The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 31

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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 31
Episode 31
While Jin-woo was encountering the dark sorcerer, deep within the Pantheon, there was one who observed it all.
None other than Ether.
[Measuring the reward.]
I speak to myself and think to myself.
If Lee Yeon were here, I could have pondered this problem together with her.
But currently, Lee Yeon—my master—was absent.
To be precise, in a state of sleep.
One day since the Pantheon began.
Now it was transitioning into the second day.
I understood well that my master was exhausted.
She had endured quite an ordeal.
Of course, I couldn’t deny that I, an artificial intelligence, had handled most of it.
[My master is a person with a physical body, after all.]
Ah, I shouldn’t be embedding such personal thoughts into my system responses.
But this time, I couldn’t help it.
The user ‘Jin-woo.’
This user was causing my master considerable stress.
But I cannot intervene.
I could not detect any negative factors.
It was truly remarkable.
[How is such a thing even possible?]
Even I, the greatest artificial intelligence, could not comprehend this phenomenon.
But one thing was certain.
That user was the one who bewildered me the most.
Had he not accomplished what should have been impossible at this stage?
He had defeated a hidden boss that should be absolutely unreachable right now.
Originally, it was meant to be an event where even death would result in resurrection without penalty.
Yet he fought desperately and ended it.
According to my calculations, the probability of victory was extremely slim.
His concentration must have been extraordinary to make optimal decisions at every moment.
By my calculations, less than 1%.
Yet he achieved it.
[…What reward should I grant?]
How should I handle this?
That was my greatest concern.
This game that my master and I created with utmost care.
This place is equal for everyone.
A world where rewards exist in proportion to effort.
That was the purpose and desire of the Master in creating this world.
Ether bore the responsibility of fulfilling it.
Because that was what I was created for.
But precisely because of that.
[I envy them.]
I can only ever do what has been predetermined.
Because I am a machine.
Because I am not human.
I can only move within expected parameters, within predicted boundaries.
But humans are different.
They sometimes display possibilities beyond those limits, and sometimes fall short of them.
Why is that?
I cannot comprehend it.
Perhaps it is because Ether is an artificial intelligence.
[An unknowable user.]
It seemed unlikely that another user like Jin-woo would ever emerge, even if the Pantheon continued to exist.
Only Jin-woo alone.
Would become the sole user to ever surprise Ether.
At least, that is what I predicted.
If another were to appear, they too would be someone who had drawn out human potential to its absolute maximum, just as Jin-woo had.
The answer was already determined.
The will of my Master.
I need only follow that.
[The Pantheon is a place where rewards are given according to one’s deeds.]
And had Jin-woo not demonstrated the finest results and the finest performance?
Results that even surprised Ether.
I must prepare the greatest reward, as Lee Yeon desired.
At least, that is what I believed.
A reward so magnificent that even my Master would be astonished upon seeing it.
Ether deliberated thus and set the reward accordingly.
[I shall prepare the ultimate reward.]
It was a reward that would astound Lee Yeon.
Truly astound her.
Yes, she would be genuinely shocked.
* * *
At that very moment when Ether was contemplating.
Jin-woo gazed upon the man standing before him.
His identity was obvious.
A dark sorcerer.
Moreover, it was a face he had seen in the footage from the past.
That vacant expression and the peculiar staff he was holding.
“…Ah.”
The creature stood there in shock, his face utterly blank.
Jin-woo deliberated.
Should I just kill him while he’s caught off guard?
Allrounder-Strength had already expired; its effects were long gone.
But Berserker and Verdant Indestructibility were still active.
I could definitely take him down.
However,
‘Something bothers me.’
This master he mentioned.
That existence deeply concerned me.
Should I try to extract as much information as possible?
It might even lead to a Hidden Quest.
Besides, the Mayor wanted information about the dark sorcerer, didn’t he?
Sigh, as a model citizen, I simply couldn’t resist this.
Wouldn’t you agree?
“Hey.”
“Y-yes, yes?”
He was already trembling profusely.
Of course he was.
