Regression Is Too Much

Chapter 50: Choi Ji-Won is Too Strong (1)

The key to the plan I have set this time is to attract attention.

I must completely disrupt the nerves of the city’s master. I need to create an environment where she cannot concentrate.

And if I want to disturb the nerves of the city’s master, who suggests fighting her if you’re annoyed by her management, there’s no better way than giving her a fight.

And, of course, I cannot play that role. If I’m touched by lightning, I’ll regress. The option of me fighting personally is impossible from the start.

But isn’t a great leader’s virtue not about being good at everything, but rather valuing and employing people who are skilled in those areas?

If I cannot fight, then I just need to find someone who can fight in my place.

And as far as I know, the strongest person among those who haven’t yet come to the second floor is Choi Ji-Won.

Even though the heartfelt conversation we shared in the past lingers in my heart, making me somewhat reluctant to face her... I have no choice.

There’s no alternative. What can I do?

But you might ask, how do I know when Choi Ji-Won will come up? I have thought this through before acting.

Firstly, it’s considerably easy to hold out on the second floor.

The residents of Silver Grade are diligent in their work due to compulsion.

And they seem to have little interest in money, either because there’s nowhere to spend it or because they lack the free will to do so. Most places offer all services for free.

I haven’t been outside the city, but I hear the resources are incredibly abundant... It makes sense that there’s no intention to demand compensation.

What does this mean? It means one can dine without paying.

Food? Just casually walk into any restaurant and eat.

Clothes? Enter any clothing store, and they’ll let you take whatever you like.

Sleep? There are inns in this city. Of course, due to the lack of foot traffic, they’re mostly empty, but still... they exist. If you want to sleep, you can.

Every aspect of this environment is optimized for endurance. If it had been a dangerous environment like in the tutorial, I wouldn’t have dared to wait for Choi Ji-Won.

When I reviewed the plan in my head, it seemed perfect.

In two months, Choi Ji-Won will succeed in climbing to the 10th floor.

So, at the latest, she should enter the 2nd floor within a month. There’s no need to wait for years.

“Well, then...”

I settled in a corner of the open space, crouching down to start watching for people being summoned.

When will you come, Choi Ji-Won?

I hope... you come quickly.

“...”

The sun was beginning to set.

Choi Ji-Won was nowhere to be seen yet. I only learned some useless information: during the day, more Asians are summoned, and as time passes, the proportion of Westerners increases - Perhaps due to the different time zones on Earth, while time in the tower is fixed.

“Should I go to sleep now?”

As darkness fell and sleepiness crept in, I headed to the inn. There was no plan to sleep long. It seemed unlikely that Choi Ji-Won would come to the 2nd floor in the early morning hours by Korean standards, but you never know. My endurance test was just beginning.

“Bro, what’s up with that guy?”

“I don’t know. He’s just always there like that. Let’s not bother. Just look for someone with a gold mark. Damn, I heard the dawn shift is the best.”

“The dawn shift?”

“If you got a gold mark, would you come during the day or at dawn? I heard the odds are much better in the early morning.”

A week passed.

Choi Ji-Won still hadn’t arrived.

The biggest problem with doing nothing is overcoming boredom.

Scanning the faces of those arriving on the second floor and checking for Choi Ji-Won was excruciatingly dull.

“But is this gold mark really meaningful? I’m not even sure if the rewards are significantly different…”

“Man, you really know nothing, do you? In the underworld, rumors about the ‘Magic Potion’ have already spread far and wide. I only recently found out it comes from the tower... Anyway, it’s all the rage these days. Did you know that wealthy old folks are buying up everything that comes out of the tower?”

“...Really?”

“I’m from Detroit, you know? Right now, potions are the hottest item. Especially the lower grades*, you can’t get them even with money. You think I came to the second floor for no reason? If I get this, I’ll hit the jackpot. I could buy a truckload of women. You can’t make women on the first floor.”

“Right…”

But the thugs blocking the alleyway were no different; they never stopped talking for a moment.

