I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 148

Chapter 148

“Seong-yeong went to kill Kang Shin-hwa?”

“Yes, sir. We tried to stop him, but he forcibly took the Five Stars Pill and recovered his strength…”

“You couldn’t stop him, and he left, sticking his head into the crocodile’s mouth.”

“We’re sorry, sir!”

“Hmm… It was a good decision not to follow him. The moment you enter the White Zone [an area with less regulation and more danger for Awakened individuals], a constant war with bounty hunters begins.”

Joo Cheon-ho, the leader of the Black Cross Society, let out a deep groan upon hearing about Jang Seong-yeong’s departure.

If he had intended to stop Jang Seong-yeong, he would have assigned more powerful subordinates to his side from the start.

He had been somewhat concerned about the disruption of the hierarchy within the Black Cross Society due to Jang Seong-yeong’s presence.

So, he actually tried to adjust the ranks, but the aftermath didn’t feel clean.

But Jang Seong-yeong left without a word for revenge.

In fact, he had somewhat condoned it.

‘Still, he might be able to inflict meaningful damage on Kang Shin-hwa.’

That was Joo Cheon-ho’s calculation.

He was an A+ rank Awakened, and he even took the Five Stars Pill [a powerful but potentially dangerous enhancement drug] to maximize his combat power, right?

Then, even if there were side effects, he could temporarily exert power up to the S+ rank level.

Moreover, he had experience rolling around and training on the battlefield, so he thought he had a good chance of winning.

However.

“Sir! News! Please watch the news!”

One of his subordinates, who rushed into the leader’s office, reported the situation.

The sudden request to watch the news felt ominous.

Soon, he turned on the TV and tuned it to the channel dedicated to Awakened news.

“Breaking news!

Jang Seong-yeong, known as an executive of the Black Cross Society, has appeared near Jung-hwa Station and has been eliminated.

It is understood that Jang Seong-yeong harbored unilateral malice towards Awakened Kang Shin-hwa and attempted murder, but was defeated instead.

Jang Seong-yeong is a notorious villain who has killed numerous civilians and Awakened with his ruthless terrorism.

The KSA [Korean Superhuman Association] has announced that it will provide Kang Shin-hwa with appropriate rewards for his great contribution in this matter.”

“You son of a bitch.”

Joo Cheon-ho immediately cursed upon confirming the content.

Jang Seong-yeong not only failed in his revenge but also lost his life in a disgraceful manner.

To this extent, he had tarnished the reputation of the Black Cross Society. He thought he could fail, but he never imagined he would die without even escaping.

“Sir! Sir! We must avenge Seong-yeong!”

At that moment, Jeong Man-chun, the 4th in command, who had come to see Joo Cheon-ho, raised his voice and passionately spoke.

Due to the previous ‘Jang Seong-yeong incident,’ the Black Cross Society naturally harbored resentment towards Shin-hwa.

In the Battle of Bukdaejeon Black Zone, Jeong Man-chun also insisted on fighting Shin-hwa, but Joo Cheon-ho stopped him.

In the end, it was a good choice. Because Park Hyeong-san and Je Il-geon, who didn’t, lost their lives.

“No, now is not the time.”

“Seong-yeong hyungnim [term of respect for an older brother or respected male figure] may have been reckless…! But isn’t he the one who killed our brothers? How long do we have to be looked down upon by him?”

“Restrain yourself. There will be a better opportunity later.”

“Haa…”

“He’s a guy who fought and held out against me evenly. Do you think you can handle him?”

“But if we push him with numbers, wouldn’t it be possible?”

“Don’t underestimate him. If you don’t plan meticulously, he’ll take many to the afterlife.”

“Damn it…”

Jeong Man-chun was watching the follow-up reports on the news with a bitter expression.

Although it was mosaic-covered, the items that Jang Seong-yeong seemed to have taken were quite visible on the screen.

“It was effective to have plans in place in case something like this happened.

Jang Seong-yeong foolishly revealed his true colors, and he paid the price with his life.

I am personally very satisfied with the fact that I have punished the wicked. The Black Cross Society will probably feel something too.”

“Damn it!”

Jeong Man-chun couldn’t contain his anger and cursed after seeing Shin-hwa’s interview.

Joo Cheon-ho and his subordinates, who were trying to maintain their composure next to Jeong Man-chun, who was grinding his teeth, were no different from him.

They were disgraced.

Of course, the entire Black Cross Society had not been defeated, and Jang Seong-yeong had acted independently and was defeated.

Still, it was a truly pathetic end for Jang Seong-yeong, who had once raised his prestige and notoriety as the 3rd in command.

Even considering the penalty of addiction Shin-hwa gained.

And.

“……”

Joo Cheon-ho, who calmly calmed his emotions, made a phone call somewhere.

For the appropriate price that Shin-hwa will have to pay someday.

It was a call to someone who could actively help.

* * *

Early the next morning.

“Collecting materials takes forever, but production is a breeze.”

I checked 100 packs of enhanced potions easily made through the automatic process that Jang Dong-shik had created.

Certainly, there were fewer impurities than when I made them manually, and above all, it was good because the finished products came out easily.

It was definitely worth the investment.

However, the problem was the chronic shortage of materials that prevented the infinite production of enhanced potions.

In my past life, the poisonous herb Katra was as common as roadside weeds, so I never felt the shortage.

