The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 53

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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 53
Episode 53
After calling my mother, I naturally called my father as well.
If I only called my mother, she’d get upset.
I had to treat them equally.
We weren’t exactly what you’d call exceptionally close.
But our household was harmonious enough that I could finish the call without incident.
So, should I start editing now?
The next video I’d be uploading was already decided.
‘The Argon Raid!’
I’d only shown Argon’s appearance at the end of the mad movie, calling him the Forest Guardian.
I’d built up considerable anticipation.
An explosive view count was practically guaranteed this time.
Auctions aside, PanTube alone brought in sufficient income.
Of course, auctions did bring in large sums at once.
But don’t think I’d be satisfied with just that.
The honey was still overflowing.
However, the Argon video did have a problem.
‘It’s too short?’
Three minutes—awkwardly long for a short-form video.
If I edited it down, most of it would remain anyway.
Editing it into a short-form video would be a waste too.
I’d built up this much anticipation.
Just doing the raid and ending it wouldn’t be stylish.
‘Let me make this video look really cool.’
I’d originally wanted PanTube to have a light atmosphere.
Most of my subscribers liked that, but they also loved the Argon video.
It seemed they’d taken a liking to me as a person.
I was genuinely grateful for that.
When people support you like that, you develop a responsibility to repay them.
That’s what being a content creator means.
Should I edit it to look really impressive?
‘At this rate, it’ll probably be around eight minutes, even if ten is tough.’
You can only tell if something’s long or short by comparing it anyway.
The direction should turn out quite well.
It’ll practically look like a movie.
Let me just try it and see!
I don’t think the reaction will be bad.
It should be quite good!
So, shall I get started?
I need to finish this quickly and search for that Demon Realm map.
That should be quite entertaining as well.
* * *
The Han-sung Guild of the Han Sung Group.
The Strategic Planning Department—the most crucial division within the guild itself.
And Park Tae-soo, the director of that department, was an elite among elites.
He entered Korea’s most prestigious university with top honors and graduated at the top of his class.
Naturally, he was hired by the Han Sung Group—the world’s leading corporation and Korea’s finest.
Or rather, to be precise, he was recruited.
It was only natural, after all.
He was the perfect talent for the Han Sung Group.
Becoming a director in his early thirties was proof of his exceptional abilities.
“….”
Park Tae-soo tapped his fingers against the desk.
Tap, tap-tap, tap.
His fingers drummed with a distinctive rhythm.
It was one of Park Tae-soo’s habits that emerged when work wasn’t going smoothly.
He tapped with the steady tempo of a metronome.
Then, his brow furrowed slightly as he stared at the screen.
“…Still nothing.”
What Park Tae-soo was referring to was obvious.
None other than the owner of PanTube.
The hottest topic in this industry right now—the most talked-about figure.
A user who had proven superior skill and advanced techniques through video evidence.
But the videos he uploaded daily still hadn’t appeared.
Had something happened?
From what anyone could see, he seemed to have encountered a rare boss.
That alone doesn’t make sense.
‘Even our guild master hasn’t discovered a hidden boss yet.’
I’m not sure why the video is delayed.
But based on the current situation, PanTube—
that user was undeniably the most exceptional at this moment.
A talent among talents who absolutely had to be recruited.
Hadn’t orders already come down from above?
To bring him in at any cost, matching whatever conditions necessary.
The judgment was that if he were poached elsewhere, the Pantheon—destined to become the industry leader in the global market—would never be able to secure a favorable position.
Park Tae-soo agreed with this assessment.
But he needed to see messages or emails first.
‘The guild master said to wait for now.’
What if we miss him because of that?
I presented the maximum conditions and indicated that sufficient upward adjustments were possible.
But since he won’t read messages or emails, what can I do?
‘Sigh.’
Of course, as a temporary measure, I did recruit a user named Tensor.
A user presumed to have been active with Jin-woo TV from Nen Village.
Well, naturally, he revealed that he had partied with Jin-woo TV before.
It’s truly unfortunate, but the information obtained from there was quite limited.
First, I couldn’t even determine his level, nor could I learn what kind of person he was.
But he did confirm the nickname, at least.
Though even that was mundane information.
‘So his actual nickname really is Jin-woo.’
I should have figured it out from the name Jin-woo TV itself.
It was information that drained my spirits.
If that’s all I had obtained, that is.
‘After that, he said he hadn’t been seen in the village.’
In other words, he had moved to a different area.
Is that even possible already?
Even Han Yu-na, the guild master and beta tester, hasn’t shown such progress.
According to Han Yu-na, the guild master, he probably isn’t a beta tester.
If he were a beta tester, he would have stood out, but he didn’t—that’s the reason.
But Park Tae-soo thought differently.
‘He must be a beta tester. It makes no sense for someone like that to move around this way without any information. He definitely has some intel.’
What good is analyzing things this well?
