216 – The regressor is too strong (3)
Even if you get hurt, you will not regress. I became fixated on this time zone.
“Oh, what should I do?”
It feels like the world is spinning. Cold sweat broke out all over my body, and I lost all strength in my body, so I collapsed to the floor without realizing it.
“Joo, is it Junho?”
“No… “
Clearing itself is possible even without regression. Yes, it is ‘possible’.
However, the probability of getting the ending I want decreases exponentially. Even if there is something you don’t like, you can’t change it. There is no turning back. You have to endure it.
“I can’t…” “
Kim Jun-ho, who has no return… I can’t say it’s not worth it. However, its value plummets. Steamed buns without red beans. Sweet and sour pork without sauce. Despite being a hero and all, I return to being a small citizen who has to worry about my own survival. He is an ordinary person who does not fit in with the true hero Choi Ji-won.
“What’s going on?”
“Return, return is blocked… “
“… What are you talking about.”
“Even if you take damage… There’s no going back… Because it’s a virtual world… “
“Huh?”
“My life… My life is ruined… “
Now that I can no longer sit on the floor, I just lie down. I lost the source of my confidence. I am… How am I supposed to live? I am a human!!! What should I do now!!!
“Can’t we just go back to reality and then regress?”
“Huh?”
“The reward varies depending on the rarity of the submission to the exchange. Just… I guess you just have to submit anything and go back to reality and then regress.”
“… “Is that so?”
That’s what I thought after listening to Jiwon. Although the procedure was a little cumbersome, regression was still possible.
“… “
When I thought like that, my shriveled shoulders straightened, and even my face that was full of despair slowly regained vitality. My blurred vision becomes clear again, and my cold skin becomes warm.
“Reversion is possible!”
Yes, if you think about it a little, there is a solution. This guy like me is such a fool.
I think I was just panicking about the fact that there was no immediate return. It was like I couldn’t come to my senses because the return that had been the source of my confidence and self-esteem, like my academic background or a big pepper, had disappeared. Normally, I am rational, smart, and calm. This is simply because I am embarrassed.
“And the regression is blocked? “I wanted it to be good for you, Junho, but I don’t think it would be a loss, right?”
Choi Ji-won comes up next to me, puts his hand on my shoulder and smiles.
“What does it mean to be good?”
“You haven’t been able to show your full potential until now. You fought very carefully because you were afraid of getting hurt. Right?”
“I see?”
Until now, I have fought with the shackles of ‘If I get hit once, I have to go back.’ Anyone who has learned to fight will know that it is not easy to ‘not get hit even once’ even if there is a significant difference in skill. Even if there is a difference in skill, how about an enemy of equal or greater skill level? Because of this, I was always forced into fights at a disadvantage, and I couldn’t think of dragging out a fight for more than five, or even three, seconds. If it’s a long game, I’ll be the one who loses.
“If I do this, does it make me stronger?”
But not here. It’s okay to get hurt. It’s okay to pass by while fighting. It’s okay if your heart stops for about a second. Why? Because it’s a virtual world.
Now my shoulders felt wider than usual. For some reason, an inexplicable smile appears on my lips. Normal? No. I am a hero who will save the world.
“Uh… “
Jiwon, who was watching me, said with an expression like, ‘It’s true that I wanted you to cheer up, but I didn’t want you to make such a fuss.’
“First of all… Shall we regress?”
**
When I asked if I could submit a large tree branch to the exchange, the answer was yes. Of course, the rarity was F. I had some expectations because it was a fairly large tree branch, but the size of the tree branch did not seem to be related to the rarity.
There was no compensation, perhaps because it was an F grade, but my goal in the first place was to return to reality… As soon as he came to his senses on the first floor, he suffered injuries and returned.
Immediately after returning, I joined Jiwon.
We began our strategy meeting next to a stream far from the village.
“I think… “It’s right to go to the mountains.”
“Really?”
“Yes. “To be honest, it’s very suspicious.”
The terrain here is very diverse. From the warm and cozy forest at the starting point, the babbling stream, the river that appears along the stream, the sea that appears as you follow the river, the desert that spreads from the sea, to the snow-covered mountains in the distance.
It cannot be said that the land mass is small, but the diversity of the environment makes no sense. ‘There is something special here. It was at the level of an advertisement saying, ‘Go explore!’
Well, since it is a game, I have no intention of pointing out its unreality. The important thing is where to go.
“As a game expert, in my opinion, desert or mountain terrain is usually the most difficult.”
A scorching desert, or a snow-covered mountain. In addition to the extreme environment, it is the perfect space for powerful monsters to pop out.
“And since it’s a snow-covered mountain… “You can think of it as my home ground.”
It is an advantageous environment for me as I have the ‘chill’, so it is natural that I am more attracted to mountains than deserts. Jiwon also nodded, as if he had no intention of objecting.
Once you decide on your destination, it’s a breeze. On the way, we encountered hostile creatures such as wolves and bears, but we were able to reach the mountain in less than 5 hours.
“Wow.”
“It’s fascinating.”
It was a forest with a warm breeze blowing the entire way, but as soon as we reached the top of the mountain, an eerie cold wind scratched our skin. This kind of rapid change in temperature is probably possible because it is not reality.
“… Cold.”
“Shall I call you?”
“What? “You feel it.”
“… “
“… “You’re not hurt, are you?”
