The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 123

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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 123
Episode 123
Jin-woo couldn’t help but furrow his brow as he traveled toward Margantia.
Why, you ask?
He’d been forcibly logged out due to an unexpected patch announcement.
They claimed they’d give out random skill books, but there was no way he could welcome that.
What on earth was the reason for this patch?
Well, what else?
It had to be because of me.
Jin-woo furrowed his brow with that thought.
I suppose I have been causing quite a stir lately.
Haven’t I already obtained three mythic-grade weapons?
And all while possessing the God Knight class that can wield every single one of them.
‘It’s probably not a nerf patch, though.’
Should I exercise more restraint?
Wasn’t that being overly self-conscious?
No, it wasn’t.
In the past, there were no patches like this at all.
They respected the players’ freedom.
The fact that they’re making adjustments now doesn’t make sense.
With that thought, Jin-woo accessed the Pantheon homepage.
To find out why they were patching the game.
And what he found was remarkable.
A patch far more extensive than he’d expected.
And if this patch was real…
‘I’m actually benefiting from it too?’
Was I really being overly self-conscious?
Actually, no.
This patch was beneficial for Jin-woo as well.
A system patch that allowed teleportation between cities within the same kingdom.
Villages worked the same way.
Travel from village to city or city to village remained restricted.
But travel from village to village or city to city was now permitted.
It was undeniably a convenient quality-of-life improvement.
In fact, Jin-woo had found it inconvenient to have to use the Demon Sword whenever he needed to travel to another city within the same kingdom.
But now that inconvenience would disappear.
Within the same kingdom, he’d only need to use the Demon Sword once.
Of course, other users would benefit far more from this.
Think about it.
Still, Jin-woo could travel once per day.
The effect of the Demon Sword Master and the effect of Gram.
But other users didn’t have anything like that at all.
Other users benefited far more.
‘This is amazing.’
It was such a godly patch that I wondered why they hadn’t implemented something like this before the regression.
Well, naturally Jin-woo had something to do with the reason, didn’t he?
Since Jin-woo moved around so much.
The concept was to give Jin-woo this advantage while also taking care of other users.
It was quite a good patch.
Did that mean Jin-woo was at a disadvantage?
Well, if you think about it conventionally, that could be the case.
From the Developer’s perspective, if other users could also move like that.
At least Jin-woo wouldn’t be able to monopolize everything.
That seemed to be the thinking.
But that was really just a dream.
Because there was a decisive difference between users and Jin-woo.
None other than future information.
Something Jin-woo had, but other users didn’t.
If anything, it was an even better patch for Jin-woo.
‘I like this.’
Jin-woo thought that and grinned widely.
Then.
My phone vibrated.
Who could it be at this hour?
It wasn’t a call, but a message.
Normally I didn’t even get many texts.
Finding it odd, I immediately checked my phone.
It was an unexpected person.
[Yu Ji-a: Did you happen to see the patch?]
[Yu Ji-a: (rabbit emoji making a fuss)]
I tilted my head at the sight of it.
I honestly didn’t expect to hear from her like this.
The sudden contact caught me a bit off guard.
I thought it would be awkward since we’d only met yesterday.
But she was sending me a message first like this.
I replied to her message.
[Jin-woo: Yeah, I saw it. A patch that allows travel between kingdoms of the same faction. Really is a great patch.]
[Yu Ji-a: Right?! Then we can meet up!]
[Yu Ji-a: (rabbit emoji bouncing excitedly)]
I nodded firmly at the sight of it.
This way, I can meet up with my other friends.
The game itself becomes even more enjoyable.
Such an excellent patch.
Since it happened because of me, I felt a bit apologetic at first.
But now that these positive effects are showing up.
Jin-woo chuckled, clearly pleased.
In the end, the Pantheon was changing because of me.
Honestly, it was frightening, but it seemed to be improving in better ways.
Anyway.
Now that it’s become easier for other people to meet up with their friends too.
That must be what Yu Ji-a was saying.
