The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 66

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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 66
Episode 66
Just one day.
It was hardly enough time to accomplish anything substantial.
Especially mastering foundational skills from multiple classes?
It wasn’t just short—it was nearly impossible.
Yet Jin-woo had done it.
A god incarnate, truly a god!
I never thought this would actually happen.
Who would have imagined it possible?
Starting with Warrior, then Archer, Rogue, Monk, and more.
I could acquire multiple skills.
Obtaining things that should have been impossible—several of them, no less.
‘There seem to be plenty of combo possibilities with these.’
But I shouldn’t use them with Yuna’s party.
I’ve already used Mage and dark magic skills before.
Using all skills from the magic-type classes is entirely different from using skills from every single class.
Besides, Yuna still doesn’t know that I’m Jin-woo.
Probably.
‘Who knows? It seems like something she wouldn’t have predicted anyway.’
It would be difficult to deduce just from the fact that I’m in a different area.
How could she possibly know?
Yes, let’s think of it that way.
Now there’s something else to consider.
The Boss Quest, specifically.
After all, Jin-woo is nominally a mercenary hired to help with the Boss Quest.
Come to think of it, they probably didn’t even need a mercenary.
‘Considering the levels of the other party members, they should all have hit level 30 by today.’
A four-person party at level 30?
And one of them is Han Yu-na?
That’s an unbeatable combination.
They could clear it easily without Jin-woo.
But they don’t know that.
More importantly.
‘She probably wanted to build a connection with me.’
Just as Yuna said at first.
She approached me because I looked strong, and afterward hired me as a mercenary.
Of course, she’d prefer to recruit me into the Guild, but that would have gotten rejected.
Being able to call on me occasionally as a mercenary is already a gain.
And if it progresses from mercenary to Guild recruitment.
The icing on the cake.
Yuna’s true intentions were transparent enough.
Though there was quite a bit Jin-woo didn’t know about.
But ignorance is bliss, isn’t it?
‘Then shall I head over?’
The appointed time was drawing near.
I’d mastered all the foundational skills by now.
There was no reason to hesitate further.
It was now the sixth day.
The number of players had grown far more than expected.
Though those in the late level twenties were still quite rare.
Beyond Yuna’s party, I spotted them occasionally.
‘Progress is starting to plateau.’
Those blessed with ranker-tier talent were already beginning to hit their limits.
A new region should emerge soon enough.
But following the Developer’s design, they’d rest in the Beginner Village for a while, master their skills, and then advance.
Though that had nothing to do with Jin-woo.
Han Yu-na’s party would move to the next region faster than anyone.
It was inevitable, really.
Originally, it would be Tensor who solved that Quest information.
Since he hadn’t yet.
‘There’s still plenty of time.’
Of course, the contact between Tensor and Jin-woo might have changed something.
But it still hadn’t been revealed.
Through a butterfly effect, Yuna had discovered it quickly as well.
I didn’t know how she’d found it.
Regardless, what mattered now was that Jin-woo could also reach the next region.
As the beginning of a different area.
There would be more things to eat.
My mouth watered at the thought.
It was then, while Jin-woo stood lost in thought.
Yuna’s party came into view from a distance.
‘Hmm, they’ve equipped themselves quite well.’
While not rare-tier, they were excellent pieces among normal-grade equipment.
Yet none of them looked particularly pleased.
“Damn it, Kaiser butted in and ruined everything.”
“Sigh, that was the best mage equipment we found.”
“What a shame.”
“…Let’s stop dwelling on it and focus on the Quest.”
Yuna comforted her party members as she spoke.
Everyone nodded in agreement and regained their composure.
They had participated in Jin-woo’s auction, but seemed disappointed to have missed out at the last moment.
Though Jin-woo himself didn’t particularly care either way.
Regardless, now that everyone had gathered.
Yuna stepped forward and spoke.
“Before we begin the Quest, does anyone have objections to me taking the lead?”
No one volunteered in response to Yuna’s question.
No objections meant consent.
In that case.
“Then I’ll take command. Thank you all.”
Yuna bowed her head respectfully, expressing her gratitude to everyone.
