WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

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◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 125

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The regressor is surprised (7) [End of Part 1]

[Can’t we… use this situation?]

“…?”

The original Kim Jun-ho tilted his head slightly, as if asking what I was talking about. But then, as if he understood my proposal, his eyes narrowed.

“…Are you saying the two of us should fight? Here? Endlessly?”

[Exactly. Couldn't we use this place like the Room of Spirit and Time from the comics? That's what I'm getting at.]

The person known as ‘Kim Jun-ho’ had a fairly objective understanding of his own position. His personal combat ability, setting aside regression, had surpassed the upper grades but still fell short of the absolute top tier. In other words, he already knew his own strength was lacking. This was especially true for his swordsmanship, which was still embarrassingly poor compared to Ji-won's.

The reason he didn't just hole himself up somewhere and focus on sword training was surprisingly simple.

The act of training itself could become a trigger for regression.

In various fictional stories, the training process is often glossed over in just a chapter or two with a simple line like, ‘And so, he trained!’. However, anyone who has actually learned a martial art would know just how grueling the process of training really is.

The human body is not suited for combat. Training, or tempering, is the act of adapting the body to the art of fighting.

And in that process, it is perfectly normal for skin to get scraped off, blood to be shed, bruises to form, bones to break and heal, and calluses to build up. The problem was, all of these things were acts that could trigger regression.

Of course, he could clear a floor, return to reality, and then train on the 1st floor… but if he got injured in the process and regressed, he would have to clear the Tower all over again. The process was far too long and convoluted.

Therefore, Kim Jun-ho could never train to the point where his body was injured. No, he had to be extremely cautious about even attempting the act of training itself. He could only polish his senses through repeated real combat situations. This was also why his palms were still soft and his body was free of a single scar.

[But it's different here.]

However, if an ‘entire floor’ itself was the training ground, the story changes. He'd have to clear the floor again if he regressed? What if the act of training itself was the process of clearing the Tower? An environment could be created where he could devote himself entirely to sword training, with no wasted steps.

[We don't know what will appear in the Tower from now on. It would be wise to get strong enough now before moving on. Besides, you said yourself that you're inexperienced in swordsmanship against human opponents, right?]

In reality, moments come when you lack the strength and are forced to make an ‘unavoidable choice.’ A time comes when you must weigh two values on a scale and choose only one. To avoid such situations, the original had to become stronger.

And this was an environment where two people with the exact same talent could fight endlessly with a sword in hand. It could only be described as a god-given opportunity.

“Hmm… I understand that this is an excellent training ground. There are swords, a sparring partner, and nothing to interfere except for that chattering archangel. It’s perfect for fighting through repeated regressions.”

The original Kim Jun-ho nodded his head slightly.

“But why are you telling me not to regress? That's the part I don't get.”

[What do you think will happen to me if you clear the 5th floor?]

“…Ah.”

When the original cleared the 5th floor, I would most likely disappear. Since I was a life form arbitrarily created by the Tower for the 5th Floor, erasing me would be simple.

[But the important thing is, will my memories carry over?]

When the original cleared the 5th floor and then regressed, my memories might carry over, or they might be completely erased. Would the memories of a regressor who was 'erased' be passed on? I wanted to avoid taking an unnecessary risk.

“…But, that alone isn't enough of an explanation.”

[There's one more reason.]

Besides the terrifying risk of my existence being erased, there was another problem.

[Kim Jun-ho. Do you consider yourself to have strong willpower?]

“…No?”

[That's exactly it.]

If the original Kim Jun-ho returned to the 5th floor to fight again with his memories fully intact, the atmosphere would be amicable.

“…?”

Yes, it would be amicable. Not desperate. And I, whose willpower isn't that strong, would at some point feel a powerful urge to give up.

To whip my lazy self into shape, the original had to be completely unaware of this plan.

[Here's my plan.]

