The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 80

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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 80
Episode 80
A single skill had claimed nearly a thousand lives.
Just one skill!
Where else could such a thing happen?
This was the exhilarating moment that made gaming worthwhile.
The instant when an area-of-effect skill swept away enemies.
A tingling rush of euphoria surged through my entire body.
Jin-woo felt the same way.
“Whew!”
A whistle escaped naturally from my lips.
That refreshing sensation made Jin-woo chuckle softly.
Of course, it wasn’t merely a single skill.
It was an Epic-grade area-of-effect skill, after all.
An Epic skill that maximized both power and range through the Sage’s Extremity.
Thunderbird’s Roar.
Its destructive force transcended imagination.
‘I didn’t realize it when I used it on the ants, but seeing it in a territory war like this… it’s beyond my expectations.’
And it truly was.
During skill testing, I had used it in its pure state without expending additional MP.
It wasn’t nearly this powerful.
Of course, even then the Sage’s Extremity had amplified the damage.
But it wasn’t this devastating.
The Sage’s Extremity played its part.
The title I obtained from slaying the ants also contributed significantly.
『Slaughterer』
→First Title
→A title granted to the first user to massacre over a hundred monsters at once
→Area-of-effect attack damage +10%
Area-of-effect skills weren’t particularly abundant.
But this effect ensured I got my money’s worth every time I used one.
It was an exceptionally valuable effect.
Above all, the Sage’s Extremity.
Its effect was remarkable.
Though its drawback was equally pronounced.
A single skill drained over 50% of my MP.
‘Whether that’s good value or not is debatable.’
Jin-woo chuckled and surveyed the battlefield.
Though over a thousand had fallen to that single strike, roughly four thousand still remained.
I couldn’t afford to idle in such circumstances.
The enemies were clearly terrified by the overwhelming assault.
But there was no way I’d stop here.
With that thought, I chuckled softly and prepared to unleash another skill.
I had one remaining area-of-effect skill.
If I counted Brewnack, it would be closer to two.
But I’d decided not to use that unless absolutely necessary.
It seemed I could win without it anyway.
I activated a skill with the intention of freezing the already-chilled atmosphere even further.
“Howling Desolate Wind.”
I spoke the skill name quietly.
The air around me transformed.
The surrounding atmosphere grew bitterly cold.
In that instant, a pristine white chill surged forth, rapidly spreading outward in all directions.
A desolate wind that froze everything across the frozen wasteland.
A biting gale that turned all things to ice.
As the flesh-searing, frost-laden desolate wind whipped around them, the Millia Territory forces finally snapped to attention.
“E-everyone, take cover!”
“Run!”
“Aaaahhhhh!”
They screamed and tried to flee, but it was already too late.
Nothing moved faster than the wind.
No matter how hard they tried to escape, the wind consumed everything in its path.
Crack, crackle, crackle—!
Two skills using all my MP.
With just those two attacks, I’d already annihilated nearly two thousand enemies.
‘Impressive.’
Though my MP was completely depleted, the power was beyond imagination.
A single skill had wiped out nearly a thousand soldiers.
Look at the enemies—they’d already lost their will to fight.
I considered what else to use, then shook my head.
If anything, it would be the Legion of the Undead.
But I felt no need to deploy it.
Besides, victory had already swung to our side.
Just look at them—their commanders have gone pale and are fleeing first.
With them already doing that, what more could I possibly need to do?
‘There’s no need to reveal dark magic either.’
No point in inviting unnecessary trouble.
Even if dark magic wasn’t actually forbidden across the continent itself.
The resistance to it was real.
No reason to needlessly damage the NPCs’ favorability toward me.
His reputation for already breaking the Demon Sword had spread far and wide.
And now rumors were circulating that he could use dark magic as well?
It could have actually been a disadvantage.
Strange rumors might have spread.
So this timing was perfect.
Look at that.
“Uwaaaaaa!”
“Jin-woo is sweeping through the enemies!”
“We should join in!”
“A hero! A hero has appeared!”
“Everyone, charge forward!”
Our forces’ morale surged dramatically while the enemy soldiers fled with their tails between their legs.
What soldier wouldn’t be excited in such circumstances?
Watching them, Jin-woo chuckled softly and drew his twin blades.
‘I won’t use dark magic, but I can’t resist joining the battle!’
