The Test (3)

I couldn’t be wrong. The masked man was clearly Kim Jinwoo. Every single clue pointed straight at him. Ninety-nine percent identical except for those painful scars. And saying otherwise was almost funny.

Every time I felt him slide in and out of me, the sensation was exactly the same. ‘Ah, really…’ But the way he acted? It was nothing like the masked man who had raped me with that smug smile. The man who had died for me, Kim Jinwoo… those two felt completely different.

I couldn’t understand it. I wanted to believe, but doubt kept creeping in.

‘No matter what.’ Blindly suspecting Kim Jinwoo was poison. When I remembered the wounded look in his eyes, the Kim Jinwoo from the first regression who had sacrificed everything for me made my chest twist with hatred. I didn’t want him to hate me. So I forced myself to calm down.

‘I have to meet him once.’ I scoured the entire Beginner Village all day long, yet I still hadn’t seen the masked man. I told myself it might be overthinking, but I couldn’t stop believing he would appear again just for me. This time I’d catch him red-handed trying to rape me. Until I saw with my own eyes that the masked man was Kim Jinwoo, I wouldn’t suspect him anymore.

Before me sat Kim Jinwoo, and I was ready to give him my absolute best.

Knock, knock—

“Who is it? Onee-san?”

—Huh?

“Wait a second.”

I quickly shoved the silicone dildo that had been lying on the floor under the bed. I had wanted to wake up early and wake Kim Jinwoo, but I was too tired. I had just been comforting myself alone.

‘Ha… I’m pathetic…’ Every time I hid the dildo, a sigh escaped me. In the seventh regression I had bought all kinds of things, but strangely, the one I used the most over two months was the exact same size as the masked man’s… and Kim Jinwoo’s. My pride was getting gnawed to shreds.

***

On the 0th floor they were Field Bosses, but the moment you stepped into the 1st floor they turned into Boss Monsters. A Boss Monster blocked the path to the next floor’s portal. You had to defeat it before you could pass.

Only those who passed through the portal gained the right to move freely between floors. Each floor had a fixed number of these Boss Monsters. The 1st floor had one, the 2nd had two, the 3rd had three… If the number of stars was lower than the Boss Monster’s, no matter how strong the players were, they couldn’t damage it. The System itself made the Boss Monster dodge attacks.

That was why stars mattered. But there were ways to raise them. Guilds were already fighting over the spoils. If I just grabbed one by the throat, it would be easy.

“Kim Jinwoo! Get in here.”

I was trying to raise my contribution score as high as possible. Only then could I receive the most important reward—star growth, ‘awakening’.

Regressor Bus, arigatou! I’m boarding with gratitude.

I stood in front of the Dark Knight holding my 2-star shield. Even though I hadn’t eaten all the Hidden Pieces yet, it was fine. After all, I would regress once on the 1st floor anyway.

These monsters were too strong for me to survive against right now. ‘Awakening’ had a per-floor limit. You couldn’t farm it. To beat other races as a human, you had to absorb their skills on the 0th floor and become a support character. That meant giving yourself time to feel the walls.

After I was summoned, the top players couldn’t even climb past the 7th floor for over a year. So I had plenty of time. We had only left eight, nine, and ten floors behind, yet everyone else was still stuck at the walls.

—You’re not a normal player, huh.

Then I’ll give it my all.

As soon as I moved, the Dark Knight began gathering energy. The visual that formed made me feel uneasy. Black wind howled around the Dark Knight.

‘Eh?’ It felt a little different from the black aura I had seen from the residents. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It was like… a ghost.

The numbers ticked up slowly. The moment the soul entered my hand, I understood the situation in an instant.

—Please… save us…

Countless players had died trying to break through the Dark Knight. Even ghouls and the undead had fallen. The Dark Knight had used their souls as fuel for power.

The souls wailed in a pitiful voice, begging to be saved. I simply turned them into sacrifices. They were already dead. It wasn’t my problem.

And I activated a black magic spell that flashed through my mind.

The lowest-grade black magic that could be used without showing it off in this situation. A single black hand that only I could see shot out and helped me with my strength.

But it was enough.

Clang—!

I swung my sword wildly beside Yoo Dahui.

I had to build up enough contribution points for the System to recognize me before I could ‘awaken’ and pass this floor. If I failed to awaken, I would be forced into the Loser Class the moment I stepped on the 1st floor. I had to land a fatal blow on the Dark Knight at all costs.

—W-what is this…!

Pluto’s Hand grabbed the Dark Knight from behind. The power was tiny, but it drew its attention perfectly.

Shlurp—!

—Kugh!

This bastard…!

I stabbed my sword straight through the gap in Yoo Dahui’s spread legs. It wasn’t a blunt weapon, and I was worried it might not pierce the Dark Knight’s skin, but it worked. Landing a hit was what mattered.

The Dark Knight’s blade gathered black energy. The energy condensed into a sword slash that rushed forward like a threat.

“Back!”

—Die!

The Dark Knight swung its blade wide. Yoo Dahui and I dodged in a flash, retreating just out of its reach. The moment we lunged again, the Dark Knight trembled with rage and blocked my sword.

The impact was heavy. But there was no pressure against the Dark Knight.

