The Regressors are Trying to Kill Me

[Translator - Hestia]

[Proofreader - Kaya]

Chapter 35

The fake Cheong Siyeol's head rolled across the floor.

The blue halo flickered, then scattered into magical sparks and vanished.

The head stopped after three rolls, facing Baekya.

His face was distorted by magical interference, making it impossible to discern his full expression.

But a faint smile of admiration was visible on his lips.

It was a smile as if he had wished for, or perhaps expected, this outcome.

"Is that so?"

Baekya pushed the headless body of Cheong Siyeol, sending it tumbling.

Thump!

The moment the body touched the ground, it scattered.

"I see. That makes sense."

Baekya lowered his head for a moment, lost in thought, then exhaled slowly, seemingly collecting himself.

It was too early to indulge in sentimentality.

That wasn't the real Cheong Siyeol.

He tightened the Ghost Princess's handkerchief tied around his wrist and glared at the Mirror Prince.

Even without the halo above his head, red light flickered in his eyes like a wildfire.

"It would be wise to stop messing with other people's painful memories."

The Mirror Prince's face materialized on the large mirror that was originally a clear window.

His mouth gaped open.

Another something, or perhaps someone's replica, tried to emerge from the mirror.

"You're going to keep doing this, huh!"

This time, Ryu Haneul raised his Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

"Stay back."

"Senior!"

Baekya stopped Ryu Haneul.

"I don't know how many floors we climbed together in the future, but even in the future, it must have been me who cleared the 50th floor. Right?"

"Yes."

"And I would have definitely dealt with a floor like this, one that dared to toy with me, in this way... Though in the previous regression you experienced, you probably solved it yourself instead of receiving help."

He gestured for Ryu Haneul to get closer.

Ryu Haneul trotted over and stood beside Baekya.

Baekya handed him the flagpole, not the sword.

"One more time. Remember?"

He said with a gentle smile, filled with trust in his companion.

For a moment, Ryu Haneul's body stiffened.

He briefly lowered his head, then looked up with a smile that radiated boundless confidence.

"Yes!"

They both gripped the flagpole at the same time.

They were two people who had seen each other's weakest moments.

【Law of Light】

【I Alone Am The Honored One】

【Domain Expansion】

Fwaaaaaah—!

Waves of white and purple light spread out in a semi-circular shape.

The two-colored waves struck the eight mirrors.

Boom!

The mirrors surrounding the sanctuary shook violently.

The world created by the Mirror Prince itself was shaking.

The Mirror Prince roared.

["You dare obstruct my journey! I will revive my homeland!"]

Crack!

At the same time as cracks appeared in the eight mirrors—

Whoosh!

Countless mirror shards rose up like sharp, long thorns, seemingly in defiance of the Domain Expansion's waves.

All the mirrors turned into sharp blades, hurtling towards them.

Within the mirrors, the final moments of countless worlds the prince had gathered were replaying.

It was a deadly attack that would suck them into those worlds if they were even grazed once.

Swoosh!

Ryu Haneul, using the Black Maitreya Divine Art, tried to embrace Baekya from behind.

"Be careful!"

Ryu Haneul's small frame couldn't even cover a part of Baekya's body, but he tried nonetheless.

Baekya didn't even use Hardening.

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He simply stared straight ahead with blazing eyes.

"That's what my enemies should be doing."

He rubbed the 'Genie's Lamp' he had taken out of his inventory.

【Genie's Lamp (Mythical)】

"Genie."

A voice echoed in his mind from within the lamp.

["Yes, Master."]

Without a moment's hesitation, Baekya declared—

"My first wish. I want to summon my Constellation here."

["The Genie grants your first wish."]

At the same time, a thick, blue mist poured out from the lamp.

The blue mist formed the shape of a giant, swinging both arms.

Hum!

The halo above Baekya's head transformed back to its original form, as if a veil had been lifted.

