The Legendary Regressor Devours the Tower - Chapter 22

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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 22
The Dice came to rest.
‘Sixty!’
The face of the Dice pointed toward the ceiling showed sixty.
[Please select the stat you wish to increase.]
All stats did not rise equally.
The five current stats: Strength, Agility, Vitality, Sense, Mana.
He had to choose one of these five and raise it.
‘Most would raise Mana.’
The reason was simple.
Active and Passive Skills drew their power from Mana.
Without Mana, no matter how many Skills one possessed, they were worthless.
That was why Climbers placed such tremendous value on Mana.
But Seong-un did not.
‘Mana matters, that’s true. But if I focus only on Mana, it becomes a problem down the line.’
Stats grown gradually through leveling had their limits.
‘Strength.’
No matter how refined the technique, a weak cutting force was meaningless.
If distribution weren’t possible, then choosing one meant investing in Strength.
[Strength increases by 60.]
Strength rose by 60, climbing from 25 to 85.
Seong-un clenched and unclenched his fists.
He could feel the difference—his Strength had grown noticeably stronger.
[You have acquired the Active Skill: Ildo Yangdan.]
As his stats rose, an Active Skill called Ildo Yangdan manifested.
‘Oh, an Active Skill shows up here.’
[Ildo Yangdan]
-Type: Active
-Rank: E
-Maximum Growth Rank: SS
-Slash downward with a sword-type weapon to cleave a designated target in two.
-Success rate ranges from a minimum of 0% to a maximum of 100%, determined by user capability and Mana consumption.
*Cooldown: 24 hours
The maximum growth rank for this Skill was SS.
‘To acquire this already.’
One of Seong-un’s signature Skills from when he was called the Sword Saint.
In his previous life, he hadn’t obtained this Skill until climbing nearly to the 50th floor.
He’d acquired it so late then that its growth had capped at SSS Rank, but this time he’d gotten it before ascending even three floors.
A Skill of destructive power beyond imagination—if it grew beyond SSS Rank to the next tier?
‘It will become a tremendous asset.’
The result was immensely satisfying.
“Lucky that good fortune came through.”
The problem came after the Buff ended.
The bitterness that arrived once the sweetness faded.
If one asked whether it couldn’t be dulled by another sweetness, the answer was no.
Once this Debuff was applied, he could no longer obtain any Buff related to fortune.
It would last a full 24 hours, so he’d have no choice but to stay as still as a mouse for the entire day.
Ignoring it carelessly could invite unforeseen complications.
* * *
The appearance of the monster rookie Seong-un.
With his arrival, winds of change began to blow.
[Congratulations! Climber (South Korea – Jeonju) has cleared the 1st Floor of the Tower of Doom with an SS+ Rank.]
It began when a record one tier above the previous SS Rank that Pyo Byeong-woo had achieved appeared.
Having completed it at SS+ Rank, he appeared in the community and directly announced that he had begun climbing while supplementing strategy guides through Seong-un’s play.
[A Climber with the channel name ‘Little Seong-un’ who cleared at SS+ Rank.]
-Feel free to ask if you’re curious about anything.
His post was flooded with countless questions.
└How do I get the Hood? How do I solve this?
Hood acquisition.
Using the Hood he had acquired, Seong-un lured the Goblin Chief into acting directly and subjugated it.
Otherwise, one would have to raid the creature’s actual lair and exterminate it directly—a difficulty level virtually impossible for a beginner.
If one sought help from a Climber who had reached the higher floors, the contribution would be only partially recognized, capping the grade at A+ at best.
Pyo Byeong-woo, who finished with an SS grade, is also known to have climbed alone.
He reached SS grade by finding the Goblin Chief single-handedly and severing its neck.
If one cannot employ that method, obtaining the Hood is essential—so how did he manage to reach SS+ without it?
└(Author): There’s one more item that can be plundered from the Goblins besides the Hood. You can get it from the village elder, and if you hang it at the entrance of the village, the Goblin Chief will snap it right up. Once you eliminate that creature, SS grade or higher should be within reach.
