266 - Regression Is Too Much

267 – Proven by the Regressor (7) "... I'm a mess." A dark room devoid of anything. A space of complete 'nothingness.' No matter how I may appear here or there, this is a space within my 'soul.' I was a victim of a mind mage's attack. This is why novels grant protagonists mental immunity skills in the very first episode. How absurd would it be if, after more than 200 episodes of hard work, the protagonist's journey were to abruptly end due to a mind-control attack? If a person suddenly shows up and says, 'Don't kill your spirit,' how pointless would it be if the protagonist's spirit actually perished? For the sake of plot continuity, protection against 'mental powers' is absolutely essential. But this isn't a novel, and I am not immune to mental attacks. I feel like crying. I possess a characteristic called 'passion,' but it seems inadequate to block such direct assaults. "You…" As they made a fuss, a gloomy voice reverberated everywhere. It felt like it was playing from speakers on the ceiling, but the voice trembled. A mage. "Who are you people? What are you doing? Now...!!!" "No, what do you mean 'now show up'?" "It's over. It's too late. Since I've been brought here. There's no hope for you." A long-unseen red hand appeared in the air. Its unpleasant claws aimed for my throat, but I naturally used my magical power to fend it off. "Huh, how's that?" "Because this isn't the first time." "...!" I don't know what they were anticipating, but I was already familiar with this 'imaginary space.' Meaning, I won't be manipulated. I smiled, and the mage's voice halted for a moment. "I can't stop it." It trembled. It trembled. The world itself was shaking. The face of a grand mage appeared over the horizon. "W-what…" "I don't want to do this either." That wrinkled purple face slowly drew closer. Even if I ran backward quickly, it approached too swiftly. "This is the end." A mage with an enormous, gaping mouth. Within that open mouth, a black abyss was revealed. With the illusion of wind blowing, my body was gradually sucked into it. "Ah, ah...!!" I tried my best to resist, but this wasn't reality. My body was no longer listening to me. "A human soul won't be able to withstand it. Your body is now mine." As soon as I was fully consumed within the mouth, his horrifying lips closed. "Aah!!!" I screamed from unimaginable pain... "Hmph." It wasn’t over. "W-What?! This... What is this...?!" I was the one swallowed, yet my body remained intact. To be honest, the black mass was still the same, so I couldn't feel any difference from before. Rather, the mage seemed utterly bewildered. "Sashimi, regression? Fallen? Supreme Angel? Tower? Even... This is ridiculous. This... This can't be real... You... You!!!" "Did you see my memories?" "Ah! Kaah!!!" The mage didn't respond and screamed in pain. It was clear he had confirmed my memories since he mentioned 'regression,' but he only shouted without answering or asking questions. Could it be... Is this it? A scenario where the opponent underestimates the protagonist and launches a mental attack, yet the one who has returned is fortified by the burdens of life he's already endured, sending the assailant into disarray? A glimpse of my shattered soul after traversing the thorny path I have walked? "I knew it'd end up like this!" Okay, why doesn't the regressor have any mental immunity skills? Because there’s no need. Mind control attacks? Do you fathom the weight of life? Enjoy regretting the path you've trodden and the regret born anew...!!! I smiled grimly and waited for the mage to self-destruct. "Ka... " "..." "Wow... " But this person. They seem to be faring better than I thought. I can’t visually gauge because I’m inside the mouth, but it feels that way. "I... I failed..." "Hi." "The world... The world is..." "..." To be honest, the mage didn’t seem overwhelmed by my life. Maybe it’s more like they were shocked that this was the extent and yet they failed. No, didn’t I have a hard enough life? I went through many regressions too. I tried my best. This country became so impoverished. If you ask a normal person to walk the same path I have, they'd undoubtedly be flabbergasted. The mage’s lukewarm reaction left me uninspired as well. "Why, why..." "Hi!!!" The mage didn’t react at all, even when I yelled. Just as I was about to get irritated and tell him that if he was going to die, he should just die already. -Hwaaah. "Huh?" Instead, the memories of the mage began flowing into me as well. "Oh no…” Your vision changes. From the perspective of the mage. ** A past that I don't even know when. In the recollections of a mage. Two men were conversing in a dimly lit room. "Contact lost?" "Yes." Tap. Tap. Tap. The staff tapped the floor. Contact lost. "Is there a chance they escaped?" "No. I saw them enter the tower for sure." "They could’ve entered and hidden away." "..." "...Ha." I knew the truth. At the very least, that person wasn’t extraordinary. "Dead... Is that okay?" "Maybe." "..." Tap. Tap. Tap. The mage was worried. He didn’t know about the tower. He didn't understand what the people climbing the tower were disputing over. "This is frustrating." He had never been summoned