186 – The Returner Reflects (1)
Exactly. Just right. Just right.
The now familiar sound of hammering. I take a deep breath and slowly climb the black mountain step by step.
Did the sky, as black as the universe, actually become like that because the atmosphere flew away? Is the sea of lava covering all directions the remains of a meteorite?
At first, I thought it was just a place to create a mysterious atmosphere, but after learning the whole truth, I felt a different way.
“Who is it?”
“Just… what. “You know.”
“hehehehe, yes. I know. You are the climber, I am the helper. “That’s enough.”
An old man smiling empty-handedly. Actually, I had something I wanted to ask the old man.
The strength of monsters that appear in reality… It was literally all different.
The dragon that destroyed New York was appropriately described as the strongest, but the large chicken that appeared in Europe looked so clumsy that even I could catch it at this point. The tiger that appeared on Namsan Mountain was located somewhere in between.
There are more rules than just numbers. I really wanted to ask the old man about that, but…
“This is my compensation.”
“Yes, you chose well.”
Not only was it obvious that the old man whose memories had been reset would not get an answer if he asked a question, but he also wanted to respect the will of the old man who had completely erased his memories.
There are many other things I would like to ask the elderly for advice on. Because I’m still in trouble.
Do you believe that people can change? Do you believe that there is a line that must be followed? Do I believe that the direction I am trying to take is right?
But all that suffering is entirely mine. Otherwise it has no meaning.
Even if I take the same path as the old man, it will have to be my choice. Even if I go Choi Ji-won’s path, it will have to be my choice.
That way, it is my fault when I fail, and it is my fault when I succeed. After failing, we can’t shamefully blame it on the old man.
“Well then, goodbye.”
“hehehehe, you are polite. Okay, goodbye.”
I bowed and said a final goodbye to the old man, then left the 15th floor.
I can’t stay here forever.
Now is the time to move on.
**
Deliver instructions to the envoy. Say hello to the people around you. Talking to Michael Jeter.
Actually, the latter two things have already been done. And the specialty of a regressor is to repeat what has been done.
Speaking from the perspective of an incumbent regressor, this is similar to acting. Having to act the same way as the previous episode to minimize variables is similar to following the script.
What if there is something I don’t remember? Stuff it on the spot. What would I have done in the past? Acting while imagining something like that is probably something it shares with method acting.
“… Ugh”
Unlike me, a professional regressor, Choi Ji-won, a novice regressor, showed difficulty adapting easily. Even when he was talking to Michael Jeter, he kept getting restless.
“Hearing what I know again… You have to listen to that seriously… It’s harder than I thought… “
Choi Ji-won will probably get used to it soon. Patience was one of the virtues of a returner.
Anyway, after quickly getting ready, we got ready to go up to the 16th floor.
Armor. Check.
Weapons. Check.
Physical condition. Check.
As soon as you enter, something might pop out, so keep your nerves at peak level.
“Shall we go?”
Open a familiar portal and take a step toward an unfamiliar place.
To develop.
[Enter on the 16th floor.]
**
Leaves are falling.
Not just one or two. The rain of fallen leaves falls beautifully. At the same time, the sound of the trees rustling in the wind and their crackling sound calms the mind and body.
“Jiwon?”
“Stay next to me.”
After checking that Choi Ji-won was standing right next to me, I started looking around in earnest.
The place where we are standing now is somewhere in the forest. The season looks like fall.
The beautiful orange-colored tree sways back and forth, and the shallow carpet of fallen leaves on the floor tickles my ears every time I step on it.
But what caught my eye more than the beautiful fallen leaves was the stone steps piled up tightly in front. And the entrance to the temple at the end.
“… “Is it a temple?”
It is not a temple in any other sense, but a temple, also known as a temple, where Buddhist monks live. Why, that temple where the floor is dirt, the roof is tiles, and the pillars are wood.
“It’s a bit unexpected, isn’t it?”
What Choi Ji-won said just now 100% represents my feelings. No, isn’t this a bit unexpected? So far, everything has been Western-based, or more accurately, fantasy-based… Suddenly a temple.
