Chapter 353: Years (7)

One million thorns spread out in an arc as if they were about to consume the earth. Seo Jun-Ho took in the beautiful sight. It was almost artistic.

He downed a potion. “Two hours...”

He could feel the rise of the magic power within him, thanks to the magic recovery potion Skaya had rushed to make.

- Partner.

“You don’t have to say it.”

He sensed it through instinct rather than with Keen Intuition’s help. These two hours would be the longest two hours of his life.

Seo Jun-Ho raised his sword. Magic pooled into the blade, and the teeth rotated.

“You versus me.”

The one with stronger abilities would win.

***

Seo Jun-Ho’s vision was filled with red thorns, concealing the moonlight, sky, and the earth from his sight.

There was only one thing he could see...

‘Thorns.’

And there was only one thing he could do...

‘Wield my sword.’

Slice!

Seo Jun-Ho swung his sword incessantly. However, it wasn’t like he had emptied his mind and was working on autopilot. He couldn’t afford to do that.

‘Faster. Stronger. More effective.’

Every time he swung his sword, it was as if he was testing the limits of his concentration. His head felt hotter than any other part of his body. However, his brain was more active than ever.

‘Swing vertically twice and then two steps to the left. And then step diagonally to the right...’

His mind raced as he calculated the path of each and every thorn flying toward him.

‘Cut this one. That one... I can’t cut it.’

If he couldn’t block a thorn, he would simply give up, undaunted. Instead, he would concentrate on the next one.

A barrage of thorns he couldn’t dodge struck him. If it weren’t for Midnight Sun, he would have instantly died.

Immortality: This armor cannot be destroyed.

‘Thank you, Noya. Thank you, Graham.’

Full of gratitude for the two blacksmiths, he swung his sword again. Even as he stumbled back, he tried his best to cut down at least a thorn.

Swoosh! Clang! Swoosh!

For every three thorns he cut down, he would be hit by one. Though Midnight Sun couldn’t be destroyed, maintaining that effect required the use of magic.

‘Every time I get hit, I can feel my magic being drained.’

He wanted to curse in frustration, but he didn’t have any mental energy to spare, even for something as simple as that. After all, he was already doing three things at once.

The first one was calculation...

‘I’ll use my sight, hearing, touch, and all my other senses to calculate the path of every single thorn.’

The second was moving...

‘Moving in the most optimal way to cut down a thorn.’

And the last was memorization...

‘So that I can block the thorns I couldn’t block in the next regression.’

However, despite his best efforts, Erebo was getting farther and farther away from him. It was all because every time he blocked or was hit by a thorn, he would be pushed back.

Clang!

“Ugh!”

In the end, Seo Jun-Ho fell to his knees after cutting a hundred thousand thorns.

- ...

Erebo didn’t even say anything. All he wanted to do was kill the human as fast as possible.

Slice!

Seo Jun-Ho did the work for him.

***

10 times... 20 times... 50 times... 100 times.

He kept fighting the same battle against Erebo. However, it never got old at all, or rather, it couldn’t get old.

“...Where will the next one come from again?”

“Are you speaking of the 740,425th thorn?”

“Yeah.”

“It came diagonally from the right, flying in at approximately 1 o’clock. It struck your left knee.”

“Oh, right.”

Over and over, he studied the thorns and fought. His memory was much better than most people’s, but he couldn’t be called a genius. As such, the Frost Queen had become much more helpful than ever.

“It’s a good thing that you’re smarter than me,” said Seo Jun-Ho.

“Heh, I am indeed intelligent. I was the youngest student ever to enter and graduate from the imperial academy.”

“That’s the 20th time you’ve said that.”

“Hmph.”

The more regressions they went through, the easier the battle against Erebo became.

The reason was simple...

‘I’m getting better.’

Seo Jun-Ho originally thought that his progress would plateau as he went through more regressions. However, that wasn’t the case.

‘I’m accumulating more experience, and my swordplay is becoming more elaborate.’

On top of that, his mental energy was growing as well, which made the Frost Queen stronger in turn.

Meanwhile, Erebo...

‘He never changes.’

The monster couldn’t change or grow stronger because he was trapped in time. Thanks to that, Seo Jun-Ho even almost killed him on his 187th try.

