Regression is Too Much - Chapter 111

WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 111

──────

The regressor gets to work (6)

As the sun began to set, a dozen or so crude sleds clattered and rattled against the frozen earth, the sound amplified by the considerable amount of wood they carried.

"Shit..."

"Hah, hah..."

A few players were pulling the sleds with ropes slung over their shoulders, a sight much like sled dogs pulling a sleigh. They seemed to know how ridiculous they looked, their faces slightly red. Or maybe they were just red from the exertion.

"Wouldn't a... cart have been better? This is so damn hard to pull..." one of the men grumbled as he pulled. As he said, the frozen earth was not a suitable environment for pulling a sled.

"Hey, can't you see it's snowing? A cart would be useless soon, you idiot," another man shot back, exasperated by such a foolish suggestion while heavy snow was falling from the sky.

"..."

Watching the whole scene, I gave a small nod.

I hadn't left the castle on a whim, just because I 'thought it would work out'. I had done my research before regressing.

What we had now were about 300 ordinary people, about 100 superhumans, and various weapons and tools.

Outside was a harsh environment with continuous snowfall, and after three days, monsters would appear. The key here was keeping the otherworlders alive. The superhumans, the players, might be able to endure through sheer grit, but the otherworlders were very likely to succumb to the cold.

Moreover, thick, warm clothing only slowed down the loss of body heat, it couldn't provide warmth. Without a heat source, freezing to death was a certainty.

"Alright, it looks like the sun will set completely soon, so let's stop here. Everyone, unload the wood and get ready."

That was why we brought the wood. With firewood, even the frail otherworlders could endure the cold. As long as they could maintain their body temperature, people could survive.

"Hnngh..."

"Ugh, hup."

After unloading the large logs from the sleds, they roughly chopped them into smaller pieces with axes.

Once the pieces were gathered, the preparations were complete. Of course, it wasn't an environment where a fire would catch easily because of the snow and cold, but...

"Hmph!"

...it was a different story for a fire started with a Trait. The woman with the jutting chin went around lighting the piles of wood, and people gathered in small groups, taking off their shoes to warm their feet.

"Ugh, it's so cold..."

"I don't know if we can even sleep like this. During winter training, they at least gave us tents and sleeping bags..."

Although they had leather mats made from tearing up spare winter clothes, there were no blankets or pillows. The inside of the castle at least blocked the wind, but out here in the open, the biting cold wind was an added bonus. It was clearly not a comfortable environment for sleeping.

"I could really go for some hot cocoa right now..."

"Hey, shut up and just grill the jerky."

Lacking convenient tools like a large pot, boiling a stew or anything similar was impossible. The best they could do was scoop snow onto a shovel and heat it in the fire. The weather was so cold that even lukewarm water was a godsend.

"Now, now, watch the fires carefully so they don't go out. If they do, we'll all freeze to death. If you're on fire watch and something feels strange, call me."

Even though a fire created by a Trait was not supposed to go out easily, you never knew what could happen in this weather. When sleeping outdoors, the most important thing to manage was the temperature, so it was only natural to focus all attention on the fire.

"Hmm..."

After confirming that the players and otherworlders had settled down by the fires, I approached Baron George, who was inspecting the sleds.

"How are the sleds holding up?"

"Sigh... they seem to be in decent shape."

Fortunately, Baron George's domain was a place with four seasons, and it was a civilization that had sleds. This meant I didn't have to explain the design of a sled to him.

"Of course, they were made in a hurry, so the joints are unstable. I think we can check on that tomorrow morning."

"Good."

So far, everything was going according to plan.

The advantage of escaping the castle was simple. The enemy was fixed and did not change.

If we had held out in the castle, we would have had to face monsters. They would have relentlessly attacked, changing and transforming in a thousand ways just to kill the otherworlders.

But what about the outside? It was cold. The wind howled. The ground was hard.

But at least, it didn't change. There might be differences in how much or how little it snowed, but it meant that a blizzard wouldn't suddenly evolve.

Of course... it was possible that something even more terrifying could appear outside the castle. It could even be a scenario where the castle was safer after all.

If such a situation arose, I would quickly regress before any casualties occurred. There was also the option of me leaving the castle alone to check if it was safe, but... while I was out wandering, countless people would have died. I believed this was the best way.

