Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn’t

“Argh!”

“Kiyaaaak...?”

Thankfully, my fears were unfounded. Despite the panic, we didn’t crash into the orc horde. Instead, the orcs passed right through us, as if they were nothing more than ghosts.

I quickly realized it wouldn’t make sense if we were forced to collide with the orcs if we couldn’t control our movements. The imminent impact had been too startling for me to think clearly.

… Fuck I need to keep memorizing. Where was I again? Left, right, left, right…?

Damn it, those orcs had completely disrupted my train of thought.

The maze’s speed increased even more, with intersections appearing relentlessly. I tried to keep track of our pathing, but my brain couldn’t keep up.

Hmm...

I decided to give up. Judging by how disorienting the maze was, I probably wouldn’t have remembered the route even if I continued trying.

How many have we passed? Twenty? Thirty?

We mostly saw orcs but occasionally, other weird creatures would suddenly appear. They had interesting appearances, and one of them even seemed to be a minotaur.

After what felt like a minute, our rapid shuttling through the maze finally came to a halt. In front of us was a dead-end wall. Now, we had to retrace our steps and find the exit.

Just as I was about to turn around, a wave of dizziness hit me, likely caused by the rapid movements we had just experienced.

“Bleh, bleeeeeh!”

“Ha-Rin! Are you okay?”

“I feel like I’m going to throw up…”

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one affected. Seo Ha-Rin retched loudly, clearly overwhelmed by motion sickness.

Is she especially prone to motion sickness?

Seo Ho-Su quickly patted her back, trying to soothe her. They had always been close, but after the incident on the seventh floor, their father-daughter bond seemed even stronger. Their interactions felt warmer and more open than before.

Watching their affectionate exchange brought a smile to my face. Thanks to Seo Ho-Su’s gentle care, Seo Ha-Rin soon calmed down. We were ready to start moving.

We had eight hours to escape the maze. Although the sheer amount of intersections had made me lose track of the route, we couldn’t afford to waste any time.

“Now that Ha-Rin’s feeling better, let’s get moving.”

Eight hours might seem like plenty, but not knowing the way out made it risky. If we made a wrong move, we could end up trapped in the maze.

“We need to escape within the time limit. Let’s pick up the pace a bit.”

Cole suddenly spoke up, “Wait! Su-Hyeok, I don’t think that’s necessary.”

Confused, I turned to him with a puzzled expression.

“Sorry?”

Why would he say that? Don’t we need to hurry?

Seeing my confusion, Cole flashed a confident smile. With his actor-like looks, it was a strikingly handsome smile. But enough with the smiles—he needed to explain.

“I hadn’t shared this yet, but my memory is excellent. You could almost say that I have an eidetic memory. And luckily for us all, I’ve memorized the way to the exit.”

“Oh... I see.”

“Let’s not rush. We should conserve our energy since we don’t know what enemies we’ll face along the way.”

Seo Ho-Su beamed at Cole’s words, laughing heartily.

“Wow, Cole! Not only are you a great archer, but you also have a great memory? You're the perfect guide! Haha! I really did well choosing my party members.”

I didn’t doubt Cole in the slightest as he spoke with such confidence. He had never appeared so assured before. Normally, he stayed quiet and followed my lead without question. He was a loyal party member, after all.

I decided to trust him. If he knew the way, we could move at a reasonable pace and still have plenty of time left over to gain some bonus achievement points...

Wait a minute.

If Cole knew the route perfectly, did we really need to head straight for the exit? The Maze of Kashatum... I could tell just from the name it seemed like the kind of place that would hide a hidden mission or room.

“Cole, if we take different paths at the intersections, can you still remember the way back to the exit?”

“Of course. But why...?”

“If you know the way out, then we don’t need to rush straight there. Wouldn’t it be better to explore and potentially find a hidden mission or room?”

“Ah! That’s a great idea. That’s why you’re the leader.”

