I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Usually, on a balcony bathed in beautiful moonlight, one might expect to find someone enjoying a glass of wine or a beer while admiring the night view.

Crunch. Crunch, crunch.

Instead, I was diligently eating something.

It was the ‘Magos’s Eye,’ extracted from the Magos after defeating him.

Naturally, it wasn’t exactly a gourmet experience.

However, having endured all sorts of hardships as a porter in my past life, I’d consumed all kinds of questionable things.

I’d eaten larvae thicker than my thumb and chewed on insects while they were still alive.

Compared to that, an eye was nothing. It was mere child’s play.

Shaaaa.

Soon, a surge of magical energy enveloped my eyes, and I felt my eyesight sharpening.

‘Vision 7.0.’

I already knew the extent of my improved vision. It was just confirmation.

“I need to be careful with where I look.”

Casually glancing around, I spotted a couple engaging in some… intimate activity in an apartment of the same height nearby.

I could see inside through the tiny gap in their slightly open blinds!

Even though they were close, they were almost 1km away, a distance that would normally make such observation impossible.

‘With this kind of eyesight, who needs binoculars?’

The only downside was that my exceptionally good eyesight meant I could see things I’d rather not see.

‘In Korea, C-rank Jeong Hyeong-wook had the best eyesight at 5.0, and in Germany, B-rank L few had 7.0, right? He lived worry-free for 30 years just because of his good eyesight, and now I’ve surpassed him?’

A satisfied smile spread across my face.

It wasn’t hard to appreciate the magnitude of my achievement.

‘Indeed, fate is unfair. In game terms, I’m like a fully leveled character who’s been given all the hidden items!’

That thought made me feel even better.

Emboldened, I immediately threw the Steel Flower I’d obtained from Magos into my mouth.

A rose-shaped essence with a sweet, chocolatey taste.

This flower is a highly sought-after essence for Awakened Ones, obtained by hunting dungeon boss monsters.

Eating it allows you to increase your talents by one. In other words, a single Awakened becomes a dual Awakened, and a dual Awakened becomes a triple Awakened.

Ommel, ommel.

Despite being an essence containing talent, it was consumed in just one second.

The moment it entered my mouth, it melted away like ice cream.

Right then.

Srrr.

A force enveloped my entire body.

Usually, many Awakened are surprised by the changes that occur in their bodies after eating the flower.

I accepted the change with a familiar feeling and stood in front of the full-length mirror in the living room.

And.

Kuduk.

The talent contained in the Steel Flower.

I immediately activated ‘Steel Enhancement.’

Instantly, my entire body transformed into a very hard steel form, as if covered in carbon steel.

I felt a slight heaviness, but movement wasn’t difficult.

Srrr.

I released the steel enhancement state from only half of my body.

As if I had become Asura [a powerful, multi-armed deity in Hinduism and Buddhism], I left the left part of my body in the enhanced state.

Weeing. Weeing. Weeeing.

The right part, especially the right hand, was ready to unleash three layers of Explosive Force with all its might.

Explosive Force 3 has the power to subdue even an A-rank Awakened with its instantaneous firepower.

“Haaap!”

Exclaiming, I slammed my right hand down on my left hand with all my might.

It was an attack that applied strong force from a very close distance.

If the steel enhancement state was weak, my left hand would break or shatter the moment my right hand touched it.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The left hand easily received the energy of Explosive Force 3.

I felt a deep resonance, but it remained at a level of vibration and pain that I could handle.

‘Does this mean about 15 years have been shortened? I think it was around 2035 in my past life that I was able to withstand an A-class attack to this extent?’

An overwhelming difference!

At that time, I had cultivated that much toughness through body strengthening, painstakingly honed over a long period.

But this time it was different.

I made a big change in a short period with the unique ability I stole from Magos!

‘Today’s me surpasses the old me. It’s even more enjoyable than surpassing other rivals.’

I was happy.

It was like building a straight highway on a frustrating past where I had to go around a winding road.

It was like I was the only one speeding on a shortcut that no one else could take.

‘Am I going to achieve everything in a year and retire? Should I get stronger slowly? Am I going too fast?’

I happily entertained thoughts that would have drawn curses from others.

I retraced my memories.

I had left my affiliated engineering corps, so I probably wouldn’t be going to the dungeon for a while.

Buying a suit, camping equipment, and artifacts could be done quickly if I set my mind to it, so there was no need to rush.

But right then.

“Ah! That’s right, there was Jin Bo-mi.”

One issue came to mind.

Jin Bo-mi.

She is the youngest daughter of Jin Seong-tae, the chairman of Yanghwa Group, one of Korea’s leading conglomerates.

She was the family’s only Awakened and the youngest child that Jin Seong-tae had at the age of fifty.

Perhaps that’s why she grew up receiving all of her father’s love, but unfortunately, she had a problem.

She suffered an unexpected accident in a dungeon raid promoted by the Yanghwa Guild, which is directly operated by Yanghwa Group.

