The moment Johan entered the regression room, he checked the new Achievement.
[There Are No Fortuitous Encounters at Cliffs]
[Achievement Perk: While possessed, you can instinctively recognize cliffs that contain fortuitous encounters.]
It might be useful in the long run, but it would not help him survive the mage.
More importantly, the regression point was only one hour earlier…….
'Is the Status Window trying something again?'
[Would you like to purchase the Full Version? The Full Version provides a function that allows you to choose your regression point.]
'I'm continuing with the Trial Version.'
[All right.]
Even that brief reply seemed to be laughing at him.
Johan ground his teeth.
'So your plan is to break my will until I buy the Full Version?'
[Of course not. It makes me sad when you misunderstand me.]
The Status Window was acting as smugly as a player who had secured a winning position in a game of Go.
Johan had already considered letting himself be captured by the mage and aiming for some kind of Human Experiment Subject Achievement, but the Status Window's attitude irritated him.
'How does it not understand that the more obnoxious the seller is, the less I want to buy the product?'
[What? Really? Then how should I……]
Johan deliberately ignored the message and focused on finding a way to escape the black mage.
'Ah. He's from a school of life magic, but I automatically thought of him as a black mage.'
He had learned at the academy that black mages were not necessarily evil, but stereotypes were hard to shake.
Johan identified his Achievement setup as the reason he had failed to escape.
The Achievement he had equipped to overcome Mana Rampage had upgraded into [Overcame Mana Rampage], but there was another Achievement much better suited for running away.
[The World's Slowest Sperm]
[Achievement Perk: While equipped, Speed Adjustment: Medium-Low]
The moment he equipped it, Johan felt as reassured as if he had just finished a hearty bowl of rice soup.
Confidence surged through him.
He felt as though he could escape the mage's grasp immediately.
'Let's regress.'
Worried that the Status Window would start talking nonsense again, Johan quickly added,
'Trial Version.'
***
"Coachman! Coachman!"
"Yes? Y-Yes, Young Master!"
The coachman jumped in surprise at being called.
"Do we absolutely have to take this road to reach the County of Ohen?"
"No, sir. There is another route, but it takes an extra day."
"I've got a bad feeling about this road. Let's take the other one."
"Would that not make it difficult to arrive in time for the examination?"
"It'll be tight, but we won't actually be late."
"Understood."
People of this era were easy to persuade.
Actually, the strange part was that a coachman of this era had argued with a noble as much as he had.
The medieval class system was so strict that if Johan had been ill-tempered, he could have had the man executed merely for speaking back just now.
'He only talks comfortably because he knows I'm a decent person.'
A decent person.
In other words, an easy mark.
Auto-progression Johan received weaker adjustments, but his personality and values remained similar enough that he treated people beneath him kindly.
"Coachman."
"Y-Yes?!"
"I'll continue to trust you."
"Ah, yes! Thank you!"
The coachman immediately straightened up.
He was moved by something that was not even particularly special.
Johan decided he should use that line whenever he met a capable commoner.
'Now that we changed routes, maybe this coachman can survive too.'
Just as Johan began to relax, the coachman screamed.
"AAAAH!!"
"SKREEE!"
The death cry cut off, and the carriage tilted.
THUD- THUD- BOOOOM!
After being thrown around inside the carriage, Johan staggered outside while clutching his aching body.
The same mage and Chimeras were already surrounding him.
"Huff……. Hah……. Why did you change routes?"
"Hmm…… for a change of pace?"
"A carriage gets attacked, yet you remain this calm. I suppose even a noble from a backwater is still a noble."
Damn.
He had reacted too familiarly to a mage he was supposedly meeting for the first time.
Since he had regressed only one hour, it seemed he had not fully adjusted yet.
'I'll be more careful from now on.'
Judging by the situation, he could probably get away with a bad-boy act and the persona of Generic Medieval Noble Young Master No. 1.
"A mere coachman died. So what? And I am going to become an academy cadet. Whoever you are, I just have to kill you."
"Oh? Admirable courage. A man should have at least that much nerve."
While the mage nodded appreciatively, Johan suddenly launched himself forward.
"You coward……! Stop right there!"
"Would you stop just because someone told you to?"
"As expected of some backwater country bumpkin. Your speech is vulgar! Were you pretending earlier?!"
"You're the idiot who fell for it."
Johan ran as hard as he could.
There was one major difference from the previous run.