Of course, there was no guarantee we would find a hidden room or mission in the maze. If we didn’t find anything, losing out on some bonus achievement points would be regretful. However, I think everyone would choose what I did given the situation. It was worth taking the risk, even if it meant possibly taking a slight loss.

“Alright, our new goal is to find a hidden room or mission on the ninth floor.”

“Understood!”

“Hehe, let’s do it.”

“Cole, please keep track of the paths we take.”

“Will do.”

If all else failed, we still had Doppy in our party. I remembered how Doppy’s instincts had led us to Karaksh’s Tomb.

“Doppy."

“Kriee! Su-Yeok! Why calling Goblin?"

“Lead the way."

“Kriee?"

Doppy turned to me with a confused expression, hesitantly stepping forward, before finally leading the way with determined strides. I hadn’t meant for it to take the lead literally, but there it went…

***

Of course, I couldn’t be sure that Doppy’s instincts would lead us to a hidden room or mission. There was always the possibility that it was simply pointing us toward the exit or perhaps its previous success was just a fluke.

“Kriee! Going left!"

“Cole, which way to the exit?"

“To the right."

At the first intersection, Doppy had wanted us to go down a path that didn’t lead to the exit. While I couldn’t be certain that its instincts were guiding us to something hidden, it was worth following Doppy’s lead at least once given its track record.

“Alright, let’s head left then. Cole, make sure to remember the route we take."

“Yeah, sure.”

Seo Ho-Su suddenly interrupted our conversation, his tone laced with suspicion.

“Hey Cole, why do you keep glancing at me? You’re not… you know… interested, are you?"

Cole looked at him, wide-eyed and visibly flustered.

“Hmm?"

Ah, that’s right. Cole is gay.

“Well, uh, I am gay, but…"

Seo Ha-Rin turned to Cole in shock, her expression a mix of disbelief and confusion. Seo Ho-Su was so startled that he instinctively took a step back.

“Huh? Cole, you’re gay? Were you really looking at my dad because you’re interested in him?"

“What, what!?"

“No, it’s not that…!"

Could it be that Cole really... likes Seo Ho-Su?

No way. He was already in a relationship...

With everyone’s eyes on him, his face flushed with a mix of frustration and embarrassment. Exasperated, Cole hurriedly explained what had happened.

“No, I am gay, but I was only looking because it’s fascinating how much you’ve started to resemble a tiger since the seventh floor."

Seo Ho-Su gave a slightly awkward smile.

“Ah, I see. I was just joking around, but when you said you were gay, my assumptions got the best of me. You really surprised me."

“I have a partner back on Earth. I was just amazed at how much your appearance has changed."

“Cole, are you sure?"

“Absolutely. I really do have a partner back on Earth!"

Cole looked like he might cry at any moment, trying his best to communicate his earnestness.

Seo Ho-Su chuckled awkwardly and patted Seo Ha-Rin’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Hehe, Ha-Rin, I was just joking. If I had really thought Cole was interested in me, I wouldn’t have said that."

“It’s just that you sounded so serious, Dad... I was shocked."

“Ah, Cole, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have teased you like that. My apologies."

“Haha, it’s alright. No harm done."

Seo Ho-Su gave a slight bow, clearly showing his remorse. Cole waved it off with a smile.

“I was just so curious that I couldn’t stop staring at you. Didn’t I mention my memory is excellent? Your tiger-like features have grown since I last saw you."

“Really? I hadn’t noticed."

“I’m not sure exactly what it is, but that’s the feeling I get. I kept looking because I was trying to figure it out."

“Hmm."

Seo Ho-Su inspected his arms and legs, trying to see the changes Cole was talking about. I couldn’t spot anything different either...

Ha Hee-Jeong, who had been quietly observing from behind, tapped my arm. I turned to look at her, and she gave a slight nod. It was a signal to move on.

“Alright, let’s keep going. Let’s be mindful of things like this in the future. We’re all part of the same party, so let’s respect each other."

“That’s right. Cole, I’m really sorry. I didn’t think it through. I apologize."

