283 - Regression Is Too Much

283 – A Clash Revisited (2) ‘Sorry, but I have to do what I must.’ ‘Junho, have you gotten more arrogant lately? That won’t do.’ ‘Come and see.’ A chill swept through the room, blue lightning crackled from Choi Ji-won, swords clashed, sparks flew, and the blows were too brutal to simply be a training match... “How have you been?” “How long has it been? You seem surprised. But your hands smell odd?” “…I touched something wrong.” Of course, there was no work. “That… What should we call as drones? Anyway, can't I sit this one out?” “Abstaining is. Is that possible? If you back out of the first match, your ranking might take a hit.” “Then what?” Maybe it’s fine if we just fight to kill time later, but there’s no real reason to be serious now. Even if I do fight, I’ll probably lose. “Why are we matched at the same time? They’re making us fight at the same time.” “Because the timing is almost identical. I thought it might end up like this.” “Well, that’s true. How’s the intel gathering going?” “Oh, I asked you in the waiting room earlier.” We shared the information we collected in a short time. There was info about this arena, or the Colosseum, and even about this sci-fi world’s setting. As I collected different pieces of information, Choi Ji-won also gathered some high-quality intel. Of course, along the way. “This match is being recorded.” “What should I do?” “Penalty might occur during future ranked matches.” “More than that. I touched a furry species resembling a Yeti…” “… “ The drone hovering in the air said something, but he paid it no mind. Well, what if there’s a penalty? At most, the clean-up would just be delayed a little. I’d win every match from now on, so it’s not a big issue. Isn’t that right? Isn't there a way? “Oh, there’s one thing I’m curious about. What happens if we both abstain at the same time?” “I don't understand the question.” “So, the match is scheduled now. If two fighters abstain at the same time… what happens?” “…Calculating. The match will be canceled and rescheduled.” “Then we can do that. Right, Ji-won?” “…You’re good at things like this.” “It was meant to be.” With that, I found a way to avoid the penalty. The game could proceed as if it never happened. “Recording.” “Do it?” “The video will be released later and might negatively affect reputation and earnings.” “I can’t help that.” I ignored the drone and refocused on my conversation with Choi Ji-won. She had befriended a talkative fish-like species in the waiting area… Thanks to meeting this chatterbox, she knew a lot about the ins and outs of all the different magazines out there. “I suppose they give you a terminal after completing your first game.” “A terminal?” “Yeah. It looks like a small band, and when you press it, all sorts of things appear right before your eyes. Like a status window.” “Ohh…” Starting with information about the band, which is a basic necessity. “If we advance later, people can bet on our fights, and I think that’s where we earn. So, the higher your rank, the closer you are to becoming a millionaire. Oh, you can purchase various gear and food, but what I saw in the waiting room earlier wasn’t really much. I might not be able to materialize it again.” “Can it be used as a temporary enhancer?” “Yes.” “Wow…” Even information regarding the money you can spend here. It's very practical and useful intel. “The sci-fi genre is essentially where science has been developed to its limits.” On the other hand, I gained a slightly richer understanding of this world’s perspective. I’m not deeply versed in sci-fi creation, but at least I grasp some of its basic concepts. “Well, things like single-molecule cutters, antimatter, etc., are part of the setting, but they should be on the scale of general wars… Since this is a sort of sports organization. Scary weapons like those won't appear. Instead, there might be people with superpowers or cyborgs. They might have undergone bodily modifications.” “Oh, a slightly moving robot?” “Something like that.” “Ah.” “What do we care? Opponents could use strange techniques. Anyway, I’m not traveling into space, so my goal is to rise and escape as quickly as possible.” I was intrigued by the sci-fi setting. Sure, but exploring the world is another story. A similar space is on the 26th floor already. “In that case, I’ll abstain.” “I’ll abstain.” “…Because both players withdrew at the same time, the match is void. Please return to the waiting area and await the next match.” Since it seemed like we wouldn’t have time to spare before the first match concluded, we decided to return to