The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 3

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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 3
Episode 3
Ding!
[You are the first user to speak with the Village Chief.]
[As a reward, you obtain the ‘Butchering’ skill and a butchering toolbox.]
‘Yes! This is it!’
Is it really that good?
If you say that, you’ve never played Pantheon.
But then again, has anyone actually played Pantheon?
Yes, Jin-woo has.
A veteran who’s been playing for nine years, no less.
In any case, Butchering is quite important in Pantheon.
Why, you ask?
When you defeat monsters, they do drop items.
Just like other games, monsters yield items when defeated.
But to obtain items like leather, meat, and bones, you absolutely need the Butchering skill.
And acquiring it early on is notoriously difficult.
Ugh! Back in my day, I had to learn Butchering at the butcher shop for days just to barely get the skill!
Learning something in-game for days isn’t as simple as it sounds.
Yet I’ve already obtained it through a skill book?
It’s like plucking a star from the sky.
There’s a reason this reward goes to the first user to speak with the Village Chief.
Just obtaining the Butchering skill and toolbox puts me leagues ahead of everyone else!
Of course, I’m not stopping here.
‘This isn’t the end!’
Strike while the iron is hot, as they say.
I can’t waste this momentum!
The moment Jin-woo used the skill book, a message appeared.
Ding!
[You have acquired the Butchering skill.]
『Butchering』
*Grade: Normal
*Level: 1
→You can obtain leather, meat, and bones from the corpses of monsters and animals.
Normally, the message would have ended here.
But would it really?
I’m Jin-woo, after all!
With ten years of gaming knowledge stored in my head!
The moment Jin-woo smiled with that exact expression, another notification rang out, just as expected.
Ding!
[You have learned a skill by using a skill book for the first time.]
[You have acquired the First Title ‘Master of Skills’.]
『Master of Skills』
→First Title
→A title granted to the first user to acquire a skill through a skill book
→Skill effects acquired through skill books +10%
‘This is it.’
Heh.
So this is what they mean by being satisfied just looking at something?
I could drink five bottles of soju straight without any side dishes and blow a horn.
The other titles were somewhat ambiguous, but Master of Skills is the real deal.
It’s a shame that it only applies to skills learned through skill books, but so what.
It grants a +10% effect!
That’s actually excellent.
The Butchering skill, the butchering tools, and the First Title on top of it all.
This is too sweet.
I’m starting to wonder if I’ll get food poisoning from eating this easy mode.
And the weather’s hot too.
But I can’t be satisfied with just this!
No way, absolutely not.
Even if I can’t eat it all, it’s still a win!
I moved about with purpose.
Now that I had the Butchering skill and tools, was I going to rush to the Hunting Grounds?
You don’t know what you’re talking about.
‘Hunting isn’t the priority right now.’
I need to squeeze out every last drop of value I can!
Talk to the Village Chief in this rural village and he gives you skill books and tool boxes.
But you talk to the Village Chief and immediately head to the Hunting Grounds?
That’s knowing only half the story.
I can raise my level anytime, but a village without other users?
When will I ever see this again?
I need to extract every possible benefit I can.
It’s still a long time before other users arrive.
The early tutorial must be quite difficult.
‘The fastest tutorial clear time was in the 30-minute range, right?’
And that’s a record that’s been refined to perfection.
That’s the record of people who’ve cleared the tutorial hundreds of times.
In other words, even the greenest players fresh out of the tutorial won’t manage it in less than two hours!
Sure, there might be the occasional madman who skips the tutorial, but what good does it do?
They can’t possibly do better than me with ten years’ worth of information.
I already knew exactly how I’d spend those prime hours.
Right now was no exception.
“Hehe, you seem quite pleased with the gift, I see.”
“I’m very pleased with it. Thank you so much.”
“Well, I’m the grateful one for your appreciation.”
Why was he bothering me with this small talk?
This old man really didn’t understand.
The Village Chief was someone truly worthy of respect!
If you don’t know, just stay quiet.
His true value would soon be revealed!
