Regression is Too Much - Chapter 63

WeTried Translations

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 063

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The Regressor likes a satisfying resolution (5)

"Run!"

The three of us simultaneously started running towards the passage we had used to enter the cavern.

"Groooan!"

The monster wolf, as if refusing to let us go so easily, leaped high into the air.

Was it going to attack us from above? I tightened my grip on my sword in preparation for the impact, but

"?!"

The beast’s target wasn't us, but to block the very passage we were running through with its body.

It had the intelligence to hide itself on the ceiling, so I suppose it figured out immediately that we were trying to escape. With the wolf blocking the only exit, we were trapped in a sealed room in an instant.

"W-what do we do?!"

Just as a panicked Gyeong-jun’s pace began to slow.

"Just keep running!"

Su-hee, who had momentarily pushed Gyeong-jun's back, pulled out two daggers from her coat.

"Hup!"

Su-hee threw the dagger in her right hand straight at the wolf.

"Grrrrrr!"

The monster wolf, perhaps wary of the strike, leaped to the side to dodge the dagger, but…

Clang!

Dok Su-hee’s dagger simply hit the wall weakly before falling to the floor.

"Now's our chance!"

Despite the dagger's underwhelming power, an opening was created because the wolf had been overly cautious. It was an opening that would let us squeeze into the passage.

The three of us ran without slowing down.

"Grrrrrrrrr!"

The giant wolf, seemingly realizing it had been tricked, landed on the floor and charged at us.

"Haat!"

Su-hee let out another shout and threw her other dagger.

Crunch!

This time, however, instead of dodging, the monster wolf chose to catch the dagger with its sharp fangs.

Having just seen that the daggers weren't much of a threat, it chose to charge straight ahead without avoiding it.

And that was precisely Su-hee’s strategy. To make the wolf lower its guard with the first dagger, then land a critical hit with the second attack.

Screech!

With a bloodcurdling metallic sound, Su-hee’s dagger exploded right inside the wolf’s mouth.

"Yeeeelp!"

No matter how big it was, a wolf was still a wolf. The beast thrashed in pain as blood poured from its mouth, and we used that opening to slip into the passage.

"How was that? Pretty useful, right?"

Su-hee grinned as she ran.

The ability she had revealed was ‘Enchant’.

Usually, enchanting is focused on enhancing equipment, like granting additional effects to a weapon. It was the same for Su-hee.

"I enchanted the dagger with ‘Explosion’. Its mouth is probably tingling right now."

She could bestow various useful attributes onto her weapons, and among them, the most destructive was Explosion.

With the dagger's blade exploding in its mouth, the wolf couldn't have been unscathed. Besides, the versatility of her ability seemed absurdly high, proving that Su-hee, unlike the seemingly flawed Gyeong-jun, was a real powerhouse.

"...But if you want to make good use of Explosion, wouldn't something other than a dagger be better?"

"...My physical strength isn't enough to wield something like a spear."

Whatever the case, this gave us a moment to breathe. The wolf's body was too large to enter this narrow cave path. To force its way in, it would have to break through the walls, and that would surely take a considerable amount of time.

"Grooooowl!"

"Its body shrank?!"

No. My belief that we had some time was a delusion.

As if it came with a built-in size adjustment feature to meet modern consumer needs, the monster wolf, having shrunk its body to fit the cave, was chasing us madly while drooling blood.

"Damn it!"

A flustered Su-hee once again threw a dagger enchanted with ‘Explosion’, but…

Instead of catching it with its teeth, the monster wolf simply twisted its body to dodge the dagger.

Screech!

"Ugh..."

The dagger, exploding near the wolf’s flank, failed to penetrate its thick pelt.

"..."

After exchanging a brief glance, the three of us.

"Run!!!"

We began to run as if our feet were on fire.

Again, to the present.

"Pant, pant... ‘Iron Wall’!"

The running Dok Su-hee enchanted my sword with a defensive attribute.

"Grrrrrrrrr!"

Clang!

It was a continuous cycle of me barely managing to block the charging wolf.

"Shit, shit..."

Thanks to Su-hee’s enchants, I've been able to block its attacks so far, but if this turns into a war of attrition, we're at a clear disadvantage. This cave doesn't go on forever, after all. I couldn't help but feel anxious.

My Hero trait has been active for a while now, but it's not much help with so few people. What should I do? Should I get an Explosion enchant on my sword and crazily stab it into the wolf? Do I need to make a decisive move?

"L-look! Look at the wolf!"

But it seemed I wasn't the only one feeling impatient.

"Grrrrrrrrr...."

The monster wolf’s fur, which had been faintly shimmering with a blue light, was now glowing a solid, intense blue.

White steam billowed from its snout, and its eyes streamed with a menacing gleam.

I could feel its wild nature. It had an aura as if it was about to snap my neck at any moment.

This was certain. The wolf had also made its decisive move.

First the master of the city, and now this. Is having an awakening skill some kind of basic requirement in the Tower? It's just absurd.

"Hsss..."

Could we win? It seemed unlikely. Even if I didn't have my Regression ability, I felt I couldn't guarantee a victory in a head-on fight.

As I was running while making these calculations in my head.

"Gyeong-jun-ssi! Are you crazy?"

Gyeong-jun, who had been running fine all this time, was standing stock-still in his spot like a statue.

"..."

With a blank expression, Gyeong-jun slowly took off his glasses.

Crunch!

He gripped the glasses with both hands and completely crushed them. The lenses shattered into pieces and scattered onto the floor.

Thud.

Gyeong-jun then tossed the crumpled glasses frame at the blue-glowing monster wolf.

The flimsy remains of the glasses flew weakly, bounced off the wolf’s snout, and fell away.

"..."

A moment of silence fell.

Su-hee and I were too bewildered by the situation to make a sound.

"Grrr..."

The monster wolf, however, was cautiously crouching low, wary of something.

"...I am the great mother's first son, a great warrior, and an eternal stranger."

But Gyeong-jun, as if unconcerned by the silence, muttered in a low voice and stretched his right hand out to his side.

At some point, a crudely-shaped wooden spear had appeared in his hand.

A streamlined body. A sharply honed tip.

I could be sure just by looking at its form. That was the ‘Javelin’ Ahn Gyeong-jun had talked about.

"..."

Without a word, Gyeong-jun held the wooden spear out to Su-hee.

"Ah! Just a moment! ‘Explosion’!"

Su-hee, realizing what he intended to do, grabbed the wooden spear tightly, and it soon began to glow faintly.

"Grooooowl!"

The monster wolf, sensing its life was on the line, seized the opportunity and charged.

Its speed was incomparably swift and agile compared to any movement it had shown before but

"Many things have changed, but my calling always remains the same."

It was already too late. The monster wolf charged with all its might and Gyeong-jun’s arm swung back.

"And it is to hunt."

Thwack!

The spear, shot in a straight line like a laser, pierced the wolf's shoulder blade. At the very last second, the wolf had twisted its body to avoid a fatal wound.

However, it seemed unable to overcome the overwhelming physical force carried by the old wooden spear, as the weapon dug deep into the wolf's body.

Shatter!

The wooden spear exploded violently inside the wolf’s body.

"!!!"

Letting out a final death scream, the monster wolf’s eyes rolled back as it collapsed.

"Haa, haa..."

"Hooo..."

Su-hee and I struggled to catch our breath.

"Uh, uhh... what in the..."

And even Gyeong-jun, who, as if his Spirit Descent had worn off, was sputtering foolish words, unable to get his bearings.

The process was a bit messy and chaotic, but...

We had won.