2nd Floor – The Regressor Returns
His fading senses revived with a jolt.
Alyssha had displayed transcendent recovery power. Expensive potions truly lived up to their price.
Thud… thud… Droplets of water fell onto his cheeks, where sensation was returning. It was a foreign feeling. Thinking it might be rain, he opened his eyes and looked up. It was Elena, crying.
“…Why are you crying…?”
Everyone was risking their lives on the Golem raid. Did it make sense that I was alone, cuddling Elena’s chest and enjoying myself?
Elena wiped the corners of her eyes and furrowed her brows. As if she hadn’t been crying at all.
“Who the hell is crying, you trash. Don’t talk nonsense. If you die, how am I supposed to handle the Submission Oath?”
“Ah, is that why?”
Elena held back her answer and shoved me away. With perfect recovery thanks to Alyssha, standing on my own was no problem at all.
“Good.”
Around me, life force was being absorbed from the fallen players.
Effect:Life force fully restored.
Duration:Permanent.
I drained the life force from all the injured players scattered around. Everyone was focused on the Golem, so they didn’t notice the chaos behind them.
Armed with the filled life force, I rushed to the front line.
I needed to raise my contribution rate. I could always clear it again after regression, so why bother? But back then, my stats were already high. It was impossible for the thing I caught at level 10 and the one at level 30 to be the same.
“Human, are you alive and kicking!”
“Pluto’s Hand!”
Black hands lifted weapons. One player who saw it welcomed me.
“Kim Jinwoo?!”
Yoo Dahui, who had been swinging her sword wildly at the Golem, turned around.
The Golem lunged at Yoo Dahui, but she blocked the attack and flowed with it easily.
“Attack! The Golem is collapsing!”
The Golem, whose center of balance had broken, fell.
I left the fallen Golem behind and moved opposite to the other players. To catch the incredibly fast Yoo Dahui, I lowered my center of gravity and spread my arms.
“Kim Jinwoo! I told you not to push yourself yesterday!”
But Yoo Dahui slowed down as if she was about to stop suddenly while running. She didn’t body-check me into her chest like a wall. She just stood in front of me and stroked me.
“That’s why… I want to stop doing this…”
Sob… sobbing tears. I didn’t understand why everyone was crying.
I looked for Elysha. She was confronting the Golem without a care for me.
She’s reliable.
I was trying to raise my contribution rate, but because Yoo Dahui was holding me back, I couldn’t jump onto the Golem. The players on top of the Golem were hacking it apart, so there was no need to help anymore.
“Core! Found the core!”
“Destroy it!”
After finding the advantage, the players swung their weapons enthusiastically.
Cracks began to appear on the Golem’s core.
Crack—!
The Golem, damaged at its core, no longer moved. It just slumped and slowly disappeared.
🏛 Type: Golem Raid
⚔ Difficulty: Extreme
📍 Floor: 1 / 1
💀 Boss: Unknown
Around me, life force was being absorbed from the fallen players.
Effect:Life force fully restored.
Duration:Permanent.
Around me, life force was being absorbed from the fallen players.
Effect:Life force fully restored.
Duration:Permanent.
Portal appeared. The remaining players gathered in front of it. Some gulped down potions, others picked up their weapons.
“Huuu… It was easier than I thought.”
“Thanks to the human guy. He, who beat the Golem? Telekinesis? Anyway, well played!”
The lizardman came over and patted my shoulder. He was trying to pat me in gratitude.
“Human female?”
“…Jinwoo got hurt. Don’t touch.”
Yoo Dahui blocked the lizardman’s hand. She grabbed his wrist and kept him from touching me.
The lizardman glared at Yoo Dahui in disbelief. He stuck out his tongue.
“Shlick— The female is so devoted. The human guy has a lot of things I’d envy!”
I smiled awkwardly. Since I had nothing to say, nothing came out.
“I’m going first.”
“Good luck!”
Everyone stepped through their own 2nd-floor portals. The moment they crossed, it was farewell to the 1st floor. I could go down, but since it was costly, I didn’t bother.
