Chapter 62 - The Regressor Loves Sweet Payback (4)

“Huff, huff, huff...”

I ran.

And ran.

And kept running.

I ran and ran down the narrow cave passage.

“Fuck, fuck... Gyeongjun! Do something!”

“Hah, hah, when, when is it going to work...”

“Huff, huff, well... It should be working... This is strange... I’m sorry...”

I kept urging Ahn Gyeongjun on, but all I got back were feeble laments.

“Grrrrrr!”

Behind us, that monstrous wolf had shrunk itself down and was chasing us like mad.

WHOOSH!

The monstrous wolf leaped at us, its snow-white fur blazing blue, perhaps from some technique it had used.

CLAAANG!!!

I timed my parry well enough to knock its fangs aside, but I was reaching my limit.

My arms were numb from blocking several attacks already, and I could barely breathe.

“Fucking hell...”

How...

How had things ended up like this...?

* * *

“Fuck...”

The sensation of my nose crunching as it broke was still vivid.

If my body had been in proper shape, I could have used my arms to regain my balance even as I pitched forward. But blocking the giant wolf’s ambush had momentarily paralyzed them, leaving me unable to do so.

Was dodging rather than blocking really the answer for me? If my stance had been even slightly off when I blocked that attack, I would have wrecked a wrist or shoulder, or broken a finger, and regressed immediately. I might have joined the ranks of superhumans, but the human body was still so fragile.

“Whew...”

I was briefly reviewing the fight, giving myself feedback on how I should have handled it, when...

“...”

A cold, sharp sensation simply wouldn’t go away. At first, I thought the wolf’s killing intent was still lingering... But something felt off, so I lowered the hands covering my face.

“... Hmm.”

When I opened my eyes, I met Kang Chan’s gaze. He was staring at me, expressionless.

Apparently, he’d heard me mutter, “Fuck...”

Had he... thought I was saying it to him? Actually, given the circumstances, how else could he take it?

“... Uh, that wasn’t directed at you...”

For a moment, I considered acting tough like some thug, but the cold look in Kang Chan’s eyes somehow reminded me of Choi Jiwon back in the tutorial, and I abandoned the idea.

Trying to get on his good side now would be more rational than snapping at him for no reason, getting punched, and regressing.

“... The others are waiting.”

Apparently accepting my apology, Kang Chan said only what he had to in his low, deep voice, then left the cave alcove I was in.

“...”

Kang Chan. Just as the descriptions of him online varied wildly, the man I met in person was impossible to pin down.

For starters, aside from YouTubers, I’d never seen anyone actually use the word “greenhorn” in real life. He was also absurdly taciturn, and always wore a blank expression, as if life were fleeting and everything were empty.

On top of that, he constantly gave off this faint pressure—or killing intent?—without a moment’s respite... What exactly did he see that kept him so guarded? Did he regress at the slightest scratch, like me?

“... Would I win if we fought?”

Deep down, I was curious about how strong Kang Chan was. For one thing, even his name sounded strong as fuck.

Judging by his well-trained muscles and his aura, he seemed like he might be on Choi Jiwon’s level... Well, I’d find out when I saw him fight the giant wolf.

I stood, brushed the dirt off my back, and walked out along the cave passage.

This time, I wouldn’t be caught by some ambush.

* * *

What followed was the same as the previous run.

We gathered and introduced ourselves, I put on a show of surprise when I heard Kang Chan’s name, and after opening the stone door and collecting our weapons, we walked endlessly through the narrow cave passages.

“...”

How long had we walked, dealing with goblins and bats along the way?

After a long trek, that familiar enormous cavern came into view in the distance.

“Whoa...!”

I jumped on the spot as though I’d suddenly sensed something. It was a little embarrassing, but I had no choice.

- Curiosity [A]

- Opposites naturally attract. People feel an inexplicable curiosity about you and instinctively take notice of you.

I intended to use my Curiosity trait here to make absolutely sure I had their attention.

“Ngh...”

I took a few hesitant steps back as if wary of something, even forcing out a drop of cold sweat.

My gaze stayed fixed on the ceiling.

That’s right.

“Something... I can sense something. It’s quite powerful...”

Suddenly saying, “Hey, I think a monster wolf’s gonna pop out of the ceiling here!” wouldn’t sound convincing, and I couldn’t reveal my Regression either.

So I’d settled for the next best option: pretending my keen instincts had detected the monstrous wolf ahead of time.

“First, if we use Mr. Ahn’s spear throw to strike before it does...”

Just as I was explaining, in a very roundabout way, that there was a monstrous wolf on the ceiling...

“Wait.”

Kang Chan interrupted me.

His face suddenly twisted into a deep scowl.

In an explosive surge, he began radiating insanely thick killing intent!

“?!”

Startled, I backed away from him.

Just how many people had this man killed? Every hair on my skin stood on end, and the stench of blood that couldn’t possibly be there filled my nose.

Feeling threatened, I drew my sword before I knew it. Dok Suhui, apparently startled as well, gripped a dagger in each hand.

