The Regressor Has It Easy (1)
The Regressor Has It Easy (1)
"..."
"Jun-ho, what's with your face?"
"Uh, um... nothing."
Choi Ji-won tilted her head and slid an exquisitely carved rabbit-shaped apple in front of me while I was reading the report Death God sent.
"Something bothering you?"
"Mm... it's not a problem. Just... yeah. You know?"
"If you don't want to talk, then don't."
Choi Ji-won pouted and slurped her coffee. Even if she was making a show of being sulky... this was awkward stuff to explain.
"No change at all, huh..."
I'd given Death God photos of the two criminals before. Death God stared them down, warned them never to commit evil again, and had been watching ever since.
Four months had passed since the surveillance started. According to Death God, the two were living their daily lives diligently.
Since they were players, they spent a lot of time inside the Tower, so perfect observation was impossible. But at least when they were out in reality, they were behaving themselves.
"..."
If they'd been clean for four months, could I just leave them alone? And if four months wasn't enough, how long would be "enough" — a year? Two years? A lifetime? That's its own mess of ambiguity.
"For now... on hold."
I was about to text Death God "keep observing," but I thought I'd be regressing anyway, so I didn't send it. It was all going to become nothing. Why bother?
"Done with what you were doing?"
"Yeah. I think I just need to regress now."
Choi Ji-won, who'd been sipping coffee and reading a webtoon, stood and stretched. For all her cool, independent personality, she'd always liked romance webtoons. Since she already knew the whole story of everything currently serialized, she said she'd been hunting down classic masterpieces lately.
"Shall we go?"
"Let's."
I lightly sliced a fingertip with my knife.
Time to push forward again.
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 16.]
***
The first thing I did after returning to Floor 16 was spar with Choi Ji-won... except calling it a spar would be embarrassing.
"There. Done."
"Done? You didn't even do anything."
"Yeah. It helped."
All I did was stand there, gather my mana, and stare her down. We sized each other up and exchanged a little probing... but was that really enough?
"That's enough. Jun-ho, I saw where you were unconsciously aiming. What if you fought for nothing and regressed?"
"...Really?"
Since Choi Ji-won said it was enough, I decided to let it go. It'd be weird for me to pick at it when she was satisfied. And this floor was tied to her unconscious mind anyway.
"Now, if you do it like this..."
"Thank you!!"
I also taught someone, triggering the Awe trait, and with that I could clear Floor 16 easily. Everything going according to plan — it felt good.
"...I haven't missed anything, right?"
Every time I moved to the next floor, a bit of anxiety lingered. But I suppose that was just another part of the burden I had to carry.
We finished our preparations quickly and immediately headed for Floor 17.
Without knowing what awaited us.
[Entering Floor 17.]
**
Nothing was visible. There was no smell. Nothing could be touched.
In this space of absolute nothingness, a faceless man asked:
"How much do you know about yourself?"
He pressed on.
"Humans often fall into the illusion that 'the one who knows me best is myself.' Usually, that is nothing but an illusion. So I ask again: how much do you know about yourself?
The house where you live — how well do you know it? You might know your living space. But what about under the bed? Between the walls? Beneath the floorboards? Do you know those unseen corners as well?
Rarely does anyone grasp themselves fully. Are you among that rare few?"
He paused.
"Prove it."
Shwaaa.
The moment those words ended, my vision brightened and the surroundings became visible again.
"...What?"
It felt like the lights coming on after sitting in a movie theater. I knew I was back in a tangible space, but my head was foggy and my whole body felt heavy.
What was that just now? It felt like someone had crammed an entire video into my brain. Haven't people said something about hearing with your head instead of your ears? That was exactly it.
"This is... really awkward."
A dizzy buzz filled my head, sudden and disorienting. I forcibly pulled my wits together and looked around.
