The Regressor Wanders (4)
The Regressor Wanders (4)
Red text filled the screen.
After mulling it over for a moment, I grabbed Choi Ji-won's phone and headed to the nearest convenience store.
"Welco..."
"Hey. What does this screen look like to you?"
"...Huh?"
"This screen. What do you see?"
The part-timer gave me a look that said, What's wrong with this guy?, but answered readily enough.
"...It's an ad for feminine wash. But why are you suddenly—"
"Thanks."
I walked right out of the store and returned to the studio apartment. I'd figured out how this ad worked.
"...So you can use it like this, too."
That explained why Michael Jeter could so boldly post his email on the internet. He'd exploited the rule that tower information cannot be revealed to ordinary people no matter what. To a normal person, this ad would look like a normal ad. The red text was tower-related, so only players would see it.
"But... wouldn't every player see it then? Yet there's no reaction about it online. And shouldn't ordinary people at least be able to read an email address?"
"No, look closely at the letters."
Choi Ji-won played the same video on the computer and zoomed in to show me.
As she said, I scrutinized the red text... and realized each letter was actually made up of incredibly tiny characters. So small that only a player would really notice them.
Skimming the visible words...
'An old man appears on Floor 15.'
'The sky on Floor 15 is dark.'
'On Floor 15, an old man carves statues.'
There was a whole list of information about Floor 15. With a setup like this, only players who'd cleared Floor 15 could read these letters. The ad was in Korean, so it was clearly aimed at Korea.
"Is there anyone else in Korea who's cleared Floor 15, besides us?"
"No one registered with the Association. As for the rest... I don't know."
Since practically no one except us—or at most a tiny handful—had cleared Floor 15, Michael Jeter could hide a letter "to Choi Ji-won" inside a YouTube ad. He'd put some real thought into it.
"First... Ji-won. What happened for you on Floor 15? Let's start by comparing our situations."
"I picked the one with the lowest number—'The Old Man's Wise Advice.' I'd guess you picked that too?"
"...Yeah. Since I can regress, I can get the other rewards later anyway."
"That's what I thought. But isn't the layout of Floor 15 weird, no matter how you look at it?"
I shared every detail of what I'd seen and felt on Floor 15 with Choi Ji-won. Our experiences were nearly identical, with one single difference.
"When I went, that person was carving a dragon statue."
"...Not a goblin?"
"Yeah. You know, the winged dragons from fantasy."
She'd returned to reality just a little faster than me, so she must have entered Floor 15 before me.
So what did the difference in statues mean? Was Michael Jeter's request for help related to Floor 15? Had the old man really not lied to me? My head was spinning.
"But this line... 'Please do not inform the Association.'"
Choi Ji-won tapped my shoulder and pointed at the screen.
-Player Association Chairman Michael Jeter here. I need help from a player who cleared Floor 15. Please contact the email below. Especially Choi Ji-won. I am waiting for you. Please do not inform the Association.
"Why include that line? I don't get that part."
"...What do you mean?"
"Michael Jeter is the Player Association chairman. Obviously, if he'd wanted to reach out through normal channels... he'd have contacted us through the Association. Right?"
"True."
As Association chairman, he would know that Choi Ji-won had developed ties with the Player Association. Normally, he'd have sent word through the Association.
So why go out of his way to contact Choi Ji-won by hiding a message inside an ad? You could easily read that as a hint that this is happening separately from the Association. That much is basic deduction.
"But why would he still put the words 'Please do not inform the Association' in there?"
Was the person who wrote these letters not Michael Jeter? A scheme to lure Choi Ji-won by pretending to be Michael Jeter?
Or was the intent to hint, "I'm currently in trouble with the Association"? The questions only multiplied.
Normally, this would be the moment to start gathering intel. We hadn't grasped the full picture, but one thing was certain: something strange was going on. Even if we couldn't see it yet, we might well be walking on thin ice.
"Let's contact him by email first."
That is, assuming I didn't have regression backing me up.
**
-I would like to meet in person and talk if possible. You might not be Choi Ji-won, and you might not believe I am Michael Jeter. However, the U.S. government is watching me, so I cannot freely take flights. Online meetings also risk wiretapping. Would it be possible for you to come to the United States?
That was the email from Michael Jeter. Since he was the Association chairman, moving "in secret" was basically impossible.
"...I'm in the same boat."
The problem was, the same applied to Choi Ji-won. She couldn't even pop into a convenience store near her place without a mask and hat. There was no way she could secretly leave the country.
When Choi Ji-won sent an email with a negative tone, Michael Jeter's reply was surprising.
