I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 178

178.

“What’s this? I told her to get some rest, but what’s with all the sweat?”

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], this is totally a scam, isn’t it?”

Choi Ji-hyuk and Han So-joon, who arrived at the training grounds at the same time for their physical training, were taken aback.

Yoon-byeol, who they expected to be sound asleep, was engrossed in training under Shin-hwa’s meticulous guidance.

Although they grumbled outwardly, it was actually a heartwarming sight between teammates.

“Hyung.”

“Shh. Let’s be quiet. We don’t want to break Shin-hwa and Byeol’s concentration.”

“Yes, sorry.”

Choi Ji-hyuk and Han So-joon hid behind a thick tree and carefully observed the training session.

It was Spartan training [extremely rigorous and demanding training].

“Failure!”

Thwack!

“Ugh! I messed up. I hesitated on the final attack.”

Yoon-byeol kept targeting Shin-hwa as if to kill him, and Shin-hwa was on the defensive.

Each time her attack failed,

Shin-hwa’s right arm, transformed into a solid steel rod, poked Yoon-byeol’s abdomen.

It wasn’t enough to cause serious injury, but the poke was strong enough to leave a bruise.

This was the pain Shin-hwa inflicted on Yoon-byeol to teach her when her attacks failed.

“Why are you hesitating to attack? Are you going easy on me now? Don’t be mistaken. With your skills, you can’t even leave a scratch on me.”

“……That’s quite the motivation, isn’t it?”

Choi Ji-hyuk, who was listening, was surprised.

Shin-hwa’s feedback was unpleasant enough from the listener’s perspective – which was exactly the intention.

But it was also true to some extent, so Yoon-byeol couldn’t deny it.

“Hesitation is the complete opposite of an assassin. If you have even 1g [gram] of that emotion, your limits become clear. You need to be prepared to end your opponent’s life, even if you get hurt in the process.”

“I’ll try again.”

“More disappointing than I thought. In that case, you don’t deserve to rest. You need to reflect.”

Yoon-byeol’s tightly closed lips trembled at Shin-hwa’s relentless harsh words.

Shin-hwa wasn’t stingy with praise, but he didn’t offer empty flattery or polite compliments.

Moreover, he often played the villain to stimulate the other person’s inner self.

For someone with a strong competitive spirit, simply stimulating them in that way could draw out even greater concentration.

In Shin-hwa’s view, Yoon-byeol was a typical person with a strong competitive spirit. She just didn’t show it.

Whoosh! Hooook!

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

“Again!”

Whirr! Whirr! Whirr!

Whoosh!

Thud!

“Argh!”

“This attempt was good, but the repertoire of variables is just a combination of what you’ve used so far. An experienced Awakened [person with supernatural abilities] would have killed you right here.”

“……Thanks for the feedback.”

“If you’re thankful, try to excite me more. Make me feel like I’m about to die.”

“Okay.”

Clench.

Murderous intent began to emanate from her, grinding her teeth fiercely. The intense training continued.

After that.

What Choi Ji-hyuk and Han So-joon admired throughout their observation wasn’t just Yoon-byeol’s increasingly clever tactics.

It was also Shin-hwa’s amazing responsiveness in dodging all of Yoon-byeol’s relentless attacks.

Just as he had said at the beginning, she couldn’t even leave a scratch on Shin-hwa’s body.

Clearly, Yoon-byeol’s one-hit-kill was so swift and fast that even Choi Ji-hyuk and Han So-joon had trouble tracking it with their eyes!

Yet Shin-hwa easily created distance, dodging as if he were avoiding a child’s punch, never allowing himself to be hit.

“Shin-hwa hyung is really amazing.”

“I’m telling you. Even considering that he’s a talented A-rank Awakened, he’s too fast.”

“From a certain point on, I could barely track him either. You know I’m pretty fast at tracking targets with my eyes because of my healing…….”

“If even you can’t keep up, then Shin-hwa’s movements must be beyond imagination.”

“What on earth could have made Shin-hwa hyung, who used to be a porter, change like that? Could it really be what they’re saying…….”

“You’re about to bring up that ‘hiding his strength’ stuff, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Everyone says so, right? That he was bored with life, so he pretended to be a weak porter.”

“It’s hard to dismiss it as mere nonsense, since Shin-hwa’s transformation is definitely too dramatic.”

“I’m so glad that someone like him is our colleague, our team leader.”

“I think so too. If I had to pick the benefactor of my life, it would be Shin-hwa, without a doubt.”

Choi Ji-hyuk swept back his white hair and nodded.

As a priest, Choi Ji-hyuk had two centers to his life. One was his center as a believer, and the other was his center as an Awakened.

His faith was naturally in the cathedral where he was registered, and his center as an Awakened was always with Shin-hwa.

He hoped it wouldn’t happen…….

But he had always been prepared to risk his life to save Shin-hwa if anything unfortunate happened to him.

It wasn’t an impulse, but a long-standing thought, solidified like a belief and a resolution.

“Stronger!”

“Wrong!”

“If you aim too much for the lower body like that, the upper body becomes exposed like this!”

“I told you to be prepared to die, but I didn’t tell you to rush in with the intention of dying a dog’s death.”

Shin-hwa’s feedback continued relentlessly, and the two held their breath and watched the scene.

The spear and shield.

The training ground was a very good textbook that opened their eyes just by watching.

* * *

That noon.

“Kuh-huh-huh…….”

In the plane returning home, Yoon-byeol fell into a deep sleep.