To ensure the original Kim Jun-ho remains ignorant of the plan, the doppelgänger Kim Jun-ho regresses first. Then, he attacks the original. He continues until he has built up enough skill to force the original to regress.

“…From that point on, wouldn't I be the one regressing?”

[That's right.]

The moment the original Kim Jun-ho, who is 'seeing me for the first time,' is defeated and the memory of me as an enemy is imprinted upon him… the infinite regression begins.

We would continue a seemingly endless fight, each trying to overcome the other.

[When I get stronger, you'll have to regress to defeat the stronger me… and then as you become stronger, I'll have to get stronger too, to defeat you. In this endless back-and-forth, you'll be able to improve tremendously.]

“…But then it would never end. In the first place, if we two fight, there's no resolution until one of us goes insane.”

[No, it does end—only if I surrender.]

We had already confirmed that the 5th floor would be cleared if I admitted defeat. The important part was something else.

[The core of this plan… is that I must not go insane.]

To even open the portal, I have to sincerely admit defeat. But what if I go crazy in the middle of it and forget everything? What if I just become a drooling, giggling mental patient with no thought of defeat or anything else?

Then, we could both really be trapped here. Therefore, the most important thing was the limit of my own mental strength.

[I'll tell you right before I'm about to truly, truly go crazy. I'll tell you that we made this agreement, and that all the fighting until now was a process to train you.]

“…”

[So I plan to mutter to myself the whole time we fight. 'Don't forget, don't forget,' something like that. To you, it will probably look like I'm crazy, so you'll be able to fight even more fiercely.]

No matter how many times I thought it over, the plan was perfect. This would drastically reduce the time it would take for the original to become stronger.

“…Alright. That's all fine. If things go according to our plan, I will certainly become stronger.”

However, the original’s expression was extremely grim.

“But… this plan is no different from transferring the burden that would be placed on my mind onto you. You would be taking on the burden of my training in my stead.”

The plan was for me, the doppelgänger, to endlessly hone my skills to raise the original's level.

But the difference in physical ability between us was enormous. Naturally, I would have to put in far more effort than the original.

For every one time the original regressed, I might have to regress a hundred times. For every hundred times he regressed, I might have to regress ten thousand times.

“You… Can you do it?”

In the end, it was no different from sacrificing myself for the original. You could say it was a power-up for the original, with my sanity as collateral. To be honest, I didn't really want to do it either. The road ahead was clearly filled with hardship, and anyone who would be excited to do this would have to be insane.

[But I'm just a doppelgänger anyway, right?]

“…”

[I'm just something that will disappear once you clear the 5th Floor. To exaggerate a little, you could say I'm living on borrowed time.]

My body was already destined for ruin. Since I was going to die anyway, I wanted to be of some help. I also had a desire to land a blow on the Tower bastards who created me.

[It's fine. I'm the one doing it anyway. You don't have to worry.]

I felt that if I continued to dwell on it, my resolve would only waver. It was best to regress right now.

[Well then, I'm regressing.]

I sincerely hope that the path I take from now on will be of help.

Just as I finished my resolve and raised my arm high to strike my chest with my fist.

“H-Hey. I've regressed quite a few times, so I know a thing or two…”

The original awkwardly stopped me.

[…?]

“Instead of punching your chest, biting your cheek is faster. Good luck. And thank you.”

[…Ha.]

Pfft. I let out a hollow laugh, and then immediately bit down on the flesh inside my mouth.

[Thanks for the pro-tip.]

And so, eons of time flowed by.

The Protagonist's Perspective

Back to the present. The doppelgänger’s long story had finally come to an end.

“…”

I stood frozen, realizing that the doppelgänger I had been fighting endlessly with all this time had, in fact, been sacrificing himself for me.

“…How many times did you regress?”

[An uncountable number.]

“…And you're okay after all that?”

[Not a chance.]

His voice was calm. His skin was flawless. At least, on the outside, the doppelgänger looked fine. It was only natural, in a way, since regressing returned the body to its original state.

