The Regression of a Challenger-Level Player - Chapter 9

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

Episode 9. Just Listen to Me (3)
-What’s with that Level 6 showing up here?
-Here comes the troll playing politics!
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ The broadcast framing is so clean
-Even after checking the Status Window I can’t believe it. How does a Level 6 even get matched into a Level 20 bracket?
-Teya just slit that bastard’s throat already
-And this guy calls himself the Leader ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[Hana-Kick has created a Mission!]
[Sucker-punch a Level 6 Troll: 300C]
While everyone else glared at the Level 6 Warrior, spewing anger and irritation,
Teya’s eyes snapped wide open instead.
‘The gods of streaming smile upon me!’
He’d been experimenting with different angles lately, thinking his usual broadcasts had grown stale.
And now a walking piece of content had dropped right into his lap.
Humans loved righteous retribution—they loved watching someone who caused trouble or inconvenience get punished for it.
The sort of thing commonly called “Proper Education” or “Cider”.
In that sense, the Level 6 Warrior was the perfect villain.
Of course, it was clearly their own mistake to arbitrarily appoint themselves as leaders and order him to hang back.
If he didn’t contribute at all, he’d waste time and miss out on experience and rewards—worse, he might even take a Penalty.
But such trivial truths hardly mattered now.
-If the Level 20s give you a carry, you should be grateful~
-A Level 6 must’ve JUST become a player, full of themselves ㅋㅋㅋㅋ kinda cute
-Cute my ass, I’d be furious if I ran into that in a ranked game
-Teya please go teach him a lesson
-Does the Leader look like Joss to you? How well do you know the Underground Prison? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
To the viewers right now, that Level 6 was nothing but a nuisance character—some clueless punk overstepping his bounds.
‘If I call him out and shut him down right now, I’d look like I don’t understand streaming.’
Convenient timing—he’d just made an offer worth biting on.
He’d lead five rooms flawlessly while the Level 6 stumbled through five rooms however he could manage,
‘Then I get chosen as the real Leader, subtly show him up, work his nerves bit by bit, and finally throw him a bone and take some credit for myself…!’
A perfect, satisfying piece of Proper Education content, start to finish.
Teya swallowed hard and began preparing the strategy in earnest.
His brilliant leadership through five rooms would be the foundation of the whole bit.
‘The Underground Prison… honestly, it’s a bit unclear.’
But he was confident he’d handle it better than a Level 6 no matter what.
“It looks like I’ve been summoned as an Archer this time. So if the Swordsman filters the monsters at the front, I’ll intercept from behind with a Dagger and advance to cover when needed.”
“Sounds good!”
“The Mage can unleash wide-area attacks as soon as the Casting finishes—we’ll clear out and signal you when to fire. Supporter, keep buffing us as the situation demands.”
“Understood!”
“Got it.”
“And Jaeha…”
Teya’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You guard the Mage’s flank in case any monsters slip past me and the Swordsman!”
“Right.”
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ So basically telling him to hang back
-Classic bait and switch, that’s Teya for you
-Such.A.Very.Important.Role!
Nice words, guarding the flank—
but it amounted to little more than standing there doing nothing.
Still, Teya was the Leader now.
“Yes, understood.”
Unlike before, Shin Jaeha simply nodded and accepted the role.
“Then, let’s go!”
Once all positions were assigned and the strategy laid out,
they entered the first room at last.
Clang!
The entrance sealed shut as monsters spawned within the chamber.
[Underground Prison Sewer Rat]
A dozen rats, each no bigger than half an adult man, bared their needle-sharp teeth with eyes glowing red.
“Squeeeeak!”
Sewer rats charging forward at a terrifying speed.
Following the plan they’d discussed earlier, the Swordsman stepped forward and swung his blade.
“Hyah!”
The sword cut cleanly through one of the rats in a single stroke.
Ashen fur stained dark with crimson blood.
“Shriek!”
“Squeal!”
The other rats leaped threateningly forward, their jaws snapping open wide.
Thud! Thud!
A dagger came flying from somewhere and pierced straight through one rat’s brow, killing it instantly.
“Keep drawing their attention from the front!”
“I’m already on it!”
The Swordsman hardened his muscles.
[Bulk Up
(D)]
The rat’s sharp teeth crashed against solid muscle instead of tearing flesh.
They traded blows for a long while like that.
“Ready!”
The Mage signaled.
Her spell casting was complete.
As the Swordsman hurried backward, the mass of sewer rats pursuing him desperately—
“Burn bright!”
The magic detonated.
[Small Bless (D)]
A skill whose power had risen significantly thanks to the Supporter’s buff.
[Fire Boom (D)]
A roar of flame erupted outward.
Crimson fire consumed everything, incinerating all the rats in an instant.
The acrid stench of char filled the air.
[Cleared: 1 Room]
The clear count climbed higher.
“Phew… we did it!”
