WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 103

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The regressor is under maintenance (4)

What kind of person was Choi Ji-won?

To be honest, I still wasn't sure. There was likely a considerable gap between the Ji-won I imagined and the person she actually was.

First, the Ji-won in my thoughts was righteous. She was a master of the sword and her will was steadfast. She was a good person, the kind who would willingly throw herself into danger to save others.

To sum it up… the Ji-won I imagined was a hero. A superhuman who possessed great strength, along with the sense of responsibility and mental fortitude to match.

“…”

“…”

That was why I had never imagined her looking so haggard.

The faint dark circles under her eyes. A ponytail that wasn't neatly tied. Eyes that had lost their characteristic sparkle.

“…It’s been a while.”

“…Yes, it has.”

Inside the quiet cafe, Ji-won fidgeted with her cup. Her gestures lacked confidence.

It was unlike the Ji-won who shone no matter what she did. That sense of disparity felt enormous to me.

Scrape. Scrape.

Ji-won, who had been spinning her empty mug on the tabletop, finally managed to speak.

“…Floor 4. How was it for you?”

Her voice trembled, her tone cautious. It was only then that I understood what had happened.

Ji-won was fundamentally a righteous person. She didn’t falter, even when a crisis struck. She even possessed the outstanding ability to see her justice through.

But Floor 4 was a floor where the more you struggled, the more miserably you failed.

I had done my best, and I had failed. It was probably the same for Ji-won. Countless people must have died before her very eyes.

“…I… I failed…”

Ji-won barely managed to force the words out, her head hung low.

If I failed, I could just regress. I could start over from the beginning. Even so, my mental state had been shaken considerably this time.

If I was like this, how must it have been for Choi Ji-won?

What did the worst kind of failure feel like to someone who couldn't start over. Just as she couldn't empathize with me, I couldn't empathize with her.

“Jun-ho-nim… did you succeed? Did you conquer Floor 4?”

Ji-won’s hand was gripping her beloved sword, Bung-bung, tightly. Her voice was quivering slightly. Ji-won was, without a doubt, shaken.

“…I failed, too.”

“…I see.”

“My preparations were perfect, but on the fourth day, slimes that melt bricks appeared and they got the jump on me…”

"For me… orcs of black light suddenly appeared… the otherworlders were annihilated…"

"…"

The gloomy atmosphere felt awkward, so I tried chattering about anything, but the situation only worsened.

Sitting in this spot were two losers. Exchanging words to build a sense of mutual understanding offered no comfort at all.

“In the end… the Tower was just too difficult. My training must have been insufficient…”

Ji-won murmured in a resigned voice. Her eyes were those of someone who had given up.

“…”

It was irritating.

The Choi Ji-won in my memory was a woman who could smile even in the worst of situations. She was the woman who had comforted me when I was trembling in fear. A woman who, even when faced with crisis, never gave up and strived until the very end.

“If only I… if only I had done better…”

She… she had been my idol during the tutorial. My lighthouse. My goal. That much hadn't changed, even now.

She wasn't someone who would despair so pathetically like this. Even though this entire situation was not Ji-won’s fault at all, an inexplicable irritation welled up inside my chest.

Of course, Ji-won would get back up again. With her unique mental strength, she would brush off the dust and move forward once more.

But the memory of defeat embedded in her heart would not be erased. She wouldn't be able to sparkle just as she had before.

“Ji-won-ssi.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Please wait just a moment.”

After speaking as if giving a one-sided notice, I shot up from my seat and returned straight to my studio apartment. I never knew I would regret not waiting for Ji-won and entering Floor 4 right away so much.

“ .”

I buried my head in my pillow. The familiar, musty smell felt like it was getting my brain to work again.

Choi Ji-won. I had no intention of leaving her like this. I would regress and change things.

I would make it so she could conquer Floor 4 and smile triumphantly. I would bring back the radiant Choi Ji-won from my memories.

“…The method is.”

Is there one? I didn't know. There might be.

What if, as soon as I was summoned to Floor 4, I immediately took the portal.

What if I returned to reality, rested well for two days, and then met with Choi Ji-won right after she cleared Floor 3. Even if I couldn't directly inform her about Floor 4, there would surely be an indirect way. Even if it wasn't immediately apparent, if I looked for it, there was a possibility.

Besides, I had decided to dabble a bit with mana. After somehow leaking the information to Ji-won, I could take my time and train my mana. No, I could even train mana together with Ji-won. It would also be a good opportunity to observe how reality was changing.

