The Regressor Is Startled (7) (End of Part 1)
The Regressor Is Startled (7) (End of Part 1)
[Can't we use this situation to our advantage?]
"...?"
Original Kim Jun-ho tilted his head slightly, as if asking what I meant. But soon, he narrowed his eyes, apparently understanding my proposal.
"...Are you saying we should fight? Here? Over and over?"
[Exactly. We can use this place like a Room of Spirit and Time, like in the comics.]
A guy named 'Kim Jun-ho' has a pretty objective grasp of his own position. Setting aside his regression, his raw combat power surpasses the upper ranks but falls short of the absolute peak. Meaning, he already knows his own strength is lacking. Especially when it comes to swordsmanship, comparing himself to Choi Ji-won is still frankly embarrassing.
Despite this, the reason he doesn't just hole up somewhere and grind swordsmanship training is surprisingly simple. It's because the training itself can trigger a regression.
All kinds of fiction gloss over training arcs in a panel or two with a simple 'I just trained!' But anyone who's actually tried to learn a martial art knows. They know what a punishing process training really is.
The human body isn't optimized for combat. And training, or conditioning, is the act of forcing the body to adapt to a martial art.
In that process, skin gets scraped off, blood gets spilled, bruises form, bones break, mend, and calluses build up. That's entirely normal. The problem is, every single one of those things is an act that triggers a regression.
Sure, you could clear a floor and then train on Floor 1 after returning to reality... but if you get injured in that process and regress, you have to climb the Tower all over again. The process is far too long and complicated.
So, Kim Jun-ho could never train to the point of damaging his body. No, even attempting the act of training itself required extreme caution. All he could do was hone his instincts through repeated real combat. This is also why his palms are still soft and his body bears not a single scar.
[But this place is different.]
However, if the 'floor' itself is the training ground, the story changes. You have to regress and clear the floor again? What if the training process is the very process of clearing the Tower? An environment is created where you can fully commit to swordsmanship training without any wasted steps.
[We don't know what the Tower will throw at us next. It's smarter to get strong enough now before moving on. Besides, you said you're inexperienced in fighting humans with a sword, right?]
In reality, moments come when you're too weak and are forced into a 'choice you can't refuse.' A time comes when you must weigh two values on a scale and pick only one. To avoid such situations, the original needed to become stronger.
But here is an environment where two people with identical talent can fight each other endlessly, each holding a sword. This could only be described as a heaven-sent opportunity.
"Hmm... I get that this is an excellent training ground. There's a sword, a sparring partner, and the only distraction is that chattering Archangel. It's perfect for fighting through repeated regressions."
Original Kim Jun-ho gave a small nod.
"But why are you telling me not to regress? That's the part I don't get."
[If you clear Floor 5, what do you think happens to me?]
"...Ah."
When the original clears Floor 5, there's a very high probability that I will be annihilated. Since the Tower arbitrarily created me as a lifeform for Floor 5, erasing me would be simple enough.
[But the crucial point is whether my memories will carry over.]
Yet, when the original clears Floor 5 and then regresses, my memories might carry over, or they might vanish entirely. Do the memories of an 'annihilated' regressor persist? I wanted to avoid an unnecessary risk.
"...Still, that alone seems like an insufficient explanation."
[There's one more reason.]
Aside from the horrifying risk of my existence being erased, there was another problem.
[Kim Jun-ho. Do you consider yourself a strong-willed person?]
"...No?"
[That's exactly it.]
If Original Kim Jun-ho's memories were perfectly intact and he came back to Floor 5 to fight again, the atmosphere would be amicable.
"...?"
Yeah, amicable. It wouldn't be desperate. And because I'm not that strong-willed, I'd feel a powerful urge to give up at some point.
To whip my lazy self into shape, the original must know nothing of this plan.
[Here's my plan.]
So that Original Kim Jun-ho cannot know this plan, Clone Kim Jun-ho will regress first. Then, I'll attack the original. I'll keep training until I've grown strong enough to force the original to regress.
"...Wouldn't I be the one regressing from that point on?"
[Correct.]
And the moment 'meeting me for the first time' Original Kim Jun-ho tastes defeat and has the memory of recognizing me as an enemy imprinted on him... the infinite regression begins.
Each of us will fight an endless battle to overcome the other.
[If I get stronger, you'll have to regress to beat the stronger me... and as you get stronger, I'll also become stronger to defeat you again. In this constant back-and-forth struggle, you'll be able to develop at an incredible rate.]
"...But then there's no end to it. If we fight, it won't end until one of us goes crazy."
[No, it ends when I surrender.]
It's already confirmed that if I admit defeat, Floor 5 is treated as cleared. The important thing is something else.
[The core of this plan... is that I must not go insane.]
To open the portal in the first place, I must genuinely admit defeat. But what if I lose my mind in the process and forget all that? What if I become a mental patient just giggling and drooling, surrender be damned?
Then we really could both be trapped here forever. So, the most critical factor is the limit of my own sanity.
[Right before I truly, truly go insane, I'll tell you. That we made this agreement now, and that every fight up to that point was purely a process to train you.]
"..."
[So I plan to mutter to myself the whole time we fight. Don't forget, don't forget. It'll probably look crazy to you, so you'll be able to fight back even more ferociously.]
Thinking it over again, the plan is perfect. This will drastically reduce the time needed for the original to grow stronger.
"...Alright. It all sounds good. If things go according to this plan, I can definitely get stronger."
But the original's expression was deeply troubled.
"Still... this plan is basically shifting the mental burden from me onto you. You'd be taking on all the strain I'd normally suffer during training."
The plan was for me, the Clone, to endlessly refine my skills and thereby raise the original's realm. But the difference in our physical capabilities is enormous. I'll have to work far, far harder than the original would.
