WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 081

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The Regressor is flustered (2)

The 2nd floor was relatively easy to clear, which was why I could come to the 1st floor and visit the real world frequently too.

But this was my first time ever clearing the 3rd floor. I had spent an incredibly long time stuck at the arrow trap, so in terms of my own perceived time, it felt like I was returning to reality after almost half a year.

“Hoo, haa…”

After breathing nothing but the damp, musty cave air for so long, the acrid air of Seoul truly felt like it was opening up my chest.

And so, the very first thing I did upon returning to my dearly missed studio apartment…

Trrr.

Was call Choi Ji-won and Park Cheol-jin.

– After the beep, you will be connected to voicemail…

“…Not yet, huh.”

I did not think the two of them would fail to clear it. Park Cheol-jin was a little questionable, but Choi Ji-won possessed the power to shatter even Floor 3-5.

After sending a text to ask how they were doing, the next thing I did was search the internet.

-Floor 3-1 Clear Review

-Barely made it out of Floor 3-3 alive. Taking questions.

-Went into Floor 3-2 with a friend, seems like we got split into different trials. But I still can’t get in contact with him…

“…How strange.”

As I scrolled through the posts, I noticed a peculiar fact.

-How did you guys deal with the room where 5 wild dogs jump out at the start?

-Wild dogs? I got goblins though?

-What’s your difficulty?

-I’m 3-2?

-Huh? Me too?

Even people who had entered and exited the same difficulty level had experienced different trials.

Some got goblins, some got wild dogs, some got orcs, and some got slimes.

Putting together the testimonies, the difficulty seemed to be roughly similar, but the specific details were completely different.

I could only speculate that perhaps the content of the trials changed depending on the person who entered.

“There’s no talk about the red room.”

No matter how much I searched the internet, there was no mention of a red door suddenly appearing in the final room, so it seemed to be a unique gimmick exclusive to Floor 3-5.

“…I’ve seen enough for now…”

After a rough search of the internet, including foreign websites, the next thing I did was…

“…So, what is this thing.”

I began to inspect the rewards I obtained from the 3rd floor.

Creeak.

First, I decided to open the box to check its contents.

“A potion… and another potion… and what’s this ‘empty’? And… what is this?”

Something that caught my eye, I pulled it out of the box.

“…Hmm.”

It was a shimmering blue liquid sloshing inside a thick glass bottle. Maybe because it was blue, it reminded me of a mana potion.

But is a mana potion even meaningful for me? Since I can’t handle mana anyway.

“…Tsk.”

Just as I smacked my lips and was about to put the liquid back into the box.

-Upon consumption, you can obtain a certain amount of experience points.

-This is a unique item. (Cannot be duplicated.)

“…Huh?”

My eyes, which had been mindlessly reading the description, shot wide open.

I can get experience points? By drinking this?

I hurriedly checked the rest of the box and found nine more glass bottles of the same design.

“…Wait a minute.”

Currently, my status window looked like this.

[Name: Kim Jun-ho] [LV: 21]

[Traits]

-Regression [EX]

-Flash Step [S]

-Heart of Lightning Flash [S]

-Curiosity [A]

-Awe [A]

-Hero [C]

-Swordsmanship [D]

“…Was Swordsmanship always D-grade?”

Anyway, the LV there wasn't a normal level, but an achievement level.

Even when I killed monsters, the message ‘The gap in level is too great’ would appear and I couldn't gain experience, which limited my growth.

I wanted to get stronger, but I couldn't. Level grinding, one of the privileges of a regressor, was blocked for me.

“But…!”

If it’s the Elixir of Experience.

If it’s an Elixir of Experience that just gives a fixed amount of experience, without any regard for gaps in level or anything else…!

“…”

Gulp. Gulp.

Carefully, but boldly, I downed the entire bottle in one go.

The taste was bizarre, like a decoction of seal and herbal medicine mixed with soda, but… for the sake of my growth, I could endure it.

Just as I finished the entire bottle, a message window finally appeared before my eyes.

[You have no level, so the experience will be accumulated. The accumulated experience will be applied all at once the moment you level up.]

“Ah.”

…Right, there’s no way it would be that easy.

Even though I had essentially wasted one bottle of the Elixir of Experience, I still had nine left. It would be good to give them all to someone, or perhaps exchange them for other items.

“…Alright, this time…”

The next thing to check was the scabbard the statue had given me.

