197 – The Returner Eats Raw (5)
As can be seen from this case on the 17th floor, the tower operates like some kind of machine.
And speaking of machines, of course there are errors. I want to take advantage of this error.
“I don’t know if it was only the 17th floor, or if it was like this on all floors… “It’s a plan that I believe has a lot of potential.”
There is a ‘standard for determining entry to a floor’ in the tower. And if I cheat on that criterion, I can explore a floor without being determined to have entered the floor yet.
What benefit is there? It’s a matter of preparation.
This tower is designed to make it impossible to prepare for the next floor through information control. Like the Association, it is possible to make indirect inferences through information such as what injuries the people from each floor received and how long it took, but it is completely unknown what kind of ordeal will occur directly.
But what if it were possible to reverse the layers? Precisely, what if it was possible to experience the floor in advance?
I have obtained a kind of cheat key that allows me to perfectly prepare for all floors. It’s not just about being able to go further into the past. Getting information is important.
Of course, it is not a plan with a high probability of success. The criteria for determining ‘regression’ and the criteria for determining towers may be the same or different, and we were not yet sure how regression works. Still, since the return is so large, it’s definitely worth a try.
“So, as soon as I enter, my soul is scanned. Do you feel some kind of connection or not?”
“Ugh… I still don’t know your ‘soul’… “
Choi Ji-won shakes his head. She was having difficulty accepting my ‘soul theory’.
“Junho, aren’t you feeling something other than a soul?”
“That’s not true…” “
Choi Ji-won invested quite a long time, but she could not feel her soul. There are two souls in that body, so why can’t I feel it? Is it because I have two souls, or is it because I am a unique case?
However, the reason I could not prove the existence of the soul is because I also could not feel Choi Ji-won’s soul. She tried to concentrate next to him, held his hand, hugged him, and did everything she could, but she could not feel Choi Ji-won’s spirit. Just in case, she called firefighter Park Cheol-jin and tried a similar experiment, but she couldn’t feel a soul.
In other words… Either I’m experiencing some kind of hallucination, or I can only feel my own soul. Personally, I believe it is the latter. There is also a case on the 17th floor.
“Well, isn’t this also a returner’s perk?”
So she just decided to believe, ‘It’s possible because I’m a regressor and I’ve lived a long time.’ Or maybe it’s because I’m not skilled enough. I believe that time will resolve this too.
After roughly organizing my thoughts, I repeated the ‘practice of becoming aware of the soul as soon as I come to my senses’ for about two weeks, then finished preparing and quickly returned.
There was no problem clearing the 17th floor again, and I finished it in 30 minutes and immediately returned to reality.
After confirming that Choi Ji-won is safe.
“Shall we go?”
“Let’s go.”
I headed to the 18th floor.
-Enter on the 18th floor.
**
There is a moment when I lose consciousness every time I enter each floor or experience a regression. Of course, this doesn’t just apply to me; it’s a phenomenon experienced by everyone who enters the tower.
People entering the tower tend to pause for a moment, about 1 to 2 seconds. I observed this tirelessly while sitting on the second floor. When a person first enters the tower, they stand still in a daze, but at some point, they begin to move as if a switch has been turned on. Training doesn’t mean you can adapt to it, and being strong doesn’t mean you can avoid it. This is just a phenomenon experienced when entering the tower.
However, even if it is a phenomenon, the way to deal with it is different and how familiar it is. And I can confidently say that I am the one who has experienced this ‘bewildering phenomenon’ the most and most often.
“Inhale!”
Therefore, the moment I regained consciousness, I immediately raised my magic power and became aware of my soul, without even a single 0.01 Second delay. After practicing a few times, the series of steps were proficient and quick.
“… ?”
However, the feeling of discomfort is… There wasn’t.
In the case of the 17th floor, I felt a thin magic thread, so I just had to cut it. But now I feel nothing. It’s just my soul.
“Uhm… “
Was it a unique case on the 17th floor? That is highly likely. Since it was a layer that was aware of magical power in the first place, it may have been included as a kind of Easter egg. The archangel who came later might have prepared to give you a gift, saying, ‘You have talent!’
