205 – The Returner Endures (2)
“That… “Angel?”
“Why are you doing that?”
“The laptop keyboard is broken… “
“… “
After learning TMI, which states that if a superhuman hits the laptop with all his might, the laptop keyboard breaks down in an instant, we cleared the 19th floor.
-Cleared the 19th floor.
When we returned to reality, we immediately started collecting information. This is the first time I have experienced ‘a situation where the future I knew has changed’, and I decided to be more cautious accordingly. You need to understand exactly what the situation is now so you can avoid making the same mistake in the future and think about how to deal with it now.
The roles of Choi Ji-won and I were clearly different. While Choi Ji-won was in charge of external work, I was in charge of internal work.
“Then, I will go and come back?”
“Uh. Call.”
Choi Ji-won was busy wandering around to find out about ‘America’s warehouses and the changes that occurred there.’ She met with high-ranking officials of Korean associations, contacted the Korean government, and sometimes traveled to the United States for meetings.
“Are you calling straight from the United States? “Aren’t international calls expensive?”
“We have a lot of money.”
“… “Is that so?”
I would talk to her on the phone every night and share the information she had gained that day, but it seemed like she wasn’t getting much results right now.
“I have a mission for you.”
“Yes. “Just say the word.”
I also secretly instructed the ‘reaper’ to collect information. If there is information that can only be obtained in sunny areas, there is also information that can only be obtained in shaded areas. Since I already knew the behavior of the kites I was keeping an eye on, there was absolutely no need to let the reaper play around.
“… “
At the same time, I became more worried about the treatment of Shinigami, because Azai Yuuki was closer to the ‘madman with great power’ that I was so wary of. I’m young now, and I’ve activated the ‘Awe’ trait, so I listen well, but… 5 Years later. This is because we could not be sure that they would still be cooperative 10 years later. This is a guy who may lose his mind at any moment and act strangely.
The object of observation in ‘Can people change?’ Also includes the Four Gods of Death.
I digress for a moment, but the ‘internal work’ I do is none other than… It is a matter of looking back on what has happened so far and guessing where the ‘butterfly effect’ may have occurred.
Looking back on everything that has happened and figuring out where things went wrong.
“… “What did I do this time?”
Due to the nature of being a regressor, I remember the scenes clearly, but the order of them was often mixed up, so this was not an easy task. In the end, I had to resort to paper to organize the timeline, but it took quite a long time.
Time passed so quickly, two months later.
“That… “
“Me too… “
Choi Ji-won and I… Both failed miserably.
“The person from the association who originally gave me the information also said it was strange… ? I don’t know what is… “
Not only warehouses have disappeared. The very foundation itself is shaking.
According to Choi Ji-won, the association is running strangely these days. The overall atmosphere is chaotic, and it feels like high-ranking officials are not visible.
No, not just the association… He said the atmosphere in the U.S. Government was chaotic. The government is criticized every day in the news, and fights are taking place both on YouTube and in newspapers.
“Was it always like this? Even before the regression?”
“It was a mess back then, and the government received a lot of criticism… Should I say that it feels a bit worse? Uh. “I think it would be accurate to say that it just got worse.”
Has the U.S. Government’s incompetence deepened and conflicts escalated due to these variables?
Should I have paid more attention to how reality was going in the meantime? It’s too late to regret it now. Now I have no choice but to embrace it.
“Me too… “I tried my best, but I couldn’t find the right answer.”
And I searched through my memories diligently, but I couldn’t find any ‘big changes that could affect the American Association.’ No, if there is at least a possibility… It’s about Dok Soo-hee.
Let’s say that when I stayed after the monsters appeared, I inadvertently developed strong feelings for Dok Soo-hee and retained her memories, and since Dok Soo-hee was originally from Michael Jeter’s side, let’s say I knew about her warehouse… It makes sense that the inside of the warehouse disappeared. You can just sweep it all away with your inventory ability.
“But he has no reason to do that… “
However, there are too many things that cannot be explained by this alone. First of all, Dok Soo-hee wanted to win my favor. She wanted to become a regressor’s companion. I didn’t think she would do something like this without telling me. No, even if he did, he would have said something like ‘surprise’ when he handed the item to me.
And it is even more strange that not only the items inside the warehouse have disappeared, but also the security forces and their traces have disappeared. If Dok Soo-hee robbed the warehouse, shouldn’t she have at least had experts investigating the traces?
“… “Did you make a deal with the U.S. Government?”
I tried contacting Michael Jeter just in case… Jeter could not be reached for comment. I don’t know Dok Soo-hee’s number. Did she enter the tower? Or what happened?
What is certain is that in this situation, nothing can be certain. You must be open to all possibilities and not be buried in questionable information.
“I don’t want to be dragged around like this.”
In the end, I decided to go back to the beginning.
