Chapter 13 - The Regressor Is Fairly Strong (4)

The goblins crawled along in perfect coordination. When the scrawny guy made an inscrutable hand gesture, they nodded and concealed themselves in the nearby undergrowth.

"... Wow."

Maybe it was their naturally green bodies, but I really couldn't see them, even knowing where they were. The goblins had been hard to spot when I was making my way through the grass surrounding the clearing, too. I'd only located them because they helpfully gave themselves away with cries of "Kerrk! Kerrrrk!"

But these goblins weren't making a single sound, perhaps because of the scrawny guy's trait. Ordinary people summoned to the tower less than three days ago weren't equipped to spot enemies like these.

"Hmm..."

I had a few options here, and I wanted to choose as carefully as possible. The opportunity cost of a bad choice was three days of torture.

My options were... First, turn the tables and steal the golden orbs myself. Even if I didn't swallow one right away, simply having them could prove useful. I could trade them with other survivors, use them as bait... The possibilities were endless.

But that would mean taking on not just Glasses, but the punk and the entire goblin army, too. I didn't know how strong they were yet, but considering I couldn't afford to take even one hit, it would be incredibly difficult. I'd also have to finish them all off before Choi Jiwon arrived.

Second, help the survivors and get information out of them. These people had spent three days outside the clearing, whereas I knew absolutely nothing about the world out here. If I dealt with the punk and the scrawny guy, then established friendly relations, I should be able to get some useful information. As a bonus, I could earn points with Choi Jiwon if she saw me.

"Hmm..."

However I looked at it, the latter seemed better. If I met someone desperately searching for golden orbs later, I could try the first option... but right now, the orbs offered me no advantage. Since I had Regression, I wouldn't feel satisfied moving on until I'd gotten everything I could out of the tutorial.

"Guys, there's something over here. Come take a look?"

While I'd been deliberating, the scrawny guy had started luring the others toward the goblins.

"What is it? Let me see."

The punk ambled over first. After a moment's apparent hesitation, the man in glasses cautiously followed the two of them. He was suspicious, but with both of them showing him their backs, his guard was probably down. If I left things alone, he'd get skewered in one stab.

"Up we go."

This was my moment to act. I slowly stood up, careful not to make a sound. My shoes were in good condition. My muscles were a little stiff from lying down, but that should be manageable.

Gripping my sword tightly in both hands, I let out a sharp breath.

"Hup!"

I broke into an all-out sprint toward the punk.

Why wasn't I targeting the scrawny guy controlling the goblins? Because the punk was far more dangerous to me. I didn't know how strong his telekinesis was, but it was obviously going to be fucking hard to block. In game terms, it was probably unblockable true damage. For someone who couldn't afford to get hit, it was the ability I had to be most wary of.

There were roughly ten meters between us—a distance I could cover in about two seconds. My target was the back of his neck. He was distracted, busy trying to lure Glasses in. I had to cut him down cleanly, in a single stroke. It was just like cutting down goblins. I could do this.

Five meters left. All my senses were sharp. The nape of his neck looked especially close. Now, all I had to do was swing...

"Aaaaaaaah!"

The woman let out a piercing scream, apparently only just noticing me. Fuck. I wanted to explain that I was here to help... but to her, I was just some armed stranger attacking one of her group.

"... Ngh!"

Startled, I stumbled slightly on my ankle. I managed to regain my balance, so I didn't lose much speed, but...

"... Huh?"

The punk turned his head toward me. Two meters left.

"..."

Our eyes met. It felt as though the whole world had slowed down except for the two of us. I could read the pleasure beginning to fade from his eyes, the bewilderment beginning to bloom. Whatever he read in mine, his face slowly began to contort. It didn't matter what he'd seen. I just had to cut his throat.

A chill ran through me. The fine hairs on the back of my neck suddenly stood on end. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

My eyes darted around in search of the source of that dread and caught sight of the punk's right hand, extended toward me. It was slowly closing, as though he were trying to grip something tight. Telekinesis.

He'd get me. I'd regress. I had to dodge. But how? Telekinesis usually took effect instantly. It was no different from dodging a bullet—too much to ask of a human body.

"..."

No. I could dodge it. If I knew where he was aiming beforehand, it was by no means impossible.

