The Legendary Regressor Devours the Tower - Chapter 8

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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 8
Han Geon-woo sat with his head in his hands, wrestling with indecision.
‘Damn it, they want me to do this?’
The request was utterly absurd.
They wanted him to draw aggro by spreading a lie—that he’d cleared the Tutorial with an EX Grade.
Specifically, when it came his turn to enter the Examination Center.
Sure, joining a major guild was supposed to be a good thing, but how was he supposed to handle the fallout?
‘Since he’s here now, I need to contact him…….’
After finishing the Tutorial, he’d been ordered to wait and returned to the guild office.
Not long after, they’d asked him to help find that monster of a rookie, claiming they needed him.
They’d even confiscated every item he had except his Basic Weapon, forcing him to surrender everything.
‘This won’t do……. I’ve got to catch him and prove myself no matter what.’
Consumed by urgency, Han Geon-woo had spent days searching for the monster rookie alongside the guild’s personnel staff.
But without solid information, finding him was nearly impossible.
After grinding through the entire weekend, Han Geon-woo—who at least knew the man’s face—proposed simply camping out at the Association and waiting for him to show up.
He’d contact them the moment he spotted him, which meant they could make contact faster there than anywhere else.
The logic was sound enough that the staff approved. From morning on, Han Geon-woo had been sitting in the Waiting Room, observing those who came to register.
‘They stripped me of everything. I’m just a throwaway card, like he said.’
He had Indomitability, which could grow up to Grade A, so he could always knock on another guild’s door—but Horus, which that man had mentioned, was ranked eighth, a tier above Cheonha.
If he got into that guild, maybe he could restore some dignity.
‘That’s right. Cheonha, you bastards. This is how you treat me? I’ll make damn sure I never see you lot succeed.’
Just then, Seong Un, who had been waiting outside, was called into the Examination Center.
‘Time to start.’
Han Geon-woo rose from his seat with grim resolve.
He strode toward the front entrance and threw open the door, shouting.
“I’m a Climber who completed the Tutorial with an EX Grade!”
His bombshell announcement sent the Scouters into chaos.
“Is that really true?!”
“But the exam results haven’t come back yet?”
“You’re certain? What about the examination?”
Under the barrage of questions, Han Geon-woo felt his mind go white.
He’d drawn the attention he wanted, but what came next?
“Oh, I haven’t taken the exam yet!”
Cheonha had prevented Han Geon-woo from taking the exam.
They needed him camped in the Waiting Room, monitoring the examinees.
So technically, not taking it was the truth.
“Ah, so you’re announcing early. Before the Association can step in, you’re testing guild offers.”
“Would you mind having some coffee and chatting with us for a moment?”
“Just a few minutes!”
The Scouters, quickly reading the situation, began their pitch.
“We’re from Jingeom! We can offer better terms than any other guild!”
At the mention of Jingeom, Han Geon-woo’s pupils dilated sharply.
Jingeom was the guild founded by the Sword Saint Pyo Byung-woo, currently ranked first in South Korea.
Such a guild was courting him like this?
This was genuinely insane……?
“……That’s kind of you. But I’m not interested in joining a guild right now.”
He wanted to talk with Jingeom, but Han Geon-woo was no EX Grade—he’d finished at F, a dropout.
Others had earned skills, gold, and countless rewards from the Tutorial, but he’d earned nothing because his score was zero.
‘Damn Cheonha bastards. So quick to take me in, so quick to throw me away.’
Fine. So be it.
Somehow I’ll get into Horus and get their backing to start fresh.
“Han Geon-woo! What are you doing right now?!”
At that moment, a familiar voice struck his ears.
The voice belonged to Cheonha staff members.
They stared at Han Geon-woo in disbelief, and he bared his teeth in a vicious grin.
“Shut up—I’m the EX Grade! You damn fools!”
* * *
Seong Un entered the Examination Center and showed his Number Ticket to the staff member.
“May I see your Identification Card?”
“One moment.”
Seong Un pulled out his Identification Card from his wallet and handed it to the staff member.
The staff member typed with practiced efficiency, and after a brief moment, slid a sheet of paper across the counter alongside the card.
“Would you mind filling in just the checked sections?”
“Of course.”
After quickly completing the consent form, Seong Un passed it back, and the staff member stood from his desk.
“……I’m sorry, but would you mind following me for a moment?”
“Pardon?”
Seong Un tilted his head, puzzled.
He’d filled out the form—he should be receiving a Card Key next and heading into an empty examination capsule for scanning.
“There’s nothing to worry about, Climber.”
Seong Un nodded at the man’s courteous tone.
‘He’s figured something out, hasn’t he?’
The staff member led Seong Un through a rear exit of the Examination Center and into an elevator.
Fifth floor.
As the elevator doors slid open, a middle-aged man in his early fifties stood waiting with several staff members flanking him.
“Welcome. I’m Choi Hyuk, Chairman of the Association.”
He extended his hand toward Seong Un with a warm smile.
‘The Association Chairman, then.’
Choi Hyuk, the second chairman.
In his entire past life, he’d never stood this close to the man before.
That was because Seong Un had already been dead by the time Choi Hyuk sent out the invitations.
Seeing someone in person whom he’d only glimpsed in photographs felt strange.
“Yes. I’m Seong Un.”
Seong Un accepted his handshake.
“First, let me apologize for making you come all the way up here.”
“Does that mean I could have left after registration?”
“Ha—no, I don’t think so. We can’t simply let the world’s first person to complete the Tutorial at EX Grade walk away.”
So he’d been right. They had noticed.
