Regression is Too Much - Chapter 21

WeTried Translations

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 021

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The boss is too weak (1)

Whoosh, whoosh.

I woke up quietly and saw Ji‑won swinging her sword right next to me.

She was much closer than before, so for a moment I wondered if she had finally opened her heart to me.

Was my long‑sown effort bearing fruit at last…?

“…Guess not.”

No, the clearing had just gotten crowded, so the space between us had shrunk.

“You are up.”

She sheathed the blade, smoothed her hair, and looked my way.

After rummaging through the brush, she tossed me a huge shovel.

“What is this for?”

“Can’t you see? A shovel. You did your military service, right?”

“…And what am I supposed to do with it?”

“The clearing is cramped. We should clear some grass around the edge.”

“…”

I felt seriously annoyed, but right now I am Angel Jun‑ho.

Munching on an energy bar, I grabbed the shovel.

Sigh. Should I just regress and be done with this?

Thud, thud.

Maybe because the Tower’s climate was tropical, the grass roots were shallow, so digging them out was not too hard.

Thud, thud.

If she had left me working while she waved her sword around, I would have told her to settle it with fists, but she did have a conscience, digging right beside me.

“Uh… We will help too.”

“Yeah. You fed us and gave us a place to sleep…”

A few men who had been spacing out joined in, and the work went faster than expected.

Now that I think of it, what is the ahjussi who was digging the ground up to?

Ah, he is still over there digging. He looks annoyed, probably stressed by all the extra people. Sorry, sir.

When the clearing had expanded by roughly twenty percent,

Ji‑won said that was enough and sent the other men away.

“Whew, time for a nap—”

“You stay.”

“Huh?”

I was about to take a break when Ji‑won grabbed my retreating shoulder.

“Food. We need to go get more.”

“Ah.”

Three days later.

If I had to describe the last three days… It was like the army.

Eat when it was time, fetch supplies when it was time.

I obeyed Ji‑won‑ssi like Han Xin crawling between the gangster’s legs.

So, did I just play the sucker the whole time?

That is a no‑no.

I, the cold and rational regressor Kim Jun‑ho, bend for a moment but always profit.

I gained two big things.

First, by pestering Ji‑won I dug up plenty of information about “that person” she misses.

It was her father, who was also her master. He is already dead.

Probably died saving someone else… she would not say more. Even that much will be handy next cycle.

Second, swordsmanship.

I threatened, “I am helping people, not you. If you are going to work me like a mule, teach me properly.” Reluctantly she agreed.

This time it was not killing time but an actual contract, so her advice was on another level.

With Ji‑won’s sincere guidance my skills climbed steeply, like a dish called Kim Jun‑ho that had a spoonful of Ji‑won’s oyster sauce added, giving it a burst of umami.

If my skill was 1.0 Kim Jun‑ho at the start, it is at least 1.25 Kim Jun‑ho now.

In stock terms I have hit the daily upper limit. If I were an investor I would buy Kim Jun‑ho right away.

“Huff… puff…”

And what am I doing at this very moment? Sprinting through the forest after Ji‑won again.

It has been three days of this and it is still brutal.

Her pace was crazy, and her stamina was even crazier. We start together, then I blink and she is already far ahead.

“Ugh…”

Thanks to my achievement levels, my endurance had improved dramatically but it was still human.

She was not. She was a monster that happens to use a sword.

“…You are late.”

“Pant, pant, you are just fast.”

By the time I arrived she had already lopped off a mutant goblin’s head. The corpse faded away, leaving behind a small box with food and a Golden Marble.

Ji‑won casually tucked the marble inside her shirt and handed me the lump of food.

“We cannot carry rations all day, so stash them well. If you cannot, just lug them around.”

With that she dashed off again.

“Son of a… monkey.”

I almost swore out loud, but she might even hear that. I hid the food on a branch and chased after her.

“You are late.”

“…Osōi.”

“What?”

“Nothing…”

Once again she had already decapitated a mutant goblin.

Does she not find this route suspicious at all?

The question I had tucked away started to stir. We have been working side by side for three days, so it should be okay to ask by now.

“…Ji‑won, did you not sprint straight here?”

