Regression is Too Much - Chapter 19

WeTried Translations

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: Abstract

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 019

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Choi Ji-won is rude (2)

Thanks to my LVL, my physical ability had improved so much that the weeding job that used to take three full days was wrapped up in just one.

Because of that, I was able to start moving around at a very early point—barely a day after entering the Tower.

What I did was simple.

I wandered all through the inside of the Tower, looking for people.

And every person I met I urged to head back to the clearing.

Of course, at first I was worried.

After all, they might come back with something like, “Hey, we are fine on our own, just ignore that guy.”

But the outcome was astonishing.

“Really… really?”

“You are saying they will give us food… and a place to sleep… everything?”

For ordinary people a single day in the Tower turned out to be far harder and more exhausting than they had imagined.

To begin with, there were more people than you would think who recoiled at the idea of killing living things, and lugging around a heavy weapon all day left them thoroughly drained.

“Even with someone on watch… I just cannot sleep… there are no blankets or beds… and I miss my mom…”

Those were the words of a woman with dark circles under her eyes as she wiped away tears.

The fear that they might die ate away at people’s minds in a single day and left them weak.

In the previous run, there had probably been only one reason they did not return to the clearing.

Because if they did not kill monsters they could not survive.

Because starving to death was not an option.

But once they knew that the clearing offered food, a place to sleep, and ridiculously strong guards, they had no reason to hesitate any longer.

“Ha. Do you even know what my level is? Stop talking nonsense and get lost.”

Naturally there were the occasional people who had already adapted perfectly to the Tower and looked like they needed no help from me, yet they were few and far between.

And from what I could tell, almost all of those were people with a trait.

People without any trait, or those saddled with some trashy trait, were the ones staggering around exhausted, and that was the Tower’s reality.

Thus in just one day, I managed to send twenty‑two people back to the clearing.

If Choi Ji‑won found that burdensome, I could play the nice guy and pretend to help her out. If did not burden her at all, I would keep sending people until it did.

That was not the only harvest.

“Aaaaah!”

Whenever I sprinted toward the direction of a scream, I could always find one or two people being chased by a pack of goblins or a mutant goblin.

Shlak, shlak!

The moment I spotted them, all I had to do was cut every last one down with my sword.

The pathetic regular goblins were no match, of course. Even the mutant goblins so focused on their prey were no threat to me.

Unless it was a straight one‑on‑one slug‑fest there was no way I would lose to a mutant goblin when I was the one ambushing.

In a head‑on fight you cannot afford to take even a single hit, and that alone lowers your win rate.

After rescuing people like that,

“Thank you, thank you!”

“Sob… sniff… I really thought I was going to die…”

Leaving behind those people who were bawling in relief,

[You can acquire a trait.]

Every single time, without fail, I was able to acquire a trait.

My guess is that if I make people feel a truly intense emotion, I can draw out a trait.

That was true back when it was the scrawny kid and the thug, and it holds true now when I rescue these people.

All of them were feeling emotions at the very limit.

However, there is one problem.

‑Relief [FFF]

‑When something painful happens, when you feel like you are about to collapse from exhaustion, seeing you brings peace to the heart.

“…Huh?”

The point is that every trait I got from rescuing people was total garbage tier.

Seriously, what even is FFF‑grade?

You might see a click‑bait web novel titled “World’s Strongest with an FFF‑Rank trait!” but this thing was genuinely just trash.

It did not even reach the level of something like Awe that provoked a reaction. All it did was make the faces of the people I saved relax ever so slightly.

Maybe you think I was just unlucky?

‑Faith [FFF]

‑Respect [FFF]

‑Love [FFF]

‑Trust [FFF]

‑Admiration [FFF]

The traits I got by rescuing people were all trash tier.

If Awe had doubled up I could have picked it again and at least seen what would happen, but it just stubbornly refused to appear.

It is not that duplicates never drop, since Admiration showed up three times or so.

Once or twice is coincidence, but when it repeats, it is fate.

After repeated experience, I was able to grasp one fact.

“…Ah. The scrawny kid’s trait was S‑grade.”

The scrawny kid’s party was crazy strong by tutorial standards. In fact, taking down a mutant goblin without so much as a scratch is proof enough of that strength.

Every person I saved was a weakling.

If the stronger the person the better the trait they grant, it is only natural that the ones I rescued gave me crummy traits.