-On our side, we have a player with a long-distance teleportation trait. If you provide detailed coordinates, we will open a passage for you to come here.
"...That sounds way too dangerous."
Through all my countless regressions, I'd never once heard of a "long-distance teleportation ability user." That kind of ability existed? Honestly, did it even make sense?
And even if someone with that power really existed... trusting him and stepping through a portal was a separate issue. We hadn't even confirmed this man was really Michael Jeter. If we went and it was a trap, then what?
"Then I'll ask him to prove he's Michael Jeter."
-I still can't believe you are Michael Jeter.
-I sent a photo of my face... Is that not enough?
-Photo-editing technology is too advanced these days.
-Then, about two hours from now, I have a live speech scheduled. Is there a specific word you would like me to mention? I will use it to prove I am Michael Jeter.
-Can't you mention details about Floor 15, like your ad in Korea? No one else would be able to hear it anyway.
-If I suddenly stop in the middle of a speech, anyone would find it suspicious, wouldn't they?
-Then please mention "kimchi" during the speech.
-Understood.
Two hours later, a live broadcast actually started on the official Player Association channel. The whole world was watching; major networks in every country were carrying it.
"Hello. I am Player Association Chairman Michael Jeter."
Dark blond hair, deep-set eyes, thick eyebrows. Broad shoulders and a tall, lanky frame.
A Westerner who gave off an impression of "solid" or "weighty"—Michael Jeter appeared on the screen.
"Citizens of the world. I stand here today with the mindset of representing all players."
Dressed in a suit, he looked into the camera as he slowly but clearly delivered his formal greeting.
"Wasn't that guy former special forces?"
"He was U.S. Marine Corps, I think."
While we chatted, Chairman Michael Jeter's speech continued.
"I want to emphasize that citizens around the world must support player Ji-won. Right now, our players lack motivation to climb the Tower. They lack the motivation to risk their lives at every moment."
Michael Jeter paused to take a breath.
"This is a matter of Earth's survival. A matter of humanity's survival. A matter of whether we can protect the cultures of every nation. It is a matter of whether we can continue to enjoy the foods we love—pizza, hamburgers, pasta, curry, kimchi, sushi. No one knows what disaster will strike if we fail to climb the Tower."
-Why did kimchi pop up out of nowhere?
-So random lol.
The online reaction was that "as expected of the Player Association chairman, he's got no class," but Choi Ji-won and I just looked at each other and nodded silently. It seemed... the email really was from Michael Jeter.
"I hope you recognize that this is not merely a matter of player rights, but a problem for all of humanity. Thank you."
Right after the broadcast—whose gist was "we must expand support for player Ji-won"—an email from Michael Jeter arrived.
-I hope you now believe I am Michael Jeter. I expended some influence because of that bizarre speech.
-We'll believe you. Honestly, we were suspicious because you used email instead of a messenger.
-Messengers like Telegram are actually more dangerous. The U.S. government already has information-sharing agreements with them. Email, on the other hand, is such an old method that no one really pays attention.
"But isn't the way we're going about this too dangerous no matter how you think about it?"
"Should we ask if they can come here instead?"
-I have no problem coming to Korea. I would prefer a discreet location where it won't draw much attention.
"...Let's invite him to my place."
"Ji-won, your house?"
"Yeah. It's spacious there."
So we gave him the exact address and set a time—noon the next day.
Choi Ji-won and I were sitting at the dining table, waiting for Michael Jeter. The appointed time came. If a "long-distance teleportation ability user" truly existed, Michael Jeter would appear now.
Vwoom!
He seemed punctual. Space warped, and a huge white man revealed himself. Even at a glance, he looked around two meters tall, and the aura he exuded was anything but ordinary.
He was strong. I'd have to face him to know who was truly superior... but that man was strong.
"..."
"..."
While I watched him, he watched me. Right after we'd taken a moment to size each other up—
"Hello. I am Michael Jeter. Pleased to meet you, Miss Choi Ji-won."
After a brief greeting, Michael Jeter promptly sat at the dining table. He gave Choi Ji-won a slight nod, then turned to me.
"And... Kim Jun-ho."
"..."
I'd expected he would know me, so I wasn't surprised, but it felt a little strange to have a worldwide celebrity say my name. Like a celebrity was striking up a conversation.
"I'm not much of a talker, so I'll get straight to the point."
"Go ahead."
I thought it was just a polite thing to say, but Michael Jeter really did get to the point from the very start.
"Starting about ten months from now... a crisis could strike Earth."
"...?"
"...What?"
What...?