WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

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◈ Regression is Too Much

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Chapter 230

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The regressor is mentally weak (9)

Those two who were under suspicion had to walk around naked, but we managed to finish the first day's Daily Mission successfully.

"Did anyone see what those two were doing?"

"They were just... moving things around. Nothing strange."

"...Hmm. Are they trying to shake off suspicion? Or are they really innocent?"

"Is there any chance those two are human? It doesn't feel like an act..."

"But there were definitely eight people around the campfire, right? Aren't they monsters who don't even know they're monsters?"

"...True, but what if the Tower is trying to deceive us? What if it threw ten humans in here and is trying to trigger a massacre?"

"That's why we're waiting. To be sure."

The players were ready to kill the naked man and woman without hesitation if they did anything suspicious. The two knew that too, so they tried hard to stick to harmless actions.

It wasn't like fixing the village required weapons anyway.

After gathering again, we agreed not to eat or drink in case anything happened, then set the night watch order.

"So... did you figure anything out?"

Someone looked at me with narrowed eyes. They had given me time for "information gathering," so they were asking if I'd gotten results. We were in a state where we were neither with monsters nor with humans. They looked fine on the outside, but they had to be pretty anxious.

"...Let's wait a little longer."

Of course, I had no real answer for them. I still didn't know, so what could I say?

Are they monsters? If we kill them, does this floor end?
Or are they human? Should we not kill them? Is this a floor we can only clear by waiting without killing them?
I still couldn't judge.

"But there's no need to rush."

"...What?"

"We'll definitely find the answer."

As I said before, according to the Perfect Kim Jun-ho theory, if I acted however I felt, clearing was guaranteed.

Why? Because even this "acting however I feel" is all part of an intended direction.

If I were the Perfect Kim Jun-ho in that theory, I would have predicted every situation.

It looked like we were stuck right now, but this was intentional. There was no need to hurry.

"It's only a matter of time. Please wait a little longer."

"...Tch."

After calming their complaints, we decided to sleep together in one spot to reduce variables. We pulled beds out of the buildings and arranged them in a circle around the campfire.

"We should at least get some sleep."

"If we want to reduce variables, yeah."

"You two over there. Sleeping is fine, but don't use blankets. Just endure the cold."

"Y-yes..."

The campfire was the only light source left. For some reason, I couldn't fall asleep, so I stayed wide awake and stared at the sky.

"...?"

Something felt wrong. It was like my body was tensing up on its own. Why? Did I have any reason to be tense? Maybe those two were about to do something...

[Night has fallen.]

[A Penalty has been applied.]

Morning. At least, that's what it felt like.

"Urk..."

"This feels fucking awful."

The other players looked terrible. Was this what people looked like after a nightmare? Their faces were twisted by stress, nastier than usual.

"..."

I wasn't any different. My head felt like it was splitting open, and even while sitting still, the world spun around me.

No, not just "the same." Mine was worse. This horrible pain in my skull suggested this wasn't the first time I'd gone through this moment. It felt like thick, built-up pain stuck in one corner of my brain, tormenting me nonstop. It was hard to think straight.

"Ghh..."

Even if memory was gone, stress remained. That was one downside of regression. Mental pain accumulated. If I kept pushing through Floor 23 while Penalty stacked up, then of course it would hurt this much. After taking deep breaths over and over, I barely calmed down.

While I pulled myself together, the other players were already discussing things with frowns.

"Don't tell me... Penalty gets applied every night."

"Isn't this way too unfavorable for players?"

"Hm. Looks like those two stayed quiet last night."

"W-we had nightmares too! We're in bad shape! Because we're human too!"

"...Wait for now."

Being rational people, they quickly grasped the situation. As they said, this floor seemed structured to become more unfavorable to players as time passed.

"If we drag this out... we might start fighting each other."

"We have the leaves... that should prove we're human, right?"

"I saw the text [8/8]. I think that's certain."

"If that's true... then those two are definitely monsters, right?"

"You know this too. The Tower always pushes us into conflict. We can't jump to conclusions."

"Tch..."

No easy conclusion came about how we should act. Unlike a normal mafia game, we weren't given clues. We were only told that monsters existed. It would be stranger if we could reach a conclusion. There just wasn't enough information, so what could we even infer? It was just frustrating.

"So, is your information gathering done now?"

"Are those two monsters? Give us a clear answer soon."

