The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 8

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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 8
Episode 8
A party of six Level 5 hunters is recommended.
To be honest, Jin-woo alone could surpass that difficulty with ease.
So what was the dungeon to Jin-woo?
Nothing more than a simple grinding spot for experience.
Ah, and for farming material items as well.
Unbelievable—experience points were practically duplicating themselves.
The same went for items.
The initial rewards increased through the First Title, boosting both experience and drop rates by a staggering threefold.
And experience had an additional 40% bonus stacked on top.
How could the gains not multiply exponentially?
[Level Up!]
[You have acquired additional stat points.]
A message I’d grown weary of seeing.
Though I had to admit, the pace had slowed somewhat.
Up to Level 5, it was merely an extension of the tutorial—easy enough to breeze through.
But after that, leveling became genuinely grueling.
Even monopolizing the First Title, this was the result.
‘I’m Level 7 now.’
If I cleared the boss, would I barely scrape Level 9?
Probably.
I could always venture to other dungeons later.
Soon enough, other users would begin arriving.
As long as I wasn’t spotted leaving the Mine, I’d be fine.
I still preferred to remain hidden.
The problem was…
‘The beta testers?’
They were somewhat troublesome, but ultimately irrelevant.
How could beta testers possibly compare to a returnee?
It made no sense.
The comparison itself was embarrassing.
Wait.
Now that I think about it, didn’t something happen involving the beta testers?
I think it was in Nen Village?
It’s odd that nothing happened in a village this size.
The memory was hazy.
What was it again?
‘Oh! That’s right! Those vicious bastards in Nen Village.’
They’d slaughtered beginners, if I recalled correctly.
When I think about it, it’s really nothing special.
What?
You’re saying I need to prepare in advance?
There’s no need for that, nor is it worth the effort.
Besides, I don’t have beginner-level stats.
Right. It’s far more profitable to hunt down one more Cobolt in that time.
‘The profit isn’t even that great.’
They’re just trash mobs that only beginners hunt.
Even among the beta testers, they’re considered small fry.
At best, they just drop the coins that beginners pick up.
Again, it’s a hundred times better to spend that time hunting diligently.
Why would I bother hunting them down for a few measly coins?
Most importantly.
‘I absolutely must obtain the Level 10 First Title.’
I did gain an unexpected reward—Gruen’s Blessing.
But the Level 10 First Title is just as valuable.
While Gruen’s Blessing made it easier to acquire the Hidden Class Sword Master, if I miss the Level 10 First Title, things would actually become more difficult.
So hunting one more mob is far more profitable than catching and dealing with these annoying bastards.
‘There are others who can handle them.’
The guards of the beginner village will take care of it themselves.
That’s how it was before my regression too.
Well, filming a video wouldn’t be a complete loss, but…
Is it worth it?
I can’t derail my plans just for one video.
It might actually be better to film one more dungeon clear video in that time instead.
With that in mind, I cleared through the dungeon at rapid speed.
I was filming the entire time anyway.
The key is to clear it as quickly as possible.
And so I arrived at the entrance to the Boss Room.
“Phew.”
My stats are monstrous, but a boss is still a boss.
One moment of carelessness could lead to failure.
No matter what, it’s a boss.
I paused to recall the video, picturing the boss from the footage.
Half of the seven founding members of the Mountain Guild died in the Boss Room.
There’s no guarantee I won’t meet the same fate.
After reviewing the entire video, I nodded and placed my hand on the Boss Room door.
Ding!
[This is the Boss Room.]
[Will you enter?]
*Once you enter, you cannot leave until the boss is defeated.
Jin-woo nodded as he read the formal warning message.
Could I back out here?
Then I wouldn’t be a man!
“I’m entering.”
Unlike when entering the dungeon, a massive gate opened in response to Jin-woo’s declaration.
As it slowly swung wide, the ground trembled beneath my feet.
Rummmble.
The vibrations from such a colossal door were quite intense.
When the gate fully opened, I could make out an altar and the Cobolts standing before it.