When you think about it, it’s true. How long are they supposed to wait here aimlessly, hoping someone will come with a gold mark?

Me and the thugs, in the end, we all had to win the battle against ourselves.

At least the guy blocking the path near me was chatty, which kept me entertained for a while, but even that had its limits.

Fighting like hell with a goblin seems easier than this.

Choi Ji-Won, when are you coming...

Two weeks passed.

Yesterday in the early evening, David, the guy who acted friendly with me, cleared the second floor with a gold mark.

What about the guys blocking the path?

“Move aside, I’ve got four marks here. We’re supposed to help each other out, right?”

“Oh, wow…”

He bribed them with the marks. It probably took about two weeks because he needed time to gather enough gold marks to bribe the thugs blocking his way.

“It took some time because of the NPCs getting in the way… but I was in the football team. You gotta win the game, right?”

David had a triumphant expression, like a running back who just scored a touchdown.

I thought about saying something, but... it seemed pointless, so I let it go.

Choi Ji-Won, when are you coming? I’m really going to lose my mind at this rate.

Two and a half weeks had passed.

I occasionally saw other Koreans, but still, no familiar faces appeared.

Because of this, unable to overcome my boredom, I became acquainted with the thugs blocking the alley near where I was. (The ones who were talking before had already obtained gold marks and cleared the floor. They called it ‘graduating’.)

I asked them something I had been curious about for a while.

The one who created the tower initially proclaimed to judge humanity, and in the tutorial, that was actually demonstrated.

Despite this, I asked why there were still those who committed evil acts...

The answer was more shocking than I expected.

“Well… someone else will probably handle that judgment. No one expects me to clear the 66th floor anyway. Wouldn’t it be okay for me to live like a jerk just this once? It’s not like I’m the only one doing this.”

One with a ‘just me’ mindset.

“The judgment is over, right? That means the price has been paid. What? What if there’s another judgment later? Then... just lose some stats or something. Paying the price is enough, right?

One willing to commit evil acts, expecting to pay for them later.

“Just don’t think about it, you know? My life’s already screwed... might as well all go down together.”

One without any thoughts.

“…”

The world is vast.

Globally, are there more good people or bad?

More educated or uneducated?

The never-ending crime across the world seems, in a way, inevitable.

When too much power is given to an individual, chaos is inevitable.

I must climb the tower quickly.

Three weeks had passed.

After a long wait... I finally came face to face with someone I knew.

“Long time no see… or should I say that?”

Yes.

The person everyone had been waiting for.

If this world were a novel and I were a reader, the person I would have looked forward to meeting again.

A person with a righteous heart.

Walking towards me with a commanding presence and extending a handshake.

“Pleased to meet you. Do you remember me?”

It was Park Cheol-Jin, the middle-aged firefighter.

“I’m grateful for your help in the tutorial. You saved my life…”

“…”

“At first, I wondered if I was dreaming... but I wasn’t the only one with that experience. Being able to create a portal to the first floor whenever... I’ve come to accept it somewhat.”

“...”

“To think we did the tutorial together and now the second floor... Feels like it’s fate, doesn’t it? Ah, how long have you been on the second floor? There doesn’t seem to be any immediate threat, but... I haven’t seen any mission objectives yet.”

It’s good to see him.

But... I wish it were someone else I was more eager to see.

Feeling gloomy, I unknowingly clenched my mouth shut.

“Sorry, there are many things I want to ask and say… but there’s someone I’m waiting for. Ah, there she comes.”

Turning around, firefighter Park Cheol-Jin looked towards the center of the square.

Step. Step.

In the direction he was looking, a woman was walking towards us.

“…What are you doing here, looking like that?”

Swishing ponytail. A familiar-shaped sword.

As I slowly turned my head, the face from my memory was staring right at me.

Those cold eyes were fixed on me.

“…Thank you for your help in the tutorial.”

Choi Ji-Won.

She had finally reached the second floor.

{‘Especially the lower grades*, you can’t get them even with money’ - it was said because there’s another grade lower than that - lowest.}

– – – End of Chapter – – -

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