The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 98

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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 98
After escaping the Bucheon Station Gate, Eun-sung headed straight home.
Of course, there was something he needed to do before stepping foot inside, so Eun-sung stopped by Olive Young near his apartment first.
– Go in and shower right away. You reek of blood.
Father’s words weighed on my mind more than I cared to admit.
Even after visiting the sauna last time before coming home, the blood stench lingered—it was impossible for me not to be bothered by it.
Of course, Father’s heightened sensitivity to the smell of blood was partly due to his profession, but….
“Why do you keep following me anyway?”
Eun-sung asked Ra Si-hyun.
“Why what?”
“Everyone else went home. Why didn’t you?”
“I live at your place. Didn’t you know?”
“Oh…?”
Eun-sung’s expression grew uncomfortable.
Living under the same roof as someone who was once his sworn enemy from a past life—someone he’d killed with his own hands—was undeniably awkward.
“What about your family?”
“I don’t have any.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. This isn’t something new, after all.”
Ra Si-hyun shrugged as if it were nothing.
“Your mother said I could stay if I had nowhere else to go….”
“Then that’s how it is.”
“You… don’t like it, do you?”
“Like it or not doesn’t matter. In our house, Mother’s word is absolute. Father follows Mother’s word unconditionally too.”
“That seems really cool.”
“What does?”
“You and Father are both incredibly strong and impressive people.”
“Father is impressive. I’m not.”
Eun-sung waved his hand dismissively.
Unlike Eun-sung, who became a Hunter blessed by Ether, Father was an ordinary man who fought against the Transition catastrophe.
Before the Transition, Father had conducted countless field operations and covert missions, and he’d even infiltrated North Korea—hadn’t he?
Eun-sung genuinely believed he could never measure up to Father.
“Even if that’s what you think, I find it impressive how much you and Father respect and defer to your mother.”
“Why? It’s only natural.”
“Not all families are like that.”
…
“Just because someone is strong doesn’t mean… Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up. My apologies.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. If anything, other people should be the ones apologizing.”
…
“Anyway, let’s hurry and get what we need, then go wash up. We can’t have blood stench lingering in the house.”
“Yes.”
Eun-sung and Ra Si-hyun wiped themselves down as thoroughly as they could with wet wipes before entering Olive Young.
Their plan was to purchase shampoo, body wash, and shower supplies, then perform a proper cleansing ritual at the Apartment Spa Facility before heading home.
“If you need anything, just let me kn— oh my!”
The Store Employee flinched in surprise.
“Um, sorry to ask, but do you have any shampoo or body wash with strong cleansing power and a potent scent?”
“O-of course! But… aren’t you Hunter Cha Eun-sung?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
Eun-sung looked startled.
“Hunter Eun-sung, I’m so happy to see you! I’m a fan.”
“All of a sudden…?”
But the employee was merely the beginning.
“Oh? That’s Cha Eun-sung!”
“Wow! It really is Cha Eun-sung!”
Other customers also recognized Eun-sung and began whispering amongst themselves.
“Isn’t that person next to him a mage?”
“I heard he’s still in his third year of high school?”
“Could they be dating?”
All manner of speculation swirled when—
“Brother! Sister!”
Cha Eun-ha, who happened to be at Olive Young, spotted Eun-sung and approached.
“Brother, where have you been and what have you been doing?”
“Hunters hunt monsters and clear Gates. What else?”
Eun-sung replied curtly.
“Let’s talk outside first.”
“Why?”
“People recognize you.”
“I suppose they would.”
“…?”
“Look.”
Cha Eun-ha pulled out her phone to show him.
It was filled with videos of Eun-sung fighting the Broadcast Spirits.
“Ah.”
Only then did Eun-sung grasp the full picture and nod in understanding.
Even in this era, social media still dominated the world.
Any post with the potential to become an issue would spread across every community and social platform within less than an hour.
“What, why aren’t you surprised? Brother, you’ve become incredibly famous now. Even more than before.”
“Well, I suppose so.”
“Doesn’t it bother you at all?”
“What’s so remarkable about a hunter becoming famous? It’ll just become a nuisance going forward.”
“Is that all?”
Cha Eun-ha couldn’t fathom Eun-sung’s lukewarm reaction.
When someone suddenly became famous, they should tremble with excitement, soar with elation, or at least feel bewildered—yet he showed none of it.
‘Fame fades just as quickly as it arrives. Most don’t last more than three years.’
Eun-sung didn’t bother voicing that thought.
She’d only worry needlessly.
Besides, he had no intention of dying anyway.
* * *
Outside Bucheon Station Gate.
Thud!
A blood-soaked youth collapsed the moment he stumbled out of the Gate.
“Damn it all….”
Lee Hyun struggled to push himself upright, barely managing it.
He’d returned alive only after enduring trials that felt insurmountable.
“From now on, I’m killing every last bastard who causes trouble on the subway with my own hands….”
Grr!
The venom radiating from him spoke volumes about how brutally the Line 1 monsters had tormented him.
Hunters from the Abyss Clan spotted Lee Hyun and rushed toward him.
“Hyun!”
“Hey! What happened!”
“Where are the others? Where’s your team leader?”
Questions bombarded him from all sides.
“….”
Lee Hyun’s expression darkened abruptly.
Only now did the reality sink in—his entire team was annihilated, and he alone had survived.
It was a common occurrence.
Inside a Gate, situations escalated so rapidly that there was no time to dwell on the fallen.
The grief and guilt of losing comrades always arrived later, only after reaching safety.
“Why are you alone?”
Wi Tae-woong approached Lee Hyun and asked.
“….”
Lee Hyun said nothing.
“Let’s talk privately. Come with me.”
“…Yes.”
After moving to a separate location.
