The Regressor Accepts Fate (2)
The Regressor Accepts Fate (2)
"..."
"..."
I kept shooting wary glances at Kang Chan.
Kang Chan was calmly touching the cave wall, utterly unsuspecting.
Even though ten minutes had already passed, the monster wolf showed no intention of revealing itself.
"..."
Had it... chickened out?
Had it been cowed by Kang Chan's overwhelming presence? It was plausible. Wolves are innately sharp-sensed creatures.
The wolf might be perceiving Kang Chan's aura, which I could only faintly feel at this distance, dozens of times more intensely.
If so, then I should give it a little push.
"O-oh! Up there!"
I feigned a start and pointed at the wolf's two eyes gleaming from the ceiling.
"K-khuuung!"
The wolf let out a flustered cry, as if it really had been cowed.
The creature hesitated on the ceiling, shuffling back and forth, before apparently deciding it had no other choice and lunged straight at Kang Chan.
"What the?!"
But Kang Chan was just as flustered.
The wolf was charging with desperate, reckless ferocity, moving so fast it was already too late for him to dodge.
In the end, Kang Chan's fist began to glow once more.
The monster wolf descending from the air.
Kang Chan staring up at the ceiling, launching his fist straight at the wolf's snout.
Flash!
"...Wow."
Because there was some distance between me and Kang Chan, I could fully appreciate his punch.
BOOM!
An intense beam of light erupted from his fist. It was less a punch and more a phenomenon.
A natural disaster that obliterated everything it touched.
The monster wolf, just before making contact with Kang Chan's fist, was engulfed in light and its form simply vanished.
"U-uaaaah!"
Belatedly, a fierce blade wind whipped through the cave, howling with the aftermath of that punch.
"A-as expected...!"
Even while groaning against the wind raging through the cave, I didn't forget to marvel at Kang Chan's fist.
The heavens hadn't abandoned me. I'd missed the bus that was Choi Ji-won, but an even bigger bus named Kang Chan had been prepared for me.
Bring it on. Kang Chan is a god, and I'm invincible...!
Rumble.
While I was inwardly making a complete fool of myself, an ominous vibration echoed from the ceiling.
"Huh?"
Kang Chan's punch had blown a huge hole in the ceiling, and the shockwave spread cracks all across it.
The cracks extended to the walls, and torches began to drop to the floor one by one.
"..."
Crack!
And then, when the ceiling finally collapsed and countless rocks began to fall upon my head...
"Shit..."
I calmly closed my eyes.
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 3-5.]
***
Kang Chan wasn't at fault.
If anyone was at fault, it was this flimsy cave ceiling that couldn't withstand his punch.
But whether it was his fault or not, the fact that I couldn't use Kang Chan's help against the wolf was a critical blow.
Because I figured that even if we dropped the wolf to the floor and then Kang Chan threw a punch, the ceiling would still collapse.
Kang Chan was just too strong, and the cave walls were just too weak. We had to deal with the wolf on our own.
So, when we reached the cave entrance again, I stopped everyone in their tracks.
"Everyone."
"...Yes? What is it?"
"Shall we take a moment to explain our abilities in detail? That cave ahead looks incredibly suspicious."
I didn't mention that a wolf was hiding on the ceiling. If I did, Kang Chan would run off to hunt other wolves.
What I was aiming for was to get Ahn Gyeong-jun and Dok Su-hee to reveal their abilities. If I didn't gather that information now, what I was about to say would come off as very awkward.
So, once I steered the mood toward everyone revealing their abilities...
"I have... a Possession ability. When I feel my life is in danger, a spirit skilled with javelins takes control of my body."
"I have an Enchant ability."
"...Fist."
"My trait is proficiency with a sword. The 'Swordsmanship' trait, to be exact."
Just like in the previous cycle, each person shared their traits.
And with that, the conditions were set for me to take the lead.
"First, wouldn't it be better to prepare thoroughly before entering that cave? We don't know what might jump out. Right?"
"...Right?"
"Then, wouldn't it be advantageous for Mr. Ahn Gyeong-jun to enter the cave already possessed, to handle unexpected variables?"
"...Right?"
"But Mr. Ahn Gyeong-jun isn't currently feeling any life-threatening danger... So, what if we could forcibly trigger his possession?"
"...Can we do that?"
When Ahn Gyeong-jun asked if such a thing was possible, I turned my head to look at Kang Chan.
"Chan."
"...What is it."
"I saw earlier that your aura is truly incredible... Is it possible for you to focus your killing intent on a single person? Ah, you are able to emit killing intent, right? My apologies for making assumptions."
"...It's possible."
Having experienced Kang Chan's killing intent firsthand, I knew.
That killing intent. Most ordinary people could never endure it. Even with my mental fortitude, hardened to some degree through repeated regressions, enduring it was overwhelmingly difficult.
