Regression is Too Much - Chapter 123

WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 123

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The regressor is surprised (5)

I was keenly feeling my lack of ability now. No, to be more precise, I was feeling just how inadequate my swordsmanship was.

If Choi Ji-won's swordsmanship walked the orthodox path of being balanced in both offense and defense, my swordsmanship was focused solely on offense—oncoverpowering the opponent quickly and precisely. It was a skill honed by cutting down the endless waves of monsters on the 4th floor, so in a way, it was only natural.

Because of that, I aimed to fell my opponent in a single move, embedding killing intent into every strike. If I couldn't subdue them in one blow, a counterattack would come, and that meant I would regress with a high probability. Therefore, in the terms of a wuxia novel, my blade could be called a Strong Sword.

But the doppelgänger's sword was different. His sword was light, fast, and formless.

Ever-changing and unpredictable—there was no grasping his sword style. It seemed like he was swinging without any set form, yet every single strike was lethal. It was nearly impossible to dodge even with the reflexes I had honed on the 3rd floor.

The reason my swordsmanship and the doppelgänger's were so different was simple. While I polished my skills against monsters on the 4th floor, the doppelgänger polished his against me on the 5th floor. It was a swordsmanship trained for the sole purpose of defeating me.

"Shit…"

Just now, I regressed because my shoulder was cut. It wasn't a deep wound, just a light scratch that a normal person would laugh off, something you could forget after putting a band-aid on it. But I am a regressor, and even a light wound like this is fatal.

"He won't even let me land a single hit…"

The structure of the fight between me and the doppelgänger always flowed the same way. I would proactively clash swords, trying to turn the battle into a contest of strength, while the doppelgänger would evade that and focus on inflicting wounds on me. It was a battle of Strength versus Flow, and so far, the doppelgänger had won every time. Or perhaps, I had won, but those victories were just erased.

"Hey, how do you do that? Bending your sword in mid-air."

"..."

"I tried to copy it, but the ligaments in my wrist hurt like hell. I think I could do it if I tried, but my wrist would probably shatter at the same time and I'd just regress."

"..."

"You're using mana, aren't you? Right?"

Time flowed on endlessly. Just as the doppelgänger had come to understand me over this period, I too had come to understand it.

The doppelgänger, through its repeated regressions, had clearly figured out how to use mana. I found that if I circulated the mana lying dormant in my body incredibly fast, the colors of the world would change, and I noticed that the color of his wrist was uniquely different at those times. He had gone beyond simply circulating mana to enhance his physical abilities like me and had devised his own methods of application.

"But if you can do it, I can do it too."

We are the same person. If the doppelgänger could do it, so could I. From the moment I realized the doppelgänger was manipulating mana, I began to research 'how to send mana to the right place at the right time.' It wasn't an easy task, but as I kept trying, at some point I was able to clumsily imitate it.

"Wow, so it does work."

I abandoned my original swordsmanship. I forgot the style where every single blow was lethal and, just like the doppelgänger, I began to learn a changing, flowing swordsmanship. It was more advantageous in a fight against a fellow regressor.

And so, I too succeeded in learning how to 'bend the sword in mid-air,' and at the moment I broke free from my purely offense-oriented style and became capable of using a wide variety of patterns.

"...Huh?"

The doppelgänger had surpassed me once again.

This time, his slow sword would suddenly speed up, and his fast sword would suddenly slow down. It was a mastery of tempo control that completely pierced my psychological weak points, a feat that ignored the laws of physics with the help of mana. Faced with this technique for the first time, I couldn't mount any real response and regressed helplessly.

"...I can do that too."

And so, the regressions began again, to catch up to the doppelgänger who had once more pulled ahead.

"..."

I don't know how many times I've regressed. It was easily over 100 times, but was it over a thousand? Ten thousand? With no way to keep a record, I could only guess by feeling.

Before, I had tried to talk to the doppelgänger in a relatively cheerful manner, but now, I too had lost the will to speak. Just when is that guy going to break? Was my own will always this strong?

