The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 73

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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 73
“Why did you kill her?”
A low voice spilled from Choi Yu-ra’s lips.
“Who knows.”
Jung Mu-jin offered an ambiguous answer.
“That’s your answer? You bastard?”
“You wouldn’t want to hear it anyway.”
“That’s for me to decide!”
Whoosh!
Crack!
Choi Yu-ra’s chain whipped down against the ground.
The parking lot floor tore open in jagged lines, debris scattering in all directions.
“You really sure about that?”
“I told you to speak.”
“Jealousy.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I fell for my best friend’s young girlfriend.”
“What…?”
Choi Yu-ra’s eyes wavered.
“So I killed her. She annoyed me.”
He spoke matter-of-factly.
As if he felt not a shred of guilt.
“Besides, I was going to kill her anyway. She played Recka a few times to make some money, then got cold feet and wanted to turn herself in. Pathetic bastard. Heh!”
Jung Mu-jin chuckled as if amused by the memory.
“…”
Choi Yu-ra opened her mouth to speak, then closed it.
No words came.
As if her mind had emptied entirely.
In that void, memories of Jung Mu-jin surfaced.
‘Forget about it now. She’s dead anyway.’
‘If it gets hard, reach out. I’ll come running anytime.’
‘Forget about revenge. They’re the Incheon Alliance. Yu-ra, I don’t want to lose you too.’
Comfort, advice, concern.
His words flashed past like a panorama.
“…Ah.”
A deep sigh escaped Choi Yu-ra’s lips as understanding finally dawned.
“I told you. That you wouldn’t want to hear it.”
“…”
Though she didn’t answer, Choi Yu-ra found herself in complete agreement with Jung Mu-jin’s words.
She should never have listened.
Anger and hatred?
Or perhaps a thirst for revenge?
No—right now, self-loathing consumed me far more than any of those emotions.
‘Jung Mu-jin, I’m really struggling. I feel like I’m going to lose my mind.’
‘How am I supposed to keep living?’
Shiver.
Choi Yu-ra trembled as she recalled how she had once depended on Jung Mu-jin.
In truth, it wasn’t Choi Yu-ra’s fault.
Jung Mu-jin had been her boyfriend’s closest friend, making him the ideal person to lean on during difficult times.
And yet that same Jung Mu-jin turned out to be the culprit all along, committing all manner of filthy deeds with the Nine-Tail Crew….
Grit.
Choi Yu-ra clenched her teeth.
Whoosh!
Red ether surged forth.
Screech!
The blades attached to the chain grew even sharper.
Grrrrrr….
Choi Yu-ra advanced toward Jung Mu-jin, the chain dragging behind her.
“I’m making you a promise.”
“A promise…?”
“I’ll kill you in the most agonizing way possible in this world.”
Shrieeeeeek!
The chain adorned with blades flew toward Jung Mu-jin.
* * *
“If I’d known it would come to this, I should have asked her to take me with her!”
Meanwhile, Oh Tae-kwon bitterly regretted his decision.
Ten minutes earlier.
‘Why aren’t you wearing a harness?’
Choi Yu-ra had asked Oh Tae-kwon as she prepared to use the rappel.
‘I, I don’t know how to use one.’
‘Oh right, you’re a greenhorn. Chirp chirp.’
Choi Yu-ra remembered that Oh Tae-kwon was a trainee at the Special Armed Forces Training Institute and smirked.
‘….’
Oh Tae-kwon’s pride was wounded, but he couldn’t bring himself to snap at Choi Yu-ra.
He’d already heard plenty about how temperamental Bloody Mary was as a hunter.
‘I guess I have no choice. I’ll take the kid and go with her. Sigh.’
‘I, I’m fine, really.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Please go down first. I’ll follow using the stairs.’
‘That makes no sense. A mere 2-star trying to descend the stairs alone? Wake up. You’ll get yourself killed doing that.’
‘Don’t raise your voice like that.’
‘I-I’m sorry. But I’m really fine. I can handle myself, even like this.’
‘Heh.’
‘Go on then. I don’t know who you’re chasing, but it would be a problem if you missed them, wouldn’t it?’
‘True? Hmm.’
Choi Yu-ra deliberated for a moment, then climbed onto the railing.
‘Alright then. I’ll head out first. Don’t get yourself killed.’
