231 – Returners Are Mentally Weak (10)
Half. The meaning of half-cut or diagonal leaves is…
“… I got it.”
At las. I finally realized it.
“I understood the meaning of leaves.”
Frozen leaves. It is a mark and proves that one is ‘human.’ If the seven humans who received the leaves are actually monsters, then there is no reason for me to leave the leaves for myself.
But the leaves remained for me too, and I am certain that the frozen leaves are not the mark of a ‘monster’ but of a ‘human’.
Then a question naturally arises. If the remaining two were humans, why didn’t they have any leaves? And why was I holding only half of the leaf?
“The key is the diagonal line.”
“… “What?”
“It’s not just half. It’s a diagonal line.”
A line drawn diagonally. Diagonal. If you simply wanted to mark ‘half’, you would have cut the leaves straight horizontally. However, it is a diagonal line.
A line drawn obliquely. Diagonal line. The diagonal line rising from left to right symbolizes connection and integration, and at the same time contains the meaning of ‘half’.
Death crisis. Diagonal line of death. It means that this ‘disadvantage’ will be so difficult that it cannot be endured.
Four lines. Diagonal four lines. This means the directions of north, south, east and west.
“… Hey. Isn’t that a bit too much? With a leaf barely cut in half… “
“Shut up and listen.”
Perhaps I was only half right. The proposition that there are no monsters and that everyone is human is true. What remains of the lower part of the leaf means that ‘we are human beings who share the same roots.’ Therefore, those men and women are human beings.
“Hey, someone please stop this bastard. You keep talking nonsense… “
“I told you to shut up and listen.”
“… !”
It radiates magical power to paralyze the mouth of the player who is making an argument, and then continues with the reasoning.
So why half? Why was the leaf cut in half? The part where I was wrong is simple.
“Until the monster appears… There is no need to wait. “We are telling them to go out and find it.”
The proposition that ‘a floor can be beaten if you wait and wait’ is wrong. It also means that I must take action before I collapse. Look at this leaf. Doesn’t it look like it was cut with a single cut with a sword? It means don’t wait, take action.
“The diagonal lines mean north, south, east and west. From now on, we disperse to the north, south, east, west, and search for monsters. Destroy the building if necessary. If buildings aren’t enough, turn the land over. The monster is hiding somewhere. This is certain.”
“… “Is that bastard out of his mind?”
“Wait, wait. Listen, buddy.”
A player who was about to say something with a tired expression was stopped by another player and then said something.
‘If that bastard goes wild, it’s going to be a problem.’
‘For now, let’s do what we want and buy time.’
“Okay, so we just have to destroy all the buildings? Let’s do that.”
“… “
Did you think I couldn’t hear you? It seems like he still doesn’t believe it. Well, wait and see. It’s ‘Perfect Kim Jun-ho’s’ plan. It can’t be wrong.
-Boom!
-Roaring!
Well, whatever the process is… The players began to destroy this shabby village. At first, there were some players who questioned why they were doing this and what it meant.
“Isn’t this fun?”
“Khahahaha!!!”
Soon, I began to enjoy the act of destruction itself. Although he didn’t express it in words, he must have been under a lot of stress.
“… Poor guys. Was it very difficult? “I seem to have lost my mind.”
“… ?”
The player who was breaking the stone block next to me looked at me with a strange expression. It seems shameful that his true intentions were found out.
-Kwagwang!
The gloomy yet well-organized shape of the village was no longer visible even after wiping my eyes. All that’s left is a huge amount of dust, overflowing debris, and players with strangely refreshed faces.
“It’s a little better.”
“It’s definitely better. Wow, it’s cool.”
Sometimes people feel like they want to smash everything. There is a strange pleasure in the act of destruction itself, and it relieves a tired mind.
But even though the series of acts of destruction ended… The ‘monster’ I was claiming was still nowhere to be seen.
“… “
“… “
Again, when suspicious eyes turn to me.
“W-what is here… !”
The naked man who had always been suspected called the players together, saying he had discovered something. There was obviously an artificial cave, cleverly hidden between stone blocks so that it was not normally found. Now the stone block has broken and its outline has been revealed.
“… “I will go in.”
One player entered the cave with a stern expression, and a moment later came out with two writhing lumps of tentacles. Just looking at the tentacle gave off an aura that made me frown, and as I looked at it, a very traumatic scene played in my head…
-Kwasik!
Just as it was about to break, the player holding the tentacles tore them apart.
-Two false beings have been dealt with.
-No dead climbers. Clear rewards have been improved.
-Dealed with the false being before it came out looking for food. What a feat! Clear rewards are greatly improved.
-Cleared the 23rd floor.
A blue portal opens with a ‘boo’ sound.
“… “
“… “
The players who were looking at the portal for a moment looked at me again. Now the eyes directed at me are closer to looking at a prophet than looking at a madman.
