WeTried Translations

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 028

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The boss is too weak (8)

I once thought it would be hilarious if I regressed because my grip tore while learning the sword here, but that did not happen.

That was because Choi Ji-won just had me watch, holding my sword.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Slowly, with a precise stance, Choi Ji-won swung her sword.

After repeating one motion several times, she would look at me and ask, "Did you memorize it?"

Each time, I would nod my head slightly.

When I nodded, she would show me the next motion without delay.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

This is the first time I'm learning by observing Choi Ji-won's swordsmanship, rather than showing her mine and having it corrected.

"This is a good stance to use when you've lost your balance."

Choi Ji-won's swordsmanship was not flashy.

How to put more power into the sword. How to maintain a stable stance. How to effectively react to an enemy's movements.

I'm no expert in swordsmanship, but I got a strong impression that it was 'faithful to the fundamentals'.

It felt less like watching the legendary martial arts forms of the Huashan Sect, and more like watching a copy of 'The Standard of Swordsmanship [Basics]'.

I suppose I shouldn't expect flair from modern swordsmanship. I find it more amazing that Choi Ji-won knows how to handle a real sword at all.

And so, about an hour had passed since Choi Ji-won started swinging her sword.

-[You have acquired a trait.]

-Swordsmanship [F]

"Hoo..."

Choi Ji-won caught her breath.

I decided to deliver the good news to her.

"I got a trait."

"...Really? What's the grade?"

"...F."

I finally have a Swordsmanship trait now.

It means that after all the hard work I put into learning the sword, my level has finally reached F-grade.

Honestly, isn't this the normal way to acquire traits? Getting them from emotions is the abnormal part.

"As for the sword... I think I've taught you everything I can. From now on, you can slowly get used to it by repeating your regressions. Or you could get a cool new swordsmanship style."

Choi Ji-won wiped a bead of sweat that trickled down her forehead with her arm.

Although her sword movements were endlessly slow, it seemed she had concentrated immensely to maintain a perfect stance.

"But why are you teaching me swordsmanship?"

"...Because I want to help."

"No, even if you say that... oh."

I stopped talking and shut my mouth. Ji-won suddenly, and slowly, bowed deeply from the waist.

Ji-won, bent at a perfect 90-degree angle.

"...What's wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry."

"..."

"Because of my lack of training in mind and body... I made things difficult for you. I'm sorry."

I immediately knew what she was talking about.

After all, the story of my past that I had just shared included Ji-won's 'slice' dozens of times.

"First... straighten your back. Let's sit and talk. It's not even something you did in this cycle, is it?"

In fact, from Ji-won's perspective, it wasn't even something she did. There was no 'slice' in this cycle, after all.

She was apologizing purely based on my words. I felt uncomfortable receiving such a formal apology.

"...Okay."

Ji-won obediently straightened up and sat in front of me.

"Hoo..."

My feelings were quite complicated, making it very difficult to express them in words.

I like Choi Ji-won.

I like her good heart that tries to protect the weak, her sense of justice, and her powerful strength, all of it.

But at the same time, I fucking hate Choi Ji-won. She's like a crazy woman.

She slices the bridge of my nose with a sword just for asking what college she went to.

She knocks me out for being suspicious just because I lied.

She mistakes me for a pervert on her own whim and kicks the hell out of me.

"You. What is wrong with your personality. Why do your fists fly out first?"

She is a woman so barbaric that it's hard to believe she came from the modern era.

To be fair, it's not really an issue of the era.

No matter how barbaric the Stone Age was, if she had acted like that back then, there would have been a cave painting in a cave with the content 'Choi Ji-won is a crazy woman'.

"That's... hmph..."

Ji-won blushed, a truly rare sight.

After a long moment of deliberation, she undid the scabbard at her waist and placed it on the ground.

"It's this one's fault."

"...What?"

No, I mean, even if you have nothing else to blame, you're going to blame the sword?

I've seen many cases of people blaming their parents or the world, but this is the first time I've seen someone blame their own sword.

But her expression was too serious to dismiss it as a joke.

Ji-won gently stroked the sword lying on the ground.

"Among the traits I have... there is one called Sword and Soul as One. It looks like this on the status window."

She began to write characters on the dirt floor with her fingertip.

-Sword and Soul as One [SSS]

-A realm where the person becomes the sword and the sword becomes the person. The person gains the blade’s sharpness and toughness, while the sword gains human wisdom.

"...I don't get it even after reading it. This explanation is too vague."

"It's a trait where, literally, Bung-bung and I become closer to each other's essence. Oh, for reference, Bung-bung is the name of this sword."

"..."

Bung-bung. That's a fucking cute name for a sword.

More importantly, I didn't quite understand what a trait where a person and a sword become one was.

"I think you need to explain a bit more."

"To put it simply... my body has become strong like a sword. My physical strength increased, my senses became sharper... anyway, you can see it as an overall improvement of my physical abilities."

"...Aha."

"The reason I always swing my sword in the clearing is to adapt to my improved physical abilities. It's not to find some hidden piece like you thought."

Is that so?

And here I was, thinking she was aiming for an achievement like 'Hidden Achievement: Swing a sword 10,000 times in the Tutorial'.

It seems there was a valid reason after all.

"But... what does that have to do with you hitting me?"

But the explanation was still insufficient.

What does having to adapt to improved physical abilities have to do with her suddenly flying off the handle and beating me like a dog every time?