Jin-woo waved his hand dismissively at the Village Chief’s words with exactly that thought in mind.
His expression seemed to come from genuine sincerity rather than mere acting.
“Oh no, no! I’m the one who should be more grateful.”
“Hehehehe, to meet such a courteous adventurer—I simply cannot let this pass. Do you have any plans for what comes next?”
There it was!
This was it.
This was what I’d been waiting for.
Jin-woo’s eyes gleamed with the predatory gaze of a beast about to pounce on a hunt, but it lasted only the briefest instant.
Of course, the Village Chief couldn’t possibly have noticed.
It was truly just a fleeting moment.
But look at him now.
His eyes sparkled with the clarity of a newborn calf’s innocent gaze.
If pure innocence itself had eyes, wouldn’t they look exactly like this?
And then came his carefully crafted response.
“Ah, I was thinking of heading to the Training Grounds.”
“Oho!”
The Training Grounds!
I never imagined I’d visit a training grounds again after my military days.
Yet here I was, seeking one out in a game.
In any case, the Village Chief’s eyes lit up with delight.
‘Hehehehe. This is perfect.’
Wasn’t this the universal rule?
When you first arrive at a village in a game, you speak with the Village Chief.
But the results typically split into two categories.
One is that he gives you information about what’s troubling the village or offers you a Quest.
The other is that he gives you useful items or items worth money.
The butchering skill and butchering tool I’d first received from him fell into that category.
So wasn’t it already over?
That’s such an ignorant thing to say.
Pantheon is a masterpiece of a game, after all.
In other words, this means you’re getting both of what normally splits into two separate things in a regular game!
“Then this should prove useful.”
The Village Chief said so while handing over an envelope.
It looked quite elegant, that envelope.
Of course, I knew exactly what this was.
Ding!
[Quest ‘Guard Captain of Nen Village’ has been created.]
[Do you accept?]
The message I’d been waiting for!
I’d been hoping for this—there was no way I’d refuse.
“Ah! Thank you so much!”
[Quest accepted.]
[Quest Item ‘Village Chief’s Letter of Recommendation’ obtained.]
Huh?
I received the quest, but where’s the First Title?
You only get that after clearing it!
The time isn’t right yet.
“Heh heh, that fellow will take a liking to you as well. Ahem, then I’ll be on my way.”
“Oh my! Thank you so much for all your help! I’ll definitely repay this kindness!”
As I bowed in gratitude, the Village Chief coolly didn’t even turn around—just raised his hand in farewell.
Kh!
Is this what they call experience?
Incredibly cool.
Anyway.
I’d gotten everything I wanted from the Village Chief.
‘This is it. Hehe.’
Why go to the Training Grounds?
Well, it’s obvious. Because there’s something to gain.
So what can I gain?
Plenty.
With just this letter of recommendation, I can learn Beginner Swordsmanship instead of Basic Swordsmanship.
At first glance, you might think they’re similar, but they’re completely different.
In Pantheon, all martial arts skills had tiers.
Starting from Basic, then Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert, and so on.
It’s not some profound concept like deepening martial arts mastery as in reality.
Simply put, as the tier increases, the power of the martial arts skill changes.
Isn’t that alone worth something?
‘But raising the tier that much isn’t easy either.’
Unless it’s a special hidden piece, most people start at Basic.
That’s only natural.
You need a solid foundation, after all.
That’s why building proficiency is equally difficult.
Most players flounder in the basics until level 30.
But there are always exceptions.
Like Jin-woo right now.
‘If it’s Basic Swordsmanship, it’ll be quite useful before the class change.’
Until level 5, there are typically no proper skills available.
But to obtain one now?
My starting point becomes incomparably faster than others.
Among the things I must acquire, this is one of them without question.
In terms of priority, it ranks in the top three.
Well then, I’ve obtained the Quest too.
Should I clear it now?
There’s something I need to do first.
‘I’m not sure if it’ll work, but it’s worth trying.’
Originally, I planned to obtain it at the Training Grounds, but getting it beforehand would be better.
Jin-woo sprinted forward with that thought in mind.
