I clenched my teeth and walked forward. I felt like I would forget how to face forward if I turned around. Was this the right method? I didn’t know. The question itself might be a trap, so I simply kept walking. I exerted more strength into the hand holding Boss even though I lost my sense of touch some time ago. Soon, the concept of time also disappeared. I walked for an unknown amount of time with only my sight intact.

“Haa, haa.”

I seemed to have escaped the maze before I even noticed. The sound of my breathing returned and I found myself covered in sweat and blood. A scorching pain finally struck me. I must’ve stepped on some traps while my senses disappeared.

“I think we’re done.”

“I still can’t see… Ah, wait. What’s this? Something’s wrong with my wrist!”

Jain gasped when she came out of the maze. I collected my breath and turned around.

“Potion, I need a potion Hajin!”

Jain’s hand dangled on her arm. Something had almost severed her wrist in there.

“Haa…”

I sighed and handed her a potion. It felt like we were missing someone as I glanced around. Someone hadn’t made it. Boss, Jain, and Jin Yohan stood behind me, but I couldn’t spot the most noticeable one. Cheok Jungyeong… even after I warned you…

“Wait, Cheok Jungyeong isn’t here.”

“Oh, you’re right. I knew this would happen. That idiot.”

“I’ll go get him. Stay here.”

I agreed with Jain’s comment and prepared to enter the maze again. Boss spoke while still holding onto me.

“Hajin, I’ll go with you.”

“No, it’s better for me to go alone. You should stay here.”

[Warning! It is recommended that you do not re-enter.] [Traveling through the maze in reverse will result in a huge penalty.] [The 10th floor administrator will act even more hostile towards you. He has already assigned harsher trials to your party.]

I set a 3 minute timer on my smartwatch and let go of Boss. She tried to grab my hand again, but her sight hadn’t returned yet.

“Hajin, where are you… grab my hand… listen to your boss…”

She flailed about before falling.

“I’ll be back soon.”

I re-entered the maze. A strange feeling much stronger than before came over me as I took the first step. I moved my legs forward while trying to keep myself from throwing up. I continued while not feeling a thing. However, I couldn’t find Cheok Jungyeong even after a long time. I turned around feeling annoyed and another strange feeling struck me. Was this me? Was I myself?

— Give me the calamity core and you will easily find your companion.

I snapped out of my stupor thanks to the damned administrator’s voice. I shook my head resolutely. I think I said something, but I couldn’t hear my voice.

— Fool, you will never escape this place.

The administrator disappeared. Then a holographic window popped up from my smartwatch. The alarm signaled that 3 minutes had passed. I could start over no matter what the administrator did.

[You have reversed time.] [You will return to the past 3 minutes ago.]

I used [Time Reversal] for the first time after obtaining the [Clock Hand of Fate]. The world seemed to shake as an odd sensation enveloped me. Then I went back in time.

“Hajin, I’ll go with you.”

I shook my head at Boss who said the same words. Then I entered the maze once again. I recalled my previous path and chose another one since I didn’t find Cheok Jungyeong there. Experiencing this senselessness three times would be enough. I simply headed to where I felt he would be and ended up finding him with my luck.

He fought against some monster. His battle instincts seemed to work just fine even with all his senses isolated. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Then I walked up to him and dragged him away. We left the maze as my timer ran out.

“What?”

Cheok Jungyeong looked confused as I slapped his chest. Thwack! He raised his arms in surprise.

“Why were you fighting, Cheok Jungyeong?”

“I was?”

“Yes!”

“Uh, I don’t know. Did I?”

I wanted to say something, but an intense pain struck my chest. Koong! My heart thumped and I helplessly fell as the pain squeezed all my organs. I almost lost consciousness when Boss and Jain ran towards me. They slapped my cheeks and shouted, but I couldn’t hear them. Then a system message popped up.

[You have reached the end of time reversal.] [Warning! Be careful of the consequences!]

I laughed inaudibly at the side effects of time reversal. Sure, the skill had charges, but using it 3 times in a row would probably kill me. Thankfully, the pain slowly faded as aether activated the Orb of Regeneration.

“Kim Hajin!”

I regained my hearing as Boss’ voice entered my ears.

“Hajin, are you okay?”

