Regression Is Too Much

It had been eleven days since Kim Jun-ho regressed to challenge the [70] difficulty floor.

Or at least… that’s how long it felt to Choi Ji-won.

Whether eleven actual days had passed was another story.

Rustle. Flip.

“…”

Sitting silently in her chair, Ji-won flipped through the pages of her book with a blank expression.

The title on the cover read: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

And it wasn’t the only one. Several more books piled on her desk were all about human psychology.

“…Yeah, looks like the best option is still a hospital.”

Seek professional help for psychological trauma.

If Jun-ho did end up going to a hospital… the doctors would definitely tell him to take a long, restful break.

The simplest way to treat a disease is to eliminate its cause.

But that wasn’t the direction Ji-won wanted things to go.

“…It’s almost time.”

She closed her book and stuffed it, along with the others from her desk, into her bag.

Jun-ho would be back soon, and it was best to clean up beforehand.

“He did say he was going for [70] difficulty… It’s probably going to take a while, huh?”

She considered tackling her backlog of texts and messages.

Picking up her phone, she began to scroll through missed notifications one by one.

The messages she sent back were full of “He he he” and other cheerful fluff—

But her face remained blank.

Compared to Jun-ho, Ji-won had far fewer regression memories.

Still, she had repeated this particular timeframe a few times now.

Which meant everything she was reading on her screen…

She’d already seen it all before.

There was nothing new. Nothing surprising. No feelings stirred.

“…”

And if Ji-won was like this…

Then what about Jun-ho?

A shadow passed through her eyes.

“…I should feed him something good when he gets back. Perhaps…”

‘Chicken?’

Suddenly, Bung-bung’s voice sounded in her mind.

“What about chicken?”

‘It’s full of protein and tastes amazing. Maybe order, like, ten different kinds?’

“…Nope. Didn’t you see me buy beef and shabu-shabu broth earlier? We’re having hot pot tonight.”

‘You guys eat a lot. Are you sure that’s enough? Plus, when you use magic, you burn even more calories.’

“…Fine. We’ll order two chickens.”

Just as Ji-won and Bung-bung reached a peaceful agreement over dinner plans—

– Vwooooom.

“Jun-ho?”

“Ugh… I’m beat.”

Kim Jun-ho stepped through the portal and returned to their apartment—

Much earlier than Ji-won had expected.

“You’re back? That was faster than I thought.”

Ji-won greeted him with a smile, though her sharp instincts were already scanning him from head to toe.

His condition looked fine. His expression was calm.

If he had regressed without telling her, it probably hadn’t been many times.

Relieved, Ji-won quietly poured him a warm cup of water and handed it to him.

“So? What happened? Did you beat the [70] difficulty mannequin?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure I’d call it a win exactly…”

Jun-ho scratched the back of his head as he took a sip.

According to him, the [70] difficulty enemy was flawless.

Fast. Strong. Exceptionally skilled.

And on top of that, it was a rare martial artist type—

Fighting with fists and kicks, which made adapting even harder.

“After about three regressions, I finally got the feeling. Like—ah, yeah. This one’s not happening.”

Even when struck with a sword, it wouldn’t bleed.

If it looked like it had dodged an attack, it had actually baited him.

The subtle chill he released couldn’t even hinder its movements.

His frost energy might be deadly to most living things…

But once an opponent crossed a certain threshold, its effectiveness dropped sharply.

Even Ji-won had only frozen up the first time—she adapted almost instantly.

Jun-ho quickly realized a head-on fight wasn’t going to work.

So he made a decision: forget the consequences, and go all out.

“When I used my full power, yeah… I managed to beat it. The problem was, my heart stopped right after.”

He scratched his head.

“I regressed, cleared the 12th floor again, and came straight here.”

Kim Jun-ho’s full power was formidable—

So much so that even he himself couldn’t withstand it.

-Clack.

The empty cup was set on the table, a few drops of water clinging to the rim where it had slightly spilled over.

“I don’t think spending more time will make a difference. Let’s move on to the 13th floor.”

“…”

Part of Choi Ji-won wanted to head to the 13th floor with him right away—

But she couldn’t. Not yet.

“I… I checked with the Association. Apparently, the 13th floor doesn’t have many people on it right now. I don’t really know what’s up there, but… We can’t have something like last time happen again, right? Let’s wait a week before going in.”

“…Really?”