A magnificent halo, like an Indian mandala, radiated red beams of light in all directions.

"Ugh!"

Ryu Haneul involuntarily closed his eyes.

Even though he had turned his head away, his vision was still filled with blinding white light.

The brighter the halo, the stronger the connection to the Constellation.

'This level of light... it's like forming a contract for the first time.'

And now, Baekya's halo was shining so brightly that it was impossible to look at.

Hum! Hum! Hum!

Just when the light felt overwhelming—

Silence fell.

It was an eerie stillness.

Even with his senses heightened, he couldn't feel anything.

The mirror blades that had been flying towards them, threatening to pierce their hearts, were nowhere to be found.

How many minutes had passed?

Their conversation broke the silence.

Their tones were different, but their voices were the same.

It was as if one person was playing two roles.

["You've pushed yourself too far. Descending as a B-Rank with the 7th stage of Ascension..."]

"I know."

["Even a wish from a Mythical grade artifact is difficult to handle. The aftereffects will be significant."]

"In order to see tomorrow, we need to get through today, right? That way, you can continue to watch over my story."

Ryu Haneul squeezed his eyes shut even tighter.

That was an existence that 'others' should never face.

Even if he knew everything about Baekya and was destined to break him someday, it was still true.

Just like his Constellation, it was a privilege among privileges, granted only to the chosen one.

["Indeed. You always wished for a 'tomorrow,' just like me."]

Swoosh!

The light dimmed considerably.

Ryu Haneul cautiously opened his eyes.

It was still bright, but not unbearably so.

Baekya was facing the Mirror Prince.

["Now, show me that wonderful sight filled with victory and glory."]

"I always wanted to show you only wonderful sights filled with victory and glory."

With a sun-like halo above his black hair and an expression filled with compassion and pity.

Sizzle!

The mirror blades all around had already melted and were stuck to the floor.

The Mirror Prince screamed in terror.

["This isn't right! This isn't fair! This is unfair intervention! I can't accept this!"]

Baekya pointed the blazing Fire Dragon Sword forward and shook his head.

"Can't accept it? I used an artifact you created in a world you made. What's the problem?"

Hearing his incoherent ramblings, it seemed like he had already lost his mind.

["Y-You! You think you've won? Do you think you've won, huh?! Too many worlds have mixed together. In trying to find my original world, everything has been ruined. There should be only one sun in the sky!"]

"Yes. Me."

["I was also a favored one like you! You'll end up like me!"]

Baekya burst into laughter at his nonsensical words and raised his hand.

"I've heard similar stories so many times that it doesn't even faze me anymore."

【Law of Light】

Fwaaaaaah—!

White light exploded forth.

"You even copied the last words you wanted to leave with a mirror, huh, Mirror Prince."

[Stop! Stop! No!]

Baekya's hair and clothes fluttered in the wind. Beneath his high nose and sharp jawline, deep shadows felt like a character in a black and white comic, and finally, his entire form turned completely white.

["I, our world..."]

The only color left in that world was the halo, symbolizing the connection with the Constellation.

It was the sight Ryu Haneul loved the most in his life before regression.

The sight he had witnessed from Baekya's right, and Cheong Siyeol from his left.

This time, it was all his.

Soon, the fierce flames subsided.

Color returned to the world that had been painted entirely white.

Flicker. Flicker!

Baekya's halo blinked and then returned to its white ring shape.

The eight mirrors were all gone.

The Mirror Prince, who had been screaming from within the mirrors, was also gone.

Ding.

【Mirror Prince (S+) has been eliminated.】

【'World-Reflecting Mirror (Legendary -> Heroic)' has been dropped.】

【'Aesthetics of Reversal (Heroic -> Master)' has been dropped.】

【*Due to the class difference with the original owner, the artifact's potential is partially restricted. To restore the artifact's full potential, purify the artifact or change your class.】

With a loud notification sound, the scenery of the sanctuary changed once more.

