310 - Regression Is Too Much

Chapter 310 - The Battle of the Regressor (29) Guntar secluded himself in the dark corner of the room, shutting out all communication and delving deep into his identity. ‘You are a fake.’ ‘No, you are not.’ ‘You ‘are an artificial soul created by the angels.’ ‘Leave.’ ‘The creature that has taken over Guntar's body is disgusting.’ ‘... NO.’ Guntar. Cheonma. Guntar. Cheonma. Am I Guntar? Or am I truly... an artificial soul, as the voice in my heart claims? I don't know. Not only are my memories vague, but I'm also uncertain if they even belong to me. Confidence. A god to trust. Feelings that must be felt. Belief that must be instilled in oneself. Right now, Guntar possessed no confidence. He couldn't trust himself. The foundation of all actions begins with believing in oneself. This also meant that Guntar was unable to do anything. “Destroy the weak insect. If possible, become human.” ‘... ‘NO.’ “Move aside. I'll handle it. Ask the arena manager.” ‘... I said no.’ ‘Do it.’ ‘... Fine. But just this once.’ In his torn mind, resisting the urge of Cheonma was challenging. He had to fight. Given his past records in the arena, the arena was considerate of Guntar's comfort. Sooner or later... he would have to fight. Let's just hang in there until that moment arrives. We’ll put food in our mouths, shut ourselves in the dark room, and wait. Until we feel confident. We take the time to believe in ourselves. We eat chicken feet, drink hard liquor, and sleep. Maybe after one fight, that brat named Cheonma will calm down. I am the owner of this body. I am the one who helps him. The voice of Cheonma was still tolerable. I was afraid to go out. For now... I simply want to wait in this warm nest. Even though I know I mustn’t do this, my fear of myself and the reluctance to step out was greater than my sense of urgency. ‘Get out!!!’ Like an animal. Not human, but a beast. Eat, sleep. Eat, sleep. Until the drone calls. Let’s pass the time. ‘Damn slaughter Cheonma, come out!!!’ The arena announced that there would be a match in three days. Has one day passed? Two days? There wasn't much time left. If I just curl up like this and wait until the end... ‘Just call it that cursed Cheonma!!!’ ‘Bring back Guntar!!!’ “…” Cheonma in his heart asked. What is he talking about? How did this happen? This is the deepest part of the quarters prepared at the arena. Those without permission are prohibited entry, and even if they have permission, few can come here. “…” Yet Guntar's confusion only lasted a moment. A fiery energy surged in Guntar's chest. This was... anger. Frustration. Humiliation. ‘I will kill them all.’ Cheontar... was truly enraged. Guntar stepped out of the room under Cheontar's insistence. It wasn't just 'because Cheonma ordered it,' but because Guntar himself was curious. This was a place where such voices were not allowed in the first place. “What is this…” The truth behind the voices was simple. A group of beastmen (including one human) had occupied Guntar’s doorstep. A few androids attempted to stop them, but they were repelled by the strength of the beastmen. No, is it really right to say they sincerely tried to stop them? -Thump. “Bring him back!!!” A piece of rubbish landed at Guntar’s feet as he stood there in dismay. One became two, and soon a downpour followed. Paper balls bounced off Guntar’s ears. Among the multitude of beastmen, a human shouted at Guntar. “You devil trash that has seized Guntar’s body!” “Waaa!! Come out and die!!!” “Damn demon! Return Guntar’s body!!!” What he could see on their faces was elation. Madness. Jubilation. Moral superiority. Amidst it all, the devil came to a quick realization. They were confident in their righteousness without a doubt, and the devil was determined to become the irredeemable evil incarnate. (Of course, if you asked whether that was true, it wasn't, but that was a separate issue from the bitter feeling.) They called it stone-throwing. The bastards were surely drunk with the ability to curse a devil from a safe distance. Those filthy bastards. If Cheonma had been in his prime, the weak worms whose limbs could be torn apart with a single wave of his hand, how dare they… Cheonma was enraged, but Guntar himself was angered too. However, it wasn’t anger at them. It was anger at himself, for having no memories and for not being able to confidently declare, 'I am not Cheonma. I am Guntar' in this situation. “This one, damn it. Damn…” “He's swearing!!!” “Guntar swore!!!” “The Guntar who doesn’t even know what cursing is!!!” A cat named Suin stepped forward. The man's eyes blazed with a sense of responsibility. “Guntar never speaks like that! You must be the Cheonma trash! Return Guntar’s body!!!” “W-what?” Guntar felt deep embarrassment. At a time when he was asking himself, “Am I Guntar?”, he was shaken by the reality that someone who seemed to know the real Guntar declared, “Guntar isn’t like that.” The biggest reason he hesitated to confront it was because he secretly feared this situation. Guntar, the person he knew, declared, “You are not Guntar.” Then who am I? I... What is happening here... “I want to kill them all.” Meanwhile, Cheonma was engulfed with murderous intent. Since ancient times, the name Cheonma was often preceded by strange