315 - Regression Is Too Much

**Chapter 315 - The Battle of the Returnees (34)** The party proceeded as planned. Precisely, it was going as intended for an ordinary 'beastmen's gathering.' "Drink!" "Drink and die!" He brought the alcohol close to his chest and downed it. "Me? The moment I saw that guy, yeah?" "Hey, you call that boasting? Over here, there's a cyborg in his thirties glaring at me with a gun, and I aimed mine right back at him..." They competed in a contest of who was bolder while exchanging stories that were about 90% exaggerations. "Your hair is shining?" "Ha... Are you feeling frisky?" "Oh, is that so? How about quick?" "Okay." They abruptly left the party on their own accord. "Here, try this." "Hahaha, euhahahahahaha!!!" In a corner, some were indulging in synthetic drugs, allegedly gaining popularity these days. (They advertised that these drugs had no side effects, but no one truly knew if they even existed.) "Ha ha ha!!!" "Woo hahaha!!!" "Ku hahahaha!!!" The party was wildly vibrant, causing uproar among the attendees. Yet, there was a spot of quietness amidst it all. "..." "..." That's where Kim Jun-ho and Guntar found themselves. The reason Guntar, the party's main figure, was drinking quietly in a corner was, of course, because of Cheonma. The false Guntar, who believed he had become real, decided this time to display genuine courage (the genuine water folk cheering him on fervently), but Cheonma, unwilling to let variables increase, stopped him. Even if he returned this time, he planned to regain his strength first. It wasn't uncommon for people to get hurt drinking or doing drugs. The water folk aren't easily intoxicated, but once they get drunk, they drink till they lose sight. Cheonma felt it a waste to return after coming this far. Meanwhile, it was quite surprising to see Kim Jun-ho quietly drinking beside Guntar. Known as a 'lover of the water people,' there were plenty of women attempting to seduce him, and Cheonma could sense the woman named JW flinching each time it happened. Whether it was lover or affection, there seemed to be some kind of connection. 'This is the first time I've seen a woman like that.' Cheonma’s wariness intensified. If there was a variable, it was that woman. "... Kim Jun-ho. Are you alright?" "Uh, uh. I'm feeling a bit dizzy. Guntar, how about you?" "I'm fine." The false Guntar and Kim Jun-ho got along quite well. Despite Cheonma's repeated warnings to be cautious, the false one seemed to like Kim Jun-ho. He said it was amusing how humans were so friendly toward Suin. Cheonma couldn't understand why a human would be amusing. "Ugh, no. Honestly, I think I'm really drunk. This isn’t the kind of alcohol humans drink." "Because the Suin's alcohol is strong." "Ouch..." The scent of alcohol wafted from his sighs. Kim Jun-ho was indeed quite drunk. However, Cheonma was more concerned about JW, who hadn't even touched a drop, than Kim Jun-ho, who was blushing. ‘Should I ask him about that woman?’ Just as Cheonma was about to have the fake Guntar inquire about her, "Hey. Woman." A Suin staggered forward and slammed the table! If Kim Jun-ho smelled of alcohol, this Suin reeked so heavily it was as if he'd just bathed in the stuff. “What’s with that knife?” “… It’s a family heirloom.” “What kind of family heirloom is this? Even if it’s a family heirloom, yeah? Do you think it’s meaningful to bring a knife here?” “Whoa, whoa. Settle down, buddy.” “The ancestor of the ancestor of that person’s ancestor, right? Anyway, I heard their family was nearly wiped out by Cheonma a long time ago. That’s the last family heirloom remaining.” “… Cheonma?” “Yeah. Cheonma.” Stunned. The Suin glanced at Guntar’s expression. He seemed to recall that Guntar was once mistaken for Cheonma. “Oh, Guntar has nothing to do with that. It’s okay, it’s okay. Right?” Kim Jun-ho winked at Guntar and continued the conversation. “Anyway, JW’s family was killed by that damn Cheonma… and ever since then, their descendants have lived hating Cheonma. That’s why we connected.” “Ah…” “He walks around with that sword, saying he’ll cut down Cheonma whenever he shows up, but he doesn’t listen when I say Cheonma’s dead. You have to understand.” “Ouch…” “It’s Cheonma’s fault, that idiot. How can it be JW’s fault? Right?” “That’s right now that you mention it. It’s because of that damn Cheonma.” “Yeah, yeah. So let’s just blame Cheonma.” “Damn that fool…” While the Suin, mesmerized by Kim Jun-ho’s mysterious speaking skills, was berating Cheonma. “Hey, what are you doing besides coming here? Is this kid drunk?” “No, you fool. I’m listening to JW’s story here.” “What are you talking about?” I’m curious about the woman who's curious about it That was a clear pond, and she could be A fake. Do You know How to Handle her ! “What the heck?” People laughed and chattered boisterously. Cheonma repeatedly suppressed his emotions, thinking he couldn’t mess up his plan now. Since he had come this far, he felt compelled to finish what he'd started. Victory was within reach. He needed to endure just a little longer. “… What is that?” This patience didn’t even consider the returnee, as he planned to provoke Cheonma into acting out of character here. Until now, Cheonma