The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 107

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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 107
Episode 107
Mjolnir.
Truth be told, it’s difficult to classify it as a crafting item.
Even from a mythological standpoint, isn’t that the case?
The hammer wielded by Thor, the god of thunder.
While it’s used in combat, no one had ever thought to use it for crafting.
But then again, the Pantheon isn’t something that lasts just a day or two.
There’s little difference between a crafting hammer and a combat hammer.
Why, you ask?
The only profession that uses hammers is the blacksmith.
In other words, it’s a weapon exclusive to blacksmiths.
And here’s where something interesting happens.
The crafting success rate increases proportionally with the hammer’s attack power.
So then, what is both the greatest weapon and the greatest crafting item?
Naturally, one could say it’s Mjolnir, the most superior of all hammers.
I never thought I’d obtain Mjolnir.
In truth, Barmon had obtained it in the past.
But this time would be different.
In the dungeon, there’s only one fragment of Mjolnir.
And even its name is concealed.
If I were asked to pick it?
Far too simple.
I knew exactly how Barmon had chosen it back then.
Barmon himself hadn’t known that the item he’d obtained from clearing this dungeon would eventually become Mjolnir.
He’d chosen it on a whim, suspecting it might be a hidden item, and ended up striking gold.
Thanks to that, things had become convenient for me.
Party-based combat would continue, and afterward, rewards would be distributed in order of contribution points.
That was the characteristic of this dungeon.
Contribution points?
Could I possibly fall behind Barmon in contribution points—the man who’d won even in a competition with nothing at stake?
No way.
There wasn’t a single thing to worry about.
Before entering the dungeon, I gazed at its entrance.
Hmm.
The dungeon’s name was the Abyss Mine.
And I had information about this place from before my regression as well.
Monsters composed of various ores would appear.
Not the typical fantasy game monsters, but ones created by the Pantheon.
They’re similar to golems, but unlike those, they don’t have a separate core.
In other words, you could think of it as a monster made entirely of ore.
The level restriction is a staggering 80.
It’s currently beyond Barmon’s capacity to handle.
Through the party, I learned that Barmon’s level was merely 51.
‘Considering his skill, he could probably take down enemies above his own level, but a gap of 30 or more would be difficult.’
In that sense, teaming up with Jin-woo was a good call.
How on earth did someone at level 51 discover this place?
It’s absolutely astounding.
With that thought, Jin-woo asked Barmon.
“The level gap is quite significant—are you certain you’ll be alright?”
At that, Barmon nodded with ease.
And he spoke.
“I won’t be a burden, at least. I’ll pull my weight for one person, so don’t worry.”
“Hmm, if you say so, I understand.”
“Since I’m a Mage, I’ll handle the rear guard.”
“Yes, let’s proceed that way for now.”
“Hm?”
For now, let’s proceed that way.
What did that mean?
Barmon stared at Jin-woo with exactly that expression, but Jin-woo let out a soft chuckle.
Jin-woo was skilled with magic too, but still.
The skill Barmon displayed in their previous conversation was genuine.
I use magic by carefully timing it and measuring various intervals to suit the situation.
But the sense of finesse is somewhat lacking.
Barmon, however, was different.
He wielded magic in a way where every spell fit together with the precision of clockwork components.
Wasn’t that at least worth learning?
For now, I decided I would take the front line, eliminate monsters, and when the time came, observe and learn from Barmon’s magic.
And with that mindset, I entered the Dungeon.
‘Hmm, nothing seems different.’
I wondered if there might be issues from exceeding the level restriction, but there weren’t any.
It was an appropriate level rather than a restrictive one.
Besides, some creatures in the first city go up to level 100, so 95 is nothing.
Trivial.
With that thought, I drew Gram.
I considered using a different weapon, but Gram alone seemed sufficient.
Watching me, Barmon swallowed hard.
‘I never thought I’d witness his true power like this.’
Honestly, it still didn’t feel real.
Just how strong was Jin-woo?
What I see in the video and what’s happening now are bound to be different.
Given the time that’s passed, I must be far stronger than I was then.
Barmon opened his eyes wide to observe how Jin-woo moved.
Just how would he pull it off?
After the wait, he finally saw it.
As a single monster appeared ahead.
A monster that moved as if iron ore itself had come to life.
Anyone could see it displayed strong resistance to physical attacks.
Against such a creature with a sword?
Barmon felt a moment of doubt, but Jin-woo moved swiftly.
Pat.
Jin-woo pushed off the ground lightly and launched forward.
And then he stepped through empty air.
Likely the effect of a skill.
The monster couldn’t properly react to Jin-woo as he leaped even faster while stepping through the void.
Barmon could barely track the speed with his eyes.
Impossibly fast.
At that very speed, he swung his blade toward the monster.
A truly elegant arc traced through the air.
The sword cleaved through the creature’s torso.
Swish.
It was a remarkably quiet sound.
A sound you could barely hear unless you concentrated.
Like the soft whisper of paper being cut.
But the result was anything but gentle.
“Gack?!”
Its torso split clean in two, and the monster died instantly.
A single blow to sever the torso of a creature with physical resistance?
Was such a thing even possible, no matter how high one’s stats were?
Barmon’s eyes widened so far they seemed ready to split as he witnessed the sight.
Could this really be happening?
No, even with a massive level and stat difference, could an inferior monster be dispatched like that?
He posed the question to himself, but his head shook in denial.
Instant death in a single strike?
It’s possible. But instant death with a normal attack?
That doesn’t make sense.
