WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 139

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The regressor is cunning (6)

They couldn't find the body of the Skeleton Slayer. This was because the entire area around the battlefield where the fight took place had been reduced to ash. There was no way to tell whether these were human remains or the unfortunate corpses of wild animals that couldn't escape in time.

"...He's dead. For certain. My attacks weren't hitting him, so I spread lightning over a wide area and he died."

However, since the person who actually fought the battle was asserting his death with such certainty, no one doubted that the creature was dead. Anyone who had directly witnessed that 'divine retribution' wouldn't be able to suspect that something could have survived it.

"Is it finally over?"

"Phew. Now I can finally worry a little less."

"Beer, hasn’t the beer finished aging?"

The dwarves were rejoicing. They had been suffering mentally ever since the first murder, and it seemed like all their problems had come to an end with this.

"We can't celebrate too grandly since the funeral hasn't been over for long... but shouldn't we raise a small toast of celebration? Bring out the beer and meat. Tonight we eat and drink."

The dwarven race is not only hardworking but also knows how to have a good time. The dwarves who carved out several large tables on the spot prepared plenty of cool beer and hot meat, then invited the players to join them.

"Gail. Ur. Minael. Kun. Our proud brothers and sisters have left us. I think you've all been through a lot."

"That's right!!!"

"I won't tell you to forget. Bury it. Bury it deep in your hearts and move forward. That's what our departed brothers and sisters would want, isn't it? Now, everyone raise your cups. For our departed family!"

"For them!!!"

The dwarves gulped down the freshly aged beer. Since the aging was slightly incomplete, the barley flavor was lacking, but the mixture of melancholy and hope in their hearts added to the taste of the alcohol.

"Drink. Drink and forget."

"Meat, isn't there any more meat?"

As the alcohol went down one cup, two cups, the atmosphere became lively. The hearty dwarves walked around with their drinks, offering alcohol to the players everywhere.

"...You, why is your expression like that?"

"These people, they won and they're acting like this? Smile, friend."

"...The thing is."

However, all the players had troubled expressions without exception. They were sipping alcohol and chewing meat, but they didn't look like they were enjoying themselves at all.

"Choi Ji-won! You performed the best, so why are you acting like this!"

"Are you perhaps of nobility? Or something like a hero's daughter? Lightning was going to crash! I almost pissed myself!"

"Shouldn't we build a statue or something for her? I don't know about other humans, but I acknowledge Choi Ji-won."

"...Haha."

Ji-won laughed awkwardly. Her lips were smiling, but her feelings were incredibly complicated.

The reason for her disappointment wasn't anything special. She was very disappointed with how the 'battle' with Kim Jun-ho had ended.

To others, the battle with the Skeleton Slayer might have looked like a fierce fight, but the reality was different. Everything was a scripted performance.

However, even though it was a performance, it was true that she had done her best. She had done her best to miss with her lightning, and she had done her best to control her surging magical power. That's why she felt disappointed.

"...That was close."

That final strike. It was a confident blow where Ji-won had put all her remaining magical power into it.

She had tried to block the players' sight and hearing while buying Jun-ho time to escape and testing her own power... but the result wasn't very satisfying.

The final lightning bolt was tremendously loud because she had used all her magical power, the light was the brightest, and the range was so wide it would have been impossible to avoid.

But there was no substance to it. It simply struck large and wide, but the actual power wasn't much different from her other lightning bolts. Like an empty cart making a lot of noise, it could be considered just a noisy blank shot.

Despite having such poor power, controlling the magical power was incredibly difficult, and Jun-ho almost got struck by lightning and regressed. She had tried to drop the lightning as close to the fortress as possible to block their vision, but her aim went off.

By Ji-won's standards, this was a complete failure.

"...Regression is too much."

However, since the best possible outcome had already been achieved and Ji-won was trying to restrain joint regression as much as possible due to personal concerns, she couldn't regress over such a trivial reason. She couldn't regress together over such a minor issue.

Gulp, gulp, gulp!

"Oh, ohh!"

"She drinks well!"

In the end, all she could do for now was drink beer to her heart's content to soothe the disappointment in her chest. She could hear Bung-bung complaining in her head about why she would drink such a thing, but she ignored it and emptied her beer mug.

"Hey! Ji-won is drinking, so what are you all waiting for?"

"You're all just picking at the meat. What's wrong with everyone?"

"..."

While Ji-won gulped down her beer, the other players just picked at the meat in front of them. If Ji-won's emotion was 'disappointment', the emotion the other players felt was closer to 'inferiority'.

Good traits. Excellent talent. Above-average intelligence.

