The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 178

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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 178
178
A conference hall where numerous figures had gathered.
Among the Empire’s nobility assembled in this place, several Users occupied seats.
None other than Jin-woo and Yuna, Barmon, and finally Lin—they were the principal figures.
Seated among the Empire’s most prominent nobles, they appeared somewhat tense, yet for some reason Jin-woo and Lin remained composed, betraying no nervousness whatsoever.
Someone stepped forward as a representative to this gathering, where all had assembled with a singular purpose.
None other than Count Zapin of the Empire—a man renowned for possessing the Empire’s greatest military might.
He emerged to the center and surveyed the assembly.
Since all those present had turned to face him, every eye converged upon him as one.
In such a moment, Count Zapin opened his mouth.
“We must excise the infected flesh.”
Those were Count Zapin’s first words in the conference.
Before the provincial nobles who had chosen to follow him, all nodded at his proclamation.
Without exception, they were men who had served the previous Emperor before being exiled—though not officially—to the provinces.
Their hearts were united in their devotion to the Empire.
The military strength they possessed was such that even the Imperial Family could not ignore it.
Count Zapin’s military might, in particular, stood foremost among them.
Already, one of the Empire’s two ducal houses had lent their strength to the Count’s forces.
Pledging loyalty to Count Zapin, who claimed descent from the legitimate Imperial bloodline, was no simple matter.
In any case, it was bloodline from an already fallen Empire, was it not?
Ordinarily, such a lineage should have been dismissed as lacking all tradition and legitimacy.
Yet it equally demonstrated just how thoroughly the Empire had rotted.
Thus the conference proceeded through deliberation on whom to strike first, and by near-unanimous consent, a single target emerged.
None other than Count Whinter’s house.
For he controlled the trade routes supplying goods to the Imperial Family.
Moreover, was he not the in-law of Marquis Kawen, the very man who had corrupted the Emperor in substance?
To strike swiftly and advance toward the Imperial Palace, he represented the most crucial strategic position.
However, several problems arose.
“We cannot withdraw our military forces from the Demon Realms we currently oversee.”
“Even if our military strength comprises more than half the Empire’s forces, that is precisely because we are managing the Demon Realms. I cannot say how many troops we could spare.”
“A vexing situation indeed.”
Even as the Duke expressed his perplexity.
Count Zapin opened his mouth once more.
“It is a matter I have already anticipated.”
“Then what clever stratagem do you propose…?”
At the Duke’s question, Count Zapin’s gaze drifted toward Jin-woo and the Users.
“My military forces have the fewest troops committed to Demon Realm management, allowing me to dispatch the greatest numbers, and moreover, I can draw in the Travelers.”
“Hmm.”
“The Travelers, you say….”
“Hmm.”
Yet everyone couldn’t help but express their reservations about that proposal.
After all, these were individuals who hadn’t even reached level 100.
Their sentiment seemed to be: how much help could such people possibly provide?
And truthfully, they had no choice but to think that way.
One needed to be at least level 100 to accomplish anything meaningful.
Since they hadn’t even reached that threshold.
They couldn’t fathom how they could be of use.
However.
“If their numbers reach tens of thousands, the situation changes entirely.”
“Oh! Tens of thousands, you say?”
“Then the circumstances do shift considerably.”
“Certainly, quantity alone isn’t everything, but with those numbers, possibilities emerge.”
“And if we add some of our own military forces to that, then surely…!”
Upon glimpsing hope, everyone began pooling their voices to draft detailed plans.
“This meeting is taking longer than expected.”
“It’s unavoidable, really.”
At Jin-woo’s remark, Yuna nodded in understanding, and Barmondo beside her did the same.
After all, this was about reforming the Empire itself.
This was an extraordinarily crucial task—fastening the first button, so to speak.
One couldn’t afford to be careless about it.
Of course, I understood this as well.
Failure would make me a traitor on the spot, wouldn’t it?
Though I didn’t have a sense that failure was likely.
‘Just considering the military strength I currently possess, it should be entirely feasible, but caution is important.’
This situation hadn’t existed before my regression, but even so, the outcome was predictable.
With Count Zapin and the Mage spirits from the Magic Tower joining forces, we could handle the other nobles without their assistance—it was entirely manageable.
“But what are you planning to do, brother?”
“Hm? Me?”
“Yes.”
At Lin’s question, both Yuna and Barmondo looked at me with curiosity.
Honestly, even Count Zapin understood it.
That I possessed formidable military power unlike other users.
Which is why they seemed curious about my intentions.
But since I hadn’t said anything definitive yet.
I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head.
“Since I haven’t mentioned anything specific, I’m thinking I might just be bound to the user team and handle command or something like that?”
The moment I said that.
The meeting was reaching its conclusion.
And the conclusion reached there was this.
“I see no need to reveal our full strength merely to strike down Count Whinter. Let us take only a minimal force and occupy his territory.”
“That would indeed be the wisest approach.”
“However, we should swiftly gather the remaining forces, dismantle House Whinter, regroup there, and immediately march upon the Imperial Palace.”
“Hmm, it would be prudent to finish this before Marquis Kawen makes his move, then turn our attention to him.”
The nobles’ conference concluded, and consensus had been reached.
Count Zapin then regarded Jin-woo with evident confidence and spoke.
“I entrust the travelers to your care, Jin-woo. Since we need not commit vast numbers to strike House Whinter, I would ask that you assemble roughly one hundred elite soldiers.”
