WeTried Translations
Translator: ZEROSUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Regression is Too Much
Chapter 121
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The regressor is surprised (3)
“…”
I stood there motionlessly for a long time, completely dumbfounded. This temporary state of shock lasted until the black cube finally crumbled.
“Congratulations!”
“Congratulations!”
A shower of petals and the grand sound of trumpets snapped me out of my thoughts, but my mind was still a chaotic mess.
“…What?”
What just happened?
I blankly patted myself down, but nothing was different. I had regressed, and this was a scene I had already witnessed before. The only question was, why?
I found myself subconsciously rubbing the back of my hand, right where I had felt the pain. All I could feel was the heavy, smooth texture of leather, which meant the Transparent Gloves were working as they should.
If that was the case, then why did I regress?
“Hmm…”
I let the illusion of Raphael drone in front of me while I considered the possibilities. What could be the reason for my regression?
First, my doppelgänger might have some kind of reflective ability, or maybe any injury it sustains is transferred to me. That would mean when I swung my sword, I inflicted a minor wound on it, which was then reflected back to me, triggering the regression.
“No way.”
Of course, that was a ridiculous assumption. I never had a reflective ability during the tutorial, and besides, I had been aiming for its neck. If I had been wounded on my neck, the theory might have held water, but since the injury was on the back of my hand, the hypothesis made no sense.
The second possibility, then.
“…”
If the doppelgänger had managed to land a hit on the back of my hand, it would make sense.
But that was equally absurd, since the gap between the person I was during the tutorial and who I am now is as wide as the heavens and the earth. I am superior in every way, both in terms of skill and physical prowess.
“…”
So why did I regress? Was it possible I had just been fooling myself into thinking I had grown stronger, when in reality, I hadn't changed much at all since the tutorial?
It was like how there's no significant difference between an F-grade and an E-grade hunter, perhaps the jump from being a complete novice with a sword to just a regular novice was just as meaningless.
“Hoo.”
Countless possibilities rose and fell in my mind. A few of them seemed likely, but I couldn't be certain of anything yet.
“Well then, I hope you continue to strive forward. I will be on my way now.”
Once Raphael's illusion finished its long speech and vanished, I slowly tensed my body in preparation.
<Floor 5>
-Clear Condition: Defeat the enemy before you.
From the far side of the room, my doppelgänger walked toward me. Its eyes were still hazy, and its mouth was constantly muttering something.
“This time will be different.”
I spread my mana throughout my entire body, slid my rear foot back slightly, and let the tip of my sword hang low. My senses were sharpened to such a fine point that I felt I could perceive the very flow of the air around me.
But I refused to make the first move. My body was already in peak condition, so I patiently maintained my distance, waiting for my opponent to act.
In the previous cycle, I had been struck on the back of the hand. The critical question here was why there, of all places.
While an injury to the back of the hand is certainly serious for a swordsman, an injury to the fingers is far more crippling. A person’s grip strength diminishes enormously with the loss of even a single finger.
Yet, it specifically targeted the back of my hand. Could that have been a simple coincidence? I think not.
It’s highly likely that the doppelgänger knew that I would regress if I took any damage, which would explain its choice of target.
In other words, my opponent was already aware of my greatest weakness. If I moved first, I would most likely reveal an opening. It was wiser to wait for it to make a move.
“…”
“…”
However, when I didn't move, my doppelgänger didn't move either. We stood there, feinting and probing, exchanging a flurry of imaginary blows in our minds, but no genuine opening ever presented itself.
“Hmm…”
It made sense for me to be passive, but I couldn't understand why it was also holding back, almost as if it, too, would regress the moment it was injured.
“Hey.”
“…”
“Do you also regress if you get hurt?”
“…”
The doppelgänger didn't answer and just kept mumbling something. On the outside, I wore a relaxed smile, but on the inside, my thoughts were an incredibly complicated mess.
What would happen if this doppelgänger also possessed the ‘Regression [EX]’ trait? If it took damage, would I regress along with it? Did that mean that to clear the fifth floor, I had to subdue it without either of us sustaining a single scratch?
Maybe I could subdue it by carefully applying a chokehold from behind, which might be just enough to avoid triggering a regression. Tsk, this was getting complicated.
“…I guess the first step is to try and injure it.”
To find any basis for my many hypotheses, I first needed to land a blow. It seemed wisest to observe what happened at that moment and then decide on my next course of action.
“Hoo…”
I let out a long, slow breath and adjusted my grip, holding the sword lower down to maximize my reach and avoid getting hurt.
“Hup!”
Swoosh!
It was a full-powered thrust, the culmination of all my experiences so far. The doppelgänger narrowly dodged it by arching its back, and in the same fluid motion, it twisted its wrist to aim its own blade at my forearm.
“Haha!”
But this much was within my expectations. I immediately let go of my sword and pulled my arm back, causing the doppelgänger’s blade to slice harmlessly through empty air.
