The Regressor Trains (1)
The Regressor Trains (1)
[You have cleared Floor 11.]
"Ugh, I'm so damn tired."
The moment I got back to reality, I squirmed into bed. Since I'd been sleeping rough the past few days, I was desperate for the softness of the mattress.
"Mmm... you're back?"
"Yeah. Sleep more. I need some shut-eye too. We'll talk in the morning."
"...Alright."
It was late at night. I lay down next to the sleeping Choi Ji-won and savored the plush feel of the pillow. Ah, now I finally feel human again.
I'll think about the details tomorrow... for now, I just need sleep. So damn tired...
**
The next morning.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, it's just... it feels weird."
I hadn't noticed right after returning, but now I could see the large sword propped up next to the bathroom door, along with various pieces of armor.
Seeing cold, lethal weaponry in an ordinary modern home is jarring. When the backdrop was forests or caves, I just went with it, but seeing it in reality, it's seriously strange.
"The dwarf elders offered me free gear, so I grabbed some for you too."
Choi Ji-won smiled softly. With dwarf-forged armor, I'd definitely cut down on those absurd regressions. The fact that it's an item I can wear into the Tower is a bonus.
"Hmm... good job. And I want to rest too, Ji-won. But there's something I think we need to address first."
It's not exactly a topic for first thing in the morning, but precisely because it's now, I have to bring it up.
"Should we... regress this time? Or not?"
In other words, whether to regress.
"As you know, we did waste some time getting to Floor 11..."
I'd held out on Floor 10, which I truly loathed, took a full rest, then climbed to Floor 11. But originally, my principle is to climb the Tower as fast as possible, as efficiently as possible, as perfectly as possible.
And Floor 11 wasn't as hateful as Floor 10, so repeating a few more times wouldn't have been a huge deal. And I actually did regress quite a lot there.
"Hmm..."
Choi Ji-won hummed at my question.
"For now, I think this cycle is the best outcome. It's not without regrets, but I don't think it's worth repeating regressions over."
"...True, the result turned out pretty decent."
"But, there's still one thing we haven't solved, right?"
She opened Google Maps and pulled up Beijing, China.
"Zhang Lei. We need to find that bastard. For that, I'm okay with regressing."
Exactly. Even if Floor 11's problem is solved, the culprit who ruined that floor is still out there.
"Right. We definitely need to crush that guy, but..."
If we can't find a way to properly crush the one called Zhang Lei, all our suffering on Floor 11 will mean nothing. How can we know if that bastard will cause more mayhem on Floor 12 or Floor 13?
"How do we find him?"
The problem is, this job is no different from looking for a needle in a haystack.
Aside from the name Zhang Lei, we knew absolutely nothing about him. At best, that he was a top-ranked player? No idea what using that as a lead would turn up.
"First... I'll try digging into Chinese communities. With a VPN and a translator, I can probably manage something."
So I cautiously turned on the computer.
"Hmm..."
But not long after I started browsing, I realized this was impossible.
First, the name Zhang Lei is incredibly common in China. With such a massive population, there are countless Zhang Leis.
And on Chinese communities, mentions of players are truly rare. Even the few mentions are all praise, and stories about who did what, who did that—you could search until your eyes bled and still not find a thing.
"Hm..."
Was there really no way to find Zhang Lei? I was about to give up with a sigh.
"The Association is in China too?"
I discovered from the Chinese community that the Player Association also had a branch there. Maybe the Association could be the answer.
"Ji-won. We'll have to regress."
If we can't find Zhang Lei, I'd already resolved to regress. And what I'm about to do now is under the assumption that we'll regress.
"Where did my phone go?"
"Who are you contacting?"
"The person I mentioned before."
With a determined gesture, I picked up the phone and dialed the number stored in my memory. After a long ring, the voice of the man I was looking for came through.
[Yes. This is Yun Jung-hyun, head of the Player Management Department.]
"Hello. This is Kim Jun-ho."
[Huh?]
The casual "I'm Kim Jun-ho" is an impertinence I reserve for Choi Ji-won, but with Yun Jung-hyun it's different—he already knew my name.
Yun Jung-hyun, former second-grade agent of the National Intelligence Service, now head of the Player Management Department.