to the tutorial. He wasn't given the opportunity to climb the tower. So, he couldn't gather detailed information, nor could he become stronger like others. All they could do was offer support from the back based on indirect information. "We need more time. If the apprentices have matured enough to seal Bingryong again... This will take time." Tap. Tap. Tap. Bingryong was sealed in the north. A lunatic woman climbing the tower claimed, 'I will acquire power.' After she tampered with the seal midway, the already frigid climate became uninhabitable. It's evidence that Bingryong's seal was on the brink of breaking. There was a climber who had managed to maintain the seal just in time, but it turned out that the climber had died in the tower. There were students with similar traits, but they needed time to develop. "So, you even contacted me?" "...Fine. I need your help. You're the only one capable of contracting with demons. Please keep the seal intact for about two weeks." "...Hehe." An adept in magic. Among them, a mage not chosen by the tower. The scorn and disdain endured all these years still simmered silently in his heart. He disliked the idea of someone close being dispatched without a word of apology and them being asked to 'help me' unilaterally. "Alright. I’ll make a pact with a demon. Since there's someone specializing in sealing, the sealing of Bingryong can be postponed." "...Is that possible? Citizens cannot be openly sacrificed. Public opinion is merciless." "Fine. There's no one you need to support. Instead, it requires a barrier." "A barrier?" "A barrier where time flows slowly. It can be crafted into an item." As the mage moved his staff, a human figure inside a strange glass tank appeared. "It's a superior human. Foolhardy, strong-willed, fertile, and robust. Quick growth is a bonus." "Impossible." The man's mouth gaped in astonishment. "...Such a barrier isn’t meant for living beings." "The usual sacrifices can't be met. To maintain the seal... About 500 people need to contribute every day. That's impossible under the current circumstances." What the mage intended was simple. "You just need to raise them within the barrier. And kill them. That's enough to satisfy the sacrifice." If you lack people to sacrifice to a demon, just raise and sacrifice them. "...The power source to sustain such a barrier is insufficient. Especially if you wish to interact with the outside world." "I will be the driving force." A dark mage speaking calmly. "The more sacrifices I make, the more my vitality will be drained... Since the body has been modified in many ways. Its vitality overflows. In real time, I can probably last about two weeks." "... I don't know how many years that will be inside." "I guess I just need to conduct my research. Prepare adequate shelter and sufficient food in the north." The mage declared he would burn his own body. Simultaneously, he professed he would kill the humans he had personally enhanced. The man he spoke with seemed uncertain whether to be grateful or repulsed by this notion. "... I understand. I will send them." Even so, he tried his best not to show his feelings and nodded. Because he wasn’t in a position to act rashly. The man departed. The mage was left alone in his residence. "..." He glanced at his reflection in the tank's water. He saw a handsome face. Since youth, people admired his attractive appearance. How did it come to this? It was for survival. For the sake of survival, he had long forsaken his conscience and morals. He also gave up the desire to lead a normal life. All he wanted was to extend his existence. And the culmination of dark magic. But what he intended to do now had nothing to do with the culmination of dark magic. Instead, it would end his life. Completely. What would those climbing the tower think of his actions now? Should he be grateful? Or would they be glad that someone who was initially just trash had helped the world? If possible, it was better to use the former. "Maybe... What I desire." Recognition. Wasn't it the approval of others? Tap. The staff tapped the floor. 1500 years passed within that barrier. ** Back to reality. "Wow..." "Ugh..." "..." Inside a dim cave. Two figures writhed on the ground. "No words... This doesn't make sense... The world..." One was the mage. His robe was completely removed, exposing his deformed and grotesque body. The mage continued to murmur that it didn’t make sense, clutching his head and writhing on the ground. And the other. "Don't damn it... Why are you pretending to be a victim and playing dead..." Junho Kim. Choi Ji-won's comrade. He too gritted his teeth, his eyes unfocused. Incomprehensible groans came from his mouth, and his body lay like that of a newborn. "...What kind of situation is this?" "Well." Clearly a double KO. No winner. Both losers rolled on the floor. Two weakened men, broken by the weight of their respective lives. But from the start, this was a 1 vs 5 confrontation... "Mage... Should I just kill him? I can't move." "That's... Because I'm not sure if it will affect the men as well. Just wait a moment." "Report?" "I'm going to kill you." "Alright." Couldn't Donggwijin be considered a victory of sorts? Perhaps?