WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 113

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The regressor gets to work (8)

I immediately got rid of the bed that had been split in half, created a new one, and threw my body onto it. The feel of the king-sized bed, a privilege of Floor 1, enveloped my body in its usual softness. (The 1st floor was currently in the form of a hotel room.)

“Ha… haha…”

An empty laugh escaped me—it didn’t feel real. Finally. Finally, I had saved everyone. I didn’t get to see the very end myself, but the message window floating before my eyes told me all I needed to know: I had succeeded.

Some might ask why I was exhausting myself so much on a mere 4th floor. But I am satisfied. It had been an incredibly difficult, painful, and exhausting process, but I had finally achieved the ending I wanted. That is enough.

Of course, it was also true that I was overly exhausted. From a mental standpoint, the right answer might have been to just save a moderate number of otherworlders, whatever, and move on to the 5th floor. But I didn't want to do that. This time, I wanted to save them all, perfectly. Perhaps... It was a desire for compensation for the unsettling way things ended with Dok Su-hee on the 3rd Floor.

No, enough with the complicated thoughts. For now, let's just rest a little.

I buried my head in the fluffy pillow, wrapped myself in the blanket, and rolled around on the bed. Having been on a cold, dry, blood-splattered battlefield just a moment ago, even this small happiness felt delightful.

“…”

However, as the fiery excitement in my chest slowly cooled and cold reason began to take over, I could no longer just roll around.

“What do I do about this?”

Saving everyone on the 4th floor? Good. I succeeded. I landed a solid blow on the bastards who designed the 4th floor with such ridiculous difficulty.

But what about Choi Ji-won? How was I supposed to save her?

I got up from the bed and checked inside the box given as a reward. The reward for 50,000 points was none other than a 'Lowest-grade Elixir'.

Good. It is a good reward... but it's not a reward that helps me right now.

At this rate... after I regress, I won't be able to leave Floor 4.

The end of the last cycle. If I hadn't personally intercepted those countless wolves, the players would have been helplessly annihilated. In their cold, hungry, and exhausted state, not even ten people would have been able to fight the monsters.

But what if I'm not there? What if I leave the 4th floor through the portal? What would they do about the wolves?

No, it's not just the wolves. Because I knew the future, I was able to force the move forward despite numerous objections. I heard them say they were tired, that their legs wouldn't move, that they had frostbite, and so on. Even while hearing heart-wrenching stories, I forcefully, stubbornly continued the grueling march.

But what if I'm not there? Could other people replicate the arduous march I led, based on the mere possibility that 'monsters might appear'?

Alright, let's say I don't leave. There were certainly ways to convey information to Choi Ji-won without leaving the 4th floor.

For example... What if I don't leave the 4th floor, and instead pass a memo through someone else?

Let's say I write a long, detailed memo to Choi Ji-won starting with, 'Choi Ji-won-ssi, I'm actually a regressor, so I know everything from your family history to the secret of your sword~' and have it delivered.

Could Choi Ji-won trust that memo completely? And could she follow it exactly?

“Let's test it.”

First, let's test the extent to which I can convey information.

Ji-won had already entered the 4th floor. I couldn't contact her.

“Haha, Jun-ho. It's been a while. You've been well? It's been a long time since we parted on the 3rd floor. Here, drink this. You cleared the 4th floor?”

But the firefighter Park Cheol-jin was different. I heard he hadn't quit his job as a firefighter yet.

“…Did something happen on the 4th floor? You don't look so well.”

Cheol-jin asked cautiously as he sat on a convenience store chair.

He, who had initially handed me a can of coffee with a cool smile, was now starting to glance at me warily. I don't look well? I'm fine though?

“More importantly, there's something I need to tell you. Are you sure you have time?”

“Of course, of course. It's the weekend, so it's fine. Ah, now that I think about it, Ji-won also entered the 4th floor. Did you happen to meet her?”

“…No. The structure didn't allow for us to meet.”

“…”

Firefighter Park Cheol-jin didn't answer. He tapped on the plastic table as if something was strange, then shrugged his shoulders.

“I didn't hear anything just now. It seems it was caught by the information restriction.”

Yes, this was the situation I was worried about. Even if I wanted to tell Ji-won the information in advance, it would be useless if it got caught by the filtering.

“The way you can cooperate is simple. From now on, I will try to convey as much information as possible.”

“…”

“I think you just need to tell me if you can hear it or not. Is that possible?”

“Alright. Go ahead and start.”

That's why I wanted to test exactly how far the filtering went.

“On the 4th floor, you must run away.”

“I can't hear you.”

