The Regressor Is a Cloud (3)
The Regressor Is a Cloud (3)
The answer surfaced in my mind.
Just one.
A single, needle-thin answer.
"But before I tell you, there's one thing we need to clear up first."
"...What is it?"
"That fist of yours. I need to know its exact usage conditions."
Honestly, Kang Chan's ability has the strongest raw attack power I've ever seen in a player. In terms of single-strike impact, it's comparable to the City Master unleashing the Heart of Lightning.
So naturally, the most crucial ability for clearing Floor 3-5 is Kang Chan's fist.
I'd already guessed he could use it about once, but understanding the detailed conditions was just as important.
"...In that case, I need to hear an explanation from you too."
Kang Chan answered my question with one of his own.
"I can see that much at least—you aren't the type of regressor who only does it once. You're the kind who repeats it again and again. The moment we entered Floor 3-5, instead of looking at your surroundings, you came straight to talk to me."
"..."
"I need to know what changes your regression point. Do you set it yourself? Or is it determined by some other condition? Can it be updated again?"
Kang Chan was asking about my regression ability. I'd forgotten because he'd revealed his own so readily, but I hadn't disclosed anything about mine.
"...Why do you want to know?"
"You're planning to regress anyway, aren't you? What's the harm in telling me?"
"..."
He was right. I had no comeback. Since the memories will vanish after regression anyway, there was no reason not to talk.
But even so, revealing that "I regress from even a scratch" felt a little... off. It wasn't rational thinking; the reluctance came from an instinctive level.
"...I regress when certain conditions are met. The regression point is set to the moment I first enter each floor."
"You told me to reveal my fist's penalty, yet you're hiding the exact conditions yourself."
"..."
"Let's just leave it at neither of us revealing everything."
Kang Chan gave a single shrug.
"...Fine. Next, I want to hear in detail what you experienced after entering Floor 3-5."
"Why do you want to know that?"
"Shouldn't I be able to judge whether your plan has any real chance? I already told you my whole story."
"Erm, everyone..."
Right in the middle of our heated back-and-forth, Ahn Gyeong-jun tactlessly interjected.
"There's a lady waiting... you really should come now..."
"...Stay there. I'll be over soon."
"Y-yes, understood..."
After subduing Ahn Gyeong-jun with a single look, Kang Chan shifted his gaze back to me.
"If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. Or you can lie. If you regress, I'll forget everything anyway. Ah, you could just regress right now, too. You got the information you wanted from me, after all. But you're alone. A plan that looks perfect to you might show flaws when seen by a third party. And I have things I can tell you too."
"..."
Kang Chan.
Contrary to his initial image, this guy seemed to have a pretty sharp mind. And right now, he was being cooperative.
I wasn't sure what his intentions were... but it would probably help.
"...Let's start from when I first entered Floor 3-5, then."
So I slowly laid out everything that happened after entering Floor 3-5 to Kang Chan.
Confessing my regression and talking about the past felt deeply unsettling... but Kang Chan was right. A plan that looks perfect to me could show flaws through someone else's eyes.
"...I confirmed the blood on the golem's fist, and then I regressed."
About ten minutes had passed.
I finished my story. Kang Chan wore a rigid expression, deep in thought, while Ahn Gyeong-jun had peeked in, probably wondering why the hell we weren't coming, only to retreat again because of the heavy atmosphere.
"...I've heard you."
Kang Chan nodded with an expression that wasn't quite blank but was still hard to read.
"First... it looks like I can only use the 'Fist' once on Floor 3."
"Are you sure?"
"To be honest, I do feel uneasy giving you too much information. But it isn't a lie. Floor 3-5... has terrible compatibility with me."
"...I see."
Kang Chan seemed to understand what it meant to give information to a regressor. And he didn't seem to be lying.
If he could use the 'Fist' twice, it would make things tremendously, tremendously easier. But only once. I couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"More than that, it looks like the three others, including you, are extremely strong."
Kang Chan turned his head to look toward where Dok Su-hee and Ahn Gyeong-jun were waiting.
"...To me, the 'Fist' is a kind of last resort. After using it, I'm as good as walking around with my throat bared."
"But you used your ability in the arrow trap?"
"I probably believed in you. A belief that even if I used my ability, you all could survive to the end."
