The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 146

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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 146
Chapter 146
Jin-woo wielded a pair of swords.
Shadow also gripped a pair of swords in hand.
He’d said they would fight using only stats, without relying on skills.
Or so he claimed.
But that didn’t seem to be the case.
Jin-woo smiled as he gazed at the twin blades in his grip, thinking this to himself.
Not a matched set, but two distinct longswords, each different from the other.
In other words, one of the God of War’s skills—Offense and Defense as One.
Naturally, it was a passive skill.
Which meant passive skills still applied.
This was about to get far more interesting.
Jin-woo charged toward Shadow, swiftly slashing with the blade in his left hand first.
Whoosh!
The sword cut through the air with tremendous speed, aimed to tear Shadow apart.
Yet Shadow showed no alarm upon seeing the blade; instead, he casually gripped his own sword and blocked it effortlessly.
He blocked it.
Jin-woo smiled at the sight.
That was exactly what he’d wanted.
Unaware of Jin-woo’s intent, Shadow left his right side—where his sword was locked against Jin-woo’s—unguarded and thrust the blade in his left hand toward Jin-woo’s right flank.
At the moment their blades met, Jin-woo’s body was suspended in mid-air.
Yet Jin-woo twisted his body regardless.
He contorted his muscles mid-flight, warping his trajectory.
He swept Shadow’s left arm with his leg while simultaneously kicking at Shadow’s chest.
Boom!
Screeeech!
Shadow skidded backward, leaving two long gouges in the ground.
He stared at Jin-woo with an expression of having taken a solid hit.
As if he’d never anticipated this.
This… this is strange.
His control remains the same, yet he seems to be pushing back slightly.
Or rather, I haven’t fully grasped Jin-woo’s control?
“Hmm.”
That was possible.
His physical stamina and concentration had both increased from his recent training.
It was conceivable I hadn’t accounted for that.
Still, it was unexpected.
Even Ether, that extraordinary artificial intelligence, hadn’t fully grasped his control.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure how to process this.
Jin-woo let out a soft chuckle and provoked Shadow once more.
Click, click.
He snapped his fingers in a beckoning gesture, as if calling Shadow forward.
Shadow trembled with irritation at the taunt.
Observing this, the artificial intelligence itself seemed quite sophisticated.
Was that why it couldn’t fully unleash its control?
Well, that probably wasn’t it.
As I pondered this, I watched Shadow rush toward me.
It closed the distance in an instant, attempting to cleave me with its blade, but I simply raised my sword to block and lightly kicked off with both feet.
As I pushed off, my body lifted effortlessly into the air.
I was driven backward helplessly by Shadow’s blade attack.
The moment I rose into the air, Shadow attempted to press its advantage by swinging the sword in its left hand—not the right hand that had first clashed with mine.
But I had an extra hand as well.
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring echoed out, and I watched the situation unfold with a smile.
The moment our blades struck, the impact sent us both—suspended in midair—slightly apart.
In that gap, Shadow and I exchanged brilliant flashes of light as we attacked with blinding speed.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
A true clash of titans.
The exchange of attacks and defenses was so rapid that determining superiority proved nearly impossible.
Yet neither of us could land a single wound.
Or rather, Shadow couldn’t land a single wound on me.
It claimed we had the same control, yet that wasn’t the case.
I had room to spare.
Shadow, meanwhile, showed no such composure.
Though it fought with all its might, my opponent didn’t seem to be doing the same.
This caused Shadow to grow increasingly impatient.
Yet it restrained itself as much as possible.
There was nothing to gain from succumbing to impatience.
Noticing this, I chuckled softly.
‘As expected.’
The harder one tries not to feel impatient, the more impatient one becomes—such is the nature of the human heart.
Though I couldn’t say whether artificial intelligences shared this trait.
But with similar intelligence, wouldn’t it be the same?
With that thought, I moved my blade even faster.
Toying with it further would be disrespectful, wouldn’t it?
Besides, I was curious about what the next trial would be.
Most of all.
“You’re no fun anymore.”
I said this while lightly pushing off the ground.
Thud!
Despite the light, bouncing motion, the speed was nothing short of overwhelming.
Of course, Shadow could match that velocity.
In other words, it was a speed Shadow could react to.
Thus, Shadow also kicked off the ground rapidly and charged forward.
Similar speeds.
The moment the distance between us closed in an instant, I planted my feet firmly on the ground and slowed my pace.
Caught off guard by the sudden shift, Shadow’s eyes widened in surprise.
Seeing my reduced speed, Shadow hastily scrambled to adjust its own velocity accordingly.
But I had already calculated for such adjustments.
Shadow gripped its blade tightly while adjusting its superior speed, and watching Shadow do so, I kicked off the ground once more.
My body launched skyward in an instant.
At that moment, my speed matched Shadow’s speed, but—
Having slowed then accelerated again, I appeared even faster than before.
[No, wait!]
Adapting to fast speed, then adjusting to slow speed, then accelerating again when attacking—
It’s a common tactic, but anyone’s rhythm would fall apart under such circumstances.
Seizing the opening Shadow had created, I swiftly swung my blade toward Shadow’s neck.
A clean slash.
Just one strike.
Shadow tried to block, but I attacked faster than that, and—
As a result, Shadow’s head rolled across the ground.
Far too easily, at that.
I chuckled at the sight.
I wondered what the next trial would be like.
