The Regression of a Challenger-Level Player - Chapter 14

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

Episode 14. An Awl in a Bag, as they say
“Oh, you’re back? That took a while.”
The moment I logged off, Su-hyeok was already waiting, rising from the sofa.
He’d cleaned up and bathed—his clothes had changed to pajamas.
“If it took this long, you must’ve cleared a Dungeon, huh?”
“Correct.”
“Perfect timing. Dungeons take forever, but they hand out Experience Points like candy.”
A Dungeon clear consumed time, true, but you got plenty of opportunities to contribute—the rewards were generous in proportion.
“So which Dungeon did you clear? At your Level….”
Su-hyeok stroked his chin, thinking, so I let a smile tug at the corner of my mouth as I answered.
“Underground Prison, 131st floor.”
“…Huh?”
His eyes blinked.
His whole expression screamed disbelief.
“Isn’t that a Dungeon you need to be at least Level 20 for?”
“It is.”
“But you’re only Level 6, and the game matched you there?”
His eyebrows formed a perfect V-shape.
That was his way of saying, roughly, ‘You’re telling me to believe this?’
“Seeing is believing.”
I spread out the equipment my teammates had given me in front of him.
Minotaur’s Courage Pauldron (D)
Minotaur’s Wrath Gauntlets (C)
Minotaur’s Wrath Cloak (C)
Minotaur’s Wrath Chest Plate (D)
Items obtainable only by defeating the Minotaur in the Underground Prison.
Su-hyeok’s face lit up the moment he checked the items’ condition and names.
“What the—?! What is all this?!”
“See? I wasn’t lying, was I?”
“Y-you actually went into the Underground Prison?! And you got equipment?!”
“Yep. Cleared it.”
“This is insane!”
I understood his reaction.
A Level 6 entering the Underground Prison was shocking enough—but walking out with boss equipment on top of it?
It was like a three-year-old robbing the world’s largest bank.
While holding a bottle instead of a gun.
“Okay, even if I accept that… why are there so many rewards? Even when you clear, you only get one piece of equipment per person.”
“Oh, I got them from people.”
“You got them?”
“Yeah!”
…….
His eyebrows were about to contort again, so I rushed to explain.
I told him everything that happened inside the Dungeon, sparing no detail.
“Wha—what?!”
Unfortunately, far from preventing his eyebrows from folding, they twisted into an even stranger angle.
“Jae-ha… even so, that’s just too….”
“Oh, and one of my teammates was a streamer. You could check out their broadcast.”
“A streamer? What’s their name?”
“Te-ya, I think?”
“…Te-ya?”
“You know them?”
He seemed to recognize the name, so I asked.
“A little. They’ve got decent skill and sense—we’ve been keeping an eye on them as one of the rookies. They were about to sign with Eclipse, but we passed on recruiting them… wait, is this confidential?”
I made a zipping motion across my lips.
“Anyway, with a streamer of that caliber involved, if something like that happened, there’s no way it wouldn’t blow up.”
Su-hyeok picked up the tablet from the table and powered it on.
He unlocked it and pulled up the video platform.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Alarms chimed rapidly as recommended videos flooded the screen.
[HOT NOW!] <Underground Prison Strategy Guide Revealed Live!>
[TRENDING NOW!]
[TRENDING NOW!]
[TRENDING NOW!]
“What… what is this?!”
Su-hyeok stared at me with wide, bewildered eyes.
I didn’t answer, just shrugged.
With trembling fingers, I clicked and played a video.
Crash!
The boss battle footage appeared on screen.
Players level 20 and above—including Te-ya—moving in perfect sync with my commands.
Though my face and name were pixelated, my outfit and the way I swung the club revealed unmistakable details that anyone who knew me would recognize instantly.
[Comments]
-Is this real?
-I was watching the live broadcast just now and this isn’t fake lol this was seriously the most entertaining broadcast I’ve seen recently
-Isn’t this the first time the Underground Prison strategy has been revealed? This is insane
-So who is that level 6 Warrior anyway!
