Ill be hones-No. Ill admit it:
I seem to have grossly underestimated dodging arrows.
For starters, I dont have much combat experience. So, dodging arrows wasnt exactly second nature to .
You ask what am I talking about?
Looking back, all my battles ended in a single strike. Given my position as soone who would regress with just a graze, I avoided prolonged engagents at all costs, choosing only battles where I could swiftly defeat my opponents.
The only close combat I engaged in was against feeble enemies. Be it mutant goblins, thugs wielding psychokinesis, or even the Minotaur in the tutorial, and the master of the city on the second floor, they all fell in one hit. Its sowhat amusing to say, but I havent been fully utilizing my bodys capabilities.
However, perched at the peak of my ignorance, I embarked on all this with a just do it attitude... only to co to the stark realization of my incompetence.
At least I could dodge arrows at the beginning of the passage, relying on my physical prowess, but the real trouble began in the middle section.
From all directions, even from above and below. Arrows flew from everywhere at almost unpredictable monts. Magic or sothing else caused flas to erupt from the walls, disorienting my vision.
Ugh!
My body, of superior performance, managed to detect where the arrows were coming from in a split second, but my feet tangled up as I moved.
Gravity weighed down on my body, and the ligants in my ankles twisted in a direction they shouldnt...
Youve been injured. Regressing to the mont you first entered the floor 3-5.
I regressed.
***
Youve been injured. Regressing to the mont you first entered the floor 3-5.
I regressed again.
***
Youve been injured. Regressing to the mont you first entered the floor 3-5.
Once more, I regressed.
***
Damn it, damn it, damn it...
The problem wasnt just my body.
In truth, the process of crossing through the passage was a success. The more I repeated the regression, the more steadily I advanced forward.
Even when arrows flew in incredibly challenging patterns, knowing in advance allowed to endure sohow. Whether it was throwing a shield ahead to cover the ground or layering leather armor, I could awkwardly but effectively counteract the threat-
...Are you okay?
No.
-The issue is reaching the trap corridor.
If I had only focused on crossing the passage, my condition would have remained relatively intact. The real problem was the ti it took to reach the arrow traps.
Waking up in the cave, greeting people, picking up weapons, walking through the caves, preparing in advance, successfully hunting wolves, then convincing people to prepare for the mirror maze and passing through it only to finally reach the trap.
Without a watch, I cant be certain how much ti has passed, but at the very least, its been 3 hours. Each regression requires repeating actions that took 3 hours.
Having regressed about 10 tis, Ive been repeating the sa actions for 30 hours now. My ntal strength is dwindling in real ti.
Yet, so far, Ive been okay. I could feel my movents improving, and I was making progress step by step. Holding onto this small satisfaction, I could endure the next 3 hours.
Its okay. Youre doing well.
***
Ive regressed 20 tis.
Now, I feel like I sowhat understand the rules of this trap-filled corridor.
First, the traps are activated by stepping on the floor. And once stepped on, that ground becos safe again.
And the further I advance, the more cunning the traps beco.
Initially, only arrows were shot, but at so point, flas began to burst out, and just now, thin spikes were launched. In the dark corridor, it was impossible to dodge. Its utterly unfair.
But still, Im making progress. I can do this.
***
After around 40 regressions:
I found myself yearning for the flash steps I used on the second floor.
The sensation when Baron Licht controlled my mana is vivid in my mory, but I couldnt do it myself. Its a tickling feeling of incapability; I should have committed to learning how to manipulate mana if I knew this would happen.
It would be nice to just whoosh past with a flash step. Then I wouldnt have to deal with all this crap.
It seems Im nearing the end of the middle section now. Just a mont ago, the floor flipped, stabbing with sharp spikes. It was incredibly frustrating, but with no one to complain to, I just scread like a madman right after regressing.
Kang Chan looked at with disdainful eyes.
***
70? 80? I cant quite rember. Anyway, Ive regressed many tis.
This ti, I intended to lie down on the ground to rest, but I had no choice but to get up due to Kyung-Joons incessant nagging.
...Hey.
...?
Try doing this.
Perhaps it was because Kyung-Joon looked sowhat annoying.
My slightly addled brain decided to push Kyung-Joon into the trap.
...
