I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 187

187

“Commander! The defense lines set up in the rear of the Sejong Black Zone are collapsing one after another!”

“I’ve heard the reports. What about the live footage?”

“Here it is!”

A subordinate showed Joo Cheon-ho a screen displaying live footage.

As he said, numerous defense points set up in the rear were being utterly destroyed by one person.

Naturally, that person was Shin-hwa.

Numerous traps and defense facilities activated simultaneously, targeting Shin-hwa, but they were utterly useless.

While the members were panicking, Shin-hwa closed the distance and swept them all away with close-range strikes.

Moreover, the facilities, which had cost a considerable amount to build, were turning into useless scrap metal one after another due to Shin-hwa’s attacks.

“Crazy bastard……”

Joo Cheon-ho clicked his tongue.

Even though he was heavily intoxicated by the madness provided by the Black Serpent Elixir [a powerful, mind-altering substance], Joo Cheon-ho’s emotions were well controlled.

Usually, one would act rashly under the influence of the drug, but Joo Cheon-ho was not so reckless.

“How can an ordinary Awakened be rampaging through the Black Zone as if it were his own backyard?”

“I’m wondering the same thing.”

Joo Cheon-ho shared his subordinate’s question.

The Sejong Black Zone is a place where the distortion of perspective is very severe unless one is familiar with all the terrain.

Even the KSA [Korean Special Abilities Association] elites, who seemed to have obtained an internal map, were struggling from the moment they entered the northern entrance.

This was because Joo Cheon-ho had put a lot of effort into building defense facilities at key points.

As a result, the KSA lost a significant number of personnel to injuries during the entry operation and had retreated once.

This was normal.

The Black Zone doesn’t have its infamous reputation for nothing.

But it seemed that this didn’t apply to Shin-hwa at all.

“He’s only destroying the important defense points. He’s opening the fastest shortcut to me.”

Joo Cheon-ho bit his lip.

He had already had a lot of fun in the battle at the northern end of the Sejong Black Zone.

The number of casualties suffered by the KSA due to his attacks was as high as 50.

Even if they didn’t die, a significant number of personnel would have been incapacitated and left due to injuries.

In addition, he had secretly activated traps he had buried for Lee Ha-sung and Na Mi-na, inflicting minor but definite damage.

From the beginning, the northwest, northeast, including the northern part of the Sejong Black Zone, was a giant trap.

Equipped with concentrated attack facilities using dimensional stones, Lee Ha-sung and Na Mi-na were also struggling quite a bit.

Even with high ranks, they couldn’t freely roam a battlefield filled with traps and concentrated attacks.

However, the problem was Shin-hwa.

In Joo Cheon-ho’s view, Shin-hwa, despite not having a high rank, was playing a tremendous role.

Moreover, his movement path seemed like that of someone who knew from the beginning where it was dangerous and safe.

A feeling of seeing through everything!

The unpleasant feeling that arose from that was entirely replaced by anger and interest in Shin-hwa.

“How can we let Shin-hwa mess up our rear while we’re screwing over the KSA elites?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Maintain the current state of the northern front. Lee Ha-sung is a cautious commander. He won’t push recklessly.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Tell Kyung-rok to maintain the current front. If we hold out a little longer, reinforcements will arrive.”

“Yes, I will deliver the message!”

Joo Cheon-ho had something to rely on.

Support was expected from brother organizations operating secretly in the Chungju, Anseong, and Goesan Black Zones.

Most of them were Joseonjok [Korean-Chinese] people who had crossed over from China and had roots in the Black Society, the Triads, and the Five Star Group [various organized crime syndicates].

Since they were all people who had blood on their hands, they would be a reliable support force.

“Kang Shin-hwa, I will kill you.”

Kkiririk.

Joo Cheon-ho imagined sniping the imaginary Shin-hwa, drawing the bowstring without anything attached.

The arrow pierced his chest accurately!

In his imagination, Shin-hwa clutched his heart, spitting out dark red blood, and sang of death.

He had heard rumors.

That Shin-hwa had created quite a bit of bad blood not only with the three Chinese guilds but also with the Revengers.

What if he eliminated Shin-hwa here or captured him and handed him over to the Chinese side?

He might receive more than expected compensation. Because he was a guy who had disturbed the minds of the ‘higher-ups’ over there.

“If I kill Kang Shin-hwa, I can at least secure a retreat route.”

That was Joo Cheon-ho’s calculation.

At first, he was nervous about the KSA’s large-scale encirclement, but they didn’t know the nature of the Black Zone as much as he thought.

Of course, he wasn’t confident in winning against the KSA, but he could draw a route to escape with a strategic defeat.

However, the obstacle that he absolutely had to eliminate in order to do this was… Shin-hwa after all.

Pat! Papat!

Soon, Joo Cheon-ho’s figure quickly disappeared to the south.

A loach [slippery fish, metaphor for someone difficult to catch].

He couldn’t let that guy muddy the waters.

* * *

I just grabbed them as they came into reach and flung them to either side.

“Kkeuaaa!”

“Euaaa!”

The two Black Cross members, who were helplessly hit, plummeted without wings below the building.

Their response was so poor that I wondered where they got this confidence from.

Was it because they thought they had preempted strategically advantageous points?

The guys never stopped me from accurately locating, moving, and attacking.

It was as if they thought the ‘distortion of perspective’ that made up the Sejong Black Zone was their own ‘exclusive property.’

In other words, they were confident that the strategic advantage that only they knew would never be broken.

‘Wrongful conviction is scary.’

