The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 16

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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 16
Bus.
An industry term meaning a higher-ranked Awakened carries a lower-ranked Awakened into a Gate and clears the dungeon for them.
“So that’s what it comes down to.”
Choi Yu-ra spoke as if she’d expected as much.
“All you’re asking for is to be carried through a dungeon.”
“Then what else should I ask of you? That’s all you’re capable of offering me.”
“Are you looking down on me right now?”
“I’m not looking down on you. I’m simply saying that’s the only thing I expect from you.”
“Well, I suppose that’s fair.”
“Just carry me until I enter the Special Operations Bureau. After that, I’ll manage on my own.”
“If I bus you through?”
“I’ll tell you who killed Lee Shin.”
“…!”
Choi Yu-ra’s body trembled as if struck by lightning.
“What are you talking about? Do you know that person?”
“I do. Isn’t he the man in the photo on your wall? A tattoo artist by profession. He enjoyed riding motorcycles as a hobby. Your ex-boyfriend.”
“How did you…?”
Why wouldn’t I know?
Before regression, Choi Yu-ra had come to me.
She’d poured out her story and asked for my help.
She’d asked me to help her deal with the Godfather.
At that time, I was a newly-ranked Supporter, a hunter of sufficient caliber for Choi Yu-ra to seek aid from.
Though I couldn’t provide direct combat support.
In any case, I refused to help Choi Yu-ra.
I’d just joined a fixed Raid Party and simply couldn’t spare the time.
Still, I had some conscience left, so I asked my party members for permission, but none of them agreed.
Damn it.
I should have realized it then.
That those bastards were treating me like an object.
But back then, I was intoxicated by my sense of duty as a hunter and patriotism, mistakenly believing I should abandon personal debts for the greater good.
Foolishly, I’d considered those party members my true comrades.
So I turned away from my benefactor, and months later, Choi Yu-ra hung from the Incheon Bridge.
It was among the five most shameful things I’d ever done.
* * *
I didn’t want to repeat such a foolish mistake.
Choi Yu-ra’s death remained a heavy stone in one corner of my heart.
Later, when I lost my Mother due to those bastards’ indifference, I recalled how I’d turned away from Choi Yu-ra.
Perhaps I’d been punished for abandoning her back then.
If there was one thing I learned from that incident, it was that it’s better to bite your tongue and die than to live carrying guilt.
I didn’t want to live that way.
Never again.
“You asked how I knew. How did I find out?”
“There was someone I knew through a couple of degrees of separation—a guy who rode a motorcycle. Lee Shin and I would exchange greetings in passing now and then.”
Of course, it was a lie.
“Who?”
“If I tell you, would you know him? I already said we only knew each other by face.”
“So?”
“One day he told me something rather frightening. There’s this guy named Lee Shin who joined a subsidiary organization of the Incheon Alliance and works as a Recka.”
“….”
“Am I wrong?”
“No, you’re right.”
Choi Yu-ra squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the exposure of her lover’s shame.
Choi Yu-ra’s lover, Lee Shin, was a tattoo artist and motorcycle rider—and a criminal who operated as a Recka.
The decisive factor in how a non-Awakened became a Recka was his longstanding connections with gangsters.
The primary clientele of a tattoo artist specializing in irezumi designs were invariably unsavory characters, and mingling with them came naturally enough.
Having become a Recka, Lee Shin transformed into a hyena of the concrete jungle, committing all manner of crimes.
“He wanted to quit. He said he couldn’t do it anymore, that this wasn’t right. He was trembling, saying it wasn’t something a human should do, that there were limits to how far one should go with wrongdoing.”
“And then?”
“He died. He was found dead in his shop the day after he decided to turn himself in.”
It was painfully obvious what had happened.
Initially, he probably found amusement in relatively minor crimes—robbery in areas where the Gate phenomenon had occurred, looting stores, that sort of thing.
Then at some point, he crossed the line.
It was highly likely he either committed or became complicit in serious felonies like murder or rape, which triggered a change in his conscience.
Of course, I couldn’t care less about some punk’s moral awakening.
Whether he felt pangs of conscience or simply grew terrified and cowardly, a criminal is a criminal, nothing more.
Honestly, his death was nothing but karmic retribution, wasn’t it?
What mattered was that Choi Yu-ra wanted to avenge that pathetic fool.
“Why go through the trouble of seeking revenge?”
It’s easy to talk about, but actually carrying out revenge is far more difficult than one might think.
For instance, suppose someone took away a person precious to you.
How many people actually follow through with revenge?
Revenge is retribution against one’s enemy, but it’s also self-destruction and self-abuse.
Revenge is something only those willing to destroy themselves can truly accomplish.
Like the me from my previous life.
That’s why I struggled to understand Choi Yu-ra’s desire to avenge some mere punk.
“I know he wasn’t a good man. Looking back now, he was more like a foolish punk. But he had his charm.”
“You’d stand against the Godfather knowing that?”
“Because he was my entire world.”
“Your entire world over some punk like that?”
“It was back in first year of high school. My stepfather tried to sexually assault me. I thought if I didn’t leave right then, it would actually happen, so I just ran away from home. But once I was out, I had nowhere to go. I wandered aimlessly until I ended up crouching in some alley in Hongdae, crying. It was right in front of his shop.”
“I see.”
