The Regression of a Challenger-Level Player - Chapter 20

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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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Episode 20. Disgracefully Easy (4)
“You’re really a Supporter?”
“That I am!”
Jo Ik-deok struck his own chest with a resounding thump.
From his appearance to his very mannerisms—a Warrior merchant whose hobby was collecting enemy heads on the front lines—and yet here he was claiming to be a Supporter.
It was like watching an elephant spin its trunk like a helicopter propeller while insisting it was a bird taking flight.
“My name is Jo Ik-deok, I tell you! Pleasure to work with you all!”
Even his name sealed it.
At this point, not becoming a Warrior would be criminal.
“I… you’re truly a Supporter? Forgive me, but you don’t look it at all.”
Mage tilted her head slightly as she spoke.
She looked equally bewildered.
“Well, I do tend to get that misconception fairly often. But fear not! Despite appearances, I’ve received considerable praise for being quite a capable Supporter!”
“That’s precisely what worries me….”
Snake Eyes burst into laughter, clutching his belly.
“What’s so funny?” Mage asked.
“Ah…! No, nothing, Jae-ha. It’s just that the Placement Exam is supposed to be so crucial, and somehow our team managed to attract a bunch of quite entertaining people….”
After laughing for a good while, he wiped the tears from his eyes and gripped my shoulder.
“This means my role is going to be pretty heavy, doesn’t it? The Supporter is basically nonexistent, and I’m the only Bronze here. Aren’t we two essentially the entire team’s combat strength?”
“What… what did you just say?!”
“How dare you! We’re legitimate players too!”
Mage and Archer bristled at the obvious provocation.
By contrast, Jo Ik-deok—the one who’d suffered the most glaring insult—remained surprisingly composed.
I’d half-expected him to grab Snake Eyes by the collar first.
“Come on, look at it objectively. This is a Bronze-level game. There’s no way you two can pull off anything meaningful here, right?~”
Snake Eyes raised both hands to shoulder height as he spoke with mockery dripping from every word.
“Only someone like Jae-ha could contribute even the slightest bit of help, wouldn’t you say?”
……
“Besides, with this lineup, clearing is out of the question anyway~ but if we can squeeze out even a decent score, maybe we’ll land a better rank. Who knows? What should drop at the low end of Stones might end up in the high end, or the high end Stones might jump straight to Iron.”
The gap between Stones and Iron was immense.
The fact that you could skip the Advancement Test sitting between them—that alone was enormous.
That’s why the Placement Exam was precious; not a single match could be wasted.
“You folks don’t want to see this match go to waste either, right?”
“Ugh… um….”
“Hmm…….”
“So here’s the thing! If you all show just a little good faith, I’ll play extra hard for you!”
…What exactly did that bastard just say?
“Pardon?”
“I mean, why do people have to be so difficult~ what I’m saying is, give me some Credits. About 5,000 per person should do the trick, yeah?”
“You’re asking for Credits?!”
“Don’t want to pay? Fine then~ I can afford to throw away a ranked match or two without breaking a sweat.”
Snake Eyes grinned with open malice and collapsed into his seat.
-This… there really are people like this…
-We run into a Trollpoor on the second Placement Exam match?
-Damn it! Unmask him and doxx his real name!
-What’s Jae-ha gonna do.
Trollpoor.
A portmanteau of Troll and Poor—the term for a toxic player who refuses to perform properly unless given Credits.
Of course, repeated behavior like this would draw penalties from the channel itself, and in the worst case, could result in an account ban. So most Trollpoors worked in moderation, making pocket money one or two matches at a time.
“Just throw it away if you want. Either way works for me. Aha!”
Snake Eyes grinned wickedly.
He swept his gaze across each of us one by one, his eyes narrowing with contempt as though he’d become our superior.
“Um… if I really did give you Credits, would you actually try hard…?”
Hesitation flickered across Mage’s face.
Snake Eyes responded instantly, like a fisherman spotting a hooked fish.
“Of course~ once the payment goes through, I guarantee results all the way up to a draw….”
“Stop.”
I cut Snake Eyes off mid-sentence.
If I let this go any further, I’d feel sick just listening to it.

