The Regressor Is Panicked (7)
The Regressor Is Panicked (7)
Even calling it a deal, the arrangement was simple.
"Whatever happens from now on, I will do my utmost to protect you."
You could call it an empty promise. You could wonder what gives me the confidence to say such a thing when a mere brush against me triggers a regression.
But I had my own reasons to believe in it. There were at least a few hundred people on Floor 4.
-Hero [C]
-In a moment of crisis, people think of you. You become stronger when fighting to protect someone.
The Hero trait. I'd never been able to use it before because the conditions never aligned. With its power, I could handle most ordinary monsters on my own.
Of course, it wouldn't pack the same impact as that time I activated it with my back against thousands of goblins. But compared to the past, my own specs had grown significantly, and the Hero trait's rank had also risen.
"I can't promise that everyone will survive. But I will do my best, as far as my strength allows, to protect all of you."
"...Are you saying that as the leader of the players?"
"No. I'm saying it as an individual."
"...Fine. I don't know how strong you are, but you will certainly be a great help. It's a deal with no downside for us."
Baron Jorge opened the door, took down one of the torches hanging in the corridor, and fixed it to the wall. The room brightened again.
"But you called it a 'deal.' What do you want from us?"
"Rather than 'us'... I have a request for you, Baron Jorge."
"...Go on."
Perhaps he was trying to control his expression, but Baron Jorge's face looked the same as before, save for a faint stiffness at the corners of his mouth. Why so tense? It's a very minor condition.
I subtly checked for any presence outside the room, then whispered quietly.
"Teach me how to handle mana."
"...Mana?"
Baron Jorge's brows furrowed, and his mouth fell open slightly. It seemed so absurd that he'd failed to control his expression.
"...Are you joking right now? No, forgive me. I seem to have missed a hidden meaning. Please give me a moment..."
"No. You can take it literally. I want to learn how to handle mana."
"...You don't know how to handle mana?"
"Yes."
"..."
Baron Jorge's expression went blank for a moment, twisted slightly, then returned to normal.
"I suppose that's possible. Our worlds are different. I jumped to conclusions too hastily. The thought that someone as strong as you couldn't handle mana never crossed my mind."
By Baron Jorge's common sense, training one's body and cultivating mana was the only way to grow stronger. He didn't know you could raise your stats directly through the Status Window, so it was only natural for him to misunderstand.
But even after I corrected the misunderstanding, Baron Jorge still looked a bit troubled.
"If it's not a Cultivation Method and only basic mana handling... I can teach you that... But I'm only at the 3rd Rank. My knight Thomas is also unskilled in mana breathing techniques..."
The terms should have been more than satisfactory. Yet Baron Jorge kept showing signs of hesitation.
Ah. I realized what was making him hesitate.
"It's fine."
"..."
"From my perspective, this isn't an unfair deal at all. In our world, no one knows how to handle mana. We possess mana because of the Tower's influence, but the vast majority don't know how to use it."
He felt the deal wasn't fair.
He was agonizing over whether he could really receive my protection in exchange for merely teaching me how to handle mana.
But based on my internet searches, no human currently knew how to handle mana. At least, not on the internet.
"...Is that truly all right?"
Baron Jorge asked carefully, as if my guess had been right on the mark.
"Of course."
I smiled brightly and held out my hand to him.
"..."
After hesitating again and again, Baron Jorge clasped my hand.
With that, the deal was sealed.
I felt certain I could gain a great deal on Floor 4.
**
The deal to learn mana had been made, but this wasn't a situation where I could learn anything right away. There was too much to do at that moment.
We had an urgent need to do something to survive, but no immediate crisis was upon us; and though a makeshift set of rules had been hammered out, nothing had been properly established.
Also, while I'd provisionally taken on the role of leader... that didn't mean I had genuine authority. Right now, people were following me because I seemed to be the strongest, but the players' cohesion was far from solid.
"I'll set the guard duty rotation for now. The castle is large, but each person's physical abilities are outstanding, so we'll organize teams of ten to stand guard at a time."
"Um... I saw earlier that one side is a mountain range. Do we really need to post guards there?"
"This is the Tower. It wouldn't be strange at all for monsters to come down over a mountain range. Guard duty is more important than exploring the inside of the castle, so please stay focused at all times."
In other words, things only moved forward when I personally stepped in.
"If your trait specializes in detection or can investigate information, please raise your hand. Exploring the castle isn't just about the search itself—accuracy is far more important."
I explained logically.
