The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 108

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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 108
Episode 108
I obtained a total of four items from clearing the dungeon.
And I had chosen three of them.
It wasn’t that I had taken more in a 3-to-1 ratio.
Rather.
My contribution had been more than three times over, but my party member Barmon was taking home the bare minimum compensation.
Barmon understood this, so he had no complaints whatsoever about me choosing three items first.
In fact, he was quite satisfied.
‘This is insane.’
Jin-woo, who had acquired his techniques directly and used magic.
He was already amazed just watching that, but then he witnessed him creating new techniques through application afterward.
And he was losing out?
If anyone actually thought that, they were a fool.
Just being able to witness Jin-woo’s techniques firsthand had given him so much.
Especially if they were techniques created by modifying his own.
Couldn’t he apply them as well?
There were certainly some things that were difficult to master immediately, but he understood the core principles.
Because of that, he could remember them.
This is insane.
There were no other words he could use.
Complaints?
There was no way.
He would have gladly given the remaining item as well.
But that too resulted in quite an unexpected outcome.
【Jin-woo User’s Selection】
[Powerless Hammer Head]
[Epic Mana Stone]
[Random Crafting Recipe (Unique)]
“Huh?”
And the remaining item was none other than.
[Staff Imbued with the Lingering Spirit of an Ancient Tree (Unique)]
It was an item I could use immediately.
And it was exactly what Barmon needed.
Yet he was just handing it over to me?
Barmon looked at Jin-woo with a questioning expression.
Why exactly?
Why are you giving me such an item?
Could it be that you want me to return this as well?
That couldn’t possibly be the case.
Wouldn’t it be better to give him a random crafting recipe—clearly a crafting item—rather than a staff?
But he’s giving away a staff?
Even if he doesn’t use it himself, selling it would net at least hundreds of millions—that’s what a Unique-grade item is worth.
Barmon simply couldn’t comprehend this.
So he asked Jin-woo directly.
“Why… why are you giving me a staff? This is an item I could sell for profit right now.”
“Hm?”
At that question, Jin-woo immediately began to think.
What is he talking about?
In that moment, as I pondered, I suddenly understood.
Ah, Barmon doesn’t grasp the value of those three items.
So from his perspective, it makes sense he’d be confused why the staff—the most valuable-looking one—was left behind.
Jin-woo let out a quiet chuckle and thought to himself.
‘He thinks crafting materials are useless.’
Well, that made sense.
He wouldn’t think I could use crafting items even if I had them right now.
Who would have guessed I’d obtain a crafting profession from winning the tournament?
He clearly hadn’t anticipated it.
That’s why he reacted that way.
Besides, staffs were a dime a dozen.
A Unique-grade staff?
I had one left over, and I was already using an Epic-grade staff anyway.
So I hadn’t chosen it precisely because it seemed the least valuable.
And here he was, shocked by it.
He even seemed moved by the gesture.
Thinking about it that way, there was no need to spoil that emotion.
“It seemed like you needed it more than I do.”
The moment I said that, Barmon wiped his reddened nose bridge, lowered his head, and exclaimed.
“I’ll accept it with gratitude!”
“Yes, and thank you for showing me such a wonderful dungeon. I hope we meet again next time.”
With that, Jin-woo left Barmon—whom he’d already added as a friend in the dungeon—and disappeared to another location through a portal.
Watching Jin-woo vanish like that, Barmon shook his head in utter disbelief.
How could someone possess such a magnanimous spirit?
He couldn’t fathom it.
And on top of that, he wielded magic better than Barmon himself.
‘A profession that can use magic.’
Judging by the sheer number of skills, it seemed like a profession he’d already mastered before the tournament.
Otherwise, there’s no way he could have so many magic skills.
As Barmon reflected on this, he couldn’t help but marvel anew.
No matter what, he’d lost to Jin-woo.
I couldn’t think of any way to defeat someone like that.
‘Let me just focus on my own work.’
With that thought, I looked at the Quest I had obtained.
If I could just acquire this class, I might be able to follow even a little in Jin-woo’s footsteps.
[Path to the God of Magic (1)]
It’s still a long way off, but.
I’ll clear it no matter what.
And there was one thing I could feel.
‘Jin-woo must have a divine class.’
Since I obtained this, there’s no way Jin-woo wouldn’t have one.
And I thought that one or two others besides me must have obtained classes related to this.
After all, there would be people whose conditions are gradually being unlocked.
Barmon muttered while thinking of Jin-woo.
“It will be overwhelming just to keep up.”
I let out a small sigh, but that was the end of it.
I need to work harder.
So I won’t be ashamed when we meet again.
* * *
While Barmon was struggling to clear his Quest like that.
Jin-woo had returned to the Village and was grinning from ear to ear.
Who knew there was such sweet honey to be had.
There was another Hidden Dungeon in Jerba besides this one.
After I acquire the crafting skill, I’ll take Barmon along and clear that one too.
Just like today, I’ll be getting most of the items.
And seeing how moved he was today, I think I can get a few more items from him.
He’s quite a good partner in many ways.
Above all, I also gained techniques for using magic thanks to Barmon.
So it was never meaningless.
I could create far more techniques than Barmon could.
Thanks to the Sage’s Extremity.
‘It really is a broken skill.’
Since I’m one of the few with a Legendary rank, it’s naturally broken.
After all, Spatial Severance was quite broken too.
