I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 80

Episode 80

It was still the dark dawn, before even Park Myung-do had arrived.

“Just went to a dungeon once, and diligently collected blood…”

Choi Ji-hyuk, returning to the priest’s quarters, checked his rank and wore a surprised expression.

It wasn’t D-, but D rank.

What would normally take an average of a year to achieve had been accomplished in a single dungeon raid.

Choi Ji-hyuk looked dumbfounded.

Shin-hwa had said that the Blood of the Grass Squirrel would help enhance his magic power, but he thought it would only be a slight boost.

Changing the form of a rank was no easy task, so he naturally assumed it wouldn’t happen.

“Come to think of it…”

His magic power had increased considerably.

He hadn’t felt any particular change when leaving the dungeon, but it seemed it took a little time for the change to manifest.

Moreover, Shin-hwa had given him one more thing.

It was something he had mentioned quietly, so Yoon-byeol wouldn’t hear.

‘Rivannis’s blood has the characteristic of increasing sensitivity to blood.’

‘As long as you don’t touch blood from unknown sources, the synergy will be even better when you drink the blood of the Grass Squirrel in the future.’

“Does Shin-hwa know? There’s no way. Hmm…”

Choi Ji-hyuk made a humming sound.

Putting that aside for now, Shin-hwa had given him so much.

He didn’t feel bad about yielding the spoils because he thought he hadn’t contributed much himself.

But rather, he felt like he had received a generous amount from Shin-hwa.

To have experienced an achievement that could change his rank overnight!

That was no ordinary thing.

“I’ve really met a great person!”

Choi Ji-hyuk clenched his fist with a face full of smiles.

* * *

At the same time.

“I wasn’t sure if the gallstone would really work, but at this level, you can consider the artifact’s grade to have temporarily increased by one level.”

Yoon-byeol used the Rivannis gallstone she received from Shin-hwa to sharpen her dagger for about 5 minutes.

Honestly, she was half-doubtful.

According to Shin-hwa.

The magic power of Rivannis contained in the gallstone would grant an aura, further enhancing the dagger’s sharpness.

In other words, it was an essential element for Yoon-byeol, who had a high ratio of stabbing and cutting attacks.

But until now, she had never seen an item with such a dramatically noticeable enhancement effect.

There were numerous polishing aids in the Awakened Ones Exchange and open market, but they only caused very minor changes.

Unlike the gallstone she used for polishing now, it didn’t create a unique aura and enhance the sharpness.

‘I can’t use this gallstone to sharpen the blade of my right arm. Yoon-byeol can use it since I don’t need it.’

‘Since I gave up all the spoils, I should at least get a participation prize, don’t you think?’

When Shin-hwa gave it to her casually, it felt like he was throwing away something insignificant, like ‘trash.’

But now that she used it, it was a different story.

It felt like she had received a special gift whose value couldn’t be easily assessed.

‘Everything I experienced in the dungeon was precious and enjoyable. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt so excited.’

A very awkward but clear smile appeared on Yoon-byeol’s lips.

‘B- + C- + D- > Dungeon A’

It was an equation outside of common sense that was established in today’s raid with Shin-hwa.

Normally, raiding an A-rank dungeon requires at least three Awakened Ones of the same rank.

Considering ‘A + A + A = Dungeon A,’ it was an absurd result.

‘Kang Shin-hwa has unknowingly been very considerate of me. And being with him makes me feel like I’ve returned to my roots.’

No matter how much she denied it, she could only recall good memories and positive synergy.

A heart already leaning.

A free life not bound by large guilds or organizations.

That life was always frightening, but now she thought it wouldn’t be so bad with Shin-hwa.

“…”

Was that why?

She kept looking at her silent smartphone, wondering if Shin-hwa would call again.

* * *

After returning home.

I took a good rest for a whole day.

I had used my Adaptation ability in various ways while fighting Rivannis, so my body was exhausted.

‘Finally.’

I tore off the old-fashioned daily calendar, checking today’s date.

February 15th.

It was my parents’ wedding anniversary.

‘I don’t have any other schedules today, so I should go in the afternoon.’

Even though I couldn’t visit often, I always visited the columbarium [a place for the respectful and usually public storage of funerary urns] on their wedding anniversary and death anniversary.

It was my own sanctuary where I could go when I felt stuffy and wanted to complain.

‘Is it 40 billion won worth of Dimensional Stones?’

This dungeon raid was profitable for everyone, but there were also a lot of Dimensional Stones.

Thanks to the massive amplification of Dimensional Energy due to the dungeon break, the quality and quantity of the spoils skyrocketed.

Perhaps if we raided it the same way next time, the income would only be about 10% of that.

Of course, even if you think about it that way, about 4 billion won is by no means a small amount.

‘But the problem is that the budget for the splendid retirement I dream of is not in the billions, but in the trillions. Sigh.’

I laugh because it’s ridiculous even to me. If someone heard this, they would scoff.

I’m very serious.

I don’t have the dreams of a superhero like the protagonists in novels or movies, such as world peace or protecting the Earth.

Why is it that when everyone has tremendous power.

They only think about saving and protecting someone with that power? I wonder if this is all a side effect of novels and movies?

I like solitude.

I just want a rich and splendid solitude, not a poor and lonely one.

That’s why I need money.

‘By the way, I need to make more Enhancement Potions, but the Katra stock is a problem.’

