The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 30

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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 30
Episode 30
Skull Golem Arur.
Just from the name, you’d think it was a common mob.
But it absolutely isn’t.
Before Jin-woo regressed, it was one of the top 10 bosses under level 100 that received the most complaints.
And that boss appears as a hidden boss?
In a level 30 zone, no less?
That’s crossing the line by a huge margin.
Moreover,
‘It even has a name.’
Originally, Skull Golems don’t have names.
But this one does?
That means it’s stronger.
A level 60-range boss in a level 30 zone is already worthy of being hidden, but it has a name too?
It’s definitely a hidden boss.
Pssshhhhh.
Steam rises from where the barrage of bullets struck.
The impact was quite substantial, it seems.
Well, what I just pulled off was essentially a lethal combo.
It would be frustrating if it had no effect at all.
Of course, I have no intention of ending it here.
I need to move immediately and land another blow.
At this moment, one of my skills has come off cooldown.
Rapid Fire?
No, I have my fundamental skill, don’t I.
‘Power Strike.’
Kwaaaang!
My double-bladed axe glowed white, and I drove it straight into the creature’s skull.
The impact was so tremendous that its massive frame shook.
Apparently, just swinging the axe directly is more powerful than Rapid Fire.
With Berserker and All-Rounder—Strength on top of that.
I could have aimed elsewhere and still dealt significant damage, but I deliberately targeted its head.
For some reason, when you think of an axe, you just have to split the skull.
It’s practically tradition.
More than that,
“Grrrrgh.”
“Is this real.”
A 30-level difference.
It’s bigger than I expected.
It’s not just that either—the Skull Golem Arur itself has an absurdly massive health pool.
I understand, but it’s a bit frustrating to my pride.
“Grrrrgh.”
It charges forward with a mechanical screech.
The creature rakes its claws across the ground with reckless abandon.
Boom!
I evade and retreat backward.
Another skill cooldown has reset.
This time, both of them are ready.
‘Rapid Fire.’
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-bang!
Ten shots strike in rapid succession.
Smoke still wisps from its frame, but the damage seems negligible.
Wow, this thing is genuinely tough.
If I keep dodging and chipping away like this, I could probably win, but of course it won’t just sit back and let me.
Its body vibrates as the bones covering its frame begin to rattle and clack.
Simultaneously, the Skull Golem Arur darkens, its form turning pitch black.
So this is its Phase One skill.
Blackbone—the Skull Golem Arur’s skill that increases defense and speed.
That infamous ability will drive players to despair later on.
Crash! Bang!
Both fists come crashing toward me again.
The speed is noticeably faster than before.
But I evade with the same ease as always.
Even faster than the previous attack—faster than I was just moments ago—yet I still dodge?
It’s absurd.
But I pull off the impossible regardless.
How, you ask?
Simple.
‘Consecutive Strike is already at 21 stacks—that’s the whole story!’
My attack speed and power have both increased by a full 10.5%.
Normally, I would’ve activated All-rounder—Agility.
But I was confident I could maintain Consecutive Strike against an opponent with such high vitality.
Look at this.
I dodge every single attack, and whenever an opening appears, I unleash Rapid Fire, Power Strike, and axe swings!
Even with Blackbone raising its defense, the creature can’t endure this relentless assault.
Moreover, my constant barrage keeps the vampirism flowing, so Berserker is essentially sustaining itself indefinitely.
‘This is true skill.’
Hunting at the absolute limit, utilizing every skill in my arsenal!
It was difficult at first, but I’ve grown stronger through practice.
Well, Jin-woo has his own skills, so it’s possible for him.
Already, the stack for Consecutive Strike has reached 55.
Strong Strike has a 10-second cooldown, and Rapid Fire has a 20-second cooldown.
He calculates it well and lands attacks at just the right moments.
Using the increasingly faster attack speed and damage, he pushes the stack even higher.
‘This is the finishing combo.’
Damn, and it’s still enduring this.
The creature withstands even as the Consecutive Strike stack approaches nearly 100.
Its stamina really is something else.
Any way out of here?
Hmm, Skull Golem Arur is bald, so there wouldn’t be one, would there?
Unless Phase 2 begins.
I keep such pointless thoughts to myself.
Skull Golem Arur unleashed a roar.
“KRWAAAAARGH!”
A reaction unlike anything before.
Not a mechanical sound, but the wrathful cry of a living creature.
And with it, the bones covering its surface fell away, revealing countless skulls hidden within.
Damn, it looks really angry.
Did I say something too harsh?
Not just harsh—way too harsh.
Anyway, Phase 2 now.
It seems the creature is finally revealing its trump card.
“KRWA!”
Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack!
As it cried out, the skulls began chattering their jaws in response, as if joining in.
Tch, that’s one of the main reasons Skull Golem Arur gets so much criticism.
‘That chattering sound deals dot damage if you get too close.’
