Human.
You might wonder why I did what I did.
To be honest, I quite liked humans.
Even though our species were different, humans were the first to treat me as an individual being.
But I detest humans.
It seems humans trusted me, but I lied to them. Multiple times.
I told humans that young goblins playing tag in the labyrinth accidentally released the monster.
That was a lie.
It was humans, digging through the ancient labyrinth for treasure, who released the monster.
In the past, I was powerful enough to successfully seal away one monster.
There were two monsters. While I was sealing one, my clan was annihilated.
My clan had fled to an island to escape human hunting.
It was an island we fled to because of humans, yet we all died because of them.
Human.
In my moment of despair, about to end my own life, I heard the voice of a grand will.
It promised me a chance to exact revenge on humans.
Human.
I already knew that this place was called "The Tower."
I knew that my life was limited to just 7 days each time.
I knew that after all humans died or escaped, I would be resurrected with my memory wiped.
I knew that gold is precious to humans.
I knew that if I died, a means for humans to survive would be summoned.
Human.
In truth, there's no need for gold in the ritual.
Human.
I know that if I immediately release the monster's seal upon awakening, I can kill more humans.
But even if I die and come back to life, I will maintain the seal and help humans until the very end.
The reason I will do my best to assist humans is simple.
I want humans to struggle with hope.
It's good to see them defeated miserably by the monster, but I also wish for them to brilliantly defeat it and feel the utmost happiness.
I know the despair that follows the pinnacle of happiness is more painful.
I wanted humans to feel the same emotions my clan felt.
Human.
There were moments I hesitated to plunge humans into the abyss because of my fondness for them.
But human, I think I mentioned my keen sense of smell.
Human.
From humans... I sense the smell of my clan's blood.
In truth, I don't really care if my clan lives or dies.
My clan is bound to the Tower anyway, summoned to die over and over.
I know humans killed their own kind to survive.
But in the end... I felt that humans are just a part of humanity.
Humans,
I hope you feel the same way I did when I decided to die.
Human.
I'm sorry.
The voice of the Goblin Shaman coming from the shattered stone ended.
I was sitting where everything had started.
The Shaman's voice ended early in the evening, but I was still blankly staring at the fragments of the stone.
"It's okay."
Even though I was caught off guard, this is just a process.
"We can regress."
Next round, I'll take the initiative.
I won't be fooled by him ever again.
"Stay strong."
It was just a minor slip at the end.
If you consider what I've gained in this round, it's invaluable.
A tremendous amount of achievement level experience. Rapidly increased trait levels. And the tricks tied to the Minotaur and Goblin Shaman.
The ending was bad, but if we look at the achievements, I gained more than in any other round.
If after regressing, I can repeatedly gain the same emotions from the same person, repeating this round similarly could make me incredibly strong.
After about 100 repetitions, I could probably kill a Minotaur with my toe.
It's okay.
It's okay.
"Shit..."
It's not okay.
It feels like my mental state has been directly hit by the fruit of instability.
The Goblin Shaman's last words "I'm sorry" keep echoing in my mind.
I failed. I was defeated.
It feels like... this too was God's intention.
The core being of the Goblin Shaman is weak.
Being weak and nearing death might naturally invoke sympathy in humans, making them help without much suspicion. It might be human nature.
But he is still a Goblin. Being weak doesn't mean being kind.
Inside the Goblin Shaman was a heart filled with malice towards humans. It was even more repulsive to know that he liked me.
... Honestly, I somewhat liked Goblin Shaman too.
"Should I regress?"
The survivor group is already in chaos.
Once they comprehended the situation, everyone was like a ticking time bomb on the verge of exploding.
Hope united them, but despair divided them.
A massive brawl, which started with suspicions of someone hiding a golden bead inside their body, only ended when Park Cheol-Jin intervened.
After that, everyone went their separate ways. They didn't forget to glare at me as they left.
From a hero to a traitor, it all happened in an instant.
Firefighter Park Cheol-Jin comforted me, saying, "It wasn't your fault." But there was an emptiness in his eyes.
