The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 144

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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 144
144
The God of War appearing out of nowhere like this?
There’s a limit to how abrupt things can be!
But now that I think about it, something finally makes sense.
I’d heard rumors that even Barmon had entered it, but he himself claimed he never had.
Yet there’s an old saying, isn’t there?
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
Someone must have seen Barmon enter, which is how the rumor spread.
When he denied it himself, no one contradicted him.
But that only meant one thing—he definitely went in.
Most likely, he was too embarrassed to admit he couldn’t break through it.
Of course, it’s all just speculation.
But if it’s connected to the God of War, it’s entirely plausible.
Let me try to sound knowledgeable about this.
“Are you referring to the God of War, the deity of combat?”
“Hmm, you seem to know of it.”
Know of it indeed.
I am the God of War himself.
Of course, I couldn’t say that.
I still didn’t know what relationship this Count had with the God of War.
There was no need to reveal it.
As Jin-woo listened to the Count with these thoughts in mind.
The Count let out a small sigh and spoke.
“My family has possessed a Dungeon passed down through generations.”
“A Dungeon?”
“Yes, a Dungeon that our Jafin Count’s Territory has owned since ancient times. It’s so old that we don’t even know when we acquired it.”
“I see.”
“And within that Dungeon lies a legend connected to our family.”
What was he talking about now?
Jin-woo’s expression became puzzled upon hearing this.
I’d already suspected it was a Dungeon.
But a legend connected to the family?
Sensing that something interesting was about to unfold, Jin-woo allowed himself a subtle smile.
The Count felt an unexpected sense of reassurance at the sight of Jin-woo’s expression.
Here he was, about to explain the God of War and the legend, yet that smile radiated such composure.
More than anything.
“A traveler who arrived here faster than anyone else…”
Wasn’t that proof of his capabilities?
And despite seeing that he was a nobleman, the traveler showed no tension or wariness whatsoever.
That must mean he possesses power of that caliber.
Well, Count Zapin’s eyes could certainly perceive it.
The tremendous aura he carried.
That’s why I felt reassured.
Perhaps this traveler could finally resolve the long-cherished wish that has been passed down through my family for generations.
“To put it simply, according to legend, only those blessed by the Goddess can enter that Dungeon. And whoever conquers that Dungeon will elevate our family to greater heights.”
“The Goddess’s blessing… You’re referring to travelers, then.”
“I didn’t know until now, but now I understand.”
Jin-woo nodded at Count Zapin’s words.
Indeed, in the previous world, the NPCs wouldn’t have known what it meant to be blessed by the Goddess or who that referred to.
They must have searched for quite some time.
And now they’ve finally arrived.
“It took travelers a long time to reach this point.”
“Ah, haha.”
Jin-woo laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.
This is actually faster, isn’t it?
But he couldn’t say that.
Normally, it would have taken at least twice as long.
Well, either way, what’s good is good.
The Count met Jin-woo, and Jin-woo gained entry to a Dungeon that had only existed in rumors.
Moreover, a Dungeon related to the God of War.
It was practically tailor-made for Jin-woo.
But what connection could the God of War and the Dungeon possibly have?
Just as Jin-woo was pondering this, the Count opened his mouth.
“In any case, that ancient Dungeon is said to contain the power of the God of War.”
“The power of the God of War?”
“Yes, my ancestors speculated there was something containing techniques or knowledge.”
“Hmm, then shouldn’t someone related to the God of War be the one to enter? Yet it says only those blessed by the Goddess can enter?”
“Exactly that!”
As Jin-woo spoke, the Count exclaimed with slight excitement.
It was like a cry of frustration.
“The Goddess’s blessing—in other words, any traveler should suffice. My ancestor even summoned a priest related to the God of War and had him attempt entry, but it was to no avail, he said.”
“I see.”
“So, might I impose one request upon you?”
Given everything discussed so far, I couldn’t possibly misunderstand what that request was.
Besides, this was a win-win situation regardless.
Of course, considering Jin-woo was already the God of War, the probability of benefit was extraordinarily high.
As Jin-woo entertained such thoughts, he recalled the past—or rather, before his regression.
A Dungeon that any traveler could enter, yet even Barmon couldn’t break through.
It made sense, given its connection to the God of War.
Moreover.
‘If it’s related to the God of War’s skills, it would be even worse.’
It would be extraordinarily difficult.
But Jin-woo is who he is.
A God of War and currently a more exceptional player than anyone else, is he not?
If even Jin-woo couldn’t break through it?
Then no one could.
Jin-woo nodded as he looked at the Count.
This is absolutely certain.
Among all existing players, he has the highest probability of success.
“I will do it.”
“Ah, truly bold indeed. Then I entrust the Dungeon to you.”
The moment the Count spoke, a message appeared.
[The Legend Passed Down Through the Jafin Count’s Territory]
*Description: There is a legend passed down through the Jafin Count’s Territory.
A legend that only those blessed by the Goddess can clear the Dungeon and guide the Jafin Count’s Territory to greater heights.
However, until now, no one had stepped forward claiming to be blessed by the Goddess.
Then travelers claiming to have received the Goddess’s blessing appeared, and Count Jafin eagerly awaited their arrival in his territory. While tediously waiting for travelers who never came.
Finally, you have met.
Fulfill the long-cherished wish passed down through generations of the Jafin Count’s Territory and return safely.
*Mission: Clear the Dungeon, failure upon death
*Reward: Highest-tier favorable relationship with the Jafin Count’s Territory, Dungeon rewards, connections within the Bark Empire
A Quest had finally appeared.
