The Regressor Has It Easy (2)
The Regressor Has It Easy (2)
"Have you... ever experienced dimensional travel?"
"...No?"
"If it's not that either... then reincarnation? Or regression? An unknown trait I'm not aware of? No, how could this possibly..."
The angel rambled incoherently, circling around me. That haughty expression had twisted beyond recognition, and their hands twitched nervously as they groped at empty air.
"What is it? Some kind of variable..."
"Um... Angel?"
"I need to concentrate, so shu... Yes, Climber."
The angel had been about to snap at me in irritation but caught themselves at the last moment, turning back to me with a smile.
"May I ask you something?"
"If it is something I am permitted to answer."
"Is it really that surprising that I know how to handle mana?"
Honestly, I couldn't quite grasp why the angel was making such a fuss. I had learned to handle mana back on Floor 4, and even Choi Ji-won could manipulate mana proficiently. More than anything, the players of the future all had some degree of expertise in mana as a matter of course, so to me, 'mana' didn't feel particularly special.
Well, maybe the future players' ability to handle mana was due to Floor 17's influence. Either way, the point of what I said should be clear enough.
"Hmm... it seems you don't understand why this defies all logic."
After nodding a couple of times, the angel brought their palms together as if playing cat's cradle, forming an Areum-like shape.
"This shape. You can see it, of course?"
"...Yes. I can."
"The fact that you can see this means that your soul has adapted to the force called 'mana.' To be honest, depending on the world, this is not unusual at all. In a world overflowing with mana, even a newborn infant can perceive it."
"But the reason you say it doesn't make sense is... because I came from Earth?"
"Precisely. Because mana is not something you learn — it is something you feel."
According to the angel, a 'mana genius' does not exist. There are prodigies who can demonstrate such delicate mana control that no one else can match, and there are prodigies who process mana in entirely new ways to create unheard-of applications... but there is no such thing as a prodigy of mana itself. That is a law.
"The closest analogy I can offer would be 'high-altitude adaptation.'"
When an ordinary person climbs a high mountain, the lack of oxygen can cause dizziness, difficulty breathing, and in severe cases, loss of consciousness. It does not matter whether that person is normally healthy, has trained extensively, or happens to be a genius. When there isn't enough oxygen in the first place, genius means nothing.
"However, if you stay at a high altitude for a long time, your red blood cell count increases, your breathing deepens, and your body naturally adjusts your blood pressure. It's simply... a matter of time resolving the issue. Does talent play any role in this adaptation process?"
"...No."
"Mana is exactly the same. Unless the soul is given sufficient time to adapt to this unfamiliar force called mana... it rejects it on an instinctual level. And at this moment, it has not even been half a year since the Tower appeared on Earth. Do you understand now why I was surprised? That is what normal looks like."
The angel gestured toward the other players sprawled on the ground, unconscious.
So, in other words, I could handle mana because I had repeated regression over and over, living a long time with mana inside me... and normally, that isn't supposed to happen.
Well, after all that hardship, this much reward seems fair. I felt a little dazed but also pleased and oddly proud.
But as I listened to the angel, a natural question came to mind.
"But... uh, my friend handles mana incredibly well too. In my case, I have a peculiar trait, so that explains it, but why is she like that?"
Choi Ji-won. How could she handle mana?
Activating 'Heart of Lightning' was one thing. But Choi Ji-won's realm clearly extended beyond that. She might not be as good as me, but she definitely had expertise with mana.
"...Two special cases. Would you be willing to tell me what trait that person possesses?"
The angel tilted their head, curiosity apparently piqued. Unlike their haughty impression, they seemed full of interest when it came to topics that caught their attention.
"Well... I guess I'd describe it as her body turning into something like a sword. Something like that, anyway."
"Her body transforms like a sword... It depends on the material of the sword, but generally speaking, metal is a substance with no resistance to mana. Special metals can even amplify mana. If her body takes on the properties of metal, it is not strange that she can handle mana well."
"Aha... thank you."
So, it's thanks to 'Sword-Body Unity' that she can handle mana so early. My curiosity resolved, I expressed my thanks to the angel.
"No need to thank me. If you truly wish to show gratitude, you could simply tell me what your trait is as well."
"...That's a little."
