WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

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◈ Regression is Too Much

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Chapter 362

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Regression (10)

Let me step back and look at my situation objectively for a second. I had Regression, and because of that, I'd pulled off enough strange stunts inside the Tower that my "achievement level" had climbed to a bizarre degree. But achievements were supposed to be the kind of thing you'd cheer over when you actually got one.

Plenty of people never even glimpsed one. Sure, a decent number of the advance party had unlocked their achievement level, but even then, most of them sat around 5 to 10.

My current achievement level was 92. Unlike a normal player's level, achievement level boosted every single stat, which meant even if I was weaker or a bit slower than some others, I had far better stamina and a much bigger mana pool than anyone else. Basically, I was a stupidly overgrown hexagon of stats.

So just going by the status window alone, I ranked among the very top tier of players, and within that tier, I had the added edge of a massive mana pool. Looking purely at total stat volume, I'd be an overwhelming number one. Factor in actual combat ability, and without the Hero trait, I'd probably land somewhere in the upper crust of the upper crust. I couldn't picture myself beating someone like Michael Zetter, Choi Ji-won, or Kang Chan. Well, if it came to that, I'd probably win anyway.

"But that's all future-tense talk."

The me right now was strong enough to earn labels like rule breaker, munchkin, take your pick. Monsters on the lower floors weren't even a threat. I could toy with the master of the city, an entity that wasn't even meant to be fought head-on, and still come out on top.

But after winning, if I met the archangel? If she, or he, approached me to hand over the ring like before?

A status window that shouldn't exist on Floor 2. A sturdy body. Mana overflowing. And, by my own estimate, a presence that had clearly been through training.

This was only Floor 2 of the Tower. Did it make any sense for someone who'd just barely cleared the Tutorial to be this strong? No. Absolutely not. There was no way it could look like anything but the result of abnormal methods.

Right, if I met the archangel, my regression would almost certainly get discovered. Even if the method itself, "Regression," stayed hidden, drawing the archangel's attention was a given.

The risk was clear. The archangel might find out about my regression. Whether that ended up helping or hurting me, I couldn't say, but the real problem was creating a massive variable I couldn't control. No matter how good I was, I was no match for an archangel. I couldn't even cross space and appear somewhere out of nowhere to begin with.

Against that, what did I stand to gain? For one, I could get my hands on the ring that would end my regression for good. The diamond reward included an Elixir as a bonus. (Heart of Lightning Flash and Flash Step I already had, so those meant nothing extra.) Honestly, the ring alone was reason enough.

So what if I didn't meet the archangel? What if I settled for a reasonable reward and just moved on? Sure, missing out on the reward would sting, but I could avoid poking the massive variable that was the archangel. No, wait. Could I actually avoid it?

"...Hm."

Every other floor's archangel had been conspicuously absent, all "stepped away," "currently occupied," never showing so much as a shadow, but Raphael was the one exception. He'd actually revealed himself. To put it plainly, Raphael hadn't gone anywhere. And he oversaw Floors 1 through 5.

Could I hide from him even if I tried? I could probably manage not to draw attention. But I already planned to get the Elixir on Floor 4. Wouldn't he take notice of me at least once then? No, hadn't he already been watching me, even before I actually regressed?

"So no matter what I do, there's a chance I get caught either way."

If I did absolutely nothing and quietly cleared through to Floor 5, I might avoid detection. But then I'd have to give up the Elixir, give up my bond with Kang Chan and the other players, and after keeping such a low profile the whole way, getting caught anyway would feel unbearably unfair.

Archangels weren't like humans. Just because I wanted to deceive one didn't mean I could. If I had to go through with this at all.

"...I should give away as little information as possible."

Let's try to steer him into a misunderstanding.

-You have entered Floor 2.

I contacted Choi Ji-won and entered Floor 2 at exactly the same moment as her. (Firefighter Park Cheol-jin came along for the ride too.)

<Floor 2>
-Clear Condition: Gain the recognition of a city resident and bring back the sigil of recognition to clear. However, you must not leave the city area. Get along with your fellow climbers!
-Clear Reward: Varies depending on the grade of the sigil.

"Ah, good to see you, climber-nim! Welcome!"

"Yeah. Long time no see."

"Uh, yes! It's been a while! Have we met before?"

"No."

"...?"

I greeted the placard angel Anael, back after so long, and took a good long look around Floor 2's scenery again. This city, familiar from way back. Nostalgia mixed with a sting of old memories. I'd suffered plenty here. If I cleared Floor 2 in a different way this time, would Anael even keep running this floor going forward? No idea.

Anyway, once I'd taken in the sights, I moved through the city as usual and collected bronze and silver sigils. Between actually being strong and having myself plastered head to toe with useful traits like Awe and Hero, convincing the residents was easy work. A few other players tried starting trouble along the way, but a look was enough to shut them down.

"Follow that woman."

"Ah, understood. Noble one."

"Let's go!!!"

"Waaaaaaah!!!"

