157 – The regressor becomes stronger (2)
Regressed, regressed, regressed again.
Quite a long time has passed since I returned to the 12th floor. I don’t know exactly how much time has passed since I relapse so often that I have no way of counting how much time has passed.
Anyone who is an infinite regressor will sympathize with this, but if you repeat a large number of regressions in a short period of time, your sense of reality becomes dull. The same situation keeps happening over and over again, so I have to say that I can’t tell if it’s a dream or real life. (Not an infinite regressor? Then just say it is.)
“… “Something is strange.”
It is still the same now. I was dealing with the ‘cold magic’ in my body as I always did, but I should say that the sensation was somehow different. Should I say it’s a bit awkward? I feel like I have no control. Oh, by the way, cold magic is the new name I gave to my magic. Every time I say ‘cold magic power,’ it seems too long and doesn’t seem to exist. Isn’t it true that Chinese characters are inherently tricky?
Anyway, while I was handling magic while feeling strangely uncomfortable, I realized what I had made a mistake as soon as I felt the muscles around my chest tingling.
“… Ah. “You didn’t take the elixir.”
I forgot the elixir that I had to drink as soon as I returned. It can be thought of as a situation in which you repeatedly challenge the same boss in a game and forget to dope. When people lose their minds, they are bound to make mistakes in the most basic areas.
“I need to get some rest.”
I felt like my physical condition was not very good, so I laid down from where I was sitting. Would you like to see Choi Ji-won sometime? No. Now is the time to just think about other things and cool your head.
“… “
As a result of the cold air I expelled, there was a fog circling the floor (think of the fog that comes out when you open the refrigerator) and a light shining from the ceiling. As I stare blankly at the lamp, a cool feeling hovers around my chest. Perhaps because I didn’t drink the elixir, the presence of magical power felt even greater.
“If you think about it, this is really strange.”
I stayed on the 10th floor of the mountain for a very, very long time. I really think it lasted at least 3 months, maybe longer. This is because there have been quite a few failed attempts to starve the yeti to death. But at that time, I had no idea that my magical power would change like this.
I would venture to guess that the mountain on the 10th floor was not an ordinary mountain. It’s a mountain inhabited by fantastical creatures, and maybe it had some kind of spiritual energy in it. As I continued to be in those mountains, my magical power was naturally affected.
And even though it may seem like something I just got by luck, this ‘cold magic power’ is a much more dangerous power than I first thought. Cold is cold, but when exposed to this magical power, the muscles harden. All of the regressions I’ve had so far have been because the muscles in my chest, that is, my heart, have become stiff.
“… “If there wasn’t a regression, I might have died a long time ago.”
His heart stops because of his magic, so there’s no way it’s a talent or anything. Unless a fellow player happens to be nearby and quickly gives you a potion, you will die instantly. Unless it has an invincible or resurrection feature, this power seems more likely to be poisonous.
So, can I handle this magical power now? This is half true and half wrong. The results of my training were clear, but I was not yet able to perfectly control this magical power.
First of all, I found out some conditions for dealing with cold magic. You must not be short of breath when your body is covered in magical energy. Your heart should not beat quickly. When your body heats up, it rebels against the cold magic power, so you must remain comfortable. However, if you fight for a long time, your body will inevitably heat up. In other words, I couldn’t maintain my body being strengthened with magical power for long.
“But anyway, if you get hurt, you regress.”
Of course, my body regresses when I get hurt, so I can’t fight for long. It would not be wrong to say that this style was born specialized in short-term decisive battles. Therefore, it is difficult to say that this penalty is very large.
In the end, the problem returns to the beginning and reaches ‘If you use cold magic as your full power, your heart will stop.’ When I surround my body with magical energy to increase my physical abilities, the muscles of my entire body stop listening, but I somehow succeeded in overcoming this with the help of my willpower and characteristics. It is possible to move if you focus on your whole body.
However, the heart cannot be achieved with willpower. This is because humans cannot control their heart muscles by their own will, and because the location of cold magic power is near the solar plexus, the heart is always exposed when magic power is used with full force. Thanks to the newly acquired characteristics, you can endure it for a while, but the key point is that the time cannot exceed 5 seconds.
“Uhm… “
This is what I am worried about right now. What should I do to overcome this? If it weren’t for the reward Choi Ji-won gave me, I might have given up a long time ago.
Oh, I didn’t mention the compensation Choi Ji-won gave me. The reward was already spent. All you have to do is take the all-purpose herbal medicine, and in the random attribute box, an E-class attribute called ‘Strange Atmosphere’ appeared.
– Strange atmosphere [E]
-People feel that something is different when they see you. However, it would be difficult to express specifically what the difference is. Literally, the atmosphere is strangely different.
While there is something like a ‘hero’ trait that is highly effective even at a low level, this peculiar atmosphere trait seemed close to garbage just by looking at the explanation. f*ck, the atmosphere is strangely different, so what should I do? If I were to become the leader of a cult, I could use this trait very usefully, but right now it seems to be a perfect backward compatibility between the ‘Curiosity’ trait and the ‘Awe’ trait.
Of course, the above two rewards are not the key. The real key is the A-level trait selection. In the past, I used this option with high expectations, but the results were slightly disappointing.
I had tens of thousands of characteristics coming to mind, and I was looking forward to choosing the one I liked… In fact, there were only 100 options that came to mind.