We went through Floor 4 together. Of course, in the final cycle I simply led everyone and cleared it unilaterally, but I remember we exchanged names. To Yun Jung-hyun, I must look like some mysterious, insane player.
[By any chance, from Floor 4...]
"Yes, that's right."
[Please hold a moment.]
Yun Jung-hyun's voice cut off briefly, and some clattering sounds came through. He must be preparing something.
If I hadn't planned to regress, I wouldn't have done something like this. My number would be exposed, my location through my phone, my purpose too—it's the complete opposite of my usual approach of staying hidden and moving in the shadows.
But once I've steeled myself to regress, what is there to fear? A regressor who has decided to regress is unstoppable—practically like a berserker with an axe in each hand.
[Yes, Mr. Jun-ho. Pleasure. To what do I owe the call?]
"...You're not going to ask how I got your number?"
[Haha, that isn't important. You called because you have business, I assume.]
"..."
Why is he so calm? We aren't hostile to each other, but we're not exactly close either. Does he know something about me? I'm suspicious, but I have something to confirm, so I'll get straight to the point.
"I'm looking for a player."
[A player? If they're registered with the Association, that should be possible. I happen to be in the Player Management Department.]
"But it's a player from China. I heard the Association has a branch there too."
[Hmm. China might be a bit difficult...]
Yun Jung-hyun's voice trailed off. The confident tone from just moments ago slowly faded.
[That is... the Chinese branch is a bit different from other countries.]
"...Different?"
[Yes. On paper, it carries the name 'Association,' but it's strongly influenced by its own government... so communication with us isn't exactly smooth.]
"Is that possible?"
[Dictatorial countries are all more or less in the same boat. Let's just say it's a transaction: we get the political credit of having an Association that spans the globe, and they receive our know-how.]
"Tch..."
This is extremely troublesome. I contacted Yun Jung-hyun as my last resort, and even he doesn't have a clear solution. Am I really supposed to give up here?
[Still, news does trickle to us occasionally, so if you just give me a name, I'll commit it to memory. I could contact you as soon as I learn something.]
"..."
That's... meaningless. Since I'll be regressing anyway, I don't have a "next time."
"Zhang Lei. The player's name is Zhang Lei. I hear he has a really filthy temper."
Just in case, I said Zhang Lei's name anyway.
[Zhang Lei? Are you sure?]
Yun Jung-hyun's reaction wasn't normal. A degree of alarm he couldn't hide bled through his voice.
[If it's the Chinese player Zhang Lei... I know of him. But I really must ask you one thing: why are you looking for him?]
Yun Jung-hyun's tone carried heavy implications. I could have evaded the question, but since I'm planning to regress anyway, I decided to be frank.
"...I've just cleared Floor 11. And that bastard Zhang Lei had wrecked the place. Ah, have you cleared Floor 11? Maybe you can't hear this."
[No, I can hear you. It's just that I don't think you can go into further detail.]
"Oh, really? Anyway, I intend to find him and take appropriate measures."
By "appropriate measures" here... I meant up to and including the ultimate means.
[Hmm... I see. I understand what you intend, Mr. Jun-ho.]
It was just a phone call, so I could only hear his voice, but I got the feeling Yun Jung-hyun nodded his head.
[But unfortunately, Mr. Jun-ho's wish cannot be fulfilled.]
"...Why?"
[Zhang Lei. How do you think I know of that player?]
Ding. A sound came from my phone. I pulled it away from my ear and checked the screen: Yun Jung-hyun had sent a community link.
"Hey, you know that bastard Death God? The crazy fuck who posts corpse pics on the deep web."
"Death God? That name's cringy as hell."
"He calls himself Death God. Thing is, after he kills someone, he carves the character for death into their head with a knife. Then he takes a photo and posts it on the deep web."
"Isn't he just fucking insane?"
"I know that guy. That bastard only kills and 'verifies' named players. Dude's seriously fucking lost it."
"Recently he even posted a pic of that Indian player Riya, it was seriously gross..."
"Wasn't Riya just missing in the Tower? Did she get killed irl? I liked her cuz she was pretty."
"Says the guy who actually went looking for that pic—and he calls it gross, lmao."
"...What is this?"
Out loud I asked what this was, but inside I'd already caught on.
[Zhang Lei. That man was already killed.]
"..."
[By that "Death God" character.]
The Chinese player Zhang Lei.
He was already deceased.