The Legendary Regressor Devours the Tower - Chapter 48

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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 48
At that very moment.
Seo Jaepil stood vacant, his gaze fixed on something distant.
“What are you doing, standing there like that?”
He snapped to attention at the voice beside him.
It was Han Geon-woo.
“You startled me. Give some warning before you sneak up like that.”
“I’ve been calling you since earlier. You just weren’t listening.”
“Me wasn’t listening? Still, aren’t I your senior?”
He’d watched Han Geon-woo treat Seongun with meticulous respect, addressing him as senior.
So shouldn’t he, at minimum, be afforded the same courtesy? It was only proper.
Besides, didn’t he himself keep his speech casual?
Truthfully, it bothered him a little.
“You may be a friend of his, but that doesn’t mean I have any obligation to respect you. And I haven’t been rude to you, have I?”
“That’s true, but…”
“It’s embarrassing to admit, but before, I was being careful out of concern that you might face criticism because of me. But now I’m not on any blacklist anymore—there’s no reason to hold back, is there?”
“Then can I start speaking casually to you too? I’m older than you anyway, aren’t I?”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty.”
At that, Han Geon-woo let out an incredulous laugh.
“Really? I’m twenty-two.”
Han Geon-woo pulled out his ID and showed it to him.
“What?”
Seo Jaepil’s eyes widened as he examined the ID.
“So you’re my junior? Then I can speak casually to you?”
“Wait, hold on! What is this? It’s not forged, is it?”
“Why would it be forged?”
“Then how do you know Seongun is twenty?”
“Why are you asking something obvious?”
“Huh…”
He couldn’t understand why a man two years his senior would speak with formal respect to someone barely past twenty.
“For him, it’s not about age—the man himself commands admiration that one cannot refuse. So it’s no exaggeration to say that age transcends itself in his presence.”
“What kind of ridiculous logic is that?”
“That’s harsh language, junior.”
Han Geon-woo’s eyes narrowed sharply.
At that fierce gaze, Seo Jaepil’s lips twisted into a smirk.
“Looks like Seongun’s picked up some strange pest.”
“What did you say?”
“Both of you, stop.”
Jang Byeong-jun cut in with perfect timing, defusing the tension.
“If not for you, sir…”
“If not for me? Listen here, you’re not even worth my fist.”
In terms of physical build, Han Geon-woo held an overwhelming advantage, but in Level, Seo Jaepil was double Han Geon-woo’s—seventy-eight to thirty-six.
Seventy-eight and thirty-six.
That gap was of heaven-and-earth magnitude; he was confident he could bring Han Geon-woo to his knees with just a few spells.
“This is ridiculous. Want to test it?”
Han Geon-woo didn’t know this, but the barb hit home, and his face flushed crimson at the provocation.
“Ha! Perfect. Want to go right now?”
Losing his composure, Seo Jaepil burst out laughing and withdrew his Wand.
His plan was to crush that bastard now, and once Seongun came out, he’d suggest right away that they get rid of this budding troublemaker.
“Stop!”
Jang Byeong-jun raised his Mana and shouted forcefully.
Both men fell silent instantly under the oppressive weight.
‘What’s his Level?’
To suppress them with a single word meant he was easily above one hundred, and almost certainly had related Skills.
……
The displeasure in Han Geon-woo’s eyes didn’t fade even after being suppressed.
“Do you understand that behavior like that is disrespecting Seongun?”
At Jang Byeong-jun’s words, Han Geon-woo’s body shuddered slightly.
Then, clenching his teeth, he bowed his head toward Seo Jaepil.
“I apologize.”
The apology sounded forced, and Han Geon-woo’s face grated on Seo Jaepil’s nerves.
The clean impression he’d formed at first had long since vanished.
Part of him wanted to scorch that face with a fireball, but he couldn’t afford to escalate the conflict further, so Seo Jaepil had no choice but to accept.
“It’s fine. I spoke harshly as well.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
At their apologies, Jang Byeong-jun exhaled heavily and fixed Han Geon-woo with a warning.
“This is your last chance. Do you understand?”
