The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 87

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

#Episode 87
It took less than thirty minutes for a video posted on one South Korean community to spread across multiple platforms.
[Warning: Graphic Content] Live Update: Bucheon Station Hunter Activity.avi (4,321)
The post was an edited clip from the Broadcast Spirit’s livestream, barely thirty seconds long.
But those thirty seconds shook the entire nation.
The video’s content was simple.
Immediately after the flash grenade detonated.
Whoosh, slash, thud, whoosh!
A hunter moved like lightning between the Broadcast Spirits, wielding a crimson machete with devastating precision.
Flick!
The moment he shook blood and brain matter from the blade.
Thud!
The Broadcast Spirits collapsed simultaneously.
The video’s climax was the hunter destroying the smartphone of the Broadcast Spirit who had taken donations before ending their own life.
The camera angle shot upward from below.
A handsome face.
An indifferent, cold gaze.
And a merciless stomp.
Crackle, crackle, crackle….
The video ended with the black and white static that erupted when the broadcast cut off.
The video looked like a scene from a film.
It was worlds apart from amateur cinematography.
The video was real.
It was a clip taken directly from the Broadcast Spirit’s livestream.
The response was explosive.
[Comment] So handsome lol
[Comment] Who is this guy in the video?
└ [Comment] It’s Cha Eun-sung
└ [Comment] Cha Eun-sung
└ [Comment] Cha Eun-sung was trending once during the Technomart incident
[Comment] This video is insane;;;
[Comment] Incredible…
The video of Eun-sung fighting the Broadcast Spirits spread like wildfire across multiple social media platforms—Instagram, Thread, Twitter, Facebook, and more.
[Verified] I was with Hunter Cha Eun-sung (33,122)
Let me verify first.
I’m an Awakened One, and I was in the same class as Hunter Cha Eun-sung at the Special Armed Forces Training Institute.
We escaped together during the Jebu Island incident, and he was truly incredible.
If it weren’t for Hunter Cha Eun-sung, I would have died there.
(omitted)
The Jebu Island incident was two weeks ago, and he’s already at the Bucheon Station Gate;;;
I think being a rider like Eunseong Hunter has become an achievement in my life hahaha…
As people who had escaped Jebu Island with Eun-sung began posting one by one, the buzz grew even larger.
Cha Eun-sung.
It took less than a few hours for that three-character name and face to become known.
Given the circumstances, it was only natural that Eun-sung’s family would find out.
“…What is this.”
Cha Eun-ha frowned as she stared at her phone.
The entire world seemed to be talking about nothing but her brother, Cha Eun-sung.
Handsome, cool, strong—and on and on.
“Ugh.”
Cha Eun-ha set her phone down in disgust.
Being around him every day, watching the public shower him with praise gave her goosebumps.
“This is ridiculous.”
She couldn’t accept it.
Handsome? Please.
Her brother was taciturn, irritating, and despite all that, he put on an act of being obedient and well-behaved in front of their parents.
“I wonder if they’d still feel that way if they knew the real Cha Eun-sung. Hmph.”
Her irritation was short-lived.
“Why does he keep doing these dangerous things.”
Cha Eun-ha’s expression hardened.
“…So recklessly.”
Then.
Buzz!
A call came in from an unknown number.
“Hello?”
– Yes, hello. Is this Cha Eun-ha?
“Yes, but who is this?”
– I’m Kim Mi-kyung, Director of Triangle Entertainment.
“Triangle Entertainment?”
Cha Eun-ha was startled.
Triangle Entertainment was one of the top five entertainment companies in South Korea.
– Yes, I’m calling because I saw Hunter Cha Eun-sung’s video.
“Yes…?”
How many hours had it even been?
How did they even get her contact information….
– We couldn’t find Hunter Cha Eun-sung’s personal number, so we had no choice but to contact your family.
“So…?”
– We’d like to meet with Hunter Cha Eun-sung briefly and discuss some business opportunities. Could you share his contact information with us?
