Chapter 38: Rapid Changes on Earth (3)

Chapter 38: Rapid Changes on Earth (3)

One might think my claim—that humanity would self-destruct within a mere decade—is an exaggeration.

However, the reason I think this way is because there are mainly two types of people who are passionately climbing the Tower right now.

Either heroes who risk their lives for the sake of humanity out of a sense of duty, or lunatics who can risk their lives without a second thought simply to become stronger.

The problem lies with the lunatics.Upstodatee from n(0)/ve/lbIn/.(co/m

They are likely growing by leaps and bounds as they fervently ascend the Tower.

Even at this moment, I could probably win a gold medal if I participated in the Olympics. But what if a year goes by, or five years, or ten?

What if immense power that can part the sea and level mountains ends up in the hands of a madman?

What if a lunatic, who could destroy Earth ‘just for fun,’ emerges?

Humanity wouldn’t stand a chance.

That’s why I think humanity will be doomed in 10 years.

It’s the same reason why modern political systems distribute power in fragmented pieces here and there.

Power that is consolidated is strong, but it’s also unstable. Everything would be reliant on that one individual who wields the power, after all.

In the end, the task at hand is simple.

Climb the Tower as quickly as possible. Conquer this Tower before people become too powerful. And prevent the Earth from being destroyed as someone’s twisted joke.

But first, I decided to wait for about another month to observe how things would unfold.

『 U.S. Government Officially Recommends Climbing to the 2nd Floor... ‘Internal Investigation of Survival Rate Proves It’s Not Dangerous.’ 』

It seems that the floor embargo might apply to players as well, as I was unable to access information about the 2nd floor. Probably because I’m still lingering on the 1st floor.

All I could learn was that it was ‘relatively safe.’

『 ‘Tower’ Items: The Future Resource for Humanity? Global Corporations Begin Investigations. 』

Since it was revealed that items could be brought back from the Tower, countries started to systematically support Tower expeditions.

They also began to craft hero narratives around native players who showed visible achievements.

『 U.S. Government Launches Player Association... Inaugural Chairman is ‘Mighty Michael’ Michael Jeter. 』

The United States was the first to take action.

They churned out special legislation at an impressively rapid pace, as if they had been preparing in advance.

They also created a ‘Player Association’ to officially support players. But the “support” mostly consisted of connecting them with special forces instructors, promoting them as national heroes, and providing generous financial backing.

Though players who have reached the first floor might not see much benefit in this... it was surprisingly effective.

Of course, Players could lead materially abundant lives on the first floor, but... As is always the case with humans, they were not alone...

『 High-Grade Potion Auctioned for 2 Billion Dollars in New York. 』

...For their families, for their friends, for their lovers, or because they aspired to be heroes—the number of people registering with the Player Association continued to grow day by day.

『 Korean Government Awards Player Choi Ji-won Presidential Commendation... First in the Country to Successfully Climb to the 10th Floor. 』

Another familiar name appeared in the Korean news.

Choi Ji-won. Given that she’s an incredible overachiever, her rising prominence seemed inevitable.

The media even took the opportunity to put her father back in the spotlight.

The reason governments around the world were elevating heroes was simple—To placate an enraged public, visible achievements were needed.

They needed something to show that the government was taking action.

The politicians chose players as that symbol.

『 China Announces World’s First Successful Climb to the 20th Floor. Credibility Low. 』

In the current situation, there was no way to verify how far anyone had actually climbed.

Society had not improved. Incidents of crimes by Players hadn’t decreased. But thanks to the existence of these heroes, the people could see a glimmer of light.

Of course, if I set my mind to it, I could regress and find myself right beside Choi Ji-won. No, eventually, I could even become the world’s best player and monopolize wealth and fame.

But there was a reason I chose not to.

It might seem out of the blue, but survivors of the tutorial, officially called ‘players,’ wanted to share their stories.

Those who had gone through extreme experiences had been mentally drained, and they found solace in sharing their stories.

I’m aiming for a relationship where we know each other, but aren’t overly close. A relationship that won’t mess with my mental state.

I believe that if they are genuinely good heroes climbing the tower, they will help me out knowingly or unknowingly, even if they don’t know about what I’ve done.

Once they conquer the tower and get their rewards, I should be able to claim a spot by their side.

To put it in a nutshell... I plan to ascend the tower as quickly and secretly as possible.

And there was one prerequisite for achieving my goal.

Increasing my strength.

I must become as strong as possible. And I must ascend the tower as quickly as possible.

After scanning the news to cram information into my head, I slammed the back of my hand with a strong fist.

You’ve been injured. Regressing to the moment you first entered the 1st floor.

***

“Ah, it’s a bit disorienting since it’s been a while.”

Is this my first regression in two months?

In truth, I had been extremely cautious during this period, wary of accidentally triggering a regression.

I had not only put up mosquito nets for fear of mosquito bites, but I had also padded my hard furniture with foam.

I was able to safely endure two months, but experiencing this sensation again felt incredibly unfamiliar.

‘But I’ll have to get used to it.’

I intend to exploit this ability to the fullest from now on.

“Shall we begin?”

The current moment is right when I entered the 1st floor—To be precise, the instant I received the Berserker’s Pill from the angel and entered the 1st floor without being able to injure myself.

I wasted no time and took the ‘Berserker’s Pill’ I was holding.

Your Strength stat has increased by 10!

A warm energy surged deep within my body. Sweat beads formed on the surface of my skin.

Yet the stat window, only revealing a message of increased stat, continued to keep its details hidden.

You elusive little thing. Planning to hide until the very end, are you?

But that’s okay. What matters is that my stats have increased, even if I can’t see them.

I slammed the back of my hand once more.

You’ve been injured. Regressing to the moment you first entered the 1st floor.

***

Once again, I looked down at the ‘Berserker’s Pill’ in my hand.

There was a reason why I didn’t immediately swallow it after I received it from the angel.

For an Infinite Regressor like me, such pills are more precious than anything else. If you know their location, you can consume them repeatedly.

A senior Regressor I know, Mr. Baek, always starts his regressions by first collecting elixirs hidden in sacred mountains.

Of course, I can’t infinitely increase my Strength stat through this pill... but that’s okay.

The mere fact that I can increase my strength up to its current possible limit will bring enormous benefits.

Gulp!

I swallowed the ‘Berserker’s Pill’ immediately.

From now on, there won’t be a place where I’ll be outmatched in terms of strength. A face-to-face confrontation? I’ll overcome them all with overwhelming power.

As I was envisioning such a rosy future and reviewing my plans...

“...Cough!”

Something wriggled in my throat.

Even though I had swallowed it, the ‘Berserker’s Pill’ seemed to come back to life and jump back out from my esophagus.

Unique items cannot be consumed repeatedly.

“...Ha.”

I let out a sigh of disappointment as I read the message that appeared before my eyes.

God, you...

You blocked this, huh...

– – – End of Chapter – – -

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