‘Yes! See you later!’
And now.
“Grab that bastard!”
“Kill him!”
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Aaaahhh!”
Oh Tae-kwon was being chased by roughly a dozen Nine-Tail Crew members.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Click!
The gunfire stopped.
A round seemed to have jammed in the chamber.
“D-Damn it! Damn it, damn it!”
Oh Tae-kwon’s eyes wavered.
But only for a moment.
“T-Tap rack bang, tap rack bang…”
Oh Tae-kwon muttered like a man possessed.
He was recalling the malfunction clearance procedure he’d learned from Instructor Sang-eung and Eun-sung.
Tap!
With trembling hands, Oh Tae-kwon struck the bottom of the magazine hard with his palm.
Rack!
He racked the charging handle.
“You damn rat!”
The moment one of the Nine-Tail Crew members spotted Oh Tae-kwon and raised his gun.
Bang!
Oh Tae-kwon’s muzzle flashed.
Splat!
The Nine-Tail Crew member’s head exploded.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart hammered like a madman’s, driven by surging adrenaline.
But there was no time to catch his breath.
“You son of a bitch!”
“There! Shoot!”
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Screeeech!
The Nine-Tail Crew members unleashed a barrage of bullets toward the flower bed where Oh Tae-kwon was taking cover.
“Pin him down!”
“Drive him back!”
The Nine-Tail Crew members began slowly tightening their encirclement.
“Choi Yu-ra told us not to let him die. Tsk….”
Bang bang! Bang bang bang!
Vrrrr!
There were far too many enemies.
I couldn’t even stick my head out to counterattack.
“If I’m going down… I’m not going alone. Hrrgh!”
Oh Tae-kwon gritted his teeth and pulled the safety pin from his last remaining grenade.
If he was going to die, he’d take at least a couple of these bastards with him to the afterlife.
That was when.
Crack!
A gunshot rang out.
Thud!
One Nine-Tail Crew member crumpled to the ground with a soft gasp.
Crack!
Another gunshot, and another Nine-Tail Crew member fell.
“…?”
Oh Tae-kwon’s eyes widened.
“It’s, it’s a sniper!”
“Take cover!”
The Nine-Tail Crew members, realizing the situation, scrambled to hide themselves.
‘What, what is this.’
As the startled Oh Tae-kwon looked around frantically.
Crackle….
Static burst from the earpiece in his ear.
– Look behind you.
Oh Tae-kwon turned around to see Du-hyeon lying prone on the rooftop of the opposite building, waving his hand.
A SCAR H rifle chambered in 7.62mm ammunition shouldered and ready.
– You’re Tae-kwon, right? I’m Du-hyeon, your hyung.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
Another Nine-Tail Crew member fell to Du-hyeon’s shot.
– Answer me, damn it.
“Y, yes of course.”
Oh Tae-kwon pressed the radio button and responded to Du-hyeon’s transmission.
– I’m going to count to three, then run.
“Yes…?”
– Run if you want to live.
“Yes, understood.”
– One, two… three!
“Aaahhh!”
Oh Tae-kwon hurled grenades at the Nine-Tail Crew members and bolted forward.
Boom!
Bang bang! Bang bang bang!
Du-hyeon’s gunfire covered Oh Tae-kwon’s advance.
But it was impossible to completely suppress multiple enemies with just a single rifle.
“Over there!”
“Just spray it!”
Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang bang!
The Nine-Tail Crew members pulled their triggers with guns barely exposed.
Blind fire.
Bodies hidden, they fired without aiming—just thrusting their guns out and spraying bullets.
But even that posed a considerable threat to Oh Tae-kwon.
Whizz, whizz!
Bullets streaked past Oh Tae-kwon’s vicinity.
But that was all.
“Look at these guys.”
Du-hyeon ceased his covering fire and used the laser designator mounted on his rifle to mark the position where the Nine-Tail Crew members were taking cover.
He was directing friendly firepower using an invisible infrared laser.
Whoooosh—!
Rrrrrrrrrrrrrr—!
A Defense Strategy Department helicopter swooped in and unleashed its machine gun on the Nine-Tail Crew members.
The Nine-Tail Crew members were torn to shreds without even a final scream.
“Heh heh. I was a designated marksman during my active service, you know.”
Du-hyeon wore a satisfied smile.
Designated marksman.
The position responsible for medium-range precision shooting within a squad.
This moment proved that his service as a designated marksman had not been in vain.
Crack!
Du-hyeon pulled the trigger.
Thud!
The last surviving Nine-Tail Crew member who had luckily survived collapsed.
“I… I made it…”
Oh Tae-kwon slid down the wall and sat, his back against it.
“Huff, huff…”
Breathing heavily, Oh Tae-kwon slowly raised his hand and gave a thumbs-up toward the opposite building.
“If we make it out of here alive, let’s grab some grilled pork belly and soju, hyung. My treat. Huff, huff.”
– Fresh pork belly or frozen?
“Fresh pork belly, of course.”
– Okay, sounds good.
A smirk played across Oh Tae-kwon’s lips.
* * *
True to his rank as a 5-star Hunter, Gu Tae-il’s combat prowess was formidable.
Despite his stocky frame, short legs, and oversized head, his body was packed with dense, corded muscle.
The destructive force radiating from that compact frame exceeded all imagination.
Whoooosh!
Like a boulder tumbling down a mountainside, Gu Tae-il curled himself into a ball and hurtled toward Eun-sung.
Slash, slash—!
Six blades came screaming at Eun-sung.
Clang, clang!
Crash!
The shockwave from the collision between claw and machete shattered the windows of parked vehicles into a thousand pieces.
“Ugh!”
A groan escaped Eun-sung’s lips.
It was merely a collision, yet his insides felt like they were being torn apart.
Bang, bang, bang!
The Desert Eagle’s muzzle flashed with fire.
It wasn’t meant to land a killing blow, but rather to seize the initiative in the exchange.
But…
Boom—!
The bullets dissipated against a barrier woven from ether.
“You think a 5-star Hunter would fall to mere bullets? Hah!”
Gu Tae-il spoke with smug satisfaction.
“I’ll make you pay for your insolence, you 4-star punk. Consider this your punishment!”
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Curling himself into a ball once more, Gu Tae-il charged at Eun-sung again.
Clang, clang!
Boom!
The exchange continued relentlessly.
“Ugh!”
Eun-sung was pushed back with every clash.
The gap between them was simply too vast.
Despite being separated by only a single rank, the chasm between a 4-star and 5-star Hunter was not something raw skill could bridge.
Gu Tae-il was like a ball of solid iron.
Crack, crack, crack!
One could see the ground shattering to pieces along the path of Gu Tae-il’s rolling assault.
His defensive capabilities were equally overwhelming.
Clang!
Crash!
I swung my machete down at the rolling Gu Tae-il, only to take a body check and go flying backward.
“Ugh!”
I clutched my side, gasping in pain.
During the collision, Gu Tae-il’s claws had pierced deep into my ribs.
“Haaack!”
Air whistled from my mouth, and my breathing grew increasingly labored.
I couldn’t draw breath.
The harder I tried to inhale, the more something churned inside my chest.
Glug, glug!
Scalding liquid surged up from deep within my throat.
Blood.
“Now do you understand? A pretty face doesn’t put food on the table, does it? Hehehehe!”
Gu Tae-il approached me with a sneer.
“Haaack, haaack.”
My breathing grew more and more constricted.
“Ugh!”
Squelch!
I drove my fingers into the wound.
“Argh, arrrrgh!”
Glug, glug, glug…
Blood pooled in my lungs gushed out in torrents.
“Huff, huff.”
My breathing stabilized somewhat.
“Once I kill you, I’ll hunt down your family and slaughter them one by one. As painfully and horrifically as possible…”
Gu Tae-il’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
I said nothing.
Silently, I drew the [West Wind] card from my deck.
Whoooosh!
Healing wind enveloped me.
“Hah! Think that changes anything? You’ll just get beaten down again and grovel like the pathetic bastard you are.”
Gu Tae-il laughed mockingly at me.
“Talkative.”
I smiled coldly and gripped Slaughter’s Joy with all my strength.
Shhhhh!
Dark crimson ether poured from Slaughter’s Joy in torrential streams.
“What… what is this?”
Gu Tae-il flinched in shock.
He never imagined a mere 4-star could pull off ‘that’.
“…Bloom.”
Whoooooosh!
The blade spirit of Slaughter’s Reverie unleashed a crimson flash.

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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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