Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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I stared blankly at the button in response to Armonia's words and asked again.
"How many?"
[Excluding the previous regression, this is currently the 43rd regression.]
I tried to wrap my head around the situation, spacing out.
But before I could piece it together, Armonia began explaining.
[Han Yeo-reum, who headed to the upper level, keeps attempting suicide.]
"So starting from here means..."
[That's right.]
Armonia paused for a beat before speaking quietly.
[The regression point has changed.]
"..."
[It shifted after Han Yeo-reum went to the upper level.]
Armonia figured Han Yeo-reum must have hit the upper level button the moment he saw these buttons.
The reason for that guess? No matter how fast I pressed it, Han Yeo-reum was always already there on the upper level.
A faint smile crossed my lips as I listened, and then it hit me why I hadn't known about this.
"Since Han Yeo-reum keeps killing himself anyway, there was no need to warp, so you just left it like that?"
[Exactly. If you head out now, the timing should line up just right.]
"...Must've been annoying repeating that over and over."
If it's something tough, it probably isn't that bad.
But repeating the same explanation endlessly? No way that's fun.
[As I've always said, I'm fine.]
"How much time has passed in total so far?"
[About 5 hours.]
Armonia explained that Han Yeoreum used to die quickly at first, but as he grew exhausted, the intervals between deaths stretched out.
"...Alright then, shall we head to the upper level? Though I'll probably end up back here again."
I muttered with a smile and tapped the upper level button.
The 43rd suicide.
Even with regressions possible, who keeps offing themselves like that?
Yet Han Yeo-reum didn't stop.
I figured he couldn't accept the regression point changing and kept suiciding to somehow get back to the colosseum.
And now, the 44th suicide that should've followed.
Only after the blinding light faded did I finally survey my surroundings.
Min Ha-yeon was glancing around...
And...
"..."
Han Yeo-reum standing there, pupils dilated, face pale as a ghost.
'Whoa... he looks like a walking corpse.'
No exaggeration—Han Yeo-reum right now resembled a fresh corpse just pulled from its coffin.
But even that unrotted corpse was ridiculously handsome.
A ridiculously hot zombie.
'Damn, how wrecked does this guy have to get before his looks go to shit?'
[If the regression point keeps shifting like this, maybe one day he'll turn into whatever look you want.]
I grinned in satisfaction at his words and asked laughingly,
"So how'd he kill himself?"
When I first heard Armonia mention "suicide," I imagined he'd bolt straight to the field upon reaching the first floor.
Self-harm suicide is brutally hard.
The fastest way for Han Yeo-reum to commit suicide would be to slice his own throat in one go with his sword.
Gripping a heavy blade and hacking off your own neck in a single stroke?
Impossible.
The human anatomy makes it extremely difficult. Moreover, given Han Yeo-reum's level of swordsmanship, it wasn't just difficult—it was impossible..
More likely, he'd botch it and endure hellish agony for a while.
No cliffs to jump from either...
The best suicide method I could think of for him was getting monster-killed.
First floor should be cellars over zephyriums, after all.
[...You don't need to worry about that anymore.]
"Why?"
[Normally, he'd have rushed off and regressed soon after. But watching him now, he doesn't even seem to have the energy left to suicide.]
"...Quitting on the 44th?"
Ending on an unlucky number like that? What the hell.
I'm not superstitious, but it felt off somehow.
He might rally and suicide again later, but right now, he looked too drained to even move.
Min Ha-yeon ignored Han Yeo-reum beside her and spoke to me.
"...I was really worried, you know. Why'd you come out so late and make everyone anxious?"
"Sorry. I was prepping just in case..."
I glanced at Han Yeo-reum while communicating mentally.
'Guess he didn't charge me right away, huh?'
[He tried about ten times, died to you, and regressed.]
'...What a psycho.'
I chuckled inwardly and eyed Han Yeo-reum intently.
Superior looks, god-given luck.
And regressions.
Despite all that, Min Ha-yeon would never go back to him.
Never.
Min Ha-yeon, assuming my silence meant worry, cautiously continued.
"Sigh... I'm worried. The chat says the first floor's way different from the zeroth."