had demonstrated he was utterly uncontrollable, worthy of leading the squad. He had... He struggled hard to adapt to his recurring returns. If it were Cheonma—the Cheonma he knew—he would have been furious, even if it meant coming back here. He had planned to eliminate him with a vicious plan, but he held back? Kim Jun-ho quickly realized his mistake. Cheonma had clearly gotten accustomed to returns by repeating them. He had experienced the sacrifice of a significant asset for the greater good and had endured it multiple times. That's why he could withstand such intense provocation. Without the return experiences, Cheonma wouldn't have managed it. But Cheonma had also faced setbacks and grown from them. What should I do? Think. What is it? The conditions for regression might have been met, and if he regresses now, Cheonma would never come to this party again. This was a genuine last chance, and if this moment were missed, there would be no second opportunity. “…” Kim Jun-ho’s gaze shifted to Guntar, who smiled awkwardly. Cheonma had said his consciousness only emerged during battles. By now, there must have been many changes due to the repeated regressions, but it seemed unlikely that Cheonma would smile so foolishly. Fake Guntar. Fake. Cheonma couldn’t control himself. He claimed to be real. His mind was unstable. Inferiority complex. “Fake.” “… What?” “I've also seen a fake psychopath pretending to be Cheonma.” Guntar’s eyes twitched slightly. Kim Jun-ho's mouth moved fiercely, sensing this was his opportunity. “I later found out he thought he was real. He was so absorbed in his role that he also slipped up. Isn't it disgusting? That a fake pretends to be real and is then misunderstood?” “Is there really someone crazy like that?” “Oh, there is. All those fools should just die, right?” “Absolutely. Those people have no honor and no courage.” Kim Jun-ho let out his frustrations and anger. Although the subject turned to Cheonma, he had genuinely been a victim of impersonation while living on Earth. He had added a friend as a sub-character in a game, playing and interacting under the guise of helping him learn, but the friend turned out to be a local resident. He attempted to channel the anger from that time, acting awkwardly, but to others, it seemed like ‘anger towards a random impostor,’ making it feel genuine. Cheonma had suspected that Kim Jun-ho was a climber and realized he was speaking about another world. And the fake Guntar was trembling. ‘This is a crisis.’ Cheonma immediately grasped the gravity of the situation. The likelihood of the situation deteriorating was exceedingly high. If things continued like this, the fake Guntar would explode. His mental state was unstable. ‘…’ However, returning immediately was difficult due to all the struggles he had faced to reach this point. How much of his pride had he sacrificed to escape from that tower? In modern terms, the cost would be exorbitant. If only he could just get through this... 'Guntar. Just hold on.' "…" "That's nonsense from someone who doesn't know what they're doing. You are the real Guntar. I, a Cheonma, assure it." "Don’t you have any guts? You mimics." "I've seen someone like that too. He kept boasting he was the Iron Fist of Planet Yune, but he wasn’t even from Planet Yune." "What a bunch of fools." The tremors in the fake Guntar intensified. Cheonma had a strong intuition. This guy, he might not be able to hold it together. '… Can’t I restrain it?' Cheonma realized he had no choice but to seize control. Up until now, he had managed a share of influence, but had refrained from acting because of the eyes of the Transcendent. If he was absolutely determined, he could take control of the body. It wasn’t easy for Cheonma to act as Guntar on his own, but he could feign being drunk and fall asleep. The long-entrenched mental strength of Cheonma compared to the hastily crafted mental fortitude of the fake Guntar created by the angels. If these two clashed, it would be clear who would prevail. '?!' However, Cheonma miscalculated as well. The mental force of the fake Guntar, once that trauma button was pressed, was like a wild horse running amok. Normally, Cheonma’s mental strength would overpower the fake Guntar’s psyche within ten seconds… But, The fake Guntar's mind, riddled with all sorts of emotions like depression, inferiority, anger, annoyance, self-loathing, and resentment, was a whirlwind. "Shut up, you motherless brats." "What?" Cheonma… was a step too late. Guntar was a kind soul. He never cursed unless in jest, and he never flushed in front of his peers. The reason why his friends could take Guntar’s jokes as jokes was because he had a unique sense of humor. Making a funny joke required excellent social skills. "Bastards, you talking nonsense." "Hey, hey, what’s going on here?" "Who said the fake was fake? Bastards." In Guntar's current demeanor, there was no trace of humor. 'Was coming here a mistake?' Cheonma's spirit sighed deeply. "What’s wrong? You haven’t even been drinking!" "Everyone, step aside! I’ll calm him down!" The fake Guntar couldn’t contain it. In a way completely uncharacteristic of ‘Guntar.’ Five minutes later, "…" Guntar was apprehended, unable to even return.