Chapter 125

[We could… use this situation, couldn’t we?]

“…?”

Original Junho tilted his head slightly, as if confused. But soon, he narrowed his eyes, understanding my suggestion.

“…You’re saying we should keep fighting each other? Here? Continuously?”

[Exactly. We could use this place like the Room of Spirit and Time from Manhwas.]

“Junho” has a fairly objective understanding of his own abilities. Even without regression, his combat prowess surpasses the upper levels, but he falls short of the very top. In other words, he’s aware of his own limitations. Especially in swordsmanship, comparing himself to Choi Ji-won would still be embarrassing.

Yet, despite knowing his limits, he hasn’t secluded himself somewhere for dedicated training. The reason is simple: intensive training itself could trigger his regression.

In countless stories, training is often glossed over as a quick montage, but anyone who’s actually trained in martial arts knows how grueling the process truly is.

The human body isn’t naturally suited for combat. Training is a way of forcing the body to adapt to martial arts.

Naturally, this involves peeling skin, spilled blood, bruises, broken bones, regrowth, and hardened calluses. And every one of these injuries is a potential trigger for regression.

Sure, he could leave the tower to train on the 1st floor between levels. But if he’s injured and regresses, he’d have to clear the entire tower again. The process is long and tedious.

Thus, Junho could never push himself to the point of injury. In fact, he’s cautious about the act of training itself. He’s honed his skills through repeated real battles rather than intense training. That’s why his palms are still smooth, and he doesn’t bear a single scar.

[But it’s different here.]

If an entire floor itself serves as a training ground, it’s a different story. Regressing and repeating the floor wouldn’t be wasted time—it would be part of the process. Here, he could focus entirely on swordsmanship without the fear of regression holding him back.

[We don’t know what’s waiting for us further up the tower. It’s smart to get stronger before advancing. Besides, you said yourself you’re inexperienced in swordsmanship against human opponents, right?]

In reality, there are moments when lack of strength forces us into difficult choices, where we’re forced to weigh our options and sacrifice one thing for another. To avoid those moments, the original needs to get stronger.

And now, there’s an environment where two people with the same talent can clash endlessly with swords. It’s a near-perfect training ground, nothing short of ideal.

“Hmm… I get that this place is a great training ground. There’s a sword, a sparring partner, and nothing to bother us except for that nagging archangel. It’s perfect for fighting while regressing.”

Original Junho nodded slightly.

“But why did you tell me not to clear the floor? That part doesn’t make sense to me.”

[If you clear the 5th floor, what do you think will happen to me?]

“…Ah.”

If the original clears the 5th floor, there’s a high chance I’ll disappear. I’m just an entity created by the tower for this floor, so erasing me would likely be easy.

[But the real question is, will my memories continue?]

If the original clears the 5th floor and then regresses, my memories might carry over—or they might vanish entirely. Will the memories of a “disappeared” regressor persist? I didn’t want to take that risk.

“…But that alone doesn’t fully explain it.”

[There’s one more reason.]

Aside from the terrifying risk of my own existence being erased, there was another problem.

[Junho, would you say you have strong willpower?]

“…Not really?”

[Exactly.]

If the original Junho came back to the 5th floor with his memories fully intact, things might start off amicably.

“…?”

Right, it would be amicable. Without the urgency. And for someone like ‘me’, whose willpower isn’t particularly strong, that lack of desperation might eventually lead to me wanting to give up.

To keep my lazy self in check, the original can’t know about this plan.

[Here’s my plan.]

I would regress first, so the original Junho would never know of this strategy. Then, I’d relentlessly challenge him. I’d train until I was strong enough to force the original into regression.

“…Then won’t I start regressing too?”

[Exactly.]

The moment when the “original Junho seeing me for the first time” experiences defeat and imprints that memory of me as an enemy—that’s when the endless cycle begins.

An unending battle, where each of us continuously regresses to surpass the other.

[As I grow stronger, you’ll have to regress to overcome the stronger me… and as you grow stronger, I’ll also regress to overpower you. In this endless cycle of challenge and response, you’ll achieve immense growth.]

“…But then it’ll never end. If we keep fighting, neither of us will win until one of us goes insane.”

[No, it will end if I surrender.]

We already know that if I acknowledge my defeat, the 5th floor will be cleared. But there’s a crucial detail here.

[The key to this plan… is that I can’t lose my mind.]

To open the portal, I have to truly, consciously acknowledge my defeat. But if, along the way, I lose my sanity and forget everything? If I just start laughing mindlessly, oblivious to victory or defeat?

Then, we’d both be trapped here forever. The true challenge, therefore, is the limit of my own mental strength.

[When I’m on the verge of truly losing it, I’ll tell you. I’ll remind you of this agreement we made, and I’ll let you know that all our battles up until that point were part of your training.]

“…”

[So, I’ll keep mumbling to myself throughout the fight. ‘Don’t forget, don’t forget.’ You’ll think I’ve gone mad, and that will probably make you fight even harder.]

No matter how I look at it, the plan is flawless. This way, the time needed for the original to grow stronger can be significantly reduced.

“Alright. Everything sounds good. If we go through with this plan, I’ll definitely get stronger.”

However, the original’s expression was anything but pleased.