“Nice! Great work, Mage. And thank you too, Swordsman.”
“Hmph, well, that’s just the basics.”
After clearing the room, the team’s mood was warm.
Except for the Supporter, who rarely spoke, and Shin Jaeha.
“You did well too, Jaeha. Because of you, our Mage was able to cast comfortably.”
-LMAO check out how Teya’s feeding him
-Oh right, our level 6 leader did everything LOLOL
-Why aren’t you bowing to our next leader!
It was obvious flattery, transparent in its intent.
But Shin Jaeha didn’t rise to the bait.
Or rather, he couldn’t.
Cold sweat was literally beading on his forehead.
‘This is… a bit….’
This team’s average level was far worse than he’d thought.
‘They’re a complete mess…?’
Much, much more of a ragtag bunch than he’d anticipated.
***
The exploration continued.
Through the second room, everything proceeded smoothly without incident or crisis, just as before.
The problem began at the third room.
[Savage Sewer Rat]
From here on, the monsters that appeared were higher-tier specimens, and there were more of them.
“Grgh… Aaaah!”
The Swordsman alone couldn’t hold the line.
Teya had no choice but to abandon the archer’s position and move to the front.
A flexible tactical shift that maximized the advantage of multi-positioning—though it was somewhat rough in execution.
“I’m coming to help!”
“Ugh… thank goodness you’re here.”
Fortunately, it had worked to some degree.
But the problem didn’t end there.
“Ugh… ugh…!”
For some reason, the Mage’s casting speed had slowed considerably.
Since their strategy relied on the Mage sweeping everything in one blow, any reduction in her casting speed accelerated resource consumption for the entire team.
“Miss! How much longer?!”
“J-just a bit more…!”
The Supporter quickly switched from the Power Boost buff to the Skill Activation Speed buff.
It was Teya’s order—a judgment that they couldn’t afford to lose any more health.
“Ready!”
On the signal, both of them withdrew rapidly.
Whoooosh!
The prepared spell detonated, and flames swept through the chamber once more.
The rat-creatures writhed and burned, crackling in the firelight.
“Phew, that was a bit tougher than expected.”
“Damn Underground Prison… but we cleared it without casualties, so it counts.”
The two warriors relaxed their guard.
At the same time, the Mage clutched her temples with a slight ache and managed a faint smile.
……
But Shin Jaeha remained alert.
‘These bastards. Completely dropped their guard.’
And for good reason.
[Chambers Cleared: 2]
The clear count hadn’t increased yet.
Zzzzzzzt…!
Something writhed within the blazing flames.
“Scccrrrieeeek!”
Several burning rat-creatures leaped high, lunging straight for the Mage.
She’d cast a spell without buffs against enemies that were stronger in both defense and attack than before.
The mistake was assuming they’d die in one hit like last time.
“W-what?!”
“Miss!”
Teya and the Swordsman failed to react in time and spun around in a panic.
The burning rat-creatures’ eyes glowed red.
A savage determination: if I die, I’m taking you with me.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
Just as the rats were about to tear into her—
Crack!
A club flew in from the side and batted all the creatures away.
The movement was flawless, as if he’d known exactly where and how they would strike.
-????
-Oh…
-ㅋㅋ nice form
-wait, didn’t we already kill everything?
-the Underground Prison is legit terrifying… rats the size of half a man flying through the air on fire is ACTUAL horror
-almost lost the Mage in chamber 3
The chat’s reaction shifted in an odd direction.
A Level 6 who was supposed to contribute nothing had just managed a solid third of a person’s worth of effort.
“Are you all right?”
“Y-yes…? Oh, yes… th-thank you so much….”
“Get up.”
Shin Jaeha helped the fallen Mage to her feet without a word.
At the same time, he caught a brief glimpse of her face—noticeably paler than before.
Her hand in his was slick with cold sweat.
‘Just as I thought.’
Shin Jaeha’s expression tightened slightly.
“Wow… you’re back with us, Shin! You really know how to step up when it counts!”
Teya forced out the praise, trying to mask his alarm.
“Ah, yes. Well, that’s my role, after all.”
Shin Jaeha gave a perfunctory answer and brushed past it.
There was no time to dwell on that now.
Teya, meanwhile, felt cold sweat trickling down his spine.
‘The rat not dying in one hit—that’s a variable I didn’t account for.’
He’d underestimated the sewer rat’s vitality.
Next time, he’d never make such a miscalculation again.
With that resolve, he pushed toward the fourth chamber.
Clang!
The sound of the door locking felt heavier, more ominous than before.
“Grrrrraahhh….”
A low, guttural moan grew steadily closer.
The chamber filled with pale corpses gripping spears, swords, and other weapons.
Shackles bound every one of their feet, and they wore tattered prisoner garb—Undead, all of them.
[Convict Ghoul]
Just like the sewer rat, these were monsters that spawned in the Underground Prison.
