The Trap of Regression
"Hahahahahaha!! You dare rely on such trivial information?!"
"You think you're the only one who can laugh? Tell me too. That way we can laugh together."
"Hahahaha!! Very well, I shall grant you this mercy!"
Lucian pulled an empty bottle from his pocket and shook it.
"It is a unique elixir of my tribe. Consume it and for thirty minutes your strength will multiply several times over."
"......Even with doping, seven is the maximum you can handle?"
"Silence!!!"
Lucian reacted violently to the sudden sharp jab. Apparently his own lack of ability was a complex of his.
"Fuck, so it was a whole clan of druggies. Does the Ear Guy Club hand out samples at the door?"
"Do not treat it like some low-grade drug!! This requires thirty years of daily purification using water infused with World Tree leaves to produce even a single bottle!"
That really was a precious item. Not something a NEET like him should have been able to obtain so easily.
"You didn't bring it through official channels, did you? You snuck it in."
"Ah, no. I simply thought no one would need it, so I brought a few bottles just in case."
Wait, he was actually telling the truth?
"I thought it was trash, but it turns out it's super trash. You didn't make it though—your mother did, right?"
"Ah, no. I helped a little too!"
I'd sooner believe I could escape being an idiot within a hundred chapters. Since that was never happening, I pressed harder.
"You helped? At this point your delusions are a medical condition, you bastard."
"S-Stop it!"
"Something that valuable must have been difficult to produce."
"It wasn't... that hard."
Lucian's answer lacked confidence. The more uncertain he sounded, the stronger my words became.
"So after all that effort making the elixir, some absolute bastard hogged every last one before you could give them to your siblings?"
"S-Stop it!!!!!!!!!!"
Another groan came from the stands. Small, but unmistakably a sob.
Way to honor your parents, you pieces of shit.
So their tribe manufactured doping agents directly? The leaves floating on that pond weren't lotus flowers—they were coca leaves.
"I will not forget this humiliation dealt by a short-lived species."
"If you're heading to Hutaba Park, take those Champi bastards with you while you're at it."
"I will not grant you a clean death!!!!!"
Before I could react, two vine tendrils wrapped around my ankles and locked me in place. I hadn't sensed them at all this time. At that exact moment, the number above Lucian's head increased again.
No way, you crazy bastard. How many times are you going to regress?
I quickly grabbed one of my remaining two axes and severed the vines. The moment they snapped, I threw myself backward on instinct. Dust billowed as I hit the ground, and five sharp trees erupted from the exact spot I had just been standing.
Only then did the red number above Lucian's head increase by one.
"You are quicker than you look. Just die already!"
"I'll return those words right back at you, you son of a bitch."
I checked my remaining gear. Two axes. Three daggers. Twelve incendiary grenades. I had planned to save them for later, but hoarding them now would get me killed.
This time I charged forward and hurled one grenade diagonally into the air. At the same time, I threw my last three daggers straight ahead. My wrists protested, but it was manageable.
Meanwhile, the number above Lucian's head had gone up by one. Right after, trees shot up at an angle from both sides in front of me. They looked perfect for grabbing and vaulting over.
But something felt off.
Unlike the five trees from earlier, these were moving noticeably slower. I instantly judged them as bait. Instead of jumping, I slid underneath through the gap in the middle. As I passed, three more trees had already grown into position to impale me. If I had chosen to leap, I would have been skewered without question.
...I almost died just now, for real.
Before standing up, I scanned the ground for usable weapons. A semi-automatic shotgun and a longsword were within reach. Not bad.
Lucian's red number had increased by one again. When his trap failed, his expression twisted.
"For a short-lived species, your lifeline is as tough as a long-lived one!!"
"Please shut up. My heart's pounding in real time here."
I rose and grabbed the shotgun in my left hand and the longsword in my right. Reversing the sword grip, I shouldered the shotgun and emptied the remaining five rounds.
—Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The idiotic tree trap Lucian had set up with his head was still fading. On top of that, two more trees had grown to block the shotgun pellets. Seven plants in total now stood in the arena.
At that moment, a sharp whistling sound rang out and the shotgun was sliced clean in half. The wind spirit had fired a blade of wind to destroy it.
It was a shame, but acceptable.
Still, you used up all your trees, didn't you, bastard?
I spun the longsword from reverse grip into a proper hold and thrust it straight at Lucian's throat. But the number above his head rose once more, and he began grinning.
Please, just get hit once. I'll go easy.
The tip of the blade suddenly veered off course—another interference from the spirit. Instead of his neck, the sword only grazed his right shoulder.
"Useless!"
Still, this was a hard-won opening. I couldn't let it end here. Even though the attack was blocked, I didn't stop. My left hand shot out and seized Lucian by the collar. I raised the longsword to press against his neck, but—
"Did I not say it was useless?!"
