WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

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◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 122

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The regressor is surprised (4)

A hypothesis that this wasn't the doppelgänger's first time, either.

For now, it was just a hypothesis, but there was a way to prove it.

I quickly bit my cheek to regress.

[You have taken damage.]

[Returning to the moment of first entry on Floor 5.]

"Congratulations!"

"Our sincerest congratulations!"

As soon as the black cube that had trapped me disappeared and the angels sounded their fanfare.

"Farewell!"

I sprinted with all my might toward the outside of the temple. The floor was covered in fluffy clouds, but I figured I could probably step on them.

[You cannot proceed any further.]

No, the archangel had blocked the way. I was planning to run off somewhere into the clouds to experiment and see if the doppelgänger could find me, so the strategy of escaping the temple was a failure.

"Then how about this?"

This time, I started running toward the other side of the vast temple, the direction the doppelgänger appeared from. Thanks to having regressed four times now, I had already figured out its spawn location.

"Huu, huu…"

The temple was unrealistically large, but it wasn't so vast that a superhuman couldn't cross it when sprinting at full speed. I reached the approximate point where the doppelgänger would appear and slowly caught my breath.

“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.”

I focused on the voice of Archangel Raphael, echoing faintly from the distance. Because I had heard the speech several times, I already knew when it would end.

"Well then, I hope you continue to strive forward. I shall take my leave now."

I wonder how long I waited. Finally, Raphael's voice faded.

Vwooom.

Right in front of my nose, a black, cube-shaped object materialized. It had a similar design to the one I was inside every time I entered Floor 5. The doppelgänger was probably in there.

"..."

I carefully moved to the back of the box, making sure my footsteps were silent, with the intention of getting behind the doppelgänger at the perfect moment, as soon as this black object disappeared.

Vwoom!

And so, at the very instant the box vanished.

"Haaap!"

Fwoosh!

Aiming for the doppelgänger that should be inside, I swung my leg with all my strength.

"..."

But the doppelgänger, as if it had known all along, was facing my direction from the very start.

Crack!

While dodging the kick, it stomped hard on my standing foot, shattering my toenail.

"Ack…"

[You have taken damage.]

[Returning to the moment of first entry on Floor 5.]

Raphael's long speech ended, and the doppelgänger stood before me once again.

"Hsss..."

My toenail still throbbed, but this settled the conclusion. My doppelgänger was also repeating regressions.

Me and my doppelgänger. Let's assume for a moment we both have the ability to regress. Anyone who's read a bit of science fiction would understand just how complex a problem this short sentence presented.

If one of us regresses, what happens to the other one? Do we enter parallel worlds, or a multiverse? Or do they simply regress as well? Time and space are subjects that give you a headache just thinking about them, and they become more unanswerable the deeper you dig.

But I've been given a few clues, and through them, I've managed to form one hypothesis, which is that 'My doppelgänger and I cannot perceive each other's regressions.'

When I first entered Floor 5, my doppelgänger's condition had been extremely poor. Its eyes were dazed, and its mouth was muttering something. At the time, I had assumed it was because 'as a doppelgänger, it couldn't properly copy the original.' But what if that wasn't the case?

What if the doppelgänger I saw the moment I entered Floor 5 had actually already gone through tens, hundreds, or even thousands of regressions? What if that's why its mind was completely shot?

If that is the correct answer, then it's easy enough to imagine how the situation must have unfolded.

The first round. Me and my doppelgänger face each other. I don't know how the doppelgänger perceives this situation, but the archangel probably set it up for the two of us to fight. So, my doppelgänger and I clashed, and I, having the clear upper hand in stats and skills, overpowered it in an instant.

And then the doppelgänger regressed, entering its second round. But it was still no match for me, so it regressed again. And again. And again.

After repeating this process, the doppelgänger must have eventually reached the conclusion that 'I also regress if I just get injured,' and decided to aim for the back of my hand holding the sword.

"Huh?"

That was my first regression. But just like me, my doppelgänger is also unable to perceive my regressions.

So then, how did I respond after that first regression?