“I did.”

“Then how did you know a mutant goblin was waiting right here? It is like this every single time.”

“…”

She stayed expressionless, but her pupils wavered.

“…Wait a moment.”

Telling me to wait, she muttered something under her breath, as if consulting someone. I could not catch the words.

What is this, an imaginary friend?

After a long mumble she finally raised her head and met my eyes.

“…Fine. I will be honest. From what I have seen, you do not seem like a bad person.”

“Kim Jun‑ho, you wanted to know how I locate mutant goblins. It is my trait.”

“…What kind of trait?”

“I can sense an enemy’s general level even from far away. But only if they are above a certain strength.”

She was surprisingly straightforward. This was different from her razor‑sharp instincts, so I decided to press my luck.

“Then, can you detect monsters stronger than you nearby? Or are they all weaker?”

“There is one monster about as strong as I am.”

“Then that is the boss, right?”

“No. That one… is far too strong.”

So Ji‑won has already sensed the Minotaur.

But that raises a question.

“Then can you sense the boss at all?”

Each time I repeat this cycle a certain message pops up.

-Clear Condition 1: If you swallow a Golden Marble hidden somewhere in the forest, you may proceed to the next stage. Only fifty Golden Marbles exist.

-Clear Condition 2: If you defeat the boss, the Goblin Shaman, a portal to the next stage will appear.

The boss I mean is the Goblin Shaman.

If she can detect powerful foes, would finding the Shaman not be easy? Why not just kill the boss and have everyone take the portal?

No way the boss is stronger than Ji‑won. At worst, it would be over in three swipes.

“…”

Surprisingly, Ji‑won did not answer at once. She studied my face.

“What is your goal? Why follow me around and volunteer for this headache?”

Answering a question with a question, classic Ji‑won. She would not speak until I did.

My goal? It was simple.

“To clear the Tower, save Earth, and grow stronger.”

“…Ha.”

She let out a small, derisive laugh.

“Easier said than done.”

With a cynical shrug she turned away. I thought she was about to drop some deep lore, but maybe she just felt moody.

I bent to pick up the food when—

Thunk.

A small wooden box landed in front of my eyes.

“…This is…”

I recognized the design without opening it. It was a box for Golden Marbles. But why…

“There was someone like you once. Dirt‑poor in reality but eyes fixed on the sky.”

Still facing away, she spoke in a casual college‑girl tone, not her usual clipped sentences.

“When a crisis hits… just swallow it. Dying for others is the worst kind of death.”

“…”

“Do not think of it as a favor. I have more marbles than I know what to do with, so I toss them around everywhere.”

With that, she walked off—cool and aloof.

Did she really give me a precious Golden Marble?

She must have overlapped me with her father again. A strange mix of emotions bubbled up.

“Hey, wait—!”

I had things to say, but she was already far ahead. Come on, I already have three marbles hoarded…

And the boss—where the hell is the boss, you crazy woman? Talk is cheap!

“I do not know.”

“What?”

“I said I do not know. Finding the boss is my goal in the first place.”

On the way back with the food, her answer to my question about the boss’s whereabouts was, shockingly, “I don’t know.”

“But you said you can sense powerful presences.”

“Right.”

Ji‑won can sense the rough position and strength of tough enemies. That is how she detected the Minotaur and the mutant goblins.

“The problem is… there is nothing in between.”

“In between?”

“The boss should be weaker than a super‑strong monster and stronger than a mutant, right? But nothing fits that band. My ability never picks up a ‘Goblin Shaman.’”

“…”

Her radar only locks onto foes above a certain threshold.

So there were two possibilities.

First, the boss is basically a mutant goblin with a different name, so it blends in. In that case we could just kill every mutant goblin and see.

Second,

the boss is so weak her radar ignores it entirely.

“Haah.”

I sighed before I knew it.

I had counted on Ji‑won to track the boss.

If that reason is gone, why am I still playing errand boy? Maybe it is time to regress, try another route, and the Minotaur will spawn soon anyway—

“Hold up.”

Lost in thought, I stopped when Ji‑won blocked me. Her eyes were fixed on a certain tree.