A regressor story that isn't "climb the tower" or "zombie apocalypse" based

[Jemini]

I've just noticed recently, there's a crazy amount of regressor stories starting to come out recently. That is to say, stories where the protagonist goes back in time in order to "do things better." However, almost all of them are based around one of two themes. They're all either dealing with a zombie apocalypse or it is "climb the tower" themed. That is to say, this trope that has infected the fantasy fiction scene lately where the theme is an entire civilization climbing some kind of massive tower that acts like the Sword Art Online world... I mean, literally, that's the only thing I can think of when I see these tower climbing themes. They're just ripping off SAO.

Anyway, I've seen this so much, I'm wondering now if there are any regressor stories out there that are NOT based on one of these two themes.

 

[SailusGebel]

Second life of a Gangster (webtoon), Second Life Producer (webtoon), Again My Life (webtoon). Not sure about the first one, but second and third have web novels. There are a lot more, but I'm lazy.

 

[Tsuru]

Second life of a Gangster (webtoon), Second Life Producer (webtoon), Again My Life (webtoon). Not sure about the first one, but second and third have web novels. There are a lot more, but I'm lazy.

2 things (and 1 explanation)
-----
You ask manhua/hwa ? or novel ? (translation or MTL or raw?)
-----
Also regressor? Urban rich or isekai/fight?
------
3) Its not that they copy SAO but SAO copied korea (not really copied but just had a plot VRMMO like them)
In fact, its Korea that invented system (with numbers etc).
Then they had a boom of "VRMMO" novels.
But then SAO appeared and became a global phenomenon

In fact, i invented this saying

CH surpass JP in term of ero-writing and "fantasy"
JP surpass KR in term of VRMMO plot
KR surpass CH in term of Xianxia/wuxia

Its no longer "the herb is greener is other side"
its more like : "the grown herb became better than the other side"

 

[Zinless]

Tearmoon Empire is one of my favorite regressor stories, but probably not what you're looking for.

 

[Tsuru]

Here a few high quality ones :

https://manganato.com/manga-gl983994

(its remake version 2. There is a version 1 of lower quality for this series)

God of Cooking - Novel Updates

www.novelupdates.com

(it had a manhwa, but somehow not interested to try it)
Warning, just like most old KR series, the romance kinda meh quality (not the characters but the lack of good content between the 2)
Edit :

Past Life Regressor​

[Would you like to reverse time?] [All stats will be reset] [Please pick a date.] "February 28th, 1985. The day I was born." Wealth, I will seize all the money in the world. Monopoly, I will seize all the dungeons in the world. At this time, while the world is still peaceful.

---------------------------
God of cooking

30-year-old Jo Minjoon has always wanted to become a chef.
He started his culinary career late in life, however, and is currently chopping onions at a restaurant.
Regretting his life choices, he wishes he could go back to change it all and falls asleep.
Meanwhile, someone out there is willing to give him another chance and send him back in time.
How will he use the new powers he obtained from this mysterious being?

 

[Jemini]

2 things (and 1 explanation)
-----
You ask manhua/hwa ? or novel ? (translation or MTL or raw?)
-----
Also regressor? Urban rich or isekai/fight?

For these clarification points, I actually really don't care after being inundated by nothing but those 2 tropes I just mentioned seeming to latch onto the regressor theme like a cancer. I just want something different.

That said, mentions of the genre particulars of what you're recommending would be appreciated.

Also, IS there a cross between Isekai and Regressor out there somewhere? That seems like so counter-intuitive of a combination that the only way it might exist is if someone's going for "ridiculous isekai" points. (Let's face it, I'm actually pretty certain it has been done. I'm just not sure it could be done in a way that I'd be able to take it seriously.)

 

[WaterFish]

I like it better when Regressors are side characters like in The Novel’s Extra.

 

[BigBadBoi]

I'm Not the Regressor - korean
God of Crime - korean. Kinda meh ending but it was fun.
The Main Heroines Are Trying to Kill Me -korean. Pure drama and tragedy. Read if youre a masochist like me.
Kidnapped Dragons - korean
Apocalypse Redux -RoyalRoad. Kinda ok but slow burn. Made Loki talk like a redditor trying to be witty so thats already a minus in my books.
The Young Master in the Shadows - SH. author clearly doesn't have english as a first language but it's really fun to read despite being somewhat generic.
Villain: The Play of Destiny:SH

Damn literally almost all the decent regression suggestions are korean. JP regression novels are mostly high school romcoms and there's barely any english regression novels.