For every one regression the original does, I might have to regress a hundred times. For every hundred times the original regresses, I might have to regress ten thousand times.
"Can you... really do it?"
In the end, it was no different from sacrificing myself for the original. You could even see it as trading my sanity to power up the original. Honestly, I'm not too keen on it either. The path ahead is clearly one of pure hardship; anyone itching to do this would have to be insane.
[But I'm a Clone anyway, aren't I?]
"..."
[I'm nothing but a thing that will disappear once you clear Floor 5. To exaggerate a bit, my life has a set expiration date.]
Still, my destruction was already a foregone conclusion. Since I was going to die anyway, I wanted to be of at least some use. Part of me also wanted to get back at the bastards in the Tower who created me.
[Forget it. I'm the one who has to execute this anyway. Don't worry about me.]
Dwelling on it any longer felt like it would only shake my resolve. I should just regress right now.
[Alright then. I'm regressing.]
I sincerely hoped that the path I was about to tread would be of help.
The moment I finished steeling myself and raised my arm high to punch myself in the chest.
"Uh, hey. I've done my fair share of regressions, so I know a thing or two..."
The original stopped me, looking a bit awkward.
[...?]
"Instead of punching your chest, biting the inside of your cheek is faster. Stay strong. Thank you."
[...Ha.]
A puff of dry laughter escaped me, and then I immediately bit down hard on the inside of my mouth.
[Thanks for the pro tip.]
And so, an eternity of time passed.
***Protagonist POV***
Again, the present. The Clone's long story finally came to an end.
"..."
I stood frozen, realizing that the Clone I had been endlessly trading blows with had, in truth, been sacrificing himself for me.
"...How many times did you regress?"
[Countless times.]
"...And you're okay after all that?"
[Of course not.]
His voice was calm. His skin was unblemished. Outwardly, at least, the Clone seemed fine. Since regression restores the body to its original state, that was only natural in a way.
But his voice lacked inflection. His eyes were ash-gray, like faded paper.
The Clone was rotting on the inside. This was the fate of a regressor. The end of a person commonly depicted in countless stories, someone who has lost their humanity and sprinted toward nothing but their goal.
[...Open your Status Window.]
The Clone spoke flatly.
"...Yeah."
A faint smile hung on the Clone's lips. It almost felt like looking at Sisyphus after he finally put down his boulder. Part of me wanted to apologize, to say I was sorry, but it seemed meaningless, so I quietly opened my Status Window.
[Name: Kim Jun-ho] [LV:42]
[Traits]
-Regression [EX]
-Flash Step [S]
-Heart of Lightning [S]
-Curiosity [A]
-Awe [A]
-Hero [C]
-Meditation [C]
-Swordsmanship [B]
"...My achievement level shot way up... and the Swordsmanship Trait became B-rank."
Honestly, I didn't know how amazing B-rank really was. Thinking of it like a game stat, it felt a bit disappointing compared to the devotion the Clone had shown. The grade of 'B' was quite ambiguous that way.
But as the person experiencing it directly, I had undergone a dramatic growth on Floor 5. At least when it came to 'mana-infused swordsmanship,' I felt confident I had surpassed Choi Ji-won. The Clone's sacrifice was by no means meaningless. Thanks to it, I had been able to develop by leaps and bounds.
[Was I... enough of a help?]
The Clone asked cautiously. I thought I'd been through my own share of grueling hardship, but it was nothing compared to his. This guy had pushed himself to the literal brink of madness. Just for me.
Trapped in this cramped arena, studying the sword alone, charging at me over and over.
For the Clone, there was no one else. In this world, it was just me and him. Only the two of us. How agonizing must that have been?
"...You helped more than I can say. I'll remember it. What you did for me."
[...Good, I'm glad...]
He let the sword drop from his hand with a clatter and sprawled out spread-eagle on the floor.
[My swordsmanship... is specialized for making you suffer. You probably won't need to learn it. Now go. I'm already broken. Don't do anything pointless, just head straight to Floor 6.]
The Clone closed his eyes softly, telling me to throw him away as if it were nothing.
[...I want pizza.]
With those final words, the Clone stopped moving. At the same time, a message window floated before my eyes.
<You have cleared Floor 5.>
<You may use the portal to exit. Thank you for your hard work so far, and we wish you continued diligence.>
"..."
I returned to Floor 1 through the portal, then immediately bit the inside of my cheek and regressed.
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 5.]
***
[H-Hold on a second. Don't you think we really don't have to fight?]
"..."
When we met again, the Clone truly seemed to have forgotten everything. Just as he had predicted, the moment Floor 5 was cleared, his existence was erased and the memories of the regressions were reset.
"That's a relief."
If the Clone had continued to live even after I cleared Floor 5, he would have been trapped forever in an empty arena with nothing. I honestly thought this was the better outcome.
"Um, why don't you try closing your eyes and admitting defeat? Since we still don't know which one is the Clone."
[...?]
And so, using the method the Clone had told me, I cleared Floor 5 immediately. Maybe because it was an overwhelmingly easy floor for the majority of players, there was no separate reward given.
-Wooong.
"...You're back? It took you a while? Wait, what?"
When I returned to my rented room, Choi Ji-won, who had been sitting in a chair looking at her phone, subtly perked up before shooting to her feet.
"Did something happen?"
Choi Ji-won's expression was startled. It seemed she had sensed something from my demeanor.
Does she know?
How long I fought tooth and nail on Floor 5.
The immense decision my Clone made for me.
How hard he trained with the sword, despite the penalty of his regression ability.
How many times he felt like giving up.
How many times he got back up, thanks to the people who sacrificed for me.
"You know, I think..."
"Hmm?"
But if I were to summarize this entire process in a single sentence, it could probably be summed up like this.
"This regression ability seems way too excessive."