The Legendary Regressor Devours the Tower - Chapter 13

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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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Chapter 13
Seong Un turned on his heel.
Every NPC at the entrance to the village stood frozen, as though broken.
Normally a cheer would erupt here, but the silence meant the Administrator had intervened on the first floor.
Having finished with an EX+ Grade rating, it wasn’t entirely surprising.
“Truly remarkable.”
The robot he’d encountered in the Tutorial appeared once more.
“What’s remarkable about it?”
Seong Un tilted his head.
“EX+ Grade. A rating never granted to anyone until now—and you, who’ve barely finished the Tutorial, have reached it. What do you think that means?”
He’d cleared the Tutorial with an EX grade.
‘It seems I’ve been on their radar.’
Seong Un shrugged instead of answering.
“Well, if you don’t feel like answering, don’t bother.”
This was a different tone from the Tutorial.
When Seong Un had chosen the Blessing of Odius, the Administrator had been intensely curious about his reasoning and dangled a card offering ten percent off all items.
He’d expected something similar to play out this time.
“Then what brings you here?”
“I have a proposition for you.”
“A proposition?”
The Administrator smiled slyly and held up one finger.
“If you clear all ten floors with this grade, you’ll be free to choose any item I possess.”
It was an extraordinary offer.
Lower-floor Administrators had limited inventories, but many items superior to the Sword Manual in both cost and efficiency.
Yet something felt off.
“What profit do I gain from accepting that proposal?”
It was hard to believe a proposal born of mere curiosity.
The Administrator was cunning—there had to be another motive.
“Not profit, exactly… I’d call it entertainment. Of course, there will be conditions.”
“Conditions?”
“If you fail to reach the grade I’ve set even once, I’ll reclaim one of the rewards you’ve received.”
Ah, so they were after the Blessing of Odius.
The fact that they’d appeared to make this offer suggested the title was heavily restricted.
Had Seong Un not cleared with EX+, they wouldn’t have felt threatened, but thanks to the title, he’d been able to leap a full tier from EX.
“I accept.”
There was no reason to refuse.
To face a Transcendent Being, he needed to grow stronger by any measure.
In that moment, both Seong Un’s and the Administrator’s wrists glowed softly.
“That seals the contract.”
By accepting the offer, the contract had been established.
Clear all ten floors with EX+ Grade, and Seong Un would win.
Fail to reach EX+ on even one, and the Administrator would claim victory.
“I look forward to it.”
“Forward to it? Are you already thinking about claiming an item?”
The Administrator’s expression turned incredulous.
Where did this confidence even come from?
After Seong Un left, the Administrator reviewed all his information.
Checking whether he’d somehow obtained any item containing knowledge related to the EX Grade.
But he was no different from any other novice Climber.
The only noteworthy thing was that he’d discovered a hidden opportunity in the Small Tower and entered.
“You won’t find anything no matter how hard you look.”
A direct hit.
“Is that so?”
For a moment the Administrator’s poker face nearly slipped at the accurate observation, but he recovered smoothly.
“Yes. I’m no different from any other Climber.”
An indirect way of revealing that he saw straight through the Administrator’s thoughts.
Finally, a crack appeared in the Administrator’s expression.
“…I’ll be curious to see how long that confidence lasts.”
Seong Un laughed quietly to himself.
Even if they expected him to fail, he wouldn’t.
* * *
[Broadcast has ended.]
The hologram window’s screen vanished forcibly.
Choi Byung-jun, who had been completing text by touching the hologram keyboard below it, stared blankly into empty space before rage bloomed across his face.
“No! Damn it! Just let me see the rewards!”
EX+ Grade, he’d said.
This was the first time Choi Byung-jun had ever seen such a rank exist in this world.
[Congratulations! **Climber (South Korea – Seoul) has completed Tutorial Mode at EX Grade.**]
The notification that a Climber had completed the Tutorial at EX Grade spread to Climbers across the globe.
[Is it true that the Climber who cleared the Tutorial at EX Grade joined the Association?]
-My friend’s a scout, so I heard it secondhand—apparently an EX Grade Climber joined the Association. They’re not showing up on the roster.
