Regression is Too Much - Chapter 23

WeTried Translations

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 023

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The boss is too weak (3)

...Gurgle. Gack...

There was the Goblin Shaman, on the verge of death.

"Groooan..."

And the Minotaur, snorting heavily.

The Minotaur’s crouched body was bound tightly by something like a purple rope, the end of which was connected to the Goblin Shaman’s staff.

"...This is intense."

Of course, I had died to that monster before, but I was just a weakling back then… and it trampled me in an instant.

So I didn't have a good sense of how strong it really was…

But facing it head-on like this, I could finally feel it.

I can't win. There's no way I can win.

Just how strong would I have to be to beat a monster like that in a direct fight, without getting hit even once?

My head spun just from imagining it.

"As you can see, this is the situation," Park Cheol-jin said calmly. I thought I finally understood why he had evacuated everyone.

If a monster like that was lurking near the base camp, I would have evacuated people too.

"...Ji-won. Now that you've seen it for yourself, what do you think? Can you win?"

"..."

Ji-won couldn't answer easily. Her eyes were busily scanning the Minotaur's body.

"...The matchup is not good. Its body is so large, it doesn't look easy to inflict a fatal wound."

After a long deliberation, Ji-won finally spoke. The content of her words was nothing but negative.

To think that even Ji-won, the strongest on the human side, couldn't guarantee a victory. I'll say it again, I still can't react to Ji-won's 'slice'.

If I were to fight the Minotaur, I probably wouldn't last five seconds before regressing, after which I'd softly mutter, 'fuck'.

"What if you, I, and Kim Jun-ho join forces?"

"...I don't know."

I really wanted to say, 'Cheol-jin ahjussi, I can't fight…'.

I can't just tell them the fact that I'll regress if I get hit even once…

But wait, isn't that thing unable to move?

"Can't we just cut its neck now while the seal is maintained?"

It seemed possible to land a fatal blow if Park Cheol-jin, Choi Ji-won, and I all aimed for its neck at the same time.

It's not like the beast is moving around, it's just crouching there vacantly…

If we landed a full-power strike on the Minotaur's neck, wouldn't it die?

"...Of course, we thought of that too."

But Cheol-jin just shook his head.

"It's impossible. We've already tried everything. Go ahead and touch it."

"...Excuse me?"

"It's fine, just try touching it."

...Touch what? Surely, you don't mean that giant bull-headed monster, do you?

"It's really fine."

As if my thoughts were correct, Cheol-jin pushed my back, urging me to touch the huge lump of muscle.

"...Are you sure I should touch it?"

"Grrrrrrrk..."

As I approached, the Minotaur let out a low growl, glaring at me with bloodshot eyes.

Please calm down, Minotaur-kun. It's not like I'm doing this because I want to…

"Ugh..."

Slowly, slowly, my outstretched hand was about to finally touch the Minotaur's fur.

Tap.

"...Huh?"

Instead of the Minotaur’s stiff fur, something smooth touched my fingertips.

This... It feels like touching glass.

Something like a spherical glass marble was enveloping the Minotaur's body.

"The beast is sealed, but at the same time, it's being protected. Ji-won… by any chance, can you break that?"

"...I don't think I can."

"Hmm… that's a shame."

If we kill the boss, that glass marble will probably disappear.

But at the same time, the purple rope binding the beast would also vanish.

If we get the timing just right, we might be able to land a blow on the Minotaur, but… the difficulty would be much higher.

The one who designed this Tower is a real fucker.

He made it sound like everyone could survive by using the portal if we just killed the boss.

But right in front of the boss, there's an absurd monster that's been sealed? And if we want to survive together, we have to get past that thing?

I've felt this for a while, but this Tower is really good at creating shitty situations…

"Huh?"

An ominous feeling crept up my spine. My brain reviewed the worst-case scenario… and concluded that it was entirely plausible.

"...Cheol-jin ahjussi?"

"My trait is quite good for defense… Hm? What is it?"

"By any chance, how many people know the boss is here?"

"...Four, including myself. They are all trustworthy people."

"...That's a huge relief."

I'll say it again, this Tower guides people into shitty situations.

The Golden Marbles are a perfect example.

