The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 25

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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 25
There’s an old saying.
Save someone drowning in water, and they’ll demand you hand over your belongings.
It happens all the time.
Inside a Dungeon, unreasonable things occur with alarming frequency.
“Have you all gone mad wanting to die?”
Before I could even respond, Choi Yu-ra flashed a murderous smile.
“Choi Hunter.”
Lim Captain, startled, hastily grabbed Choi Yu-ra’s arm.
“Please, restrain yourself.”
“Let go.”
“You must restrain yourself.”
“I said let go already.”
Choi Yu-ra was genuinely furious.
If Lim Captain hadn’t intervened, she would have shredded the Boramae Clan members to pieces.
“Don’t you feel even a shred of conscience?”
“Not at all.”
The Boramae Clan member answered my question.
“We engaged the boss first, and our clan suffered the greatest losses. So why should we feel guilty?”
“You were on the verge of total annihilation.”
“Get your facts straight. We were nearly finished. You lot just barged in and stole the final blow.”
“Wow.”
Such shamelessness—I had to admire it.
Yes, that’s how it should be.
Everyone needs a thick skin to survive.
This is truly an age of survival of the fittest.
The weak cannot endure.
This is an era where the vicious, selfish, shameless, petty, and ruthless thrive.
Though, when was it ever different?
“So that rune belongs to you?”
“Of course. Our clan paid the highest price, so naturally we take it.”
“What if we refuse?”
“You’ll die.”
The Boramae Clan member I’d been speaking with hooked his finger on the trigger.
“Haven’t you considered that you might die too?”
“Then you’ll die as well. You think our clan will just sit idle?”
Now they’re leaning on their clan’s power.
Not particularly surprising.
A 5-Star Rune is worth this much trouble.
Even perfectly sound Hunters lose their minds and abandon reason over such treasures.
To be honest, this level of restraint is quite civilized.
Usually, they attack first without asking questions or making demands.
‘Should I kill them?’
I was torn.
The wounded had already been escorted out of the Dungeon by Boramae Clan members.
If I killed these bastards here, word would reach the Boramae Clan, and then we’d have war on our hands.
Conversely, they could kill us and leave without consequence.
We have no comrades waiting outside.
“Let’s just settle this peacefully.”
The Boramae Clan member spoke cautiously.
“You don’t seem capable of stopping bullets either, so wouldn’t it be a loss if you got greedy and ended up dead?”
Lim Captain, unable to hold back any longer, stepped forward.
“Enough. Lower your weapons. You’re currently threatening soldiers of the Defense Strategy Department.”
“No matter how prestigious the Defense Strategy Department is, we can’t allow you to land the killing blow on a boss our clan was hunting and steal the rune.”
“When did we land the killing blow? We simply saved you from total annihilation.”
“We appreciate the help, but it was a boss we’d nearly defeated.”
“Do you have no conscience?”
“It seems you lack conscience far more than we do.”
“Damn it, seriously.”
A curse finally escaped from Lim Captain’s lips.
‘Hmm. Given that I’ve already made a contract with the Defense Strategy Department, I probably don’t need to fear the Boramae Clan.’
Still, I couldn’t act rashly.
Bullets were still something to fear at this stage.
But I couldn’t let them take the rune like this.
Do they have any idea how precious that is?
‘I’ll put a bullet through the head of the one in front first.’
As I was about to make my move with an ambush in mind, a strange sound reached my ears.
Clatter, clatter, clatter….
It sounded like something rolling, but what was it?
The die has rolled an 11!
Luck increases by 110%!
Huh?
– It seems you can entrust everything to luck right now.
The Goddess of Fortune whispered to me.
The one who had emerged from the [Fortune] card and bestowed upon me the kiss of fortune….
‘Perfect.’
Trusting in the Goddess of Fortune, I quickly raised my weapon.
“…!”
The startled Boramae Clan members pulled their triggers, but….
Click!
A malfunction—or a misfire—had prevented the bullet from being discharged.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
My muzzle erupted with fire.
* * *
“Argh!”
They screamed and crumpled to the ground.
Since I’d shot their chests—where the plate carrier was worn, not their heads—they wouldn’t die.
Of course, that was only if the ballistic plates were actually inside the plate carrier.
If they’d removed the heavy, cumbersome ballistic plates and stuffed in dummy plates made of sponge instead, they’d be dead without question.
“Restrain them!”
“Yes, sir!”
Lim Captain and his team swiftly descended upon the fallen men.
“Let go, I said let go!”
“Damn it!”
They tried to resist, but Lim Captain’s team subdued them in the blink of an eye.
“Seung-chul! Seung-chul!”
“Damn! You really killed him!”
They snarled at the death of their comrade.
One of the three Boramae Clan members who’d pointed their guns at me lay collapsed, bleeding, and from the way his eyes were wide open and unmoving, it was clear his heart had been pierced—an instant death.
“Idiot.”
I clicked my tongue, staring down at the corpse of the dead Boramae Clan member.
I felt not a shred of pity.
He deserved to die.
If there had only been ballistic plates inside the plate carrier, he would’ve walked away with just some bruising on his chest.
“And he calls himself a Hunter.”
I glanced at the corpse for a moment, then turned my attention toward the 5-Star Rune.
The subdued men were beneath my notice.
I’d only spared them because I anticipated complications with the Boramae Clan if I killed them.
I could’ve killed all three, but since I let two live, they can’t complain.
