The Regressor Gets Stronger (9)
The Regressor Gets Stronger (9)
People can endure anything if they have a goal. That's a timeless truth.
Everyone sets goals, big and small. A small goal might be buying clothes you like; a big one might be getting married, having children, and ending your life happily. We endure painful, boring processes because we're moving toward a sweet goal.
Therefore, the easiest way to drive someone to despair...
"...Hasn't it been three days?"
"Yeah."
Just before reaching the goal, you snatch it away. That was exactly the state of the players trudging through the wilderness right now. Even though they were on the fourth day—three days having come and gone since the bearded man first mentioned that number—they were still walking alongside the carriage.
If they'd been told from the start that the journey would take five, seven, or ten days, it might have been easier. But they'd hypnotized themselves into believing they only had to endure for three. Realizing they had to hold out longer than that... mental fortitude rapidly deteriorates. Negative thoughts start simmering up.
Normally, that leads to growing irritation, arguments, and eventually internal strife. A cornered human mind tends to produce irrational behaviors that defy logic.
"How much farther do we have to go?"
"I'm dying of boredom."
But the players on Floor 13... they were just rolling with it. Their mental state was fine, and they didn't look particularly tired.
"Whoa... is she really a monster?"
"Hey, she can hear you, you idiot."
That was because Choi Ji-won, walking at the front with her companion, had been leading the way and eliminating every threat.
During daytime attacks, she and her companion slaughtered every monster. At night, she volunteered for watch duty, protecting the entire carriage. Thanks to Choi Ji-won, the players could conserve their stamina and mental strength.
Honestly, if it were only about physical stamina, going three days and nights without sleep would have been doable. The other players were bona fide superhumans—capable people.
But the real problem was mental stamina. Staying on constant high alert for ambushes and standing night watch without a single moment's rest—that wasn't something just anyone could pull off. Even if you gritted your teeth and somehow stayed on your feet, you'd look like a walking corpse.
"..."
Yet Choi Ji-won, at the front, looked perfectly fine. Her eyes were clear, her senses razor-sharp, her stride full of energy. You could credit potions for a healthy body, but how did her eyes stay so fresh?
"World's really unfair. I heard that woman was a kendo genius before entering the Tower. Guess her trait is also busted."
"Hey, you're one to talk. You were a loser who hit the jackpot with a good trait and turned your life around."
"Hmm... true."
While some players whispered among themselves, glancing at Choi Ji-won.
"Uh... Boongboong-yi."
"What?"
"You really don't feel anything?"
"You know that's the third time you've asked? Quit annoying me and keep quiet."
Boongboong-yi frowned and snapped at my question.
I deflated. Yes. The secret to Choi Ji-won's preserved mental stamina was an insane trick: swapping with Boongboong-yi.
You'd think staying constantly on edge would be exhausting, but when one body holds two minds, they can just take turns resting. So during the day, Choi Ji-won took command; at night, Boongboong-yi took over. Right now, even though it was daytime, Choi Ji-won wanted a break, so Boongboong-yi was out.
Boongboong-yi, perhaps because she used to be a sword, never showed any sign of strain during the boring, repetitive task. According to Choi Ji-won, Boongboong-yi didn't even understand why staying alert in one spot was supposed to be tiring. I guess I'd been thinking too much from a human perspective.
"Ugh..."
Anyway, Boongboong-yi's answer — "I don't feel anything" — deflated me. Four days had already passed, and there hadn't been any sign at all.
I'd figured we wouldn't reach Kalada Village on Day 3. The message window hadn't counted down a three-day timer — it was just what the man at the beginning had spouted.
"But this is too suspicious..."
What really bothered me, though, was how incredibly smooth the journey had been. Genuinely, overwhelmingly smooth—so smooth that my suspicion kept growing.
Attacks? Each time, it was just a pack of animals with crimson eyes—no, they exceeded ordinary physical abilities, so I'll call them magical beasts. Every ambush was just beasts, and Choi Ji-won and I dealt with them easily. Fast and strong, but a mindless monster is just a big target.
There was no human attacker spouting portentous lines, no mysterious shaking and voices inside the carriage, no arrows tied with letters striking the carriage. None of that.
"There has to be something..."
I was definitely missing something. Like every Tower floor so far, there'd be a hidden reef designed to sow discord among players and push them into conflict that leads to ruin. Some unfair mechanism that gives the liar a huge advantage while penalizing everyone else... I hadn't identified it yet.
