Chapter 144

Currently, a mid-level potion is more expensive than an average luxury apartment in Gangnam. However, if you think about it the other way, it’s still within reach as long as you’re willing to pay the price of an apartment. For corporations, such an amount wasn’t a big deal.

But what about elixirs? A true “cure-all” elixir that’s closer to the essence of a panacea—how expensive would that be? The fact that I’ve never heard of an elixir being mentioned in the news alone is proof of its value. Truly rare items tend to be traded in secrecy.

“…”

Why didn’t I think of this sooner? Choi Ji-won and I perfectly cleared the 4th floor. That means at least 200 people received lower-grade elixirs as rewards.

In other words, aside from the elixirs we possess, there are still 198 out there. Yet, despite all the regressions I’ve gone through, I’ve never come across any information related to elixirs. It’s as if they were kept completely secret in public domains. How is that even possible?

At the very least, someone should have posted a theory online about the elixirs. No, it’d be more normal for someone to write about the lunatic we met on the 4th floor. But strangely enough, there’s no information about what happened on the 4th floor.

The answer to the question “Why?” is simple. There are people who want to control this information. The real question then becomes “How?” How are they controlling information on the internet?

“Well… About 8 elixirs were released in secret auctions on the black market… But if you post about elixirs on the surface web… sniff… it gets deleted right away… sniff… so people talk about it on the deep web. Everyone’s wondering where these things are coming from.”

An unheard-of panacea, the “elixir,” suddenly appeared in bulk—it’s only natural for people to want to trace its origins. Through some digging and reverse tracking, they must’ve concluded that they were obtained on the 4th floor.

“That’s how… sniff… your name, Jun-ho, and Ji-won’s name came up. They even figured out that saving all players and NPCs on the 4th floor rewards you with elixirs.”

Sniffling, Yuuki continued rambling on, unaware of my thoughts. But there was a glaring gap in the logic that caught my attention.

“Wait… so, because of what I did on the 4th floor, a large number of elixirs got released, and people began investigating them, eventually drawing the attention of the deep web. That part I get.”

“Yes.”

“But how did they figure out my name?”

My actions on the 4th floor? Sure, they were noticeable. Honestly, thinking back, it’d be more surprising if I didn’t attract attention to what happened on the 2nd and 4th floors. I pulled a lot of aggro in front of countless spectators.

But my name? How could they possibly know my name? There wasn’t enough evidence to deduce that the lunatic on the 4th floor was Kim Jun-ho. During my last regression, I only told my name to Yoon Junghyun, no one else.

When I raised this sharp and reasonable question, Yuuki answered simply.

“Well… I don’t know either.”

“…What?”

“Someone just… posted your name and face. It got taken down quickly, but I saw it.”

“…”

How did the people on the deep web figure out my name? The answer seems to be… “Who knows?”

In a world where superpowers called “Traits” exist, with regressors, swordmasters, and stealth abilities, how can I be sure there isn’t someone specialized in tracking people? If some tracker somewhere identified me, all I can do is take it.

“Hmmm…”

And why does being famous matter? Like I’ve said repeatedly, if people find out I’m a regressor, that’s when problems arise. Regressors are incredibly vulnerable to sealing techniques.

‘Jun-ho, isn’t it overreacting to think being famous means they’ll figure out you’re a regressor?’

‘I don’t think you need to hide it unnecessarily. Just don’t flaunt it openly.’

At the same time, Choi Ji-won’s words lingered in my mind. Am I truly overreacting? No, I don’t think so.

Whoever’s controlling posts about elixirs online… clearly has massive resources—money, power, or technology—they must have everything beyond imagination. They might even sit at the pinnacle of human authority. Elixirs have that much value.

Thinking that my regression wouldn’t be discovered in such a situation feels naïve. There are plenty of people smarter than me. Not to mention, using regression blatantly would leave obvious traces.

The fact that I’ve already caught attention is irreversible. From now on, I must be cautious. Conspiracies work best when the target doesn’t notice, and I hadn’t even realized I was famous until now. It might already be too late.

