The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 15

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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 15
A white room with nothing in it.
The space appeared to be roughly a thousand square feet, but with the floor, walls, and ceiling all uniformly white, there was no sense of depth or spatial dimension.
This phenomenon is called whiteout.
I’ve heard it’s something you can only experience in extreme regions like Antarctica in the real world, though I’ve never been there myself.
“This isn’t some psychiatric ward.”
I shook my head and waved my hand dismissively.
Immediately, the landscape before me transformed, and the space I occupied became a lush primordial forest with gentle rain pattering down.
Since I disliked getting soaked, I waved my hand to set up a tent, then conjured a camping chair and a campfire.
I adjusted the temperature so the warmth from the fire would feel pleasant without becoming too hot.
I created a makeshift table of appropriate height and summoned a laptop on top of it.
This place was originally named the Seon Bang in the Korean temple tradition, but nowadays everyone calls it the Nest.
An Awakened individual had apparently started it by changing their avatar to a dragon and decorating it like a dragon’s lair.
To that extent, everything here is at the whim of the Awakened.
Since Awakened individuals can exercise omnipotent power within their own Nest, each one decorates it according to their personal preferences.
I settled into my Nest and powered on the laptop.
A messenger program with a familiar interface appeared.
This too is at the whim of the Awakened.
If desired, communication could happen through carrier pigeons instead of a laptop. I navigated to [Settings], then [Security], and checked my current account status.
[Call Sign] Private
[Name] Private
[Followers] Hidden
[Following] Hidden
[Online Status] Hidden
[Recommend Me] Hidden
[Direct Message] Enabled
[Voice Call] Enabled
[Video Call] Enabled
[Message Lock] Locked
[Advertisements] Blocked
The default settings were fine.
“Let me see.”
[Friend List]
None
Since this was my first login after regression, naturally I had no friends.
[Recently Contacted Awakened]
Bloody Mary Online
Shylock Online
Iron Blood Online
As expected of Awakened individuals—they all seemed to be online at this hour.
I’ve set [Recommend Me] and [Online Status] to [Hidden], so other Awakened individuals won’t know I’m logged in.
Since I don’t have a call sign yet, I just made up the nickname [Reverse Top Porter].
HunterLink allows anonymous activity anyway, and if I wanted, I could create multiple accounts without issue, so there’s no need to attach meaning to a nickname.
Reverse Top Porter.
Roughly, “Reverse” versus “Top (Choi)” and “Porter”—that’s what it means.
Of course, if it’s a porter, people would gnash their teeth.
I have absolutely no intention of playing the porter role again, supporting others from behind.
But in my past life, I was unquestionably the greatest porter of all time, and I take pride in that.
To the extent that I have no qualms using a nickname like Reverse Top Porter, which might seem somewhat arrogant.
Click. I selected Choi Yu-ra’s call sign [Bloody Mary] and sent a direct message.
[Reverse Top Porter] What are you doing?
[Bloody Mary] ?
[Reverse Top Porter] It’s me, Cha Eun-sung
[Bloody Mary] How did you find this place?
[Reverse Top Porter] Are there Awakened individuals who can’t use HunterLink?
[Bloody Mary] Most people wouldn’t even know how to access it yet, right?
[Reverse Top Porter] It all comes up if you search for it
[Bloody Mary] …
[Reverse Top Porter] What?
[Bloody Mary] If everything shows up on Google, then who receives training at the Special Operations Bureau?
She had a point.
Accessing and using HunterLink was simple, but it took at least a month to become proficient.
[Reverse Top Porter] It was easy though
[Bloody Mary] What’s Reverse Top Porter?
[Reverse Top Porter] The greatest porter of all time
[Bloody Mary] …
[Bloody Mary] You’re a porter???
[Reverse Top Porter] No
[Reverse Top Porter] Just made it up
Bloody Mary ──
[Bloody Mary] Why are you messaging instead of calling? Excited because it’s your first time logging in?
[Reverse Top Porter] Nothing to be excited about. It’s because of wiretapping
[Bloody Mary] Wiretapping?
[Reverse Top Porter] I registered and signed a contract as an Awakened individual
[Bloody Mary] Ah
[Bloody Mary] Good move
[Bloody Mary] That was fast?
[Reverse Top Porter] I can’t keep living in the Refugee Camp. I have family to think about.
[Bloody Mary] That’s true.
[Reverse Top Porter] Anyway, if we’re going to talk, let’s do a video call? Typing is annoying
[Bloody Mary] Come to my nest.
Ding!
A notification window appeared.
[Bloody Mary] has invited you to their nest. Do you accept?
YES / NO
An invitation, huh.
Her intentions were transparent.
Visiting another Awakened’s nest without knowing better was ‘extremely’ dangerous.
To reiterate, an Awakened is omnipotent within their own nest.
Which meant it was possible to attack another Awakened within one’s nest and inflict psychological damage.
It was commonplace for clueless newbies who visited a higher-tier Awakened’s nest to get roughed up, and in severe cases, victims of psychological torture went mad.
‘How cute.’
Even showing off in front of a chrysalis had its limits.
I decided to play along and pretend to fall for it.
You have accepted the invitation!
You will be transported to [Bloody Mary]’s nest in 3 seconds!
Three, two, one.
Flash!
I was transported to Choi Yu-ra’s nest.
* * *
Choi Yu-ra’s nest was desolate.
It resembled the interior of some abandoned building, furnished with a bed, table, and chairs.