-Swinging that club like it’s just a stick… this is crazy
-I’m a current pro team director candidate. That Warrior’s Order control is genuinely flawless. The skill gap is real….
Comments kept flooding in.
People drawn in by the keyword “Underground Prison Strategy Discovered!” were pouring in and reacting intensely to the footage.
“U… uh, uh…?!”
Su-hyeok’s jaw had practically dropped to the floor.
As he sat there blankly watching the video, his phone suddenly buzzed with a call.
“Y… yes….”
-Coach Jeong Su-hyeok! Did you see that broadcast?
“A broadcast…?”
-The Underground Prison strategy just came out! But get this—a level 6 Warrior found it! We’re analyzing the broadcast footage and this Warrior’s skills are no joke. We need to contact them before any other team does!
“Is… is that so?”
Su-hyeok’s gaze slowly shifted toward me.
-If you happen to have any suspicions about who it might be….
“No! I have no idea! It’s someone I don’t know!”
-Huh? Oh, okay… why are you denying it so firmly? You’re embarrassing me here.
“Haha! If there’s such an incredible rookie, I’d love to know about them too!”
-…Anyway, let’s not lose this one to another team. I’ll contact Te-ya’s side first to try and narrow down that Warrior’s identity. Coach Jeong, if you figure anything out, let me know right away!
Click.
The call ended.
Su-hyeok collapsed onto the couch like his soul had left his body.
“Jae-ha…….”
“Yeah, hyung.”
“Is this a dream…?”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
He looked even more unreal than I had when I first regressed.
***
I spent the entire night fielding an avalanche of questions from Su-hyeok.
In the end, we agreed to let him believe he didn’t know my identity.
‘I didn’t want to burden him unnecessarily.’
That said, I had no plans to hide my strength or skills going forward.
The professional league market is all about marketing yourself.
If you present yourself as a pearl buried in mud, they’ll say, “Well, this pearl is quite dirty. I’ll offer you 50% of its real value.”
But polish that pearl until it gleams, adorn it beautifully, and you’ll command far more than its worth.
‘The higher my standing, the more those scouting me will be willing to offer!’
That didn’t mean I planned to parade myself on media broadcasts, shouting “That’s me!”
I’d be better served spending that time logging into the Dungeon even once more to raise my level.
“The Awl in a Bag, as they say.”
If I kept putting up impressive performances, attention would find me whether I wanted it to or not.
So for now, I wouldn’t be distracted by chasing celebrity status.
Beep! Verified.
I needed to focus on what mattered.
Whoosh—
The door slid open as I scanned my key card, revealing a modest training facility.
I booked the public rental training facility closest to my brother’s place.
“All right, then—”
First, I equipped the Minotaur’s Wrath set I’d obtained from this dungeon.
Gauntlets, pauldron, cloak. Once I even added the chest plate, the whole ensemble looked quite impressive.
Now I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone mocking my gear wherever I went.
‘The Minotaur’s Wrath set is incredibly useful in the early game.’
For the time being, I wouldn’t need to fret about equipment.
Except for one thing.
A ‘weapon.’
“To get the set effect, I need a weapon, but….”
The Minotaur’s Wrath set only triggered its set effect when all five pieces of equipment were worn.
Unfortunately, I was missing precisely that—a weapon.
I’d hoped my reward would at least include a weapon.
“All I got was this box.”
It was genuinely strange when I thought about it again.
I’d never heard of anyone receiving a box as a reward from the Underground Prison.
‘Did my discovery of the first clear strategy and my achievements overlap, breaking through the odds?’
With mixed feelings, I pulled up the box’s information.
[Box with Minotaur’s Spirit](A)
▶A box where the soul of a warrior sleeps. The moment it opens, the spirit transforms into a weapon suited to the user.
“Oh? Ohhh?”
Wait, this item is better than I thought?
It’s grade A, but I assumed it was a random box and was secretly disappointed.
‘It’s not a random box at all?’
