296 - Regression Is Too Much

Battle of the Regressor (15) Despite experiencing a setback, this new round played out just the same as the previous one. "I will help you elevate your rank." "Didn't you say you couldn't interfere?" "This isn't intervention." I got the inside scoop from the angel, Jake. He modified the arena system to give me an advantage, boosting my rank. Since humans are creatures that learn, everything progressed much faster than before. With full support from the angel, who could be likened to the manager of the tower, my rank soared exponentially. To 50,000, to 3,000, and then to 100. "Hey, can you help my partner too? Her name is Choi Ji-won, and I think she should have her rank elevated as well." "Oh, yes. I'll help you." I also looked after Choi Ji-won, and eventually, my rank was 52. When Choi Ji-won reached rank 98, Angel Jake gleefully tapped on my terminal. "Now I only need to climb 51 steps more! If I climb 51 more steps, I'll qualify for that potion!" "Oh." "Thank goodness! I'm so lucky! With this..." "But Angel." "Huh?" "I'm really tired... Can I rest for a bit?" The angel's expression stiffened momentarily, but it quickly reverted back to a bright smile. It seemed he remembered that I had been fighting relentlessly. "Oh, yes! Of course! I don't have much time, but adequate rest is always important! If you say you’ll rest, how long do you plan to rest?" He urged me to rest comfortably, but his desire for me to return as soon as possible was undeniable. I could sense pure excitement through his appearance, like a gangster with his clothes and hair. I felt a bit sorry for Angel Jake here, but I planned to rest for a long time. "One..." "One?" "Around one round?" "Huh?" "See you next time." Anyway, the absolute condition for this floor wasn't catching up to the Heavenly Horse or claiming first place. Rather, it was achieving more than 100 champions. - Clearing the 28th floor. ** After returning to the real world, we went to Jiwon's house and went straight to sleep. I felt a little sorry for the angel, but there was no other answer. "First... let's sort everything out a bit." As I said before, humans are creatures that learn. I didn't just sit still doing nothing after obtaining the first rank and the magical potion. I spent all the money and influence I had gathered to consolidate a wealth of information. That was the conclusion I reached. First, the archangel was missing. Not just absent, but completely disappeared. After acquiring the potion, I observed Angel Jake's reaction very carefully. He seemed to believe without a shadow of doubt that the archangel would return. Jake Jake was not a high-ranking angel but rather responsible for some practical matters. In a company, he would be akin to an assistant manager. He wasn't a fool oblivious to what was happening. "Just hold on for a moment!" Even though he didn't explain in detail, this implied that similar occurrences had happened a few times before. Sometimes the archangel wasn’t present, and when something truly urgent arose, Jake would send this type of signal to bring the archangel back. If this were his first time attempting this, Jake would be anxious too. "You said you would come." "Uh, uh..." However, the archangel did not show up. The angel’s desperate plan did not succeed. Jake's expression darkened as time went on, and at one point, he completely disappeared. I have no idea if he fled or if he was punished. Regardless, when Cheonma appeared, Angel Jake was nowhere to be found. It's not that I was unwilling to accept help from the Highest Angel. I wasn't foolish enough to bypass an easy, fast, and straightforward path to the solution. But what could I do in the absence of the Highest Angel? The attempt made by the lower-ranking angel most familiar with the Highest Angel failed. It was pointless to try other methods. I had to consider a scenario without the Highest Angel. "And there is no Archangel." "We... have to stop Cheonma." Kaisar and Michael Jeter, who were regarded as the strongest humans, had cleared the 28th floor. The next contender, presumably Kang Chan, was slowly ascending. Choi Ji-won and I had to deal with Cheonma. Secondly, Cheonma. If the money and influence I dispersed were used to observe the entire arena, my eyes and ears were solely focused on Cheonma, Guntar. I repeatedly watched the videos of his matches, trying to understand his fighting style as much as possible. Thanks to that, I learned a few things. First of all, Cheonma didn't really use the same martial arts style in fights. Whether it was for show or some other reason, he used different techniques