└Wow, lol. The Association activated a Lock on them, huh?
└Yeah, with an EX Grade rank, the whole world would be after them. A Lock makes sense.
└What a shame. If they’d finished at EX Grade, they could’ve gotten the best treatment the US has to offer.
└True. They’d get offers from America that Korea could never dream of.
└Why’d they go to the Association then? That’s weird.
The Association’s intervention had rendered the guilds’ recruitment strategy moot before it even began.
The moment Choi Byung-jun, a scout for Hansung Guild, heard the news, he began scrolling through the channels of Climbers ascending the first floor.
But true to a beginner’s play, even with strategy guides available, the overall execution was sloppy.
Every time Choi Byung-jun spotted such flaws, he switched channels without hesitation—until he stopped on one labeled “Seong Un.”
‘Found them.’
The only Climber appearing as a mannequin, marked by the Association’s Lock.
‘I will clear the first floor at EX Grade.’
Whether due to the Lock or sheer confidence, he declared that he’d finished the Tutorial at EX Grade and announced his intention to complete the first floor at the same rank.
And then Seong Un responded by going beyond EX Grade—to EX+ Grade—leaving Choi Byung-jun utterly speechless.
He’d only just learned that EX Grade existed, and now there was a rank above it?
[Congratulations! **Climber (South Korea – Seoul) has completed Floor 1 of the Tower of Destruction at EX+ Grade.**]
Before long, a notification arrived for Choi Byung-jun.
“Damn it… if only there were a recording function.”
No footage of any kind could be captured from inside the Tower.
Because of this, strategy guides were shared as text rather than video.
Choi Byung-jun hurried into the community forum.
Though he couldn’t record it, over two hundred viewers had witnessed it with their own eyes.
Surely someone had rushed to the community to post about it.
“There it is.”
His expectation proved precisely correct.
[Here’s what I witnessed watching the EX+ Grade clear!]
-Dude, do you know what I just saw?
The main post was written with impressive detail, suggesting the author possessed a good memory.
Choi Byung-jun let out a short whistle of admiration.
“Good summary skills.”
There were gaps in the account here and there, but that was unavoidable.
‘I’ll have to verify this myself.’
Choi Byung-jun had been Seong Un’s very first viewer.
For that reason, he’d observed every movement Seong Un made.
While he wouldn’t be able to see the first floor’s clear rewards, by mimicking the gameplay, he might be able to reach at least EX Grade, if not EX+ Grade.
“Huh? Where is it?”
There was no NPC in the Cabin where Seong Un had headed.
NPCs had defined patrol ranges and never abandoned their posts—what was going on?
How could this be?
“What brings you here?”
Just then, someone entered the Cabin.
“Ah, the person who lives here—where did they go?”
“…They passed away.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Choi Byung-jun’s face drained of color.
* * *
Tutorial at EX Grade, followed by Floor 1 of the Tower of Destruction at EX+ Grade.
The two consecutive miraculous performances threw the entire world into chaos.
All eyes turned toward Seoul, South Korea, and top-ranking Climbers from around the globe descended on the country wanting to glimpse the face of the monstrous rookie—but the Association shut them all out under the pretext of a Climber’s Lock.
‘We maintain strict access control to those without Association approval.’
Thanks to this security, Seong Un was able to rest comfortably on the living room sofa.
“Do you find the apartment to your liking?”
Standing before him was Jang Byung-jun, team lead of the Management Division.
“Yes. I’m grateful for it.”
In his previous life, he’d never even dreamed of living in a luxury apartment like this.
By the time Seong Un had reached a certain level in that life, the Civilization Collapse had already begun, and so much time had passed that he was merely struggling to survive each day.
‘I should have reached the 50th floor, but I was too late.’
Had he set foot on the 50th floor within the allotted time, the Civilization Collapse would never have occurred.
This life would be different.
He, who had once reached the 80th floor in his previous life, was now climbing the Tower a full five years earlier.
“EX+ Grade… Climber, what exactly are you?”
The reason Jang Byung-jun was here at the apartment rather than at the Association.
Seong Un had cleared the first floor not as an SSS Grade or EX Grade Climber, but as an EX+ Grade.