I needed to accumulate more merit points, after all.
Though I had exhausted my MP.
It was rapidly refilling through various recovery skills.
There was no reason to waste this opportunity.
“Let’s go!”
I needed to earn even more merit points!
I’d squeeze out every last bit of benefit I could!
* * *
Viscount Tailun, sensing that something had gone terribly wrong, made the simplest choice first.
The action any frightened person would take.
Escape, pure and simple.
“What, what are you all doing! Hurry, hurry! Get out of here!”
“Yes, yes!”
Viscount Tailun, struggling to move his portly frame into the carriage, shouted his commands.
From the trembling of his voice and the quivering of his fat cheeks, it was clear he was in a state of considerable terror.
He had to escape this place as quickly as possible.
Even in a territorial war, one could not kill a nobleman.
Naturally, Viscount Tailun would not die either.
At worst, he would simply be taken prisoner.
But now, Viscount Tailun was in such extreme terror that he had completely forgotten such facts.
How could he not be?
‘Thousands died from just two spells.’
Anyone who had witnessed magic of such overwhelming power would feel the same.
The magic that unfolded before his eyes was seared so intensely into his mind that he could not convince himself that being a nobleman meant he would survive.
He had to escape, no matter what.
My mind was consumed with such thoughts when I sensed something amiss.
Why hadn’t the carriage departed yet?
By now, we should have left long ago.
Yet we still hadn’t moved.
“What, what are you all doing! Do you find my orders amusing!”
Viscount Tailun spoke thus while lowering the carriage window and thrusting his rotund face outside.
There, he could see his escort knights already sprawled pathetically on the ground.
There was no need to wonder why they lay there.
A man wielding dual blades stood among their fallen forms.
Surely this was the mage who had been stationed at the far end just moments ago.
But how could he be wielding swords now, and how had he felled his escort knights?
As Viscount Tailun, unable to properly comprehend the situation, stared blankly at the scene.
The man smiled broadly.
And his final words.
“Oh, so you’re Viscount Tailun?”
“H-h-hyeeek!”
Only then could I grasp what was happening.
He had claimed to be a foreigner, yet.
Even if all abilities were equalized in territorial warfare.
How was such a thing even possible?
But for Viscount Tailun, such details hardly mattered.
Only one thing was important.
His own life.
“P-please, foreigner, s-spare my life.”
“Hm?”
The man who heard Viscount Tailun’s plea—no, Jin-woo—tilted his head and regarded him.
What is this pig spouting?
His expression conveyed exactly that sentiment.
Jin-woo had known from the start.
That nobles couldn’t be killed in territorial warfare.
The system itself prevented it.
No matter how hard I tried to kill him, he wouldn’t die—only be captured as a prisoner.
That’s precisely why I could use my skills so boldly.
But Viscount Tailun didn’t know this?
It was at that moment I found it strange.
Jin-woo let out a soft chuckle as realization dawned.
‘Aha! This bastard’s so terrified he can’t think straight, can he?’
I had come to capture Viscount Tailun as a prisoner to accumulate merit points anyway.
But perhaps I could gain additional benefits?
Jin-woo grinned with playful mischief as he regarded Viscount Tailun.
“H-help! Help me!”
Viscount Tailun was trembling with fear.
Jin-woo’s grinning face was absolutely terrifying.
Viscount Tailun’s entire body shook uncontrollably.
He had been greedy.
Had he known such a monster existed here, he would never have set foot in Garn Territory.
But it was far too late for regrets.
Death seemed imminent—what good were regrets now?
He had abandoned pride long ago.
“P-please, spare me! I’ll give you anything—anything at all!”
Hoping desperately this would work, Viscount Tailun lowered himself as much as possible and spoke to Jin-woo.
Yet even Viscount Tailun himself thought it.
There’s no way someone with the power of a hero would fall for mere wealth….
“What could you possibly give me?”
Wait, wait? This might actually work easier than expected…?
In that moment, Viscount Tailun glimpsed a sliver of hope.
Conversely, Jin-woo regarded him with satisfaction.
Finally, I’ve caught myself a fool.
* * *
Naturally, once Viscount Tailun was captured, the territorial war ended anticlimactically.
The enemy commander had been taken prisoner.
How could the war possibly continue?
Naturally, it was Jin-woo who had captured Viscount Tailun.
