The Regressor Makes an Effort (5)
The Regressor Makes an Effort (5)
"Hmm... is that so? Go ahead and ask. In the meantime, want some jerky? It's shriveled from the cold, but it's surprisingly edible."
Eom Hong-jun held out a strip of jerky, his expression innocent. I could feel pure goodwill radiating from him.
"..."
The problem was that feeling pure goodwill toward me right now made no sense.
I was holding a sword. My face was set in stone. My voice was cold.
Any normal person would be terrified or feel threatened enough to take a combat stance—not casually offer jerky.
"Thank you."
I took the jerky and stuffed it into my mouth. Since I'd eaten far too much of it over repeated regressions and was close to throwing up, I just swallowed it whole.
"Whoa, you can swallow it like that? I wanna try too!"
Startled by what I'd done, Eom Hong-jun immediately shoved his own jerky into his mouth.
"Gack, gack..."
It must have caught in his throat; he pounded the floor, coughing and hacking, before finally catching his breath. I'd been watching him in silence and only then got to the point.
"Hong-jun."
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Where are you trying to go? I saw you packing your things."
"Me? I'm heading over that way."
We were inside the castle, so the outside wasn't visible, yet Eom Hong-jun pointed into empty air. But I hadn't spent only a day or two here, so I knew exactly what he meant.
"...The mountain range?"
"Yeah!"
Grinning brightly, he tied his leather pouch shut. He checked the condition of his cold-weather gear with surprising thoroughness, then immediately got to his feet.
"No, no, why would you suddenly want to go to the mountains?"
I'd only pegged him as a suspicious figure—I never expected a madman wanting to climb a mountain to show up. We were in the middle of a survival mission, and now he says he's going to the mountains? Why?
"Well... because I want to?"
Eom Hong-jun looked dumbfounded, as if I'd asked him the most obvious question in the world. It made me feel like the weird one.
"It's freezing out there."
"I have cold-weather gear, don't I?"
"What about at night? You might freeze to death."
"Ah... that could happen, I guess."
Eom Hong-jun rolled his eyes once.
"Still, what can I do if it's something I want."
"..."
"I'm not hurting anyone else, and it's not causing any problems... isn't it irrelevant? If I die... well, it can't be helped. Anyway, I'm off."
Grinning cheerfully, Eom Hong-jun headed for the castle gate.
Doing it just because he wants to, huh...
That man is not normal.
Snow was falling outside. It was brutally cold. On top of that, a portentous "survival mission" had just been issued.
And in this situation, he suddenly declares he'll climb a mountain? Just because he feels like it?
He's nothing but a lunatic. A mental case who's merely lucky to have survived up to Floor 4.
"..."
And yet, I couldn't say a single word.
The Eom Hong-jun before my eyes was truly free. I didn't know whether this man would live or die, but he would most likely die. And he didn't care. He had no fear of the challenge at all.
Why do most people shy away from reckless challenges? Even when a nameless longing bubbles up inside them, aren't they simply afraid of the opportunity cost and therefore never try?
But this man... he doesn't give a damn about any of that. He'll probably keep climbing that mountain until the very moment he drops dead.
If this man, who only has one life to live, can be like this—what in the world was I afraid of?
Why did I assume Floor 4 was a defense mission? Because it was cold outside? Because there was a sturdy castle? Because the monsters changed form every time?
Why did I blindly obey the given rules? Was leaving the castle truly, absolutely impossible? Even if I racked my brains, was it genuinely impossible?
Of course, going to the mountains was 100 percent suicide. There was the terrain itself, higher ground was even colder, and variables like altitude sickness existed. What's more, winged monsters had been sighted before, so there was no guarantee monsters couldn't reach you.
But.
The act of leaving the castle itself seemed like a gamble worth trying.
I instantly took the portal back to reality, gathered a mountain of necessary information, and immediately bit my lip.
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 4.]
***
-117 : 11 : 00
It hadn't even been three hours since Floor 4 began.
After finishing every preparation, I stepped up in front of everyone.
"From now on, we will prepare to leave the castle."
"...?"
"...?"
Everyone tilted their heads in confusion, but I paid no mind.
"We need to build sleds, tents from spare cold-weather gear, and snowshoes. If we prepare quickly, I estimate it can be done within six hours. Our target is to depart before the sun sets."
"..."
"We will survive. Outside this castle. Any questions?"
"...Are you insane?"
"Can't you see the snow falling right now? We'll freeze our asses off."
The players' jaws dropped in shock. They had only thought I was a powerful fighter—they clearly hadn't expected me to drop a bombshell like this.
"No, this is a bit..."
Even Yun Jung-hyun, who normally never batted an eye, looked troubled, as if swallowing this at face value was too much. This much pushback was within my expected range.
"I know what you're all thinking. But I have clear grounds for this."
I pulled out a worn old book I'd prepared in advance and waved it in front of them.
"You all know that I discovered a secret archive on Floor 1, right? Some of you have actually seen it with your own eyes..."
