The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 91

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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 91
Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1.
South Korea’s first metropolitan rapid transit system and first urban railway, opened in 1974.
It didn’t just traverse Seoul—it extended all the way to Incheon, Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province, and Asan in South Chungcheong.
With a total length of 220 kilometers, it was the longest operating line in the metropolitan area.
Yet despite its storied history and symbolic significance, Line 1 bore an infamous reputation.
Frequent train delays.
Countless incidents and accidents.
Breakdowns caused by aging infrastructure.
And the overwhelming stench that followed.
But worse than all these problems were the notorious troublemakers known as [subway villains]—passengers who made life miserable for everyone else.
Homeless people begging for money.
Fanatics promoting and forcing their religions on others.
Drunk passengers.
Street vendors hawking goods inside the trains.
And countless others.
With such a diverse and outrageous array of nuisances, it was no wonder the joke circulated: [Only the strong survive on Line 1].
But it was hardly a laughing matter.
For commuters who rode Line 1 every single day, the discomfort and indignity were unbearable.
“Sigh.”
Eun-sung exhaled heavily and drew Slaughter’s Joy from its sheath.
As if ordinary passengers were the only ones swept up in the gate phenomenon.
The subway villains were no exception.
A middle-aged man with a recorder, a drunk, a homeless person, a decorated veteran in traditional Korean dress.
A cult leader in a crimson coat, a gang member on a motorcycle who’d ridden straight into the train.
And more.
The troublemakers known as [subway villains] glared at Eun-sung.
“…I deserve to die for this.”
Eun-sung acknowledged his mistake and felt genuine remorse deep in his bones.
How could he have let his guard down on Line 1 of all places?
“You disrespectful brat! How dare you look directly at your elder!”
The middle-aged man bellowed and swung his recorder at Eun-sung.
Clang!
The recorder and Slaughter’s Joy collided, producing a dull metallic sound.
‘What?’
Eun-sung was taken aback by the impact transmitted through his grip.
It was unexpectedly strong.
Far stronger than the Broadcast Spirit in the outskirts or the Commuter Ghosts on the platform.
Vrooooom!
The decrepit motorcycle spewed acrid smoke as it accelerated toward Eun-sung.
“…!”
Eun-sung frantically gripped the luggage rack, contorting his body like a gymnast performing on the apparatus.
Unless you experienced it yourself, you could never truly understand how difficult it was to dodge a motorcycle inside such a cramped train car.
But wait, before that.
‘Why in the world is someone riding a motorcycle into the subway….’
It made absolutely no sense.
Hold on.
‘Is that even possible?’
But Eun-sung didn’t know something crucial.
The villain on the motorcycle was a real person, and had once become a hot topic under the moniker [Line 1 Mad Max].
But there was no time to complain.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
A small-framed monster came sprinting across the luggage rack above like a lizard.
Crash!
Whoosh!
“This is the inferno of disbelief! You devil!”
“These young people nowadays have no manners whatsoever!”
In the chaos, ether fired by a pseudo-religious cult leader flew toward Eun-sung, while an instructor in traditional Korean dress wildly swung a cane.
“Ugh.”
Eun-sung was struggling.
Separate from how ridiculous it all was, the monsters were strangely powerful.
‘Why?’
Eun-sung soon realized.
‘Ah.’
I felt it.
The ether flowing through the subway’s interior was pressing down on me.
Conversely, the ether emanating from the monsters was far from ordinary.
‘This is infuriating.’
I had no desire to exert my full strength against these monsters.
But I couldn’t exactly let myself die either.
“I caused trouble in life, and now I’m causing trouble in death.”
The moment Eun-sung began drawing up his ether.
Click!
The opposite door slid open.
Clang, clang.
The metallic sound of footsteps echoed.
‘What now.’
Eun-sung parried the monsters’ attacks while turning to look back.
He would have preferred it to be the Abyss Clan.
At least they weren’t enemies.
For now.
“….”
Those who entered the cabin through the connecting door on the opposite side were….
An elderly man in ornate golden armor, wielding a golden sword.
