The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 106

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

Episode 106
Episode 106
The contract had been finalized smoothly.
The apartment on the 42nd floor was now mine.
Since it was already vacant, I could move in immediately.
But there were things I needed to do first.
Though I’d thought I might like the place, I hadn’t expected to sign the contract right away.
I hadn’t made any moving preparations at all.
I needed to submit a transfer request for the capsule Athens.
There were many things to take care of.
Well, I’d need to buy new furniture too.
Actually, since I didn’t have much moving cargo, I could just discard everything I had and pack only clothes and daily necessities.
‘I should prepare for the move soon.’
With that thought, I decided to return to my original home for now.
Since the contract was complete, I could come and go from this apartment freely now.
The thought made my chest swell with emotion.
To think I could actually live in a place like this.
Who would have imagined living in an apartment with a view of the Han River?
Even if they had, they’d think it was a distant dream.
I’d vaguely thought it might be possible to some degree after regressing.
But to obtain it this quickly—
‘Heh.’
And I hadn’t even spent that much money.
4.7 billion won.
Some might say that was a lot of money.
But compared to what I had, it was actually quite modest.
Perhaps I should handle the moving preparations first, then log into the game?
With that thought, I smiled and headed back to my original home.
‘Nível, I’m heading out!’
He’d probably be busy crafting for a while.
Well, whatever might happen in the meantime.
I left without giving it much thought.
* * *
After finishing the moving preparations, the date was set.
Since Athens was high-end, they said they could do it tomorrow right away.
For everything else, since I only needed to pack clothes, I could handle it alone.
Just disposing of the furniture I’d been using would probably take a full day.
Of course, I didn’t do it myself—I called a cleaning service.
The cleaning service said they could come tomorrow as well.
It seemed I’d be able to play the game from my new apartment starting tomorrow.
‘Is this the last time I’ll play in this house?’
Something tugged at my heart, leaving it restless.
But what did it matter?
Playing while gazing at the Han River view would naturally lift my spirits.
It was a shame, though.
I was leaving this place now.
The one place I couldn’t leave before my regression.
I was really leaving.
At that thought, even Jin-woo couldn’t help but grow sentimental.
Leaving this place because things had worked out well.
‘Truth be told, part of the reason I didn’t leave before my regression was because things were so difficult.’
I couldn’t even manage a relationship, and I didn’t go anywhere either.
So I ended up just holed up in my room.
Once things improved, I’d move somewhere else.
Once I climbed higher than this, I’d relocate.
That’s what I kept telling myself.
But in the end, I simply lacked the courage.
Now, though, it was time to leave.
To somewhere higher than anywhere before.
With that thought, Jin-woo found himself smiling without even realizing it.
‘Ah, forget it. Let’s just focus on the game.’
To anyone listening, it would sound like the words of a gaming addict.
But for Jin-woo, there was no greater way to live earnestly than this.
With that, Jin-woo entered the capsule and logged in.
I’d thought about heading straight to Nível.
But the time wasn’t right yet.
‘I should explore this area a bit more.’
Perhaps I could find some good materials.
As I was looking around,
someone approached me.
What’s this about?
They don’t seem to be an NPC—they’re a player?
Could they have recognized me?
That couldn’t be.
I’d worn a mask throughout the tournament, so there shouldn’t be many people who could identify me as Jin-woo.
While Jin-woo was thinking that,
the approaching player looked at me and asked,
“How did you get here?”
A sharp voice.
Anyone could tell they were deeply wary of Jin-woo.
Jin-woo recognized the voice immediately and knew exactly who this user was.
“Huh? Barmon?”
“Yes. What are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be in Felsia?”
Barmon stared at him, his expression full of questions.
Jin-woo looked at Barmon with curiosity.
Running into Barmon here of all places.
Ah, that’s right—Barmon was originally from Jerba too.
I’d completely forgotten about that.
Though I suppose it’s understandable that I did.
He got completely eliminated by me in the tournament.
It’s actually a bit amusing that I even remember that much.
Anyway, wondering what this was about, I looked at Barmon.
He appeared quite tense.
‘I suppose that’s natural, given what happened to him.’
As I scratched my head looking at Barmon, he suddenly flinched.
This reaction made me think something might be off.
Hmm.
Thinking this over, I decided to ask Barmon instead.
“But how did you recognize me?”
“Ahem, that weapon of yours is quite distinctive, isn’t it?”
“Ah.”
Only then did I look at my Gram and realize what he meant.
How foolish of me.
Well, at least I know now.
Thinking this, I spoke to Barmon.
“Thanks for telling me. But was that the only reason you approached me?”
“Ah, well…”
Barmon hesitated to answer my question directly.
Hadn’t Kaiser’s Guild recently cut off contact?
And yet here he was, speaking to me in this situation.
If I had known about it, I would have grown quite suspicious.
But there’s no way I could know.
Still, Barmon remained cautious.
And then.
“Kaiser’s Guild is gathering personnel to assassinate you.”
“Huh?”
Hearing Barmon’s words, I reacted as though I’d heard something completely absurd.
What on earth was he talking about?
Kaiser wanted to assassinate me?
I suppose it’s possible, but…
Suddenly?
Though thinking about it, there had been quite a lot happening between us.
I’d blocked all of Kaiser’s records from being erased and prevented him from taking first place.
I’d even stopped him during the event tournament.
Hmm, but would that really warrant assassination?
