365 – Regression (13)

In the end, there were no twists even at the final level of the 3rd floor. No one on the 3rd floor was foolish enough to betray me after seeing my power, so we received our rewards and cleared the 3rd floor…

“…”

Hold on.

What I’m conflicted about here is the ‘scabbard’ reward. For those who might not remember, let me explain again: at the end of the 3rd floor, only one person can receive an additional reward. In my case, it was a scabbard that had different effects depending on my emotions.

The one thing I’m struggling with here is: do I really *need* to take the scabbard here?

It’s not like I suddenly developed altruism, or that I feel sorry for others. My concern is about the actual effectiveness of the ‘scabbard’ reward.

Honestly, I used this scabbard quite effectively in the early stages of climbing the tower, but it later became just air. The real problem was that it reacted to my emotions.

It pulls out appropriate weapons based on my emotions? Useful. It’s *very* useful, but… As my level increased, my emotional control also improved, and it was also a problem that I couldn’t intentionally induce emotions. I can’t just induce sadness to fight this enemy, or induce rage to fight that one, can I?

Even if I could induce them, another drawback was that I couldn’t use this scabbard against people. The condition for drawing a sword from the scabbard was to harbor ‘intense emotions.’ Yeah, doesn’t that sound familiar?

“Using it on a person is just perfect for triggering a co-regression.”

I can’t use the scabbard’s power when I need it, and it’s just perfect for triggering a co-regression if I make a mistake, and it makes it easy to pinpoint me? Hmm…

Right now, my true strengths are overwhelming magical power, swordsmanship, and the experience from the regressions. The scabbard, an uncontrollable variable, is actually losing its appeal.

Of course, if I were to say “I’ll just take it,” no one would object. I single-handedly cleared the 3rd floor, and the atmosphere was that I’d tacitly receive the reward.

But the thing is, I know that reward doesn’t mean much to me… not here.

“Hmm, hmm.”

Having sorted my thoughts, I looked around at the others. They were all staring at me, wordlessly watching my mouth.

“Let’s have Kang Chan receive the reward.”

“…What?”

“Huh?”

Maybe, I’d expected to get a reward. But I decided to yield it to Kangchan.

There are many reasons, but the biggest is that the reward itself doesn’t mean much to me, and secondly, Kangchan’s climbing speed is slow.

Kangchan, who possesses the ability to unleash incredibly powerful attacks under certain conditions. He repeated climbing only when he could carefully use his abilities, and accordingly, his climbing speed was too slow compared to his strength.

So, what if this floor’s reward could compensate for that weakness? Could it become a variable in the future…? That’s why I decided to yield the reward to Kangchan. Well, if I really desperately need a scabbard later… I can always regress and get it again.

Since my status window is maintained anyway, I decided to yield everything except the absolutely essential items to others. I believe my own strength is sufficient, so I decided to create variables with others.

If you think about it, even when reading web novels, there are regressors who gobble everything up and others who distribute things to others. If I had to pick one, I guess I’d be the latter. Though, it’s more like I’m distributing because I’ve already eaten everything and it doesn’t mean anything to me anymore.

“…Are you sure?”

Without knowing my selfish intentions, Kangchan asks back hesitantly. I, instead, take the initiative, acting like there’s no problem, saying, “Everyone else is fine with it, right?”

“Are you really sure?”

“Let’s move on quickly. We don’t have time.”

“…”

One of the advantages of adopting a new concept is that I don’t have to explain my choices one by one.

Before, I had to explain in detail, “We have to move like this. The reason is…” but now, I just say, ‘Hmm. Let’s do this,’ and then look around with a stern face and people just follow. That’s why power is good, strength is good.

Anyway, as I intended, Kangchan received the special reward for the 3rd floor alone (I plan to check what he got later) and the other three cleared the 3rd floor with only basic rewards.