“…I still can’t believe it.”
“A single person reversing the entire tide of battle in an instant….”
“…Even seeing it with my own eyes, I can’t believe it.”
The Knight Order commanders gazed at Jin-woo in disbelief.
Well, they had no choice.
Jin-woo had essentially led the entire war to victory single-handedly.
There was no denying it.
Above all else.
“Not only is he a first-rate mage, but an incredible warrior as well.”
“It’s hard to believe he’s the same person.”
“To think we disregarded someone like him…. I’m too ashamed to even lift my head.”
“…As expected, someone acknowledged by Gruen is truly different.”
“….”
While everyone praised Jin-woo.
Only Aria remained silent, her gaze fixed upon him.
‘What on earth… is his true identity?’
An expression of complete bewilderment.
But I had witnessed it with my own eyes.
That overwhelming presence.
Even if one’s stats were equalized, Jin-woo would be subject to the same conditions, yet—
How could he display such power?
I couldn’t comprehend it.
However.
‘According to rumors, not only did Gruen and Wirun acknowledge him, but there were also whispers that they took him as their disciple… Could it be?’
Aria entertained such thoughts before shaking her head.
If both of them had simultaneously taken Jin-woo as their disciple, there might be a possibility.
But that couldn’t be.
No matter what, his growth rate was simply incomprehensible.
While Aria was lost in such thoughts about Jin-woo.
The commendation ceremony began.
“The true master of Garn Territory, dignified and benevolent! Countess Amelia de Decan makes her entrance!”
At the chamberlain’s proclamation, everyone knelt on one knee in respect.
Among them, Countess Amelia de Decan ascended the dais and surveyed the hall.
The damage from the war had been minimal.
In fact, not a single casualty—a complete victory!
Throughout it all, Countess Amelia de Decan gazed upon only one person.
The architect of the greatest achievement in this war—indeed, virtually all of the merit.
“Sir Jin-woo, please raise your head.”
“Yes, Countess.”
Countess Amelia de Decan gazed at Jin-woo as he lifted his head, speaking with resonant clarity.
She deliberated deeply on what reward would be appropriate.
A reward befitting the hero who saved the territory.
Having received such immeasurable gratitude, she resolved to acknowledge merit of equal measure.
Countess Amelia de Decan opened her mouth to address Jin-woo.
“I thank you sincerely for saving our territory. The victory in this war is entirely due to Sir Jin-woo’s efforts. Therefore, I wish to bestow upon you the most precious reward this territory can offer.”
As she spoke, Countess Amelia de Decan removed the ring from her finger and held it aloft.
And she continued.
“This ring is a family heirloom said to have been bestowed by our territory’s guardian dragon since ancient times. I believe no reward more fitting exists for the hero who saved our domain.”
“Gasp!”
“W-What, my lady!?”
“A-A family heirloom!?”
“The guardian dragon’s ring!?”
As the hall erupted in commotion.
Countess Amelia de Decan continued without hesitation.
“Furthermore, take from the territory’s storehouse whatever goods you wish, commensurate with the merit you have earned.”
With those words.
Countless messages materialized before Jin-woo’s eyes.
[You have led the Territory War to victory!]
[You have acquired a tremendous amount of merit points!]
[Rewards have been increased to maximum!]
[You have acquired the Decan Family heirloom, the Legendary item ‘Guardian Dragon’s Ring’!]
[You have achieved first place in merit points in a Territory War for the first time!]
[You have acquired the First Title, ‘Ace’!]
[You have achieved an overwhelming victory in a Territory War for the first time!]
[You have acquired the First Title, ‘Triumphant General’!]
[You have acquired a First Title!]
[Through the Title Hunter effect, you have acquired an additional 2 stat points!]
[Congratulations! You have completed the Territory War!]
[You may purchase items from Countess Amelia de Decan’s warehouse equal to your merit points!]
[You have acquired a tremendous amount of experience!]
[Your current level cannot be increased!]
[Experience has been accumulated!]
[Through negotiation with Viscount Tailun, you have acquired the item ‘Map Marking the Burial Place of Legends’!]
[You have acquired a tremendous amount of gold from Viscount Tailun!]
‘Wow.’
Jin-woo smiled broadly as he took in the endless stream of messages that could barely fit on the screen at once.
This is exactly why Territory Wars are so thrilling!

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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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