264 - Regression Is Too Much

264 – Proven by the Regressor (4) "... An uninvited guest has arrived." The sorcerer extended a hand and grasped an ominous-looking staff. Draped in a heavy cloak, hardly any skin was visible, but the slightly wrinkled, purplish fingers betrayed that it was not human. "…" Murmur. Murmur. Murmur. The sorcerer swung her staff three times. First, a hidden magic circle on the floor was revealed; second, the scattered bone fragments came to life; and finally, a black hand rose and enveloped the sorcerer. Its true purpose was a mystery, but it seemed like a protective barrier. -Click. Click. -Creak. Creak. Bone fragments, or rather skeletons, filled the cave. The weapons they held were severely corroded, with spikes protruding here and there. They posed a more threatening presence in motion than in stillness. It was clear that once cut, you would suffer before your demise. "Get out!" -Bang! A massive stone hurled by a French woman shattered the skeleton. Although its ribs splintered, the skeleton slowly reanimated. Its hollow eyes were as lifeless as ever. There was no fear in them. No hesitation. Simply to take your life, they would advance slowly. But it was not just the skeletons that lacked fear. "Fight!" "Win!" "Gain victory!" "Wow!!!" Thump! Thump! Clang! The warriors rhythmically beat their chests. The roar echoed within the cave so loudly it made my ears ache. Saliva dripped from their mouths, their hands tightly gripping weapons, stained blue from the grasp. Now. Right now, this moment. This single battle was the reason for the life I've lived up to this point. It was the long-cherished wish of my family. This was the dazzling final outcome. Average humans spend most of their lives searching for a reason to live. This was different. Their meaning, purpose, and objective were in this moment. Right now, I was living to win. "Let's go!" "Let's go!" "Let's go!!!" A warrior, unable to contain his excitement, dashed forward alone. And he became a pincushion due to the countless attacks from the skeletons. "Go... Master..." He gnawed at a skeleton's bone until the very end when the light in his eyes extinguished. That was the signal. "Woooo!!!" "Waah!!!" About 50 warriors surged forth. We, who had been watching blankly, moved belatedly. Alright, let's win. Let's help them achieve victory. "My weak point is the head!" Amidst the resounding cries of work echoing in my ears, I faintly heard Choi Ji-won's voice. As she instructed, I smashed its head with my elbow, and the skeleton ceased to move. The head is the weak point! "The head!" "The head!" This astounding fact spread among the warriors, and a faint hope of victory began to emerge everywhere. Just crush the head. If you break all the heads, you can also break the witch's head. It was a wave. A wave of life and death, and I willingly surrendered myself to this current. There was a risk of injuring allies, so I avoided using chilled energy as much as possible and focused on killing the skeletons swiftly and efficiently. Should I slash them? Although magic power was applied, it would damage the blade. If that's the case... "With the entire scabbard." I began to swing my sword wildly, using the 'scabbard'—the reward I received on the third floor. This wasn't about cutting. It was about smashing. -Bam! -Thud! Players who reached the same conclusion as I did stood out everywhere. The skulls disappeared as if ground in a blender, and the lines began to move forward. "We must not lose!" "Let's go!!!" In comparison, the warriors... were ordinary. Though they were robust and formidable fighters, they couldn't use mana, and their weapon skills weren't exceptional. Facing the skeletons bravely was commendable now. "Stand strong!" The captain, his body riddled with wounds, shouted. The group of skeletons had diminished to less than half. If things continued this way, victory would be easy. The soldiers held on well, and the players poured all their weapons into the skeletal crowd. That one was now dead. As I thought that. "Watch your back! It's a trap!" Choi Ji-won's voice resonated loudly in the cave. The voice was urgent and filled with sincerity. "Huh?" Being arguably the closest person to Choi Ji-won, I felt a slight discomfort with her tone, so I grew anxious. "What?" "Damn, are they cannibals?" The two Italian men surrounded by skeletons turned around without thinking after hearing those words. There was a reason why 'Choi Ji-won' spoke, and why I hadn't felt a significant threat from the skeletons. Perhaps it was because my attention was diverted as I was in close proximity. Yes, a lapse. A very small gap exposed due to carelessness. "NO! It's a ruse!" Choi Ji-won's reaction was delayed. The reaction of the two Italian men was even slower. A large hand suddenly emerged from the floor. With red skin and long nails, the 'devil's grasp' snatched both players in an