Chapter 108

 

“That guy, no, no. It’s a habit. Junho-nim, he has to be a regressor, right?”

 

Fourth floor of the fortress. A large room that had just been finished.

 

A man was passionately speaking, his face red with intensity. Pieces of jerky he had been chewing flew everywhere.

 

“You see that kind of stuff a lot in webtoons. The world ends once, and the strongest person left returns to set things right... Right? You get what I’m saying?”

 

“Hey, man. Does that even make sense?”

 

“The appearance of the tower makes sense? The status window makes sense? My friend, none of this makes sense. If we were going to question what’s logical, we should have started by asking the goblins in the tutorial.”

 

“Well, when you put it that way...”

 

Seeing the others nodding in agreement, the man got even more excited.

 

“Everyone called him a lunatic for reinforcing the fortress gates, but I thought to myself, ‘Hey, he knows something.’ Even the odd construction on the second day had a purpose. Thanks to that, I gained a lot of experience and leveled up my stats.”

 

“...Didn’t you call Junho-nim a bastard who deserved to be torn apart on the second day?”

 

“When did I ever say that? You’re just trying to make me look bad!”

 

The man raised his voice to hide his embarrassment.

 

Not just him, but Kim Jun-ho was the hottest topic among all the people on the fourth floor.

 

Was he just a lucky madman? Or was he really a regressor, or even a prophet? Most opinions leaned towards him being a regressor.

 

However, the ‘regressor’ people spoke of was slightly different from who Kim Junho truly was.

 

He had shown overwhelming strength, authoritarianism, and cold demeanor. People naturally envisioned him as the ‘strongest person from a distant future returning to prevent destruction.’ This was also why they didn’t worry about what would happen if Kim Junho were to regress again.

 

“Junho-nim!”

 

“...Yes?”

 

“I will work hard!!! By the way, my name is...”

 

“...Yes.”

 

As people’s perceptions changed, their behavior changed as well. Kim Junho now garnered support from the otherworlders on par with Baron Jorge.

 

“I... have something to tell you... Could I speak to you alone?”

 

There were even more female players showing subtle interest in him.

 

When he was just seen as a mere madman, no matter how strong he was, people avoided him. But now, thinking of him as a regressor with a tragic past who had become cold, he seemed much more appealing.

 

“…”

 

Of course, Kim Junho himself was quite flustered by this situation, experiencing it for the first time. He had started seeing people as ‘NPCs repeating predetermined actions,’ anyone would be taken aback if an NPC suddenly acted out of character.

 

“...Still, it’s a relief.”

 

The dynamics on the fourth floor had taken an odd turn, but there was one clear advantage.

 

“Hey! Move those stones faster!”

 

“Haven’t you been in the military? You’re working like you don’t know what you’re doing!”

 

“Let’s finish this before sundown!!!”

 

People’s trust in Kim Junho had started to grow. As a result, the speed of the construction had increased dramatically.

 

They now began to believe it wasn’t a pointless endeavor.

 

***

 

“Let me be blunt. It’s impossible to block all the passages.”

 

Baron Jorge spoke, chewing on something that resembled dried bread.

 

“No matter how much we’ve prepared in advance... construction isn’t something that can be finished overnight. And most importantly, I don’t have enough mana.”

 

Mortar used to secure the stone fragments into sturdy structures normally doesn’t dry in a day or two. In this cold and snowy weather, it would take even longer.

 

But Baron Jorge’s magic could harden it instantly. If his mana ran out, the construction would come to a halt.

 

“If I squeeze out everything I have... I can block four passages. But no more than that. This is my limit.”

 

Just like in the previous round, two of the passages would need to be defended manually. That was what Baron Jorge was implying.

 

“That’s more than enough.”

 

I would handle one passage, and the players would take care of the rest.

 

I didn’t believe that nearly a hundred players can’t defend one passage. The third day was the real hurdle, and I was confident the fourth day would be easier.

 

***

 

​In the dead of night, just before the monsters were about to scale the fortress walls.

 

“How is it? Any signs?”

 

“Hmm... I looked around thoroughly, but it seems there aren’t any.”

 

I had asked Baron Jorge to check if the ‘slime that melts stones’ had appeared. Even though we hadn’t blocked the passages on the third day, and thus such monsters shouldn’t come, it was better to be safe than sorry.