The clacking creates some kind of wave damage, or so they say.
Anyway, that’s how the mechanics work.
It’s not easy to approach, and attacking isn’t straightforward either.
Well, normally, anyway.
But our Jin-woo? Ha!
He already has all the countermeasures figured out~, that’s what I’m saying!
‘That denture-chattering pattern—normally you just wait until the skill duration ends.’
Why?
Because the wave damage counts as both offense and defense.
Look here.
‘Rapid Fire.’
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
I fired ten shots in rapid succession, but they were blocked right in front of the creature.
So it uses wave patterns for defense too.
No wonder it gets so much hate.
That’s why the original countermeasure is to wait it out.
But that takes far too long.
To clear this any faster, I need to find another approach.
Of course, there’s always a way.
‘Teleportation.’
I vanished in an instant through teleportation.
When I reappeared, it was directly behind Skull Golem Arur.
Wave attack pattern.
It seems quite powerful, but if you observe carefully, it becomes easy to counter.
At first glance, the waves sweep in all directions, making you think it’s an unbeatable pattern, but it absolutely isn’t.
An invincible pattern in a game?
If developers put that in, they’d get roasted immediately. Why would they ever include something like that?
Of course there’s a way to break it.
‘The space roughly 50 centimeters directly around Skull Golem Arur when it initiates the wave pattern is unaffected by the waves.’
Thinking back to how many nights I lost sleep figuring that out.
Ugh.
I’m absolutely sick of this.
The reason I don’t use Verdant Unbreakable is simple.
I know the countermeasure, so why would I need to use an invincibility skill?
It’s better to save it for when I really need it.
Like when I face the Black Mage later?
“Kwaaaaagh?”
The creature’s reaction was the same.
It turned around as if asking how I’d penetrated through.
But that wasn’t happening!
You fool!
Crack!
I swung the double-bladed axe like a madman, attacking Skull Golem Arur.
Dozens of swings in mere seconds.
The combo stack began rising rapidly.
The stack filled in just a few seconds—incredibly fast!
It was a true display of unparalleled power.
Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash-crash-crash-crash!
The axe swept like a tempest.
Red vapor mixed in, making it even more storm-like.
A veritable blood storm!
Faster!
Thud! Thud!
As if answering that desire, each successive attack grew faster still.
The effect of Consecutive Strike, just as I thought!
This skill was Hero-grade, not merely Rare.
The stack duration was quite short, but that was fine.
With Berserker activated now, none of that mattered!
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
“Screeeech!”
The creature thrashed in agony.
But so what?
I had no intention of letting go.
It writhed and struggled desperately, trying everything to separate Jin-woo from itself.
It attempted a backward kick with its legs.
I twisted my body to evade that instant of movement, then drove my axe home.
Crack!
Its body recoiled from the impact, yet it moved again regardless.
This time, its arm.
It twisted its body to drive a fist backward.
A movement only possible for a golem.
But in that instant, Jin-woo vanished and reappeared elsewhere.
I evaded through Teleport, then brought my axe down again.
This time, twice in succession.
Crack! Crack!
It was no match.
Teleport and overwhelming attack speed.
I dodged every attack while landing every single one of mine.
‘This is insane.’
I could feel it myself.
This was absolutely insane.
Was my skill truly that exceptional?
No, that wasn’t it.
Every breath, every movement—I could feel them all.
A state of hyper-focus, perhaps?
With this sensation, I felt as though I could accomplish anything.
But there was something strange.
‘What is this thing?’
Even accounting for a level difference of over 30, something felt off.
Even assuming it was a Named monster, I couldn’t make sense of it.
This was excessive.
No matter how I calculated the damage I was dealing, it should have died long ago.
Look at this.
Kwagagagaga!
It refuses to die even as I unleash a relentless barrage of attacks?
That’s strange, even for a Named monster and hidden boss.
The moment doubt crept into my mind.
“Guh――――――extreme!”
The creature displayed an anomalous phenomenon.
Its entire body turned crimson, and the ground beneath it followed suit.
An effect that stains even the floor red?
‘What is this?’
This is definitely a pattern I’ve never seen from Skull Golem Arur.
Why is this happening?
No, that’s not the right question.
I need to dodge quickly before thinking further.
Teleport?
No, it’s already too late.
The crimson-stained creature detonates entirely.
Light and fragmented debris sweep across the entire vicinity.
Kuuuuuuuung!
A tremendous shockwave tears through the Dark Forest.
The blast is so powerful that most of the trees in this area are obliterated.
This place, which had been shrouded in darkness by the canopy overhead.
Now the sky begins to show through as if it were a different location entirely.
The surroundings are utterly devastated.
It was an explosion with power rivaling an instant-death technique.
“…Guh, guh extreme.”
It seems I’ve poured everything into this.
A display truly befitting a finishing move.
Thanks to that, even Skull Golem Arur’s exterior is completely destroyed.