“He fed me, gave me a place to sleep. He even helped me prepare for my GED. And he never laid a finger on me. So the moment I turned twenty, I made the first move myself. Hehe.”
“That’s how it was.”
Hearing a story I hadn’t managed to catch in my previous life, I finally understood why Choi Yu-ra had resolved to take her revenge.
Those who have nothing left to lose don’t fear their own destruction.
Just as she’d said, Choi Yu-ra had lost everything.
That’s why she could pursue her revenge without a shred of hesitation.
“I understand, so let me train you.”
“Just some one-star nobody?”
“Don’t you know what buying low means? Sure, you’re a one-star newbie now, but who knows? You might be useful for my revenge.”
“Hmm.”
“I know far more than you think I do. And if you give me a few bus rides, I’ll tell you who killed Lee Shin. That alone seems like a good deal, doesn’t it?”
“Fine.”
Choi Yu-ra nodded.
“Might as well train a greenhorn, I suppose. What’s to lose?”
“You won’t regret it.”
“You’d better make sure I don’t.”
Choi Yu-ra’s eyes gleamed sharply.
The warning was unmistakable—she wouldn’t tolerate any nonsense.
“Relax your gaze a bit. You don’t need to intimidate me like that. I understand.”
“Sorry.”
Choi Yu-ra apologized at my remark.
“I’ll contact you in a day or two, so don’t do anything stupid and stay put. Then, I’m going.”
“Go.”
The moment I returned to my nest, I paused to consider what to do next.
Should I explore the plaza, or check out the auction house?
HunterLink provided far more than just a nest—various spaces were available.
There was a plaza where awakened individuals could interact and communicate, a labor market where recruitment and job-seeking took place, and even a sort of black market where traders could be found.
Of course, one always had to be careful.
Every space in HunterLink could maintain complete anonymity if desired, making it nearly impossible to discern who the other party was or what their intentions might be.
‘That’s enough. I’ll just sleep.’
I’d done so much today that I was mentally exhausted, so I logged out.
* * *
The next afternoon.
My family prepared to leave the Refugee Camp and move to the Hyperion Penthouse located in Seocho District.
“I’m really envious.”
“Is this why raising children is so important?”
The refugees couldn’t help but envy my family.
Some didn’t hesitate to openly display their jealousy and resentment.
“Cough, ptui.”
“How are non-Awakeners supposed to live with this bitterness?”
We’d all become refugees together, yet our family alone was ascending in status and leaving—it must have looked utterly galling to them.
I understood.
My family and the refugees had once shared the same apartment complex, enjoying similar living standards.
“We’ve furnished the place with appliances and furniture as best we could on short notice. I hope it meets your satisfaction.”
Lim Captain showed me photographs of the apartment’s interior.
The hollowness in his eyes made it clear he’d spent the entire night orchestrating the preparation of our family’s new home.
“You’ve gone to considerable trouble.”
“Does it please you?”
“Of course. When have I ever lived in a place like this? Ha ha.”
A lie.
Even as a supporter, I’d been a ranker—an apartment of this caliber felt utterly ordinary to me.
‘It’s all meaningless.’
This was an age where wealth and prestige concentrated in the hands of Awakeners.
And once you ascended to high-tier Hunter status, you gradually became numb to material possessions.
Experience teaches you.
Fine houses, fine cars—they’re pleasant to have, but their absence causes only minor inconvenience. They don’t impede living in any meaningful way.
Knowing this, my demands to the Defense Strategy Department for a fine house, a fine car, and substantial wealth were entirely for my family’s sake, not my own.
“This way, please.”
Lim Captain guided my family toward the helicopter.
“There’s no need to go to such lengths.”
“You are the world’s only… as you well know.”
Lim Captain glanced around cautiously, mindful of security, and chose his words carefully.
“This is merely appropriate treatment. Please don’t feel burdened.”
“Ha ha ha…,”
“This way, if you please.”
Father, perhaps sensing Lim Captain’s lingering discomfort, spoke up.
“Lim Captain, you’ve had quite the ordeal because of our inadequate son.”
“Not at all. I consider this a duty I must fulfill, and I’m executing my orders accordingly. Ah, and it’s an honor to meet you in person. Loyalty!”
“Loyalty.”
Lim Captain’s face was filled with reverence.
Father was a legendary figure in the special operations field, and to active-duty soldiers, he was nothing short of an object of veneration.
“By the way, I’ll be heading elsewhere. I have someone I’m supposed to meet.”
“Pardon?”
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
I left Lim Captain behind and started the engine of the vehicle parked in the vacant lot.
It was a pickup truck from KG Mobility—cheaper than imported vehicles while offering solid performance, the kind I’d favored frequently in my previous life.
I’d loaded an off-road hybrid motorcycle in the back, so I could secure mobility when needed.
“Lee Shin, Lee Shin!”
I ignored Lim Captain, started the engine, and drove out of the vacant lot.
I called Choi Yu-ra.
“Hello?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you have time right now?”
“I do.”
“Help me clear a Gate.”
“Sure thing.”
Thanks to having coordinated our story beforehand, Choi Yu-ra played along without hesitation.
“Where should we meet?”
“Sindorim.”
“Ah, there.”
True to her reputation as a 4-star Hunter, Choi Yu-ra understood immediately.
“Got it. I’ll get ready and head over right away.”
“Confirmed.”
I drove straight toward Sindorim.
But there was a problem.
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
Well, well.
Three helicopters were chasing me.

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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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