Compared to a Field Boss, my strength was ridiculously weak.

“One more time.”

Yoo Dahui pressed the Dark Knight. The sword swung wildly, but the Dark Knight focused only on hers. She exploited the obvious opening and pushed in again.

—Kyaak…!

The Dark Knight glared at me. Its red eyes sent pure terror.

“What are you looking at?”

—This bastard…!

Yoo Dahui swung her sword playfully at the Dark Knight. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Why was this so easy? Shouldn’t this be normal difficulty? No, it was a Field Boss. Two humans fighting evenly was impossible.

‘Yoo Dahui… she’s terrifyingly strong.’

The seventh regression where I had died to a trio of low-tier warriors was the one she had survived efficiently. That difference was shining right now. Strength, agility, at least level 6. She could hold her own against a Field Boss. I was barely Strength Lv.3, Agility Lv.2. A sky-and-earth difference.

If I moved carelessly now, my head and neck would separate. I couldn’t let that happen. I had to do something—anything.

I stepped up my movements. I used Pluto’s Hand to the max and landed a solid hit on the Dark Knight.

System, you watching? I’m seriously pissed off!

“…Kim Jinwoo!”

Too far in. The Dark Knight’s blade came straight at me. Boom—!

“Kugh…!”

I barely pulled the shield up to block, but the weight made me groan. Breathing was impossible.

“Onee-san, not yet. Just a little longer. Hold on for me.”

Yoo Dahui stopped me from jumping in. The moment I got hit, the Dark Knight would vanish. No, we couldn’t let that happen. I had to drag out the fight so my ‘awakening’ chance and stat growth chance would rise.

‘This hurts like hell.’

Yeah, this was a Field Boss. You needed at least five levels to even touch it. Right now my ‘tough skin’ was only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠level 3, and I was barely holding on. If it were any higher, I would have been spitting blood.

The moment I took the hit, the black magic canceled. The black hand that had been weaving around the Dark Knight vanished. The souls began gathering again.

Black magic could only use one skill at a time. And unless you actually knew how to handle souls, you couldn’t collect them yourself. I hadn’t even seen the Dark Knight use black energy yet. I needed to absorb its life force. That was practically impossible.

Its power was trash-tier too.

“Tch!”

“Jinwoo, you can do more, right? You have to do this. Or else I…”

“I can.”

If only the Holy Power hadn’t disappeared right now. I could have rushed in like a crazy bastard.

‘Something feels wrong.’

A stinging sensation. It felt like I had been hit by the Dark Knight. I gripped my sword and shield tighter. Because it was only a 2-star shield, I could still use it—there was nothing cracked yet. I was going to fight like I would die on the next hit anyway.

A black hand only I could see rose up. I gave it a precise command.

‘Nice.’

The command execution was unexpectedly good. It performed as if it had a third arm. Still, my senses felt off, so using it naturally right now was impossible.

‘When the bastard moves, that’s when I strike.’

I needed the perfect timing. First I had to make it vulnerable.

“Jinwoo!”

—Heh heh, you’re going to get hit again, aren’t you?

Yoo Dahui opened another gap. But the Dark Knight reacted instantly and pinned her down.

“Of course, you don’t get hit again, huh.”

—What the hell are you doing…!

Yoo Dahui, who had obviously gone through this before, grinned and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bent her knees. Her center of gravity dropped low. Her sword aimed straight at the Dark Knight’s thigh. The armor gap was huge. Black energy poured out like a waterfall.

—Ugh!

That was my moment. I grabbed the Dark Knight’s stumbling ankle with Pluto’s Hand and yanked.

The Dark Knight crashed forward, armor clanking.

“Here! Right here!”

Yoo Dahui swung her sword and ripped the armor open. The Dark Knight’s core was visible through the gap. I dropped my shield and rushed in.

—Ah, no…!

Yoo Dahui sliced off the struggling Dark Knight’s arm. Because it was only 2-star, she cut it off like slicing a head of cabbage. I gripped the sword with both hands and drove it straight in.

Shlurp—!

—I… I can’t believe this is happening…!

The Dark Knight’s body turned to dust and vanished.

I checked the results. It was beautiful. Without Yoo Dahui, it would have been impossible for me to capture it. The reward given to me was enormous.

Of course, if I had more time I could have grown strong enough to play solo. That was why I had taken the Regressor Bus. My contribution points recognized by the System were about thirty percent. I didn’t show them, but in the novel Yoo Dahui had gained 10,000 coins solo. I got 3,000, so it added up naturally.

“Jinwoo. You leveled up to 2-star next to your name?”

“Yeah.”

“Whew. Good.”

Hero Choi Byeong-hun walked over slowly, watching from afar. Seeing her in the hero suit made my chest swell with pride.

“Onee-san, if Onee-san’s power is enough, you can just take the Field Boss, right?”

“Mhm.”

“Go grab it and come back. You’ll reach 2-star then.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but okay.”

“There are other Field Bosses over there…”

Yoo Dahui explained the Field Boss tour to Hero Choi Byeong-hun. Telling her the exact directions felt way too regressor-like. My dick twitched.

“Onee-san, I’ll see you later.”

I sent her off. We stepped through the portal that had spawned right on the spot where the Dark Knight had died.