Jain also asked. I bitterly smiled and turned towards Cheok Jungyeong. He seemed sorry and embarrassed as he scratched his head, unsure of what to say. It did feel like he was reflecting on his mistake.

“This is all because of that son of a bitch.”

I pointed at Cheok Jungyeong with a trembling finger. Boss, Jain, and Jin Yohan all looked at him with serious expressions.

***

We breezed through the 11th and 12th floors in the next week. I ended up taking the rewards that should’ve belonged to Kim Suho, but they weren’t anything special. I could always give it to him later if he needed something.

The 11th and 12th floors could be repeated multiple times as solo stages. A player only had to beat it once to climb up, but they could try it again at a harder difficulty to advance their skills.

“Yaawn…”

We reached the peaceful 13th floor and stayed in a small log cabin with a living room and one bedroom.

“How high does this tower go?”

“Who knows?” I replied to Cheok Jungyeong’s question. He didn’t say anything else because of what happened on the 10th floor.

“Really? I think Hajin knows everything.” Jain grinned.

Is Hajin really a regressor? The knowledge and experience he’s shown so far can only be explained by that…

Boss’ voice suddenly rang in my head.

“…?” I turned to Boss stroking Spartan.

“Ah.”

Spartan’s senses transcended humans. Just now, I heard him reading Boss’ mind through our connection.

“I’m not a regressor.”

“…!”

Boss shook when she heard me. Technically, I went back in time for 3 minutes, but that didn’t count. It almost killed me too.

Boss’ thoughts rang in my head again. He can even read my mind because of all his experiences…

“You’re wrong.”

“W-What am I wrong about? Explain that first.”

“Just know that you’re wrong.”

I shook my head and lay down. A clock ticked from above.

[13F, Area of Rest, 63:23:34]

Tick— Tick— 

The goal on the 13th floor was simple. [You will endure a mental trial.]

We could freely rest here for 100 hours, but would experience a horrible nightmare if we fell asleep.

I stayed awake for about 37 hours. I would’ve probably fallen asleep a long time ago without any companions.

“Ah, I’m so bored! I’m gonna work out!”

Cheok Jungyeong shot up and Jin Yohan looked at him.

“Wanna spar?”

“Sure, follow me.”

The two of them left and Jain also went to watch. They still seemed full of energy and could probably stay awake for 100 hours without any problems. However…

“I’m so sleepy.”

I always got all my sleep and also used [Time Reversal] once on the 10th floor and the 12th floor. My condition felt terrible, but we focused on climbing the tower without rest because Aileen and Kim Suho’s party were both catching up.

“Yaawn.”

“Are you sleepy?” Boss looked at me.

“Yes.”

“You’re the one who said we shouldn’t sleep.”

“I know.”

I already explained to them that sleeping here would result in the worst nightmare. Rustle— Boss crawled to a drawer in the corner and took out a deck of playing cards.

“Want to play a game?”

“No, I can’t lose, so it’ll only make me sleepier.”

“…”

I thought about sparring with one of the members, but quickly dismissed the idea. I would surely faint afterwards.

“Auu…”

I spent the next 3 hours in a daze, yawning and looking at the ceiling. Don’t sleep. Don’t sleep…

“…!”

I opened my eyes to a white ceiling above me. I have to write the next chapter.

“What time is it?”

I picked up my smartphone next to my pillow. It read 6 P.M. Only 5 hours left until the deadline. I should have more than enough time to finish the chapter.

“Auu, I slept for 8 hours?”

I groaned and raised my body. Despite being in a rush, I never forgot to do my wake-up routine: browsing the internet on my phone.

— Hajin, are you still asleep?

A voice rang from outside the door. I tilted my head and looked around. Indeed, I was in my one-bedroom apartment. The bed felt more comfortable than usual, so who was outside?

Drrk—

The door opened and a familiar figure appeared with the smell of cigarettes. My eyes widened at the sudden guest.

“Dad?”

“Stop sleeping during the day and get up. I brought you some food.”

Dad’s face looked a bit blurry. I didn’t hear anything about them visiting, but this wasn’t the first surprise visit from my parents. My vision suddenly turned blurry.

What’s wrong with me?

I rubbed my eyes. Why was I crying and why did my heart hurt so much?

