The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 52

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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 52
Flap, flap!
The severed fin thrashed about like a living fish.
Given the Mudflats Lord’s sheer size, even its fin dwarfed an ordinary bluefin tuna.
“KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK―!!!”
The enraged Mudflats Lord’s gills flared open, and a deafening roar erupted from within.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
Several Hunters grimaced in agony, clutching their ears.
The ordinary soldiers fared far worse.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
“Gaaahhhhh!”
Blood streamed from their ears as they writhed in torment, some rolling across the mudflats in sheer desperation.
The Mudflats Lord’s roar was itself a devastating sonic attack—an ordinary human couldn’t escape their eardrums rupturing.
‘Ugh.’
Even I couldn’t help but wince at the piercing pain in my ears, but that was all.
Hunters were protected by Ether, so we could withstand an attack of this caliber without much difficulty.
And now was no time to stop just because my ears hurt a little.
“Ra Si-hyun!”
“Yes!”
“Burn it!”
“What?!”
“Burn the wound! There!”
I pointed at the severed cross-section of the fin and shouted.
“Right!”
Ra Si-hyun concentrated Ether into her spirit blade and unleashed a torrent of flame toward the Mudflats Lord.
Whoooosh!
The fan-shaped spray of fire engulfed the Mudflats Lord’s left flank—the very spot where the fin had been severed.
Sizzzzzzle!
The sound of charring flesh mingled with the acrid smell of roasting fish.
“KWAAAAAAAAAAAACK!”
The Mudflats Lord continued to roar and thrash across the mudflats, but the severed fin did not regenerate.
‘Perfect.’
A smile spread across my face.
The fins were one of the Mudflats Lord’s critical weak points.
Since those fins were the secret behind the creature’s absurd mobility, removing even one—left or right—was more than sufficient.
Wobble, wobble!
Flop!
The Mudflats Lord’s movements became noticeably unnatural without one fin.
That incredible jumping ability that could crush an armored vehicle beneath it?
Such things were now only possible in dreams.
Whoosh!
Splat!
The Mudflats Lord attempted to leap, but flew off in the wrong direction and crashed into the mudflats.
Yes, that was normal.
It had lost one fin—how did it expect to leap as before?
Its center of gravity was compromised.
Whirrrrrrr!
A chain adorned with blades.
The spirit blade that earned Choi Yu-ra the callsign “Bloody Mary” extended outward, coiling around the Mudflats Lord’s right fin.
“Hold on!”
At my shout, the hunters rushed to Choi Yu-ra and gripped the chain together.
“Pull!”
Craaaaaack!
The chain tightened fiercely around the Mudflats Lord’s fin and torso.
“Craaaaaaaaaaaaack!”
Thud, boom!
Splat!
As the Mudflats Lord thrashed wildly, Choi Yu-ra and the hunters holding the chain staggered violently.
“What are you doing! Help!”
“Hold tighter! More!”
The hunters gripping the chain cried out in desperation.
Yes, a test of strength against the Mudflats Lord with merely a dozen or so hunters was nearly impossible.
“Hnnngh!”
“Push harder! More!”
“Pooooooull!”
In an instant, dozens more hunters swarmed in, grasping the chain and dragging the Mudflats Lord.
That moment.
‘This is my chance.’
Instinctively, I felt a powerful conviction that this was an opportunity to dispatch the Mudflats Lord with ease.
Vroom!
Without hesitation, I leaped onto the military ATV nearby, started the engine, and gunned the throttle.
Vroooooom!
The ATV tore across the mudflats.
An ordinary vehicle would have been impossible, but this transport was designed to breach rough terrain, so it had more than enough mobility in the mudflats.
“Who the hell is that!”
“That maniac’s completely insane!”
“Hey you bastard! Are you dying to get yourself killed!”
A barrage of curses erupted from behind me.
I paid them no mind.
This was the perfect opportunity to remove the remaining fins and neutralize the Mudflats Lord with ease.
They say courage is often despised, don’t they?
That’s right—if you want to accomplish something, you have to be prepared for the negative gazes and reactions of others.
If I succeed, the criticism and curses will transform into praise and cheers.
“What are you doing! Provide cover, you bastards!”
Rat-a-tat-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
At the instructor’s shout, the soldiers unleashed a barrage of gunfire at the monsters charging toward me, providing cover.
Whoooosh!
Sharp tentacles erupted from various points across the mudflats, threatening me.
I twisted the handlebars, weaving through the tentacles, and finally reached the right flank of the Mudflats Lord.
Whooom!
The Mudflats Lord’s tail came flying at me.
Thwack!
I used the ATV as a springboard and hurled myself through the air with all my strength.
Crash!
The ATV struck by the Mudflats Lord’s tail shattered into pieces.
‘Now!’
While suspended in midair, I swung the Madness Butcher with everything I had.
Shlick!
The axe cut cleanly through the seam between the Mudflats Lord’s flank and fin.
“Screeeeeeeeeeeech!”
The Mudflats Lord shrieked in agony and thrashed about wildly.
‘Ugh.’
To avoid being crushed, I climbed onto its massive body.
Flop, flop!
Thrash, thrash!