Though the Association had locked him away for protection, an EX+ Grade ranking created far too much of a stir.
Love calls were pouring into the Association from all directions, everyone eager to catch a glimpse of his face.
He stood in for Choi Hyuk, who couldn’t leave his duties at the office.
While observing Seong Un’s performance from midway through, Jang Byung-jun had been left astonished.
‘How in the world is this the play of a beginner?’
True, guides and strategies poured out constantly these days, making it easy even for novices to climb, but Seong Un’s play was on another level entirely.
“Is that what you came to ask about?”
“No, not that. It’s just that this EX+ Grade ranking has set the entire world in motion.”
“In other words, you’re here to manage it.”
“Yes. I’ve been instructed to remove any obstacles that might hinder your climbing so you can focus entirely on your ascent.”
Even SS Grade and above Climbers tended to draw attention, but EX+ Grade was on another scale entirely.
Still, he appreciated the care being taken to let him focus on climbing.
“Fine then. Shall we prepare to head to the second floor?”
Seong Un jotted something down on a note and handed it over.
“What’s this?”
“I’m stepping out for a bit. While I’m gone, could you gather the materials listed there?”
* * *
Jingeom Guild.
Pyo Byung-woo, the guild master and Sword Saint, couldn’t help but marvel at the fresh alert.
“Recording impossible scores on the first floor right after the Tutorial.”
A Climber living in Seoul, South Korea.
A Climber worthy of being locked away even by the Association.
Who could this person possibly be?
“It’s remarkable. Even the guild master has never received an SSS Grade or higher on the lower floors.”
The Sword Saint, ranked 87th globally and 2nd in South Korea.
A genius among geniuses who, having awakened as part of the vanguard, had never fallen below S Grade even once on the lower floors.
The one prodding at Pyo Byung-woo was Lee Ha-yeon, second-in-command of Jingeom Guild and ranked 13th in South Korea.
Despite entering the Tower a full year after Pyo Byung-woo, she had climbed to this position through sheer skill.
“Are you mocking me?”
Pyo Byung-woo let out a soft chuckle.
It would be a lie to say jealousy wasn’t rising within him, but he wasn’t petty enough to let it show.
“Did it show? But if the Association hadn’t placed a lock on this Climber, the United States would’ve found a way to intervene regardless, wouldn’t they?”
“Undoubtedly. I received my own love call from America back then.”
Pyo Byung-woo had cleared the Tutorial at S Grade, then progressed from the 1st to the 5th floor with S+ to SS Grade.
At that time, America had been desperate to recruit anyone with real skill, so Pyo Byung-woo had received their overtures as well.
They’d offered sums that could tempt almost anyone, but since he aimed to be South Korea’s representative Climber, he was able to refuse.
In honest assessment, compared to the top-ranked Climbers in America, his competitiveness fell short in certain areas.
While ranked 2nd in South Korea, that number dropped to 87th when considering the entire world.
In fact, of those 86 Climbers ahead of him, 65 held American nationality.
Because of this, he harbored no regrets about staying in South Korea.
But the Climber now progressing with these extraordinary scores was a different story.
Though it was just the first floor, it was as good as proven, and they would offer terms beyond imagination to acquire him by any means necessary.
“Will he go?”
“I’m not sure. But one thing I’m certain of…”
“What’s that?”
“His value will skyrocket astronomically depending on his future performance—so high that even America won’t dare to dream of acquiring him.”
Tutorial EX.
Floor 1, EX+ Grade.
If he records overwhelming results on the floors that follow?
The conditions aren’t the issue—it’s the rewards he’ll acquire that matter.
First Clear Rewards.
Since he finished with an EX rating, he’s guaranteed at least SS Grade or higher skills and items.
Layer upon layer of such treasures, and he’ll reach heights beyond anyone’s grasp.
‘I have to do everything in my power to stay in South Korea.’
A talent of that caliber leaving for another country would be an irreplaceable loss.
An Unprecedented Returnee Devours the Tower (Serialized)
Author │ Yeon-i Yo
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 401, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Ace Techno Tower 8th)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Yeon-i Yo 2026
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
Violations of this restriction may result in criminal and civil legal 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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