Chapter Text
[Start the tutorial]
I did it. Somehow, I really did it.
I opened my eyes once again to the dark cave of the tutorial dungeon as people screamed uselessly around me. The first time I had been here I had been one of them. The second time I actually heard them and felt pity for their plight. Now, I was simply numb. These people were simply here to die – that was what I had learned. Most of those crying right now would die with or without my help, and although I could indeed save others, I didn’t particularly care to. There was only one person here that I cared about saving anymore. If only I could hear him above the noise.
All of us, something close to fifty people, were caged within a pyramid of light. More accurately it might be called a force field or a holy mana barrier. Inside of it on the other end was a glowing statue of Benigore… Oh, how I’ve grown to loath her image, the goddess that turned my beloved into a sacrificial lamb. She wouldn’t have it so easy this time around.
The light around that statue flared as it began to speak, catching the attention of the shrieking guppies as it began droning on its familiar tutorial speech, but I wasn’t paying attention. I was looking around the crowd, trying to see where he was. I was certain he had died the first time through. I had been so useless, so helpless then, but in the second round I had managed to save him without being any the wiser. I needed to be prepared.
There was Lee Jihye. She was useful, I remembered. Lee Jihye was another person I had saved in the second round who had become crucial to saving the world, and she had become a skilled partner to my beloved in the intelligence and management field, even without joining Blue. I would have to make sure to save her again this time. He would be sad to lose her talents.
But then over here was Jung Hayan… Honestly, I was tempted to leave her for dead this round. I knew that I couldn’t. Following her had led me straight to him that second time around. If I couldn’t catch up to him in this opening act, then following the same course of action as I did back then should have us running into each other. At least now I could interfere in their relationship before it ever develops. That wouldn’t make me a home wrecker, would it?
A woman screamed and I whipped my head around, but it seemed like she had just opened her status window. I hadn’t even realized how quiet the room had gotten as they listened to the voice. I just shook my head and picked up a sharper looking sword. What a waste of time… Who needed to know your stats when you were going to die soon? I already knew what my status window would say, so what was the point?
I cast my gaze about again, this time trying to pick out Park Deokgu. The big muscle-bound man would be much easier to pick out in a crowd than the thin, nearly elfin man I was looking for, and they were guaranteed to be close. They must have escaped this place together before, after all…
There was a woman sitting down and crying, a middle aged man who wouldn’t stop yelling about calling the police, even a kid who still looked like a middle school student. I felt a pang, as I had not seen that kid before. Did I really need to be focusing on that? So the kid died both rounds before. Clearly nothing was going to be seriously affected if they died again…
Ahh, people were getting noisy again as they went for the weapons. Finally, though, I heard a familiar shout. “Are you kidding? Didn’t you see the window in front of you? Go get a weapon! Hey, old guy! You think this is a joke?!” A bulky man raised a wooden shield, and I smiled faintly at the sight.
So, I found Park Deokgu. Did they have to be on the other end of the room? I kept my eyes locked on target as I made my way over to them, and soon I finally saw him.
Lee Kiyoung, as beautiful as last I saw him. …Better still, for not being covered in wounds and blood… He was practicing spear thrusts as Deokgu turned to speak with him, already preparing for battle. Even in this crazy situation, he still seemed freer, less strained than he had been as the Son of Light. Whatever happened, I would protect him this time. I had to.
I paused in my movements as Kiyoung turned, speaking up to address the crowd of people. “Denying the situation won’t change anything. First, we have to deal with what’s ahead. Outside, you can hear the monsters crying. Whether it’s real, or hidden cameras, or a dream, we have to do something. We all have to take up arms. We have to make a stand.”
My chest squeezed painfully. Of course… of course he would say something like that… so he was still like that even at the start… I hadn’t even been paying attention to him to notice until later…
“I mean it. I wouldn’t play this kind of prank, and I want it to be a joke too. Everyone, please pick up a weapon. Later, if it turns out to be a joke, we’ll deal with it then.”
Kiyoung was a natural leader – far better than I ever was. He was the true power behind Blue. I was only ever the figurehead. I always laid too much on him, but he was perfectly up to the challenge, and he had always had a way with words I just couldn’t match… What was I doing this time in the first round? Whining about how unfair it all was, before fleeing for my life without even looking at the people around me.
One by one, everyone around us started picking up weapons. Kiyoung even chastised the women who just wanted to be protected into taking up arms for themselves. I vaguely remembered this happening in the second round… That was why I protected him then, wasn’t it? Should I do it the same as back then? I’ll save him, and then we can run from this place together…
[The starting point has opened. Good luck to all participants.]
Just like the first two times, the gate in the back of the room opened and a humanoid monster fell upon a woman who tried to escape, biting open her neck and spraying her blood across everyone. Before anyone could register it, monsters rushed in from every direction, and the haphazard formation Kiyoung had pulled everyone into fell apart in an instant.