“Well, I’ll mention it to my brother. Oh, and if you’re going to call like this, please send a text first.”
Click.
Cha Eun-ha hung up the phone.
“What entertainment? Hunters aren’t celebrities. Hmph.”
Though she said it that way, Cha Eun-ha knew reality was different.
It was a natural era where Hunters appeared on broadcasts, released music, and became leads in films and dramas.
Skill equaled buzz, and buzz became money.
Especially for Hunters blessed with good looks.
Buzz!
Another call came from an unknown number.
– Hello, this is Alirish Entertainment…
Click.
Buzz, buzz buzz.
The moment she hung up, another call came from a different number.
Again, an unknown number.
“Ugh.”
Cha Eun-ha’s face twisted in disgust as she switched her phone to silent mode.
43 missed calls
157 unread messages
Missed calls and messages continued to pile up on her silent phone screen.
“…I hope nothing’s wrong.”
A worried murmur escaped Cha Eun-ha’s lips.
* * *
Meanwhile, Minister An was being shuttled around to emergency standing committee meetings and urgent briefings at the National Assembly because of the Golden Sun Gate, living days without a moment’s rest.
As a minister responsible for a nation’s defense, Minister An was the busiest civil servant in South Korea.
…Even busier than the President.
“Sigh.”
Tap. Minister An, seated in his car, loosened his necktie and let out a deep sigh.
“Damn bastards. All they do with those badges is factional squabbling and lining their own pockets.”
Minister An ground his teeth, recalling the urgent briefing from moments before.
Opposition and ruling party members alike tore into Minister An as if they’d coordinated it.
Yet whenever unfavorable information emerged, they split along party lines and scrambled to shift blame.
Former party leaders and senior members from each party had been arrested on-site trying to purchase sexual slaves at Golden Sun, yet not a single legislator showed any sign of remorse—they were all too busy cutting off their tails.
– Aren’t you a former party leader! And you dare speak?! How does a senior party member buying human trafficking victims even make sense?!
– The trial hasn’t even started! We’re still in the investigation phase at the police level—don’t you know the presumption of innocence?!
– Are you finished talking?!
– What? You? Did you just say “you”?!
In an instant, the chamber descended into chaos, and the briefing ended in disaster.
“Um, Minister.”
Lim Lieutenant Colonel spoke carefully.
“What now.”
“Sir?”
“Is that bastard Cha Eun-sung trying to bring up some accident he caused?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Thank goodness.”
Minister An wiped his chest in relief.
No matter how capable Minister An was, even his patriotism had its limits in the face of such murderous workload.
His head was already spinning with complications—if Eun-sung caused a major incident on top of this….
‘Maybe I should just quit everything and move to some quiet countryside to farm.’
Wake up at dawn and inspect the fields.
At lunch, have a bowl of makgeolli with noodles as a snack.
In the evening, grill pork belly and wrap it in fresh lettuce I grew myself.
Not a bad retirement at all.
Of course, even dreaming of such a retirement had become a luxury in this world.
“He’s just… become famous.”
“Who? That bastard?”
“Yes.”
“Did he go around flaunting that handsome face of his somewhere?”
“Something like that.”
“…?”
“It would be faster if you saw it yourself.”
Lim Captain handed his phone to Minister An.
After a brief moment passed.
Minister An silently rummaged through his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.
“I went to such lengths to keep him out of the spotlight. Sigh.”
“Sir, Minister….”
“Lim Lieutenant Colonel.”
“Yes.”
“Do you know how to farm?”
Minister An’s question was filled with genuine sincerity.
* * *
I didn’t push the greenhorns too hard.
“You all did well.”
“…!”
Everyone flinched in surprise.
They had expected harsh criticism, but instead received something entirely different.
“But we failed. If you hadn’t been there, we would’ve all died….”
Ra Si-hyun spoke in a dejected voice.
“No.”
I shook my head.
“You’re all 2-star hunters. For 2-star hunters to perform that well in a 4-star Gate—that’s excellent.”
