300 - Regression Is Too Much

"Jun-ho, there are many reasons why you need to fight." Choi Ji-won gently covered my hand with hers. "I think Han-gi would be a good fit. Besides, I dislike too many setbacks. This is also for your personal growth, Jun-ho." "Hmm..." When I think about it carefully, and consider the future, it makes sense for me to defeat Cheon-ma. I can't help but agree. "Right?" "...Right." "Then, it's settled. Now, there are three things we need to check." Choi Ji-won, expanding her wrist terminal to resemble a blackboard, wrote clearly. "First. Why does Cheon-ma use various weapons? Is there a limitation?" The reason why Cheon-ma uses different weapons. "Second. There is a dormant power within Cheon-ma's body. Is that power unused? Or is it something he cannot use?" The reason why Cheon-ma hides his strength. "Third. Does Cheon-ma's cold energy work? If it does, what is the extent of its influence?" Whether or not my magic power would work on Cheon-ma. The information I need to verify is now clearly organized. There were no mistakes wherever I looked. I found myself nodding unconsciously. "You're really smart..." "You need to be smart to fight well. Even when pushing your body to its limits, the smarter person wins. Aside from psychological warfare, you can also utilize rules." Choi Ji-won, asserting that athletes often seem foolish due to not being academically inclined, claims their inherent intelligence is often exceptional. Of course, I think it makes sense. Yes, I recall reading an article somewhere saying that strong but unintelligent people are easily broken and cannot endure for long. I was a bit envious because I thought someone skilled with their body would also be skilled with their mind, but I was also proud thinking that such a person is my girlfriend... Enough of my awkward thoughts. "You can handle just the third one. What about the first and second? Do you have a plan?" "Eh. Yes." Whether Cheon-ma 'has' to use various weapons or whether he 'chooses not to' or 'cannot' use his powers isn't something you can ascertain intuitively. He wouldn't respond even if you asked. You have to figure it out indirectly. "The first one is easy. You just need to blatantly show his weakness." "Weakness?" "Cheon-ma will use his sword again this time, right? Watch him change his swordsmanship. Watch him switch weapons. You just need to deliberately expose a major weakness. You can check if he reacts." "Oh..." "The second part is the problem. I can only figure it out right before I defeat Cheon-ma... It doesn’t seem easy right now." If Cheon-ma 'cannot' use his power, Choi Ji-won would still win. However, if he's simply 'choosing' not to, there might be a strategic reason. There must be a reason he's concealing his strength, and beyond that, it suggests he needs to be pushed to a point where direct confrontation becomes urgent. But to get to that point, he has to defeat Cheon-ma while he's holding back his power. What kind of mysterious strategy does Choi Ji-won have? "He doesn’t have one?" "... Huh?" "Junho, you need to figure this out." Ah, it's up to me to find out. "This time, I'm going to uncover the secret behind Cheon-ma’s weapons." Choi Ji-won gave a faint smile. "First, let's lock in our memories." "... Alright." [You have received damage.] [You return to the point where you first entered the 28th floor.] *** This time, Choi Ji-won fought brilliantly. She almost drove Cheon-ma back. (Or so it seemed to me.) However, she still failed to draw out his 'hidden power'. As soon as I saw Cheon-ma deploying his magic, I returned. I returned to the small room where I was before. Now, however, I had some information. The main secret of Cheon-ma... "Ouch..." "What is it?" "I don't know..." I couldn't find the answer. "Firstly, I know that the various martial arts Cheon-ma uses don’t seem to fit together. It’s impossible to blend martial art secrets. Even when I exposed a weakness, he didn’t show any sign of exploiting it. Instead, he seemed intrigued when he noticed I was aware of his vulnerabilities." "What's the reason? Is it because you learned about it?" "That... I'm not sure yet. But what I still don't understand is why he’s so obsessed with using so many different weapons." Why does Cheon-ma use so many different weapons? Why does he need to use such a wide array of arms? "I'll try again." "Alright." I tried again and fought