“On the 4th floor, monsters appear.”

“I can't hear you.”

“In the Tower, you shouldn't blindly trust your own thoughts.”

“I can hear that.”

“In the Tower, you shouldn't be bound by modern common sense.”

“I can hear that.”

The question-and-answer session repeated. Noticing that I was trying something seriously, firefighter Park Cheol-jin wholeheartedly went along with my experiment.

And so, time passed.

“You heard all of this, right?”

“That's right.”

By the time the convenience store roll cake that firefighter Cheol-jin had bought with the canned coffee had dried up and shriveled, the experiment was finally over.

“…Then can you also see what's written here?”

“Hm. I can see it.”

And so, the draft of the 'memo' was completed. Its contents were filled with abstract sentences, starting with 'In the Tower, you shouldn't be bound by common sense,' and including things like 'People should care for each other,' and 'If there is more to gain, you must sometimes know when to yield.'

“Haa…”

This is quite vague. If you really wracked your brain, you might be able to arrive at the conclusion that 'running away from the castle is the right answer,' but...

“Looking at this, can you possibly infer the details of the 4th floor?”

“…How could I?”

The problem was that it was filled with such vague talk. That was the result of trying not to get caught by the Tower's filtering.

“Actually, I did understand what you were saying to some extent. I saw you trying right in front of my eyes, and from the order of the questions? The direction? I could roughly get a feel for it. We're also close.”

Firefighter Park Cheol-jin popped the shriveled roll cake into his mouth.

“But… I don't think that feeling would be conveyed just by looking at this memo.”

“…”

That was right.

It might be different if we met in person and went through this whole process, but anyone who could derive the correct answer from this memo alone would be a genius.

Of course, I had confirmed that 'information transfer' itself was possible. But it was far more abstract and imprecise than I had thought.

This... makes things complicated. Even if I manage to get the memo to Choi Ji-won, its appeal would be an issue. Let's imagine Choi Ji-won racks her brain and comes to the conclusion that 'leaving the castle is the right answer.'

Could Choi Ji-won really lead everyone and leave the castle?

Like Eom Hong-jun, there might be others besides me who left the castle. It's just that they didn't post about it on the internet, but there must have been people who secretly packed food, left the castle, and survived. That's possible.

However, 'leaving the castle alone and surviving' and 'leading everyone to leave the castle and surviving as a group' are two completely different matters. The difficulty is beyond comparison.

I have the Curiosity trait. I have the Awe trait. I have the Hero trait. I even repeated regressions to understand people's tendencies and bought their favor by giving them items in advance.

Even in that situation, controlling people was never easy. In fact, there was even an attempt to seize one of the sleds.

Alright, let's put the difficulty aside for a second. If it's Choi Ji-won, she would succeed somehow. In fact, in terms of sheer force, she was stronger than me.

However, for her to completely believe my 'memo' and execute it perfectly is another matter entirely. Could she continue a grueling march, trusting only a single vague memo while watching countless people suffer?

Is it possible to ignore the people whining that they are going to die and just keep moving forward endlessly?

No way.

“Hoo…”

With no solution in sight, a frustrating weight settled in my chest. This… What on earth am I supposed to do?

Did this mean that saving the people on the 4th floor and persuading Ji-won could never be compatible?

Without me, all the people on the 4th floor cannot be saved. Without me, I cannot convey what I want to Ji-won.

Choi Ji-won. Choi Ji-won. Choi Ji-won.

The only friend who understood me. The person who gave me the driving force to move forward. A precious person I can never let be broken.

But that person is gone now. She has disappeared to the other side of time, never to be seen again. The Ji-won that exists now is a different person from the Ji-won I long for.

“…”

Is there a need to be this obsessed with the her of now? Even if Ji-won stumbles here once, she will get back up again. The painful wound will make her heal even stronger and tougher.

Besides, she isn't alone. She has many friends, and even a companion named Bung-bung. It would be different if there was a way I could help, but with no method in sight... thinking rationally, it's right to give up.

But the thought of just letting it go made my chest ache again. It's an indescribable feeling. A frustration different from sadness or annoyance, something I can't explain.

“…Right.”

I've already found the answer to Floor 4. Since the answer can be repeated anytime, it was fine to say I had plenty of time for now. What does a regressor have in abundance if not time?

There was no need to make a hasty judgment. I decided to make the most rational decision I could here.

After waiting for two days, eating some delicious food and playing games.

“Ji-won-ssi.”

“…It's been a while.”

“This might be sudden… but I'm actually a regressor.”

I would meet Choi Ji-won in person.

Footnotes:

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