317 - Regression Is Too Much

317 - Sang Regresor... (1) Cheonma has passed. He no longer moved. "... His soul?" "Already gone." The soul from the corpse slowly faded away, and so did Cheonma's body. I could clearly see the two souls gradually disappearing. "Is Guntar dead?" "Is he truly gone?" "That... I think he was a Cheonma pretending to be Guntar." "No, no..." "I'm certain... I told you he was the real Guntar." "We were all deceived." "... But." I tried my best to explain to the beastmen, but they remained uncertain. This was especially true for the cat beastmen, who were always cheerful because their friend had just returned. "Didn't you say there was a way to fix it?" "... Sorry. It's impossible." "... Was there really... a monster called Cheonma inside?" "Yes." "..." They fumbled with Guntar's fallen body, then lowered their heads. The other beastmen gathered around and patted his back. "That was the real Cheonma. Did you not see me acknowledge it earlier?" "... Leave." "... Yes." Perhaps I should be grateful they weren't grabbing my collar now. I hadn't explained the plan to them beforehand, and it hadn't even been an hour since I told them Guntar might be Cheonma. So we left them and returned to the previous waiting room. "Then... let's get out of this floor." We started ascending mechanically. Rising in rank was easy. We did it slowly. After reaching the 100th position, we immediately fled. I asked the angel about the reward, but he merely thanked us without giving any reward. "I don't have the authority... When the Archangel returns later, I'm sure he'll thank you!" "..." Similarly, killing Cheonma wouldn't enhance your achievement level or grant you additional items. He truly was a 'mistake'. Regardless, we returned to the real world. As I saw the traces of the room as it was before, it finally felt real. "... I won." I won. I deceived Cheonma, who I thought could never be defeated, and ultimately triumphed. "I... won." I stopped Cheonma's resurrection. I won. ** "Are you alright?" "Okay." Choi Ji-won asked me to kill Cheonma myself. This was actually their first time committing such an act, and she wanted to share the burden I carried. "I can't leave it to you alone." "... Thank you." Anyway, leaving now was forbidden. If I returned now, the Heavenly Devil would revive, and an unimaginable monster would be born. Entering the 29th floor was a necessity. However, unlike before, when I would "ascend to the next floor as quickly as possible," I decided to take a short break. It was a similarly daunting and time-consuming plan. I was mentally and physically exhausted. I ordered a lot of delicious food, watched intriguing movies together, and played games until I got tired. Although all my fatigue hadn't entirely vanished, I felt content having spent time frivolously like this. And that night. "Do you remember? That time?" "Ahaha, I do. You know how funny you were back then?" "No, it wasn't that bad." "Right, BungBung? They said it was hilarious." "... Hey. Knock it off." We reminisced about the past while munching on snacks. Sometimes, when we start talking about the past, we delve into old stories. Today was such a day for us. Pleasant enjoyment, moonlight streaming through the curtains, a beloved partner, bittersweet memories. "Wow, thinking about it, I really worked hard." "That's why I like you." "What would you do if I said I'd throw it all away?" "You wouldn't do that, would you?" "... That's true." Stop chewing on the squid tentacle and look at the moon to recall your memories. The tutorial when you first realized your abilities. When the goblin shaman betrayed you, I thought it was truly the end. It was sad to part ways with Jiwon too. The first floor, which served as your base. The second floor, which had a 'no violence' clause. I heard it has become a healthy training center these days, but I'm curious. I wonder how the second floor, which I transformed, has changed. The third floor, where I met valuable connections. An Gyeong-jun, Kang Chan, and... Dok Soo-hee. The golem that repelled the attack was despair incarnate. The fourth floor was incredibly difficult. I suppose all my basic skills in swordsmanship were honed there. Killing monsters, over and over again... If I had a level like others, I would have reached level 2000 there. I also recall the foolish things I did not to disappoint Choi Ji-won. Oh, there was also William Smith, who had the ability to heal. And Yoon Joong-hyun, an association employee. There was an old man with the power to get lucky too. Baron Jorge surely must have returned to his original world. I wonder if he's doing well now. The fifth floor where I fought with my clone. If I honed my basics on the fourth floor, I sharpened my skills on the fifth. In a situation where both of us were regressing, my clone created swordsmanship techniques for me. I'm still grateful to him. I value the time he had to endure. It took a week to get summoned to the tutorial and reach the fifth floor. However, it took a month to go from the sixth floor to the eleventh, mostly due to the cold I caught on the tenth floor. Now, Han-gi is an incredible force. I still don't know why I gained such a strange power during my extended, extended stay on the mountain of the 10th floor, but whatever. I guess I should consider myself lucky. After that came the 11th floor, where dwarves and players were at odds. I played the role of the grim reaper and reconciled the two groups. That took quite a while too. The 12th floor, deserted, required a two-week wait. I had to choose a difficulty level and battle mannequins, and I remember them being quite shy. The 13th floor, where I had to escort a carriage through the wild. That took three days. The 