WeTried Translations
Translator: ZEROSUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Regression is Too Much
Chapter 118
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The regressor gets to work (13)
Swish. Swish.
A sled was gliding over the snow that had slowly begun to pile up. I was riding on it, staring blankly down at the floor of the sled.
“Ah, fuck. He's so heavy. He should get off.”
“Hey, hey. He'll hear you, you idiot.”
I could hear the grumbling of someone pulling the sled from the front.
“…”
“Ah, no, sir…”
A glare filled with killing intent silenced them in an instant. Once again, I looked down at the floor and became lost in thought.
“…Choi Ji-won.”
Choi Ji-won. Choi Ji-won. Choi Ji-won.
I rolled the name around in my mouth, savored its fragrance, and then swallowed it down.
When I touched my lips, the sensation was still vivid. Why did she confess to me?
She probably did not want my emotions to die. The tower is strangely obsessed with emotions, from the scabbard I got as a reward on the 3rd floor, to the fact that you can gain emotion-related traits from other people. In spite of all that, if I cleared the tower without any feeling, like a wooden doll, a negative ending might be waiting for me. I think her judgment was correct.
“…”
But regardless of whether her judgment was right or wrong, from my perspective, it was just bitterly painful.
I was alone once again. Is this the fate of a regressor? Is struggling with this sense of loss an unavoidable part of it.
“Hey, what's with that guy…?”
“I don't know, fuck…”
I heard them whispering again. This time, I didn't even have the will to stop them and just laid my body down on the sled.
In this cycle, I proceeded quite differently from the last one.
The part where I got the cooperation of the glasses guy and Baron George was the same. I showed off my friendship with Ahn Gyeong-jun, semi-forced him to look at a completely unrelated book and lie, and gave Baron George an elixir.
But the means of controlling the players was different. I didn’t answer when they asked who I was, and if there was any sign of complaints erupting, I would quietly draw my sword and threaten them.
I was not in the mood to talk to anyone else, so I showed them with actions rather than words. A feeling that they wouldn't know what I would do if they didn't follow my words.
“But that guy's vibe is seriously murderous…”
“He must be someone special… look at the way he carries himself…”
Fortunately, my threats seemed to have an effect, and as the Awe and Curiosity traits activated at the same time, people just whispered from a distance.
“Hey, Joong-hyun-ssi. Is this right? I don't think it is…”
Of course, a few still couldn't accept the situation and whined to Yoon Joong-hyun, who was the leader figure.
“Let's follow his words for now.”
“What???”
“I'm just as dissatisfied with this situation as you are. But how many people would it take to handle him? This is the Tower. It might not be possible even if all of us attacked him. And aren't the otherworlders on his side?”
“…But.”
“Let's think positively. It's not like what he's saying is complete nonsense, I think it's worth a shot. And this is classified information, but the survival rate of the people who entered the 4th floor was…”
“…I understand.”
Joong-hyun seemed to have decided to cooperate with me for the time being, so there was nothing standing in my way.
It was strange. To think that the future I had suffered so much to obtain could also be achieved just by keeping my mouth shut and putting on a grim air.
I took out a sword and reflected the sky on its blade.
The snowy sky was murky and dark.
Day 5. The monsters finally appeared.
“Uh, uh uh…!”
“Th-that…!”
“Please run away. I will hold them back here.”
I calmly stepped forward. I couldn't draw the sword named ‘Hope’ like in the last round, but since I had done this before, I could do it better.
That's what a regressor is. Naturally, something that should be experienced for the first time may not be the first time for a regressor. They can skip the process of the learning curve that everyone else has to go through and present only the results to the world. To others, they would probably look like an incredible genius.
The problem, I suppose, is that you also have to go through negative experiences multiple times.
“Hey, let's go. Let's go. He said he'll block them.”
“B-but…”
“Can't you see your legs are trembling? Let's go!”
“O-okay…”
The people who ran away, even while hesitating.
“…”
Baron George looked at me, gave a silent nod, and then left to manage the otherworlders. I wonder if he was thinking something like, ‘The guy who gave me an elixir can’t be a bad person.’
“Hoo.”
As I was about to close my eyes and concentrate, I felt a presence approaching.
“…Hello. My name is Yoon Joong-hyun.”
Yoon Joong-hyun, his face pale, approached as he brushed the snow off his shoulders.
“I won't ask for details. Can you tell me your name? It's just my personal curiosity, and I won't tell anyone.”
