Regression Is Too Much

Chapter 140

You have cleared the 11th floor.

“Ugh, that was way too hard.”

The moment I returned to Earth, I crawled straight into my bed. After being forced to camp outdoors for the past few days, I desperately craved the softness of a mattress.

“Mm... you’re back?”

“Yeah. Go back to sleep. I need some rest too. Let’s talk in the morning.”

“…Alright.”

It was the dead of night. Lying down beside the sleeping Choi Ji-won, I savored the plush feel of the pillow. @@novelbin@@

‘Ah, this is life.’

I’ll think about everything tomorrow… For now, I need to sleep. I’m so, so, so exhausted…

The Next Morning:

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… feels a bit weird.”

I hadn’t noticed it when I first returned, but now I realized: a massive sword was propped up beside the bathroom door, with various pieces of armor lying around as a bonus.

Having a deadly weapon in a typical modern home? It was like a case of cognitive dissonance—or maybe just plain absurdity. It felt oddly out of place. Sure, it made sense in the forests or caves, but in reality? Totally bizarre.

“The dwarf uncles said they’d provide me with free gear, so I brought some for you too.”

Choi Ji-won grinned. With dwarf-made armor, the chances of us dying absurdly and being forced to regress would significantly drop. And we could even carry these items into the tower.

“Hmm... Good call. And Ji-won, I’d love to rest too. But there’s something we need to address first.”

Not exactly the ideal topic to bring up after just waking up, but it was better now than later.

“Should we regress this time? Or not?”

It was time to decide whether or not to regress.

“You know we wasted a bit of time getting to the 11th floor…”

We had taken a long break before climbing the 11th floor because the thought of enduring the 10th floor any longer was unbearable. But my usual philosophy had always been to climb the tower as quickly, efficiently, and perfectly as possible. ℝÅΝŐᛒË𝘚

And the 11th floor… wasn’t as disgusting as the 10th. Repeating it a few more times wouldn’t be an issue. In fact, I’d already regressed quite a lot.

“Hmm…”

Choi Ji-won responded with a thoughtful hum to my question.

“I think this round was our best effort. There were some regrets, but not enough to warrant regressing again.”

“…True, the results were decent.”

“But there’s still one thing we haven’t resolved, right?”

Choi Ji-won opened Google Maps and pulled up Beijing, China.

“Zhang Lei. We need to find him. If it means regressing, I’m okay with that.”

Exactly. Even though we’d dealt with the issues on the 11th floor, the real culprit behind its mess was still out there.

“Right. That bastard has to be dealt with…”

If we couldn’t figure out how to handle Zhang Lei, all the hell we went through on the 11th floor would mean nothing. What if he caused chaos again on the 12th or 13th floor?

“How do we find him?”

That was the problem. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

All we knew about Zhang Lei was his name. At best, we knew he was a top-tier player, but would that clue lead to anything useful?

“I’ll try digging through Chinese forums. With a VPN and translator, I might find something.”

With that, I carefully powered on my computer.

“Hmm…”

It didn’t take long for me to realize this task was impossible.

First, Zhang Lei was an incredibly common name in China. With its massive population, there were so many people with the same name that it was almost laughable.

Second, Chinese forums barely mentioned players. The rare mentions were all praise, without a hint of controversy or gossip.

“Hmm…”

Just when I was about to give up, I came across something.

“The association exists in China too?”

I discovered that the Player Association had a branch in China. Maybe they held the key to finding Zhang Lei.

“Ji-won, we’re going to have to regress.”

If we couldn’t find Zhang Lei, I was ready to regress. And from now on, everything I did would hinge on that decision.

“Where’s my phone?”

“Who are you calling?”

“That person I mentioned earlier.”

With determination, I picked up my phone and dialed the number from memory. After a few rings, a male voice answered.

[This is Yoon Jung-hyun, head of the Player Management Department.]

“Hello, this is Kim Jun-ho.”

[…Excuse me?]

The casual tone of “It’s me” was only reserved for Choi Ji-won. With Yoon Jung-hyun, it was different. Though, he still knew who I was.

A former National Intelligence Service agent, now head of the Player Management Department—Yoon Jung-hyun.

We had crossed paths on the 4th floor. Although, in my last regression, it was mostly me leading everyone to clear it. Still, I remembered exchanging names with him. To him, I must have seemed like a mysterious, crazy player.