Toward the Training Grounds.
He ran at maximum speed.
Was he trying to arrive before any other players showed up?
No, that couldn’t be it.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s still too early for them to arrive.
Few players have the audacity to skip the tutorial from the very beginning.
Since virtual reality games emerged, there’s never been a tutorial without hidden pieces.
After that, most players stopped skipping tutorials.
Anyway, that’s not what matters.
There’s something to obtain before reaching the Training Grounds.
But why run so hard?
Ah, just trust me on this.
‘This is damn exhausting.’
The distance from the Central Fountain to the Training Grounds was quite far.
With low starting stats, my stamina is depleted quickly, making it unbearably difficult.
Virtual reality or not, fatigue is the same.
Still, Jin-woo kept running.
Without pause.
Do I really need to run this hard?
For the First Title?
I have to. What else can I do?
Considering the future, I absolutely must obtain it.
“Ugh.”
I squeezed out every last ounce of strength and sprinted forward.
Even after all that running, the destination still seemed impossibly far.
Surely I could slow down to a walk now?
Such tempting thoughts kept whispering to me, but I refused to yield and kept running.
By the time my mouth tasted sweet from exertion!
Finally, the notification sound I’d been waiting for chimed.
Ding!
[You have run at full speed for the first time on the Pantheon Continent.]
[The skill ‘Full Sprint’ has been created.]
[You have acquired the First Title ‘Million-Dollar Legs’.]
『Full Sprint』
*Grade: Normal
*Level: 1
→The more you run, the higher the skill level rises.
→As the skill level increases, stamina consumption while running decreases.
『Million-Dollar Legs』
→First Title
→A title granted to the first user to run at full speed to their limit.
→While running, stamina consumption decreases by 20%, movement speed increases by 10%.
“Huff, huff… f-finally got it.”
All I did was run, yet I obtained both a skill and a First Title.
Honestly, if you just looked at it, you’d wonder why anyone would bother running?
Tsk tsk, you’d understand if you’d actually played Pantheon.
Do you have any idea how vast the Pantheon Continent itself is?
What are the means of transportation on such a map?
Obviously, a pair of sturdy legs!
What? You’re saying you can’t ride a horse instead?
Ah, I suppose if you’re wealthy, you might.
‘Horses are ridiculously expensive too, after all.’
Moreover, it’s difficult to ride them in the Hunting Grounds.
Even expensive horses die if monsters kill them, and that’s the end of it.
There are combat-capable mounts available.
The problem is that even with money, you can’t buy them.
So naturally, the only thing I can rely on is a pair of sturdy legs.
Do you understand now?
Just how valuable the Full Sprint skill and the Million-Dollar Legs title are?
‘Hehehehe, how many First Titles have I already acquired?’
I’ve already obtained four First Titles so far.
And most of them are genuinely useful ones at that.
Titles that remain useful from the early game all the way to the endgame!
Just looking at it makes me feel satisfied.
On top of that, I have two skills.
That’s far better than those still stumbling through the tutorial.
‘First place isn’t impossible at all.’
Starting with results like this, who could possibly stop me?
Of course, I had no intention of stopping here.
Now that I’ve arrived at the Training Grounds, I need to claim what’s there.
But despite my overflowing enthusiasm, I feel like I’m dying.
My shoulders heaving, my breath coming in gasps.
“Huff, huff, huff. I’m done for.”
Well, I did run here pushing my stamina to its absolute limit.
It’s only natural to be exhausted.
Even so, I can’t just stand still.
“Ugh.”
Better to push on than rest.
I know exactly what I can obtain here—where’s the time to waste?
My entire body feels heavy, but it’s just a game after all.
With enough willpower, I can keep moving.
Ding!
“Huh?”
Wait, what?
Why are you going off here?
There shouldn’t be anything to obtain here.
I haven’t done anything yet.
Even with ten years of knowledge, I don’t know everything.
My eyes widened at the unexpected notification.
And then the message appeared.
[For using stamina to its limit, your Stamina stat increases by 2.]
All that running paid off and then some.

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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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