episode_0048

48. Regression is Blocked?

Leaving behind the room that felt like it would drive me insane if I stayed any longer, a new environment appeared.

John’s pupils darted around, examining the surroundings.

‘Including Sarah, 4 people. Modern people.’

No sooner had he grasped the number of people than a bewildered voice was heard beside him.

“W-what is this!”

“Second floor? Is this the second floor?”

“······.”

John quickly scanned their faces and equipment, then rapidly came to a conclusion. Fragmentary thoughts drifted through his mind.

‘Glasses girl, obese man, sturdy man.’

Swish, swish, swish─

John slowly began to draw up his magic power. It was so subtle that only Sarah could barely notice.

He was waiting. If the trial of the second floor was some kind of kill-or-be-killed survival…

‘A preemptive strike is overwhelmingly advantageous. The moment the message appears, I’ll kill them all.’

It wasn’t much, but it was a thought made possible by having experienced killing on the first floor. Of course, he wanted to resolve things peacefully if possible. Killing doesn’t exactly evoke pleasant feelings.

Soon, a blue window appeared before him. Unlike the first floor, it seemed they were willing to give some hints.

[You have entered the 2nd floor.]

[I will now explain the trial.]

[The name of the trial is ‘Land Grab’.]

[The area the players are currently standing on is······]

Whether everyone received the same message or not, the boisterous atmosphere quickly subsided.

They were already people who had passed the tutorial and the first floor. They weren’t complete idiots.

The eyes of the people around John moved busily. But John had already fully grasped the explanation, thanks to his trait.

He mentally listed the key points of this trial one by one, in order to establish the principles of action on the second floor.

‘There are a total of 100 zones, 5 team members, and if you kill the team leader or occupy the opponent’s zone for 1 hour, you can acquire that zone.’

There were several other rules, but the most surprising item was one.

‘If you take damage that leads to death, the Tower moves you to a safe place? What is this······.’

Perhaps they introduced this rule to encourage aggressive offensives from the people. It was a rule that all players would welcome. But not for John.

Because he can experience death multiple times, while others only have one chance.

‘On this floor, the regression ability has become useless. The risk has become too great.’

It was the moment when John’s most deadly weapon was discarded. The only saving grace was that he had built up a sufficient gap on the first floor.

In any case, the game has begun. Rather than complaining about the established rules, it’s better to just move forward relentlessly towards victory.

That was something John was best at.

Then, the glasses girl dressed as a lancer cautiously said.

“But, by any chance, who is the team leader? I heard the Tower selects them based on the sum of ability scores and skill levels.”

“······.”

“······.”

Everyone glanced at each other at her words. A moment of silence swept over them, and John confidently stepped forward and opened his mouth.

He had no intention of hiding it in the first place.

It’s better to drive yourself than to entrust the steering wheel to someone you don’t even know.

“It’s me.”

“Oh, I kind of thought so. What’s your job, by any chance······?”

“I am a magic user.”

“Ah······.”

“······?”

The glasses girl seemed disappointed for some reason. John twitched his eyebrows. Was there something wrong?

“Why is that?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Haha······.”

The glasses girl mumbled. It was obvious that she was hiding something.

At that moment, the obese man next to her chimed in. He had a huge greatsword strapped to his back.

“If you’re a magic user, aren’t you just the type who sits in the back during waves and spams magic? I heard they were the easiest to get karma from.”

It was quite an aggressive tone, and John finally understood their feelings.

They seemed dissatisfied that a glass cannon with terrible close combat ability was the team leader.

He could have been upset, but he was actually pleased. This was much better than having crew members with no will.

“I understand. But, which city did you participate in the wave in?”

“Hmm? I did it in A-ri city, why?”

“I was in a city called Rau-din. It seems like we’re mixed from all over the place.”

“······What’s that supposed to mean?”

Doubt appeared on the man’s face. It was good that he realized a new fact, but why suddenly?

John said with a gentle smile. His eyes were staring straight at the man.

“Don’t speak carelessly about me when you don’t even know me well. I might be better at close combat than you, you know?”

