WeTried Translations
Translator: ZEROSUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Regression is Too Much
Chapter 095
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The night is too dark (4)
“Ah, I hope you don't misunderstand why I laughed. It was because the situation is so absurd, not because I was trying to ridicule you, Jun-ho-nim.”
“…”
“The first two people who found the portal went inside, and then five other players were discovered fighting over the remaining three spots. Sensing the urgency of the situation, they all threw themselves into the portal, and it closed after letting five of them through. I was on the front lines fighting, so it was impossible for me to intervene.”
Joong-hyun shook his head.
“I also believe that hiding the portal's existence was the right call, since it would only cause unnecessary conflict. And I think your willpower, Jun-ho-nim, for not entering the portal despite having found it, is incredible.”
However, as he said that, Joong-hyun scanned his surroundings.
“The people, they've already found out.”
The players' eyes were gleaming. Their gazes, filled with deep resentment, were fixed on me.
The night of the fourth day had been incomparably more difficult than any before, because a slime monster had appeared, rendering all the foundational work we had done completely useless.
“I am confident that since we were summoned to the 4th floor, we have made nothing but the best choices. Our combat strength is certainly not lacking either. There are over ten people with A-grade or higher traits, and above all, we have you, Jun-ho-nim. And yet, twenty players died.”
The preparations had been perfect, and our forces were strong. Taking all of that into account, this was clearly an abnormal difficulty level.
“I myself almost died just now. My neck was severely cut, and I only survived thanks to William-nim. In a situation like this for me…”
How on earth were the other, weaker players supposed to survive? Even if they managed to survive today, what were they supposed to do tomorrow?
And in a situation like that, I hid the existence of a portal that could be used to escape? It wasn't strange that resentment was pouring down on me.
“I understand what's going on now.”
I stomped my foot hard on the ground.
Thump!
As the sound spread, everyone's attention focused on me once again. It was also my intention to activate the ‘Awe’ trait.
“First of all, I apologize for hiding the portal's existence. However, I believe it was the correct decision, and I would probably do the same thing ‘next’ time.”
This had happened because too many people had flocked to the castle's fourth floor. My judgment hadn't been wrong.
“Also, I don't think this is a situation where you should resent me, considering I've contributed more than all the rest of you combined.”
I stared intently, meeting the eyes of each person who had been glaring at me. Naturally, their gazes fell to the floor. They probably knew it too, the fact that I hadn't done anything wrong.
“It's regrettable that the situation has turned out this way, but we have to survive first, don't we? Our judgment was not wrong. Please understand at least this one thing. I'll be counting on you all again tomorrow.”
After giving a slight nod to Baron George, Joong-hyun, and William, I walked down the stairs to the third floor.
We only had to endure for one more day…
But I had a feeling it was going to be the most difficult day yet.
Inside the small room next to the stairs, the one we always used for meetings.
“I'll be frank. I think we should abandon the otherworlders. Now that it's been revealed that you hid the portal, Jun-ho-nim, there won't be any more players willing to sacrifice themselves for the otherworlders. We could probably suppress them with force, and they might listen, but they certainly wouldn't fight with any conviction.”
Joong-hyun said this while idly twirling his dagger. He was blunt, even though Baron George was listening.
“I realized it while we were escaping. The monsters' target was consistently the fourth floor. Their target is them, not us.”
“It could simply be because there are a lot of people there!”
“And isn't the group with the most people here the otherworlder group?”
“…”
“More importantly, if we fight while protecting the otherworlders, we have to give up our best option.”
Joong-hyun tapped the wall he was leaning against.
“I think the Tower is telling us outright. To use this room.”
In truth, using a single room as a base to hold out was the best method. The entrance was narrow, there was no possibility of being flanked, and most importantly, the walls were sturdy.
If just a few people could take turns guarding the entrance, these small rooms were natural fortresses.
“However, that will inevitably lead to the weak being culled.”
William cautiously retorted.
“The rooms are small. No matter how many people you try to cram inside, considering the space needed to fight, a maximum of about ten people can fit.”
He let out a deep sigh and made the sign of the cross, then continued speaking.
“Inevitably, it will result in the strong grouping together. They'll look for members who can lessen each other's burdens.”
Ten people could fit in one room. Those ten would have to take turns blocking the entrance.
Of course, it was a terrain favorable for defense, but since no one knew what would appear on the final day, everyone would want their room to be filled with strong people. With their lives on the line, there wouldn't be any kind-hearted players willing to include the weak.
“And the first to be culled… would be you otherworlders. Even if someone were to take you in, it likely wouldn't be with good intentions…”
“…”
The otherworlders were the weakest on Floor 4, and also the most numerous. If they went with Joong-hyun's suggestion of defending individual rooms, no one would want to be in the same room as the otherworlders.
“…Would it not be possible to mix your people with my people?”
Baron George asked, his head bowed low.
“Hey, Baron. Didn't we agree to survive on our own?”
“…That's right. But the situation has become like this. I'm begging you… they all have families…”
Joong-hyun shot back sharply, but Baron George merely kept his head lowered in silence.
