312 - Regression Is Too Much

312 – The Battle of the Regressor (31) He became aware of the regression and could identify the circumstances surrounding it. A modern person might be thrilled and exclaim, 'A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has come to me.' Unfortunately, Cheonma was not a Korean familiar with the concept of Hwe-Bing-Hwan. But Cheonma was fortunate enough to inhabit a world with a highly advanced perspective in the era of space exploration. The beings here were still fascinated by the concept of time and actively sought to develop technology. Although those efforts ultimately failed, the idea of 'returning' was not unfamiliar. Cheonma was obsessed with combat and had not been interested in popular culture during his life, but he had gathered various knowledge while sealed within a sword traveling with Guntar. Thanks to this, Cheonma could avoid excessive anxiety and had the advantage of knowing several clichés applicable in such a situation. ‘…’ When Cheonma's consciousness was within the sword, there was something he always said to Guntar: 'Think about what I would do.' Guntar's hands were not brutal, and he severely lacked experience in leading battles. Each time Guntar, barely escaping, held his head in his hands and asked himself, 'How can I win?', Cheonma would say this. But now… Cheonma began to wonder, 'What would Guntar do?' He had spent his whole life as a hunter setting traps, but now he was a rabbit caught in one. The individuals who racked their brains to figure out the intentions of others were always Cheonma's enemies, not Cheonma himself. His rigid way of thinking was not particularly useful in resolving this situation. He had to adopt Guntar's imaginative mindset. And if he were the real Guntar, he would think, '... I need to know the details of the condition better.' He would try to utilize this 'regression' more actively himself. Of course, Cheonma had no intention of actively using the regression. The transcendent being who had granted him this power surely had their own intentions, and Cheonma had no desire to comply with that. His primary goal was to escape the tower. Vengeance against the angels or killing other climbers were only secondary priorities. Even Cheonma had to concede that understanding the conditions of this 'regression' in greater detail was necessary. If regression were to continue even after escaping the tower... Ultimately, adapting to the regression would be necessary. Guntar would manage the scenarios, conditions, and how regression would be triggered perfectly, and then use it to his own advantage. Hence, Cheonma decided to do the same. 'Move.' “… I don't like it.” The problem was that the owner of the body was exceptionally noncompliant. As a result, Cheonma only had brief opportunities to take the initiative. For Cheonma, who was accustomed to exerting control through force, every moment was a series of frustrations, yet he persevered and endured. Cheonma had no choice but to experiment whenever he could briefly seize control, and as a result, he was able to derive his own conclusions. Regression did not occur through acts of self-harm. Whether you scratched your arm with a nail inside a room, harmed yourself with a knife, or unleashed your magical power from within, regression did not trigger. However, surprisingly, if you were injured in interaction with an outsider, regression would occur. The condition seemed to be that regression happened if you were harmed by someone else. ‘… This is unnerving.’ Cheonma felt a primal unease. He couldn't tell whether it was due to this bizarre situation or because he, Cheonma, could not accept being trapped in such a predicament. Regardless, Cheonma sensed something was amiss. He couldn't pinpoint the reason. Nevertheless, Cheonma continued his experiments and managed to identify some rules. Firstly, the return point was fixed. Regardless of when the injury occurred, the return time remained the same each instance. It wasn't 'return to three days ago' or something similar, but rather 'return to this specific point.' Secondly, the injuries had to be inflicted by others. Since this was explained earlier, we'll skip over it briefly here. Thirdly, there was no way to reject the regression. No matter what you did. Put simply, in everyday terms, it was a situation that was ‘utterly chaotic.’ Of course, Cheonma was more focused on the intent of the Transcendent than the situation itself. ‘They must be aware that I have awoken.’ The fact that Cheonma's soul had been easily resurrected was suspicious from the beginning. Angels were not foolish beings, and there was no reason for them to naively resurrect the soul of an absolute entity that had once dominated the entire universe within the tower. No, even if such a mistake had been made, a heavenly angel could descend at any moment and return him to nothingness. Yet, the angels did not do that. They were observing Cheonma. What was their intent? Cheonma thought and pondered, but he could not discover the answer. “Junho. Has he left yet?” “No. I've set up CCTV at the terminal, but he’s still inside the room.” Of course, Cheonma was being deceived. The true subject of regression was not Cheonma. The black-haired Asian man watching him quietly bit into the meat in his mouth. However, one cannot blame Cheonma for being deceived. It was difficult to imagine another regressor existing in the first place, and even harder to recognize that another regressor was injecting false information to deceive him. If Cheonma possessed a vivid imagination, it might have been anticipated that once an Oriental regressor awoke, he would rush to the arena's management staff, perform secret rites to receive potions, capture their attention, and then call upon an angel to aid him in breaking Cheonma (using Guntar's madness towards the arena's management) thus securing their full support. It would be predictable that he would fully leverage the aspect of curiosity to solicit assistance. In this regard, Cheonma somewhat lacked imagination. If Cheonma had quietly kidnapped someone without Kim Jun-ho’s knowledge and instructed them to injure him, he wouldn't have regressed and would have realized he was being deceived. However, Cheonma did not realize he was being ‘deceived’ from the beginning, and the fake personality that disrupted everything would not allow him to act easily. Cheonma needed to fight to regain his strength, yet it was impossible to do so without getting hurt if he didn't recover his power. However, all living beings learn. They evolve. They change. Although Cheonma was somewhat ancient, it didn't mean he was incapable of change. Repeating the same actions and expecting different results is defined as insanity. Cheonma was not insane, so naturally, he attempted to change. Remaining in his current state would result in nothing changing. It would keep repeating every three days. After three days, the water people would return, and Cheonma would be sent back once more. ‘... Should I unleash my power?’ There was a way to take a risk and unleash his magical power when they came. Self-inflicted harm didn't seem to trigger the regression, so employing his magical power to slaughter them all might prevent their return. However, the reluctance to use this method stemmed from the suspicion that this power of 'return' might be connected to the angels from the start. The only entities capable of providing such power were archangels or beings even higher. ‘God.’ He must be watching. No, he is undoubtedly watching. Devising such intricate deceptions would be impossible for any but a god or a being of equivalent stature. The intentions of such a being were unclear, but it was obvious that the use of magic by the Celestial Demon to wipe them all out was not the intended direction. On the surface, this deity seemed to aim for benevolence. Yet, is there no way to defeat them all without getting hurt? If defeating them without killing was necessary, wouldn't the deity simply sit back and observe? However, this too was not straightforward, as those attacking first were the lowest in rank. From the perspective of the Celestial Demon, the genuine threat was observing him from behind, sending the weaker ones in first. Above all, there was the single Asian human. He appeared to be the strongest among those dogs, and it was near-impossible not to incur injuries in a brawl with him. It might be feasible to kill them, but conquering them without the use of magic was inconceivable. In conclusion, overcoming them was impossible. So… it meant that a battle itself needed to be avoided from the outset. ‘…’ Self-respect. Pride. Dignity. The Celestial Demon's self-love was immense. Those who do not love themselves cannot surpass a certain level of strength. Hatred eventually consumes one’s body. Cheonma took pride in his efforts and believed in himself. The foundation that allowed him to disregard those who had not worked hard and to stand tall was his belief in himself. Cheonma believed that he was the best in the world. The best in the universe. The best throughout all time and space. It was this belief that gave him confidence anywhere and at any time. He had never denied himself. That was Cheonma's way and the reason he respected the strong. It was also why he fell into confusion upon experiencing the power of a god. But now. Cheonma sought to introduce a variable. He attempted to change. ‘Guntar.’ “… What?” ‘Tell me.’ ‘So, what is it?’ “You are the real Guntar. So, command those people to retreat.” “…” ‘Tell me that you’re not Cheonma.’ Cheonma… for the first time, denied that he was Cheonma.