Seo Jaepil belonged to the Guild, but Han Geon-woo had entered the Association under Seongun’s backing, so Jang Byeong-jun’s words carried a clear edge of threat.
Han Geon-woo was perceptive enough to grasp the meaning, so he nodded with a tense expression.
“Yes.”
Their standoff ended there.
Han Geon-woo said nothing more to Seo Jaepil, and Seo Jaepil put distance between them, sinking into thought alone.
* * *
What Seongun produced was every A to B Rank Equipment except the Asgard Sword.
And along with them, the Janus Green Stone they’d just obtained and the S to S+ Rank Equipment Draw Ticket.
‘This much?’
‘Yes.’
What he’d gained by fortune were Hyper Sense and Protection: Zicrorte.
Everything else came from Clear Rewards.
Honestly, there wasn’t a single thing worth discarding.
There was no reason to sacrifice items that excelled in every situation, and since gambling wouldn’t yield even greater rewards, he’d chosen the equipment including the green stone and the draw ticket.
‘Breaking through my rank ceiling can wait. My Skill grades will rise naturally as I climb anyway.’
To see the forest instead of the trees, he needed to invest boldly.
[Payment has been made.]
[Please state what you desire.]
He’d paid all the prices.
“I want a Sword Skill that matches the payment I just made—pull up a list and let me choose from it.”
Currently, Seongun possessed only two Sword Skills: Sword Mastery and One Strike Two Cuts.
He’d come this far by relying on swordsmanship honed through countless experiences, but even that would soon hit its limits.
The difference between having a Skill and not having one while swinging a sword was starkly apparent.
‘I need to acquire Skills quickly, the way I obtained One Strike Two Cuts.’
In his past life, One Strike Two Cuts had maxed out at SSS Grade.
Given just a little more time, it could have climbed even higher.
Because Skills were growth-type, he needed to acquire them as quickly as possible whenever the chance arose.
Only then could he break through his limits and touch the realm beyond.
[Generating list.]
He’d paid a considerable price.
The odds were high that efficient Skills would appear.
[List provided.]
The list consisted of seven options total.
[Flow of Acceleration (S+) – Passive]
[Charge Slash (S+) – Active]
[Spinning Slash (S+) – Active]
[Consecutive Slash (SS) – Active]
[Sword Energy Release (S+) – Active]
[Vital Point Strike (SS) – Active]
[Weakness Detection (S+) – Passive]
Two out of the seven were Passive Skills.
Seongun examined the Passives first.
Flow of Acceleration made his attack speed stack and increase with each sword swing.
The maximum of ten stacks made its ceiling clear, but it was undeniably an attractive Skill.
‘I’ll take Weakness Detection. There’s no need to consider anything else.’
Leonis, having reviewed the list, offered his opinion without hesitation.
Watching his combat so far, there hadn’t been an opponent to match him, so he couldn’t speak with absolute certainty—but among these seven, Weakness Detection was without doubt the most efficient.
Seongun’s swordsmanship approached perfection even without simple striking Skills.
‘I intend to choose Sword Energy Release.’
Sword Energy Release.
What made this Skill attractive was that it allowed him to manifest the form of Strong Qi without actually possessing a Strong Qi Skill.
In his past life, while wielding Strong Qi, he could create its form but never fully realize it.
The reason is simple.
‘I only started using it after acquiring the skill.’
Passive skills apply at all times.
Because of this, I’ve relied on the system rather than on insight from within.
That’s precisely why I can’t implement it one hundred percent right now.
In the end, though I was called a Sword Saint, I too was merely one climber dependent on the system.
Of course, there were regrets.
‘Once I activate it, I have to release it within the time limit.’
Sword Energy Release is a skill that creates sword energy on the blade and releases it in a crescent shape to attack distant enemies.
Moreover, since Sword Energy Release was a skill I never obtained in my previous life, it seemed all the more attractive.
‘Sword Energy Release? Wait—I have an attack skill already!’
‘One Strike Two Cuts? That’s a one-time finishing move.’
Just because mana is abundant doesn’t mean I can use One Strike Two Cuts freely.
Once activated, the cooldown is long, making it ambiguous to classify as a regular attack skill.