Last time, ten Chimeras had formed a tight encirclement, making escape extremely difficult.
This time, fewer attacks came flying at him, and there were simply fewer Chimeras.
'Hmm. Strange.'
Of course, the Speed Adjustment made dodging easier, but the reduced number was still suspicious.
Had they been forced to chase him in such a hurry that they left some of the Chimeras behind?
That made no sense.
The Chimeras were much faster than the mage.
If the number of Chimeras was lower, then…….
"SKREEE!"
A Chimera leaped from behind a tree.
SWISH—
Its claws grazed Johan's hair.
Without the Speed Adjustment, his head would have been split in two.
The mage, chasing from atop a Chimera's back, burst into wild laughter.
"HAHAHA! I planted them ahead of time in case you tried to run!"
At that moment, another Chimera burst from underground with a sharp CRACK and swung its claws.
SWISH!
Thanks to the Speed Adjustment, Johan bent backward nearly ninety degrees.
The claws passed directly over his face.
'Phew.'
Even Johan had to admit that dodge had looked impressive.
Once he escaped the Chimera that felt like the final trap, the road ahead opened completely.
Just as Johan instinctively sensed that he was about to escape—
"Chimera Body Separation."
THUNK! THUNK!
The robed mage's spell struck both of Johan's legs.
"Ugh!"
Johan tripped while running and tumbled across the ground, unable to overcome his own momentum.
"Stop right there! No, you lunatic! Why are you rolling so fast?!"
After several more rolls, Johan struggled back to his feet.
His legs felt stiff, and he could no longer run like before.
The spell had injured both calves badly enough to interfere with every step.
'Ughhh……'
Did he really have to run this desperately?
The thought lasted only an instant. Johan made a ruthless decision.
"Those who seek death shall live. Those who seek life shall die."
"S-Stop! Paralysis!"
Johan chose a fatal reset rather than let himself be captured.
The mage's horrified expression was almost satisfying.
"You vicious bastard! Life Infusion for Chimeras. Damn it—he made the wound impossible to heal……."
The mage's voice faded.
[Returning to 1 hour ago.]
'Now I'm pissed off enough that I'm definitely going to land at least one blow on him.'
***
"Coachman."
"Yes?"
"Stay inside. I'll drive."
"How could I possibly place the whip in the hands of a noble young master?"
"Ahem! I'm bored, that's why! If I stay shut inside and die of boredom, are you going to take responsibility?"
"Of course not!"
"Then hand me the whip."
"Understood."
Johan switched places with the coachman.
Then he realized he had no idea how to drive a carriage and did not know the road.
"Coachman. Come back out."
"Yes."
"Now that I think about it, I don't know how to drive a carriage. Teach me from beside me."
"How could someone as noble as you learn something done by lowborn people like us……."
"You're talking too much."
"My apologies! I will teach you immediately!"
Under the coachman's guidance, Johan drove the carriage.
The horse pulling it had been properly trained and did not resist like the killer horse that had murdered Johan in his second and third runs.
"Hmm. This is fairly difficult."
"If you handle the reins a little more carefully……."
"Like this! How is it? I'm not as good as you, but I'm doing pretty well, aren't I?"
"As expected of you, Young Master."
"Flattery won't get you anything."
"Flattery? I mean it sincerely!"
The coachman truly was impressed.
Nobles generally knew how to ride horses, but they looked down on driving carriages as something beneath them.
Yet Johan sincerely tried to learn how to do it.
He did not look down on the coachman and even praised him.
The man had carried countless passengers over the years, but Johan was the only one who had ever complimented him.
The coachman was deeply moved.
'I'll brag about this to my wife when I get home.'
He had gained a story worth boasting about for the rest of his life.
'But he really is good at this. We're moving faster than when I drive.'
While the coachman was marveling at Johan's skill, the horse suddenly snorted and stopped.
NEIGH!!
"AAAAH!!"
The carriage braked hard.
The coachman, who had not fastened the safety strap, was thrown forward.
Johan kicked off the seat and caught him.
"Are you all right?"
"F-Front! There's a tree in front of us!"
"Ah."
Just as Johan curled his body to prepare for the collision, he made eye contact with a Chimera charging out of the forest.
'This route is screwed too.'
Conveniently, the tree was right ahead.
With the route already lost, Johan used the crash to force another regression.
[Achievement Acquired!]
[Sunfish]
Free Achievement.