“Haha. It’s all good. Su-Hyeok, shall we move on?"

“Yes, let’s get going."

Following Doppy’s lead, we passed through two more intersections. Although there had been a minor misunderstanding, the atmosphere in the party remained light.

Seo Ho-Su stuck close to Cole, asking about his partner. Cole blushed slightly and began to talk about them. Even though Cole had said it was fine, it was clear Seo Ho-Su still felt a bit guilty.

“Huh?"

We suddenly spotted a minotaur in the distance, killing our cheerful mood. The monster stood in the middle of the path and stared directly at us. It was massive, towering over three meters tall, and also wielded an equally enormous mace. Its bulging muscles strained against its skin, and two solid-looking horns jutted from its bull-like head.

Everyone quickly got into battle position. Next to me, I could hear Seo Ho-Su take a deep breath, the sound echoing in my ear.

“Wait, let me handle this one."

“Hmm?"

“I want to test out my axe."

I had been itching to test out my new double-headed axe. A one-on-one fight seemed like the perfect opportunity to see how it performed, rather than in a chaotic group battle.

“This is our first time facing a minotaur… Su-Hyeok, are you sure?"

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll lose. But if things do get dangerous, please step in and help."

“Alright. If it were anyone else, I would’ve insisted on stopping them no matter what. But since it’s you, I’ll guess it’s fine. Shout for help if you feel like you can’t handle it, okay?"

“Got it. Don’t worry."

Seo Ho-Su looked at me concernedly. I smiled back as calmly and confidently as I could, trying to reassure him. There was really no need for him to be concerned. I was certain I was stronger than that minotaur and didn’t feel the slightest hint of danger.

Taking a step forward, I moved toward the minotaur with my weapons at the ready. I wielded Karaksh’s Thunder Mace in my left hand, and the double-headed axe in my right.

My axe seems like it is designed to be wielded with both hands...

Maybe it was because of my strength, but wielding it with one hand didn’t feel difficult at all. If I found it impractical while I fought, I planned to ditch the axe and just fight with the mace.

"Grrrr..."

The minotaur reacted slowly, perhaps due to poor eyesight. It lifted the mace it had been dragging along the ground. Snorting, it took another step closer. Its breath formed steam in the air, lingering.

It started to move faster, and I matched its pace, speeding up as well.

“Raaaargh! Die!"

The distance between us closed rapidly. As the gap narrowed, I tensed my muscles and readied myself. I summoned lightning while swinging my axe, meeting the incoming mace.

Clang!

The sharp sound of metal clashing rang out as our weapons collided and then recoiled from the impact.

“Hup!"

Seizing an opportunity, I brought down my mace, but the minotaur quickly pulled back its leg, dodging my strike. My mace thundered through the air, hitting nothing.

The minotaur’s mace came flying at me again, and I swung my axe to counter it.

… Something feels off.

I couldn’t quite pinpoint whether my issue was due to the axe itself, the mace I was holding in my left hand, or the fact that I was dual-wielding both weapons. Perhaps it was simply the unfamiliarity of fighting without a shield.

But I had set out to test the axe, so I pressed on.

Seeing an opening, I hurled the mace toward it. The minotaur couldn’t react in time, and the mace slammed into its abdomen, forcing it back two large steps.

“Raaaargh!”

It charged again, and I gripped the double-headed axe with both hands before swinging it with all my might. The minotaur paused mid-charge, desperately raising its mace to block.

Clang!

The impact sent the minotaur’s mace flying high into the air.

“Grrr!”

This was it. This was what the two-handed axe was made for. The moment the shockwave rippled through my fingers, I knew it. The sensation was electrifying, an exhilarating thrill that surged through my entire body.

I couldn’t tell if this rush came from the lightning coursing through me or from the sheer power of the axe, but it was overwhelming.

Now that the minotaur’s chest was completely exposed, I leaped forward. Lightning crackled along the axe’s edge as I brought it down, aiming straight for the minotaur’s chest.

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