"I admit it. I was careless.
She's a woman with sharp senses.
A kind woman who shares her food with strangers she's never met before.
It would've been reasonable to consider the possibility that she might rush to the scene upon hearing a scream.
If I had known, I wouldn't have hesitated; I would've jumped right in, maybe bought some time.
Could've gained some favor from Choi Ji-won, gathered information from the woman in distress.
I missed a two-birds-with-one-stone opportunity.
"... It's okay, it's okay."
But it's fine.
Why?
Because I'm a regressor. I can go back. No big deal.
If I can bear the tedium of three days... I can recreate the same situation.
The thought of slashing through the grass again is already irking me, but who can I blame?
It was my mistake that caused the regression.
Oh, right. I had something to check upon regressing.
"Status Window."
[Name: Kim Jun-ho] [LV: 3]
[Trait]
- Regression [EX]
"What?"
I've just regressed, but my level is 3. This proves my hypothesis that the level remains even after regression, but...
"Why 3?"
I can't fathom why it's 3 and not 2.
The last time I checked, I was level 2, and after that, I didn't kill any goblins.
So why did my level increase? There's no reason for it.
Perhaps my experience was teetering on the edge of level 2, and killing a few goblins filled it up, but...
Intuitively, I felt that wasn't it. There must be another reason.
If I'm curious, what can I do?
It's just more grind.
Damn it.
In the past, Siddhartha endured physical torment for a long time and eventually had an epiphany.
He realized that inflicting physical pain had no meaning.
Indeed, he understood that the act of self-torture itself was pointless.
"... Damn it."
Oh, Buddha.
Can you help me cut this grass?
You've been through a lot of self-discipline, so you're used to it. I'm just not good at repetitive tasks.
At first, I thought, 'Maybe I'll get used to it, perhaps it'll get easier over time?'
But in the end, I reached the same conclusion as Siddhartha.
It's just pointless torture. I can feel my mental strength depleting.
"... Is today the third day?"
It should be the third day since I slept twice.
As I recall, I finished cutting the grass around the afternoon of the third day and then heard the scream...
In about three hours, I should be done. At least I see the end.
Slash.
"... Huh?"
The cut feels shallow. Too light.
Slash, slash!
Realizing something was off, I swung my sword a few more times and was finally able to feel solid ground beneath my feet.
It wasn't that the end was near; it's that I had reached the end. I've finally escaped the grassy field.
"... Hmm."
I was faster than the last time.
Is this the power of leveling up? While there might not be any visible differences, it seems like my strength, stamina, and various other aspects have certainly improved.
Right, it doesn't make sense to give me just the regression ability and expect me to overcome everything.
Even if I become a master swordsman in this state, I can't beat Choi Ji-won. The difference in strength and agility is vast.
Perhaps after grinding levels extensively, I might be able to beat Choi Ji-won?
"... Status Window."
[Name: Kim Jun-ho] [LV: 3]
[Trait]
- Regression [EX]
"Sigh."
Unfortunately, my level hasn't increased. I still don't know what triggers a level-up.
The status window is so unhelpful.
Well, I've escaped the grassy field...
Now, when I hear the scream, I should...
"Ah?"
Come to think of it, I won't hear the scream. Time has been advanced by about three hours.
At this point, instead of screaming, they're probably happily playing around.
Is this the privilege of a regressor?
My heart is strangely fluttering.
Now is the time to change the future.
I've reached the place where I heard the woman's scream in the previous cycle.
Aware of the ambushing goblins with their spears, I carefully searched the surroundings, but there were no goblins in sight. "It seems there's no goblin around at this point.
Did I come too early? It's not easy to get the timing right.
I casually lay down nearby, waiting for something to happen.
"... I'm sleepy."
The soft grass.
A gentle wind blowing.
I forcefully resisted the urge to close my eyes.
If I fall asleep now, Choi Ji-won might come and knock me out. I didn't want to go through the whole process of clearing the area again.
So, pinching my thigh, I resisted the drowsiness for quite some time.
"... I'll just look, okay?"
"Hyung (brother). We had an agreement, remember?"