Yet Jin-woo just did exactly that.
He split the creature in half with a single ordinary attack.
Witnessing this impossible spectacle, Barmon thought to himself.
‘This isn’t something that can be achieved through stats alone.’
A gulp.
It wasn’t merely a matter of superior stats.
Hadn’t Barmon witnessed it himself?
The speed and movement of that blade just before the slash.
So many things.
It felt like I was using my body 100%, no—120%.
Though it was an ordinary attack, the fact that it produced skill-like effects had its reasons.
‘By twisting my body maximally and leveraging that rotational force, I wasn’t simply swinging with a stat of 100.’
It was a definitive technique.
I had used it intentionally.
Sure enough.
As another monster appeared, Jin-woo rushed forward and swung his blade.
And without fail, the creature was cleaved in one stroke.
A soft whisper.
Watching Jin-woo move with such lightness—as if cutting through paper—Barmon shook his head.
To have actually dared challenge such a person.
It was absurd.
The footage he’d shown until now was nothing but bluffing.
Who could have known that was a bluff?
That’s precisely why he could climb this far faster than anyone else.
If he’d reached this level with only the strength shown in footage, everyone who’d entered the rankings by now would be as powerful as Jin-woo.
But that doesn’t make sense, does it?
‘He’s truly remarkable.’
Barmon could only marvel at the sight of Jin-woo.
And he congratulated himself for his wisdom.
‘I made the right choice rejecting Kaiser’s proposal.’
Assassinate someone of such caliber?
It was impossible.
If the gap between them was already this wide now….
Would it not be difficult even if over a hundred individuals of Barmon’s strength and skill gathered?
Considering only the current disparity, a hundred might be unrealistic, but perhaps it could become possible later.
Isn’t what Kaiser is aiming for not now, but later?
Even if we conduct raids now, it would be far easier than facing Jin-woo.
Why walk such a difficult path?
Barmon had no intention whatsoever of stopping Kaiser.
Simply.
‘Even a friendly relationship would be insufficient.’
Yet he was considering hostility.
Barmon could now comprehend it.
‘Jin-woo right now is nothing short of a natural disaster.’
A natural disaster with self-awareness that could think for itself?
Why would there be any reason not to get along with such a being?
The very idea of standing against him seemed utterly foolish.
Kaiser must be feeling fear toward him as well.
Yet he still attempts to challenge him?
That courage is admirable.
Isn’t it about striving to become the strongest in the game?
But the direction is wrong.
‘I should have aimed to become the strongest except for Jin-woo.’
There’s no other way now.
Assassinate him in reality?
Even if I won that way, would it truly bring joy?
No, it couldn’t.
Both Kaiser and Barmon knew this.
Winning that way was nothing but running away.
They each followed their own path.
Barmon gave up, while Kaiser strives to face him head-on.
I couldn’t say which was right or wrong.
The results would ultimately speak for themselves.
In that regard, Barmon found himself swallowing hard without realizing it.
‘Could I end up clearing this without doing anything?’
That couldn’t happen.
I couldn’t just ride Jin-woo’s coattails.
With that thought, Barmon began casting magic.
The problem was that these ore monsters didn’t just excel at physical resistance.
Their magical resistance was even stronger.
Whirring!
As the gems embedded in their bodies gleamed, they absorbed some mana to create a barrier.
Why couldn’t he use it against Jin-woo?
Because Jin-woo was faster—they couldn’t even react properly, let alone block his attacks.
Barmon attacked the monsters that blocked his skills with mana shields, adjusting his magic with time delays and multiple angles.
Satisfied with that?
Hardly.
He had to push further.
Barmon quickly identified their weaknesses.
Rather than relying on raw firepower, he hunted them down by using magic efficiently.
One by one, methodically.
“Hmm.”
At that moment, Jin-woo stroked his chin while observing Barmon.
What was the problem?
Barmon watched Jin-woo with palpable tension.
Jin-woo spoke.
“Is this perhaps how you bend the trajectory of that magic spell?”
“Huh?”
The moment the magic projectile fired, Jin-woo snapped his wrist, and the projectile curved sharply through the air in an instant.
Witnessing this, Jin-woo grinned and spoke.
“Ah, so that’s how it’s done?”
“W-what?”
Barmon stared at Jin-woo, his expression vacant.
This technique was one that Barmon had painstakingly developed and mastered through his time in the Pantheon.
It wasn’t simply a matter of twisting your wrist the moment a skill activated.
If you moved too violently while manipulating the magic circle, it would cancel.
You had to control it so the angle shifted just enough to avoid cancellation, and in that precise moment, twist the trajectory to your desired path.
Even to hear it described was an exceptionally high-difficulty technique.
Yet Jin-woo, without a single explanation, had made the technique his own after merely observing it a few times.
Witnessing this, Barmon felt an involuntary chill run through him.
‘Insane.’
Was that even reasonable control?
To copy another’s technique as effortlessly as cheating off a cheat sheet?
Who could possibly do such a thing so easily?
If it were someone inferior to him, Barmon could steal their technique.
That much was possible.
But such techniques were only achievable because Barmon could already perform them or knew something similar.
But Jin-woo was different.
Until moments ago, he knew nothing, yet he replicated Barmon’s technique flawlessly.
How was such a thing even possible?
‘Hah.’
Who exactly was this man?
Barmon could only regard Jin-woo’s overwhelming prowess with awe.
And.
‘Kaiser, you’re going to regret this.’
Barmon began to feel profound pity for Kaiser, who had made a different choice.

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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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