The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 18

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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 18
Episode 18
Lee Yeon.
She bore many titles that defined her essence.
Genius of the century, Developer of Pantheon, the prodigy who created perfect artificial intelligence, master of virtual reality—the list went on.
The most brilliant mind of this era.
She, hailed as a genius among geniuses, now stood motionless before the screen, her consciousness seemingly buffering as she stared blankly ahead.
“No, no, no, no, no, no….”
Hadn’t I confidently declared it unbreakable?
He broke through it?
How is this possible?
An invincible pattern that should guarantee defeat on first encounter?
He shattered it so effortlessly?
“Is it a bug?”
“No! Chairwoman—I mean, Developer, you shouldn’t say such things!”
There couldn’t possibly be a bug in a virtual reality managed by the perfect artificial intelligence Ether.
Moreover, this was a virtual reality impervious to hacking and cheats alike.
Yet the Developer spoke as if there were?
How absurd would that have to be?
It only shows how astounded you are~.
“No, but still—that doesn’t make sense!?”
“It truly doesn’t.”
At her Secretary’s words, Lee Yeon continued staring blankly at the screen.
Honestly, I never expected him to defeat that Hidden Dungeon boss, Argon of Verdant Green.
His health was low, certainly.
I thought there was a possibility of victory if enough damage accumulated.
But who would have imagined he’d break the pattern and defeat it?
He’s a newbie!
If you’re a newbie, act like one!
When facing an invincible pattern, panic!
That’s what I’m saying!
Don’t just break through on your own!
“Breathe, breathe.”
Calm down.
I wanted to scream, but I didn’t.
Well, I did design it to be breakable, after all.
Otherwise, I would have just made it truly invincible.
I was certain he couldn’t break it.
But then again, wasn’t that the whole point?
To obstruct pattern analysis, I made the Altar emit brilliant light whenever Argon of Verdant Green’s invulnerability activated.
Of course, that wasn’t the end of it.
The light had enveloped Argon of Verdant Green, concealing the shadow’s movement from view.
But he dismantled it in a single attempt?
‘Is that even possible?’
Lee Yeon swallowed hard, just to be sure.
Most bosses naturally fail on the first attempt.
For most people, anyway.
But there were exceptions.
Beings called monsters.
Entities that defied common sense.
Wasn’t Lee Yeon one of those people herself?
“Ether, replay the footage from when the Verdant Green’s indestructible pattern was broken.”
[Playing the footage.]
At Lee Yeon’s command, the massive screen displayed the scene once more.
The light was still blazing too brightly to see anything.
This won’t work.
“Zoom in on that player’s eyes.”
Only then could I see it clearly.
Jin-woo’s pupils moving frantically as the light erupted.
Could eyes even move like that?
Was it even possible to see that way?
Was this guy some kind of superhuman?
Insane, it’s almost unsettling.
As Lee Yeon watched more intently, she could discern how Jin-woo’s pupils caught the shadow’s movement the instant it shifted, tracking it with precision.
‘Just how exceptional is his dynamic vision?’
She’d never imagined such a thing was possible.
It was extraordinary.
“With abilities like that, Argon of Verdant Green’s pattern had no choice but to be broken. Sigh.”
“Indeed.”
There was no denying it.
Someone with that level of ability deserved to win.
There probably isn’t a boss in the Beginner Region that could stand against this monster.
He’s far too exceptional.
Overwhelming.
Those were the only words that came to mind.
A player who ignored even the Developer’s own design intentions.
Such players appeared from time to time.
And they were called ‘legends.’
“We may have discovered the user destined to become the greatest in this game from day one.”
“You seem rather composed about it?”
“There’s no helping it.”
I can’t stop it anyway.
The Secretary nodded in agreement with Lee Yeon’s words.
You can’t stop the players.
All Lee Yeon could do was monitor player trends and suggest the direction for the next update.
After all, we’ve granted them maximum freedom.
Of course, I’d like to slow down the content consumption rate.
But I can’t stop it.
Ether wouldn’t allow it either.
For now, all we can do is.
“Watch and see?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“It’s like watching a broadcast.”