I'd heard the basics from Armonia—nothing like leisurely hunting zephyriums, farming points, snagging lodging like on Zephyrum. You couldn't proceed at your own pace.
Sometimes you'd camp outdoors, or run out of food mid-field trek and starve for days.
Lodging fills up, and you're sleeping on the streets...
But the real key among all that was...
"Ha-yeon, no matter what, let's grab lodging first. Just in case."
"Yeah."
Min Ha-yeon nodded, glancing at Han Yeo-reum slumped like a corpse.
She frowned, muttering in confusion.
"Why's he acting like that?"
"...Beats me."
Min Ha-yeon could perceive Han Yeo-reum's regressions only because I'd brought her along on my warps.
From her view, no regression had happened, so his behavior made zero sense.
As Min Ha-yeon and I pondered dragging this dead-eyed guy along, women's voices called out from nearby.
"Oh! Yeo-reum!"
"M-Min Ha-yeon too?"
"Th-the... alchemist...?"
...Shit.
I'll endure it since the alchemist is impressive.
Rushing toward us were the three beauties from our Zephyrum Village party.
'Whoa, didn't expect them to make it.'
[Looks like they didn't enter the boss fight.]
I scanned the tutorial-clearers visible beyond the trio.
How should I put it... I got the feeling there were quite a few women.
'Well... there's no way those guys would just leave without finishing the boss fight.'
[...]
There had to be rewards. Ignoring them?
Male pride won't allow it.
Though, in the end, their lives probably didn't allow it, which is why they couldn't make it here...
'Ironic, huh? The brave die, leaving only the cowardly chickens clucking around.'
Some might enjoy watching the talented breeze through easily.
But most beings interred in Yggdrasil seemed to relish desperate struggles.
[According to the Zodiac, they say that from the 1st floor onward, the focus is not blindly on reducing the number of people.]
'Still, it would be a problem if situations where five hundred people are reduced to fifty kept happening....'
About 50 people here now.
Five guys (including me and Han Yeo-reum), rest women.
Since I didn't have the power to distinguish between long-haired men or short-haired women, I figured it was safe to assume about 10% were men..
The three women clung to the handsome zombie Han Yeoreum, asking how he'd been.
Min Ha-yeon filled in for the spaced-out Han Yeo-reum.
She omitted most of what had happened (the relationship between me and Min Ha-yeon) and told them they had spent their time hunting in the waiting village after clearing the boss..
She probably left out the part about earning a massive amount of points, fearing they would look at them unfavorably.
"Sigh... We were so shocked when you two vanished."
"You didn't show at the meetup spot and your rooms were empty..."
...Hey, what about me?
"Still, glad you're safe, Yeo-reum."
I vowed at the last woman's line.
'Han Yeo-reum, you're dead.'
[...]
Feel the grudge of the ignored.
I considered leaving the zombie-fied Han Yeo-reum behind, but with the appearance of the trio, we reached an agreement(?) to take him along.
Without even knowing the name of the village we had arrived in, we first searched for lodging to secure a room.
The more we roamed, the darker the women's faces grew as they supported and grunted under Han Yeo-reum's weight.
The reason was simple.
'There are no hotels.'
[Furthermore, the environment appears much more dilapidated compared to Zephyrum village.]
'Right, there's trash scattered everywhere...'
When wandering through Zephyrum, it was hard to find a single piece of litter.
Felt like NPCs kept it pristine.
But here, discarded trash was just rolling around everywhere..
Plastics and vinyls that ruined the medieval European atmosphere...
If we'd started here, maybe no big deal.
Some trash? Whatever.
But after spending a week in Zephyrum, I couldn't help but compare, even if I didn't want to.
Even Min Ha-yeon couldn't ignore it, mirroring the other women's expressions.
'Makes sense... four days in a penthouse suite would hit hard.'
As I pitied Min Ha-yeon, we spotted a nearby inn.
The exterior was similar to the inn in Zephyrum.
The sound of several people talking could be heard from inside, reaching all the way out.
Creeeak.
That was the moment we entered the inn.
"..."
"..."
The noisy din hushed instantly at our arrival.
Despite the sun still being high in the sky, drinking glasses were strewn across the dining tables inside the inn.
The people who had been chatting loudly all went quiet and began whispering while looking at us..