Rather, it was closer to a ‘guaranteed draw’ where I could definitely obtain the weapon I wanted.
What more was there to hesitate about?
“Open!”
I licked my lips and opened the box at once.
Whoooosh!
Then a mystical aura poured forth from within.
A swirling mass of pale violet light gradually took on form.
[You use the『Box with Minotaur’s Spirit(A)』.]
[The spirit transforms into a weapon that the user truly desires in their heart!]
A weapon I truly desire in my heart.
That was already decided.
Snap!
I gripped the handle of a weapon that had taken its complete form.
[Minotaur’s Spirit Battle Hammer](A)
▶The soul of a warrior solidified in the form of a battle hammer. It excels at shattering and crushing enemies who stand in the way ahead.
A weighty sensation settled firmly in my palm.
The moment I equipped the hammer, a subtle light emanated from every piece of equipment I was wearing.
[You have equipped specific items according to the conditions.]
[The set effect activates.]
[Set Effect: Liberated Warrior’s Fury]
▶Condition— All five Minotaur’s Wrath equipment pieces equipped.
▶Strength +2, Stamina +2, Magic Power +2
The set effect activated smoothly, just as expected.
▶Strength: 11(+2)
▶Stamina: 10(+3)
▶Agility: 9(+1)
▶Magic Power: 10(+2)
▶Luck: 8(+2)
[Ability Stats Points: 10]
“Excellent!”
An exclamation burst from my lips the moment I checked my stats.
My stamina and strength had both reached over 10 in raw ability stats alone, and the title effect and set effect had given me solid additional stats to boot.
Most of all, those ten ability stat points were enough to fill me with satisfaction just looking at them.
More than passable—my growth felt smooth as if I’d sprouted wings.
What remained now was this.
▶Constitution: Strong Bone(B)
—physical Ability Stats receive a bonus.
My Constitution.
‘To evolve Strong Bone.’
‘For now, it’s known that once a Constitution is set, it absolutely cannot change.’
But that’s mere speculation.
Later, it becomes clear that even Constitution can evolve or transform when certain special conditions are met or in particular circumstances.
My own Constitution was no different.
On the surface, it seemed to do nothing but toughen the body a little and increase strength marginally.
‘The moment this Constitution is exposed to special environments for prolonged periods.’
Its true nature reveals itself.
I exhaled softly and stepped to the center of the training chamber.
Gravity Field (D)
The moment I activated the skill, a violet field of magical energy materialized, pressing down heavily on the surrounding space.
‘I can’t stop here.’
I concentrated my mind and manipulated my magical energy.
And slowly—I contracted the field’s perimeter.
Whooooom! Whooom!
As the field shrank, the density of gravity within it grew progressively fiercer.
“Ngh—! Ugghhh!”
The field continued to contract.
The ground where I stood began to crater, as a gravity so violent it felt like shattering bones pressed down upon my entire frame with devastating force.
Crack! Crunch-crunch!
Fissures began spreading across the training chamber floor.
My muscles screamed, and the pain of my bones grinding out of alignment pierced through my skull in that instant.
[You have entered a powerful gravity zone.]
[A Constitution Awakening Quest has been generated!]
The message I’d been waiting for appeared before my eyes.
[Constitution Awakening Quest—Trial of Gravity]
: Overcome the extreme and surpass your limits, tempering yourself to become even more unyielding. When you reach the end of this ordeal, nothing shall dare to hold you back.
▶Swing Hammer (0/10,000)
▶Sit-ups (0/10,000)
▶Push-ups (0/10,000)
At last.
The moment to leap further forward has arrived.
The Regression of a Challenger-Class Player
Author
: Ki Sa-hon
Publication Date
: August 10, 2026
Publisher
: (Incorporated) Aces Media
Editor
: Aces Media Editorial Team
Address
: 10F Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
※ This work has been published by (Incorporated) Aces Media in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder.
No part of this content may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and the author.
This e-book is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction or copying may result in legal liability.
UCI
: G720:N+A129-20260730114

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