After a quick glance at the people huddled together and sleeping, I also laid out a mat and lay down on the ground.

It was cold, hard, and uncomfortable.

But we only had to endure it for five days.

Day 2.

The mood was that it was cold, but still bearable. Of course, most of the otherworlders had started to cough, but they weren't groaning in pain to the point of being unable to move.

Also, as the snow began to pile up, we could finally use the sleds as they were meant to be used.

"This is the first time I've slept outdoors since I ran away from home as a young man," Baron George joked with a grin. It seemed he still had some composure left.

Day 3.

Now, even the players started to cough. All the otherworlders looked pale. A good number of them couldn't walk and had to be moved on the sleds. Just two days of sleeping outdoors could wear people down this much.

No, perhaps it wasn't just about sleeping outdoors. They had been walking all day, enough to make even a sturdy man collapse. And it wasn't for just a day or two, but for three whole days.

As the number of sick people increased, the frequency of our rests increased, and the rate at which we consumed the wood we had brought also quickened. A sense of anxiety began to spread among the people.

We had been walking forward for three days straight. The 'threat' I had spoken of was nowhere to be seen. This whole affair started to feel like pointless wandering.

"Do we really have to keep walking?"

"Can't we just, just... rest for a bit? I can't feel my toes anymore..."

We were walking to escape the monsters, yet there wasn't a single sign of them. Do monsters really exist? Isn't that man just crazy? A hidden piece? Was he just tricking us?

At first, I did my best to soothe, cajole, and persuade them, but distrust had already taken root in their hearts. In the end, I had no choice but to be forceful.

"Do you think you can survive if you break away now? What about wood? Fire? Food? Just shut up and follow me. Do you understand?"

A part of my heart felt uneasy, but there was no other way. Breaking off now would be nothing short of suicide.

This is the right way. I could only repeat that to myself.

Day 4.

There were barely enough people left with the strength to pull the sleds. Did we really need them? The wood was almost gone, but the sleds were filled with sick people. Someone had to pull them.

"...This is bad."

Baron George reported that he had used about half of the Elixir. He said there were four people who had been on the verge of death. The otherworlders were, quite literally, just barely alive.

The snow was now so deep that our feet sank into it, draining our stamina. Snowshoes were of little use.

"Haa, haa."

Even when we stopped for occasional rests, we had to shovel away the snow to build a fire. There were occasional instances of people getting burned without realizing it while warming themselves, their senses numbed by the cold.

Everyone's expression was dark. There was only one day left, but we still had to endure for one more whole day. Joong-hyun and William, who had been encouraging people with forced smiles, had now fallen silent.

During the night, there was an attempt to steal a sled and escape. The attempt failed because I caught them, but I couldn't forget the menacing look in their eyes.

Is this the right way? No one has died yet. But a truckload of people were on the verge of death.

Day 5.

Now, fewer than ten people were in good health. Each of them had to pull a sled, and the resentment was no joke. It was a natural consequence of forcing the strong to make sacrifices.

However, no one abandoned the sleds to run away. They too had realized it. It was too late to stop.

When night came, we ran out of wood for fuel and had to break apart a sled to use as firewood. The remaining sleds were just enough to carry all the patients.

"Ugh, ughh..."

The woman, pale from wringing out her mana to its limit, forced herself to light the fire again and again. Baron George used the Elixir down to the very last drop, giving it to his people. The players reluctantly shared the potions they had saved until the very end.

It was the last night. With the thought that they just had to endure a little longer, people gritted their teeth and fell asleep.

By now, the cold creeping up the back of my head felt familiar.

-4 : 11 : 31

"Wake up."

"..."

"I said, wake up."

"Aish..."

Waking from a shallow sleep, I rubbed my slightly swollen eyes. It was too dark to see the face of the person who woke me, but the way he spoke was familiar from my memories. It was Eom Hong-jun.

"...What is it?"

Everyone was exhausted and knocked out, so for what reason would he wake me from a sweet sleep. Just as irritation was about to bubble up.

"Th-there..."

Hong-jun pointed toward the horizon with a trembling arm. It was the direction we had come from, toward the castle.

"Something's coming from over there..."

"..."

Something was coming.

There was only one thing that could be coming from that direction.

"Wake everyone up."

Four hours remaining.

The monsters had reached us.

Footnotes: