CH 6

Chapter 6: Ponytail Girl is too strong (2)   

Tutorial Stage

-Clear condition 1: Swallow the 'Golden Bead' hidden somewhere in the forest to proceed to the next stage. However, there are only 50 Golden Beads in existence.

-Clear condition 2: Defeat the boss, Goblin Shaman, to create a portal to the next stage.

"Everyone! I don't know whose trick this is, but in times of crisis like this, we must come together!”

"What's with that boy?"

"...I don't know."

Whispering voices could be heard. Yeah, it's understandable. They must be surprised.

However, I had already set the flow. Whether willingly or unwillingly, a mood was formed where people listened to what I had to say.

"The number of people gathered in this vacant lot is well over 50 even with a quick glance. It means that not everyone can proceed to the next stage by swallowing the golden bead… This tower is trying to divide us."

I continued my speech with clenched fists.

"But it is stated that a portal will be generated if we defeat the boss; it is a definite way for all of us to survive together. Although it won't be easy, considering it's a boss... if we join forces, we can definitely defeat it!"

I finished my speech passionately, to the extent that it worried me that blood would flow from my throat, causing me to regress.

The reaction from those who heard my grand speech was surprisingly consistent-

"What's this nonsense?"

"Idiot!"

-Complete disregard.

Although the reactions were the same, the reasons for them were divided into two.

The first group didn't even believe in the threat.

"Let's think realistically... Boss? Portal? Do you think this is fantasy? Just because there are status windows and fairies, does it mean we should believe their every word? Instead of wandering around aimlessly, let's stay in our positions and wait for rescue."

"But I did see something popping in front of my eyes just now..."

"Didn’t they secretly put lenses in our eyes or something? Are you going to believe everything that floats in front of your eyes?"

The firefighter who was admonishing the people around... was it Park Cheol-jin? Anyway, the old firefighter’s charisma hadn’t lessened a bit.

Since they haven't seen the goblins with their own eyes, it seems like they are denying that this place is inside the tower.

As this group couldn't accept the concept of monsters and tutorials from the beginning, my words must have sounded like nonsense.

And the second type-

"Join forces? Who would want that?"

"If we fight the boss, who will stand in the front? Will anyone agree to be cannon fodders?"

"That guy has never read webtoons, right? If we unite here, we're all doomed. Don't you know that we have to act selfishly to survive?"

-they had no intention of joining forces.

Their words were correct. 

The tower is a space of survival of the fittest, and selfless individuals are consumed by selfish ones.

Everyone is busy figuring out how to survive, so my idealistic talk probably made me look like an ignorant fool.

Consequently, no one came to my side.

"Sigh..."

I weakly sat back down.

After looking up at the sky for a while, I slowly buried my head in my arms.

Thanks to the plan going as expected, it was difficult to control the corners of my mouth.

But the question is…

Why am I suddenly doing something I haven't done in any of the previous regressions? It is to show myself as a man who has a sense of justice but can not do anything due to a lack of strength.

The first step for that is the proposal to join forces and defeat the boss.

Of course, I didn't say it thinking that it would be successful.

Unless they were incredibly foolish, no one would accept the proposal to go and defeat the boss right away.

They haven't even grasped how strong the ordinary ‘monsters’ are, and the people are beginners who have never touched a weapon in their lives. And with the violent nuance of the name ‘Goblin Shaman’ and the hopeful image of the name ‘Golden Bead,’ no one would want to take a risky path.

Moreover, there are only 50 beads. What if while wasting time trying to catch the boss, everyone else escapes using the golden beads?

It seems highly likely that they will suffer in vain and only waste their lives.

Any sane person would be inclined to go in search of beads. So, it is only natural that my proposal would fail.

However, even showing the failure to Ponytail Girl was part of the act.

Because I thought that the kind and somewhat foolish guy I imagined would act recklessly like this.

In other words, you can think of it as playing Captain America before gaining superpowers.

But what if the plan doesn’t work?

What if Ponytail Girl gets disgusted? 

So what, I'll just regress.

I have an infinite number of attempts, so there was no need to worry if I would fail or not.

Now, what should I do next?

What will that brave but stupid man do after his suggestion to unite and attack the boss was disregarded?

I pretended to be worried for about 30 minutes while waiting for enough time to pass.

"..."

This should be enough.

I got up unsteadily and slowly took a step forward.

The direction my steps were heading was the pile of weapons located in the center of the vacant lot. Among the scattered weapons that had become sparse after people had already picked for themselves, I grabbed a random sword.