The subdued men would be dragged to the Defense Strategy Department and face punishment.
First, I decided to examine the Rune.
[Mutation]
Rune
★★★
Mimicry and Transformation
A Rune I’d never seen before, as expected.
I’d never even heard rumors of a Rune like this existing.
“What is it?”
“Want to see?”
“Yeah.”
Choi Yu-ra pondered for a moment, then shook her head.
“Never mind. I don’t want to see it.”
“Why?”
“If I look, I think I’ll get greedy.”
“Greedy?”
“I only need what was promised to me. You take it.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Choi Yu-ra turned her head away completely, as if she’d given up entirely.
‘It’s mine then.’
Since Choi Yu-ra had relinquished her claim, the rune belonged to me.
I had no intention of showing the rune to Lim Captain and his team.
That was my contract.
I didn’t have to share spoils with the Defense Strategy Department.
The reason I’d distributed the Etherium was as compensation for Lim Captain’s team’s efforts, not an obligation.
“Then….”
I reached toward the rune without hesitation.
A card slipped from my deck and captured the [Mutation] rune.
[Mutation]
Magic Card
★★★
Mimicry and Transformation
‘An egg spirit, perhaps.’
Inside the card was a faceless man.
‘I’ll examine it later.’
I wanted nothing more than to test the [Mutation] card, but I refrained from exposing my full capabilities.
“Let’s finish up and head out.”
“Ah, yes.”
Lim Captain seemed slightly disappointed that he couldn’t confirm which rune I’d consumed, but he didn’t press the matter stubbornly.
* * *
“Gasp.”
I stepped out of the Dungeon carelessly and was startled.
Murmur, murmur!
The area in front of the Dungeon was absolute chaos.
“Move them quickly!”
“Start CPR here!”
The injured lay scattered everywhere, and medical personnel and paramedics rushed about frantically trying to save them.
On one side, corpses covered with white cloth were arranged neatly in rows.
Judging by the roughly fifty bodies, it seemed that among the Hunters trapped on other floors, there had been numerous casualties and injuries.
And it wasn’t just them.
Several clan members from various clans gathered in front of the Dungeon.
“Min-gi! Chung-ryeol!”
A middle-aged man in peculiar attire rushed toward the hunters being dragged out by Lim Captain and his group.
He wore a helmet, a plate carrier, and a tactical belt around his waist, yet his outfit looked distinctly odd.
Rather than the tactical gear hunters typically wore, he was dressed in form-fitting tights like those worn by cyclists.
To top it off, he had an electric bicycle equipped with an Etherium battery tucked beside him, making him look more like a professional cyclist than a hunter at first glance.
“H-hey, hyung!”
“Young-nam hyung!”
Min-gi and Chung-ryeol shouted upon spotting the middle-aged man.
Young-nam, then… Ah.
I knew who he was.
Kim Young-nam.
The Clan Master of the Boramae Clan.
He was renowned as a bicycle enthusiast who had served as chairman of a cycling club even before his Awakening, and it seemed his hobby remained unchanged even as a hunter.
“Step back. These individuals have been arrested as suspects caught in the act.”
“Caught in the act? What do you mean by that? Why would my brothers be suspects?”
Kim Young-nam’s voice rose sharply.
Whoosh!
Ether emanating from Kim Young-nam pressed down on Lim Captain.
Though he might appear somewhat comical in that outfit, Kim Young-nam was no ordinary person.
He was a named hunter frequently mentioned in conversation, and I’d heard his abilities were considerable.
By this point in time, he was likely around 5-Star rank—a skilled fighter who even the renowned Choi Yu-ra had to yield ground to.
“It seems there’s been some misunderstanding, sir. What exactly have my brothers done to warrant being arrested as suspects?”
Min-gi and Chung-ryeol seized the moment and pointed at me, shouting.
“Young-nam hyung! That bastard killed Chan-ho and stole our runes!”
“That’s right! That bastard killed Chan-ho! These assholes are framing us because they covet our runes!”
Kim Young-nam’s head snapped toward me.
“You bastard… Did you kill my brother?”
Kim Young-nam strode toward me as if he could crush me on the spot.
I didn’t run.
There was no reason to run, nor did I want to.
And there was no need to.
“Wait a moment.”
Someone stepped forward and stopped Kim Young-nam.
“Huh!”
Kim Young-nam’s footsteps halted in surprise.
Ahn Guk-seon, dressed in black tactical gear and a plate carrier instead of his usual neat suit, had stepped between him and me.
I wasn’t sure why he was here.
“Well, Minister. It’s been a while. How have you been?”
Kim Young-nam bowed his head to Ahn Guk-seon.
“Thanks to you, I’ve been doing well. How about yourself?”
“Oh, I’m always the same as ever. Ha ha.”
“That’s a relief.”
“But Minister, what brings you to this place….”
“I was passing by, received a briefing, and decided to stop by. What about you?”
“As you can see, I heard that our people were trapped in the Dungeon and rushed over here.”
“I see. You must be going through a lot.”
“Ah, no, not at all.”
“But listen here. I understand how you feel, but would it really do any good to fly into a rage the moment you hear only your subordinates’ side of the story?”
“….”
“At least hear the full account of what happened before you get angry. That’s all I ask. And if you’re a Master leading a clan, you should know better than to lose your judgment, no matter how furious you are.”
“I… I’m ashamed.”
Kim Young-nam backed down without protest, as if he’d never been angry in the first place.

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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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