The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 92

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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 92
As expected.
Caw, caaaw―!
Caaaw―!
Eerie cries layered upon one another, and a swarm of jet-black ravens converged toward a single point.
There was no doubt—that was where the gunfire had erupted.
‘Not far.’
By my estimate, roughly two hundred meters.
But that calculation held true only on flat terrain or in urban environments.
The forest and mountainous terrain told a different story.
Even at the same distance, travel time multiplied several times over.
“Hmm.”
Eun-sung deliberated for a moment.
“…I suppose I’ll have to help.”
There was no other choice.
Had this been a different dungeon, Eun-sung would have cleanly ignored it and gone his own way.
They were strangers, after all.
Eun-sung was not naive enough to court danger for the sake of someone whose face he’d never seen.
But in the Forest of Living Hermits, the situation was different.
I had to help.
Regardless of who they were.
Otherwise, their mistakes would bring calamity upon me as well.
“There’s no helping it.”
Eun-sung set off.
I would have summoned a vehicle to ride, but that was impossible.
The mountainous terrain was so densely overgrown that bikes and ATVs were out of the question.
Moreover, with so many ravens about, taking a helicopter would be suicide.
Caw, caaaw―!
Caw, caaaw―!
The ravens’ cries echoed relentlessly through the forest.
Boom, kaboom!
Crash!
Occasional explosions shattered the forest’s silence.
“Advertising themselves, no less. Tsk.”
As Eun-sung moved toward them, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Whoosh!
A pink tentacle shot toward my throat.
“…!”
Eun-sung raised Slaughter’s Jest and deflected the pink tentacle.
The reaction speed was nothing short of lightning.
The problem was that there wasn’t just one pink tentacle.
Whoosh, whiiiish!
Pink tentacles came flying from all directions.
The pink tentacles coiled around Eun-sung’s body.
Craaaack!
Dozens of tentacles constricted around Eun-sung.
Crack, crunch!
“Ugh!”
With the sound of bones grinding, a groan escaped Eun-sung’s lips.
Click!
Dozens of lights ignited all at once.
Eyes.
They belonged to reptilian creatures clinging to the Tree.
“Oh?”
A smile bloomed at the corners of Eun-sung’s mouth.
The only reason Eun-sung could smile despite being completely bound by pink tentacles was simple.
“There’s a colony of Camouflage Dragons here.”
The creatures that had ambushed Eun-sung were massive chameleons.
But they weren’t chameleons.
Camouflage Dragons.
Monsters treated as a subspecies of dragon due to their wings, despite resembling chameleons.
Camouflage Dragons typically lived in groups of dozens.
When prey-worthy prey passed by, they would simultaneously launch their tongues to ensnare and crush or tear apart limbs using their hunting method.
Victims usually had no idea what was happening.
Given the Camouflage Dragons’ ability to blend seamlessly with their surroundings like chameleons, it was nearly impossible to detect their presence.
“Is this also thanks to Seria? Ugh.”
Craaaack!
Even as the tongues constricted around him, Eun-sung found himself curious about that.
Why?
Because encountering a Camouflage Dragon colony was genuinely rare.
Among the hundreds of Gates Eun-sung had conquered, he’d encountered a Camouflage Dragon colony only a handful of times.
Because they were such rare monsters, Eun-sung found himself smiling broadly for once.
Craaaack!
The Camouflage Dragons’ tongues squeezed even harder around Eun-sung.
“Yeah, yeah.”
Eun-sung’s eyes swept across the surroundings.
As if confirming the positions of the Camouflage Dragons….
Whoosh.
The Red Moon card emerged from his deck, floating before Eun-sung’s eyes.
Hummmmm!
Dozens of crimson blades materialized around Eun-sung.
“Hmm. I have a favor to ask.”
– What is it?
The voice of the Red Moon card responded.
“Please, just the head. Don’t touch the body.”
– That’s quite the troublesome request.
“Can’t you do it?”
– Something like that is manageable.
Whiiiiiii!
The crimson blades flew around Eun-sung.
“Crimson Blossom… Chaotic Dance.”
Shhhhhhhhh!
The moment Eun-sung’s words left his lips, the crimson blades shot toward the camouflage dragons.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud— thud!
The crimson blades pierced through the heads of the camouflage dragons with perfect accuracy.
“Gack?!”
Flap, flap!
One fortunate camouflage dragon that survived desperately flapped its wings to escape, but it was futile.
Whoosh, thud!
“Screech!”
The last camouflage dragon crashed to the ground.
Eun-sung picked up one of the dead camouflage dragons with a satisfied smile.
Boom, boom, boom!
Crash!
Eun-sung deliberately ignored the distant sounds.
‘I can’t overlook this.’
Helping them was certainly important, but right now, recovering the camouflage dragon corpses took priority.
The hide of a camouflage dragon was worth the effort.
* * *
Eun-sung quickly gathered the camouflage dragon corpses together.
‘Thirty-seven. Time’s going to be tight.’
As expected from a colony, the number of camouflage dragons hunted was considerable.
Swish.
Eun-sung drew out a dagger.
[Hunter’s Dagger]
★★
A versatile dagger suitable for multiple purposes.
I didn’t know from whom I’d obtained this spirit blade, but it looked serviceable.
‘Let’s hurry.’
Eun-sung’s dagger moved with practiced efficiency.
