"Ugh... Bleh..."
I died.
Just now, I was 100% certain I was dead.
My ribs were shattered, my waist snapped, and one side of my vision turned blood-red as if my skull was crushed.
It was a mere fleeting moment, but the sensation still lingers vividly.
"Bleh..."
I had died. Truly, I had died.
Do those with the ability to regress upon death have to go through this repeatedly?
Why haven't they gone mad yet?
Can one ever get used to death?
Can someone accustomed to such a feeling still be called human?
The pain is one thing, but the instinctual repulsion is even stronger.
The despair of life fading away...
It's not something you can easily shake off.
"Choke... gasp..."
Yes, I suspected there was some mechanism in the plaza.
Logically, the plaza couldn't be a permanent safe zone.
I thought there was a time limit, and it turned out to be true.
In the form of a giant bull-headed monster attacking the plaza. I'll temporarily call it Minotaurus.
Typically, the monsters in the tower are named after mythical creatures.
The thudding sound must have been the Minotaurus charging, and the booming noise might have been it jumping.
If the voice that accompanied the boom was indeed Choi Ji-won's, she must have been trying to warn us in some way.
"Heave... heave..."
What matters is the fact that the Minotaurus attacked the plaza.
From Choi Ji-won's noble intent to protect the plaza where the weak gathered, she probably tried to stop the Minotaurus.
But seemingly failed.
Whether she let her guard down or made a mistake, it seems Choi Ji-won couldn't easily subdue the Minotaurus.
Even if I repeated the same actions and warned Choi Ji-won in advance, the outcome probably wouldn't change much.
I suspect the Minotaurus isn't a monster made to be defeated.
A kind of time limit, a mechanism to push people to their limits.
Because you could stay in the tutorial indefinitely, defeating weak monsters.
So, as I gathered the information from this round, I tried to catch my breath.
"Cough... cough... heave..."
"Hey there, hey~."
A cheerful and cute voice called out to me.
Wiping the vomit from my lips, I looked up.
"Hehe... You weren't listening, were you?"
The tutorial fairy was there, grinning with those grotesquely sharp teeth, drooling.
I quickly decided.
Slap!
[You have taken damage.]
[You will regress to the moment you first entered the 0th floor.]
"Damn, that was close..."
I almost had my head blown off.
Almost became a victim of the season 1 fairy.
Dying from the fairy's attack just because I couldn't recover from the aftermath of death?
It would have been the most stupid death ever. Almost became a dark chapter in my history.
"Hello! To all you humans wasting your lives, nice to meet you!"
This time, I attentively listened to the fairy's explanation.
I didn't even glance at Choi Ji-won, nor did I give any speeches.
My goal is beyond the thickets.
Since staying inside for a week would mean death, I must venture out, come what may.
Of course, there's still much to learn from Choi Ji-won, but I'm mentally exhausted now. I'll seek her out later.
Now, how to escape this dense thicket?
I picked up a large log and a wooden stick that I had previously seen.
One of humanity's advantages over animals is the ability to use tools.
"...sigh."
I decided to use humanity's age-old friend, 'fire'.
The method is simple.
Rub the stick against the log to create a spark, then set the thick underbrush on fire.
"Shall we go?"
It's time to explore the world beyond the thicket.
And so, 30 minutes passed.
[You have taken damage.]
[You will regress to the moment you first entered the 0th floor.]
"Damn..."
I regressed.
I made two major mistakes.
First, this place has a terrain similar to a jungle.
The weather is warm, slightly humid, and teeming with life. The dried-up log, even so, meant that it wasn't an environment where fire could easily catch.
And secondly,
While I was vigorously rubbing the wooden stick, Baek Da-hye approached and spoke to me.
"… Sniff. What are you doing?"
"… Trying to light a fire."
"Why?"
"To burn all these thickets."
"Don't you think that won't work?"
"Huh?"
The grass surrounding the plaza is lively and green, not dried reeds.
Baek Da-hye explained that it wouldn't catch fire easily.
Come to think of it, I remember hearing that wildfires usually occur in spring or winter, not often in summer.
"… Right."
