320 - Regression Is Too Much

320 – War-Torn Regresor… (4) After Regression. “… Is that true?” “…” “It is.” After listening to my tale, Choi Ji-won fell silent, her expression serious. This was an unprecedented situation, something I could have never anticipated. What is this pain, and why does it continue to torment me even after returning? Why do I feel the pain but not reverse time? And what did the hero think of me that made her suddenly decapitate me? I couldn't comprehend the situation at all, and I had little basis for making judgments. “So, what are you going to do?” “For now… just wait until tomorrow.” There’s nothing I can do just because I have a headache. So, I continued as in the previous round, and this time the warrior greeted us with an attitude as if annoyed. Quite the opposite of the fierce demeanor she showed yesterday. “This is strange.” Why is that? The pain I feel remains unchanged, but why has the warrior’s attitude returned to its original state? No, why did the warrior's attitude change in the first place? Yes. There must be a connection. The more I think about it, the more certain I become. There must be some connection between the strange phenomenon happening in my body and the change in the warrior’s behavior. The affliction plaguing me, or something similar, must have caused the warrior to feel disgusted or perhaps cautious. Yet, I’m unaware of the specifics. “… Warrior.” The warrior knows something. ** The following night. When the usual pain began once again, I signaled to Jiwon and headed towards the tent at the center. This time, there were no guards stationed. Let's stay focused on our souls. At some point, even our mere presence has vanished. If I enter the tent like this, I’ll be decapitated again. I can’t afford to repeat the same mistake. -Thud. For now, I threw my sword to the ground. I tossed it outside the tent, but surely the warrior had already sensed it. Subsequently, I raised both hands and faced forward with open palms. A gesture generally signifying 'no intent to fight.' “Wow.” In that state, I walked steadily into the tent. The pain and dizziness still assaulted me, but I bore it with mental fortitude. The tent was empty. However, I halted as if someone were there and spoke in a trembling voice. “Warrior.” Initially, there was no reply. “… I wish to talk.” However, I was convinced the warrior was watching, and somehow I sensed her presence, so I stood and awaited the warrior’s approach. “…” As if fulfilling my expectation, the warrior manifested just like that. Unlike during the day, her expression was tense. "My body has been acting strangely. It's been like this for a while. I was born strong, but I do not understand why I'm in so much pain." To prevent her from taking unnecessary action, I confided in her. Even though my body ached and my head spun, I wore a blue-collared shirt. "Can you help me? If not, perhaps give me a piece of advice. Why am I like this, what should I do from now on? Even if it's just something simple." "…" The warrior remained silent, continuing to glare at me. Somehow, it felt as if she was scrutinizing me. "Any small help would be greatly appreciated." The warrior didn't respond, but I thought that her silence itself was an achievement, so I continued to plead for assistance. After about a minute elapsed in this manner. "Then…" "Do you truly… not know?" The warrior finally responded. She furrowed her brow as if perplexed. Do I truly not know? "I truly don't know, so please tell me." "… Hah." The warrior sighed and gazed sharply into my eyes. The intensity in her gaze was more than I could handle, and I almost flinched. "What?" Feeling confident, I squared my shoulders and met her gaze. I might have appeared slightly pitiful since I was trembling, but I tried my utmost. "Do you not understand?" "…?" What do you mean? My head was spinning, and I couldn't think clearly. My body was propelled solely by my obsession to gain information. "Enough." The warrior suddenly stepped back and sank into a chair. "I don't want to get involved in bothersome things. I'll acknowledge it tomorrow too, so just hurry up and leave." "No, I'll leave here. But could you give me some advice…" "Wait." The warrior shook her head and spoke. "If you wait, time will resolve it. You might be the first to understand." She said this and waved her hand. My body moved in accordance with the motion… my body didn't move, only trembled slightly. "… Walk out on your own." "…" I still didn't completely understand the situation, but I staggered out of the tent. "… Just wait." Regardless, this was the path I was destined to take. ** The sun rose over the battlefield. The chirping of birds that should have been heard was absent, replaced by the sound of life created by the disciplined movement of soldiers. "Ouch…" I couldn't sleep a wink the entire night. Choi Ji-won, who cared for me, was in the same state. We merely waited for the sun to rise, shivering in place. "How are you now?" "… Not yet." As time passed, the unexplainable pain intensified. Not only did the pain increase, but some symptoms emerged that I couldn't comprehend with common sense. First, my senses went haywire. At times, it felt as if my body shrank to a minuscule size, while other times I felt as if I had grown to the size of a giant. It was as if someone was toying with my body. My vision was also abnormal. There were moments of blindness, times I could see normally, then times it felt like I was observing from the sky, looking downward in every direction, or that I was pinned to the floor like an ant. At one point, I could even perceive through people’s souls. My body shivered in bed. Only my senses were continually distorted. I couldn't function as usual, planning and thinking. It was my limit. Still… It's now midday. It’s time to move on to the 'next day.’ With this, I can escape from the 29th floor. What would change if I fled? There might be possibilities. “As I mentioned before, just come to the 26th floor.” Choi Ji-won explained gently. This plan was formulated by Choi Ji-won, and even with my dull mind, I found it reasonable. First, I would complete the 29th floor. After that, I’d go to the 26th floor and try to heal my body using the 'contribution points' I've accumulated so far. If there’s no solution here, I plan to head to America and visit the healer, William Smith. The potion didn’t work, but another player’s abilities might yield different results. The warrior told me to wait, but isn’t it better to wait while taking action rather than waiting idly? “The 26th floor… What’s there?” “Even if I exhaust all the contribution points I've gathered, I just need to find the cause of this pain. Once I know the cause, I can come back and use those contribution points again.” “… Yes, Jiwon, you’re right.” There’s still hope. My body might not obey me, but I continue to believe everything will be okay. “… Ouch.” My legs started to weaken, and walking became difficult, so I left the camp with Choi Ji-won’s assistance. I reached my limit near the entrance and had to rest, and shortly after, Choi Ji-won placed a dying mole monster before me. “Can you stab it with your sword? Would you like me to help you?” “… I’ll do it.” I arduously lifted my sword and stabbed the mole monster. Due to failing to control my strength, the blade pierced through the mole monster, embedding deeply into the ground. I pierced it so deep that only the sword’s hilt stuck out over the creature. The hilt cracked from my overly tight grip. “Should I pull it out?” "... No. I don't need it anymore." I left the sword where it lay and trudged back to the base. My destination was the tent where the warrior resided. "I acknowledge it." A voice resonated from afar. "Junho?" "The warrior acknowledged it." "Oh, really? I didn’t hear anything…” The warrior accepted me even before I entered the tent. I wondered if this was truly enough, but according to Jiwon, a 'Condition fulfilled' phrase appeared on her status screen. (My own status screen is now blank.) When I looked back with difficulty, a blue portal had appeared in the direction of the base exit. A blue portal that was invisible to other players and prepared solely for us. “… Shall we go, Jiwon?” "Oh, where?" "… There’s a portal over there." "Ah, really?" Jiwon also seemed quite anxious, apparently unable to realize it right away. I pointed in the direction, and Jiwon supported me as we moved toward the portal. “We’ll meet on the 26th floor. We can go directly from the 1st floor. Can you manage on your own?” "… I'll try." Detaching myself from Jiwon’s support, I staggered through the blue portal. Up until now, I’d only been worried about my body. I wondered what was happening and what I needed to do to get better. – Clearing the 29th floor. Uncertain of what awaits me.