Now there was nothing to hesitate about.
“Then come to my Castle. The Dungeon is there.”
Jin-woo nodded at the Count’s words and headed toward the Dungeon.
* * *
As Lee Yeon was applying patches related to the Guild and adding various things, she couldn’t help but notice Jin-woo moving about restlessly, pacing back and forth.
Yes, that could happen.
She’d long since stopped finding Jin-woo’s behavior strange.
Obtaining an Epic skill from the Temple of Ancient Earth?
Well, that could happen.
At this point, adding one more Epic skill wouldn’t change much anyway.
But what on earth is that?
“Wait, why is Count Jafin there?”
“It’s his territory.”
She shot a sharp glare at the Secretary who answered curtly beside her, but the Secretary simply turned her gaze away without care.
Lee Yeon muttered to herself about what she was even saying and turned her attention back to the screen.
Of all people, why Count Jafin?
Murmuring thus, she watched Jin-woo heading toward the Lord’s Castle.
A Dungeon imbued with the power of the God of War.
Yet it was not exclusively for the God of War.
Any challenger could attempt it and obtain the God of War’s power.
Of course, the difficulty transcended even the most extreme.
But.
“Why does Jin-woo have to go there of all places! Seriously!”
Lee Yeon shrieked with such fury that her voice cracked.
Why Jin-woo, of all people.
Why was she being so insistent about it?
There was certainly a reason.
When had Lee Yeon ever acted without one?
“Surely even ordinary players receive quite generous rewards from that place, yes?”
“Sigh, yeah. They get ability stats and skills too. Even their primary skills tailored to their needs.”
“Then what happens when Jin-woo, a God of War player, enters?”
“He’d receive God of War-related skills, and his ability stats would increase dramatically.”
“I see.”
The Secretary simply accepted this and moved on.
But Lee Yeon couldn’t say anything to the Secretary and just stared at the screen as if trying to burn a hole through it.
This was exactly why she’d tried not to watch.
Yet if she didn’t watch, she’d worry endlessly about how much stronger Jin-woo would become, so she always kept it on.
And so her stomach churned once again.
Lee Yeon clutched her aching abdomen and muttered.
“There’s no reason Jin-woo couldn’t obtain it… right?”
“He likely will, won’t he?”
“Sigh, even Kaiser, who’s already obtained the entire body, works hard… but this is…”
“I can’t see any way to stop it.”
“…That’s right?”
Jin-woo, acquiring omnipotent power.
The problem was that there was no way to stop it.
If things continued like this, Kaiser would certainly be pitiful.
Yet Lee Yeon muttered that it was actually good.
Yes, it was actually good.
“Kaiser is the type who’ll seize power by any means and turn the Pantheon into a marketplace instead of a game.”
“If such a person were to disappear at the hands of a player like Jin-woo, it would appear advantageous in the long term.”
“Sigh, that’s true.”
Jin-woo, who had consumed all manner of hidden pieces and become a monster, was also an irregular that corrupted the game.
But compared to Kaiser, he was far preferable.
The scale of damage was different.
At least Jin-woo didn’t inflict massive harm on other players.
He merely eliminated their opportunities.
Of course, Lee Yeon could always recreate it with a bit of effort.
That’s precisely why I’m frustrated.
‘I could never bring myself to like someone who keeps piling more work on my plate.’
Lee Yeon sighed and shook her head.
Fine, let’s just settle this by making sure Kaiser doesn’t dominate the game.
With that resolve, Lee Yeon threw herself back into the patching work with renewed determination.
It was then.
The Secretary suddenly thought of something and asked.
“By the way, does that Dungeon become even harder if the God of War enters it?”
“Huh? Of course it does. The God of War class was designed specifically for that.”
“But that Dungeon is already impossible to clear at that level, and if it gets even harder…?”
“No, they’d still clear it.”
“You can’t be sure, can you?”
“Hmm, should I have Ether run the calculations?”
Normally, I wouldn’t even bother with something like this.
The last time I had Ether run calculations, Jin-woo’s success probability came out to roughly 99 percent.
So I stopped checking after that.
But what if there’s something I’m missing?
Lee Yeon called Ether and asked.
I half-expected another 99 percent result.
But you never know.
[Calculating…]
[Calculation complete.]
[The probability is 49.9% based on numerical analysis.]
“Huh?”
“What? That’s much lower than expected, isn’t it?”
“W-well, yes?”
I had a nagging feeling, but Jin-woo was the one who’d overcome impossible odds before, wasn’t he?
Of course.
“Ether has accumulated a lot of data on Jin-woo users over time.”
“So the accuracy of this calculation has become very high, hasn’t it?”
“But if even the Jin-woo user has that low a clearance rate, what about other users? Even accounting for the increased difficulty with the God of War class…”
“I essentially made it impossible to obtain. Everything in the Dungeon scales to match the entering user’s level…”
Jin-woo wouldn’t know, but that was precisely why no one had ever cleared it in the past.
But looking at it from another angle.
“If it’s that kind of Dungeon, the rewards for clearing it must be absolutely massive, right?”
“Ah… yes, as far as I know.”
If Jin-woo, already so powerful, were to actually clear it?
Lee Yeon felt her mind go blank for a moment.
The Secretary spoke to Lee Yeon then.
“I suppose we should pray.”
“…Indeed.”
The Guild patch wasn’t what mattered right now.
What mattered was whether Jin-woo could obtain it or not.
Lee Yeon watched intently, swallowing hard.
Desperately hoping it wouldn’t shatter.

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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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