‘As expected. There was no way to hide it.’
Since it was something he’d already anticipated, Seong Un simply nodded in acknowledgment.
“How did you find out?”
“A long tail gets stepped on eventually—it’s inevitable, isn’t it?”
“I suppose so.”
“I’d like to have a word with you. Would that be alright?”
“Yes. That’s why I came up here.”
“I appreciate your understanding.”
Choi Hyuk dismissed the staff members and led Seong Un into the Association Chairman’s Office.
He attempted light conversation to ease the atmosphere, and Seong Un responded with polite nods.
The talk wound down as coffee and pastries were set out before them.
“So then—tell me why you had me brought here.”
“……Hmm, is there a guild you’re interested in joining, Seong Un?”
Guilds.
They could only exist because of money, yes—but more importantly, because of the Guild Points earned from the Tower.
Guilds used these points to determine rankings and receive differential rewards from Tower settlements.
This was precisely why guilds scrambled to recruit promising talent at any cost.
To climb higher.
“No.”
“Why not? You could join any guild and receive the best possible treatment.”
“I have no need.”
At this frank reply, Choi Hyuk’s eyes widened before breaking into a hearty laugh.
“Ha! I see.”
“Though the Association would be a different matter.”
At Seong Un’s words, Choi Hyuk’s eyes gleamed.
This meeting had never been merely about conversation.
The plan had been to build rapport and eventually invite Seong Un to join the Association.
But since Seong Un had broached the subject first, there was no reason to delay getting to the point.
“Are you saying you’d consider joining the Association?”
“If you’d grant me Solo Climbing rights, item support, comfortable living quarters, and the authority to establish a guild, then yes—it’s something I could think about.”
If guilds were growth, the Association was control.
Unlike guilds, where ranking battles were fierce, the Association’s role was to maintain balance by controlling both the guilds and the Climbers themselves.
But this balance, too, would crumble before long.
By nature, skilled Climbers had no choice but to gather in guilds.
Yet Seong Un had taken an interest in the Association rather than a guild.
He could operate more freely than in a guild, his status would be properly guaranteed, and he could even receive support in establishing his own guild and laying its foundation.
“May I ask why you wish to pursue Solo Climbing?”
For an inexperienced Climber, Solo Climbing was dangerous—and the losses were severe.
The initial rewards based on clear scores.
Securing rewards from the start was essential to building strength.
The standard approach was to climb with help from those who had already completed lower-level floors.
“I find it more comfortable alone.”
Choi Hyuk was momentarily taken aback by the straightforward answer.
“Hmm…….”
Confidence born from merely achieving EX Grade had already soared beyond reason.
“How about we proceed with the examination first, and then we can discuss this further?”
There would be time enough to talk after reviewing the test results.
“Very well.”
Seong Un followed the staff member’s guidance toward the examination equipment.
* * *
‘What kind of rewards must he have received for EX Grade?’
Deputy Lee Ki-chul watched Seong Un approach with curious eyes.
He was the one who had verified Seong Un’s Identification Card and guided him to the Association Chairman.
‘So I’m to help bring this man before the Chairman himself.’
After handing over a simple consent form, instructions had come down from above.
Lee Ki-chul, sensing that the man before him had finished with EX Grade, guided Seong Un to the Chairman’s office.
He couldn’t say what conversation had transpired, but clearly some extraordinary proposal had been made.
The Chairman himself had stepped in personally—it was beyond even imagining.
“Can I go straight in?”
Seong Un gestured toward the examination equipment.
“Yes. We’ve arranged for it to be available. Just take your time and complete it at your ease.”
“All right.”
Only after he entered the examination equipment did Lee Ki-chul settle into a chair and exhale heavily.
Why did today feel more exhausting than usual?
“Deputy.”
Hwang Chan-hui approached cautiously while he rested.
“What? No more test subjects?”
“Well, that’s the thing……. It got a bit noisy outside, so we paused briefly.”
“Paused?”
Lee Ki-chul tilted his head in confusion.
What on earth had happened to warrant suspending the examination?
“There’s an Awakener out there claiming to have achieved EX Grade.”
“EX Grade?”
Lee Ki-chul leaned forward to peer outside.
Indeed, the outside was chaotic enough to disrupt the examinations.
Those waiting to take their tests had clustered near the entrance—doubtless because of this Awakener claiming EX Grade.
“What’s going on? We haven’t had anyone finish with EX Grade yet, have we?”
If someone had finished with EX Grade, they would need to possess corresponding skills, but among the test subjects examined over the past several days, there hadn’t been a single person like that.
“Exactly. Isn’t the EX Grade the person who just went into the equipment?”
“That’s what we’re assuming for now……. We’ll have to see the results.”
“I’m really curious what the results will show.”
Thanks to the Awakener outside loudly touting his achievements, at least they’d had a brief respite.
Hwang Chan-hui sat down beside Lee Ki-chul and waited for the test subject to emerge.
[Examination complete.]
The process had finished quickly.
The examination equipment door opened, and Seong Un stepped out slowly.
“Is it done?”
“Yes. Just a moment…….”
The instant Lee Ki-chul saw the results, his entire body went rigid.
“Huh? Deputy? Are you all right?”
Hwang Chan-hui, feigning concern as he approached, caught a glimpse of the test result and likewise froze.
‘This… this can’t be real?!’
Does this result you’re looking at now even make sense?
An Epoch-Defining Returnee Devours the Tower (Serialized)
Author │ Yeon I-yo
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyeong
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 401, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Acetech Tower 8)
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 content may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
Violation of this prohibition 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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