The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 39

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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 39
“Ugh!”
The moment my eyes opened, a groan spilled from my lips.
My entire body felt shattered into pieces.
Of course it would—I’d been struck head-on by such a colossal tidal wave.
In reality, my left arm was twisted at a grotesque angle, and my body was covered in wounds.
Needless to say, beyond my left arm, I’d sustained bruising across my entire frame, with countless fractures and breaks scattered throughout my bones.
‘Still, surviving is what matters.’
I was satisfied with the outcome.
Having been swept up by a tidal wave and coming out like this was a profitable exchange.
I pulled out the [Healing] card and attempted self-recovery while surveying my surroundings.
Fortunately, no enemies were visible.
Behind me: a mountain.
Before me: the sea.
A sandy beach—it seemed I’d been washed ashore along the coast.
‘I ended up here?’
On Jebu Island, the region where the mountain base and sandy beach coexist is the northwestern part of the island.
The tidal wave had struck us from the east, yet here I was suddenly in the northwest—it was utterly bewildering.
This too must be an effect of the [Fog Maze].
Boom, crash!
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Distant explosions echoed from afar.
Battles must be unfolding in various places….
‘I hope everyone is safe.’
I knew it was a heartless wish to hope they’d survived being swept up by such a tidal wave, but it was worth holding onto that hope.
Just before being swept up by the tidal wave.
– May fortune accompany you and your companions.
The [Luck] card had blessed not just me, but everyone.
A 110% increase in fortune.
For now, all I could do was place my faith in that.
Whoosh!
The healing power of the [Healing] card was remarkable.
I felt the pain rapidly subsiding.
‘I’ll have to do this myself…?’
I gritted my teeth and grasped my twisted left arm, rotating it back into place.
Crack!
With a sickening sound, my contorted left arm snapped back into alignment.
“Ugh.”
The excruciating pain made my vision swim, but only briefly.
As the [Healing] card mended my left arm, the pain rapidly diminished.
‘Better than most healers, honestly.’
I was genuinely surprised.
The [Healing] card’s performance exceeded my expectations by far.
Perhaps I wouldn’t need to rely on Hunters with healing abilities after all.
I surveyed my surroundings carefully before slowly rising to my feet.
‘Nothing lost.’
The rifle slung across my shoulder had kept it safe, and while my ammunition wasn’t abundant, I had enough for a couple more skirmishes.
‘First, I need to find a way out.’
The moment that thought crossed my mind, a card slipped from the Infinite Deck and floated before my eyes.
The [Search] card.
Within it was depicted an elderly man holding a staff in one hand and a lantern in the other.
When I’d used it before, I could have sworn there was only the lantern.
In any case, the card was making its presence known, practically insisting I use it. It would be rude to ignore such a request, so I picked it up.
With a soft shimmer—
The elderly man with the staff and lantern emerged from the card and bowed respectfully.
“Master, I shall light your path.”
“M-Master?”
I waved my hands frantically.
I wasn’t so lacking in character that I could accept such a title from someone who appeared to be in their eighties without feeling uncomfortable.
“Please, just call me Eunseong. Make it casual.”
“You are the master of infinite power. How could I presume to address you so informally?”
“Well, someone else jokes around with me all the time.”
I was thinking of Helkiyan—the [Mutation] card, that is.
“There exists one who dares jest with you, Master?!”
The elderly man from the [Search] card flew into a fury.
Had the culprit been standing before him, he looked ready to beat them senseless with his staff.
“Ah, it’s nothing serious. Please, just forget you heard that.”
“But—”
“By the way, what is your name, sir?”
“I am… Lumos. You may call me that.”
“Then I’ll call you Elder Lumos. And please, there’s no need to address me as Master. Just treat me naturally. You can call me by my name.”
“What do you mean, Master? You are the master of infinite power. It is only proper that I address you as such.”
“I have my own circumstances… Would any other title work besides Master?”
“Then, would ‘My Lord’ suffice?”
“That’s a bit embarrassing too. Hmm.”
After considerable thought, I arrived at an appropriate alternative.
“Would you mind calling me Young Master instead?”
“Young Master, you say? Hmm!”
Lumos stroked his beard with evident dissatisfaction, then nodded reluctantly.
“As you command, Young Master. I shall address you as such from now on.”
I felt equally embarrassed, but at least this was better than facing my master or lord….
“Young master, do you require guidance?”
“Yes.”
“Then, this old man shall serve as your guide.”
“Thank you.”
“One of your companions is nearby. Shall we head there first?”
“Please do.”
I nodded at the welcome words I heard.
Even I cannot find my way through the Fog Maze… wait.
Summoning Lumos as my guide is itself part of my ability.
Then, doesn’t that mean finding my way through the Fog Maze is also my ability?
‘Perhaps it isn’t Lumos finding the path, but me….’
With that thought, I followed Lumos and took my first steps.
* * *
The massive dimensional rift that erupted on Jebu Island shook not only South Korea but the entire world.
Of course, viewed as a single incident alone, the Jebu Island incident was hardly an issue worthy of major attention.
However, if someone had prophesied this dimensional rift in advance, and that person was an unidentified 10-star Hunter, the story changed entirely.