Jin-woo was pondering for a moment before trying to send a reply.
Then Yu Ji-a sent another message.
[Yu Ji-a: Oh, I was just so excited and asked, but if you’re busy, that’s totally fine! I’m sorry for reaching out so suddenly.]
So she did it on impulse because she was excited.
Jin-woo chuckled at those words and replied.
[Jin-woo: Nah, it’s cool. These things happen. I’m not busy these days, so I’ve got time. Hunting together sounds good.]
Not long after Jin-woo sent that reply.
A response came right away.
[Yu Ji-a: Really?! Then I’ll head over! You said you’re in Kantara, right?!]
[Jin-woo: Yeah, but it’s fine! I’ll come to you. I’ve got a friend there anyway, so it’d be better for me to head to Margantia.]
[Yu Ji-a: Oh, a friend?]
[Jin-woo: Yeah. I’ve got a friend at the Han-sung Guild. So I thought it’d be nice to meet them while I’m at it. I’ll come over.]
[Yu Ji-a: Ah, if that’s the case, I understand. I’ll be waiting.]
[Jin-woo: Yeah. So the patch will take a while to finish, but let’s meet up after it’s done.]
[Yu Ji-a: Yes! Sounds good!]
[Yu Ji-a: (rabbit emoticon bowing in thanks)]
After the conversation with Yu Ji-a ended, Jin-woo chuckled.
To be honest, it felt a bit awkward and embarrassing.
This was the first time a woman had reached out to me so actively.
Wait, was it really the first time?
Now that I think about it, didn’t Han Yu-na do the same?
It seems like she did.
Anyway.
‘Ahem.’
The fact that I was now texting with women in reality felt oddly pleasant.
There was no one before.
Indeed, my life seems to be blossoming since I regressed.
Jin-woo smiled contentedly at that thought.
Now I should go do some light exercise.
I hadn’t been able to exercise lately, what with all the fuss about obtaining Mjolnir recently.
I could feel my body growing sluggish again.
This wouldn’t do.
‘I need to exercise. After the traffic accident, I learned how important it was to see and feel my body’s condition.’
Physical fitness is genuinely crucial for gamers.
Especially when spending extended periods in the capsule.
No matter how much massage support the capsule provides.
Isn’t it still prolonged immobility?
Muscle atrophy occurs.
Various health issues develop.
Besides, the wounds from the traffic accident have already healed.
There’s no reason to coddle myself.
‘I’ll keep at it. Consistently.’
After my regression, my life changed.
That wasn’t an exaggeration.
I’ve lived far more earnestly since the regression.
It’s only natural that my life would transform.
Though it was obvious.
I’ve changed considerably as well.
Just as Han Yu-na had stagnated in her growth before the regression, defeated after being outpaced by Kaiser.
I was the same.
Before the regression, I was content thinking this level was respectable.
I satisfied myself with mediocrity.
Why? Because I was a latecomer.
But now I understand that wasn’t the case at all.
‘If I change, that would be good.’
I pursue progress without knowing satisfaction, always moving forward.
Of course, as I gained the leisure to observe my surroundings, I began doing so.
Yet paradoxically, this made me faster.
Both in character growth and personal development.
All of it.
Though I haven’t fully recognized it yet.
Thanks to this, Han Yu-na has transformed as well, hasn’t she?
Watching me strive, she developed her own potential. And I did the same.
How far we’ll grow from here on.
I found myself genuinely anticipating it.
* * *
Meanwhile, upon hearing the patch news, countless users erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
And for good reason.
Hunting in only one region?
No matter how vast a space, one grows tired of it eventually.
And over a month had already passed?
Boredom was inevitable.
But then suddenly, movement between cities within the same kingdom was permitted.
The impact this patch had was enormous.
All players welcomed it enthusiastically.
The only complaints came from those asking why it hadn’t been implemented sooner.
Beyond that, there was no dissatisfaction whatsoever.
And Kaiser was among those celebrating.
“A movement patch.”
A patch I absolutely loved.
Truth be told, my forces had been scattered far too thin until now.
