The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 56

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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 56
Episode 56
[Zone Boss Twin Lightning Demons Shiminen and Tapin recognize you as an enemy.]
A message materialized before me.
I frowned slightly upon reading it.
Nearly all bosses possessed phases.
Unless they were special cases like the Ogre.
Which meant.
These creatures would have phases as well.
If so, there was a high probability that lesser demons would join the battle too.
‘It’s fine. I’ve already thought this through.’
Wasn’t that exactly what I’d prepared for?
I could handle this.
As I was thinking this.
Tapin summoned dark clouds from his hand once more.
“Krkrkrkr! Come forth!”
A skill activated alongside his words.
Light flickered within the dark clouds.
Lightning would be fired soon.
Was it aimed at Shiminen again?
In the moment my judgment wavered, lightning erupted from the clouds.
Not at Shiminen, but at me.
The distance was too close to evade.
Whoosh!
Crackle-crackle-crack!
The power was less than when Shiminen had swallowed and fired it.
But lightning was lightning regardless.
The impact was considerable.
Yet my figure was nowhere to be found where I should have been standing.
The moment Shiminen and Tapin registered confusion.
Two consecutive blade strikes came from behind them.
Slash! Slash!
“Screech!”
“Ugh!”
And a crimson aura enveloped them both.
None other than Curse of the Demon Blade, one of Gram’s skills!
A powerful skill that inflicted bleeding for ten seconds.
As they felt the continuous damage, both desperately cast spells.
Simple lightning-attribute magic.
Among magical skills, the second fastest after light itself.
But Jin-woo still evaded with remarkable speed.
Skills you can predict in advance are easy to dodge.
Jin-woo leaped into the air, avoiding the attacks from both Shiminen and Tapin.
Seizing that opening, Shiminen struck!
“An opening!”
She attempted to swallow the lightning she’d gathered and spit it directly at Jin-woo suspended in mid-air.
But Jin-woo was not one to simply watch it happen.
If you thought Jin-woo couldn’t evade because he was in mid-air, you’d be sorely mistaken.
Using Wind Step, he kicked off sharply through the air to dodge, then unleashed a skill.
Crushing Blow and Slash Technique.
And he activated a skill enhanced by both of them.
‘Weapon Spear.’
From the Demonic Sword Gram, a violet ominous aura erupted, and he fired that very aura like a spear.
Even at a glance, it was a spear of tremendous power.
It pierced straight through Shiminen’s crown and penetrated her entire body.
Excruciating pain wracked her entire frame.
Shiminen convulsed and trembled, unable even to expel the lightning she’d meant to release.
“――――!”
As expected.
[Intermediate Demon Beast – Shiminen, the Lightning Eater, sustains massive damage and trembles.]
[For 10 seconds, she falls into the abnormal status ‘Stunned’ due to the impact.]
Weapon Spear—a skill that ignores defense.
Enhanced by both Slash Technique and Crushing Blow.
The damage dealt must have been beyond imagination.
Being a relatively powerful skill, its cooldown was quite lengthy.
A full three minutes.
Compared to that, the stun lasted merely ten seconds.
I had to seize this moment.
With one of the twins incapacitated,
Tapin, the remaining one, was suddenly thrown into panic.
‘Now!’
The instant Jin-woo’s feet touched the ground, he kicked off and charged forward.
Then, leaping once more through the air, he accelerated further.
Whoosh!
“Grrk? W-wait!”
Tapin spotted Jin-woo in an instant and summoned dark clouds, but
it was already too late.
The distance had already closed dramatically.
He unleashed another skill.
“Six-Light Slash!”
Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash!
[A critical hit lands.]
[The fatal effect is applied.]
[The Eucria Greatsword effect increases critical damage.]
[From the massive damage, Tapin, who summons thunder clouds, falls into the abnormal state ‘stun’ for 5 seconds.]
“Grraaaagh!”
In an instant, I slashed at the creature with six sword waves in rapid succession.
This creature had the Cursed Blade’s curse stacked four times!
Since every attack connected.
Even the greatsword’s critical hit landed.
Crack!
The creature also fell into stun from the accumulated critical damage.
And its life force dwindled rapidly from the Cursed Blade’s curse.
Now I had to face Shiminen instead of Tapin.
I needed to stack the curse again before the duration ended to extend the time further.
