Regression is Too Much - Chapter 94

WeTried Translations

Translator: ZEROSUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regression is Too Much

Chapter 094

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The night is too dark (3)

"Pant, pant, pant..."

The moment I reached the basement, my eyes darted around, cautiously scanning my surroundings. There was nothing in sight, and no sign of anything approaching from behind me.

"...Hoo."

Only then did I finally check the condition of the sword in my hand. The blade was so damaged it looked more like a saw than a sword. A replacement was urgently needed, but I had left the pile of swords back in the original passage.

"Fuck."

To think the passage we blocked would be breached. Did the bastard who designed the 4th floor know we would resort to constructing a new passage? Would it have been different if we had used dirt instead of bricks? Then again, the wolf or cat monsters probably would have just dug a burrow.

More importantly, why was the basement so quiet? From above, the sounds of stomping and all sorts of monstrous screams were echoing, but this basement alone was endlessly silent.

"...It's probably because there's no one here."

The monsters had shown a tendency to move blindly upwards. There were a few possibilities, but I decided to think about that later.

"..."

Had I failed? Regression was already a certainty. The sacrifice, whether of players or otherworlders, would be anything but small.

"No, let's think positively. It's fine."

I had gained a lot of information. I learned that if the entrance was blocked carelessly, the cat monsters could infiltrate, and I found out what secrets were hidden on each floor.

I also learned that on the fourth day, slime monsters appear and melt the barricades. Would it work if we carefully removed the bricks and used them to block the way without breaking them? No, that would slow down the work speed to a crawl.

Still, it was fine. If I regress, I can do it again.

If I regress...

"..."

I would have to start acting all over again.

I would have to get a grip on the player group, persuade Baron George, and go through this whole goddamn ordeal once more.

Of all things, the duration had to be five days. There was a high chance my own mental strength would give out before I could thoroughly uncover everything about the 4th floor. Choi Ji-won's face flickered in my mind. Maybe I should have waited for her.

"...Haa."

Yoon Joong-hyun. William Smith. Baron George. Ahn Gyeong-nam. Baek Da-hye.

I had grown fond of them without even realizing it. If I regress, it will be our first meeting all over again. Once or twice is manageable, but if it keeps repeating, could I handle it?

As the tension in my body loosened, all sorts of thoughts flooded my mind. It reached a point where I felt nothing, even as the stomping sounds rumbled from above my head.

"..."

I braced a hand against the wall and moved forward. It was not because I had lost my balance, but because I remembered there was a secret passage around here.

I could just wait in the secret passage until things quieted down, then go up to the 1st floor and take care of the remaining stragglers. Even if the inflow of monsters was cut off, the ones that had already entered still had to be dealt with.

Click.

As I felt a stone brick sink inwards, the wall rotated a full circle, revealing a hidden passage. The passage was narrow, so I couldn't lie down, but crouching to rest for a bit should be…

"..."

Our eyes met. There was a previous occupant.

"...What are you doing here?"

It was a man from my memories. The man with the grumpy expression, who was always snapping at the otherworlders.

"Uh, no, um, well, that is..."

The man couldn't answer, just stammering his words. There wasn't a single wound on his body, and he had even taken off his shoes. It seemed he wanted to relieve his sore feet from the cold.

"And why is your weapon in this state?"

The axe lying next to the man was quite damaged, but similarly, the brick in front of him was also chipped. It was obvious. To stage it as if his weapon was damaged during combat, he must have slammed the axe against the brick.

"Have you been hiding here this whole time? While others were dying?"

"..."

This man must have been hiding here from the very beginning. Maybe since yesterday, even.

While others fought with all their might, and risked their lives in a desperate escape when the blocked passage was breached.

This bastard was leisurely hiding in a secret passage, massaging his own feet.

Crack!

"Keuk!"

The instant my foot moved, drops of blood scattered from his nose in every direction. Thanks to some decent power control, the guy's head didn't explode.

"Make your excuse."

"..."

"I said, speak."

Other than killing the thug in the Tutorial, I had never committed murder. But that didn't mean I had a strong aversion to it.

I was just concerned that my humanity would become irreversible if I started killing everyone. I was prepared to kill those who deserved to be killed.

"People are still dying right now. Do you know why monsters aren't coming here? It's because everyone is fighting for their lives. So I'm asking you, what are you doing here?"

"You, you came here too! In the end, you're the same..."