The author apparently raised his level sufficiently through a Small Tower, then carried out the extermination alone.
└That’s interesting? With Small Towers so popular these days, it must have been tough.
After an SS-grade Rare Encounter was discovered in a Small Tower, the Small Towers remained crowded with Climbers.
└(Author): I’d already switched back before the Rare Encounter was found, so it was fine
└lmao that’s incredible persistence
Small Towers matched to one’s level are hard to find, and they grant less experience than the Tower of Doom, making it difficult to raise one’s level.
Because of this, most Climbers choose to ascend towers quickly with Guild support.
└True, some people deliberately do Small Towers from the start anyway.
Still, there were those who raised their levels through Small Towers first, then tackled the challenge with certainty.
“Impressive, wouldn’t you say?”
Pyo Byeong-woo kept his eyes on his smartphone as he spoke to the driver in the front seat.
“Yes. Seong-un has brought about changes in the mechanics of climbing.”
“True. We’ve gone back to the beginning, in a sense.”
Long before any Guild system was ever established.
Climbers with brilliant talent like Pyo Byeong-woo would raise their levels adequately through Small Towers, then challenge the Tower and finish with high grades.
Of course, this was only possible if talent was on your side—but he had never dreamed there existed an NPC who could be persuaded to hand over items plundered from the Goblins.
“That NPC called Hu Din was one who refused to engage in any conversation with Climbers whatsoever. It is truly remarkable.”
They say the area beneath the lamp is darkest.
Had he managed to make contact with that NPC and succeeded in winning him over, he could have aimed not for SS grade, but SS+ grade—or even higher.
“Regretting what’s already past changes nothing, yet the feeling of regret is something one cannot suppress.”
After a few light exchanges about the first floor of the Tower of Doom, they arrived at the Association.
As Pyo Byeong-woo stepped out of the car, bodyguards emerged from the vehicles ahead and behind, flanking him.
“Welcome. Did you have a comfortable journey?”
The Association executives came outside to greet Pyo Byeong-woo.
“Yes.”
“Then please come inside. The Association President is waiting for you.”
Following their guidance into the reception hall, he found more than half the seats already occupied.
These were all Guild leaders.
Pyo Byeong-woo walked past them as if it were the most natural thing in the world and took the empty seat beside the head of the table.
“It’s been a while.”
Association President Choi Hyuk smiled and extended his hand, which Pyo Byeong-woo clasped in return with a slight grin.
“Yes. Thank you for arranging this meeting.”
Today’s gathering had been called because of the monster rookie.
His continued achievements had made it impossible to simply stand by and watch.
“As you know, the monster rookie is currently with our Association.”
As Choi Hyuk spoke, all eyes turned toward him.
Silence descended over the reception hall, and tension settled on the faces of the Guild leaders.
Choi Hyuk savored that silence, brought his teacup briefly to his lips, set it down, and continued.
“And the United States is making a very strong push to recruit him.”
“Mm….”
Though he had anticipated it, hearing it directly from the Association President’s mouth made a heavy sigh escape.
“Association President, are you asking us to serve as a barrier?”
Choi Hyuk nodded and moved to the heart of the matter.
“Yes. To be blunt, I would like the monster rookie to remain in South Korea and focus on climbing.”
“That sounds good. However, there are conditions.”
A Guild is not a charity.
Everyone present shared Choi Hyuk’s opinion, but they could not move without some benefit in return.
“What kind of conditions?”
“We would like to be permitted to launch a recruitment campaign.”
Pyo Byeong-woo laid out his terms.
This was not mere greed—it was a request for the leverage to act.
If he had truly been greedy, he would have asked to share information about the monster rookie rather than propose a recruitment campaign.
Choi Hyuk, quick to read between the lines, answered without hesitation.
“The lock period is 120 days. After 120 days have passed, I will allow the Guilds present here to attempt to recruit the monster rookie.”
“Understood. Jin Geom will do everything in our power to strictly prevent foreign interference in line with the Association’s wishes.”
With Pyo Byeong-woo’s commitment, the other Guild Masters came forward to lend their support, and the meeting concluded successfully.