And a Holy Knight dressed in crusader’s garb, wearing a helmet.
“What in the world is this….”
A place that showed more than whatever one could imagine.
A place where one could never afford a moment of carelessness.
A place where the weak could not survive.
That was Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1.
* * *
At the same moment.
Eun-sung’s companions were hunting diligently around Bucheon Station Outskirts alongside Card’s Faction.
“This is getting too easy, isn’t it?”
“Indeed, sister.”
Oh Tae-kwon nodded in agreement with Kim Seung-hye’s words.
“Well, since Eun-sung is watching over us, we should be doing at least this much.”
Ra Si-hyun absorbed the ethereium as she spoke, as if it were nothing.
Since her teammates were funneling blue ethereium to her, she was growing faster than anyone else.
“Hehe. How much is all this worth?”
Kim Doo-hyun held the ethereium in his hand with delight.
He had been living in the Refugee Camp since the Gate Incident, but with the salary Eun-sung had given him and the ethereium earned today, moving to a decent apartment seemed possible.
Of course, he would still need to rent for now.
“Um, brother.”
“Yeah, what is it?”
“What about inside Bucheon Station?”
Ra Si-hyun asked Eun-sung cautiously, probing for information.
Though it was actually Helkiyan in disguise as Eun-sung.
“Uh….”
Helkiyan pondered for a moment before answering.
“It’s better not to go.”
“Is it that dangerous?”
“Of course.”
“What about later?”
“Why would you?”
Helkiyan shook his head firmly.
“Unless you’re targeting a specific deep zone, it’s better not to go.”
“Why is that?”
“You’d have an unpleasant experience. Hehe.”
“…?”
“If you really want to experience it, go later. I won’t stop you.”
A meaningful smile played at the corners of Helkiyan’s mouth.
* * *
Crack!
Eun-sung gripped Slaughter’s Joy tightly.
‘There’s no choice.’
Monsters.
If I died at the hands of these subway villains, it would be far more horrifying than dying under Serka’s curse.
Dying from misfortune would only leave me with regret, but dying at their hands would be a shameful death.
“How dare you―!”
Boom!
A thunderous roar shook the interior of the train car.
Goooooo!
Powerful ether erupted from the elderly man clad in golden armor.
Whoosh!
Golden ether wrapped around the old man’s sword.
‘Damn.’
Eun-sung tensed immediately.
Perhaps this elderly man in golden armor was the strongest monster I had encountered since my return….
Whoosh!
The old man’s blade tore through space.
Flinch!
The moment Eun-sung tried to react.
Shhhhwack!
The motorcycle-riding monster was split in half.
Along with the decrepit motorcycle.
“What, what is this.”
Eun-sung was startled.
I thought he was attacking me, but it was punishment directed at the motorcycle villain?
“What kind of lunatic rides a motorcycle on the subway!”
The elderly man in golden armor bellowed.
Shhh!
The Holy Knight, dressed in priestly robes and wearing a helmet, placed his hand upon the scripture he held.
Warm ether poured forth from the Holy Knight, enveloping Eun-sung.
[The Holy Knight of Line 1 blesses you.]
[All of your stats are normalized.]
The pressure that had been crushing me gradually faded away.
‘…What is happening.’
Even before I returned to the past, I had never experienced anything like this, so Eun-sung was quite bewildered.
I had heard that when traveling to the deep zones by train from Bucheon Station, monsters appeared at a low probability.
However, I had never heard of stories about monsters fighting among themselves.
“You wretched creatures! Do you have no civic sense whatsoever?”
“Please stop bothering the passengers. You’re causing trouble for everyone.”
An elderly man in golden armor and a Holy Knight stood on either side of Eun-sung, facing off against the monsters.
Despite their monstrous appearance, they were certainly not villains.
That’s right—just because someone looks unusual doesn’t mean they’re automatically causing trouble.
Everyone has their own reasons and circumstances, after all.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel bewildered.
‘I really can’t predict what comes next, even a step ahead.’
In any case, this situation held no disadvantage for Eun-sung, so there was no reason to complain.
