Shocking Silence and the Regression Demon's Trap
The cave was wrapped in an eerie silence. Kim Jinwu, Elena, and I all turned our wide, startled eyes toward it.
Right now, if I were to describe my expression, it would probably be written on my forehead: “Fucking idiot.”
“Why? You thought you wouldn’t get caught?” Yoo Dahui glared at me with a twisted smile. Her eyes burned with absolute certainty. It was creepier than the expression I had seen before.
I casually pointed at Kim Jinwu, acting like I didn’t understand.
“Kim Jinwu? Hey, Dahui. He’s your boyfriend.”
“He’s not your boyfriend.”
“Wasn’t he?”
Yoo Dahui let out a long sigh.
“You didn’t even tell me you were dating before. You bastard.”
Shit… she had been completely certain. Could I dodge this like last time? My inner voice shook its head. The feelings back then and now are completely different.
Talking to Kim Jinwu and mentioning real names to the masked man were two entirely different worlds. The former involved gradually turning suspicion into certainty, while the latter was just a declaration. Now I had to stop this madness before it went too far.
“Kkuck…”
“Hah.”
Yoo Dahui let out a dry chuckle. She clearly thought I was an idiot.
“If you say you’re sorry now, I’ll forgive you. Stop this nonsense.”
“Ah—ahaaaaak…!”
I delivered a realistic cry of pain and immediately called her name a few more times.
“Da—Dahui…!”
“You think it’s over now? Look at how you’re calling my name. This is ridiculous.”
“Kkuaaaaak!”
“Ugh, damn it. Damn it all to hell.”
Shit… how the hell do I get through to her?
Yoo Dahui glanced back over her shoulder. I could feel her eyes on me.
Now. I took a sharp breath.
“…Huaa, huuuuk!”
“Let me see how far you’ll go. I’m starting to get curious too, right?”
“Dahui…! R—run away…!”
“Even if I forgive you, you’re still like this. Are you really running? Really?”
Yoo Dahui tried to stand up, but her movements were far too relaxed for someone playing the role of an escapee. It was ridiculous.
Wait…!
The most effective way to deceive a person is with the sense of sight. People trust what they see. It’s hard to deny something they’ve witnessed with their own eyes.
Show them something shocking and set up an undeniable setting, and continue the story from there. Breaking through this situation might actually be possible.
Kim Jinwu! From now on, you’re the villain!
I used the shadow spirit as the evil character. By inflating its body, I could create a truly terrifying atmosphere.
“Eh! Then that makes sense! That wasn’t Kim Jinwu!”
Kim Jinwu melted into the ground—more precisely, fused with the shadows.
Yoo Dahui watched the disappearance and gained confidence. She clenched her fists, completely naked, but the sight of her back was just adorable.
The shadow spirit quickly approached me and suddenly enlarged, enveloping my entire body. It felt like it was swallowing me whole.
Black darkness wrapped around me and pulsed.
Kkuk— k k k—
The shadow spirit’s sense of timing. It made the most obnoxious, hateful sounds possible.
“Kkkuaaaaaak…!”
I added a pitiful line as I pierced through the black veil and stretched out my hand.
“Dahui… run away…!”
“W—what the…? Hey, stop it…?”
We exchanged glances with sincere eyes for three seconds.
3… 2… 1…
Yoo Dahui’s eyes widened in shock. She had actually fallen for my act. Panic was written all over her face.
“I’ll forgive you! I said I’d forgive you! I’m fine now…!”
“It’s no good…! I can’t give up my body…!”
The shadow spirit could read my mind. Sharing thoughts, basically. So I perfectly acted out what I wanted.
“Kkuuuuuuaaaaaak!”
Right as I screamed, CRACK—!
The black veil that had been wrapping me dissolved.
What was born from inside it…
“Kim Jinwu…?”
—Kkikikik, kkikihahahaha!
Following the shadow spirit’s voice, I struck a roaring pose. I spread my arms wide, laughing loudly, shaking my body in time with the maniacal laughter.
Mad laughter. A wild cackle.
The shadow spirit’s acting skill was superior to mine. Even Yoo Dahui, who had been suspicious of my act, started moving with genuine emotion.
She quickly dressed, covering her breasts and private parts. She backed away and took up a defensive stance.
—Thank you! Thanks to this woman noticing that bastard, I could crush his mind and steal his body!
A pair of horns on my head. A pair of ridiculous bat wings that didn’t match the cave at all.
Even Elena standing blankly at the entrance was so flashy that it drew her attention.
“What kind of bullshit is this…? What the hell is this…!”
—Are you curious? Khehe, since you helped my revival, I’ll reward you by telling you only this, my dear woman.
Our regressor was refilling the rage gauge.
The shadow spirit began to spin a perfect lie.
—I am the Demon King Pluto. Pluto-nim, can I sell one more time?
Good sales, good reports. The moment the name Pluto appeared, Elena flinched.
Yoo Dahui muttered.
“Pluto…?”
—Yes. I am Demon King Pluto, the one who will dye the Tower of Struggle with blood.
Kim Jinwu made a contract with me.
“A contract…? When?”
—I was trapped on the 0th floor of the Tower of Struggle. The bastard came looking for me. Whether he accidentally found me or not doesn’t matter.
Yoo Dahui’s eyes sparkled as she threw a question.
With the Blessing of Suicide, my awareness should have returned to normal. If I accept the lie you give me and run, it’ll be perfect.
Perfect. Shit.
—The bastard said he wanted to help someone. He probably wanted to help you.