“······Huh?”

Those were two words that pierced through their complaints. The man had a dumbfounded expression.

But that was only for a moment, and soon the corners of the man’s mouth twisted fiercely.

“Khehehe, it seems you’re not completely useless. Good. Let’s try to get along. My name is Kim Deok-soo.”

He said that while extending his thick right hand. John gladly took it.

“I look forward to working with you as well. My name is Shin John.”

“I was a bit harsh just now. It won’t happen again in the future. I swear.”

Starting with this, all five people introduced themselves.

They were a bit precarious until just now, but they quickly became united. After all, everyone’s goal was the same.

***

Thud- thud-

Trees to the left, trees to the right. Kim Deok-soo and the sturdy man were walking, crushing the soft soil.

Their purpose was to search for food and check the movements of other zones.

Suddenly, the sturdy man next to him opened his mouth.

“But hyung-nim, why were you like that earlier?”

“What are you talking about?”

The two of them had been comrades since the first floor. Perhaps the Tower had thrown them onto the second floor considering their relationship.

The team leader and the swordswoman next to him had come together as well. The only one who came alone was the glasses girl.

“That team leader, he didn’t seem very strong. Wouldn’t it be better if hyung-nim was the team leader?”

It wasn’t impossible. Even in the rules set by the Tower, the team leader could be changed once. Of course, it was impossible in a combat situation.

“······That’s what I’m saying. Why did I do that?”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know either, you idiot! Shut up and find something!”

“······Yes.”

Kim Deok-soo shouted for no reason and looked ahead again. That guy wouldn’t know. How bizarre the eyes of that team leader were.

‘Tsk, it’s definitely the eyes of a human who has killed. I can’t be fooled.’

He was different from the frail magic users he had met so far. If you asked what was different, he didn’t really know either.

Kim Deok-soo slyly opened his status window to check his trait.

[Cowardly Cat]

[You are very good at sensing danger.]

The moment he spoke to the team leader, a cat’s meow echoed fiercely in his head. It was the first time this had happened except when doing boss raids.

Even though he hadn’t even started a fight yet!

‘Tsk, well, it’s a good thing for me if the team leader is strong.’

Kim Deok-soo tried to shake off the ominous feeling and looked around. He was working so hard that the sturdy man gave him a curious look.

Regardless of what he said, Kim Deok-soo had already become a loyal follower of the team leader.

***

In the forest where the sun was already quite high in the sky, the 5 people who had met today were sitting around a sculpture made of roughly sewn-together firewood.

It was around noon now, but it was in preparation for when night fell later.

Suddenly, John touched the fruit that Kim Deok-soo had brought and said.

“Indeed, this trial is overly friendly. They even provide explanations for the food.”

A fruit that looked like it was half apple and half watermelon.

A blue window was floating in front of John’s eyes.

[Sasu Fruit]

[Delicious. Edible.]

[Calories: Low]

Crisp, refreshing juice tickled his mouth. Deok-soo had already eaten this fruit. There was no hesitation.

“······!”

At that moment, a slight feeling of fullness rose. To have this effect as soon as you eat it, it was indeed a fantastical fruit.

“Let’s talk while we eat. First, the area of the zone is estimated to be approximately 3km wide and 3km long.”

This was a fact that John had realized while walking around himself. It became even more certain after listening to the testimonies of others.

Kim Deok-soo chimed in.

“If you go all the way to the end over there, there’s a blurry barrier, so maybe going past there would be another zone. I haven’t gone past it yet.”

“Good job. Rash actions are dangerous.”

Starting with this, they began to combine the information they each obtained.

John watched them participating diligently in the discussion and thought.

‘They explored more diligently than I thought.’

Well, their lives are on the line.

Before long, no new information emerged between the conversations.

Soon, John opened a new topic.

“I’ve listened well. Now, I’ll explain our strategy for the future.”

“······.”

“······.”

Everyone listened attentively. They hadn’t built complete trust yet.

If he said something stupid, they would immediately replace the team leader.

“As soon as it gets dark, we will invade a new zone.”