Regression Is Too Much

Contrary to Kim Jun-ho’s imagination, the effort put into controlling information about the “Elixir” on the internet wasn’t all that substantial.

From the start, there wasn’t much mention of the “Elixir” to begin with.

The majority of posts were speculative comments like, “Wouldn’t it be amazing if we got something like an elixir as a reward?” Only a handful of people had seriously written anything about the Elixir.

The reason was simple: the Elixir was excessively precious.

**

- Low-Level Elixir [S+]

“Unless you’re extremely unlucky, this will serve as an extra life.”

Upon full consumption, this potion heals all physical injuries. It also offers minor effects against curses and magical imbalances.

**

Anyone with half a brain could understand by reading the item description—this potion was unlike any other potion released so far. Its acquisition methods were equally challenging, requiring either obtaining platinum-tier rewards on the second floor or saving all players and NPCs on the fourth floor, an almost impossible feat. Especially the fourth floor… Thus, there were only 200 bottles.

In the antique or collector’s market, 200 pieces might seem like an abundance, but for consumable items, it’s a different story. Only 200 humans on Earth could drink this. It was rare beyond imagination.

“Wouldn’t having this get me killed?”

“It’s probably safer to just hide it.”

Because the Elixir was so precious, those who possessed it were cautious.

Treasure is only valuable to those with the power to protect it. With the Tower’s arrival, the disparity in humanity’s power had widened even further. Simply possessing an Elixir could make one a target for murder.

In fact, 8 bottles of Elixir had appeared in underground auctions, but none of their owners were still alive. Considering the astronomical prices Elixirs sold for, killing and dealing with the fallout was far cheaper than buying one outright.

Returning to the initial point: not much effort was spent controlling information about the Elixir. They only added a few commands to existing surveillance systems and assigned minimal manpower.

But one thing must be remembered:

Forces were watching Kim Jun-ho.

11th Floor. The Path to the Dwarves’ Fortress.

“So, I just need to clear the 11th floor again like before?”

“That’s right.”

I was explaining the plan to Choi Ji-won since her memories hadn’t been preserved.

Why weren’t her memories preserved, you ask? It was intentional. She specifically requested it. Normally, when we decided to retain our memories, we’d go on dates to amusement parks or aquariums. This time, however, we regressed right away.

As for the reason… I don’t know. She didn’t explain, and I didn’t press her. If it’s important, she’ll tell me eventually.

“Alright, I’ll head out now.”

With that, after the plan explanation, Choi Ji-won left for the fortress. She used Bung-bung to make superficial cuts all over her skin, creating the illusion of injuries. I, meanwhile, headed to a clearing I remembered and donned the skull of a dead animal.

“I am the Reaper.”

In this round, I would take on the mantle of the Reaper.

The Reaper uses daggers. I, on the other hand, use a longsword. The two weapons serve entirely different purposes and aren’t remotely similar.

“H-heek! Stay back!”

“You deserve to die by the hands of this ‘Reaper.’”

To bridge the gap, I chose to use the dagger only after completely subduing my enemies. While I wasn’t primarily using the dagger, I made sure to leave the impression that I also used it.

The rest proceeded as usual: I manipulated events to make people band together, revealed my presence from a distance to scare them, and left traces to keep them on edge.

-BOOM!

Then, I made my dramatic exit, courtesy of Choi Ji-won’s hands.

You have cleared the 11th floor.

As soon as I returned to reality, I booked a flight ticket and hotel for the same day and passed out on my bed. No matter how often I camped in the forest, I could never get used to it.

“See you later. Don’t forget to contact the Association.”

“I’ll wait for you.”

The next evening, I waved to Choi Ji-won and headed to the airport.

In the previous round, Choi Ji-won and I had gone to Japan together. This time, I decided to go alone—it seemed like it would be more effective.

Don’t I lack proficiency in Japanese? No worries. I wouldn’t need to use it anyway.

- Dear passengers, our plane will soon be landing. Please fasten your seatbelts…

After a short nap, I found myself in Japan. This time, instead of heading directly to the Reaper’s residence, I went to the hotel I had booked.