instant. "What the hell!" The man who managed to react, albeit late, found his ankle caught. In a split second, various concerns flashed through his eyes. -Smack! "Gah!" He sliced through his own shin and barely wrenched himself free from the grasp. Seeing him reaching into his cloak while screaming, it seemed he intended to escape the crisis and heal with a potion. “Eh, eh…” Meanwhile, the other man was caught, his right hand holding a weapon. With no means to sever his own limb and his dominant arm trapped, his mind blanked for a moment. When faced with the unexpected, people tend to freeze. "Use your magical attribute! Cast a spell!" A French woman shouted while destroying skeletons with calculated malice. “Hurry! Cut your arm off! Use your magical attribute!” “B-but…” But—so many words probably followed. How could he fight with his right arm severed? How would he harness his magical power? Was there a way to escape without self-mutilation? The uncertainties were palpable. But he hesitated. He wavered. He froze. And the cost was steep. -Snap! The other grasp, freed by the victim who escaped by cutting his leg, tightly seized the player whose arm was caught. “Damn it!” “NO!” I tried to leap forward, activating my magical power, but felt an ominous energy beneath my feet and had to jump back. A large hand emerged where I’d just been standing. I quickly sliced through the massive grip, but my breath caught. Choi Ji-won also mistimed her reaction. Three grips formed around her, and she shattered them in an instant. -Crack. Still, it was enough to make the sorcerer blink. “Ah…” The captured player shut his eyes tightly. The massive grip around his body tightened. Crisis, danger, impending doom. I heard sounds coming from his body that should never have been produced. -Thud. Something resembling a dried apple core hit the floor. A player had fallen. "An uninvited guest has departed." A raspy voice emanated from within the folds of the black cloak. The sorcerer realized we trusted Choi Ji-won. Therefore, he immediately mimicked her voice to create an opening, and without missing a beat, he reduced the count of the threatening enemies by one. The skeletons were a distraction from the start. It was hard to see the warriors as a threat. This was a battle between us and the sorcerer, and he had scored with his first maneuver. "Please, fall back." Blue lightning burst forth from Choi Ji-won's body. She activated her war core, signifying she was ready to fight with her full strength now. "Let's go!" "Let's go!!!" However, the warriors seemed to have no intention of retreating. They leaned forward, unconcerned whether they were struck by Choi Ji-won's lightning or the skeletons. It was a situation where allies unintentionally became obstacles. A heartless person might consider taking out everyone blocking their path, but Choi Ji-won wasn't that kind of extraordinary person. "I told you to back off!" The French woman was trying her best, but it was hard to say she was truly helpful. Judging by the precision of her techniques, it seemed like she hadn't fully benefited from the 'floor 26' reward. The time invested in combat was far from sufficient. "Ugh..." The Italian man with his leg amputated was pouring a potion. His fighting stance was much improved, but at this moment, he couldn't fight. "…" The others... were speechless. "Junho! Can you manage these people?" "...Are you holding up?" We needed to create a scenario where Choi Ji-won could unleash her full potential. If the cold spread too widely, the warriors wouldn't be able to move. However, after a quick assessment during the battle, my 'cold' was less effective against the skeletons. Not that it wasn't working, just less effective. Why was this a problem? If I used enough power to overcome the 'warrior', only the skeletons would remain mobile, and all the warriors would be wiped out. Yet, if I froze the skeletons, not only would I need to exhaust a substantial amount of power, but it could also directly harm the warriors. They might suffer from something like cardiac arrest. Alright, perhaps this was the sorcerer's design. They were making us worry about our allies, hindering us from fighting effectively, and creating openings by mimicking our voices. If this was malicious, it was cunning. If smart, it was indeed clever. Should I say this is a wizard-like strategy? Since the game was set up like this from the beginning, it was inevitable that the situation would become disadvantageous. At a time like this, "Let's meet again." You needed to rewrite the board. [You have sustained damage.] [You will return to the moment you first entered floor 27.] *** "There is something urgent I need to tell you. Before others arrive." The warriors were a visible hindrance. "Well, I have a plan. There's a place we need to go now." Five players. One sorcerer. If we fight with our forces, we'll claim victory.