[Could it be… from the 4th floor?]

“Yes, that’s right.”

[Please hold for a moment.]

His voice disappeared briefly, replaced by the sound of something clattering in the background. He must be preparing something.

If I hadn’t planned to regress, I wouldn’t have done this. Revealing my number, location, and intentions? It completely contradicted my usual stealthy approach.

But once I resolved to regress, there was nothing to hesitate about. A regressor who has decided to regress is unstoppable—like a berserker wielding axes in both hands.

[Yes, Mr. Jun-ho. It’s good to hear from you. What brings you to call?]

“…You’re not going to ask how I got your number?”

[Haha, that’s not important. I assume you have something to discuss since you reached out first.]

“…”

What’s this? Why is he so calm? We aren’t exactly enemies, but we’re not on such friendly terms either. Does he know something about me?

Suspicious as it was, I had more pressing matters, so I decided to get straight to the point.

“I’m looking for a player.”

[A player, you say? If they’re registered with the association, that’s possible. After all, I am the head of the Player Management Department.]

“It’s a Chinese player. I heard there’s an association branch over there.”

[Hmm… if it’s China, it might be a bit difficult…]

Yoon Jung-hyun’s confident tone began to falter.

[You see, the Chinese branch operates a bit differently from others.]

“…Different, how?”

[Well, while they operate under the name ‘association,’ they’re heavily influenced by their government. Communication between us isn’t very smooth.]

“Is that even possible?”

[It’s a common scenario with authoritarian states. We maintain the appearance of having a global association while they gain access to our expertise. It’s essentially a trade.]

“Tsk…”

This was a serious setback. I had contacted Yoon Jung-hyun as a last resort, but even he didn’t have a straightforward solution. Was I really going to have to give up?

[That said, we do occasionally receive information from them. If you give me the name, I’ll keep it in mind and reach out if anything comes up.]

“…”

That wasn’t particularly helpful. Since I was planning to regress, I had no “future” to benefit from such promises.

“Zhang Lei. The player’s name is Zhang Lei. I heard he’s got quite the nasty reputation.”

I gave the name anyway, hoping against hope.

[…Zhang Lei? Are you certain?]

For some reason, his reaction was unusual. His voice betrayed a hint of shock that he couldn’t completely hide.

[If you’re talking about Zhang Lei, the Chinese player… I know who that is. But I must ask, why are you looking for him?]

His tone turned meaningful, almost probing. I could have dodged the question, but since I was planning to regress, I decided to be honest.

“…I just cleared the 11th floor. And that bastard Zhang Lei wreaked havoc there. By the way, have you cleared the 11th floor? Otherwise, it may be hard to hear me.”

[…No, I can hear you. Perhaps it’s because you haven’t given me the full details.]

“Fair enough. Either way, I intend to find him and take appropriate measures.”

By “appropriate measures,” I was prepared to take the most extreme actions if necessary.

[Hmm… I see. I understand your intentions, Mr. Jun-ho.]

Though I couldn’t see him through the phone, I got the sense that he was nodding.

[However, I’m afraid your wish cannot be fulfilled.]

“…Why not?”

[Zhang Lei. How do you think I know of him?]

-Bzz!

My phone buzzed. Glancing at the screen, I saw that he had sent me a link to an online forum.

-You guys heard about that maniac who calls himself “The Reaper”? He uploads corpse photos on the dark web.

-“The Reaper”? What an edgy name.

-He calls himself that. His thing is carving the Chinese character for “death” (死) into his victims’ foreheads, taking pictures, and posting them online.

-What a psycho.

-I know him. He only kills high-profile players and posts proof. He’s completely deranged.

-Recently, he posted photos of that Indian player, Riya. It was seriously disturbing.

-Wasn’t Riya reported missing in the tower? Did she actually die in real life? I liked her, she was pretty.

-The fact that you looked that up is just as creepy.

“…What is this?”

Though I asked the question aloud, I already had a sinking feeling.

[Zhang Lei. That player is already dead.]

“…”

[He was killed by that maniac who calls himself ‘The Reaper.’]

Zhang Lei, the Chinese player I had been searching for…

He was already dead.​

– – – End of Chapter – – -

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