WeTried Translations

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 062

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The Regressor likes a satisfying resolution (4)

Running.

Running.

And running again.

I was running down the narrow cave path over and over again.

"Shit, shit... Gyeong-jun-nim! Do something!"

"Hah, hah, when, when is it going to work..."

"Huuk, huuk, that... it should be working... this is strange... I'm sorry..."

I kept urging Gyeong-jun on, but all that came back was a listless lament.

Grrrrrrrr!

Having shrunk its body, that same monster wolf was chasing us like crazy from behind.

Flash!

As if it had used some kind of skill, the monster wolf leaped forward, its pure white fur burning blue.

Claaaaang!!!

I was able to parry its fangs with good timing, but I was slowly reaching my limit.

My arm was numb from blocking several attacks already, and I was breathless—my lungs screaming for air.

"God dammit..."

The situation...

How did the situation get like this...

"Shit..."

The feeling of my nose bone cracking is still vivid.

If my body had been in a normal state, I would have somehow caught my balance with my arms even while falling forward, but I couldn't because my arm was momentarily paralyzed from blocking the giant wolf's surprise attack.

I guess dodging is the answer for me rather than blocking. If my posture for blocking that last attack had been even a little off, my wrist would have been gone, or my shoulder, or my fingers would have broken. I would have regressed immediately. Even though I've entered the ranks of superhumans, the human body is just this fragile.

"Hoo..."

Just as I was briefly reviewing the previous battle and giving myself some feedback on how I should have handled it.

“…”

A chilly, sharp feeling just wouldn't go away. At first, I thought it was the wolf's killing intent lingering... but the feeling was strange, so I moved the hand covering my face.

"...Hm."

When I opened my eyes, they met with Kang Chan's, who was staring at me with a blank expression.

It seems he heard me mutter 'shit...'.

Could it be... he thought I said it to him? No, the situation does make it seem that way.

"...Uh, I wasn't talking to you..."

I briefly considered acting tough like a punk here, but seeing Chan's cold eyes somehow reminded me of Ji-won from the Tutorial, so I gave up on the idea.

It would be more rational to start building up some goodwill now, rather than getting annoyed for no reason, taking a hit, and regressing.

"...The others are waiting."

As if accepting my apology, Chan said what he needed to in a low, deep voice and left the den I was in.

“…”

Kang Chan. Just as the descriptions of him on the internet varied widely, the man I met in person was also an unpredictable character.

For one, I've never met anyone in real life who uses the word 'brat' besides YouTubers. On top of that, he's unbelievably quiet and always maintains a blank expression as if life is transient and all is vanity.

Furthermore, he constantly radiates a subtle pressure or killing intent, maybe? Without a moment's rest... What in the world is he looking out for that he can't let his guard down? Does he also regress if he gets grazed, like me?

"...If we fought, would I win?"

I was inwardly curious about how strong Chan was. For starters, even his name sounds damn strong.

Judging by his well-trained muscles and that aura, he seems to be a powerhouse on a similar level to Choi Ji-won... Well, I'll find out when I see him fight the giant wolf.

I got up, patted the dirt from my back, and walked out along the cave path.

This time, I won't be caught by a surprise attack.

What followed was the same as the last cycle.

We all gathered and introduced ourselves. I acted surprised upon hearing Kang Chan's name. We opened the stone gate, grabbed our weapons, and walked endlessly down the narrow cave path.

“…”

I wonder how long we walked while dealing with goblins and bats.

After walking for a long while, that familiar large cavern came into view in the distance.

"Woah...!"

I suddenly jumped on the spot as if I had felt something. It's a little embarrassing, but it can't be helped.

-Curiosity[A]

-Opposites tend to attract. People feel an unexplainable curiosity towards you and are instinctively drawn to you.

My plan is to use the Curiosity trait here to firmly draw their attention.

"Kuh..."

I stumble backwards as if wary of something, and even force out a drop of cold sweat.

My gaze was fixed, consistently, toward the ceiling.

That's right.

"Something... I feel something. It's quite strong..."

If I suddenly say, 'Hey guys, I think a monster wolf is gonna pop out of the ceiling,' it wouldn't be persuasive, and I can't reveal my Regression either. 

So, as the second-best option, I'm pretending to have detected the monster wolf in advance using a sharp intuition.

"First, if we attack with Gyeong-jun-ssi's javelin..."

Just as I was explaining in a very roundabout way that 'the monster wolf is on the ceiling'.

"Wait."

The one who cut me off was Kang Chan.

He suddenly frowned deeply.

Fwoosh!

And began to emit an insanely thick killing intent!

"!"

Startled, I stumbled back away from him.

Just how many people has this man killed? The hairs on my skin stood on end, and the phantom smell of blood filled my nostrils.

Feeling threatened, I drew my sword without thinking, and Su-hee, also surprised, held a dagger in each hand.

"Uh, eu, no no. He’s an ally! Wait a minute!"

