The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 60

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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 60
“Now then, tell me how you plan to get us out of here. I’m all ears.”
“I’d prefer if you didn’t ask such things, sir.”
A shallow trick.
I wasn’t naive enough to fall for something so obvious.
“If I reveal the method to you, sir, you’ll simply recruit other Hunters, won’t you?”
“Does this Wang Yong-sik strike you as someone without honor?”
“It’s not that I distrust you, sir—it’s that I don’t trust human desire. You’d want nothing more than to escape and savor your freedom immediately.”
“Hah!”
Wang Yong-sik laughed.
“A wise answer to a foolish question. Tsk tsk.”
“I can’t reveal my hand the moment we begin negotiations.”
“I’ve underestimated you. My apologies. I’ll give you a ten percent discount on the merchandise.”
“Thank you.”
Yes, that was better.
At least Wang Yong-sik wasn’t a difficult person to do business with.
Even before I’d come back in time, I’d dealt with him several times, and I remembered his work being clean and his discretion impeccable.
He’d occasionally shaved prices off deals like this one too.
“Two years, then. It’s nothing I can’t wait for. Until those two years have passed, I’ll keep my eyes and ears shut and stay quiet.”
“Wise of you, sir.”
“Yes, as you said, this is a transaction.”
Wang Yong-sik poured whiskey into an ice-filled rocks glass with a parched sound, then drained it in one gulp.
“Grandfather, I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation.”
A girl who appeared to be around ten years old approached hesitantly, seeking permission.
Her gait was awkward and unsteady, suggesting something was wrong.
Wang Hyo-eun.
Wang Yong-sik’s granddaughter.
She’d entered Yongpal Trading Company around age ten, and her physical growth had stopped there—but she was a full-fledged adult nonetheless.
Her illness was cancer.
A malignant brain tumor, specifically a brainstem tumor, if I recalled correctly.
“An appointment was just booked urgently. What should I do?”
“How long until they arrive?”
“They’ll be here in an hour.”
“Our guest will be leaving soon, so don’t worry and just tell the next visitor to come.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“Come here and say hello.”
Wang Yong-sik introduced me to Wang Hyo-eun.
“This person will liberate you from this place.”
“Liberate me…?”
“They know how to cure your illness.”
Wang Hyo-eun’s eyes flickered for just a moment—the briefest of instants.
But even that passed quickly.
“Hello, I’m Wang Hyo-eun.”
Each word was measured and precise.
Her voice carried a composure that seemed incongruous with the appearance of a girl barely ten years old.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes, I do as well.”
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
Wang Hyo-eun departed without so much as a backward glance.
“…Please understand.”
Wang Yong-sik apologized to me in a bitter tone.
“She despises harboring false hope. It’s all the fault of this inadequate old man.”
“I understand.”
How could I not?
Wang Yong-sik had exhausted every avenue trying to cure Wang Hyo-eun, yet all had failed.
No Hunter, no elixir had been able to heal her.
In such circumstances, hope itself would have become nothing but deeper despair and suffering for her….
But I know.
I know how to cure an incurable disease.
With just the right item from within a specific Gate, no living creature—human or otherwise—would ever die from illness.
Natural death from aging might be inevitable, but not disease.
* * *
It didn’t take long for the equipment I’d requested to be prepared.
“Chairman, the items are ready.”
One of Wang Yong-sik’s subordinates approached and reported.
“Follow me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Following Wang Yong-sik deeper into the jungle, I found wooden crates and containers stacked in mountainous heaps.
The Yongpal Trading Company’s logistics warehouse.
Thanks to its unique spatial properties, Yongpal Trading Company possessed the advantage of being able to preserve any item permanently.
Food never spoiled, metal never rusted, and living creatures never aged, fell ill, or died.
Before this warehouse stood the equipment I had requested.
An etherium battery bike coated with stealth paint, a compact EMP device, drones, ammunition, machine guns, grenades, anti-tank rockets, claymores, and more.
“One would think you were marching off to war.”
“To wage war, one must have at least this much military equipment.”
“….”
Wang Yong-sik’s expression hardened.
It was clear he was deliberating whether he should hand over the items.
From his perspective, any complications would disrupt business operations, and if I were to die, he’d suffer nothing but losses.
“Brother, there’s quite a lot of equipment here.”
With my sleeves rolled up, I spoke with a note of difficulty as I carried items alongside Wang Yong-sik’s subordinates.
Right, that makes sense.
A one-ton truck wouldn’t cut it, and even a three-ton truck would be insufficient.
“My car’s trunk….”
“It’s fine.”
I pulled several blank cards from my deck.
Whoosh!
The cards flew out and absorbed the equipment Wang Yong-sik had prepared.
[You have acquired a Motorcycle.]
[You have acquired a Small EMP Generator.]
[You have acquired Ammunition.]
…
[You have acquired Grenades.]
The cards returned and settled back into my deck.
“That should do it, right?”
“….”
Two Hyun’s jaw dropped.
“That’s quite a remarkable ability.”
“Well, yes. I suppose so.”
“What exactly are you?”
“There’s no need to ask. You’ll figure it out eventually anyway.”
“Hmph.”
Wang Yong-sik clicked his tongue as if tired.