No matter how I looked at it, left or right, it was just an ordinary scabbard.

It was remarkably sturdy because it was a reward from the Tower, but it was nothing more and nothing less.

Just in case, I used the 1st floor’s function to create a sword and tried putting it into the scabbard… but nothing happened.

Seriously, did it give this to me to use as a weapon? No. It’s more logical to assume there is something to it, but it’s either sealed or I’m just unable to utilize it yet.

“…Hoo.”

I wrestled with the scabbard for a good while after that, but there were no meaningful results.

After studying the scabbard to the point of exhaustion.

To commemorate my return to Floor 1 after so long, I created everything I had been craving, like pizza, cola, chicken, and jokbal, and ate until I felt my stomach would burst. I hadn’t eaten anything in the cave, so my appetite exploded all at once.

After satisfying my hunger, I lay down on the soft bed, watched a TV program, and fell asleep.

It was nothing special, but I was happy.

And only then could I feel it.

Wow, I was more exhausted than I thought.

A day passed.

There was still no word from Ji-won and Cheol-jin. Seeing as a whole day had passed without contact… it seemed the gimmick of floor 3-4 itself was something that took up a lot of time.

Should I wait for them before going? But what if it’s a floor with a gimmick that separates us, like this last one? Or what if it’s a floor that has to be progressed through alone?

To take an extreme case, what if it takes Ji-won over a week to get out? This time right now is critical.

“Kang Chan and Ahn Gyeong-jun said they were taking a rest…”

Chan had said he had some business and probably couldn't enter the Tower for a while.

He said that, but I think he’s waiting for the cooldown or to meet the conditions for ‘Fist’. He might have companions, but climbing the Tower without his last resort would be a suicidal act.

Gyeong-jun, too, had said he felt his own shortcomings and would take time to train.

He said his goal was to handle Spirit Descent at will. Looking at just this 3rd floor, Gyeong-jun had relied heavily on Chan's killing intent as a trigger for his Spirit Descent. If he could activate the Spirit Descent state voluntarily, Gyeong-jun could become much stronger.

“…”

Alright, so…

What should I do now?

Dok Su-hee. Kang Chan. Ahn Gyeong-jun.

I recalled the days on the 3rd floor.

The cave. The monster wolf. The mirror maze. The arrow trap. And the golem. And at the end… Dok Su-hee’s betrayal.

It was the first time I had joined forces with someone other than Choi Ji-won.

It was the first time I had regressed so many times for a single goal.

It was the first time I had been betrayed by someone, and the first time I had used regression to punish a betrayal.

“…Will this be okay?”

Me entering the 4th floor means the past becomes fixed. It means I can no longer change the future.

I asked myself. If I go to the next floor like this, will I regret it?

I’d probably regret it. There might have been a way to persuade Su-hee and enlighten her without having to take her arm.

But if I were to regress, I think I would regret it even more.

My feelings about Dok Su-hee right now were complicated. Anger towards the traitor, revulsion for the madwoman, pity for her tragic story, and guilt for getting overly agitated and taking her arm.

If I regressed and met the unknowing Su-hee again, I do not know how I would act. And after that, I do not know how my mind would change.

I mulled it over and over again.

I weighed what I would gain by not regressing against what I could gain by regressing. Can’t I just simply regress and do it over again? The mental fatigue is just too much to do that.

“…”

If I'm tired… should I rest a bit? The various delivery foods I had just feasted on, and the warm, soft bed naturally came to mind.

I wanted to play games, too. I wanted to sleep as much as I wanted. It wouldn't be bad to give myself a reward for clearing the 3rd floor.

Besides, in about a month, the coin I bought in advance would skyrocket. The social atmosphere might be chaotic, but I could enjoy myself as much as I wanted.

Enjoy myself to the fullest, then regress and do the 3rd floor again…

No, that's not right. People have inertia, and the moment you stop, it's twice as hard to start running again.

It's still bearable for now. Also, thinking about it again, the punishment for Su-hee was justified.

Above all, the relationships I've built with Gyeong-jun and Chan are solid. The situation couldn't be called perfectly optimal, but it was close to it.

Kang Chan, Ahn Gyeong-jun, Choi Ji-won, Dok Su-hee and above all, my own mental state.

After wracking my brain and constantly worrying, I finally reached a conclusion.

Let’s go to the next floor.

“…Hoo.”

Taking a deep breath, I threw myself into the portal.

[You are entering Floor 4.]

Footnotes:

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