The Earth Is Changing Fast (3)
The Earth Is Changing Fast (3)
It might sound like an exaggeration to say the Earth will end in ten years.
But the reason I believe that is simple: the people currently climbing the Tower with burning passion fall into exactly two categories.
Heroes who risk their lives out of a sense of duty to save humanity, and madmen who risk their lives without a second thought just to get stronger. Those are the only two types.
The problem is the madmen.
They'll keep climbing the Tower diligently, growing stronger by the day.
Even now, I could probably grab a gold medal if I entered the Olympics. So what happens in one year? Five years? Ten?
What happens when the power to split the sea and topple mountains falls into the hands of someone who isn't right in the head?
What happens when a lunatic who could destroy the planet just "for fun" shows up?
Humanity would have no way of avoiding ruin.
That's why I settled on ten years. I believe humanity will be destroyed within ten years.
Modern political systems scatter power into tiny pieces and disperse it everywhere for the same reason.
Unified power is strong, but it's just as unstable. Because everything hinges on the one person who holds that power.
In the end, what I have to do is simple.
I have to climb the Tower as fast as possible.
I have to conquer this Tower before people get strong enough to become a real threat.
To stop someone's prank from destroying the Earth.
I waited about another month to see how the situation would unfold.
『 U.S. Government Officially Recommends Climbing Floor 2... "Internal Survival Rate Investigation Finds It Safe." 』
The floor embargo apparently applies to players as well, because even I couldn't pull up any details about what was inside Floor 2. Probably because I was still staying on Floor 1.
The only thing I could confirm was that it was supposedly safe.
『 Could Tower Items Become Humanity's Future Livelihood? Global Corporations Launch Investigations. 』
After it came out that items could be brought out of the Tower, nations began systematically supporting Tower climbs.
They also started crafting hero images by promoting their own players who were producing visible results.
『 U.S. Government Launches Player Association... First Association President Is "Mighty Michael" Michael Jeter.』
The United States moved first.
They churned out special laws at an incredible pace, as if they'd been preparing all along.
They also created the "Player Association" to officially support players, though the support only went as far as connecting them with special forces instructors, promoting them nationally as heroes, and providing generous financial backing.
To players who'd already unlocked Floor 1, this might not sound like much. But... the approach was surprisingly effective.
Players could use Floor 1 to live materially abundant lives...
But as is always the case with humans, they weren't alone.
『 High-grade Potion Sold at New York Auction for 2 Billion Dollars. 』
For family, for friends, for lovers. Or simply because they wanted to become heroes. The number of people registering their names with the Player Association grew by the day.
『 Korean Government Awards Presidential Commendation to Player Choi Ji-won... First in the Nation to Successfully Climb Floor 10. 』
A familiar name appeared in the Korean news as well.
Choi Ji-won. In a way, it was only natural that an insane overpowered character like her stood out. The media re-examined her father's career and hyped her up relentlessly.
The reason governments around the world push heroes forward is simple. They needed visible results to pacify an angry populace.
They needed something to show that the government was doing something.
Politicians simply chose players as that symbol.
『 China Announces World's First Successful Climb of Floor 20. Credibility Is Low. 』
In the current situation, there was no way to verify who had climbed how far.
Society hadn't improved at all. Ability-user crimes didn't decrease. But thanks to the existence of heroes, the people could still see a single ray of light.
Of course, if I wanted to, I could regress and stand right next to Choi Ji-won. No—someday I could monopolize wealth and fame as the world's top player.
But there's a reason I choose not to do that.
This might sound sudden, but the tutorial survivors—officially known as players—wanted to share their stories.
People who'd endured extreme experiences were mentally exhausted and sought somewhere to lean by sharing what they'd been through.
Only another player can truly empathize with a player. The creation of a site called "PlayerNet" was, in a way, inevitable.
The reason I suddenly brought up PlayerNet is simple.
My story had been posted there.
I read through every single tutorial-related post you guys wrote, you know? Seriously, everyone was overcoming near-death situations, fighting... it all sounded completely desperate.
But here's the thing—I never fought. To be precise, I didn't do anything in the tutorial. You're probably wondering how that's even possible, right?
I'm wondering how it's possible myself.
First of all, like you guys, I passed out and woke up in the clearing. Until that fairy-looking bastard showed up, I had zero mental energy and was just sitting there blankly.
Then suddenly some guy stood up. I can't remember his name, but he had this strangely magnetic presence. He wasn't handsome, but you kept looking at him. You know what I mean?
Anyway, that guy was going on about how we should band together... I wasn't really listening, just watching his face. And then he suddenly picks up a sword and does this sword dance.
Honestly, it was the first time in my life I'd seen someone handle a blade that well. It felt kind of overwhelming, you know? After the sword dance, he looked like a completely different person. He looked cool, but also kind of scary to approach.
I was a bit intimidated and just kept sitting quietly, but the guy chatted with some woman, told her to wait a minute, and then disappeared while slicing through the grass. He came back about an hour later and told us to follow him.
When I followed, there were thousands of goblins tearing each other apart, and he just told us to ignore them and walk right through...
I was so scared I thought about running, but I just went, "Ah, whatever," and followed. I felt like the guy probably had a plan.
But when we got there, there was this huge bull-headed monster. This thing the size of a truck was gripping an axe and snorting, and I instinctively shrank back.
