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[Hidden] <The Regressor’s Path>
What kind of nonsense is this? If you give someone a quest, shouldn’t you at least tell them what to do? Is this a religion? Am I supposed to find the answer within myself?
While I was fuming over this Zen-like regression quest, Sephiroth was sitting quietly on the cave floor, deep in thought. It was my first time seeing him so calm and still; it felt alien.
After a long silence, Sephiroth finally spoke.
“I think I get it.”
“Get what?”
“This situation. I guess the developers really did expect someone like this to show up eventually.”
“I mean, that’s why they wrote the script. So?”
“The thing is, they didn’t think a real newbie would take this route. They probably assumed it would be a ‘veteran’ who reached max level, deleted their character, and started over to clear quests with a max-level friend they already knew.”
What on earth was he talking about?
“Usually, even players who are max level in name only fail the Walpurgis Ruins quite often. It’s also rare for a complete newbie to be close with a high-ranker.”
“So, you’re saying the game thinks I’m a ‘smurf’—a veteran playing on a fresh account?”
“It seems the game has judged it that way.”
His explanation was calm and logical, much like when he was leading the raid earlier. There was a certain weight to his voice that made me nod along instinctively. I thought he was just a combat-obsessed meathead, but his “brain-physics” were actually quite sharp.
Of course, understanding the logic didn’t make me feel any better.
“Ugh, they could have at least added a verification step. They should still give quest markers. How am I supposed to clear this?”
So, this “way” that I’m supposed to know… which direction is it?
The timer had already ticked down to under 47 hours and 40 minutes. At this rate, I wouldn’t find the path even if I spent two full days scouring every single map available to me. It was literally like looking for a needle in a haystack.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
I blinked as Sephiroth’s voice suddenly pulled me back.
“I know the way. I’ll guide you.”
“You know the way?”
“Yeah.”
Sephiroth nodded readily. Uncharacteristically, there was a slight hint of excitement in his tone. He usually kept a perfect poker face, but he sounded twice as thrilled as he did when he was demanding a PVP duel.
Well, I’m the newbie here, but he is the true veteran of this world.
“From the look of it, the game is going to keep giving you quests under the assumption that you have the experience of a max-level player. You’ll never clear them on your own. Even if you manage to stumble through this one, what will you do when the next cryptic riddle comes up?”
His calm voice was hitting every mark. He was right. Even if I searched the entire world for this one, I couldn’t see myself doing it again for a second or third quest. A questline designed for veterans-turned-newbies…
Thinking back, the conditions for getting the hidden quest required connecting a lot of dots. You had to catch that the objective wasn’t “Kill them” but “Satisfy them.” You had to use the fact that you could hear the Slugs and Lions to realize the Kings wanted the Tears of a Dead Wildflower. You had to know which map and what conditions dropped those tears, and how to trigger those conditions. And then, there was the mechanical skill required.
……I could never do this alone.
The conclusion was clear, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t feel this way, but it had to be the lunatic Sephiroth. If the quest required even a little less mechanical skill, I would have dragged Seonhwa Noona, Gyu-tae, or Seongjin into this instead.
I took a step back, testing the waters.
“What’s the occasion? You, stepping up to help first?”
“New content is always welcome. I was getting bored with nothing to do until the next event anyway.”
Ah. I was witnessing a “Rabbit Princess”—a player so bored from completing everything that their eyes light up at the mere mention of a new patch.
“And I have a feeling that if I stack enough ‘Virtue’ through this, I might finally be able to enter towns comfortably.”
“Wait, I thought you were doing fine in towns?”
“The beginner village is manageable because there are fewer guards. The main cities are okay to pass through, but I haven’t been able to stand still long enough to actually trade in a while.”
“Then couldn’t you just… stop slaughtering people?”
“I’d stop if people played like actual human beings.”
Unbelievable. This guy talks a big game for someone who hacks people down the moment they get close. People can be bad at games; you don’t have to murder them for it!
“Is there anyone you do think plays like a human being?”
“Hmm. About three people.”
