CH 13

Chapter 13: The Regressor is Quite Strong (4)

A group of goblins followed him in perfect order.

When the scrawny man made an incomprehensible gesture, the goblin group nodded and hid their bodies in the nearby bushes.

"Wow..."

Maybe because their bodies were green, even I couldn't see them, who knew where they hid themselves.

In fact, the goblins were not usually visible even inside the thicket surrounding the vacant lot. I was only able to locate their positions thanks to the ‘Kerruk! Kerruruk!’ sounds they made.

However, these goblins were not making any sound at all, perhaps due to the influence of the scrawny man's trait.

They were not enemies that could be compared to the level of an ordinary person who had been summoned to the tower for less than three days.

"Hmm..."

Given the circumstances, I had several choices, and I had to choose as carefully as possible because the cost of a wrong choice was three days of torment.

-The possible choices were... First, I could reverse the situation and snatch the golden beads for myself.

Even if I didn't swallow the beads right away, just possessing them would be useful.

I could use it for trade with other survivors, or use it as bait... the possibilities were endless.

However, in that case, I would have to face not only the party led by the man wearing glasses but also the bullies and the goblins.

I still didn't know how strong those guys were, but considering that I couldn't afford to let them land even a single blow, the difficulty would be extremely high.

There was also the fact that I had to deal with all of them before Choi Ji-won arrived.

-And the second option was-I could help the group of survivors first and gather information.

These people had spent three days outside the vacant lot, and I knew nothing about what was outside.

If I dealt with the bullies and built a friendly relationship, I would be able to obtain useful information.

The fact that I could impress Choi Ji-won if she saw it was a bonus.

"Hmm..."

No matter how much I thought about it, the latter option seemed better. If I met someone desperately searching for the golden bead later on, I could attempt the former option in the next regression... but for now, the bead had no merit for me.

Since I had the ability to return, I’d feel comfortable going to the next floor only when I took everything I could from the tutorial. So, gathering information was a must for me.

"Hey, guys, what's over there? Can you come to take a look for a moment?"

While I was contemplating, the scrawny man asked others to come near the goblins.

"What is it? Let me take a look too."

The blonde bully walked ahead, swaying from side to side.

The bespectacled man hesitated for a moment, then cautiously followed behind him.

Although it was suspicious, they both seemed unaware of their surroundings and were showing their backs, making it easy for me to catch them off-guard.

Thinking about it, now was a good time for me to step forward. 

I quietly got up from my seat, being careful not to make any noise.

Although my muscles felt a bit stiff from lying down, it should be fine.

I tightly gripped the sword with both hands.

"Hup!"

I began to sprint toward the blonde bully.

Why was I targeting him instead of the goblins? Because from my perspective, he was much more threatening.

I didn't know how powerful his 'Psychokinesis' was, but it seemed extremely difficult to block.

In gaming terms, it would be like an unblockable skill. 

It's the ability I should be most cautious of, as I can't afford to get hit.

The distance between the bully and me was about 10 meters - A distance that can be covered in about 2 seconds.

I targeted the back of his neck, as he seemed a little distracted.

I had to cut cleanly in one strike, just like I did with the goblins. 

Phew, I can do it.

There were 5 meters left. All my senses were sharp. The back of his neck looked unusually close.

Like this, if I just swung the sword...

"Kyaaaaa!"

A woman suddenly screamed as if she had finally found me.

Damn it. I wanted to explain that I came to help... but from her perspective, I was just another villain targeting the person from their group.

"...Ugh!"

Startled, I sprained my ankle a little.

Although I could not regain my balance instantly, it didn't slow down my speed much.

"...Huh?"

The blonde bully turned his head towards me.

There were only 2 meters left.

"..."

"..."

Our eyes met.

Other than him and me, it felt like the world had slowed down.

I could read the joy starting to fade and the confusion beginning to emerge in his eyes.

His expression slowly contorted as he read something in my eyes, but it didn't matter what he saw. I'll just cut him as it is.

Chills.

The hair on the back of my neck suddenly stood on end. It's ominous. Really ominous.

In my frantic search for the cause of this ominous feeling, my gaze found the blonde bully’s right hand extended toward me.

His hand seemed to be gripping something tightly, slowly closing in.

Psychic power.

If I'm hit, I'll regress. I have to avoid it.

But how?

Psychic powers are usually instantaneous.

It's no different from trying to dodge a bullet. It's impossible for a human body.

"..."

No. I can dodge it.

