Currently, a mid-level potion is more expensive than an average luxury apartnt in Gangnam. However, if you think about it the other way, it’s still within reach as long as you’re willing to pay the price of an apartnt. For corporations, such an amount wasn’t a big deal.
But what about elixirs? A true “cure-all” elixir that’s closer to the essence of a panacea—how expensive would that be? The fact that I’ve never heard of an elixir being ntioned in the news alone is proof of its value. Truly rare items tend to be traded in secrecy.
“…”
Why didn’t I think of this sooner? Choi Ji-won and I perfectly cleared the 4th floor. That ans at least 200 people received lower-grade elixirs as rewards.
In other words, aside from the elixirs we possess, there are still 198 out there. Yet, despite all the regressions I’ve gone through, I’ve never co across any information related to elixirs. It’s as if they were kept completely secret in public domains. How is that even possible?
At the very least, soone should have posted a theory online about the elixirs. No, it’d be more normal for soone to write about the lunatic we t on the 4th floor. But strangely enough, there’s no information about what happened on the 4th floor.
The answer to the question “Why?” is simple. There are people who want to control this information. The real question then becos “How?” How are they controlling information on the internet?
“Well… About 8 elixirs were released in secret auctions on the black market… But if you post about elixirs on the surface web… sniff… it gets deleted right away… sniff… so people talk about it on the deep web. Everyone’s wondering where these things are coming from.”
An unheard-of panacea, the “elixir,” suddenly appeared in bulk—it’s only natural for people to want to trace its origins. Through so digging and reverse tracking, they must’ve concluded that they were obtained on the 4th floor.
“That’s how… sniff… your na, Jun-ho, and Ji-won’s na ca up. They even figured out that saving all players and NPCs on the 4th floor rewards you with elixirs.”
Sniffling, Yuuki continued rambling on, unaware of my thoughts. But there was a glaring gap in the logic that caught my attention.
“Wait… so, because of what I did on the 4th floor, a large number of elixirs got released, and people began investigating them, eventually drawing the attention of the deep web. That part I get.”
“Yes.”
“But how did they figure out my na?”
My actions on the 4th floor? Sure, they were noticeable. Honestly, thinking back, it’d be more surprising if I didn’t attract attention to what happened on the 2nd and 4th floors. I pulled a lot of aggro in front of countless spectators.
But my na? How could they possibly know my na? There wasn’t enough evidence to deduce that the lunatic on the 4th floor was Kim Jun-ho. During my last regression, I only told my na to Yoon Junghyun, no one else.
When I raised this sharp and reasonable question, Yuuki answered simply.
“Well… I don’t know either.”
“…What?”
“Soone just… posted your na and face. It got taken down quickly, but I saw it.”
“…”
How did the people on the deep web figure out my na? The answer seems to be… “Who knows?”
In a world where superpowers called “Traits” exist, with regressors, swordmasters, and stealth abilities, how can I be sure there isn’t soone specialized in tracking people? If so tracker sowhere identified , all I can do is take it.
“Hmmm…”
And why does being famous matter? Like I’ve said repeatedly, if people find out I’m a regressor, that’s when problems arise. Regressors are incredibly vulnerable to sealing techniques.
‘Jun-ho, isn’t it overreacting to think being famous ans they’ll figure out you’re a regressor?’
‘I don’t think you need to hide it unnecessarily. Just don’t flaunt it openly.’
At the sa ti, Choi Ji-won’s words lingered in my mind. Am I truly overreacting? No, I don’t think so.
Whoever’s controlling posts about elixirs online… clearly has massive resources—money, power, or technology—they must have everything beyond imagination. They might even sit at the pinnacle of human authority. Elixirs have that much value.
Thinking that my regression wouldn’t be discovered in such a situation feels naïve. There are plenty of people smarter than . Not to ntion, using regression blatantly would leave obvious traces.
The fact that I’ve already caught attention is irreversible. From now on, I must be cautious. Conspiracies work best when the target doesn’t notice, and I hadn’t even realized I was famous until now. It might already be too late.
“Whoa…”
After organizing my thoughts, I let out a long sigh. Fine. What’s done is done. What matters is how I act moving forward. Even if I take action, I must hide my na as much as possible—or create a new alias.
