The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 54

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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 54
Episode 54
When Jin-woo logged back into the Pantheon, the ashen Demon Realm welcomed him.
Was “welcomed” really the right word?
Maybe it was because I’d just finished editing the Argon raid footage.
Everything felt even more dreary.
Forests and backdrops like this were certainly bleak enough.
But what did that matter anyway!
What mattered was that there was something to gain here!
‘The map direction is….’
I unfolded a fragment of the torn map.
A map appeared in the corner of my vision, the kind you’d see in an ordinary game.
The Pantheon was an unfriendly game, that much was true.
But this kind of feature was genuinely convenient.
They did provide the essentials when necessity demanded it.
There were basic functions available, after all.
So it was fine.
But the destination was farther than expected.
It would take at least an hour just to walk there.
‘Without a mount, just running would take quite a while.’
Mounts could typically be obtained after level 100.
Common mounts could be purchased immediately.
But they were living creatures like horses.
Could they really survive in the Demon Realm?
It would be fortunate if they didn’t die in combat.
Though the probability of that happening was far higher.
But Jin-woo didn’t need a mount in the first place.
‘It’s seriously broken.’
In the Pantheon, classes with good mobility were highly valued.
Of course, basic performance had to be solid too.
Unless the performance was overwhelmingly superior, good mobility earned a high tier ranking.
By that standard, Jin-woo could be called the best.
I looked as far and as high as possible.
Then I immediately used teleportation.
Whoosh!
Whirrrrrrrrr!
In an instant, Jin-woo moved through the air.
The wind blew fiercely as expected, but I wasn’t worried.
Wind Walking ensured I would never fall.
‘This is seriously insane.’
Their synergy is surprisingly excellent.
Anyway, from this high vantage point, I could see the regions marked on the map far in the distance.
If I use teleportation again from here?
I could cover a distance of over an hour with just two skill casts!
Ah, it’s almost frighteningly overpowered.
Hehehehe.
But I didn’t teleport directly to the map-marked location.
Instead, to a spot a little distance away.
‘That place could be a trap.’
I’d already discovered that the location was a Village.
And a Village in the Demon Realm?
Demons would obviously be swarming all over it.
What if I teleported there and suddenly came under attack?
It was safer to scout the surrounding area first and enter slowly.
‘Let me move over there.’
I observed a spot slightly distant from the Village marked on the map, then used teleportation again.
Wrapped in a faint light, I vanished and reappeared.
This location looked better than where I’d been before.
There was a Forest nearby, and a river as well.
The ground was ashen, but the river wasn’t stained with blood or anything like that.
Just ordinary river water.
Same with the Forest.
Looking at it this way, it seemed quite similar to the Middle Realm.
Except for the ground and sky.
‘Surprisingly ordinary.’
I’d imagined it would be far more desolate, thinking it was a place where demons gathered.
Especially considering the levels and threat levels of the demons that appeared in the Middle Realm.
That’s why I’d been on guard.
But it wasn’t as bad as I’d expected.
Could I just enter the Village like this?
But that’s a separate matter.
Just because the terrain is ordinary doesn’t mean the demons are.
I should stay vigilant.
Just as I was about to move, maintaining slight caution.
I sensed a presence nearby.
Rustle.
‘A demon?’
I quickly assessed the situation and prepared to use a skill.
Drawing a weapon immediately would leave no room for negotiation.
If they tried to attack, I decided I’d use teleportation to move behind them first.
After that, I’d draw my weapon and complete my battle preparations—then I’d be all set.
In that fleeting moment, I formulated every strategy and fixed my gaze upon the target of my vigilance.
But the being that appeared was none other than….
“Huh? Whoa there, human—what brings you wandering out here?”
“Huh?”
For a demon, the accent was far too guileless and rustic.
His appearance matched that impression.
He looked like a genuinely kind-hearted, simple village youth.
The only difference was his skin bore a faint bluish-purple hue.
Beyond that, he was virtually identical to a human.
He resembled an ordinary country boy out foraging for wild vegetables.
No weapons were visible.
Only a hoe tucked at his side.
What… what is this?
Is this a ploy to catch me off guard before attacking?
Well, couldn’t this demon also be the one called the Crimson Hoe of Madness?
I’d maintain my guard until the very end.