Among the 100 choices, there were many interesting ones. From characteristics that simply increase physical abilities to characteristics that provide completely new means of attack. If you just read the description, there were so many features that seemed like a scam. It’s tempting to want to acquire all 100 characteristics by repeating regression, but that’s a problem because it’s a (unique) option.
-A-Class Attribute Option (Unique)
-Unique selections obtained from the same supplier can only be used once.
Actually, this makes sense. If a group were to unite and give one person dozens of A-level trait options, wouldn’t a complete monster be born and break the tower too easily? As a bonus, they also keep regressors in check.
Anyway, after carefully reviewing the 100 characteristics, I chose three characteristics from among them.
-Indomitable [A]
-Indomitable because it does not give in. Your willpower will not be easily broken.
-Steel Skin [A]
-The best weapon is the body itself. The strength of skin becomes so tough that it is comparable to steel.
-Cold Affinity [A]
-Cold is no longer your enemy. Gains significant affinity for all types of cold.
In the past, I agonized over these three options. Fortitude will be of great help to my fragile mind, and steel skin will prevent absurd regressions. Cold affinity will serve as an aid when dealing with cold magic.
This was the first time I had to worry about something like this since entering the tower. I can’t believe I’m worried because all the options are attractive. I never thought that I, who always thought about the worst and the lesser evil, would have such extravagant concerns, so I was more cautious.
“Junho. You’re stupid?”
Unexpectedly, it was Choi Ji-won who ended my long worries.
“All I have to do is obtain the characteristics in advance and conduct a performance test. “What are you thinking about?”
“… “Is that so?”
After repeating the regression three times with the help of Choi Ji-won, we came to the conclusion that ‘cold affinity’ would be the most helpful.
How will mental strength be taken care of if Choi Ji-won supports it? The steel skin characteristic had a strong feel to it. His light attacks were blocked without any damage, but his sincere attacks were not blocked. (Choi Ji-won originally had good durability thanks to the Shingeomunil characteristic, so we received applicants from the Internet and tested it.)
However, the cold affinity trait was outstandingly effective. It greatly prevented my body from stiffening due to the cold. Therefore, I chose ‘Cold Affinity’ as my A-level talent option, and I am still very satisfied with it.
“Hmm… “
Thanks to this characteristic, if magical power is used weakly, the heart does not harden. The problem is when operating with electric power. However, you may not know it, but you will have to fight with all your might against enemies with difficulty level of [70].
Or should we continue to operate gently? If we continue to apply magical power at a low intensity, perhaps we might come up with some solution. Okay, let’s try that for this episode.
After making my decision, I took out the elixir, drank it, sat down on the bed, and slowly began to use my magic power. Manipulating magical power is hard, but it is strangely addictive, so when you come to your senses, time flies by. This is especially true if the magic moves as expected.
“… “
And in this episode, whether I was lucky or not, I was able to focus more deeply than ever.
So much so that I didn’t even realize that 11 days had passed.
**
In a modern society where competition is a daily routine, being in the middle or upper ranks may not seem like a big deal, but in the player industry, the story is a little different.
If the target of comparison is the same player, there will be a truckload of people stronger than me, but the moment the target of comparison is an ordinary person, I start to see myself as a god.
Overwhelming physical ability. A power beyond human understanding. There is even a ‘status window’ where you can check your own status. In fact, it’s surprising that he doesn’t become arrogant. Even players who don’t climb the tower are making noise on YouTube and social media, so how high are the standards of those who are climbing the tower in their own way?
“Wow, what is here? “Is there a microwave?”
This was the same for the man whom Kim Jun-ho referred to as ‘a man with acne.’ This young man who had just entered the 12th floor was extremely overestimating himself. This was partly because he had never fought against another player in the tower until now, and partly because when he saw someone stronger than him, he mentally won by saying, ‘If I fight directly, I can do it.’
“Hey, where are you?”
“I’m here.”
“Is this a Hyundai bass?”
Contrary to Kim Jun-ho being alert to his surroundings when he entered each floor, the pimple man made a loud noise and threw open the door. Since I could hear the voices of other colleagues, there was nothing to hear.
“… Oh?”
However, when I opened the door and came out, I saw a very suspicious door. The design looked the same as the door he had just left, but cold smoke was slowly seeping out through the crack in the door.
“Guys, would you all like to come out?”
Normally, he would raise his guard here, but the acne-prone man is now extremely arrogant. He opened the suspicious door without waiting for his other colleagues.
“Huh?”
Hwaaah!
And as soon as the door opened, white smoke came out and the acne man’s body froze. He didn’t freeze because he was cold. If I had to describe it, it was as if his muscles were startled and stiff. But the important thing is the fact that it cannot move.
“… !”
While the acne man was embarrassed, the smoke disappeared and the scene in the room was slowly revealed. The pupil of the acne-prone man who was staring blankly ahead shakes violently.
White fog spreads across the floor, and my legs, stiff from the cold, do not move. It was clearly a situation where struggling was the right thing to do, but for some reason I couldn’t take my eyes off my curiosity.
A bed placed on the other side of the room. A man sitting cross-legged on it. Now I see that this smoke, which I don’t know if it’s the fog surrounding it or the cold, is flowing from the man.
“… “
Although he is a man with acne who can be described as ‘arrogant’. He didn’t dare to show his arrogance at this point.
The sight of the man with his eyes closed, covered in pure white fog, concentrating with his sword resting on his lap.
“… Fresh?”
Because it was like a hermit.