Then suddenly the bull-head started charging right at me. I freaked and was running away when some middle-aged guy grabbed me and told me to look behind me.
I listened and looked back, and the bull-headed monster's head was rolling around on the ground.
After that... was it the Goblin Shaman? That thing suddenly collapsed with a thud and a portal opened. They said I hadn't done anything sinful during the Judgment, so they just let me go.
I'm glad to be alive, but I still feel a bit unsettled. They say it's safe, but I'm too scared to climb to Floor 2.
If that guy suddenly flips a switch and decides to kill everyone, I'm sure none of us would survive.
===
-Fake, right? You expect me to believe this?
-It's real. I was in the same tutorial as this person, and it's all facts, no exaggeration whatsoever. For the record, the "some woman" mentioned here turned out to be Choi Ji-won. And that guy is stronger than Choi Ji-won.
-I saw that bull-headed monster too. It looked like it could kill a thousand people, no problem.
-Assuming this is real, isn't that guy a regressor? Honestly, how does someone who just entered the Tower pull off this kind of thing?
-That's it. Earth probably already ended once, and the last one standing came back using a regression artifact. He's probably monopolizing all the hidden pieces.
-If anyone knows how to contact the person in this post, I will reward you. Please send me a private message.
"..."
I no longer had any intention of playing the hero.
To be precise, I planned to stay hidden as much as possible.
Even if a situation arose where I needed to use my Hero trait, I planned to conceal my identity.
I had shown far too much in the tutorial. My obsession with saving everyone led me to make a terrible mistake without even realizing it.
A regressor, who is practically invincible, has one great weakness: having the fact that they can regress exposed.
Why? Because a regressor has a clear counter.
Sealing.
Death regressors feel no fear. They tend to stick their noses everywhere, buoyed by the sense that if they die, they can just do it over. They fundamentally lack caution.
So what happens if a regressor gets sealed—by magic, an item, whatever? Their regression stops.
They're deprived of the right to start over after death. Their body remains frozen, unreleased, until the world ends—maybe even beyond.
Time simply flows forward according to its natural order, forever.
Of course, my regression condition is much lighter than that. I regress from the slightest graze, so if I quickly injure myself before being sealed, maybe I could avoid it. Perhaps I could even regress by taking damage during the sealing process itself.
Even so, letting people know I'm a regressor brought me no benefit at all. Because there's no telling when or where a lunatic targeting me might appear.
But I still haven't given up on my dream of living the good life.
My goal is... to subtly build friendly relations with the heroes climbing the Tower's highest ranks, including Choi Ji-won.
I'm aiming for that kind of relationship where we know each other but aren't super close. Just close enough that my mentality doesn't take damage.
I believe that heroes who climb the Tower out of pure goodwill will look out for me in ways they might not even realize, even if what I've done never becomes public knowledge.
When they conquer the Tower and receive the treatment they deserve, surely I could snag a decent spot right next to them.
To sum it up in a word... I intend to climb the Tower as quickly and as secretly as possible.
And there was one thing that needed to be done first to achieve my goal.
Strengthening myself.
I have to get as strong as possible. And I have to climb the Tower as fast as possible.
After scanning through the news and cramming all the information into my head, I slammed my fist hard into the back of my other hand.
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 1.]
***
"Whew, I'm a bit dizzy. It's been a while."
Had it been two months since my last regression?
Honestly, I'd been living extremely cautiously this whole time, afraid I might regress by accident. I even put up a mosquito net to avoid getting bitten, and I stuck thick foam padding all over any hard furniture.
That's how I managed to last two months safely... but this sensation I haven't felt in a while is incredibly unfamiliar.
Still, I'd better get used to it. I planned to regress constantly from now on.
"Let's get started."
The current moment was right when I had just entered Floor 1.
The exact moment I entered Floor 1 after receiving the medicinal pill from the angel, unable to even react.
Without delay, I gulped down the "Berserker's Pill" in my hand.
[Strength stat increased by 10!]
A hot energy surged up from deep within my body. Beads of sweat formed all over my skin.
But only the message about the stat increase appeared. The stat window still refused to reveal its contents.
Stubborn bastard. You plan on staying hidden to the very end?
But that's fine. Even if I can't see it, what matters is that my stats went up.
I struck the back of my hand again.
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 1.]
***
Once again, I looked down at the Berserker's Pill in my hand.
This was why I hadn't swallowed the "Berserker's Pill" from the angel right away.
To an infinite regressor, spiritual medicine is more precious than anything else. If you know its location, you can consume it repeatedly.
Even the regressor senior I know, Senior Baek Mo, always began each regression by first securing the spiritual medicine hidden on the sacred mountain.
Of course, I probably can't infinitely increase my Strength stat with this one pill... but that's still fine.
Just being able to increase my Strength to its possible limit is an incredible advantage by itself.
Gulp!
I swallowed the "Berserker's Pill" in one breath.
From now on, I'd never be overpowered by anyone. A head-on fight? I'll crush them all with overwhelming strength.
I was picturing that rosy future and reviewing my plans, when—
"...Urk!"
Something squirmed inside my throat.
I'd definitely swallowed it, but the Berserker's Pill came shooting back out of my esophagus as if it were alive.
[Unique items cannot be consumed multiple times.]
"...Hah."
A hollow laugh escaped me after reading the message floating before my eyes.
Damn, this thing...
It blocked this too...