I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 164

164.

“Why? Don’t you like my outfit?”

“No. I love it. It’s quite the ‘couple look’, a couple look.”

“I dressed comfortably. I had a feeling you would too.”

“Hahaha.”

It was funny.

We were heading to a street stall for a drink near the hotel, and both Marina and I were wearing tracksuits.

The only difference was that mine was wine-colored and hers was pink. Even the brand was the same!

“We’re finally having our belated date today. There’s even a Korean-owned street stall near the hotel.”

“I guess so. Let’s go. Let’s have a quick and intense drink.”

* * *

Arriving at the street stall, Shin-hwa and Marina ordered plenty of food and began to drink.

Unlike when Marina first met him and constantly flirted with him,

the conversations shared over drinks today were mostly about everyday things.

Of course, as the atmosphere warmed up, Marina’s casual conversation naturally shifted to other topics.

“Shin-hwa, you know, I’m sure you felt it at the airport, but you’ve become incredibly popular.”

“Well… I’m well aware that it’s because of the recent Mok Jin-woo and Shin Jung-ah incidents.”

“There’s a lot of talk in the Awakened community too. Some people are keenly analyzing your battles.”

“I suppose so. I used every talent I could.”

“And everyone was shocked. If you categorize the talents you used, you could see that you are more than a Decuple Awakened, right?”

“Some of them are talents I got from the flower. It’s hard to say they are innate talents.”

“Acquiring flowers is definitely a talent too. You don’t seem to realize that. Hoho.”

“Anyway, I’m always trying to be humble. I’m not the type to brag about my talents.”

“Shin-hwa.”

“Yes?”

“How about joining Team Osaka? I know you don’t like being tied down. I promise a complete mercenary contract.”

“No, thanks.”

“Eh? You’re rejecting me this quickly?”

“I like the current partnership just fine. I don’t want to be tied to anything with the word ‘mercenary’.”

Shin-hwa refused outright, and Marina looked a little embarrassed.

But she wouldn’t have made the offer in the first place if she was going to back down with just one refusal.

“I promise you the best treatment in Japan. Especially a super-special treatment that can break more than twice the existing record.”

The Awakened who had received the best treatment in Japan so far was a rising star named Ayumu.

There was a precedent of joining the JSA [Japan Awakened Association], with a total contract amount of 250 billion won [approximately $190 million USD].

“500 billion won [approximately $380 million USD] is not enough, you know? You know that if I start making enhancement potions in earnest, that money will be gone in no time.”

“Ah…”

Realizing she had made a mistake, Marina was momentarily speechless.

She hadn’t realized that an offensive using money was meaningless to Shin-hwa.

“I like our current friendship just fine.”

“Then! Since our Team Osaka has a close relationship with the WSA [World Awakened Society], I promise to secure a smooth license to attack the Asian dungeons owned by the WSA. How about that?”

“It’s a tempting offer, but I’d like to politely decline.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t I tell you once before? I’m aiming for retirement. It’s a headache to get involved in contracts like this.”

“Tch, is retirement that important? You’re only twenty-four, why do you want to rest so much?”

“I guess so. My body is twenty-four, but my mind is exhausted like a middle-aged man of fifty-six. Haha.”

Shin-hwa laughed, lightly mentioning his past life age that Marina couldn’t even guess.

“I see. I guess you’re the type to never go back on a decision once you’ve made up your mind.”

“That’s because my goal is so clear. If wealth and fame were my goals, I would have joined long ago.”

He admitted honestly.

“Okay. Let’s stop talking about burdensome things now. Then, I’m asking out of curiosity as an Awakened, is it okay to ask?”

“You’re curious about my talents, right?”

“Yes. I’m curious about the talents that have been revealed this time. I don’t even want to ask about hidden talents.”

“Okay. That’s enough to pay for today’s drinks. What are you curious about?”

“Your right arm! How many forms of weapons can it turn into?”

That’s how Marina’s questions began.

Contrary to Shin-hwa’s expectations, the subsequent conversation didn’t deviate much from the topic of conversation between two moderately close men and women.

She didn’t flirt like before, and she didn’t bring up any more burdensome words like scout offers.

‘Maybe I misunderstood.’

Shin-hwa was ashamed of his misunderstanding that Marina might be hitting on him.

Shin-hwa enjoyed talking with her, having met an interesting drinking partner after a long time.

Putting aside complicated thoughts for a while.

It was a pleasant time spent indulging in delicious alcohol and snacks.

In the back-and-forth conversation, Shin-hwa also learned quite a bit about Marina. Even behind-the-scenes stories he didn’t know.

Like Shin-hwa, she had lost her parents in the Great Cataclysm when she was young. She also lost her youngest sibling.

In his past life, they weren’t close enough to share personal stories like this, so this occasion was very special to Shin-hwa.

Perhaps if he hadn’t regressed,

there would have been an unbridgeable distance between Marina and him forever.

The drinking session, which started in the evening and lasted until midnight, ended only after each person had emptied three bottles of soju [Korean distilled rice liquor].

* * *

“I’ll go in first! I have something to discuss with my brother! How is it? Do I look drunk?”

“You look completely drunk.”