I hid behind Choi Ji-won and stirred up the rebellion just like before. It worked. Everyone gathered in the central plaza, the placard angel Anael panicked into a full meltdown, and the other players hung back to watch from the shadows.

"Pleasure to meet you. I am the master of this city."

Finally, the master of the city showed up. Like he already knew who the real threat was, he spoke while looking straight at me standing behind Choi Ji-won, not at her. Only when I didn't react did his gaze finally shift over to her.

"Well then, here's your diamond sigil. Now, how about you drop that bag and just leave? Or would you rather fight me and win the residents' freedom yourself?"

"I'll fight."

"You want to fight? ...Understood."

The master of the city faced Choi Ji-won with a hardened expression, but he never stood a chance from the start. Not only was Choi Ji-won far from weak enough to get steamrolled, but I was quietly feeding chill into the fight from a distance, keeping his full power in check. His knees and arms kept locking up mid-motion. How was he supposed to fight like that?

-Shwack!!!

"Ngh...!"

"Sh, she won!!!"

"I can't believe my eyes..."

Choi Ji-won claimed victory, smooth as ever. While she caught her breath, exhausted, I quietly spread my mana out and knocked every conscious player in the area unconscious.

-[Wondrous Achievement Notification!]

-You have succeeded in neutralizing the hidden boss, 'Master of the City'!

-A special reward will be given to [Kim Jun-ho] for his great contribution!

"Can't let that name be seen."

This had to go down as Choi Ji-won's doing. I couldn't let my name slip in there.

"Congratulations!"

While I spread my mana around, that same brilliant pillar of light rose up in the center of the plaza, baby angels blowing trumpets appeared in midair, and Archangel Raphael stepped out of the light.

"Well then, looks like I won't need to heal anyone this time."

Raphael looked around the plaza, smiling like he was pleased with himself. In the original timeline, he'd been the one to knock out the other players, but this time I'd beaten him to it.

"Well, works out well for me. Come here, you."

"Hi, hieeek...!!!"

"Stay still. If you've done wrong, the least you can do is own up to it properly."

"Don't punish him. Let's just talk."

"...Fine, we'll do that."

After saving Anael the same way I had before, I treated Raphael with as ordinary an attitude as I could manage. This was exactly my play.

My current strength defied explanation. My stats weren't normal. Neither were my skills. Of course Raphael would grow suspicious of me.

But what if I just acted completely unbothered? What if I gave away no evidence at all? What if I carried myself like this was nothing unusual, business as usual?

Raphael would notice I was special. That much was certain. But he wouldn't know I was a "regressor."

There was no avoiding the fact that I'd be marked as special. But I didn't want him figuring out I was a regressor too. So if I gave away as little information as possible, Raphael wouldn't be able to conclude anything for certain. Whether I was a regressor, a returnee, or some monster the god had arranged, he wouldn't be able to say for sure.

'So, how are you going to play this.'

If I acted like an ordinary player who'd struggled his way through the Tower, how would Raphael respond? Would he ask me outright who I really was? Or would he try to feel me out? Divine power? Would he try to see through me with divine power? I tensed up on the inside, but kept my face completely blank as I carried the conversation forward with Raphael.

And, incredibly.

"Change Floor 2."

"The part you don't like is probably the bit where you're forced into evil acts just to earn a good reward, isn't it? I'll fix the rule. I'll scrap the sigil box, and... rewards of gold grade or higher will now require proving a certain level of strength to earn. Ah, and scrapping the sigil box means the residents will just be left alone, treated like what you'd call NPCs."

The meeting with Archangel Raphael played out almost identically to how I remembered it, as far as I could tell. The only difference was that I didn't push him to explain his motives, and he didn't find that strange either.

I got the ring, got the promise of the diamond reward, and changed Floor 2 too. I'd walked into the negotiation and walked out with everything I wanted.

"Well then, I believe that covers everything... This was a productive time, Jun-ho-nim."

The archangel drifted away along with the pillar of light. I stared blankly at the spot where he'd vanished.

"..."

The disaster I'd been so worried about never happened. I'd gotten the ring clean, and I'd successfully cleared and reshaped Floor 2 exactly as I wanted. Things couldn't have gone more smoothly if I'd tried.

Maybe the right move was just to be grateful for the luck. Maybe I should nod in satisfaction and start prepping for Floor 3. Maybe the Raphael I'd just seen wasn't even his true body, and that's why he hadn't properly sensed my strength.

"Something's off."

But whether it was because I was a little twisted in the head, or because I'd been burned by this Tower one too many times, or because I just didn't trust archangels as a species, I couldn't take this luck at face value. It felt off in some deeply unsettling way, a kind of luck that left a bad aftertaste. A thick sense of wrongness clung to it.

I felt like I'd been through something like this before. That same feeling, where nothing seems wrong, and that's exactly what makes it feel so wrong...

I thought it over, and then I realized when I'd felt this before.

It was the same feeling as when I fooled the Heavenly Demon on Floor 28.

"..."

There was no doubt about it now.

Archangel Raphael had just performed the act of "noticing absolutely nothing."

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