Chapter 21


Whooosh! Whooosh!
I slowly woke up to see Choi Ji-won swinging her sword next to me.
She was much closer than before. Had she finally opened up to me?
Was all my effort finally bearing fruit?
"...Nope."
No, the plaza just became more crowded, so the space had shrunk.
"You're awake."
She sheathed her sword and, while fixing her hair, looked at me.
She rummaged through the bushes and tossed a large shovel to me.
"What's this for?"
"Can't you tell? It's a shovel. You've been to the military, right?"
"...So why are you giving it to me?"
"The plaza is cramped. We need to clear some of the surrounding grass."
Although I was slightly annoyed, I am Angel Jun-ho now.
While munching on an energy bar, I picked up the shovel.
Sigh. Should I regress again?
Thud! Thud!
Given that the climate of the tower is tropical, the grass roots were relatively shallow, so it wasn't too hard to dig them out.
Thud! Thud!
If she had me work while she just swung her sword, I would've been pretty upset.
But perhaps she had a conscience after all. Choi Ji-won was helping dig out the grass next to me.
"Uh... we'll help too."
"Yes, you've given us food and shelter..."
Some men, who had been idly gazing around, joined in, and the task progressed smoother than expected.
Speaking of which, what's the old man who was digging the ground doing now?
Ah, he's still digging over there. But he looks stressed, probably due to the crowd.
Sorry, mister.
When we had expanded the plaza by about 20%,
Choi Ji-won said that was enough and sent the other men away.
"Phew, time to take a break..."
"You stay."
"Huh?"
I wanted to rest too, but Choi Ji-won, who was walking away, grabbed my shoulder.
"We need to gather food."
"Right."
3 days later.
Describing the past 3 days... it was like being in the military.
Eating when it's time, collecting food.
Obediently following Choi Ji-won's every command, trying to stay on her good side.
So, was I just being exploited all this time?
Absolutely NO.
I, Kim Jun-ho, the rational regressor, might bend a bit for a purpose, but I always seize the advantage.
I gained two major benefits.
Firstly, by constantly bothering Choi Ji-won, I dug up ample information about 'that person' from her past.
The person Choi Ji-won misses is her father and master. He has passed away.
He probably died saving someone... but she didn't share more.
But even this much information will be quite handy in the next loop.
Secondly, swordsmanship.
After some negotiation, Choi Ji-won finally agreed to properly teach me.
The quality of her advice was unparalleled.
With Choi Ji-won's sincere guidance, my skills improved tremendously.
If my skills were at 1.0 Kim Jun-ho at the start of this loop, they now felt like they were at 1.25 Kim Jun-ho.
If I were an investor, I'd invest in Kim Jun-ho right away.
"Heave... heave..."
So, what am I doing now?... I'm running through the forest following Choi Ji-won.
It's been 3 days of this, and it's still exhausting.
Choi Ji-won's speed is impressive, but her stamina is even more so.
Even though we started running together, she often ends up far ahead in no time.
"Ugh..."
Thanks to my achievement levels, my stamina has improved significantly, but it's still at a human level.
She's not human. She's a monster who knows how to use a sword.
"...You're late."
"Heck... You're just too fast."
By the time I arrived, Choi Ji-won had already slain a mutant goblin.
The fading corpse of the goblin revealed a small box containing food and a golden bead.
Naturally, Choi Ji-won pocketed the golden bead and handed me a bundle of food.
"We can't carry food around all the time, so hide it somewhere safe. If you're unsure, just carry it with you." Whiz! Whiz!
Choi Ji-won darted off again after speaking.
"Shi... Monkey."
I almost blurted out a curse instinctively, but she might just hear even that.
I hastily hid the food on a tree branch and followed Choi Ji-won.
"You're late."
"... Sorry."
"What?"
"Nothing..."
Once again, Choi Ji-won had taken down a mutant goblin.
Doesn't she think her route is strange?
A question I had been holding back wriggled in the corner of my mind.
Alright, I've been tagging along for about three days now. I should be allowed to ask.
"Choi Ji-won, did you just run straight here?"
"Yes."
"How did you know there would be a mutant goblin here? Not just today... it's like that every time, right?"
She didn't answer right away, her eyes darting back and forth.
"Just wait a moment."
She told me to wait and then began whispering to herself. I couldn't understand her, but it seemed like she was discussing something with someone.
What? An imaginary friend?
After mumbling to herself for a while, Choi Ji-won said,
"Alright. I'll be honest. From what I've observed, you don't seem like a bad person."
Finally, as if she had finished consulting her imaginary friend, she slowly raised her head to meet my eyes.
"Kim Jun-ho. You asked how I find out where the mutant goblins are, right? It's due to a unique ability I possess."
"What kind of ability?"
"It allows me to sense the strength of enemies from a distance. However, I can only sense particularly strong ones."
She answered rather straightforwardly. This seemed like a different ability from her keen senses. It was a good opportunity to ask further.
"So, can you sense any monsters stronger than you nearby? Or are they all weaker than you?"
"There's one monster around my level."
"Is it the boss?"
"No. It's... too strong."
I see. Had Choi Ji-won already sensed the Minotaur?
But then, another question arises.
"So, can't you sense the 'boss'?"
In repeated regressions, there's always a message at a certain point.

