Chapter 30: A Master at Grinding (1)

 

“...”

 

When my eyes were closed, it was the vacant lot, painted beautifully by the twilight glow of the setting sun. But as I opened my eyes, a warm embrace of sunlight greeted me.

 

It was the same location, but... for some reason, it felt uncannily unfamiliar.

 

“Sigh...”

 

I let out a sigh, turning my head in search of Choi Ji-won.

 

“...”

 

She met my gaze with a cold countenance, then abruptly turned away.

 

Her impassive face was a striking contrast to the warm smile I had just witnessed moments before.

 

My heart ached. My stomach churned, and my mind was in disarray.

 

Is this what they call a sense of loss?

 

Did I like Choi Ji-won?

 

I can’t say for sure.

 

But I was conscious of the fact that we had become friends.

 

I saved lives but, in the process, lost a friend.

 

“...”

 

If I had advanced, abandoning people to starvation, there’s no doubt I would have been consumed by regret.

 

But why do I regret this choice too then?

 

Why does Choi Ji-won’s smile keep coming to mind?

 

‘No, Jun-ho. If you choose one thing, it is obvious you must forsake another. You can’t have it all.’

 

“So this is how I’ll have to live from now on...”

 

Up to this point, I hadn’t formed any deep connections in this tower.

 

The most I had done was exchange stories with Baek Da-hye, the girl with the bob cut, but I wouldn’t say I had anyone close enough to call a real friend.

 

And that’s why I didn’t realize how painful this would be.

 

I had no idea it would be so agonizing to be looked at by someone I felt close to, as if she didn’t know me at all.

 

I had no idea the curse of remembering the person who had forgotten me was so painful.

 

“Let’s just... not get attached to people anymore.”

 

As long as I am a “regresser,” my relationships will always be like this.

 

If I get close to someone, I’ll have to fear the cycles of my returns.

 

Someday, there will be a moment when I have to weigh the benefits I gain from regressing against the connections I’ve built with this person.

 

What if, at that point, the connection wins?

 

What if, because of that, I miss out on the potential rewards I could have gained, and fail to become strong enough?

 

What if these small lapses accumulate, eventually leading me to falter on the final 66th floor?

 

By then, regret would be too late.

 

After all, regression only takes me back to the moment I first entered each floor, not to the ‘Tutorial’.

 

And if I decide to abandon that relationship and simply regress? That would deal a severe blow to my mental state.

 

The difference between my reality and actual reality would tear at my heart.

 

Even now, every time I saw Choi Ji-won, my heart ached.

 

That’s why, I decided:

 

For my own sake, and to conquer the tower…

 

It’s best not to get attached to others.

 

It’s best to go on solo if possible.

 

“Ha, haha…”

 

And then it occurred to me.

 

The infinite regressors I’ve read about in webtoons and web novels…

 

They roam alone, indifferent to killing, and show disdain for life.

 

Essentially, they are lunatics who no longer see people as people.

 

But were they lunatics from the start?

 

Initially, they were likely just ordinary people.

 

Their hearts simply wore down over time, eroded by the sandstorm called ‘time.’

 

And perhaps the start of that erosion began when they, like me, decided to go solo.

 

So, will I eventually become like them?

 

At the end of despair, when my spirit has been crushed to the point that I can’t get up again…

 

Will I turn into such a heartless madman, devoid of both blood and tears?

 

“...I don’t want that.”

 

Pride.

 

Pride seems like the most accurate word to describe what I was feeling.

 

The specter of inevitable ruin loomed so vividly but I absolutely refused to succumb to it.

 

Everyone else has gone mad, you say? Well, I won’t. I’ll maintain my sanity. I’ll become a hero.

 

It might seem like childish defiance, but this is my genuine feeling.

 

I will not become like them.

 

It’s okay to walk a separate path from people.

 

What’s crucial is:

 

Not losing my humanity,

 

Maintaining the integrity of the person known as ‘Kim Jun-ho,’

 

Avoiding choices that the future me will regret,

 

And always remembering this resolution.

 

“Phew.”

 

After organizing my thoughts, I felt somewhat refreshed.

 

-“Don’t give up. You’ll surely find an answer that satisfies you.”

 

Those were Choi Ji-won’s words, just before I regressed.

 

So what would be the answer that’d satisfy me here?

 

In this brutal tutorial, what level of achievement should I aim for so that my future self won’t have regrets?

 

“...Simple.”

 

Everything.