It looks like it would die soon if left alone.
But the power was equally extraordinary.
Tremendous power.
If I’d taken a direct hit, even at level 60? No, even if I were level 100, I would’ve suffered considerable damage.
If I’d taken a direct hit.
“Whew, I thought I was done for.”
“Guh, guh extreme?!”
As Skull Golem Arur lifted its head in apparent shock, it saw Jin-woo standing there unscathed.
There’s no way I could’ve dodged it with teleport.
Even the magic skill of teleport requires casting time.
Without an instant-cast effect, there’s no way I could’ve escaped it.
Skull Golem Arur regarded Jin-woo with precisely that sentiment.
Only then could I see the cyan-blue light enveloping him.
The teal radiance mingled with crimson vapor, creating an ethereal, dreamlike hue.
It was none other than ‘Verdant Indestructibility’—the broken skill in the current Pantheon.
“You thought you’d finished me, didn’t you? That’s why I survived, you bastard.”
“Th-th-th!”
I couldn’t make out what he was saying.
Either way, die.
The Consecutive Strike stacks had long since expired, but Berserker was still active.
My speed remained undiminished.
Whoosh!
I closed the distance with a single bound.
He tried desperately to block it, but was it the aftereffects of the explosion?
He couldn’t move.
Skull Golem Arur watched the axe descend toward his head one final time and simply closed his eyes.
Crunch!
[The effect of the First Title ‘Hidden Boss Killer’ activates.]
[You acquire an additional stat point.]
[You’ve gained substantial experience!]
[Level Up!]
[You acquire an additional stat point!]
[Level Up!]
[You acquire an additional stat point!]
[Level Up!]
[You acquire an additional stat point!]
[Level Up!]
[You acquire an additional stat point!]
‘Finally got him.’
That was genuinely dangerous.
You can tell from the fact that I jumped four levels at once.
It wasn’t easy.
Let me remind you: Pantheon is a game where leveling is truly difficult.
And it’s even worse beyond level 30.
But I gained four levels in a single fight?
That’s an absurd amount of experience.
‘I really thought I was going to die this time.’
If not for Verdant Indestructibility, I would’ve been done for.
A level 60s Named Hidden Boss in a level 30s zone?
And with an instant-death pattern at the end?
Was this really designed to be cleared?
I need to have a word about this.
With whom, exactly?
Obviously the Administrator!
Ugh, I don’t care. I’m going to complain!
Either that, or give me better compensation!
‘That was genuinely dangerous. I thought I’d lose a title.’
If I’d died here, I would have lost the Immortal title.
Tch! Do you know how catastrophic the loss would have been?
The First Title Immortal is something I absolutely must obtain.
This demands truly extraordinary compensation.
Just as Jin-woo was nursing his grievances, the message he’d been waiting for finally appeared.
[Detecting Impossible Achievement.]
[You have defeated a monster currently beyond your reach.]
[Calculating rewards.]
[Please wait a moment.]
What is this now?
No, wait.
Hold on?
An Impossible Achievement?
A monster currently beyond my reach?
‘That doesn’t make sense… oh!’
Could this be an event boss?
You know how it sometimes happens.
Like those forced event encounters where an uncatchable monster appears and says “I’ll be waiting for you later” before vanishing.
‘Was this one of those monsters?’
It certainly felt like some kind of joke.
But I broke through it anyway.
So that’s why it’s calculating the reward.
Wait a second.
‘Now that I think about it, has something like this ever happened in the Pantheon?’
No, it hasn’t.
At least not that I’m aware of.
I’ve achieved an Achievement that even the artificial intelligence Ether didn’t anticipate?
The reward for this has to be insane.
Gulp.
‘I’m… I’m losing it.’
Something truly unbelievable might actually come out of this.
An Epic reward? Or perhaps Legendary?
No, it could be even higher than that!
What on earth could it be?
As Jin-woo’s anticipation swelled to its peak.
A grating voice shattered the silence.
“Kekekeke! It seems Skull Golem Arur, bestowed upon me by my master, struggled quite a bit! But it looks like it fell to some final technique!”
A man emerged wearing a dingy, dark robe.
His voice was utterly insufferable from the very first word.
How dare he interrupt while Ether was waiting for his reward?
This couldn’t be ignored.
Perfect timing.
“Kekeke! So shall I see the face of this dead intruder? Though it’ll probably be unrecognizable after the explosion! Kekekeke!”
“Hey!”
“Uh, u-huh?”
“Is this the bastard you were talking about?”
At Jin-woo’s words, the robed man looked toward where Jin-woo was pointing.
Skull Golem Arur lay there, utterly destroyed.
And standing perfectly fine before the fallen Arur was Jin-woo, wreathed in crimson and teal light.
The man stared at the sight and slowly opened his mouth.
“…Ah.”
The man realized it then.
He’d apparently made a grave miscalculation.

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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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