As soon as she sat down next to me and leaned back in her seat, she drifted off to dreamland in just one second.

The dawn training was truly hard training.

Honestly, I thought she would give up halfway, but seeing her endure like that, I had to acknowledge her mental strength.

‘She definitely has a good sense.’

I deliberately stimulated her with harsh words and pushed her hard during training, but her skills were better than I thought.

To be precise, she showed an A-rank level of sharpness, much higher than her current B-rank.

If I carefully equip her with tactics, she could potentially aim for the life of an S-rank, depending on the situation.

‘Let’s see…….’

I looked at the contents I had organized in my notebook before going to sleep at dawn.

A situation filled only with things to do, hardly what you’d expect from a man dreaming of retirement.

I decided to think positively.

The day will come when I write in this notebook about what to do for fun, what kind of entertainment to create.

‘I need to meet Hwang Seok-cheol as soon as I get back. I can’t delay the production of the Special Suit any longer.’

The difficulty of the dungeons that my team and I are pursuing is gradually increasing.

To be able to handle both damage dealing and tanking skillfully, the current suit was not enough.

“Hoo-woo…….”

A sigh escaped involuntarily.

Perhaps because I had sweated so much during training last night, my body felt tired and languid.

I should sleep when I can.

Wearing an eye mask, I fell into a deep sleep with Yoon-byeol next to me.

* * *

-Shin-hwa! Shin-hwaaaaa!

As soon as I returned home, what greeted me was Shami, who was more affectionate than usual.

Something’s strange with this guy?

“Did you invite a friend over?”

– Woong? What are you talking about?

Grasping Shami by the scruff of the neck, who was feigning innocence, I pointed to the faint traces left on the floor.

A jelly shape slightly different from Shami’s.

Another cat had been coming and going.

“You can’t fool my eyes.”

-Ah! Th, that’s…….

“Well, I don’t really mind. But if you’re going to invite them, invite them when I’m here. That way, I can get them something delicious.”

-Okay, I understand! Thank you, Shin-hwa!

I had a cat to greet me when I came home, and I felt comfortable because it was my house.

I’m naturally a homebody.

To relieve my fatigue, I lay down on the sofa and entrusted my body to the pull of gravity, turning on Facegram [social media platform, similar to Instagram].

But right then.

[gabriel0617: Shinhwa-Kang, I kill u.]

There was a message left by someone on the post I had recently uploaded.

I didn’t think much of it, but since it was a ‘celebrity account,’ only good words were usually left in the comments.

This guy, however, had filled his short message with animosity.

Curiosity arose.

I clicked on his profile, which I rarely do.

I saw a man wearing a hat and uniform with the Revengers emblem, covering half of his face.

“Tiresome guys. Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue.

It could be a fake account.

Or it could really be a message left by a member of the Revengers.

“Come on. Even if a truckload of you losers comes, I can beat you to a pulp until I die.”

If I was going to be afraid of this kind of threat, I wouldn’t have been active like this in the first place.

In any case, the ‘crazy bastard’ made me think about the Revengers again.

How wonderful would it be if the world was filled only with justice and goodness.

Unfortunately, the world of Awakened is a sharp confrontation between good and evil.

Especially the China’s Three Great Corrupt Guilds, Russia’s Pravda, and the Revengers, who will later cooperate with Leccero.

In addition, the WSA, whose intentions are unknown, and the Elijah Group led by the apostle Elijah are also a headache.

“This damn regression of X…….”

The conclusion was always like this.

There were too many ‘villains’ who seemed like they would block my path to quietly retire.

If I had the talent, I would really want to go back to before the regression.

I don’t care if I’m fifty-six years old. I want to go back again. Really……!

* * *

That night.

Clack-clack. Clack-clack.

Hwang Seok-cheol’s workshop, as always, was filled with the sound of tools from him engrossed in research.

“Well, it’s nice to have more time to research…… but it’s too lonely.”

Hwang Seok-cheol looked at the lobby, which had no visitors all day, with a bitter expression.

That was the trend these days.

As Yanghwa Group completed the development of entry-level suits, low-priced suits were being distributed in the market.

In particular, suits developed by the German company Sergen were popular because they were stylish, flashy, and inexpensive.

However, Hwang Seok-cheol’s suits were 100% handmade, and the production cost was higher than the same conditions, so the number of requests was decreasing.

“I miss him especially today.”

Hwang Seok-cheol thought of Shin-hwa.

Still, the reason why old regulars contacted Hwang Seok-cheol was thanks to the improved suit performance thanks to Shin-hwa.

But right then.

Ding-dong!

At the same time as the bell on the door rang, a welcome person appeared as if he had been waiting for it.

It was Shin-hwa!

“Oh! I was just thinking about a guest! What a welcome thing!”

Hwang Seok-cheol was so happy that he ran out to greet Shin-hwa without even changing his work shoes.

Right then.

Shin-hwa took out a dimensional stone that he had never seen before, showing it to Hwang Seok-cheol, who was running towards him.

Big, beautiful, and radiant.

It was a new dimensional stone with an explosive magic power that surpassed even the top-grade dimensional stone.

Hwang Seok-cheol, who had handled countless dimensional stones, had never seen a new form like this before.

And.

Shin-hwa said with emphasis.

“Today, I came to the artisan to make the most special suit in the world, one and only.”

“……!”

A word that touched his heart!

Hwang Seok-cheol’s motivation soared fiercely at that moment.