“… jin.”

A soft voice entered my ears.

“What?” I frowned.

“What do you mean what? Get out here.”

“Ah, yes, Dad. Anyways, you said you brought beef?”

I asked in a cute tone as I jumped out of bed. Mom sat in the living room while cooking the beef.

“Mom.”

I ran up and hugged her.

“You smell gross. Go take a shower.”

She smiled even as she said that.

“What are the both of you doing here?”

“We just had some time. You always order delivery, right? We thought we’d cook you a home meal. I also brought some side dishes. Go wash your face first.”

“Okay.”

I ran to the bathroom and stood in front of the sink. Then I paused before turning on the faucet. Mom and Dad came to visit, but there shouldn’t be anything special about today. Still, something felt wrong for some reason. I slowly raised my head and looked in the mirror.

“…?”

I was still crying and my hands shook. I couldn’t understand. Why was I crying? What was wrong with me? Hajin. I thought I heard something.

“What?”

— How long are you going to stay in there? The meat’s done!

“Ah, yes. I’m coming.”

I finished washing up and left the bathroom. A hearty meal sat on the living room table. I just woke up, but could eat beef any time of the day. I happily stuffed the rice and meat into my mouth. Just eating with Mom and Dad made me so happy I began to tear up again.

“Hajin.”

“Yes?”

Dad suddenly sounded serious after I finished a bowl of rice. He usually sounded like this when he wanted to discuss life with me. I sat up straight and prepared myself for a long lecture. I could always use my deadline as an excuse if I wanted to escape. However, Dad said something unexpected.

“It’s time for you to go back.”

I tilted my head. Go back? This was my home and Mom and Dad were here too. Kim Hajin! A faint shout entered my ears.

“Go back where? Oh, you mean work? Don’t worry. My deadline is in 4 hours.”

“He’s right. He can stay a bit more. You’re the one who wanted to see him the most.”

Mom nudged Dad’s shoulder. She wanted to talk more and nudged my shoulder too, asking me if I wanted another bowl of rice. Her habits felt all too familiar.

“Yeah, I’ll take seconds.”

“Oh right, Hajin. You should come home at least once a week. You’re not that busy, right?”

She always said that every time she came over. I normally would’ve said I didn’t have time because of my novel or I would complain about her always nagging me, but today…

“I will. Starting from next week.”

I said what I wanted to say, but Dad cut in again.

“That’s great, but you should still go now.”

“The deadline’s approaching, but I still have—”

“No, not that.”

Dad interrupted me. I can just tell my readers something came up and delay the chapter. I glared at him with that thought.

“Not that, Hajin.”

He smiled bitterly at me.

— Kim Hajin!

A clear shout rang out this time. It filled the entire room.

“It’s time to go back to where you belong.”

“Kim Hajin! Wake up!”

My eyes suddenly shot open. My apartment and everything inside disappeared. I took a deep breath, but couldn’t see anything with wet eyes.

“Haa.”

Someone sighed in relief and a rough hand softly wiped away my tears.

“You’re up.”

Only then could I see the woman who protected me.

“Was it painful?”

“…”

“You can give up if you want.”

I looked at her in a daze. I seemed to have misunderstood that the most painful memories would resurface in this place.

“Ah.”

Tears came from the bottom of my heart. The small, yet happy living room I lived in and the people I loved. Happy dreams could also be sad because they couldn’t come true. I couldn’t endure this sadness and I covered my eyes. I cried again for the first time since becoming Kim Hajin in this world. Sounds I couldn’t understand escaped from my mouth as my heart and body shook.

My crying turned to weeping until an unknown amount of time passed and I finally regained my senses. I awkwardly smiled at Boss next to me.

“Are you… okay now?”

I nodded with a light sigh. “Ah, how embarrassing. Don’t fall asleep like me, Boss.”

She silently looked at me and her calm eyes flickered with complicated emotions. “That felt more painful than I thought.”

I placed my hand on my chest. My heartbeat reverberated throughout my entire body.

“Hajin.” Boss whispered and held my hand. Her warmth enveloped me.

“I’m sorry.”

Her voice trembled as she choked up. What was she sorry about? I looked at her in confusion. She bitterly smiled and spoke in a heavy tone.

“Don’t be hurt.”