“I wonder if the background is martial arts this time.”
In other tower climbing novels, it pretended to be a fantasy at first but later turned into a martial arts-based story, so I decided to accept it with an open mind. No, it doesn’t necessarily have to be just dwarves, elves, and orcs. There are many interesting creations that come from a mixture of both.
“Shall we go up first?”
There weren’t many players at this point, so there was no one climbing the stone stairs other than me and Choi Ji-won. I wonder if this temple will be overcrowded in the future. If all goes according to Michael Jeter’s plan, we may have to wait in line to climb the stairs.
As you slowly climb the stone stairs to the end, you see the entrance to the temple with the door slightly open. The door isn’t locked, so you can just go in.
As I carefully push the wooden door, the panoramic view of the temple comes into view. The first thing you see is a large yard with a dirt floor or a central space. Anyway, the first thing I saw was a wide space, and temples were arranged in a row as if surrounding that wide space. There was a stone pagoda of some kind in the corner, and other temples connected by a side road. I don’t know the temple very well, but I think this is a very large temple.
However, what overwhelms everything else is the thick and tall rock located in the center of the temple. The large rock with traces of digging here and there had a certain mystery in itself. It also made me wonder why something like this exists.
“… “This is Choi Ji-won.”
“Is it true? “If you’re just coming in, the floor level is a bit lower than I thought.”
Westerners dressed in obviously Oriental clothes pass by and whisper to Choi Ji-won. Judging from the language spoken, it was clear that it was a player, and it looked like he had probably changed into the clothes provided here. It’s not like I didn’t get the armor on the 11th floor, so I guess I just took it off for convenience.
＜16Th floor＞
-It is cleared if you scratch the stone in the center of the temple.
A message window appears before our eyes as we look around. If you scratch that stone, it’s cleared?
“… “Isn’t it easier than you think?”
After 10 months, you will be treated like trash… At this point, Choi Ji-won and I are clearly strong. But if you just scratch this stone, it clears it? Isn’t this too easy?
“Should I do it first?”
“No, I will do it. Look Carefully.”
Yes, it makes sense that if there is an Eokka layer, there must also be an Eokpa layer. I gently relaxed both my shoulders and confidently walked towards the stone.
The deepest wound on the stone… Is this it? The wound looks as if it had been pierced quite deeply by a spear. About the size of a little finger joint.
“It goes deeper than that.”
Immediately after gripping the sword tightly, taking a deep breath, and relaxing the muscles of the entire body.
“Inhale!”
A simple, yet honestly powerful blow. I could now refer to myself as a ‘prosecutor,’ and this move was a turning blow that incorporated the know-how I had accumulated through repeated regressions.
Kang!
The large rock lightly deflected my blow. The recoil was enough to cut my hand if I didn’t have transparent gloves.
“… “
“… “
Choi Ji-won and I, who were very embarrassed, looked at each other shyly. No, why isn’t this cut?
“What is a human being?”
A voice that made the two of us who had stopped flinch. The voice came from above.
The top of a large rock. At some point, an angel was meditating with his eyes closed.
“What is the difference between humans and animals? “What makes a human being human?”
An angel speaking while sitting cross-legged. Although it is close to a child’s voice, it contains a strange wisdom.
“The Archangel who designed this floor found its meaning in ‘training.’ Again, what is discipline?”
An angel slowly, as if gliding, coming down from the top of the rock while maintaining his cross-legged position.
“Discipline is a fight with yourself. I am a process of tempering, tormenting, and sharpening existence. Patience needed in the process. A sense of purpose. And development. That clearly proves that humans are humans.”
The angel slowly opens his eyes and looks at Choi Ji-won. In both eyes, instead of showing the pupil, light leaks out.
“This rock is not just a rock… “Junho?”
However, the light in the eyes disappears in an instant, and there is only one angel who jumps up from his seat and is startled.
“You must be Junho!”
“… Anael?”
This angel who was in full form…
It was Anael, the sign angel I saved on the second floor.