WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 084

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The Regressor is flustered (5)

"...What do you mean by that?"

The middle-aged Caucasian man asked me, his face a mask of incomprehension.

"Isn't it a good thing that we have a lot of food? I was very worried about how we were going to feed the people behind us."

"...It's not that simple."

Baron George mentioned earlier that they also just have to endure for five days here. Five days for us, and five days for them. As long as we're human, we need to eat, sleep, and relieve ourselves, so needing food was a given. Now that the food problem was solved so easily, we should be nothing but happy. At a glance, that seemed to be correct.

"What did the message say earlier?"

"...It said to survive for five days."

It wasn't asking us to bring back a certain item like in the Tutorial or on Floor 2. Nor was it a straightforward trial placed before our eyes like on Floor 3. We just had to stay alive.

But if you thought about it in reverse, it meant the environment of Floor 4 would likely hinder our survival.

A cold winter. An isolated castle. While we could get water by melting snow, it was a difficult environment to secure food in. That's why I had secretly hoped that the challenge itself would be 'making a living'.

First, although there would be differences in the levels of the players, all of them possessed physical abilities beyond that of ordinary people.

Besides, since a castle was built here, there would be paths of some kind, there would be vegetation, and there would be something to eat. If superhumans went out to hunt, they would at least not fail.

In a truly worst-case scenario, we could probably survive for five days through sheer grit, drinking melted snow and chewing on our cold-weather clothing.

But no. There was plenty of food, and we were even given additional winter clothes. This meant that, at the very least, we wouldn't starve to death.

"...It would have been better if food was scarce."

If that's the case... it meant our survival would be threatened in a way other than starvation.

"We need to gather the players. We can't just stand around."

Monsters could swarm in from outside the castle. Or there could be a monster living in the castle's basement.

...Perhaps, some of the people aren't actually people. It could be a scenario where we thought there were a hundred players, but there were only fifty, and the other half are monsters. Or maybe all the otherworlders were monsters.

The message had announced nothing other than 'survival', so the possibilities were endless.

"Let's split up for now. Gather everyone you see, and let's meet in front of the castle in an hour. Do you agree?"

"...I'll do that."

"Let's do it."

"Good. We don't have time to be looking for some hidden piece."

Whatever was going on, we had to take action. That was the thought that came to my mind.

Shortly after, the other players scattered to every corner of the castle at my suggestion.

"..."

Baron George, who had been watching silently, cautiously opened his mouth.

"You people..."

"Yes?"

"Could it be... are you from Liften? Or Alarak? Your accents are unfamiliar. Judging by your demeanor, you seem to be mercenaries..."

"...My explanation was late, but I believe we are from another world. The only thing we have in common is that we have to survive here for five days."

I very briefly explained that the players came from Earth, and that we ended up here because some being calling himself a god suddenly thrust a Tower upon us.

"...My goodness."

Baron George stroked his bushy beard and let out a groan.

"So, in your world..."

The baron's expression, as he was about to explain something, momentarily went completely blank, then returned to normal about ten seconds later.

"...Why are you not answering?"

The person who had been speaking suddenly lost his expression and was now asking me as if I was the one who was supposed to have said something. It was a phenomenon I had seen countless times on the internet. The Tower's 'information restriction'.

"...It's nothing. For now, let's figure out what to do with the people behind you."

"I understand. I will be sure to repay this kindness."

After some discussion, Baron George and his people decided to use the rooms on the second floor. I made sure to tell them that if they happened to meet any players, to pass on the message to gather in front of the castle in an hour.

"Well then, after your 'meeting' is over... shall we have a separate talk as well. Thomas! Lead the people and follow me!"

"Yes, my lord Baron!"

Baron George led his people, who moved with disciplined precision, and they all flocked up to the second floor.

After confirming they had gone up, I turned and headed outside the castle.

"Where did you get the weapons?"

"There was a room in the basement full of only weapons. There was also a room with just raw materials like wood... it's quite diverse. More importantly, this is late, but shall we introduce ourselves? I am William Smith."

"...I'm Kim Jun-ho."

"So... Jun-ho-nim. Why are you doing that?"

The middle-aged Caucasian man who had led the other players, William Smith, asked me.

"..."

It was because I was awkwardly tucking my lips into my mouth.

Man, I didn't expect it to be this dry. The cold wind had completely dried out my lips, and I had a thought that the skin on my lips might peel off and cause me to regress. The solution I came up with was the idea of tucking my lips into my mouth.

"..."

"..."

After letting my moistened lips out, I checked the faces of the players. I had somehow ended up in the leader role, but as a regressor, it was something I'd have to accept.

"Is everyone here?"

"Everyone except for one guy who's holed up in his room near the entrance is here."

"..."

Was it that guy who threatened to resist if anyone came into his room?

No, more importantly, he was alone? He said 'we' before, so it must have been a bluff.

"So, why did you want to meet outside?"

A man with a sullen expression raised his hand and spoke. He seemed to be in a bad mood from being in the cold wind.