“…”
I didn't know what would happen if I told my name to this man from the National Intelligence Service. He might dig into my personal information, or I might be put under surveillance.
“Kim Jun-ho.”
But feeling like whatever happens, happens, I coolly gave him my name and got up from my spot.
I had realized that in my current state, concentrating was impossible.
The rough sword marks left on the ground were the only proof of the fierce battle. This time, too, the wolves could not get past me.
“…”
Since it was about time, I also started to back away slowly. It was the timing for the black wolves to surround me. Rather than leaving room for variables, I wanted to clear the 4th floor in a stable manner.
As a result of backing away starting from when there were 5 minutes left, I was able to clear the 4th floor without facing the black wolves.
-00 : 00 : 00
[Results]
[Players] 100 / 100
[NPCs] 300 / 300 (Key NPC survival successful + 20000)
-Penalty Status (None)
-A reward equivalent to 50000 points will be given to all survivors.
-Contribution Rank 1 [Kim Jun-ho] will receive an additional special reward.
When I blinked my eyes, I was inside the familiar hotel room. Even though a message that would make others jump for joy had appeared, I felt nothing. It just felt like I had done what I had to do.
Without even checking the rewards, I took the portal back to my studio apartment and lay down on the bed.
“Ah.”
I knew I had to enter the 5th floor right away. My head knew it, but putting it into action was a different story.
“Ah.”
I had no desire to do anything. I just wanted to lie down.
Wondering if I should move at all, I fiddled with this and that out of habit, but.
“…”
Playing games or eating delicious food didn't give me any particular feeling. It was just, ‘so it is,’ and that was it.
I thought deeply about what emotion I was feeling right now. An empty sensation, as if a large part of my heart had been torn out. It was an unfamiliar feeling to me.
Yes, this is a sense of loss. It's the sensation I feel because a woman who had taken a place in my heart had suddenly disappeared.
I searched the internet to see how normal people cope when they feel a sense of loss, but only found fundamental solutions like ‘meditate’ or ‘don't drink heavily.’
“Hehehe…”
The Meditation trait had already been active. No, it had been active since the 4th floor. If it hadn't been, I might have been wailing and rolling on the floor.
Truthfully, I also knew in my heart. That only time could solve this.
I felt a tear run down the side of my eye. Without even thinking of wiping it away, I closed my eyes.
I didn't want to think about anything. I just wanted to sleep.
For someone who regressed because he didn't want to waste time, I wasted time in a truly meaningful way. I was simply alive.
If there was nothing to do, I slept, and if I couldn't sleep, I watched TV. I would blankly stare at a movie playing on some random cable channel, then eat when I was hungry and sleep when I was tired.
It was a life closer to a beast than a person.
Bzzt.
The cell phone I had set down by my waist vibrated. A message had arrived. The sender was Choi Ji-won.
“…”
I turned the phone over without checking it.
In this state, I didn't want to meet the Ji-won who didn't know me again. I didn't want to face her looking at me like a stranger.
Of course, that didn't mean I did anything productive. I just stayed cooped up in my studio apartment, watching TV endlessly.
‘Do you believe in god?’
‘I do. Because I am god. A person who can control their own destiny is god.’
I let time pass meaninglessly, watching an old Hong Kong movie playing on a cable channel.
“…I'm hungry.”
I was getting a little hungry, but I couldn't bring myself to look at my phone. As I was debating whether I should go to the convenience store in front of my house.
Ding-dong.
The bell rang. I had no memory of ordering a delivery. Was a package supposed to arrive? Did I order it before entering the 4th floor?
Forcing my murky brain to wake up, I pushed myself up. I glanced at the mirror and saw a zombie-like appearance, but I paid it no mind and opened the door.
“Who is…”
My body froze for a moment. It was because I was so surprised.
The first thing that came to mind was the question, ‘How?’ Have I ever told her my address here? I had. But that was in the last round. So, back to square one, how?
Did she look up my residence? But that had never happened in the previous rounds. Did the future change because I acted differently in this round? The butterfly effect?
That couldn't be. Our spheres of activity didn't even overlap in the first place.
In the end, it was truly unbelievable, but there was only one possible scenario.
"Jun-ho."
Through the hallway window, the evening sunset shone behind her.
“Kim Jun-ho.”
Ji-won looked at me and smiled, more brilliantly than the sunset.
“It's been a while, hasn't it?”
-The Regressor's emotions have exceeded the threshold.
-The target's emotions have also exceeded the threshold.
-Target: [Choi Ji-won]
-Returning the stored memories.
Footnotes:
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