"Sigh... Relax..."
I might have regressed in the most absurd way, but what's done is done.
Those who can time travel need to know how to maintain their mental state.
If you're mentally intact, you can do anything as a regressor. But the moment your mental state falters, you fall into an eternal hell.
Besides, don't I have numerous success stories from novels and webtoons?
Rather than getting angry and puffing up, it's always best to calmly gather information. That's what regressors do.
Additionally, there's something I need to check immediately.
"Status window."
[ Name: Kim Junho ] [ LV: 5 ]
[ Traits ]
- Regression [ EX ]
- Reverence [ C ]
As expected.
Traits and levels are retained even after regression.
Seems like I made the right choice. If I had chosen something like 'Disgust', I might have become a regressor who despises regression.
Now, there's one more thing to check.
"Start the tutorial!"
Right after the fairy dropped the weapon and disappeared,
I hesitantly stood up.
"Everyone, can I have a moment of your time?"
Trying to win over Choi Ji-won again?
No.
This time I'm thinking of trying something different.
"I can't go into detail, but I'm actually from a secret government agency. Naturally, the South Korean government has some understanding of this forest."
Spewing such blatant lies made my face heat up a bit, but...
I continued.
"I roughly know the way out. I need 20 participants. Those I point to, please stand up."
With a stern expression, I pointed to a stern-faced man.
"Please stand. You two next to him as well."
"Stand up, will you?"
The chilling atmosphere in the clearing.
It's like the awkward silence after a bad joke at a drinking party.
People were looking at me like I was a complete idiot.
"Damn it."
The experiment was a failure.
To cool my burning cheeks, I slapped myself hard.
Smack!
[ You have taken damage. ]
[ You will regress to the moment you first entered the 0th floor. ]
"Ugh..."
What I just tested was the new trait 'Reverence' I acquired.
The system's description for Reverence is as follows:
- Reverence [ C ]
- Pay homage to your greatness. Fear the incomprehensible.
'Reverence' essentially means admiring something while also fearing it.
The reaction of the people in the clearing was more of a "Who is this guy? Should we do as he says?"
Not the reaction you'd expect from those who admire yet fear someone.
If the trait 'Reverence' had affected them broadly, despite their hesitation, they would have reluctantly stood up.
But that didn't happen, meaning either the trait didn't work or its grade was too low to have a significant effect.
"What was the difference...?"
Thinking back to the reaction of the three survivors and Meltchi before I regressed.
The three survivors, who were extremely tense, relaxed and cooperated with me after I acquired the trait.
Meltchi, paralyzed with fear, seemed almost obedient to me.
What's the difference between them and the people in the clearing?
"... Emotion?"
Although I'm not sure under what conditions I obtained the trait... it's clear I got it from Meltchi.
The three emotions Meltchi felt towards me... and I obtained one of them as a trait.
"Ah."
I speculate this trait 'amplifies' emotions.
If I think about the emotions of 'Disgust' and 'Fear' from Meltchi becoming milder and 'Reverence' becoming stronger, it fits.
Likewise, the three survivors probably felt some degree of reverence after seeing my skills.
The reason the people in the clearing remained indifferent to my speech is also explainable.
They saw me for the first time and had no emotions towards me.
My speech wasn't so amazing as to invoke reverence.
It's more accurate to think that it amplifies reverence only when there's already some present.
"... Should I try confirming it once more?" Of course, all of this was just my speculation, so I decided to conduct a simple experiment.
"I think a spear would be better. It's longer, after all."
"Don't you know that a sword is the king of all weapons?"
A group of men deliberating on which weapon to choose from a pile.
I approached the group that had previously given me their outerwear.
"Hello?"
"...Ah, hello."
"Want me to show you how to wield a sword?"
Without waiting for a response, I picked up a sword from the ground and skillfully swished it around.
Currently, my achievement level is 5.
I'm not sure which achievement elevated it, but after killing a thug, my level went up from 3 to 5. This means my physical abilities have significantly improved.
With graceful arcs, I swung my sword with full force, cutting through the air.
Ching!
I exaggerated my finishing pose to look cooler. I'm sure it looked incredibly cool.