“But… this plan is basically transferring the mental burden that would have fallen on me onto you. It’s like you’re taking on all the hardship of training in my place.”

The plan involves me, as the clone, tirelessly honing my skills to elevate the original. But the difference in our physical capabilities is enormous. Naturally, I’ll have to work much harder than the original.

For every time the original regresses, I might have to regress a hundred times. For every hundred regressions he experiences, I might need to go through it ten thousand times.

“Can you… really handle that?”

In the end, it’s akin to sacrificing myself for the original’s sake. It’s fair to say I’ll be risking my sanity to power up the original. To be honest, I’m not thrilled about it. The path ahead looks grueling, and anyone eager to dive into it would be insane.

[But after all, I’m just a clone, right?]

“…”

[Once you clear the 5th floor, I’ll cease to exist anyway. In a sense, you could say I’m living on borrowed time.]

I’m already a being destined for erasure. If I’m going to disappear, I might as well be of some use. Part of me also wanted to stick it to this damned tower that created me.

[It’s fine. I’m the one who has to go through with it, so don’t worry about it.]

Lingering on this too long might only shake my resolve. It’s probably best to regress immediately.

[Then, I’m going to regress.]

Hopefully, the path I pave will be of some benefit.

Just as I steeled myself and raised my fist to strike my chest—

“Hey, since I’ve gone through quite a few regressions myself…”

The original awkwardly stopped me.

[…?]

“Instead of punching your chest, try biting the inside of your cheek. It’s faster. Also, hang in there. And… thanks.”

[…Ha.]

I let out a faint chuckle before biting down hard on the inside of my cheek.

[Thanks for the tip.]

And with that, an endless cycle of madness began.

***

Main Character’s Perspective:

The clone’s long story had finally come to an end.

“…”

I was frozen in place, realizing that the clone I’d been fighting endlessly had, in fact, sacrificed himself for my sake.

“…How many times have you regressed?”

[Too many to count.]

“…And you’re still okay?”

[Not even close.]

His voice was calm, his skin unblemished. Outwardly, he appeared fine, as regression returned the body to its original state. In a way, it was expected.

But his tone was flat, his eyes as dull as ash, like faded paper.

The clone was rotting from the inside. This was the fate of a regressor—a person who, like in countless stories, has lost their humanity and pursued only their goal.

[Open your status window.]

He spoke, his voice level and unfeeling.

“…Oh.”

A faint smile played on the clone’s lips. It was like watching Sisyphus finally set down his boulder. 

I wanted to apologize, somehow, but I knew it would be pointless. So, I quietly opened my status window.

“…My achievement level has increased a lot… and my Swordsmanship trait is now at B.”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure how impressive a “B” ranking was. From a gamer’s perspective, it seemed lacking, considering the dedication the clone had shown. A “B” rank felt ambiguous.

But from my own experience, I knew I had made extraordinary progress on the 5th floor. At the very least, I felt confident that in swordsmanship involving mana, I had surpassed even Choi Ji-won. The clone’s sacrifice was far from meaningless—it had propelled my growth.

[Was it… enough help?]

The clone’s voice was cautious. I thought I’d suffered too, but nothing compared to him. He’d pushed himself to the brink of insanity—for my sake.

Trapped in this confined temple, tirelessly refining his sword techniques, endlessly charging toward me… He had no one else. In this world, it was just the two of us. I couldn’t imagine the agony he must have felt.

“…Yes. You helped me a lot. I’ll remember what you did.”

[Good… I’m glad…]

The clone let his sword fall to the floor and sprawled out.

[My swordsmanship… it’s really just designed to give you a hard time. No need to carry it forward. Now, go on. I’m already broken. Don’t do anything foolish—just head straight to the 6th floor.]

With a serene expression, he told me to leave him behind, then closed his eyes.

[…I wish I could have some pizza.]

And with that, he fell silent. A message appeared before me.

“…”

Returning to the 1st floor through the portal, I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek and immediately regressed.

***

[W-wait. We don’t really need to fight, do we?]

“…”

Meeting the clone again, it seemed he’d truly forgotten everything. Just as he’d guessed, the moment I cleared the 5th floor, his existence was erased, resetting his regression memories.

“That’s a relief.”

If he’d somehow survived even after I cleared the 5th floor, he would have been trapped forever in that empty temple. This was probably better for him.

“Well, shall we try closing our eyes and acknowledging defeat? We still don’t know who’s the clone, after all.”

[…?]

Using the method the clone had suggested, I quickly cleared the 5th floor again. It was such an easy floor for most players that there wasn’t even a reward.

“…You’re back? Took you a while. Wait, what?”

Back in my apartment, Choi Ji-won looked up from her phone as I entered, her eyes widening as she stood up in surprise.

“Did something happen?”

Ji-won’s expression was one of shock. She must have sensed from my demeanor that something was different.

Would anyone ever know? How long I’d fought on the 5th floor…

The immense sacrifice my clone made for me…

How tirelessly he trained his swordsmanship, despite the penalties of the regression ability…

How many times he thought about giving up…

How many times ‘I’ thought about giving up…

And how many times I got back up, for the sake of those who supported me.

“Hey, you know…”

“Yeah?”

But if I had to sum up everything I went through in a single sentence, it would be:

“This regression ability… is too much.”

– – – End of Chapter – – -

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