I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 111

111

“Let’s hear it.”

“From now on, KSA [Korean Special Abilities Association] will begin providing comprehensive care for Mr. Kang.”

“Are you talking about monitoring my private life?”

“Absolutely not! How could you say such a disappointing thing! KSA’s intelligence capabilities are second to none, but we would never abuse them.”

“Please explain in more detail.”

“Convenience, privileges. These words would be more fitting. Exercising flexibility.”

You should have just said it simply from the start.

I think I knew what he meant.

This was connected to KSA’s unique domestic talent protection system.

Since we can’t stop the onslaught of money from overseas—the so-called oil money and China money—with just capital…

They provide special benefits that can only be enjoyed domestically by the Awakened [individuals with supernatural abilities].

Of course, these benefits are revoked if the Awakened changes their nationality or joins a foreign guild.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“First, the privileges are mainly threefold. The first is priority in dungeon license approvals.”

Priority.

In short, it means that even if there are other applicants on the waiting list, if I apply for a license, they will unconditionally put me at the top of the list.

That means KSA has judged that I am an Awakened who needs to be nurtured from a short- and long-term perspective.

In other words, the expectations for me are very high. It also means I’m being recognized.

“Does it apply to all KSA-owned dungeons?”

“Yes. There are no restrictions, unless you apply for the same dungeon repeatedly after a reset through 攻略 [kong략 – strategy/walkthrough].”

“Would you like to continue?”

My interest was piqued.

KSA, of all places, was offering to help me, so I was grateful.

“Second, if Mr. Kang has any personal requests, we will provide some assistance with private matters.”

“For example, guild establishment, applying for artifact proxy purchases from the exchange, or tax issues.”

“That’s right. We’ll create a direct line connecting you to me, the head of headquarters, or Branch Manager Namina.”

“Isn’t that too unconventional?”

“We would appreciate it if you would consider it as a sign that we highly value Mr. Kang’s potential and capabilities.”

“Okay. What’s the last one?”

“KSA conducts quite a few dungeon 攻略s [kong략 – strategies/walkthroughs] that are not disclosed to the outside world. We would like to request Mr. Kang’s participation in these and provide appropriate compensation and spoils.”

“This is unexpected…….”

“We thought Mr. Kang’s identified talents would be useful. You are capable of performing various roles.”

“That’s an interesting story.”

Indeed, it was.

These were measures that could never have been taken if Lee Ha-sung and the upper management of KSA had not taken notice of me.

As Lee Ha-sung said, it was an arrangement they could make because they recognized me.

It also meant that they didn’t want to miss out on me.

“Over the past few years, many domestic Awakened who were called super rookies have been scouted overseas. KSA has received a lot of criticism because of that.”

“Well, there were quite a few.”

There’s no beating money.

Lee Ha-sung’s expression wasn’t good, perhaps because he remembered losing a lot of talented people to money.

“I don’t want to repeat the same mistake. Just having your affiliation under South Korea in a large framework also enhances KSA’s prestige. Mr. Kang is that important to us.”

I felt like he was giving me a little too much praise, but I could also feel Lee Ha-sung’s sincerity.

There was no need to doubt his intentions.

He was acknowledging me and offering to take care of me first, and I didn’t want to refuse with false modesty.

However, since there would be expectations for the benefits given, I turned the conversation back to him and asked.

“Are there any things I need to keep in mind?”

“We would like to be able to receive Mr. Kang’s help with mutual agreement when KSA has a request.”

“Please be honest. I don’t understand roundabout language.”

“We would like KSA to have priority in purchasing some of Mr. Kang’s products.”

“Let’s do that. There’s no need to rush this part, so let’s discuss it separately.”

“Good.”

I accepted his offer without hesitation.

He said some, so I could adjust the ratio appropriately according to my circumstances.

In any case, KSA is the most influential organization when I try to 攻略 [kong략 – strategize/conquer] domestic dungeons.

There seemed to be no better picture than maintaining a good relationship while giving and taking.

“You’re certainly straightforward.”

“That’s my personality. I’m not one to be calculating.”

“I hope an EX-rank Awakened will emerge in Korea as well. I hope Mr. Kang will be the first.”

“I think the director has much more potential than I do.”

That’s what I said.

In fact, Lee Ha-sung will not become an EX-rank until he loses his life in 2040.

Perhaps it was because his innate limit as an Awakened was SSS-rank.

“Haha, I’m not capable of that. I was just very lucky to reach my current level.”

Lee Ha-sung scratched the back of his head, feigning modesty.

Just then.

He changed the subject as if he had thought of something else.

“The official conversation I’m giving you ends here. However, there is something I would like to ask you privately.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you know a person named Joo Young-saeng from the Ohsung Guild?”

How could I not know?

He’s the guy who died by my hand.

Seeing the conversation suddenly heading in that direction, it seemed like a serious story was about to come out.

I nodded and waited for Lee Ha-sung to continue.

* * *

Lee Ha-sung knew.

Officially, Joo Young-saeng’s cause of death was determined to be shock due to an autoimmune reaction.

However, if you put your mind to it, you could quickly figure out that he tried to harm Shin-hwa and was 역으로 [yeok-euro – conversely/inversely].