Honestly, it's strange that anyone's mental state is intact.
I lost 22 golden beads in an instant.
The portal, which could have saved everyone, appeared in a poisonous swamp.
The hope of moving to the next floor was shattered.
Of course, we are still alive.
But... how long can we survive?
Kill goblins, and you get food.
But the number of goblins isn't infinite.
Eventually, the goblins on this island will be extinct, and then we face a future of starving to death.
"...There's no answer."
No matter how much I think about it, there's no solution. This round is doomed.
Just as I was about to punch myself in the chest out of frustration,
"You were here."
The familiar footsteps and voice.
"Why are you sulking here?"
It was Choi Ji-Won.
Given her impending death, Choi Ji-Won seemed quite composed.
"...What are you doing here? Food is going to be scarce now."
I didn't like her demeanor, so I retorted.
"...Food? Ah, you've been here the whole time."
Choi Ji-Won shook her head.
"The goblins committed suicide."
"...What?"
"All the goblins drowned in the swamp. It seems like Goblin Shaman's doing. He has the ability to control other goblins."
It seems Goblin Shaman knew that killing other goblins could yield food and golden beads.
He's meticulously tormenting us.
Bravo, Shaman.
Both Choi Ji-Won and I said nothing.
As I mentioned earlier, I can just regress.
I won't make the same mistake again.
But... what happens to this world after I regress?
If I go back with everyone, it would be best since it'd be like it never happened.
But if only I regress and this world continues as is?
The good people of this world will starve to death in terrible despair.
Because of my judgment error.
I wasn't heartless enough to dismiss this world.
Is this the weight a regressor has to bear?
I think I can understand why death regressors, who've gone through over 10 rounds, go insane.
It's not just about this tutorial; thinking about carrying the lives of the entire world on your shoulders would drive anyone mad.
"Choi Ji-Won."
"Hm?"
Maybe that's why.
I felt a strong urge to pour out my story to someone.
"I'm a regressor."
"...A regressor?"
"Not just any regressor. I regress if I get hit even once. I'm that pathetic."
Whether or not she listened, I recounted everything.
Waking up in the tower for the first time.
Regressing after being cut by grass.
Regressing because of a goblin hiding in the bushes.
Regressing multiple times and learning swordsmanship from Choi Ji-Won.
Regressing after being misunderstood and hit by Choi Ji-Won.
Gaining traits from other people's emotions.
And finally, reaching this round.
After pouring everything out, I felt a bit relieved.
"...Sorry."
But that relief was short-lived as I was hit with a heavy realization.
From a logical standpoint, who would believe such a story?
What? A regressor? You regress if hit even once?
It's more believable to think I've gone mad from the stress of imminent death.
She could kill me right now, and I wouldn't blame her.
But all Choi Ji-Won did was give a small nod.
"I believe you."
From her voice, I knew she genuinely believed me. "...Why?"
I wouldn't have believed it if I were in her shoes.
I couldn't understand why she believed me.
However, without answering, she gently touched the sword that was laid out on the ground.
"Your swordsmanship. I always thought it was unbelievable."
"...Swordsmanship?"
"I've wielded a sword my entire life. What, you got a new skill? There's no way I wouldn't recognize the swordsmanship I've learned all my life, right?"
"...Haha."
In the past, I lied about being in a sword dojo and regressed due to getting caught because of my swordsmanship.
Now, my sword skills have become evidence for Choi Ji-Won to believe in my regression.
"Come on, get up."
She stood up, dusted off her pants, and reached out to hold my hand, which was resting on my lap.
"...Where are we going?"
"You'll see. It's right nearby."
Just as she said, the place we arrived at was quite close and familiar.
The place where Choi Ji-Won would always practice with her sword every time I regressed.
This round, it was a corner of an open field where Choi Ji-Won and I practiced swordsmanship together.
"Grab your sword."
Choi Ji-Won spoke calmly.
"From now on, I'll teach you everything I know about the sword."