Upon entering the 3-5th floors, the group of four climbers decided to split into pairs and tackle their respective trials.
"…Whew, that was tough, wasn't it?"
"... You did well."
And now, here.
After defeating the clay-made puppet, Kangchan and Ankyungjun stood in front of a strange tunnel-like space, waiting for Kim Junho and Dok Suhee.
"The other room… seems to be taking some time."
"... Yes."
Initially, the reserved Ankyungjun and the reticent Kangchan were an odd pair.
But as they faced their trials back to back, a strange camaraderie formed between them.
It was like the "misattribution of arousal" effect. Despite their differences, they had grown comfortable with each other.
"Hehe, remember the voice from earlier and what it said?"
"... Voice?"
"Yes, the one we heard when we first entered."
"... Oh."
The solemn voice had said:
[Drink from the chalice of shared blood, look straight into your comrade's eyes. Understand your shoulder-to-shoulder comrade fully. Only then will the true trial begin.]
"So, have we become blood-bound comrades? Though our souls did the fighting..."
Ankyungjun said with a grin.
"... Heh."
For once, Kangchan also allowed a slight smile.
"Weren't we already comrades?"
"Heh, hehe... Were we?"
The atmosphere was warm. Ankyungjun, while shy, became quite chatty when comfortable, and Kangchan listened quietly, nodding occasionally.
How much time passed?
Step, step.
"Hey, seems like they're coming?"
Footsteps echoed from the distance. Had Kim Junho and Dok Suhee finally cleared their trial? As Ankyungjun was about to greet them, Kangchan stopped him.
"... Wait."
"Why, what's wrong?"
"... There's only one set of footsteps."
Step, step.
Kangchan was right.
Only one set of footsteps echoed.
But... two people should be coming.
The jovial expression on Ankyungjun's face hardened.
He too sensed it now.
The thick, pungent, and metallic smell of blood.
Step, step, step.
The footsteps ceased.
And then...
Roar!
Kangchan let out a full-throated yell.
The reason was clear.
Kim Junho, head bowed, was covered in red. Not just his hair, but his whole body.
Blood. Blood. Blood.
Blood caked under his nails. His leather armor had absorbed so much blood it changed color. He was drenched in crimson.
"... Where's Dok Suhee?"
Only then did Kim Junho lift his head, revealing a mad smile, enough to send chills down one's spine.
"... She's here."
He thrust something red and white at Kangchan.
"I brought only the necessary parts."
It was Dok Suhee's severed right hand.
"Damn it!"
I couldn't help but swear, jumping up from where I sat.
Yes, I was in the familiar stone chamber, and what I just witnessed was a nightmare shown by the tower.
"Huff, huff..."
No matter how accustomed I became to these visions, the tower kept showing me breaking down.
It seemed to have figured out my greatest fear: losing my sanity beyond return.
Sure, I've thought about severing a wrist out of desperation... but that idea always felt too psychotic.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
I looked down at Dok Suhee, tears streaming down her face.
Part of me wanted to kill her. Forgiving her betrayal at the very end seems like something only a saint could do.
I'm a very ordinary person, leaning more on the petty side. You can't expect me to brush it off like some magnanimous figure.
Had I not been a regressor... without my ability to turn back time, the other three would've been rendered helpless. After all the struggles on the 3rd floor, we wouldn't have been able to claim our rewards. Dok Suhee needs to pay for her deeds.
But... is killing her justifiable?
Do I have the right to judge someone for something that hasn't yet happened? Moreover, Dok Suhee didn't intend to kill us, only suppress us. My head is swirling with thoughts. Inside, there's a Kim Junho shouting "Kill them!", and another Kim Junho trying to reason, saying, "Hey, hey, killing might be a bit excessive…".
"Oppa… I'm sorry…"
"Mm..."
After a lot of contemplation, I made up my mind internally.
"…Suhee, can you get up?"
"Huh? What?"
"Can I ask you something?"
Regardless of how emotional or sentimental…
I'll decide after listening to her side of the story.
"Wipe off your sweat…"
"…Thank you."
In the awkward atmosphere, Suhee and I sat facing each other. I decided to initiate the conversation.
"…Did something happen in the tutorial?"
I went straight to the point.
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I heard you earlier when you were distressed. You were saying things like 'Oppa, I'm sorry', 'tutorial', and 'shaman'..."
I didn't actually hear her say 'tutorial' and 'shaman', but I just made an educated guess based on what I knew from before my regression.
However, Suhee didn't respond. Of course, laying everything out immediately would be strange.
Once again, it looked like I'd have to take the lead.
"Do you know the boss of the tutorial, the Goblin Shaman?"
"…! How do you know about that!"
Finally, Suhee reacted, her eyes widening in surprise.
I knew because I saw you using the Goblin Shaman's shield.
"…I too, was there…"
But I hid my inner thoughts and trailed off in a somber tone. Perhaps because I've regressed so many times, my acting now felt too natural.