Conviction is forbidden on a battlefield where numerous variables run rampant, but the guys were too careless.

Thanks to that, I had already dismantled more than ten major strongholds and was continuing to advance north.

From the moment I entered the Black Zone, my goal was first and foremost Commander Joo Cheon-ho.

Given Joo Cheon-ho’s personality, he wouldn’t be able to stay still while I was stirring things up this much in the rear.

All the more so because he thought of the Black Zone as their own impregnable fortress.

Just then.

“Hoo.”

I saw a figure moving diligently between buildings in the distance, approaching quickly.

It seemed that he hadn’t seen me yet, but I could see him clearly with my overwhelmingly superior eyesight.

It was Joo Cheon-ho.

If he died, at least all the ‘villains’ blocking my path in the country would disappear.

Of course, if I turned my eyes abroad, problems would arise from China at the very least, but anyway.

“Returning and preventing big incidents, and beating up villains. At this rate, I’ll really become the superhero that Nicholas liked so much, tsk.”

I didn’t really intend to, but somehow I ended up becoming a champion of justice.

The main keywords that the media used to promote me were words like justice realization, hero, and judge.

“……”

I waited.

Awakened Joo Cheon-ho of SS rank.

In addition, Joo Cheon-ho, who had taken the Black Serpent Elixir, was an Awakened with skills of at least SSS rank.

I didn’t intend to overdo it from the beginning.

Because a thorough reconnaissance was necessary.

“Kang Shin-hwa……!”

Joo Cheon-ho, who had quickly closed the distance, recognized me and called my name loudly in a voice filled with resentment.

Just by calling those three letters, I could clearly feel his anger and disgust.

That’s right.

Because the executives in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th positions under him had all died at my hands, he had no choice but to feel that way.

I was sure. Today’s battle would never end unless one of us died.

Just as he wanted to kill me, I had more than enough reasons to kill Joo Cheon-ho.

Even if it wasn’t for the spoils and buffs I could get from him…….

Joo Cheon-ho was a heinous criminal who had taken countless innocent lives.

No matter how much of a story there was to becoming a criminal, that couldn’t justify murder.

Siing! Paang!

An arrow flew from Joo Cheon-ho right away.

It was definitely not an ordinary arrow flying.

Each arrow contained a considerable amount of magic power, so its penetration power was incredibly high.

That’s why the Awakened who faced Joo Cheon-ho often suffered a lot when they tried to block those arrows with a ‘shield.’

Because unless it was a shield made by applying dimensional stones thickly, it would be pierced right away.

Pook! Pook pook! Pook!

Instead of steel reinforcement with variables, I used my liquidization talent to receive Joo Cheon-ho’s arrows.

The impact of Joo Cheon-ho’s arrows digging into various parts of my body was clearly felt.

I didn’t suffer damage to my flesh, but I felt the pain all the same.

The reason I didn’t groan was not because I didn’t know the pain, but because I endured it with mental strength.

It was an endurance that was possible because I had experienced this kind of pain not just for a day or two.

Just then.

Woong! Woong! Woong!

I felt a large amount of dimensional stones being activated all at once around me, emitting their unique energy.

Ping! Pipping!

At that moment.

Special facilities, whose appearances had been hidden by things like tents or styrofoam, revealed themselves.

‘Damn it, did he prepare in advance?’

Thick arrows flew all at once from the buildings located around the building that had become the battlefield.

It wasn’t people who were firing them, but they were activated to be fired automatically by machines.

This was also a kind of trap, and it seemed certain that it was a device that Joo Cheon-ho had built in advance.

Facilities that didn’t exist in my past life.

Perhaps Joo Cheon-ho had thought of this place as a battlefield even before I came this way.

‘It’s okay. I can easily track this level of attack path.’

I regained my composure right away.

Although the arrows were fired in an irregular form, it seemed that I could track them sufficiently using multi-tracking.

As expected, Joo Cheon-ho was famous for being careful and thorough in his preparations.

In my past life, many Awakened who aimed for Joo Cheon-ho had lost their lives in vain because of these attack devices.

‘I need to be able to handle Joo Cheon-ho easily so that my retirement plan can gain momentum.’

The world is wide, and there are many Awakened of SSS rank and EX rank as well.

If I struggled with Joo Cheon-ho, there was a high possibility that I would struggle when I met a more powerful being later.

That was a problem that my pride, which didn’t want to lose to anyone, couldn’t allow. It was a problem directly related to my pride, apart from my desire to retire.

Ping! Pipping!

Seven arrows fired at me in offbeat timing.

Ssuk! Sssuk!

Using Transcendental Acceleration, I moved gracefully back and forth, easily avoiding the attacks.

During that time.

Joo Cheon-ho approached to a distance where he could have a conversation with me.

About 30m.

If we both took aim.

It was a close distance where we could rush in at once or inflict a powerful blow.

Of course, this distance would be a long way away for most Awakened, but…….

“…….”

A sense of silence lingered.

Standing at a distance where we could pounce on each other right away, we were silently staring at each other.

I realized the butterfly effect created by the regression once again.

Because I had come to kill Joo Cheon-ho, who should have been alive for another ten years according to the original history.

If numerous inflection points like this piled up, the future would change uncontrollably…….

I also thought of Nicholas’s words.

Of course, that’s all.

If it changes, it changes.

It’s too much of a hassle for me to calculate and act on that. I’m already using my head harder than the maximum capacity.

At that time.

Joo Cheon-ho broke the silence and called my name seriously.

“Kang Shin-hwa.”

And I.

Gladly responded to his call.

“Why, you castrated bastard.”