The first thing I saw was a cluster of old thatched-roof houses. Again, perched somewhere in the mountains, just barely meeting the definition of a "village." Another Eastern setting, it seemed. I didn't think there were any thatched houses in the West. Or were there? Maybe there were?
"Ughhn..."
"Blurgh..."
What snapped me out of that tangent about medieval East-West commoner housing were the gagging sounds around me. Tough-looking young men lay sprawled on the ground, making pathetic noises like "ugh..." and "aah..." as they emptied their stomachs into the dirt.
"..."
I instinctively took a step away from them and focused to gather more information. First off — no Choi Ji-won. I couldn't feel her characteristic prickly mana.
I followed the bumpy dirt road toward the village center and spotted a large rock similar to the one on Floor 16. Players were meditating around it with their eyes closed. I assumed they were players because they were carrying items. I doubted Tower residents would be decked out in gear like that.
The number of meditating players well exceeded fifty. Unlike the relatively quiet Floor 16, Floor 17 had a bustling feel to it. Though, in contrast to the crowd, it was also eerily silent.
"Huff... urk."
I figured I'd gathered all the information I could for the moment. I released the mana from my eyes and barely fought down the bile rising in my throat. My head spun. My sense of balance was shot. How long had it been since I'd felt like this after growing stronger? It was as if the mana inside me was thrashing, pounding wildly against the back of my throat.
"Mana... isn't listening to me..."
Using the large rock in the center of the village as a brace, I barely steadied myself. Now I understood why some players were squirming on the ground like grubs. My stomach... it felt strange.
"Huff, huff..."
Without water, I resorted to gulping down my own spit to steady my breathing. That's when I sensed someone beside me. This person didn't seem to be a player. The feeling was that of an angel.
Srrk.
"Welcome to Floor 17."
Slowly descending through the air and landing on the ground, an unfamiliar angel bowed politely. If Anael was the lively, girl-like type of angel, this one carried a haughty air — the kind who looked like she could handle anything with ruthless efficiency.
"Your memories are disoriented, your body feels off, and every part of you is throbbing and numb. That's normal. It is all a standard reaction. There is no need to panic."
"...?"
She spoke in a calm, measured tone, like a doctor explaining an illness to a patient. The problem was, I only felt dizzy. None of those other symptoms applied to me.
"Floor 17 is designed to draw out your potential. It is a floor imbued with the archangel's profound goodwill. There's no need to be overly concerned. By the time you clear this floor, you will be grateful for the archangel's grace."
"Um... excuse me..."
"From now on, the power you must come to know is one and the same. Ki. Magic Power. Mana. Chakra. Different cultures call it by different names, but the essence is identical. It is the refinement of a naturally existing force into a form humans can wield. The moment you were granted a Status Window, this power lay dormant within you."
"But..."
"The goal of this floor is to awaken that power. It won't be easy. Sensing mana requires a great deal of time and effort. That is why so many climbers remain on Floor 17."
"..."
"That dizziness you are experiencing is the backlash from your internal mana being forcibly stirred. Remember the sensation well. Later on, it will..."
"Excuse me."
"...Climber. I understand you have many questions, but would you let me finish explaining first? I do not appreciate being interrupted."
"No, that's not it..."
I poked the air a few times.
"It's saying... Floor 17 cleared..."
"...Pardon?"
Floating right in front of me was the text: [-You have cleared Floor 17.-]
Cleared before the angel even finished explaining the floor's objective? This was a first. I was honestly flustered.
"Th-that can't be..."
The haughty angel seemed just as thrown. With trembling hands, she carefully pushed my body aside from where I'd been leaning against the stone. I stood there watching, wondering what she was up to, and then I saw it — on the rock, in the exact shape of my palm, the color had turned a vivid blue.
"Uh... uhh..."
Her mouth open in a daze, the angel manipulated something with her right hand, and a blue portal appeared beside me.
"You truly... cleared it..."
"..."
"..."
"Congratu... lations..."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
Another first.
I cleared Floor 17 the moment I entered...