Ji-won, her face still flushed, shook her head.

"...It seems I wasn't the only one who needed to adapt."

"...What?"

"Bung-bung... gained an ego thanks to the trait. It shares memories and thoughts with me. It can even move my body if it wants to. Because we are one."

"..."

Sword and Soul as One. The realm where human and sword become one.

Have Ji-won and Bung-bung literally become one?

So to speak, it feels like two personalities coexisting and cooperating in one body.

Ji-won scratched the back of her head as if embarrassed.

"Bung-bung is still mentally very young... so it's very immature when it comes to controlling its emotions. When it feels anger, its fists fly first, and when it feels suspicion, it subdues first and asks questions later."

"Uh... um..."

"Usually, my will stops Bung-bung's movements... but when I also get excited or suspicious, it's hard to stop the fists from flying. Actually, I knocked out two people before joining you..."

"..."

I was at a loss for words, just opening and closing my mouth like a fish.

The shocking truth. The one who had been beating me up all this time was actually a sword called 'Bung-bung'.

Age: 7 days. Not 7 years, 7 days.

Come to think of it, Choi Ji-won was always muttering to herself.

I also have a habit of muttering like a web novel protagonist, so I just let it slide, but now I think she was actually talking to her sword.

"...But you said you can read each other's thoughts. Is there really a need to speak out loud?"

"...I was just organizing my thoughts by speaking them aloud..."

"Aha."

Whatever the case, it was revealed that the true identity of the crazy woman Choi Ji-won, whose blade was faster than her words, was the doing of a young sword that had only recently gained an ego.

This means Choi Ji-won was more of a bystander, or a passive accomplice.

Of course, that didn't suddenly make me like Ji-won or anything.

Ji-won, didn't your fists fly because you sympathized with Bung-bung's emotions? You said you could stop it if you had different thoughts.

In the end... it seems Ji-won is hot-headed too. It's also true that she is fundamentally ill-mannered.

The only difference is that Ji-won has the self-control to stop her fists, while Bung-bung does not.

"I need to receive an apology."

I crossed my arms like an arrogant CEO and stared at Choi Ji-won.

"Right, if my apology is not enough, I will..."

"No. I need to get an apology from the party involved. Tell Bung-bung to come out."

I've already received an apology from Ji-won. This is a matter I need to discuss with the one responsible.

"...Just a moment."

Ji-won closed her eyes and entered into a heated discussion with Bung-bung.

How much time had passed?

The face of Ji-won, which had been deeply frowning, suddenly became completely expressionless.

Ji-won's usual expression is also blank, but this was something beyond that.

It was slightly unsettling to look at.

"...You wanted an apology."

A human voice normally has a basic pitch and intonation, but the current Ji-won had none of that.

"...Are you Bung-bung?"

"Yes."

Choi Ji-won, no, Bung-bung, speaking with a completely expressionless face.

It seems Bung-bung is not used to acting like a human. It needs to learn how to make facial expressions.

It's very alien. Something... something is off.

"Kim Jun-ho. I'm sorry."

Bung-bung uttered words of apology without any expression.

"But separate from being sorry, it's not my fault. I never tried to kill a person. I only subdued them. Rather than being my fault, your trait is the weird one."

"..."

I told it to apologize, and Bung-bung gave me an excuse. But it's somewhat correct.

"Hey! Are you going to act like that?"

This time, Ji-won's personality popped out and got annoyed at Bung-bung.

"Hoo... I'll talk some sense into it, and get a proper apology..."

"No. It's fine. It's true, what it said."

Again, that thing is a being that was born 7 days ago.

I think expecting a mature apology is asking too much. I should find meaning in the fact that I heard the words 'I'm sorry'.

And since it's true that my trait is weird, I wasn't even angry.

Besides, what am I going to do, punch a sword because I'm annoyed? There's a high chance my fist would get scraped and I'd just regress.

Well, I got the apology I wanted...

"...So what are you going to do now."

I threw a fundamental question at Ji-won.

We had a reasonably enjoyable chat, but the situation hasn't changed much.

There was no hope left here, and everyone was just waiting for their predetermined ruin.

In a situation like this, the calm Ji-won is the strange one.

"...Kim Jun-ho. Before you regress, shouldn't you gain something?"

Ji-won said my name as if savoring it.

"You. You said that if a person feels a strong emotion, you can acquire it as a trait, right?"

"...That's right."

"Have you gotten a trait from me?"

"No. Not even once."

Even now, on the verge of death, Ji-won was composed. There was no way getting a trait from her would be easy.

"Hmm..."

Ji-won closed her eyes and fell into thought.

The eyelashes casting a shadow over her closed eyes were long.

"I've been thinking... I don't think we know each other very well. Wouldn't it be difficult to feel a strong emotion for a stranger?"

Ji-won suddenly stated the obvious.

"...Well, that's true."

We met in the Tower in the first place, so what is there to know or not know?

"We can just get to know each other from now on, can't we?"

Ji-won smiled faintly again. That smile, never overdone, was quite nice to see.

"Then... from now on."

On an island where ruin is predetermined.

"I'll tell you about my life. You tell me about yours."

Choi Ji-won began to speak.

Author note:

Bung-bung, you rascal...!

How dare you give the readers such a frustrating development...!

I will call you aside and give you a proper scolding...!

Footnotes:

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