- Clear condition 1: Swallow the 'Golden Bead' hidden somewhere in the forest, and you can proceed to the next stage. Note, only 50 beads exist.
- Clear condition 2: Defeat the boss, Goblin Shaman, and a portal to the next stage will appear.
The boss I mentioned is the Goblin Shaman.
If she has the ability to sense strong enemies, wouldn't it be easy to find the Goblin Shaman?
Why not just defeat the boss and move on using the portal?
Even if the boss is strong, it didn't seem stronger than Choi Ji-won. It would probably be defeated easily.
She didn't answer immediately but seemed lost in thought.
She was looking at me very intently.
"What's your goal? Why are you following me and putting yourself through all this?"
Choi Ji-won responded to my question with another question.
She seemed determined not to speak until I answered.
... What's my goal?
Simple.
"To conquer the tower and save the Earth. To become stronger."
"... Ha."
After hearing my words, Choi Ji-won chuckled softly.
"Words are cheap."
She turned away from me with a cynical gesture.
Sigh. I thought she was about to share some critical information, but maybe it was just a whim.
Just as I was about to pick up the food, a small wooden box fell in front of my eyes.
"... What's this?"
It looked familiar. I felt like I knew what was inside without even opening it.
It must be a box containing a golden bead. But why...
"There was someone like you before. Someone grounded in reality but always looking up at the sky."
While her back was turned, Choi Ji-won spoke to me. It wasn't her usual formal tone, but a casual one like a young college student.
"When danger approaches... just swallow it. Dying for others is the stupidest death."
She continued, "You don't need to be grateful. I have too many beads, so I scatter them here and there." With those words, Choi Ji-won coolly and seemingly indifferent, drifted away.
Did she, that woman, just give me the invaluable golden bead?
She probably saw a resemblance between her father and me again.
I felt strangely mixed emotions.
"Wait, wait...!"
I had something to say, but Choi Ji-won was already far away.
Wait... I already have three golden beads...
And the boss... where's the damn boss?! Why do you just talk and not answer?
"I don't know."
"What?"
"I said, I don't know. To begin with, finding the boss is my goal."
On my way back with the food, surprisingly, her answer to my question about the boss's location was 'I don't know.'
"But, didn't you say you can sense the presence of the strong?"
"Yes."
Choi Ji-won can approximate the location and strength of formidable enemies.
Thus, she can sense the Minotaur and the mutant goblins.
"The problem is... there's nothing in between."
"In between?"
"Shouldn't the boss be weaker than the monstrous creatures but stronger than the mutants? But there's no such creature. My ability doesn't pick up the 'Goblin Shaman'."
It's because Choi Ji-won's radar only works for particularly strong entities.
There are two possibilities.
Firstly, the boss is at the same level as a mutant goblin, making it indistinguishable.
In that case, killing all mutant goblins might solve it...
And secondly,
The boss is so weak that it doesn't even register on Choi Ji-won's radar.
"Sigh..."
I unconsciously let out a sigh.
I had hoped Choi Ji-won would know the boss's location...
One of the reasons I had been holding on seemed to be disappearing. I wasn't doing this for such a reason.
The Minotaur would appear soon... I was contemplating trying another route when,
"Wait."
Lost in thought, I was stopped by Choi Ji-won.
Her gaze was fixed on a tree.
"... Come out."
Rustle. Rustle. A man really came out as she commanded.
"... Your reputation matches what I've heard."
The man who appeared... was the firefighter who led a group of about 20 people away from the square on the second day.
Was his name Park Chul-jin? I remember him because he had a fierce tiger-like face.
But what was he doing here?
"Are you two in charge of the square group?"
"Well, not exactly in charge, but yes, we manage the group."
Choi Ji-won surprisingly used formal speech with the older man. She seems the type to strictly follow seniority.
"... My name is Park Chul-jin. I was... a firefighter."
Park Chul-jin hesitated before speaking.
"You two. I've heard you're incredibly strong. We need your help."
"What kind of help?"
"... We've located the boss."
6 days after regression. Daytime.
The world started to flow differently than the previous cycles.

If you see any serious issues in the translations you can contact me on d3adlyjoker@yahoo.dk and I will take a look.