Now, the last thing I need to decide…
“Reaper. No, Yuuki.”
“Yes?”
“Step outside for a mont.”
“…This is my room.”
“Go to the living room. Ji-won and I need to talk.”
“…Fine.”
It’s ti to decide what to do with the Reaper. Should I handle him carefully, or eliminate him outright?
This guy’s ideology is too radical. Sacrificing 10 innocent people to save 10,000? Would he still say that if he were one of the 10? When he beca a target, he abandoned his family and ran. He’s not prepared to face his own standards.
Should I manipulate him into being useful? Or cut him down before he grows dangerous? What’s the right answer?
“Jun-ho.”
As I rubbed my forehead, Choi Ji-won gently patted my back.
“You’re struggling, aren’t you? About what to do with the Reaper.”
“…Yeah.”
Choi Ji-won and I locked eyes. We were both grappling with the sa dilemma.
“I don’t know…” she began, her voice soft as she continued to gently pat my back. “In truly unavoidable situations, maybe we do have to kill soone. But do we really have the right to decide who deserves to live or die?”
She spoke calmly, but her words carried the weight of deep conviction.
“If you take soone’s life… you can’t undo it. That’s the end of it. Even if it was a mistake or a misunderstanding, the dead don’t co back. That’s why anyone who wields a sword must always act with caution. That’s sothing my father always told .”
“…”
“So, Jun-ho, if you ever have to kill soone… I hope you’re really, really cautious. Even if you have regression, I don’t want you to beco desensitized to killing. If the ti cos when it’s absolutely necessary, I hope you wrestle with the decision over and over through regression, so you won’t regret it later.”
Though Choi Ji-won often appeared carefree, she beca incredibly serious when it ca to the subject of death. Now that I think about it, she’s never killed anyone, has she? It’s the complete opposite of , who killed without much hesitation during the tutorial.
“…”
She was right. If I were to decide the Reaper’s fate, would that make any different from him—soone who decided who deserved to die for his own beliefs?
Do I have the right to pass judgnt on soone else? Was my decision to kill that thug during the tutorial truly justified, even if regression erased it from existence?
I can’t do it. I can’t kill the Reaper. That would make no different from him.
But leaving him unchecked isn’t an option either. If I let him go, more innocent lives will surely be lost. Should I disable him permanently without killing him? But that would waste his talents—his stealth ability is incredibly versatile.
I need a way to stop the Reaper while keeping him in check.
“There’s sothing strange about the way the Reaper looks at , isn’t there?”
“…Yeah, that’s true.”
“What if I… played along with his delusions?”
In other words, I’d use his misconceptions to my advantage.
.
.
.
Before regressing again, I returned to Korea. I wanted to check on the people around .
“Cheol-jin seems to be doing well. He said he plans to challenge the 5th floor soon.”
Everyone I had so connection with—Park Cheol-jin, Kang Chan, Ahn Kyung-joon, Ahn Kyung-nam, and even William Smith—seed to be doing fine. In particular, Kang Chan was rapidly gaining fa, likely due to his signature “punch,” which he apparently showcased on the 4th floor as well.
After checking in on everyone, I spent ti rereading that infamous manga about writing nas in a notebook to kill people. It seed to have heavily influenced the Reaper’s ideology. Then, I read the news, browsed internet forums, and even briefly contacted Yoon Junghyun to gather more information.
The conclusion I ca to was this: even if the Reaper suddenly stopped his activities, there wouldn’t be any significant consequences. Most of the truly malicious individuals had already been killed or had gone missing.
With that, my preparations were complete. I decided to temporarily keep the Reaper in check. I’d observe him further before deciding whether he deserved to die or if he was just a reckless teenager driven by misguided fervor.
For now, I’d halt his activities in a way that he could also accept.
You’ve been injured.
Regressing to the mont you first entered the 11th floor.
– – End of Chapter – –
[TL: Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up to 5 chapters ahead of the release: /HappyCat60
Join our Discord server for regular updates and have fun with other community mbers: sdiscord/invite/SqWtJpPtm9 ]
Reviews
All reviews (0)