The spirit once again faithfully blocked my strike. The blade couldn't get within a certain distance of Lucian's neck no matter what I tried. I began shoving him backward anyway, hoping to create some kind of damage.
"Hahahahahahaha!!!!"
"Stop laughing. I'm seriously about to split your skull open."
"Laugh if you can. What do you think pushing me will accomplish?!"
Once again the spirit shoved me away, widening the distance between us. At least this time I wasn't pushed as far.
That thing's performance is seriously broken.
But my effort hadn't been wasted. The incendiary grenade I had thrown diagonally earlier had landed right between us. I sprinted forward, scooped it up, and simultaneously pulled the pins on every remaining incendiary grenade I had. Trusting in the Defensive Coat's protection, I charged straight at Lucian.
"Allahu Akbar!"
"Get away!!!!"
"You're dying here with me, you bastard!!!"
—Hisssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A blinding light erupted across the dueling arena. In the chaos where even vision became unreliable, Lucian's frantic voice rang out.
"S-Stop struggling and get lost!!!"
With Lucian's roar, the wind spirit unleashed a powerful shockwave in all directions. I was blasted backward again—farther than before.
As I got up, I unfastened the now-useless incendiary belt and tossed it aside. Dust from the shockwave clouded the air. I prayed with everything I had.
I trusted the coat's specs and went all out, so please die, you ear bastard.
But prayers never come true, do they?
Someone in the stands shouted loudly.
"Did he finish him?"
"Hey, you fucking bastard, seriously!"
Unfortunately, Lucian was still alive. The flames that should have transferred from my body to his had failed to do their job. At the perfect moment, newly grown trees had woven together to perfectly shield him. However, his face looked extremely exhausted and haggard. He was breathing heavily, probably from the backlash of using his ability repeatedly.
I'm not in much better shape either.
No matter how much stamina I had, I wasn't about to accept this unfair exchange. Fatigue was already creeping into my limbs. My equipment situation wasn't great either. All I had left was the longsword in my right hand and two axes at my waist. Even the coat's color had changed from its glossy black to a dull, matte black. Its defensive performance was gone.
For a moment I lamented how little punishment the coat could take, but I quickly corrected myself.
After pulling that crazy stunt, it's a miracle I'm still in one piece.
Still, I couldn't see any path to victory. Frustration and impatience boiled inside me.
At that moment, a woman's voice echoed in my mind. A voice I had never heard before, carrying a mysterious quality.
[Do you desire power?]
?????
[I asked if you desire power.]
I cheered inwardly. Finally, it had come.
It's here, damn it! I really am the protagonist now!
I suppressed my excitement and answered calmly, though I couldn't hide the burning desire in my words.
Yeah. I want the power to overcome this situation.
[Very well. Repeat exactly what I say.]
Of course.
Ah, the protagonist awakening scene was a staple of every novel. I couldn't hold back. Grinning savagely, I stared straight at Lucian. Startled by my sudden change, he looked genuinely frightened. He didn't even try to attack, simply staring blankly. The entire arena seemed overwhelmed by the sudden shift in atmosphere, falling into silence.
[Repeat after me. I—]
"I—"
[Hereby declare in this place!]
"Hereby declare in this place!!"
I pointed my sword at Lucian and continued.
[I shall stain this hand with blood!]
"I shall stain this hand with blood!"
[And climb upward by stepping over your corpses!]
"And climb upward by stepping over your corpses!"
[From this moment on, heed my words and tremble in fear!]
"From this moment on, heed my words and tremble in fear!"
Everyone seemed to grow slightly afraid, just as I had spoken. Of course. A protagonist's awakening was more than enough to instill fear in others.
[Reach toward the heavens and shout. Status Window!!!]
"Status Window!!!"
[System!!!]
"System!!!"
[Status!!!!!!]
"Status!!!!!!"
Silence. Nothing appeared. Only the stillness that dominated the arena remained. After about twenty seconds, I started to feel something was wrong.
What? Does awakening normally happen without any sensation?
[....Pfft..]
???????
[Puh, pfft, puahahahahaha]
What? What the hell is going on.
[Puahahahahaha!!!! Look at this idiot repeating everything like a parrot?]
Huh?
At that moment, I heard Kyoko and Hye-ji's voices. Turning my head, I saw Kyoko clutching her stomach while Hye-ji held her forehead.
"Shinwoo-chan still hasn't outgrown his chuunibyou lololololol"
"Ha, fuck, how the hell did I end up with that guy..."
Meanwhile, Ye-lim noona was looking at me with an extremely pitying gaze—the kind one might give a patient suffering from mental illness.
"Um... Shinwoo, if you're having a hard time mentally, I can introduce you to a doctor I know."
Ah. Fuck.