“…”

But if I did that… what would happen to the people on Floor 4. What would happen to Baron George, to Sir Thomas.

The three hundred or so otherworlders, of whom I couldn’t even protect half despite being there. It was obvious what would happen if I wasn't there. The damage to the players would be much greater, too.

One person I was close with, Choi Ji-won. Four hundred people I was relatively not close with.

“…Haah.”

Saving them both was impossible. While I was proceeding through Floor 4, Ji-won would clear Floor 3 and enter Floor 4 the very next day. The timelines overlapped.

And if I took the portal to talk with Choi Ji-won, I wouldn't be able to stay with the otherworlders until the fifth day. It was a checkmate that arose because two events were progressing simultaneously.

Should I send Ji-won a text in advance? Or maybe a note? No. It would be useless because of god’s information control. A slim possibility would only arise if we met in person.

I couldn't give up on the people of the 4th floor, nor could I give up on Ji-won.

Was there truly no solution?

“…Wait a minute.”

Training mana together? With Ji-won?

“…Is this possible?”

An idea popped into my head. I might be able to save Ji-won and the people at the same time. Should I try it?

No, let’s do it. Even if it was just a possibility, let’s grab onto it.

Having made my decision, I finished reading the rest of the report Joong-hyun had given me, and for the first time in a long while, I bit the inside of my mouth.

[You have taken damage.]

[Returning to the moment of first entry on Floor 4.]

As a former grade-2 agent of the National Intelligence Service, Joong-hyun was confident in his ability to read people.

When one thought of an NIS agent, they usually pictured a black suit, sunglasses, and a pistol holstered at the waist… but the NIS had far more office workers than field agents who worked on the front lines.

The work Joong-hyun did was simple. Handling people.

From spies to psychopaths, drug addicts, serial killers, and crypto scammers, Joong-hyun had dealt with countless people. Thanks to his unique insight, he had been able to rise through the ranks within the organization.

“Hey, you.”

“…”

“What’s your name?”

And in the eyes of that same Joong-hyun, this man was no ordinary person.

Despite having just been summoned to Floor 4, his body was completely relaxed. His breathing was steady. His eyes didn't waver.

Confidence was a measure of skill. Of course, there were plenty of rookies with baseless confidence, but no one who saw this man’s aura firsthand could dismiss him as a rookie.

“My name is Yoon Joong-hyun. A pleasure to meet you.”

“…”

No answer came back. He had sort of expected that might be the case.

This man was peculiar. His posture, his aura, his gaze. None of it was that of an ordinary person. He exuded an aura similar to an MI6 agent he had met before.

But for some reason, his entire body was smooth. There were none of the large scars common to people who walk the line of life and death, nor were there even the calluses seen on people who have done some martial arts. It would be strange not to be intrigued.

“Wow, 99 people have already gathered. What do you think will happen the moment we hit 100? What are you going to do, pal?”

He chattered on relentlessly, knowing he wouldn’t get a reply. It didn't matter if the man ignored him, glared at him, or answered him. All of it was information. A strong person of this caliber would surely distinguish himself soon. Even trivial information didn't matter. Everything would become a valuable asset for the Association.

“Education.”

But while information itself may not have a physical form, there is a difference in its quality.

“…Excuse me?”

“I’m going to educate them.”

“…?”

The nonsense he suddenly spouted could never become valuable information. It would only serve as proof that this man had lost his mind. At that moment, while Joong-hyun was briefly flustered, a message appeared before their eyes.

<Floor 4>

-Clear Condition: Survive for 5 days. When the timer ends, you will automatically clear the floor and be moved to Floor 1.

-120 : 00 : 00

“Attention!!!”

Attention, attention, attention, attention, atten….

The moment the message appeared, the man’s lion's roar echoed thunderously.

“Wh-what?”

“What is this?”

The gazes of everyone who had been reading the message shot towards him. The lion’s roar had that much power.

“My goal is to disappear in two days. I need to train my mana, and I need to pass on information to Ji-won.”

The man spouted incomprehensible words. But he had a serious air about him, and a sharp spirit. Overwhelmed by his presence, the people couldn't even make a squeak and could only listen attentively.

“It wouldn’t be a huge problem if I just abandoned you all and left right now… but I have decided to take moral responsibility. Therefore, I will do the best that I can. In return, you all must also follow my control.”

Thump!!! 

The man, who had stomped his foot hard, declared solemnly.

“From now on, I will teach you the ways of survival.”

Footnotes:

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