The Legendary Regressor Devours the Tower - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 12
Subjugating the Goblin Chieftain.
Truth be told, the chieftain has been subjugated so many times it’s beyond counting.
Capturing it is the only way to guarantee at least an S Rank or higher.
But subjugation alone won’t get me to EX Rank.
‘Killing it isn’t enough.’
To reach EX Rank, I need both the subjugation and the recognition of the village residents.
Seong-un obtained permission from the village chief, then hung the Headscarf in front of the village entrance.
—Wasting this much time on Floor 1? You sure you’re EX Rank?
Even through text, the irritation came through loud and clear.
With 50 Gold riding on the mission, he was sticking around to see it through, but patience was wearing thin—boredom wasn’t easy to stomach.
“You won’t regret it.”
Seong-un smiled crookedly at the viewer.
“Is that all?”
“Who knows? Anyway, wasn’t it because of that Headscarf that the goblins kept trying to enter the village?”
“Let’s hope this finally eradicates those wretched goblins for good.”
The numerous residents watched from behind.
And behind Seong-un stood Jayden, maintaining his guard.
“Do you really think the chieftain will come?”
Jayden whispered cautiously.
“Yes.”
Seong-un nodded while keeping his eyes forward.
“Oh, here it comes!”
Mere minutes after hanging the Headscarf.
Goblins trampled through the grass, striding forward in their unmistakable way.
Seong-un didn’t spare them a glance, his gaze fixed on what followed.
A creature three times their size, dark skin, eyes far more savage than any of its kin.
The most powerful monster lurking on Floor 1.
The Goblin Chieftain.
[The Goblin Chieftain has appeared.]
[The villagers’ expressions fill with dread.]
[Bonus Points awarded.]
Good.
The Bonus Points came through.
Seong-un drew the Asgard Sword.
Zzzt—
A danger signal coursed through his entire body via his Hypersensitivity.
His skin tingled as if a faint current ran through it.
It made sense.
[Lv.15 Goblin Chieftain]
The Goblin Chieftain was Level 15.
For Floor 1, its level was considerable.
It wasn’t designed to be hunted by beginners in the first place.
‘Level 15 is manageable.’
The level gap was nine—no small number.
When level increases, detailed stats increase as well; changing even a single stat value can break through previously insurmountable walls. The impact was immense.
For Seong-un, who was Level 6, facing a Level 15 Goblin Chieftain should have been avoided, but he had faced countless opponents with far greater gaps.
“Hand it over. That’s mine.”
The Goblin Chieftain spotted the Headscarf and snapped its fingers.
[Lv.15 Goblin Chieftain uses Intimidation.]
As the creature activated its special ability,
Flinch—
the villagers shuddered and fear gripped them.
Some lost strength in their legs and collapsed where they stood.
Seong-un was not unaffected.
Thump-thump—
His heart rate climbed, intensifying the tingling sensation across his skin.
But no fear took root, so his body remained steady.
Seong-un wrapped the Headscarf around his forehead and stepped forward.
“If you want it, come and take it yourself.”
The provocation had worked.
The chieftain drove his goblins back and drew the axe strapped across his shoulders.
“My father’s legacy—I will retrieve it without fail.”
Dragging his parents into it? That was low.
“I’m starting to feel like the villain here.”
“Die.”
The goblin chieftain burst forward.
At Level 6, his movements were so swift that the naked eye could barely track them.
Whoosh—
He swung his axe with tremendous force, but Seong-un simply stepped back and twisted his body out of the way.
Crash!
The axe that had been aimed at Seong-un’s head came down hard on the floor instead.
“Hmm?”
Confusion flickered in the chieftain’s eyes—he hadn’t expected his attack to be dodged.
Thinking it mere chance, he lifted the axe and swung it sideways.
Seong-un dropped into a low crouch, and the axe whistled through empty air above him.
‘Having Hypersensitivity makes this easy.’
Through his premonition, Seong-un could read the chieftain’s attack patterns with perfect clarity.
“Kerrrrgh!”
Furious that both attacks had missed, the chieftain roared and began swinging his axe like a madman.
The kind of wild, indiscriminate assault that seemed to say: *keep flailing and eventually you’ll land a hit*.
Seong-un evaded each blow, spotted an opening in the chieftain’s guard, and slashed across his ribs, creating some distance.
‘Not the kind I can finish in one blow.’
Even with the wound on his ribs, the goblin chieftain paid it no mind and chased after Seong-un, axe swinging.