14th floor, which I completed in a day by riding on Choi Ji-won's coattails. And the 15th floor, where I met the old man. The truth about this world that I learned from him was shocking, but I also remember meeting Michael Jeter and hearing about the impending monster emergence. To date, it's been four months since Michael Jeter completed the first tutorial. By my count, I reached the 15th floor in three months. After that, I made an agreement with Ji-won to witness the monster invasion firsthand. Around this time, I also heard rumors about a warehouse and waited ten months to defeat the tiger that appeared at Namsan. I made sure Dok Soo-hee retained her memories. Afterward, I came back. Next was the 16th floor, where I had to scratch on stone. Interestingly, the success criteria were actually based on my own subconscious. The 17th floor, where I had to grasp my magical power to break through. Since I already understood my magical power, I learned to feel souls here. That's one technique I still use to great effect. The 18th floor, where I had to venture into a martial arts world. Here, I met a genuinely immortal being. The 'immortal acting' that I often excessively use is something I learned here. The 19th floor, where I had to write and publish a book. By this time, I was so in tune with my magical power that I think I wrote about it. Next... I went to check the warehouse in America, but strangely, it was empty. I guess that was some butterfly effect. Upon returning like that, I encountered a clone of the Supreme Angel on the 20th floor. (They also mentioned someone being away, but it seemed the supreme angel supposed to be there was absent.) The 21st floor, where I had to rescue Arami. Here, I honed my power to control 'souls'. The skill I learned on the 17th floor proved invaluable on the 21st, and the cheers of the girl I received as a reward on the 21st saved me later on. The 22nd floor was a simulation world where I didn't regress even when injured. Here, I solidified the power of 'my non-regressing self' and gained confidence. I was strong because I didn't regress even when hurt. I was truly strong. I could train some remarkably strong people. After that, I heard about the book of truth. I met Michael Jeter. I set my sights on the 30th floor. The 23rd floor, where I had to navigate missing memories. I believed I had regressed countless times, but because of that, the strange phenomena that occurred became clues to clearing the floor. It was also the floor where I confirmed that someone regressing without memories was a setback. Following that, the 24th floor, where ghosts appeared. It was terrifying, and it was the floor where I first realized that some things would not return even if you regressed. Apparently, if you disappear from the center of the universe, you vanish forever. (Incidentally, I heard there was no archangel here either. Where did they all go?) Next, the 25th floor, where I saved my life thanks to the encouragement of that girl. Who thought of releasing toxic gas in that labyrinth? Without the help of Jiwon and Arum, I would've been stuck here forever. Honestly, this was just a trash floor. Then came the 26th floor, which served as a sort of checkpoint. I wondered how the top players communicated, but I found out it was possible because there was this communication channel. I also sold items here. The 27th floor, where I battled with a wizard. Here, I learned humility and madness. I must not become like that kid. And... the latest, the 28th floor. I managed to outwit the impossible enemy known as Cheonma and emerged victorious. Frankly, I still can't believe it. When I lay it out like this... I really worked hard. It was tough to get here, and I was fortunate. But I am certain. "No, frankly speaking, I captured Cheonma. What can't I do?" Choi Jiwon. Regression. And my desire. With these three things, there's nothing to fear in the tower. If I invest enough time, I can accomplish anything. I have a beautiful and incredibly strong girlfriend, a cheat-like ability called Regression that makes me nearly invincible, and a determination to keep moving forward. Now I can overcome anything that comes my way. The 30th floor. The 30th floor is coming soon. After completing the 30th floor, I will prepare. The day when monsters come to Earth. Before, I had to return powerless. But now it's different. I've become much stronger than when I was stuck on the 15th floor. After clearing the 30th floor, I will protect this world. I will save it from the onslaught of monsters. Yes, just like the heroes I always admired. "After passing the 30th floor, should I don a mask and act?" "...You said it was nauseating if your identity got exposed." "Exactly. With a mask, no one would know me." "Do whatever you want. My identity's already out there, isn't it?" "It was a bit creepy seeing your elementary school photos circulating." "Lucky that I was cute as a kid." "…" "What." We burst out laughing and lay down on the bed. The future before us might not be bright, but it won't be dark either. Just one floor until the 30th. After taking a week off, we confidently entered the 29th floor. Nothing could stop us. ** "You." "…" "This… This isn't…" "I'm not going to say I did well. I was wrong. I made a mistake." "… This isn't something you can just dismiss as a mistake." "I'll handle it. Just wait a moment." "No. I've just confirmed it. If everything goes according to the plan, there won't be any issues." "Stop. That plan… is flawed." "Isn't this your plan?" "… I'll come there. I think we should talk." "It's too late." "Mr. President." "I… have a lot of burdens. It can't end like this." "…" "Now." There was nothing. "You can't stop it." You can't stop it.