But there was little inflection in his voice. His eyes were ashen, like faded paper.

The doppelgänger was rotting from the inside. This was the fate of a regressor. The end for a person who, as seen in countless stories, had lost their human heart and charged forward only for their goal.

[…Open your status window.]

The doppelgänger said, with his voice flat.

“…Okay.”

A faint smile hung on the doppelgänger’s lips. He looked just like Sisyphus having finally set down his boulder. For some reason, I wanted to apologize, but it felt meaningless, so I just quietly opened my status window.

[Name: Kim Jun-ho] [LV:42]

[Traits]

-Regression [EX]

-Flash Step [S]

-Heart of Lightning Flash [S]

-Curiosity [A]

-Awe [A]

-Hero [C]

-Meditation [C]

-Swordsmanship [B]

“…A lot of my achievement levels went up… and my Swordsmanship trait became B.”

To be honest, I didn't know how impressive a B-grade was. From a gaming perspective, it felt a little disappointing compared to the doppelgänger's devotion. The B-grade was quite ambiguous.

But as a person feeling it myself, I knew I had achieved dramatic growth on the 5th floor. I could confidently say that, at least when it came to ‘swordsmanship using mana,’ I had surpassed Choi Ji-won.

The doppelgänger's sacrifice was by no means meaningless. Thanks to him, I had been able to improve by leaps and bounds.

[Was it… helpful enough?]

The doppelgänger asked cautiously. I thought I had gone through my own fair share of devastation, but it was nothing compared to this doppelgänger. This guy had literally pushed himself to the brink of insanity. All for me.

Trapped in this narrow temple, studying the sword alone, and charging at me.

The doppelgänger had no one. In this world, there were only the two of us. How painful must it have been all this time.

“…It was a great help. I'll remember it. What you did for me.”

[…Yeah, that's good…]

The guy dropped his sword with a clatter and lay spread-eagled on the floor.

[My swordsmanship… is a style specialized to make you suffer. You won't need to learn it. Go now. I'm already broken. Don't do anything foolish, just go straight to the 6th floor.]

The doppelgänger spoke of abandoning himself so casually, and slowly closed his eyes.

[…I want to eat pizza.]

With those final words, the doppelgänger moved no more. At the same time, a message window appeared before my eyes.

“…”

After passing through the portal and returning to the 1st Floor, I bit my cheek and immediately regressed.

[You have taken damage.]

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

-----

[S-Stop. I don't think we need to fight, do we?]

“…”

The doppelgänger I met again seemed to have truly forgotten everything. Just as he had predicted, the moment I cleared the 5th floor, the doppelgänger’s existence was erased, and his memories of the regression were reset.

“That's a relief.”

If the doppelgänger had continued to exist even after I cleared the 5th Floor, he would have been trapped in that empty temple forever. I thought this was for the better.

“So, shall we try closing our eyes and admitting defeat? We still don't know who the doppelgänger is, after all.”

[…?]

Using the method the doppelgänger had told me, I cleared the 5th floor right away. Perhaps because it was an exceedingly easy floor for most players, there was no separate reward.

Whooosh.

“…You're back? Took you a while? No, wait, huh?”

When I returned to my studio apartment, Ji-won, who had been sitting in a chair looking at her phone, casually greeted me before jolting up from her seat.

“Did something happen?”

Ji-won wore a startled expression. It seemed she had noticed from my aura that something had happened.

I wonder if she knows.

How long I fought, back and forth, on the 5th floor.

What a great resolve my doppelgänger made for my sake.

How diligently I trained with the sword, despite the penalty of my regression ability.

How many times I thought about giving up.

And how many times I stood back up, for the sake of the people who cared for me.

“You know…”

“Hm?”

But if I were to summarize this entire process in one sentence, it could be summed up somewhat like this.

“I think regression is too much.”

TL Note: Holy shit, he said it.

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