“So this is what they call a ‘hotel vacation.’”

I rolled around, enjoying the soft hotel blankets and the perfectly adjusted indoor temperature. After the sun had set, the streetlights turned on, and the drunken chatter of passersby quieted down. I left the hotel to head to the Reaper’s residence.

“Now, let’s see…”

The time was 3 a.m. The lights in the Reaper’s residence on the fourth floor were off.

“There doesn’t seem to be any CCTV…”

After confirming that no one was nearby, I muttered, “Alright, here we go,” and began scaling the apartment’s exterior wall, gripping small grooves and outdoor units. I hadn’t done much climbing like this before, but for a superhuman like me, this kind of exercise was as easy as eating tteok—or rather, mochi—while lying down.

“Hoo…”

In just a few seconds, I reached the outside of Yuuki’s room and gently pushed on the windowpane with my palm. Sure enough, it wasn’t locked. People rarely bother locking the outer windows.

“…”

Without causing any disturbance, I successfully infiltrated the Reaper’s room. Turning my head slightly, I spotted the Reaper sleeping soundly on the bed, oblivious to the world.

“...?”

Wait, no. That bastard just twitched. He’s pretending to be asleep, probably assessing the situation and trying to catch me off guard. His left hand is moving suspiciously. Does he have a dagger? Who the hell hides a dagger while sleeping? Is he insane?

Anyway, realizing that the Reaper was already awake, I casually walked over and sat down on the chair by his desk. At this point, establishing dominance was key. Clearing my throat, I lowered my voice and sharpened my gaze. The image I was channeling? Kang Chan—a weighty, boss-like presence.

“Reaper… Azai Yuuki.”

“…”

“It’s me. Kim Jun-ho.”

Just as he assumed I knew about him, I acted as though it was only natural that he knew about me. Which, of course, he already did.

“…”

But instead of responding, the Reaper fidgeted. The moment I felt the magic ripple across his body, buried under the covers—

“Die!”

The Reaper, now completely invisible, kicked off the blanket and swung his dagger at me.

“...!!”

“You’re too slow.”

I easily caught his wrist mid-swing. His stats weren’t particularly high—had he allocated his points to extend the duration of his invisibility? That would explain the excess magic I’d sensed earlier.

“Reaper. I’ve been watching you for a while.”

The Reaper widened his eyes in shock, but I calmly continued with the lines I had prepared. My voice was deeper and steadier than usual, carrying an air of confidence.

“I understand your intentions. There are people in this world who deserve to die.”

“N-no…”

Flustered and unable to form a coherent response, the Reaper muttered in a sleep-roughened voice.

“You’ve really… really been watching me? You?”

“That’s right.”

“Wow.”

“And I’ve been deeply disappointed.”

The corners of the Reaper’s lips, which had started to twitch upward, fell flat, crashing down.

“Your methods lack sophistication. I was especially disappointed that you killed civilians.”

“…B-but… there was no other way to determine their worth without torture.”

“That’s exactly what I mean by unsophisticated.”

I released his wrist and interlaced my fingers, covering my mouth just as I’d seen him do in the past. To him, I must’ve looked like a cold, calculating operator.

“Reaper. Do you feel no guilt?”

“…”

“Do you not feel sorry for the innocent civilians who died because of you?”

“I… I had no choice…”

He turned his head, avoiding my gaze, but I pressed on.

“Would you accept it if you yourself became an innocent victim? What if your family had to die? Would that also be unavoidable?”

“…”

The Reaper, still groggy from just waking up and overwhelmed by my relentless pressure, was visibly shaken. I could see that my words had landed. His invisibility skill had even been copied by my Awe trait, proof that he was thoroughly intimidated.

His eyes darted around the room, he gulped audibly, and his hands trembled slightly. My argument was undeniable. There was no way for him to refute it.

