The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 19
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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 19
I examined the card and found it was a Spirit Blade I’d acquired from the dead Recka member.
[Chain Severance]
Equipment Card
★★
A cutting tool capable of severing anything.
A Spirit Blade looted from the corpse of the fallen.
True to the Spirit Blade of someone who did nothing but petty thievery, it looked like the sort of tool one might use for stealing—yet in the life of a Hunter, such equipment often proved unexpectedly useful.
Even without being a Hunter, special forces operatives and rescue workers carried cutting tools for various reasons.
Shhhhh!
As I channeled ether into the card, a hefty cutting tool materialized in my hand.
Snap!
The iron bars that had refused to budge shattered like a lie.
Tap, tap!
Choi Yu-ra tapped my shoulder.
A signal to hurry.
The monsters were about to come pouring in.
Snap, snap, snap, snap.
I severed the iron bars as quickly as possible.
Behind me, I felt noise and shockwaves.
Choi Yu-ra and Lim Captain’s unit were engaged in combat with the monsters while protecting me as I cut through the bars.
‘That’s it.’
As I severed the final section, the iron bars blocking the channel leading to the Underground Sewage Channel clattered down.
Tap, tap—I tapped the shoulders of my companions to signal that the bars had been removed.
With me at the lead, we entered the narrow channel.
Boom, crash!
The monsters slammed against the channel and walls.
Futile.
As if those massive bodies could follow us in here.
‘This way.’
We swam for quite a distance, following the green line.
My breath was beginning to grow tight, but it was still manageable.
Ordinary people could hold their breath underwater for over five minutes depending on their natural physiology and training—how much more so for Awakened individuals.
Even a 1-Star Awakened with no training whatsoever could manage over five minutes.
High-ranked Awakened could endure for up to an hour, so there was no need for excessive concern.
“Gasp!”
Breaking the surface, I found myself in a dimly lit Underground Sewage Channel.
Torches hung at various points along the walls, making visibility manageable.
“Is everyone alright?”
“All clear.”
Lim Captain surveyed his subordinates.
“I genuinely thought we were done for.”
Choi Yu-ra shuddered at the mere thought of it, as if the image itself were unbearable.
“Are you alright, Cha Eun-sung?”
“I’m fine.”
“Thank goodness. Ah, and I truly appreciate it. We’re alive because of you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“By the way, are you a Support-type Awakened?”
“What’s wrong with being a Support-type?”
Damn.
My words came out sharp, bristling with irritation.
“Oh, that’s not what I meant. Guiding allies along safe paths is typically an ability associated with Support-type roles, so I was simply asking.”
“I don’t know myself whether I’m a Support-type or not. You can judge for yourself.”
“If I offended you in any way, I’m truly sorry.”
“It’s fine, so don’t worry about it.”
That’s what I said, but truthfully, I’m displeased.
Whether it’s inferiority or victimhood, it’s all the same.
Support-types are never treated well.
Sitting?
That’s a luxury Support-types can only dream of.
What kind of deranged organization would invest in raising a Support-type?
I admit it.
Support-types are worthless in the market.
There are an absurd number of Support-types.
Out of every ten Awakened, four are Support-types.
Of the remaining six, three are Dealers, two are Tanks, and about one is a Mage.
In terms of rarity: Mage > Tank > Dealer > Support-type.
Support-types are so abundant they’re underfoot, they’re of little use in combat, and expectations for their growth are minimal.
Their contributions go unnoticed, so they’re perpetually undervalued.
With such low combat power, they’re always the weakest among Awakened of other roles.
That’s the reality for Support-types.
Even I, who’ve reached the pinnacle as a Support-type, feel this way—what about everyone else?
‘Am I… truly a Support-type?’
The question gnawed at me.
What exactly was this role called [Guide]?
‘Status window.’
As I silently invoked the command, my current status materialized before me.
Name: Cha Eun-sung
Primary Role: Guide
Secondary Role: (∞)
Job: Collector of Madness
Rank: ★
I still don’t know what it is.
What [Guide] truly means.
I’ll come to understand it gradually, but even if I were a Support-type Awakened, I have no intention of living as I did in my past life.
Being exploited, depended upon, and coerced by Awakened with different role classifications.
* * *
My sharp response caused the atmosphere to dip slightly, but it was only momentary.
Right now, what matters isn’t whether I’m a Support-type or not.
Being inside a fractured dungeon is like having my life threatened with each passing second, so I have no choice but to prioritize survival above all else.
And fractured dungeons aren’t entirely bad.
Especially experiencing a fracture phenomenon in this [Cursed Fortress]—it might actually be a blessing in disguise.
“Actually, it’s perfect.”
“What do you mean, perfect?”
Choi Yu-ra furrowed her brow at my muttering.
“Because cracks open up.”
“Cracks?”
“Oh, right.”
Damn.
I forgot that no one knows about the existence of [Cracks].
