Chapter 32 - The Regressor Is Conditionally Strong (1)

“Even at a glance, there are well over fifty people gathered in this clearing. That means we can’t all swallow a golden orb and advance to the next stage. This tower is trying to divide us.”

A familiar speech. A familiar situation.

If you think you’ve seen this before, you’re probably right.

In a previous run, I’d put on a nice-guy act to catch Choi Jiwon’s attention. By pretending to be a man with lofty ideals but little strength to back them up, I’d managed to get her to teach me swordsmanship...

This time, I would do the same thing.

I was going to play the saint.

“But it says that defeating the boss will create a portal. That means there is definitely a way for all of us to survive together.”

Was I a good person? A hero?

No.

I didn’t have the makings of a hero like Choi Jiwon’s father. I was just an ordinary person who sometimes couldn’t even trust himself.

But there was a reason I was going so far out of my way to pretend to be a good person.

Cooperation.

For my plan to succeed, I needed everyone’s absolute cooperation.

I’d decided that playing a “hero,” rather than a deranged psychopath, would be the best way to secure it.

... Besides, assuming I cleared the tutorial this time, wouldn’t it be better to leave behind a good reputation rather than a bad one?

“Everyone. Rather than fighting each other, we need to join forces.”

When I’d given this same speech in a previous run, I’d been met with nothing but indifference and ridicule.

But this time was different.

“Uh... hmm...”

“Hmm...”

Everyone was listening to my speech with rapt attention. Even firefighter Park Cheoljin, who hadn’t believed all that talk about a tower and Status windows, was giving small nods.

Naturally. With my A-rank trait, Curiosity, they couldn’t help but listen.

If I’d previously been “a young man frustrated by his lofty ideals and lack of strength,” now I was “a young man with both lofty ideals and great strength.”

I finally had the power to take the initiative.

Now, it was time to change things up. I had a different goal in mind.

“Everyone. I am strong.”

With a crisp motion, I raised my sword toward the sky.

“Probably stronger than everyone here put together.”

These people didn’t even have levels yet. Apart from Choi Jiwon, of course I was stronger than them.

Now, let me put on a show.

Stand in awe.

“Whew...”

I built up my presence, tensing my muscles and opening my eyes wide.

My target was my longtime nemesis.

Grass.

“Hup!”

SHICK!

Swung with all my strength, my sword sliced cleanly through the grass. To an ordinary person, the blade had probably been almost invisible.

But stopping here wouldn’t make enough of an impression.

Slash. Slash. Thrust. Spin. Slash.

I pushed my physical abilities to their limits. Just as I’d done for Mr. Scrawny in a previous run, I showed off my swordsmanship with everything I had. The eyes of the people watching blankly began to widen.

Shock. Admiration. Surprise. Fear.

I wasn’t gaining any traits, but I could clearly feel their emotions.

“Hah...”

At last, my sword dance ended, and I drove the blade hard into the ground.

The look in their eyes had changed. Where I’d initially seen only curiosity, I now saw respect, a sense of how impressive I was, and a faint hint of fear.

My Awe trait had activated.

Everything had gone according to plan so far. An insane combo, opening with Curiosity and following up with Awe.

I’d successfully taken command of the clearing’s atmosphere.

The only potential complication was Choi Jiwon interfering... but she was watching with her arms folded, apparently still waiting to see how things played out.

Now, for the final step.

“Everyone... I can feel it.”

I picked up a fresh sword from the pile of weapons and pointed in the direction where the Minotaur would be sealed.

“Because I’m stronger than you, I can sense it. There’s an incredibly powerful enemy over there. It’s targeting us.”

Normally, people wouldn’t have believed me if I claimed I could sense a monster.

But thanks to the combined effects of Curiosity and Awe, they were overwhelmed by my presence.

“It... is targeting us. It’s sharpening its blade to harm humans. It’s coming for our blood!”

“U-uaaah...”

One man was so completely engrossed in my story that his legs gave out and he sank to the ground.

“But... it’s all right.”

Now it was time to reassure them. I tried to put on the most dashing smile I could manage.

“I will protect you.”

[The Hero trait’s effect activates!]

“I! Will be your shield!”

[The Hero trait’s effect activates!]

[The Hero trait’s effect activates!]

“So... please trust me.”

[The Hero trait’s effect activates!]