As Count Zapin—soon to be revered as Emperor—elevated his tone of address.
Several nobles glanced at Jin-woo in surprise.
They had not anticipated such deference being shown to a traveler.
Yet they could not help but acknowledge it.
From Jin-woo’s mere presence, one could sense something extraordinary.
A being whose power transcended what the eye alone could measure.
“Count Zapin must have his reasons for such trust.”
“The sheer force radiating from him is staggering.”
“One cannot dismiss a traveler so lightly, it seems.”
“Indeed. We harbored no contempt, yet he surpasses even our expectations.”
“Ah, I recall hearing of Jin-woo—he slew the Demon Sword and demonstrated numerous heroic deeds, did he not?”
“Extraordinary.”
“Truly, he can be nothing less than a hero.”
“And it was he who awakened Count Zapin’s destiny, or so I have heard.”
With all the nobles singing his praises in unison, even Jin-woo—thick-skinned as he was—could not help but feel embarrassed.
“Ahem, well…”
“I suppose what you all say is true enough.”
“Of course it is—you’re Jin-woo, after all.”
“Big brother really is amazing.”
And with the other users chiming in as well.
I felt somewhat flustered.
Though I cannot say it was an unpleasant feeling.
Jin-woo smiled faintly and nodded.
Thus the date to strike Count Whinter was set.
It was not a distant deadline.
Dawn of the very next day.
On that day, House Whinter would fall.
The beginning of a war that would determine the Empire’s fate was about to commence.
* * *
Shshshshshsh!
A hushed sound echoed as countless bushes trembled.
Knights and soldiers clad in blackened armor converged upon a single location.
Their numbers exceeded expectations.
Watching thousands upon thousands move covertly was a spectacle beyond compare.
Yet among them.
There was one group whose movements lagged noticeably.
A team composed entirely of users.
Their numbers appeared to reach roughly a hundred, but compared to the other knights, they were markedly slower.
Not so slow as to fall behind entirely, but barely keeping pace.
Yet no one voiced complaints about it.
Rather.
“Better than expected.”
“I thought travelers were all weaklings.”
“They said they were the elite of the elite… well, that wasn’t an exaggeration.”
“…They won’t be a liability.”
The proud knights spoke in unison.
Acknowledging that their abilities exceeded expectations.
Most importantly, the fact that they wouldn’t be a burden mattered greatly.
In the midst of this.
“Especially those leading the charge—they’re extraordinary.”
“Rather than holding us back, they’re more than pulling their weight.”
“…Travelers of that caliber? I can’t afford to underestimate them.”
Skilled warriors who had impressed even the knights.
None other than Jin-woo, Lin, Yuna, and Barmon.
They were the ones who reigned supreme among the users.
As expected, the knights acknowledged them as well.
At the moment when all were singing their praises.
Jin-woo found myself breaking into an involuntary smirk.
‘They completely underestimated us.’
Well, it couldn’t be helped.
From the perspective of NPC knights, travelers were merely upstarts who appeared overnight and grew stronger overnight.
Since they relied on skills rather than technique.
They naturally looked down on us.
But showing unexpected prowess naturally warranted surprise.
Jin-woo understood this well, but seeing their reactions anew was amusing.
Well, that was one thing, but the reaction from our own people was worth watching too.
Gulp. Gulp.
Several of them stared at Jin-woo with tension.
Jin-woo smirked at their expressions.
Two newly recruited users from the Han-sung Guild.
I gazed upon their familiar faces.
One wielded a sword shimmering with silver and gold, brimming with formidable power, while the other held a spear radiating an intermingled aura of green and violet, his demeanor somewhat sly.
Jin-woo opened his mouth upon seeing them both.
“So you’re Kan and Ren?”
“Yes, yes!”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
Observing the resemblant pair, I couldn’t help but recall memories from before my regression.
The twin heroes and Demon King—Ren and Kan.
Though their relationship wasn’t particularly amicable, for reasons unknown they were famous for traveling together.
Those two, wielding complementary classes and building their reputation side by side, had now joined our ranks.
They had initially sided with Kaiser’s faction, and after Kaiser’s downfall, they came over to us, hadn’t they?
Well, it couldn’t have been otherwise.
The same applied to others besides Ren and Kan.
Barmon and the Han-sung Guild had amicably acquired powerful users.
This was our first battle with those newly recruited forces.
Naturally, I couldn’t help but feel tension.
Yet that wasn’t the reason.
‘…Still impressive.’
‘…Insane.’
Ren and Kan trembled as they looked at me.
It wasn’t mere fear born from reputation alone.
Hadn’t I personally dismantled Kaiser’s Guild?
They had actually crossed blades with me before.
The result?
Simple. Ren couldn’t even block a single attack and died instantly.
Kan had attacked with the resolve to die, yet dealt no damage whatsoever before perishing.
Kaiser was truly insignificant.
Buffs that strengthened entire armies?
Blessings that made all legions several times more powerful?
All of it was useless against that man.
Hadn’t they already experienced it themselves?
That was precisely why both had joined the Han-sung Guild.
They believed that entering a guild close to me would spare them from harm.
They had joined purely out of fear.
Observing them, I smiled as if delighted and spoke.
“We begin shortly. Everyone, prepare yourselves.”
With those words, arrows began whistling through the sky like a piercing wind.

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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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