WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

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◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 119

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The regressor is surprised (1)

“Damn it… seriously… I told you I have ADHD…”

“Still, it’s a relief they gave us food…”

“Shhh. Let's not talk and concentrate. We need to finish this quickly.”

On the 3rd floor, just as Choi Ji-won and Park Cheol-jin were in the middle of assembling a 4000-piece puzzle.

“Kyaaaaaaahk!!!”

Suddenly, Ji-won clutched her head and rolled on the floor.

“J-Ji-won!!!”

The startled firefighter, Cheol-jin, rushed towards her in a panic.

“The puzzle, the puzzle!!! Ahjussi!!!”

“No!!!”

Just as the other two people watched in horror as the puzzle pieces were sent flying in all directions by Cheol-jin.

“Ah…”

With tears streaming down her face, Ji-won slowly got up and touched her lips.

“Ah, ah…”

The Tutorial. The Goblin Shaman. Betrayal. Despair. Kim Jun-ho’s declaration as a regressor. A blackout. The devastating failure on the 4th floor. Finding Kim Jun-ho after so much trouble. The time she spent with him. Memories equivalent to about two regressions were now lodged in Ji-won’s mind.

“…”

The memories were too clear and vivid to be a simple illusion.

‘J-Ji-won. What is this memory? No…’

Even Bung-bung seemed to sense the memories, as it spoke to her in a deeply flustered voice.

“Ji-won, are you okay?”

“Ahjussi, just a moment.”

Firefighter Cheol-jin tried to support her, but Ji-won refused his help and stood up on her own.

Was this a trick of the Tower? Or had knowledge of the future, or perhaps the past, truly flowed into her? There was one way to find out.

“The puzzle.”

“…What did you say?”

“Where’s the puzzle?”

She had to get to the 4th floor.

“…Ugh.”

The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the blinds. I rubbed my eyes hard and sat up blankly.

“…What is this?”

My head felt cloudy, my brain still seemed to be walking the line between dream and reality. I rubbed my dry face with my hands to try and wake myself up.

“So…”

Last night.

Ji-won had come to my studio apartment, telling me it had been a while. I was frozen for a moment, but as soon as I grasped the situation, I pulled her into a tight hug, and we stood like that for a long time.

What followed after we let go was a conversation. I told her the story of my complete despair, the story of how I had resented her in my heart, and the story of how I had wasted my time like a complete wreck.

She told me her story of regaining her memories of the Tutorial and the last regression, of how she quickly solved the puzzle to enter the 4th floor, and of how she had escaped the castle just as I had and managed to save everyone.

When I asked how she did it without any related traits, she said she was able to get full cooperation as soon as she revealed she was ‘the Choi Ji-won who changed the 2nd floor.’ Right, now that I thought about it, Ji-won was already a national celebrity whose personal information was all over the place.

Of course, there was a mountain of things we wanted to talk about besides the Tower, and we talked endlessly as the day turned to night. We cherished the memories that only I had remembered, letting our conversation bloom.

But no matter how superhuman you are, you’re bound to get thirsty if you keep talking, and as luck would have it, there was no water in the house. I felt like drinking tap water wasn't the right move, so we went down to a nearby convenience store together. While we were there, we grabbed a few cans of beer and some snacks, and upon returning to my studio, we celebrated our reunion with a small drinking party.

“…”

The atmosphere was incredibly bright, wholesome, and fun.

“Heyyy… Kim Jun-hooo… you don’t have a girlfriend…?”

“I don’t, you punk.”

“That’s unexpected…”

That was, until a drunk Ji-won started getting clingy with me. How was I supposed to know it was the first time for a twenty-year-old girl to drink alcohol?

Until now, I had considered Ji-won a friend and a companion. Of course, we had parted with a kiss in the last cycle… but isn't that something people might do when they get overcome with emotion?

But once the alcohol was involved, and the studio apartment was slowly filled with her scent, and Ji-won started sticking to me.

“H-hey, could you, uh, move away a little?”

I began to see Ji-won as a woman.

I’m a healthy man too. And Ji-won is an incredibly beautiful woman. Since she did kendo, she has a good figure as well. What I mean is that enduring it was a tremendous ordeal.

“Heyyyy… Kim Jun-hooooooo…”

“Just stay still.”

But in the end, I managed. I laid the drunk Ji-won down, cleaned up the drinks and snacks, turned off the lights, and lay down on the bed.

I am a regressor. Suppressing carnal desires with mental strength was difficult, but it was certainly possible.

Just as I was feeling satisfied with my self-control, right before I drifted off to sleep.

“Heok.”

Something touched me. Her chest. On my arm.

Because Ji-won had tossed and turned, her bosom was now pressing against my arm.

“…”

She was in a league of her own. The sports bra had made me seriously underestimate her.

Was it okay to stay like this? Wouldn’t she be angry when she woke up later?

My heart pounded loudly in my chest, and a wave of heat rushed to my face. After debating with myself over and over, I decided to act like a well-mannered adult and fix her posture.

“…”

“…”

I just hadn’t expected to meet her gaze looking back at me.

“…Weren’t you sleeping?”

