The Absolute Regression reading guide fits in one line: start at Episode 1 on WEBTOON and keep going. The English run is ongoing and weekly, past 100 episodes, and only a handful of episodes behind the Korean release, so there's no messy split to sort out. What new readers do need is the premise, because the old blurbs for this one get it wrong.
Reviewing
Absolute Regression
JP (story), Park Jin-hwan (art), Jang Yeong-hun (original story)
Absolute Regression (절대회귀, Jeoldaehoegwi) is written by JP and drawn by Park Jin-hwan, adapted from Jang Yeong-hun's novel. The Korean webtoon started on Naver in July 2024. Our Absolute Regression review has the score; this page is about how to read it.
Absolute Regression English cover. © JP, Park Jin-hwan, Y.H. Jang. Via WEBTOON.
The premise, from WEBTOON's own blurb
Mugi Hwa has no equal. He cuts through the murim's lords one by one, and one of them is Cheonma, Mugeuk Geom's father. Mugeuk won't accept the defeat, so he uses a forbidden time-bending ritual that throws him back into his own past.
The second life is a race. He knows Mugi is coming again, and he has until then to fix old wounds, build new bonds and unite his people before what the blurb calls "the bloodtide." So the hero is the son of Cheonma, the Heavenly Demon, not a righteous swordsman, and the threat is one man rather than a vague collapse. Read the first episodes with that in mind and the choices Mugeuk makes about who to trust land harder.
What kind of read it is
Talk, mostly. That's the split among readers on r/manhwa. One reader twenty chapters in complained that they "can't stop seeing the 'nonchalant op mc' tropes." The replies pushed back on what the series is for: "For me its all about the dialogue and relations between people, it barely has that much fighting," one wrote. In a thread about the art, the top comment said a mere race felt weightier than most murim death battles: "Dialogue so good actions gain so much more weight," it said.
If you want a fight every episode, this isn't it. If you like watching a powerful lead win people over, it's the draw.
Where each version stands
| English (WEBTOON) | Korean (Naver Webtoon) | |
|---|---|---|
| Free on the website | Up to Episode 106, October 9, 2026 | Up to episode 116, October 12, 2026 |
| Further ahead | 11 more in the app | 7 paid previews, to 123 |
| Schedule | Every Saturday | Every Tuesday |
| Status | Ongoing | Ongoing |
The gap is small. Counting the app episodes, English sits about six episodes behind the newest Korean preview. That leaves little reason to go looking for unofficial translations.
Absolute Regression, Korean cover. © JP, Park Jin-hwan, Jang Yeong-hun. Via AniList.
How to read it
- Start at Episode 1 on WEBTOON. There's no prequel or side story you need first.
- Read on the website until it stops. Everything up to Episode 106 is listed there; the newest 11 are in the app, and you'll need the app or to wait for them.
- Then read weekly. A new English episode comes out every Saturday, so once you've caught up, the wait is a week, not a season.
Want more like it while you wait for Saturday?
Manhwa Like Absolute Regression →
A video primer
If you'd rather hear the case for it before starting, Paper Panels made a video essay on the series. Expect spoilers for the early arcs.
*Paper Panels on Absolute Regression (YouTube).*Our Take
Just start it. The English release is current and steady, the free website run is long, and the premise is cleaner than most regression stories: one enemy, one deadline, his people to hold together.
The wider genre:
Best Murim Manhwa 2026 →
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I read Absolute Regression in English? On WEBTOON, the only English link AniList lists. The website shows episodes up to Episode 106 (October 9, 2026), and the app has 11 more.
How many episodes does Absolute Regression have? In English, 106 on WEBTOON's website plus 11 in the app as of October 16, 2026. In Korean, Naver Webtoon has 123, of which the newest seven are paid previews. It's ongoing in both.
Is Absolute Regression finished? No. Both WEBTOON and Naver Webtoon list it as ongoing, with English episodes every Saturday and Korean ones every Tuesday.
Who is the main character in Absolute Regression? Mugeuk Geom, son of Cheonma. After Mugi Hwa kills every lord who faces him, Mugeuk's father included, Mugeuk uses a forbidden time-bending ritual to go back into his own past.
Related Reading
- Absolute Regression Manhwa Review: our score and what works.
- Manhwa Like Absolute Regression: murim and regression picks for the weekly wait.
- Best Murim Manhwa 2026: where it sits in the genre.
- Best Cultivation Manhwa: if the murim terms are new to you, start with the genre.
- Return of the Blossoming Blade Review: another long-running murim series.