Like before, I cut down anything that came in my direction. After two lifetimes of bloodshed and combat I was different from these helpless civilians – from my old, weak self who dropped his weapon and ran screaming. I was a battle hardened warrior who had seen too much for this to even faze me. The only annoyance was being back to my beginning stats, but my knowledge and instincts more than made up for the lack.
I kept an ear out for Kiyoung, for his movements. As long as he stayed near Deokgu and his shield, he should be fine. I sliced through a monster from hip to shoulder when I heard them call out.
“Hyung- hyung-ssi! Where are you going!”
“Get some water!”
“Al- alright!”
Ah, shit. But here was my chance! I turned to see Kiyoung diving for the supplies that were still left on the pile, but hesitating as his eyes fell on a woman being eaten by a zombie, her hand outstretched to him. I thought he would certainly move to save her, knowing his nature, but I watched him duck his head before turning away, picking up three leather bags as the woman was rushed by a pack of other monsters.
In a way, I was relieved. So that self-sacrificial nature wasn’t so innate after all… He could be changed. He was smart enough to save himself if he really had to. I just needed to keep Benigore’s hands off of him… I was certain she had done something to him at some point. Maybe when she first descended? There was no way for a human being to be that selfless.
Then, one of the monsters broke from the pack on the woman and veritably flew towards Kiyoung. This was it!
Deokgu shouted a warning, but I had already turned and leapt. By the time Kiyoung turned to see what was happening, my sword was already slicing through the creature, and our eyes locked. His amber eyes widened, and for a moment I felt a spark of it – our connection. I didn’t dare hope for it to remain, as it had been cut with his death, but I swore Kiyoung must have felt it too with the way his gaze lingered as he passed.
I was about to follow him, when a piercing, shrill scream caught my attention. It was young – too young to be here, and my head whipped around to see the middle schooler being bitten by one of the goblins. Almost without thinking I leapt to his side and pierced the monster through. By the time I turned to look again, Kiyoung and Deokgu were gone.
Despite the bereft pang of loss and frustration I felt, there wasn’t much I could do. At least Kiyoung made it out of this room alive. I would find him again. As long as I followed the same course of action as I did before, I could follow Jung Hayan right to him. In the meantime, I would save as many people as I could. Kiyoung would like that. I could still be useful to him.
I fought as hard as I could, but there were too many monsters for me to defeat on my own, even with my lifetimes of experience. The best I could do was usher the people I had saved out of the tutorial room one by one before finally leaving myself when I couldn’t see anyone else I could reach in a timely manner. Those that had been left behind would distract and feed the monsters, and they would be full enough to not come actively hunting for us for a day or so at least.
I took another few hours to search around this lower layer for groups of survivors. Some of them had ended up in different locations than I remembered them being in from the second round, but I thankfully found Lee Jihye and Park Hyeyoung rather quickly. They were the most important people to have in our group until I could bring Kiyoung in. They could at least keep the others in the survivor’s group under control while I went out. Somehow, I had even less energy to care for these people who wouldn’t even be part of the raiding party than I did before.
After leading those people to the surface, I went back down to look for Jung Hayan. It was about this time, wasn’t it? Even if I didn’t find her right away, I would be able to hear her screaming, as would any monster in the nearby vicinity.
Sure enough, that woman’s cries filled the underground, and I darted myself towards them. I just had to trust that I would be there in time.
Luckily, I found them just as I had last time. Kiyoung and Deokgu were backed up into a small room off of the hall, keeping the three monsters from surrounding them by having Deokgu take up the doorway. Kiyoung stabbed at one from behind Deokgu’s shield, but when the big man sliced at one with his sword it broke his stance. Before the third could attack them, I pierced it through its chest from behind.
Kiyoung looked up at me, panting from exertion. “Tha-thank you.”
“No problem.” It was never a problem, helping Kiyoung.
Kiyoung seemed a little dazed. As I stepped back and let the monster drop from my blade he kept staring at me, a faint, “What the…” falling from his lips. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but… did he recognize me? No one else had shared memories of the first round with me, but if anyone could remember the second round… then it would have to be my Vice Guildmaster.
I continued watching Kiyoung’s distant face, gaze caught on the way he bit his lip, until Deokgu spoke up and broke my concentration. “Hyung-ssi, who..?”
I looked to him, the awkwardness of reintroducing myself to comrades long faded now. “My name is Kim Hyunsung.”
“Park Deokgu,” he answered, thumping his chest.
I turned my attention back to Kiyoung. “And this is…?” This was supposed to be our first meeting, after all.
“I’m Lee Kiyoung,” he said with a distant voice, a strange look on his face as he regarded me almost warily. Already, I could hear the familiar pattern of his fingers tapping his thighs.
“It is a pleasure to meet you both.” I held out my hand for them both to shake, but honestly I just wanted the excuse to touch Kiyoung for myself, to feel that he was real, warm and alive with my own hands.
