How a Regressor Conquers the Tower of Urban Legends
Chapter 56
"..."
A new room.
It wasn't dangerous, right?
I cautiously looked inside.
Only vague silhouettes were visible beyond the dim lighting.
As I kept peering in—
"!!"
The mascot raised both hands and marched inside first.
Fine by me if it wanted to take the lead.
A moment later...
Click.
The lights came on.
"What is this?"
Several stylish suits were hanging inside.
Rows and rows of them.
Was this what an expensive tailor shop looked like?
Not that I'd ever bought suits from a luxury place.
When I started working, I just bought whatever was affordable and wore that.
Still, if I had to describe the atmosphere, this was probably close.
No idea why it was suits, though.
"..."
Six suits in total.
So what was I supposed to do with these?
As I stared at them, the mascot quickly ran over, grabbed one at random, and thrust it toward me.
Why all of a sudden?
"What is it?"
"!"
"No, I mean, what is this?"
I looked at the mascot in confusion.
Then it showed me a note attached to the suit.
"..."
There was a note here too.
[This is the Suit Room.]
[In the Suit Room, suits are prepared and tailored to help participants proceed through floors more comfortably.]
[Each suit contains a minor enhancement intended to assist with clearing floors.]
[Their abilities differ depending on the embroidery on the sleeves.]
[Please wear whichever suit you prefer while clearing floors.]
"Enhancement?"
What kind?
I carefully examined the suit.
Just as the note said, there was embroidery on the sleeve.
"Oh..."
"??"
"Look at this."
"?!?!!"
The mascot raised both hands excitedly as we examined the sleeve together.
"Hmm."
What was embroidered there?
An hourglass?
A silver hourglass had been stitched into the fabric.
[The time you need is increased by a very small amount.]
Needed time?
"..."
Needed for what, exactly?
Since it didn't specify, that was a little difficult to interpret.
I scratched my cheek and looked away.
There were plenty of other suits.
Let's check them.
The next one...
"!!!"
"Ah, thanks."
The mascot quickly brought another suit over.
I thanked it and checked the sleeve.
The designs of the suits themselves were all identical, so I only needed to inspect the embroidery.
This one had...
"A butterfly?"
What was that supposed to mean?
Did it make me flutter around?
[You run very slightly faster.]
"..."
Not bad, but...
"Next."
"!"
The next suit had something resembling a straw hat embroidered on the sleeve.
[You are affected very slightly less by climate.]
"No."
Why were all of these effects so subtle?
Wasn't there anything better?
Everything was annoyingly vague.
The remaining three were probably going to be just as mediocre.
And after checking them with the mascot...
They really were.
First, a sleeve with a pillow.
[You experience fewer nightmares.]
I had no intention of sleeping in a suit, so pass.
Then one embroidered with a card.
[The rewards you receive after clearing a floor are increased by a very small amount.]
And finally...
A sleeve embroidered with an eye.
[You can see very slightly more clearly in darkness or excessively bright light.]
"What even is this?"
I complained, but I was already separating the useful ones.
Let's see.
Two stood out.
First, the butterfly suit.
It made me run faster.
Being able to move quickly was useful almost anywhere.
A safe, generally useful choice.
The other was...
"..."
The card-embroidered suit.
[The rewards you receive after clearing a floor are increased by a very small amount.]
More rewards.
That was something I could benefit from every time.
But...
"Isn't that a little arrogant?"
"?"
Wasn't wearing this basically assuming I'd definitely clear Floor 11?
"Or maybe not?"
Since I could keep returning after dying, maybe it made sense to take full advantage of regression and prioritize long-term rewards.
I stared between the butterfly suit and the card suit.
Emotionally, I wanted the butterfly.
Something that always helped with movement was comfortable to rely on.
But one thing bothered me.
"Will I even need to run on Floor 11?"
I remembered the Floor 11 map.
A house.
What would I need to run from inside a house?
No matter how fast I was, if something caught me inside a confined space, there wouldn't be much room to escape.
Maybe I'd need speed on Floor 12.
But choosing an effect that might be completely useless on Floor 11 felt like a waste.
So...
"..."
I carefully started putting on the jacket with the card embroidery.
"Remaining regressions."
[Remaining Regressions: ??]
"..."
I still didn't know how many regressions I had left.
But even if I suffered more than the others, I couldn't deny that my chances of eventually clearing a floor were somewhat higher.
Then, from a long-term perspective, taking the card suit this time seemed better.
I shouldn't over-rely on regression.
But if I had an advantage available, I should use it.
"!!!!!"
The moment I finished changing, the mascot started clapping like a seal and circling around me.
"Are you complimenting me?"
"!"
This was sad.
Apparently, the only one around to praise me for new clothes was a mascot.
That felt more bitter than I expected.
Still.
At least I finally had a fresh suit.
My old one had been fraying at the edges for a while.
And after going in and out of water more than once, it had become a complete mess.