 

Fortunately, he said there was no sign of the slimes. This meant the blocked passages were absolutely secure.

 

“In that case...”

 

Everyone just needed to perform their assigned roles properly. Surely, everyone besides me could defend a single passage.

 

But that complacent thought was shattered.

 

“Huh?”

 

The moment I slashed through a charging wolf, I immediately realized something was wrong.

 

“Gururururu... Kieeeek!!!”

 

They were fast.

 

They were sturdy.

 

They were sharp.

 

Even as I cut them down, the sense of unease was overwhelming. The monsters had grown significantly stronger.

 

Of course, they weren’t strong enough to be a threat to me. If I concentrated, I could take them down in an instant.

 

In the previous round, it wasn’t my lack of strength that prevented me from pushing back the monsters. It was the limitations of the sword, lacking in mass destruction capability.

 

As long as I remained vigilant and didn’t let my guard down, I wouldn’t suffer any injuries. Without the ‘Hero’ trait, it might have been different, but right now, I was a superhuman.

 

But I’m not the only one here.

 

- “Junho-nim! This... isn’t easy! We have multiple injuries!”

 

Yoon Jung-hyun’s urgent voice came through the communication magic device.

 

- “Damn it, we had everything planned out...”

 

“First, put the stronger ones at the front. We have no choice. Pull the weaker people back and let the stronger ones handle the main defense.”

 

There might be some resistance, but in an emergency, it’s unavoidable. It’s better for the strong to endure a bit more than to see anyone die.

 

- “Hey! Move up! Fight! It’s not your turn to go out? It’s Junho-nim’s order, you idiot!”

 

Yoon Jung-hyun quickly drove the people forward.

 

For now, this was the best we could do. If things went wrong... I’d have no choice but to regress again.

 

Pushing aside unnecessary thoughts, I refocused on cutting down the monsters in front of me.

 

If I ended up having to regress because I was too worried about others, it would be putting the cart before the horse.

 

***

 

​The sun was rising.

 

The fortress, which had been filled with screams and shouts, had regained its calm.

 

“…”

 

There were twenty swords scattered on the ground. I had used almost all of the prepared weapons, exerting more force than usual to cut through the tough enemies.

 

“…Are you alright?”

 

Yoon Jung-hyun trudged up behind me, looking far more exhausted than he had the previous day.

 

“I’m fine. What about the others?”

 

“It wasn’t easy. The battle was manageable, but the concentration...”

 

I immediately understood why Yoon Jung-hyun’s expression was so grim.

 

In combat, even the smallest mistake can mean life or death. Naturally, one cannot relax during a fight, and the longer it lasts, the more the fatigue builds exponentially.

 

The hormones secreted in the brain can sustain you for just about three hours. After that, unbearable irritation and fatigue set in.

 

How do I know this so well? Because I’ve already experienced it.

 

“More importantly, what about injuries?”

 

“There are many with minor and serious injuries... but once again, no fatalities. It’s all thanks to you and William.”

 

Despite the hardships, Yoon Jung-hyun smiled lightly, congratulating me.

 

Thankfully, things were still going according to plan.

 

However... The difficulty this time was much greater than I expected. On the fourth day in the previous round, there were only slimes, hippos, and the occasional cat. This time, unexpected monsters appeared. The overall quality of the monsters hadn’t been as high as it was this time.

 

“...This is strange.”

 

I felt a sense of unease. Was it just my imagination? No, it couldn’t be.

 

“Please tell the players to gather in front of the fortress once their rest is over. We need to prepare further.”

 

“Oh... Is that so?”

 

“Yes. We can’t stay like this.”

 

It could just be my imagination, but it’s better to be overly cautious than regret later. I had to prepare for everything that came to mind.

 

So, I gathered the players and gave a thorough lecture on ‘how to survive’ based on my experiences.

 

I corrected the stances of those wielding swords and engaged in light sparring with the stronger players to further hone their combat instincts.

 

I also reprimanded those who were complacent, thinking that everything would be taken care of just because they were with a regressor.

 

“Everyone, you must never let your guard down. This is the tower. Always remember that.”

 

As I spoke with a serious expression, the excited players’ mood became calm and heavy. This should prevent anyone from being caught off guard.

 

“Whew...”

 

I had done everything I could to prepare.

 

-8 : 45 : 11

 

The final night was approaching.

– – – End of Chapter – – -

 

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