each time. Sometimes a spear. Sometimes a sword. Sometimes an axe. Sometimes a whip. Sometimes a dagger. Time and again... He wielded so many different weapons and displayed such a variety of techniques that any detailed explanation would be futile. That wasn't all. Cheonma grew stronger with each battle. This wasn’t just a common expression. He genuinely appeared to be getting stronger. "When he first fights, he's 'fast.' Then, he's at the level of ‘I can't even see him clearly.'" Did he have some sort of status window where he leveled up? With each opponent he defeated, his body grew stronger, and his techniques became sharper. This growth curve became steeper with time, and after three months, he breached the sky. "It's not without reason that I hesitated to fight." After three months, Cheonma shouldn't be engaged in battle. Even though I had faced off against a giant dragon, standing up to a full-powered Cheonma felt out of reach. It seemed impossible to approach him. It felt like confronting a colossal monster. It seemed I would be killed just by looking at him. Similar to Kang Chan. While Kang Chan exuded a terrifying killing aura, Cheonma emanated sheer magical power. That's right. Cheonma was perpetually radiating magical energy, brimming with genuine lethal intent. I wasn't sure whether it was Cheonma's Gunrimbo or an expansion of his territory. Unless your entire body was enveloped in magical power, stepping into that territory was a direct ticket back. "Even though I possess a lot of magical power... I can't fight for long with magic coursing through my body. I can't face an opponent stronger than me with the penalty of 'retreat even if hit once.' Hence, the option of bulking up with the help of angels and confronting Cheonma after three months was also off the table. But who am I? I'm a regressor. "It takes time for the Heavenly Demon to become fully active." He didn't start rampaging as soon as I entered the tower. There was a grace period before the newly inserted personality fully took over. "You can fight during that pause." When the Heavenly Demon had not yet battled anyone aside from the Emperor. When he wasn't stronger yet. When he was at his weakest. That's the ideal moment to target. "But how? He won't even permit entry?" "I think we can employ the angels to gain access." Angel Jake wanted to summon the archangel. If we could convince him that we could defeat the Heavenly Demon, I believe it's not impossible. After all, his primary goal is to 'make the Heavenly Demon disappear,' and summoning the archangel offers the best chance. Thus, if we defeat the Heavenly Demon, everything will fall into place. "The Heavenly Demon... uses far too many different techniques." Cheonma. He was clearly no ordinary foe. I had witnessed him use 27 techniques, each a martial art with guaranteed skill and destructive power. "I'll challenge him first." Choi Ji-won stepped forward. "I haven't seen all of Cheonma's 'techniques' just because I was there before. I know at least half of them. You can teach me the rest. Most importantly, I won't be forced back even if I'm injured, right?" "That's... absolutely right." Choi Ji-won's current strength exceeded mine, and she didn't have the penalty of experiencing regression. If I had to choose who had a higher chance of winning, it would undoubtedly be Choi Ji-won. "Tell me everything from now on. Things like Cheonma's characteristics." "...I’ll do my best." From that day on, we began studying Cheonma's techniques. Some of them I had to demonstrate myself, and we discussed counter-strategies day and night. This was the first time I had an in-depth discussion with Jiwon about 'martial arts,' and it made me recognize once again that she was at such a high level. Throughout our discussions, my understanding of martial arts improved significantly as well. As I slowly completed my preparations, "Junho." "Huh?" "Shouldn't I start preserving my memories?" "Oh. Right. I'm always ready." "Hah." With a peculiar snicker, Jiwon Choi disappeared into another room. "Jiwon?" The rustling of clothes could be heard through the door's gap. "Hey." "..." "Do you like this?" Jiwon Choi, adorned with cat ears... returned. "You're such a pervert, you know?" "..." "I'm doing it because it's me. Ugh… No. Come here." ** Countermeasures against Cheonma were prepared. I also had ample rest. With this, I've done everything I can. "I'll be back." "Yes." Jiwon Choi versus Cheonma. Whoever wins, it will be a battle that will go down in history. Please, I hope Choi Ji-won wins. [You have taken damage.] [You return to the moment you first entered the 28th floor.]