“Really… Did the leaves really have that meaning? Did that guy figure it out again?”
“Are you two really human? “Not a monster?”
“I really mean it… “
“Then the tower… Was the plan to set up a board for players to fight among themselves and claim that ‘if you hold on, you can beat it’? “You scumbags.”
“How are you supposed to figure this out? Does that make sense?”
“… Isn’t there someone who actually figured it out?”
Again, the moment when eyes turn to me.
“What did I say?”
As magical power is gently released, a mysterious fog spreads across the floor. Perhaps the ‘strange atmosphere’ characteristic is also playing its role.
“If you can figure out the meaning behind the leaves, you can clear the 23rd floor.”
This is all laid out by ‘Perfect Kim Jun-ho’. It’s stupid not to accept it. I am not wrong. I am not incompetent. I am… A man who deserves to stand with Jiwon.
“… Sorry. “I thought you were crazy.”
“We… I misunderstood. “I’m sorry.”
“Well, thank you for helping us not die. Thank you so much.”
Players bow their heads and apologize. If you are greeted quietly here, you are in trouble. A true expert knows when to leave.
“I don’t intend to blame ignorance. “Okay then.”
I coolly but gracefully passed through the blue portal and returned to the first floor. At this rate, the beautiful story about ‘Shin Seon’ will spread. I hope I can use it usefully in the future.
“Whoa.”
Create a soft chair and bury yourself in it. Open the subspace, drink a potion, and relax the muscles of your entire body. The stress slowly disappears, but at the same time, my head feels dizzy… It seems like the memories are slowly coming back.
Yes, I succeeded. Following my own plan, I completely conquered the 23rd floor. This time too, we had to go through numerous regressions, but in the end we achieved victory…
“… “
Huh?
“?”
Something… Weird. My memory is strange. To be exact, the total amount of memories returned is ridiculously insufficient. There is no memory of the ‘repeated regression’ that I had been imagining, but only the memory of ‘a regression that was planned once’.
What happened? When I look back slowly, this is the full story of the incident that I remember.
**
Just before heading to the bonfire… So, at the point where this episode just started. I thought of ‘the possibility that monsters do not exist.’ What if all 10 people were people? How should I deal with it?
The solution is simple. It’s about asking people.
‘Do you know a man who looks like this? He says he’s famous.’
‘Oh, you know. Know. Him. He’s quite famous. But why are you talking about her?’
‘… By any chance, this woman too.’
‘Yes. I know. ‘I understand because you’re talking roughly about how you look.’
‘… ‘Oh my.’
The man and woman who were not at the bonfire, but appeared after the fog enveloped the people… She was a real person. Players were able to guess who she was talking just by hearing the general impressions and weapons used. They were not monsters, but real humans.
I stopped for a moment after realizing the shocking truth. Before you know it, you can see smoke coming around. There is no time.
‘First of all, take this. Everyone, put it on your shoulder.’
‘Huh, huh? What is this?’
‘Take it quickly! ‘I don’t have time!’
After roughly scooping up the leaf that contained strong magical power, I quickly shook my head. I have to leave a message for myself. Then the simplest thing is…
-Understand!
He sprayed out magic power and roughly carved letters on the wall of a nearby building. ‘The rest are also people’ is a very intuitive sentence. Unless you’re an idiot, if you see this…
‘What?!’
However, the moment the billowing smoke touched the wall, the part where the writing was engraved was instantly restored to its original state. Leaves that have fallen on the ground disappear in an instant. However, the leaf held by the player exposed to the fog is fine… Could it be that only what the player is holding is exempt from the area of influence?
If I had known this would happen, I would have brought a bunch of leaves, written on them, and held them…
‘Tsk… !’
I was so worried. I was instantly exposed to the fog, and cheek although I tried to quickly open my body, my body wouldn’t listen. There is not enough power to return by exploding magic power from within. At the last moment, all that can move is a speck of magical power.
“… “
I wanted to carve an X into a leaf. It meant that the other two were not enemies. But is it because I was trying to force it? As magic control failed, the leaf on which the X-shaped pattern was to be carved was torn diagonally.
What happened after that… I came to my senses from the fog, and this current mess continued. So, since I first entered the 23rd floor, I have only returned twice.
The perfect Kim Jun-ho? There is no such thing. Dozens of trials and errors? Likewise, there was none. Leaf? The leaves are not cut diagonally. The attempt to engrave the X-shaped pattern failed.
All the shit I did in this episode?
Entire… It was my mistake. It’s just the result of believing that a plan exists and acting like a crazy person.
“… “
Then now… Clearing the 23rd floor in one queue? Saving everyone without making any sacrifices or falling for the tower’s trick?
To sum it up in one word…
“… “What is it?”
I successfully conquered the 23rd floor completely without sacrificing a single person.
I mistakenly thought, ‘There is a plan created by myself, who has experienced countless regressions.’