Tssss!

In an instant, the two of them were standing in the middle of a magnificent, early modern-style castle.

The spacious hall was filled with mirrors from the ceiling to the walls and floor, likely a display of wealth by showcasing such a large quantity of what was once a luxury item.

"Senior! You're the best!"

Ryu Haneul couldn't contain his excitement any longer.

Like a fan meeting his longtime idol, he ran and hugged Baekya tightly from behind.

He didn't even notice the artifact set that had just dropped.

"You temporarily summoned your Constellation using the power of the standard and the Genie, right? That's amazing. Even with a considerably high ascension level, summoning a Constellation... Senior?"

At that moment, Ryu Haneul sensed something was wrong.

Baekya's body was always strong and warm.

When he hugged Baekya, he should have felt like he was embracing heated metal beneath thin leather.

'Why is he so cold?'

But now, Baekya's body was soft and cold.

"...I'm fine."

"Don't say such nonsense!"

"I'll get better if I rest for a few days. But before that..."

Baekya pointed his chin forward.

In the middle of the room, there hung an incongruously large bell.

Ringing that bell meant clearing the gate.

Ryu Haneul tried to help Baekya up and approach the bell.

"You should be the one to ring it, Senior. I came here because of you, after all."

"If I ring it... wouldn't my name be plastered all over the Tower's broadcast? Then Cheong Siyeol would come running to kill me."

"...Ah."

"Hurry up. I want to rest."

Ryu Haneul carefully laid Baekya down on the floor.

Then he quickly approached the bell and rang it.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A clear bell sound echoed, and an Aitel notification appeared before their eyes.

This notification was visible to all Awakened belonging to the South Korean server.

【Congratulations!】

【Regional Server: 'South Korea' has cleared the 50th floor's Epilogue Story for the first time on the server.】

【The Constellations are paying even closer attention to the Regional Server: South Korea.】

【The following titles and benefits are granted to Regional Server: 'South Korea'.】

【First Ascent of the 50th Floor】

【Possesses the First Climber of the 50th Floor】

【Increased tutorial participants, increased probability of A-Rank or higher Awakened appearing, decreased occurrence rate of Level 1 Gates, decreased overall rift occurrence rate...】

Baekya looked at the notifications and closed his eyes.

'So we cleared the 50th floor.'

Even he, who was treated like a demigod, felt overwhelmed at times.

On such days, he doubted whether he could truly reach the 100th floor.

Maybe, after being stabbed by Chronos's Hand, he had half-given up deep down.

But hearing the bell sound—

He realized that he didn't really wanted to give up.

He wouldn't give up on his beloved disciples, nor on the journey to the 100th floor. He wouldn't give up on anything.

'Siyeol, I told you, didn't I? That I would obtain everything one day.'

Because that was his story.

【Transporting climbers to the lobby.】

The Aitel notification echoed in his mind.

'Lobby?'

Baekya's eyes widened in surprise as he read the notification, and he quickly sat up.

"Haneul! Prepare for battle."

"What?"

"Think about it, less than a day has passed outside the Tower! The Management Bureau agents will be swarming!"

"What?!"

* * *

A few days later.

"I'm dying."

I was suffering from muscle pain, chills, and occasionally coughing up blood due to the aftereffects of the summoning.

Even painkillers from the pharmacy and most potions didn't work on these aftereffects, so I could only groan in pain.

I told Wolha it was just the flu.

'Really?'

'Yeah, it's true.'

'Okay, if you say so.'

He didn't seem to believe me, and I didn't expect him to in the first place.

I opened my status window, hoping to forget the pain…

Of course, the status window itself didn't have any pain-relieving effects.