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
“Be careful out there. Don’t get yourself killed.”
“Yes, I’ll see you again soon.”
After leaving Yongpal Trading Company and exiting Electronics Land.
“Phew. I really thought I was going to die.”
“Don’t worry about it. They’re not bad people.”
“Really…?”
“In the end, it’s just another way to survive. A means of postponing death.”
“I don’t fully understand, but if you say so, I’ll take your word for it.”
“Good, that’s the right attitude.”
Just as Two Hyun was starting the car.
Vrooom!
A jet-black full-size SUV passed directly in front of us and came to a stop at the entrance of Electronics Land.
It was a Cadillac Escalade—a model that’s become difficult to find these days—and if my memory serves, the Hunter who drives one is….
‘Wi Tae-woong.’
Sure enough, Wi Tae-woong and Lee Hyun stepped out of the Escalade.
‘So the customer with the urgent appointment was Wi Tae-woong.’
I recalled the conversation between Wang Yong-sik and Wang Hyo-eun.
I couldn’t trust them.
The black market inside Electronics Land wasn’t limited to just Yongpal Trading Company.
“Let me take you home….”
That’s when it happened.
Bang, crack!
Bullets came flying.
“Get down!”
I urgently pressed down on Lee Hyun’s head and lowered my posture.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullets kept coming, yet the car wasn’t hit even once.
I lifted my head slightly and saw that the bullets had struck about a meter in front of the car.
“Start the engine and back up the car.”
“Huh?”
“I mean get out of here—don’t worry, just back the car up.”
“Oh, yes.”
Lee Hyun crouched as low as possible, started the engine, and stepped on the accelerator.
Vroom, screech, vroooom!
The car rapidly reversed, then circled away from Electronics Land.
“Huff, huff….”
Lee Hyun’s frightened heart hadn’t settled, so he breathed heavily.
“What a temperament.”
I wasn’t in a good mood either, so nothing pleasant came from my lips.
Firing warning shots without even knowing who was inside the car.
This guy had no sense of restraint—his actions were reckless beyond measure.
‘I’ll have to settle this debt.’
Since I couldn’t maintain good relations with Wi Tae-woong because of Lee Hyun anyway, I postponed the reckoning for another day.
For now, I wasn’t strong enough to settle accounts with the Abyss Clan.
“Where should I take you, sir?”
“Bucheon.”
“Huh?”
“Drop me off near Sosa Station.”
“But Bucheon is….”
“Just drop me off and go. Don’t worry about it.”
“Understood.”
Lee Hyun drove the car toward Bucheon.
* * *
Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.
A city connecting Seoul and Incheon, boasting a considerable population as part of the metropolitan area.
With relatively cheaper housing compared to Seoul and convenient commuting to Seoul, it was a place where many young people lived.
However, in this era, Bucheon had become a region people actively avoided, and its population was declining day by day.
The decisive cause was, unsurprisingly, a large-scale Gate incident.
About ten years ago.
Three massive Gate incidents occurred in rapid succession, and more than half of Bucheon’s infrastructure was obliterated.
As a result, Bucheon had gradually transformed into a ghost city as its population dwindled, and criminal organizations filled the void, turning it into a lawless zone with each passing day.
“We’ve arrived, sir.”
“Good work. I’m clocking out for the day, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“No, sir. I’ll wait nearby, so please contact me when you’re done with your business.”
“There’s no need. Just head home.”
“Come on, it’s still broad daylight—I can’t leave work this early. I’ll wait here. Have a good time out there.”
Doo-hyun was stubborn enough to insist, so I relented and stepped out of the car.
“What a mess.”
The words escaped my lips the moment I got out.
The now-closed Line 1 Sosa Station was sealed shut with iron bars, and most of the buildings surrounding it were crumbling.
The few intact buildings were invariably plastered with signs for entertainment establishments—karaoke bars, hostess clubs, talk bars, kiss rooms.
The people walking the streets looked equally suspicious.
Drug addicts, the mentally unstable, thugs covered in tattoos from head to toe—the list went on.
It made sense that this area competed for the top spot among the most dangerous neighborhoods in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Of course, this was just another common sight in this era, but still…
‘Time to look around.’
I walked along the street, observing my surroundings.
Because the infrastructure had collapsed long ago, the CCTVs the government had installed throughout the streets appeared to have stopped functioning ages ago.
Many of them had their lenses deliberately smashed.
‘Makes sense. Plenty of people would find working cameras inconvenient.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly and called Choi Yu-ra.
It was time to keep my promise, and she seemed anxious enough that I thought I’d broach the subject.
– Yeah.
A terse reply.
She seemed pretty irritated.
And it had only been a day…
“Where are you?”
– Why do you ask?
“I wanted to keep my promise. I thought we could meet and talk.”
– You don’t need to keep that promise anymore.
“Suddenly?”
– I figured it out now. Who killed my brother.
I doubted my ears at those words.
“You found out who the culprit is?”
– Yeah.
“How?”
– I heard about it.
“From whom?”
– Does it matter if I tell you?
“Don’t tell me you heard it from Jung Mu-jin.”
A brief silence fell between us.
– How did you know that?
Through the receiver came a voice tinged with utter bewilderment.

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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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