WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 129

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The regressor is tired (4)

[You are entering Floor 11.]

The moment I opened my eyes, I found myself surrounded by towering trees. Moss-like grass covered the ground in a thin green carpet, and the cool scent of earth tickled my nose.

Refreshing sunlight filtered through the gaps between dense trees. Given the time, it must have been morning, with fog spread thinly across the forest floor, and the grass brushing my ankles was damp with dew.

"Wow. Now this has an atmosphere."

If I had to compare it to Earth, it felt warmer than Norway but colder than France, exactly like a Danish forest. Moderately chilly, but with a hint of warmth.

"Breathe in, exhale."

After taking a deep breath to savor the natural fragrance, I lowered my gaze to check my physical condition.

"This again?"

I was wearing the same leather armor, familiar to the point of tedium. Until I wore separate equipment items when entering the Tower, this leather armor seemed to be the default gear provided.

Everything else was accounted for too. The transparent gloves were there, the scabbard was there, the subspace was there, everything I needed.

"Breathe innnn..."

Once I finished checking my body, I took another deep breath. This time, though, I had a different purpose in mind.

"Ji-won!!!"

Ji-won, Ji-won, Ji-won, Ji-won, Ji… Ji… Ji...

My booming voice carried through the morning air. Was it really okay to do this when I hadn't even figured out what kind of floor this was yet? Of course not. Drawing aggro like this when I had no idea what might happen was literally foolish behavior.

"If I weren't a regressor, that is."

Right, if I weren't a regressor. We'd already agreed that if we couldn't see each other immediately upon entering floor 11, I would call out for Ji-won like this. With her sharp senses, she'd hear my voice and find me quickly.

"Now then..."

Time to test the elixir. I opened my small subspace and pulled out the bottle. Right now, just as floor 11 had started, was the perfect opportunity to test its performance.

I'd decided to drink the elixir if my cold worsened, but whether it would actually work was a complete unknown. At this point, with no immediate risk, I needed to test whether it had any effect at all.

Why not copy and drink the elixir back on floor 1 instead of waiting until now?

Remember the pill I'd received as a floor 1 reward? The reason was similar to that.

Even when I'd copied and consumed the pill using floor 1's duplication function, my stats hadn't increased redundantly. The elixir wouldn't even copy at all. The Tower had blocked it for the same reason.

If the elixir could be copied, that would have been absurdly broken. The moment you obtained one original, virtually every player in the world could drink an elixir. Theoretically, you could just leave the original untouched and endlessly circulate copies.

"Phew."

Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.

I opened the lid of the antique glass bottle and savored each drop as I drank it down. A refreshing sensation started in my esophagus and soon spread throughout my entire body, creating a pleasant tremor.

After finishing the entire bottle, the effect was remarkable.

"Wow, so this is what an elixir does."

The lingering cold symptoms vanished completely. The tickling in my throat, the faint feverish feeling, the fatigue permeating my body, all of it disappeared. My flesh returned to a pristine state.

As expected from an elixir. Just the name alone suggested something on a different level from potions. Of course it had to work. This was the ultimate healing item of fantasy worlds, after all. Now I'd confirmed that if my condition reached its worst, I could simply drink the elixir and be fine.

I was nodding to myself in satisfaction when I sensed a presence nearby.

"Jun-ho!"

"Oh, you're here?"

"Yeah. It wasn't very far."

The presence belonged to Ji-won, who'd arrived right on time. Since our starting positions were nearby, it hadn't taken her long to reach me.

"You came from that direction?"

"Right. When we regress next time, you come find me."

"Got it."

I'd confirmed the elixir's effect, and confirmed that floor 11 allowed multiple players. Most importantly, Ji-won was with me. Whatever came out on this floor, I was confident we could clear it easily.

I bit my cheek with a satisfied smile.

[You have taken damage.]

[Returning to the moment of first entry on floor 11.]

"...What do you mean you can see it?"

"Yeah. Don't you see something like a wall way over there?"

"...I don't see anything."

"It's okay. Actually, if Bung-bung hadn't told me, I wouldn't have noticed either. It's really faint."

After regressing and meeting up with Ji-won immediately, we walked along an uneven dirt path. According to her, there was something at the end of this road, but no matter how much I squinted, I couldn't see anything.

