Blink. Blink.
I can breathe again.
It's not the body that was losing life force anymore.
Life force is overflowing throughout my body.
"...This is."
The familiar forest.
I knew what had happened.
I had regressed again.
"...So regression wasn't just a one-time thing."
Up until now, I had treated regression as a miraculous opportunity given to me, living faithfully.
Although I had acquired the ability to regress, I didn't know the principles behind it, nor did I know how many times it could happen.
But now I've undergone regression twice.
'Regression is not the end.'
Then there's a high probability that this won't be the end either.
'Infinite regression...?'
While I was lost in thought, Section Chief Jeon Myeong-hoon, in his usual manner, was angrily charging at me.
"Deputy Manager Seo, you bastard!"
Swoosh! Whish!
I easily dodged Jeon Myeong-hoon's attempt to hit my cheek as he rushed towards me.
"He, he dodged?"
Swish! Swoosh!
Jeon Myeong-hoon, enraged, charged at me again, but I continued to dodge his attacks easily while lost in my thoughts.
'Why... Did I regress?'
I looked blankly at Jeon Myeong-hoon, who was charging at me.
In the last life.
I had lived really hard.
Really faithfully.
I lived a satisfying life and died peacefully.
There might have been a bit of regret, but I never wanted more than that.
'Why... Did I regress?'
A body brimming with vitality.
A new opportunity I had gained.
Surely it was something good. But...
'What about [everything] I achieved over 50 years?'
Now, it's nowhere to be found.
Unrecoverable.
That's right.
By regressing, everything I had built up over 50 years was gone, vanished.
"This, this Deputy Manager Seo, you bastard! What are you doing, how dare you keep dodging!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon, in his audacious manner, yelled and charged at me.
I stepped aside easily, dodging his punch and continued to ponder.
'But... It feels familiar. What is this familiar feeling...?'
Ah, I see.
"...Right. I might have been unconsciously afraid of a day like today."
Regression.
Certainly, it was a miraculous opportunity, a second chance.
But, paradoxically, I feared losing that time period through another regression.
That familiar feeling.
It was because the fear I had was now realized in front of me.
'Even if I was given another chance, was it right to erase that time period?'
I lived my life with no shame.
But everything I lived for was erased by regression.
'That's right. Maybe... In my last life too, I was unconsciously afraid of this power. No, I'm sure I was scared of it.'
Realizing that this regression ability was not a one-time thing, my fear only grew.
Or should I say, it became certain.
'This power, it negates my entire life.'
If this regression was the end, I could go in peace.
But what if it's not?
What if my regression continues forever?
'My entire life will be negated, and those I knew will be forever trapped in the cycle of time.'
That's right.
I had found the true source of my regret. No, my fear.
It stemmed from the very power of regression itself.
Then, how should I overcome this power of regression?
'I have to eliminate the regression ability.'
This power shouldn't exist.
I set a long-term goal for this life, and for the countless lives to come.
'I'll eliminate my regression ability. Or ensure it never activates again.'
That's the long-term goal I will pursue.
"...For that, first."
I need to find out the origin of this regression ability.
'Back on Earth, none of us had any special constitution or power. All seven of us developed such abilities only after coming to this world, so it's likely they originated here.'
I used to think these powers could have existed on Earth as well, but now I'm sure they didn't.
It doesn't make sense.
If there were innate superpowers like calling rain and wind, and sensing things kilometers away, then Deputy Manager Oh and Manager Kim wouldn't have needed to work at our company.
'Then, the greatest possibility to eliminate the regression ability... might be returning to our original world!'
I further specified my goal within my long-term objective.
"First, let's aim to return home."
But how do we return home?
'First of all... my current abilities won't do.'
With my mere mortal abilities, I can't attempt anything.
"I need to grow stronger."
Being a second-tier warrior isn't enough.
'I must become a cultivator! I need to become a cultivator!'
Yes.
Become a cultivator to gain long life and power.
'I must investigate the Ascension Gate that leads to the higher realms!'
When the Ascension Gate opens, the space in this Ascension Path region becomes unstable.
Then our falling into this world might also be related to it.
Maybe through the Ascension Gate, I could return to my original world.
'Become a cultivator, then head to the Ascension Gate.'
Thus, I was able to further specify my goal.
'But to become a cultivator, one needs a Spiritual Root. Without it, a common mortal can never become a cultivator. However, I have once touched the threshold of a Spiritual Root!'
In my past life.
Young-hoon Hyung-nim had told me.
The state of Five Energies Converging to the Origin, achievable through martial arts by a mortal, corresponds to the Five Elements Spiritual Root inherent in a cultivator at birth.
Reaching Five Energies Converging to the Origin, even a common mortal can awaken their Spiritual Root!
'...Right. My long-term goal is to become a cultivator, reach the Ascension Gate, find a way back home, and eliminate my regression ability.'