Actually, the simplest possibility: the cargo in the carriage was a trap. If opening it triggered a bomb, that would make sense. But that's far too simple. Easily predictable.
"Was it the first day? Should we not have killed the ox herd? Should we have let them ram into the carriage... no, that's not it..."
"Hey, why are you overcomplicating this? Dummy."
"Shut up, Boongboong-yi."
"Yeah~ you too."
Ignoring Boongboong-yi's teasing, I kept pondering. It felt like having a scrap of meat stuck between your teeth — no matter how you poke it with your tongue, you can't get it out. I was definitely missing something...
But no matter how hard I racked my brain, no clear answer came.
"Something... something..."
"...Jun-ho. The sun's set. Shouldn't we get some sleep soon?"
"Shut up, Boongboong-yi."
"...Jun-ho?"
"Sorry. That was you, Ji-won."
In the end, another day passed.
**
The next day. Noon.
"That was a little close."
I was rolling my shoulders among a pile of eagle corpses. This attack had been a flock of eagles, their feathers so sharp that I nearly cut myself grabbing a wing with my bare hands. If not for the Transparent Gloves, I would have regressed.
"Oof, these guys are tough."
"The ones before were just weak."
The other players, also taking a break, were unhurt, but it seemed to have jolted their groggy minds back to alertness. If there'd been any unskilled player, they'd have taken heavy damage.
"Hm... shall we rethink the formation? It looks like the difficulty is about to ramp up. Instead of just loosely surrounding the carriage, we should allocate our forces..."
Choi Ji-won, perhaps thinking this might be just the beginning, was about to rearrange the players when...
They halted.
"...The horses stopped?"
"They never even ate, what's with them?"
The carriage horses had suddenly stopped. They'd acted more like machines than living creatures up until now. They'd never once stopped during the day, only at night. As a strange phenomenon raised the players' tension—
-Riiip.
With a sound like tearing paper, the air distorted grotesquely and space twisted.
"Oh, you're adventurers? Good work."
As the twisted space peeled away, revealing a village built of wood, a kind-faced nun popped out and greeted us.
"...?"
"...Huh?"
The sudden tear in space was startling enough, but when a warm-looking lady in a nun's habit jumped out, the bewilderment doubled. Regardless of everyone's confusion, the nun led the carriage into the village.
"The carriage isn't even scratched. God must have guided you. I'm glad no one got hurt."
"Uh... is this Kalada Village?"
"That was a dangerous cargo, but you escorted it safely. Thank you."
Ignoring the player's hesitant question, the nun reached out as if gripping a cloth and drew the air with both hands. When she pulled her arms closed like drawing a curtain, space shimmered again, and the nun and the village slowly turned transparent. So did the carriage we had been guarding.
"...What?"
"Is it over?"
Thus, the twenty players were left standing alone in the empty wilderness.
A bewildered player approached where the village had been, but only struck something solid in the air; he couldn't pass through. A shield? Barrier? Sorcery? Whatever it was, something was sealing off the village entrance.
"Will it break if we hit it?"
"Maybe we got scammed? That woman could have stolen the carriage."
Just as the murmuring players were about to resort to force, a message window appeared before their eyes.
-Floor 13 cleared.
"...A portal's appeared."
Anticlimactic, but a blue portal manifested in the air; it seemed they'd successfully cleared Floor 13.
"That's it? Floor 13 is kind of easy."
"We rode the Choi Ji-won bus well."
"Good work, everyone."
As the portal appeared, the players filed inside without looking back. After the skinhead man gave Choi Ji-won a nod and entered the portal, only she and I were left in the wilderness.
"The scenery here is so nice. I didn't see any of it because I was tense the whole time."
Choi Ji-won plopped down on the sand as if the tension had finally released. I carefully sat beside her, making sure not to hurt myself on the sand.
"First of all... we definitely missed something."
"You think?"
"Yeah. Common sense says this can't be all there is. There's definitely a route we haven't noticed. As soon as we return to reality, let's start gathering intel. You can still contact the Association, right?"
"Yes. Want me to call them right away?"
"Let's do that."
We soaked in the scenery for about five minutes, then got up and headed for the portal. After a last long look at the wilderness, we entered the portal and returned to reality. Up until then, I felt pretty good. We'd cleared Floor 13 in one shot.
But after returning to reality, Ji-won checked with the Association.
"They say there's nothing like a hidden route."
"...Nothing?"
"Yeah. Other players all said the same: you just endure for five days and it's over."
"..."
...That can't be right.