‘Damn. Of all things…’
And among them, creatures that were notably troublesome.
Teya gripped his Dagger firmly, steeling himself never to drop his guard again.
“I’m taking Main Warrior this time!”
“W-what?! If you suddenly switch positions like that…!”
“Those things can’t be handled at your level!”
Teya’s Class was ‘Dagger Rogue’—a second-advancement specialization.
Compared to ‘Generic Swordsman,’ a mere first-advancement, his Firepower and speed were in a different league.
“Damn it all, what’s going on…!”
The Swordsman, now relegated to second position, clicked his tongue and hurried in after him.
Teya leaped into the fray, dancing his twin Daggers through the ghouls, dropping them one by one.
[Consecutive Slash] (D)
The Class Skill of the Dagger Rogue.
Blades infused with mana carved through the ghouls’ flesh in clean, brutal arcs.
If the team’s level wasn’t enough, he’d simply step in himself and make up the difference.
‘Not bad. Easier than I thought.’
A confident smile played at his lips.
But that ease was his alone to enjoy.
“Ugh…! Damn these things!”
The Swordsman, facing a ghoul of his own, was suffering.
Without an Archer to pressure them and keep them at bay, he had to hold them off single-handedly.
Pouring every Skill he had into the fight, his stamina and mana drained in real time.
“Just hold on a bit longer! Once I finish here, I’ll come help!”
“Hurry it up, damn you!”
All he could rely on was Teya’s support or the Mage finishing her Casting.
But ghouls were far from easy prey.
Being Undead, they didn’t die easily—if you didn’t finish them properly, you’d have to face them again and again.
Swoosh! Crunch!
Their combat strength, shaped by their human lives before death, was anything but weak.
“Nngh…!”
A spear swung by the ghoul grazed Teya’s ribs.
It wasn’t a mortal wound, but the fact that he’d been hit at all sent ice through his veins.
“The… the magic—how much longer?!”
He shot an urgent glance toward the Mage.
“Hah… hahhhh…!”
The Mage stood trembling on unsteady legs, channeling a massive spell.
It would take considerable time before her preparation was complete.
‘The Supporter…!’
If only there were a Skill-acceleration Buff to spare.
But the Supporter had no bandwidth right now—every resource was locked on survival.
“Damn these corpses!”
Keeping the Swordsman alive under assault from all sides took priority.
“Skreeeee!”
“Uuuurraaahh….”
Inevitably, the ghouls broke through the warriors’ defense and turned their attention to the Mage and Supporter.
“H-hyiii…!”
As the ghouls drew near, he flinched and his concentration shattered, the magic he’d been casting fading away.
“No…!”
A perfect bind—damned if he did, damned if he didn’t.
Teya clenched his teeth hard.
Should he charge over there now and protect those two?
But if he abandoned this position, all the remaining ghouls would swarm the Swordsman, and he’d die for certain.
Yet he couldn’t just abandon the Mage and Supporter either.
If anything, those two were far more valuable than the Swordsman.
‘Only on the fourth room and already like this!’
Rotten luck—ghouls in this run was the problem.
No, fundamentally this was a bad matchup.
A proper team operated on five members, and they had only four.
A Level 6 was never supposed to be within reach.
‘If only that Level 6 wasn’t here…!’
They wouldn’t have gotten stuck here of all places.
Even as he was inwardly fuming, about to abandon the Swordsman and dash toward the Mage and Supporter—
“Hah…”
The problematic Level 6 walked forward, positioning himself in front of the Mage and Supporter.
“I didn’t ask for much. Just clear five rooms, you said. So why are you stalling at four?”
Shin Jaeha scratched his head as he stepped in front of dozens of charging ghouls.
Then.
Gravity Field
He deployed a violet force field.
Whooom!
Space warped, and the ghouls’ approach slowed to a crawl.
One by one, their rotted joints shattered as they crashed to the ground.
“Grraaagh!”
“Krrraaagh!”
A corpse was a corpse, no matter how you looked at it.
When crushed with enough force, it simply couldn’t support its own weight—putrefied flesh and bone collapsed into pulp.
Thud…!
After flattening every ghoul in the area, Shin Jaeha deactivated the skill and then—
Crack-crack-crack!
swung the club at tremendous speed, shattering the skulls of all the ghouls in rapid succession.
Sludgy streams of rotted blood and brains.
“All of you.”
Having cleared the situation in a single instant, Shin Jaeha spoke with exasperation written across his face.
“Just listen to me.”
Wagers and promises.
They weren’t a team coherent enough to worry about such things.
Challenger-Class Player’s Return
Author
: Ki Sa-hon
Created
: August 10, 2026
Publisher
: Aces Media Co., Ltd.
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 Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder,
and no part of its contents may be used in any form or by any means without permission from our company and the author.
This e-book is protected by copyright law, and 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
—————