"I've probably killed more monsters than everyone else combined, and you're telling me I'm the same as you right now?"

Crack!

I struck the guy's head once more. I was getting annoyed. Was I going through all this hardship just to save a bastard like this? Do I really have to save him too? I feel like I'd be so refreshed if I just killed him.

"No, not like this."

Get a grip. Always maintain a cool head and only take necessary actions. Taking pleasure in killing people is what monsters do.

"Hic, hhic..."

While I was shaking my head to myself, the man in front of me suddenly started shedding tears.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"..."

"I was so, so scared... I was so scared I was going to die..."

"You think others aren't scared?"

"The others... they're strong... My trait is only D-grade... and I already used up all my items on the 3rd floor..."

The man sobbed, clinging to my foot.

"I'm, I'm... not helpful... I realized that yesterday. I was almost killed by a goblin that others catch with ease. Even a hundred thousand people like me wouldn't be as helpful as one person like you..."

"..."

"I will never, ever climb the Tower again. When I was going through the Tutorial, I picked up a Golden Marble rolling on the floor and thought I was the protagonist of the world... I thought since I was lucky, anything would be possible... Please, just let me live this once..."

The disgusting excuse of a deserter.

It was a disgusting excuse, but...

What if…

What if I didn't have the Regression trait?

What if I had received some unremarkable, ordinary trait, and was on the verge of death while climbing the Tower.

Could I be so certain that I wouldn't be in that man's position?

It was disgraceful.

But ordinary people are bound to become disgraceful when a crisis hits.

"..."

Was it the right thing to do to push this man's back and tell him to fight again? His skills were pathetic, and his spirit was already broken. If I made this man fight tomorrow, he would certainly die.

But what about the other people who were likely fighting for their lives on the 4th Floor right now? In their eyes, would it seem just to simply turn a blind eye and let this man go? When they were all fighting like mad, putting their lives on the line?

The time for a choice had come, and I held the right to decide. The man cowered as much as he could, simply begging for mercy.

"...What's your name?"

"Ryutaro, it's Ryutaro..."

I could tell from the shape of his mouth that he wasn't Korean, but I didn't expect him to be Japanese.

"...I'll be watching you from now on. I'll let it go for now."

"Th-thank you...!"

With those words, I left the secret passage. I thought it was rash to make a decision right now, so I decided to just watch him for the time being. 'From now on,' that is.

"..."

There was a bitter taste in my mouth. One could think that Ryutaro had entered the 4th floor out of greed, but one could also think that this Tower itself was the problem in the first place.

Was he 'originally' a despicable person? Or did this Tower make him this way?

-26 : 31 : 00

Once the commotion had generally died down, I cautiously walked out of the basement. Perhaps thanks to the inflow of monsters being cut off, the number of monsters visible in the hallway was small.

I forced my badly damaged sword, carving a path. It was at a point where the blade was no longer sharp, so I just snatched an axe from a passing orc and used that instead.

"It would be nice to have a decent weapon."

I looked resentfully at the scabbard attached to my waist, then swung the axe again. It was an unfamiliar weapon, but my physical stats were so outstanding that there was no problem in killing monsters.

Like that, I passed the first floor, then the second, and all the way to the third.

I slaughtered my way through hordes of monsters, ascending the castle with unstoppable force, and was finally able to reach the stairs leading to the fourth floor.

"No, what I mean is...!"

"Does that even make sense right now...!"

The sound of voices came from the top of the stairs. I casually tossed aside the orc's axe and walked steadily up the stairs.

"Is everyone… safe?"

Everyone's gaze turned towards me. I glanced around my surroundings, and the fourth floor was literally swarming with people. It seemed Joong-hyun had led the people and escaped to this place, just as I had predicted.

"Is the damage severe? As it happens, I also..."

I had no choice but to stop talking.

"..."

The atmosphere was endlessly cold. Excessively so.

"...What happened?"

I asked Joong-hyun, and he reluctantly nodded his head.

"...Two things happened. One... some of the residents fell to their deaths."

"That's because you bastards selfishly pushed your way up. Did we not ask for time? Time to make space."

"How could we have time for that when monsters were chasing us from behind?"

"Seven people fell and died. No, it would have been a blessing if they died when they fell. It would be better than being eaten alive by monsters."

Baron George glared at Joong-hyun with bloodshot eyes. But Joong-hyun paid him no mind and continued speaking while looking at me.

"...And the second thing is..."