325 – Past (4)

Information about Elixir was relatively late to be revealed. Even Michael Jeter, who could be said to have the world’s best information, was late to realize its existence, and there were several reasons for this.

First of all, the fact that Elixir itself was an ‘extremely’ valuable item was effective. Its value was so high that even a fool could tell, and if it was known that they had it, they were much more likely to be threatened than praised. (They knew how lucky they were to have received Elixir as a ‘survival reward’. And that they had taken the bus.) And

so, two weeks passed. Those who had Elixir suffered, unable to tell anyone, and kept it to themselves.

“I have to sell this.”

“Hey, honey. It could be dangerous if I sell it…”

“Is that the problem right now? My daughter is about to be kicked out of the hospital? Let’s use this opportunity to pay off the overdue surgery fees and buy a house. I’m too scared to climb any higher anyway. Let’s use this opportunity to change my fate.”

“… If that’s you…”

It was also the time it took for a cornered person to make a hasty decision. Consumed by greed, he wanted to sell this elixir to the heads of large corporations, but there was no way an ordinary person would have such connections.

Then, how about through an auction? However, a formal auction would take a long time, and the process for receiving the settlement money was quite complicated. He needed quick money.

In the end, the path the man chose was the path of darkness. After wandering around, he found a famous underworld auction house.

“Shoot.”

“Okay, wait!”

– Tudadadadadadang!

They became a beehive. The man, and even his family. Similar operations were repeated three times around the world, and a week later, the ‘Panacea from the Tower’ was released on the auction house. Naturally, it was sold at an enormous price.

So, didn’t Michael Jeter know about this? He knew. He knew the effects of the elixir, the price it was sold for, and who bought it. But what he really didn’t know was its ‘source’. As

rumors about the elixir spread quite a bit, some people with a soft voice leaked information about Choi Ji-won. (Most of them were buried without much attention.)

“Do you know about the player named Choi Ji-won?”

“I know.”

“She succeeded in saving all the humans on the 4th floor. The elixir is the reward.

“…”

“And more importantly, there is a man who cleared the 4th floor a step ahead of Choi Ji-won. And he did it in exactly the same way.”

“What is his identity?”

“I don’t know his name or identity, but he is an Asian man.”

The others couldn’t get here from the sea of ​​information. There were too many false rumors about the tower, and in general, there was no ability to separate the wheat from the chaff. However, since it was Jitter’s private organization, they were able to filter out quality information.

“Choi Ji-won. Choi Ji-won.”

Choi Ji-won. That’s the name I remember. She clearly showed amazing results on the second floor and changed the entire floor. That’s why

she’s called a hero. She succeeded in saving all the humans on the fourth floor? And she did it by running away from the monster wave as soon as the first floor started?

“… Is that possible?”

Jitter thought back to his memories of clearing the fourth floor. He clearly used his adaptive trait to kill countless monsters, and he remembered making the best choice at every moment.

However, as soon as the tower started… he ran away? Is there any basis for it? No. Was there a hint? Absolutely not. With Jitter’s senses and clear mind, there’s no way he would have missed it.

Yes. Let’s say that he was really, really lucky and made the decision to run away from the fourth floor. Let’s say he had a strange confidence in himself, and he convinced all the other humans to cross the cold snowfield.

Up to this point… it could be a coincidence.

But what about the other man? The man who cleared the 4th floor faster than Choi Ji-won, in the same way? That absolutely, absolutely could not be a coincidence. It is already out of the realm of probability.

“What is the difference in the time it takes them to clear it?”

“It is estimated to be roughly half a day to a day.”

The goal of the 4th floor is to survive for 5 days. If there is only a day difference in time, it is impossible to convey information. In the first place, the tower cannot recognize information from a floor it has not entered. All the circumstances cry out that ‘it is not a coincidence,’ but in reality, it can only be a coincidence.

“… characteristics.”

Jeter was convinced that there must have been some kind of intervention here. He was literally convinced, he saw it as a 100% chance. After that, other players guessed that there must be a telepathic trait, but a different scene appeared in Michael Jeter’s mind.

The scene where the president asserted that he could find the time traveler. His eyes were filled with a strange heat.

“…”

But still… still just a possibility.

A possibility that could never be overlooked.

**

Again. Time passed. Mahesh and Jeter put their heads together and thought about it, and concluded that the 15th floor stone statue was the “time of the statues’ invasion.” Jeter immediately relayed this information to the president, and of course, the president did not understand the seriousness of the situation.

“Monsters will invade.”

“I can’t hear you.”

“… A year later, a great disaster will strike.”

“What big thing is happening? Explain it properly.”