I seized the opening, aiming a powerful kick at its planted foot. It surely could not have predicted I would abandon my weapon.
“?!”
And yet, the doppelgänger's sword, which had just cut through nothing but air, was suddenly in position to defend its leg.
Claaang!!!
“Aaaaargh!”
My shin collided hard with the flat of the blade, the impact ringing out with a sharp, clear sound.
[You have taken damage.]
[Returning to the moment of first entry on Floor 5.]
“…So its initial slash was just a feint.”
It had predicted I would drop my sword. It seemed impossible, but that was the reality of the situation.
Had I really fought that well during the tutorial? Was it possible I had actually been someone with hidden potential all along?
If that wasn't it, could it be that this Kim Jun-ho was in a state where the ‘Hero’ trait had been stacked multiple times?
“That can't be…”
Of course, for that to be true, my doppelgänger would have had to fight incredibly well, and it did. To be precise, its technique was completely overwhelming mine.
My own physical abilities were superior, which was only natural given my higher stats and access to mana.
“…”
But for some reason, it didn't fall behind me in the slightest. Not only did it evade my attacks with almost supernatural movements, but it also seemed to read my intentions perfectly and counter them.
This was a clearly bizarre situation. I was certain the archangel had given me this trial as a sort of gift, so I couldn't understand why it was proving to be so incredibly difficult.
“…No way.”
A single hypothesis surfaced in my mind, but its implications were so horrifying that I immediately pushed it away. It just couldn't be.
Rather than dwell on negative thoughts, it was better to first test the new solution I had just devised.
<Floor 5>
-Clear Condition: Defeat the enemy before you.
The message window appeared, and the doppelgänger staggered toward me once more. This time, however, I had a different plan.
“…Come.”
“…”
During this attempt, I resolved not to attack first, no matter what happened. The reason was simple, my endurance was far superior.
I have higher stats compared to the doppelgänger. It also meant my body is superior.
So, if we were to remain locked in a stalemate all day, who would collapse first? The version of me from the tutorial, who was still a complete amateur? Or the current me, with enhanced stats and a supply of mana? The former seemed much more likely. I had no idea how long it would take, but in a battle of attrition, my victory was all but guaranteed.
Best of all, since it would be collapsing from sheer exhaustion, neither of us would get injured. It was, in theory, the perfect solution.
Let's see who wins. Just as I was thinking that, the corners of my mouth lifted into a slight smirk.
“…!”
The doppelgänger suddenly leaped. It jumped into the air, swinging its sword in a wide downward arc that left it completely exposed.
“You've lost your mind!”
It seemed to be charging because it felt it had no other choice, but the attack was incredibly sloppy.
Step!
I took two quick steps to my right while gripping my sword tightly, preparing to thrust. Dodging such a telegraphed, oversized movement was a simple matter.
Just as I completely cleared the path of its blade and prepared to unleash my own full-powered thrust.
“Now, what will you do about…”
In mid-air, the doppelgänger's sword changed.
It's a basic principle of the world that heavy things move in straight lines, while lighter things can be unpredictable. That is just the way things are.
But its sword was different. The trajectory of the blade, which had been falling in a powerful downward slash, suddenly shifted ninety degrees in mid-air. It was a divine skill that seemed to defy the very laws of physics.
“…Huh?”
Naturally, I had been predicting the flow of the battle based on common sense, and I couldn't react in time to such an impossible strike.
Slice!
I managed to stumble back, but not before the blade carved a long, horizontal gash across my chest.
[You have taken damage.]
[Returning to the moment of first entry on Floor 5.]
“This isn't right.”
I had held my tongue until now, but this was, without a doubt, the most ridiculous thing I had ever encountered.
Seriously, a sword coming straight down from above suddenly bending ninety degrees to cut me? How does that even make sense?
“Hup!”
Whoosh!
I tried mimicking the movement in the air, but all I got for my troubles was a sore wrist. I couldn't replicate it. How in the world did that thing manage it?
The doppelgänger was me from the tutorial, and I was me on the 5th floor. It stood to reason that I should be stronger. Yet, the doppelgänger was displaying an impossible level of performance. Had Raphael possessed it with the spirit of a sword god just to screw with me?
“…”
No, in truth, I had already realized what was happening. I had just been desperately trying to deny it.
“Shit…”
I let out a curse and looked toward the far end of the temple. After a sufficient amount of time had passed, the doppelgänger came trudging back toward me.
I stared at the doppelgänger standing before me, comparing its current appearance to the way it looked when I first entered this floor.
“Hey.”
“…”
Its eyes, which had been hazy to begin with, had now lost all their light and were as black as pitch. The words it muttered had devolved into a language I could no longer even comprehend.
“You…”
My hypothesis was correct.
“Just how many times has it been for you…?”
This doppelgänger before me, it had already regressed a countless number of times.
Footnotes:
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