When I closed my eyes, it was a beautiful sunset in the empty field.
But when I opened them, the warm sunlight greeted me.
It was the same place... but it somehow felt unfamiliar.
*Sigh*...
I took a breath and turned to look for Choi Ji-won.
Coldly, with a distant face, she glanced at me before quickly turning away.
Her indifferent face was in stark contrast to the warm smile I'd seen from her just moments before.
My chest ached. I felt nauseous and dizzy.
Is this... a sense of loss?
Did I like Choi Ji-won? I'm not sure.
However, I was aware that we had become friends.
In the process of saving others' lives, I lost a friend.
If I had abandoned the people to starve and returned, I would have regretted it for sure.
But why do I regret this choice as well?
Why do I keep thinking of Choi Ji-won's smile?
If you choose one side, you must give up the other. You can't have it all.
"So, this is how I have to live from now on..."
Up until now, I hadn't made deep connections in this tower.
I chatted a bit with short-haired Baek Da-hye, but I never considered anyone a close friend.
And that's why this pain is so unexpected.
It hurt to feel close to someone who looked at me as if she didn't know me at all.
I remember, but it hurts to think that I'm the only one who does.
"From now on... let's not get attached to anyone."
As long as I can revert, my relationships will always be like this.
If I get close to someone, I'll fear reverting.
Someday, I'll have to weigh the benefits of reverting against the relationships I've built.
And if those bonds win?
And I miss out on potential rewards, and can't get stronger?
If these small mistakes accumulate, and eventually I falter on the last 66th floor?
By then it'll be too late to regret. I only revert to the point I entered a floor, not always back to the beginning.
So, abandon the bond and just revert? That would deal a massive blow to my mental state.
The gap between memory and reality cuts deep.
Even now, it hurts every time I see Choi Ji-won.
For my sake, and to conquer the tower.
It's best not to get attached to others. It's best to go it alone.
*Chuckles*
Suddenly, I thought of the endless reversionists I'd seen in webcomics and web novels.
They're indifferent to others, desensitized to murder, and dismissive of life.
Essentially, they're lunatics who don't see others as human.
But were they always mad from the beginning?
Initially, they were probably normal.
Just worn down over time.
And perhaps that wear started with deciding to go it alone.
Will I become like them one day?
Frustrated, in despair, and so trampled upon mentally that I can't get back up?
Become that sort of madman devoid of tears and blood?
"I don't want that..."
Stubbornness.
That's the best way to describe it.
The impending doom seems so clear that I don't want to succumb to it.
Everyone else has gone mad? I won't. I'll keep my sanity. I'll be a hero.
It may sound childish, but that's how I feel.
I won't become like them.
It's okay to go about separately from people.
What's important is to not lose my humanity. To maintain the character of 'Kim Jun-ho'.
To avoid choices future me will regret.
And always remember this resolution.
*Sigh*
I feel clearer after sorting out my thoughts.
"Don't give up. You'll find an answer you're content with."
It's what Choi Ji-won said to me before I reverted.
What would be a satisfactory answer for me in this brutal tutorial?
To what extent should I achieve so that the future me doesn't regret?
"It's simple..."
Everything.
I'll acquire all the skills I can.
I'll seize all the rewards prepared for me."I'll try to save everyone who has been summoned to this place.
Given that I possess the ability to regress, I should at least do this much to have no regrets.
"...Does this seem like the right way to go?"
While others were brandishing their weapons, no matter what they did, I was engrossed in making plans to save everyone.
After reviewing the plan about three times, I concluded that there's a high chance of success.
So, the task at hand has been determined.
The only thing left is to execute it.
I clenched my fist tightly and thumped the left side of my chest, where the heart is.
[You have taken damage.]
[You will regress to the moment you first entered the 0th floor.]
In fact, saving most of the people isn't that hard.
All I have to do is repeat the past turns without intervening too much.
I already managed to defeat the Minotaur without taking any damage.
Just repeating the same process would suffice to kill the Minotaur.
And by preemptively restraining the Goblin Shaman who might betray us... voilà.
The hidden boss is defeated, and a portal opens.
If everyone orderly passes through the portal, it's possible to rescue most of the people.
But, if the condition changes to 'saving everyone', it becomes a bit tricky.
Pushing the Minotaur into a swamp becomes almost impossible.
Gathering everyone is the first challenge.
Well, let's assume I managed to control them by force.
To feed all these people, level up those who show potential, make them build their strength stats, and then push the Minotaur?
At first glance, it seems very, very challenging.
The desperation would differ.
The people from the previous turns have experienced the 'tower'.
They have killed goblins, witnessed comrades' deaths, and were battered from all sides.
Moreover, as days pass, the golden beads become rarer...
Perhaps, due to these unfavorable conditions, they agreed with my plan to push the Minotaur into the swamp.
But what if I control everything?
Level up as I command and increase stats as I dictate.
If I provide food for diligent leveling...
Could they showcase the tremendous strength they did in the previous turns?
I doubt it. They're more likely to ask me, "Why aren't you pushing it?"
Therefore, if I'm to save everyone, I need a different method.
A direct confrontation.
Only by defeating him in a direct battle can everyone be saved.
Is it possible? I'm not an idiot. I have a plan to defeat him.
Furthermore, I received a message in the previous turn:
- [Remarkable Achievement Notification!]
- Successfully defeated the hidden boss, 'Devil Minotaur of the Labyrinth'!
- There are no casualties! Achievement experience bonus granted!
- Special reward given to [Choi Ji-won], who contributed the most!
The point of note is the special reward given to Choi Ji-won, who contributed the most.
I was too distressed to ask about the reward earlier, but surely, after defeating a hidden boss, they wouldn't just give a trifle.
There must've been an incredible reward.
Yes, I aim to defeat the Minotaur and snatch the 'major contribution' bonus.
Of course, as of now, there's no way I can win.
Before battling, I need to level up myself.
Immediately, there are three things to check.
Firstly, can I obtain a trait from the same person repeatedly after regressing?
I already confirmed that if overlapping traits are acquired, instead of getting two similar traits, the grade increases.
So, after my regression, can I obtain a trait from the same person again?
For instance, 'Anchovy', from whom I first got the 'Awe' trait, is somewhere here.
If I can make him feel awe in this turn... can I increase the grade of the Awe trait?
Or what if I made Anchovy feel another emotion? If he feels a strong sense of 'coolness', can I obtain that trait? That's the question.
Secondly, after regressing and defeating the Minotaur again, can I get achievement experience?
After defeating the Minotaur, my achievement level rose significantly.
Similarly, I need to check if I can get the achievement experience repeatedly.If this is possible, rapid growth will be achievable.
But come to think of it, I didn't gain any general levels even after defeating the Minotaur.
Truly, an EX-grade trait. Amazing, truly amazing.
And lastly, swordsmanship practice.
I've already memorized all of Ji-won's swordsmanship.
I can either diligently practice on my own using this, or reveal my regression and possibly receive lessons from Ji-won.
Now, what order should I go about executing this?
First and foremost...
"Hello? Mr. Myeolchi (Anchovy)?"
"Yes, hello... What did you say?"
I'm starting with you, Myeolchi (Anchovy).