But that was clearly directed at Jin-woo.
Honestly, it would be strange for Jin-woo to suddenly take the lead anyway.
It was bothersome too.
So I simply didn’t volunteer.
‘It’s not like stepping up would increase my mercenary fee.’
I was already earning twenty million won in a single job.
Staying quiet and leaving was far too convenient.
Besides, if the Quest was about to start, it would take a while.
Party Quests were inherently tedious with all their complications.
Especially since Jin-woo wasn’t planning to go all out right now.
I could use Corpse Explosion if needed.
But Wail of the Dead was awkward to deploy.
Already being mistaken for using basic skills, I couldn’t afford to reveal stronger abilities.
Still, since I was limited to basic skills, this would likely be quite slow.
Probably.
While Jin-woo was thinking this to himself.
Yuna opened her mouth.
“Shall we all begin then?”
* * *
“Insane.”
“I thought it would take forever.”
“Y-you’re truly remarkable, mercenary.”
“…Thank you so much for coming.”
“….”
Jin-woo, his hood pulled low and scratching his head, stood dazed as his party members showered him with praise.
Wait, how did this happen?
Party Quests were universally known to be time-consuming ordeals.
Annoying monster swarms appeared that needed to be handled in waves, and with so many people involved, there were countless tedious mechanics.
Yet it had all ended in an instant.
Why, you ask?
Clack, clack-clack! Clack!
Five skeletons stood before Jin-woo in perfect formation.
Jin-woo stared at them blankly.
Wait, why are these guys so strong?
‘They’re incredibly powerful.’
In the previous dungeon, I had granted them various enhancements for testing purposes.
But I hadn’t done any of that now.
Yet they were single-handedly slaughtering five or six monsters.
This reduced the workload for my party members, allowing us to clear the dungeon far more quickly.
We were only a five-person party to begin with.
With five skeletons added, it felt like a ten-person party.
No wonder everyone was astounded.
“I, I apologize for asking, but what rank is that skeleton summoning skill exactly?”
Neira, the mage, was the most curious and spoke up first.
How could I possibly say it’s just a basic skill?
That it’s simply a phenomenon caused by high stats?
Besides.
‘Now that I think about it, skeleton AI is supposedly created based on the summoner’s combat foundation, right?’
Summons like spirits all have existing data.
But skeletons are summoned on the spot from corpses.
So their AI allocation is created based on the summoner’s combat foundation.
In other words, if the summoner is talented, the skeleton’s combat prowess is equally impressive.
I’d heard that if the summoner was too weak, they’d average it out.
But isn’t this completely broken?
It’s like having five minor versions of myself.
Now that I looked at it this way, they seemed incredibly formidable.
What should I do?
Should I reduce their numbers?
As Jin-woo pondered this alone, Yuna shot Neira a sharp glance and spoke.
“Isn’t it rude to ask about someone’s skills?”
“Oh, ah! My apologies.”
“No, it’s fine. I was just thinking about something else.”
“I’m sorry, I was just curious for a moment….”
Jin-woo nodded understandingly.
I could understand that.
Besides, this wasn’t the time to focus on that.
So what remained now was….
“Just the boss.”
“It’s just the boss.”
Everyone nodded at Yuna’s words.
Each of them added their own comment.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Except for that Hwang Gyeong-ma-jeol, we’d be the fastest, wouldn’t we?”
“Yes, that’s certainly the case.”
Wait?
Hold on?
Hwang Gyeong-ma-jeol is me, isn’t it?
But they know I went to a different region?
And it doesn’t seem like they’re just guessing either.
How did I not get caught?
Jin-woo was bewildered, but he didn’t let it show.
Instead, he thought calmly.
How did they know I moved to a different region?
Since I obtained a Quest, did they naturally assume I got one too?
No.
The tone was too certain to be mere speculation.
‘Where did I slip up?’
From uploading the video of capturing Argon?
But that would still be speculation, wouldn’t it?
Especially since it was a hidden boss.
I haven’t even uploaded the Orc Karan video yet.
There’s far too little basis for them to speculate.
