270 - Regression Is Too Much

270 – Proven by the Regressor (10) "Let's capture Bingryong." "...What do you mean?" "Let's capture Bingryong and release this barrier. Let's find out." What I'm about to do now is actually even worse. Some might think it's a complete cop-out. Telling someone who has failed, 'There's a better way, so just do what I say,' would most likely be considered deceitful. But what I want to say, what I want to discuss, isn't about the wizard's failure. "...Who are you?" "I'm a climber, and this is inside the tower. Your world has crumbled and become part of the tower." "...What?" In a quiet voice, I explained to the wizard what had occurred in the previous episode. Judging by his expression upon hearing it for the first time, it seemed he no longer had any recollection. "You were desperate. The plan failed. Your sacrifice amounted to nothing. They would probably be even more incensed being told by someone like me, a regressor, that I'm not the 'best.' Do you now understand why I apologize?" "...I'm dizzy." "If you truly don't trust me, you can attempt to drag me into that inner world technique. I believe my memories will be convincing when you see them." "..." The wizard moved his hand over his face. He pondered it for a moment. Holding his face between his fingers, he glared at me. "What is the purpose?" "..." "I know you possess extraordinary abilities. I understand your desire to apologize to me, but from my perspective, this is the first time I've seen you, and I feel no remorse, nor should I. The person you need to apologize to is already gone." "...I'm aware. It's at least self-satisfaction." "I will ask again, do you understand? What is the purpose?" "I'm curious. And perhaps, you are curious as well." "...Continue speaking." The wizard's eyes sparkled between his purple, wrinkled fingers. "First of all... I want to defeat Bingryong myself. I think there will be some kind of reward since this is the summit, and it seems like a path no one has taken before. Additionally, since I also utilize ice magic, I believe this will be an opportunity for me to improve." "That's honest." "I think that method would work better. The wizard I encountered in the spirit realm was someone like that." "Keep trying." A wizard who quietly gives affirmation by encouraging him to continue. "I am curious at the same time. Did you truly fail?" "...What do you mean?" "Did you fail to stop Bingryong...? Or did you succeed in blocking him? And then did he perish afterward?" "...Even if I succeeded, what does it mean if the world is destroyed?" "I don't know. You might have succeeded, but the world could have crumbled a hundred years later. That might not have been your fault." Defeating Bingryong. If that's possible, the wizard will no longer need to maintain the barrier. Even if it's because you don't trust me right now. If you capture Bingryong, you can dismantle the barrier surrounding the exterior. Then what happens? The outside world opens up. Of course, this is a tower, and towers often have 'some kind of impenetrable walls.' Was it the 16th floor or the 19th? It has been confirmed that the space within the tower isn't merely a battleground, but an entire world manifested. So it lies beyond the confines of time. This is an opportunity to see that world. "..." "Let's join forces and capture Bingryong. And let's check outside. How about it? Aren't you curious too?" "...A foolish man." The wizard shook his head and chuckled. "I refuse." Thud. The staff touched the floor. "In any case, I intended to die. Success or failure means nothing." "..." "Just as your apology is your self-satisfaction, my actions are nothing more than my own satisfaction. And more importantly." With a flick. The staff was pointed at me. "What makes me a self-sacrificing hero? They seem to think so. I'm just a villain who ultimately acted on whims." "..." "Whether you apologize or not. Growing up in a normal family like yours, acquiring good qualities. When I see a man like that who does well... When I see a man like that admired as the world's hero, it makes my stomach turn, and I can't stand it." Magical energy hovered at the tip of his staff. "Actually, I still don't fully trust you. But if this truly is the Tower, and its purpose is to take my life... One way or another, we have to fight." Alright. Even if I say this, I don’t think anyone would immediately listen. "So I came prepared." "?" "Because I didn't come here alone." I glanced towards the entrance of the cave. The sound of footsteps from afar slowly approached. Thump. Thump. Crunch. What finally appeared. "...Are you a wizard?" A warrior with a resolute expression. The bare-chested leader. The Captain. "..." The captain's face quivered with rage, frustration, and astonishment. Instead of looking at his leader, the wizard gazed at me expressionlessly, as if avoiding eye contact. "I want to kill you." "..." "I still want to kill you. Kill, rip, grind... Umm." Smack! The captain slapped his own face. "I heard you’re the one who created us. I heard you manipulated us. I heard we were raised to hunt, just like deer." "That's correct." "That's why I held back. I wanted to kill you too. I thought it was because you manipulated us. I wanted to kill you even more..." The captain stammered, overtaken by his intense anger. The captain was a simple man. You could say he had an empty head. He lacked sophistication and was not particularly intelligent. However, despite his somewhat low intelligence and having little in his head… This person was unmistakably human. He possessed a 'soul' that he could offer to demons. They were still individuals. Which means he felt betrayed and enraged by the circumstances. Of course... Even if he couldn't grasp the concept of the 'tower.' "You, you, you...!" "What's this?" The wizard continued to ignore the captain and questioned me. What was he doing? "They say they serve to offer their souls to the demons." "..." "Didn't you know as well? They are people." "So?" "Honestly... To me, you and these warriors, you're all already dead. The reality has vanished, and they belong to the tower, living through repeated lives. Isn't that why you think it doesn't matter? Because it's over." "..." "But then... These people... Isn't it utterly tragic? These are the ones you unilaterally sacrificed. Shouldn't we at least check if their sacrifice meant anything?" If I've erred, I've erred. This is entirely the wizard's fault. It's also the logic I'm using to persuade the wizard. From my memories, the wizard craved acknowledgment from others. It means his humanity was still intact. If you were truly cold-hearted, you wouldn't even be listening to me. Borrow powerful forces to capture Bingryong. To discover whether the deaths of the wizards and warriors had meaning. All of this was planned. "..." After listening to me, the wizard closed his eyes in thought and finally looked towards the captain. "What do you think?" "...What?" "You were born to be used by me, you were indeed used by me, and now you're utilized as part of the tower. Your life has been a life of being used by others." "..." "But now, after everything is over, someone suddenly appears and asks you to find out if your life had any meaning. Do you wish to do that?" The captain shouted, his anger still unabated. "Stupid man!" "...Now you see me..." "You idiot! You blockhead!" The captain clenched his fists and shouted. "If you did something like that, shouldn’t an apology come first? Why are you so certain you're seeking meaning?" "I'm just that kind of man." "No one is like that! Didn't my parents teach me that?" "Alright." "..." The captain fell silent for a moment. He quickly regained his focus and looked at the wizard again. "I’m not interested in Bingryong or whatever. I don't even know if that's a top or what. There’s only one thing I'm interested in." With a flick. He aimed at the wizard's head. "We might have killed you. And your plan might have failed." "Weak as trash, and even if I became weak, it wasn't enough to kill you." "You don't know!" The captain shouted again. "And even if you failed to kill him... If your plan crumbled, that would be enough." "..." "Capture that Bingryong. And check outside the barrier. The 1,500 years you experienced. The long years spent exploiting our clan. Let's verify if it made sense." The wizard held a hand to his brow. The grip of the demon flickered on the floor for a moment, then subsided once more. "...Alright." The wizard stood from his seat. "Let's find out. Did it have meaning?" There was a swirl of complex emotions reflected in those eyes. "Good." Now, all that's left is to capture Bingryong.