The Regressor Makes an Effort (8)
The Regressor Makes an Effort (8)
I immediately cleared away the scattered bed, created a new one, and threw myself onto it. The soft embrace of the king-size bed, a privilege of Floor 1, enveloped me as always. (Currently, Floor 1 takes the form of a hotel room.)
"Ha... haha..."
A hollow laugh escaped me because it didn't feel real. Finally, finally, I saved everyone. Though I didn't see that final moment myself, the message window that appeared before my eyes is telling me—I succeeded.
Some might say, why are you so drained from just Floor 4? But I'm satisfied. It was a process so exhausting, painful, and draining, but I finally achieved the ending I wanted. That's enough.
Of course, it's true that I'm overly exhausted. Mentally, the right answer might have been to save otherworlders and everyone else moderately and just move on to Floor 5. But I didn't want to. This time, I wanted to save every single person perfectly. Maybe... it's a compensation for the unsettling ending with Dok Su-hee on Floor 3.
No, enough complicated thoughts. Let's just rest a little.
Burying my head in the soft pillow, wrapping myself in the blanket, I roll around on the bed. Having just been in a cold, barren, blood-splattered battlefield, even this small happiness feels wonderful.
"..."
But as the heated passion in my chest slowly cooled and cold reason kicked in, I could no longer roll around.
"What do I do now."
Saving everyone on Floor 4? Good. I succeeded. I've dealt a major blow to the bastards who designed Floor 4 with such absurd difficulty.
But what about Choi Ji-won? How do I save her?
I get up from the bed and check the reward chest. The 50,000-point reward is none other than a 'Low-grade Elixir.'
Good. It's a nice reward, but... it's not helpful right now.
This means... after regressing, I can't leave Floor 4.
In the last cycle's finale, if I hadn't directly intercepted countless wolves, the players would have been helplessly wiped out. Because fewer than ten people could fight the monsters in that cold, hungry, exhausted state.
But what if I'm not there? What if I leave Floor 4 through the portal? What about the wolves?
No, it's not just the wolves. Because I knew the future, I could force the march despite all the opposition. Even while hearing heart-wrenching words like 'it's too hard,' 'my legs won't move,' 'I got frostbite,' I kept pushing forward relentlessly.
But without me, could others reproduce that grueling march just based on the possibility that 'monsters might appear'?
Alright, let's say I don't leave. There is clearly a way to convey information to Choi Ji-won without leaving Floor 4.
For example... if I stay on Floor 4 and deliver a memo through someone else?
Suppose I write a long, detailed note starting with 'Miss Choi Ji-won, I'm actually a regressor, so from your family affairs to the secrets of the sword...' and deliver it to her.
Would Choi Ji-won be able to completely trust that memo? And could she follow it exactly?
"Let's test it."
First, let's test how much information I can convey.
**
Choi Ji-won had already entered Floor 4. I couldn't reach her.
"Heh heh, Jun-ho. Long time no see. How've you been? Been a while since we parted ways on Floor 3. Here, have a drink. Did you clear Floor 4?"
But Firefighter Park Cheol-jin was different. I heard he hadn't quit his firefighting job.
"...Did something happen on Floor 4? You look a bit pale."
Park Cheol-jin asked cautiously as he sat on the convenience store chair.
He had at first handed me a can of coffee with a refreshing smile, but now he was starting to read my expression. I don't look good? I'm fine, though?
"More importantly, I have something to tell you. You're sure you have time, right?"
"Sure, sure. It's the weekend, so I'm free. Oh, speaking of which, Ji-won entered Floor 4 too. Did you happen to meet her?"
"...No. The structure didn't allow meeting each other."
Firefighter Park Cheol-jin didn't answer. He tapped the plastic table as if something was strange, then shrugged his shoulders.
"I didn't hear anything just now. Looks like it was caught by the information restriction."
Yes, this is the situation I was worried about. Even if I want to tell Choi Ji-won information in advance, if it gets caught by the filter, it's all for nothing.
"The way you can help is simple. I'm going to try to convey as much information as possible now."
"..."
"All you have to do is tell me whether you can hear it or not. Is that possible?"
"Alright. Go ahead."
That's why I wanted to test precisely how far the filter goes.
"On Floor 4, you must run away."
"Can't hear it."