“Hehe… It’s okay. My brother will understand everything. Then don’t forget about the dungeon move scheduled for tomorrow!”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“You’re welcome. Then, I’ll go!”

Arriving in front of the hotel, Marina went in with quick steps. It seemed like she had a meeting with Toshio.

Meanwhile, I walked along the garden around the hotel and fell into thought.

I drank quite a bit, but I was barely drunk. It was thanks to the excellent detoxification ability of my altered liver.

‘I wonder what’s in the secret dungeon of Team Osaka that even Nicholas didn’t know about.’

For the first time, I had a worry that I had no prior knowledge of.

Until now, I had enough prior information about what would happen in the future or the dungeons I would attack.

The plan for the J-811 dungeon that I would attack tomorrow was already in my head.

But I couldn’t even guess the location of the dungeon that Toshio mentioned.

‘If it was just a difficult dungeon to attack, it would have been known someday. That’s normal.’

It’s just a guess for now.

I had a feeling that the dungeon might be related to Leccero.

Maybe they attacked the dungeon in the past, but they were cursed not to reveal the identity of the dungeon.

Leccero is a black magician.

Using evil curses to silence people is one of the many black magic that Leccero can use.

‘For now, I can’t be sure of anything without going to the dungeon Toshio mentioned.’

I was intrigued.

However, what’s most important to me is the J-811 dungeon attack that’s coming up tomorrow.

I’m going to catch three birds with one stone here: the Flower of Transcendence, a rank increase, and the priest’s rank increase.

“Geez… I’ve become so dull.”

I made a bitter expression at the final appearance of Mok Jin-woo and Shin Jung-ah, which suddenly came to mind.

I was the one who really realized the meaning of the words massacre and slaughter while experiencing the Great Cataclysm in my past life.

The countless monsters that kept coming were so numerous that it was meaningless to count them.

I had to kill to live.

There were countless times when I had to sleep next to a corpse, using the blood flowing on the ground as a companion.

Around that time, I think I deleted the word guilt from my head after killing someone.

Of course, the monsters deserved to die. If we didn’t kill them, we would have died.

It’s the same this time.

If I hadn’t dealt with Mok Jin-woo and Shin Jung-ah, I would have been the one to die in the end.

“A fresh 20-year-old body with the jaded and dulled emotions of a middle-aged man, it’s really awkward.”

Even now, I’m sometimes surprised when I see my plump skin and shiny face.

It’s because I remember the old days when I used to grumble about the increasing wrinkles and gray hair.

‘Kang Shin-hwa! Just dye your hair white! Then you don’t have to worry about gray hair anymore!’

‘What’s the point of smoothing out the wrinkles on your face? Anyway, everything from your lower body is already old. We’re getting old now too.’

I suddenly burst out laughing when I remembered what he had said.

‘Why… I just wish I knew why he regressed me first. Or maybe he only regressed me.’

That was always the question.

Was there a significant reason why Nicholas shouldn’t have regressed himself first?

Since I haven’t even heard a simple hint, everything is a mystery to me.

“Ah, really! I’m sick of this twenty questions-like riddle!”

Bang!

I was taking out my anger on the landscaping rock that I saw next to me.

It’s a headache to think far ahead.

Short, short.

If I live hard thinking only about the present, there will definitely be a pleasant turning point. Definitely!

* * *

The next day, morning.

After taking a good rest, we stood in front of the J-811 dungeon in the best condition ever.

Marina, who had escorted us to the dungeon, took the Team Osaka guild members and left.

There seemed to be no need for extra people since there were many safety devices, starting with surveillance cameras all around.

“Keuk.”

“Kueueuek…”

Meanwhile, before entering.

The three of them drank the green juice in 500ml bottles.

Named ‘Health Juice’, this was a magic-enhancing concoction made by grinding the leaves and stems of Crazy Tree and Mad Flower, two ingredients I had obtained from the K-10004 dungeon.

I can tell you exactly what the juice tastes like.

It tastes like eating a live grub that has grown fat by diligently digging into the inside of rotten wood.

In other words, it tastes like crap.

It was that bad.

However, it has been proven in my past life that it continuously promotes magic circulation and promotes magic and rank increase.

So I was actively encouraging my teammates to drink it, and they were diligently complying.

“Kua, I want to die every time I eat it. I want to die three times a day because I drink it three times a day, really…”

Han So-joon trembled his lips and made a painful expression.

It tasted bad, but the ingredients were fresh, so there seemed like there was no rejection of the contents themselves.

“Whatever Shin-hwa tells you to do is always right, so you have to keep eating it!”

“Ugh!”

“Byeol, hang in there!”

“Haa… It’s good for my body… right? Haa, haa.”

Still, I was grateful to my colleagues who believed in me and followed me diligently.

I’ve experienced how these small trusts accumulate and form deep bonds.

Even if I retire later.

I hope the three of them will stick together and continue to grow as they are now.

It would be even better if they grew into new heroes to replace Nine Roads. Everyone has enough potential.

But right then.

“Oh, right, Shin-hwa. Actually, there’s one thing I’ve been hiding from you, and now I’m ready! I think I can tell you.”

“Suddenly?”