Deok-gu shook my hand with his characteristic enthusiasm, and likely would have crushed it if I hadn’t already likely boosted my strength stat. Kiyoung was a little more hesitant to put his hand in mine, but the moment we did I could feel something click into place. The connection that we had shared before blossomed in the back of my mind and I let out a sigh. I hadn’t felt truly complete without it, ever since… But this was it, wasn’t it? Proof that this was Kiyoung, my dear Kiyoung, and whatever had been broken between us could be mended now. I’d make sure of it.
Kiyoung gasped quietly, and I could sense his confusion. Our connection wasn’t nearly as filtered as it used to be, and I was nearly bowled over by the rushing tide of Kiyoung’s thoughts as he processed the situation. I couldn’t focus on it all to piece out what Kiyoung was thinking, specifically. Deokgu was giving us a strange look right now. We could talk about our bond later, in private.
“This isn’t the first time you’ve fought, is it?” I asked Deokgu, distracting him.
*~*
This… what was this?
I knew I recognized this man – the one who had helped me back at the starting point. I remembered his face had seemed a little desperate at the time, but determined. He wasn’t afraid of the monsters, or of killing them. By checking his status and talent window, I could immediately understand why.
[Name: Kim Hyunsung]
[Titles: The Regressor of Altanus, The Regressor of the Son of Light, The Swordsman who Started the Second Round, The God Who Started the Third Round, The One Who Failed, The One Who Embraced Sacrifice, The Enlightened One, The God of Sunset Light]
Even before looking at his crazy stats, which were all either heroic or legendary – this man had three legendary stats! Three!! – there was something that immediately caught my eye.
Regressor? You mean time-travel? And twice over??
What is this nonsense..? Even after blinking my eyes the titles remained unchanged. It was natural not to believe such a thing at first, but after seeing all of these monsters I was willing to suspend my disbelief, however…
The God Who Started the Third Round.
I was too stunned to speak. If my unique ability, Mind’s Eye, wasn’t lying, then this person in front of me had already been through all of this twice before. It would explain why he wasn’t scared at the starting point earlier, but damn. Putting aside how unfair the world was, what had happened that caused this man with this insane talent pool and list of titles to fail twice?! Wasn’t that a little ridiculous?
[Overview: Truly amazing. If you don’t agree with me even after seeing it with your own eyes, I have no words for you. This person’s strength, agility and stamina cannot be accurately measured. Their other stats also have incredible potential. Their potential for growth as a wizard is terrifying, but with a melee class they can achieve even greater heights. Compared to player Lee Kiyoung… No, this comparison itself would be blasphemous. Especially don’t tell player Kim Hyunsung. Absolutely, definitely don’t tell player Kim Hyunsung, okay? Forget we said anything.]
I kept looking over this Kim Hyunsung’s status window, trying to make sense of it all while cursing in my head. I bit my lip, unable to shake this feeling of unfairness and apprehension.
We exchanged names and greetings, and as we shook hands the second most unbelievable thing happened to me. It was like someone had opened a door in the back of my mind and a flood of thought and emotion crashed over me.
First, there was concern and anxiety, which all gave way to an overwhelming relief. I tried to stifle my gasp as my knees threatened to buckle under me. My hand gripped Kim Hyunsung’s as if it were a lifeline, unable to sort out these foreign emotions from my own. The deluge calmed as it settled into contentment and something I could only call… affection.
What the flying fuck just happened to me?
[Congratulations! You’ve gained a new mythic-grade attribute.]
A status window pinged into my view.
Mythic-grade?
THE FUCK?!
[Mythic-Grade: Regressor Instruction Manuel]
[Born from a mutual desire for shared connection, you share a bond with the player Kim Hyunsung. The ability for mutual understanding has opened up. Other abilities have been sealed according to each partner’s level.]
Mutual desire… shared connection? Words I didn’t understand kept popping up in front of me, and I couldn’t even focus on them. It wasn’t just emotions – I was aware of Kim Hyunsung’s breathing, of the brush of the damp cave air on his skin, even the view of Park Deokgu’s face from his eyes. Vaguely I could hear them carrying on a conversation, but the sensory input was all too overwhelming for me in the moment.
Kim Hyunsung’s gaze turned to me. It felt as though he was looking right through me. Could he feel everything about me, the way I was feeling everything about him? Shit. Was I supposed to be talking right now?
“I was lucky.” It felt like the words were supplied for me, rather than I had said them myself.
Realizing I was still clinging to this guy’s hand, I hurriedly threw it off. I felt like I was standing here naked, and it wasn’t a good feeling. My body trembled with this strange sensation. I couldn’t understand why this had happened with us. The only thing that I knew, and could sense, was that there was something wrong.
This man returned to the past for some purpose. Whatever it was, he had failed twice in achieving it, and based on this new attribute I was definitely somehow involved. I didn’t think it likely that he would decide we were enemies, but if he could read my thoughts then he would know about my Mind’s Eye ability – everything. Was there anything I could hide from him, if I needed to protect myself?
Just then, Park Deokgu opened his mouth with a smile. “Hyung-nim, why do you keep staring at your status window? Did you get a class?”
“Sort of… I will tell you in a minute.” There was no way I could tell him about this.