"That is..."
"We did see it..."
Once I confirmed that people were nodding, flustered though they were, I continued.
"This book says the following: 'An irresistible death approaches. Flee at once toward the rising sun. That alone is the path to survival.' We've found a hidden piece, a freebie route. We've hit the jackpot—what are you hesitating for?"
Obviously, it was a complete lie. This book was an etiquette manual teaching nobles' table manners. The words I'd just spoken were entirely fabricated.
"H-how can we trust that? It's a language we've never seen before, so aren't you just spouting nonsense?"
"Not at all. We have a witness right here; how long do you intend to deny it?"
At my signal, Ahn Gyeong-nam shuffled forward nervously. He cleared his throat several times, then solemnly declared in a slightly cracked voice.
"That... what this gentleman says is entirely true. My trait is an A-rank trait called 'Analysis Complete'... are there any people here from countries other than Korea?"
Once Ahn Gyeong-nam demonstrated on the spot that he could analyze English, Spanish, French, and even the otherworld language used by the otherworlders, people finally began to murmur.
"...Is this for real?"
"So we really did luck out and discover a hidden piece?"
Ahn Gyeong-nam was trembling with guilt as he watched their reaction. Naturally, he also knew that I had lied. He'd simply gone through a small "persuasion" process.
"I've heard a lot about you, Gyeong-nam."
"Huh? Who are you?"
"I saved you in the tutorial. Don't you remember? I grabbed the Minotaur by the neck and—"
"Uh... ah? You're the one from back then...!"
"And on Floor 3, I also got close to Kyung-jun..."
"Oh, really? Wow, what a connection...!"
"And I heard you and Da-hye are dating? Here, I'll give you two mid-grade potions. I got them on Floor 3, but I have absolutely no use for them..."
"...Thank you so much...! I'd like to do something for you, but I don't have anything on me right now..."
"Come on, why wouldn't you be able to do something for me."
That was the process through which I persuaded him. Truly gentlemanly, is it not.
Also, while Ahn Gyeong-nam was proving his ability, I'd quietly approached Yun Jung-hyun and peddled him the line, "I have a close relationship with Michael Jeter!" At the same time, I dropped a few hints about the Player Association, and trust immediately began to drip from his eyes.
The players' perception had shifted from "Has this guy lost his mind?" to "Has this guy seen something I haven't?"
And just as the tide was about to turn toward "So heading outside is the answer?"—
"Wait, wait. Fine, let's say we can tough it out somehow. But what about the otherworlders?"
The woman with a pronounced chin who manipulated fireballs stepped forward, her face twisted into a deep scowl.
"You claim we can see the bare ground... but once the snow piles up and the weather worsens, ordinary people can't survive. Are you saying we should leave the otherworlders behind in this castle?"
Wait, this woman... in a previous cycle she was grumbling, "We have to look after the otherworlders?" and now she's getting annoyed for the exact opposite reason.
But she wasn't wrong. In an extreme situation, the weak die first. And the weakest people here were the otherworlders. If my plan proceeded as intended, the most vulnerable would indeed be the otherworlders.
Of course, I'd prepared for this, too.
"We'll take a lot of wood with us. We can just light fires. And why are you worrying about the otherworlders?"
"What do you mean, why am I..."
"We are fine."
Baron Jorge nodded, a warm smile on his face.
"I also think the strategy of leaving the castle and fleeing is sound. The territory residents feel the same way."
When I first explained the plan to Baron Jorge, he was lost in thought.
Fleeing the castle? The idea itself was good. Monsters could even appear inside the castle.
But outside it was cold. The environment itself threatened their lives. At least inside the castle, they wouldn't freeze to death.
Play it safe inside the castle? Or go outside and hope for a stroke of luck? Both arguments had merit, and Baron Jorge was agonizing over the decision when—
"Do you... know what this is?"
"What is that? The way it glimmers is... d-don't tell me... an elixir..."
"That's correct. I'll give it to you."
"..."
"It's lowest-grade, but the effect is certain. Even a single drop can instantly heal shallow wounds. Armed with this... wouldn't the territory residents' chances of survival rise dramatically?"
"You have my cooperation."
A small gift changed hands, and Baron Jorge was thoroughly "persuaded" as well. As I thought, I am unmistakably overflowing with leadership qualities.
"If the otherworlders say they're fine, is there any reason to object?"
"..."
The chin-protruding woman shut her mouth like someone struck dumb. With her resistance quelled, I swept my gaze over the other players once more and finished what I had to say.
"For reference, if anyone simply doesn't want to come along for personal conviction... you'll have to have a personal talk with me. Sticking together is how we survive. I will not tolerate any lone-wolf behavior."
Just like in a previous cycle, I slammed the ground with my weapon—thud!—to demonstrate my strength, then promptly seized Eom Hong-jun by the scruff of his neck as he was trying to slink away.
"Ah, no... I have to go to the mountains..."
"Quit your bullshit and just come."
"Fine..."
This time, I will save every single one of them.