"Well, it's fine if you keep it a secret. I've gained more to study regardless. Would you like to leave Floor 17 right now?"
"No. I plan to stay a bit longer."
"Understood. Then, if you'll excuse me."
The angel busily manipulated something with their hands. From the movements, it looked like they were recording something. Their demeanor suggested a researcher type; they were probably staying on Floor 17 to study the correlation between humans and mana, or something along those lines.
Leaving the occupied angel behind, I went into an empty house, threw myself down, and sprawled out. If I returned to reality now, Choi Ji-won would be waiting. I wasn't sure why she wasn't in the same space as me at the moment, but the assigned task was probably the same.
"Huuuh..."
I recalled the sight of the other players vomiting and convulsing. The image of them unconscious was still vivid.
"..."
What if... I hadn't known how to handle mana?
If I had entered this place in total ignorance, knowing nothing... wouldn't I have regressed the moment I set foot on this floor?
Looking at the other players, it was clear that they lost consciousness from the shock the instant they entered the floor. As a result, they drooled, tears and snot ran down their faces, and all manner of other filthy... I'll stop there. In any case, it was certain that they suffered a massive shock. What if 'regression' had recognized that as damage?
"..."
The realization that I had come right to the edge of the very situation I feared most — being trapped in time — sent a chill down my spine. A man rambling something in my head. Regression. Then the man rambling again. Regression. An infinite loop.
Normally, there would have been no way to cope. Could a soul adapt to mana in a short time? I probably would have been trapped in time without even understanding what was happening, slowly withering away to death.
"Seriously... I got really lucky..."
The moment I became aware of that fact, a tingling ache spread through my chest where my mana was. It was as if it were warning me, 'You nearly got completely screwed, pal.' Yeah, thanks.
"...?"
But no matter how much I tried to calm myself, the tingling in my chest wouldn't go away. It wasn't quite pain, just an annoying prickling sensation... but for a phantom pain, it seemed to be lasting a bit long.
"Ugh..."
"Urrgh..."
Come to think of it, the other players who were concentrating and meditating were also groaning and breaking out in cold sweats. Was this pain not something only I felt?
To resolve my question, I approached the angel, who was still busily processing something.
"Um... Angel?"
"...What is it?"
The angel kept tapping at the empty air without even glancing my way.
"So... the area where my mana is located is a bit painful. Is this some kind of illness? Or is it this floor's doing?"
"Ahh. It makes sense that you would feel that."
Only then did the angel stop their tapping, and with a soft smile, they began to explain.
"Usually, people who have lived without mana cannot even perceive the mana within their own bodies. You, Climber, are the special case."
"I-is that so?"
"And that is why Floor 17 is located here. Because this place is special."
The angel tapped the ground with the tip of their foot.
"Originally, this place... My apologies. That is information I cannot disclose. In any case, the earth here has the property of absorbing mana."
"Absorbing mana?"
"Yes. The force is so strong that if you leave a fully charged mana stone on the ground and wait just one day, it will become completely empty. The Archangel wished to use this property to help climbers become aware of their mana."
"So... it helps people who don't even know they have mana to perceive it through this pain."
"Exactly."
The angel clapped their hands, like a professor looking at a student who had answered a question correctly. But as one question always leads to another, my curiosity was not yet satisfied.
"Then... what was that feeling I got when I entered this floor? The dizziness, the nausea."
"That is also the Archangel's arrangement. A magic circle is inscribed upon this ground that applies mana-based pressure to any 'living being that has just entered Floor 17.' A perfectly ordinary person would be unharmed, but climbers like yourself who carry mana within your bodies feel the shock."
"Ah... then the video-like thing playing in my head where someone asked questions was also..."
"Yes. That is also one method of utilizing mana. Because unguarded mana cannot resist external stimuli."
"Oho..."
If you learn to handle mana well, things like that become possible too. I could definitely sense that there was some specialized field of knowledge here that I was unaware of.
But now that I had heard the phrase 'mana-based pressure,' why was a remarkably impure scheme beginning to form in my mind?
"...Should I try it?"
If I were to repeat regression from now on.
If I were to repeat entering Floor 17.
Someday... wouldn't I be able to resist that 'mana-based pressure'?
No point in just talking about it.
"Let's do it."
I had already made up my mind to regress.