“What happened?”
Wi Tae-woong asked Lee Hyun, who was receiving treatment.
“Just as you instructed, I pursued that bastard Cha Eun-sung….”
Lee Hyun recounted everything from start to finish.
“Hmm. Quite the tangled mess indeed.”
Wi Tae-woong offered a brief assessment, then immediately made a phone call.
“Yeah, Secretary Kim. Everyone on the Black Tiger Team except Hyun is KIA, so have the legal team process the paperwork. Handle it delicately so no unnecessary talk spreads. If the families cause a fuss, it’ll just give us headaches.”
There was not a trace of emotion in Wi Tae-woong’s voice as he issued his orders.
After the call ended.
“That’s… all?”
“What do you mean.”
“Everyone but me is dead, and that’s all you’re going to do?”
“So? What else is there to do here?”
Wi Tae-woong countered.
“They’re all dead. Because of the order the director gave.”
“What about it?”
“All the team members died just to protect that bastard Cha Eun-sung, but the director himself…”
“What, should I cry like a woman? Go find him and beg on my knees for forgiveness? Tell him I sent your family to their deaths?”
“That’s not what I’m saying, but…”
“They were incompetent.”
“I-incompetent?”
“The ones who die are incompetent, and the ones who survive are competent. Like you.”
Wi Tae-woong jabbed Lee Hyun’s chest with his finger as he spoke.
“What’s the big deal about hunters dying? If you didn’t like it, you shouldn’t have become a hunter in the first place. And it’s not just hunters—ordinary civilians get swept up in gate disasters and die every day. Why are you getting sentimental about it now?”
“But…”
“Compensation will be paid in full. Don’t worry about it.”
“…”
“Still, he turned out to be more impressive than I expected.”
Wi Tae-woong smiled as if pleased by the mere thought.
“Do you really think that bastard is worth it, Director?”
“Of course.”
Wi Tae-woong replied as if to say, was that even a question.
“If I could keep that kid under me, what does the Black Tiger Team matter? I’d burn through other teams without hesitation.”
“You’d sacrifice clan members for just one guy like that?”
Wi Tae-woong’s rough hand pressed down firmly on Lee Hyun, who was about to spring to his feet.
“Whoa, whoa. Who said I would? I’m saying it’s possible. Why are you getting so worked up?”
“I just can’t understand it.”
“You don’t know enough. That kid isn’t ordinary merchandise. He’s worth more than a hundred mediocre clan members, or even a thousand.”
“…Is that so.”
“You probably still don’t fully grasp it. Eventually, you’ll understand that headcount means nothing in this business.”
Wi Tae-woong turned away.
“Don’t waste your emotions on the dead. Act like someone who survived.”
“…Yes.”
Lee Hyun crushed the team leader’s keepsake in his hand until it shattered.
* * *
After finishing dinner with my family, I sat in the living room with everyone, eating fruit and chatting about this and that.
“I’m sure you won’t, but don’t get cocky just because you’ve become famous. It’s a double-edged sword. The more attention you receive, the more hatred you’ll attract.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
I’d already experienced it painfully enough to know better than anyone, but I etched Father’s words deep into my heart.
“Brother, so you’re not doing any broadcasts?”
Cha Eun-ha asked me.
“No, I’m not.”
“What about Instagram?”
“I’m not doing that either.”
“Management contracts either…?”
“That won’t happen.”
I said it flatly.
“Unavoidable exposure is one thing, but I have no intention of stepping into the spotlight on my own. What’s so good about it? Didn’t you hear what Father said?”
“Look at you being a filial son. Hmph. Since when do you listen so well to Dad?”
“I’ve always been a good son who listens well.”
“Ugh. That’s annoying.”
Cha Eun-ha groaned.
“What about you, sister?”
“Well, I’m…”
Ra Si-hyun glanced at me cautiously before speaking.
“I was just thinking of doing Instagram a little.”
“You’re not thinking of doing anything else?”
“No.”
Ra Si-hyun nodded.
“I need to report back to the Special Operations Bureau soon, and I think I should focus on growth for a while.”
“I see…”
Cha Geun-woo seemed displeased with the back-and-forth conversation, expressing his discomfort with an awkward cough.
“Ahem. It’s a world where people doing special work naturally have their identities exposed. I wish you’d been more careful about hiding your face.”
“I was careless in that regard. I should have paid more attention to security…”
I readily acknowledged my own mistake.
Father was right—there was nothing good about having my personal information exposed.
It could put not just me, but my family in danger as well.
But I had my own reasons too.
Everything has its pros and cons.
Ultimately, I believed that for hunters, revealing their faces was advantageous in many ways.
That way, I could earn the trust of other hunters and find allies to tackle Gates with.
There were other reasons for not hiding my face, but I saw no point in explaining them.
Explanations wouldn’t change anything anyway.
“That’s enough. Just be more careful going forward. Don’t go around making enemies outside.”
“Yes, I’ll conduct myself well so you won’t have to worry.”
My conscience pricked at me, but Eun-sung didn’t waver for a moment—he spun his lies with practiced ease.
At least to his family, he wanted to appear as a good, obedient, and gentle son and older brother.
* * *
That night.
“They’re bickering among themselves again. Tsk.”
Eun-sung scrolled through HunterLink to gauge public opinion on Supernova, then drew out the Ark of Genesis.
Shhhhh!
A tesseract.
One cube nested within another.
The inner and outer surfaces seemed to touch and interlock, their edges and faces twisting and overlapping in impossible ways.
A strange form that shifted subtly with each turn of the gaze.
Across its surface, a soft ether rippled like breathing.
“Hah.”
Eun-sung drew in a deep breath, then slowly parted his lips.
“Space… transposition.”

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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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