Is it possible that the connection of the tower itself takes place within a second of losing consciousness? Were you able to realize that time on the 17th floor? There is a possibility.
Or is my skill level lacking? Is the thread of magic that determines entry into the tower so secret and cautious that it is impossible to detect in its current state? Or is entry determined by something other than magical power? This too is a possibility.
If I were given just a few more pieces of information, my suspicions would be confirmed… There is no place to get information right now. I can’t even try again. Because there was only one chance anyway.
The ‘excessive regression’ plan… For now, it is a failure.
**
“Junho. “You’re here.”
“… “I failed.”
I joined Choi Ji-won, who was waiting for me nearby. This is a steep rocky mountain somewhere. It is not a mountain full of trees and green. It is a rugged rocky mountain with a unique white color and a lot of fog, so it looks like Son Goku may be sealed somewhere.
“Can I go up there?”
“I think so.”
I fell in the middle of the mountain, but I didn’t get lost. This is because there was a path that goes around and around the rocky mountain, just like a tourist course. Since we had nowhere else to go, we started climbing the mountain.
“… “Is this safe?”
It was very uneasy because the footrest was attached to something roughly shaped like nails that were roughly driven in, but fortunately the footrest did not collapse or break. When we climbed to the top of the rocky mountain using a spiral platform, an angel was waiting for us.
“Nice to meet you.”
An angel bowing his head in a serious voice. The guy was holding a needle and skillfully repairing a torn rag doll.
More than that, it’s a doll. It reminds me of the old man on the 15th floor.
“Where are the other players? “I saw traces on the way there.”
While I was lost in the old man’s thoughts, Choi Ji-won asked a sharp question. The platform we climbed on definitely looked like it had been used. Judging by the fact that Choi Ji-won and I entered together, it is not a floor where we can proceed alone.
But there is no one else to be seen on this high mountain. There are only me, Choi Ji-won, and this angel. Unless you are on a floor with a 2-person limit, this situation can be said to be quite strange.
“Don’t worry too much. “I will explain it to you step by step.”
Despite Choi Ji-won’s questions, the angel who leisurely finished repairing the dolls took out two new dolls from her bosom and handed them to us.
“Now, please take it.”
“… What is this?”
“It is the core of the 18th floor.”
The angel, with both hands politely folded in front, begins to explain.
“As you may already know from your experience on the 16th and 17th floors, Archangel undergoes training. In other words, he affirms the path of practice that refines oneself.”
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“Yes. “I know that because I experienced it.”
“But do you know what the real problem with meditation is?”
“… ?”
“The point is that humans develop and become accustomed to the practice itself.”
If we were to compare it to modern times, it would be exercise. Wait.
It is natural that muscle mass increases if you consistently repeat anaerobic exercise. The human body evolves during the process of muscle tearing and recovery.
But what if the goal is ‘performance’ itself? If you enjoy the process of persevering and feeling some kind of joy while suffering, then becoming stronger is a hindrance. Even if you lift the same weight, there is less stimulation and less pain.
“Of course, being strong is also important. Because humans need a goal in order to move forward. However, I believe that practice should not be reduced to a means. Practice is both a means and a goal, and a beacon that illuminates the path of life. “The Archangel would always feel sorry for martial artists who had become so strong that they had lost their goal or method of practicing.”
“Uh… “
“But the Archangel came up with a solution. “It is a way to reset a body that has become too strong.”
“… What?”
A message window appears in front of you as soon as you finish speaking.
＜18Th floor＞
-On the 18th floor, the physical abilities of all climbers are fixed to be the same.
-Submit compensation that exceeds the supervisor’s threshold.
Physical abilities are fixed the same? Viewer? Who is the supervisor again?
The moment I was embarrassed and tried to ask the angel an additional question.
“Well then, good luck.”
An angel places two amulets on each doll’s head! And attached it.
“No, just a moment…” “
I immediately lost consciousness.