“Indeed. Anyway, in the end, he obtained the Hidden Piece without a rank downgrade.”
“Sigh.”
Right, that’s the problem.
If that item gets released this early, it’s way too overpowered.
The original plan was for Orc Karan to consume it and have his rank downgrade so he’d drop it.
But Jin-woo broke that plan.
What can I do about it?
Ugh.
All I can do is watch.
Anyway, now that Argon of Verdant Green is dead, how will things unfold?
‘I can’t have Argon captured and taken outside, so will it flow toward Orc Karan entering the forest and progressing to the next quest?’
For now, I can buy some time.
Though that’s just a matter of time anyway.
‘After Nen Village comes… Free City Felsia, right?’
Since it’s a city rather than a village, its scale is enormous.
Unlike the Beginner Region that goes up to level 30, the next area boasts vast territory and a considerably higher level range.
Level 30 to 100.
It’s a region with substantial significance.
So he won’t be able to cause too much trouble there, right?
The Hidden Piece won’t have a narrow area like the village either.
So it won’t be discovered so easily.
Well, some first-discovery titles are unavoidable.
But obtaining Hidden Pieces will be difficult from now on.
Thinking about it this way puts my mind at ease again.
Wait, it does put my mind at ease, right?
‘Yes, yes, what’s there to worry about?’
After all, Hidden Pieces are hard to find—that’s why they’re called Hidden Pieces.
There’s absolutely no way they’ll find it.
Seriously.
But why am I so anxious about this?
What’s wrong with me?
Wait, what hidden pieces were there in Free City Felsia again?
Now that I think about it, there was something important and massive….
“Oh?”
I remember now.
An Epic-grade hidden piece.
And it’s that absurdly powerful item called the Demon Sword.
Haha!
As if they could obtain it?
There’s absolutely no way.
That’s for certain!
Hmm, I feel like something similar happened before.
No! This time it’s really true.
They absolutely cannot obtain it!
‘Wait, even if they did obtain it, only Demon King-class jobs can equip the Demon Sword, right? Plus, the Collector title only bypasses equipment restrictions up to Unique grade. So even if they got it, they definitely can’t equip it.’
But why?
Why am I so uneasy?
Gulp.
Could they possibly obtain a Demon King-class job?
Now that I think about it?
Why hasn’t that bastard advanced their class yet?
If this continues, won’t they end up acquiring a hidden job too?
Co-could it be?
‘Wasn’t there a job that could equip the Demon Sword?’
Even Lee Yeon, with the artificial intelligence Ether’s knowledge, couldn’t remember everything that had been created.
Because of that, the memory wouldn’t come to mind.
I shouldn’t worry needlessly.
They absolutely won’t obtain it.
Or even if they do, they won’t be able to use it.
Demon King-class jobs are so difficult to obtain.
Right?
There’s absolutely no way.
Yeah, that’s right.
Probably….
* * *
Countless messages.
Looking through each one is such a pain.
Ugh, my eyes hurt.
This is seriously driving me crazy.
What? You’re saying I should stop grinning and think about it?
Aha, so I’ve been caught red-handed.
“Kyahahaha!”
Could there be a moment better than this?
There’s no way anything could feel as good as opening an incredible reward!
This is exactly why I can’t quit the game.
You bet your life on it!
So, should I check the items first?
That was the whole point of this hunt anyway.
Jin-woo immediately opened his inventory to examine the items.
『Verdant Unbreakable』
*Grade: Unique+
→Grants access to the skill ‘Verdant Unbreakable’.
→When ‘Verdant Unbreakable’ is activated, all damage is nullified for 5 minutes.
*Verdant Unbreakable can only be used once per day.
“Wow.”
This is incredibly clean.
A ring with an invincibility skill that lasts a full five minutes.
It’s a shame there aren’t any other options on it.
What? You’re saying I have no conscience?
Hehe! I never bothered building one in the first place!
‘This is absolutely insane.’
While Unique+ is already a high grade, the specs alone made me think this deserved Unique+ or higher.
After all, it was a five-minute invincibility skill.