Gyeong-jun was on the verge of spouting nonsense into the air as if he'd lost his mind.

But the killing intent that had instantly filled the space vanished just as quickly.

"...I'll be back soon."

Chan, his face still contorted in a deep frown, began to walk back the way we came.

"Uh, where are..."

But Chan didn't answer. He just walked silently, streams of killing intent pouring from his entire body.

“…”

“...”

Did he sense something?

Should I follow him, or should I wait as he said?

My brain felt frozen by the sudden turn of events, and I stood there with my mouth agape.

"...Excuse me, Jun-ho-ssi."

This time, Gyeong-jun gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

"...Since you said a battle is imminent, there's something I should tell you now."

"...What is it?"

"My ability... I can't control it."

“...”

What...

What is this situation...?

Spirit Descent.

It's a word that means a supernatural being possessing a person or object.

In reality, a shaman receiving a divine possession and riding blade-ladders is a form of Spirit Descent, and in fiction, it's a skill mainly used by practitioners of oriental fantasy, like shrine maidens or sorcerers, rather than those of a western fantasy sensibility.

"My trait is... 'Spirit Descent'. To be precise, the spirit attached to me right now is my trait, and I can voluntarily hand over control of my body..."

Therefore, when Gyeong-jun revealed his trait to be 'Spirit Descent', the awkward silence that hung in the air was, in a way, inevitable.

"Perhaps... the reason you entered Floor 3-5 was also..."

Su-hee asked cautiously.

"That's right... Because of the coercion of this spirit attached to me, I was forced to enter Floor 3-5... It threatened that if I didn't enter the most difficult level, it would make sure I could never sleep again for the rest of my life..."

Gyeong-jun nodded weakly.

I see. I was wondering for what reason a timid person like Gyeong-jun had entered the most difficult level. It wasn't of his own free will, but the will of the spirit attached to him.

"More importantly, what do you mean you can't control it?"

"...First, the activation condition is that I must feel my life is threatened for it to activate."

“...”

A moment ago, when Chan unleashed his killing intent, was he trying to stop the Spirit Descent? I thought he was just spouting nonsense into the air, but it seems that wasn't the case.

According to Gyeong-jun, the spirit attached to his body is a master of spearmanship. It's skilled not only with javelins but also with basic spear techniques.

"But the condition of having to feel a threat to my life is already a pretty arbitrary standard, and the real problem is what happens after the Spirit Descent..."

The problem is, after the Spirit Descent, he literally can't be controlled. It doesn't seem to be an evil spirit, as it listens to Gyeong-jun's requests, but its personality is said to be quite selfish.

Activation, effect, and end-point are all bizarre for this Spirit Descent. I could understand why Gyeong-jun was reluctant to activate his trait.

"So, I'm a little hesitant to proactively start a fight..."

"...But if we wait for Chan to fight, he doesn't seem to be coming at all..."

Even after about 30 minutes had passed, there was no sign of Kang Chan returning. Should we just wait indefinitely as Ahn Gyeong-jun said?

"Excuse me... but some level of cooperation is possible, right? With that spirit."

The one who spoke up then was Su-hee.

"Junho-nim, should the three of us just give it a try? I've thought about it... and I think it's possible with the three of us."

Su-hee took daggers out from her clothes and carefully explained her trait.

"I don't know about other things... but I'm confident in my destructive power. Especially, I think my trait will match really well with Gyeong-jun-nim's."

It was a very unexpected trait, different from Su-hee's first impression... but if what she said was true, it didn't seem impossible for the three of us to defeat the monster wolf.

"...The spirit says it seems okay too..."

"...Then what the hell, let's do it."

Right, if it all goes to shit, I can just regress.

I steeled my resolve for the three of us to subdue that wolf bastard.

“…”

The three of us slowly entered the cavern and soon looked up to face the wolf holding its breath on the ceiling.

Grrrrr...

As if it realized it had been spotted, the monster wolf came down from the ceiling and began to growl.

Even I could feel my skin tingle from the killing intent it was emitting.

"...Let's go! Gyeong-jun-ssi!"

But it's fine. Because with the three of us, it was an enemy we could definitely beat.

Dok Su-hee held daggers in a reverse grip in both hands, and I drew my sword from its sheath.

It's a 3 versus 1 situation... but it's fine. With our trio's combination... we can definitely win...!

"Um..."

But Gyeong-jun's voice was too small and weak to be that of someone who had undergone Spirit Descent.

"Why isn't it working... I'm so scared I'm going to die..."

He said the Spirit Descent wasn't working well, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

"This isn't... right..."

“...”

“...”

Su-hee and I stared blankly at Gyeong-jun.

Slurp.

The moment the giant monster wolf licked its lips once, as if it had found a tasty snack.

"...Let's just bolt back the way we came for now."

As if by agreement, the three of us started running like crazy back down the path we had just walked.

Footnotes:

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