One Cobolt Shaman and twenty Cobolt Warriors wielding crude swords, guarding the shaman.
The Cobolt Shaman stood before the altar, apparently in the middle of an offering ritual.
Their expressions looked considerably fierce, disturbed from their ceremony.
Whoa.
They look vicious.
And there are quite a lot of them.
Even knowing this beforehand, experiencing it firsthand is different.
There seem to be more than I expected.
Now I understand why a party of six or more is recommended.
“Yelp! Yelp! Yelp!”
“Growwwl!”
“Howl!”
Various dog-like cries echoed as we faced off against each other.
In that tense moment.
The Cobolt Shaman raised a gnarled wooden staff and let out a roar.
“Growl, yelp!”
Then, a fireball materialized above the staff.
That was the beginning of battle.
Thud! Thud-thud-thud! Thud! Thud!
Six of the twenty charged forward.
Since there was magic involved, they probably split their forces to avoid getting caught in the blast.
But that actually worked in my favor.
‘Picking them off one by one will be too easy.’
These ignorant creatures didn’t know the wisdom that unity brings survival and division brings death.
As a Korean, I couldn’t just let that slide.
I’d have to teach them that lesson through their own bodies.
The moment I clashed with their vanguard.
The Cobolt Shaman swung the gnarled wooden staff, and a fireball the size of a watermelon hurtled toward me.
It flew at me with tremendous speed.
But it wasn’t as fast as an arrow.
Of course—this is a beginner’s village, after all.
Fireballs that are difficult to evade and nearly impossible to block.
Though that’s only true for beginners.
Whoosh!
With a subtle shift of my feet, I sidestepped the flames and immediately repositioned my grip on the blade.
My knuckles turned white as I clenched the sword with all my strength.
I called out silently in my mind.
‘Power Strike.’
The moment I activated the skill, a soft white radiance enveloped the blade.
Without hesitation, I swung the sword forward.
My target: the three closest Cobolts.
Conveniently clustered together, they presented the perfect angle for a single sweeping strike.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
With overwhelming stats amplified by the skill, my blade severed all three necks in an instant.
The remaining three Cobolts froze, startled by the display.
But these weren’t ordinary Cobolts—something was different about them.
They didn’t hesitate. They charged forward without pause.
The nearest one swung its blade at me.
I danced lightly on my feet to evade, but the one behind it immediately lunged, thrusting its sword straight at my torso.
My body was suspended in mid-air.
The timing was wrong to shift my feet again.
Another person might have panicked, but who was I?
Clang!
I immediately brought my blade up to parry the attack.
The moment I blocked, another Cobolt’s strike came in succession.
This time, I had room to maneuver.
I shifted my feet and dodged the third attack, when a faint crimson glow appeared in the distance.
‘I knew this was coming.’
I’d anticipated it beforehand.
But knowing and evading are two different matters.
By now, it was too late to dodge.
I raised both arms and crossed them into an X.
Boom!
A powerful impact crashed through my body.
A boss is a boss, after all.
I was driven backward, but the damage was less severe than expected.
Those monstrous stats truly lived up to their reputation.
And that gave me an opening.
‘Now!’
I’d eliminated three in a flash, but the remaining creatures seemed shocked that I’d withstood the fireball unscathed.
Jin-woo was a flurry of motion as he closed the distance.
If he’d let his guard down, he would’ve deserved to die.
I severed his neck cleanly and beautifully.
You could call it a courtesy of sorts.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Six already.
Fourteen remain.
Still disgustingly many.
But unlike before, they’ve grown cautious.
The Cobolt Shaman has completely stopped his ritual.
In the original footage, the shaman focused on his incantation while offering only passive interference.
Now he’s preparing to take action in earnest.
But that’s not enough to trouble me.
‘I have a trump card, after all.’
I wonder how many will come this time.
I gazed at them with eager eyes, and they delivered beyond my expectations.
A full fourteen of them.
All preparing for battle.
Heh, should I feel proud for teaching them a lesson?
And the shaman is muttering something while preparing a grand ritual.
If that hits, it really won’t be easy.