“But….”
“A variable emerged. The difficulty simply increased because viewers flocked to the Broadcast Spirits’ streams, not because of anything you did. Stop blaming yourself.”
At Eun-sung’s words, Ra Si-hyun’s face brightened, along with Kim Doo-hyun, Kim Seung-hye, and Oh Tae-kwon.
“We’ll debrief, distribute the loot, and keep moving. First, Si-hyun, you position yourself safely no matter what. Doo-hyun, take the shotgun and protect Si-hyun. Tae-kwon, just keep doing what you’ve been doing….”
Eun-sung turned to look at Kim Seung-hye.
“You were the best, Seung-hye. A Guardian has to throw their body forward first. That’s what being a Guardian means.”
“Th-thank you.”
“You’re fearless. Even for a Guardian, that’s harder than it looks. You did well.”
“I’ll throw myself forward even harder next time!”
Kim Seung-hye clenched both fists and answered with determination.
“Good. Everyone, remember this. Inside a Gate, it’s always about teamwork. The important thing is recognizing what each person can and can’t do, then executing your assigned role. Now that I think about it, this actually worked out well.”
“What do you mean?”
Ra Si-hyun asked.
“You just experienced it. A situation where things go wrong and your lives are in danger.”
“That’s true.”
“Since you’ve experienced it, you’ll understand now. You need to prepare Plan B in advance. Depending on the situation, even Plan C, D, and beyond.”
“Ah!”
The novices exclaimed in unison.
“That’s why higher-level Hunters belong to fixed Raid Parties. The longer people have worked together, the better their teamwork, and predetermined movements come naturally depending on the situation.”
Nod, nod!
The novices nodded their heads.
‘They’re adorable.’
Eun-sung found himself chuckling without realizing it.
“Then, while we’re regrouping, let me distribute the loot first.”
Whoooosh!
As Eun-sung touched the deck at his waist, pure white ferrets emerged from the [Acquisition] card and scurried about, collecting every last piece of Ethereium scattered on the ground.
‘Huh?’
Ra Si-hyun blinked her eyes.
At first glance, it looked as though multiple white tails spread out behind Eun-sung.
Like a nine-tailed fox.
“Pfft.”
Ra Si-hyun laughed without meaning to.
She had unconsciously imagined white fox ears suddenly popping out from Eun-sung’s head.
“What? Why are you suddenly laughing?”
“Oh, no. It’s nothing….”
When Eun-sung furrowed his brow, Ra Si-hyun hurriedly waved her hands in denial.
“Disappointing.”
Eun-sung shook his head and laid out hundreds of pieces of Ethereium in the air in a neat line.
“Creative economics at its finest.”
Eun-sung spoke with a cold smile.
The Broadcast Spirits had dropped a substantial amount of Ethereium as a matter of course.
That was why Bucheon Station Gate had earned the nickname “rice mill.”
However, the more sponsorships a Broadcast Spirit received, the more Etherium it dropped.
The donations viewers spent on the broadcast were converted into Etherium, which then flowed into the pockets of the Hunters who captured the Broadcast Spirits.
“Hmm.”
My gaze swept across the Etherium crystals floating in the air.
There seemed to be at least 300 of them, but most were 1 or 2-star grade, so they didn’t amount to an astronomical sum.
Still, it was undeniable that the number of Etherium dropped per creature far exceeded that of other Gates.
‘As expected.’
True to form for someone who hunted Broadcast Spirits, roughly half of all the Etherium shimmered with the luster of Gold Etherium.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a soft light emanated from the Deck at my waist, and the [Luck] card rose gently into the air.
That wasn’t all.
The coldly serene Violet Etherium crystals flowed out from my inventory.
Most of them had been obtained by raiding the Nine-Tail Crew’s vault.
Whoooooosh!
The Gold Etherium and Violet Etherium orbited around the [Luck] card.
Ding!
A notification window appeared before my eyes.
Strengthen the [Luck] card?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————