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The one million thorns covered the sky, but most of them fell to the ground like feathers.

“Is this my limit...?”

Growing impatient, Erebo started to use different attack patterns on him. Seo Jun-Ho knew it would take at least three more regressions to learn all of them.

Even though Seo Jun-Ho had always been the loser, Erebo was the one growing more impatient.

And on their 194th battle...

“...Oh?”

Seo Jun-Ho realized what had changed about him. It wasn’t some dramatic change like getting more stat points or his skill increasing in grade.

“What is this feeling?”

His heart was calm, like a placid lake.

He watched as Erebo approached him from the distance while giving off an amazing amount of energy.

“...”

He wasn’t nervous or shaken.

‘Why? I’m not just being arrogant, am I?’

As he swung his sword endlessly, the answer suddenly popped into his head.

“Oh, I see.”

Seo Jun-Ho nodded slowly and looked around. There were more than one million thorns broken and scattered at his feet. However, what was even more surprising was that his body didn’t feel tired at all. In the previous regression, he had been gasping for breath in the second half of the battle, and he fought purely on spite.

“...”

Seo Jun-Ho looked down at his hands. He felt like he could perfectly control every single one of his senses, and perhaps even his cells.

‘I’ve definitely come a long way.’

Right before he came up to the 4th floor, he had been hunting fiends like mad. As he cut them down ruthlessly, his level rose steeply, and thanks to that, he recovered all the stats he had lost when he was frozen in the past.

‘On top of that, my stats rose when I entered the 4th floor thanks to the effects of Bringer of Spring.’

His stats had doubled in a short amount of time, and he started regressing without any time to adjust to those stats. Afterward, he reached a hundred Overclocking output, but it didn’t really matter since he still couldn’t make proper use of all his stats.

“Am I finally done?”

After fighting for his life for 300 regressions, his body finally reached a perfect equilibrium. And that was also why he was certain that he would win today.

‘It feels strange.’

Even as he breathed, he felt like he was using the oxygen optimally.

“This is amazing.”

While Seo Jun-Ho reveled in the incredible feeling, Erebo was panicking after all his thorns were cut down.

- Wait. Wait. Wait.

Even with that big head of his, Erebo still couldn’t make sense of the situation.

- Where did all my thorns go?

“I cut them all down.”

- I-is this a dream?

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“...Yes, it is,” Seo Jun-Ho said.

It was the dream Seo Jun-Ho had for seventeen years—this endless, horrible nightmare.

“It’s about time for us to wake up from this long dream. For our sake.”

Seo Jun-Ho slowly walked forward.

- ...D-don’t come any closer.

It was a paradoxical sight. Erebo was as big as a mountain, but he was backing up when a tiny little human started approaching him.

“Are you scared of me?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.

- Scared? Impossible! I am no different from a god... And I...

Erebo’s giant body was trembling. He didn’t want to acknowledge it, but he was scared. The puny human had not only severely injured him, but he had also calmly cut down a million thorns.

Erebo was scared.

“Any last words?”

- ...Are you truly human?

Seo Jun-Ho smirked and looked at Frost. “What do you think?”

“You are indeed a human, Contractor. You are the most humane, prolific human of all.”

“You heard her.” Seo Jun-Ho’s lip curled up, and he lifted his hand. “We both hated this fight, so let’s not meet again.”

A flower bloomed in his hand. He held the stem, and it started spinning.

“When you’re fighting a monster, you have to be careful not to become a monster yourself... or something like that.” However, this was a world where one couldn’t survive without becoming a monster. “...You know, it wouldn’t be that bad to become a monster.”

He threw the flower.

- A-ah...Ahhh...

Erebo was covered in petals, and his body froze over just like that. He looked fine on the outside, but with the destruction of all the cells in his body, necrosis should have completely devoured his insides.

“Congratulations. How do you feel?” asked the Frost Queen.

“I don’t know.”

He felt like he was in a haze. He had spent seventeen years on the 4th Floor just for this very moment.

‘Seventeen years...’

Perhaps it was thanks to Hero’s Mind, but it didn’t feel that long.

He approached Erebo’s corpse. “There’s a core.”

“Do not touch it recklessly.”

