146 – The regressor trains (7)
After the decision to collect information, the regression was repeated three times.
That meant that he had broken the 11th floor three times, and it also meant that he had played the role of the Shinigami while staying out for about five days three times. I feel like doing the same thing over and over again is painful. If it weren’t for Choi Ji-won, I might have gone crazy a long time ago.
Anyway, as a result of investing so much time, a truly surprising conclusion was drawn.
“Now… I can’t do it… “
Really, there was no great harvest. I did get some information that made me really arrogant for trying to collect information on the Internet.
In one episode, Choi Ji-won even became friendly with the players on the 11th floor and attempted to steal information… As soon as they returned to reality, they lost contact like ghosts. To be exact, the answer was, ‘We cannot give you information unless you become a much more intimate person with us.’ You have to join their own inner circle.
“… “
To a regressor, information is power. But what I forgot is that information is power for all humans in the first place. In web novels, the main character who returned from the distant future knew everything that happened in the past… But in reality, players were not generous enough to give away valuable information for free.
“Still, I got some pretty useful information… “
Still, there was no big harvest, but there was a small harvest. First, it is a way for players to share information from different layers.
Isn’t it possible to share information on floors that haven’t been climbed yet? Right. However, players who worked hard found their own solutions.
First. Record entry and exit times. Those who had not yet climbed the tower were able to infer the level of difficulty based on the time the advance team stayed on each floor. However, since this is a method that associations also use, it is safe to say that it is relatively well known.
And the second. Immediately after clearing a floor, you can take a photo of yourself.
The tower’s filtering is quite meticulous, making it impossible to recognize ‘any actions that can infer the content of the task given by the tower’, such as mimicking the monsters on each floor with your body or imitating their cries. Blocked. However, it was possible to just take a picture of yourself without taking any action immediately after clearing the tower.
This is the point. Quite a lot of information can be inferred from the appearance of a wounded player. Whether it’s scratched by a claw, hit by a weapon, burn, frostbite, etc… Of course, it is said that if a person is ‘intentionally’ injured in the process, the affected area cannot be seen like a ghost, so it seems that only unintentional injuries are recognized.
“German player Felix told me. “He saw a picture of a frostbitten player on the 10th floor and inferred that the 10th floor was a cold climate.”
If I could get my hands on a photo like that, it could be quite useful. The problem is that to get photos like that now, you need connections, not money.
Isn’t it okay to make connections? Although there have been no such cases recently thanks to Choi Ji-won, the experience of someone who was close to me not recognizing me is really, really painful. Unless you want to get another girlfriend… You should avoid getting too friendly with other people.
Ha, isn’t there something like an ‘information guild’? If there was a guild that would give you information if you paid money, you could repeat the regression and steal information endlessly. Why is there no information guild in reality? I can’t help but feel regret.
In any case, the information collection failed. Due to the nature of the player, he spent a considerable amount of time in the tower, so it was difficult to track his whereabouts, and it is said that since the death of the ‘Reaper’, no one has said where he is or what he is doing. Even Michael Jeter, the president of the Players Association, is unclear about what he is doing these days. I think it’s because of the fear that assassins like the Reaper may appear in the future. In other words, ‘the ability to kill just one person’ may emerge. (It may be that the death of the Shinigami made it difficult to collect information.)
In the end, I gave up on collecting information and returned to repeat the previous episode. Clear the 11th floor, visit the envoy, talk to him, and quickly return to Korea. After getting enough sleep, having a full stomach, and wearing the various equipment obtained on the 11th floor.
“So, we’re going in at the same time?”
“Yes.”
I entered the 12th floor with Choi Ji-won.
[Enter on the 12th floor.]
**
[Enter on the 12th floor.]
What I saw as soon as I opened my eyes was… It was a bed. It’s also a pretty modern type of bed. I was in a fairly large room.
