A Regressor's Bucket List

Kiiiiik—

I pushed open the doors of the inner palace and stepped out.

Thud—

The doors closed behind me. As I looked ahead, Bamboo Hat Mister, who had been leaning against the outer stone wall with his staff, straightened up with an "Oof."

Shrugging his shoulders as if he had been waiting, he asked me point-blank.

“How did it go?”

It was a question stripped of all context, but I understood what he was asking.

He likely knew that Sejong would ask me, ‘Will you board the Floating Territory?’

And he was asking what conclusion I had reached.

“I refused.”

“…….”

A clean rejection.

Well, there was no need to add various reasons; I was currently in a body that could not head to the Transcendence Plane.

I still had things left to do in the Upper Plane.

“Heh heh.”

Letting out his characteristic hearty laugh, he gave a small shake of his head.

“Well, I didn’t think you’d accept easily, but I see it turned out that way after all.”

A brief silence followed.

The way he gripped his bamboo hat with his right hand and pulled it down low suggested he was organizing his thoughts.

That was a habit of his even Pre-regression, whenever his mind became complicated.

“…Right. So that’s how it is.”

Once his thoughts were settled, he nodded again, lifted his bamboo hat to meet my eyes, and spoke.

“The old man said it would take some time to calibrate the device. And the item you left at the forge won’t yield results immediately either.”

“…….”

“In the meantime, let’s take a look around this place.”

He shrugged.

“I’ll be your guide. It’s what I’ve done my whole life, after all.”

‘The old man’ was the title used within the Floating Territory to refer to Jang Yeong-sil.

It seemed that some more time was needed to adjust the ‘Arc Reactor’ for the Northern Subjugation Force.

I nodded at his offer to show me around.

I didn't have anything particular to do anyway, and as he said, the firearm I had entrusted to Shuten wouldn't be fixed this soon.

“Let’s go.”

With those words, I followed Bamboo Hat Mister as he led the way out of the inner palace.

As we walked silently through the streets, bustling noises could be heard from all directions.

— A mission for those of high spiritual status. In the end, that is the pinnacle we must reach.

— That’s just chasing clouds; isn't it too vague? In my view…

— They say the subsonic output range was expanded this time, so in the direction of maximum output…

This was one of the characteristics of the Floating Territory.

The debates heard everywhere and a unique culture that disregarded its surroundings.

Even if I didn't know the details, I suspected this was one of the factors that explained the Floating Territory’s rapid development.

Or perhaps geniuses simply shared such traits.

— Hey, the reflection wave analysis results for the object’s radar cross-section don’t seem to match. This makes it all for naught.

— I’m telling you, that’s not it! That’s just a side effect of the radar-absorbent material…

— It’s logically inconsistent, so what do you mean it’s not?

— There’s a slight error, but within the margin of error, if you look at the time series over the long term…

At times, voices rose to a level that felt slightly uncomfortable or annoying, but essentially, it wasn't crude criticism directed at the opponent.

That was why they could drink together without any hard feelings once the debate was over.

“…….”

We walked along the walled paths of the Floating Territory for some time.

“…Can I ask you just one thing?”

Bamboo Hat Mister suddenly spoke up.

His voice always held a steady, serious tone.

However, I could distinguish the subtle difference.

This wasn't a probe or a question asked with hidden intentions; it was a question that came sincerely from the heart.

“…Why did you decide not to stay here?”

“…….”

“Of course, accepting immediately would have been strange… but I find it a bit hard to understand why you refused without a moment’s hesitation.”

It seemed he had expected me to at least give a non-committal answer, even if I didn't ‘accept.’

…Well, I didn't fail to understand his perspective.

The appeal of ‘Floating Specter Joseon’ was certainly undeniable, given the caliber of people gathered here.

They knew of the existence of the ‘Transcendence Plane,’ which even the ‘Guardian Cross Order’ in the Upper Plane was unaware of.

They could find a way to reach that place.

They had the environment and culture necessary to let one's talent bloom.

Beyond that, there were countless advantages to the Floating Territory, such as the unstinting support that allowed one to focus entirely on their field without worrying about anything else.

It wasn't that I, U-jin, hadn't heard those points.

They were the things Sejong had mentioned while trying to persuade me after my initial refusal.

And above all else.

There was one thing that only ‘Floating Specter Joseon’ could guarantee in the Upper Plane.

“…….”

That was ‘safety from the War against Demons.’

Whether the Demon King’s Army won or the Church Allied Forces repelled them, much blood would inevitably be shed in the process.

After all, it was a war that had persisted for an eternity, and even a cornered rat would bite a cat.

However, if the Floating Territory could truly head to the ‘Transcendence Plane’ as Sejong intended, they could avoid all the dangers lurking in that process.

Of course, heading to the Transcendence Plane also involved a certain degree of risk, but compared to the War against Demons that I had seen and experienced firsthand, it was true that the risk was relatively lower.