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t make sense of it.
‘Kaiser is all pride, so maybe he could do something like that.’
But still.
Why was Barmon the one telling me this?
That was what I couldn’t understand.
If he knew about it, that meant Kaiser had made the proposal to Barmon as well, didn’t it?
So why was he telling me?
“I refused.”
“Ah… I’m hesitant to ask directly, but since you didn’t participate in my assassination, why? Don’t you hold some grudge against me?”
I was asking this myself.
But how could I not be curious?
I was genuinely curious.
It was I who had eliminated Barmon in the preliminaries.
Yet he hadn’t accepted Kaiser’s proposal to assassinate me?
Maybe it was just bluffing.
Like a spy pretending not to have joined while actually having done so.
But the atmosphere didn’t feel that way.
Honestly, when he spoke of Kaiser, he said it with a tone of disdain.
So it didn’t seem like a lie, at least.
Though it could still be an act.
That’s why I asked.
“I do hold some resentment, actually. But not hatred.”
“Hmm, but then why…?”
“Well, I lost in terms of skill, didn’t I? I had no choice but to accept it.”
“That’s true.”
“So I decided to just accept it. And I approached you because I was curious how you got here, and I wanted to tell you about Kaiser.”
Barmon’s words carried considerable credibility.
Before, he’d honestly come across as quite obnoxious.
But he seemed different now.
More humble, you could say?
Perhaps that’s why.
‘He feels sharper than before.’
There was a sense that his instincts had become keener.
Had his control improved even more than before?
Wasn’t that the case with Han Yu-na as well?
At first, he did improve during the tournament.
But when I faced him in the finals, his power surged to another level entirely.
A Ranker transformed in ways I’d never seen before.
And knowing that I was the catalyst for his growth filled me with a strange sense of pride.
“Hmm.”
I pondered for a moment.
My initial thought was to purchase materials right away.
But seeing this changed my perspective.
Materials could always be bought later.
Then it occurred to me—there was something I could obtain through the party.
I’d come to a different region. Would I really skip the Hidden Pieces?
That wasn’t like me at all.
“Would you be interested in hunting with our party?”
Originally, I had no intention of hunting in this place.
Hidden Pieces?
Even if they existed, I wasn’t planning to consume them.
More precisely, I couldn’t access them.
‘There are many places I can’t enter due to level restrictions or party requirements.’
Most of Jerba’s Hidden Pieces operated that way.
The majority were Hidden Dungeons that required a party to enter.
So I’d resigned myself to giving up.
But to encounter Barmon like this…
Normally, Barmon would monopolize most of the Hidden Pieces in this region.
If I could share in them instead?
That would be an incredible windfall.
I’d planned to skip hunting since my level was already high.
Yet here I was, reaping unexpected benefits.
‘This is perfect.’
My current level was an impressive 95.
In Jerba, where hunting typically capped at level 80, I was 15 levels above the curve.
Normally, I wouldn’t have bothered hunting.
But Hidden Pieces changed everything.
That’s why I’d asked Barmon.
Whether he’d be interested in party hunting.
If he refused, so be it.
“Pardon?”
“There is a level gap between us, but wouldn’t it be enjoyable?”
“Eh? Really?”
Barmon’s face lit up with unmistakable joy.
Of course it would—how could he not be thrilled?
Wasn’t Jin-woo the one who overwhelmingly defeated Barmon?
Hunting together with someone like that?
There would be much to learn.
So it wasn’t a bad proposition for Barmon either.
You’re saying this would be a loss for Jin-woo?
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
I wasn’t planning to carry him along without any real benefit.
‘I can obtain Hidden Pieces—this much is nothing.’
I had skipped over Hidden Dungeons in dungeons with entry restrictions.
But if I enter with Barmon?
That’s actually favorable.
Isn’t this a Hidden Piece I couldn’t obtain alone otherwise?
Simply obtaining it is already a gain.
More than that.
‘In the future, Barmon would have obtained it anyway, so there’s no harm in sharing it.’
Technically, it’s not giving—it’s obtaining together.
But isn’t that the same thing?
It was originally a Hidden Piece Barmon’s party would have obtained anyway.
This much I can afford to do.
Just as I was about to mention a place I knew, Barmon spoke first.
“I happen to know of a place.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s a Hidden Dungeon, to be precise. Since only a party can enter, I haven’t been able to go in yet, but with you, Jin-woo, I feel confident we could manage it.”
At those words, Jin-woo felt a chill run down his spine.
If this had come any later, I wouldn’t have obtained it.
Barmon already knew about it at this point.
If I’d been any later, I wouldn’t have been able to get it.
But for him to tell me about such a Hidden Dungeon…
He seemed sincere.
Barmon looked different somehow.
‘Should I go then?’
The moment that thought crossed my mind.
Barmon spoke as well.
“Shall we go right away?”
What reason could there be to refuse?
Jin-woo chuckled softly and nodded.
“Yes, let’s go.”
Barmon expressed his delight and suggested they depart.
As Jin-woo went with him, his thoughts turned to the Hidden Pieces.
As Jin-woo went with him, his thoughts turned to the Hidden Pieces.
Though Jin-woo possessed many Hidden Pieces already, this was undoubtedly one of the finest among them.
None other than.
‘A Fragment of Mjölnir.’
The Fragment of Mjölnir—the king of crafted items.
It lay dormant in that place.
Even as merely a fragment, the Fragment of Mjölnir was an Epic-grade item.
Naturally, this meant nothing to Jin-woo.
He already knew where the other fragments were located.
He was absolutely determined to obtain them all.
Moreover, having acquired a crafting profession, this was essential for him.
‘I can hardly wait.’
It is anticipated.

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