Those with overpowered traits can easily get the marbles, but let's think about it from the perspective of an ordinary person with a normal trait.

It’s only because Ji-won is a monster that she can slice through them so easily, but mutant goblins are incredibly difficult for ordinary people to deal with.

It's at a level where several ordinary people with enough levels have to risk their lives and charge together to barely win.

Let's imagine about 15 ordinary people risk their lives and finally manage to defeat a mutant goblin.

They would be given enough food for 15 people to last about two meals, and one or two Golden Marbles.

What would you be thinking?

Once this food runs out, I have to risk my life again. The person who died to a stray spear from the mutant goblin earlier, could be me next time.

The leader says to hold on until they can get Golden Marbles for everyone.

But there are only 50 Golden Marbles. Can we really get 14 more?

Anxiety becomes distrust, and doubt becomes certainty.

The people who seemed like comrades just a moment ago, now look like competitors.

The predestined future is ruin.

It's the afternoon of the sixth day.

Even now, somewhere out there, a life-and-death struggle is likely unfolding between comrades over a marble.

"...I know that the Golden Marbles are meant to induce distrust among people. But what does that have to do with the boss?"

The firefighter Park Cheol-jin asked me back.

He didn't seem to understand what I was trying to say.

"...If you kill the boss, the Minotaur will be set free, right?"

"Is that what you call it, a Minotaur? Yes, it would be set free."

"And a portal will appear."

"...!"

"Do you understand now?"

Kill the boss, and a portal appears.

The Minotaur will be released at the same time, but the person who killed the boss can just slip into the portal right in front of them and be done with it.

Kill the boss... and at least that person can live.

The boss is a worn-out, old goblin. Killing it wouldn't be difficult.

"If I were in a desperate situation... I think I would have killed the boss first and figured things out later."

This Tower has set up a truly fucked-up mechanism.

The people who kill the boss can move on to the next stage.

Of course, everyone else in their group would die, but… humans pushed into extreme situations are bound to be selfish.

If someone presses the escape button, a disaster begins.

This Tower is designed to induce division among people until the very end.

"...Damn it. Damn it all! Does this god think we're just his toys!"

Crash!

Unable to contain his anger, the firefighter Park Cheol-jin struck the trunk of a nearby tree.

His profession was that of a firefighter, someone who saves people for a living.

He's kind, of course... and his heart for others is much greater than most.

To someone like Park Cheol-jin, this space filled with malice must feel unbearably unpleasant.

"...Hooo. I'm going to cool my head for a bit."

He left the spot, grinding his teeth.

"...Kim Jun-ho. I'm also going to go and calm down for a moment. When my emotions get too intense... my body doesn't listen to me."

Ji-won, who was emitting waves of killing intent, also caressed her sword and disappeared somewhere.

"...Where is everyone going?"

Now, the only ones left in this space were…

"Guuuuhk..."

The glaring Minotaur.

"Keeeeuhk..."

And a single old goblin, who was on the verge of taking its last breath.

After glancing around for a moment, I carefully sat down next to the Goblin Shaman.

Wow, look at his arm holding the staff, it's shaking so much.

"...Sigh."

To be blunt, all I have to do is regress.

My goal is to get the rewards obtainable on Floor 0, not to kill the Minotaur.

The reward for killing that beast might be tempting, but I have no intention of endlessly banging my head against an impossible task.

Besides, there's no need to find a solution right now.

The next regression, and the one after that, I might find a brilliant solution. What if I still can't beat the Minotaur even after repeated regressions?

Then I can just gulp down a Golden Marble.

"It's too early to have such worries."

But it's too early to give up now.

There's still time, and there's no guarantee that I can create the same environment as this regression in the next one.

As seen in the case of Kim Gun-do, the future can change with the smallest trigger.

On top of that, it seems Choi Ji-won trusts me in her own way. It would be a waste of the friendship I've built.

I'll regress if I'm truly backed into a corner, but until then, I should do what I can so I won't have regrets.

Alright... let's think. Let's recall the timeline.

"...Hmm."

The Minotaur had attacked the clearing around noon on the seventh day. And now, it's the afternoon of the sixth day.

Whether the Goblin Shaman dies of natural causes, or is killed by someone trying to escape.

If things flow the same as in the past regression, he dies tomorrow.