The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 149

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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 149
Chapter 149
A brilliant flash of light obscured Jin-woo’s vision first.
The radiance pouring from the heavens descended directly upon the Skill Book.
Such an intense luminescence that I nearly forgot this was a Cave.
As if all of heaven’s blessings were being bestowed upon the Skill Book itself.
Light cascaded down, and the surroundings began to brighten.
It was not from the light descending from above.
A form materialized from the suddenly appearing radiance.
Yes, it was a woman.
A woman formed of pure light.
The woman of light descended from the heavens and offered Jin-woo a gentle smile.
What could it mean?
I couldn’t discern the meaning, yet somehow I felt this woman resembled Ruin before she became Luna.
As Jin-woo entertained such thoughts.
Ding!
A notification chimed.
It meant I had acquired a skill.
What kind of skill could produce such a spectacular effect?
Jin-woo swallowed hard without realizing it, observing every detail of the phenomenon.
And then the message appeared before my eyes.
What skill could it possibly be?
[You have acquired the Mythic Skill, ‘Radiance’.]
“Radiance?”
Somehow the name sounded more like a buff skill than an offensive one.
That’s slightly concerning.
But even if it’s a buff skill, it must be extraordinary, right?
With that thought, I managed to stay calm.
Jin-woo quickly opened the skill window.
And there appeared the skill description.
『Radiance』
*Grade: Mythic
*Level: Max
→For a brief moment, the Mythic Radiance dwells within you, and you become a god yourself.
→All stats amplified by 300% for 10 seconds
→All skill cooldowns reset to 0 for 10 seconds
→All skill costs reduced to 0 for 10 seconds
→All skill delays reduced to 0 for 10 seconds
→All skill cast times reduced to 0 for 10 seconds
→Upon use, death is guaranteed.
*Cannot receive the effects of Immortality.
“…?”
They say when you witness something truly astounding, you’re left momentarily speechless.
This was exactly that moment.
Was there anyone who could find words to describe what I was seeing?
Insane, or wow? Amazing! No adjective could capture this emotion.
It was indeed a buff skill.
But something felt off about it.
Divine radiance infuses you and you become a god itself?
Reading the effect, it checks out.
‘If my current stats triple, I’d technically be a god.’
But was this really a skill I could use?
I’d die ten seconds after activating it.
Of course.
Ten seconds was all I needed to be confident.
With this?
‘I could topple the entire Empire.’
It wasn’t just talk—it was genuinely true.
Destroying the entire Empire in ten seconds might be difficult.
But I could at least bring down the Capital City.
For ten seconds, all cooldowns, all cast times, all costs become zero.
In other words, I could fire the Celestial Dragon God’s Roar countless times in those ten seconds.
The same applied to that massive spatial slash that severed Barkal’s tail.
I could even combine the two.
Was this really a legitimate skill?
Sure, using it guarantees death.
But such a minor risk?
‘This is insane.’
I suspected the administrator might have something to say about this eventually.
But until sanctions came down, I could keep it.
Jin-woo chuckled to himself, thinking simply about it.
Then he headed outside.
The Dungeon was cleared.
It was time for Count Zapin to learn of it.
I wondered what kind of treatment awaited me outside.
Jin-woo grinned with curiosity and quickly made his way out of the Cave.
Completely unaware of what was about to unfold.
* * *
Just as Jin-woo had anticipated.
Lee Yeon felt her vision darken upon seeing the Mythic-grade skill.
Normally, this skill wouldn’t appear for another ten years.
Yet I obtained it just over three months after the game’s launch.
I couldn’t believe it.
Well, I suppose it’s possible.
In any case, Lee Yeon had no choice but to accept this outcome.
Or rather, should I be grateful that Jin-woo obtained that skill instead?
“There are ten Mythic-grade skills in total, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“And that one is the most broken among them?”
“That’s right.”
“Thank goodness.”
At those words, I wanted to strike the Secretary, but I held back.
Why?
Because she was right.
I was genuinely grateful that Jin-woo obtained that skill.
From what I’d observed so far, Jin-woo did monopolize everything.
But it was still fair play.
However, if someone else had obtained it?
In the worst case?
One or two kingdoms could disappear.
Of course, they wouldn’t achieve the same results as Jin-woo.
But Mythic-grade skills are difficult to obtain even by chance.
The user who obtained it would already be exceptionally strong.
In such a user’s hands, that radiance would become a terrifying weapon beyond measure.
It was easier on my mind to think of it as a blessing.
“Sigh, anyway, what comes next is more problematic than that Mythic-grade skill.”
“Because of the Ancient Empire?”
“Yes. The new Quests from the event are all substantial ones.”
“Well, wouldn’t Jin-woo handle it well on his own? Besides, the Ancient Empire Quests are concentrated in the Bark Empire, so Kaiser could interfere.”
“Hmm, that’s true.”
I answered that way, but my voice lacked conviction.
Kaiser as interference.
Now that Jin-woo had obtained Radiance, the probability of Kaiser winning was nearly zero.
Of course, Jin-woo would die too.
But Kaiser’s Guild Alliance would face total annihilation.
However, if Jin-woo didn’t use Radiance?
Then it’s uncertain.
He would definitely lose in that case.
He had newly acquired skills, and his specs were still overwhelmingly superior.
But Kaiser had undergone a full-body class advancement.
Who knows what might happen further down the line.
An army of ten thousand wouldn’t be so easily dealt with.
