The Regressor Reflects (4)
The Regressor Reflects (4)
What is a genius?
Knowing everything from birth isn't genius. That's more like regression, possession, or reincarnation. If my six-year-old child started acting like a cynical old man, I'd seriously suspect possession or reincarnation.
So, what is a genius? It's someone whose learning speed outpaces everyone else. Someone who can extract more meaning from the same situation.
In other words, geniuses are running a permanent 3× EXP coupon. Even with the same time invested, the gap widens—and it shows fast. The world favors geniuses, so they probably get a bonus +200% Drop Rate buff too. They age at the same pace, yet the genius ends up with far better levels and gear.
"Why... why isn't it working?"
It's also common sense that the higher your level in a game, the harder your experience climbs. Going from Level 10 to 11 isn't the same as Level 100 to 101. Climbing from the 9th percentile to the 8th on a college entrance exam isn't the same as going from the 2nd to the 1st. And when it comes to swordsmanship, Choi Ji-won stands at the peak of her age group.
"Why isn't it working...?"
At first, Choi Ji-won had been relaxed.
She even said it was nice to be able to look back at herself like this, and she'd started training cheerfully. She mentioned there were parts of her form that had always bothered her.
"I think this should do it."
About a full day later, Choi Ji-won confidently challenged the stone.
CLANG!!!
"...Huh?"
Not a single scratch had appeared on the stone.
"...Maybe because I didn't go all out?"
"Uh, try using the Heart of Lightning. And equip all your items."
"Right."
Choi Ji-won's full strength isn't like this. She added every trait she'd gained in the Tower and equipped all her items, then challenged the stone once more.
CLANG!!!
"..."
Another failure. The stone... was perfectly intact.
"Uh... Ji-won?"
"Ji-won says she needs some time to think."
So, instead of a shocked Choi Ji-won, I had to eat with Boongboong-yi. That thing eats anything well—maybe because it's a sword.
A day passed, then another. A week went by, and now today.
"Ugh..."
Choi Ji-won came out of the cave with her hair loose, ponytail undone. Earlier, Boongboong-yi secretly told me—I'm not sure it was actually a secret—that she was working on stripping away the extraneous from her sword.
Daring to evaluate her with my A-rank Sword, Choi Ji-won's swordsmanship is flawless. She always chooses the orthodox path, but she pushes its quality to its absolute limit. When I spar with her, I slowly feel like I'm suffocating. I lose ground in every exchange, and in the end, she forces me into gambles.
And she's stripping away the extraneous? I don't really understand it... but Choi Ji-won must sense flaws like that. She knows more about the sword than I do, so I decided to trust her and wait.
"I believe in you, Ji-won! Fighting!"
"...Thanks. I appreciate it, but... why is my stomach churning like this...?"
And like that, another week passed.
**
Over the past two weeks staying on Floor 16, I've mostly been observing people. With nothing else to do, I'd watch others bustling around. Watching the new arrivals every day and imagining when they'd leave was also pretty entertaining.
The types were diverse.
"This is it."
Some people would tinker with something alone, reach enlightenment, then leave Floor 16 in an instant.
"Heavens!!! Why! Am! I! Still!!!"
There were also people who worked hard with no results, wailing in despair. I quietly asked why, and they said if they could see even a glimmer of hope, they'd work harder—but they couldn't see anything ahead, so they felt hopeless.
"I'm... an idiot... Just an idiot with good traits... At this rate, I might never get out of here..."
As I watched a man sniffling, insisting he'd ruined his life, a question occurred to me.
"Anael."
"Yes, Jun-ho!"
"Can I ask you one thing?"
"Ask whatever you'd like!"
"If, say, someone is genuinely so lacking in talent... that no matter how many years they try, they don't seem able to leave... do they just have to stay trapped here forever?"
The worst-case scenario I'd imagined. I wanted to know if it was actually possible for someone to use up all their potential and end up permanently sealed on Floor 16.
"No, there is a way out!"
But Anael's answer surprised me.
"There is?"
"Yes! Right here—all you have to do is sign this contract!"
Anael pulled a silver-glowing contract out of thin air and showed it to me. Even squinting and concentrating, I couldn't see a thing. It just looked like a blank piece of paper.
"...What is this?"
"Ah, you can't see it, of course! I'll read it to you! 'The signatory (hereinafter referred to as Party A) does in full soundness of mind execute this contract—'"
"Uh... can you just give me the gist?"
"Understood! To put it simply, if you sign this, you lose everything you've gained in the Tower!"
"...Lose everything?"
"That's right!"
