122 – The returnee is surprised (4)

The hypothesis that this is not the first time someone has set themselves on fire.

It is still just a hypothesis. But there is a way to prove this.

First, chew the ball quickly and return.

[You have suffered damage.]

[Return to the moment you first entered the 5th floor.]

***

“Congratulations!”

“Congratulations!”

As soon as the black cube that was imprisoning me disappeared and the angels sounded a fanfare.

“Goodbye!”

Run with all your might towards the outside of the temple. There are fluffy clouds on the floor, but you can probably step on them.

[You cannot proceed from here on.]

No, the archangel blocked it. I was thinking of running away somewhere in the clouds and then testing to see if my clone could find me. The strategy of running away from the temple is a failure.

“Then how about this?”

This time, I start running towards the other side of the vast temple, towards where the clone appears. Now, thanks to four regressions, I know where the clone appears.

“Whoo, whoo…” “

Although the temple was unrealistically wide, it was not so wide that a superhuman could not traverse it if he ran with all his might. Arriving at roughly the point where the clone appears, I slowly catch my breath.

“Dear climbers. What do you think are the ‘uniquely human strengths’? Of course, there may be several answers. But I think there is only one answer.”

Focus on the voice of Archangel Raphael ringing softly in the distance. Because I have listened to the speech several times, I already know when it ends.

“Well, I hope you continue to work hard. “I’ll just go.”

How long did I wait? Raphael’s voice finally ended.

-Wow.

In front of my nose, something in the shape of a black cube appears. A similar design to the one that appeared every time I entered the 5th floor. There’s probably an alter ego inside.

“… “

Move carefully to the back of the box so as not to hear footsteps. As soon as this black object disappears, I plan to catch the clone with perfect timing.

-Wow!

At the same time, the box finally disappeared.

“Ha!”

Whoo!

Aiming for the clone inside, he swings his foot with all his might.

“… “

However, the clone was looking in my direction from the beginning, as if it knew this would happen.

Quick!

While avoiding the kick, I step on my stepping foot hard and break my toenails.

“Evil… “

[You have suffered damage.]

[Return to the moment you first entered the 5th floor.]

***

After Raphael’s long speech, the alter ego stood in front of me again.

“Seup…”

My toenails still hurt. But this is the conclusion. My alter ego is also in the process of recurring regression.

Me and my alter ego. Let’s assume that both have regression capabilities. Anyone who has read some science fiction novels will know how complicated this short sentence is.

If one person regresses, what happens to the other one? Parallel world? Multiverse? Or return as is? Time and space is a topic that makes your head spin just by looking at it, and the deeper you dig into it, the more difficult it is to find an answer.

However, I was given some clues, and there is a hypothesis I derived from them. The hypothesis is, ‘I and my alter ego cannot perceive each other’s regression.’

When I first entered the 5th floor, my alter ego was in very bad condition. His eyes were blurry, and his mouth was muttering something. I thought it was ‘because he was an alter ego and could not properly copy the original.’ But what if that wasn’t the case?

What if the alter ego I saw as soon as I entered the 5th floor had actually completed dozens, hundreds, or thousands of regressions? So what if Mattaengi went?

If this is the correct answer, it is fully predictable how the situation unfolded.

Round 1. Me and my alter ego face each other. I don’t know how the clone perceives this situation, but the archangel probably set it up for us to fight. My clone and I clash, and I, who have the upper hand in terms of stats and skills, immediately overpower the clone.

And the alter ego returns. He enters the second round. But he still isn’t good enough to win against me. He regresses. Regress regress

An alter ego that repeatedly returned like that. At some point, the guy came to the conclusion, ‘I too will regress if I get hurt,’ and decided to aim for the back of my hand where I was holding the sword.

“Huh?”

That was my first regression. But just like me, my alter ego cannot perceive my return.

But how did I respond after the first regression?

At first, he didn’t attack first and just kept an eye on it, but then he used all the abilities he had to attack. Even from my alter ego’s perspective, I was probably confused by the sudden change in my behavior.

Whatever happens, the alter ego returns again. He would have had to go through repeated regressions to win against ‘Kim Jun-ho, who was not careful.’ To be honest, I can’t predict how many times this guy has regressed, but I can tell that it’s definitely a significant number.

Kaaang!

“aaah!!!”

However, as a result of repeated regression, I win again. A human victory against a truly powerful enemy. Considering the enormous difference in physical ability between me and my alter ego, my alter ego must have put in a tremendous amount of effort.

However, this time I come with a new method. This is the strategy of ‘If I stay still, I will win.’

In a situation where both sides lose if both are hurt, the one who moves first is at a disadvantage. For a returner whose whole body is weak, the very act of stretching out his body to attack was revealing his weakness.

I don’t know if he really fell victim to my tactics and regressed right before he was overpowered, or if he gave up and started to regress. Anyway, the alter ego continues to return to pierce me.

In creative works, a scrawny old man often subdues a sturdy young man with just his fingers, but in reality, this is not the case. Unless the difference in technique is truly as wide as heaven and earth, the one with the better weight class will win.

How many times did the alter ego repeat regression to overcome this absolute difference in weight class? How much effort did it take?

Of course, he succeeded in the end. He showed off his miraculous ability by breaking the sword he was swinging in the air and knocked me down. After years of hard work, the goal was achieved.

“hehehe… “

I once again realize the absurdity of regression. The entire process of the returner’s efforts disappears through the cracks of time. All that remains is the result. From a third party’s point of view, the regressor continues to grow crazy and becomes stronger at an unbelievable rate. Maybe other people would have felt the same way when they saw me.

“Hey.”

“… “

“What are we going to do with this?”

However, if this hypothesis is true, we were actually playing invisible ping pong.

Neither side can recognize each other’s regression. Time passes for the losing side, and time stops for the winning side. The loser goes through a series of regressions and finally wins, but at that moment, time begins to run out for the winner. They were running a marathon where the only outcome was ‘defeat’ for both sides.

“… “

“Don’t speak.”

If this happens, no one can win. The result cannot be left as someone’s ‘victory’. The moment someone wins, the loser returns and the victory becomes nothing. The loser repeats the regression until he wins, but the moment he wins, he returns to square one.

A literal hell. A never-ending fight. A game of chicken that no one can win. It was safe to say that my alter ego and I were trapped on the 5th floor forever.

“… No.”

There is still a possibility of escape. Maybe I will win. Because? In the end, it’s because of weight class.

“… “

The self-immolation is already in a very devastated state. She is muttering something with a straight face, like a heroine from a pachyderm novel.

On the other hand, I am relatively fine. Of course, he fell from the 3rd and 4th floors, so he can’t be compared to the average person, but he’s better than that guy who fell back thousands of times. Thanks to Choi Ji-won, things got a little better.

The reason is simple. This is because the alter ego is in a much more disadvantageous position than me.

In order to follow me one step further, my alter ego has to work dozens of times harder. Since both of them have the same talent to begin with, there is no way they could grow quickly and overcome their weight class.

“The two of us experience different times.”

The density of time experienced by each person is different. One episode for me could be dozens of episodes for my alter ego.

If a very long time passes here… Who will lose their spirit first?

In the flow of time, who will be the one whose reason crumbles first?

If you are unable to even think and are lying blankly, they will treat you as ‘subdued.’

It’s cruel, but I have no choice if I want to win.

I have decided to continue this endless marathon.

“I’m sorry, friend.”

Until the spirit of that alter ego completely collapses.