"…Junho…"
There's a distant look in Suhee's eyes. I seized this opportunity and continued.
"…Can you tell me your story? Talking about it helped me a lot when I was struggling…"
I implied that I too had nightmares from the tutorial.
After much deliberation, Suhee finally said,
"...Yes."
"Do you know about the hidden boss in the tutorial?"
"I saw it. The Minotaur."
"…We killed it."
Suhee and her brother were summoned to a tutorial that unusually had many strong players.
"All of them were powerful, kind, skilled... truly exceptional individuals."
While most tutorials were every man for himself, this one was different.
"We gathered, all 50 of us, to defeat the boss. Instead of fighting over the golden bead, we decided to try to survive together."
The weakest among them had a class B ability. They were truly the elite of the elite.
It would have been easy for them to obtain the golden bead and escape the tutorial. But they chose not to.
The 50 heroes, despite the risks, chose to defeat the Minotaur to save everyone.
Thus, they confronted the monster.
"…It was a bloodbath."
30 out of 50 died. 19 were severely injured or maimed. The only one left unscathed was Suhee, who mainly supported the group.
"Still, we won. We survived. We could smile."
Until the Goblin Shaman jumped into a swamp, leaving only his staff behind.
"…We searched the island. We found uneaten golden beads among the possessions of the deceased."
There were several people but only one bead.
If they stayed on the island, death was certain. They had to choose who would survive.
"And the chosen one was…"
"Yes. Me."
We have deep wounds. Your ability has the highest grade. You're the youngest.
These wonderful people sacrificed themselves, giving Suhee the chance to survive.
But no matter how noble they were, facing meaningless death must have been terrifying. They must have wanted to believe they were helping in some way.
"…They told me, 'You can clear the tower. Your ability is useful. You can do it. We believe in you.'"
They wanted their deaths to mean something, leaving a legacy for Suhee.
And that legacy became a heavy burden, weighing down on Suhee's shoulders. "After that incident, I have nightmares every day... I'm scared to sleep... Maybe I should have died there..."
Suhee couldn't continue, tears streaming down her face. She mentioned that she was summoned to the tutorial with her brother.
And perhaps, that brother...
Regardless of what Suhee had done, a wave of empathy rose within me, having been through a similar situation.
"...I've been in the same situation."
"After the Goblin Shaman committed suicide in the swamp with the golden bead, I had to flee the tutorial, leaving my most precious friend behind."
That day, when I was betrayed by the Goblin Shaman, as the sun set over the barren grounds of the tutorial, I lost my first ally, my companion, my friend.
"...That wound still hurts."
"But I'm still trying. If I give up, all their sacrifices would be in vain."
This was my sincere feeling. The Ji-won I knew that day is gone from this world. The Ji-won that exists now is a different Ji-won. And my friend Ji-won told me that I could do it, to keep moving forward.
Though regression is painful, I move forward for my departed friend.
"...You're incredible."
Tears streaming down her face, Suhee nodded slightly.
"I may seem fine on the outside, but I'm falling apart inside. But Junho, I can feel that you've overcome it. It's so commendable... I... I don't think I can do that."
This wasn't the cold facade Suhee initially showed, nor was it the cheerful demeanor she displayed later. This was the true, scarred, and pained Suhee, revealing herself to me, smiling faintly. Slowly, emotions flowed from Suhee.
-
[B] >>> Respect [A] Respect
- Your ability evolves.
- Respect [A]
- Salute to your greatness. Fear in the incomprehensible. The ability, an evolved version of respect, affects the target.
- Suhee: Inventory (SSS) >>> Synthesis/Explosion (B-)
Thanks to the SSS rank, my respect ability evolved.
"...Junho."
Suddenly, I felt an unfamiliar surge of emotion. She truly respects me. After wiping her tears, Suhee looked straight into my eyes.
"For the 3rd floor's reward, if it's not individual but distributed... I want to receive all of it. Please invest in me, so I can clear this tower."
I was taken aback.
"...?"
"I believe only you would understand me, Junho. If I break down, the people who died for me would have died in vain."
Before Suhee said something strange,
"And... Using the Goblin Shaman's staff from the tutorial on Kang-chan..."
"Yes? Why?"
"Why suppress..."
"Uh..."
"I have a special..."
Seeing her uncertainty, my inner voices, the two Junhos, argued more fiercely than ever. I decided on a principled solution.
After a long silence, Suhee nodded.
'This is a bit...'
You're smarter, more responsible, and doing it for a greater good. So, you should understand.
"Don't suppress them, I'll try to persuade them. Don't do anything reckless. Understand?"
"...Yes."
'You said I was crazy, idiot.'
The two Junhos in my head, who had been assigning sub-missions to each other, stopped their quarrel.
The look in Suhee's eyes, when she showed her true self... was filled with intense madness.