The Regressor Wanders (7)
The Regressor Wanders (7)
"..."
"..."
The two of us sat in silence, like a couple who'd had a huge fight and arranged to make up. We both knew we had to say something, but I couldn't bring myself to speak. I was too cautious about how Ji-won might interpret the words I'd gathered.
The emotions are intense. Right now... I love Choi Ji-won. I like her. In the tutorial, she was my lighthouse, my swordsmanship teacher, the companion who climbed the Tower with me. If you asked me to name the person most precious to me right now, it would be Choi Ji-won.
It would be easy to hold her hand right now and pledge eternal love. To promise that my heart will never change. That my love for you will remain intense no matter what. That there's nothing to worry about.
But... could it really never change? How many promises have I made in my life, and how many of those have I actually kept? A person you once disliked grows on you; a person you once liked becomes someone you can't stand. That's just what it means to be human. Can an emotion really last forever?
Even if I kept on loving Choi Ji-won... would it be intense enough to satisfy the condition for an Accompanied Regression? Hating someone forever seems possible. But being told to love someone forever... I don't know. I don't know if I can keep that promise.
"...Jun-ho."
It was Choi Ji-won who finally broke the lingering silence.
"Even if I can't regress with you... in the real world, we'll still be lovers. We'll find comfort in each other, warmth in each other, and spend happy days together. I fell for you because of how hard you try."
Choi Ji-won forced the words out, her voice tight.
"But... once we know that neither of us is special enough to regress together... can we really keep this relationship the same? I'm afraid of that moment. The moment you look at me and realize my memories didn't carry over."
"..."
"I've thought about it a lot too. But... I don't know. It feels like there's no clear answer. If things just go on like this, and time passes..."
"No, not like that."
I stopped Choi Ji-won before she could say anything more pessimistic, then shook my head.
"Let's think about that when the time comes. Didn't you say not to worry about things that haven't happened yet? That was your own advice."
"This is a different situation."
"No, it's the same. Because you're worrying about something that hasn't happened yet."
"I'm preparing for something that will happen! Jun-ho, you always ruin your health by worrying about... I'm sorry."
Choi Ji-won had jumped up to argue but immediately realized she'd gone too far and slowly sat back down.
"This isn't something I should be taking out on you... I'm sorry. But what I wanted to say is this. We don't have much time. The time we have left to be together like this, just the two of us... is limited. That's what I wanted to tell you."
"Is that why you said we shouldn't rest in the real world and should keep climbing the Tower?"
"Yeah. While I can still be with you... I want to help you as much as possible."
"..."
"To some degree, I rely on you too... but you also rely on me, don't you? Before we fall apart without that support... as much as possible..."
Choi Ji-won bit her lip hard and couldn't finish. She looked like she'd been wrestling with this pain for much longer than a day or two. Seeing the ever-strong Choi Ji-won show such vulnerability... She must have agonized over this for a long time. And in the end, she hadn't found a proper solution.
"I still think it's too early to give up."
But I couldn't let myself get swept up in it. Just because Choi Ji-won had a pessimistic view of the future, I couldn't afford to do the same. If I did, the only outcome left would be a future of certain ruin. This was a time to put on a little baseless bravado.
"We don't have to wait ten months to find a solution. As soon as I regress, I go see the old man on Floor 15, right? The lowest reward is The Old Man's Wise Advice. If I make repeated use of that, we can work out some kind of answer without needing to wait ten months."
"But in the end, we'd still have to wait ten months to check whether our guesses were right."
"Yeah, at the very end, we'd probably have to wait out the ten months. But when that time comes, do we really have to be together the whole time?"
"Are you saying we should spend those ten months apart?"
"Yeah."
"...There's a saying, you know. Out of sight, out of mind."
"There's also a saying that distance makes the heart grow fonder. Like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. If you meet someone after a long time, the feelings don't cool off. Right?"
"..."
"Or wait, are you saying your feelings would cool off just because we spent a mere ten months apart? Honestly, I still haven't gotten used to your face. Because you're too beautiful. I bet it'll hit me even harder after ten months."
"Hey, stop it."
Choi Ji-won let out a soft laugh. At the same time, Boongboong-yi, sitting on the table, vibrated with a low hum.
"What's up with that thing?"