At first, I held back and observed it without attacking, but later, I used every ability at my disposal to launch a powerful thrust. From the doppelgänger's perspective, it must have been flustered by my sudden and drastic change in behavior.

Whatever the case, the doppelgänger regressed again. It must have repeated its regressions over and over to find a way to win against an 'un-careless Kim Jun-ho.' To be honest, I can't even begin to guess how many times the poor guy had to repeat the process, but I know for sure it wasn't a small number.

Claaaaang!

"Aaaaaargh!!!"

But as a result of those repeated regressions, it finally won against me again. It was a true human victory against a powerful foe. Considering the enormous difference in physical abilities between me and my doppelgänger, it must have put in a tremendous amount of effort.

However, this time, I came up with yet another new method, the strategy of 'If I stay perfectly still, I win.'

In a situation where getting injured means defeat for both sides, the one who moves first is at an absolute disadvantage. For a regressor whose entire body is a weak point, the very act of extending one's body to attack was to expose that vulnerability.

I don't know if the guy really regressed right before being subdued by my tactics, or if he just gave up and started regressing beforehand. In any case, the doppelgänger continued to repeat his regressions, determined to get past me.

In fictional stories, you often see a gaunt old man overpower a robust young man with just his fingers, but reality isn't like that. Unless the difference in skill is truly as vast as the sky and the earth, the one with the better physical class will always win.

Just how many times did the doppelgänger have to regress to overcome this absolute difference in our physical classes? How much effort did it have to put in?

Of course, the guy eventually succeeded. He defeated me by showcasing the divine technique of bending his swinging sword in mid-air, finally achieving his goal after an age of perseverance.

"Heh heh…" 

I was newly reminded of the sheer absurdity of regression. The entire process of a regressor's efforts simply vanishes into the crevices of time, leaving only the result behind. From a third party's perspective, a regressor experiences insane growth and becomes stronger at an unbelievable speed. I suppose other people probably felt the same way when they looked at me.

"Hey."

"..."

"What are we going to do about this?"

But if this hypothesis of mine is true, then we've essentially been playing a game of invisible table tennis.

We can't perceive each other's regressions. The loser's time flows onward, while the winner's time stops. 

The loser repeats regressions to finally achieve victory, but at that very moment, the time of the previous winner starts to flow again. We were both running a marathon where the only possible result for either of us was 'defeat.'

"..."

"You're not talking."

As things stood, no one could win, and the result of a 'victory' could not remain. The moment one person wins, the loser regresses, and that victory is undone. The loser repeats the cycle until they win, but the moment they do, they are sent right back to the starting point.

It was a literal endless hell. A fight without an end. A game of chicken that no one could win. It was safe to say that my doppelgänger and I were trapped on the 5th floor forever.

"...No."

There was still a chance of escape. And I would probably be the one to win. Why? Because in the end, it all comes down to physical class.

"..."

The doppelgänger was already in a thoroughly exhausted state, muttering something with a haggard face like a heroine from a dark romance novel.

On the other hand, I was relatively fine. Of course, I couldn't be compared to a normal person after everything I went through on Floors 3 and 4, but I was still better off than that guy who has regressed at least thousands of times. I had also recovered a fair bit thanks to Ji-won.

The reason was simple. It's because that doppelgänger is in a much more disadvantageous position than I am.

To follow the one step I take forward, the doppelgänger has to put in tens of times more effort. Since our talents are identical in the first place, there's no way it can grow rapidly enough to overcome the fundamental difference in our physical classes.

"The time we each experience is different."

The density of time we each perceive is different. One of my rounds could be equivalent to tens of rounds for the doppelgänger.

If a very long time passes here... whose mind will break first?

In the endless flow of time, whose sanity will be the first to crumble?

I'm sure that if one of us is just lying there dazedly, unable to even form a coherent thought, the system will count it as being 'subdued.'

It was a cruel thing to do, but it couldn't be helped if I was to win.

I steeled my resolve to continue this endless marathon.

"I'm sorry, my friend."

Until that doppelgänger's mind completely and utterly shatters.

Footnotes:

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