‘I’ll kill them all before then.’
Whether it’s possible or not—I’ll find out by trying.
Just as Jin-woo took his stance.
They charged at me all at once.
It was clear they were determined not to give me time to prepare.
Cowardly bastards.
Acting so pathetically cunning.
Let me show you the pathetic nature of cunning!
Thud!
Watching them charge forward, Jin-woo smiled.
I could win even fighting head-on.
But that would be difficult.
I’ve regressed this far—I might as well use some tricks.
Like this.
Before they could close in further, Jin-woo stood his ground and retrieved several chunks of rabbit meat from his inventory.
Then he hurled them forward with force!
Whoosh!
“Huh?”
“Huh? Huh?”
In that instant, I instinctively turned my head at the peculiar scent.
Standing on two legs doesn’t change what a beast is—a beast remains a beast.
Smell food and resist? Impossible.
Then they wouldn’t be beasts anymore.
The ones who turned their heads.
Again, I apologize for my cunning nature.
‘Forceful Strike.’
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Four in a single blow.
Though I pushed myself a bit too far.
I’d ventured too deep into their midst.
If I got surrounded like this, even Jin-woo would take considerable damage.
But who was I?
Cunning!
The stagnant, foul-reeking cunning incarnate!
“Take this!”
Coming to the Cobolt Mine without preparing in advance? Never.
A pepper pouch I’d prepared beforehand while helping various NPCs.
Jin-woo hurled it skyward.
Cobolts were typical dog-headed creatures.
Sprinkle pepper on such beasts?
They couldn’t endure it.
“Achoo!”
“Achoo!”
“Ugh!”
Perfect!
Even the Cobolt Shaman at some distance away was sneezing uncontrollably.
As a result, the major incantation was interrupted mid-cast.
Dirty and underhanded, but that’s what real combat is.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
After that, it was almost like harvesting.
Harvesting Cobolt heads!
While they were disoriented by the pepper, I had to gather my spoils quickly.
Curse their keen sense of smell, dog-headed wretches!
The Cobolts were all incapacitated, so why was I unaffected?
Obviously, I’d minimized my olfactory sensitivity to the lowest setting.
It tickled a bit, but it was bearable.
Truly cunning as only I could be!
To clarify, Jin-woo didn’t develop this technique.
I learned it from a pro-tip video before my regression.
Well, it’s become Jin-woo’s own technique now anyway.
Either way, if it’s effective, that’s all that matters!
Schwick!
When I cut down the last Cobolt Warrior.
Only the Cobolt Shaman remained, tears and snot streaming down its face.
One-on-one with the boss.
Yet there was no tension whatsoever.
It was already over, in essence.
What is a shaman without warriors to protect it?
Unilateral prey!
“Screech!”
Only then did the Cobolt Shaman snap to attention and attempt to chant a spell.
But there was no way it could be faster than me.
I closed the distance and severed its neck in one motion.
To think I could achieve victory so easily with merely a pouch of pepper.
No, wait. It’s not over yet.
It’s only finished once I destroy the altar.
“Power Strike!”
Crash!
The altar crumbled helplessly beneath my blade, swung with all my strength.
And as expected, countless system notifications flooded in.
Ding!
[You have cleared the Hidden Dungeon ‘Cobolt’s Lost Land’!]
[Rewards are being granted!]
[First discoverer bonus: Experience and drop rate increased by 3x.]
[You have acquired vast experience points.]
[Level Up!]
[You have acquired additional stat points.]
[Level Up!]
[You have acquired additional stat points.]
[Level Up!]
[You have acquired additional stat points.]
[You have cleared a dungeon for the first time.]
[You have acquired the First Title ‘Dungeon Hunter’.]
[You have cleared a dungeon alone for the first time.]
[You have acquired the First Title ‘Lone Wolf’.]
[You have reached Level 10 for the first time.]
[You have acquired the First Title ‘Soaring Bird’.]
[You have acquired a First Title.]
[Through the Title Hunter effect, you have acquired 3 additional stat points.]
I’ll digest it.
I need to take a digestive before bed.

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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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