219 – The regressor is too strong (6)

I think the status of the word SSS has fallen a lot these days. Strange things such as SSS-level something, SSS-level that, etc. Were sprouting up all over the place, creating a kind of flow. Now I just think that the S rank is cooler than the vulgar SSS rank.

Is that why?

“I found everything I was looking for… “

Finding two SSS grades wasn’t that difficult. If you go to a place that looks like there is something just by looking at it, there really is something there. In the desert, there was a huge pyramid hidden in the sand, and there was a large temple deep under the sea. It wasn’t easy to go barefoot, but it was possible to reach it if you used items purchased in the village. In fact, there were traces of people who came before us.

But why are there still hidden pieces left? The gatekeeper who guards the treasure is strong. That’s huge too.

If Choi Ji-won had not been there, and if we had not joined forces, we would have lost 100%. I was able to stop the huge sea dragon in the sea with my cold, but Anubis in the pyramid would have been a close match if Choi Ji-won had not used his full power. Well, now that I’ve gotten used to the combat style, it seems worth it… In any case, it is an enemy that cannot be defeated by the average player.

Anyway, we succeeded in finding out the locations of the SSS grade submissions ‘Tears of the Oasis’ and ‘Rose of the Deep Sea’ and securing one of each.

“I think I know why they covet it… “

A hidden piece that is difficult to find has an easy battle difficulty, and a hidden piece that is easy to find has a difficult battle difficulty? I think it’s intuitive yet reasonable. Anyway, I secured two SSS ranks with this…

“It’s coming.”

“Already? “Ugh.”

No matter where we go, that group of people chasing us is the problem.

They were especially quick to chase after the pyramid and the temple of the deep sea, probably because they already knew about it. It wasn’t terribly far from the village, like a mountain.

“Isn’t it difficult to block it with magic?”

“8 Hours… It’s a bit difficult… “

Even if I tried to block it with force like before, the round trip time itself did not take long, so the time to block it naturally increased… Even though I had more magical energy than others, it was difficult to neutralize it for more than 6 hours. They’re not just any rags, they’re good people, so it’s getting harder as time goes by.

“It’s not okay to break it… “

I thought about preventing people from entering the building if I couldn’t stop them, but perhaps buildings with hidden pieces like this are treated specially, and when the building is destroyed, it quickly returns to its original state. The object blocking the entrance also teleported somewhere.

Wouldn’t it be okay to just destroy the hidden piece itself? It is treated as invincible. When I hit a chunk of ‘Tears of the Oasis’ with my knife, my knife bounced back along with the phrase ‘Adventure is meant to be shared!’ The method of increasing scarcity by completely removing the hidden piece itself also failed.

“In the end, there is only one answer.”

“What is it?”

“You attract aggro, and in the meantime, I get all the SSS grades and come back.”

The more complex the problem, the simpler the solution. Immediately after returning, Choi Ji-won attracted the attention of other players, that is, all eyes… In the meantime, I plan to bring two SSS grade hidden pieces and submit them to the exchange.

“… “I don’t think it will work.”

The important thing is whether it will happen. It’s a memory, you just have to go back to reality and get it right once, and it’s possible to execute the plan without having to meet them. I already have experience, so if given enough time, I could fight and win against an SSS-level gatekeeper…

“Those people aren’t stupid, will they pay attention to me just because I’m a little lazy?”

It is completely unknown whether they will be fooled. You may encounter other players who are not necessarily in the village, but other players passing by, and they may see the submission you brought and run to collect the beans later.

“Ah, Junho. How about this? “It’s in the other S- or SS-level submissions we found.”

Therefore, the plan proposed by Choi Ji-won was quite reasonable. We tried to find the SSS grade by repeating regression, and in the process, we discovered several other hidden pieces that were relatively difficult to find, but were easy to find. If you use them as bait, you might be able to clear it easily.

“Let’s save that for a bit.”

The other hidden pieces I discovered could be used in negotiations, so it was a shame to waste them in this way. Because the reward on the 22nd floor is an item, it is not possible to receive the SSS level reward once and then return.

“This is my plan. While Jiwon is getting your attention, I am submitting two SSS grades to the exchange. Then, call a few decent players, tell them the location of the S or SS grade hidden piece, and give them a favor. How is it?”

“So, what are you going to do about it?”

“Now, listen.”

I explained the plan I had come up with, and Choi Ji-won’s expression, which had been listening with an uncomfortable expression at first, gradually became more subtle.

“How are you?”

“… It’s okay, but… “

“Then, let’s go back now.”

Players probably won’t be able to avoid being fooled.

**

“How many days has it been already?”

“Is it 2 weeks or 3 weeks…?” “

“f*ck.”

Just because the players are hanging out in the village square doesn’t mean they’re happy to be here. They also want to get out of this boring town.

However, the reason why I am fiddling with items in this plaza is because ‘there is only one chance to beat the 22nd floor.’

If you are here at this point, the will to improve is basic, and you are a gifted person or a genius who has put in a lot of effort in addition to talent. Therefore, so far, we have never encountered an impossibly difficult task in the tower.

However, just because it’s the case now doesn’t mean it will be the same in the future, and it’s possible that you don’t have enough strength on the next floor and die in an instant. You may regret receiving poor compensation here and now.

If you’re in a hurry right now, you have no choice but to climb the tower to become stronger, but that’s not the case… (These people don’t know that monsters are invading the Earth, so this is a natural attitude.) Rather than climbing the tower in a hurry, they were climbing slowly, building up as much strength as possible to become as strong as possible.

