The Status Window Is Too Unfriendly (4)
The Status Window Is Too Unfriendly (4)
"Haa... relax..."
I regressed in the dumbest way possible, but... what's done is done.
A regressor has to know how to keep their head together.
With sound mental strength, a regressor can accomplish anything. The moment your mind breaks, though, you plunge into an eternal, unending hell.
Besides, don't I have a mountain of success stories to lean on? All the ones I absorbed through novels and webtoons?
Instead of wasting energy blowing my top and screaming, I need to stay calm and gather intel. That's what being a regressor is.
And on top of that, wasn't there one thing I urgently needed to check?
"Status Window."
[Name: Kim Jun-ho] [LV:5]
[Traits]
-Regression [EX]
-Awe [C]
Just as I thought.
Traits and levels carry over through regression.
Good thing I chose carefully. If I'd picked something like 'Disgust,' I'd be a regression disgust-er right now.
Now, one more thing to verify.
"The system will handle the detailed explanation... Tutorial, start!"
Right after the fairy dropped the weapons and vanished.
I rose from my spot, putting on a little hesitation.
"Everyone, may I have your attention for a moment?"
Am I trying to win over Choi Ji-won again this time?
No.
I intend to try something a little different.
"I can't give you the full picture, but I'm actually a former government secret agent. Naturally, the Republic of Korea government has a certain level of insight into this forest as well."
Spouting shameless words like that made my face heat up a bit, but...
I held it in and kept going.
"I have a general idea of how to escape. I'll need twenty people. Those I point to, please stand."
With a solemn expression, I singled out a man staring blankly ahead.
"Stand up. The two next to you as well."
"..."
"I said, stand."
"..."
A chilly atmosphere settled over the clearing.
Awkward silence, the kind you get when someone takes a joke way too far at a drinking party.
People were looking at me like I was completely insane.
"...Fuck."
Experiment: failure.
To cool my burning cheeks, I slapped myself hard.
Smack!
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 0.]
***
"Hmm..."
What I'd just been testing was my newly acquired trait, 'Awe'.
Clicking Awe in the Status Window brings up this description.
-Awe [C]
-Praise to your greatness. Fear of the incomprehensible.
Broadly speaking, Awe means a sense of respect for someone who looks impressive, mixed with a degree of fear.
The people in the clearing just now reacted like: What's with that guy? Should we do what he says?
That's not the reaction you get from people who both respect and fear you.
If the Awe effect had worked on them broadly, I believe they would have hesitantly stood up, pressured by the mood even if they didn't want to.
The fact that they didn't means either the Awe trait never activated, or its grade was so low it only had a very minimal effect.
"What condition could have been different..."
Before I regressed any further, let's recall the Survivor Trio's and Anchovy's reactions.
The Survivor Trio, who'd been so tense they could barely breathe, relaxed the moment I gained the trait and became cooperative.
Anchovy, who'd been trembling on the ground paralyzed by fear, practically submitted to me the instant his fear subsided.
What was the difference between them and the people currently in the clearing?
"...Emotion?"
I'm still not certain exactly what conditions I met to gain the trait... but it's clear I got it from Anchovy.
Anchovy held three emotions toward me. I gained one of them as a trait...
"Ah."
My guess is that this trait serves to 'amplify' emotions.
Assume the disgust and fear Anchovy felt toward me became relatively weaker, while the 'Awe' he felt grew stronger. The pieces roughly fit together.
The Survivor Trio must have also felt some degree of awe after seeing my swordsmanship.
This also explains why the people in the clearing were so indifferent after hearing me out.
It was their first time seeing me, and they held no particular emotion toward me whatsoever.
And my little speech was hardly an oration moving enough to inspire awe either.
It seems the trait doesn't just make anyone automatically revere me if I blindly approach them. It only amplifies Awe if they already feel some degree of it toward me.
"...Shall I confirm it, then?"
Of course, this was all just speculation, so I decided to run a simple experiment.
"I think a spear would be better. It's longer."
"No way. Don't you know the sword is the king of weapons?"
A group of men in front of the weapon pile, debating what to pick.
I approached the same group who had once brought me their outer garment.
"Hello?"
"...Ah, yes. Hello."
"Shall I show you how to use a sword?"
Without waiting, I picked up a blade from the ground and rotated my wrist with practiced ease.
My current achievement level is 5.
I'm not sure exactly which achievements I unlocked to raise it, but after killing that punk, my achievement level went from 3 to 5.
That means my physical abilities have clearly improved since before.
Shwack! Swaaack!
My sword lashed out, scattering the sound of rending air.
With flashy arcs, I swung the blade here and there with all my strength.
Clench!
I held the finishing pose deliberately, making it a touch dramatic so I'd look cool. I'm absolutely certain of it. It must have looked seriously awesome.
