Chapter 8: 2nd Floor – Base: Kingdom of Calibarium (2)

“I’m truly glad you two made it out alive. When I heard there were only two transferrees, I honestly thought no one would survive this time. Never imagined you’d break the record and clear it fastest.”

Inside the carriage heading toward the guild.

I gave the guildmaster a polite smile in response to her light-hearted chatter.

“We were just lucky.”

“It takes more than luck to clear the tutorial. I’m sure both of you possess incredible potential.”

It was flattery—barely trying not to sound like it—but I let out a small laugh.

Potential, huh. 

Thinking about it, she wasn’t exactly wrong. 

One of us awakened an unprecedented ability called [Infinite Regression] the moment he transferred, and the other had enough magical talent to split an Outer God’s body apart.

Between the two, if you asked who was more impressive… 

Honestly, it was me. 

That’s just a 100% objective fact.

Among all the transferrees who arrived at the Tower, only a tiny fraction ever awakened a proper ability. 

And when I say tiny, I mean really tiny—this wasn’t like those web novels where suddenly a whole army of overpowered people shows up in the late game. 

Even after countless regressions, I’d only seen maybe five such individuals.

Compared to [Infinite Regression], their abilities weren’t all that mind-blowing. 

Not weak either, so I did bring a few of them into my guild.

‘I need to recruit them again this time too.’

Above all, I had to find the guy who got the [Chatting] ability. 

The difference he made in communication was night and day. 

His personal combat power was garbage, but the value of his skill alone made him worth bringing in.

“Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Inoue Misaki, Guildmaster of Crow Guild.”

“Baek Siyoon.”

“Oh, you’re Korean? It’s been a while since I’ve met someone else from Earth. As you can guess from my name, I’m from Japan.”

Misaki smiled brightly and held out her hand. 

I returned the smile and shook it.

Strictly speaking, she and I weren’t from the same Earth. 

Sure, we were both from a planet called “Earth,” but I and Yuhana came from “Earth-001,” and Misaki came from “Earth-031.” In other words, a parallel world.

Her Earth was surprisingly weird—Korea was unified, China hadn’t splintered into city-states, and the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union had lasted over a hundred years. 

They even had awakened beings called “Hunters,” just like in web novels.

I learned all this when I worked under her guild, training new transferrees.

Not that it really mattered much.

“And the lady beside you—may I ask your name?”

“Y-Yuhana. Uh, but… um, how long do you plan on holding my hand…?”

“Oh, my apologies. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Are you two perhaps a couple?”

“P-please be careful with things like that…”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

Misaki gave a respectful nod. 

Yuhana didn’t deny that we were a couple—not even once.

Clever little thing.

***

The Crow Guild was located right in the center of the city. 

From the outside, it looked like one of those classic mansions you’d see in fantasy novels.

Which is to say, it was ridiculously huge. 

The blue-and-white plastered exterior screamed “extravagant waste of money” with just a whiff of elegance thrown in.

“This way, please.”

We got off the carriage and followed Misaki into the mansion. 

A grand lobby greeted us, and staff in uniforms—of various races—hurried over the moment they spotted her.

“Welcome back, Guildmaster.”

The tall, good-looking man leading the group bowed his head to Misaki.

I remembered him. 

His name was Ska. 

A loyal subordinate and vice-guildmaster who’d been transferred alongside Misaki and served her until death.

He was one of those whose power naturally faded as I rose to a leadership position within the Crow Guild. 

The man had no knack for politics, and he couldn’t hold a candle to my silver tongue after years of political maneuvering.

“I don’t like you. 

But I’ll admit you’re competent.”

He once said that to me—right in front of everyone. 

Misaki had to pull him aside afterward to scold him. 

The other execs all took my side and badmouthed him.

But honestly, I didn’t dislike Ska. 

After going through countless betrayals in my regressions, his dogged loyalty was actually refreshing. 

Misaki seemed to feel the same—she looked at him with complete trust and gave a small nod.

“I’m back. These two are the transferrees from this term.”

“…Only two? Have the others not been rescued yet?”

“No, these two are all there are this term.”

“I see.”

Ska gave us a once-over, then nodded in understanding. 

Then, he narrowed his eyes, looking straight at me.

“…Dead eyes. And your aura’s unnerving. 

Were you perhaps a hitman before transferring here?”

Sharp as always—he seemed to sense the storms I’d weathered in life just by looking at my face. I chuckled lightly and shook my head.

“Just a regular student.”

“…I see.”

There wasn’t a single lie in that answer, yet Ska stepped back with a vaguely dissatisfied look.

Then he turned to Misaki and spoke—

“Would it be alright if I showed you around?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

He gave a slight nod to Misaki, then stepped aside and gestured for us to follow.

After walking down a lavish corridor behind him, Yu Hana and I were led into a room that looked a bit like a classroom.

“Please, have a seat.”

Ska took his place at the lectern. 

I sat beside Yu Hana and attentively listened to our teacher Ska.

“I am Ska, Vice Guildmaster of the Crow Guild. 

Congratulations on completing the tutorial. 

You are now officially qualified to climb the Tower. 

I assume you’ve already seen the notification window.”