'What is this? We just walked in; is there a reason to be this quiet?'
Not just me; Min Ha-yeon and the others sensed the weird vibe too.
"Let's book the rooms first."
A man in his 50s sitting at the counter; he clearly looked like the owner.
"Looking to stay here."
"None."
"...Pardon?"
"I said there are no rooms."
What nonsense is this?
No rooms in an inn?
However, I had no intention of causing trouble with an NPC, and based on the size of the village, there were surely other inns.
But...
[This is strange. To be out of rooms already, even though it is still daytime....]
'Something is off. We need to go somewhere else quickly.'
Just as I was about to tell Min Ha-yeon and the other members to leave, feeling a rising sense of anxiety,
the men in the inn swarmed forward, surrounding Min Ha-yeon and the women, and began throwing out crude advances..
"Even if you go elsewhere, there are no spots! How about my room?"
"Wow, the quality of the girls this time is top-tier, huh?"
"Is this just 'top-tier'? This is practically pure spring water! Kyah... especially this one's breasts.... Huh!?"
One guy was reaching for Min Ha-yeon.
Without a second thought, I grabbed the wrist of the man reaching for Min Ha-yeon and yanked him aside..
"Gah!?"
"Get lost if you don't want to die."
I hate starting fights, but rage surged, so I squeezed hard.
And a window popped up before my eyes.
Grip Strength LV 1 has awakened. Adjusted to LV 65 due to Hand Skill LV 555 bonus.
With the force of my grip digging in instantly, the man began to scream.
"Arrrgh!"
"Who the hell do you think you are to do that here!?"
As nearby men rose to mob me,
"No brawling here!"
"..."
The innkeeper's angry shout made them sneer but sit, still glaring.
The innkeeper looked at me with a scowl and repeated himself.
"Don't cause any trouble and get out quickly."
"...Got it."
"Fuck..."
The man whose wrist I had grabbed shook his hand, trying to quell the pain radiating from his wrist.
The innkeeper's intervention let us leave without major issues.
However, as we left, the murmurs from the crowd pierced our ears..
(Kekeke, more fun ones this time.)
(How long's that guy last? Want to bet?)
(I would say a month.)
(A week for me. Cocky types like him usually flop hardest.)
I listened closely when Min Ha-yeon took my hand softly.
"Su-ho, ignore them. Let's go."
"Yeah."
I followed her out.
After, we scoured the village top to bottom for open rooms.
Zero luck.
We gathered back at the place where we first arrived on the 1st floor and discussed this incomprehensible situation.
"No matter how I think, it's weird! Not a single room anywhere!"
"And nothing but sketchy people..."
"..."
Its utterly incomprehensible.
I had heard that convenience decreased significantly from the 1st floor.
But even Armonia, who provided the information, had explained that it wasn't to this extent./p>
Even Guardian of the Gay Little Dick's attached comments agreed.
Yo, this is weird. Even if first floor differs from zeroth, it wasn't this bad.
Guardian of the Gay Little Dick had peeked into past first-floor summoner channels, insisting the vibe was nothing like this.
First floor wasn't zeroth-level comfy, but it still felt relatively relaxed. The atmosphere of this village has changed too much.
He meant that the 1st floor, being a beginner village, usually had an atmosphere where anxious people joined forces and encouraged each other.
Though, once people arrived, desperation and anxiety regarding survival would gradually increase, leading to occasional disputes.
But Gay Peepee's opinion was that the current atmosphere felt like a gathering place for washed-up failures who had given up on the floors above.
And it seemed that not only Min Ha-yeon, but the other women had also discovered the same information through the channel chat.
However, they couldn't find the exact reason.
It turned out that surprisingly few people in the channel actually visited the 1st floor.
As we were worrying about what to do next, a woman's voice echoed from afar.
"Unnie? Ha-yeon unnie, right!?"
"Huh?"
A woman was running boldly toward us, laughing brightly.
A ponytail hairstyle, a sophisticated white cotton T-shirt, and stark white hot pants.
And a fucking beautiful face.
'Holy shit~! She's so fucking pretty!!!!! Armonia bring up her traits!!!!'
[...Understood. I will bring up the Trait.]