The Opposite of Suicide (Part 2)

Their gazes locked, each reflecting the other's image.

A being who should never have been visible. Her own future self.

The look on present-day Arin's face upon seeing her was nothing short of a masterpiece.

A few pointless comments were tossed in between, but the chatroom's overall mood said it all.

Indeed, present-day Arin had entirely shattered her usual aloof, poised 'cool-beauty' persona. Her jaw hung so wide open she looked like an absolute airhead.

Did I make a face like that too?

—Mmm, I don't think you did, Eunho-ya! The moment I said I might kill you on the spot, you reined in your emotions all by yourself. You really are something special, you know?

Well, that's a relief.

—Uh... wait a second. That sounds kind of ambiguous. Are you relieved I called you something special, or relieved you didn't make a goofy face like past-me?

If I had to choose? Both.

—...Hey!

Regressor Arin let out a feral roar!

The Regressor was super strong, and everyone died!

...In all seriousness, he came perilously close to dying just now.

She pounced without warning, clinging to him like a cicada. Her sheer strength was one thing, but burying his face straight between two lush peaks blocked his airway completely, leaving him gasping for air.

Just as Eunho managed to pry Regressor Arin off and was privately marveling at the miracle of oxygen, a subtle signal woven of mana reached his senses from present-day Arin.

Broadcast. Microphone. Off.

That was the gist of it.

Eunho nodded once and politely asked the viewers for their understanding. Since the chat readily agreed, there was thankfully no need to unleash any harsh discipline upon the room.

Meticulous as ever, Eunho switched the video feed to a standby screen, muted the microphone, and finally turned his gaze toward Arin.

She must have a million things to say.

Meeting a future incarnation of oneself was hardly an everyday occurrence. She would want to know about the road ahead, how to cultivate her abilities, and what hazards to avoid. There were endless questions she could ask.

Eunho waited patiently, allowing her time to gather her thoughts.

At last, present-day Arin found her voice.

"H-H-How can you do such shameless, indecent things in broad daylight?!"

Wait... I didn't see that question coming.

She truly was a regressor from the future. Just when he thought he had calculated several moves ahead, she blindsided him from a completely unexpected angle.

Yet our veteran regressor possessed neither blood nor tears. Even when facing her flustered past self, she offered only an icy smirk and a derisive snort.

—Hmph! Are you just bitter because you don't have the nerve? If it bothers you that much, why don't you do it yourself? Huh?

The regressor had pulled out the classic skill issue, do it yourself then card.

A veteran move, through and through. Knowing full well her younger self lacked the courage, she trapped her in an inescapable checkmate... Though moderating a catfight between two versions of the same ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠girl inside his own head was starting to give Eunho an existential crisis.

"W-What?! How could I ever do something so vulgar... when everyone is watching?!"

—Who's watching? The only one seeing this right now is you! It's not like the stream viewers can see me anyway~

Translated: since nobody else could see her, anything went.

Wait, didn't that sound even worse when unpacked?

—Aha! I'm totally fine with it! As long as it's with Eunho, outdoors or anywhere else—

"Kyaaaaah?! Stop! Stoooop!! Don't say lines like that with my face!"

In the end, present-day Arin's ear-splitting shriek brought an abrupt close to Regressor Arin's runaway indecency.

Present Arin let out a long, ragged exhale before speaking again.

"So... is this how you two spend every day?"

"Ah, yeah. I'm used to it by now, so it's fine."

—Hey, you two! I can hear you, you know? Why are you treating me like some kind of troll?!

"You be quiet for a second."

—Hmph. Eunho-yaaa. Past-me is glaring at me like she wants to eat me alive~

Whether judged by age or sheer power, Regressor Arin was clearly the superior combatant. Yet she pretended to be terrified, gliding across the air to dive straight toward his chest.

Naturally, her spirited charge was cut short as present-day Arin intercepted her with desperate flailing.

"Where do you think... you're going?! Stop... hugging him!"

The two tangled together, wrestling furiously to impose their wills on each other.

Watching them tussle, a sudden thought crossed Eunho's mind.

If they could ever touch each other for real, there's one thing I've always wanted to see them do.

"Hey, could you two do some pantomime? You could totally pull off a flawless mirror routine all by yourselves."