Looking through my subspace, I sighed deeply at the insufficient amount of materials.

The three ingredients for the Enhancement Potion.

The body fluid of the Baby Madillo and the bone powder of the Skeleton Monster, two of them, were sufficient.

With this amount, I could easily make about 300 packs right away.

But the problem was the cheapest poisonous herb, Katra. I hadn’t been able to buy more since the last production.

The reason was simple.

There were no items for sale at all, whether online or offline.

Katra is actually treated as a ‘weed’ before it is a poisonous herb, so almost no one sells it in the first place.

No one digs up weeds and sells them in the market, right?

I was lucky to be able to buy it at the market before.

At that time, I thought I could buy it at least a little if I went somewhere else, but there was no Katra supply at all in all domestic stores.

Since there was no demand, the supply disappeared.

It’s a bad situation for me, who desperately needs the ingredients, but it’s not even a matter of concern for ordinary Awakened Ones.

‘The conclusion is that I can’t get even one root of Katra in Korea anymore…’

I pressed my throbbing temples.

I had already told Marina.

Because there is a place where you can get Katra while raiding a dungeon owned by the WSA [World Supernatural Association].

“Waiting idly is not the answer. I have to hurry up and make it and sell it when it’s a little more expensive.”

The decision should be made as soon as possible.

I listed three dungeons of the WSA that I had previously marked as candidates, where I could also obtain Katra.

And through a short contact with Marina, I finished the final notification.

I told her to arrange the one that could be raided the fastest.

Just then.

Drrr.

A phone call came.

It was a smartphone opened by the Yanghwa Guild for business purposes, so there were only a limited number of people who would call at this hour.

Sure enough.

When I checked who it was, it was Jin Bo-mi.

“Aren’t you sleeping? It’s past midnight.”

-Shin-hwa! Are you very busy?

“I’m not busy. I just woke up.”

-Don’t you have anything to say to me?

“I don’t know? The magic potion delivery is not yet, and there are no other dungeon schedules.”

-Really nothing?

“I just woke up and feel uncomfortable from head to toe. I need to wash up first.”

-I’m on my way there now! How about a drive with me if you’re okay with it?

“I don’t have a car.”

-I have one!

It felt like a sudden date request, but before I could ask back, Jin Bo-mi added.

-All the house contracts are over. As you requested for the consignment transaction, the balance has been paid and the contract has been completed.

“Oh, is that so?”

It was welcome news.

Excluding this house, I now had five more security houses.

The cost was 25 billion won.

It was much higher than the originally planned budget, but I had no regrets.

That’s because Yanghwa Construction had provided such reliable security construction.

It seemed that Jin Bo-mi had worked hard in the middle to save quite a bit of money. Also, the quality of the security system was high.

-I’m nocturnal, and you’re nocturnal, Shin-hwa. I was wondering if we could take a look around the house.

“That’s a good idea. I didn’t have anything to do right now.”

-I’m almost there! How long will it take you to wash up? Do I have to wait about 30 minutes?

“It’ll take 5 minutes.”

I left a short and concise answer and immediately hung up the phone.

Soon after.

I was in the passenger seat of a sports car driven by Jin Bo-mi, enjoying the night in Seoul.

At first, I thought it was her car, so I looked closely, and it was the car that Jung-hoon had driven out before.

In other words, it seems to be a car that Jin Seong-tae, Jin Bo-mi, and occasionally Jung-hoon use to serve VIPs.

I’ll reserve judgment for now on whether it’s a wise spending habit that doesn’t suit a chaebol [a large South Korean business conglomerate, often family-owned] or if they’re being stingy.

On the other hand, the perfume she usually wears smelled stronger than usual.

It was partly due to the structural characteristics of the narrow space of the car, but she looked like she had put a lot of thought into it.

On the other hand, I was drying my wet hair with the heater, wearing a track top and training pants.

A woman dressed up to the nines and a man who didn’t care much.

There was no imbalance like this.

“It’s progressing faster than I thought.”

“It’s Shin-hwa’s request, not anyone else’s. My father used some power.”

“It’s always a quick decision.”

“A lot of manpower was also put into the additional security construction. I don’t know if it’s worth it. All of Yanghwa Construction’s high-end manpower was attached.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“You’re welcome. It’s been carefully crafted, so I’m sure you’ll be satisfied.”

“I’ll have to see it to know.”

I didn’t jump to conclusions.

In the first place, security construction is to prevent intruders, that is, assassins.

Petty thieves trying to rob a private house will not come close to it if it has security construction exclusively for Awakened Ones.

If they touch it wrong, they could die on the spot.

In the end, the target of defense is an Awakened One who is aiming for assassination, and they were by no means easy.

They do not hesitate to use any means or methods to eliminate the target.

So I was going to go and test it myself.

If it is confirmed that the construction is substandard and does not meet the promised construction grade, the aftermath will inevitably be unavoidable.

“Shin-hwa, can I ask you a very personal question?”

“You’re going to do it even if I tell you not to, right? Bo-mi, you’re the type who can’t stand not knowing what you’re curious about, right?”

“You know me well now, don’t you?”

“I have a knack for figuring out people’s personalities. Anyway, tell me.”

“Shin-hwa, did you know in advance that the K-2027 dungeon would become A-rank?”

That’s why regressors are tiring.

The question I had been expecting since before entering the dungeon came from her.