“So… what exactly do you want me to do…”

Eventually, unable to withstand the pressure, the Reaper’s voice cracked, and he whined in defeat. It was a classic reaction of someone whose mental state had completely crumbled—slipping into a “What do you want me to do about it?” mode.

“I’ll figure that out. For now, you wait. I’ll prepare a ‘hero’s’ role for you.”

“…A hero? Me?”

“You have potential. Trust me.”

Did he actually have potential? I had no idea. But saying this felt right in the moment.

At its core, the Reaper’s actions stemmed from a warped sense of heroism—the desire to change the world for the better. If I could satisfy that desire in a proper way, I might just be able to rehabilitate him. And maybe gain something for myself in the process.

“I’ve arranged a suitable double for the 11th floor. Through the Association, I’ll spread the rumor that you’re dead. Then you stop your activities and lend credibility to that rumor.”

“…”

“I’ll contact you again. Wait for me.”

With those words, I coolly jumped out the window. I’d hinted that I had connections within the Association and the resources to stage a convincing fake death. I didn’t bother to check the Reaper’s reaction to my bluff.

What mattered was monitoring his actions going forward. Once I saw how he behaved, I could decide what to do next.

***

A week passed, and the Reaper truly ceased his activities. Whether he followed my words or experienced a change of heart, I couldn’t say. Simultaneously, the Association widely broadcasted the news: “The Reaper is dead.”

This was thanks to Choi Ji-won reporting to the Association, claiming, “I killed the Reaper,” combined with my active impersonation of him.

This time, however, the public reaction was much more subdued, likely because the Reaper’s personal details hadn’t been revealed. To most people, it simply seemed like Choi Ji-won had eliminated a particularly nasty villain.

Well, compared to the live drama of an entire family’s ruin, this kind of news is far less sensational. Besides, the actual Reaper was already “dead.” Thus, the tale of his demise spread widely over the course of the week.

So, what were we doing during that week?

I spent the time obsessively gathering information. Lately, I’d been feeling like I wasn’t being meticulous enough. Using mental fatigue as an excuse, I’d skipped verifying things I should have double-checked, glossing over them with a carelessness that wasn’t like me.

This time, I set out to figure out two things:

The nature of my altered mana.

And the ripple effects caused by the Reaper’s “death.”

Let’s start with the first. My mana’s nature has taken on a distinct chill. I experimented with it after drinking an Elixir, manipulating my magic in various ways, but excessive usage made my hands and feet grow cold—so much so that it felt like I might regress again. I decided to stop for now. It seems I’ll need to get accustomed to it gradually.

As for the second, despite dedicating an entire week, the results of my information gathering were rather underwhelming.

“Jun-ho, I seriously can’t find anything…”

Choi Ji-won, who had been furiously typing away at her keyboard, pushed her chair back and slumped over her desk. She had been scouring online communities until just now.

The internet is still buzzing with talk about the Tower—discussions about the second floor, third floor, complaints about how difficult the fourth floor is, and so on. However, mentions droped off sharply from the sixth floor onward. Stories of the “top-tier” players, the ones truly at the pinnacle, don’t make it online.

It’s because investigating through the internet is almost meaningless at this point.

“…Should I start building some connections?”

The reason is obvious: high-ranking players have formed their own exclusive communities, keeping all the truly valuable information to themselves.

It’s unrealistic to think we can keep relying on the internet for information. That’s just wishful thinking.

Should I try to join one of these inner circles? Currently, aside from Kang Chan, our player network is practically nonexistent. Should I ask Ji-won to build connections on the 11th floor? That would dilute her mysterious image, though…

“…Yoon Jung-hyun?”

If I could contact Yoon Jung-hyun, I’d probably gain high-quality information. But for some reason, I haven’t been able to reach him in this round. Did the news about the Reaper’s death alter something? Ugh, I need to look into this, too.

In summary, we’re facing a severe information shortage. We’re even struggling to gather intel about the 11th floor, which we’ve already cleared.

Of course, I can attempt a few more regressions to gather more information…

Because at this rate, the only option left would be to throw ourselves headfirst into the 12th floor.

– – End of Chapter – –

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