If I can’t recruit him, it’s all for nothing.
Of course, aside from Jin-woo, all my results were nearly perfect.
We’re ahead of any other guild.
There were roughly ten guilds that were standing out.
Among them, Han-sung is quite confident it ranks near the top.
But I absolutely cannot be complacent about that.
‘Whichever guild recruits that Jin-woo user will become the top among those ten guilds.’
That much is certain.
So I participated in the auction by any means necessary.
The auction was heating up excessively.
Despite there still being considerable time before the deadline.
Well, I understand it.
There’s no other way to contact him.
“Haah.”
In the video, his face was naturally obscured by a program.
So I couldn’t even recognize him.
The only thing I have is a statement from Tensor.
It seemed he had moved to a different area.
Was there a way to handle this?
There wasn’t.
There really wasn’t one at all.
Then, at that moment.
Ding.
[A new video has been uploaded to Jin-woo TV, which you’re subscribed to.]
“Hmm.”
Though he was late, he uploaded one video every day without fail.
Quite diligent, really.
Park Tae-soo clicked on the video with that thought in mind.
Since the last video had ended with that boss appearing.
Naturally, this would be that boss raid, right?
A predictable assumption.
The title itself was “Guardian of the Forest,” after all.
Last time it appeared, but this time it’s the title itself.
‘Not the best title, honestly.’
But given the current situation where all eyes were on Jin-woo, it wasn’t a bad title.
Really, any title would have worked.
So, should I watch it?
Park Tae-soo, being a fan of games himself.
Found himself watching without realizing it.
The video began in the forest.
And showed him exploring the forest with someone else.
That must be Tensor.
‘This time they both hid their faces.’
Seeing Tensor appear, he judged that recruiting him first had been the right call.
He had stepped forward faster than anyone else to secure him.
He could say he had been ahead of everyone in recruiting Jin-woo.
Though it felt like comparing the heights of acorns, really.
Anyway, the two people in the video were exploring the forest.
Then they discovered the gruesome remains of a deer.
“Hm?”
Didn’t they call it the Guardian of the Forest?
Moreover, the form that appeared in that encounter looked like a mystical deer.
Yet the corpse of a deer, grotesquely mutilated?
It seemed to suggest something.
But the video didn’t show that—the screen cut to something else.
Tensor disappeared, and now only Jin-woo moved alone.
He ventured deeper and deeper into the forest.
‘Is it finally appearing now?’
The video production was becoming increasingly captivating.
Park Tae-soo found himself drawn in as well.
The background grew progressively darker.
But it was unmistakably a forest.
Then, from far in the distance, a cyan-blue light began to shimmer—mysterious and beautiful.
Jin-woo, moving forward, was drawn toward it as if enchanted.
And there, in the video, stood the mystical creature he’d glimpsed before.
No—a divine beast.
“Ah!”
Park Tae-soo gasped involuntarily, his focus intensifying on the screen.
Look at that radiant form, bearing the aspect of a divine beast itself.
Wasn’t it the very guardian of the forest incarnate?
In the previous video, it had been too brief to capture its true essence.
But now was different.
The noble gaze looking down upon Jin-woo, the intruder.
He found himself overwhelmed by that stare.
For a moment, the sheer presence was so overwhelming he forgot this was a game.
Even Park Tae-soo, an elite among elites, swallowed hard.
Gulp.
If merely watching a video left him so overwhelmed,
what must Jin-woo have felt seeing it in person?
He couldn’t even imagine it.
The message about recognizing hostility as an enemy came to mind.
But it paid no heed, instead casting some kind of buff.
A green aura enveloped its body.
And as if its body had grown lighter, it charged forward with incredible speed.
A speed he’d never seen in any video before.
Even comparing it to Yuna, the guild master herself, she couldn’t match such velocity.
Overwhelmingly fast.
But the moment Jin-woo struck its knee at that tremendous speed,
Clang!
A metallic sound rang out.
Useless?
Park Tae-soo clenched his fist without thinking.
How would he overcome this crisis?
Yet the advantage wasn’t shifting to Jin-woo.
[You have initiated a hostile action.]
[Argon of Verdant Green has become hostile toward you.]
[Verdant Immortality envelops Argon.]
A massive emerald aura descended from the heavens alongside the message, enveloping Argon’s form.
That verdant radiance swept around him in a whirlwind.
The luminous light that erupted from the Altar was drawn directly into Argon.
It was fitting for a being named Argon of Verdant Green.
As the light wrapped around him and complete darkness vanished, he resembled nothing less than a divine beast.
Argon had become a body filled entirely with emerald luminescence.
To witness such radiant beauty in the depths of this forest—who would have imagined it?
“Ah.”
With such overwhelming power, could I truly defeat him?
What skill had Argon activated?
My curiosity mounted with each passing moment.
Then a message appeared on the screen.