adjectives like "trash" and "garbage." This was clearly not a normal situation. There had to be someone orchestrating this. He felt a strong urge to peel their skins and meticulously tear out their nails one by one. How long had it been since he was treated this way, even after achieving enlightenment? Of course, Cheonma was extremely rational. He was a man who knew how to endure, even when his insides burned and his murderous intent overflowed. Now, he needed to assess the situation. The reason he had kept his presence hidden was to prevent the angels from discovering that “Cheonma had awakened once more.” But now, they were demanding "that damn Cheonma" to come out? At this point, the angels surely must have realized. The situation had shifted. Even when wielding a sword, one must know where to place their feet and react accordingly. ‘Find out who the instigator is.’ ‘... Why me.’ ‘Can’t you see they're persecuting you like a criminal?’ ‘... I'm not curious about that. I'm just curious about the situation. It's not because of you.’ ‘Move.’ “Who is the instigator?” Guntar asked in a gruff voice after finishing his internal conversation with Cheonma. The beastmen surrounding Guntar initially didn't respond and continued their taunts, but when a human stepped forward, they fell silent like ghosts. “I am the instigator.” The yellow-clad man smiled calmly. Cheonma's keen senses realized that this individual was a trained warrior. He seemed strong enough, so why resort to such tricks? ‘There's probably no evidence anyway... Just say no.’ ‘NO.’ Guntar's weakened reasoning murmured, "Why not just admit I'm Guntar? Maybe I can say I have amnesia?" But Cheonma's pride didn't allow it. Cheonma was Cheonma, regardless of the situation. He wouldn't hide himself. ‘You could simply ignore it.’ ‘I said don’t do that.’ ‘Why?’ ‘I am Cheonma, wherever I am.’ “I am... Guntar. I am not Cheonma. You stay in the small room. Therefore, the notion that I am Cheonma is incorrect.” ‘Fool.’ Guntar began to mentally spar with Cheonma. Of course, this internal battle wasn't visible or audible to anyone else, and from the outside, he appeared to be standing there vacantly. “Capture that person!” “Let's go!” “Let's go!!!” Taking advantage of his hesitance, the water spirits charged at Guntar. They wielded sturdy-looking cuffs and ropes, leaping in simultaneously. Perhaps they were used to fighting in the arena, as their movements were swift and efficient. It was truly a technique befitting a ‘warrior.’ ‘Because you keep talking nonsense...’ ‘Look ahead.’ ‘Huh?’ Unfortunately, the movements were too ‘threatening’. Guntar's mind instantly sensed a crisis. This situation triggered Cheonma's consciousness to surface. A faint smile played on the wolf's lips. One to the right. Two to the left. One water wielder seemed to approach from the front, but his center of gravity was low. Three above. Attacks came from seven directions, but to Cheonma, they were like an old net full of holes. -Swift! “Aren’t you going to dodge?!” He disregarded the one on the right. Trusting in the resilience of the water wielder, he extended his arm. After all, his arm would heal in 10 seconds. -Slice! “Ouch…” A sharp dagger cut down the two on his left. The dagger hanging at his waist was swiftly drawn, decisively slicing the jugulars of both water wielders. Even if they survived, they wouldn't be able to fight for the moment. “I’ll just borrow this.” He snatched a rope from the injured water wielder clutching his neck with both hands. Once the rope was in his hand, he swung it like a whip, binding the three in the air simultaneously. -Crash! While slamming the rope-bound crew to the ground, he leapt back to avoid a tackle from the front. -Crack! “Snap…!” Upon landing, he stomped on the back of the water wielder who was about to rush him. Now, all that remained were the six fallen water wielders and the one on the right helplessly watching. -Crack! “Crack…” He didn’t even need another weapon. A strong flick of the rope struck the side of the water wielder, promptly knocking him unconscious. These bastards could be subdued with just a dagger and a rope. “You’re next.” Reclaiming the dagger, he looked sharply at the human before him. Many water wielders remained, but this human was the strongest among them. He was a worthy opponent to regain his strength. He intended to use this opportunity to sufficiently restore his power while increasing the occupancy level of his soul, cornering the whining false Guntar. After that, after that... “What?” His consciousness began to slip away. The pain in his right arm was excruciatingly distinct. As if, the world was falling asleep… everything… and… and… And. “I... am the real Guntar…” When he came to, he was back in the dark room. The false Guntar mumbled something sorrowfully, and Cheonma’s soul retreated into the corner. The initiative he had gradually seized during the brief confrontation had dissipated. This situation. It feels like déjà vu. It must have happened two or three days ago. This… as if time has rewound. ‘What’s today’s date.’ … Why is this.’ ‘Move.’ ‘… You can see it on the terminal. You can see what I see too.’ Truly, he couldn't believe it. ‘... What is this.’ Cheonma admitted it. The fact that he had returned to the past.