I was about to attack again.
But I saw lightning falling from above.
So it wasn’t a skill that got cancelled even if I attacked mid-cast.
‘Teleport.’
I urgently used the skill to evade.
I landed right next to Shiminen.
I rushed forward and swung the Cursed Blade.
Slash!
I successfully struck the creature.
The Cursed Blade’s duration extended again.
Shiminen came to her senses and cast a magic skill.
Another lightning-type magic skill.
But I wasn’t about to take it lying down.
“Hgh!”
Whoosh!
I evaded once more using Wind Step.
This kind of thing I could dodge even without Teleport.
Being able to use empty air as a foothold was an absolutely broken ability.
And I could do it three times?
It wasn’t for nothing that it was Hero+ rank.
Actually, looking at the performance alone, it seemed comparable to some Unique-grade skills.
I wanted to rush in again and maintain the Cursed Blade’s curse.
But the creature, now fully alert and casting various spells, wouldn’t allow it.
‘What a shame.’
Still, I’d already gotten my money’s worth from the Cursed Blade’s curse.
It was time to play my next card.
Shiminen’s barrage of magical skills had broken Tapin’s paralysis.
They were now in a state where they could coordinate their assault again.
But those two seemed thoroughly on guard.
They didn’t rush at me immediately.
That was the wise choice.
My attack had essentially been a surprise ambush.
While they remained this tense, they might not be easy to handle.
But who was I?
The Pantheon’s greatest veteran player.
Besides, I still had plenty of cards left to play.
Even as I thought this.
‘The cooldown’s reset.’
Wondering what to do, I recalled a combination I’d used recently.
With this?
I could break through far more easily than expected.
Watching the two creatures standing guard so tensely.
I let out a quiet chuckle.
They hadn’t realized I possessed teleportation.
That’s why they were being so cautious.
Ready to act the moment I moved.
‘Then I should give them what they want.’
Since they were waiting like that, I should oblige them quickly.
Just… differently.
‘Wrathful Demon Blade.’
Red vapor was already pouring forth from Berserker.
From there, a crimson aura began to erupt.
An overwhelmingly ferocious presence.
That aura consumed all of Berserker’s red vapor.
The colossal energy coalesced, and a demonic form briefly materialized behind me.
It was nothing short of a demon lord itself.
An oppressive presence so overwhelming that even the twin lightning beasts flinched.
In the moment they recoiled, I activated teleportation.
Whoosh!
I vanished in an instant.
But as if they’d been waiting for this very moment.
Tapin cried out first.
“Come forth!”
Dark clouds appeared faster than ever before.
And the lightning was equally swift.
Boom!
Crack-crack-crack!
Lightning fell from the sky.
But Jin-woo was not its target.
Shiminen swallowed the descending bolt whole.
Gulp.
Shiminen’s cheeks and belly bulged outward as his eyes gleamed with intensity.
Those glowing blue eyes looked decidedly ominous, and it was already too late to evade.
Shiminen unleashed a torrent of lightning directly at Jin-woo.
A lightning roar of devastating power.
It possessed such tremendous force that it could obliterate most of the dark clouds blanketing the Lightning Gorge.
But such power only mattered if it actually connected.
Where Jin-woo had stood moments before, there was now nothing.
What had happened?
As the two of them stared at the spot where Jin-woo had been, bewildered.
Jin-woo helpfully informed them from behind.
“My teleportation has no cooldown.”
With those words, Jin-woo activated his skill once more.
Six slashes of blade energy to carve through his opponent!
Hexblade Slash!
Slash-slash-slash-slash-slash-slash!
But the power behind it was on an entirely different scale than before.
All of my stats elevated by the Demon Sword of Wrath.
That power transcended imagination itself.
Each individual strike of the blade possessed power rivaling a skill.
Even as Shiminen and Tapin endured the assault, they could see it in that instant.
The silhouette of a Demon King looming behind Jin-woo, looking down upon them.
“…!”
“…!”
And they understood.
They could never defeat this creature with their power alone.
They had truly acknowledged Jin-woo’s strength.
No path to victory presented itself.
At this rate, they might actually die.
So they changed their strategy!
“Roooaaarrr!”
“Gruuuuhhh!”
Both of them roared simultaneously.
Jin-woo had no choice but to retreat before the overwhelming force.