I smacked my lips and looked away.
Anyway...
"Let's check the next room."
"!"
This actually felt a little like a treasure hunt.
Not bad.
With that thought, I headed farther inside.
Another dark room waited ahead.
The mascot confidently walked in and switched on the light.
What appeared this time was...
"What is this now?"
"!"
A cafeteria.
It looked absurdly similar to an ordinary company cafeteria.
I stood there in confusion, looking around.
Then someone waved at us from farther inside.
Well...
I wasn't sure someone was the right word.
"..."
There was only a hand floating in midair.
As I stared at it, the mascot walked over and started communicating with it using gestures.
More precisely, the mascot and the floating hand were waving and gesturing furiously at each other like they were having a full conversation.
After a short exchange...
"!"
The mascot nodded vigorously, accepted a sheet of paper from the hand, and trotted back.
At this point, I wasn't sure what was stranger.
The fact that the mascot could have a conversation with a disembodied hand...
Or the fact that I saw a floating hand and barely reacted anymore.
Either way.
I slowly read the paper.
"...Today's Menu."
At the top, in huge letters:
[Today's Menu]
Below that was a long description.
[Perilla Oil Buckwheat Noodles with Abalone and Clear Neungi Mushroom Broth]
[Live abalone wrapped in kelp and gently steamed at low temperature for three hours. Served over freshly made buckwheat noodles lightly dressed in cold-pressed raw perilla oil and West Coast gamtae powder, accompanied by a clear broth infused with deeply aromatic neungi mushrooms for a clean yet lingering finish.]
[Upon consumption, your refreshing scent will make it more difficult for others to locate you.]
"......"
What the hell was this?
This was a menu, right?
And there wasn't only one dish.
[Black Vinegar-Glazed Dongpo Pork with White Truffle and Grilled Bok Choy]
[Premium pork belly slowly steamed for over six hours with five-spice seasoning and dark soy sauce until tender enough to melt in the mouth. Finished with a matured black vinegar glaze to deepen the umami, delicately scented with truffle oil, and paired with crisp bok choy grilled over an open flame to balance the richness.]
[Upon consumption, your sweet fragrance will make it easier to gain the favor of others.]
[Sous Vide Sablefish with Bisque Sauce, Fennel Purée, and Basil Oil]
[Sablefish cooked sous vide at low temperature to maximize its moist and delicate texture. Served with a rich bisque made by slowly simmering roasted langoustine and lobster shells, layered with lightly anise-scented fennel purée and cold-pressed basil oil.]
[Upon consumption, your body becomes cooler, increasing your resistance to both cold and heat.]
"..."
I slowly raised my eyes toward the floating hand.
It suddenly gave me a thumbs-up.
"If I eat these, I get the listed effects?"
"🖒"
The hand enthusiastically shook its raised thumb.
So yes.
Then there was nothing to think about.
"I'll take all of them."
Let's eat until I die.
"🖓"
The thumb immediately turned downward.
Why?
"No, I said give me all of them."
I'm willing to eat until I die.
I looked at the hand.
The mascot stepped forward and once again began gesturing furiously with it.
A short while later...
"?!!?!?"
"Oh, so I can only choose one meal?"
"!"
How stingy.
I could eat plenty.
"..."
I read the menu again.
Three dishes.
Three different effects.
The first one—the abalone... whatever, buckwheat noodles—apparently made me harder to detect.
The second, Dongpo pork, increased other people's favor toward me.
The last one, sablefish, made me more resistant to hot and cold temperatures.
There was nothing to think about.
"I'll have the abalone... buckwheat noodles."
The hand gave me a thumbs-up and immediately started cooking.
Not long after, the food was placed in front of me.
"...Oh."
It looked like something you'd only see at an expensive restaurant.
So this was my reward for suffering through Floor 10.
The hand held itself out for a high five.
I slapped it.
Then I started eating.
As for the taste...
There was no need to explain.
"Can I get another bowl?"
"🖒"
So seconds were allowed.
Good.
I ate until I was completely full.
Nothing happened during the rest period.
I didn't do much either.
I explored the rooms, discussed a few strategies with the mascot, and studied the map.
I especially liked the food.
The meals hadn't exactly been bad before.
But now?
This was genuinely delicious.
Honestly, even after I eventually made it home, I might still remember the food here.
Apparently the special effects only applied to the first meal, because none of the later dishes listed any effects.
Still.
They tasted good.
Wasn't that enough?
"..."
I stared at the timer.
[02:00:00]
Two hours left.
I'd rested plenty.
Which meant...
CLUNK!
The door opened loudly.
"Time to do what I've been waiting for."
"!"
The mascot nodded.
We carefully entered the shop.
Under the soft lighting sat three glass display cases.
Three again.
"All right... then..."
I looked at the items.
Something shaped like a portable charger.
Something long and thin like a chocolate bar.
And finally...
A wristwatch.
"Let's take a look."
At last.
It was time to shop.