fiercely. "I still can’t grasp the feeling..." I fought again and lost. "What is it?" Again. And again. And again. As my turn neared, Choi Ji-won, who had been lying face down on the desk holding her head, suddenly sat up. "Junho. You know what?" "Huh?" "Isn't it true that Cheon-ma will never be able to fully utilize the martial arts he employs?" "..." For a moment, I listened to what Ji-won Choi said and tried to recall my memories. It was true. Cheon-ma never used the same martial art techniques in another round. When we weren't fighting Cheon-ma, he would defeat every human he encountered at once, so it didn't stand out, and when we fought him, against Ji-won Choi, he eventually lost before revealing everything. Cheon-ma never employed the same martial arts technique twice in a single round. "Hmm..." If this is accurate, two possibilities come to mind immediately. First, a cooldown period. Second, a deletion or one-time use. Once you use a technique, there may be a restriction preventing you from using it again for a certain period, or you might not be able to use it ever again. Whether it's the first or the latter, it becomes meaningless because we have to confront Cheon-ma in a short time. Is the use of a technique itself a trigger for becoming stronger? Or is it an unavoidable limitation? I don't know. "Waiting until Cheon-ma uses all his techniques... it doesn’t make sense. He’ll only grow stronger." It's also futile to coax Cheon-ma into using techniques. Cheon-ma will become stronger if he keeps fighting. What’s the purpose of using a technique? His main body will only grow more formidable. "Is it truly meaningless?" "Hmm?" "This is just a theory." Choi Ji-won said, looking directly into my eyes. "Jun-ho, if you become accustomed to all of Cheon-ma's techniques..." "..." "Cheon-ma... won’t have any techniques left to use?" ** Several regressions repeated afterward. Data was gathered, and ultimately, it became almost certain that Cheon-ma 'cannot reuse techniques he has already employed.' Of course, 'mastering all of Cheon-ma's techniques’ was still unreasonable. It’s really a last-ditch option. "It’s too difficult to repeat. I don’t think there's anything more to figure out." "You don’t think we can win at all?" "It seems too tough. I... don’t have a single move. A single move to finish that guy off." "Ugh..." It’s unfortunate, but I can’t blame Choi Ji-won. By now, we can say that Choi Ji-won has done everything she could. She did her best and provided me with enough information. Now, there’s just one thing left to test. Whether my cold energy will work or not. "Hah." I exhaled a tense breath. Guntar. Or Cheon-ma. The worst enemy I've ever faced stood there. All kinds of weapons were scattered across the floor, and he looked at me with a vacant stare while staying relaxed. Facing him directly, I knew, even if I didn't want to know. I could feel it. His intent to kill. It pulsed. His vitality. Cheon-ma was so powerful that it was hard to believe he was even hiding his strength. It wasn’t just his physical power; even his soul was different. We call someone who excels in a single field an 'artisan.' We refer to someone who dedicates their life to a particular area as a 'master.' Among them, those who stand out remarkably and are renowned are labeled 'masters.' In that sense, Cheon-ma could be called a master of combat. No, it would be more accurate to describe him as a 'master of killing.' A small step with the left foot. The right hand hanging idly. The left hand loosely holding a sword. A slightly bent waist. All of these are tactics designed to kill me. This state is a preparation stage for ending humanity. The depth is different. From now on, I have to familiarize myself with these techniques. Regardless of whether my cold energy is effective or not, I must be able to react. That is the only way to win. It won’t be easy. But I will do it. I will win. That's why no one else can do this. That's why if I fail, humanity might never break through the 28th floor. That’s why Cheon-ma is just an obstacle. That's why I'll become so much stronger after overcoming this trial. There are many reasons, but they are not important. I’ve already decided. So I will do it. “Let’s go.” Just before taking a step. “Ha.” Cheon-ma chuckled. “You are a peculiar person.” I laughed too. Because I couldn't afford to cry, at least I had to laugh. – Kaaang!!!