"Don't you trust me? I said I'd just look."
I snapped to attention when I heard voices nearby.
Approaching were a group composed of four men and one woman.
While I didn't recognize the blood-soaked faces of the men, I remembered the woman's face.
It was the woman who had almost been devoured by the goblins.
"Ah, come on... Hyung, let's not do this. I want to trust you."
"Why should I trust you now? How can I be sure you didn't slip anything out?"
Observing them closely, it seemed like a dyed-blond ruffian and a bespectacled man were having a disagreement.
"Hyung! We agreed to consume five beads all at once. We've collected two, so we just need three more. Just a little patience, okay?"
From the bespectacled man's words, it seemed they had agreed to swallow five beads at once when they gathered them.
In fact, that was the most logical approach.
If you swallow the beads as soon as you find them, the group's combat power weakens in real-time. The person left at the end would be in a situation where they have to find beads on their own.
But if everyone can gather enough beads to escape and then escape together, they can maintain their full strength until the end and deal with threats in the next phase.
They could be ambushed by dozens of goblins right after swallowing the beads, after all.
"... I just want to check if they're still there, okay? I'll just look with my eyes."
The blond ruffian, without further excuses, wanted to see the beads.
Anyone could see through his intentions.
He probably wants to swallow them and run.
"... Hyung. You can use psychokinesis, can't you?"
"... So what?"
"... You know why."
The ruffian, seemingly deep in thought, eventually showed his palm to the bespectacled man.
"Alright. I might have been a bit suspicious. Sorry for not trusting you."
"... Thank you for understanding."
"I'll cool my head with Jun-woo and have a smoke. Let's rest for a bit and then move out."
The ruffian, putting his arm around the shoulder of another skinny man, started walking towards me.
Luckily, they didn't seem to notice me. The ruffian and the skinny man lit their cigarettes.
Being a non-smoker, I had to try hard not to cough. Ugh, the smell.
"... Jun-woo."
The ruffian whispered as he smoked.
"Yes, hyung."
"Do we really need to carry those bead-less bastards?"
"... Didn't we agree to take Min-ji with us?"
The ruffian glanced at the bespectacled man waiting in the distance.
But the skinny man looked uncomfortable.
"Hey, we've been dragging our feet for three days. Do you think she'll last? With that face?"
"But still..."
"There are plenty of women in the world. Do you think you'll die without Min-ji? No. We need to survive first, right?"
The ruffian tried to persuade the skinny man. Judging by the conversation, 'Min-ji' seemed to refer to the woman who almost got killed by the goblins.
"Let's get rid of them now. You saw the bespectacled guy getting suspicious, right? We might not get another chance."
We only have two beads. There are five of us.
Without a powerhouse like Choi Ji-won, getting food is unstable.
For ordinary people, betrayal might be inevitable.
"Let's go quickly. I'll buy us some time." "… Yes, hyung (brother)."
The skinny man, referred to as 'Myeolchi' (which translates to "anchovy" but likely is a nickname or slang term for a skinny person), headed somewhere, while the ruffian returned to the group with a smile.
"… Where's Jun-woo going?"
"He said he needs to take a dump. Hey, more importantly..."
The ruffian deftly changed the subject.
I had a rough idea of what had transpired, but there was still one unresolved question.
Where on earth did the goblins come from?
No matter how hard I looked, there were no goblins nearby.
However, in the previous cycle, those three almost met their end because of the goblins.
I didn't intervene and change the future; I literally did nothing but watch.
It's not like Schrödinger's cat, where the mere act of observing can alter the outcome.
There has to be... something more...
Lost in thought, I suddenly heard the footsteps of the skinny man.
Turning my head cautiously, I saw him slowly approaching with an anxious look.
"... What the hell?"
The problem was that behind him, about ten goblins silently followed, each holding a spear.
It was an eerie scene, reminiscent of a commanding officer followed by soldiers.
Of course, it's an absurd situation...
"… A trait that controls monsters, maybe?"
I had momentarily forgotten.
In a setting where even time travel is possible, there's nothing impossible in this tower.