In the past, Kang Chan had said he probably observed other people carefully. Without the 'Intimidation' trait, Kang Chan was basically a corpse, so he always had to watch others.
Their personality, their strength, their way of thinking. Putting everything together, Kang Chan concluded that our party was trustworthy, and that's why he used his ability along the way. Kang Chan also wasn't in a position to breeze through the trap corridor, so he had to rely on us.
Besides, he had his 'Intimidation' ability as another last resort, so he had enough confidence to survive under normal circumstances.
"...He just didn't expect a golem immune to killing intent to pop out."
But the ending was still bad.
"...I think I've put all my cards on the table by now. Now it's your turn."
Kang Chan looked straight into my eyes with his black irises.
"Let's hear this plan of yours."
"...Fine."
After a moment's thought, I began to explain.
My plan.
Its essence was simple.
To take stock of what the four of us had right now, analyze the obstacles in front of us, and then deploy our resources at the right time and place.
It wasn't an overly grandiose plan. Just a simple shift in thinking.
"...A plan where your willpower is the most important, then."
That was Kang Chan's reaction after hearing my plan through to the end.
"The probability of success looks high. As long as you don't break."
Truthfully, that was the biggest problem with this plan.
A battle of whether my willpower could endure or not. But of the plans that had come to mind immediately, this was the only one that seemed like the right answer.
"...I'll be cheering you on."
After a small nod, Kang Chan slowly rose from his spot.
He rolled his shoulders once, then took a stance and glared at me.
"Now, regress."
A fist wreathed in light. Killing intent spilling from his body.
These were the signs that Kang Chan's 'Fist' was about to come.
"...I was planning to regress anyway, but is this really necessary?"
Of course, I'd been planning to regress, but seeing his attitude suddenly flip felt a little hurtful.
"No. Try thinking from my perspective for once."
Kang Chan shook his head.
"You could have some special technique to peek at my Status Window, or maybe you deduced my ability through reasoning and are running psychological warfare."
"..."
"Why do you think I obediently told you my past story and my ability?"
Just like a regressor, the moment Kang Chan's true nature is exposed, a clear counter exists.
Quantity.
You can just overwhelm him with sheer numbers. There'd be some casualties, but after he throws that single punch, he's nothing but a powerless existence.
In other words, the moment Kang Chan revealed his ability, he had no intention of just letting me go.
"...If I'm not a regressor, you'd be stuck on Floor 3. You can't proceed without four people here."
"Now that my true nature has been laid bare, my life is as good as forfeit. I took my own gamble..."
Kang Chan stopped mid-sentence and let out a short laugh.
"No, I'll just be honest. At first I was suspicious, and I did throw a gambit just like I said... but now I believe in your regression. This is my instinct, and it's also the result of putting together everything you've shown me."
"...Then why are you doing this?"
"To score points."
"...What?"
"Haven't you ever thought from someone else's perspective? What it would feel like to meet a regressor?"
"..."
"You're like a natural disaster—something that can't be resisted. Unless you have a means to permanently seal you, crossing you is no different from suicide."
Kang Chan raised one corner of his mouth.
"I'm appealing to you right now. I'm not an empty-headed idiot. I'm someone who can be helpful to you, and further, someone who can be helpful to humanity."
Kang Chan was making his point.
That he had grasped the situation this far in an instant on his own. That he was a person with a fair amount of insight.
That rather than exposing his ability everywhere and ruining him completely, it would be more rational to leave him be and make use of him.
"...I did think it was strange that you told me so easily at first."
So it was all planned. I'd just thought he had no sense.
"No, I didn't tell you simply because I had no intention of letting you go."
But Kang Chan shook his head again.
"I also intended to see how you would react to my story. Just as you observed me, I observed you too."
"..."
"And in my judgment... you're a trustworthy bastard."
That's what I think now, and that's what I would have thought in the past too.
Saying that, Kang Chan gave an awkward smile for the first time.
"...So, I'll be cheering you on."
The light on Kang Chan's fist slowly faded.
"...Thank you."
I gave a small nod and then regressed.
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 3-5.]
***
"...Get up. Rookie."
"...Hoo."
Before putting the plan into action, there was something I needed to test first.
"Let's go."
The golem.
I had to face that thing once more.