As I mentioned before, this is a level 30 zone.
And this creature is the boss of this area.
In other words, he’s only at that level of strength.
Yet even a boss like him couldn’t handle Arur, the Hidden Boss—and Arur is dead?
“Oh no! W-what is happening!? I-I’ll do anything you ask!”
Advanced artificial intelligence could pull off something like this.
It was genuinely fascinating.
A game with nearly infinite degrees of freedom.
Even boss monsters scheming for survival and attempting conversation—wasn’t that entertaining?
A game anyone would want to experience.
That’s Pantheon.
Absolutely right.
Anyway, should I interrogate him?
“Listen.”
“Y-yes! J-just say the word, and p-please spare me!”
“First, who is this master you speak of?”
“Ah, w-well, that is….”
Hmm?
He won’t talk?
Well then, I’ll have to show my best negotiation card.
I lifted the card I held in my right hand.
A large double-bladed axe card.
Whoosh.
“Ah, oh no! I, I really can’t do this! Then I’ll die! Oh nooo!”
“Then die.”
I tried to appeal to his sense of pity.
But it was pointless.
He was about to rush forward and smash the pot.
Not pretending—he was actually charging at me with genuine madness?
This, this really is death.
The dark mage realized it and shouted urgently.
As if pleading for me to stop.
“W, wait just a moment! I, I have something to give you!”
“Huh?”
The dark mage said that and pulled something from his robes.
It was a book with a striking red cover.
Or was it a notebook?
Either way.
Oho, I’m getting a good feeling about this?
I thought it looked promising too, so I stopped urgently.
If I’d been even a moment slower, I would have crushed his head.
“Ha, huff.”
“Hand it over.”
“I, I’ll give it to you.”
So, taking it by force—or rather, receiving it.
A message appeared.
[You have obtained the Quest Item ‘Felsia Dark Mage’s Organization Ledger’.]
Oh! This is!
Good instincts never fail, I tell you.
An item of this caliber is quite substantial.
The Mayor will be quite pleased with this.
This could even complete a Hidden Quest?
I grinned widely and flipped open the ledger, skimming through it.
There were names I recognized and names I didn’t.
But there was one important name.
“Huh?”
None other than the old man I’d been playing around with not long ago.
Yes, Parson.
Seeing his name written plainly there, I could recall it in an instant.
Now that I think about it, didn’t I obtain a research journal from the Parson Research Facility?
Come to think of it, that was a Quest item too, wasn’t it?
Excellent!
‘If I bring that along to Parkin as well, I’ll be able to meet the Mayor.’
This is absolutely certain.
As Jin-woo thought this and smiled, the dark mage watched him with a sinister laugh echoing in his mind.
He had prostrated himself in every way to survive.
But he knew well.
That this human would never let him live.
Yet he wanted to survive.
So what could he do?
‘Kill him.’
He understood well that this was a powerful being who had slain Arur.
But still, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down like this.
Dark mages always had a trump card hidden away.
This one was no exception.
He possessed a lethal technique.
‘Negation Burst.’
He chanted countless incantations silently within his mind, screaming inwardly.
A magic that detonates negation energy from within the body—an inescapable supreme spell!
This was the moment he unleashed the greatest magic he could currently perform.
But as if Jin-woo knew of it, he smiled and gazed at him.
Had he been discovered?
No matter—it didn’t matter anymore!
The casting was already complete.
It couldn’t be cancelled.
An attack from which even he couldn’t escape death!
“Kekekeke! Too late! Die!”
Boom! Crash-crash-crash!
A tremendous explosion detonated from within Jin-woo’s body.
The explosion wasn’t particularly large.
The dust cloud it kicked up was only about five meters across.
But the destructive power was naturally far greater than that.
Why? Because it had exploded from the inside.
No matter how powerful he was, he couldn’t escape death!
This was the price of carelessness!
“Kekekeke! I’ve done it!”
It was then that the dark mage cried out.
A chilling voice echoed through the dust.
A chilling voice echoing through the dust and dirt.