"The inside of the castle is too small for a hundred people to gather. The sound echoes too, so it's not a suitable environment for a meeting."

The one who answered was not me, but another man wearing glasses.

"Even if it's cold, let's bear with it for a bit. My glasses are fogging up too, so it's very annoying for me as well."

But, his appearance was familiar somehow.

"...Glasses guy?"

It was the glasses guy I saw in the Tutorial. Right, Ahn Gyeong-nam, the older brother of Ahn Gyeong-jun who I went through thick and thin with on the 3rd floor.

Now that I looked, there was another familiar face next to him. It was Baek Da-hye, the girl I had also seen in the Tutorial.

"..."

To think we'd meet again here. I considered saying hello, but those two didn't know me. The run where I had gotten somewhat involved with them had already been reset by a regression.

"Ahem, ahem. Could I have your attention for a moment, please?"

I was momentarily flustered by the unexpected faces, but that didn't change what I had to do. I used my Curiosity trait to naturally draw everyone's gazes, then repeated the same words I had said to William Smith earlier.

"...Therefore, it is reasonable to think that some threat will come at us, from either outside or inside the castle."

"Hmm..."

"Mmm..."

"That sounds plausible."

Not even two months had passed since the first Tutorial began, and this was the 4th floor. Those without a certain degree of ambition and sense couldn't have made it this far.

Besides, the message window I saw earlier had clearly stated that the goal was to survive. The gravity of having to put our lives on the line made people more rational, and the players naturally came to agree with my opinion.

But just knowing that something was coming didn't drastically change the situation.

"So, what do you think we should do, Ahjussi?"

The one who asked was the same man with the sullen expression who had asked 'why did you want to meet outside' earlier.

"You've just listed a bunch of possibilities, but it doesn't seem like you're certain about anything right now."

"..."

He was right.

I was still on my first run, and I was in a state where I didn't know what would happen.

I couldn't be sure of anything, whether something would come from outside the castle, from inside the castle, or if the castle itself was a trap.

If I had regressed at least once, I could have spouted some nonsense like 'this is the proof!', but since that was impossible.

"...For now, we have no choice but to try every possible scenario. 'Survival' is on the line, so we cannot afford to rule out any possibilities."

We would repair the castle walls to some extent, prepare barricades, and set up a night watch. At the same time, we would search every nook and cranny of the castle for anything that might be there. We had no choice but to do both.

"I've herded the otherworld residents to the second floor. We will search the basement as much as possible. Let's check everything meticulously, the walls, the floors. And if nothing comes up, we move to the first floor."

There was a reason I had guided Baron George to the second floor. It was because I judged that if a monster or a hidden piece were to appear, it would more likely be in the basement.

"Speaking of which, otherworld residents? What's with those people?"

The one who asked this time was a woman with a protruding jaw.

"...So..."

There were people inside the black hemisphere I saw earlier. They seem to have been dragged here from another world, just like on the 2nd floor, and if they survive for five days, they will return to their original world. So, I explained that we had formed something like a temporary alliance.

"..."

The woman's jaw jutted out even more, as if she were displeased.

"...Do we really have to go with those otherworlders? I mean, it's true, isn't it?"

She raised her voice, looking around as if to elicit agreement.

"This is a survival mission that just popped up out of nowhere. Even the man speaking right now said he isn't sure what will happen, right? What if those people suddenly turn into demons? No, let's say that's going too far. We are players, superhumans, and this is the 4th floor of a Tower that is trying to kill such superhumans. I don't think this is a floor where we can afford to carry hundreds of people who can't even help. Are they even worth caring about? It seems like it'll be hard enough for us to survive, don't you think?"

"..."

Hearing her words, a few people cautiously nodded their heads.

Her tone was a bit rude, but she wasn't wrong. The difficulty of the 4th floor was a complete unknown, and it didn't seem like we could afford to endure while taking hundreds of ordinary people with no combat ability with us.

Of course, from my perspective, it was right to stay with them for now. It wasn't simply 'we should help them because they're people', but because of the possibility that saving them might yield a bonus reward.

But that logic wouldn't persuade that woman. And it would be strange to say, 'I'm going to regress anyway, so please make a sacrifice for me on this run.'

"..."

What should I do? Should I make a show of force? The aura I felt from the woman was insignificant, so if I threatened her lightly, my 'Awe' trait would likely activate immediately.

As I was lost in thought, reviewing all sorts of possibilities.

"That will not be an issue."

A deep, masculine voice, clearly audible even amidst the strong winds. The accent of the automatically translated voice was somehow archaic yet unfamiliar, which had the effect of instantly capturing everyone's attention.

"I heard everything. I understand your troubles as well. But it is fine."

Thump. Thump.

A man walked naturally towards me, effortlessly taking in the pressure exuded by the players.

The faint smile on his lips was truly aristocratic. There was no other way to describe it.

"My people and I will certainly be of help to you."

There was only one man like this on the 4th floor.

"I, Baron George, guarantee it."

Footnotes:

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