-Clear Condition: Purchase a passage stone and submit it to the angel.

"Purchase?"

A message window appeared with perfect timing. The notable part was that we had to purchase a passage stone.

Not obtain, not find, but purchase. The word implied a transaction, and transactions required exchange between intelligent beings.

"Maybe otherworlders running shops will appear?"

Ji-won shrugged her shoulders lightly. As she said, the word purchase suggested the appearance of shops or merchants. Or maybe something like a vending machine.

"Ah, now I can see it too."

As we walked aimlessly while discussing, the wall-like structure Ji-won had mentioned revealed itself. More precisely, it was a wooden barrier.

"Whoa..."

Logs with sharply carved tops connected densely to form a threatening wall. The first word that came to mind was fortress. This must be what medieval fortresses looked like.

"I guess we get the passage stone here?"

Between the message window mentioning transactions and the path running through this lush forest, floor 11 definitely had the scent of civilization. We'd probably arrived in another world, like floor 2.

"...Where's the entrance?"

"We'll find it if we keep walking."

As we searched for the entrance and walked along the fortress exterior, a large wooden gate came into view. Like most fortress gates, the main entrance was closed, and people were coming and going through a side door.

"Wow."

No, not people. They were small, their height barely reaching my waist. Bushy beards covered their faces. Yet their entire bodies bulged with muscle.

"Dwarves."

Dwarves I'd seen countless times in fantasy media were breathing and living right before my eyes. I'd been amazed seeing Yetis and goblins, but dwarves brought an even greater sense of wonder.

"Ahem, hello?"

I spoke to a dwarf who'd just emerged from the wooden fortress carrying a large bag. Since I could communicate with goblins, I figured I could talk to dwarves too.

"..."

The dwarf coolly ignored me and walked past. As if I were invisible, he strode by with complete indifference.

"...Excuse me?"

What was going on? Was he deaf? Or was I actually invisible? Thinking this might be some Tower mechanic, I grabbed his arm.

"...!"

Slap!

The dwarf violently shook off his arm as if something filthy had touched him. He shot me a brief glare before continuing on his way.

"...Why is he acting like that?"

"This is strange."

Between complete strangers, I hadn't expected this kind of reaction. Was something wrong? Or were all dwarves naturally like this?

Wondering if it was just that one dwarf, I tried speaking to others, but received only cold indifference. This confirmed it. The dwarves hated us.

"...Hmm."

"..."

Something was definitely off. We were missing something. Ji-won lightly bit her lip while I made a contemplative sound.

"Over there."

"?"

"Did you just arrive? No, you must have just arrived."

From near the main road connected to the gate, a voice called out to us.

"...Should we check it out?"

"Let's go."

We headed toward the voice and found a group wearing leather armor huddled together, crouching on the ground. If they'd simply been sitting, I might have assumed they were resting, but...

"...Why are you in that state?"

They looked terrible. Gaunt cheeks, bodies caked in grime, and hair matted beyond recognition. The word ‘beggar’ fit them perfectly.

Judging by their armor matching ours, they were players. But if they were players, the situation became extremely strange.

Three months had passed since the initial Tutorial, but anyone entering floor 11 now had to be top-tier. Korea's strongest player, Ji-won, had only just entered this floor.

Even if they'd been summoned during the initial Tutorial or around that time, giving them an extra month compared to us, being here now proved considerable skill. These weren't people who should look like beggars.

"...Choi Ji-won?"

One of them recognized Ji-won, his eyes widening in surprise. He seemed to be the group's representative, as he stood up dusting off his rear.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Felix Hoffman."

The man who introduced himself as Felix was a handsome German man with dull blond hair and blue eyes. Of course, that description assumed he wasn't covered in layers of grime.

"I'm Choi Ji-won."

Felix and Ji-won shook hands lightly. After the handshake, pitch-black soot stained Ji-won's glove.

"..."

Felix Hoffman. I'd seen him online before. Germany's top player, if I remembered correctly. Why was someone of his caliber in this condition?

"...I imagine you're wondering why we're like this."

Felix brought up the exact subject on my mind, as if reading the questions in our gazes.

"Well, many things happened, but to summarize the key point, it's simple."

His voice, though calm, carried something heavy.

"...Floor 11 has become impossible to clear."

Deep despair.

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