"Your trait rank is low? Your level is low too? I get that you're scared. But isn't it fine if the person you're with is strong? Even if you're less helpful, the sheer numbers matter. I told you that if something comes out of the basement, you should just run away first, right? It won't be dangerous."
I cajoled and coaxed.
"Hey, you shitty bastard. A hidden piece? Are you messing around right now? Other people are scouring the castle trying to save a worthless piece of shit like you, and you're saying you want to explore outside the castle because there might be a hidden piece? Fine. Maybe there is something out there. But if you eat it, does that make the rest of us happy? Does it make you happy? Just for you alone, the rest of us have to bust our asses?"
When they wouldn't listen, I intimidated them.
By actively using the Curiosity trait and the Awe trait, I was able to control the player group, however grudgingly.
Of course, I hadn't managed it with my strength alone; it was possible because I had people helping me.
"Everyone. Are you tired? I'll heal you."
William Smith, a middle-aged white man with a healing trait.
"Mr. Jun-ho. After searching the basement, I found a secret passage. But there wasn't any separate reward—it was just a passage connecting rooms. I'll tell you more after I look into it a little further."
Yun Jung-hyun, a man with sharp, narrow eyes who was turning the inside of the castle upside down with his meticulousness and keen perception.
"Do you need a buff?"
"Here, here's some food. It tastes a bit bland, but there's plenty of it."
Even Baek Da-hye and Ahn Gyeong-nam—acquaintances from the Tutorial—actively cooperated with me.
Thanks to these people, the player group was functioning reasonably well. Though it did squeak a bit.
By contrast, Baron Jorge and the residents of his territory moved in perfect unison.
The residents, who had come out carrying thick sacks along with tools like nails and hammers that they must have recovered inside the castle, meticulously examined the walls, tapped on them, and rubbed at them.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
First, they smashed the drawbridge to pieces.
"What the hell are you doing right now?"
A few flustered players approached, wondering what was happening.
"We won't be going outside anyway, so what does it matter? If you plan to hold out for only five days, it's better not to have something like this."
Baron Jorge was nonchalant. And at the same time, decisive.
"The castle has four floors? But do we really need a fourth floor? There's plenty of space inside, and there's already a watchtower outside."
Having judged that three above-ground floors and one basement floor were enough to accommodate about four hundred people, Baron Jorge began dismantling the old castle from the top down.
Starting from the roof, they roughly tore it apart with hammers, intent on disassembling an entire floor wholesale.
"Is there any player here who's particularly strong? A little cooperation would help."
"...I'll provide a few people."
Skilled workers and superhuman strength combined to create synergy, and the work speed accelerated absurdly.
"Is there no water? We need water to mix with the lime."
"There is a well, but it's already frozen, my lord."
"Is that so? Then gather snow. I'll melt it with magic. Sand would have been ideal, but we'll substitute with mud instead."
What Baron Jorge intended to do was simple.
His ultimate goal was to destroy every gate in the castle and tightly plug the holes with torn-down stone fragments and the makeshift mortar he had created.
"Today we'll finish by blocking the main gate, but tomorrow we must seal all the remaining gates. The night is dangerous, so except for the night watch, eat well and rest deeply. We'll resume work at dawn."
"Yes! My lord!"
As a result of laboring for a long while, the territory residents managed to seal off the spot where the drawbridge had been before the sun set. Even with large numbers, it was a truly impressive result.
People who've devoted their whole lives to a craft are simply different. There's a vibe that comes from experience.
"Mr. Jun-ho."
Someone tapped my shoulder as I stood there admiring the work. I turned my head to see who it was—the man with the narrow eyes, Yun Jung-hyun.
"I've finished searching roughly all of the basement. I found a few secret passages and a couple of hidden rooms... but there weren't any hidden pieces or traces of monsters. Tomorrow, I'll search the first floor."
"..."
Nothing in the basement. My gaze turned toward the towering mountain range.
The setting sun hung over the mountains, beautifully. Right now the sky was stained orange, but soon everything would grow dark.
"Did you announce the guard duty teams?"
"Yes. I arranged them in three-hour intervals. I also roughly factored in each person's combat strength."
"Thank you for your hard work."
I had done everything that could be done right away. The likelihood of monsters appearing from the basement was low, and I had created an environment where we could respond even if monsters attacked from outside.
I don't know for sure, but I think we prepared dozens or even hundreds of times more thoroughly than any other Floor 4.
Now...
"Where is Baron Jorge?"
It was time to learn mana.
<Floor 4>
-Clear Condition: Survive for 5 days. The floor will be automatically cleared the moment the timer ends, and you will move to Floor 1.
-111 : 02 : 30