Of course, I had no intention of questioning Shin-hwa about whether he killed Joo Young-saeng over this issue.

In the first place, considering Joo Young-saeng’s notoriety and humanity, he deserved to die a hundred times over.

However, the problem was the situation in which Shin-hwa was involved in relation to Joo Young-saeng.

“I know. He died in front of me.”

Shin-hwa replied nonchalantly.

Then, Lee Ha-sung pointed to the Chinese map on the whiteboard in his office and continued.

“Recently, there was an attempt by the Ohsung Guild to hack into Mr. Shin-hwa’s database. KSA’s information strategy response team caught it.”

“Database… I guess they needed more detailed information. Like residence or something?”

Lee Ha-sung was not surprised, but rather felt a sense of incongruity in Shin-hwa’s calm question.

Rather than being intimidated by the fact that the Ohsung Guild was investigating him, he reacted as if he knew it would happen.

“That’s right. Furthermore, stories about Mr. Shin-hwa are frequently posted on the internal communities of the Triads and the Black Society [Chinese organized crime groups]. Of course, the contents were not good.”

“I understand. I need to be aware of that.”

“Aren’t you surprised or scared? If you wish, we can assign KSA-level security.”

“Those guys have always been interested in people who stand out among the Awakened. It’s not for nothing that they have a bad reputation. I’m not surprised.”

Shin-hwa was indifferent.

In any case, the 악연 [ak-yeon – bad fate/karma] with China’s three major 적폐 [jeok-pye – deep-rooted evils] guilds existed in his previous life as well.

He even waged a large-scale all-out war with them later, so the 악연 [ak-yeon – bad fate/karma] was even deeper than it is now.

He didn’t think it would be any different in this life, so he wasn’t surprised.

‘If I try to go comfortably while being mindful of these guys, I won’t be able to do business or anything. If they get involved, they get involved, and I’d rather make a lot of money quickly and retire early.’

That’s what I thought, but I still wasn’t comfortable.

Even if it’s nowhere else, the Ohsung Guild, the Black Society, and the Triads are clearly organizations stained with evil from birth.

The fact that they secretly operate a kind of assassination request community called the Dark Forest is proof of that.

“By the way, Shin-hwa.”

“Yes?”

“I have one more question.”

“Anything.”

“What is Mr. Shin-hwa’s future goal? World peace? Or wealth and fame? As an Awakened, I’m curious about Mr. Shin-hwa’s dream.”

“A glamorous retirement.”

Shin-hwa answered Lee Ha-sung’s question without a moment’s hesitation.

From the moment he opened his eyes after regression, it was a thought that was deeply engraved in his mind as if it were imprinted.

“Retirement… does that mean you don’t want to live as an Awakened anymore?”

“Yes. My big goal is to save money quickly and leave. My dream is to film ‘I Live Alone’ [popular Korean reality TV show] in the most luxurious and peaceful place in the world.”

“Haha, that’s an unexpected answer. Ah! It’s not that retirement is strange. I’m just curious why you dream of retiring at such a young age when you still have so many things you want to do.”

“It’s tiring to live like a puppet, doing what the world wants and what people want. I’d say I lose awareness of myself, that itself.”

“I can definitely relate to that.”

Lee Ha-sung nodded.

However, there was a big disconnect between that and what he heard from a twenty-four-year-old young man.

It felt like he was hearing such profound words from a middle-aged or elderly person who had become enlightened in life.

‘I’m also getting tired of the media’s reckless praise and packaging. Of course, there are parts where I’m using the media because I need it right now.’

Shin-hwa frowned slightly.

Perhaps it will only get worse if it gets worse in the future.

Unless a ‘super rookie’ emerges who surpasses him.

But unfortunately, according to history, there are no such good news.

“My personal questions have been long. In the future, our KSA will guarantee Mr. Shin-hwa’s convenience as much as possible.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“However, please be aware that all of this is only possible when you are within the borders of the country.”

“There are obligations and conditions commensurate with the rights you can enjoy. I know that well.”

“Then, please tell me if you need anything.”

Swish.

Lee Ha-sung handed over his business card. It was his special business card that no one could receive like Mok Jin-woo’s gold ticket.

‘Another rare item has been added to the collection.’

Anyway, this incident created a connection with Lee Ha-sung, the top leader of KSA.

If he spares no effort to take care of many things for me, many things will be resolved more easily in the future.

That’s good.

KSA’s active cooperation will give wings to me, who is dreaming of a quick retirement.

‘After all, Korea is the best.’

Thanks to that, Shin-hwa’s patriotism was growing by leaps and bounds.

That night.

Shin-hwa, who returned to the underground warehouse in Jungwha Station, watched the installation of the production process sent by Jang Dong-shik.

The installation continued from evening to dawn. That’s because there were so many parts that had to be connected meticulously.

As expected, 명불허전 [myeongbulheojeon – the name lives up to the reputation]!

Jang Dong-shik’s production was the best.

As a result of test-driving the process completed late at night, it was more perfect than Shin-hwa had imagined.

“Now, the 강화 [ganghwa – enhancement] potion is all auto if you just put in the ingredients? Good! Now, production is a well-being life.”

The prelude to automation that allows you to blow your nose without touching it has begun.

It was the first step towards a truly ideal life of making money more easily and working less!