330 – The Past (9)
“Should I leave it alone?”
“A regressor?”
“for a moment.”
Jeter stopped the other team members from making a fuss.
“First of all, before listening to Nana Doksuhee. What do you guys want to do?”
“Are you talking about us?”
“Yes. Now you know that there are regressors with supernatural powers. What do you think?”
“Even if you ask suddenly…”
“This is for reference before listening to Dok Soo Hee’s words, so don’t feel too burdened.”
If Dok Soo-hee had not lied, Jitter would have asked this question first. If he had asked the same question after hearing Dok Soo-hee’s words now, his opinion would have obviously changed. Therefore, if he was going to hear their opinions, it had to be now. That was the right order, and it was also efficient.
“Um… I think.”
Mahesh was the first to step forward.
“Even if there is no direct contact… I think there should be surveillance.”
“Why is that so?”
“Too. Isn’t that an excessively dangerous ability? The human mind is unstable. Even if he’s sane now, if that man goes crazy later… we may have to worry about the survival of all of humanity.”
The opinion is that it is too dangerous an ability and should be kept under surveillance.
“Wouldn’t it be better to persuade them to our side? So, if we tell them to join Team Alpha…”
“If you wanted to come in, you would have come in earlier.”
“But you don’t know until you suggest it, right?”
The opinion that we should persuade others to join us.
“First, how about sending out a bunch of gifts?”
“gift?”
“Yes. They say that person is almost like a god… If I leave a good impression, I think the beans will fall off.”
The idea is to leave a good impression.
The reason why the opinions were mostly positive is probably because Michael Jeter had previously mentioned that they were ‘good’. And indeed, they were.
“Okay, but I have a different opinion.”
Jitter’s opinion wasn’t much different here either.
“I once talked about why I am the president of the Players Association.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“The reason I am the leader of the players is because it is the most efficient. Because I am the best and can shoulder the most burden. So, if there is someone better than me. If there is someone better. I am always ready to yield. Do you remember?”
This was 100% Jitter’s sincerity. The reason Jitter is currently the president of the players’ association is because, objectively speaking, he was the most suitable. He really didn’t use even a single second of his personal time to do the president’s work, participate in public events, climb the tower, and manage other players. Jitter was really grinding his life for the world, and if he were asked to do the same thing, no one would do it better. This was not overconfidence, but an obvious fact.
“I thought that if anyone was going to conquer the tower, it would be me. I thought that if I was wrong, the Emperor might conquer it.”
“…”
“But. I saw Kim Jun-ho in person. He is a great person. He may not be perfect, but he seems like a person who is moving forward to find the right answer. I only saw him once, but I could tell that much.”
“no way.”
“Yes.”
Jitter nodded.
“If there are people who can conquer the tower, it would be Choi Ji-won and Kim Jun-ho. I think it would be those two. Choi Ji-won’s fame probably came largely from her return.”
“Two, were you two in a relationship?”
“It is probably assumed that they are in a romantic relationship.”
“There was a regressor behind the hero Choi Ji-won…”
Contrary to the concerns of other team members, Jitter had something positive to say about the regressor.
“More details would require a closer look, but… I think that if Kim Jun-ho is a person with both talent and personality, the entire planet Earth should help him.”
So Jitter’s opinion was simple. With such a fraudulent ability, it was clear that Kim Jun-ho was the one most likely to conquer the top.
In that case, rather than wasting strength and resources on other players, it would be right to focus all resources on supporting the most likely regressor. From an efficiency standpoint, this was right.
“I don’t think that’s wrong…”
“That’s right. With such a fraudulent ability, if you give him all sorts of elixirs, potions, equipment, and support, wouldn’t he just eat them all up by himself?”
“That sounds like a good idea. Maybe the regressor wouldn’t like it either?”
This seemed to be a pretty good idea to other team members with common sense. We should focus on the most promising prospects, and it would be a waste to waste it on other guys. A regressor would be able to use all of his resources most efficiently and appropriately.
“but…”
It was Mahesh who stepped forward. He looked as if he had something to say, as if he was trying to say something.
“No. I know what you’re trying to say. Let’s hear what Dok Soo Hee has to say first.”
But Jitter stopped him, and people’s attention naturally turned to Dok Soo-hee.
“So why do you think we should just leave the regressor alone?”
“I am…”
Dok Soo-hee, who had been hesitating, bit her lips for a moment and then opened her mouth.
“First of all, the regressor himself wouldn’t want it.”
“I never even asked.”
“You don’t have to ask to know. If he wanted to be famous, he would have been famous long ago. The fact that no one here knows the name ‘Kim Jun-ho’ is proof of that.”
Dok Soo-hee’s goal was to become Kim Jun-ho’s returning companion. She thought she was forgiven for betraying him but keeping his memories (Kim Jun-ho didn’t do it on purpose), and she thought she would become a better woman and go find Kim Jun-ho. Perhaps naturally, Dok Soo-hee conducted background investigations on Kim Jun-ho.
As a result, there were many rumors about Kim Jun-ho, but no one knew that the owner was Kim Jun-ho. Kim Jun-ho does not want to be exposed.
“Can’t you just ask him directly?”
“Then we’d be advertising that we’ve figured out that he’s a regressor.”
“… That’s right.”
While the other team members were whispering, Dok Soo-hee continued speaking with even more confidence.