But unlike Argon’s radiant form, this message was far from luminous.
Rather, it embodied mercilessness itself—showing no mercy to enemies.
[Beware. Unless something extraordinary occurs, Argon will enter an invincible state for the next five minutes.]
It was truly a skill befitting the title of guardian.
An invincibility pattern?
Was this really acceptable in the Beginner Village?
How was anyone supposed to break through this?
Yet Jin-woo moved with perfect composure.
‘Is there a way?’
Park Tae-soo abandoned all analysis, his attention consumed entirely by the footage.
He clenched his fists, sweat beading on his palms as he became absorbed in the screen.
Would Argon launch a counterattack?
Tension reached its absolute peak.
Yet Jin-woo was smiling.
Was this what elite-level play looked like?
It was a sight that naturally inspired such thoughts.
But what followed was a voice brimming with playfulness.
“Hey, if you’ve got a pattern, why make such a fuss about it?”
Had he already identified the pattern?
No—had he discovered the counter in that brief moment?
Even I, who prided myself on analytical ability, had seen nothing.
The instant Park Tae-soo thought this.
Jin-woo provided the answer.
“Where did your shadow go?”
At those words from the screen, Park Tae-soo quickly examined Argon’s shadow.
Sure enough—the shadow was nowhere to be seen.
‘Ah!’
The moment the emerald light fell from the sky, had the shadow vanished in that opening?
So Jin-woo discovered it?
In just a fleeting instant?
Impossible.
This user is absolutely insane.
Gulp.
Park Tae-soo swallowed hard, his throat dry.
Jin-woo drove his blade straight through the darkened tree.
And then—
Squelch!
Hisssss.
The moment the tree was pierced, black liquid began to flow like blood from a wound.
So that was the answer after all?
Boom!
Rumble!
Boom! Boom!
Argon of Verdant Green, who had stood before the Altar with such noble bearing, crashed to his knees on the ground.
The same Argon of Verdant Green who had been wreathed in cyan light mere moments ago, radiating overwhelming majesty—
Now knelt pathetically upon the earth.
Ah, ahhh.
An involuntary gasp escaped in that instant.
Messages appeared on the screen.
[You have destroyed Argon of Verdant Green’s shadow!]
[Argon of Verdant Green’s Verdant Barrier shatters!]
[Argon of Verdant Green enters a groggy state for 30 seconds.]
[While in a groggy state, all damage dealt is doubled.]
And then came Jin-woo’s burst damage window.
A relentless barrage of consecutive strikes.
It was hard to tell if it was just a feeling, but the attacks seemed to grow subtly faster with each blow.
No—as the assault continued, I became certain of it.
They were definitely accelerating.
The speed kept increasing, and after so many attacks—
Rumble.
Argon of Verdant Green collapsed, drenched in blood.
The moment the Forest’s guardian fell.
A message appeared confirming experience gained.
And the video ended.
Or so I thought it had ended.
If only that final voice hadn’t cut through so briefly.
“There must be another boss attacking the Forest.”
And with that, the video truly concluded.
Park Tae-soo exhaled a long breath, as though he’d been holding it in all this while.
“Phew…”
That was genuinely an incredible video.
I had to recruit him by any means necessary.
I’d leverage every piece of information I possessed.
I would recruit him, no matter what.
First, there was one thing I needed for that.
I’d have to report this up the chain.
Park Tae-soo picked up his phone with that resolve.
“Yes, Chairman. I believe we’ll need to offer that user a contract exceeding the largest sports industry deal ever made.”
He was worth far more than that, I was certain.
Park Tae-soo was convinced of it.
And the chairman agreed with Park Tae-soo’s assessment.
Now the ammunition was loaded.
The chairman had told him to proceed if that was his judgment.
What could be more reassuring than this?
Now that it had come to this, I had to recruit him by any means.
Just in case.
‘I should send the composite sketch to the young lady—no, the Guild Master.’
The composite sketch I’d obtained from Tensor.
Better to be safe.
Now that I think about it.
‘She’s probably resting by now.’
I should send it to her.
I sent her a message, and sure enough, a reply came back immediately.
Then I should send the composite sketch.
Park Tae-soo stated his business and
sent the composite sketch,
then tried to resume his work.
Brrrring.
The phone rang urgently.
What was this about?
It was Han Yu-na, the Guild Master.
‘Hmm?’
How long had it been since I sent the composite sketch?
Already?
I wasn’t sure what this was about,
but she sounded urgent.
Park Tae-soo quickly answered the call.
An urgent voice came through.
-Is this real?! Really?!
“Pardon? Do you mean the composite sketch?”
-Yes! This is real, isn’t it? The composite sketch you received from Tensor?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Is something the matter?”
Could it be?
In that moment, anticipation surged through me.
Han Yu-na’s words continued.
-…I’ve seen this person before.
A lead had finally emerged.

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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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