The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 173

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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 173
173
『I understand that countless people have suffered damage from the Kaiser Guild Alliance. It goes without saying that users active in the Baroque Empire have been harmed, but I believe most of you are aware that the alliance has inflicted considerable damage on users operating in other regions as well.』
A live broadcast from Han-sung Guild.
Though the opening remarks were somewhat lengthy, no one in the audience missed their underlying meaning.
Everyone understood and focused intently on the words.
While many had known of this truth all along, they had submitted before overwhelming power.
Everyone was shocked by this sudden declaration of war.
It was common knowledge that Han-sung Guild was the strongest faction aside from the Kaiser Alliance.
Yet many believed they still couldn’t stand as equals against the Kaiser Alliance.
Quite a few people thought so.
-Han-sung Guild versus the Kaiser Alliance? Isn’t it obvious the Kaiser Alliance wins?
-This seems reckless.
-They’re not even in the same league;; If Kaiser and Han Yu-na fought, Kaiser would crush them, right?
-You don’t know everything. Kaiser couldn’t even touch Hwang Kyung-ma-jeol, but Han Yu-na at least grazed him.
-When are you talking about? Kaiser has advanced his class now and is even stronger.
-Han Yu-na’s the same. And whose side are you on anyway;;;?
-It’s not about sides, let’s be objective;;; Doesn’t everyone want Kaiser to lose anyway?
Haha, you’re with the Allied Forces, aren’t you?
-Caught!
-Busted.
Sharp-edged comments flooded the chat.
The reaction was only natural.
If Han Yu-na’s Han-sung Guild won, that would be good, but if they lost, there would be no hope left.
But why would there be no hope?
Even if the heavens collapse, there remains a hole through which to escape.
While everyone remained ignorant of what was to come.
Han Yu-na continued speaking.
『Of course, I believed our Han-sung Guild alone would be insufficient, so I requested reinforcements. With the support of Barmon’s guild, several top-ranked players, and finally Jin-woo, who is renowned as Hwang Kyung-ma-jeol, we hereby declare war on the Kaiser Guild Alliance. We request a guild war for tomorrow at 3 PM, so let us commence at that time. That concludes this announcement.』
The broadcast ended right there.
But since the chat remained open even after the broadcast ended.
The chat window erupted like wildfire.
-Insane?
-Who did she say?
-????????
Hahaha, who is this?
-Ah, you know that person~ The one who single-handedly swept the alliance~
Hahaha oh hahaha, so you’ve drawn your sword?
-But wait, can they even compete?
-Nope. They can’t.
The users’ reaction was predictable.
After all, the Kaiser Alliance had already suffered defeat before.
Nominally, it was an alliance formed to prevent Jin-woo’s monopoly.
It was a declaration of war that couldn’t be refused.
If Jin-woo appeared and refused this challenge?
He’d be branded a coward, making it difficult to continue his activities.
Yuna had played this quite cleverly.
She recruited Jin-woo and issued the declaration of war.
Anyone could conceive of it, but not everyone could execute it.
People began chatting as if the outcome was already decided.
Wasn’t it obvious?
Hahaha, no way—I’ve already caught thousands of them rushing at me, so how could I possibly fail to catch just 1,000 people?
-But what if those 1,000 were elite forces?
No lol, so when it went over 3,000, there were no elites?
-Ah!
-Think about it, everyone. Hwang Kyung-ma-jeol isn’t just strong in numbers;; Last time he had only three including his pet, but now the Han-sung Guild and Barmon Guild combined have a thousand;; I don’t think we can ignore their fighting strength either.
-That’s right.
-Kaiser absolutely can’t win;;;
-Wait! Does this mean we won’t have to deal with Kaiser’s tyranny anymore!?
-Independence! Independence! End of Kaiser’s occupation! It’s over!
Kaiser lol, he could even run away.
-Even if he loses credibility, he could still operate if he’s shameless enough. Or he could just flee.
Nearly everyone was in a festive mood.
They all expected Kaiser to lose, and many even thought he’d run away.
But what was this?
“We are an alliance formed to prevent the monopoly by Jin-woo, the owner of Jinu TV and Hwang Kyung-ma-jeol. We cannot overlook the fact that it is Jin-woo’s user who is causing harm. We could say we are the police of the Pantheon. Therefore, we cannot simply ignore the Han-sung Guild and Barmon Guild who have declared war on us.”
Kaiser’s unexpectedly confident response began to shift the atmosphere slightly.
Moreover, that wasn’t the end of it.
“Ultimately, two of the guilds I declared as public enemies supporting Jin-woo, who monopolizes hidden pieces at the forefront, is a clear act of deception and mockery of the users. Therefore, we accept this declaration of war and will face you in a guild battle tomorrow at 3 PM.”
Kaiser bowed respectfully and ended the broadcast, and the atmosphere among the people changed considerably.
His words held some merit.
After all, many people were jealous, thinking Jin-woo’s strength came from monopolizing resources.
-Kaiser has a point too. If we’re talking about monopolies, Kaiser does the same, but is anyone worse than Hwang Kyung-ma-jeol?
-Frankly, being first to monopolize is the worst kind of crime.
Haha, you’re right.
But most people knew the reality.
After all, being ahead and monopolizing wasn’t monopoly—it was skill.
It was the essence of the game itself.
The strong consume.
Besides, it wasn’t even a monopoly.
