The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 58

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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 58
The next morning.
I woke up late, had lunch, and then called Doo-hyun.
– Yes, hyung.
“Where are you?”
– I’m at a café near your place right now, hyung.
“What are you doing there? Making deliveries?”
– I quit that job yesterday. I’ve been waiting for your call, hyung.
“Waiting for my call?”
– Well, I’m your manager now, so I need to be on standby 24/7.
This guy, I tell you.
The more I see him, the more I like him.
“Alright then, let’s go somewhere together in an hour.”
– Yes, hyung. I’ll be waiting.
“Good. If you haven’t eaten breakfast, grab something to eat.”
– Yes, understood.
Thirty minutes later.
“Head out and wander around for a bit, then disappear.”
“Understood, Master.”
I sent Helkiyan out of the house first, waited a moment, then slipped away myself.
The reason I was moving so cautiously was obvious—the Defense Strategy Department would certainly be monitoring me around the clock.
Judging by how they tried to extract me first from Jebu Island, they clearly regarded me as a strategic asset of great importance. I appreciated it, but it was becoming a nuisance in every way.
Beyond simple protection, they likely aimed to prevent and monitor any contact I might have with hostile forces or foreign nations.
“You’ve arrived, hyung.”
Doo-hyun was waiting for me beside the BMW SUV I’d gifted him previously.
“Hyung, have you had any coffee?”
“No, not yet.”
“Here, have a cup.”
Doo-hyun handed me a takeout coffee he’d prepared in advance.
“Th-thanks.”
“Where shall I take you?”
“Yongsan.”
“Yongsan? Oh…”
Doo-hyun flinched in surprise.
It seemed Doo-hyun knew what kind of place Yongsan was.
Of course, anyone with interest in this field would have to know.
“A-are you sure about this, hyung?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
“If you say so, hyung… then I’ll take you there.”
Doo-hyun smoothly pressed down on the accelerator.
* * *
Yongsan Electronics Market.
Once the epicenter of South Korea’s retail and wholesale electronics and IT equipment trade.
Yet the Yongsan Electronics Market had gradually fallen into decline as online distribution flourished and redevelopment projects accelerated throughout Yongsan, and after being swept up in the Transition Catastrophe, it had become an eyesore that no one visited anymore.
Crumbling buildings on the verge of collapse, and shopping complexes that had already crumbled entirely.
Severed power lines hung like spider webs, and beyond the shattered display windows, various electronic devices now reduced to scrap metal lay abandoned.
Crackle, crackle…
Whether from the murky static emanating from somewhere, the atmosphere grew increasingly eerie and desolate.
Screech, screeeeech!
The creaking of signboards whenever the wind blew grated on the nerves.
– Crackle… people… s-save… crackle crackle…,
Faint cries of lamentation drifted from an old radio abandoned in the shopping district.
“H-hey, hyung. Is this really okay?”
Doo-hyun glanced nervously around, his expression betraying his anxiety.
So tense was he that his constant fiddling with the SCAR rifle in his hands made me worry an accidental discharge might occur.
“It’s fine, so stop fiddling with the gun. You’re making me nervous.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“If anything happens, I’ll protect you. Relax. We’re not going to fight.”
“Understood.”
The reason Doo-hyun was so tense was that the Yongsan Electronics Market area had its spacetime distorted by the Transition Catastrophe.
Because of this, there were many rumors about the Yongsan Electronics Market.
Tales of how you’d become hopelessly lost if you wandered in carelessly, or how monsters still swarmed the place.
Half of it was true, half was false.
The spacetime distortion was real, but there were no monsters.
Dangerous humans, perhaps, but not monsters.
The moment I stepped into the building once called Electronics Land, I lost my way.
I wandered for about ten minutes.
“Hmm. It seems finding a path here is truly impossible.”
At my muttering, Doo-hyun’s pupils trembled.
The kid was getting spooked…
Deciding this wouldn’t work, I pulled out the [Search] card and summoned Lumos.
“You called for me, Young Master.”
“Gasp!”
Doo-hyun jumped in surprise, but neither I nor Lumos paid it any mind.
“Find us a path.”
“Where shall I guide you, sir?”
“Yongpal Trading Company. Room 404 on the fourth floor.”
“I shall guide you there.”
Lumos led the way forward, lantern in hand, finding a path through the darkness.
“Huh?”
Doo-hyun’s lips parted slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
“Why?”
“I thought I saw someone around that corner just now… I’m wondering if I was mistaken.”
“You weren’t mistaken.”
“There are people here? Besides us?”
“Plenty. There must be dozens of them right now.”
“But…”
“This place isn’t what you think it is.”
“Pardon?”
“You’ll understand once we get there.”
I flashed Doo-hyun a knowing smile before continuing forward.
* * *
“…How is it possible that we lost him?”
Minister An’s brow furrowed as he received the report.
“I… I apologize.”
Lim Captain bowed his head, utterly mortified.
“We assigned six agents to him. How could we possibly lose him?”
“He entered the subway and disappeared into the crowd…”
“Over something so trivial?”
Anger flashed across Minister An’s face.
The agents assigned to Cha Eun-sung by the Defense Strategy Department were no ordinary operatives.
All of them were three-star Hunters with professional training in surveillance, tailing, VIP protection, and even assassination operations.
For such individuals to lose their target simply because of a crowded subway was utterly unacceptable.
They had been trained specifically to maintain surveillance, protection, and even carry out assassination missions under such circumstances…
“According to the field agents’ assessment, it appeared to be some kind of disruption ability.”