– I’m so glad I could be of help to you, young master.
‘Ah.’
Only then did Eun-sung realize why the elderly man and Holy Knight had appeared, and he nodded in understanding.
Seria’s kiss.
With luck increased by a full 180%, it seemed the elderly man and Holy Knight—allies of mine—had shown up to aid me.
‘Thank you.’
– It’s nothing. I’m so happy I could bring fortune to you, young master.
Eun-sung smiled faintly and continued walking.
The elderly man in golden armor and the Holy Knight fell into step beside him.
Unintentionally, I had formed a vigilante group on Line 1.
Well, it didn’t matter.
It was infinitely better than dying at the hands of monsters.
* * *
Screeeech!
Click!
The train doors opened.
“Thank you for everything.”
Eun-sung stepped off the train and bowed respectfully to the elderly man and Holy Knight.
“Have a good journey, young man.”
“Take care of yourself.”
The elderly man and Holy Knight waved goodbye to Eun-sung.
Inside the train.
Behind them, the corpses of Line 1’s villains lay scattered about.
Click.
Whirrrrr—
The train departed.
“Hmm.”
I surveyed my surroundings.
The 311100 train had not let me off in Incheon.
Nor was it at any other station’s platform.
No railroad tracks, no tunnels, no power supply systems—just wilderness.
Forest.
A primordial jungle stretching endlessly.
This was the 0th Deep Zone of the Bucheon Station Gate.
‘The Forest of Living Hermits. I’ve arrived at the right place.’
The moment Eun-sung confirmed he had reached his destination, he pulled a fresh combat suit from his inventory and changed into it.
Until now, he had been wearing a black multicam pattern combat suit, but in an environment like this, black only made him stand out more.
Surprisingly, black was almost nonexistent in nature.
Eun-sung changed into a multicam tropic pattern combat suit and pulled a jungle hat down low over his head.
He applied camouflage cream to any exposed skin.
He even smeared camouflage cream on the blade of Slaughter’s Joy, concealing its distinctive crimson steel.
Caw, caw—!
A sharp raven’s cry pierced the air.
“…!”
Eun-sung quickly concealed himself.
Whoosh!
A massive raven soon flew toward the spot where Eun-sung was hiding.
Its frame dwarfed even an eagle.
Gleaming feathers.
A razor-sharp beak.
Slice.
The tree bark grazed by the raven’s feathers split open, sap trickling down.
A Blade Raven.
The name came from its feathers and beak being composed of blade-like edges.
“Coo?”
The Blade Raven tilted its head, scanning the surroundings.
“….”
Eun-sung held his breath.
He didn’t move a muscle.
Caw, caw—!
Caw, caw—!
From the cries echoing around him, there were far more than just one or two.
Whoosh!
Finding nothing, the Blade Raven departed from Eun-sung’s vicinity.
“Phew.”
Eun-sung exhaled in relief.
Changing into the combat suit at the right moment had been a lifesaver.
Had he not, he would have been surrounded by dozens of Blade Ravens and found himself in serious trouble.
Of course, such simple camouflage wouldn’t work against high-tier monsters….
‘Time to move on.’
Eun-sung moved forward with cautious steps.
Whoosh, whiiiish!
He slashed through the overgrown brush choked with Slaughter Revelry and pressed ahead.
‘It feels like I’m participating in the Vietnam War.’
That was when Eun-sung let out a quiet chuckle.
Bang bang! Bang bang bang bang!
The sound of gunfire echoed from a distance.
‘I wasn’t alone after all.’
Eun-sung’s expression hardened.
“This is troublesome…”
A murmur tinged with concern escaped his lips.
The Forest of Living Hermits, the 0th deep layer of the Bucheon Station Gate, was nothing short of a deathland—a cursed realm for those ignorant of its conquest methods.
Mistakes born from ignorance never ended with their deaths alone.
They inevitably cast a malevolent influence, whether small and localized or vast enough to corrupt the entire dungeon.
Thus, from Eun-sung’s perspective, these uninvited guests were far from welcome.
Their presence could become a fatal variable, threatening his very life…

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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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