Whoosh—
Each time, another gash appeared on the chieftain’s body.
“Kergh…….”
After the sustained counterattacks, the goblin chieftain finally groaned and stumbled backward.
“What? Starting to hurt now?”
It had to hurt.
Because the bleeding from his right shoulder—where Seong-un had struck just moments ago, exploiting a gap in his defense—was profuse and alarming.
[Healing is sealed for 10 minutes.]
Furthermore, the effect of Swordsmanship Mastery had left the chieftain’s right shoulder in an incurable state.
“Human, I will never forgive you.”
The goblin chieftain glared at Seong-un with blood-red eyes, murderous intent burning in them.
“If you can.”
“Kerrrrgh!”
[Lv.15 Goblin Chieftain uses Intimidation.]
The creature unleashed Intimidation once more and charged at Seong-un.
Even as his body went numb, Seong-un easily sidestepped the crashing axe blow.
The wound was deep—his right shoulder was gaping badly.
Squelch—
Seong-un swung his blade toward that shoulder, cutting precisely through the wound, and the chieftain’s right arm dangled by threads, half-severed.
“Kerrrrgh…….”
The goblin chieftain, who had been charging forward with axe raised, sensed the mortal danger and began to back away slowly.
‘Now.’
Squelch—
Seong-un swung his blade again toward the retreating chieftain, this time severing the arm completely.
Thud—
“Kerrrrgh!”
As his right arm fell to the ground, the goblin chieftain cried out in agony and pressed his left hand to the severed stump.
In that instant, the battle was essentially over.
Seong-un advanced without mercy, aiming his blade at the chieftain’s throat.
Despite wielding a Grade A sword, the nine-level difference was larger than expected; the neck didn’t sever in one stroke, forcing him to strike the same spot repeatedly.
Thud—
Finally, the goblin chieftain’s head fell to the ground.
[You have defeated the Goblin Chieftain.]
[You have achieved a remarkable feat.]
[Damage taken: zero. Bonus Points awarded.]
[Level increased.]
[You obtain 5 E Rank Mana Stones.]
[You obtain 2 Goblin Chieftain’s Teeth.]
“Kek-kerk?!”
“Kek-erk!”
The goblins watching from behind saw their leader fall to a human and dropped their weapons with hollow expressions.
Seong-un picked up the severed head of the chieftain and approached the remaining goblins.
“Kek-erk!”
“Kek-er-erk!”
The sight proved terrifying enough that the goblins spun desperately and fled into the forest.
Many collapsed where they stood, their legs giving out, yet survival instinct drove them to scramble upright and disappear into the woods.
Seong-un did not pursue them.
[You have successfully climbed the first floor of the Tower of Ruin!]
Severing the chieftain’s head had fulfilled the clear condition.
[You are recognized by the residents. Bonus Points have been added.]
Bonus Points were added once more.
This bonus was evidence of recognition from the residents who had watched from the village.
“Wow…….”
Jayden and the village residents, who had witnessed the battle from start to finish, could not hide their amazement.
Never did they expect him to so thoroughly overpower the leader.
Watching the remaining goblins panic and scatter into the forest filled them with exhilaration and satisfaction.
[Due to the effect of the Title Blessing of Audius (Novice), a 20% Clear Bonus Points modifier is applied.]
[You are a climber affiliated with the Climbers’ Guild. The Tower acknowledges this. A 2% Clear Bonus Points modifier is applied.]
[Clear evaluation is being tallied.]
[Clear Score: EX+]
[Rewards will be distributed. Please wait a moment.]
For a moment, Seong-un’s eyes widened.
‘EX+?’
There existed a rank higher than EX?
‘Is this because of the Blessing of Audius?’
Seong-un had obtained the headscarf, defeated the goblin chieftain, and earned recognition from the village residents.
This meant he had reached EX Rank even without the Title bonus—and when the Title’s bonus points were added on top, it produced a result one tier above EX.
‘This is incredible…… Choosing the Blessing of Audius was definitely the right call.’
Seong-un mentally cheered and reviewed the mission.
The condition had been to clear the first floor at EX Rank. He hadn’t hit the mark exactly, but he’d cleared it at a higher rank—so it counted as success.
[Mission Complete.]
[50 Gold has been awarded.]
[30 Gold has been awarded.]
……
As viewers’ bets paid out from the mission success, the gold flowed into Seong-un’s hands.