“Oh my, you’ve lost your way! Dear me! Getting lost around here is no laughing matter. I’ll guide you to the village—care to follow?”
“Ah, yes, thank you very much for your kindness.”
“Hehehehe! Everyone will be so delighted to see a stranger from afar! Come along this way now.”
My goodness, he’s remarkably kind.
All my caution suddenly felt foolish.
Now that I looked closer, there was no monster indicator above him.
‘He has an NPC indicator instead.’
Normally, monsters display colored names above them.
If the level difference is significantly high, the name appears in red.
If the difference is moderately high, it appears in yellow.
Otherwise, it’s green.
NPCs, on the other hand, have semi-transparent names that appear above them.
If anything, they’re white.
Usually, before learning their name, they appear as white arrow markers like this.
I hadn’t noticed that detail.
I suppose I don’t need to remain quite so vigilant.
‘Still, there’s much I don’t know yet.’
I maintained a reasonable level of readiness and followed the youth.
Then, in that moment.
The seemingly guileless youth clapped his hands as if remembering something, then turned around.
What’s the matter?
Jin-woo looked up in surprise.
“Oh my, how rude of me to forget introductions in my excitement! My name’s Man-deuk, so feel free to just call me Man-deuk.”
“Ah, my name is Jin-woo.”
Wait, what kind of demon name is Man-deuk?
Though taken aback, I introduced myself as well.
So it went.
“Wow! Are you from the Capital City? Your name is quite refined!”
“Ah, yes. Well.”
“Aha! I knew it right away! Just by looking at you—see how that noble air just radiates from you? You’re clearly no ordinary person.”
“Ah, yes. Yes.”
I had nothing to say to that.
It felt exactly like dealing with a rural elder.
And besides, he wasn’t entirely wrong either.
Being from the Capital City meant I was from Seoul, after all.
That much was true.
As for being a noble person, the effect of my Exalted One status made me appear that way.
I could only agree with everything he said.
There was nothing incorrect about it.
Ugh, this is making me dizzy.
“Aha, we’re almost there! Everyone will welcome you when you arrive. Prepare yourself mentally.”
“W-welcome?”
Since they’re demons, was this some kind of blood festival or something?
It didn’t seem like it.
What on earth was this?
Of course, this place had looked quite remote.
But it’s been developed this much?
This is driving me crazy.
It’s far too quaint.
I followed Man-deuk as he led the way.
Before long, a village came into view.
There seemed to be quite a few people, more than I expected.
“Look! A stranger has come! I happened to meet them in the forest nearby!”
He could explain it that casually?
Wasn’t that an incomprehensible explanation?
But then something unexpected happened.
The moment they heard those words, all the villagers nearby came rushing over.
But why were so many gathering like this?
“My goodness, a stranger? It’s been years!”
“Well, how delightful!”
“Hey there! What brings you all the way out here?”
“What!? You’re human!? I think it’s been decades since I last saw a human!”
“Ah! That’s right! That old fellow who came from the Empire! Did you forget about him?”
“Ugh! That old geezer!? Man, I was so scared of him I couldn’t even speak to him.”
“Right? Exactly! I mean, why does that guy have such a terrifyingly sharp look in his eyes?”
They gathered around to watch, then started chattering among themselves.
What’s going on?
It felt like I’d been dragged to the village hall after visiting my grandmother’s house in the countryside.
That’s exactly what this is.
No, that’s exactly the feeling.
I’m supposed to find clues in a place like this?
My head suddenly started spinning…
“Say, what brings such a refined-looking person like yourself to these parts?”
An elderly-looking demon approached and asked.
By his demeanor, he seemed to be like the Village Chief.
Was he being cautious?
In times like these, I needed to speak carefully so as not to raise suspicion.
If I made a good impression, they wouldn’t suspect me of anything serious.
“Ah, since this is my first time in the Demon Realm, I was just looking around here and there.”
“What!? You’re wandering about saying there’s something to see!? Now listen, you should just relax like a proper guest and stay put! You understand?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Wait, Chief, if you speak like that, this fellow won’t understand. So what our Chief means is that since you’ve come all this way, you should make yourself comfortable and rest. He’s telling you to take it easy.”
“Ah, yes. I understand.”
“Hehehehe! Usually outsiders don’t understand what we’re mumbling about.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say, “Ah, I understand quite well. My mother is from that region.”