“Don’t worry about it. Those guys aren’t skilled anyway. They’ll just pocket some cash and disappear. High probability.”
“But still…!”
“We’ll manage fine without them.”
At least one thing was working in our favor.
This wasn’t just any map—it was Valkyrie Gorge.
“With the four of us, we can clear it easily enough.”
“You four? Ha!”
A clear, mocking laugh.
“Jae-ha, I know you’ve got some skills, but aren’t you being a little arrogant? You’re still Unranked.”
“…….”
“And Underground Prison—you had your whole team clear that. You basically just stood in the back barking orders, didn’t you? So quit showing off.”
“Hey.”
This guy’s been running his mouth a lot.
And I don’t much care for people who talk a smooth game.
“Shut up.”
“…Shut up?”
“We’re not paying you a single Credit, so if you’re not participating, sit in the back and be quiet.”
“Ha! Fine… let’s see this amazing skill of yours then. Don’t worry though. My wallet’s always open.”
Snake Eyes spat on the ground—*Ptui!*—and plopped down next to the Goddess Statue of Hope.
Lucky that players can’t destroy the statue, at least.
“Are you… really sure about this? This is supposed to be a Bronze-level game…”
“It won’t be easy, certainly, but it’s not impossible. Just listen to what I say.”
I pulled one corner of my mouth up in a half-smile.
“I’ll make sure we clear it.”
“Arrgh! Such righteous courage in the face of injustice! This humble one is moved!”
Jo Ik-deok swung some imaginary weapon around, bellowing with dramatic flair.
“From this moment on, I shall obey your every command!”
“Don’t call me that. I’m only twenty-four.”
“Then this humble one must be your junior! I am but twenty-one!”
…Really?
You were wearing a school uniform just two years ago?
‘Wait, that’s not even the point.’
The game would start soon.
Just to wipe that smug grin off the face of the guy sneering in the background, I was going to clear this game flawlessly.
“Listen carefully to everything I tell you.”
Today.
We go beyond Bronze.
***
Defense Maps come in many varieties, of course.
Different maps appear depending on rank, and many have special mechanics.
Among them, Valkyrie Gorge is relatively simple in design.
In most Defense maps, monsters attack from multiple points and you have to block them all, but here there’s only one passage.
‘The main corridor.’
So you only need to defend that one spot, but the downside is that all the monsters pour through at once instead of spreading out.
That’s how most people describe Valkyrie Gorge.
‘An attrition map.’
No strategy needed—just stand there and block whatever comes at you.
Well, that’s not entirely wrong. I won’t deny the direct approach has merit.
But if your team lacks firepower, does that mean you should just give up?
Of course not.
There are strategies for when firepower is insufficient.
This is future knowledge, yet also not.
‘Because this is a method I discovered myself.’
A tactic I relied on every time Valkyrie Gorge appeared during my Bronze days.
It’ll be harder now with everyone at Placement Exam level and one person short.
“I’ll have to fill in the gaps.”
I stepped in front of the gorge’s passage.
I’d shared all the strategy I could.
What remained was for each person to do their part—and for me to do mine better.
[Time until start: 1 minute]
As a message floated in the air, I pulled a piece of candy from my pocket and popped it into my mouth.
Crunch!
The candy shattered with a crisp sound.
Sugar dissolved across my lips, spreading like mana through my mouth.
My body ignited, primed for battle.
[Game start!]
[Monster Wave beginning!]
[Protect the Goddess Statue of Hope!]
Rumble-rumble-rumble…!
The ground beneath my feet trembled faintly.
From the distance, a colorful tide began to take shape.
“Kieeeeek!”
“Croak! Crooaaak!”
Orcs, goblins, ogres.
A legion of countless monsters churned forward, kicking up dust.
“Well then…”
I released a surge of mana from deep within my body.
“Let’s go.”
Boom!
I kicked off the ground and charged straight at the monster horde.
My skill activated at the same moment.
Gravity Field (D)
A violet force field materialized, forming a gravity zone.
Normally, I’d stop here.
“But right now, I’m the only warrior on this field!”
A field this size can’t cover everything.
So I’d make it bigger, wider.
‘Different from when I was training my constitution awakening!’
I pushed the force field’s boundaries outward.
Whoooosh!
The outer edges of the field expanded, and the gravity zone grew larger.
Normally, no one could manipulate a single skill with such fluidity.
‘But with my mana control reaching the highest tier…!’
It was more than possible.
“Kyek?!”
“Krrgh…!”
The movements of monsters that stepped into the gravity zone became sluggish.
All living things adapt to their own weight.
Add even slightly more, and they feel the strain, their movements grow awkward.
And in that moment of vulnerability.
“Hnngh!”
I swung the hammer.
Crack!
One swing shattered the bodies of every monster directly in front of me.
But this couldn’t be the end of it.
I had to endure thousands upon thousands of monsters.
‘Don’t stop. Keep fighting!’
I brought the hammer down and swung it in repetitive arcs, crushing everything around me.
Sometimes attacks came at my blind spots, but I didn’t bother dodging—I just kept swinging.
‘Small attacks? Tank them with the buff!’
Buff: Recovery Acceleration (Lv. 3)
Thanks to the buff granted by the statue, I could make up for the lack of healing to some degree.
The only thing I regretted slightly.
Thud!
The power was a bit lacking.
“Chirp!”
“Tch.”
A High Orc actually managed to block my hammer swing, grinning with indifference.
Among the monsters you’d see in the Bronze rank, this one stood at the top tier.
—High Orc
-This is it. We’re done for.
-I was pushing it from the start. Basically trying to hold back a Monster Wave alone.
“Shriek!”
The creature thrust a muscular arm at me in attack.
I slipped away half a beat ahead, then gripped the Hammer’s handle with one hand.
‘I’ve spread the Gravity Field too wide—the power isn’t what I expected.’
Narrow it and the range shrinks, but gravity increases.
Spread it wide and the range expands, but gravity weakens.
Right now it’s much less than usual—subjectively about thirty percent weaker.
“Kerrrgh!”
“Kieeeek!”
The moment I show an opening, the monsters surge forward as if waiting for it.
A High Orc leads them, charging with the ferocity of a beast about to tear me apart.
“…I just remembered some old comic I watched.”
I concentrate my Mana firmly into both arms, shoulders, and legs.
Then, with a deep breath—
I grip the Hammer’s handle.
“Just because I’ve gotten weak doesn’t mean—”
And matching the timing of their approach—
“You’ve suddenly gotten strong!”
I slam down frantically, over and over.
If ten strikes aren’t enough, I’ll swing a hundred. If a hundred won’t do it, I’ll keep swinging until they break.
A technique born of repetitive motion—flowing Mana and muscle movement locked into rhythm, building momentum and devastating power with each successive blow.
Titan Stamp.

