The Regression of a Challenger-Level Player - Chapter 7

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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 7. Just Listen to Me (1)
“By the way, are you serious about that?”
Around the time the chicken and beer ran out, Taeya suddenly asked.
“You want me to be your manager.”
“I’m serious about it.”
“Huh… well, I suppose chasing big dreams is better than sitting around feeling sorry for yourself.”
He tossed the bones—scraped clean of every shred of meat—into a bag and wiped his greasy lips with a napkin.
“So that means you’re planning to keep playing as a professional?”
“Of course. Otherwise there’d be no point in having you as a manager.”
“Hmm…”
Something shifted in Taeya’s gaze.
What he was thinking right now was painfully obvious.
“Jaeha, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m going to be honest with you.”
“You’re saying I have no talent?”
He flinched.
I’d beaten him to the punch, and he bit his tongue in surprise.
“You’re born with a physique geared toward physical prowess, yet the skill you awakened is pure Mage or Supporter material. You scraped by on what little advantage you had and barely made it into Sky Epic as a trainee—then left on your own. You barely scraped level five, and frankly, there’s nothing remarkable about you.”
“Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. As your coach, speaking candidly—”
Taeya cracked open a fresh beer.
“In the current league, the card called Shin Jaeha just isn’t that attractive.”
“…”
“If you could operate as a Multi Position like a Spell Archer or Paladin, maybe. But your physique and your skill are completely at odds. You’re caught between two worlds, and that’s the problem.”
A player’s Position breaks down into four main categories.
Warrior
Archer
Mage
Supporter
Warriors fight in close combat at the front line.
Archers, by contrast, attack from range.
Mages deal massive magical damage or support other Positions.
Supporters aid their team with buffs, heals, or debuffs and curses.
Of course, there are more granular Positions within each category.
Warriors alone have tanks, glass cannons, hybrid damage-tanks, and countless other specializations, but those are minor details.
And among those, certain rare combinations allow players to fill two or more Positions simultaneously—the so-called Multi Position.
Warriors prioritize Strength and Constitution.
Archers rely on Agility and Constitution.
Mages focus on Mana and Agility.
Supporters depend on Luck and Mana.
For example, if you awaken a healing skill but have a physique built for physical prowess, you can become a Paladin—a hybrid of Supporter and Warrior.
If you have high Mana stats and pursue the path of an archer, you become a Spell Archer—a hybrid of Mage and Archer.
But that only works when circumstances and conditions align perfectly.
“Your skill is… too ambiguous.”
The Gravity Field—the skill I awakened when I became a player.
In terms of raw effect, it’s quite useful. You unfurl a gravity field around yourself, intensifying gravity in the area.
But there’s a severe drawback: the caster themselves gets crushed by the same enhanced gravity.
“The only remotely efficient way to use it is to dive straight into the enemy team’s territory and pin their feet. And even that only works if you succeed—if the enemy has any real skill, they’ll eliminate you before you even land. You’d be down to a four-versus-five matchup.”
“That’s harsh.”
“It’s the truth.”
If this had been before the Regression, I would’ve genuinely felt hurt by words like that.
But now I knew better.
He was being ruthlessly honest because he genuinely cared about me.
‘Half-hearted hope is a disaster.’
Just like those dimensional representatives who promised victory next time before vanishing into another dimension.
Taeya just wanted me to turn away from an impossible goal before I wasted away.
There’s no use staring up at fruit you can never reach—it only leaves you hungry and parched.
“Jaeha, let’s keep the Channel as just a hobby. You’re still young, and you’re sharp enough. I’ll help you figure things out—”
“Taeya.”
But things were different now.
“Then how about we make a bet?”
At least, I was different now.
I’m skilled enough to climb a tree and pick fruit.
“A bet?”
“Yeah. If I don’t reach Silver Rank within the next month, I’ll drop the whole player thing and start preparing for a job, just like you said.”
My brother’s eyes widened at my outrageous terms.
“Silver Rank…?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re not even Unranked yet?”
“Not even close. I’m still short on levels—Ranked Matches haven’t even unlocked.”
“Jaeha… oh, my poor Jaeha….”