Everyone else had gone through, and only we remained. Four elves and two humans.
“You all survived.”
Eloin and Elbaren. Impressive bastards.
“…If I cross over, the starting point will change, right?”
“I don’t know. It might not change.”
Yoo Dahui looked tense. Starting points resetting every floor would be convenient, but unfortunately the next reset was at the 5th floor.
“Let’s go in.”
We held hands. It wasn’t meaningful, but I wanted to give her a little courage.
We crossed the portal.
Within a certain range, Pluto’s Slave was confirmed.
A different landscape greeted us from the previous round.
Slap— slap— Waves beat against the beach. Hot sunlight poured down.
“Luck is on our side. There’s a village right in front.”
But the village structure felt oddly familiar. It wasn’t unfamiliar. The novel had been well written, but that was beside the point.
The village ahead seemed like something I had seen before.
Ah, Borte.
That was why it was familiar. A village I had once eaten alive.
“Let’s go to that village.”
I led Yoo Dahui into Borte’s village.
Would Hose or the other players still be alive?
Shing—!
An arrow flew. It was familiar. ‘Hose!’ He was alive. A month ago, the same Hose who had summoned me to argue was still alive.
“…We’ve never seen faces like this before. What’s going on at our village?”
Hose approached us with his bow drawn. His attitude was a little different. Not ignoring, but more like arrogance.
Yoo Dahui said carefully.
“We just came up from the 1st floor. But there’s a village right in front.”
“Ah, a newbie?”
Hose smiled cheerfully and sheathed his bow.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a newbie. I’ll personally guide you to the village. Come this way.”
Hose led us inside the village. He told us various things while we walked. The information I had already given Yoo Dahui.
The only thing I was curious about now was one thing. Was Borte still alive?
The inside of the village had strangely changed. It seemed they hadn’t just spent a month there. Several houses had expanded their space compared to last month.
“This is the village chief’s house.”
Borte’s shack opened. Sure enough, would Borte and Cheongun come out?
“Oh, Hose. Who are those people?”
Borte, Cheongun, and an unknown man. Everyone I had seen in the previous round was still alive. They had probably withdrawn from the war.
“These are the newcomers who just came up today.”
“Guests.”
Borte swept his eyes over the women with lecherous gazes. Because he was so familiar, I didn’t feel like attaching any more strings.
“I have to kill them.”
Yoo Dahui drew her sword. She had sensed the emotion clearly contained in the gaze on her.
Borte laughed mockingly.
“Haha, the beauties look quite picky. Why?”
“If you look at me with those eyes, won’t anyone get angry?”
“Just looking isn’t enough. It’s not like they’ll disappear just because they were looked at.”
Borte had more leeway than last month.
“Cheongun, you take care of it. No, I’ll do it myself.”
Borte flicked his tongue and licked his lips.
“It’s more fun to eat the picky one yourself.”
Borte took a spear from his inventory. Even though he was fat, his stats remained the same, so he moved quite fast.
“Even if you were fed and raised on the 1st floor, this is the 2nd floor. The 2nd-floor rules apply here. If you just rest your hips, I promise to raise you for life. If you’re a woman like you, I can take you as a concubine.”
“Ugh, look at what you’re thinking. Just as you are.”
Yoo Dahui showed her middle finger.
“Come on, accept the duel, you pig.”
“Hahaha, good. If I win, your woman becomes my slave. No, she becomes a breeding sow.”
“Yeah, come on and win, then.”
A transparent curtain unfolded.
Yoo Dahui came to me and handed over coins. A silver coin engraved with 60. 600,000 coins.
There was a duel. I wanted to earn some honey too.
Last month when I met Borte, I hadn’t even thought of a duel. I had been wandering around with my brain wiped clean.
Inside the transparent curtain, the duel began.
I didn’t know what Yoo Dahui had agreed to receive, but her fighting spirit overflowed. Her confidence did too.
I bet all the coins I had on Yoo Dahui’s victory. A total of 700,000 coins. I wasn’t worried.