“Let’s climb the tower quickly.”
Ironically, the time when information about the past can be collected most objectively is the future.
And why are we hesitating to head into the future? It’s because of lack of strength.
You need strength to take initiative. And to become stronger, you have to climb the tower.
“Let’s go.”
The more complicated the situation, the simpler the solution. We headed to the tower again.
[You have suffered damage.]
[Return to the moment you first entered the 19th floor.]
***
-I entered the 20th floor.
The 20th floor had the appearance of a quiet villa. Peach trees were growing here and there, there was a beautiful mountain in the distance, birds were chirping, the sun was warm, and in the meantime, in addition to the quiet oriental-style building, there was a pavilion floating on the pond.
“Jiwon… “
Choi Ji-won does not exist. It appears to be a floor you can enter alone. Since I had nowhere else to go, I slowly walked towards the pavilion.
“Congratulations.”
Inside the pavilion, an angel was drinking tea. Purple hair and androgynous appearance. A faint, unidentified pressure.
“… Archangel?”
“Yes. My name is Raguel. To be exact, it is that thought form. “The main body has something else to do right now.”
Raguel drinks tea in a calm atmosphere. The atmosphere is static and calm, in direct contrast to Raphael on the second floor, which exuded divinity as soon as you saw it, making you think it was an archangel.
“… “
The old man’s advice passes by. Too much regression or strong emotions can trigger regression. Two to three times at most. That would be the maximum I was allowed to achieve. I calmed down and sat in the seat in front of Raguel.
“So… “What can I do on the 20th floor?”
“Please read this out loud.”
Since I didn’t want to make small talk, I got straight to the point, but without hesitation, Raguel took out a piece of paper from his pocket. When I received the paper and glanced at it, the content was short and simple.
“… Oath?”
“Just read the content as is.”
“Oath. “As God’s chosen climber and representative of humanity, I pledge to use my power in the right way and do my best to uphold justice.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Raguel takes back the paper with the oath written in English. He flicks his right hand, and a blue portal appears next to me.
“This is the end of the 20th floor. “If you return to the first floor, you will receive a small reward.”
“… “What effect does this paper have?”
“It’s just paper. “Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Or maybe it’s some sort of soul contract, and if you don’t keep it, you’ll be in big trouble…” “
“That’s not it either. It only depends on the climber’s conscience.”
“… “
“This is simply a floor filled with the wish to use power in the right place. It would be nice to think of it as a resting floor. You did a really good job.”
After finishing what he had to say, Raguel takes a sip of tea. He really seemed to have no regrets about him.
“… “
I know that I shouldn’t get involved with the Archangel. I also know that it is right to leave the 20th floor and then return to reality and begin analysis.
“Can I ask you something?”
“That’s right.”
But I can’t bear this question.
“From the 16th to the 20th floor. The tower consistently encourages players to become stronger. No, not just from the 16th floor, but from the 11th floor. What was the reason you became stronger when you climbed the tower in the first place? I do not understand.”
What meaning does this whole process have? Why did they actively design a floor where people become stronger when they said they would judge humans? I was so curious about the reason that I couldn’t bear it.
Hello. Raguel is drinking tea and looking straight into my eyes. Although it is a thought form and not a body… There was an indescribable energy in those eyes.
“Scholars on Earth usually call democracy the most stable social system. Do you know why?”
“… “I know roughly.”
“It’s the same reason. Would you say it was intentional instability? If humanity were mature enough, nothing would happen.”
Many things are omitted. But I understood exactly what he meant.
Reasons why democracy is stable. This is because power is spread among many people. Democracy is a form of tearing off the pie of power and scattering it here and there. The trade-off is that radical change is virtually impossible, and sometimes groups do stupid things… It’s stable.
On the other hand, autocracy is unstable. Radical changes that democracy cannot achieve are possible, but the country’s fortunes fluctuate depending on the leader’s capabilities. If someone’s brain suddenly rots and they do something crazy, the entire country could be ruined.
What if we apply this to the real world? Players are stronger than normal humans. They will soon enter an area that cannot be controlled with guns or swords, and the banner of ‘equality’ currently rooted on Earth may be shaken at any time. This is what happens as the number of things a single human being can do increases.
What if such a strong person is a crazy psychopath? Or what if you get older and go crazy?
“… hahahaha.”
This isn’t the first time I’ve told this story. This is a situation that I have worried about many times in the past. The main concern was that of social collapse.
In other words… This means that this precarious instability was intended by the angels. It was not just me, it was truly a ‘trial’ imposed on mankind.
“hahahahaha.”
Thinking that this was intentional made me feel at ease. Humanity is not bad. It’s just that the angels dug into humanity’s weak spots.
But it won’t work out as they intended.
“Let’s see.”
Before society collapses.
Because I will conquer the tower.