The mont Kyung-Joon, possessed by spirit under Kang Chans murderous aura, stepped into the corridor, arrows flew from all directions.
!
Thanks to the spirits reflexes, the early part of the corridor was easy to cross, but as the number of arrows increased and their timing beca erratic, even the empowered Kyung-Joon had no chance.
...Hmm.
Even as a barrage of arrows rained down like spears, Kyung-Joon managed to deflect what he could and dodge the rest. However, there were light wounds scattered across his body.
...Its poison.
The trustworthiness of the claim was high when the guy carrying a wooden spear declared, Its poison.
Its not lethal. Its a paralytic poison. It just accumulates in the body over ti.
...
Finally, the intention behind this trap-laden corridor beca clear.
The tips of the arrows were blunter than expected. A direct hit might cause injury, but not death.
The designer of this trap probably hoped that people would take turns navigating it, avoiding the accumulation of too much poison before switching out to continue through the corridor.
Ah, ugh... Its numb...
As soon as his empowernt wore off, Kyung-Joon started fussing and massaging his arms.
...Kyung-Joon.
...Yes?
Please take care of .
It seems I might be able to rely on Kyung-Joons help in navigating the latter part of the corridor. This is a significant gain.
**
Ive regressed over 100 tis. After that, I stopped counting.
Heh, hehe...
I sprint down the corridor with my eyes closed.
By now, I could dodge the traps in the early and mid-sections blindfolded. Walking through the cave for 3 hours was essentially a form of image training, allowing to envision the trajectory of the arrows even with my eyes shut.
Arrows, flas, poison darts, spikes, shurikens, and sudden holes that appear on the ground - the myriad traps no longer pose a threat to . The latter part, where countless needles are spat out, was quite troubleso... but I left that to Kyung-Joon. Watching him spin his spear circularly as a shield was almost awe-inspiring.
Step. Step. Step.
Steps taken with conviction.
Arrows pour from all sides, but my body rotates smoothly through them.
Though the barrage of arrows seed almost like a solid plane rather than points or lines, not a single one touched .
It was the result of perfect posture, movent, and distribution of force.
...
The arrows stop coming.
Only then did I allow a smile to form on my lips and take a step forward.
No familiar clicking sound follows.
...Ah.
The color of the ground had changed. It was no longer the smooth stone floor of the trap corridor, but the damp, slippery floor of a cave.
The trap corridor had co to an end.
...Did I overdo it?
Looking down at my left hand, I shook my head in disbelief.
After endless attempts, I had co to fully understand my body. I had filled the gap in my practical experience regarding evasion to my hearts content.
Now, with the insurance of regression and the added spice of extraordinary agility, if I could just acquire attack power on par with Kang Chan... I would be invincible.
Heh, hehehe...
With a laugh, I spun around to face the other party mbers.
...
What is this...
...This doesnt make sense.
Despite his impassive face, Kang Chan couldnt hide his surprise, his eyes shaking, alongside Dok Su-Hee, who was gaping in shock, and Kyung-Joon, who had his hand over his mouth.
From their perspective, I must have seed like an unbelievable prodigy, effortlessly dodging a barrage of weapons from all directions, fearlessly advancing forward.
Of course, behind this was the foundation of hundreds of hours of effort I had put in and the excellent physical abilities afforded by my achievent levels... but there was no need to explicitly ntion that.
Now, if you just step where I did, you can cross over.
I encouraged the other party mbers to follow, smiling.
...
...
However, they remained still, staring intently at .
...Whats the matter?
Jun-ho... how can we rember where you stepped?
...Ah.
Youve been injured. Regressing to the mont you first entered the floor 3-5.
***
Eventually, after a comical process of saring wolfs blood on the bottom of my leather boots to mark where I stepped, all four of us managed to successfully cross through the arrow trap. Kyung-Joon sustained so minor injuries while blocking the needles, but they were not severe.
We cleared the arrow corridor without Kang Chans fists.
My efforts had finally borne fruit.
Wow, thats really amazing... look at this needle... its still dripping with poison...
I thought I was watching a movie...
Dok Su-Hee and Kyung-Joon kept sending praises. Their admiration wasnt just empty words; it genuinely ca from the heart.
...
But for so reason, I didnt feel greatly elated.
Uneasily so.
End of Chapter -
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