“…I couldn’t fall asleep.”

In the dark room, the moonlight shone dimly. The sound of my heart pounding like a hammer echoed loudly in my ears.

“…What are you staring at so intently?”

For some reason, Ji-won’s lips looked particularly attractive. Her embarrassed expression shook my resolve. This was my limit.

“…Ji-won.”

“…Yeah?”

Even the steadfast mental fortitude of a regressor was breached as futilely as the castle walls of the 4th floor in the face of too much stimulation.

And… and then…

Last night. We did it. Choi Ji-won and I.

“Heeok…”

As the memory returned in its entirety, my face flushed bright red.

How am I supposed to take this? How should I treat her from now on?

As I was scratching the back of my head because of my mounting worries.

“…”

“…”

Next to me in the bed, my eyes met with Ji-won’s, who had the blanket pulled up to her nose. Her face, too, was beet-red.

“No, uh, well…”

I started to stammer out whatever words I could in my flustered state, but…

“…”

The elegant curves that the blanket couldn't hide, the pale white skin, the sweet scent.

It paralyzed my reason once again.

“…”

“…”

The atmosphere in the room heated up passionately once more.

After tidying up the room a bit and composing ourselves, the two of us sat on the edge of the bed.

“It was my first time.”

“Uh, yeah… me too…”

“If I had my regression ability, I would have regressed. Because I took damage.”

“…”

“…Take responsibility.”

“…Okay.”

The two of us just sat there awkwardly, staring at the floor. Both of our faces were the color of carrots.

I mean, I could understand myself, but I thought Ji-won was such a cool and confident woman, so why was she acting so shy?

“F-first… should we get something to eat?”

“…Okay.”

Even as we sorted out a simple lunch, there was no conversation between us. While we could both feel that we had gotten closer, it was subtly embarrassing to look each other in the face.

“Uh, well…”

I couldn’t just waste time without saying anything. To change the mood, I brought up a concern that had been on my mind for a while.

“What do you think the condition is for our memories to be retained?”

Ji-won doesn't remember every cycle. She only remembers the Tutorial cycle and the last one.

What was the difference between all the other regressions and this one? What was the difference between other people and Choi Ji-won?

“…I think there’s a high chance it’s ‘emotion’.”

Emotion. It was a keyword the Tower consistently emphasized. I thought it was highly likely to be the cause, and Ji-won seemed to agree, giving a small nod.

“Both in the Tutorial and the last regression… I regressed when I was with you, and my emotions were running really high. I think that might be the condition.”

In all my time climbing the Tower, although I had shuddered at its irrational system, the times I had harbored intense emotions directly towards a person were few and far between.

In the Tutorial, when I was with Choi Ji-won.

When I was betrayed by Dok Su-hee.

And this time, when I parted with Choi Ji-won.

Other than those instances, I hadn’t really felt strong emotions towards anyone. Therefore, emotion.

“But the confusing part is…”

If that was the case, why didn't Ji-won’s memories return during the Tutorial? Why did they come back in this cycle, combined with the memories of the Tutorial?

There must be some other trigger besides my emotions. Otherwise, it couldn’t be explained.

“Maybe… ‘my emotions’ are also part of the condition?”

Ji-won suggested cautiously.

“To be honest… back in the Tutorial, I was in a state of half-giving up. I was even considering the possibility that I might be left behind after you regressed. So the support I gave you at the end wasn't entirely sincere…”

“But it was different in the last regression?”

“That’s right.”

Then it makes sense. My emotions, and the target’s emotions. The moment those two align, it becomes a trigger, and the memories return. It was a sufficiently convincing theory.

“The problem is…”

All of this was a hypothesis. We couldn’t be sure.

What if Ji-won’s memories returning was just a one-time thing? What if I regressed right now, and she looked at me like a stranger?

That would be a catastrophe of epic proportions. I might be smiling now, but if Ji-won’s memories were to suddenly disappear, I might go completely crazy.

But to know the exact condition, a regression must come first. How should I act in this situation?

“Jun-ho.”

Seeing me frowning in thought, Choi Ji-won smiled gently, though she was still embarrassed.

“What’s the point of worrying about a problem that has no answer?”

“…But.”

“Let’s just go to the 5th floor together. What’s the big deal?”

“…The 5th floor?”

Indeed… going to the 5th Floor was the best option in this situation.

If we go to the 5th floor, the regression point will be updated. That means the ‘Choi Ji-won with her memories back’ will be saved, and the fear of losing her I have now would disappear.

“…”

Above all, if we enter the 5th floor together, we can prevent a disaster like the one on the 4th floor. The more I thought about it, the more this seemed like the best method.

“Let’s do that.”

Now that we had a plan, all that was left was to execute it. We awkwardly changed our clothes, got ourselves ready, and opened the portal to the 1st floor.

“Hey, Kim Jun-ho.”

“…Yeah?”

Ji-won said, her face red as she avoided my gaze.

“See you there.”

With those words, she immediately threw herself into the portal.

“…Yeah.”

I, too, immediately entered the 5th Floor, in order to move forward.

[You are entering Floor 5.]

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