It’s not just the bed. Water purifier. Bookshelf. Microwave. Closet. Even the toilet. The interior was a bit hospital-like because of the white walls, but the scent of modern civilization was evident in this room. It can be said to be the complete opposite of what has been a fantasy setting so far. This is a scene where the steel armor I am currently wearing looks very foreign.
“Jiwon? I can hear?”
I raise my voice and call out to Choi Ji-won, but there is no answer. What. Is this a floor where you can proceed alone? Just now, my voice rang outside. I followed the sound, opened the door, and headed out of the room.
“… ?”
When I opened the door and came out, what I saw was… Flickering lights and quiet hallways. And there were five doors.
Four doors were on the same wall as the room I came out of, and one large door was on the opposite wall.
“Jiwon?”
I call Choi Ji-won and gently open the door right next to the room I came out of. Inside, I saw a room with the same interior as the room I was in a moment ago. The only difference is that there are no people.
“Um… “
I don’t feel any pretense of popularity. I said, ‘Um… ‘ is the only noise. After looking around for a moment, I approached the only large door of a different size.
“… “
When you place your palm on the door, a message window appears before your eyes.
[1/5]
“Hmm.”
It seems that this floor can only be played with 5 people. The 3rd and 4th floors were also like this. Is this a layer where we need to join forces again?
No. You should not jump to conclusions. As you can see from the 11th floor, the archangel in charge of this floor is the one who causes division among people. When five people gather together, they can suddenly have a battle royale.
Choi Ji-won… Maybe it’s different from me. Choi Ji-won entered the 12th floor slightly before me, and there happened to be a room with 4 people in it. If this floor is also a floor that induces conflict between people, then it might actually be a good thing to split from Choi Ji-won.
“Okay. “Finished.”
After roughly summarizing the situation, I nodded and returned to the room where I started. Immediately, I took off the armor that was ‘relatively’ light but was pressing down on my shoulders, and lay down on the bed. There is nothing to do until the number of people is reached anyway.
“Ugh, it’s soft.”
While lying down on the bed, I stretched out my arm and picked up a book from the bookshelf. Hmm. It’s my first time seeing a language. It is certain that it is a world close to modern civilization, but it does not seem to be Earth. I thought there might be a book with pictures, so I looked through other books, but there wasn’t anything I could recognize.
While I was wasting time reading a book, the microwave that had nothing on it came to life! The door opens by itself with a sound. When I slowly turn my head to check inside, I see a hot spaghetti meal kit.
“Wow, do you give me food too?”
Are they even giving us food so we don’t starve to death while we wait? Or not… Is this actually part of the tower trials? I create a ‘waiting situation for other players’ and the tower’s reward changes depending on my reaction… ?
-As it is an upper floor, it is judged that there are few climbers, so meals and convenience facilities are provided.
A message window pops up at the right time. I guess it was just my imagination. Well, it’s the highest level, so other people won’t come in right away. In this type of ‘floor where a certain number of people must gather to start.’, There was inevitably a waiting time, and if that time was prolonged, various problems could arise.
“… “It doesn’t taste good.”
Take the spaghetti out of the microwave, roll it up with a fork, and stuff it into your mouth. To be honest, it wasn’t delicious, but I can confidently say that it was a hundred and a thousand times better than the days when I was sleeping on the 11th floor. At that time, you had to chew grass as a side dish to raw meat.
I’m glad it’s set in modern civilization. At this level, I think I can comfortably wait for other people to come in. The only thing I’m worried about is the fact that I might have to repeat the waiting process when I return. I’ve been feeling fatigued for some unknown reason lately, and I’m not sure if my mental state will get worse.
No, let’s not imagine things that haven’t happened. Let’s find some leisure time. It will all arrive in a day or two. Players from all over the world are gathering. Well then, shall we take a nap first?
I laid my head on the soft pillow and fell asleep. Although I said I slept well before entering the 12th floor, my mental fatigue was so much greater that I fell asleep instantly. Until then, I had the thought in my heart, ‘Is this okay?’
A week passed like that.
[1/5]
I was still alone on the 12th floor.