Maintaining balance on the writhing body of the enormous mudskipper was no easy feat.
Moreover, the Mudflats Lord’s body was covered entirely in mud and slick mucus, making it slippery beyond measure.
I found myself newly appreciating how impressive rodeo cowboys were, and I drew a card from my deck.
I needed something to brace myself against, and I’d just thought of something quite useful.
[Chilling Longsword]
★★
A longsword infused with a chilling aura.
Quite sharp.
It was a spirit blade I’d looted from one of the Recka members I’d eliminated previously.
Thunk!
I drove the blade deep into the Mudflats Lord’s back and gripped its hilt as an anchor—it made all the difference.
‘Now it’s my turn.’
Gripping the longsword’s hilt with my left hand, I swung the Madness Butcher in my right hand with reckless abandon.
“Screech, screeeech, screeeeeeeeech!”
The Mudflats Lord shrieked in agony, thrashing about with even greater violence.
Crack, craaack!
Heedless of its cries, I continued bringing my axe down upon its back—strike after strike after strike.
“Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwak―!!!”
The Mudflats Lord’s gills fluttered at invisible speed, unleashing a torrent of sonic waves.
‘What does this mean?’
The thought flashed through my mind that this was no ordinary sonic attack.
“Kyaaaaaahhhhh!”
“Keheeehhhhh!”
Every monster in the Mudflats surged toward me in unison.
* * *
The Abyss Clan waited at an Abandoned School roughly three kilometers away from where the Defense Strategy Department forces were stationed.
Clan-owned helicopters sat on the athletic field and Rooftop, while the administrative office served as a waiting room for the affiliated hunters.
Wi Tae-woong, the clan’s master, had taken position in the principal’s office and was monitoring the situation through drone footage.
Wi Tae-woong.
A 6-star hunter with the callsign [Ambition].
A former special forces operative, he now led the Abyss Clan and lived as a mercenary.
“Would you like some coffee?”
“Just leave it there.”
His secretary set down a freshly brewed Americano.
Wi Tae-woong loved coffee so much that wherever he went, he traveled with vehicles equipped with coffee-brewing tools or espresso machines.
Of course, brewing the coffee was his secretaries’ responsibility.
“Tsk.”
Wi Tae-woong took a sip of coffee and clicked his tongue.
On the monitor.
A young hunter wielding a crimson axe was in dire peril.
Remarkably, the young hunter had managed to sever the Mudflats Lord’s fins and even climb onto its back.
But now surrounded by thousands of monsters of various types, his fate seemed sealed.
“Foolish bastard. He’s got decent talent, but no backing. Reckless. Men like that die young.”
The reason Wi Tae-woong made this assessment was because the location was the Mudflats.
The Mudflats environment was precisely that kind of place.
It might be easy to enter, but escaping was another matter entirely.
“Don’t you ever pull something like that.”
Wi Tae-woong spoke to the young hunter sitting before him.
“Come on, I’m not an idiot. Why would I do something so stupid? My life’s too valuable.”
The young hunter.
Lee Hyun replied.
“I’m just saying it just in case. Young blood can sometimes lead to reckless impulses.”
“That won’t happen with me. My life is too precious to me. Hehe.”
“Then we’re good.”
Wi Tae-woong nodded, satisfied with Lee Hyun’s response.
Lee Hyun.
The Abyss Clan’s greatest prospect.
Having reached 4-star rank merely two years after awakening, he was a hunter with a promising future.
“Seeing him leave like that means our deployment will be delayed even further.”
“Well, I suppose so.”
“Hmm. If the Defense Strategy Department raised their offer, would you step in?”
“No.”
Wi Tae-woong shook his head firmly.
“Money isn’t the issue. Remember this well. Money can be earned, but you only have one life.”
“Of course.”
Lee Hyun spoke with conviction, showing he understood completely.
“But the casualties will be substantial, won’t they?”
“That’s exactly what we need.”
“Sir? That’s what we need?”
“If the number of hunters decreases, our market value will only rise.”
…!
“When supply is scarce relative to demand, prices skyrocket inevitably.”
“Wow. As expected, Director, you’re truly heartless—wait?”
Lee Hyun stopped mid-sentence, startled.
Wi Tae-woong casually followed Lee Hyun’s gaze, then frowned as he observed what was unfolding on the monitor.
“…So he had something to rely on.”
He was alive.
I thought he’d be torn to shreds surrounded by monsters, but that wasn’t the case.
It was quite the opposite.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Crescent-shaped crimson discs.
Blades that resembled a red moon spun ferociously around the young hunter, literally grinding the approaching monsters to dust.
“Hmm.”
Wi Tae-woong narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the monitor.
The young hunter ground down the approaching monsters with the crescent-shaped crimson discs while continuously swinging his axe, striking down upon the Mudflats Lord’s back.
Wi Tae-woong shot up from his seat.
“You’ve got your gear ready, right?”
“Of course.”
“Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“There.”
Wi Tae-woong grabbed his plate carrier and gestured toward the monitor with a jerk of his chin.
“You said you only have one life.”
“Talent recruitment is all about timing.”
Wi Tae-woong quickened his pace.

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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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