“Hey, where have you been?”

“Jungle. “I died after meeting a really big queen bee.”

“You idiot.”

After staying for quite some time, we have become familiar with each other and our relationship has become friendly. It would be safe to say that it has become a kind of stagnant water.

“Huh?”

“Why?”

“This is Choi Ji-won.”

“What???”

So, when a new face came in, they would evaluate it among themselves… Choi Ji-won?

“Is she still here?”

“Is that important? “My name is Choi Ji-won.”

“Oh wow.”

Choi Ji-won. One of the most famous players. Her feat of completely changing the structure of the second floor earned her the nickname ‘Hero’, and her incident of saving all the players on the fourth floor was quite famous. Oh, and they say that the dwarven armor they are wearing now is also thanks to Choi Ji-won.

It has become quite quiet these days, so there have been rumors going around such as ‘Choi Ji-won is a bubble’ or ‘Choi Ji-won has strong characteristics in the beginning’, but the incident of completely overturning one layer of structure is an unprecedented achievement. So much so that he is second only to the president of the association, Michael Jeter, whom everyone knows.

That Choi Ji-won has come in now?

“It’s an opportunity.”

“We’re finally leaving.”

It brings a smile to my face. When he first came here, he was so envious of the guys who submitted the French ranker’s hidden pieces twice and got away with it. But Choi Ji-won? This is your chance.

“Shh.”

“Just look, just look.”

Choi Ji-won, who was walking towards the village, looked around at the players sitting around the plaza, and then headed towards the village chief’s house. In the meantime, players all tore up their ‘friend registration tickets’.

“When will you come out?”

“I hope he catches the stone golem. “It’s a mess because it’s the closest.”

“In my opinion, that’s really the minimum SS grade.”

“What if Choi Ji-won gets mad and comes for revenge?”

“Hey, if you’re at our level, you won’t be pushed that far. And after listening to the story, I heard that Choi Ji-won has a nice personality. “Maybe you’ll see it?”

“Really?”

The players who were chatting and waiting suddenly realized that quite a bit of time had passed. I think at least 10 minutes have passed, but Choi Ji-won does not come out of the village chief’s house.

“… What?”

“Wait a minute. “I will write down my characteristics.”

A man with the ability to control small insects lets a fly into the village chief’s house. No matter how much Choi Ji-won is, he wouldn’t be able to detect even a small bug like this.

“Can you see something?”

“… For a moment. Eh?”

“Why?”

“Are you reading a book?”

Inside the village chief’s house. Choi Ji-won took out a book from the bookshelf and was looking at it closely. As befits the name ‘Village Chief’s House’, there was a small study in one corner of the house, and there were various books that could be helpful to novice adventurers.

“Isn’t that going to happen?”

How do you know so well? Of course, this is because players have read it once. The village chief’s study in the village of beginning. Just by looking at it, doesn’t it smell like something suspicious?

However, even though the smart players looked closely at the library, they could not find any clues, and as a result, there were no hidden pieces in the village other than the ‘Almighty Stone’ buried at the entrance and the ‘Black Abyss’ in the exchange trash can. It was concluded that…

“When will it come out?”

“Is he an idiot? “There’s nothing there.”

Choi Ji-won doesn’t seem to have any intention of leaving the study. One hour, two hours, and three hours…

“Haam.”

“I’m sleepy… “

The tension had eased to some extent, and the players who had been waiting in hiding were about to yawn.

– Jump!

“Can I have some of this?”

“Of course.”

Choi Ji-won, who burst out of the village chief’s house and immediately demanded a wooden ax from the guard, quickly started running outside.

“What, what is it?”

“Just follow along! “From far away!”

Choi Ji-won’s running stopped only when he reached the forest in front of the village. This is a place where you can find the lowest grade collectibles, and even if you are lucky enough to get a ‘Honeycomb’, the rarity is only B, so it is a place that few people visit. However, since the starting point is in this forest, it was a place that everyone passed through at least once.

Puck! Puck! Puck!

“What is he doing…?” ?”

“I’m digging up trees… ?”

Choi Ji-won arrived at the forest and started digging up trees. There is a separate hit judgment for trees, so no matter how strong you are, you have to hit it 5 times to get over it, but you can get gold by submitting the logs you get here to the blacksmith.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Uhm… “

Okay, I don’t know if you’re cutting down trees to get gold. However, as soon as Choi Ji-won arrived in the village and checked his study, he suddenly ran into the forest and was cutting down a tree. After taking a quick look at the rings of the cut down tree, he throws it away and repeats the process of cutting down another tree.

Because it was essentially a game, the fallen tree was soon regenerated, but Choi Ji-won cut down the tree faster, and in less than two hours, the forest was devastated. Choi Ji-won, who glanced around the forest, turned around and returned to the village, then locked himself in the study of the village chief’s house.

“What is this?”

“That’s right.”

It was absurd, as if a storm had swept over. The players didn’t know what to make of this situation.

Did she really find out something about her? Could it be that they are trying to deceive us? But if you cheat, why? If she knows nothing, why would she come up with the idea of deceiving us? Nonsense. There is no reason to doubt.

Then, it is clear that that action came from sincerity… Why did her sincerity lead her to her forest?

She’s a newbie who hasn’t even really figured out the 22nd floor yet, so if she suddenly turns her eyes like that and it’s something that makes her cut down a tree…

“Hidden piece… ?”

It smells like a pot of honey.