Last month, the Kim Jinwoo who faced Borte one-armed had been evaluated as equal. So the current Yoo Dahui should easily take Borte.
Borte felt at ease. He had no confidence in losing to a newly emerged human.
“Wait a moment. My village players can bet on my victory.”
Village players came out in a rush. The bet started and the payout rate was set.
“Duel begins!”
Newbie vs. Village Chief. Bet on the chief!”
“Hahaha, I’ll earn with this today!”
The more players bet on the chief, the higher the payout rate for Yoo Dahui became.
Why only my belly?
It turned out Elysha, Eloin, and Elbaren had bet on Yoo Dahui. That’s why it stopped at my belly.
After some betting, the duel was about to start.
“If you surrender now, I’ll spare you.”
At Borte’s words, Yoo Dahui answered by pointing her sword.
“Yeah, I’ll make you a breeding sow and punish your ass with it.”
[Party A]: Borte, Village Chief
[Party B]: Yoo Dahui, Regressor
Bet Amount: 700,000 Coins
Winner’s Prize: 2,800,000 Coins
Loser’s Fate: Immediate death or enslavement
The duel began.
“Just die.”
Yoo Dahui rushed in. Against the spear, stabbing was the correct move.
If I gave her distance, Yoo Dahui had nothing she could do except block with her shield.
“I wish you were as aggressive when you were sucking!”
Borte retreated while provoking Yoo Dahui.
But Yoo Dahui didn’t take the bait. She kept pressing Borte with a cold expression.
Clang—!
Clang—!
Clang—!
“Eh, what?!”
Borte panicked and hardened his face.
Seeing such Borte, Yoo Dahui laughed snidely.
“Now you’re regretting it? Too late. You only ate and were eaten to this extent?”
Open mockery.
Borte’s face flushed red, and his plump jowls trembled.
Puuk—!
“Cough!”
“Pig, surrender?”
Yoo Dahui’s sword pierced Borte’s belly.
Red blood flowed from the tip of the sword that had pierced the fat.
Yoo Dahui immediately pulled the sword out and continued the attack.
“You’re going to keep going? Then I’ll keep going.”
Borte retreated while desperately defending.
One wound after another appeared, and Borte was cornered.
Clang—!
“Hah, haak!”
Yoo Dahui’s sword knocked away Borte’s spear.
Borte fell from exhaustion.
And just before his sword pierced Borte’s neck.
“H, surrender!”
Borte declared surrender.
The transparent curtain disappeared, and 700,000 coins became 2,800,000.
How much free money this was. But Yoo Dahui didn’t stop.
“Now die.”
“Eh?!”
Villages on the 2nd floor weren’t safe zones. Even if you surrendered in a duel, you weren’t safe.
Yoo Dahui had never intended to spare him in the first place.
Slash—!
Her sword cut through Borte’s neck.
“Borte!”
“This, son of a bitch!”
Cheongun and the man rushed at Yoo Dahui.
That was when.
“A, a dragon is flying!”
Someone pointed at the center of the island and shouted.
The dragon was flapping its wings and flying toward us.
“W, what the hell!”
“Everyone, go inside the houses!”
The players scattered.
“Borte! Borte’s house…”
The unknown man trembled as he shouted.
When Borte died, his shack became Yoo Dahui’s.
“Everyone, go inside.”
“You dog woman!”
The man rushed at Yoo Dahui.
Towards that man, I stretched out Pluto’s Hand.
“Pluto’s Hand!”
Thunk—! Puff puff puff—!
“Cough!”
It wasn’t one hit. The invisible hands were fifteen in total. Even if I hit one each, it was fifteen hits.
The man was crushed to the floor.
Cheongun opened his mouth with a disgusted expression.
“Help me. Take me to a safe zone.”
Still an unbelievable bastard.
Yoo Dahui had no intention of saving him.
“Eat this.”
We gave him the middle finger and entered Safe Zone #1,209.
Above the village, the white dragon’s breath shot out.