I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 135

135

The Abyss’s debuff, the Swamp of Despair, spreads beneath Liquister’s feet at the perfect moment.

And above him, Fire Eater, Supernova, secretly gathers embers, ready to detonate.

The combination was flawless.

“Kkiiiekk!”

Liquister, knowing his comrades behind him were much weaker, tried to ignore me and push past.

“Did you think I’d let you?”

I grabbed him and landed a solid blow to his face.

Then, I followed up with two consecutive punches, causing him to spit out thick blood and saliva, his head snapping back and forth.

Pow! Pow!

I took two hits, so I returned four.

Without backing down, I answered in kind.

Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

To an outsider, it would look like a simple brawl.

Of course, the reality was that each punch packed enough force to shatter a house-sized boulder and crush a skull.

The ‘Ring of Frenzy’ granted an awakening effect proportional to health lost, sharpening my focus.

Because of that, I didn’t mind absorbing a significant amount of damage.

I knew Han So-joon’s heal would follow immediately.

‘Good timing.’

The Swamp of Despair was spreading wide under Liquister’s feet, and Jin Bo-mi’s Supernova was primed to explode.

‘Mismatch.’

However, Liquister’s resistance, which had slowed considerably from the start, was geared towards magic and electricity.

Just then.

Ssssk!

Before I could even register it, Yoon-byeol, who had stealthily approached from behind, lunged at Liquister.

It was a surprise attack from a blind spot neither Liquister nor I had anticipated.

Stab! Stab!

“Kkeueo-eo!”

Yoon-byeol’s daggers accurately pierced both sides of Liquister’s neck.

Like a twisted game of pirate roulette [referencing the children’s game where you stab swords into a barrel until a pirate pops out], she precisely targeted the sides of his neck.

It was a calculated gamble that paid off.

My instincts were right, as expected.

Liquister, stunned by the unexpected attack, momentarily lost focus and froze in place, as if time had stopped.

‘Then!’

Showtime began.

Kwakwakwakwang!

The Supernova, detonating behind Liquister, relentlessly clawed at his back.

Capitalizing on the Swamp of Despair’s debuff, I unleashed every physical attack I could muster.

Since Liquister had prioritized magic resistance, I hammered him with the physical damage he was vulnerable to.

“Ugh! Keuk! Keaek!”

With each punch, screams and groans erupted from Liquister’s mouth.

Blood splattered everywhere, and I was right in the thick of it, taking it all head-on.

The heals poured in abundantly.

Yoon-byeol’s timely assist.

And the fantastic coordinated attacks from the priest and Jin Bo-mi.

Everyone earned top marks.

It was my job to deliver the final blow, and I had a good sense of how to do it.

‘Opportunities like this don’t come often.’

Watching Liquister, whose shaking was gradually subsiding, I realized he was starting to adapt.

We’d had too much time to analyze each other. Now it was a race to see who could end it first.

“Haaaap!”

So, without hesitation, I went for the instant-death strike. Failure? I didn’t even consider it.

How many years of experience did I accumulate in my past life? I can pinpoint the exact moment to end someone’s life more accurately than anyone else.

You have to do something a lot to truly understand it, and I know everything about when life ends because I’ve ended so many.

The next moment.

My fist, confidently extended, struck Liquister’s Adam’s apple, which had already been severely weakened by Yoon-byeol’s attack.

Jjeoreo-eok!

There was no need for a follow-up.

The tremendous force delivered precisely to the center of his neck stretched Liquister’s neck like a rubber band.

His body remained, but his stretched neck and head were sent flying.

It was a grotesque end for a boss monster, made even more hideous by the fact that it wasn’t a clean separation.

Cost-effective five-person play!

The team dynamic I had craved since before entering the dungeon had finally materialized.

In addition, I had just gained a new talent worth a staggering 500 billion won in potential value!

* * *

That night.

The three members of Team Mystic and Jin Bo-mi gathered in the lounge of the Elijah Hotel, enjoying cocktails.

It was a celebratory drink for successfully completing the dual dungeon raid and returning safely.

However, Shin-hwa was absent.

He had gone to meet Bellic, who had contacted him while he was waiting at the hotel.

“The raids that Shin-hwa hyung [older brother/male friend] will be doing in the future will greatly benefit our careers. Of course, it’s hard to deny that we’re being carried,” Han So-joon said emphatically, downing his cocktail with a pleasant expression. Choi Ji-hyuk nodded vigorously beside him.

“Honestly, I still wonder if this is a dream. I can’t believe any of it, from start to finish,” Yoon-byeol chimed in.

“Because Shin-hwa is there, I can attack aggressively.”

“That’s right. Before the final blow to Liquister, the seasoning you added, Byeol, was really effective.”

“Don’t mention it. The reason I rushed in without fear was all because I trusted Shin-hwa. I had faith that he would finish it.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Clear division of labor, I really like it. Shin-hwa, a one-man team? That’s a given. I’m more than satisfied if I can just play a small supporting role.”

Gulp gulp!

Choi Ji-hyuk, in high spirits, downed a glass of vodka he had placed next to his cocktail in one gulp.

Everything that had happened in the dungeon felt like a dream to Choi Ji-hyuk.

Moreover, he had experienced an explosive rise in rank thanks to Shin-hwa’s help, so he couldn’t be happier.

