Regression is Too Much - Chapter 3

WeTried Translations

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 003

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Regression is too weak (3)

“Haap!”

Shhk!

For a swing backed with everything I had, the blade cut the air with a rather limp sound.

“…Hmm.”

I had been testing whether I could hack down the grass that surrounded the clearing, and the answer—straight off—was no chance.

Maybe I lack strength or maybe I lack technique, but the stalks did not slice—they simply bent over.

The sword, sadly, was no legendary razor-edge either, which only added to the disappointment.

“Tch.”

I was picturing a stylish scene from comic books where a swordsman lets out a crisp slash and reeds fall like confetti. Copying it was clearly beyond a beginner who has not held a blade for a full day.

“Not easy, not easy at all.”

The Tower has granted me regression, it seems, but it has not thrown in sword skills.

Should I give up and do what I overheard earlier—switch to spear practice?

No. In the end, the ceiling is higher with a sword. The sword is the king of all weapons, and what I have in excess is time, so I am not quitting here.

“…”

The sky was blushing red, the sun on its way down.

My first night inside the Tower arrived.

Night in the Tower was cozier than I expected.

Colder than the day, but only a light chill. Nothing that would keep me from sleeping. The real issue was the lack of a pillow or blanket, a hardship I would simply have to get used to.

“…Eugh.”

Tossing on the ground, I was hit by a wave of hard reality.

Why, out of all things, did I have to get this ridiculous version of regression? If it were ordinary death regression, I would have left the clearing by now, poking into every corner.

Rewinding because a blade of grass nicks me, that is just unfair.

I even imagined wrapping myself head to toe in clothes before venturing out, but fighting an enemy dressed like that would be impossible.

Still, wandering and gathering information, even if I rewound, might be profitable.

Come to think of it, that is workable. I have nothing to lose. Next loop, I should try. Daytime is warm, maybe I can get extra clothes.

“Um…”

While I was grinning to myself, planning, someone tapped my shoulder.

“…What is it?”

The moonlight was strong enough that faces were clear.

It was the bob-cut girl who had crouched in a corner crying earlier. Her cute features had stuck in my memory, pretty faces tend to do that. But why was she talking to me now?

She clasped her hands politely and held them out.

“Do you… have anything to eat?”

“Ah.”

The moment she asked, I realized I was starving too. Since being summoned I had sweated buckets swinging a sword and eaten nothing.

“…I am sorry. I have nothing either…”

“Oh… okay…”

Shoulders drooping, she moved on to the next person. Judging by how quickly she tried again, hunger was gnawing at her.

“…Shit.”

Too many academy and rooftop-harem stories. My instincts are dull.

When you are pulled into a Tower, the first worry is food, water, shelter.

Water tops that list.

People can last without food for quite a while, but without water they fold in three days. I had sweated a lot earlier. Running my tongue around my mouth, I found it bone dry.

“…”

Caught up in regression fever, I had not even checked my own condition. Maybe I would need to rewind soon after all, I thought, drifting into uneasy sleep.

Morning broke.

“Fuck.”

I awoke feeling like my throat had split open. Must have slept with my mouth wide. If I had known I would transmigrate into a Tower, I would have fixed the habit at a clinic. Regret stung.

Clap, clap!

Sudden applause snapped me out of my haze.

“Everyone, could I have your attention please.”

A man streaked with gray hair was clapping, drawing every eye.

“Good morning. I am Park Cheol-jin, an active firefighter. Whether this is a prank or the world turned upside down, one thing is certain. It is real. We waited a whole day and saw no sign of rescue.”

Cheol-jin carried the aura of a tiger. His body, true to his profession, was corded with muscle.

“If we stay here we will all starve. I plan to leave the clearing and search for a water source. Who will come with me?”

His charisma was fierce. He seemed to know nothing about status windows or Towers, yet the man himself looked strong.

“…If he is a firefighter, we can trust him.”

“You really are a firefighter, right? Truly?”

Every middle-aged person left in the clearing flocked to him, and so did a handful of younger folk.

“Let us move. The ground is damp, so a river must be nearby.”

A party of roughly twenty filed out of the clearing.

The ones who remained were a few women too scared to budge, a couple of eccentrics, and me.

Not even ten in all.

“…”

Now that I thought about it, the pony-tailed woman who had practiced all day was gone. She must have followed Park Cheol-jin.

“Focus on what I can do.”

Hunger would soon claw ulcers into my stomach and trigger a rewind. Until then, I might as well grow accustomed to this sword.

I lost track of time, midday maybe?

“…Is it time to regress?”

Hunger was bad, thirst worse. While I weighed it seriously,

Rustle, rustle.

Something approached through the grass at the edge of the clearing.

“…”

The timid women bolted to the far side like startled roaches, while I tightened every muscle and raised my sword. Was it finally a monster? A wild beast?

Sweat slicked my grip.

“Huh?”

The pony-tailed woman who had vanished in the morning stepped out of the bushes.

“…Hmph.”

Incredibly, she carried an entire box of calorie bars and a thirty-pack of half-liter water bottles with her.

“Wow, unni[1], can… can we eat that?”

The bob-cut girl hurried over, full of excitement. Meeting those earnest eyes, the ponytail woman gave a small nod. She tore open the plastic and handed out food and water.

For the first time since our arrival, those of us left in the clearing could fill our bellies and wet our throats.

“Unni, unni, where did you get all this?”

Trying to get friendly, bob-cut girl clung to her.

“I killed a monster. Its body vanished and food appeared instead. It was too much for me alone, so I brought the extra.”

Food as monster loot, a trope straight out of Tower stories.

Yet that quantity… was huge. In the tales I know, one monster usually drops enough for one person.

Whatever she had slain must have been formidable, but she spoke in the light tone of someone who had just picked it up on the way back.

She tried to hide it, yet clearly she had worried about those left behind. I had thought her a sword-swinging lunatic chasing hidden pieces. Turned out she was a warm-hearted good soul.

“I want to help too!”

Now was my chance.

I sprang up and strode to her.

“Please teach me the sword! Let me become your student!”

“…Scram.”

She snapped her head away, rejection ice-cold.

But I was not quitting here. Her core was kindness. If I pleaded sincerely, she would likely take me on.

“Please, I beg you. I need the strength to protect everyone!”

Tears welled as I acted like a soldier pledging to defend the homeland.

“I am too weak to leave this clearing. It is a lifelong regret. I want the power to guard the people here!”

The desperation in my voice was so raw even bob-cut girl sniffled, but…

“I said scram.”