The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 40

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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 40
Lumos’s words to rest easy were no mere pleasantry.
In the blink of an eye, he’d obliterated every last cannibal crab.
“The area is secured, Young Master.”
Lumos bowed respectfully before me.
“Th-thank you for your hard work.”
It was impressive, yet something felt uncomfortable about it.
A young man in his prime working an octogenarian to the bone like this.
Even if that old man was strong enough to beat terrifying monsters to death with his cane.
Whoooosh!
The remains of the cannibal crabs decomposed into particles and seeped into me as ether.
Ether absorbed!
Ether absorbed!
…
Ether absorbed!
The spoils weren’t limited to ether alone.
Glimmer!
Small objects sparkled where the cannibal crabs’ remains had vanished.
The [Acquisition] card from the [Infinite Deck] ejected on its own, and several ferrets emerged from it, gathering the glimmering items and bringing them to me.
[Obtained Secret Coin (Gold)!]
[Obtained Secret Coin (Silver)!]
[Obtained Secret Coin (Bronze)!]
[Obtained Secret Coin (Bronze)!]
“Ah.”
Small coins—at first glance, they resembled currency from the medieval era.
‘So they drop here.’
Secret Coins.
At this point in time, their use was unknown, so they were either hoarded or traded sparingly as a cash substitute depending on market rates.
But that was only because no one understood their true value.
However, I knew.
I knew exactly what these mysterious coins were for.
Secret Coins were a currency that could be exchanged for runes, items, and etherium at secret shops hidden beyond certain Gates and Dungeons.
For now, they’d trade at lower prices than gold or silver of equivalent weight.
But what if the existence of secret shops became common knowledge?
The value of Secret Coins would skyrocket without limit.
The runes, items, and etherium sold at secret shops weren’t easy to obtain elsewhere.
‘Come to think of it, I should accumulate Secret Coins in advance.’
To other hunters, they’d be nothing but loose change, but to my eyes, Secret Coins gleamed like Bitcoin before its exchange listing.
I’d quietly gather them without drawing attention, purchase what I needed from the secret shops, and save the rest for when their value skyrocketed.
That was my plan.
“Young Master, may I continue to guide you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“This way, please.”
Lumos resumed leading the way.
* * *
Defense Strategy Ministry Situation Room.
“Current status report.”
Minister An checked the situation every five minutes.
Given the severity of the crisis, he intended to grasp the current situation in real-time as the Defense Strategy Minister.
“Fifty 3-Star Hunters and the Marine Corps 2nd Special Search Battalion have just departed on speedboats.”
“What about helicopter approach?”
“Still impossible. The fog is too dense, and the space is warped—aerial assets cannot approach. According to the field commander’s assessment, maritime deployment is currently the only viable option.”
“To advance by land, we’ll have to wait for the next tidal window.”
“The tidal passage will open in approximately five hours and fifteen minutes.”
“Five hours.”
Minister An’s expression hardened.
Everyone in the Defense Strategy Department understood the slim probability that those trapped within Jebu Island, shrouded by the Fog Maze, would survive more than five hours.
Moreover, the safety of the Hunters and Marine Corps 2nd Special Search Battalion personnel being deployed immediately was equally uncertain.
They were being sent in with the understanding that sacrifice might be necessary for the rescue.
Under normal circumstances, after sufficient time had elapsed, they would have considered massive bombing campaigns to level the area, or even reviewed the use of tactical nuclear weapons if the situation seemed utterly uncontrollable.
But that was impossible now.
Because there was a person of critical importance trapped within Jebu Island, shrouded by the Fog Maze.
“Lim Captain.”
“Yes, Minister.”
“Did you convey to the field commander that the operation’s primary objective is rescuing Cha Eun-sung?”
“I confirmed it clearly.”
Lim Captain responded in a low voice to Minister An’s whispered words.
“It may sound cold, but Cha Eun-sung is the priority, and everything else is secondary. Crisis stabilization comes after that. Regardless of anyone else, Cha Eun-sung must be brought back. The moment his survival status and location are confirmed, concentrate all available forces in that direction.”
“Understood.”
Since communications hadn’t been cut off yet, Lim Captain relayed Minister An’s orders once more to the field commander.
“This is truly an impossible situation.”
The Minister’s expression was deeply troubled.
Was Eun-sung the only one trapped on Jebu Island?
There were countless people to rescue—the trainee Hunters undergoing instruction at the Special Armed Forces Training Institute, instructors, soldiers, and civilians alike.
Yet despite all that, issuing an order to prioritize only Cha Eun-sung’s rescue was a ruthless decision made solely with national interests in mind.
Why?
Because Cha Eun-sung was South Korea’s most vital strategic asset.
A Hunter who awakened with a rare, unique job class found nowhere else in the world.
His potential and future value were incomparable to any other military asset.
