Regression: Reclaiming the End Chapter 22: Gathering Allies

The plaza was lively, full of chatter and the smoky aroma of street food drifting through the late morning air.

I stood near the fountain, hands in my pockets, and scanning the crowd.

Then I saw Noel.

"Noel!" I called, waving.

Noel Bora turned, his usual bright grin spreading across his face. "Nile! Damn, man, long ti no see!"

He jogged over and gave a quick, solid slap on the back. "You finally crawled out of your cave? I thought you vanished when the Labyrinth opened."

I gave a small laugh. "Yeah, just been laying low. Things have been... intense."

We grabbed a table near one of the food stalls, ordered grilled chicken skewers, fried rice, and cold drinks. For a little while, we just sat and caught up, talking about the old days—the tis before everything flipped upside down.

"Man," Noel said, stretching his arms with a grin, "rember when the only thing we worried about was saving up for arcade tokens? Now look at us—world's gone insane, people disappearing into labyrinth, and half the population signing up with Astral Patrons."

I smiled faintly, sipping my drink.

Noel leaned in slightly, his grin sharpening. "Actually... speaking of that..."

He tapped his chest, and with a soft crackle, faint sparks of lightning flickered up his arm.

"I made my choice before we talked on the phone," he said, eyes glinting with excitent. "You already know it was Gethos, the Storm Bringer. Thunder Astral Patron, right?"

I responded, "Yeah. That was a good pick, actually."

Noel chuckled. "Didn't have much choice, man. Everyone's scrambling to grab power while they can. Gethos made the best offer, and trust , lightning magic is no joke."

He leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. "You should think about it too, Nile. If you haven't made a contract yet, you're gonna get left behind."

I gave him a small shrug, swirling the ice in my drink. "Yeah... I've been thinking about it."

Noel snorted. "You better, man. You're strong, Nile, but without a Patron, it's only a matter of ti before you hit a wall. Even with a team, the Labyrinth's been brutal lately."

He leaned forward, his voice dropping slightly, eyes shining with that excited, almost boyish energy he always got when talking about the Rift.

"Hey, did you hear about what's been happening inside the Crimson Rift lately?" he asked. "The monsters in there are evolving. People are saying the floor bosses are mutating past their original forms—like the system itself is responding to how fast the top climbers are pushing."

I kept my expression calm, sipping my drink again. "Yeah? Sounds rough."

Noel gave a low whistle. "Rough's an understatent. Even big guilds are backing off the Rift for now. But you know who's still clearing it like it's a walk in the park?"

He grinned, eyes practically glowing with excitent.

"Blank."

I tilted my head slightly. "Blank.."

"Yeah, man. That Blank. The solo climber. No one knows who he is, but he's been tearing through the floors nonstop. Did you see the footage of him entering the crimson rift before soloing the Fifth Floor boss? People are calling it impossible because they had not seen him after that. People are expecting him to continue the labyrinth, but I think, he is just a person after all."

I set my glass down quietly, watching the faint condensation drip down its side.

"Noel," I said, my voice a bit lower, steady.

He blinked, his grin fading just slightly as he leaned forward. "Yeah? What's up, man?"

I exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of the mont settle onto my shoulders.

"There's sothing I need to tell you," I said, my eyes eting his. "Sothing important. Not just about the Labyrinth... but about here. About Earth. About you."

Noel frowned, his brows knitting together in confusion. "What do you an?"

I hesitated for a second, fingers tapping lightly on the table. This wasn't sothing I could just blurt out. I had to make sure he understood.

"Noel... things are going to escalate soon. What's happening inside the Crimson Rift isn't just random monster mutations or system shifts. It's tied to sothing deeper, sothing that's been moving in the background from the start."

He leaned back a little, his smile completely gone now, replaced by a cautious seriousness. "Nile... you're starting to sound like you know sothing the rest of us don't."

I gave a faint smile, but it didn't reach my eyes.

"I do."

Noel stiffened slightly, eyes narrowing. "What are you saying?"

I leaned in just a bit, my voice dropping lower.

"I need you to trust , Noel. When I say that the gap between what people think is happening and what's really coming... it's huge. And I need you to be ready. Not just because you're my friend, but because when the next wave hits, you're going to play a part in it."

His jaw clenched slightly, tension rising in his shoulders. "Nile, what the hell are you talking about? What part?"

I t his gaze evenly.

I let the silence hang between us for a long, heavy mont.

Then, quietly, I said the words.

"Noel... I'm Blank."

For a second, there was nothing but stunned blinking on his face.

And then—

"PFFFT—HAHAHA!"

Noel slapped the table so hard his drink nearly toppled over, his laugh sharp and loud. "Oh man, Nile, you almost got ! Hah! You? Blank? Co on, dude, that's hilarious."

I just sat there, watching him calmly.

He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, still grinning wide. "Bro, Blank's a monster! Soloing floor bosses? Clearing the Crimson Rift alone? That's like comparing to the damn moon, man."

I exhaled slowly, pulling my phone from my pocket.

"Noel," I said evenly, "look at this."

I opened the Astral Community app—the largest online platform where climbers, guilds, and casual players all gathered to share footage, stats, strategies, and, of course, updates on top-ranked players.

I pulled up my profile, the one I kept hidden from public searches: Blank.