How could they possibly know?
While Jin-woo was deep in thought internally,
he heard an unexpected name.
“Tensor really played a major role, didn’t he?”
At Pandel’s words, Yuna’s expression tightened slightly,
but it was only for a fleeting moment.
Of course, Jin-woo caught it all.
Tensor?
That username suddenly comes up?
In a different region too?
This is…
‘So that’s how they discovered the Quest so quickly.’
And they also know I moved to the next region.
Wait?
Then that means Yuna has already made contact with Tensor.
As that realization struck him,
Jin-woo swallowed hard without thinking.
*Gulp.*
Han Yu-na’s appetite for talent knew no bounds.
Kaiser dominated overwhelmingly as number one.
But when it came to guilds, no one could rival Han Yu-na’s Han-sung Guild.
She’d already gathered an incredible roster of talented individuals beforehand.
So for someone with such ambitions to have made contact with Tensor—
the same Tensor who’d met with Jin-woo—
could it really be coincidence?
Impossible.
I’d sooner believe Santa Claus exists.
She’d clearly identified Tensor from his brief appearance in the video and made contact with him.
Her eye for detail had always been sharp, after all.
‘So that’s it.’
She must have either sketched a composite or confirmed his appearance details directly with Tensor.
Besides, it made no sense for her to suddenly approach me in the Library.
I’d thought she’d been caught—that her identity as the person who’d asked me to take on that job had been exposed.
But that wasn’t it at all.
It had all been an act.
Come to think of it,
her approach asking for public magic had felt somewhat odd.
‘Even with the robe, my face was still visible.’
So she’d approached cautiously.
Now everything clicked into place perfectly.
Based on their reactions,
the other party members seemed unaware that Jin-woo was Hwang Gyeong-ma-jeol.
Well, Yuna was thorough about such matters.
If Tensor’s name hadn’t come up, Jin-woo wouldn’t have caught on either.
Looking back now,
I’d definitely been caught.
After a moment’s thought, Jin-woo stood and spoke to Yuna with apparent resolution.
“Yuna, could we talk for a moment?”
“…Yes.”
Yuna answered with a deflated tone.
Then she shot a pointed look at Pandel, sighed quietly, and followed Jin-woo.
The other party members watched them go in confusion, their eyes turning toward Pandel.
As if asking whether he knew something.
But of course, how could he?
“I… I didn’t do anything…”
“Sigh, well, it’s Pan, so what else could it be?”
“Definitely.”
When Neira and Ellen spoke thus, I wanted to refute them.
But Pandel could say nothing.
Meanwhile, Jin-woo and Yuna, having relocated to a secluded place where none of their party members could possibly hear or see them, came to a halt.
Jin-woo then gazed at Yuna, exhaled softly, and removed his robe as he spoke.
“Phew, you knew, didn’t you?”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
The moment Tensor’s nickname was mentioned, Yuna had already recognized that her cover was blown.
But what should I do from here?
Countless thoughts flooded through my mind in that instant.
Yet Jin-woo spoke first.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to know, but hearing the nickname Tensor confirmed it.”
“Yes, I thought that would be the case.”
“It seems the party members don’t know.”
“Yes, that’s right. None of them know that you’re Jin-woo.”
She already knew the nickname too.
At Yuna’s response, Jin-woo flinched momentarily.
Then I adjusted the system slightly.
A message appeared before Yuna’s eyes.
[A registered friend user is revealing their nickname.]
[Your original nickname will be displayed.]
I revealed my friend’s nickname directly, showing that it was Jin-woo.
And as Jin-woo observed Yuna’s reaction,
“Let’s keep this fact a secret.”
“Yes, of course.”
“And let’s discuss this further after this mercenary job is finished.”
“Ah! Thank you so much!”
“Not at all.”
Since I was already exposed,
I judged it better to reveal it openly.
And I had prevented information leakage as well.
Finally,
“And may I upload this to video?”
A somewhat abrupt question.
At those words, Yuna answered hesitantly.
“Ah, yes. Of course?”
PanTube’s angle sharpened.
A fun concept had just occurred to me.

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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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