The Legendary Regressor Devours the Tower - Chapter 68

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

Episode 68
Guild Leader’s Office.
Choi Hyuk’s face hardened as he received the report.
“Dead?”
“Yes… We thought he’d gone into hiding since we couldn’t reach him, but when we found him, he was already a corpse.”
“Hah.”
Executive Choi Tae-jun.
Who would have guessed he was a spy all along.
Now it made sense why he’d cast dissenting votes every time Seong Un sought full backing.
“The problem is there were no traces whatsoever on the body.”
“…No traces?”
“Correct.”
“Hmm, looks like some fairly high-level Sorcery was involved.”
Sorcery.
Choi Tae-jun had likely lost his life to a Sorcery curse.
‘If I could just dispel it before it activates, that might work…’
After a moment’s consideration, Choi Hyuk picked up his smartphone.
* * *
[Even without Seong Un’s request, we’d welcome Seo Jae-pil on our side!]
Seo Jae-pil’s transfer proceeded without a hitch.
‘Ha, you know what Horus said? He told me to stay, that he’d erase my disciplinary record. I told him to go to hell.’
When Seo Jae-pil announced his intention to leave, Horus had tried hard to keep him.
It made sense—Seo Jae-pil and the Irregular were friends.
But because the Association had placed a Lock on Seong Un, he refused to divulge any information about him whatsoever.
He’d politely declined three times, but when the persistent questioning wore on him, annoyance was all he offered.
The resentment set in fast, and eventually Horus had treated him like he didn’t exist.
So when Horus finally tried to stop him from leaving, it felt so satisfying.
“Hey, brother. How do I conquer the third floor?”
Pyo Ji-hun, who had completed the second-floor climb and fully recovered, came to visit Seong Un at his home.
“I like that you call me brother, but… your speech is a bit too blunt?”
“I’m actually older than you, so if you could just let this slide… I’d be grateful?”
His effort to maintain some courtesy was admirable, though still falling short.
“Just get out.”
At Seong Un’s dismissal, Pyo Ji-hun stared at him in bewilderment before immediately pressing his forehead to the floor.
“Wow… I understand, brother! Please teach this inadequate younger sibling the strategy to clear it!”
His pride bristled at having to bow to someone younger, but if he could get the strategy, he’d trample on his pride a hundred times over.
[Congratulations! The Climber (Jeonju – South Korea) has completed the second floor of the Tower of Destruction with an SSS+ Grade rating.]
While Seong Un focused on recovery, an SSS+ Grade Climber appeared in Jeonju.
‘What the hell?’
An SSS+ Grade achievement from the first floor.
Besides Seong Un, the Irregular, it was the second-highest score ever recorded.
So he’d been satisfied to some degree, but now on the second floor, someone had surpassed him—excluding the Irregular.
Little Seong, who’d cleared the first floor at SS+ Grade.
He’d garnered attention by posting on the community forum at the time, but had faded from memory after posting nothing since then.
Now that same Little Seong had pulled off an SSS+ Grade on the second floor.
‘I’m losing to that bastard too, besides the Irregular?’
Pyo Ji-hun found this deeply unsatisfying.
His only goal was Seong Un.
He could not tolerate anyone else entering the picture.
“So what will you do for me?”
“Pardon?”
Pyo Ji-hun raised his head from the floor.
“Look, a deal is supposed to benefit both parties. What do you have that’s worth anything to me?”
“Isn’t my love for my older brother enough?”
“What, you think you’re getting a free ride?”
“…Is there perhaps something you desire?”
“I want to meet Geomseong.”
Seong Un’s words were somewhat unexpected.
“What’s the reason?”
He was genuinely curious.
It wasn’t an item—it was that he wanted to see his father.
If he set his mind to it, couldn’t he easily arrange to meet his father?
“Of course, even if it weren’t you, the Association could make it happen without much trouble.”
“Yes. The Association would actually have better odds than I would.”
“That’s the problem—it would have to become Business.”
If he asked the Association, the meeting would be arranged in less than a day.
But then the entire focus of that meeting would inevitably shift to Business.
That wasn’t what Seong Un wanted.
“What would be different if I did it?”
“At least it wouldn’t become Business. Arrange the meeting without mentioning me.”
The Jingeom Guild Leader. The Geomseong.
A man who didn’t have enough hours in a single day—would he really give up his time for such a request?