My gaze returned to the punk's face. His eyes, dripping with murderous intent, were unmistakably fixed on my neck. Before I'd even finished the thought, I instinctively dropped into a crouch. My field of vision plunged.

SHWAAK!

A strange sound came from above, and I felt something brush past my hair. I'd dodged it. If I gave him any more time, I'd be the one going down.

I tensed my bent legs, then surged upward with all my strength, slashing as I rose.

SHLIIK!

A familiar sensation traveled through my hands. The same feeling I'd experienced dozens of times cutting down goblins.

"... Huh?"

A question far too innocent to come from a punk like him. Those were his last words. The red line running from his crotch to his right shoulder split open.

SPLAAASH!

He collapsed, spraying a fountain of blood.

"..."

I wiped the blood covering my face off with my sleeve. It was my first kill, but it wasn't as shocking as I'd expected. Honestly, maybe it was just because I wasn't fully awake yet. I was tired, too. A faint sense of self-disgust threatened to surface... but I didn't go out of my way to show it.

Should I be glad I wasn't blubbering, or sad that I was becoming another lunatic suited to this tower? It wasn't a question I could answer by agonizing over it anyway. Better to think about something productive than dwell on pointless worries. Never mind having won my first engagement; I had things to do right now.

"Here I go."

I was in the middle of undergrowth surrounded by goblins. If they all thrust their spears at once, there was a very good chance I'd take a hit. That meant my target had to be the scrawny guy controlling them. Just as I was about to ready myself for another fight...

"I-I surrender! I surrender! Please, just spare my life!"

The scrawny guy threw himself flat on the ground.

"Kerrk! Kerrrrk!"

The goblins, which had been watching for cues, emerged from the undergrowth and prostrated themselves beside him.

"...?"

For the first time in my life, I was witnessing a joint human-goblin act of groveling. What... was I supposed to make of this?

* * *

'I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die.'

The scrawny guy, Park Junwoo, had to do everything he could not to piss himself. He'd been what people called a delinquent, and prided himself on having seen more than enough lunatics who did bizarre things whenever they drank. "I'll fucking kill you" practically sounded like a cheery greeting to him.

But this man... was different.

"... Why are you surrendering?"

The blood-soaked man cocked his head as though he couldn't understand. This wasn't the first time Junwoo had witnessed a murder. The tower was such a savage place that disputes inevitably ended with someone dead. But he'd never seen anyone look so... accustomed to it.

The punk who now lay dead, split in two, had been recognized as a formidable fighter. He'd easily killed some fairly powerful monsters by targeting their vital spots with telekinesis. Yet this man had killed him... in an instant? And not with some supernatural ability like a trait... but purely with a sword?

It had been only three days since people entered the tower. But this man... had taken a human life with the calm familiarity of someone who had killed dozens of times. What reason would a modern person have to be that good with a blade? What reason would a modern person have to exude such thick murderous intent? Whatever the truth, this man's past had to reek of blood beyond anything Park Junwoo dared imagine.

"... I'll do anything. If you tell me to lick the soles of your shoes, I will. Please, just spare my life..."

Still prostrate, Park Junwoo rubbed his hands together in supplication.

In truth, Kim Junho's odds of winning a head-on fight against the punk would have been much lower. Even if he could read his gaze and dodge an attack or two, he couldn't evade telekinesis forever. An ability that would trigger Regression with even a glancing hit was practically a direct counter to Kim Junho. This outcome was the result of his successful surprise attack.

If Park Junwoo pulled himself together and commanded his goblins even now, he would have an excellent chance of forcing Kim Junho to regress, but...

"Please... let me live..."

There was his incredible proficiency with a real sword, something a modern person might never touch in their entire life. The fact that he seemed accustomed to killing. (This was his first time.) The fact that he was staring expressionlessly at Park Junwoo. (He was just tired.) The fact that Junwoo didn't know a single hit would be enough to win... All these factors combined to bring about Park Junwoo's total submission.

"... Well, I'm not complaining, but..."

And this outcome, born of a mixture of misunderstandings and coincidence...

[You can acquire a trait.]

Gave rise to a new possibility.

A Word from the Author (Author's Afterword)

A new trait...!

Our protagonist is getting stronger...!