Anyway.
When Jin-woo arrived, everyone welcomed him.
When Man-deuk introduced him as someone from the Capital City.
Everyone marveled at how refined he seemed, then went back to what they were doing.
Somehow.
It really did feel like visiting my maternal grandmother’s house.
There was a certain warmth to it.
Anyway, that’s not what’s important.
I need to find clues here.
‘For a Legendary Map, gathering information is essential here.’
Usually, legends from this area.
Or strange occurrences happening right now.
Or mysterious events that have been consistently happening in this region for a long time.
I just need to find things like that.
So should I start gathering information right away?
Should I ask Man-deuk, the first person I met?
Well, I did meet him first.
Besides, it seems like the villagers here are all pretty easy to talk to.
Anyway, should I gather some information?
First, there was Man-deuk.
“Ugh! There’s a gorge over that way, but I wouldn’t even piss in that direction. Honestly, I have no idea why lightning strikes so damn much over there. Don’t you dare go that way.”
And I gathered other information as well.
For instance, regarding legends.
“Huh? Legends? Oh! Our village has one too, you hear! I’m telling you the truth! From what I heard, our ancestors came here to guard something, but look at this village—it’s so quiet and peaceful now.”
I also asked if there had been any strange occurrences or phenomena recently.
I continued gathering information as I went about.
“Oh! I don’t go near that gorge at all, but it seems like the lightning that was striking so fiercely around there has lessened a bit? It’s a little weird.”
Despite the dialect mixed in, I’d gathered quite useful information.
Though there were occasionally pointless stories too… No, there was far too much useless chatter.
Regardless, when I pieced the information together, it all pointed to one thing.
A gorge near the village.
Though “near” apparently meant it was quite far away.
It was said to be quite large, and the gorge emanated an ominous aura.
Most notably, lightning struck that gorge repeatedly, which seemed suspicious no matter how you looked at it.
Once I’d organized the information I’d gathered through my inquiries to some degree.
A message appeared.
[You have acquired a new clue.]
That alone wouldn’t be enough to satisfy me.
I hadn’t only obtained a clue.
[You have made contact with demons for the first time.]
[You have acquired the First Title ‘One Who Communes with Demons’.]
[You have acquired a First Title.]
[Through the Title Hunter effect, you acquire an additional stat point.]
Excellent!
Delicious.
Looking at the name alone, it seems like something a dark mage would obtain.
Huh? The effect is similar too.
『One Who Communes with Demons』
→First Title
→A title granted to the first user to make contact with demons
→Dark Magic-related skill efficiency +10%
Well, that makes sense.
According to the lore, dark magic was created by demons.
Anyway.
The clue was more important than that.
[You have acquired a clue regarding the Damp Ravine.]
[New information has been added to your map.]
As expected!
I knew this would happen.
Everyone spoke in dialect, so it wasn’t easy to understand at first.
Phew, thank you, grandmother.
Thanks to you, I was able to solve it so easily.
‘Even if that weren’t the case, the villagers are all so kind.’
Typically, with legendary maps like this.
This kind of investigation is the most difficult part.
Yet I solved it this quickly.
I had preconceptions about demons, but it seems I was mistaken.
The demons that occasionally invade the Middle Realm are said to be exceptionally powerful ones.
More precisely, they’re said to be nobles from the Capital City?
That’s information I picked up while chatting.
Anyway, that’s not what matters.
Jin-woo unfolded the map again.
『Torn Map Fragment』
*Grade: Unknown
→A rumor circulates throughout the Demon Realm.
→Somewhere in the Demon Realm, the Seven Supreme Treasures are said to be hidden.
→This is a map with insufficient information to decipher.
→However, when I gathered the fragments and pieced them together, part of the map became visible.
→Upon acquiring clues, the map gradually restored itself.
→In the restored location, a gorge with a lightning symbol appeared.
→This place seems quite suspicious.
→If I head to the Lightning Gorge, I might discover something?
The investigation ended this quickly.
And look at that last line.
Discover something?
Usually, when it’s phrased like that, it means the final stage.
Already.
Gulp.
Could I be about to obtain a legendary item?
I was so excited I couldn’t sit still and wait.
‘I need to head to the Lightning Gorge right now.’

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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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