After Cannonball, it’s my go-to technique.
Crack! Bang! Crash! Boom!
With each hammer strike, acceleration and force compound, reducing the area to rubble.
Gravity and Mana spiral together, birthing shockwaves that hurl smaller monsters and shatter them to pieces.
“Shriek?! Screech!”
“How’s that?”
The High Orc falters. Even its head—
“Still feeling smug?”
Crunch! Crack! Boom!
Dozens of hammer strikes reduce it to pulp.
When the repetitive motion finally stops, every monster in the area has been utterly annihilated.
-Insane…
-What did he just do?
-He just wiped out an entire wave solo?
-Today’s lesson: The terror of Shin Jae-ha makes no distinction between human and monster.
-That’s not a hammer, that’s a meteor strike.
Of course, this isn’t over.
Monsters are still pouring through that narrow passage.
Tougher ones now. More vicious.
“Sure. Come as many as you want.”
I’m not even warmed up yet.
The conquest of Valkyrie Gorge is only just beginning.

[‘Gravity Field (D)’ is on the verge of evolution!]
Challenger-Rank Player’s Return
Author
: Ki Sa-hon
Publication Date
: August 10, 2026
Publisher
: AXIS Media Inc.
Editor
: AXIS Media Editorial Team
Address
: 10F Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
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No part of this work may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
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UCI
: G720:N+A129-20260730114

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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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