WeTried Translations
Translator: ZEROSUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Regression is Too Much
Chapter 120
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The regressor is surprised (2)
[You have entered floor 5.]
As the inorganic message appeared, I tensed my body slightly, fiddling with the transparent gloves I received as a reward from the 4th floor for no reason.
“…”
There was no immediate threat in sight. No, there was nothing to see at all. My entire field of vision was completely black. In a space as dark as jet-black lacquer, the only thing that existed was my own body. Even though there wasn't a single light source anywhere, my body alone was clearly visible.
What was this situation? Where was Choi Ji-won? Was the 5th floor a solo stage? They weren’t even giving me a weapon? Without letting my guard down, I surveyed my surroundings with all my might. Since this was a situation I'd never experienced before, I had no idea what might happen.
“…”
As time passed and still nothing happened, I cautiously stretched my hand out in front of me. What I felt was a hard texture, like a block of wood. After fumbling around my surroundings like a blind man, I was finally able to recognize my state. I was trapped in something shaped like a cube.
“…”
Since nothing was changing, the muscles tensed for combat slowly began to relax. It would be wise to just observe until the situation changed dramatically.
“I wonder if Baron George is okay…?”
As my tension eased, the random thoughts I had been suppressing began to surface. The 4th floor. Had the otherworlders returned safely to their own world? Yoon Joong-hyun, William Smith, Ahn Gyeong-jun, Baron George and the otherworlders. I had confirmed through a message that they had survived, but I hadn’t been able to check exactly what happened to them. I wondered if they were doing well.
And Ji-won. Thinking about last night made my face flush again. Gosh, how embarrassing.
Just as my mind was about to get lost in that stream of consciousness.
Fwoosh!
A bright light flooded my vision, and the darkness that had enveloped me on all sides slowly faded away.
“Ugh…”
I instinctively closed my eyes, then consciously forced them open.
“…?”
What was revealed was a structure of pure white.
A temple with white pillars supporting it on all sides, similar in style to ancient Greece but slightly different.
Yes, this was a temple. A very sacred one at that.
“…”
“Congratulations!”
“Congratulations!”
I squinted and looked around. The first things that caught my eye were baby angels blowing trumpets and scattering flowers. In the distance, the world outside the temple was entirely covered in clouds instead of earth.
In short, it was a picture-perfect replica of a ‘sacred temple’ you would see in a work of fiction. The realization made me feel extremely unpleasant.
In the past, on the 2nd floor, the archangel Raphael had said he ‘took on a form that would gain the favor of humans.’ I had a feeling this was just an extension of that. After all, the sight was one that would make an ordinary person want to fall to their knees and seek god.
“Hmph.”
I tried to grab the foot of a baby angel fluttering around me, but my hand passed right through it. It seemed the angels were just intangible illusions.
“Alright, let’s see how far this goes.”
There were no other players besides me in this temple. I would find out soon enough whether the 5th floor was always like this, or if I was receiving some kind of special treatment. In short, there wasn’t much to do but wait.
Bbam-Babam! Babam! Bbam!
“Thank you!”
“We wish for endless glory in the climber-nim’s future!”
Wooooong.
As the baby angels finished their spirited trumpet performance, a large pillar of light descended in the center of the temple.
“Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am the archangel Raphael, in charge of Floors 1 through 5.”
A beauty with androgynous features walked out slowly from within the pillar of light. The angel, draped in a white toga with reddish-brown curly hair that shimmered, matched the Archangel Raphael from my memory.
“…”
I casually reached out and waved my hand, but I couldn’t touch Raphael. Just like the baby angels, he seemed to be an illusion. Besides, from the way he said, ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time,’ it didn’t seem like I was getting any special treatment. Raphael and I had already met before, so he wouldn't have said something like that.
<Floor 5>
-Clear Condition: Listen to everything Raphael-nim has to say, and then solve a simple task at the end. You have worked hard.
Right on cue, a message window popped up in front of me. Judging by the congratulatory words, the 5th floor seemed to have a completely different atmosphere from the previous floors. It was bright, sacred, and cheerful overall.
“…What are they trying to pull?”
Of course, having seen the catastrophe of the 4th floor, I couldn’t accept this festival at face value. I tilted my head and listened to what the archangel’s illusion had to say.
“To all the climbers who have not lost their will and have striven endlessly in the face of the ordeal that is the Tower. I, Raphael, dare to say this. You have all worked very hard.”
The Archangel Raphael began his speech with a gentle smile.
“Of course, I am fully aware that saying such things may seem detestable in a situation where we have announced the destruction of a civilization. However, I want to tell you that I have designed the Tower to be as favorable to you all as possible.”
As Raphael flicked his right hand, a sphere in the shape of the Earth began to spin on his palm.
“Climbers. What do you believe is the ‘unique advantage of humans’? Of course, there may be many answers. But the answer I can think of is just one.”
Clap. As Raphael brought his palms together, the Earth-shaped sphere vanished, and the illusions of numerous people appeared behind him.
“I… love humans. To be precise, I love the ‘will to live a better life’ that humans possess.”
A will that only humans possess. It could be called greed. It could be called ambition. Or it is sometimes referred to as self-improvement.
The Archangel Raphael loved all the actions humans took to become better humans, because he believed that was the most ‘human’ behavior of all.
“Barbaric methods like the Tutorial are not my way. Every floor I have designed is made so that you can gain as much as you put in.”