He let out a heavy sigh and grabbed my shoulders.
“Silver Rank is no joke. You know KPL Division 2 players average Silver to Gold, right?”
There are ten Ranks in total.
[Stones → Iron → Bronze → Silver → Gold → Platinum → Diamond → Master → Grandmaster → Challenger]
Most players average somewhere between Stones and Iron.
Those with genuine skill or natural talent reach Bronze.
And among even those Bronze players, Silver is where only those with the makings of a pro arrive.
“But plenty of high-Rank players don’t go pro anyway.”
“That’s because competitive league play is a completely different level from casual matches. You’ll see tons of players who got Gold or Platinum purely through raw stats and skills—they get into the league and their true level shows, and they collapse.”
In short, even at the same Rank, amateurs and pro players are on fundamentally different levels.
Even accounting for that, hitting Silver Rank was far from easy.
Especially not in a single month when I was barely level 6 and hadn’t even unlocked Ranked Matches yet.
“Honestly, even Bronze would put you above average.”
“So what. I’m not asking for a year. One month is doable.”
“Well… I guess. You do learn by getting your hands dirty….”
My brother was clearly operating under the assumption I’d fail.
I barely managed to suppress the silent laughter bubbling up inside.
“So if I really don’t hit Silver within a month, I drop it clean and prep for jobs, yeah?”
“When have you ever seen me lie?”
A bet only works if both sides have something at stake.
“But if I do hit Silver, you have to do me a favor in return.”
“A favor? What kind?”
“Heh heh, I’ll tell you when the time comes. It’s no fun if I spoil it now, right?”
“That sounds ominous.”
“Don’t worry too much. It’s nothing unreasonable.”
“Well, if that’s the case, sure. Okay.”
The moment my brother agreed, I stood up and stretched lightly.
“Should I log in?”
“The bet’s already started, so I need to level up fast and unlock Ranked Matches.”
“Hey, hold on. Don’t you know it’s bad manners to log in after drinking?”
“It’s non-alcoholic beer.”
“…Really? Oh, it actually is.”
I’d deliberately picked up only non-alcoholic beer from the convenience store.
“Well, that explains why the beer tasted flat.”
“Now that flat taste actually suits me fine.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing at all.”
I smoothly changed the subject and adjusted my Channel settings.
‘Solo Matches are better for showing off solo, but… if I want to level up fast, Team Matches are the way. If I play well, I can steal the experience points meant for my teammates.’
I switched the setting from “Solo Match” to “Team Match.”
[Connecting to Channel.]
[Prepare for battle!]
“I’m off.”
I waved to my brother, who was sucking on his sauce-covered fingers.
I hefted the Giant Wooden Club onto my shoulder.
“…Wait, you’re just leaving without cleaning up what you—”
Flash!
My vision sparkled and my body lifted off the ground.
.
.
.
[Your skill level is being reassessed.]
[You will be matched with games that suit your new rank.]
[Rewards scale proportionally with increased difficulty!]
***
“Hey everyone! Great to see you! Thanks so much for stopping by the Taeya channel today!”
The pixelated screen stabilized, revealing a man with bangs grown long enough to obscure his eyes.
He had a slender frame and lean build, his skin paler than most women’s.
The half-visible contours of his face held an enigmatic, almost mystical allure.
Yet his energy stood in stark contrast to his appearance.
“Did you guys enjoy the outdoor broadcast yesterday? Honestly, I only do outdoor streams like once a year, so I really pushed myself during that mission.”
“But next time I’m gonna hike up the mission fees for outdoor broadcasts. There were so many people in Hongdae I thought I’d die.”
“See, this is why I’m telling you—my room’s the best. Look, my energy’s just zinging through the roof.”
His cheerful demeanor and gift for banter contradicted his delicate appearance.
With his distinctive presence, he’d cultivated a genuine fanbase.
[Taeya – Followers: 30,000]
Thirty thousand followers was no small number.
Building a broadcast of this caliber in such a short time owed something to Taeya’s personal magnetism, certainly.
But the real reason was something else entirely.
-So when are you logging in?
-For real, I’ve waited long enough.