“Uh, ah, no, no. He’s our teammate! Hold on!”

Ahn Gyeongjun was babbling nonsense at thin air as if he’d lost his mind.

But the killing intent that had filled the passage in an instant vanished just as quickly.

“... I’ll be back soon.”

Still scowling deeply, Kang Chan began retracing our steps.

“Uh, where are you...”

But Kang Chan didn’t answer.

He simply walked in silence, streams of killing intent pouring from his entire body.

“...”

“...”

Had he sensed something?

Should we follow him, or wait as he’d told us to?

The sudden turn of events seemed to have frozen my brain, leaving me standing there with my mouth hanging open.

“... Um, Junho.”

This time, Ahn Gyeongjun gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

“... Since you say we’re about to fight, there’s something I should tell you, even if it’s a bit late.”

“... What is it?”

“My ability... is beyond my control.”

“...”

What...

What was going on here...?

Spirit Possession.

A term for a supernatural being possessing a human or an object.

In real life, a shaman receiving a spirit and dancing on blades is an example of spirit possession. In fiction, it’s a technique mainly used by spirit mediums, shamans, and other ability users with an Eastern rather than a Western fantasy aesthetic.

“My trait is... ‘Spirit Possession.’ To be precise, the spirit attached to me right now is my trait, and I can voluntarily hand over control of my body...”

So, in a way, the awkward silence that followed Ahn Gyeongjun’s revelation that his trait was Spirit Possession was inevitable.

“Then... the reason you entered Floor 3-5, too...”

Dok Suhui asked cautiously.

“Yes... The spirit attached to me forced me to enter Floor 3-5... It threatened to keep me from sleeping for the rest of my life unless I chose the highest difficulty...”

Ahn Gyeongjun nodded weakly.

That explained it. I’d wondered what had brought someone as timid as Ahn Gyeongjun to the highest difficulty. It hadn’t been his own choice, but the will of the spirit attached to him.

“More importantly, what do you mean you can’t control it?”

“... First, the activation condition is that I have to feel my life is in danger.”

“...”

Had he stopped the possession when Kang Chan unleashed his killing intent earlier? I’d thought he was spouting nonsense at thin air, but apparently not.

According to Ahn Gyeongjun, the spirit attached to him was a master spearman. It was proficient not only at throwing spears, but at basic spear fighting as well.

“But having to feel that my life is in danger is already a pretty arbitrary condition, and there are problems even after the possession takes effect...”

The problem was that once he was possessed, he literally had no control. The spirit apparently wasn’t evil, since it did listen when Ahn Gyeongjun asked for something, but it had quite a willful personality.

Spirit Possession was strange in every respect: its activation, its effects, and even when it ended. I could understand why Ahn Gyeongjun was reluctant to activate his trait.

“So I’m a little hesitant to initiate a fight...”

“... But if we’re going to wait for Kang Chan before fighting, he really is taking his time...”

About thirty minutes had passed, yet there was no sign of Kang Chan returning. Were we supposed to keep waiting indefinitely, as Ahn Gyeongjun suggested?

“Um... But the spirit can cooperate to some extent, right?”

It was Dok Suhui who spoke up.

“Junho, why don’t the three of us give it a try? I’ve thought it over... I think we can do it with just us three.”

Dok Suhui took a dagger from inside her clothes and carefully explained her trait.

“I can’t speak for anything else... but I’m confident in my destructive power. In particular, I think my trait would work extremely well with Gyeongjun’s.”

Her trait was a real surprise, quite at odds with my first impression of her... But if what she said was true, defeating the monstrous wolf with just the three of us didn’t seem unreasonable.

“... The spirit says it thinks that should work, too...”

“... Then what the hell, let’s try it.”

Right. If things went to shit, I could just regress.

I steeled myself to take down the wolf with the other two.

“...”

The three of us slowly entered the cavern, then looked up to face the wolf lurking silently on the ceiling.

“Grrrr...”

Apparently realizing it had been spotted, the monstrous wolf descended from the ceiling and began to growl.

Even my skin prickled at the killing intent it radiated.

“... Let’s do this, Gyeongjun!”

But it was fine. With the three of us, this was an enemy we could definitely beat.

Dok Suhui held a dagger in a reverse grip in each hand, and I drew my sword from its sheath.

It was three against one... We’d be fine. With the three of us working together... we could win this...!

“Um...”

But Ahn Gyeongjun’s voice was far too quiet and timid for someone who was possessed.

“Why isn’t it working...? I’m really scared I’m going to die...”

Saying the possession wasn’t working, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“This... isn’t right...”

“...”

“...”

Dok Suhui and I stared blankly at Ahn Gyeongjun.

SLURP.

The instant the gigantic monstrous wolf flicked its tongue as if it had found a tasty snack...

“... Let’s run back the way we came for now.”

As if we’d planned it, all three of us began sprinting like mad back down the passage we’d come through.

A Word from the Author (Author’s Note)

Thank you for reading.

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