There, she was afflicted with a very tricky curse.

Later, I found out that she was attacked by the black magician Acheron, who guarded the final area of the dungeon.

To talk about Acheron, I had to think about the Pan Continent, that is, the Nas Continent.

However, that’s too long of a story, so it’s not appropriate to recall it now.

Anyway, due to Acheron’s curse, Jin Bo-mi was in a serious condition called mana discharge disorder.

‘The problem is that the twisted flow of mana due to the discharge disorder also affects the body, causing quadriplegia [paralysis of all four limbs]. No one will know that.’

Chairman Jin Seong-tae searched everywhere for skilled Awakened.

In particular, he focused on inviting named individuals known as healing Awakened and paid high costs without hesitation.

But no one could cure her.

This was because it was not a problem that could be solved by simply injecting healing energy.

Eventually, on March 14, 2020, she passed away while her family watched over her, clutching a candy basket given to her by her father as a gift.

I still remember it vividly because it was an incident that highlighted that even millionaires are helpless in the face of curses.

‘Simple healing energy injection cannot solve mana discharge disorder. To solve that, someone has to use external force to help mana circulation. Like unclogging a blocked toilet.’

Thanks to treating so many mana discharge disorder Awakened in my past life, I had plenty of experience.

However, the problem is…

Due to Acheron’s curse, injecting ordinary healing abilities would actually be poison to Jin Bo-mi.

‘You have to use a healing power that is not heterogeneous. Natural healing, not energy injection or potion fluids… To do that, saliva is essential.’

My tongue has already been modified, so making healing saliva is very easy.

The problem is the injection method, but that’s a problem to worry about later.

First, the heart needs to be modified.

Only then will the heart’s mana discharge ability be excellent, making it possible to infuse mana into others.

Think of a plunger.

The modified heart is responsible for the pressure to unclog the toilet.

If the modified heart’s mana discharge power is 100, the level of a normal Awakened is about 10.

So it may be natural that Jin Bo-mi’s fundamental treatment was unsuccessful.

‘Because no one knows how to do it!’

Of course, there is no way to even conceive of such a solution.

Heart modification is a bit difficult.

Maintaining the best condition is important because subtle mana adjustment is crucial.

‘I think it will be around dinner time.’

I needed to sleep a little more to fully recover from the fatigue caused by modifying other parts earlier.

First, I rechecked the Awakened recruitment notice posted under the name of Jin Seong-tae, chairman of Yanghwa Group.

[Request for Healing Awakened]

[Hello, this is Jin Seong-tae.

Today, I am leaving a message not as the chairman, but as the father of a child.

Currently, my daughter, who was an Awakened, is suffering from paralysis due to injuries sustained in the dungeon.

Her condition is getting worse over time, and various treatments are not effective at all.

She is precious to me, my youngest daughter who I would not want to hurt even if I put her in my eyes.

If there is anyone who can save my daughter’s life, please help me at any time. I will definitely reward you.

Contact number for the treatment support team: 010-4983-XXXX]

It was a message conveying the desperation of a father who desperately wanted to save the life of his precious youngest daughter.

Judging from the fact that there are dozens of phone numbers in addition to the representative number, it seemed that several avenues were open.

What I paid attention to was the reward written below the announcement.

[Yanghwa Group will definitely provide the following rewards to those who restore Jin Bo-mi’s condition to its original state.

First, a cash reward of 50 billion won [approximately $40 million USD].

Second, if you wish to join, we will proceed with joining the Yanghwa Guild and grant personal special contracts and privileges according to the agreement.

Third, complete transfer of ownership of one E-rank or lower dungeon owned by Yanghwa Group.]

‘Well, if you can save a person’s life with 50 billion won, there’s nothing an owner of a large company would regret.’

It’s definitely an attractive offer.

In the first place, the reward amount was 5 billion won.

But because every Awakened who came only dug dry wells, Jin Bo-mi’s condition worsened, and this situation occurred.

Yanghwa Guild, the direct guild of Yanghwa Group, is a guild that ranks between 5th and 7th in the domestic guild rankings.

Because it is a guild that strictly operates only with the elite, its ‘total combat power’ was lower than other guilds that pushed with numbers.

The guild ranking is calculated by converting the rank of all guild members into points.

For that reason, it was an unreasonable indicator for them, who were a small elite group.

‘More than anything else, Yanghwa Group is also involved in research, improvement, and construction using dimensional stones, right? Then it may be of great help in building my hideout later after retirement.’

I thought it would be okay.

Even if it’s not after retirement, it’s a place where security construction is possible to safely fortify the place where I live right now.

This is because Yanghwa Group is the group that uses the Awakened system most commercially and strategically.

On top of that, one more thing!

‘Yanghwa Group also has a very special relationship with KSA [Korean Special Ability Association]. If I make them indebted, I can indirectly draw on the power of KSA.’

A good plan seemed to be forming.

A win-win situation where I can become a prince on a white horse, make a lot of money, and expand the scope of my actions at once!