319 – The Regressor… (3)

The second day was not much different. There were no variables, no rush, and I had plenty of time to relax. It was a day without the so-called ‘dopamine’.

“Whew.”

“Let’s go.”

First, I got up from the prepared accommodations and took a look around the base. Even though the 29th floor was practically the highest level that humans had developed, there were quite a few people there, and it seemed like they were after the ‘extra reward’ like us. People who made it this far understood the importance of rewards.

Each floor of the tower is a trial, but it is also a chance to become stronger. There are some exceptions, but the difficulty usually increases as the number of floors increases.

But what if you miss out on the ‘maximum reward’ that you can get on the 29th floor just because you can easily pass the 29th floor? Not only will you fall behind other players, but it will also be difficult to respond when difficult floors appear later.

And while Nana Jiwon has a goal of preparing for the invasion of monsters after reaching the 30th floor, other players do not have such a goal. Although God urged them to climb the tower, there was no clear time limit, and there was no competition between players to get ahead of others. From what

I saw in reality while returning, there were surprisingly few fights between players. There were cases where people died because of fights between idiots who couldn’t let go of their pride, but it was rare, and most players treated each other like chickens in reality. (It might be different inside the tower, but in reality, it was like that.)

Anyway, players are much stronger than ordinary people, can make a lot of money, and are praised. In other words, they are the ‘chosen’ people. It’s okay to say that there is a sense of privilege, and even a kind of camaraderie. I’m going

off on a tangent, but in conclusion, I want to say that the players who have come this far at this point are crazy about training themselves. There were many more people who thought of ‘wanting to become stronger’ than ‘saving the world’ like Nana Choi Ji-won or Firefighter Park Cheol-jin, and there was no way that such people would miss the opportunity to become stronger on the 29th floor.

Anyway, after looking around the base, we went outside to take a look at the monsters’ ecology. The monsters’ main food source was humans or the same species, but they were cannibalistic to the point where it was questionable how they maintained their population.

“Monsters are naturally generated by magic! Until we defeat the Demon King, monsters will continue to emerge!”

A brave soldier provided us with some good information while we were worrying, but the more I learned, the more my doubts grew.

“Oh, is there a Demon King here?”

“He’s not here right now, but he’ll be back someday!”

“… Why do monsters keep appearing when there’s no Demon King?”

“That’s… I don’t know!”

So ​​the reason monsters appear is because of the monsters. The Demon King isn’t here. When I asked him why, the soldier mumbled and couldn’t give a proper answer.

“No, that’s why…”

“Just say it’s like that.”

A player passing by clicked his tongue as he saw Choi Ji-won trying to make the soldier understand.

“Those soldiers, they come back to life even when they die. They don’t understand even when I talk to them about reality. They’re like real NPCs, so don’t be like that.”

“…”

Monsters that regenerate forever. The absent culprits. Soldiers who come back to life even when they die. This… really felt like a stage set up to show the players the battlefield. The only exception was probably the warriors? Whatever it was, I felt uneasy. Aren’t they really being used as tools?

Of course, feeling bad is bad, and information is information. We continued to run around the base busily, gathering additional information, and were able to increase our understanding of this floor. There wasn’t any particularly conclusive information, but there was a lot of useful information.

“Junho, I think we’ve gathered enough information.”

“Then let’s go to the warrior.”

After finishing the exploration, we killed a weak monster and received the warrior’s approval. While I was relieved that I could return to reality tomorrow, I was also worried about how long it would take to completely clear this floor. In any case, since there was nothing to do right now, I was making plans with Jiwon for the future.

“If I get this floor’s reward, I’ll get one decent piece of equipment from the 26th floor…”

Suddenly, my head started spinning and I felt dizzy. It was similar to when I woke up in a hurry after lying down for a very long time.

This was the first time since the status window appeared and my body became stronger. Now, my body didn’t need long periods of sleep, and I was always full of energy.

“Junho, are you okay?”

“No, that’s… My head suddenly feels dizzy… Ugh.”

“What’s wrong?”

“… “My head hurts.”

Now, in addition to dizziness, I felt a throbbing pain. My magic was boiling and not listening, and when I focused my senses, my soul was also rippling. My body was hot. My whole body ached. It felt like I had caught a terrible flu.

“… This is strange.”

Even as I groaned in pain, I couldn’t shake the feeling of discomfort. Suddenly feeling sick? That could happen. Someone could have secretly fed me poison, or I could have just coincidentally contracted a disease that only affected players.

What was so strange about this situation was that.

“Why… aren’t you regressing?”