“And as you may have noticed by now, the man who saved everyone on the 4th floor is this Kim Jun-ho. Everyone’s survival in the tutorial is also his work, and it was probably Kim Jun-ho who helped Choi Ji-won on the 11th floor. There were rumors about a mysterious man who radiated cold air on the 12th floor, right? It’s probably Kim Jun-ho as well.”
“What do you want to say?”
“He is moving in the right direction without us having to interfere. He is walking a path that is close to the right answer, where people are not hurt as much as possible and he himself becomes stronger. I believe that he will eventually reach the top without us having to intervene.”
“…that.”
“It’s certainly persuasive.”
Dok Soo-hee’s words were right. Kim Jun-ho was already doing well without anyone saying anything, and he would continue to do well in the future. His past supported his future. Even without any intervention, the regressor seemed to be fine.
Here, Dok Soo-hee desperately tries to prevent Kim Jun-ho from intervening… because she believes he won’t want it, and she’s also laying the groundwork to become Kim Jun-ho’s colleague later on. She’s still just a high school student, but she can’t give up her desire to become the regressor’s colleague.
“Mahesh.”
Jitter opened his mouth quietly at that moment.
“Let me say what I was going to say earlier.”
“Ah. Okay, I understand.”
Mahesh, clearing his throat with a loud noise, looked straight into Dok Soo-hee’s eyes and said.
“I know that Mr. Kim Jun-ho is a great person. I also know that he has done well so far.”
“Yes, he is a great person.”
“But will it be like that in the future?”
“…?”
“Regression means that you have to experience a longer period of time than others. I don’t know how much you will regress or how you will regress. I guess there will be a proper penalty.”
“…”
“The current Mr. Kim Jun-ho is good. He is great. But in the distant future… Can we be sure that the man who climbed the tower will still be great? The tower is a place where people can go crazy.”
Jitter steps forward again with good timing.
“I am not saying that we should intervene immediately. I think we should investigate closely, find out Mr. Kim Jun-ho’s character, and then carefully decide whether to intervene.”
“but…!”
“You might be right. Even if we don’t do anything, Kim Jun-ho might be able to clear the tower.”
Jitter raised his index finger and placed it in front of Dok Soo-hee’s mouth.
“But if we intervene. If we provide sufficient support to Mr. Kim Jun-ho, who is now completely sane, and help him climb the tower.”
“…”
“The probability of humanity conquering the tower can be significantly increased. The variables will be significantly reduced. Do you understand what I mean?”
To summarize what Jitter is trying to say:
People change. So, we have to climb the tower before he changes, and to do that, we need your support.
“Do you think I’m wrong?”
“…”
“It looks like you have some things to point out as well.”
Dok Soo-hee also couldn’t answer easily. He had a history of betraying Kim Jun-ho, and in return, he lost an arm. I don’t intend to complain about losing an arm, but the problem was Kim Jun-ho’s condition at the time.
Kim Jun-ho looked extremely tired and worn out when he was swinging his arms. To put it simply, he looked like he wasn’t in his right mind.
The reason was that she had to repeat the regression a great deal to break through the arrow trap, but Dok Soo-hee didn’t know that. This became the reason why she couldn’t confidently refute the fact that the regressionist was unstable.
“… So. What are you planning to do with this intervention?”
“I will need to investigate the conditions, but first…”
In the end, Dok Soo-hee was about to bow her head after being persuaded by Jitter.
“…”
“…”
Dok Soo-hee and Michael Jeter’s eyes met. It had been a long time since the two had met eyes. No, no one had met Jeter’s eyes recently. He was an overwhelming superior and a strong man, so he had an aura that flowed without anyone knowing. Because of that, everyone avoided looking at him.
“…!”
But Dok Soo-hee. Dok Soo-hee, who has inventory abilities and, although she didn’t tell Jitter, also has ‘synthesis’ abilities. For a moment, she saw Jitter’s eyes clearly. It was possible because Dok Soo-hee was the strongest among the Alpha team members.
And at the same time, goosebumps ran down my spine. Those weren’t human eyes. They were more like machine eyes. They were completely inorganic, without a trace of emotion. He was looking at Dok Soo Hee as if he was looking at a piece of meat.
At that moment, Dok Soo-hee had a gut feeling. She couldn’t leave Michael Jeter like this. If things continued like this, a bad future awaited both Kim Jun-ho and Dok Soo-hee.
Jitter’s opinion, which is excessively insensitive to other people’s feelings. Feelings. Feelings. Feelings.
Only then did the true nature of the sense of discomfort they had felt until then come to light. According to rumors, the association president used to be playful, but they had many speculations about the president they saw being blunt all the time. Perhaps the reason was not simply that the work was hard.
“Then, Dok Soo-hee. You should stay in self-restraint for the time being-”
“… President.”
“We will announce further disciplinary action.”
“I won’t make excuses for lying. Instead, let me ask you this one thing.”
“Stop talking nonsense and just be quiet…”
“Are you perhaps having a brain malfunction right now?”
“…”
“I can’t sense any emotion in your eyes.”
Jitter’s body, which was trying to get up from the table rather hastily, suddenly stopped.
Michael Jeter.
“… Dok Soo Hee.”
He was hiding from everyone the fact that he had lost his emotions.