As the existence of the mysterious 10-star Hunter Supernova, who had only been discussed on HunterLink, and his statements became known to the world, the entire globe was set ablaze.
– Unidentified 10-star Hunter warned of Jebu Island incident in advance… Defense Strategy Department “Verifying facts”
– “Disaster will befall Korea” 10-star Hunter’s remarks spark controversy
– Someone predicted the Jebu Island incident… Who is Supernova?
Media outlets across South Korea and the world ran extensive coverage of Supernova, and the incident captivated the attention of people everywhere.
Thus, the world learned.
That 10-star Hunters existed.
And that he was called Supernova.
* * *
While the massive dimensional rift unfolded on Jebu Island, the South Korean government—specifically, the Defense Strategy Department—was operating under extreme tension.
One could tell simply by observing what was visible on the surface, without needing to peer inside.
Vroom, vroom!
“Delivery!”
“Fried chicken order!”
Delivery riders gathered one by one at the main gate of the Defense Strategy Department.
It was a common sight that occurred whenever a massive dimensional rift erupted.
There was something called the [Delivery Index].
An unofficial metric for gauging the intensity of overtime work among those affiliated with the Defense Strategy Department—Hunters, soldiers, civil servants, and so on.
During emergencies requiring all-night operations, delivery food was ordered to stave off hunger, and the more severe the crisis, the more exponentially the number of delivery riders converging on the Defense Strategy Department would increase.
It had become such a running joke that if the [Delivery Index] exceeded three digits, it was considered a situation equivalent to a national emergency.
“Flaming spicy chicken order!”
“Here. But, aren’t you Kim Doo-hyun?”
Lim Captain somehow recognized Kim Doo-hyun and spoke.
“Do you know me?”
“Aren’t you the Security Guard who worked at the apartment where Eun-sung lived?”
“Oh? Yes, that’s right.”
“I thought that motorcycle looked familiar.”
Captain Lim recalled the time Eun-sung had visited the Defense Strategy Department on Kim Doo-hyun’s motorcycle, and he let out a wry smile.
Of course, Kim Doo-hyun had no idea what Captain Lim was talking about.
“I heard there was a massive dimensional rift incident on Jebu Island?”
“That’s correct, for now.”
“Eun-sung… no, is Eun-sung okay? Nothing’s wrong, right?”
“That’s classified information, so I’m afraid I can’t discuss it. My apologies.”
“Ah, right.”
Kim Doo-hyun nodded, remembering that information about Hunters contracted with the Defense Strategy Department was confidential.
“Well then, drive safely. Thank you for the delivery.”
Captain Lim hurried away with the food Kim Doo-hyun had brought, practically fleeing the scene.
“Surely he’s not on Jebu Island right now. That would be seriously bad luck…”
But Kim Doo-hyun’s thoughts about Eun-sung didn’t linger long.
Ding, ding!
His phone rang incessantly.
[Delivery request received!]
[Delivery request received!]
[Delivery request received!]
Delivery calls were flooding in.
Given how serious the situation was, the Defense Strategy Department staff had given up on leaving early and were ordering delivery food left and right.
“Yes!”
Kim Doo-hyun grabbed the nearest call from the Defense Strategy Department and immediately twisted the throttle on his motorcycle.
Vrooooom!
The old motorcycle roared to life, belching acrid exhaust as it tore down the street.
* * *
Lumos led the way forward with his lantern.
The path he guided us along was utterly unpredictable.
We’d be going fine, then suddenly veer in an unexpected direction, and sometimes it seemed like we were doubling back, making me wonder if we were even on the right track.
But that only made me trust him more.
Given how thick the Fog Maze lay, moving along a normal route would surely lead us astray.
“Young master, enemies will appear shortly.”
“Is that so…?”
“Leave it to this old man. You need not concern yourself, young master.”
Lumos smiled, as if to say there was no need for me to intervene.
Soon enough, the enemies appeared.
“Click, click-click!”
“Click-click-click!”
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Out of nowhere, dozens of calf-sized hermit crabs began charging toward us at a terrifying speed.
I knew these creatures.
Cannibalistic crabs.
They were monsters that commonly appeared during transition incidents in tidal flat terrain, possessing both exceptional defense and attack power.
‘How am I supposed to deal with this?’
The question had barely formed in my mind when—
“How dare you block the young master’s path!”
Lumos bellowed and swung his staff with fury.
Crack!
The claw of the cannibalistic crab that had lunged at us first exploded outward.
“Insignificant vermin!”
Lumos swung his staff again, this time bringing it down on the creature’s shell—the hard carapace of the crab whose claw had already been shattered.
Crunch-crack!
That impossibly hard shell shattered into countless fragments.
“What… what is this?”
I was stunned.
The cannibalistic crab’s shell was infamous for its hardness.
It could deflect bullets with ease, yet he had just pulverized it with a swing of his staff?
But there was no time to be amazed.
Lumos’s display of power was only beginning.
Crunch-crack!
Crack!
Crunch-crunch-crack!
Lumos wove between the crabs, smashing them indiscriminately.
“A guide… is that right?”
The words spilled from my lips, laden with disbelief.

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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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