The skin of a Camouflage Lizard became worthless if not stripped within ten minutes.
Once time passed, its camouflage ability would fade, reducing it to nothing more than ordinary lizard hide.
The situation might become complicated, but since Camouflage Lizard skin was an exceptionally rare item, I had no doubt I’d never regret this choice.
Shwick, shwick shwick.
Eun-sung’s hands moved with the practiced efficiency of a master butcher as he stripped away the skin.
‘Those old days…’
A wry smile crossed Eun-sung’s face as he worked.
Back when I was a supporter.
Dismantling the corpses of hunted monsters and harvesting their various byproducts had always fallen to me.
But that wasn’t all.
Processing those byproducts—meat, blood, horns, hides, and more—had also been my responsibility.
Lee Hyun, Ra Si-hyun, and the others considered themselves too important for such menial work, and frankly, they had no interest in doing it anyway.
Tch!
It was the past, and such days wouldn’t come again, yet resentment surged up unbidden.
‘Supporters are supposed to handle those roles, sure… but they really took it too far. Hmm. Maybe I should grab some of them and force them to see just how much dirty work supporters actually do.’
An absurd thought crossed my mind.
It was common enough when repeating simple labor like this.
[You have obtained Camouflage Lizard Skin.]
[You have obtained Camouflage Lizard Skin.]
…
[You have obtained Camouflage Lizard Skin.]
After finishing the work.
“Phew.”
Eun-sung peeled off his latex gloves and stood up.
The Camouflage Lizards, now stripped bare like plucked chickens, lay scattered about.
‘Looks like it’s already over.’
The forest had fallen silent, suggesting the situation had concluded.
I couldn’t tell which side had won, but…
Caw, caaaw—!
A flock of Black Crows descended from afar.
Since crows by nature followed corpses, they must have sensed the massacre of the Camouflage Lizards.
Perhaps they’d caught the scent of blood…
Either way, they were uncanny creatures.
‘I should move.’
Eun-sung quickened his pace.
I had no desire to be attacked by a flock of Black Crows.
* * *
“Hmm.”
Arriving late at the Battlefield, Eun-sung surveyed the surroundings.
‘From the footprints, there seem to be about five or six people, but the shell casings are only scattered here… which means one person fired. Someone made a mistake. Probably pulled the trigger unconsciously out of surprise.’
Having cleared Gates countless times before, Eun-sung swiftly deduced the situation from the Battlefield before him.
‘The corpses of the Sword Ravens are cleanly disposed—their skill is undeniable. The lack of blood spatter suggests no one suffered severe injuries. They went north.’
Eun-sung’s gaze turned northward.
There was no doubt.
The direction the grass was trampled never lied.
Eun-sung immediately followed the trail.
He’d considered launching a drone to scout ahead, but decided against it—no need to draw the Sword Ravens’ attention.
Besides, in a forest this densely overgrown, a drone would be practically useless anyway.
‘Fast. At this pace… could it be the Abyss Clan?’
But they’d been on the opposite Platform, making it extremely unlikely they’d boarded the same train.
If they had, though…
‘Wait.’
Eun-sung’s mind raced furiously.
‘If they’d sprinted at full power, they could’ve boarded the rear car. That would match the distance—the front and rear cars are about 200 meters apart.’
One thought led to another.
‘They spent 10 minutes skinning the corpses. Another 10 minutes to get here. That’s a 20-minute gap—if I push hard, I can catch them.’
Eun-sung’s pace quickened.
‘If it really is the Abyss Clan, that’s a bigger problem.’
Not because they were enemies.
Eun-sung hurried because they were strong.
In the Forest of Living Hermits, strength could become a poison.
And that poison would spread like toxic gas, corrupting everything and everyone in this forest.
Knowing this, Eun-sung pushed his speed even higher.
But the group presumed to be the Abyss Clan didn’t wait for him.
About 10 minutes into his pursuit.
Whiiiiiii!
The wind howled.
Rummmmmble!
The forest that had seemed peaceful began to transform.
The trees grew more massive, the undergrowth denser, and the gentle slopes twisted into sharper curves.
“Ah.”
A sigh escaped Eun-sung’s lips.
The sleeping forest had awakened.
This was why it was called the Forest of Living Hermits.
“Troublesome.”
Before the words left his mouth, the assault began.
Boom, crash!
The peaceful trees suddenly moved.
Logs weighing anywhere from several tons to dozens of tons hurtled toward Eun-sung.
Slash!
Eun-sung hurled himself forward.
Boom, crash!
The ground where Eun-sung had stood erupted, and a massive boulder shattered into fragments.
Crack!
A broken tree exploded outward as if detonating, its splinters scattering in all directions.
Thud!
A sharp wooden shard pierced through Eun-sung’s shoulder.
I had evaded the trees’ assault, but failed to dodge the debris.
“Ugh!”
Eun-sung clutched his shoulder, a groan escaping his lips.
But there was no time to indulge the pain.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Thousands of vines descended upon Eun-sung.
Shing!
Eun-sung swung Slaughter’s Joy, severing the vines, and ran with every ounce of strength he possessed.
Fighting was meaningless.
Humanity could never triumph over nature itself.
After all, the forest was not an entity that could even be considered an opponent.
I would regroup with them as quickly as possible.
Eun-sung sprinted at full speed.

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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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