But now, even if I couldn’t gather all my strength in one place, I could certainly consolidate it by kingdom.
With this development, my plans might come to fruition far more quickly.
The plan to capture Jin-woo, of course.
Kaiser had once been arrogant and reckless.
But this time was different.
‘I will never underestimate you again.’
Instead, I will face you with equal thoroughness and ruthlessness.
I’ve already succeeded in winning over fifty percent of those who advanced to the main tournament.
Though I failed to sway the heavy hitters.
Still, that was quite an achievement.
And the majority of them were from the Bark Empire.
Kaiser was here as well.
As befitted an empire, it possessed the most expansive territory and the largest player population.
Naturally, the combined strength of Kaiser’s Guild gathering here was beyond imagination.
It had already surpassed the power of the Han-sung Guild, which was called number one.
That’s why Kaiser spoke with confidence.
“From now on, I’ll give you a hard time.”
We could unite our forces.
In other words, the opportunity to strike at Jin-woo would come much sooner.
Above all else.
There was one fact I’d discovered about Jin-woo.
Namely.
‘That man can move from a kingdom to the empire.’
The method remains unknown.
But several witnesses have come forward.
Members of my own guild, no less.
So I have no choice but to believe it.
Somehow.
It was likely the influence of the Demon Sword that appeared in the recent video.
I thought it was strange how he kept appearing and disappearing unpredictably.
I was worried we’d never be able to catch him at this rate.
But he’s getting a patch.
The moment that bastard sets foot in the Bark Empire.
I’ll squeeze the life out of him.
‘Without fail.’
No matter how strong he is, it’ll be difficult.
After all, one-versus-many combat was the exclusive domain of mages.
But the instant Kaiser thought this.
Someone burst into Kaiser’s room in a panic.
“G-Guild Master! We have a serious problem!”
Kaiser frowned as if asking what the matter was, his gaze fixed on the woman.
The woman caught her breath and swallowed hard.
The charisma Kaiser exuded in that moment was powerful enough to suffocate—truly overwhelming.
She hesitated for an instant under his presence, then continued speaking.
“A video of him has been uploaded.”
“Is that a serious problem?”
“Y-yes, I think you need to see it.”
“Hmm?”
What on earth was happening that warranted such a fuss?
And the moment Kaiser watched the video.
“Damn it! What the hell is this!”
A curse escaped his lips involuntarily.
* * *
The video Kaiser watched while cursing.
It was none other than footage of a joint hunt with the Han-sung Guild.
More precisely, a hunt with Han Yu-na’s party.
The video, combined with the earlier footage of Jin-woo’s ability test, also contained footage of the raid on Falcon Village.
There were quite a few points of interest to observe here.
First of all.
-The Han-sung Guild!?
-Wait, why is my sister appearing there!?
-;;;;
-Huh? Did Hwang Kyung-ma-jeol really join Han-sung?
-Hey, but if Han Yu-na is still in Falcon Village, isn’t this from like three weeks ago?
-Yeah; he got the Demon Sword way more than three weeks ago anyway.
-KKKKKKKK I can’t help but laugh at how ridiculous this is.
A collaboration with the Han-sung Guild.
If Jin-woo had joined the Han-sung Guild, they would have announced it too.
But the fact that he didn’t meant he might never have joined a guild in the first place.
Of course, people didn’t believe it that way.
After all, what else could hunting together mean?
It was simple logic.
-At least, I’m not sure if he joined a guild or not, but their relationship isn’t bad!
-I thought he was a lone wolf! But he’s hunting with a guild!
-Having a friendly guild makes things easier anyway!
-This is huge!
Jin-woo’s power was no longer confined to solo operations.
And.
-Dude, are you serious?! Hwang Kyung-ma-jeol is casting magic in the back?
-?????
-Magic?
Isn’t he a Warrior? lol
-Kkkkkk demon swordsman?
-No, he’s actually stronger than a regular Mage?
-For real?
-Something big is coming!
Something truly extraordinary was approaching.

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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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