If Seong Un wasn’t mentioned, all he had to do was create sufficient incentive.
“Got it. So you’re putting out the strategy guide?”
Pyo Ji-hun smiled with confidence.
* * *
‘Why are you so intent on meeting the Geomseong?’
As soon as Pyo Ji-hun left, Leonis asked, as if he’d been waiting for this.
“Curiosity.”
‘Curiosity?’
In his previous life, Seong Un had never seen Pyo Byung-woo up close.
When Pyo Byung-woo was still climbing the Tower, Seong Un had met his end on the thirty-eighth floor.
‘The death of the Geomseong’
It was no exaggeration to say that news of his death had sent all of South Korea into shock.
Countless citizens, Climbers included, had mourned and paid respects to his passing.
Moreover, when it was revealed that he had protected every Climber who ascended with him and brought them back safely, people posthumously revered him as the Geomgod.
The reason Seong Un had been called the Geomgod after reaching the fifty-fifth floor was simply because he handled a sword better than any other human—a nickname given in his stead. The true title of Geomgod had originally belonged to Pyo Byung-woo.
“I want to cross swords with him once.”
The reason Seong Un had been called the Geomgod was thanks to the System.
It meant he hadn’t reached his level through pure talent alone, excluding the System’s aid.
That was why he wondered.
When it came to pure swordsmanship alone, how much of a gap existed between himself and the Geomseong Pyo Byung-woo?
‘Is he really that exceptional?’
“At least in my eyes, he is.”
A message came through from Choi Hyuk.
Pyo Byung-woo had eliminated his brother, Pyo Byung-kwon.
The reason: Pyo Byung-kwon had targeted his son, Pyo Ji-hun.
‘Now I understand why Pyo Ji-hun couldn’t make a name for himself in the previous life.’
In that life, his Awakening had come late, and he’d lost his life in the lower floors.
It was only a guess, but there was a high probability he’d been killed by Pyo Byung-kwon.
This time around, not only had he forced an Awakening, but by climbing solo, history itself had been rewritten.
Bzzt—
The smartphone in his pocket vibrated.
The caller was Pyo Ji-hun.
[Date is set.]
“When?”
[Tonight. There’s a saying about striking while the iron’s hot, so I locked it in as soon as possible.]
“Good work.”
[The strategy guide.]
“I shared it on the community, so check there.”
[What the hell? Why’d you make it public?]
“If it bothers you, just don’t look. Where’s the place?”
[Ugh……. I’ll text you the location, so find your own way there.]
The call ended like that.
“Disrespectful punk, I might actually kill him.”
The kid barely had his blood dry and his manners were already questionable.
He’d need to give him a proper lesson soon.
* * *
At that moment.
Pyo Ji-hun was scrolling frantically through the community, searching for the post Seong Un had uploaded.
“Damn it, I’ve basically handed him everything on a silver platter.”
Pyo Ji-hun left Seong Un’s apartment and headed straight to the Jingeom Guild to find his father.
‘Your body—you’re all right?!’
Pyo Byung-woo, who had been sitting at his desk reviewing documents with a grave expression, changed his face and hurried to his feet.
Something felt off about the whole thing, but he brushed the thought aside and got to the point.
Fortunately, his father didn’t hesitate—he simply nodded.
‘Yes. Tonight, then? I understand.’
At this easy approval, Pyo Ji-hun clenched his fist tight.
He didn’t notice the strange atmosphere hanging over the Jingeom Guild ever since the strategy guide had been released, and back at home, he was busy scouring the community boards.
‘Found it.’
Before long, he came across what appeared to be a post uploaded by Seong Un.
[Strategy for Floors 3–5]
-The reason I’m writing this is because ‘Seong Un’ hasn’t climbed floors 3–5 yet, so I’m releasing this guide.
EX Grade and above appear only once, and since Seong Un hasn’t climbed, I’m confirming that EX Grade is still available.
Of course, first entry plus solo climbing are the basic conditions, and if you follow my strategy after that, reaching EX Grade isn’t necessarily impossible.
‘Ah, so once EX Grade or higher appears on a floor, you can’t aim for EX Grade or higher on that same floor.’
Now it made sense why it was impossible to simply follow what Seong Un had done on floors 1 and 2.
Once he’d claimed EX Grade, those conditions had vanished.
Which meant on that floor, no matter how hard you tried, SSS+ Grade was the ceiling.
‘So if that madman from Jeonju gets EX Grade, everything’s screwed?’