“…”

They knew something was happening, but they could not perceive the exact situation, so they were both frustrated. Judging from Jeter’s attitude, the president could tell that something was happening, but that was just information. No

matter how powerful the president was, he couldn’t order other countries to “gather their military forces because something might happen.” Politics doesn’t work like that. There was no justification. It was supposed to be

a year later. Knowing that the countries of the world were having a hard time dealing with the chaos, it was quite unreasonable to bring up the idea of ​​preparing for a year later. There was a big difference between saying, “Let’s prepare for the enemy” and “I don’t know what it is, but it feels like something is happening, but let’s prepare anyway.”

Jeter eventually gave up on getting the president’s help and started gathering players. He wrote red letters related to the 15th floor on advertisements all over the world and asked anyone who saw those letters to contact him.

During this time, Jeter was able to meet various players. From a shameless criminal who contacted him just to see what happened, to a powerful man whose name was unknown.

“…Emperor.”

“Why? Didn’t you ask me to contact you?”

And the bad relationship in the tutorial.

But the most memorable one was

“Hello. I’m Michael Jeter. Nice to meet you, Ms. Choi Ji-won.”

“…”

“And… Mr. Kim Jun-ho.”

Choi Ji-won and Kim Jun-ho. There were two of them.

She knew the name Kim Jun-ho. Choi Ji-won was seen walking around with a man on the 13th and 14th floors, and she had already found out the name and personal information through background investigation.

Her abilities were probably swordsmanship, and she was said to be quite strong. There was also talk of her being surrounded by an unknown coldness.

“About 10 months from today. The Earth may be in danger.”

However, when she met Kim Jun-ho in person, there was something more to it. Michael Jeter, who had keen senses, could sense it. It was something… an unknown sense of pressure. Or maybe it was composure.

Jeter was certain at that moment. The man who had obtained the elixir on the 4th floor was definitely Kim Jun-ho. The two who won the elixir were Choi Ji-won and Kim Jun-ho.

And if the regressor really exists… It would be one of Choi Ji-won and Kim Jun-

ho. If the regressor really exists.

Is this my first time? Is this the first time I’ve met those two? Did I say the same thing before time went back? What would be the conditions if I time-traveled? When would I time-travel? Is there a limit to the number of times I can time-travel? Is there a magic drain? If you don’t have enough magic, you can’t time-travel? Or is it time-travel caused by another trigger, regardless of your will? Is time-travel possible even in the future? Have I already revealed too much information?

Countless thoughts passed through Jitter’s brain, but Jitter was able to finish what he was going to say smoothly. His brain could easily imagine something like this. Oh, he had to drink a lot of water because he was thinking too much.

Anyway, Jitter, who returned to the association headquarters after successfully completing the interview, fell into deep thought again. The experiment the president had mentioned before. That had been on his mind.

The experiment would require the full cooperation of the President. It would also require a huge amount of sacrifice, enough to sell the future of the United States.

Can the President be persuaded? He can. For Jitter, who has the ‘Adaptive’ trait, playing with the human mind is not a big deal.

But what if those two are not regressors? Then… What about the future of the United States? The Players Association? The Earth? The human race? The weight on the other side of the scale is too heavy. The President’s experiment was a gamble that should never be made without confidence.

“…”

But confidence… is not something to wait for. It is something to create.

Jitter immediately thought of an efficient plan.

The odds of success seemed high.

**

Again. Inside the White House.

“Your Excellency.”

“Why?”

“The ‘experiment’ you mentioned a while ago.”

“That never happened…”

“I thought about it again, and it seems like a good idea.”

The president was caught up in Jeter’s dazzling rhetoric, and his judgment was becoming increasingly clouded. In the same place, only his position had completely changed.

“But… you said it couldn’t be done…”

“I thought about it again. I believe this experiment is worth it.”

“… It still can’t be done. The risk is too high.”

“You said before that if time travelers exist, they are like gods. This is a chance to confirm the existence of gods. Do you plan on missing this opportunity?”

“…”

The president’s eyes wavered. He was currently the closest person to the master of Earth, and a man with more power than anyone else. However, he could not escape the limitations of a human. As expected of a human, he had a gap in his heart.

“It’s an opportunity.”

And Jeter’s inhuman insight could not miss such a gap. The president swallowed without realizing it. If we could observe the existence of gods with a human body, what a great feat that would be.

“… No.”

Still, the president couldn’t just accept it. It was too big a gamble. If it failed, it would mean giving the future of America to the books.

“How about this?”

Of course, Jeter had calculated that far. He had a master key to persuade the president.

“I have a way to preserve your authority, Mr. President. I have a plan to secure the future while also determining whether or not there is a regressor.”

“Oh, oh…”

If there was no regressor, it would just pass as a happening. However, if there really was a regressor, it would definitely be caught.

“You… what the heck…”

“I’m just thinking efficiently.”

It was truly a devilish idea.