"It says you're right. It says, 'Even if you're apart for ten months, you can easily get an idiot like him wrapped around your finger again, so what are you worried about? You're way too good for him.'"
"...It's not wrong."
"Yeah. Maybe I was thinking about it too negatively. I'm sorry. For letting my imagination run wild with bad omens. If we think it through, there might be an answer."
The endlessly heavy mood grew a little lighter. The problem of "maybe we can't regress together anymore" wasn't solved, but it no longer seemed like something with no solution at all.
"Jun-ho, would you mind running to the convenience store for some beer and snacks?"
"Beer? All of a sudden?"
"Being back at my old place made all kinds of memories come rushing back. There's a lot of stories I want to tell you. Stay the night here."
That night, Choi Ji-won and I poured out every worry we'd been keeping inside. And we realized: we still loved each other enough.
Once we fully acknowledged that, there was nothing left to hesitate about.
Fretting over something that hasn't happened yet is pointless.
What we need to worry about... is the crisis right in front of us.
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 15.]
***
The familiar black sky. A dazzling sun and twinkling stars. It looked like a photograph of outer space had been plastered onto the heavens.
"...Hoo."
I took a deep breath, then started climbing the mountain without delay. Before, I'd spent a little time sightseeing as I climbed the Tower, but this time I focused only on walking, and soon enough I'd reached the peak.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of stone being chipped away. In the middle of the pit at the summit, a wrinkled old man sat tapping at a stone with a hammer and chisel.
"Who's there?"
"My name is Kim Jun-ho. Would you know me if I told you?"
"No, I wouldn't. This is our first meeting, isn't it."
"..."
The old man burst into laughter. But when I just stared at him without reacting, he awkwardly rubbed his bald head and looked away.
"It was a little joke, an attempt to lighten the mood, but since you didn't react... well, that's embarrassing."
"Just explain Floor 15, please."
"Very well. To clear Floor 15, you simply pick one of the rewards that appear before you."
-[10] Weapon Skill Training Helper
-[9] C-rank Trait Selection Ticket
-[8] Refined Magic Stone
...
-[1] The Old Man's Wise Advice.
<Floor 15>
-Select a reward.
A message window quickly materialized before my eyes. Since I'd already seen it once, I answered the old man without hesitation.
"I'll take The Old Man's Wise Advice."
"...Wouldn't it be better to give it some thought?"
"No. I've already decided."
"Such an impatient man. Very well. Go ahead and ask whatever you're curious about."
The old man looked slightly put out, but readily told me to ask my questions. I threw him the question I'd prepared in advance.
"Where would it be best to use this Appraisal Scroll of mine? No matter how much I think about it, I can't find a good use for it."
"Hmm... the Appraisal Scroll, is it."
The old man mulled it over while fidgeting with the stone in his hand. After a moment, he aimed his hammer at my chest.
"You there. What's that inside your coat?"
"What do you mean?"
"There's a ring in your inner pocket. A rather precious ring, isn't it?"
"...Oh?"
Following the old man's words, I reached inside my coat and felt a silver ring. This was... the ring I'd received from Archangel Raphael on Floor 2. I'd completely forgotten about it.
"I suspect its Status Window won't appear. Why not use the scroll on that? It's no ordinary ring, but even even a sacred relic is nothing more than a lump of metal if you don't know how to use it."
"..."
This was... genuinely wise advice. Not only did he remind me of this ring I'd utterly forgotten, but he also advised me to use the Appraisal Scroll on it. The old man seemed to have good reason to call himself "wise."
"Now then, you've cleared Floor 15. I wish you luck."
The old man waved his hand, and a blue portal opened beside him. But I had no intention of leaving just yet.
"Do you mind if I ask one more thing?"
"I do mind."
"Come on, don't be like that."
"Tsk, what's the matter with you, young man? You should have valued your question."
The old man shamelessly poked at the portal with his hammer.
"What would happen if I smashed these statues here?"
At my question, the old man's playful movements came to an abrupt halt.
"...What do you mean?"
"I'm asking what would happen if I smashed every last statue lying around here."
My goal was singular. To try every damn crazy thing possible. And to gather as much information as I could.
A wrecked mental state is something I can heal later.
"No answer?"
Now is the time to act.