While I was anticipating it—
A message appeared before me.
A rather unexpected one at that.
[We have not fully grasped Player Jin-woo’s control capabilities.]
[It may take some time to achieve complete understanding.]
[Please wait a moment.]
[You have passed the First Trial.]
[The Second Trial will proceed after we have fully grasped your control capabilities.]
[We apologize.]
[As this was an error on Management’s part, we will enhance the rewards further.]
“Oh!”
Enhanced rewards—now that’s not bad.
Besides, if I gain better control here and a tougher opponent emerges, that would actually be ideal.
I chuckled and nodded in agreement.
More importantly, if I wait here longer, the rewards only get better.
There was no reason not to wait.
‘It was rather tedious, if I’m being honest.’
I had anticipated being able to fight with my full strength since the opponent’s control resembled my own, and I had held considerable expectations. But that wasn’t the case, and I found myself disappointed.
However, this time would be different, wouldn’t it?
Once I fully grasped everything, things would surely change.
With that thought, I warmed up my body quickly.
I wondered what my next opponent would be like.
To be honest, I had been quite disappointed by the championship tournament I had won previously.
‘I had some hopes for Kaiser, but he fell short.’
In the main server, my victory was inevitable.
But control was another matter entirely, wasn’t it?
Yet no one there had provided me with much entertainment.
At best, perhaps Han Yu-na?
Her final move had been quite decent, after all.
Of course, that was all there was to it.
Even that won’t work anymore. Well, unless Han Yu-na has improved significantly since then.
But I too have grown tremendously in skill since that time.
Still, would this satisfy me?
‘That’s what worries me.’
Despite possessing extraordinary control, I continue to grow.
For someone like me to struggle, what would it take?
I’m not entirely sure, but it would certainly become extremely difficult.
Moreover, wouldn’t the second trial naturally be more challenging than the first?
Since it’s the second trial, would two opponents appear?
Even if they were somewhat lacking in skill, two of them might prove entertaining.
But would they even be a match then?
I’m not sure, but if they set it up that way, it’s essentially telling me not to break it.
‘Though in reality, no one has ever broken it.’
Barmon’s standing back then was absolutely formidable.
And even he couldn’t break it.
He was ranked third, after all.
That says everything.
In control, he was essentially ranked third as well.
If Kaiser had gone back then, it might have been different.
Well, there’s nothing to infer from this anyway, so let me stop.
With that thought, I waited for my next opponent to appear.
And then came the message that followed.
I smiled upon seeing it.
[You have completed understanding all control patterns.]
[Beginning the second trial.]
It finally arrived.
What would the next trial bring?
Jin-woo waited with a smile brimming with anticipation.
* * *
While Jin-woo awaited the second trial, Lee Yeon was staring at the screen in utter disbelief.
Even accounting for Lee Yeon’s less-than-stellar control, the Shadow from the first trial and Jin-woo were operating on entirely different levels.
How was this possible?
Of course, the answer was simple.
It meant Ether had failed to fully comprehend Jin-woo’s control.
But how could that be?
Troubled by this thought, Lee Yeon called out to Ether while watching the screen.
“Did Jin-woo’s control skill improve? You measured the victory probability during the fight, right? Show me.”
At Lee Yeon’s request, Ether quickly captured the screen and displayed the victory probabilities for each situation.
Victory probability naturally varied depending on circumstances, didn’t it?
It was the same as with Go or chess.
That’s why Ether examined every situation to grasp the win rate.
But what was this?
The win rate remained constant after the first clash.
Right up until the fight began, it was 49.9% as Ether had stated.
But after the first exchange, the win rate shifted dramatically.
Jin-woo’s probability of victory surged to 98.99%.
His winning chance had skyrocketed to nearly 100%.
From that point on, the difference in control became apparent.
Most notably, when Jin-woo displayed his speed control at the end, the win rate reached exactly 100%.
And true to that probability, Jin-woo severed the Shadow’s head.
Lee Yeon watched this unfold, then examined the compiled data with an expression of bewilderment.
She quickly recalled a message.
“Right. Apply the reward enhancement and measure his control anew.”
[Understood.]
Ether responded and swiftly measured Jin-woo’s control again.
The conclusion was straightforward.
Jin-woo’s control skill had improved compared to before.
Everyone had assumed he’d been hiding it before the tournament.
But even afterward, his control continued to improve steadily.
Lee Yeon muttered in disbelief.
“What is this?”
[Jin-woo’s control skill is improving at a rapid pace. It continues to do so even now.]
At Ether’s words, Lee Yeon stared at Ether in bewilderment.
And she asked.
And asked.
“At this rate, what’s Jin-woo’s win rate for the second trial?”
[It’s 100%, ma’am.]
Originally, the second trial was designed to have him face the successive Shadow and gain one new skill each from the battle.
But Jin-woo has a 100% chance of winning even that?
That won’t do.
Lee Yeon bit her lip in that instant and asked Ether.
“Change it.”
[Yes, understood.]
Ether responded accordingly.
It was right to adjust the trials to match his control level.
And Jin-woo’s control continues to show an upward trend.
So there’s no choice but to strengthen it further.
While Lee Yeon was doing this.
The Secretary shook her head as she observed Lee Yeon.
For some reason.
‘I don’t think Jin-woo will be unable to clear it even with these changes.’
Of course, she only thought it to herself.

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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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