"..."

I discarded all idle thoughts, like what reality is like, or what I'll do when I get out of the 5th floor. What I must focus on in this moment is how I can become even a little bit stronger, how I can develop and develop again to maximize the number of regressions that doppelgänger has to endure. I focus only on that.

But this fight, by its very nature, is one where you can't taste the result of 'victory.' You can only 'realize' you've indirectly won by sensing the opponent's growth. In short, it means your sanity gets ground down at an incredible rate.

"..."

Looking at my reflection on my blade, my appearance is very similar to the doppelgänger's when I first encountered him on the 5th floor. My eyes lost their vigor, and I gave off a completely haggard impression. If an acquaintance saw me wandering around in this state, it was the perfect condition to be asked, 'Are you okay?'

Of course, the doppelgänger was in an even worse state. The speed at which he muttered something while staring at his sword had increased. It was so bad that if an acquaintance saw him like that, they would immediately look up the phone number for a mental hospital.

"Don't go around making that face with my appearance…"

Seeing that expression on the face that looks back at me in a mirror makes me feel strange for some reason. If Ji-won's memories hadn't returned, and if I had climbed up to the 20th, 30th, and even 40th floors all alone, repeating my regressions… I probably would have ended up looking just like that.

I would have become something closer to a machine than a person, climbing the Tower with a blank expression. I am newly aware of how lucky I have been.

Of course, realizing something like this didn't end the fight. As the doppelgänger gets stronger, I get stronger too. And the moment I finally catch up to the doppelgänger, it becomes even stronger.

Regression. Regression. Regression. Repeating the same situation without end felt like it would drive me insane.

“Climbers. What do you believe is the ‘unique advantage of humans’? Of course, there may be many answers. But the answer I think of is just one.”

By now, I've memorized every single line of Raphael's speech. I've memorized the speed and accent of his words, and even the points where he pauses to breathe. I never wanted to memorize it, but my brain did so without my permission.

I wish that guy would just give up already. I just want to rest now.

"Ah."

I lost again.

I thought I had gotten used to the repeated defeats, but getting used to it is the same as being thoroughly steeped in it. I was completely pickled in the bitterness and despair of defeat.

"..."

Slowly, negative concepts began to rise to the surface of my thoughts. What if the doppelgänger never breaks? What if I go crazy before it does? What if Raphael is intervening, protecting the doppelgänger's mind?

What if I'm trapped on this 5th floor and can never get out? What if at some point I go mad, and have to endure a never-ending punishment, just lying on the floor and repeating my regressions?

A regressor cannot even die. The realization of that fact sent a chill down my spine and made me fight all the more desperately. Of course, I still lost.

Ji-won's face was starting to get a little blurry. In the ceaselessly crashing waves of this reality, my precious memories were being worn away like rocks on the shoreline. I felt a sense of crisis, a crisis that my mind might be twisted beyond repair if this fight continues any longer.

Of course, there is no clear answer. I can only repeat the fight and pray that my opponent collapses from exhaustion.

"...Shit."

But the complexion of the doppelgänger approaching from the distance was the brightest I had seen it so far. His eyes were still dazed and he was still muttering something, but a faint smile was playing on his lips.

Had he finally gone completely insane? But his expression was too good for that. I want this to be over. Please, just fall over already.

I grip my sword at an angle, wary of the approaching doppelgänger. Whatever is going on, my job is set. To struggle as much as I can.

"..."

Thud.

"...?"

But the doppelgänger stopped dead in its tracks as it was walking. It was a pattern I had never seen before, so I raised my guard to the absolute maximum.

Did it devise a new technique? It got even stronger from here? Ha, how many more times do I have to regress to win? Was I always this ridiculously talented of a bastard?

At that moment, as I gripped my sword tight, a mix of annoyance, competitive spirit, and lament swirling within me.

[…Stop.]

"Huh?"

After what felt like an eternity.

The doppelgänger spoke to me.

Footnotes:

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