That was a surprisingly specific answer. Wait, am I one of those three? My heart gave a tiny, traitorous flutter before I caught myself and put on a stern face.
Why am I getting excited over this? Why would I care about meeting his standards?
“Just so you know, you aren’t one of those three, so you don’t need to look at me with such expectant eyes.”
This bastard…….
I glared at Sephiroth, who had drawn a hard line before I could even open my mouth. Of course, if I were the type to be bothered by that, I probably would have tried to be on better terms with him.
Sephiroth asked in a nonchalant voice:
“So, you’re in?”
The ball was in my court. I had two choices: suffer mental scarring and stress while roaming around with a sociopathic pro-gamer to clear a hidden quest, or ditch the trash and go have fun with my guildmates.
It didn’t take long to decide. My answer had been set the moment he asked.
“Fine. Guide me.”
I nodded.
I was curious about the story, too. What kind of lore was hidden behind a 3-year-old wall—a story designed for one veteran to delete their account and execute a perfect theory-craft with another veteran?
Han Gyu-tae kept pestering me to play Zelpia, saying there was “limitless” stuff to uncover. I don’t know about limitless, but there’s definitely something here worth digging up. And I was the type of person who couldn’t stop until I’d dug all the way to the bottom.
“Good. I knew you’d say that.”
Sephiroth gave another annoyingly smug response. I snapped back irritably.
“Do you actually have any friends, talking like that?”
“Friends? Hmm… I have some ‘conventional’ friends, I suppose.”
Seeing him trail off, he clearly didn’t have many. Mocking someone for their lack of social life is something only a truly mean person would do, so I held my tongue. No wonder he speaks like someone whose social skills were surgically removed.
Besides, I had a bigger problem on my mind. Something he said earlier was bothering me.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
As Sephiroth turned toward the cave exit, I asked tentatively:
“Am I… really that bad at the game by your standards?”
“No. You play the most like a human.”
“You just said I wasn’t in the top three!”
“Those three are sons of humans.”
Wait. Did he just… hit me with an unexpectedly heart-fluttering line?
“That’s why I’m following you around, begging for a fight.”
“What a tear-jerkingly touching way to put it.”
I had no business being flustered. Come to think of it, the only reason we even spoke was because I was trying to calm him down while he was throwing a tantrum for PVP. Thinking back on it made me even more annoyed.
Sephiroth laughed at my sarcasm. His sweet, honeyed voice tickled my ear.
“So, are you going to let us have that duel soon?”
“Uh, well, since this mission has a time limit, can we clear the quest first?”
I quickly used the quest as an excuse. Sephiroth’s shoulders slumped in disappointment, but I really didn’t want to PVP him right now. If we fought now, I’d just be running away the whole time while dealing “spoon” damage!
I already had a blueprint for our eventual showdown. It involved me reaching a high enough level to actually deal damage, and then slapping the back of Sephiroth’s head repeatedly. I’d wanted to do it so many times that I swore my finishing move would be a palm-slap to his skull.
“You’re good at slipping away.”
“The person bullying the newbie is the bad guy here.”
Sephiroth chuckled at my sulky response. He stretched lightly as he stood up from the Lion’s den. I followed suit.
“Where are you going?”
“Clean up your main quests. I’m going to visit the Central Castle for the first time in a while.”
“Ah. How much time do you have left?”
“Less than five minutes now.”
If we received the rewards at the same time, that sounded about right. My quest timer was just under 47 hours and 35 minutes.
“Got it.”
While Sephiroth prepared to warp, I quickly exited the den to tidy up my inventory.
The moment I held the mane dropped by the Lion King, the progress updated.
<The Missing Orcs – 2>
[Hidden] <The Regressor’s Path>
Now I just need to process the Queen’s mucus. My chest swelled with a bit of pride—I had actually cleared the quest in a completely new way.
You’ve got to see this next! The Defeated Magical Girl Won’t Turn Into a Dark Princess will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : The Defeated Magical Girl Won’t Turn Into a Dark Princess
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