“Aish, really… Please don't be like this.”
The people gathered in this room knew that no one here had made a major mistake. No, rather, it was closer to say that everyone had cooperated to produce the best possible outcome. It was just that the difficulty of Floor 4 was absurd.
“…Let's do this.”
In the end, I had to be the one to do something.
“Let's have the players hold out in their respective rooms. Joong-hyun-nim, please manage them so that our forces aren't concentrated in one place. The otherworlders will hold out on the fourth floor like today. In exchange, I will guard the entrance to the fourth floor.”
“…Jun-ho-nim, you are our greatest military asset.”
Joong-hyun was beating around the bush, telling me to just abandon the otherworlders. But my will was firm.
“I don't believe the lives of the otherworlders were given for no reason. To put it bluntly, we don't know what would happen if we were to just abandon them. This is the Tower.”
“…That is true, but…”
Joong-hyun seemed to have been barely convinced, and William nodded his head.
“You…”
Baron George grasped my hand tightly. Unlike that of a nobleman, his hand was wrinkled and rough.
“Truly… I am truly grateful.”
“…It's nothing. It's just what has to be done.”
This was the right path. I was sure of it.
-18 : 11 : 01
“Killing the otherworlders might be the correct answer.”
The one spouting this madness was, surprisingly, Ahn Gyeong-jun's older brother, Ahn Gyeong-nam.
“…Do you realize what you're saying?”
“I know I'm saying something terrible. But I am, to the very end, talking about the ‘correct answer’ that the Tower wants.”
“…Did you get any sleep?”
“No. That's not important right now.”
Gyeong-nam had said he had something urgent to tell me and asked me to come to that secret library, and when I arrived, I found him rummaging through an old book with bloodshot eyes.
“'The moment the remaining past and the future to come become the same. You will all once again realize that you will die.' Do you remember this sentence?”
“I remember.”
But hadn't we already finished interpreting that? 'The moment the remaining past and the future to come become the same' was about time, and 'you will all once again realize that you will die' was about the monster horde's attack.
“I thought so too at first. But please, look at this book. Ah, let me read it to you.”
Gyeong-nam picked up another book that was lying scattered on the floor and began to read it slowly.
“'When is the moment one feels life most intensely? It is precisely when one thinks of death. We must not turn away from death. We must always keep death in a corner of our hearts, so that we can always face life with our utmost effort.'”
“…”
“It's a religious book. You can see that the people here have valued ‘death’ for generations.”
“…Continue.”
“If we interpret it based on this, ‘you will all once again realize that you will die’ probably doesn't mean you actually die. Rather, it implies that you survive. How can a dead person realize they are dying? Unless they are a person saved right at the brink of death.”
It was a plausible interpretation, though my doubts hadn't been completely resolved.
“Alright, let's say that's the case. Then how did you interpret the part before it, ‘the moment the remaining past and the future to come become the same’?”
“The otherworlders. They were clearly dressed in medieval attire, at least not modern clothing. In other words, the ‘remaining past’ refers to the otherworlders, and the ‘future to come’ is us. When enough otherworlders have died that their number becomes the same as ours, a chance at life will be given to us.”
“…That's a huge leap in logic.”
“But it's plausible, isn't it.”
He didn't seem like the Gyeong-nam I knew. The Gyeong-nam in my memory was rational and reasonable. The man before me now was like a racehorse with blinders on, unable to see left or right.
I felt the need to calm him down, so I spoke in a placating tone.
“Don't you remember the Tower's tutorial? This is a tower built to judge humanity. Would doing something like that be the right path?”
“No, that's precisely why what I'm saying is right.”
Slam!
Gyeong-nam tapped the book in his hand.
“You're probably aware that the 3rd floor is divided by difficulty. My younger brother entered the most difficult level, Floor 3-5.”
“…”
“I haven't heard the detailed story, but he said that in the very last room, there was an entrance that only one person could enter. The intention is obvious. It was telling them to fight each other.”
Because Gyeong-nam didn't recognize me, I had thought Gyeong-jun hadn't told him about the 3rd floor. But it seems that while he didn't talk about me, he did share what had happened there.
“Do you think that room was fake? No. The reward was probably given properly. This Tower encourages immoral actions. It guides people to the easy path. You ask if it isn't a trap? That's right. In the long run, it's highly likely to be a trap. When we finally climb to the 66th floor, won't there be a stern judgment from god?”
Gyeong-nam passionately argued, spittle flying from his mouth.
“But what's the point of any of that if we die right now? Is it right to die this instant, fearing a judgment that might come at some unknown time? Huh???”
Gyeong-nam, who had been shouting at the top of his lungs with the veins in his neck bulging, finally hung his head low.
“Da-hye… I'm dating her. But she probably won't be able to hold out. Her level is low, and she's just a fragile person. At this rate… she's definitely going to die on the fifth day. Please, I'm begging you…”
“…”
"If the situation takes a turn for the worse… please abandon the otherworlders."
If what Gyeong-nam said was true, then once again, I was presented with a choice.
The choice to leave the otherworlders alone until their numbers became equal to the number of players.
Footnotes:
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