The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#Episode 102
Today simply wasn’t my lucky day.
Despite receiving the passive effect of the [Fortune & Misfortune] card, I’d drawn number 1….
Considering the substantial benefits granted to the champion, it was practically a loss.
Since this was my first entry, I’d need to achieve an astounding 29-win streak to claim victory.
And attempting to win the championship on my first entry was sheer audacity.
Since the Jamsil Colosseum’s establishment, no one entering for the first time had ever claimed the title.
“Now, participants will come forward in order and inscribe your names next to your drawn numbers.”
At Carlson’s words, the first participant stepped forward and carved his name onto the stone tablet.
The first participant’s name was Kim Han-sung, and his drawn number was 17.
A respectable position.
“Hehe. 28.”
“Wow, lucky. I got 7.”
The hunters inscribed their names on the tablet one after another.
Last came Eun-sung’s turn.
“….”
There was no need to inscribe my name.
The final remaining slot.
The very first position on the tablet sat empty.
“Of all numbers, 1.”
“No luck at all.”
Several hunters murmured their comments.
“Cha Eun-sung, was it? Joining last means you’ll compete first.”
Carlson addressed Eun-sung casually.
“Yes, well. That’s how it turned out.”
“It’s unlikely, but don’t give up. Should you happen to win the championship, special privileges await you.”
“Special privileges?”
“Your name will be inscribed in this arena’s Hall of Honor. The arena’s proprietor will recognize your achievement and bestow appropriate rewards. Of course… be aware that no one has ever accomplished such a miracle in this arena.”
“….”
Eun-sung found it absurd and said nothing.
Encouragement or mockery.
Just one thing—just one.
‘Three wins are all I need.’
Eun-sung wasn’t fixated on the championship.
The championship?
It would be nice.
But I didn’t believe the rewards would be significant enough to warrant such effort.
Ultimately, it was a matter of rarity.
A champion emerges every time qualification matches are held.
Since qualification matches occur at least once monthly regardless of circumstances, it meant at least one champion emerged monthly.
At minimum, twelve people per year.
In other words, twelve rewards would be distributed—but was such a grueling struggle truly worth the prize?
‘There’s no way.’
I evaluated the reward’s value with cold pragmatism, finding it insufficient to justify the effort. My lingering attachment to victory dissolved cleanly away.
“Very well then. The match will commence in ten minutes. You may review the precautions and regulations inscribed upon this stone tablet. That concludes my announcement.”
As always, I scrutinized the precautions and regulations with meticulous care.
It might seem a waste of time, but I remained unwavering in this habit.
I firmly believed that those precious moments spent reviewing contracts could prevent a lifetime of exhaustion.
The other participants, by contrast, merely skimmed the stone tablet with cursory glances.
In the meantime.
News that Cha Eun-sung had appeared at the Jamsil Colosseum and would compete first in the qualification matches spread nearly instantaneously across the network.
The HunterLink Korean Hunter bulletin board.
[Breaking News] Cha Eun-sung at Jamsil Colosseum Right Now (211)
Cha Eun-sung just showed up at the arena.
Looks like he’s here for the qualification exam?
[Anonymous] Oh?
[Anonymous] A 4-star rank should definitely be visiting the arena by now
└ [Anonymous] Some go right after awakening if they’re fast
└ [Anonymous] Better to sharpen your senses at the arena than rush into real combat and get yourself killed lol
It all began when someone posted a sighting on HunterLink.
The Jamsil Colosseum held the character of a public venue for Korean hunters,
[Breaking News] Cha Eun-sung drew Match #1 lmaooo
Unlucky as hell? lol
I’m way further back in the bracket
As the most prominent next-generation hunter of the moment, I was becoming a minor topic of discussion even on HunterLink.
[Anonymous] At least two consecutive wins, surely
[Anonymous] With actual combat experience, if the early brackets are newbies, five consecutive wins are possible
└ [Anonymous] With luck, even ten consecutive wins lol
[Anonymous] Drawing #1 is rough lmaooo
[Anonymous] Honestly, he probably just needs three wins and he’s done, so no regrets either way?
No one predicted or expected my victory in the qualification matches.
Everyone knew that winning the tournament while competing first was nearly impossible.
* * *
Minister An concluded his meeting with Brigadier General Cha Geun-woo and took a brief respite.
With roughly thirty minutes until his next appointment, he intended to smoke leisurely and clear his mind for a moment.
“That troublemaker, honestly.”
Minister An grimaced, recalling Cha Geun-woo.
Once the conversation had turned to old stories, he felt a migraine threatening to emerge.
“Perhaps it’s a blessing that Cha Geun-woo never received the blessing of Ether.”
Minister An rubbed his chest, remembering Cha Geun-woo’s past.
In his younger days, Cha Geun-woo had been an uncontrollable beast, and even now, Minister An shuddered at the thought of the headaches the command staff had endured.
Yet his abilities were so formidable that he was irreplaceable both as an officer and as a field operative, making him a troublesome asset that couldn’t be forcibly discharged.