 

[LilRora]

Two I remember now are Return of the 8th Class Magician and Never Die Extra. It was manga what I read, but I'm pretty sure they were based on novels. If not, well, they're manga, but they're still stories.

There was definitely more of those, but I don't remember at the moment.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Like what? An Otome where the villainess regresses?

 

[ArchlordZero]

My next novel will be a regression from a dragonoid apocalypse.
Coming this November 2023!

 

[Lodur]

or it is "climb the tower" themed. That is to say, this trope that has infected the fantasy fiction scene lately where the theme is an entire civilization climbing some kind of massive tower that acts like the Sword Art Online world... I mean, literally, that's the only thing I can think of when I see these tower climbing themes. They're just ripping off SAO.

I don't get how the SAO is related both to time regression and tower climbing. Literally zero similarities. As for tower climbing there is that famous Korean webtoon... let me recollect the title... aha, Tower of God. It had Japanese anime adaptation (not very good, imho). But the webtoon itself was quite the famous phenomenon, that brought to life innumerous imitations, in par with SAO (that deals with full immersion MOORPG theme, not with time regression or tower climbing).

 

[Tempokai]

The Great Storyteller - Novel Updates

www.novelupdates.com

Be The Actor

This Is The Law

and many more, there are many of them, just look deeper

 

[Jemini]

I don't get how the SAO is related both to time regression and tower climbing. Literally zero similarities. As for tower climbing there is that famous Korean webtoon... let me recollect the title... aha, Tower of God. It had Japanese anime adaptation (not very good, imho). But the webtoon itself was quite the famous phenomenon, that brought to life innumerous imitations, in par with SAO (that deals with full immersion MOORPG theme, not with time regression or tower climbing).

I'm saying the climb the tower plot is just like the MMO world that SAO is based in.

Literally, they're climbing a 100 floor floating castle, each floor is it's own massive spanning biome with monsters and towns and even it's own sunlight, and each floor you climb up is an increased level of difficulty. How can you not see how those are literally identical between SAO and the tower climbing plots?

 

[Lodur]

Oh... That's because tower climbing is a variant of dungeon delving. And dungeon delving is a prominent feature of the most part of fantasy themed RPGs from the beginning. Of course, you can interpret the original SAO virtual world as a world-wide dungeon/tower, but the difference with other similar stories is that there is some outside world in them, unlike SAO, where all is inside dungeon/tower.

 

[Whoops]

Why should I stop being a villain - Raos_IOI
Zenith online: Rebirth of the strongest player - Apexpen
When I saw the returns, I invested in my future wife first - Elite Classroom

Does if count if they read a book and then get regressed to the start of the book? Theres a ton of those.
Villain: The Play of Destiny - FateDevilAce
A destined young master villain - Xerzxes
I became a cannon fodder in a female protagonist cultivation novel - Countless cold autumn in dreams

 

[TotallyHuman]

I've just noticed recently, there's a crazy amount of regressor stories starting to come out recently. That is to say, stories where the protagonist goes back in time in order to "do things better." However, almost all of them are based around one of two themes. They're all either dealing with a zombie apocalypse or it is "climb the tower" themed. That is to say, this trope that has infected the fantasy fiction scene lately where the theme is an entire civilization climbing some kind of massive tower that acts like the Sword Art Online world... I mean, literally, that's the only thing I can think of when I see these tower climbing themes. They're just ripping off SAO.

Anyway, I've seen this so much, I'm wondering now if there are any regressor stories out there that are NOT based on one of these two themes.

literally an entire genre of "I was a totally good wife but that bitch stole my husband so now that I came back in time I'mma be a bossgirl" josei and all kinds of other second chance novels

 

[HelloHound]

there's a couple revenge regression stories in the villainess tag on NU

 

[Feylin]

all in all, i eat them all up till i vomit it all out

 

[CarburetorThompson]

Modern Fantasy with ’dungeon tower appears/monsters invade earth’ is the dumbest genre ever. I‘d even take those shitty ultra specific isekai like “Supply Chain Manager in another world with my Excel spreadsheet“ anything but a boring tower climbing story.