—You really want to see that?

Regressor Arin flashed a thoroughly wicked grin, her gaze sliding slowly toward her past self.

"Uh... now that I think about it, maybe I don't need to see it after all..."

—Hup!

Before Eunho could finish, Regressor Arin locked present Arin in a suffocating embrace.

Neither woman was lacking in the physical department, meaning certain prominent features were instantly mashed flat against one another.

Regressor Arin wore a smug, utterly contradictory smirk that asked how do you like this view?, while present-day Arin flushed crimson all the way to her earlobes, her pupils quivering in absolute panic.

—How's this, Eunho-ya? You won't find a show like this anywhere else, right?

"Ugh... H-He's looking right at us..."

—What's the big deal? It's only Eunho watching anyway, isn't it?

"T-The fact that it's Eunho watching is the whole problem?!"

—Moments like this are when you have to stand tall! Square those shoulders! Look at you, slouching again. Straighten your spine and look Eunho dead in the face—

"You're going to break her. Take it easy."

—Hehe. Should I?

At Eunho's chiding, Regressor Arin flashed a silly, innocent smile and fluttered back over to hover beside him.

Present-day Arin could only stare in dazed disbelief. It felt as though a localized hurricane had just swept through her reality.

How... how on earth did I turn out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like that?

Arin squeezed her eyes shut, overcome by sheer, unadulterated dismay.

The broadcast resumed.

Eunho's viewers harbored endless goodwill toward him. So long as he avoided anything overtly immoral, they possessed the boundless generosity to forgive nearly anything. Their tolerance was practically saintly.

Look at that. Instead of grilling the streamer, they simply cracked jokes amongst themselves about drinking bleach and hoping for better luck in their next incarnations.

Were they not living, breathing saints in their own right?

Eunho watched the chat scroll by with immense satisfaction before smoothly changing the subject. Frankly, the conversation was teetering on the edge of utter chaos.

"Everyone, we still have one reward left to inspect, right?"

"As for the ring, I gave it to Arin because it suited her far better than me. It was restricted to clerics anyway."

Just as the viewer guessed, Eunho was hoping for an elixir.

It could replenish my lacking mana.

His spiritual power stat had risen, significantly improving his energy efficiency, but his physical vessel and mana reserves were lagging behind, struggling to support that burden.

Didn't martial arts novels always preach the sacred harmony of mind, qi, and body?

While ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠such philosophy was hardly common knowledge throughout the Tower, Eunho found the logic sound.

Mana has become reality here. In that sense, the principle holds up.

The physical body housed mana. Yet the mind directed that body, and mana in turn fortified the mind. The fact that an owner's dense mana shielded against mental corruption had already been proven by veteran rankers who scaled the upper floors.

With an expectant flutter in his chest, Eunho drew two black pills from his inventory and examined their item details.

"......?"

A question mark bloomed over Eunho's head, mirrored instantly by a flood of identical symbols in the chat.

To the viewers, an elixir of this category was unheard of.

An elixir that directly accelerated physical stat growth.

And with a staggering +50% multiplier attached.

Every piece of this was an undisclosed 'hidden' element that the world had never before laid eyes upon.

Yet what truly gave Eunho pause was something entirely different.

The trait he had received from the Tower on the 1st Floor as compensation for his omitted sheet was suddenly stirring to life.

What.

He hadn't even tasted it yet! What right did a trait have to appoint itself the royal food taster and swallow the medicine before its master could take a single bite?

Just as Eunho's brow furrowed to scold the rogue trait, more messages flared before his eyes.

Uh... well then.

Did the order of consumption really matter all that much?

What mattered was the net profit left in the belly.

Eunho's expression smoothed into that of a benevolent sage as he admired Boost. Truly, there was no greater lucky charm in the world than this trait.

Alright, alright! I get it! You guys are amazing too. Happy now?

Only after he mentally placated them like a husband soothing a nagging spouse did the achievements finally quiet down in satisfaction.

Seriously, a guy couldn't even offer a compliment around here without causing a scene.

Feeling the smooth surface of the remaining black elixir in his palm, Eunho spoke to the camera.

"Well, I think that's enough for today. The stream has been running for quite a while."

And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with that, his long, eventful debut broadcast finally came to an end.