“A disruption ability?”
“We reviewed the CCTV footage as well. He did blend into the crowd, but there was nowhere he could have disappeared to.”
“Hmm. So he used an ability.”
“That’s highly likely.”
“If that’s the case, it’s understandable…but did Cha Eun-sung have such an ability?”
“There have been no reports of it so far. However…”
“However?”
“We’ve gathered some rather intriguing testimonies from those who returned alive from Jebu Island.”
Lim Captain handed a file folder to Minister An.
“Healing ability…and summoning? And he even defeated Lieutenant Kim in a one-on-one fight?”
“It’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth. All the testimonies corroborate each other.”
“And on top of that, the Mudflats Lord? Unbelievable!”
Minister An was left utterly speechless.
“When did he awaken…about two months ago?”
“It’s been about a month and a half.”
“What’s the probability he was an unregistered Awakened?”
“None.”
Lim Captain spoke with absolute certainty.
“Based on the testimonies from the dimensional rift incident that occurred near Cha Eun-sung’s residence, it’s confirmed he awakened at that time.”
“This guy is completely insane.”
The phrasing was crude, but it was high praise.
Merely a month and a half.
That was the time it took for Cha Eun-sung to reach 4-star rank after awakening.
Such abnormal growth speed was rare enough in South Korea’s history to count on one hand, so Minister An’s description of Cha Eun-sung as insane was hardly unreasonable.
“Effective immediately, organize a dedicated QRF unit for him and ensure they can be deployed instantly if anything happens.”
QRF.
Quick Reaction Force.
In Korean, a direct translation would be rapid response unit.
It referred to personnel maintained on 24-hour standby, ready to deploy at any moment during emergencies.
“And thoroughly block any contact attempts from agents of other nations. Prevent even the attempt itself at the source. Especially—pay particular attention to China.”
China’s talent drain was not limited to technology alone.
South Korea had already lost several exceptional Hunters to China, and the damage inflicted had been severe more than once.
“Wi Tae-woong… keep close watch on the Abyss Clan as well. They’re probably already drooling and digging up every scrap of his personal information.”
“Yes, Minister.”
Lim Captain accepted the Minister’s orders with a stern expression, noting them down.
* * *
Indeed, the pathfinding ability of Lumos, the card spirit of the [Search] card, exceeded imagination.
The interior of the Electronics Land building had its spacetime warped and twisted, making it nearly certain to get lost without knowing the correct path.
In fact, scattered throughout the corridors were skeletal remains of people who had starved to death while wandering lost.
But Lumos was different.
He found the way with uncanny precision, never once straying, and guided us to our destination.
“Here it is, Young Master.”
Lumos pointed to a shabby office.
On a worn sign with faded neon lights was written [Yongpal Trading Company].
Meanwhile, the ‘ㅏ’ in the character ‘sa’ had fallen halfway and was hanging around.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Not at all. Please call upon me whenever you have need. Then, I shall take my leave.”
Lumos vanished with a soft whisper.
Doo-hyun was clearly curious about Lumos’s true nature, yet he wisely held his tongue.
Good.
The more I see, the more I like him.
“Sling your rifle on your back.”
“Yes, hyung.”
Doo-hyun slung his rifle across his back as I instructed.
“Convenient—there are no customers. We don’t need to wait.”
“Huh?”
“The sign’s lights are on.”
“….”
Doo-hyun’s expression made it clear he couldn’t comprehend what I was saying.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, hyung.”
The door creaked open, and an entirely different world unfolded before us.
From the outside, it looked like a junk shop crammed with outdated camcorders and laptops, but stepping through the threshold revealed a jungle that evoked the feeling of an East African resort.
It was pleasantly warm without being oppressive, not humid in the slightest, and a refreshing breeze drifted through the air.
“Wh-what, hyung?”
“Yeah.”
“Where is this place?”
“Yongpal Trading Company.”
“I… what?”
“Didn’t you see what was written on the sign earlier? This is Yongpal Trading Company.”
“What exactly does Yongpal Trading Company do….”
“A black market.”
“What?”
“Literally. A shop that deals in all manner of illegal goods through illegal means, you could say?”
“Gasp.”
Doo-hyun’s eyes widened in shock.
He clearly hadn’t imagined that a black market could exist within the Yongsan Electronics Market, notorious for its sinister urban legends.
“But why are we….”
“Why do you think?”
“Ha ha, ha ha….”
When I turned the question back on him, Doo-hyun laughed awkwardly and wiped cold sweat from his brow.
It seemed to stem from anxiety about becoming entangled in crime, though I couldn’t fathom why he’d worry about such a thing.
He’d understand soon enough.
Once you’re involved with Hunters, crossing the line between legality and illegality becomes the norm.
“Hyung, forgive my presumption, but is it really safe to come to a place like this….”
Doo-hyun’s words never finished.
“Drop the gun!”
“Hands up!”
Armed soldiers bristling with heavy weapons burst from the dense jungle, their gun barrels trained directly on us.
“…It doesn’t seem safe at all, actually.”
Doo-hyun slowly raised his hands, his face contorting into a grimace.
“It’s fine, so smile.”
“Y-yes…?”
“They can’t shoot a smiling face.”
A grin spread across my face.
I smiled.
“Haha, hahaha.”
Du-hyeon forced a laugh, following my lead.
It was a peculiar expression—neither quite laughter nor tears.

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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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