There was absolutely no sign of regressing. I could feel the obvious pain and dizziness, and my hands were shaking slightly. This wasn’t ‘damage’? Why?

“Ugh…”

“Your face is so red right now. Let’s drink the elixir, the elixir.”

“… Maybe.”

As Jiwon Choi said, I took out the elixir and drank it all down. I could feel the gazes of the other players, but I didn’t have the luxury of caring about it right now.

-Gulp, gulp.

A familiar refreshing feeling. A refreshing sweetness. Now, I should feel energized and my head clear.

“…Why?”

The elixir had no effect. It really had ‘no’ effect.

What’s the reason? Even an elixir that can regenerate severed limbs? Is it a curse? But if it’s a curse, shouldn’t I have regressed a long time ago?

“…Status window.”

I called the status window with a trembling voice, but the status window that was always with me stuttered and wouldn’t open.

10 seconds. After a whole 10 seconds, the status window blinked and revealed itself.

[ΔŦ: ŽΔŦΩв] [LV:¨¯©¯¨«]

[ΨОде]

-Regression [EX]

-ŒΦ [δ]

-ю！[∀]

“…What is this?”

The status window with broken letters. The world seemed to spin around. Choi Ji-won’s hand gently caressing my back felt warm. My body felt hot as if it was burning.

“… Regression.”

If I harm myself now, would I be able to regress? Maybe. Maybe I could. Even in the status window, the ‘Regression’ list was intact.

But even if I regress, what could I do? If I reached this point again, the same thing would just happen again?

“Junho, can I move?”

“… I have to move.”

It hurts. It’s painful. But now is the time to move. I had to find even a small clue as to why I became like this. I had to do something before I regress. That’s… right.

And if I had to choose the person I should go to first at this point.

“… Warrior.”

The warrior was incredibly strong. I thought I should start by looking at him. The reason was simple. It was just because he was too strong.

The warrior had no motive to harm me. Rather, he seemed to have no will at all. However, if this strange phenomenon had occurred, it was likely related to the warrior. The guy is a strong man beyond common sense.

To be honest, I don’t know what the hero has to do with this situation. However, my body was driven by the compulsion to do something before returning.

It would be good to get information, and it would be even better if I could get help. It would be better than just sitting still. Yes, I have to do something.

“… I’ll go and come back.”

“J, Junho?”

I staggered toward the central tent. The other players’ gazes were stinging, but I ignored them and moved.

“…”

Even though it was the tent where the hero lived, there was no one guarding it. Maybe it was because there was no need to guard it.

After a little hesitation, I opened the door without hesitation.

“… Are you there?”

It was the tent I had visited just a few hours ago. The hero acknowledged me as he laid down on his chair leisurely, and I also remember leaving right away.

However, it was different from what I remembered. Everything was the same, from the desk, the reception chair, the bookshelf, and the monster head hanging on the wall.

“Hero?”

The hero was actually gone. I didn’t realize it because my body was not feeling well, but now that I look at it, the presence of that huge soul has disappeared.

I stood there blankly, bewildered by the unexpected situation.

“… Who sent you?”

At the same time as the hero’s grumbling voice was heard from behind, my vision became strangely distorted. It was as if my body was falling down. Only

when the pain belatedly struck me did I realize it belatedly.

“… Why didn’t you stop it?”

The fact that my head was cut horizontally.

[I took damage.]

[I return to the moment I first entered the 29th floor.]

***

“…”

The situation doesn’t feel real. What is this? What on earth is going on? It’s hard to keep up.

It was strange that my status window had become strange, and that I didn’t return even though I was sick. I couldn’t understand the hero’s attitude either.

The hero’s previous attitude was clearly that of a bystander. There was no hostility at all, and he just looked annoyed.

But he suddenly attacked me. He cut off his head in one breath, but I couldn’t understand this change in attitude at all.

The warrior’s last words were also meaningful. Because the words, “Why didn’t you block it?” were full of pure doubt. I

hadn’t even recognized the b*stard’s final blow in the first place, and even if I had, I guess it wouldn’t have been an attack I could block. The warrior was incomparably stronger than me, and he must have known that.

But isn’t it a little strange that he said, “Why didn’t you block it?” instead of “Die” or “Get out.” Why didn’t he block an attack that I couldn’t block? His voice was too serious to be a matter of personality?

Yeah, let’s just say the hero has returned. That could be true. Compared to the situation I was facing right now, this could be considered ‘minor.’

How was my condition? I had just returned. I had just returned to the past.

“… It hurts.”

But my head… It still throbbed even after I had returned.

As if there was a trace of something left.