“I know.” He carefully picked it up with tongs and put it in his Inventory. Afterward, a flood of messages appeared in front of him.

[Congratulations! You have defeated the Another World Area Boss Monster, Erebo.]

[You have received the title ‘One Who Perseveres’.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

...

[All stats has increased by 12.]

[Safe zones will not appear in the Another World area.]

Was that really it? Seo Jun-Ho still couldn’t settle down.

But after one, five, and then ten minutes...

“I guess it really is over...” Seo Jun-Ho muttered blankly.

However, before his feeble voice could be carried off into the wind, the scenery around him distorted.

“Contractor, this is...”

“I recognize this forest.”

He had come here before, exactly once. He wracked his brain, trying to find the memory related to this place as he walked forward.

“Oh!”

At the end of the path was a tree. As always, it was so large that it was hard to estimate its size.

However, something had changed.

‘What energy...!’

It was life force. Just by approaching it, he felt blood rushing back to his skin, and he could feel overflowing energy brewing within him.

He trembled under the World Tree’s overflowing life force.

- Thank you, Player Seo Jun-Ho.

“...It’s over, right?”

- Indeed it is.

“I’m not going to regress again or something, am I?”

- Of course not. You have already successfully cleared the 4th floor.

The intense anxiety he had been enduring from when he killed Erebo was finally released. He couldn’t help but fall to the ground, and he covered his face with both his hands.

“Sigh, I’m sorry. I suddenly felt relieved...”

- I understand. You fought, endured, and won better than I expected. Therefore...

The tender voice seemed to wrap around him soothingly.

- Therefore, you can now cry all you want.

“What?” Seo Jun-Ho wondered if his ears had failed him. Why would he cry? It was finally over, so it was time for a big celebration.

However, a smooth, small hand patted his head.

“Just cry, Contractor.” It was the Frost Queen.

“No, why would I even—”

Before he could even finish his sentence, hot tears welled up and spilled down his cheeks. They were so thick that they felt heavy as they poured endlessly from his eyes. As he blinked and watched the soil grow damp, Seo Jun-Ho finally realized.

“Hic... Hic...”

It had been so—so hard. He kept running without end, and he ran fast enough that he passed by his feelings without even realizing what they were.

He felt a strange sense of peace under the World Tree’s voice and the Frost Queen’s gentle pats. He let go and cried for a long time.

“Contractor, your eyes are red and swollen. You look ugly now.”

“...Shut up,” he said sullenly while wiping his red eyes with his sleeve. After crying for a long time, embarrassment started to set in.

‘Dammit, why did I even cry?’

At that, he heard a small voice.

- Crying is not a sin. I hope you become more honest with yourself and face your feelings.

“...You’re the main reason I cried, you know.”

- I am aware. That is why I will always be sorry and be grateful to you.

A pool of light descended from the sky and landed in front of him.

- Please accept this. Aside from your reward for clearing the Floor, this is something I am giving to you personally.

“What is it?”

It was a small wooden box. He tried to open it, but he couldn’t.

- When you are at the lowest, the most painful point in your life, and when you regret something so much that you want to die, use this.

“Yeah, so what is it?”

- It would be no fun if I told you now, wouldn’t it?

Wow...

However, it only made Seo Jun-Ho more stubborn, but no matter how hard he tried to open it, it simply wouldn’t open. In the end, Seo Jun-Ho admitted defeat and put it away in his Inventory.

“Oh, right. What will happen to you now?”

- I am on my way back to my home planet, which has now been liberated from Erebo.

“You sure are fast. What will happen to the 4th Floor then?”

- Of course, I plan to continue my role as its Administrator.

“Is there still a need for an Administrator when all the cockroaches are gone now?”

- Fufu.

She laughed softly.

“You will soon know why.

Just as she finished speaking, Seo Jun-Ho suddenly noticed that his surroundings were fading.

- I pray that you will protect the heart you have right now and will remain unchanging.

Her voice started to fade as well, but it was still full of affection.

- The hero of humanity, my savior, Specter. I bless your days to come.

[You have received the title ‘World Tree’s Savior’.]

He had returned to the 4th floor. Seo Jun-Ho slowly opened his eyes.

“Wha—what? What are these?”

Hundreds of messages appeared before his eyes, rendering him dizzy.

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