But does that mean my efforts were completely meaningless? Not at all.

[You have met the conditions.]

[Fusing traits.]

At some point that message popped up and all the FFF‑grade traits vanished in a flash.

‑Hero [F]

‑In a moment of crisis, people think of you. You become stronger when you fight to protect someone.

A new trait with a cool name had appeared, though its grade was still on the low side.

Maybe because it was born from saving people, the trait’s description was sheer positivity.

Quite different from that idiot trait that had the word “Fear” in it.

The description is also clear: a simple condition—I become stronger when I protect others.

At first, when all I was getting were FFF‑grade traits, I thought traits would not matter all that much.

Now that things have turned out like this I should probably try to draw a trait out of every person.

When I loop back, I will also have to check whether I can get duplicate traits from the same person.

Naturally, my expectations for the trait I will get from Ji‑won have gone up even further. If that pathetic scrawny kid gave me a C‑grade, what on earth is Ji‑won going to give me?

“Status window.”

[Name: Kim Jun‑ho] [LV:6]

[Traits]

‑Regression [EX]

‑Awe [C]

‑Hero [F]

The status window looked much fuller now, it was a lot nicer than when it held nothing but Regression.

“…My level went up?”

The most annoying part is that achievement level.

It never tells me when, how, or for what I leveled it up.

Without knowing the conditions, earning it on purpose is impossible. All I can do is guess.

When I first checked my status window right after arriving in the Tower, I was level one and after the scuffle with those goblins, I was level two.

After mowing down the grass, I was level three. When the scrawny kid and I looked at it together I was level five, and now it is level six again.

Press, press.

Even when I press [LV:6] on the status window it does not respond.

The scrawny kid said hitting this would bring up the achievement list. Why are you so strict with me? Why only with me!!!

“Hoo…”

If I were a full‑blown second‑run regressor from the future I could cherry‑pick achievements and show crazy growth.

Even in games achievements are something you pick up as you go; if you want to one‑hundred‑percent them you need a guide.

“How many did I rescue… was it eight? Ten?”

Once again I can only guess that I got the level by rescuing people.

“Ah, maybe not?”

Now that I think about it, in the last run the scrawny kid said he got the ‘First Mutant Goblin Kill’ achievement.

This time I killed one within a day, so it seems I swiped the trait the scrawny kid would have gotten; no, wait, possession is nine‑tenths of the law anyway.

“Hmm…”

Talking about the scrawny kid reminded me of the thug I killed. After killing the thug I checked my level and it had jumped from three to five.

Even if one of those levels came from getting my first trait…

Is there an achievement for killing a person?

Or was that thug special? Maybe this time I should try killing the scrawny kid…

“Tsk. No, that is not it.”

If a human‑license examiner were standing in front of me he would be glaring at me in deep disapproval.

He would probably mutter something like, ‘Hmph… I suppose I will let it slide this time.’

I almost had my human license revoked. Relax, relax.

Sure, if I went around killing everyone I might grow stronger rapidly.

There might even be 100‑kill and 1000‑kill achievements that would skyrocket my achievement level.

Someone might wonder why not just kill them since they all come back to life when I regress anyway.

But I repeat, what matters is my mental health.

For people who loop like death regressors nothing is more important than their sanity.

There are cases where someone is so thick‑headed they stay fine even after endless cycles…

But most death regressors lose their humanity and break down during the looping. They become hollow.

I want to live as a human and clear this Tower while still human. If I start slaughtering people like a lunatic, there is no telling how my personality will warp.

Avoiding turning into a monster instead of a human is my honest wish.

“Only happy thoughts, happy thoughts.”

Come to think of it, I had been a bit too fixated on Ji‑won lately.

Why on earth did I have to trail that crazy woman this much?

It was probably my flimsy desire for recognition at work. There is absolutely no need to hurry.

In the end, I will win across the board. I will grow infinitely stronger while my enemies stay stagnant.

The sun was setting and night was coming. If I entertain gruesome thoughts about massacring people before sleep, I’ll end up having nightmares.

I leaned against a big tree and settled into a comfortable position.

Instead of stressful thoughts about Choi Ji‑won, I would conjure up something cute and adorable to steady my mind.

That reminded me of a creature I once saw on YouTube called a manul cat.

I closed my eyes and let my imagination take flight.

The manul cat looked all round and fluffy, and everything it did was cute.