‘You fool! A true swordsman must not obsess over range but swiftly discern the enemy’s weakness and slay them in a single strike. Only by pursuing more perfect swordsmanship can one reach the pinnacle!’
Leonis rebuked Seongun with undisguised contempt.
How could someone with swordsmanship nearly perfected have eyes so blind?
Where had all that discernment disappeared to?
‘I understand.’
‘Then why?!’
‘There will be other ways to obtain Weakness Detection later.’
Immediately, from the skill books available as rewards on the lower floors, I can acquire a skill to exploit weaknesses.
To be precise, it’s a skill that greatly increases critical strikes, and it’s one available to everyone who clears the 7th Floor.
Since it’s a clear reward, finishing at a high rank will grant a superior version of the skill.
In fact, when I cleared the 7th Floor at SS rank, instead of simply raising critical strikes, an option was added that could pierce through the opponent’s weak points.
If I finish the 7th Floor at EX rank or higher, I’ll acquire a skill incomparable to that S+ rank Weakness Detection.
Sword Energy Release was different.
Climbing to the 80th Floor in my previous life, I never once saw a skill that released sword energy outward.
There were those who cast similar skills, but they were Magic Knights combining sorcery.
Pure swordsmen like myself were terribly vulnerable at range.
That’s why I strove to wield a more perfect blade.
‘So it’s definitely worth obtaining.’
After deliberation, Seongun’s choice was Sword Energy Release.
[You have acquired Sword Energy Release (S+).]
Sword Energy Release.
[Sword Energy Release]
-Type: Active
-Rank: E — Maximum Growth Rank: S+
-Wrap Strong Qi around the blade and swing it forcefully in the desired direction to release it.
-Duration: 300 seconds.
-Released sword energy exerts 110% of attack power.
-Cooldown is 1,200 seconds due to lack of Strong Qi.
Hmm, a duration of 300 seconds?
Once I acquire Strong Qi later, I could drastically reduce the cooldown.
More than that, the fact that I can deploy Strong Qi despite not possessing it yet pleased me greatly.
‘Frustrating as it is… there’s no such thing as absolute in the tower. I must remember that when opportunity comes, I must seize it unconditionally.’
Leonis, oblivious to this reality, seemed ready to lose his mind from exasperation.
‘Since you’ve climbed, you should know—there are plenty of other ways to obtain a skill that pierces through weaknesses.’
‘It’s different from my time! What if there’s no way to get it?’
‘That won’t happen.’
‘Don’t say such things…’
‘Are you sulking again?’
‘Quiet. Don’t talk to me.’
His voice turned sharp.
He was thoroughly put out.
[Please acquire your final skill.]
Yet the selection of skills was not yet complete.
Seongun, about to turn away, tilted his head in confusion.
“I can choose one more?”
The list, which had seven options, now had six remaining after Sword Energy Release was excluded.
Was it because he’d paid a large quantity of fortunate encounters and A to B Rank Equipment from the small tower?
He hadn’t expected to be able to choose one more.
Seongun fell into contemplation once more.
‘Choose! Choose now!’
Leonis’s urgent voice followed.
“Yes.”
One of the six remaining options.
The Skill Seongun selected after finishing his deliberation was.
[You acquire Vital Point Strike (SS).]
Vital Point Strike, precisely.
[Vital Point Strike]
-Type: Active
-Rank: E—Maximum Growth Rank: SS
-Swiftly strike the vital point of a designated target. (Attack Power 200%)
-Cannot be activated if you fail to identify the vital point.
-Reuse time is 300 seconds.
To acquire both Sword Energy Release and Vital Point Strike.
Satisfied with the result, Seongun broke into a grin.
‘This insane bastard! Choosing a Skill that requires identifying weaknesses first, just like that?’
Leonis poured forth his voice, brimming with fury, without pause.
The Greatest Returner Devours the Tower (Serialization)
Author | Yeon I-yo
Publisher | Kim Ju-hyung
Publishing House | J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing | Han Jae-hyuk
Address | 401, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Ace Tech Tower 8)
Email | [email protected]
Website | www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Yeon I-yo 2026
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. pursuant to a contract with the copyright holder, and no part of its contents may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
Violation of this 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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