Jun-ho’s eyes sparkled at the mention of rest.

He probably thought he was hiding it well…

But Ji-won knew.

Every time she suggested taking a break, he looked so happy.

After all, he was escaping the endless loop and spending time with the person he loved.

Who wouldn’t be happy?

“…”

And yet, seeing that look on his face twisted Ji-won’s heart.

Because the truth was…

Choi Ji-won didn’t want Jun-ho to linger in reality for too long.

***

One week had passed since they cleared the 12th floor.

To be honest, he wanted to rest a little longer.

But the longer you sit, the more you want to lie down.

The longer you lie down, the more you just want to sleep.

Humans run on inertia—if you’re going to move, you have to move now.

As always, Jun-ho did a quick scan of what was happening in the world, got his body into peak condition, and stepped into the portal alongside Ji-won.

– You have entered the 13th floor.

He slowly opened his eyes—

And was immediately blinded by the blazing sun overhead.

The sweltering heat washed over his body,

And he felt tiny grains of something tapping lightly against his skin.

“…A desert?”

No, not quite.

“Wasteland” was probably more accurate.

There was sand, but not enough to call it a true desert.

Here and there, patches of dry grass poked out from the ground.

“I feel like I’ve seen this kind of place in a drama.”

One of those scenes where cowboys roam, tumbleweeds roll by, and Native warriors hide with blowguns behind rocks.

Honestly, the sprawling landscape was kind of cool…

But the thought of suffering through trials in this place?

That just made him sigh.

“Hmmm…”

He raised his mana experimentally, cloaking himself in it.

White mist curled naturally around his body, cool air swirling outward.

At first, he’d assumed the mist was just water vapor…

But for it to still appear in such dry heat—

It had to be something magical.

“Well, now then…”

With his body and mana calibrated, it was time to figure out what this floor was all about.

“?!”

FWOOSH!

From behind.

Not far away—

A surge of terrifying pressure crashed into him.

Every hair on his body stood on end.

It was approaching.

Fast.

Violent.

Deadly.

Why hadn’t he noticed it until now?

Am I an idiot?!

Before his brain could process what was happening—

His instincts had already unsheathed his sword.

It’s coming. I have to react.

Posture—how’s my stance? Are my legs set properly?

Mana flow—should I go all out?

First move—slash? No, maybe thrust?

A thousand options flashed through his mind in a split second…

Only to vanish just as quickly.

“…Ha.”

But the closer the figure drew, the more strength drained from his hand gripping the sword.

Because that silhouette charging toward him… was all too familiar.

“Jun-ho!”

“So it was you.”

“Of course it was! I sensed your presence right away and came running.”

Choi Ji-won brushed the dirt off her hair with a few quick taps.

With how often the tower had unfairly separated them, it didn’t even cross his mind that the approaching presence might be her.

‘Yeah, this isn’t my fault. It’s the damn tower’s.’

“But seriously, how’d you find me so fast?”

“Ever since you started using that frost power, you’ve been easier to pick up on. It’s like this cold aura coming off you. And with how hot it is around here, you really stand out.”

With that, Ji-won leaned in close and softly nestled against me.

“Ahhh~ So cool…”

Her dwarf-made armor might have had some magical insulation to keep it from overheating, but the weather here was just plain scorching.

Sure, at their level, the heat shouldn’t really affect them…

But still, cool air is always welcome.

“Let me stay like this for a little.”

After spending about 10 minutes cooling down against him, Ji-won finally spoke up.

“On my way here, I saw some other players. They’re over that way.”

“…Shouldn’t that have been the first thing you told me?”

Apparently, she’d spotted a group of players sitting around five wagons, taking a break from the heat.

They were wearing dwarf-forged armor too, which made them easy to recognize even from a distance.

“There was a sign on the wagon that said [17/20]. I think this floor’s designed for twenty participants.”

“Hmmm… Well, should we check it out?”

“Definitely. Not like we’ve got anything better to do out here.”

And so, they began walking in the direction she’d seen the wagons.

Wagons, in the middle of a wasteland…

They still had no clue what the 13th floor’s actual trial was, or what kind of task it might throw at them.

But there was one thing he knew for certain:

Right now, they could fight together without any restrictions.

“We’ll probably clear this in no time.”

And just that alone…made the 13th floor feel like it was going to be a breeze.

– – End of Chapter ––

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