Even when Orc Karan respawned and lost the + grade, that single skill alone was enough to push him into the top-ranked players.
And he even became a Super Mega Guild leader because of it.
So the value tied to this single ring was beyond imagination.
I could easily get millions just selling it.
Millions is nothing.
If I put it up for auction, this ring could fetch tens of millions.
‘I’ll put this to good use.’
With just this one ring, I won’t need any other defense, that’s for sure.
Considering the playstyle I’m aiming for going forward, this was exactly the item I needed.
And the fact that I obtained it without any grade reduction at all.
I got something even better than what I was originally after, so I can’t help but feel thrilled.
But the unexpected rewards are even more thrilling!
So should I check out what’s even more exciting?
A whopping five First Titles!
Let me examine each one carefully!
『The Unique Existence』
→First Title
→A title granted to the first user to obtain a Unique-grade item and skill
→All stats +10
→Probability of Unique-grade appearing in random item skill books +5%
『Boss Killer』
→First Title
→A title granted to the first user to defeat a boss
→All damage against bosses increased by 10%
『Hidden Boss Killer』
→First Title
→A title granted to the first user to defeat a Hidden Boss
→Gain additional stats when hunting bosses
『Tyrant』
→First Title
→A title granted to the first user to defeat a boss while it was in its first groggy state
→Attack power against targets in groggy state +10%
『Hidden Collector』
→First Title
→A title granted to the first user to experience all Hidden items, Hidden Dungeons, and Hidden Bosses
→Increased rewards and options related to Hidden items, Hidden Dungeons, and Hidden Bosses
“Wow!”
Normally I’d crack a joke to myself about something like this.
But what is this?
I can only gasp in genuine amazement.
Starting with ‘The Unique Existence’ alone is absolutely overwhelming.
A flat increase to the stats I need most right now.
The percentage boost that maximizes efficiency later is nice, but a flat increase is far superior for the present moment.
And since the percentage increase is so substantial, combining them only amplifies the synergy.
But that’s not all—far from it.
‘This is incredible.’
Boss damage increase, additional stats gained with each boss kill, attack power surge during groggy states, and finally, increased rewards and options for everything Hidden-related.
I’ve obtained truly absurd benefits.
I thought I wouldn’t obtain the Hidden Collector title for quite some time.
Yet I have it already.
My luck is extraordinary.
Indeed, heaven helps those who help themselves!
Hehehehe! You can give me more!
This is absolutely fantastic.
‘The Hidden Collector is truly massive.’
I’d originally planned to face the Hidden Boss around level 100, expecting to obtain it then.
But this changes everything.
I could accelerate my timeline considerably.
And I mean it—not just in theory, but in practice.
Let me check my status window.
[Jin-woo]
*Level: 19
*Titles: 『First Epic』 and 29 others
*Strength—67.2 (48+19.2)
*Stamina—67.2 (48+19.2)
*Agility—67.2 (48+19.2)
*Mana—67.2 (48+19.2)
*Bonus Stats—28
‘Wow.’
Even though these are my own stats, they feel almost unfair.
And I have a whopping 28 bonus points to distribute.
That divides perfectly, doesn’t it?
If I allocate 7 points evenly across all stats?
Every attribute would reach a staggering 77!
‘This feels incredible.’
With these numbers, I’ll dominate the next region.
I can afford to move faster.
‘Free City Felsia.’
There are far more Hidden Pieces there than here.
Well, that makes sense—it’s a city, after all.
Not just a village.
Which means more opportunities to exploit!
The thought alone leaves me satisfied.
Already level 19 on the first day.
I’d like to squeeze in one more level before logging off, but we’ll see.
‘In Pantheon, levels 4 and 9 are the hardest to gain.’
If luck favors me, it’ll happen.
But right now, other matters take priority over leveling.
First, I need to acquire the quest to hunt down our regenerating friend, Orc Karan.
And that’s already—
I chuckled at the sight of a dead deer carcass nearby.
It was Orc Karan’s handiwork.
Perfect! A ticket materializes just like that.
Doing good deeds really does feel wonderful.

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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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