"On Floor 4, monsters appear."
"Can't hear it."
"In the Tower, you must not blindly trust your own thoughts."
"I can hear that."
"In the Tower, you must not be bound by modern common sense."
"I can hear that."
The Q&A repeated. Firefighter Park Cheol-jin, noticing that I was earnestly trying something, wholeheartedly assisted my experiment.
Time passed like that.
"You can hear all of this, right?"
"Right."
By the time the convenience store roll cake that Firefighter Park Cheol-jin had bought with the canned coffee had dried out, the experiment finally ended.
"...Can you see what's written here too?"
"Hm. I can see it."
The draft of the 'memo' was completed like that. Its content started with 'In the Tower, you must not be bound by common sense,' then continued with 'People must cherish each other,' 'If you gain more, you must sometimes learn to bend,' and was filled with abstract sentences.
"Ssip..."
It's quite vague. If I rack my brain, it might lead to the conclusion that 'running away from the castle is the answer'...
"Looking at this, could you maybe infer the content of Floor 4?"
"...How could that be."
The problem is that it's filled with too much pie-in-the-sky talk. Because I tried not to get caught by the Tower's filter.
"Actually, I understood what you were saying to some degree. I saw you trying in front of me, and from the order of questions? the direction? I got a rough idea. And because we're close, too."
Firefighter Park Cheol-jin popped the dried-out roll cake into his mouth.
"But... if someone only looks at this memo, that feeling probably won't come across."
That's right.
Unless you meet in person and go through this whole process, if someone deduces the answer just from this memo, they're a genius.
Of course, I confirmed that 'conveying information' itself is possible. But it's far more abstract and imprecise than I thought.
If so... it becomes a bigger problem. Even if I deliver the memo to Choi Ji-won, the persuasive power is an issue. Suppose Choi Ji-won racks her brain and concludes that 'leaving the castle is the answer.'
Could Choi Ji-won really lead everyone and leave the castle?
Like Eom Hong-jun, there might have been people who left the castle besides me. There must have been people who simply didn't post on the internet, secretly took food and left the castle to survive. That's possible.
But 'leaving the castle alone to survive' and 'leading everyone to leave the castle and survive as a group' are completely different matters. Incomparable in difficulty.
I have Curiosity Trait. I have Awe Trait. I have Hero Trait. Moreover, I repeated regressions to understand people's tendencies, and gained favor by giving items in advance.
Even then, controlling people was never easy. To the point that there was actually an attempt to hijack a sled.
Yes, let's put aside the difficulty. If it's Choi Ji-won, she'll succeed somehow. In terms of sheer combat power, she was actually stronger than me.
But whether she can fully believe my 'memo' and act on it completely is another matter. While watching many people suffer, could she continue a forced march trusting only one vague memo?
Could she ignore people whining about dying and push forward endlessly?
No way.
"Hoo..."
Seeing no method at all, my chest felt tight with frustration. What am I supposed to do?
Does saving the people on Floor 4 and persuading Choi Ji-won truly not go together?
Without me, I can't save all the people on Floor 4. Without me, I can't convey what I want to Choi Ji-won.
Choi Ji-won. Choi Ji-won. Choi Ji-won.
The only friend who understood me. The one who provided the drive for me to move forward. A precious person I could never let fall apart.
But that person is no longer here. Gone beyond time, never to be seen again. The Choi Ji-won that exists now is a different person from the one I long for.
Is there really a need to be this obsessed with her now? Even if Choi Ji-won breaks once here, she'll get back up. She'll heal harder and heavier, commensurate with the painful wound.
She's not even alone. She has many friends, and a companion named Boongboong-yi. Unless there's a way I can help, there's no visible way right now... Rationally, giving up is correct.
But just thinking about letting go completely makes my heart ache again. An indescribable sensation. A frustrating tightness different from sadness or irritation.
"...Alright."
I've already found the solution for Floor 4. Since the solution can be repeated anytime, I could consider there to be plenty of time right now. For a regressor, isn't time something that overflows?
There's no need to judge hastily. I decided to make the most rational judgment possible here.
After roughly eating something delicious and playing games for two days,
"Miss Ji-won."
"...It's been a while."
"This might be sudden... but I'm actually a regressor."
I'll meet Choi Ji-won in person.