* * *
Rumble—
Seong-un, resting on the sofa, felt a small tremor beneath him.
Rumble—
The tremors came in succession, and with each passing moment, their intensity grew stronger.
“Sigh. So much for a quiet day.”
Seong-un rose from his seat and stepped onto the balcony.
Below, the employees—including Jang Byeong-jun—had also felt the tremor; their faces grave as they scanned their surroundings.
That was when it happened.
Whoosh!
Something shot toward Seong-un with the sound of air being torn asunder.
!
His Enhanced Perception reacted, and Seong-un ducked low.
Had he not bent down, whatever it was would have pierced his skull as it hurtled past.
Ordinarily, it would have collided with the living room wall.
Yet strangely, there was no impact.
“Just as I thought.”
Seong-un rose slowly, as if he’d expected as much, and turned his head with a grim expression to see what it was.
It was a fragment from the Tower of Doom.
The fragment adhered to the living room wall and began squirming, rapidly expanding in size.
Of all the wretched luck—the apartment where the Misfortune Debuff had taken residence was transforming into a Small Tower.
“What a mess.”
During the transformation into a Small Tower, external interference is completely blocked.
Which meant the residents inside the apartment had no choice but to eliminate it beforehand—and that was far from simple work.
Screech—
Monsters would pour out during the transformation process itself.
[Lv.26 Blood Ant]
Blood Ants erupted from the black fragments that now covered the living room.
They were far larger than ordinary ant monsters.
If compared to animals, they were the size of a fully grown dog.
Even a rough count showed more than thirty of them filling the living room to capacity.
Seong-un slowly drew his blade.
‘Eight levels above me, these creatures. Not ideal, but manageable.’
The difference wasn’t crushing, at least.
Eight levels was no small gap, but the Small Towers currently manifesting hosted monsters of varying levels from thirty to fifty.
The Blood Ants before him, by contrast, were level twenty-six.
That made them almost fortunate.
Screech!
The Blood Ants charged at Seong-un, seeing him as prey.
The confined space limited his mobility.
‘Lucky I used the Dice earlier.’
His current Strength stood at eighty-five.
An overwhelming number for an eighteen-year-old Climber.
Seong-un swung his blade in a horizontal arc with all his power.
Hah!
Slash—
Three Blood Ants at the vanguard had their torsos severed, spraying green blood as they collapsed.
Screech?!
With three allies bisected in a single stroke, the advancing Blood Ants halted in unison.
“Cowards.”
Seong-un smirked and stepped forward.
The Blood Ants erupted in flame.
Wee-wee—
The fire alarm triggered, its siren blaring.
But the fragment covered it, cutting the sound short.
At the same moment, Seong-un stomped hard against the floor and burst forward.
Slash—
He spun his body and brought his blade across in a wide, powerful arc.
Hemmed in the narrow space with no room to evade, the Blood Ants took the full brunt of his strike, their bodies cleaved in two as they fell.
Whoosh—
Seong-un did not emerge unscathed.
Though he’d dumped all his points into Strength and had no trouble dispatching the creatures, his defensive capacity barely exceeded the standard for Level 18.
Moreover, he’d had no time to don armor, and in his ordinary clothes, there was no way to brush back the flames.
‘It’s fine. I can endure this.’
Though his entire body burned with searing agony, Seong-un’s expression remained composed.
In his past life, he’d ventured into places far worse than this—countless times.
The number of crises where death had loomed was beyond counting, and having overcome them all, the attacks of Blood Ants were beneath contempt to him now.
[Trace of One Who Endured All Things]
And there was the Trace of One Who Endured All Things, acquired on the first floor.
Even at its current E-Rank, it granted fifteen percent resistance to all elements.
Flames of this caliber could not stop Seong-un.
“I’ll cut them all down.”
Seong-un set about mopping up the remaining Blood Ants.
An Unparalleled Regressor Devours the Tower (Serialized)
Author │ Yeon-i-yo
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyeong
Publishing House │ 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. The contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and the author.
Violation 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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