In this Pantheon world, being at the forefront doesn’t guarantee monopoly—only true strength earns you a share.
The viewers split into two factions, each ready to clash.
-LMAO you idiots, monopoly is when one person devours massive quantities alone. Sure, Barmon Guild flexes some muscle in the Baroque Empire, but doesn’t Kaiser consume most of everything? How much could Jin-woo alone possibly take?
-Seriously, you’re all stupid. Fine, let’s say Jin-woo monopolizes like Kaiser claims—wouldn’t Kaiser then monopolize after crushing him? He’s already monopolizing everything while Jin-woo’s still here!
-If anyone’s monopolizing, Jin-woo’s better than Kaiser. How much can one person eat alone? Kaiser’s got so many guild members it’s basically a nation at this point.
-Don’t you morons understand? You need to know who’s more vicious when monopolizing!
Everyone criticized those defending Kaiser.
But jealousy and envy were never rational emotions.
Public opinion could only splinter further.
Naturally, this was all Kaiser’s design.
Sure enough, after ending the broadcast, Kaiser wore a sinister smile.
“Public opinion warfare is far too easy.”
It became even easier because so many already envied Jin-woo.
Yet despite this, it was natural that many still supported Jin-woo.
Kaiser had committed countless atrocities, after all.
But Kaiser already knew this well.
What mattered now was shaking public opinion, creating even a small faction in his favor.
And it was working remarkably well.
A considerable number—not a minority—were taking Kaiser’s side.
People who weren’t even alliance members.
This is why inferiority complexes are so terrifying.
They cloud judgment and prevent people from discerning what truly serves them better.
Most importantly.
“The fact that they envy Jin-woo more than us, despite us being far more vicious, proves their jealousy toward first place runs deep.”
The more overwhelming the dominance, the stronger the effect.
Kaiser’s alliance had never even suffered a single defeat.
So those consumed by inferiority viewed Kaiser as a fellow loser, a victim like themselves.
That’s why they sided with him.
Utterly foolish, wasn’t it?
Kaiser had exploited precisely that weakness.
The viewers were settled.
The real problem was the war happening tomorrow.
“Can we mobilize personnel immediately?”
One executive nodded at Kaiser’s question and replied.
“With a day’s notice, mobilization is entirely feasible. We can certainly gather an elite force of 1,000.”
“If he’d requested the guild battle today, we’d have been in trouble.”
“Indeed.”
“But why did he give us until tomorrow? Why the delay?”
“Exactly. If he’d attacked today, our chances would be better, wouldn’t they?”
Kaiser himself found this puzzling.
Yuna wasn’t a fool, that much was certain.
So why had she given them until tomorrow?
Was she concerned about public opinion?
No, that couldn’t be it.
If she’d cared about her image, she could have struck immediately and still preserved it.
Then why hadn’t she?
It wasn’t because Yuna was foolish.
Quite the opposite—she was exceptionally talented.
Didn’t Kaiser know her well enough to recognize that?
Which made it all the more puzzling.
But Kaiser soon arrived at an answer.
“It’s arrogance.”
“Pardon?”
“Having Jin-woo at their side, they’re already convinced of victory.”
“…Ah!”
“We know we hold the advantage, but they simply assume that because Jin-woo won before, he’ll win again.”
Everyone nodded at Kaiser’s words.
Information was indeed crucial.
Kaiser’s alliance had grown at least five times stronger since his arrival—no exaggeration.
But Jin-woo’s alliance, ignorant of this, had no choice but to be arrogant.
The conditions for victory were multiplying.
Kaiser smiled at the thought.
“This time, I can finally end this war.”
“Precisely, sir.”
“However….”
“I know. This won’t be the end. But once they taste defeat, Jin-woo will awaken to reality, and we’ll have items they’ve dropped. If we systematically whittle down their strength while eliminating them, there’s nothing they can do.”
All the executives nodded at Kaiser’s words.
Kaiser spoke, eager for tomorrow to arrive.
“Inform everyone to prepare for the guild war tomorrow. We’ll see you then.”
His alliance had both a Demon King and a Hero.
And he himself could strengthen them further.
There was nothing to fear.
* * *
Before the guild war began.
People began flooding into the massive Tournament Arena where the guild war would take place.
Though the total was said to be at least several million, only a fraction could actually enter the arena itself.
The vast majority had no choice but to watch via live broadcast.
There had been guild wars before.
Since the patch, there had been quite a few large-scale guild wars, but never had crowds gathered like this?
Why?
It’s quite simple, really.
Today marks a historic clash between the Kaiser Alliance and Jin-woo’s forces.
Everyone was eager to see what blade the previously defeated Kaiser had honed for this confrontation.
Yet the expressions of the Kaiser Alliance members who had tasted defeat before were brimming with confidence.
“The Han-sung Guild members have arrived as well.”
“The Barmon Guild has also come.”
“There are quite a few independent rankers positioned here too.”
The executives spoke among themselves.
But their words dripped with derision.
As if to say it was all futile.
Yet Kaiser alone among them sensed something amiss, his brow furrowing sharply.
He spoke quietly.
“Where is Jin-woo?”
“…What?”
“Wait, just a moment.”
“What, he’s not here?”
Jin-woo wasn’t here?
Sensing something amiss, Kaiser narrowed his eyes and bit his lip.
And instinctively, he felt it.
That something had gone terribly wrong.

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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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