WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 170

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The regressor wanders (6)

"Of course, when I say 'era of players,' I don't mean that we should rule over ordinary people. I'm an American, and I value freedom above all else."

Michael Zetter spoke in a dry voice, his expression unchanging.

"But right now, humanity is making zero investment in climbing the Tower. Governments handpick one person, prop them up as a hero, and then dodge responsibility with a 'that person will handle everything' attitude. I imagine you, of all people can relate, Ji-won-ssi."

"..."

Choi Ji-won, Korea's representative player. She had received an award from the president himself, and she was a public figure known to every citizen in the country, but the government had never once provided her with material support. Whenever they were supposed to give her something, they would quietly sweep it under the rug with lines like, "There is no relevant legislation, so active support is not possible. We apologize." But when they needed her help, they would invoke the public with, "The people can only feel at ease if you attend." They had figured out that Ji-won was a good person and took full advantage of it. The actual lack of relevant legislation probably played a role too.

"This is not a problem unique to Korea or America. Not a single country in the entire world is taking the Tower seriously. Their attention is fixed on how to use players, not on conquering the Tower itself."

Michael pulled out his phone from his pocket and set it on the dining table. The screen was cluttered with strings of text.

"These are conversations I've had with governments around the world. From the very beginning of my tenure as association president, I argued that support for players needed to increase. But the responses were cold. Probably because they knew I was nothing more than a figurehead."

As Michael swiped through the screen with his finger, a distribution map of players that the association had compiled on its own appeared.

"I believe every human who has passed the tutorial should climb the Tower. That they need to grow stronger. The term 'player' itself was part of that effort. The intention was to make it feel like a game, to ease the burden on people attempting the climb and inspire a sense of challenge. It didn't work, though."

"So... what exactly are you proposing? I understand you want to develop players to fend off the monsters that will come. But how do you plan to make people climb the Tower?"

"Money and prestige. We need to offer them both. They can already get every base pleasure on Floor 1. We have to propose something beyond that."

Michael sent a hefty document to Ji-won's email.

"Read this later at your leisure. It's a document where I've laid out my plans. It shouldn't be too difficult to understand."

"...Fine. Alright. I get your plan. I get what you're going for."

The flow of the conversation kept tilting in Michael's favor, so I felt the need to cut in right about here.

"But what was the actual reason you came to us in the first place? Didn't you say you needed help?"

"I did."

"And does your 'plan' actually require our help? You're the president of the Player Association as it is. If monsters do show up, your influence will naturally grow on its own."

"...This is covered in the document I sent, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to explain in advance. What I'd like is for all of you to lend your weight to the Player Association. To be precise, not the Player Association as it currently stands, but the one I intend to build going forward."

"Could you be more specific?"

"I plan to create player grades and establish a ranking system."

"...Grades?"

"Yes. The highest grade will be S, and the lowest will be F. High-grade players will be treated like celebrities and receive compensation befitting that status, while low-grade players will receive nothing of the sort. It will be a structure where everyone craves a higher grade, driving them to climb the Tower."

"..."

"The Player Association will serve as an organization that both regulates players and assists them in climbing the Tower. The ultimate goal is to redirect all the taxes currently being wasted on national defense budgets worldwide toward the players instead."

That was... a hunter grading system straight out of a web novel. The kind of ranking you see in stories like "F-Rank Hunter Becomes an SSS-Rank Hunter!" That grading system.

"Beyond that, the plan also includes proposals for governments around the world to purchase items from the Tower at a premium, and the establishment of specialized training institutions that teach combat. The details are all in the document."

Buzz. When his phone vibrated, Michael rose from his seat with practiced ease.

"I hope you'll trust me. Working together to prepare for the future would be ideal, but... even if that's not possible, I'd ask that you at least don't stand in my way. If there's a better method, I'm all ears. But as things stand, I believe this is the best course of action."

"You're leaving?"

"Yes. I have another appointment to get to."

He stood in the exact same spot where he had first appeared in the living room, and gave us a polite bow.

"I am working for the sake of all humanity. That is all. If you have any suggestions, please send them to the same email as before."

The moment he finished speaking, whoosh, Michael vanished. The storm had passed, and silence settled over the living room.

"Hmm..."

"Hm..."

Ji-won and I let out quiet murmurs, staring down at the dining table in silence. We desperately needed time to sort through our thoughts.

Michael's plan was simple. He wanted to create a world where players were properly valued. Like something out of a web novel, a world where becoming a hunter meant your life was set.

But where would the money for such a grand plan come from? From existing governments, obviously. But would governments around the world willingly invest that kind of massive funding? Rather than investing money in players, wouldn't they try to handle things with the missiles and guns they already had?

I didn't know much about politics, but I could tell this wasn't going to be easy.

"...In the end, he's either going to wage a battle for public opinion or resort to a show of force."

Michael hadn't said it outright, but there was no doubt he was preparing for a war to seize control. He had gone so far as to say he would change the entire 'era.' What choice was I supposed to make here? Would the monsters really appear? What was Michael actually trying to do? The future was impossibly murky.

The best option here was... to wait the full ten months myself and watch how the world changed.

"So what I'm saying is, why don't we just take the next ten months off? We observe how the world changes, watch whether the monsters actually show up or whether he's got it wrong. Isn't that the rational thing to do?"

Honestly, from my perspective, I had been wanting a break lately. Exhausted, maybe. The massive boulder of responsibility crushing my shoulders had started to feel less like a burden and more like a chronic irritation.

"I've been pretty tired lately too. You have too, right? Let's just use this chance to do everything we've been wanting to do. If the monsters do show up... we might not get to rest ever again. People will die too. Think of this as our last vacation..."

"Jun-ho."

"Yeah?"

Ji-won cut me off. There was something serious in her voice.

"Jun-ho. I'll be honest with you. I'd rather you didn't stay in the real world for ten whole months."

"...What do you mean by that?"

"What were you planning to do while resting?"

"Well... set the responsibility down for a bit... play some games. Eat good food. I can't put everything down completely, but... still, I just wanted to stay put for a while, like a vacation."

"With me by your side?"

"Obviously. We're partners."

Saying that made me a little embarrassed, but I figured it was something that needed to be said. I had actually considered using a more affectionate word, but that felt too mortifying.

"That's exactly what I think the problem is."

But in stark contrast to me turning red, Ji-won gently bit her lip.

"I... don't think we should be attached at the hip for too long."

"...You realize how that sounds, right?"

"It's not what you're thinking. What I'm worried about is... regression."

"Regression?"

"The only reason I can be your partner is because of regression, isn't it?"

Ji-won gripped Bung-bung tightly and spoke while staring at the floor.

"The reason we regress together is... because you feel intense emotions toward me. And it's the same for me. We love each other."

"...And?"

"I'm happy too. Sleeping together, waking up together, eating delicious food, going to fun places... every single one of those moments is precious to me. I'd rather see you having a good time than watch you suffer and break apart. But..."

Ji-won's hands, those strong hands, began to tremble faintly.

"Someday... after we've gone through regression so many times, what if all of those precious moments just become a familiar routine... and they stop feeling special?"

"..."

"What if the heart-pounding love turns into... just the warm affection between family? What if we become so accustomed to each other that there's nothing new left? Would I still be able to regress with you then? Would your regression still consider that an 'intense emotion'?"

Ji-won.

She was worried about the day their shared regression might come undone.

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