My posture was deliberately idiotic. My foot position was strange, and my weight distribution was all over the place. The grip on the sword was also very uncomfortable.

The way I acted was like a complete beginner with a lack of common sense.

Taking a deep breath, I swung the sword with all my strength.

whoosh

Compared to Ponytail Girl's ‘whoosh!’ It was a sound that lacked power.

But as if it was enough, I slightly lowered my head and then moved my steps towards the thick grass.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps…

Stop me. Stop me quickly. If I enter the grass, I might accidentally regress.

I was pretending to be calm, but as the grass got closer, my heart felt like it was about to burst.

Finally, the moment I was about to step into the grass.

"Wait."

Ponytail Girl blocked my path.

"You... What are you going to do?"

The fish had taken the bait.

.

.

.

.

"You... What are you going to do?"

Choi Ji-won, the woman whom Kim Jun-ho arbitrarily named Ponytail Girl, was currently very annoyed. The reason was simple.

"...Yes?"

It was because of the man in front of her who casually answered.

As soon as the 'Notice' appeared, he was talking about joining forces and going to defeat the boss.

And when no one responded and he got discouraged, she could endure it and still stuck to her corner.

However, she couldn't just stand there and watch as he decisively raised his sword and walked leisurely.

"What were you planning to do with that sword?"

Looking at the sword in his hand, the man gave an embarrassed smile.

"I… was planning to go and defeat the boss."

"Alone?"

"The name is Goblin Shaman, right? Who knows if it's unexpectedly weak? After all, it's still a goblin."

The reasoning the man revealed behind his decision was exactly as Choi Ji-won had imagined.

This fool had recklessly decided to go and defeat the boss alone, even if it meant putting his life at risk.

It's just a meaningless death. Does he not know that?

I don't like it.

An unnecessary irritation surged within her.

‘...Ji-won, let's just let him go. You can't save everyone. Just by choosing to protect this empty lot, you've done your duty.’

But her cherished sword, ‘Boong Boong,’ opposed her. 

Its name was somewhat childish - a result of inheriting the sword at the age of seven.

Some might wonder why a sword was speaking here all of a sudden.

The reason was simple. 

It was one of the traits that Choi Ji-won possessed.

Divine Sword Union [SSS]

-The state where a person becomes a sword, and a sword becomes a person. To humans, it grants the sharpness and strength of a sword, and to the sword, it grants the wisdom of a human.  

When people talk about ‘Sword Union,’ it usually refers to a term used in martial arts novels when someone can freely manipulate a sword as if it were a part of their body. However, Choi Ji-won's case was a bit different.

Literally, the sword became a part of her. And not just as an object, but with its own consciousness.

Choi Ji-won could feel what the sword felt. And the sword could also feel what Choi Ji-won felt.

Truly, it was a Divine Sword Union. They became closer to each other's essence and became one.

The sharpening of the senses and increased strength were all due to this unique trait.

The reason she recognized Kim Jun-ho's acting the first time he asked her to teach him was also because the sword had informed her.

‘He may be a good person. But there are many good people. You can't save everyone… Right now, getting accustomed to your changed physical abilities is a priority. You haven't fully adapted yet, have you?’

As if understanding what Choi Ji-won was thinking, her sword Boong Boong tried to persuade her.

Rationally, Choi Ji-won acknowledged that Boong Boong was right.

Thanks to the 'union', Choi Ji-won's physical abilities had skyrocketed, but she was yet to get used to her new body.

That meant she couldn't freely manipulate her body, and a significant portion of her power could not be used.

That wasn't all.

Thanks to the effect of her abilities, she could sense a ridiculously powerful monster in the distance.

If that was the ‘boss,’ Choi Ji-won too would have to give up defeating it and go in search of the Golden Orb.

But-

"You... You might die doing that."

"Haha... I’ll be fine. Probably."

-If she escaped like that, what would she do with this man who was smiling in front of her eyes?

Is he thoughtless or excessively brave?

Because someone kept appearing to overlap with him, her heart felt unusually uncomfortable.

‘...Sigh. You've made up your mind.’

Boong Boong let out a sigh. Since it could read Choi Ji-Won's thoughts, it must have noticed what she was just thinking.

"...Sword."

"Yes?"

"I'll teach you for a little while. Follow me."

It was just a whim. It was mere hypocrisy caused by her uncomfortable feelings - something like a momentary kindness, like tossing a penny to a beggar on the street.

But even such a momentary kindness-

"...Really? You're going to teach me swordsmanship?"

-For some, could be the greatest act of kindness they received in their lifetime.

– – – End of Chapter – – –