"Wow, that was... impressive."
"...Amazing."
The men, their eyes wide in awe, might have seen it as mere showmanship, but to the ordinary person, it looked impressive.
With a flourish, I slammed the sword into the ground and leaned back with confidence.
"How was that?"
I deliberately kept my face expressionless.
Showing off and then acting nonchalant is the coolest thing. If you boast about your performance, it loses its charm.
"That was really, really cool."
"Can you teach us to use the sword? We'll repay you!"
Clearly, they were impressed by my performance, which means they likely felt 'Reverence' towards me.
"Well, I can teach all of you, but there's one condition."
"...What is it?"
The men seemed hesitant as soon as I mentioned a condition.
"Tell me about your traits. That's the only condition."
"Um..."
The atmosphere suddenly cooled. It felt like expecting a top celebrity and getting a middle-aged singer instead.
"That's a bit..."
"People say in webtoons and stuff... you should keep those things a secret... Sorry..."
The mood became quite awkward.
However, I got the information I wanted.
From the brief change in the men's expressions, it's clear that 'Reverence' had an effect. But they immediately refused my request to know about their traits.
Think about Meltchi's case from before. Even when I blatantly asked him to jot down his status, he complied without any resistance. Probably because he felt a much stronger sense of reverence towards me, the trait's effect was potent.
The men admired and feared me, but not to the extent that Meltchi did.
It seems my speculation was correct.
Having satisfied my curiosity, it's time to move on to the next step.
Thud!
[ You have taken damage. ]
[ You will regress to the moment you first entered the 0th floor. ]
I could have roamed the tower's interior again, looking for the boss and the Minotaur's lair, but I chose to become stronger first. Knowing that a mutated goblin, a formidable enemy, existed, I couldn't be sure of my safety with my current strength. I had to become stronger.
There are mainly two ways for me to get stronger at the moment:
First, somehow increase my achievement level, the specifics of which I'm unsure.
Second, learn swordsmanship from Choi Ji-won.
Third, acquire a new trait.
The second option is what I'm aiming for.
My next goal is to find out the exact conditions for acquiring a trait and extract more information from Choi Ji-won. While Choi Ji-won taught me swordsmanship, she's also a psychopath who'd kick me if she suspected anything. It's abnormal for someone as powerful as her to guard a gathering place of losers. Whether she's a psychopath or a vampire enthusiast doesn't matter. What's important is that she's the strongest person I've ever met. To get stronger, I need to leverage Choi Ji-won in some way.
I can consistently learn swordsmanship, and if acquiring a trait involves obtaining someone else's emotions, I might be able to get a new trait from Choi Ji-won. Meltchi's emotions, as feeble as they were, seemed to be quite useful. How powerful would Choi Ji-won's emotions be? Regardless of the specifics, it was clear that I needed to understand her better to utilize Choi Ji-won effectively.
What was her family background like?
Why did she turn into a psychopath, resorting to violence at the slightest provocation?
Where did she learn her sword skills, and what traits does she possess?
Choi Ji-won.
I need to decipher everything about her.
Whooosh!
Whooosh!
As usual, in this episode, Choi Ji-won was swinging her sword in a corner of the gathering place.
What should I say to fluster her?
What should I do to extract information from her?
Suddenly, a good idea came to mind, and I decided to put it into action immediately. I confidently walked towards Choi Ji-won.
"Excuse me."
Without even looking at me, she continued swinging her sword.
Alright, let's see how long she can keep that impassive face.
I decided to use a rather audacious line.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"...What?"
She stopped swinging her sword.
Her face contorted rapidly.
"...You crazy bastard."
Thud!
[ You have taken damage. ]
[ You will regress to the moment you first entered the 0th floor. ]
"...Damn."
She hit me in the stomach with her elbow.
I expected her to blush and exclaim, ‘What kind of ridiculous thing is that to say!’, but it seems Choi Ji-won isn't the type to pretend to be tough on the outside while actually being susceptible to men.
Maybe my imagination was a bit too fanciful.
"...Alright."
It's okay to fail.
After all, I have infinite attempts.
Let's see who will win in the end.