-I can’t stand it anymore!!!!!!! Get in already!!!!
-The pre-game’s done, so let’s go in.
-I like the chat too though… haha
-Hurry up and show us that channel sweep everyone’s talking about.
-Hello, is this really that famous sweep broadcast?
-Channel now Channel now Channel now Channel now
-If Taeya doesn’t log in I’m swallowing rocks right now?!
His talent as a player.
Taeya’s Position was Assassin.
A Multi Position capable of filling both Warrior and Archer roles.
Based on the Dagger Rogue class, he either shredded opponents with nimble footwork or lobbed daggers to intercept distant enemies.
With his class, Multi Position capability, and extraordinary skill backed by razor-sharp commentary, his channel’s growth was inevitable.
There were even rumors that Eclipse, a KPL Division One team, was trying to recruit him as a promising trainee.
“Don’t you guys find talking to me fun? I’m hurt.”
-Yeah yeah. Let’s just turn on the channel and finish hurting, shall we?
-When’s the sweep coming? When’s the sweep coming? When’s the sweep coming?
-I’ve got the rock in my mouth. You keep stalling and I’m actually swallowing it.
-Someone’s gonna die!
Taeya caught the reactions and let a subtle smile slip across his face.
‘They’re dying for it. Heh.’
Dragging it out any longer risked losing viewers.
Time to stop teasing.
“Alright, alright. Since you all really want it, let’s play one round.”
-Yes~
-That’s the stuff!!
-Ranked Match incoming!
“You know the golden rule—first game of the day is always a Normal Match to warm up, right?”
Taeya deftly navigated the system, configuring the channel settings.
Normal Match, Team Match format.
[Logging into Channel…]
[Preparing game…]
As the connection processed, his body flashed brilliantly and he vanished into another space.
[Normal – Team Match]
[Genre: Dungeon]
[Map: Underground Prison 131F]
[Objective: Defeat the boss monster and clear the Dungeon.]
[Time until start: 5 minutes]
His vision returned, and a grim landscape swam into focus.
“Underground Prison, huh? Rough draw for the first match. Tsk.”
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋOf all places, Underground Prison.
-Can we see Taeya playing tryhard in a Normal Match?
“No way, why would anyone tryhard in a Normal Match? Just casual gaming, casual~.”
Taeya grinned and watched the players entering the arena.
Team Matches were fundamentally five players per side.
“Ah… Underground Prison again?”
“Ugh.”
A male Warrior equipped with Sword and Shield entered first, followed by a female Mage carrying a Staff.
Then came another female, presumably the Supporter.
Now it all hinged on the last player—whether Warrior or Archer—that would determine Taeya’s Position.
“So who will it be?”
He yawned and waited.
A moment later, light flashed and the final player entered.
“……Huh?”
The man twisted his mouth the instant he appeared, scanning his surroundings.
“What? Why’s this map showing up?”
He wore a slovenly hoodie and jeans.
There was even yellowish powder dusted on his clothes, as if he’d been eating fried food moments before.
But what truly seized attention was the massive club gripped in one hand.
“Huh…?”
Taeya found himself uttering that same sound.
-What the hell is that?
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Look at his gear level
-This is Normal Match alright! That’s peak Troll energy!
-Just imagine getting matched with someone like that in Ranked… I’m already getting dizzy.
-Thank god it’s just Normal Match ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The viewers had already marked him as a Troll.
The word for a malicious player who deliberately sabotages the team through uncooperative play.
-These Trolls, honestly.
-Taeya’s gonna have to drive the whole bus himself ㅋㅋㅋ
But no one knew then.
That this seemingly worthless man
“Underground Prison shouldn’t spawn in this tier range… ah, whatever. Let’s just play.”
would turn today’s broadcast into something legendary.
Challenger-Tier Player’s Regression
Author
: Ki Sa-hon
Production Date
: August 10, 2026
Publisher
: Aces Media Inc.
Editor
: Aces Media Editorial Team
Address
: 10F Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
※ This work is published by Aces Media Inc. under contract with the copyright holder,
and no part of its content may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
This e-book is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction or copying may result in legal liability.
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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