If I can anticipate where he's targeting, it's not an impossible task.

My gaze once again turned towards his face.

His eyes, with the intent to kill, were clearly aimed at my throat.

Before I could even organize my thoughts, I instinctively crouched down on the ground.

My field of vision rapidly decreased.

Swish!

With a strange sound above my head, I felt something brush against my hair.

I dodged it.

But if I wasted more time, I would surely be hit the next time.

After gathering strength in my crouched legs, I pushed up with all my might.

Swish!

I felt the familiar sensation in my hand; The feeling of cutting through goblins… something I experienced dozens of times.

"...Eh?"

It was a pure interrogative statement coming from the blonde bully. That was his final word.

The red line starting from his right shoulder and extending to his left liver had now begun to separate.

Sprutttttttt!!!

He collapsed, spewing a fountain of blood.

"..."

I wiped off the blood that had splattered on my face with my sleeve.

The shock of my first kill wasn't as big as I had anticipated.

Actually, it might be because I hadn't fully awakened from my sleep. I was tired.

I still felt a slight sense of disgust emerging in my heart... I didn't show it outwardly though.

Is it fortunate that I didn't get too emotional, or do I have to be sad because I'm becoming a madman worthy of being called a tower regressor?

Well, it's not a problem that will have an answer no matter how much I ponder on it.

Rather than indulging in unnecessary thoughts, it would be better to focus on productive thinking.

Aside from the victory in my first battle, there was something I needed to do right away.

This place was in the middle of the bushes, where the goblins hid themselves.

If the goblins were to attack with their spears all at once, the possibility of taking a hit was very high.

In other words, the target to aim for was the scrawny man controlling the goblins.

Just as I was about to reassume a combat stance...

"Ah... Surrender! I surrender! Spare my life, please!"

The scrawny man prostrated himself on the ground.

“Keruk! Kerr!”

The goblins, who had been cautiously watching everything unfold, also emerged from the bushes and assumed a submissive posture beside the scrawny man.

"...?"

It was the first time I'd ever seen humans and goblins joining forces to create such a posture.

This… How should I accept this?

.

.

.

.

‘I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die.’

The scrawny man, Park Jun-woo, had to do his best not to wet himself.

He boasted of having seen enough crazy bastards who engage in bizarre acts when drunk, as he himself came from such a background.

The words ‘I'm going to kill you’ felt like a refreshing greeting to him by now.

But that man... was different.

"...Why surrender?"

The blood-drenched man twisted his head as if he couldn't understand.

It was not the first time Park Jun-woo witnessed a murder. 

The Tower is a brutal place, and when conflicts arise, it's only natural for someone to die.

But someone like him... He had never seen anyone like that before.

Park Jun-woo recognized the blonde bully’s strength, who was split in half and died; He effortlessly defeated quite powerful monsters using psychic powers, targeting their vital points.

But to kill such a man without any special ability... in an instant... purely with a sword?

It's only been three days since people entered the Tower.

But that man... As if he had killed people dozens of times… he calmly and familiarly took human lives.

How could a modern man use a sword so skillfully?

What could be a modern man's reason to exude such a deep aura?

The man's past was sure to be reeking of blood in a way that Park Jun-woo could never imagine.

"...I'll do anything. If I have to lick the soles of your shoes, I'll do it. Please, just spare my life..."

Park Jun-woo was on his knees, vigorously begging for his life.

In truth, if Kim Jun-ho and the blonde bully were to face each other head-on, Kim Jun-ho's chances of winning were much lower.

Even if he managed to read the opponent's gaze a couple of times and dodge their attacks, he could never avoid psychic powers indefinitely.

Psychic powers were basically kryptonite for Kim Jun-ho, who would regress upon the slightest touch.

The current outcome was the result of Kim Jun-ho successfully ambushing his opponent. If Park Jun-woo had regained his senses and unleashed his power with the help of goblins now, there was a high probability he could have made Kim Jun-ho regress, but...

"Please... spare me..."

The fact that this modern man was surprisingly skilled with a real sword and seemed accustomed to murder. (It's his first time.)

The fact that he stared at Park Jun-woo expressionlessly. (He's just tired.)

And the fact that Park Jun-woo didn't know Kim Jun-ho could be defeated with just one strike...

Various factors came together, leading to Park Jun-woo's complete surrender.

"Well, I guess it's not so bad for me..."

And the result, intertwined with misunderstandings and coincidences...

A special trait can be acquired.

…gave birth to new possibilities.