[Cracks] are a type of hidden dungeon that spawns within certain Gates.
And in this era, their existence remains unknown.
The likelihood of it ever becoming public knowledge is extremely slim.
Because….
‘I discovered them first.’
I was the first to discover the existence of Cracks.
And I distributed this information to the entire world without any compensation for the sake of humanity.
To increase the survival rate of Hunters trapped in fractured dungeons and boost their acquisition of various spoils.
“I have information. There’s something called a Crack—a hidden dungeon concealed within.”
I pulled out the [Exploration] card and showed it to her.
“A hidden dungeon? Something like that exists?”
“I don’t know either. My ability is the one telling me.”
“Hmm.”
“My gut tells me we absolutely have to go.”
“Why?”
“The feeling is good.”
“Are you in your right mind?”
Choi Yu-ra scowled as if I’d spouted complete nonsense.
“Even if this Crack thing actually exists, it could be dangerous. You’re suggesting we crawl into it willingly? We already look like we’re about to die as it is.”
“Then I’ll go alone, so what.”
“What?”
“You said you weren’t going, so I have to. It could be a lottery win—I can’t pass up an opportunity like this.”
A lottery win, indeed.
The fissures that appear in the Cursed Fortress carry minimal risk while offering substantial rewards.
“You’ll get yourself killed early at this rate.”
Choi Yu-ra spoke with genuine concern.
“And it won’t just be you. You could drag your allies down with you. Do you understand?”
“I suppose so.”
“Yet you still want to go there? Without any reliable information?”
“When has anything ever been certain?”
“…?”
“Dungeons, Gates, monsters, dimensional shifts—is there anything about them that’s truly predictable? Hunters themselves are unpredictable creatures, each one liable to do something unexpected.”
“Hmm.”
Choi Yu-ra fell silent, at a loss for words.
That’s how this world works.
There’s almost nothing you can predict with certainty.
When I first entered this dungeon, who could have foreseen the eruption that occurred?
I certainly didn’t anticipate it.
“Are you truly confident in this feeling, sir?”
“Yes, I am certain.”
“Then we shall follow your lead, Cha Eun-sung.”
Lim Captain and his unit readily sided with me.
I wondered if it was because of what happened earlier, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
As trained soldiers and Hunters, Lim Captain and his unit wouldn’t take on such risks based on mere emotion—it was likely due to their expectations of me as a newly awakened individual with unprecedented potential.
“What will you do?”
“Well.”
“Trust me just this once. You’ve never lost out by listening to me before.”
“Fine then. Where do we need to go?”
“7th Floor 777, 777.”
The fissure’s coordinates are 777, 777—the same in any dungeon.
For multi-layered dungeons like the Cursed Fortress, we simply head to the 7th floor.
“We shall escort you there.”
Lim Captain and his unit reformed their protective formation and escorted me forward.
* * *
I chose the Cursed Fortress because its advantages and disadvantages are both clear-cut.
The monsters that appear in the Cursed Fortress generally grant substantial ether.
They yield far more ether than monsters of the same rank in other dungeons, making it the optimal hunting ground for Awakened seeking rapid growth.
Additionally, various objects within the dungeon yield all manner of loot—another significant advantage.
The Cursed Fortress contains dozens of hidden chambers beyond the fissure, and countless treasures lie concealed within large and small chests, as well as within decorative armor pieces scattered throughout.
But the drawbacks are equally apparent.
Traps are scattered throughout, and the layout is like a maze, making it extremely difficult to find one’s way.
There are also many tactically disadvantageous locations.
If I hadn’t known about the Underground Sewage Channel from the start, wouldn’t we have been surrounded by countless monsters and nearly wiped out?
But that’s only true for those unfamiliar with the Cursed Fortress. I’m different.
I don’t even need the help of the [Exploration] card.
“Listen carefully. From now on, don’t even dream of touching anything carelessly. Unless you want us all to die together.”
“I got it, so stop nagging.”
Most of the objects in the Cursed Fortress are traps.
Urns, chests, furniture, decorative items, and so on.
Touch the wrong thing and toxic gas spews out, or arrows fly from nowhere, or in severe cases, the entire ceiling collapses or the floor gives way.
Or it’s a dud.
But that’s only something that happens when information is lacking.
Crack!
Clang!
“Hey, you crazy bastard! I told you not to touch anything!”
The moment I kicked and shattered an urn sitting in the corridor, Choi Yu-ra burst out in anger.
“Is he actually insane?”
“He just destroyed it without thinking.”
Lim Captain’s subordinates also muttered dismissively, clearly fed up with my reckless behavior.
“You really want to die….”
Choi Yu-ra’s footsteps, which had been approaching me with indignation, came to a halt.
Glimmer!
She’d spotted something glinting between the shattered pieces of the urn.
“Let me see….”
I picked up the glimmering object and broke into a grin.
“Well, well, looks like there was Etherium in here.”
“….”
Everyone fell silent, their mouths clamped shut.
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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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