Ahn Gyungjun just seemed dumbfounded, muttering ‘Is this really reality…’ until the very end before leaving. Dok Suhee had a face full of things she wanted to say, waiting for me to talk to her, but I resolutely ignored her and went through the portal.

Dok Suhee’s obsession won’t completely disappear. But she won’t be obsessed as excessively as before. In this round, I hardly made any contact with her, and I didn’t even exchange a single word.

I’m prepared for her to secretly stalk me, or go around trying to dig up information. I just need to not give her more space than that.

“The 3rd floor seems to be done like this…”

Anyway, with that, I cleared the 3rd floor as intended. Afterwards, during the little time left, I investigated the reality while waiting for Choi Jiwon, and soon, Choi Jiwon, who cleared the 3rd floor, reported success, saying, ‘It went as you said.’

No variables. The 3rd floor was cleared as I intended. If a problem arises, I just need to go further back in the past.

Now what’s left… maybe the most meticulously handled floor. The floor you gotta be most careful with.

“It’s the most important.”

Ultimately, it’s the place that will play the most pivotal role in the story to come. That’s the 4th floor.

Looking back, it was the 4th floor where my entire destiny flipped. Meaning, the 4th floor will play the most crucial role in my future.

It was on the 4th floor where I got the elixir that’d come in handy time and again.

It was the 4th floor that became the trigger for me sharing memories with Choi Jiwon.

It was the 4th floor that, because of the elixir, drew way too much aggro and got me noticed by the power players.

It was the 4th floor where I became connected with Yoon Junghyun, the government official with the sharp eyes.

And… it was also the 4th floor where I got a little numb to death.

The 4th floor was a turning point more crucial than anything in my story. And if I wanted to change the course of things, that’s where the main pivot would be.

Here’s what I need to be careful about.

First. My identity can’t be exposed. The reason I got exposed was because of the 4th floor. Rumors spread from the 4th floor, and not just Choi Jiwon’s name, but also Kim Junho’s. From that, all kinds of suspicion grew, which led to Michael Jeter acting like a goddamn fool and my identity as a returner getting outed.

So, the name Kim Junho must never be leaked. Choi Jiwon’s name, maybe, but definitely not mine. And not even my appearance… in other words, not even my “Sage” gimmick should be exposed. I want to be extra, extra careful this time.

Second. I need to get the elixir. Stocking up on one or two elixirs is too crucial for my journey ahead, so it’s good to get them on the 4th floor, where I’m guaranteed to get them.

But thinking about it carefully, I realize these two things clash. To get the elixir, I have to save all humans on the 4th floor—both the players and the summoned residents from the other world. But how can I do that without getting my identity revealed? It’s not like wearing a mask will hide my identity from people, and they’re not just gonna listen because I bark orders.

And I can’t move too aggressively either. Saving all the humans and getting the elixir, fine. But… the problem is that Choi Jiwon is also supposed to save everyone.

Me and Choi Jiwon, using the same methods to save everyone, but me using methods that go against general morals to control people? That’s a problem waiting to happen. It could tarnish Choi Jiwon’s reputation later, and since I’ve already turned back time, I want to do everything perfectly. I don’t want to leave any flaws.

Of course, going through the 4th floor with Choi Jiwon would make it easier to clear. Although it’s just a guess, Choi Jiwon’s memories will return the moment she steps onto the 4th floor, and if I join forces with her with all her memories back, clearing the 4th floor would be nothing.

But if that happens, the contents of the 4th floor itself could change… and there’s a high chance the people Choi Jiwon saved in the original timeline will die. Butterfly effects could hit us hard.

So, I want to act separately from Choi Jiwon, get the elixir, and not get my identity exposed. Listing it out, it seems completely impossible…

But impossible goals have impossible methods that might just work. A method that, with my current power, might just barely be possible. Easy to think of, but hard to try.

The 4th floor castle. The incoming monster wave. A 3-day grace period.

I am.

“I’m going to go kill the monsters first.”

The monster wave.

I’ll annihilate it before it arrives.