“Whoa…”

After organizing my thoughts, I let out a long sigh. Fine. What’s done is done. What matters is how I act moving forward. Even if I take action, I must hide my name as much as possible—or create a new alias.

Now, the last thing I need to decide…

“Reaper. No, Yuuki.”

“Yes?”

“Step outside for a moment.”

“…This is my room.”

“Go to the living room. Ji-won and I need to talk.”

“…Fine.”

It’s time to decide what to do with the Reaper. Should I handle him carefully, or eliminate him outright?

This guy’s ideology is too radical. Sacrificing 10 innocent people to save 10,000? Would he still say that if he were one of the 10? When he became a target, he abandoned his family and ran. He’s not prepared to face his own standards.

Should I manipulate him into being useful? Or cut him down before he grows dangerous? What’s the right answer?

“Jun-ho.”

As I rubbed my forehead, Choi Ji-won gently patted my back.

“You’re struggling, aren’t you? About what to do with the Reaper.”

“…Yeah.”

Choi Ji-won and I locked eyes. We were both grappling with the same dilemma.

“I don’t know…” she began, her voice soft as she continued to gently pat my back. “In truly unavoidable situations, maybe we do have to kill someone. But do we really have the right to decide who deserves to live or die?”

She spoke calmly, but her words carried the weight of deep conviction.

“If you take someone’s life… you can’t undo it. That’s the end of it. Even if it was a mistake or a misunderstanding, the dead don’t come back. That’s why anyone who wields a sword must always act with caution. That’s something my father always told me.”

“…”

“So, Jun-ho, if you ever have to kill someone… I hope you’re really, really cautious. Even if you have regression, I don’t want you to become desensitized to killing. If the time comes when it’s absolutely necessary, I hope you wrestle with the decision over and over through regression, so you won’t regret it later.”

Though Choi Ji-won often appeared carefree, she became incredibly serious when it came to the subject of death. Now that I think about it, she’s never killed anyone, has she? It’s the complete opposite of me, who killed without much hesitation during the tutorial.

“…”

She was right. If I were to decide the Reaper’s fate, would that make me any different from him—someone who decided who deserved to die for his own beliefs?

Do I have the right to pass judgment on someone else? Was my decision to kill that thug during the tutorial truly justified, even if regression erased it from existence?

I can’t do it. I can’t kill the Reaper. That would make me no different from him.

But leaving him unchecked isn’t an option either. If I let him go, more innocent lives will surely be lost. Should I disable him permanently without killing him? But that would waste his talents—his stealth ability is incredibly versatile.

I need a way to stop the Reaper while keeping him in check.

“There’s something strange about the way the Reaper looks at me, isn’t there?”

“…Yeah, that’s true.”

“What if I… played along with his delusions?”

In other words, I’d use his misconceptions to my advantage.

.

.

.

Before regressing again, I returned to Korea. I wanted to check on the people around me.

“Cheol-jin seems to be doing well. He said he plans to challenge the 5th floor soon.”

Everyone I had some connection with—Park Cheol-jin, Kang Chan, Ahn Kyung-joon, Ahn Kyung-nam, and even William Smith—seemed to be doing fine. In particular, Kang Chan was rapidly gaining fame, likely due to his signature “punch,” which he apparently showcased on the 4th floor as well.

After checking in on everyone, I spent time rereading that infamous manga about writing names in a notebook to kill people. It seemed to have heavily influenced the Reaper’s ideology. Then, I read the news, browsed internet forums, and even briefly contacted Yoon Junghyun to gather more information.

The conclusion I came to was this: even if the Reaper suddenly stopped his activities, there wouldn’t be any significant consequences. Most of the truly malicious individuals had already been killed or had gone missing.

With that, my preparations were complete. I decided to temporarily keep the Reaper in check. I’d observe him further before deciding whether he deserved to die or if he was just a reckless teenager driven by misguided fervor.

For now, I’d halt his activities in a way that he could also accept.

– – End of Chapter – –

 

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