Nice.
***
The moment Johan returned to the waiting room before regression, he checked the new Achievement.
[Sunfish]
[After experiencing more than one hundred deaths, you died five times from different causes. Even a sunfish would not die this easily.]
[Achievement Perk: While possessed, grants 1 Save Point.]
'What's a Save Point?'
[TIP. Save Point.]
[Are you reluctant to lose relationships that will reset upon regression? Have you repeated several runs, only to regret that you cultivated a previous run better? Then purchase a Save Point!]
[Designating a Save Point allows you to return to that point regardless of regression. It remains stored for up to 5 runs.]
[Of course, you also retain your Achievements when moving there.]
[Only one Save Point may be designated per run.]
[Available Save Points: (0/1)]
It was even better than Johan had expected.
If he had designated a Save Point during the life with the quintuplets, he could have returned there now while keeping all his current Achievements.
More importantly, it could interfere with the System's malicious manipulation.
"Phew. All that suffering was worth it."
As Johan was checking the Achievement in satisfaction, another Status Window message appeared.
[Do you not find the Sunfish Achievement too valuable to waste? Save Points normally require a tremendous price to purchase. I will reduce the soul lease period to 10 years. Purchase the Full Version.]
Nope.
Still not buying it.
Thanks to the [Otherworlder's Soul] perk, Johan could benefit from Achievement effects even while using the Trial Version.
'I was wondering when you'd bring that up. You know my answer, right?'
[……. Returning to 12 hours ago.]
'Twelve hours ago…… when was that?'
***
Johan stuck his head out of the carriage and checked the surroundings.
The damned forest was nowhere in sight.
[Designating Save Point.]
[Naming point: Before Meeting the Mage.]
Johan quickly created the Save Point and called the coachman.
"Coachman! Coachman!"
"Yes, Young Master!"
"Is there a route that avoids the forest completely?"
"There is, but it is a major detour. We would need to camp outdoors, and you might be late for the examination."
Camping outdoors was nothing.
Johan had done forced marches during military service and slept in cramped field tents.
Why would sleeping outside bother him?
"I don't mind camping. And I trust you. If we move quickly, we can still make it in time, can't we?"
"Young Master……."
"While we're at it, why don't we drive the carriage together?"
After repeating nearly the same conversation as in the previous run, Johan managed to take the whip.
But the coachman fastened the safety strap only around Johan.
"You should fasten yours too."
"Ghk! If I do, my lowly body will touch your noble body!"
"It's fine. If I trust you, why wouldn't I allow even that? Ah, right. What's your name?"
"Pilstain."
"All right, Pilstain. I'm bored sitting inside the carriage all day. Would you keep me company during the trip?"
"It would be an honor!"
The carriage moved faster than it had when Pilstain was driving alone.
That was thanks to the adjustment affecting all actions related to speed.
Pilstain, unaware of this, repeatedly marveled at Johan's skill.
'Young Master is a genius! A genius coachman!'
But what use was there in a noble being good at driving a carriage?
Deciding that the praise did not suit a noble, Pilstain kept it to himself.
***
"Strange. Why hasn't he come? If he wants to reach the County of Ohen without being late for the examination, he has to pass through this forest road."
A mage of the Gorai Magic Tower lay in ambush along the forest road between the Barony of Raks and the County of Ohen.
His name was Goren.
Exhausted, he muttered to himself.
The expected time had long since passed, but neither Johan nor even the slightest glimpse of a carriage had appeared.
"Chimeras! Don't you smell any humans?"
"SKREEE. SKREEE."
"SKRAAA!"
The Chimeras shook their heads.
That meant their target had not entered the forest.
'Is he lazier than expected? Maybe he's simply taking his time.'
Goren decided to wait one more day.
He spent the night in the forest covered in dew, but the target never appeared.
Only then did Goren realize the truth.
'He never intended to pass through the forest in the first place.'
Anger surged through him.
A man who had only ever been called a prodigy in some remote backwater, and who had become completely unremarkable after reaching adulthood, had dared make an elite mage of a Magic Tower waste his time?
Whether Johan had done it intentionally or not did not matter.
What mattered was that Goren had wasted an entire precious day.
'I was going to bring him in like a gentleman. Not anymore.'
Johan's destination was obvious.
Since he had avoided the forest, the detour would take longer.
If Goren hurried after him now, he could still catch up.
From this point on, it was a pursuit.