The Status Window. Stat Points. Levels. Traits. Floor 1, which you could freely use. And every last item you'd acquired in the Tower.
"You return to the state before you entered the Tutorial—back to an ordinary human body! Ah, your memories are retained, so you don't need to worry about that part!"
If you gave up all the power you'd earned, you could escape Floor 16. It was honestly a better option than being trapped here forever, but...
"I don't think I'd ever pick that."
Anyone who'd tasted the Tower's sweetness would never choose it. You'd rather bang your head against it for days, weeks—go back to before you entered the Tower? At least for me, I could never do it.
"Has anyone signed this contract in the past?"
"So far, no one!"
It'd been less than half a year since the Tower appeared, so I guess that was only natural. Not one person had signed it yet.
"..."
Thinking about that, the man wailing over there suddenly looked pretty pitiful. Not exactly to the point I'd help him out of the goodness of my heart, but more like a passing impulse—since I had time, I might as well lend a hand.
"What weapon do you use?"
"Ah, I, uh... a sword..."
"Can you take a stance for a moment?"
The man's movements were oddly fast and precise, yet the direction of it all was utterly hopeless. Even to someone at my intermediate level, the problems were obvious.
"See, your power keeps scattering here. You need to move together with your hips. You get it, right?"
After swinging his sword through the air for maybe ten minutes, the man carefully approached the stone and brought his sword down.
Clang!
"It, it, it says I cleared it? Thank you! Thank you so much!"
He immediately bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle, pouring out his thanks. He was so grateful it even triggered the Awe trait.
"I won't forget this kindness! Can you at least tell me your name?"
"Uh... it's a secret."
"If that's how it is... I still won't forget! Thank you!"
The man, beaming, promptly vanished through a portal.
The person I'd helped get through the floor was apparently somewhat famous, so I drew unwanted attention and had to flee.
Still, my teaching actually worked. That's a relief.
**
Another week passed. That made three weeks since we'd entered Floor 16.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
With residual sparks from the Heart of Lightning crackling on the ground, Choi Ji-won lay sprawled on the dirt, panting heavily.
Another failure. Choi Ji-won... still hadn't left a mark on the stone after three weeks.
At this point, it isn't just about Ji-won anymore—I can't help but feel anxious too. If the memory retention were to kick in like this, how long would she spend in the next cycle? And just how long would it take me?
"Ji-won, it's okay. Who cares? As long as you come out of this definitely stronger, that's enough."
I didn't let any of that show on the outside. I pulled Choi Ji-won to her feet and patted her on the back. She's not the type to sink into gloom over failure, but I know small comfort like this helps a lot at times like these.
"Huh? This dumb rock, just a little more and—huh? I'll just whack it..."
I deliberately pulled my sword out with exaggerated flair and tapped the stone a few times. I wasn't putting any force into a cut—I just smacked it to make a loud noise.
Ding.
-You have cleared Floor 16.
"...Huh?"
A message window popped up in front of my eyes. I rubbed them, thinking I'd misread, but the message was still there. Seriously—a clear?
Wondering if some kind of error had occurred, I found myself looking for Anael.
"Hey... Anael?"
"Yes, Jun-ho!"
"Did I clear it?"
"Yes! Do you wish to leave? I'll open the portal for you!"
"No, no, that's not necessary..."
When I looked at the stone closely, there really was a tiny little scratch—just the size of a millet grain. Honestly, calling it a scratch is generous. It's barely a single grain that chipped off. Like a crumb falling off a cake.
But a scratch it was. Astonishingly, I had cleared Floor 16. Without doing anything.
What I need to figure out now... is why. Why did I succeed? Without doing anything, why?
Something must have changed. So where? What changed? Did my mental state shift enough to count as getting stronger overall? Or was it my martial strength? Did my Achievement Level go up?
"Oh."
No, there was one thing.
The Awe trait. It evolved—and now it doesn't just stop at making others revere me.
This trait... copies the trait of whoever is awed by me. That's how I copied Death God's stealth ability. The Awe trait brings in other people's abilities in a severely degraded form, so I haven't really used it until now...
But even a degraded version is still undeniably stronger than when I entered this floor. And apparently, that was enough to satisfy the Clear Condition.
"Even if the improvement was tiny... it still counts as getting stronger."
Floor 16 is no longer a problem for me now. No matter how much time I waste here, as long as someone exists whose trait I can copy with Awe right after a regression, I can escape.
That does ease my mind quite a bit. I could explore new possibilities by studying the martial arts here, or I could hole up in a cave and meditate. I could even dive back into Cold Energy, which I basically dropped after Floor 12.
The real problem is...
"...Ji-won?"
Choi Ji-won.