Getting caught in that maelstrom would deal far more damage than he anticipated.
My current level was merely 45.
No matter how superior my stats were.
These creatures were boss monsters above level 100.
A single hit could reverse the entire battle in an instant.
I had to retreat and evade.
Then a message appeared before me.
[The Zone Boss Twin Lightning Demons Shiminen and Tapin are enraged.]
[All nearby lesser demons attack you.]
[The nearby lesser demons are significantly weakened from prolonged labor.]
[Defend yourself from Shiminen and Tapin’s attacks for 10 minutes.]
The system occasionally provided such guidance for particularly difficult patterns.
This time was no exception.
If all those dozens of lesser demons were in perfect condition.
It would be nearly impossible to clear.
Even a level 120 party would struggle.
But just 10 minutes of endurance?
Child’s play.
I was confident I could eliminate them all.
The Wrath Blade’s duration would end soon.
But how did I plan to defeat them?
Like this.
“Asir’s Curse.”
A violet-hued aura began flowing from my body.
An ominous and sinister aura.
With that aura, I smirked and designated Shiminen and Tapin.
Normally, only one target could be designated.
But these two were twin bosses designated by the system.
Their target designation was unified as one.
At that very moment.
The Wrath Blade’s duration expired.
[The skill ‘Wrath Blade’ duration has ended.]
[The skill is sealed for 10 minutes.]
[Asir’s Curse is now active.]
[The skill seal transfers to the target.]
“Kugh?”
“Kruk?”
A mage with sealed skills?
Child’s play.
I watched the lesser demons rushing toward me.
Endure for 10 minutes?
Dozens of weakened low-rank demons?
This is practically an experience point bonanza.
I’m supposed to just leave this alone?
Not a chance!
‘Well then, shall I go on a grinding spree?’
Of course, even for Jin-woo, facing dozens of them wouldn’t be easy.
If not for a single skill.
“Emerald Indestructibility.”
Two boss-class mages with sealed skills and weakened low-rank demons.
Too easy.
As Jin-woo smiled, wreathed in cyan light, Shiminen and Tapin trembled violently and collapsed where they stood.
All their skills were blocked.
They could only watch in terror as their subordinates fell one by one.
They had no choice but to bear witness to their own demise.
* * *
Before Emerald Indestructibility even ended.
I was able to dispatch both Shiminen and Tapin.
However,
“Alas, we have failed our master.”
“Alas, but our master shall avenge us.”
Shiminen and Tapin muttered words of unknown origin.
And those two creatures faded to ash.
I’d finished the butchering as well.
Yet something felt off.
These creatures weren’t the end of it.
As expected.
[You have defeated the Zone Boss Twin Lightning Demons Shiminen and Tapin.]
[You obtain the Hero-grade item ‘Staff of Thunder’s Ecstasy’ as a reward.]
[You obtain the Hero-grade item ‘Robe of Lightning Consumption’ as a reward.]
[You obtain the Hero-grade item ‘Random Skill Book’ as a reward.]
[Through butchering, you obtain the Eye of a Mid-rank Demon.]
[Through butchering, you obtain the Crystal of a Mid-rank Demon.]
[The torn map fragment absorbs the essence of the two demons.]
[The torn map fragment is completed into a whole map!]
[The complete map now guides you to a hidden dungeon containing treasure.]
“Excellent!”
A Hero-grade random skill book and two Hero-grade items?
That’s quite impressive.
But that’s not what matters!
At last, the map is complete!
At last, a Legendary item!?
Jin-woo hastily unfolded the map.
The dungeon’s location appeared on the map.
Deep within the Lightning Gorge, no less.
Without this map, there’s no way I could have found this dungeon.
Jin-woo made his way to the location marked on the map.
It led to a place far darker than the interior of the Lightning Gorge, which was already shrouded in dark clouds.
‘Hmm, it’s quite dark.’
Well, the gorge itself was dark enough, and this was its deepest point.
It was bound to be damp.
Upon arriving at that location, Jin-woo received a message.
A notification appeared.
[Enter the Hidden Dungeon ‘Hidden Dungeon – Cave of Sealed Holy Spear’?]
*Warning—Recommended level is 120 or higher for a 5-person party.
[Will you enter anyway?]
“Insane.”
What exactly did I just see?
That was exactly how Jin-woo felt upon reading the message.

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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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