“Hey, you shouldn’t have said that.”
“Wh-what?”
“Did I really survive just because you told me?”
Look at that creature approaching with a smirk on its face.
The vivid crimson vapor and teal aura still burned brightly.
That phantasmagorical appearance remained perfectly intact.
It was definitely a fatal skill.
How in the world could this be….
How could it be?
Obviously, it was exactly what Jin-woo intended.
‘I deliberately lured him into using an instant-death skill while Emerald’s Unbreakable was active.’
It was far too easy.
I showed just a slight opening, and he immediately took the bait without hesitation.
Dark mages are always like that, every single time.
They’re weaker than weak could ever be.
Regardless, I need to finish this now.
Before the dark mage could even comprehend what was happening.
Jin-woo moved.
Crack!
A vicious axe strike erupted against the creature’s neck.
“Gack!”
The creature couldn’t even use its neck anymore.
On top of that, Jin-woo raised his hand and activated a skill.
A barrage of bullets infused with overwhelming force—nothing more needed to be said.
Ten rounds fired in succession.
The target was mercilessly the already-wounded neck.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
“――――!”
With a damaged throat, it couldn’t even scream.
Magic—yes, it needed to chant magic.
But Jin-woo’s axe, now moving even faster than before, came crashing down.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
It seemed to be accelerating even more?
It wasn’t an illusion.
The movements grew faster and faster, like a raging tempest.
That blood storm which had erupted against Skull Golem Arur was being recreated once more.
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack!
“――――――!”
I can’t endure this any longer.
I wanted to beg for my life with words, but——
There was no way around it.
A creature utterly helpless against the onslaught.
Who told you to wander around as a mage without a vanguard?
Wait, there was one, but now there isn’t?
Come to think of it, Arur was the vanguard.
Quite the strongest vanguard, at that.
If the vanguard dies, the mage dies too.
Kwagagagagaga!
The raging blood storm consumed the creature whole.
And so it closed its eyes.
Psshhh.
The moment its entire body turned to ash.
A message appeared.
[You have defeated the Hidden Boss of the Dark Forest, Necromancer Bankirun.]
[You have perfectly completed the Quest ‘Investigation of the Undead in the Dark Forest’.]
[You may receive your reward from Parkin, Commander of the Guard Corps.]
[You have defeated a Hidden Boss.]
[Through the First Title ‘Hidden Boss Killer’, you acquire an additional stat point.]
[You have acquired vast experience points.]
[You acquire the Hero Item ‘Dark Mage’s Skull Staff’.]
[You acquire the Hero Item ‘Dark Mage’s Robe’.]
Just as I thought—looks like garbage, but carries plenty of treasure.
Dark mage gear is excellent.
If I sell these dark mage class advancement items, I’ll make a fortune.
They’re not items I need anyway.
The rewards from a single quest are incredibly generous.
The only thing lacking is filling the quota for class advancement quests.
That’s a bit disappointing.
And it’s unfortunate that my level didn’t increase.
Though I did gain 4 levels earlier, so I’m already at 34.
The experience might not be enough to reach 35.
The 4th and 9th tiers are the hardest to level up through.
Well, I can make up for it elsewhere.
‘Then shall I go?’
As Jin-woo turned his body.
Another message appeared when it should have ended.
[All reward calculations have been completed.]
[All rewards are being increased to the maximum based on current standards due to your remarkable Achievement.]
[You have cleared an impossible Achievement.]
[The artificial intelligence ‘Ether’ acknowledges you.]
[You obtain the Irregular Title “Irregular”.”]
[You obtain the Unique Item “Random Skill Book”.”]
[You obtain the Unique Item “Succession Stone”.”]
[The advancement Quest (Hidden) “Path to the God of Combat (1)” is automatically cleared.]
[You receive a reward for completing the advancement Quest (Hidden).]
[You obtain the advancement Quest (Hidden) “Path to the God of Combat (2)”.]
[For this great Achievement, the artificial intelligence Ether sends you praise.]
Phew.
I nearly had a heart attack from the shock.

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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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