“…….”

Jin Bo-mi felt a strange sense of distance as she observed the team spirit that seemed to have blossomed among the others.

After all, she had only participated in this K-10004 dungeon raid as a guest.

There was no guarantee she would get another chance. Shin-hwa had no obligation to include her.

‘Something…….’

I feel tremendous energy.

I also sensed the enthusiasm and passion of the three who wanted to push their limits alongside Shin-hwa.

“…….”

“Bo-mi, are you feeling unwell?” Yoon-byeol, noticing Jin Bo-mi’s expressionless face, asked with concern.

As a key executive in the guild where her older brother, Yoon Tae-ho, was the vice-master, and the daughter of the chairman, she couldn’t help but be more attentive.

“No, it’s nothing. I’m fine. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

“It must have been tough on you?”

“What do you mean? I was really impressed by Unnie’s [term of endearment for an older sister or female friend] improved skills. You must have practiced a lot, right?”

“Yeah, I did it with gritted teeth.” With a bright smile she rarely showed, Yoon-byeol held out her hands, calloused and worn.

“Do you enjoy being part of Team Mystic, Unnie?”

“It’s just the beginning. But… I have high expectations. When I’m with Shin-hwa-ssi [formal address], I’m always looking forward to what will happen next.”

Yoon-byeol was right.

When Jin Bo-mi was with Shin-hwa in the guild, she always enjoyed watching him, never knowing what he would do next.

The pleasure of observing the unpredictable Shin-hwa was a refreshing shock to her, who had always lived a structured and predictable life.

“Haa.”

I feel like something is tangled in my head.

With a complicated feeling she couldn’t quite articulate, Jin Bo-mi leaned back into the plush sofa in the cocktail bar.

* * *

At the same time.

I was meeting Bellic in a private VIP room on one side of the cocktail bar.

Judging by the fact that he had rushed over as soon as I had entered the hotel and checked in, it seemed he had been waiting for me.

The first thing Bellic said after leading me to the VIP room was about a dungeon raid.

It was the most ‘uninspiring’ proposal for me, who was still exhausted from fighting Liquister.

“You want to raid a dungeon with me?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s not my personal suggestion, but a direct request from the master.”

“Does it have to be now? Besides, there are plenty of awakeners of my rank within the Elijah Group.”

I rejected it outright.

From the start, the fact that the Elijah Group had approached me first meant I held the leverage.

What if I reject it this time and they don’t offer again?

Absolutely not.

The reason Elijah suddenly proposed a dungeon raid was undoubtedly to assess my talent.

So, rejecting it once would only increase my value.

It would also demonstrate that I wasn’t easily swayed by their fame or power. It would send a message in its own way.

‘More than that, now that I’ve consumed the Flower of Liquefaction, I’m itching to experiment with it.’

My legs, hidden under the tablecloth, were bouncing impatiently. That’s how little interest I had in his offer.

“That’s what I and other executives of the Elijah Group are interested in, and above all, the master is very curious about Kang Shin-hwa-ssi.”

“Haha, I’m just a B-rank, you don’t need to be curious.”

“I don’t think someone who cleared an SS-rank dungeon with a mismatched team of five should say that.”

“Okay, fine. I appreciate the offer, but the timing isn’t right. Let’s postpone it to another time.”

“When are you thinking of it?”

“I’ll contact you. I have my own schedule.”

I acted as expensive as possible.

And I naturally seized the power to decide the timing.

“I understand. Then please contact me. It’s a call the master is eagerly awaiting.”

See, I knew he would say that.

I smiled with satisfaction at Bellic’s reaction, which played out exactly as I had predicted. He seemed quite pleased.

As long as I don’t easily open Pandora’s Box, Elijah and Bellic will remain persistent in their pursuit.

They will naturally harbor some suspicions, but I possess a talent they desperately desire.

“Just have this cocktail I prepared and then I’ll leave you be. I won’t bother you any further.”

“Okay.”

Gulp-.

It’s just a common gin and tonic, but that’s precisely why it’s so refreshing.

I usually drink soju or canned beer, but when I drink expensive alcohol, my insides rejoice.

At that moment, Bellic, who had also taken a sip of his gin and tonic, smoothly changed the subject.

“I’m very happy to have a colleague in Korea. There hasn’t been any news from the Asian region. Ah, there was some news from Australia, though.”

“Um……?”

“You weren’t aware?”

Of course, I wasn’t, you idiot.

This is the first I’m hearing of it.

There are ‘colleagues’ like you in Australia too? Another advance team?

For a moment, I felt a tingling sensation in my temples and a wave of dizziness, but I suppressed it and smiled.

“As you know, I haven’t been awakened for very long, so I haven’t been wearing the ring for long either.”

“I understand. I’m so envious. Our master is also one of the glorious apostles of ‘Pentanaes’.”

“Then is that person in Australia also one of the apostles?”

“That’s right. That person belongs to the Golden Sky Guild, the number one guild in Australia. Our other colleague.”

“Who is that person?”

“Haha, I’ll tell you when you participate in the dungeon raid next time.”

Damn Bellic.

Seeing him smile as he returned the favor, mirroring my earlier behavior, he seemed quite pleased with himself.

Just then.

‘Could it be……?’

Suddenly, an ominous feeling flashed through my mind.