So, what about the timid Ahn Gyeong-jun?
He might not just feel a threat to his life—he might pass out cold.
"...Wait."
"Ah, or if you sense another monster's presence, could you direct your killing intent exclusively at Mr. Gyeong-jun?"
"..."
Woooooosh.
And so, after Kang Chan focused his killing intent on Ahn Gyeong-jun and then vanished to wherever.
"U-uaaaah...!"
Ahn Gyeong-jun, his eyes half-rolled back, seemed to have entered his possessed state successfully. The moment his expression suddenly hardened, he summoned an old wooden spear.
"Alright, let's head in!"
I didn't hesitate and pushed both of them forward. Ahn Gyeong-jun's eyes were locked onto the ceiling. His sharp ki perception had obviously detected the wolf's presence.
And so, the three of us entered the cave.
Whoosh!
The possessed Ahn Gyeong-jun didn't hesitate and hurled the wooden spear toward the ceiling.
"Kyaeng!"
The flustered wolf frantically leaped down from the ceiling. It clearly hadn't expected to be caught so instantly. Startled, its posture was completely awkward as it fell.
"Enchant! Hurry!"
We couldn't miss this opening. I rushed straight at the wolf falling to the floor.
"Uh... um. 'Explosion'!"
Dok Su-hee didn't hesitate and enchanted Ahn Gyeong-jun's wooden spear with 'Explosion'.
"Hup!"
Fwoosh!
The monster wolf leaped backward, narrowly dodging my rushing slash.
But that jump was its mistake. Because we had a terrifying ranged damage dealer.
"I'll hunt."
Swaaash!
The enchanted wooden spear slammed into the wolf's body while it was still in mid-air.
Crack!
"Kyaeng!"
The spear exploded from deep within the monster, ending the wolf's life on the spot.
"Huff, huff..."
Possession released, Ahn Gyeong-jun collapsed heavily onto the ground.
"...Bravo."
Clean. No, perfect.
I had completely skipped the unnecessary process of running from the wolf.
Now, a route to take down a wolf without taking any damage was established.
This is the essence of regression. Repeating the same situation and drawing out the best possible result.
I flashed a satisfied smile.
**
About thirty minutes later.
Kang Chan returned, a line of blood streaming from his head.
"...There was one more wolf."
So both wolves were now perfectly dealt with.
The immediate challenge now was figuring out how to overcome the mirror room.
If we entered the mirror room without any preparation, nothing but disaster awaited us.
"Hm... Mr. Gyeong-jun?"
"Yes? What is it?"
"Could you explain your ability in more detail?"
"Ah, my ability is..."
Once I broke the ice, Ahn Gyeong-jun slowly began explaining his ability.
Ahn Gyeong-jun's ability was the soul itself. Swapping control of the body was merely a secondary effect; the true nature of his trait was the soul that constantly followed him around.
"So, do your senses stay linked? You lose control of your body, but you still perceive everything?"
"No. The soul perceives the world as itself, and I perceive it as myself. Though the soul and body can't get too far apart."
So it's not like the movie 'Get Out,' where you sit somewhere and share senses. The spirit essentially floats around in spirit form and observes the world separately.
"Hmm..."
That meant blindfolding Ahn Gyeong-jun's physical eyes would do nothing to stop the soul from perceiving the mirror room.
The outcome of walking into that mirror maze in this state was painfully obvious.
'Do you dare try to deceive me!' The native spirit would let out a screech, forcibly possess him, and then start throwing spears to smash every mirror in sight. And I'd get hit by the flying shards and immediately regress.
Maybe I could hang way back and avoid the mirror fragments...
But the mirror maze would have its own gimmick. If the possessed Ahn Gyeong-jun went on a rampage and we got caught in that gimmick, we'd be stuck. We needed four palms to open that stone door.
A way to cover the soul's eyes following Ahn Gyeong-jun... A way to stop that thing from freaking out...
"Ah."
Suddenly, I remembered how Kang Chan had focused his killing intent on Ahn Gyeong-jun earlier during the wolf fight to forcibly possess him.
What if... we have Ahn Gyeong-jun possessed again, and blindfold him...
Once the soul was pulled into his body, wouldn't it be unable to perceive the mirrors?
This felt like it had a high chance of success. No, this would definitely work.
Then what really mattered now was...
"Everyone."
How persuasively I could convince the others. How I could get them to accept the idea of blindfolding the possessed Ahn Gyeong-jun and moving forward.
"Could... you look over here for a second? Doesn't this seem suspicious?"
- Curiosity [A]
- Opposites are naturally drawn together. People feel an inexplicable curiosity toward you and are instinctively compelled to pay attention.
And this was something I had done countless times in the tutorial.