But this life was different.

Since there was no interest in Katra, I couldn’t find it at all in the open market.

In the early days, I was lucky enough to find it in a store, but that was actually the first and last market purchase.

‘Katra can actually be obtained by clearing my schedule and touring overseas dungeons. This is not a big problem.’

I was concerned about the lack of materials, but there was a definite solution.

I already had calculations in my head about which dungeon I could easily get Katra from.

‘In fact, the biggest problem is the lack of magic power.’

Although my current rank is B+, the total amount of magic power was still severely lacking.

Fortunately, I was diligently storing magic power in my heart and Wilson every time and drawing it out.

If that wasn’t the case, I would have faced the situation of ‘shopping’ for talents but not being able to use them several times.

‘I have to solve the problem of the Flower of Transcendence and the magic power problem together.’

I still needed two more Flowers of Transcendence for a definite brain modification.

Then, it was essential to attack a dungeon that could obtain a means of increasing magic power at the same time as acquiring the Flower of Transcendence.

However, since the two flowers were in dungeons owned by Team Osaka and the Eliza Group, respectively.

It seemed better to ask Marina to visit Japan first, rather than the still uncomfortable Eliza.

The J-811 dungeon of Team Osaka.

I probably attacked it hundreds of times at the guild level, but I couldn’t get the Flower of Transcendence.

This is because the way to get the flower is so unique. The process is so complicated that it would be strange to know it.

The dungeon rank is S rank.

The boss monster ‘Crude’ is SS+ rank. The monster form is spider-shaped.

‘If I add a few more dungeons for magic power upgrades here, I can somehow get to A- rank.’

The calculation was roughly done.

I always liked this part.

Thanks to having the experiences and memories of my past life, I can fully anticipate the results when I try something.

I liked the fact that the future doesn’t feel uncertain and that I can have some grounded confidence!

So, at first, I resented the damn regression that I didn’t even think about.

Since then, I have never done that.

Because it gives me a clear motivation and makes the purpose clear.

“I might have to see Joo Cheon-ho again soon.”

I muttered, recalling the final moments of Jang Seong-yeong, which still remained vivid in my head.

I made him pay the price for the evil deeds he had committed and for trying to kill me.

I broke all the bones in his limbs.

The only thing I left free to play with was his mouth, and the rest was completely smashed.

Guilt?

I didn’t have anything like that.

Things like feeling sympathy or pity for a human who tried to kill me never happen to me.

‘Please… kill me.’

I thoroughly trampled and tormented Jang Seong-yeong until I heard those words from him.

It was also a time of revenge for the countless people he had killed.

‘I want to live quietly, but as expected, it doesn’t work out.’

A futile laugh came out.

In the first place, I lived my life coolly and freely without considering the consequences, so I made a lot of enemies.

Nicholas would have been different from me.

He would probably have flattered even a guy like Mok Jin-woo and waited for a chance to stab him in the back.

But that doesn’t suit my personality.

Of course, the operation I’m planning for Mok Jin-woo is rooted in Nicholas’s ‘deception tactics.’

“D-Day is not far away now.”

Crack. Crackle.

I changed the magic power gathered at my fingertips into various forms and checked my body condition again.

Mok Jin-woo, Shin Jeong-ah.

Can I really stop the worst incident caused by the two men and women who made my life twisted from the beginning of 2020 in my past life?

I couldn’t be sure of anything yet.

I was just doing what Nicholas was supposed to do before he regressed. I decided not to give it much meaning.

‘Oh, I need to buy some gifts.’

Looking at the calendar, I realized that tomorrow was March 15th.

It was Jin Bo-mi’s birthday, which she had inadvertently mentioned while talking about her password.

I was thinking of giving her a gift this time because she had worked hard for me.

Gives and takes!

If I treat her like this, something will come back. Jin Bo-mi is a bright person.

“What would be good?”

Buried deep in the blanket.

I turned on my laptop and began to indulge in an endless online shopping spree.

* * *

Early morning of March 15th.

It was Jin Bo-mi’s birthday.

I made an appointment to meet her in the morning. It was the date I had promised her before.

I had already prepared the gift, and I was worried about where to go.

‘How about driving along the East Coast road if it’s okay?’

She suggested the course first.

I was planning a luxurious course in the city, considering Jin Bo-mi’s standards, but it changed.

Anything was fine.

If the person on the date and the birthday protagonist wants the sea, I should do it that way.

Anyway, I pretended not to know it was her birthday and disguised it as a simple date.

That way, she would feel twice as good when she received the gift.

I wanted to create an opportunity for her to change her mood, as she seemed to be troubled by various thoughts these days.

“I should gradually sell off Korim Chemical from tomorrow.”

I smiled with satisfaction as I looked at the stock price of Korim Chemical, which had risen to 17,000 won.

The average price was around 3,000 won, so it had risen almost 6 times.

The investment I had buried was 50 billion won.

As such, if I started selling sequentially from Monday to Friday, I would be able to realize profits at the expected price range.

Recently, the trading volume has increased significantly, and it is still trending upward, so even if I sell and leave, it will not have a big impact on the stock price.

Knock knock.

Right then.

The only person who knew the location of my fourth safe house, the Hwagok Station home, came to visit.

It was a very important guest who was familiar with the time of dawn in our meetings.