Perfect.
580 gold—an amount he hadn’t even planned for—was now in his possession.
-What the hell? EX+?
-?
-?
-?
-??
When he checked, the viewer count had already exceeded 300.
They all reacted with shock to Seong-un’s result.
“I told you. You can have hope.”
-Wow……. I mean, I’m speechless. Did you seriously clear the tutorial at EX?
“Yes. Please spread the word. There will be plenty to look forward to from here.”
-Where did you get information about EX? It doesn’t seem like coincidence.
Seong-un’s climb of the first floor had been remarkably smooth.
If there had been even the slightest stumble, it could have passed as luck—but Seong-un behaved as though he knew everything.
“I cannot say.”
-Come on, why not just tell us? I’ll pay 1,000 gold. No, 2,000 gold.
2,000 gold.
It was a substantial sum, but Seong-un shook his head without hesitation.
“I decline.”
[Do you wish to end the broadcast?]
The moment the first floor was cleared, the broadcast could end at any time.
Some climbers unveiled their reward results before signing off, while others ended the stream without disclosing them.
-Then couldn’t you at least show us the rewards?
“Please come back next time.”
-Wait!
[Ending broadcast.]
The stream went dark.
[You have become the first of all races to complete a climb with an EX+ Rank result. We will grant you a truly special reward for achieving such an exceptional outcome.]
A message appeared at just the right moment.
First of all races.
A rating no one before him had ever received.
Seong-un waited for his reward with a thundering heart.
[You have acquired Trace of One Who Endured All (SS).]
SS Rank!
Seong-un cheered silently to himself.
Trace of One Who Endured All.
It was a skill capable of growing all the way to SS Rank, but what mattered most was the effect the skill possessed.
[Trace of One Who Endured All]
-Type: Passive
-Rank: E
-Maximum Growth Rank: SS
-All Attribute Resistance +15%
-Instant Death, Critical Hit, and Status Ailment Probability Reduced
-When Health falls below 20%, additional damage reduction applied
Clearing the first floor granted access to basic passive skills tied to elemental resistances.
Fire, ice, lightning, and so on.
Climbers typically acquired one elemental resistance skill, and the bonus started at 1% for weaker performances.
With performance approaching S Rank, it could reach as high as 5%.
But Seong-un had received 15%.
If he were to raise it to SS Rank, he could aim for as much as 60%.
‘Once I upgrade the rank later, Transcendence should follow soon after.’
The highest Rank Seong-un could currently obtain was SS.
To ascend beyond that would require additional work.
A path granted only to those of SS Rank.
[Your Level has increased by 5.]
[You have been awarded 755 Gold.]
[Hypersensitivity skill rank has increased by one stage.]
[Swordsmanship Mastery skill rank has increased by one stage.]
[First Climber Title has been awarded.]
The rewards were far from over.
‘I got another title?’
He hadn’t expected a title—perhaps it was from finishing with EX+ Rank?
[First Climber]
-Type: Title
-Rank: ?
-Multiple Title Equip Possible (Unique)
-If you clear with a first-of-all-races Rank, the title’s effect will upgrade.
-Damage +1%
-Critical Hit +1%
-All Stats +1
-‘Aura of Divinity’ Automatically Triggered (effect increases or decreases based on user’s level)
*The title previously awarded for EX Rank has been nullified.
Seong-un’s eyes went wide.
Multiple titles could be equipped simultaneously?
In his past life, he had never once seen simultaneous title equipping.
‘The word “Unique” attached to it—this must be a first.’
Given that the previous EX Rank title had been nullified, it seemed as though this one had been claimed in its place.
‘Either way, this is incredible.’
If he could finish future clears with EX+ Rank, upgrades would be possible each time.
But there was a problem.
‘The lower floors should be manageable with Audius’s blessing, but what about after that?’
If the Clear bonus isn’t adjusted, achieving EX+ will be practically impossible.
‘……No, wait. Now that I think about it, that exists.’
The opportunity sleeping on the 12th floor.
Since it won’t be discovered until two years from now, if I obtain it, I can set aside my worries about what comes next.
An All-Time Greatest Returner Devours the Tower (Serial)
Author │ Yeon Yi-yo
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyeong
Published by │ J-Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyeok
Address │ 401, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Ace Techno Tower 8th)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Yeon Yi-yo 2026
※This work is published by J-Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder. The contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
Violation of this is subject to both criminal and civil liability.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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