Damn. It would be nice to have some information about Little Seong Un that bastard.
What if I grabbed him by force and locked him up until before he could claim EX Grade?
Pyo Ji-hun shook his head.
“What am I even thinking?”
I shouldn’t do something pathetic like that—I should be thinking about crushing him fair and square with my own strength.
Pyo Ji-hun settled his mind and began memorizing the strategy guides for floors 3 through 5.
* * *
Seong Un’s destination was the Sparring Arena located in the basement of the Association, where he’d once sparred with Pyo Ji-hun.
“Are you the Irregular?”
A guest had already arrived at the arena.
Geomseong Pyo Byung-woo.
With him as the only other person present, silence had settled over the arena, his voice ringing out alone.
Seong Un had asked that no one else be allowed to enter except for Pyo Byung-woo.
“Did your son tell you?”
Pyo Byung-woo shook his head.
“No, that’s not it. I simply intuited it from learning the location.”
“Is that so? I apologize for not reaching out through the Association. I simply didn’t want to get entangled in business matters.”
A rejection of business.
It meant he wanted no conversation whatsoever related to recruitment.
Pyo Byung-woo, perceptive as he was, offered a benevolent smile.
“I see. I’ve already concluded that the Jingeom Guild cannot embrace someone like you, an Irregular.”
“Is that so? I heard you were cooperating with the Association to recruit me by any means necessary.”
“I only wanted to prevent an Irregular from crossing over to another country.”
Pyo Byung-woo himself had achieved overwhelming early growth and received offers from the United States.
Back then, the Americans, promising astronomical treatment, had desperately wanted to recruit him, but he’d refused to the end and remained in South Korea.
His reason was simple: his dream was to strengthen his nation’s power and build a great country that no one would dare to underestimate.
The reason he’d gone so far as to establish the Jingeom Guild and focus on more than just climbing was tied to this as well.
By raising the guild’s reputation, he hoped to prevent talented people from being drained overseas, even if only slightly.
But then he’d promised Han Geon-woo that he wouldn’t leave the country, conditional on lifting his blacklist.
Of course, he still harbored an intense desire to recruit, but for now, simply having secured that promise was enough.
“Do you know of a place called Reheln in Russia?”
“Yes, I’m aware of it.”
“They came looking for me to eliminate me.”
“……Is that truly so?”
“Yes.”
Pyo Byung-woo’s pupils trembled faintly.
He’d been so consumed with recent internal problems in the Jingeom Guild that he hadn’t been able to focus on anything else—and something like this had unfolded in the meantime.
The fact that he’d failed to fulfill his role as a protective fence weighed heavily on his features.
“I apologize.”
He had no intention of making excuses.
Since he had shown weakness, it was only natural that trust would erode.
“It’s all right. To be honest, that wasn’t why I called you here—I had another reason in mind.”
“Another reason, you say?”
“I was hoping you would spar with me once.”
“You’re asking for a match?”
“Yes.”
Interest flickered across his hardened face.
“What do I gain from accepting such a match?”
“I won’t criticize you for it.”
“……Is that so?”
He had made a painful mistake.
To the audacious proposal of burying that error beneath a single match, Pyo Byung-woo stepped forward and retrieved two wooden swords.
“You’ll do it?”
“There’s no reason to refuse.”
He had not accepted merely to bury the matter.
As a swordsman who walked the path of the blade himself, he too was curious about the potential held by an Irregular.
If anything, he was grateful that the other side had made the request first.
“Thank you.”
“But why me, specifically?”
Curiosity stirred within him.
Despite being a latecomer, a monster who sealed the lower floors with EX Grade or better.
What could such a monster possibly be curious about to request a match?
“I wanted to trade blades with a Geomseong and see the sword itself. Does that suffice as reason?”
“It’s an honor.”
Pyo Byung-woo and Seong Un each grasped a wooden sword and faced one another.
An Unprecedented Returnee Devours the Tower (Serialized)
Author | Yeon I-yo
Publisher | Kim Ju-hyung
Published by | J Plus Media Inc.
Marketing | Han Jae-hyuk
Address | Suite 401, Acetech Tower 8, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong)
Email | [email protected]
Website | www.jayplemedia.com
© Yeon I-yo 2026
※ This work is published by J Plus Media Inc. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder. The contents may not be used in any form or by any means without the permission of the publisher and author.
Violation of this prohibition may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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