Anyway.
Now I should head back.
The reason I came back to the Village?
Why did I come when there’s another Hidden Dungeon?
It’s obvious.
Of course, a message popped up.
A message that the Blacksmith’s preparations were complete.
[Nybel’s Blacksmith has completed all preparations.]
[You may visit whenever you wish from now on.]
How could I not head to the Village after hearing that?
I quickly returned to the Village and made my way to Nybel’s Blacksmith.
Even from outside, I could feel an extraordinary heat radiating from within.
It was extraordinary.
A scorching warmth incomparable to any other blacksmith.
The moment I stepped inside, thinking that truly magnificent creations could be forged here, I saw him.
Nível stood before a massive furnace.
Sensing my arrival, he turned and spoke.
“You’ve come?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Heh, how embarrassing. Here I am, practically obsolete, yet being called Master.”
Nível chuckled with genuine embarrassment.
But I meant it sincerely.
In craftsmanship, nothing mattered more than a master’s dedication.
This kind of devotion.
Perhaps Nível understood my sentiment?
He got straight to the point.
“The most crucial element in refinement is how you handle your materials.”
“I see.”
“If you wish to forge an iron sword, you must know how to handle your materials exceptionally well. In other words, you must master iron.”
“So I must understand iron’s characteristics?”
“Precisely. You must comprehend how iron becomes stronger, how it becomes more flexible—all of it.”
“Hmm.”
“Knowledge is simple enough—I can provide you with my notes. But you must experience it yourself.”
I nodded, understanding what he meant.
It seemed knowledge was important, but experience was paramount.
After all, knowing tactics or techniques was entirely different from applying them in actual combat.
That was the feeling.
The challenge now was that I had to learn this directly.
But Nível didn’t see it as a problem.
“First, you possess tremendous talent. Otherwise, you couldn’t have created such an iron ingot.”
“You’re too kind.”
“I’m not humble enough to call such results mere flattery.”
“Ah.”
“First, I’ll give you a recipe. Try forging a steel sword using this iron ingot.”
With that, Nível handed me a recipe.
It was none other than a steel sword recipe.
A truly ordinary steel sword recipe.
Jin-woo accepted the iron ingot and placed it directly into the furnace.
See how quickly it turned crimson—the heat was extraordinary, the metal glowing red mere moments after entering the flames.
He withdrew the heated ingot and examined its condition.
If I were being truly realistic about this, I’d need to apply several chemical treatments to the iron.
But this is a fantasy world.
More importantly, it’s inside a game.
So instead of chemical processing, I sprinkled mana stone powder over it.
‘Hmm.’
It was like enchanting it to make it easier for mana to take hold.
I heated the ingot once more, and as the mana stone powder melted completely into it, I sprinkled refining stone powder next.
The heated iron ingot shimmered with a blue light for an instant, then the glow vanished as if signaling that preparation was complete.
Seeing that, I heated the ingot one more time.
Normally, this would be the point to start hammering.
But I knew something wasn’t right about stopping here.
It felt like there was something more.
I didn’t think mana stone and refining stone were the end of it.
And soon enough, I remembered.
‘Monster bone powder to harmonize the two properly.’
Hadn’t I collected all the bones from every monster I’d defeated?
The monsters I’d hunted.
Among them, the first field boss monster that left quite an impression.
I sprinkled bone powder from Argon, the Forest Guardian.
Then.
Whoooosh!
Something blazed up, and the iron ingot settled into stillness.
Nível’s eyes widened to their absolute limit as he stared at me.
‘How… how did you do that!?’
This was certainly one of the methods many blacksmiths used.
The more bone powder mixed in during refinement, the more it burned away, but the monster’s mana remaining within it would be embedded in the blade.
Iron ingots were made the same way.
Adding monster bone powder to help mana stone powder and refining stone powder mix well wasn’t difficult in itself.
But the quantity and timing.
That’s what separated skill from mere knowledge.
That’s precisely why Nível had said experience was necessary, no matter how much one knew theoretically.
Yet how could he use it so immediately?
Nível couldn’t comprehend it at all.
Rather than stop me, Nível simply watched.
And there I was, hammering the iron ingot.
Clang! Claaaang!
The hammer strikes carried tremendous force.
But it wasn’t merely brute force driving the hammer down.
At first, I struck with overwhelming power, but soon I released the tension, letting only speed guide my blows.
Then came strikes that were slower but carried tremendous weight.
Back to swift, powerful hammer strikes.
Perfect rhythm and control.
Watching this, Nível found himself thinking.
‘If this man inherits all of my techniques…’
A blacksmith worthy of legend itself?
That seemed almost trivial.
Hadn’t I myself achieved that very thing?
Then there could be only one possibility.
The emergence of a blacksmith fit for mythology.
At that thought, Nível felt his heart—dormant for so long—beating once more.
It was as though he had truly come back to life.
I didn’t need to see the result to know.
Nível was certain.
And as Jin-woo’s hammer strikes shaped the iron ingot into the form of a sword.
A brilliant light began to radiate outward.
The System gradually solidified the form.
And then the message appeared.
[Critical Success!]
[You have created a Steel Sword (Unique)!]
“Insane.”
“Gasp!”
Both Nível and Jin-woo couldn’t help but marvel at the sight.
It seemed Jin-woo possessed far more talent than anyone had anticipated.

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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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