“…In my short-sightedness, I honestly thought someone like you would be interested in the existence of the ‘Transcendence Plane.’”

Nevertheless, the reason I refused was, of course, because of the mission given to me as a ‘Regressor.’

I couldn't give that answer straight out, though.

So, instead of answering, I asked him back.

“…If it were possible.”

“…….”

“If it were possible to head to the Transcendence Plane right this moment… would you go?”

***

In truth, while I was the one who decided on the Regression.

The one who had a significant influence on my accepting and embracing the Regression was my master from the first timeline, Bamboo Hat Mister.

『…Why didn’t you go up?』

『Go up where?』

『To the Floating Territory.』

『…….』

『You could have gone up whenever you wanted, Mister.』

Surprisingly.

In the first timeline, ‘Floating Specter Joseon’ actually succeeded in creating a warp to the Transcendence Plane.

Having achieved the goal they had yearned for over hundreds of years, they moved to the Transcendence Plane without delay.

At that point, the collapse of the Church Allied Forces in the Upper Plane was already a foregone conclusion.

Despite the support from the Floating Territory, the Northern Subjugation Force had been defeated to the point of annihilation in the Orc Mountains, and the Order's defeat in the War against Demons was clearly visible in the ensuing southern invasion.

At the time, when I had to decide whether or not to undergo Regression, I asked Bamboo Hat Mister that question.

Why on earth had he remained in the Upper Plane even though he could have gone to the Transcendence Plane?

And Bamboo Hat Mister’s answer to that helped me make my decision.

『…Heh heh.』

『…….』

『You know what my role is, don’t you?』

『A guide. But what does that have to do with it?』

『…That’s why. Once the path to the Transcendence Plane was found, the guide’s mission was over, wasn't it?』

At that ambiguous answer that wasn't quite an answer, I asked once more.

『…Stop chasing clouds and give me a proper answer.』

Perhaps seeing my determination to keep asking until he gave an answer.

He shook his head and confessed something he had never told anyone.

『…I wanted to go, too. Why wouldn't I? It was the place I yearned for so much.』

He had never said it out loud, but from my position of following him around everywhere, it was something I obviously knew.

However, his desire to ‘go’ wasn't simply to survive the destruction of the Upper Plane, but for the original purpose of the Floating Territory.

I could understand that he was talking about the longing to ‘witness the truth.’

Anyone aboard the Floating Territory would have wanted to see the origin and the end of this ambiguous world.

After all, Bamboo Hat Mister was also one of those who had boarded the Floating Territory, enticed by Sejong’s vision.

『…However, I felt that at least one person had to stay behind.』

『…….』

『The Floating Territory will fulfill its role, but the fate of the Order, left to be torn into pieces here in the Upper Plane, was just too clear to see.』

Phew—

『…If I hadn't stayed, the Great King, the old man, or perhaps even the Admiral would have tried to stay.』

『…….』

『So I just stayed. I figured that was for the best.』

That was the reason Bamboo Hat Mister had remained in the Upper Plane instead of heading to the Transcendence Plane.

Just because.

Because it felt like he had to.

…I was the same.

Just because I had regressed didn't mean I became invincible.

I knew all too well that even if I won the War against Demons, I wouldn't be granted some kind of eternal happiness.

In the process, I could lose my limbs, and I couldn't entirely rule out the possibility of dying without achieving my goal.

Perhaps even after killing the Demon King and winning the war, an even greater unknown threat might be waiting.

Therefore, other choices weren't impossible for me either.

For all I knew, if I gave up on saving the Upper Plane and headed to the Transcendence Plane with the Floating Territory, I could prolong my life with much more certainty.

Since the Regression was something that came with everyone’s sacrifice, there would be weight on my heart, but no one could blame me for making such a choice.

Those people had already died in the first timeline.

However, the reason I didn't head for the Transcendence Plane despite that was because there were things I had promised to do before I died.

Since this was a life lived again that I shouldn't have enjoyed, it was a promise to myself to live that given life not for myself, but only to fulfill that list.

I had to stay in the Upper Plane.

Since my work was here, I couldn't go up.

…Just because.

Because it felt like I had to.

***

“…Haha. My friend, you’ve caught me off guard.”

Did my question about whether he intended to go up strike a chord?

Instead of answering, Bamboo Hat Mister dismissed my question with a shake of his head.

“I’ll consider that I’ve heard your answer. I’ll save the answer to that question for another time.”

“…….”

“Heh heh.”

At Kim Satgat’s evasion, U-jin shrugged and let the corners of his mouth curl up.

After a brief silence, this time U-jin asked.

“I have something I want to ask as well.”

“……?”

“By any chance, do you know about the Four Divine Beasts?”

“…The Four Divine Beasts?”

“Yes.”

At U-jin’s question, Kim Satgat burst into a hearty laugh once more.

“…Heh heh.”

Laughing as if he found it absurd, he said to U-jin.

“…Do you happen to have a Divine Instrument or something?”