We started climbing the mountain while chatting lightly. In addition to ‘chill’, I have the ‘cold affinity’ trait acquired on the 12th floor, so I am unaware of the cold, and Jiwon is also able to protect himself with magic, so he is not affected by the cold.
“No, it’s really cold…” “
“Really?”
“Oh, completely.”
I will cancel. The closer we got to the top of the mountain, the colder Jiwon felt and he bit his lip. It’s not so much that I can’t bear it, but it’s quite annoying.
I was worried about her constantly chattering teeth, so I was watching her carefully, and at some point, her teeth stopped shaking.
“… Are you okay?”
“Don’t talk to me.”
“… “Are you upset?”
“Shut up.”
Did he switch with Bungbung because he couldn’t stand the cold? It is quite possible that Bungbung, who does not have a human heart, does not know the cold.
“Hey, is this right?”
“… “I don’t know either.”
When I climbed to the top of the mountain with the tinkling Bungbungi, I saw the entrance to a large cave. I definitely feel like I came to the right place.
“Couldn’t it just be a cave entrance?”
“That can’t be possible.”
If Jiwon is so cold, the average player wouldn’t even dare to come, and even top players would have to put in a lot of effort to come. It definitely means that it is abnormally cold, but if you get to the top of the mountain through this cold and there is a cave… Isn’t this a 100% hidden piece?
“Let’s go in. “It’s a hidden piece.”
“I don’t think so… “
“Just look, Bungbung.”
“Don’t act friendly.”
Strangely, inside the quiet cave, the walls were made of crystal, and it was bright inside. It is a bright and sparkling cave, not a damp and dark cave.
“It definitely looks like something out of a game…” “
“Hey, there’s something over there!”
How long did it take? Where Bungbung pointed, a large hexagon-shaped chunk of crystal was floating in the air.
Small fragments were spinning around the large crystal, and a considerable amount of cold was felt in each small fragment. I could see it even from afar. If you touch that fragment, your wound will freeze. No, it might not end with just freezing the wound.
“Junho, do you want me to help you?”
Jiwon, who had regained control of his body, asked, but I shook my head without answering. Now I wanted to test my strength.
“Whoa… “
Concentrate your mind and approach the crystal lump one step at a time. First of all, it is an experiment. How can I withstand that guy’s sharp attacks…
“?”
I will correct it. There was no need to endure.
The cold was colder here, so it did not pose any threat, and the sharp pieces of crystal could not pierce the dwarven armor. The pieces that passed by my face were quite stinging, but they weren’t dangerous either.
-..!!!!
The crystal lump seemed to be equally confused as it suddenly blew out a very cold wind, but when I let go of the chill, the wind was pushed back by it. So, I am his higher level counterpart.
“… “It’s not as fun as I expected.”
If that guy’s coldness had acted as a debuff, it would have been a difficult fight, but unfortunately, this side has the upper hand in terms of the coldness attribute. I lost my excitement and just trudged over and cut the crystal chunk in half.
“… Is it over?”
“Uh. Let’s go.”
From Noble mtl dot com
I walked toward the inside of the cave, with Jiwon looking at me in awe. According to the grammar of the game, it is now time for the reward to be given.
“That’s it.”
After not walking very far, I saw a small spring. Unusually, the water was shining in a variety of colors, as if he was bragging that he was special.
– Essence of the Mountain [Hidden]
-The essence of nature’s clear energy gathered in the place closest to the sky.
With the game’s UI appearing before your eyes, a small glass bottle is created in the air. The glass bottle was filled with sparkling spring water as if operated by a transparent person and then placed in my hand.
“Are you giving it to me too?”
No, not only me, but Choi Ji-won also had sparkling spring water in his hands. I was worried for a while about how to get the spring water, but it seems that it is provided automatically without the need to collect it yourself. This way, there seems to be no need to split the reward when multiple people come.
“Isn’t this enough?”
“Isn’t it more than enough? Normally, I don’t think I would have been able to break this.”
The compatibility was good, and their power far exceeded the average. Other people won’t get it this easily. I think even if I set it low, I will get an S rank.
“First, let’s go back to the village.”
“Yes. I need to find out the level of this, and check the clear reward… “
Climbing the mountain was hard, but the steps coming down were light. It may be because the journey was successful and the reward is expected.
However, the happy feeling did not last long. By the time we crossed the mountainside and reached the entrance.
“Huh?”
What we saw was truly unbelievable…
“I, I come first!”
“Get out of the way, get out of the way!”
It was a group of players running towards us. The number was roughly over twenty, and they were running like crazy with bloodshot eyes.
“Oh my.”
The goal is… Is this the ‘essence of the mountain’ held in our hands? Yes, I expected there would be such gentle people. Where are you going? I am different now.
Hold the sword tightly and concentrate your mind. I’ll cut off the arm of whoever comes first. Since it’s a virtual space anyway, you can’t die, so it’s okay to show bitterness. My senses, so sharp as to be cold, are aimed at the player running from the front…
“Huh?”
It wasn’t fired.
“Whoo, whoo!”
“Run faster!”
Other players pass us by. They don’t pay any attention to us… It just passed by.
“What is it?”
If we are not the goal, then what on earth is the goal? Why are you running so urgently?
“… “No, wait a minute.”
That direction is the direction we came from. Their eyes are completely focused on the top of the mountain. The clothes were not the traditional dwarven armor, but warm winter clothing.
It’s like…
“How did you know?”
Like knowing where the ‘essence of the mountain’ is.