First, the 1st floor's uses are endless depending on how it's utilized. There were those who fell to their animalistic desires and indulged in luxury and pleasure, but there were also many who actively used the 1st floor for training.
The 2nd floor. You could settle for reality and obtain a bronze or silver sigil, but if you wracked your body and mind to aim for a gold sigil or higher, a fitting reward was given.
The 3rd floor. The 3rd floor was divided into different difficulties, and the more difficult the level you cleared, the greater the reward you were given.
Finally, the 4th floor. The 4th floor was designed in a way that the harder you tried to protect the otherworlders without any casualties, the more the difficulty would increase. If the climbers devised a solution and the difficulty became too easy, the angel in charge observing the 4th floor would create appropriate monsters to always maintain a uniform level of difficulty.
The theme that penetrates all these floors is simple. Make an effort. You will gain as much as you put in.
“Regardless of how excellent your traits are, I wanted you to face ordeals and overcome them. Because then, a fitting reward is given. Of course, sacrifice is inevitable in this process. I’m sure there are some of you who hate me for this.”
Raphael’s smile vanished, replaced by a slightly regretful expression on his face.
“However, what changes a person most easily are often negative emotions.”
Jealousy. Inferiority complex. Anger.
A person doesn't change overnight. What twists a human’s personality entirely is usually a powerful negative emotion.
“Even if you all despise me, I am fine. I am satisfied as long as you climbers wish to become stronger. Because that means you have moved forward.”
Bow. Raphael, who had bowed his head slightly, regained his gentle smile.
“Now, the task for the 5th floor is very simple. All you have to do is feel how much stronger you have become. That is all.”
With those words, Raphael’s illusion took a step back.
“Well then, I hope you continue to strive forward. I shall take my leave now.”
Raphael’s illusion slowly blurred and then disappeared completely. Now, I was the only one left in the vast temple.
“…”
Ambition, he says. Cut the crap. Of course, ambition is a good thing. But what’s the point if people die because of it?
Besides, I heard that if the number of players and otherworlders became equal on the 4th floor, a terrifying ‘something’ would appear and inflict severe trauma on the players. It was probably a measure to ensure that those he deemed to have ‘no ambition’ could never climb the Tower again. The bastard pretends to be considerate and acts for the sake of humanity with his words, but behind the scenes, he is insidiously guiding us to his own liking.
A slightly foolish person might have their will ignited, thinking, 'I have to work hard!'.
"Fuck."
The sense of displeasure deepened, but the thought that this too was according to his plan made my irritation flare up.
Of course, I wasn't entirely without fault either.
Was what I did in the Tutorial and on the 4th floor really the right thing to do? No one died, but as Raphael said, they were robbed of the opportunity to grow. They were robbed of the opportunity to fight monsters.
On the floors where I am not present, will they be able to be competitive? Even if a great overall reward was given, could they overcome the difference in experience?
“…”
I don't know. I don't know what the right answer is. But just as Choi Ji-won said, I decided not to worry about problems that have no answer. What I needed to worry about right now was that man walking towards me from the other side of the temple.
<Floor 5>
-Clear Condition: Defeat the enemy before you.
Thump. Thump.
A man holding a sword, staggering towards me.
“…Who are you?”
What does feeling how much stronger I've become have to do with the man walking over there? Was he saying I should just set up a scarecrow and show off my strength to my heart’s content? Who is that guy?
However, once the man got close enough for me to make out his face, I was able to understand what Raphael had said.
“…Hah, really. What an old cliché.”
The one who had walked over was… Kim Jun-ho. It was me. Judging by the clothes, it was me from the Tutorial days. But it seemed they hadn't succeeded in making a perfect copy, as his eyes were hazy and his mouth kept muttering something.
Shing.
“Haha…”
A sword was in my hand at some point. An empty laugh escaped me without me realizing it. Was this what he meant by feeling how much stronger I'd become?
“Well, I can certainly feel it.”
If the me from the Tutorial and the me now were to fight, who would win? It would obviously be me, a hundred times out of a hundred. Not only have my sword skills improved, but my stats themselves have grown enormously to begin with. The fact that I can now handle mana is a bonus.
Raphael probably wanted to say it. That this is how much stronger you've become. That your struggle to survive was not meaningless. To feel it with your own body.
It was extremely unpleasant to feel like I was moving according to his intentions, but I had no choice since I had entered the Tower.
“Hoo…”
I took a deep breath.
Taat!
I threw myself towards my doppelgänger. The thing seemed to be trying to respond in its own way, but its movements were endlessly sluggish.
Shwaak!
A sword strike aimed at the clone's neck. But there was no impact.
“…”
The clone had taken just one step back, dodging my sword strike by a paper-thin margin. Because of the large difference in our basic physical abilities, its movements were slow, but technically, they were very impressive.
“Oho.”
So the me from the Tutorial was pretty decent in his own way. As the corners of my mouth lifted, I awakened my dormant mana and focused my ki.
The mental state that had gone soft from spending time with Ji-won was slowly returning to that of the 4th floor. I began to analyze my opponent and calculate the most efficient way to kill him.
The next blow. With the next blow, I'll take him down in one go. He probably won't even be able to react…
“…Huh?”
My concentration broke without me realizing it. A very slight pain on the back of my hand. A stinging sensation.
Before I could even properly figure out what it was, I felt myself being sucked in somewhere.
[You have taken damage.]
[Returning to the moment you first entered Floor 5.]
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