+

【Status Window

1. Name: Hong Baekya

2. Class: Pyromancer (B- ‣‣‣ A-)

3. Titles: Sun of Humanity, Bringer of Dawn, Master of Fire, The First and Greatest Climber...

4. Regional Server: South Korea

5. Ascension Level: 7th Stage Angelus/Angel

6. Skills: Satellization (S+) Dragon's Breath (S+) Law of Light (EX) Radiant Light Sword (S+) Radiation Beam (S+) Repulsion Wave (S+) Wave of Fire (S+) Accretion Disk (S+) Elementalization (S+) Sunrise (S+) Veil of Light (S+)...

7. Stats: [Strength 495] [Agility 505] [Vitality 520] [Mana 732] 】

+

The pain relief came from the 'Pyromancer (B- ‣‣‣ A-)' section.

Yes.

This was it.

This is what a Hunter should be.

I burst into laughter, forgetting my dignity.

I even winced because my abs hurt from laughing, but I couldn't stop.

The 'A-' next to 'Pyromancer' was so, so lovely.

It would have been even lovelier if it were just 'A' without the '-', but considering I attempted an abnormal raid using the Winter Duke's Standard from the start, used the cheat of summoning my Constellation in the most important boss fight, and even let Ryu Haneul ring the bell, this was still a tremendous achievement.

Especially considering that even when I was 'B-' before, my stats were barely at the B- level. This was more than enough of an accomplishment.

I became certain during this raid that I wouldn't even need to reach S-Rank. Once I hit A+, I could probably challenge the Tower alone.

Of course, I wouldn't be able to just sweep everything away with Law of Light like before.

I'd have to find clues one by one, unravel the story, and periodically go in and out of system zones to recover.

But at least I could enter the Tower.

Growth within the Tower was incomparable to that from Gates.

It wouldn't be long before I regained my former strength and announced the return of Baekya.

I was already looking forward to the thrilling comeback story.

"Hyung, come eat."

Wolha called me from outside.

I stumbled out to the living room.

Hopefully, I won't cough up blood in front of Wolha.

...Thinking about it again, it probably wouldn't be that quick.

...Once I recover, then it'll be quick.

"How are you feeling today?"

Wolha laid out a feast on the marble dining table, brought in on a cart.

"The same."

From one window in the living room, I could see the Han River, and the giant TV monitor on the other side was as vivid as a hologram.

Of course, Wolha hadn't bought this house by cashing in all the gold bars and cash in my suitcase.

This was a kind of dormitory run by the Sun and Moon Divine Guild for its Hunters.

I received this place after joining the guild as a contract worker directly under the Vice-Leader.

As I was eating, the news came on.

[Breaking news. Director Lee Baejeong of the Awakened Support Agency has regained consciousness after successfully undergoing memory erasure therapy by the 'Seven Star Saintess' Hunter Joo Ye-eun.]

[TL/N: ‘Seven Stars’ often refers to the Big Dipper constellation in Korean culture, which holds significant cultural and religious symbolism.]

[It has been reported that Director Lee Baejeong lost consciousness after suffering a mental attack while participating in the 50th-floor raid with Hunter Ryu Haneul. Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Director Lee Baejeong entered the Tower while pursuing an Awakened criminal and lost a week's worth of memories related to the criminal due to the aftereffects of the procedure...]

It was very welcome news, rare in these times.

[The next news is related to Hunter Ryu Haneul, known as the 'Heavenly Demon.' Despite being a beginner who awakened only a few months ago, Hunter Ryu Haneul has garnered significant attention both domestically and internationally for clearing the infamous 50th floor of the Tower alone. The difficulty of the 50th floor is said to be such that even the world's No. 1 ranker, the late Hunter Hong Baekya, spent months preparing for it...]

[Meanwhile, in his raid interview, Hunter Ryu Haneul declared his admiration for the late Hunter Hong Baekya and stated that he would now move on from the grief of losing him and carry on his will by conquering the Tower and closing Gates. It is expected that the domestic Hunter industry, which had frozen after the death of Hong Baekya, will now regain momentum...]

[Translator - Hestia

[Proofreader - Kaya]