 

I will acquire every trait that I can,

 

I will snatch up every prepared reward without a second thought,

 

I will try to save every person summoned to this vacant lot…

 

Given that I possess the absurd ability to regress, doing at least this much will leave me with no regrets.

 

“...This should do it, I guess?”

 

Ignoring what others were doing with their weapons, I was engrossed in planning how to save everyone.

 

After reviewing it about three times, I concluded that the likelihood of success was quite high.

 

Therefore, my course of action was set.

 

All that remained was to execute.

 

I clenched my fist tightly and struck down on my left chest where the heart resides.

 

 

 

***

 

To be honest, saving most people isn’t that difficult.

 

As long as I don’t interfere excessively, all I need to do is to repeat the previous round.

 

I’ve already managed to defeat the Minotaur without any casualties.

 

Just by repeating the same process, I can kill the Minotaur.

 

And if I preemptively take down the Goblin Shaman who tries to ambush us... voila.

 

The hidden boss is dead, and the portal’s opened.

 

After that, as long as people pass through the portal in an orderly fashion, saving most of them is achievable.

 

However, when the condition changes to saving ‘everyone,’ it becomes a bit complicated.

 

The plan to push the Minotaur into the swamp becomes nearly impossible.

 

The problem starts with gathering everyone together in the first place.

 

Let’s say, somehow, I manage to get control over the crowd through force.

 

Then what? Keep all these people alive, level up those showing potential, make them invest in strength stats, and then have them push the Minotaur?

 

Even at a glance, that looks extremely, extremely challenging.

 

Moreover, the level of desperation would be different.

 

The people in the previous round had already experienced the ‘Tower.’

 

They’d killed goblins, witnessed the death of comrades, starved, and were battered.

 

On top of that, golden beads had become increasingly scarce as days went by...

 

Given how dire the situation was, they probably agreed to my plan of pushing the Minotaur into the swamp.

 

But what if I controlled the entire situation?

 

I’d dictate their leveling and their stats.

 

Then, what if I even bring them food to encourage vigorous leveling...

 

Would they still exhibit the superhuman strength that transcended limits, as seen in the previous round?

 

I doubt it. It’s more likely they’d question me, asking, “Why don’t you do it, instead?”

 

Therefore, if I want to save everyone, I’ll have to take a different approach.

 

A head-on confrontation:

 

Defeating Minotaur in a direct battle is the only way to save everyone.

 

‘Is that even possible?’ One may ask.

 

But I’m not a fool. I’ve thought of a plan to take him down.

 

Furthermore, the message I saw in the previous round was like this:

 

 

What’s noteworthy here is that a special reward was given to Choi Ji-won, who made the most significant contribution.

 

Earlier, my head was muddled, so I couldn’t ask what the reward was, but they wouldn’t have just handed out trinkets as rewards for defeating a hidden boss.

 

Certainly, there must have been a significant reward.

 

Yes, that’s it. I must take down the Minotaur and claim the ‘Greatest Contribution’ bonus.

 

Of course, as of now, there’s no way I can win, no matter what I do.

 

Before I even engage in combat, I need to power myself up.

 

There are three immediate things to check:

 

First, see if it’s possible to acquire the same trait from the same person repeatedly.

 

I’ve already verified that when you get overlapping traits, rather than getting two similar traits, the grade increases instead.

 

So, after my return, could I acquire the same trait from the same person again?

 

For example, the guy from whom I first received the ‘Awe’ trait is somewhere in this vacant lot.

 

If I could make him hold me in awe again during this round... could I raise the grade of my ‘Awe’ trait?

 

Or what if I make Scrawny Man feel a different emotion?

 

If he strongly feels ‘Admiration’ instead of ‘Awe,’ could I acquire that as a trait?

 

I needed to know that.

 

And secondly, after my return, check if I can gain achievement experience for defeating the Minotaur again.

 

Just like traits, I needed to check if it was possible to gain achievement experience more than once.

 

If it is, rapid growth would be feasible.

 

But on second thought, I didn’t gain any normal levels after defeating the Minotaur.

 

-Grind!

 

Regression is an EX-grade trait indeed. Astonishing, really.

 

Lastly, swordsmanship practice.

 

I’ve already memorized all of Choi Ji-won’s sword techniques.

 

I could either diligently practice alone using this knowledge or, upon revealing my return, I could potentially receive lessons from Choi Ji-won herself.

 

Now, in what order should I execute these?

 

First of all...

 

“Hello, Scrawny.”

 

“Uh, hello... What did you say?”

 

Let’s start with you, Scrawny.

 

– – – End of Chapter – – 

 

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