235 – Are the Returnees Brave? (3)

〈24th floor〉

-Escape.

“… “

When did you return? I slowly lower my head and repeat squeezing and squeezing my hand. There was no sense of reality at all.

Surprisingly, my mind is fine. Until a little while ago… I really felt like I was possessed by something. Now it’s back again. It’s like eating incredibly spicy tteokbokki and gasping for air, but the aftertaste feels refreshing.

Of course, being sane did not truly mean ‘being okay.’ The scene I just saw is vivid in my mind.

“Hmm… “

I let out a long sigh. The ghost was scary. I was really, really scared. I also saw this article somewhere, and it said that you should be careful of smiling ghosts and dancing ghosts. This is because ghosts usually act the opposite of how they behave in life. But the woman I just saw was smiling and dancing. In short, it means a really angry ghost.

“Why are you fucking with me?”

If you’re angry, you should blame the culprit who made you angry. Why are you twirling my neck? What did I do wrong? It is said that when women are angry, they spread their frustration here and there, but there are limits. In that respect, I like Jiwon because he is easy-going.

“… “You’re not coming here after hearing me swearing, right?”

I glance at the dented door. The door is quietly closed. Since it is not polite for ghosts to enter the starting point, I decided to consider this place to be safe.

-Buldeong.

Lie down on a cheap bed. It’s so fucking scary, but… Still, I have to do what I have to do. Isn’t my greatest strength the ability to gather information, make a plan, and execute it through regression? Stuffing with my body is not my style.

When you think about it briefly, there are three main questions that come to mind.

First. What is the correct way to ‘escape’?

For this floor, I didn’t set a detailed goal, I just told them to ‘escape’. There is no telling where, how or when to escape.

“I need to figure this out.”

You shouldn’t just think of it as ‘Can I escape from anything?’ While going through the 21st to 23rd floors, I learned that the archangel in charge of this floor likes to make puns.

21st floor? He told me to survive. It is also a floor that can be beaten if you actually survive. But behind it all, there was a girl who was suffering.

22nd floor? The 22nd floor was set in a space inside the game, and they said you could simply submit something, but… Behind the scenes, there was a conflict between players surrounding the hidden piece.

The 23rd floor also committed the atrocity of filling up only 10 players with the theme of dealing with ‘false beings’. What this guy says needs to be listened to with some twist.

“Escape, escape… “

There are a few ways to escape from a mental hospital that immediately come to mind, but I don’t have enough information about them yet… Let’s move on.

Second. Why did my vision become narrow? To put it a little harshly, why did you become stupid?

If you think about the events of the last episode… It’s quite strange. As soon as I went out of the hallway, I started walking around in fear, and ended up being attacked by a ghost and returning. It follows the path of a typical horror game, but I found this part strange.

“… “If we fight, will I win?”

First of all, I had no intention of resisting. Even though he has a sword attached to his waist and he even has a magic scabbard that automatically procures the weapon when he feels strong emotions… I had no intention of fighting. Is it simply because they are too scared? But doesn’t a person who is cornered resist by stirring things up? Or magical power? Why didn’t you use magical power? Am I going to become a fool if I just go out in that hallway? So, if you stay in the hallway for a long time, could it have any effects even after regression? Does Junho become a fool if he only climbs and doesn’t play?

When my imagination reached the point that the ghost I had just seen was returning due to my ‘intense fear,’ I shook my head from side to side to come to my senses. This has gone too far.

Anyway… To summarize the clear facts, I had no intention of fighting. Maybe it’s because I’m too scared, or maybe it’s the tower’s intention. If it were the tower’s intention, it would be a good idea to surround yourself with magical energy and test resistance… It will probably fail. Like the 23rd floor.

“This guy is trying to get us to do what he wants.”

Perhaps, it is not designed to resist. Because that’s the style.

What suddenly occurred to me at that time was the trait I received on the 21st floor.

-Girl’s Cheering [A]

-Five seconds before a threat strikes, you can perceive something ominous. ‘Be happy always!’

On this floor… The girl’s cheering trait did not activate. Even though it is an A-level trait.

Are you saying that the ghost just wasn’t a threat? Or not… Are you hinting at something else? Otherwise, the girl’s support is just a trash trait.

“Oh, Areumsichi.”

After briefly imagining the girl living happily on the 21st floor, I decided to solve the last question in this episode.

Third and final question.

“I’m going.”

The walls of this space… Can you break it?