“Ah…”
—The bastard said he needed power. So I gave him power! The kind of power that suits him. The power to feel the past and see the future…!
Regression bait retrieved.
“T—This can’t be…!”
—What do you mean it can’t be? Kkhehe, to Demon King Pluto, that kind of thing is nothing more than a trivial power.
“Kim Jinwu… isn’t regressing…?”
Yoo Dahui must have thought he would regress somehow. She had a dazed, shocked expression.
The shadow spirit showed the arrogant demeanor of a Demon King. I added dark flickering effects to the horns and occasionally flapped my wings to create intimidation.
This bastard… he’s ridiculously smart.
“No, no way… It can’t be…”
Yoo Dahui glared at me, unable to believe it. The rage of a regressor was directed at Demon King Pluto.
The shadow spirit continued.
—Impossible? Nothing is impossible for this one. But even if the power you received is worthless, it is still my power. Nothing in this world is without compensation. The same goes for you. You had to pay a price.
“A price…”
—The bastard had nothing. Of all the things he had, the only intact one was this body.
“Body? This… what the hell is this…!”
—Exactly as you understand. I agreed to lend power to the bastard in exchange for his body.
“You fucking bastard!”
Yoo Dahui’s hands trembled. Tears began to well up in her eyes. She had probably guessed enough by now. Just a little more thought and she would reach one conclusion.
The conclusion that the contract between Demon King Pluto and Kim Jinwu could not be overturned.
If the contract could not be erased, Kim Jinwu would have no choice but to lose his body.
The shadow spirit struck at the perfect moment.
—Of course, I can’t just take it whenever I want. I put a condition on this damned Tower of Struggle. I never imagined I would have to make a deal with you, Pluto-nim.
“…Condition…?”
—Yes. We made a bet. You could call it a wager. The bastard would use my power, and I would take his body.
Yoo Dahui wiped away the tears with her fingers, her eyes wide open. They burned with rage. She looked like she was searching for an escape route.
“So this bet… is related to me?”
—Yes. You were the one who noticed that bastard.
“I…?”
—Thanks to you noticing him, I was able to crush his mind. You were the most important puzzle piece in the bet.
“…Tell me the bet’s content! Right now!”
Yoo Dahui, completely ignoring what she saw, screamed at Demon King Pluto. The horns and wings seemed not to bother her at all.
—Kahahaha! You want to shout at me? You must be desperate to die. Fine. Consider this my final act of mercy before death.
“……”
Yoo Dahui stared at me with a completely frozen face.
I quickly thought up a setting.
—To help you, the bastard probed Demon King Pluto’s power. Then the bet’s content should be something related to you. It would be fun.
The content was simple.
“Quickly…”
—When you face danger, the bastard’s personality changes. Simply put, he turns from good to evil.
“Good and evil switching…?”
Even I would have understood if I were Yoo Dahui. Good and evil switch—there are two personalities: Kim Jinwu and the masked man.
—In that state, the changed personality will show desire toward you. The disgusting desire he had been suppressing as lust.
“What…?”
—If he fulfills his disgusting desire without you noticing, the bastard wins. If you notice in the middle or don’t let him fulfill it, Demon King Pluto wins.
“……”
The shadow spirit laughed at Yoo Dahui.
—Khehehe, if Demon King Pluto wins, this is what happens. His body becomes mine and you die.
“What kind of bet is that?! That kind of stupid, weird bet doesn’t exist…!”
—That is the content the bastard agreed to. Hahaha, he was the one who needed my power in the first place. I didn’t need his body that badly. It’s only natural that the one who wants it more would accept the unfavorable terms.
The shadow spirit—er, Demon King Pluto—spoke shamelessly.
“So that’s why it was so sloppy…? Kim Jinwu, why the hell did you agree to such an unfair bet…?”
—Probably because he thought he could prevent you from facing danger. Idiot. Khehe.
I gave natural commands to Elena.
“Walk over here naturally.”
Elena approached step by step.
—It’s easy to make a crisis.
I naturally patted Elena’s shoulder. I pretended that the appearance of Masked Man 2 was part of Demon King Pluto’s scheme.
Yoo Dahui, after piecing together the situation, exploded in anger.
“Y—You bastard! You tricked Jinwu! You fucking…!”
—I am the Demon King. I want to dye the world with blood and evil. Is deceiving one human really a problem?
At Pluto’s shameless words, Yoo Dahui could only flap her mouth. She looked aggrieved and irritated, frantically shaking her head. Then she calmed down and lifted the corners of her mouth, as if she had understood something.
—Well, everything that happened between me and that bastard has been told. Since there’s nothing more to say, Demon King Pluto can kill you, right?
I slowly approached Yoo Dahui. I created an aura of fear with the most dignified and relaxed demeanor possible.
Yoo Dahui stood her ground and didn’t avoid Demon King Pluto. She stood boldly in front of him and smiled brightly at me.
“…So in the end, I just need to get stronger, right? If I become the strongest in this Tower of Struggle and no longer face danger, the bet itself won’t hold. Right?”
—…Yes, that’s correct. But you will no longer have the chance to become strong. This place will be your grave.
“…Ah, ahahaha, ahuhahaha!”
Yoo Dahui laughed like a madwoman and raised her middle finger at Demon King Pluto.
“Fuck you, I’ve never had anything except chances.”
[Blessing of Suicide] activates.
Blessing of Suicide activates.
Upon committing suicide, the user can regress to a previous point in time.
Self-regression becomes possible.