‘Combining the Guild Alliance to exceed ten thousand—that’s crossing a line.’
But with this Guild patch, Kaiser would be able to absorb them all.
In any case, if Jin-woo and Kaiser were to fight, it would be quite the spectacle, but it seemed like a distant prospect still.
For now, it was right to focus on Jin-woo’s Quest.
Count Zapin would undoubtedly help Jin-woo wholeheartedly now.
The Zapin Count’s Territory was an illustrious house that traced back to the Ancient Empire.
But not merely as a count’s family.
A house descended from the sole imperial bloodline of the Ancient Empire.
‘The Bark Empire could be established anew.’
In other words, Count Zapin could become emperor.
The Ancient Emperor’s Insignia that Jin-woo had obtained was the item that made this possible.
If he receives the Quest, it might unfold into quite the grand epic.
If that happens, all the better.
Isis would reach completion in due time anyway.
Lee Yeon thought it would be better if Jin-woo focused on that Empire Quest and became completely separated from other players.
She hoped it would turn out that way.
Besides.
‘I put considerable effort into the Ancient Empire Quest myself.’
There would certainly be enjoyment in watching the gameplay.
With such anticipation, Lee Yeon asked her Secretary.
She couldn’t focus only on Jin-woo, after all.
“By the way, what happened with the other God Quests?”
“Ah, the user Han Yu-na has already advanced to the Bow God class, and Barmon is at the final stage.”
“I see.”
“And… a new God series Quest has been unlocked.”
“What? Already?”
Lee Yeon asked, sounding surprised.
The Secretary handed her the prepared materials.
Upon seeing it, Lee Yeon nodded in astonishment.
“I didn’t see this coming.”
A new God series appearing—who would have thought.
And it was the Sword God, no less.
Before regression, that was the class Kaiser should have obtained—now it was falling into someone else’s hands.
* * *
Count Zapin’s reaction was exactly as Jin-woo had anticipated.
The problem was that his reaction was stronger than expected.
“Krraaaaahhh!”
“C-Count!”
“E-everyone! Protect the Count!”
“Are you alright, sir!”
Count Zapin clutched his head and rolled across the floor.
His body convulsed in absolutely excruciating agony.
The knights who had followed him to the dungeon entrance out of caution rushed toward the Count in alarm.
They were trying to determine if he’d been struck by some attack.
But there were no visible wounds or other apparent injuries.
Yet there was nothing they could do.
They quickly summoned a healer and administered treatment.
But even that healing proved ineffective.
Everyone descended into panic as Count Zapin suddenly cried out in agony.
What in the world was happening?
But the pain didn’t last long.
“Ughhhh… haah… haah…”
As the pain began to subside,
the Count, who moments before had been gasping and suffering without breath, now began to breathe slowly and deliberately.
What could this possibly mean?
Just as his retainers crowded around, about to speak,
Count Zapin raised his hand toward them.
A gesture commanding silence.
And in that moment, the Count recalled the information that had flooded into his mind.
‘I can’t believe it.’
So I was descended from imperial blood after all.
And from the imperial lineage that had endured since the Ancient Empire, no less…
If I had only learned that much, my head wouldn’t be pounding like this.
Through a process like bloodline succession, I came to understand everything about my family’s history.
Even how the Bark Empire destroyed the ancient empire.
Grrrr.
Count Zapin was startled by the violent rage that caused his teeth to grind involuntarily.
Until just moments ago, I had been a Count loyal to the Empire.
Yet in that brief span of time, I’ve come to harbor animosity toward it.
It was impossible not to be shocked.
But anyone who witnessed all of this would feel the same.
I couldn’t fathom why these memories had suddenly surfaced.
What other reason could there be besides Jin-woo clearing the dungeon?
Now I finally understand the meaning of the legend.
Ascend to a higher place, it said.
‘So that’s what it meant.’
If I were to rebuild the Ancient Empire, I would become Emperor.
That’s what ascending to a higher place truly signified.
But alone, such a feat was utterly impossible.
Count Zapin’s family had existed since the founding of the Bark Empire.
Their power was indeed formidable.
They commanded military forces so tremendous that even marquises and dukes dared not provoke them.
‘Now that I think about it, there must have been a reason I unconsciously sought to expand my military strength.’
Yet he was called a benevolent and merciful ruler.
How could this not be the bearing of an emperor?
It was precisely as Count Zapin was awakening to his destiny.
He caught sight of Jin-woo emerging from the Dungeon entrance.
Naturally, Jin-woo had appeared only after the Count fell ill.
Suspicion was inevitable.
Even if unwarranted, caution was only prudent.
Yet Count Zapin issued a command to his knights.
“Stand down. He is an honored guest.”
“Yes!”
The Knight Commander cried out and cleared a path for Jin-woo.
All the knights obeyed the Count’s order in unison.
Though loyalty played its part, much of this stemmed from the Count’s character and virtue.
It was not mere loyalty—they trusted and followed him with their whole hearts.
Witnessing this, Jin-woo felt a slight surprise.
Yet he betrayed nothing and approached the Count.
Count Zapin, observing Jin-woo, spoke.
“I have urgent matters to discuss with you. Might you spare me some time?”
“Of course, my lord.”
“Then let us depart together.”
Count Zapin spoke thus and instructed his retainers and knights.
All of them surrounded the two and cried out.
“Yes!”
As Count Zapin made his way toward the Lord’s Castle, he reflected.
Jin-woo was the one person most essential to his vision of rebuilding the Empire.

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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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