There are no windows here. I can’t see outside. What exists is a yellowed wall. The material appears to be concrete, but to be honest, it doesn’t look very sturdy.

When I go out into the hallway, the direction of my thoughts narrows. My hypothesis is that when you are overwhelmed by fear, you become unable to think in general.

So what if you don’t go out into the hallway at all? What if you could break, break, and break the wall here and reach somewhere outside the building?

This is something that a normal human being cannot do, but I am not a normal human being in the first place. This is not an ordinary space either.

“Seuuuuu… “

Circulate magical power. A soft fog spreads across the floor, and my heart beats ominously. The health stat has reached 20, but it won’t suddenly stop.

-Burr.

The tip of the sword becomes white-hot, and at the same time, it cannot overcome the force and vibrates up and down. The image you are imagining is a huge ice pick. If possible, it contains the desire to finish it in one shot.

“… !”

Kwagwagwagwagwang!!!

When I thought this was enough, I fired all the power I had gathered forward. I didn’t fire with all my might, and in game terms it was just a normal special move below a super special attack, but the wall was so weak that it shattered in an instant.

“Whoa.”

There is a thick layer of dust. How far did it go? The fog on the floor was manipulated to drive away the dust.

“… Huh?”

And I had no choice but to open my mouth. The sight you see… Because I was very familiar with it.

The direction I emitted my magic power was to the left. Based on the hallway, this is the direction that was blocked. Therefore, it would be normal for there to be nothing on this side… Beyond the wall, there was a hospital room.

There are curtains, walls are lined up, and there are six beds… A hospital room that looks exactly like the one I first started in.

However, my magical power did not just pierce the wall. Then the wall too. Then the wall too. And then the wall.

“… “

What can I say? They all looked identical to the hospital room I first started in. As if space is repeating.

“It doesn’t make sense.”

If not to the right, to the left. Consolation. Under. Diagonally. I tried destroying the wall in every direction imaginable, but what appeared was the same hospital room as the first one. I’ve come so far now that I can barely remember where I started.

“Ha, ha, ha, ha.”

I was convinced. This is not a space governed by general physical laws. A hospital can’t be this huge.

Even all the hospital rooms had doors, and when I opened the door and looked outside, I saw the hallway of my memories. Then, the hallway to the other hospital room above… Where does it lead?

Shall we regress? No. Let’s go straight through in one direction. Let’s try as far as we can, and if it doesn’t work, let’s go back.

“… Just a little.”

But before that. Let’s rest for a bit. It only takes a little.

I lay down on the old bed and slowly closed my eyes. The water horses are coming. Because the body is strong anyway… You can just lie down for a moment.

A little bit… Just rest a little…

**

“… “

A rumbling sound.

“Like… “

The sound of giggling.

“Junho!”

“Hey!”

Jump up! When I got up and looked around, I saw a nurse standing in front of me, sighing. She looked around her eyes and spoke in a low voice.

“Junho! You said today was the day of your regular checkup. What if I fell asleep again? Huh?”

“Oh, uh… “

“He’s losing his mind. Come fast. Treatment room number 1. “Teacher, I’m waiting for you.”

“… Yes.”

I slowly but familiarly got out of bed. In the remaining beds, grandparents were watching TV and laughing. The sunlight pouring in outside the window is very warm.

Haha, Yoo Jae-seo is the funniest these days.”

“I should go instead of go, who is that person?”

Leave the seniors behind and come out into the hallway, naturally turning to the right. Since this is a route I take every day, it is natural to memorize the route. Other patients and nurses pass by me.

That’s how we arrived at treatment room number 1.

Knock knock. After knocking on the door and waiting for a while, I hear a voice telling me to come in.

“You’re late.”

At first glance, it looks like he is scolding, but there is a gentle smile on the teacher’s lips. Without much explanation, I sat down and rubbed the back of my head shyly. It’s because it’s not just a day or two that’s late.

“Well, since you’re late… Shall we continue from what we said last time?”

The teacher opens a drawer and takes out a thick bundle of documents.

“Well, how far did I go?”

“… Wait a minute. Ah, here it is. ‘Leaving behind the strange old man we met on the 15th floor, President Michael Jeter came to visit us… It ended with ‘. Please continue from there.”

“Ah. So what happened to Michael Jeter… “

“Yes, please tell me.”

This is a hospital. Psychiatric hospital.

In order to receive psychological treatment, I am confessing my delusions to my teacher.

“No, well… They say the world is being invaded.”

A story that happened in the ‘tower’ that I made up.