“……”

“Our Crow Guild takes on the responsibility of educating newly qualified Transferred. Since the training varies by gender, the two of you will be separated for a while. But don’t worry—you’ll be able to meet again after a week of basic training.”

As soon as Ska finished speaking, Yu Hana leaned toward me and whispered,

“You were right, Oppa. About everything.”

“Told you.”

“Please refrain from speaking.”

Ska tapped the lectern with his palm.

“For today, there won’t be any training. Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin proper lectures, practical training, and aptitude assessments. We’ll assign you lodging, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Ooh…”

“If you don’t plan to attend the training, please let us know by the end of the day. In that case, meals and accommodations will not be provided, so we would appreciate your early decision.”

With that, Ska gave us what he believed was his gentlest smile.

“That will be all for today. You’re free to explore the guild facilities—aside from the restricted areas, of course.”

“You’re surprisingly generous. Technically speaking, we’re outsiders.”

I asked.

“Once you’ve entered the Tower, we’re all outsiders. And not by choice. As you’ll learn during the education program, to the locals of this world, we’re complete strangers. Even among fellow Transferred, we often come from such different backgrounds that conflict is common.”

“……”

“That’s why—even at the very beginning of the Tower—we try to foster a sense of unity. A haven for those invited to this foreign world. That’s what we hope to be. Of course, it’s not paradise. We dreamed of a place where everyone could be happy, but not everyone was kind, and reality was far harsher.”

He gave a bitter smile and tilted his head back, as if recalling a distant past.

“A home for those like us. A place we can always return to. That’s what Misaki dreamed of, and I was moved by it. And… before I knew it, I found myself standing here.”

“Are you satisfied?”

Ask a predictable question, and you get a predictable answer.

A so-called sanctuary, open to everyone, but only truly accessible to those who dedicate themselves to this guild.

“About halfway.”

And so, their dream would only ever be half-fulfilled.

The Crow Guild is, at its core, a benevolent one. 

They don’t pick fights with other guilds and treat both Transferred and locals with kindness. 

Because of that, there’s no guild stronger than the Crow Guild on the second floor—militarily or politically.

I could say that because I used to be part of this guild.

It was all in the past now. 

A memoir of a regressor—one only I remembered.

To these people, I was a stranger, a new face they’d just met today. 

They knew nothing of what had happened in other timelines.

There was a time when that reality overwhelmed me. 

The more cycles I went through, the harder it became to pretend I was meeting people for the first time. 

Eventually, I broke down completely.

Looking back now, it was a truly embarrassing chapter of my life.

I acted like no one understood my loneliness, pushed away anyone who came close, but still clung to that same loneliness like a lifeline. I was an idiot.

Now that I’ve let go of a lot, I’m much more at peace. 

But in the past—back when I still had a bad case of “I must save the world” syndrome—I was carrying way too much.

The greatest enemy of a regressor isn’t some overwhelming evil. It’s yourself.

You’re constantly locked in a tug-of-war with your own sanity, forced to manage your mental state, protect the people around you, and carry the weight of saving the world all at once.

If the world were a heroine, I’d have long since heard, “Hi, I’m God. I love you.”

If the world truly appreciated my efforts, maybe that would’ve happened.

But that never did—and my mind was worn down to tatters. 

That’s why I came to the Crow Guild, partly in resignation, partly because I just needed a break.

And through that break, I learned what it meant to have a family. 

I figured out how to run a guild properly, which I’d always done on a whim before. 

I learned what kind of relationships to build with guildmates.

Even in the timelines I gave up on, I found great insight. 

So personally, I felt thankful to the Crow Guild.

If this were 70 regressions ago, I probably would’ve stayed here for good. 

Or at least done everything I could to maintain ties with them.

But after being worn down through countless cycles, my jaded regressor’s heart preferred a brutal, speed-run style regression guild over a warm and fuzzy one.

So I went straight to Misaki and told her I wouldn’t be participating in the training.

Because I needed to start climbing as soon as possible—and that meant collecting the hidden treasures on the second floor quickly. 

I had zero intention of wasting days, weeks, months, or even years trying to win their favor.

We climb.

Upward!

“Are you really sure about this?”

Of course, Misaki tried to stop me.

She gave a condensed lecture on the Tower’s ecosystem and its various quirks, making a passionate case for why training was necessary. 

As always, my response was unwavering:

“I’ll be fine.”

A firm, unshakable attitude. 

I made it crystal clear—through every fiber of my being—that I wasn’t changing my mind. 

Misaki could only sigh deeply and let me go.

And just like that, I was free.

Here, “free” meant I was a penniless bum with nothing but the clothes on my back.

But come on—who do you think I am? 

I’m a regressor who knows the exact locations of every coin and bill abandoned in the streets, just lying in wait for someone like me. 

Just picking those up would easily get me through the week.

See you in a week, Hana.

I grinned as I picked up a silver coin stashed beneath a dusty bench tucked away in a corner.

Treasure hunting begins.

A week passed.

At the city square, the designated meeting spot, I finally reunited with Yu Hana. 

The moment she saw me, her eyes widened in shock and she sprinted over.

“W-Wait, huh?! What happened to you?! Why are you so filthy? Did you roll through a mud puddle or something?!”

Looking down at her panicked expression, I offered a wise and gentle smile.

“So much happened, Hana. I’ve been through hell.”