Yet no matter how true that was, committing all resources to saving a single person while relegating everyone else to secondary status was far from a pleasant decision to make.
“If I had my way, I’d go retrieve him myself.”
“But.”
“I was just muttering out of frustration. Don’t worry about it.”
“Minister An….”
Lim Captain’s words trailed off.
“How many vultures would circle if I abandoned my post? I can’t hand them fresh meat. They’re waiting for any opening I give them.”
Minister An’s piercing gaze swept across the interior of the Situation Room.
Coup plotters.
Those who would exploit the chaos to topple the regime—they might be lurking within these very walls.
That was why Minister An couldn’t go rescue Cha Eun-sung.
He had no way of knowing what would unfold in his absence.
* * *
“No, don’t come any closer!”
Terrified, Ra Si-hyun screamed and leveled her gun at the approaching enemies.
But her trigger finger, trembling with panic, posed no real threat.
Bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!
The bullets whistled uselessly through the air, missing their marks entirely.
Worse still, these creatures couldn’t be stopped by mere gunfire.
“Grraahhh.”
“Guoaaahhh.”
Zombies reeking of putrefaction swarmed toward Ra Si-hyun, who had backed herself into a corner.
“Aaahhh!”
Ra Si-hyun gasped in horror, frantically pulling the trigger again and again.
Click, click!
The gun had jammed.
“Why—why won’t it work! Why won’t it fire! Ugh!”
Click, click!
Ra Si-hyun tried the trigger once more, but the gun, its barrel clogged with a spent casing, refused to fire.
“Why isn’t it working! Why!”
Ra Si-hyun’s trembling hands fumbled desperately across the weapon, but no amount of touching would restore a malfunctioning gun to working order.
In truth, it was a simple problem to fix with the right technique.
But she was still a novice hunter—there was no way she could skillfully clear a jam in the heat of combat.
Marksmanship might be a matter of talent, but handling a firearm with proficiency was a matter of training and experience.
Thud.
The gun slipped from Ra Si-hyun’s grasp and fell onto the Sandy Beach.
“Ah….”
A sigh of resignation escaped her lips.
Her ether was depleted, her body battered from being swept up in the tidal surge.
And now even her last lifeline—her gun—had failed her?
There was nothing left she could do.
“Guwaaaaaaaagh.”
“Grrrgh.”
As this unfolded, the distance between Ra Si-hyun and the zombies continued to shrink.
If she could, Ra Si-hyun wanted nothing more than to end her own life.
Better that than to be devoured by these zombies reeking of putrid flesh and blood.
Whether she died this way or that, being torn apart was inevitable either way, but….
The zombie was already upon her.
The distance was so close that she could see every barnacle and strand of seaweed clinging to the zombie’s decaying skin with crystalline clarity.
“Grrrrr!”
“Ugh!”
Ra Si-hyun shuddered at the reek of the zombie’s breath and simply squeezed her eyes shut.
She had no desire to witness such a grotesque and repulsive visage in her final moments.
She could only pray that death would come swiftly and without agony.
Splurch!
She flinched.
At the sickening sound, Ra Si-hyun involuntarily recoiled.
Splash!
Hearing what sounded like thick liquid pouring down, Ra Si-hyun cautiously opened her eyes.
Crunch!
The zombie’s skull right before her split open, decayed brain matter spilling from within.
Thud!
The zombie, cleaved vertically from the head down, collapsed, and the figure behind it was revealed.
A handsome face that radiated both confidence and strength.
Lips curved in a way that suggested composure even in this dire situation.
Yet eyes that burned with an utterly merciless chill.
…It was Cha Eun-sung.
Thud!
As her tension dissolved, Ra Si-hyun sank to the ground where she stood.
“What are you doing.”
Eun-sung’s brow furrowed.
Whoosh!
Without even turning around, he swung his axe.
Crack!
The head of a nearby zombie severed cleanly.
“Get up.”
“Y-yes…?”
Ra Si-hyun looked up at Eun-sung with a dazed expression.
“Don’t sit there looking pathetic.”
Eun-sung spat out the words and swung his axe toward the remaining zombies.
“Ugh!”
Ra Si-hyun gritted her teeth and pushed herself up, only to find that Cha Eun-sung had already dispatched every zombie in sight.
“Th-thank you for sav—”
Ra Si-hyun tried to express her gratitude, but Cha Eun-sung didn’t even spare her a glance.
His attention was already fixed elsewhere.
“This dropped from here?”
Cha Eun-sung picked up the emerald-hued Etherium, his voice tinged with astonishment.
“….”
Ra Si-hyun felt a twinge of exasperation.
Yet as she gazed at the Etherium in his hands, she couldn’t help but acknowledge it.
Even to her inexperienced eye, it appeared to be a remarkably high grade.

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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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