There wasn't a single player here who lacked any one of these three. (Except for one fool who was stupidly used.) They were all frontrunners who stood out in their respective countries.

Floor 11? They couldn't clear floor 11 only because of trouble with the dwarves, but floor 11's difficulty itself wasn't a problem. No, the Tower itself wasn't a particularly difficult space for them from the beginning. From floor 1 to floor 11, except for floor 4, they could clear everything without much trouble. (There was no one reckless enough to choose floors 3-5.)

Is the Tower too easy? Rather, it would be more accurate to say these people were too strong. You can't compare a race's chosen talents with other ordinary people's standards.

To summarize, these were people who had never felt inadequate in their abilities since entering the Tower. They were people overflowing with confidence that they could devour floor 11, floor 21, floor 66, everything.

"..."

"..."

But... the scene they had witnessed earlier was disturbing their hearts. If expressed like a martial arts novel, it would be appropriate to call it a heart demon.

Players' traits are diverse. There are people with monstrous strength to break rocks, people who can breathe fire into empty air, and people who can achieve tremendous speed instantaneously.

Players are superhumans. They are people who can twist reality and realize miracles that were only possible in imagination.

But... that scene they witnessed earlier... was a natural disaster. It was clearly beyond the realm of human capability.

Same floor 11. Same players. How could there be such a huge difference? Once they realized this fact, they couldn't bring themselves to drink alcohol.

There was no player present knowledgeable enough about magical power to see through that it was actually a hollow shell. They were like children holding large balloons being amazed at someone's great strength, but Ji-won, who could have corrected the misunderstanding, was busy drinking beer.

"Why are they acting like that?"

"Who knows."

In the end, the celebration party finished in a somewhat gloomy atmosphere...

After the excited atmosphere settled down.

Gradually, the players prepared to leave.

"We'll just give you the passage stone. We'll also start selling various items again."

"Really?"

"Of course. We fought together as comrades."

"...I need to buy one more sword."

Since the players hadn't been idle during the period when the dwarves weren't selling passage stones, they had plenty of gold. Thanks to this, people could stock up generously on various weapons and daily necessities.

While everyone was happy about this, Ji-won quietly approached the shop owner.

"Oh, Ji-won. What's the matter?"

"What will you do after we leave?"

"..."

A truth everyone was trying to ignore. Floor 11 was structurally too vulnerable.

Even if it was safe now... there was no guarantee it would remain safe in the future. If even one more crazy player entered at any time, Floor 11's peace would be shattered in an instant.

"That's..."

Just as the shop owner was about to answer something.

"Everyone! I have, I have... something to confess. I've been too afraid to hide it all this time. But I think I need to tell you now."

One player raised his hand high and shouted loudly. It was a face in Ji-won's memory.

"...The first dwarf who died... I think I killed him... I'm really sorry..."

"...What are you saying?"

"So... I ate a mushroom in the forest..."

Mason. The man who was deceived and used by Jang Roe. That man was shedding tears as he confessed his sins.

"Sorry, I'm sorry..."

"...Raise your head."

The shop owner placed his hand on sobbing Mason's shoulder.

"I'll need to hear the details to understand... but for now, calm down."

The shop owner wasn't a fool.

From his complex expression, it seemed he also guessed that Mason wasn't the real culprit.

"And there is a way to atone."

"...Yes?"

"You stay on floor 11. Stay and protect us. Until you've paid for your sins."

And if the person was sorry... they could receive a little help.

The players who had stayed long on floor 11 spent all their accumulated gold and cleared Floor 11 with light hearts. The players who had decided to stay due to lack of gold also regained their spark of hope.

The long conflict was over, and people began leaving Floor 11 one by one.

In the process, Ji-won somehow received two passage stones, but since everyone was busy with their own affairs, it didn't receive much attention. Ji-won wouldn't use passage stones for anything bad, would she?

Then at the dim dawn, a strange phenomenon occurred where the angel who should have been guarding the plaza center suddenly left their post. Of course, since it was dawn, not many people noticed this.

Well, angels probably have their own circumstances. These angels treat players very businesslike. They probably left the fortress temporarily because they had work to do.

"Hey, but if the angel went outside the fortress, can they handle player clearances outside too?"

"...Even if they could, why would they? It's not like they're going on business trips, and there's no reason for them to do that. Unless someone saved their life or something."

"...That's true."

"Let's just sleep. I need to save money to buy weapons."

Floor 11 regained its former peace. The one crazy killer who happened to appear served as the glue that brought dwarves and players back together.

It might be inappropriate to say this, but it couldn't be anything but tremendous luck.

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