314 – Regressor’s Fight (33)

Cheonma’s goal was simple. Not to regress, and to escape the tower.

‘… Even if I escape the tower, if I get hurt outside, I’ll come back here.’

There was a reason why Cheonma, who was quite intelligent, set such a simple goal. First of all, it was because he had no initiative in the first place.

He didn’t know about the Transcendent who had given him this power of ‘regression’. He didn’t know what the Transcendent wanted from him. He didn’t know how long this regression would last. Cheonma didn’t know anything about anything and was full of questions.

In the meantime, the only reasonable choice was that Cheonma did not want to use ‘violence’. He judged that the fact that he would regress when injured contained his intention to avoid fighting as much as possible.

‘If I regain all my strength… there might be hope.’

In addition, there was an expectation that if Cheonma regained all his strength, he might be able to figure out the identity of this power. Although Cheonma was defeated by the Archangel, that was a story from when he had no body. Cheonma, who exerted his full power, was able to resist some of the laws of this tower. In order to ‘escape’ the tower in the first place, he needed that level of strength. If he could

use all his skills, he could tear space apart. As for time… he’s never done it, but it should be possible. He was Cheonma, a genius, and someone who looked down on him. He suffered because he didn’t know, but now that he knows, he can overcome it. His belief is that.

To summarize, the primary goal is to avoid violence as much as possible, regain all his strength, and then escape the tower. Identifying the subject of this regression and shaking off the regression can be said to be secondary goals.

‘Move.’

Since the path forward was set, Cheonma’s actions were unstoppable. He persuaded the fake Guntar, made him act out his daily life, and induced him to set up a match in the arena. Cheonma could only become stronger by fighting, so a fight was inevitable.

However, there were a few conditions here. First, he must not get hurt. And he must not harm the enemy excessively. Not harming the enemy

meant that he was aware of the Transcendent, and not getting hurt meant that he was aware of the regression. Looking at it this way, it seemed incredibly easy, but Cheonma had more than one or two difficulties.

“Guntar! How about we have a match today?”

The biggest problem was that Asian guy, Kim Jun-ho, who pretended to be friendly. He kept trying to fight, and they had actually fought a few times. The problem was that he was really unnecessarily strong.

He hated how sharp his momentum was, but what he hated the most was his unique magic. That cold magic would make his body stiff unless he used his magic to fight back, but Cheonma couldn’t use his magic right away.

If it were his usual style, he would have spread his distance by spraying dark energy, but Cheonma was currently acting as Guntar. He couldn’t use cowardly tricks like spraying dark energy. Guntar was basically a good beast.

“Refuse. Say you have a reason.”

“Oh, sorry. I have a schedule.”

“… Oh, really? That’s too bad.”

He wanted to release his magic and tear him apart, but Cheonma held back. He wasn’t an opponent that could be easily defeated. If there had been no regression, he would have welcomed a worthy opponent, but it was difficult for him to fight while acting as the ‘real Guntar’ without getting hurt.

So was it okay if he didn’t fight Kim Junho? That wasn’t the case.

“Guntar! I want to fight you!”

“Let’s have a go!”

Guntar was a famous strong man, and there were many idiots who wanted to fight him. The problem is that the existing Guntar was not the type to reject such offers, and the fact that he rejected Kim Jun-ho’s offer already raised some suspicions.

‘Say yes.’

“… Okay.”

The matches in the arena were also extremely unpleasant. A b*stard who came in with a pistol hidden in his hand. A b*stard who trusted his machine-replaced body and detonated a grenade. A b*stard who used a weapon that would electrocute anyone who touched it. Of course, it was against the rules of the arena. There are

plenty of guys who live only for today, but this was extreme. As if someone had planned it, only those who used dirty tricks were targeting Cheonma. Cheonma, who had no information, had no choice but to return.

Cheonma is a monster. Cheonma is a genius. However, whether he is a monster or a genius, he bleeds when he is stabbed with a sword. It was inevitable because his strength did not fully return. Even in the midst of all that, Cheonma chose the option that would cause him the least amount of damage, but he could not stop his return. He would definitely win if he fought to the end, but he hated the fact that he could not fight to the end.

However, there is a gain if there is a loss. The return gave information to Cheonma.

If you don’t know, you can suffer. In other words, if you know, you won’t suffer. Because he is Cheonma. Because he is the ruler. Because he was the man closest to God.

Cheonma’s growth rate was amazing even considering the return. No, this shouldn’t be called ‘growth’. Cheonma was already complete, and all the returns he had suffered were due to ignorance, so it would be right to say that he was ‘surprised’. In the first place, if you get hurt, you regress, so how unreasonable is it to be surprised?

Regress. Regress. Regress again.

‘…’

It was hard to hold back the killing intent in the middle. There were so many weaklings, so many scum. Cheonma’s honest feelings were to tear flesh, savor screams, and savor the smell of blood. He missed that refreshing feeling so much, but he couldn’t give in to his desires in this situation where it was obvious that he would be attracting the attention of the Transcendent.

Clear and bright. The mind of a master who has reached the realm is like a clear and calm pond. The mind of Cheonma is bloody and somewhat distorted, but it is always calm. He was too strong and great to be swept away by emotions and ruin things.

If you just stretch out your hand. After releasing your magic power, if you just wave your hand lightly, the nonsense of the trash that will disintegrate your limbs is in itself a transcendent patience… That was Cheonma’s thought.

Regress. Go further. Regress. Go further.

Every time time went back, Cheonma steadily approached his goal. Cheonma was a genius and learned faster than anyone else. Now, he reached a point where he was not swayed by regression but used it. He had become accustomed to regression.