"Heugh... Huff... How... How can he be so fast... This bastard..."
'And for a short-term goal... to gain a Spiritual Root necessary to become a cultivator, I have to practice martial arts to reach the state of Five Energies Converging to the Origin... I guess.'
I sighed.
It's a tremendously difficult condition.
Already lacking talent in martial arts, who knows how long it will take me to reach Five Energies Converging to the Origin.
'Ironically, I have to rely on my regression ability to eliminate it.'
I don't feel desperate as long as I have the regression ability.
I have infinite opportunities.
'No matter how long it takes... I will definitely reach Five Energies Converging to the Origin.'
I firmly resolved, setting the direction for my future.
Finally snapping out of my thoughts, I looked at Jeon Myeong-hoon, who was gasping and sitting in front of me.
"...Section Chief Jeon, calm down. What's the use of getting angry in this situation?"
"You... You bastard. You dont even know what you did wrong..."
"Certainly, Section Chief Jeon dumped all your work on me the day before, forcing me to stay up all night before the workshop. You were also supposed to drive, werent you? Even though you knew I was sleepy, you stopped me from asking others to drive. More so, during the landslide, I did everything I could. It just happened so fast that I couldn't do anything more. Don't try to shift the blame onto me with your irrational logic and think about what to do next."
I let it all out like a waterfall and then walked past Jeon Myeong-hoon towards Young-hoon Hyung-nim.
"Hyung-nim... no, Director Kim Young-hoon. Sorry to bother you, but may I borrow your lighter?"
"Hmm, alright."
"Thanks. It looks like it'll be night soon, so I'll find a place to stay for the night. As for the others, either find the car or a way out of this forest. I'll light a fire over there, so come find me by the light when it gets dark."
"Eh... No."
After my rapid-fire speech, I headed to the cave where I had stayed last time.
Then I collected branches to make a windbreak and a door and gathered firewood for a bonfire, preparing for the night.
I also gathered fruits and herbs from nearby to cook over the fire.
Sizzling sounds filled the air.
I tore my underwear to make a pouch for collecting herbs and gathered herbs like hemostatic, pain-relieving, and paralyzing herbs around the base, preparing for the fox that might come to bite my arm tomorrow.
"Hmm, the fruits are ripe."
I took the roasted fruits from under the fire, cooled them down, peeled them, and started eating.
"Not bad."
After filling my stomach, I picked a suitable branch and held it like a sword.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
My last life.
My first regression.
The martial art perfectly suited to my body, created by Young-hoon Hyung-nim with his overflowing talent.
Whoosh, whoosh!
I held the sword and swung, practicing the first to twelfth forms of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship in sequence.
"Hmm, I've lost some touch."
In my last life, just before death, I couldn't even lift a sword properly to practice swordsmanship.
Consequently, my swordsmanship regressed to barely clinging to second-rate.
"Still, if I focus on training for about a month, I should be able to regain the feel for it..."
My internal energy should also be sufficient, considering the spiritual medicines scattered throughout Ascension Path.
How far can I grow in this life?
This time, I've decided not to participate in ridiculous ventures like the Wulin Alliance.
It consumes too much of my personal time.
I was so consumed by work that I couldn't even visit brothels, let alone meet women.
'This life, I'll focus on martial arts.'
To become a cultivator, I first need to reach Five Energies Converging to the Origin and awaken a Spiritual Root.
But with my limited talent in martial arts, reaching that state seems far off.
'My immediate goal is to maximize my martial arts ability.'
After practicing Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, I started activating the Dantian of my untrained body by breathing according to the Cheonji Heart Method.
Using the breathing technique made me feel purified and cleared my mind.
'...Wait a minute.'
I suddenly recalled the martial art completed by Young-hoon Hyung-nim in my last life.
Record of Surpassing Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts.
The martial art created to confront cultivators with a mortal body.
'Young-hoon Hyung-nim devoted his entire life to creating this martial art. It was a martial art created after he became a supreme master.'
What if he learned this martial art right from the beginning?
In my last life, I advanced Young-hoon Hyung-nim's birth as the strongest under the heavens by 40 years by teaching him advanced martial arts.
Then, what if he learns the martial art he spent his life contemplating right from the beginning?
I remembered the final time I saw Young-hoon Hyung-nim.
'...Although I've set a goal to learn martial arts to obtain a Spiritual Root to become a cultivator...'
Perhaps he could present another possibility to me.
Thud, thud...
Outside the cave, I heard footsteps of others who had seen the fire I lit and came to find it.
"Heh heh, Deputy Manager Seo. You're quite capable. When did you make this?"
Young-hoon Hyung-nim.
Director Kim Young-hoon was the first to enter the cave.
I approached him, returned the lighter, and asked casually.
"Director, I know some health exercises and breathing techniques... With the tension in this situation, would you mind practicing with me?"