Everyone except the three of them looked completely dumbfounded. I scanned the stands with bloodshot eyes, desperately searching for the woman who had mocked me. I found her in the back rows—a girl with both hands pressed to her temples, eyes closed, laughing.
It was you, you bastard.
There was no hesitation. Only rage controlled me.
"Die!!!! You fucking bastard!!!!!!!!"
My expression must have been more terrifying than anything else in existence, because Lucian cowered in place, trembling as I hurled the axe. Of course, I had no luxury to care about that right now.
Lucian, stay out of this. If you don't want to die.
The axe flew toward the girl in the stands at terrifying speed, only to be stopped by a translucent barrier.
"Tch, a barrier?"
"That bitch used telepathy on my head."
A moment later, the fake awakening goddess was dragged out of the dueling arena. Even as she was being pulled away, the female student screamed at the top of her lungs.
"That bastard called supporters tools!!!!!!"
"This is legitimate revenge!!!!!"
After a brief commotion, the duel resumed. Of course, I couldn't retrieve the axe I had thrown.
Fuck, I just threw away a weapon.
I really did go to a mental hospital for pulling that kind of stunt back in middle school. The PTSD is hitting hard right now.
I made a vow to instill proper manners at the academy using an axe someday. While desperately missing someone.
Ian Percus... I miss you especially today.
***
"Um... Shall we begin?"
"Yeah."
At some point Lucian had started using formal speech. But it wasn't particularly important, so I ignored it and focused on the fight. Forcing my trembling legs forward, I charged toward him. With my left hand, I threw my final remaining axe.
Once again the spirit blocked it, but—
It's weaker than before.
The spirit was definitely exhausted too. Unlike earlier, it only managed to stop the axe a single handspan away from Lucian. The axe didn't even fly far—it simply dropped at his feet. An excellent sign for me.
Meanwhile, four plants rushed in to block my approach. But unlike before, there was a change. They looked withered and lusterless, like rotten wood. Their speed had also decreased dramatically.
I can do this.
I dodged one tree aimed at my head and smashed the side of another with my gauntleted fist. The tree crumbled powerlessly into dust. With durability like that, there was no reason to be afraid anymore.
I punched straight through the one flying at my chest. I stomped down on the one targeting my right ankle. For the last one aiming at my left side, I twisted my body to dodge and sprinted forward.
It's working!
To kill my momentum, Lucian grew the large tree I had seen earlier right in front of me. Then he began chanting again.
I like this kind of forced choice too.
With the large tree blocking the front, I threw my now-useless coat to the left. At the same time, I threw my body to the right—the opposite direction. Lucian frantically reached out toward the suddenly appearing black coat.
—Whoosh!!
Once again a wind blade embedded itself in the coat. But because it was a decent item, it didn't tear. Instead it flew far away and rolled across the ground. I thought I heard Hye-ji shout "What a waste!" from the distance, but winning came first right now.
After jumping right, I immediately changed direction again. Putting all my strength into it, I thrust the longsword toward Lucian to finish him off.
This is really the end!
However, there were two problems. One was that my excitement had momentarily clouded my judgment. The other was that the number above Lucian's head had increased by one more.
The price was devastating. What appeared in my vision as I thrust the sword wasn't Lucian's neck. Instead, two vine tendrils came whipping toward me like lashes.
Ah, shit, that's right. There were seven total.
He regressed and saw it, damn it. I should've counted better.
—Thud!!!!
"Aaaagh!!!"
Struck by the vines, I was sent flying and rolled across the ground. The only silver lining was that I hadn't dropped my sword. Everything else was the worst. I had no weapons left. My body was in terrible condition. Standing up was nearly impossible. On top of that, five vine tendrils had appeared and begun binding me—both arms, both legs, and my torso. Finally, Lucian approached with heavy steps, holding the fallen axe.
"How truly disgusting. To fight this desperately."
"If you find it disgusting, then let me go. I'm not into tentacle play."
"Let's end this."
Lucian raised the axe above his head. The following downward strike—perhaps signifying the final blow—made every moment begin moving extremely slowly. I squeezed out my last bit of strength and raised my right arm. A small amount of freedom returned through the partially severed vines. To not waste that freedom, I brought the tip of my sword against the axe blade. It was half a gamble. A gamble hoping the axe blade would slide along the sword's edge. But my luck had run out—the axe blade cleanly betrayed my expectations. Instead, it sliced straight through the tip of my sword with perfect precision.
Fuck, I can't lose to this bastard.
In a few seconds, the axe that had cut my sword would embed itself in me. I could feel the perfect defeat approaching.
At that moment, the world stopped. No one moved. No sound could be heard. Only my thoughts continued to race. At the same time, a delicate female voice began echoing in my mind.
[Do you wish to win?]
?
[I asked if you wish to achieve victory.]