"Oh, oooh..."
"...Whoa."
To Choi Ji-won it'd just be clowning around, but to the average person it must have looked impressive, because the men's jaws dropped.
Stab!
After planting the sword I held into the ground with a throwing motion, I clasped my hands behind my back like an aloof Immortal Sage.
"What do you think?"
Face deliberately blank.
After showing off a super play, acting nonchalant is always the coolest move.
If the guy who pulled it off starts fussing like, 'Wow, that was sick! Did you see that? Did you see?', all the coolness evaporates in an instant.
"That was truly, truly amazing."
"Could you teach us swordsmanship too? We will absolutely repay you!"
The group of men rushed toward me with sparkling eyes, completely captivated by my performance.
This much confirms they're feeling the emotion of 'Awe'.
"Now, now, I can teach you all swordsmanship. However, I have one condition."
"...What is it?"
The men flinched slightly the moment the word 'condition' came up.
"Tell me your traits. That is my sole condition."
"...Uh."
The atmosphere chilled instantly.
Like the heated buzz at a club upon hearing a famous female celebrity would be coming, only for a middle-aged trot singer to show up instead.
"That's a bit..."
"In webtoons and stuff... they say you should hide things like that... I'm sorry..."
The mood grew incredibly awkward.
But I got the information I was after.
Judging by how the men's expressions momentarily shifted, 'Awe' definitely triggered.
Yet they still immediately refused the request to reveal their traits.
Let's consider Anchovy's case in the previous cycle.
Even when I openly dragged him around and ordered him to copy his Status Window onto the ground, the guy followed without a hint of resistance.
Probably because his Awe toward me was much stronger, so the trait's effect was significantly more powerful.
These men thought I was impressive and felt some fear, but the intensity was simply weaker.
Looks like my guess was right on the mark.
Now that my curiosity is satisfied, it's time to move to the next phase.
Smack!
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 0.]
***
I could have roamed the tower interior again, hunting for the boss and the Minotaur's lair, but I chose to get stronger first.
Now that I'd confirmed the existence of a powerful foe like the mutant goblin, my current strength couldn't guarantee safety.
I'm confident I'd win if I fought to the very end, but fighting to the very end isn't an option given my situation.
I absolutely have to get stronger.
And in my current circumstances, there are largely three ways to do that.
First. Figure out how to raise my achievement level, since I don't even know the exact conditions.
Second. Learn swordsmanship from Choi Ji-won.
Third. Acquire traits.
The one I intend to pursue is the second.
To set my next goal, I first need to find out the exact conditions for gaining a trait... and then shake up Choi Ji-won to extract more information from her.
Choi Ji-won is my benefactor who taught me the sword, but she's also a psychopath who instantly launches a kick to investigate the moment I do anything remotely suspicious.
I mean, it's already not normal for someone that strong to not leverage their power, instead guarding a clearing packed with losers.
Of course, it doesn't matter whether Choi Ji-won is a psychopath or a champion of the weak.
What matters is that she's the strongest human being I've ever laid eyes on.
Either way, to grow stronger, I have to make use of Choi Ji-won.
I could steadily learn the sword by repeating regressions... and if gaining traits involves receiving other people's emotions, I might receive a new trait from Choi Ji-won too.
Even the emotions of a scrub like Anchovy proved quite useful, so how incredibly powerful would the effect of Choi Ji-won's emotions be?
Whatever the case, there was clearly a need to understand her better if I was going to use her.
What was her family background like?
Why did she turn into a lunatic who defaults to violence the moment she finds something suspicious?
Where did she learn swordsmanship, and what traits does she possess?
Choi Ji-won.
I'm going to dig up everything about you, you bitch.
Hwoong!
Hwoong!
In this cycle too, there's Choi Ji-won swinging her sword in a corner of the clearing.
What words would rattle her?
What actions could I take to extract information from her?
A good idea came to mind, so I decided to act on it immediately.
I approached Choi Ji-won with a confident stride.
"Excuse me."
"..."
Choi Ji-won didn't even glance this way, continuing to swing her sword.
Fine, let's see how long you can keep that blank expression.
I decided to go with a nonchalant line.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"...What?"
The arm swinging the sword froze.
Choi Ji-won's face twisted rapidly.
"...Crazy bastard."
Thud!
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 0.]
***
"...Urgh."
An elbow smashed into my stomach.
I'd been expecting a development where she'd blush and stammer, 'W-what kind of stupid question is that!', but...
Apparently, Choi Ji-won isn't the type who acts tough on the outside but is secretly weak to men.
Was that too much of a weeb fantasy?
"...Alright."
Failure is fine.
My number of attempts is infinite anyway.
Let's see who wins this.