It was my mistake to simply think of Pokémon type advantages.
Isn't it common for grass-type to be weak against fire-type?
Now I understand why they warn against game addiction on the news. I'm confusing games with reality.
Or maybe I'm just an idiot? Embarrassed by that thought, I slapped the back of my head hard and immediately regressed.
In the end, I had two options left.
First, throw myself into the thickets with clothes wrapped around me.
Second, try to cut the grass with the sword.
I chose the latter this time.
Even if Choi Ji-won judged me as below average, even a below-average idiot can cut grass, right?
I confidently picked up a sword and stood in front of the meadow.
I focused, concentrated on the tip of the sword.
Tensed every muscle in my body.
And slashed.
"… Hah!"
Swish!
With a crisp sound, the grass was neatly split up to my waist.
"… I did it."
I did it.
Finally, I did it.
How was it when I first swung the sword?
Instead of cutting, the grass just lay flat.
But now, I can at least cut the grass.
All that time under Choi Ji-won wasn't a waste.
I might not have felt it because I was comparing myself to the incredibly strong Choi Ji-won, but…
I was slowly getting stronger.
I clenched my fist with surging emotions.
"... Good job."
This step might seem insignificant at first glance, but for a regressor like me, it's a huge leap.
Just keep going, Jun-ho. You can do it.
Alright, motivational talk over.
It was time to face reality.
Although being able to cut the grass was a positive thing, two problems arose.
First, cutting the grass was damn exhausting.
As you might have figured from my detailed explanation, I had to focus and use all my strength just to cut it.
It consumes a tremendous amount of physical and mental energy.
If just cutting the length of a sword through the grass is this hard, I don't know where the end of this thicket is. It'll probably take a long time.
And the cut grass is only up to a bit below my waist.
Even though I tried to cut it as low as possible, it seems I can't go any lower.
Of course, even this is a significant achievement.
If I just wrap my lower body in clothing, I can pass through the thicket. Being able to easily carry a sword is a bonus.
But it also means I still have to wrap my lower body in clothing, which will significantly reduce my mobility.
Having to force my way through dense grass.
"… Sigh. But what can I do?"
I didn't have any other options, so I decided to continue cutting the grass.
What else can I do?
Get trampled by the Minotaurus again?
What followed was a tedious and long grind.
For clothing to wrap my lower body, I stole a jacket from an old man who was secretly digging.
Cut, rest, cut, rest.
I hate repetitive tasks the most, but as a regressor, repetition is like fate.
Sometimes, short-haired Baek Da-hye would talk to me.
"… Um, what are you doing?"
"Cutting the grass."
"Why?"
"I want to go outside the thicket, but I'm allergic to the grass."
"… I see."
We didn't have any particularly meaningful conversations.
After spending all day cutting grass, falling asleep from exhaustion, and waking up to cut more grass, I eventually ran into Choi Ji-won, who came back with food.
"… Eat this."
With a compassionate look, Choi Ji-won kindly threw me a bottle of water and a calorie bar. He probably thinks I'm crazy... but there's nothing I can do about it. It's something I can't explain.
I gratefully ate the food and continued cutting the grass.
Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.
Even after emptying a bottle of water, my throat felt parched again.
"Ker-luk! Ki-ee-ee-ek!"
A familiar cry echoed nearby.
While cutting the grass, I gently placed my dulled sword behind me and lightly gripped a new sword I had prepared in advance.
I've conducted enough practical tests by cutting the grass...
But isn't the real value of something known only when put to practical use?
"... Wa-ba-rat."
I muttered softly.
"Ki-ee-ee-ee-ee-ek!"
Two goblins sprang out from either side, targeting my neck.
Their filthy claws, flesh-filled teeth, and twitching eyes were all vividly clear.
"... Ah."
Is this how Choi Ji-won felt when she looked at me?
With the same stance I had while cutting the grass, I swung my sword swiftly.
Shwa-ak!
Green blood spurted out like a fountain celebrating my debut stage.
Two goblins, clueless about what just happened, clutched their throats and fell.
"Too slow."
Such lowly creatures were no longer a match for me.