‘The time it takes to regress is slightly different each time. What does it imply?’

With his leisure, he analyzed regression in detail.

‘Here, say this. If you remembered, you would have done so.’

“That, that is…”

He had also become adept at using fake Guntar. The guy had a desire to be recognized as a real Guntar, and if Cheonma gently scratched that part, he could move as he pleased.

How much did he regress like that? At some point, he became strong enough to take control of his body if Cheonma wanted to. Even though he had fought so many battles, he had not been discovered by the existence of ‘Cheonma’ and had not been injured.

If he had fought just a little more, he could have released all his magical power, but Cheonma did not. He thought that releasing his power in this arena was too risky. There were angels, and this arena itself was the stage for the ‘Tower’. He

needed a safer place, one with less attention.

“Guntar, you want to go home?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

The place Cheonma chose was Guntar’s hometown. It was where Cheonma had spent quite a while, and where his secret wife was hidden. He

would return there and take control of his body. After that, he would release his magical power and escape the tower with the items he had hidden. It was a perfect plan.

Cheonma relaxed his mind. It was also to appeal to the Transcendent that Cheonma had changed, and since the real Guntar often went back and forth to his hometown, he had no need to worry about being suspected. He

was just around the corner from escaping the tower. This was the end. No, it might be a new beginning. After regaining his full strength, he could delve deeper into the regression that was binding him. By understanding regression, he might be able to take a step closer to becoming a transcendent being. Anyway, this is the end of this tiresome arena…

“Should we throw a celebration party?”

That was the plan. Until a familiar Oriental put his arm around his shoulder.

“Hey, shouldn’t we throw a party to celebrate Guntar coming to his senses? He must have suffered a lot in the arena. Right? He just gets caught up in all the troubles.”

“That’s right, that’s right. Who would have thought there would be a crazy guy who would throw a grenade? He must have had a hard time.”

“Let’s have a drink or a drink!”

The beastmen burst into laughter at the Oriental’s words. For some reason, Kim Jun-ho was nicknamed the beastmen lover, and because of that, the beastmen usually accepted his suggestions favorably.

‘… Hmm.’

Cheonma himself absolutely detested the culture of parties, and wanted to tell him to think about becoming stronger instead. The fake Guntar seemed very eager to go, but if Cheonma used the persuasion know-how he had acquired through his regression, he could turn his stubbornness around.

“… Good.”

However, Cheonma did not do so. Thinking that if it was the real Guntar, he would have accepted, he had no choice but to remain silent. After all, it was just a party, right ?

“Oh, this is my friend. You can call me JW.”

However, on the day of the party. When a woman with black hair and a ponytail, whom he had never seen in his entire regression, appeared… he was quite shaken.

“She has a sword?”

“Hey, female. Why are you bringing a sword to such a happy place?”

“I’m going to my house.”

“Go, there’s nothing you can do once you go.”

Cheonma’s keen senses rang an alarm. That woman was just as dangerous as Kim Junho. No, maybe even more dangerous.

‘…’

That such a strong woman, such a dangerous woman, had appeared right now, right before he left the arena? It was such a coincidence. It was so… ominous.

‘Be careful.’

“… What could happen? It’s a party. What should I be careful of?”

“Guntar, what did you say?”

“Oh, no. Talking to myself, talking to myself.”

The fake Guntar answered leisurely. Cheonma’s spirit frowned, but rationally he acknowledged that the fake Guntar’s opinion was correct. Yes, it could just be that he’s just seeing it for the first time. The arena is so big, and there are so many people. It’s not strange to meet someone for the first time while repeating the return, and it’s highly likely that his appearance now is just a coincidence. Even if it wasn’t a coincidence, if Cheonma came to his senses, nothing would happen.

It would be right to just let it go. Cheonma’s reasoning thought so.

However, Cheonma trusted his own intuition. In the worst crisis, the only thing he could trust was not the trash who called themselves comrades, the armor the blacksmith boasted about, or the sword he bought at a high price. Self. The only thing he could trust was himself. Cheonma always trusted himself, and as a result, he was able to get to this point.

The plan’s success is imminent. If he can just get through this party, Cheonma can escape the tower. He can just return to Guntar’s home planet and take control of his body leisurely. When that happens, he can release all his power. He just has to get through this moment. So be on guard.

‘… ‘

He’s not scared or overly nervous. He’s just being on guard as he should be. Even if everything is really just a coincidence, he shouldn’t let his guard down.

However, if you ask whether Cheonma’s guard was truly a ‘full-power’ guard, it wasn’t. It wasn’t a problem with Cheonma’s mindset. It was just a problem with the unconscious realm.

Return. Cheonma had another chance. Even if he failed, he could start over.

The mindset of a human who has nowhere else to retreat to and a human who has insurance even if he retreats are bound to be different. It’s the same for Cheonma, who is on the verge of leaving humanity and entering the path of a transcendent being. Although he trained his body and mind, he was still human. And ‘carelessness’ and ‘peace of mind’ are fragments of humanity.

‘Enjoy the party, but always be careful. There might be someone targeting you.’

“Yes, yes. Got it.”

‘You can go back home tomorrow. When you meet your family back home, your memories might come back clearly.’

“… Family.”

‘They’ll vouch for you. That you’re the real Guntar.’

“… Alright. I don’t think anything will happen, but I’ll still be careful.”

I also got the cooperation of the fake Guntar. I didn’t have a good feeling, but I did everything I could to prepare.

Yeah. What could happen today?

“Jiwon, are you ready? This is your first and last chance.”

“Yeah.”

It was all just a coincidence.