feeling.
It had been born from the complete realization of the fear I held.
Even if another opportunity were granted, would it not have been correct for that era to vanish?
I had lived my life without shame.
But all the things I had lived without shame were now completely gone through regression.
I see.
Perhaps I unconsciously feared my own ability even in my previous life.
No, I am certain—I fear this power.
Upon realizing that the regression ability was not singular, my fear grew even stronger.
Or rather, it had become absolute.
This ability is one that completely negates my life.
If this regression were the end, I could depart in peace.
But if it was not?
If my regression were to repeat forever?
All my lives would be negated, and those I knew would remain forever trapped in the cycle of time.
Yes.
I had clearly identified the true source of my regret—no, my fear.
It was fear born from the ability itself: regression.
Then, how could I overcome the regression ability?
Eliminate the regression ability.
This power should not exist.
I had set my goal for this life—and all the countless lives ahead.
Eliminate my regression ability. Or ensure it never activates again.
That was the long-term goal I would pursue.
“…Then, first.”
I would need to find out where this regression ability originated.
When we were on Earth, none of us had possessed any special physiques or abilities.
The probability that something had appeared after we arrived here was high.
In the past, I had thought such abilities might exist on Earth.
But that did not make sense.
If superpowers like commanding rain and wind, or detecting events kilometers away, had always been present, Managers Oh and Kim would not have needed to join our company.
Therefore, the greatest possibility for eliminating the regression ability… was returning to the original world!
Within this perpetual goal, I refined it further.
Let me aim first to return home.
But to return home, how?
With my current ability… I cannot.
With only the ability of an ordinary person, I could not attempt anything.
I must strengthen my power.
With only second-class martial artist level, it would not suffice.
A cultivator! I must become a cultivator!
Yes.
Become a cultivator, obtain longevity and strength.
Study the Ascension Gate that leads to the upper realms!
I had heard that the space around this Deungsunhyang forest would become unstable when the Ascension Gate opened.
Then, the reason we had fallen to this world might be related to it.
If so, perhaps I could return to the original world through the Ascension Gate.
Become a cultivator and head to the Ascension Gate.
In this way, I had successfully made my goal more precise.
But it was said that one needed a spiritual root to become a cultivator.
Without a spiritual root, an ordinary person could never become a cultivator.
But I had grasped the seed of a spiritual root!
In my previous life,
Hyungyeong told me.
The Ogijowon realm reachable by mortals through martial arts corresponded to the Five Elements Spiritual Root that cultivators are born with.
When one reached Ogijowon, an ordinary person could awaken a spiritual root!
…Yes.
The long-term goal was to become a cultivator, reach the Ascension Gate, find a way back to my hometown, and eliminate my regression ability upon returning.
Huff… Hic… W-what, it’s coming so fast… you scoundrel…
And a shorter goal than that… to obtain the spiritual root necessary to become a cultivator.
Reach the Ogijowon realm through martial arts…?
I let out a long sigh.
Extremely harsh conditions.
Even I, who lacked talent in martial arts, did not know how long it would take me to reach Ogijowon.
It was ironic—would I have to rely on the regression ability to eliminate it?
Yet I felt no despair, for as long as the regression ability existed within me,
my opportunities were infinite.
However long it took… I would definitely reach Ogijowon.
I resolved firmly, and set my direction forward.
Only then did I awaken from my thoughts, panting heavily as I looked at Jeon Myeong-hoon, who had collapsed in front of me.
Manager Jeon… please calm down.
Even if you get angry in this situation, what can it change?
This… this child.
Don’t even know what he did wrong…
Manager Jeon had pushed all his work onto me yesterday, so I didn’t get to sleep at all before the workshop.
And it was agreed that the manager would handle the driving, wasn’t it?
Even though you knew I was sleepy and told me not to bother others with it.
Even when the landslide came, I did everything I possibly could.
The only problem was that the entire side of the mountain collapsed.
Without even a moment to think, I was left helpless.
Don’t assign blame to me based on that strange logic.
Think about what we should do from now on.
I poured out every word in a torrent, then passed Jeon Myeong-hoon and approached Kim Young-hoon.
Hyung… I mean, Manager Kim Young-hoon.
Pardon me, but could I borrow a lighter for a moment?
Yeah, sure.
Thank you.
Since night will come soon, I’ll look for a place to spend the night.
The others can find the car, or search for a way out of this forest—do as you like.
When it gets dark, come over here and I’ll light a fire.
You can see the light and find me.
Uh… no.
After emptying my words, I headed to the cave where I had stayed last time.
Then, gathering branches from around me, I made a windbreak and a door, and prepared to light a bonfire with collected charcoal.
After that, I gathered tree fruits and medicinal herbs from the surroundings and lit the bonfire, roasting them there.
Crackle, crackle…
I tore my underwear to make a pouch for collecting herbs, and wandered around the vicinity gathering them.
I gathered healing herbs, painkillers, and numbing herbs to prepare for tomorrow’s fox attack on my arm, then trimmed and sorted them.
They had all ripened.
After that, I took the roasted tree fruits from under the bonfire, cooled them, peeled the skins, and ate them one by one.
They tasted good.
I filled my stomach adequately, then picked a suitable-length branch nearby and began practicing the basic sword forms of the Danak Sword Art.
Danak Sword Art.
In my previous life,
the sword art created by Hyungyeong during the first regression loop.
Completely suited to my body.
Whoosh, boom boom!
Gripping the sword, I swung it and executed the first to twelfth forms of the Danak Sword Art in sequence.
Hm… my feel is a little off.
In my previous life, just before death, I had been too weak to even hold a sword, so I hadn’t practiced the forms properly.
Because of that, my sword forms had regressed to the barely second-class level.
Still, if I focus my mind for about a month and train, I should be able to regain my feel…
My internal energy would also suffice, as long as I ate the spiritual medicines scattered around Deungsunhyang.
How far could I grow in this life?
I had decided not to join any funny business like the Gwanghan Martial Alliance in this life.
It consumed too much of my personal time.
In my previous life, I had been so consumed by work that I could barely even meet a woman, let alone visit a brothel.
This life, I will focus on martial arts.
To become a cultivator, I first needed to reach Ogijowon to awaken a spiritual root.
But with my meager martial arts talent, it would be a long road.
Raising my realm as high as possible would be the first goal of this life.
After unfolding the Danak Sword Art, I began circulating the Heavenly Earth Heart Method to activate the dantian of this body that had no foundation.
With the Heavenly Earth Heart Method in operation, my body felt clear and my mind refreshed.
…Wait a moment.
I suddenly recalled the martial arts completed by Hyungyeong in my previous life.
Wansuigungmurok.
The martial art for a mortal body to overcome a cultivator.
Hyungyeong had spent his previous life creating this martial art.
But that was after he had already become a Peak Martial Artist.
What if I had taught him this martial art from the beginning?
In my previous life, teaching Hyungyeong high-level martial arts had brought the birth of the strongest under heaven forward by forty years.
Then, if I had taught him the martial art he had spent his whole life perfecting from the very beginning…
I recalled the memory of the last time I had seen Hyungyeong.
Even though my goal had been to obtain the spiritual root needed to become a cultivator through martial arts…
He might perhaps offer me another possibility.
Tap, tap…
From outside the cave, the sound of footsteps approached as if others had come to see the fire I had lit.
Hyungyeong.
Manager Kim Young-hoon, who had entered the cave first, was the first to appear.
I approached him and handed back the lighter, casually asking,
Manager, I know a set of health exercises and breathing techniques… but in this situation I’m getting nervous, so would you mind practicing them together?