Of course, he had paid the price through stalled promotions, but….
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
“Minister, I have an urgent report.”
Lim Lieutenant Colonel spoke carefully.
“Did the Incheon Alliance make a move?”
“No, sir.”
“Then….”
“Eun-sung has appeared at the Jamsil Colosseum.”
Slap!
Minister An’s palm pressed against his forehead.
“This is maddening. He should have kept his head down, and yet he shows himself in a public place? Ugh.”
Minister An grabbed the back of his neck.
Eun-sung should have been lying low, yet here he was.
After causing such a massive incident, not only was he captured on video by the Broadcast Spirits at Bucheon Station Gate, but now he was appearing at the Jamsil Colosseum, a public venue?
He had invested so much effort in concealing Eun-sung’s identity from the Incheon Alliance….
At this point, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the boy was deliberately trying to torment him.
And that wasn’t even all of it.
Due to the combat footage against the Broadcast Spirits, Eun-sung was gaining attention as a rising new hunter, making him a recruitment target for numerous clans.
Now that he had appeared in a public place like the Colosseum, it was certain that countless clan representatives would flock there.
Like hyenas drawn to the scent of blood….
Because of this, the Defense Strategy Department needed to urgently dispatch personnel to the Colosseum to block clan representatives from approaching Eun-sung.
If he defected to a private clan like Lee Hyun had done, abandoning the Defense Strategy Department, it would amount to losing a national strategic asset.
“The Cha Family bastards… what did I do to them in a past life….”
Grit!
“Minister, please!”
Lim Lieutenant Colonel was sweating profusely.
Iron Blood.
It was extremely rare for Minister An, who bore the callsign [Iron Blood], to show such emotional turmoil.
However, Cha Eun-sung and Cha Geun-woo.
The Cha father and son were the exception.
“Lim Lieutenant Colonel.”
“Yes, Minister.”
“Go to the Jamsil Colosseum at once… and stay glued to that bastard Eun-sung’s side.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Report everything—who he contacts, what he says. Keep your eyes open without blinking, and your ears always alert. Do you understand?”
“I will remember this.”
“Now go.”
“Yes, sir!”
Lim Lieutenant Colonel fled from Minister An’s office like a man escaping a burning building.
Minister An brought a trembling cigarette to his lips.
“Haaaaaah—!”
He drew in a deep breath and exhaled, the smoke carrying with it all the frustration and stress that words could never capture.
Every encounter with the Cha Family left him feeling as though his lifespan had been shortened.
* * *
Jamsil Colosseum.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Now! Allow me to introduce our colosseum’s newest combatants!”
“Boooooo—!”
Jeers erupted from the stands.
A qualification match?
There was no applause to spare for these snot-nosed rookies.
The audience didn’t want to watch such trivial child’s play.
They craved brutal slaughter, blood, and frenzied combat.
Battles to the death between true powerhouses, for instance.
As a result, qualification matches were the least popular events held at the Jamsil Colosseum.
The spectators here were far too jaded to be thrilled by the antics of novice fighters, having already grown accustomed to far more intense stimulation.
“Introducing our first qualifier! Newcomer Cha Eun-sung! Everyone!”
“Boooooo—!”
The jeers intensified.
“Get off the stage, you brat!”
“Go back and suckle at your mother’s breast!”
Several spectators hurled grapes, bread, and wooden cups toward the arena floor.
Yet there were some who offered genuine cheers.
“Nothing beats a good rookie beatdown! Hehehehe!”
“Yeah! Number one! Let’s see how long you last!”
In qualification matches, neither ether nor items could be used—only raw skill and physical prowess determined victory.
It was combat in its most primal form, allowing spectators to witness pure, unfiltered fighting.
“Everyone, pay attention!”
From the center of the arena.
The voice of a middle-aged man in an ornate purple tunic silenced the crowd in an instant.
The owner of the Jamsil Colosseum.
Aurelius, the administrator of this Gate.
“First, let us offer a welcoming round of applause to our newest combatant, Cha Eun-sung, who has stepped into the great Jamsil Colosseum!”
Clap clap clap clap—!
Perfunctory applause scattered thinly throughout the arena.
Compared to the jeers, it was pathetically meager.
“Cha Eun-sung. First qualifier of this match. I offer my respects to your victory and your valiant challenge.”
Aurelius bowed toward Eun-sung with an elegant and measured gesture.
“I won’t waste words. Cha Eun-sung. Should you achieve something truly great, I, Aurelius, shall bestow upon you a reward befitting such accomplishment. Your name will be inscribed in the Hall of Honor, and I intend to grant you a treasure beyond compare.”
Whoosh—!
As the purple cloth draped before him was drawn back, an emerald orb radiating luminous light revealed itself.
“…!”
Eun-sung’s pupils dilated.
‘That… that is.’
The identity of that emerald orb gleaming in the distance….
‘The Dragon King’s Orb of Benevolence?’
It seemed drawing number one hadn’t been misfortune after all.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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