[The Hero trait’s effect activates!]

[The Hero trait’s effect activates!]

[The Hero trait’s effect activates!]

[The Hero trait’s effect activates!]

[The Hero trait’s effect activates!]

A parade of messages obscured my vision.

Yes. This was what I’d been aiming for.

A real enemy. And me, protecting people from that enemy.

The Hero trait could stack.

So... what if I fought while protecting everyone in this clearing?

I could stack the trait nearly two hundred times.

I could feel vitality flooding my entire body.

My body felt light. My muscles brimmed with strength. Right now, I felt as though I could make things I’d only imagined a reality.

Exhilaration. I felt exhilarated.

As I was now... I could do it.

I could crush the Minotaur!

“Now, everyone. Please follow me. We’re going to defeat the boss—”

CLANG!

“Hup...”

I barely deflected the sudden sword strike.

It was a blow of such blinding speed that I probably couldn’t have reacted without all those stacks of my trait.

There was only one person here who could launch an attack like that at me.

“... You. What are you?”

Choi Jiwon. She was the one who’d swung at me.

“Leaving aside where you learned that swordsmanship... what are you planning to do with all these people?”

She glared at me as though I were some cult leader.

“... You must feel it too. The monster’s presence.”

She nodded.

“Yes. I feel it too. But surely there’s no need to take everyone with you?”

“... It’s the effect of my trait. The more people I protect, the stronger I become. I’m not taking them along just to die with me.”

“... Protect them? You?”

She gave a short, derisive laugh.

“Ha... I’m sorry I misunderstood. And for speaking so rudely. But look at me properly.”

“...?”

“Look closely, and feel it.”

“...”

Instead of answering, I did as she said and looked straight at her.

Now that I was stronger, I could sense it. How stable her stance was. What her forward right foot meant. The significance of the way she held her sword.

And... just how strong she was.

“Yes. You’re strong. But you’re weaker than me. And that monster is stronger than I am.”

“...”

“If we joined forces, we might just barely win... but you want to take everyone here with you? Winning alone would be difficult enough, and you want to fight while protecting them? Do you even have the strength to do that?”

She was right.

Even with nearly two hundred stacks of Hero...

I was still two steps below Choi Jiwon.

The Minotaur was a formidable enemy that even Choi Jiwon couldn’t guarantee she could defeat.

There was no way I could defeat it unscathed under these circumstances.

“If you want to fight, go alone. Don’t drag these people into it.”

Her expression was rigid as she delivered that ultimatum.

“...”

The exhilaration that had made me feel as though I could fly plummeted into the abyss in an instant.

My plan had been to pile up an absurd number of Hero stacks and defeat the Minotaur in one fell swoop.

It had failed. Simply because I wasn’t strong enough.

But I had no way left to get stronger.

I’d obtained every trait I could and scraped together every possible achievement level. It wasn’t as though I could grind levels by killing goblins, either, so this had to be the limit of my growth.

This... was as far as I could go.

“...”

Should I give up?

After all that grinding, I still wasn’t capable enough.

It wouldn’t be so bad to just... save whoever I could and move on.

I didn’t have to save everyone.

“No. I’m not giving up.”

Think.

Use your head.

There had to be a way.

But the only combat trait I had... was Hero.

And I was already protecting everyone in this clearing.

There was no one else I could protect. In other words, there was no way for me to get stronger.

A good solution.

A way to get stronger.

A way to protect more people.

-Hero [C]

-In times of crisis, people think of you. You grow stronger when fighting to protect someone.

Someone. Wasn’t there anyone?

People? Someone?

“... There is.”

WHACK!

[You have taken damage.]

[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 0.]

* * *

A familiar enough place.

“Grrrrrr...”

The Minotaur glared, bound tightly by the seal.

“Krrk... cough, cough...”

A place where the Goblin Shaman coughed and struggled for breath.

I carefully sat cross-legged beside the Goblin Shaman.

“Krrk? Human... I smell a human...”

“Hi.”

I put my mouth to its ear and greeted it. The Goblin Shaman flinched at my voice, then opened its mouth wide.

“A human! A human is here! Human! He—”

In a previous run, it had said it needed my help and asked me to defeat the Minotaur.

But...

“Goblin Shaman. I need help.”

This time, I was the one who needed help.

A Word from the Author (Afterword)

Thank you for reading!

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