No, there was one thing.

I had confidently declared that if they waited, I'd figure out how to clear Floor 23.

"For now... let's wait a little longer."

But I still couldn't give a satisfying answer. My head hurt like hell, sure, but that wasn't the main issue.

I still didn't know.

What did this leaf mean? Why a diagonal line of all things? I had no clue. Was Perfect Kim Jun-ho just an illusion? Why did I still know nothing?

"Deduction" means drawing a rational conclusion from given clues. If there are no clues, then only prophets or regressors can draw conclusions. Ah, correction. Regressors who haven't lost their memories.

Did they think I wanted this? I wanted to reach one clean conclusion, then crush Floor 23 in one shot. I was frustrated too. My throat felt clogged like I'd swallowed dozens of sweet potatoes. But I really didn't know. What the hell was this leaf?

"...You're telling us to wait again?"

"Waiting forever isn't an answer. You saw what Penalty does too."

"He must have a plan. Let's handle today's Daily Mission first."

"...Fine."

The players each left to carry out their new Daily Missions. The naked man and woman, who had been watching everyone's mood, also scattered. I was the only one left by the campfire.

"..."

I stared at the leaf desperately, like something would appear if I just kept looking, but nothing changed. I considered regressing over and over, dozens of times, but the existence of Penalty made me hesitate. If a perfect plan had already been set, then the only failure factor would be my own condition. The more cycles repeated, the lower the success rate.

"For now... Daily Mission first..."

Even this might be part of the plan that Perfect Kim Jun-ho left behind. It might be part of some brilliant strategy I came up with at the last moment. It was still too early to jump to conclusions. Just hold out a little longer. Surely, surely I'd gain insight.

But even after I finished my Daily Mission, and even after everyone else finished and came back, I still couldn't figure out the leaf's meaning.

"Should we wait more?"

"...Yes."

"..."

Night came again. We already knew night watch was meaningless, so everyone lay in bed and waited for Penalty.

Please, at least now, let me understand what this leaf means...

[Night has fallen.]

[A Penalty has been applied.]

"Ugh..."

"Blegh, urgh..."

"Hold it in. It smells fucking awful."

"Hoo, hoo... I held it. The revulsion is intense."

The players got up unsteadily and stretched out their bodies. They didn't look good by any stretch, but they still seemed able to endure.

And me.

"Heh, heh heh..."

My brain, my brain... it felt contaminated. I'd seen something so horrible I wanted to rip my eyes out. Even if the earth split open, the sky collapsed, and I got thrown into a bottomless abyss, I'd still feel better than this.

Yeah, I knew my mental state had gotten weaker. But this much? Was I really so weak that I couldn't endure a Penalty the others could? Was I? Wasn't I? Was I right? I don't know.

I was about to slam my forehead from the headache, then barely stopped myself. I almost regressed. But why shouldn't I regress? Why? Ah. Right. I have the plan that Perfect Kim Jun-ho made. I need to follow that.

I pulled out the leaf I'd carefully stored away and stared at it until my eyes burned.

So what's the plan?
What is it?
Why do I still not know?
Why? Why? Why?
Am I an idiot?
Is that why I can't even recognize the plan I made myself?

No, that can't be right.
Then is the plan wrong?
But I made the plan.
So that still means I'm an idiot.
I'm an idiot.
I'm human trash, a worthless loser with no life, not fit to stand beside Choi Ji-won.

No, no. Too far. I just need to figure out the leaf.

Half.
A leaf cut in half, cut along a diagonal line.
Leaf.
Leaf.
Diagonal line.
Diagonal line?

"Ah?"

It felt strange. My thoughts flowed in directions I could never imagine normally, and those directions uncovered new meaning. I split apart the words "diagonal line," dismantled them, then put them back together... and found the meaning hidden inside.

Ah. So that was it. That was it.
Perfect Kim Jun-ho, that bastard, was pretty wicked.
He hid it this deeply.
If I wasn't Kim Jun-ho too, I never could've figured it out.
But I did.
Because it's me.

"Hey, are you okay? Your expression looks weird..."

One of the players came over, but I brushed them off. This was a moment of enlightenment. I wanted to savor it. Omnipotence. Right now, this world felt endlessly delightful.

"...I got it."

I understood it perfectly. The secret tied to the leaf cut along a diagonal line.

"...That bastard looks like he finally snapped."

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