the waiting room. We agreed to meet later in the ‘waiting area,’ but then I realized there were over 20 rest areas in this building alone and 50 buildings of the same size. Given that there are a million players, this scale made sense. “…The newbie is back.” “You’re good.” “He seems a bit strong.” “You touched my fur earlier.” When I returned to the waiting room, the bald, bearded figure from before was gone, and the creatures with fur started murmuring again when they saw me. Now that I noticed, it was a foreign language I didn't know, but I understood it as a benefit to the players. They probably assumed I wouldn't understand them. "Hey. I can hear you." "I saw him touch the fur... What?” “I can hear you.” “… “ “… “ The furry creatures fell silent. I was quite bewildered since it seemed to be a rare language, but seeing their reaction made me feel a bit better. Maybe it’s a fundamental kind of satisfaction? It was a strong emotion. I waited, without any real reason. "Kim Jun.Ho. It’s your turn now." About 10 minutes passed like that. The drone returned to fetch me, and I went back to a place much like the playground from earlier. "Hey, human. Bite me this hard." Instead of a beautiful swordswoman, there was a giant with mechanical arms waiting there. "Go." “Uh…!” He couldn’t even keep up with my movements properly. He was wearing something like goggles, but they didn’t seem to function well. Or maybe he knew and still couldn’t dodge. The battle took only 1 second. It took 0.9 seconds to breathe in, and 0.1 seconds to strike with my sheathed sword. "Mr. Drone? Sir? Drone." “… “ “Is that the terminal? Where can I get one?” It was easy. As expected. ** Reuniting with Choi Ji-won was much harder than fighting the giant. The building was vast, and the people… It wasn’t just a hub, it was teeming with life, and the layout was complicated. I searched every waiting area in the building to find Choi Ji-won, but unfortunately, Choi Ji-won was doing the same. Ultimately, where we met again wasn't in a waiting room, but in the middle of a corridor. "Did you win?" "Of course." "Hehe, naturally." In any case, now that I was with Choi Ji-won again, I felt empowered. Sure, the arena is a place where you fight alone, and whether Choi Ji-won is there or not doesn’t change that, but isn’t there a sense of psychological stability? Her mere presence was reassuring. “Oh, I spotted something while wandering around. Do you want to check it out?” Choi Ji-won took my arm and led me. As I followed her, I saw something that resembled a large bulletin board on the wall. "This is where you can see the full list of players, including the top-ranked ones. You can see information for mid to lower ranks on the terminal, but the highest ranks can only be viewed here." As she said, the bulletin board displayed numbers, player names, and rough sketches of faces. Some people didn’t have faces shown, their spots marked with question marks. Isn’t it unfair for those whose faces are displayed? "Hmm." Anyway, is this the list of top ranks? My goal is to get into the top 100, but the fastest way to climb up the ranks is to hunt down strong players. If any of them seem easier to defeat, wouldn’t it be good to start the battle right away? “?” “What’s wrong?” However, the more I looked at the rankings, the more I felt a peculiar discomfort. “…Something’s off.” “Huh? What?” “THIS.” At the top of the rankings was the Emperor. This person had no recent activity records. It was noted that he hadn’t fought anyone and hadn’t been seen, neither publicly nor privately. Similarly, Arthur, who was ranked 7th, also seemed inactive at some point. When I inquired, people mentioned he might have retired. There were said to be circulating rumors. “…That’s really strange.” Ranked 22, 49, 78, 82, 91, 99, 111, and 114. This pattern extended beyond the top 100, but particularly between ranks 100 and 300, there were many who hadn’t shown any recent activity. These individuals hadn’t moved in at least the past month. It was odd. “Ah.” My question was answered when I saw a picture of a person named ‘Jeter’ in the 311th position. This was Michael Jeter. The reason he was only ranked 311th might be because I ended him right after just gaining the 100th rank. It was straightforward like this. The identities of those who stopped their activities and disappeared. “Players.” And this could pose quite a problem for me. Anyone who has played this type of ranked PvP game knows it. “…‘Albaggi’.” ‘Albaggi’ – a player who deliberately drops their rank to hunt lower-ranked opponents – is initially unbeatable.