Scrap materials burned brightly inside a large brazier made from a discarded oil drum, and the faint smell of kerosene pricked my nostrils.
Overall, it had the feel of a hideout you’d see in American dramas or films.
What caught my eye was a wall densely covered with photographs.
Among them was a young Choi Yu-ra in school uniform, grinning brightly alongside some handsome delinquent on a motorcycle, and there was also a photo of Godfather with a menacing military broadsword planted in it.
“What are you staring at? You’re not supposed to peek into someone else’s nest like that.”
Choi Yu-ra, who had been studying a notebook at the table, swept her hand dismissively, clearing the photographs from the wall.
“You invite someone and then say that? Doesn’t your conscience bother you? I’m not blind, you know.”
“Shut up.”
Choi Yu-ra bristled at my retort, stood from the desk, and pointed to the table.
“Sit.”
“Fine.”
“Beer? Whiskey?”
“I’m good.”
“I didn’t ask if you didn’t want any.”
Choi Yu-ra made a highball, took a sip, then pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
“Ahh.”
“In front of a non-smoker.”
“So what. This isn’t reality anyway.”
“That’s true enough.”
Choi Yu-ra smoked in silence for a while, then stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray before asking me point-blank.
“How did you find out?”
“There are ways to know everything.”
“That’s not the answer I wanted.”
“How do you live if you only listen to the answers you want?”
“If you came here to play word games, you’ll regret it.”
Whoosh!
Without warning, iron chains wrapped around me.
“If I so much as lift a finger, you’ll be begging me to kill you. You’ll suffer unimaginable agony. And just so you know, that pain bleeds into reality too. Remember that.”
“Is this why you called me to the Nest?”
“Of course.”
“Sigh.”
I exhaled deeply and waved my hand.
The iron chains that had bound me vanished without a trace.
“…!”
I watched Choi Yu-ra’s face turn to stone.
She was clearly shocked, but this was only the beginning.
“How about this?”
I snapped my fingers, and thousands upon thousands of wasps materialized, swarming around Choi Yu-ra.
Bzzzzzz!
The sound of their wings was menacing.
“If I so much as lift a finger, you’ll literally become a wasp nest, didn’t I say? You’ll suffer such excruciating pain that you’ll beg me to kill you. I don’t think I need to mention again that the pain bleeds into reality, do I?”
“H-how is this possible?”
Her expression was as if she’d been possessed by a ghost.
The law that an Awakened individual is absolutely omnipotent within their own Nest had shattered into pieces—a natural reaction, all things considered.
Choi Yu-ra knew one thing but not the other.
The owner dominates the Nest, but only against opponents of equal standing.
Higher-tier Awakened individuals—the rankers, in other words—are perfectly capable of wreaking havoc in another Awakened’s Nest.
This has nothing to do with current rank or combat power, which is why even I, a mere 1-star Awakened, could exercise considerable strength here.
How did I know?
The realization came to me when I was decorating my own Nest.
In reality, I’m only a 1-star Awakened, but within HunterLink, I possess the standing of my former ranker days.
Moreover, as a former ranker myself, I seem to have been born with unusually potent influence within HunterLink.
“Is this how you treat a guest you’ve invited?”
“T-this can’t be real.”
“It’s real.”
Bzzzz—I manipulated one of the wasps to sting the back of Choi Yu-ra’s hand.
“Ow!”
She winced at the sting, clutching the back of her hand and contorting her face.
“How did you do that? What exactly are you? Ugh.”
Choi Yu-ra’s hand swelled up in an instant, and she clenched her puffy knuckles.
“It’s throbbing, isn’t it?”
“How did you do that?”
“That’s a trade secret, so I can’t teach you.”
I answered that way while sweeping my hand to disperse the swarm of bees, then healed Choi Yu-ra’s stung hand as well.
If I provoked her any further here, it would only make things difficult for me.
I held absolute advantage in this space, but in reality, I was thoroughly the weaker party.
A mere 1-star falling out of favor with a 4-star? I could end up discovered as a corpse anywhere, anytime.
“Now that you’ve tasted some heat, you won’t do anything foolish anymore.”
“….”
Choi Yu-ra said nothing.
I ignored her silence and continued.
“I’m telling you again—I can’t reveal the source of my information. So don’t ask anymore.”
“Is that even something to say….”
“Isn’t the goal just to take down Godfather and the Incheon Alliance anyway?”
Choi Yu-ra clamped her mouth shut.
“I’ll help you, so for now, just grow quietly. Don’t draw aggro by hunting Recka members for no reason.”
“What do you know?”
“Well, I may not know much else, but I think I know what your future holds.”
From what I remembered, Choi Yu-ra was destined to die fighting the Incheon Alliance in the end.
I didn’t know how she died.
She suddenly went missing one day, and when she reappeared, she was a corpse hanging from the Incheon Bridge.
“I’ll help you take down Godfather and the Incheon Alliance, so how about working with me?”
“You?”
“That’s harsh language. Since I’m only 1-star right now, I’ll let it slide.”
“You certainly know your place.”
“I have at least that much conscience. Anyway, I can’t explain the method right now. You’ll figure it out eventually.”
“Do you take me for a fool?”
“Since you’re not a fool, you’ll understand if you just wait and see, right?”
“Hmm.”
Choi Yu-ra seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking.
“So what do you want then? You’re doing this because you want something from me too, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I want something.”
“What is it?”
“Give me a ride on your bus.”

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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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