I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 192

192.

Some time later.

Lee Ha-sung, without any entourage, arrived at Shinwha’s house and presented him with a heavy object as soon as they met.

It was a plaque of appreciation.

Originally, a grand ceremony should have been held to present the plaque, but Shinwha refused, so the event was canceled.

“Thanks to Shinwha, we were able to eradicate the Black Cross much faster and more cleanly than expected. Thank you.”

Lee Ha-sung’s respectful demeanor while presenting the plaque was impressive.

So, Shinwha, instead of a nonchalant expression, received the plaque with sincere gratitude.

Regardless of the intention, he didn’t want to take the gesture of gratitude made for him lightly.

“It’s nothing. I just did what I had to do, and it wasn’t unpaid work. I took care of my own interests.”

“The KSA [Korean Special Ability Association] and the public are praising Shinwha every day. You have contributed greatly.”

“That’s enough! I’m afraid to turn on the TV these days. My fingers don’t straighten out.”

“Hahaha, the media and the public are always enthusiastic about hero marketing. I won’t deny it.”

“I appreciate your honesty.”

“More than that, it seems this incident has had a significant impact on related criminal organizations as well.”

“Any other news?”

“According to information obtained from within the Dark Forest, Shinwha is ranking high in keyword searches.”

“That’s not good news.”

“That’s right. It means a bounty has been placed on you by criminals who embrace the darkness.”

“I’m always aware of it. Well… let them come if they want. It’ll be easier than me going to them.”

Shinwha said calmly.

He meant it.

If it’s an already twisted bad relationship, wouldn’t it be much easier for the other party to come to him than to go looking for them?

“I heard you had something important to talk about today. I came prepared.”

Lee Ha-sung cautiously broached the subject.

It was certainly unusual for Shinwha to seek out Lee Ha-sung first.

The KSA was always the one in need, the one who had to ask for favors.

“You know I have the foresight ability.”

“I know it well. Thanks to that ability, you’ve created some truly important results.”

Lee Ha-sung was always grateful for the incidents involving Mok Jin-woo and Shin Jung-ah, which Shinwha had prevented in advance.

That was the sentiment shared by everyone in the KSA, who prioritized ‘protecting national order’.

Shinwha was planning to bring up this matter based on his foresight ability, which was a roundabout way of referring to his regression.

“This time, through my foresight, I learned about a major incident. It’s a pretty big problem.”

“Hmm…?”

“If left unchecked, it will not only escalate into an international issue but also harm many Awakened ones [individuals with supernatural abilities].”

“If it’s an international issue, not a domestic one… it must be a much more serious matter than anything we’ve dealt with so far.”

Lee Ha-sung’s expression turned serious.

Shinwha continued to speak calmly.

“You’re well aware that China’s Hwagwang Industries holds a 70% market share of low-grade mana potions worldwide.”

“That’s right. It’s hard to replace because they have a perfectly systematized process from the supply of basic raw materials to production.”

“If we don’t take any action, a problem will occur with the mana potions produced by Hwagwang Industries in April.”

“What is Hwagwang Industries up to?”

“To be precise, it’s the work of the Ohsung Guild, the Triads [Chinese organized crime syndicates], and the Black Society. The three major corrupt guilds of China aren’t called that for nothing.”

“Please explain in detail.”

“The three major corrupt guilds are secretly injecting a parasite called Daekwangbug into Hwagwang Industries’ low-grade mana potions. It’s called a parasite, but it’s actually a microscopic organism that’s hard to see with the naked eye.”

“Hmm…”

Shinwha’s expression darkened at Lee Ha-sung’s deepening gaze.

Even though it was a future he already knew, it was still a terrible incident to think about.

“In a stabilized state, Daekwangbug is not activated, so it’s not visible at all. But once it enters the body after ingestion, the hellish combination begins.”

“It sounds like it could cause unintended rampages…”

“That’s right. The host repeatedly experiences abnormal mana depletion, then goes on a rampage and dies with a 5% probability.”

“It seems the 95% of survivors are left with aftereffects.”

“That’s right. Moreover, even if they don’t rampage immediately, they carry the risk of rampaging someday.”

“This… this foresight seems to have opened a Pandora’s Box [a source of great and unexpected troubles].”

Lee Ha-sung did ‘not’ question Shinwha’s foresight ability at all.

This was because Shinwha’s foresight ability had already prevented accidents.

So, he listened to Shinwha’s words seriously and asked for more details.

After a long conversation.

Lee Ha-sung continued with a heavy expression.

“We must stop it. If this incident becomes a reality, many Awakened ones will be harmed.”

“That’s right. The three major corrupt guilds will also create an antidote, making it even more dangerous.”

“Which means.”

“It means we have to nip it in the bud [stop it at an early stage] so that it doesn’t happen in the first place.”

“But a simple warning won’t make them give up. It must be a well-planned scheme.”

As expected of the head of headquarters.

Shinwha’s thoughts were the same.

The best thing would be to end it nicely with a conversation, but that’s only possible when the other party is normal.

It was unreasonable to expect such a normal thing from their organization, which was no different from a den of villains.

‘If it were Nicholas, he would have used a method of co-opting and linking with local forces to keep them in check.’

Nicholas, who was always thinking about how to minimize risks, would have approached cautiously.

But Shinwha didn’t want to solve this problem in a difficult way.

It didn’t seem like a situation where a meticulously designed and trap-laying plan would be suitable.

“Let’s just charge in.”

Shinwha came to a simple conclusion.

He thought that a method of charging in quickly would be more suitable than a cautious and roundabout approach.

Why?

Because the other party is an organization that doesn’t understand common sense or reason at all.

They must have heard so many good words of persuasion that they have become immune to them.

Rather, he thought that a frontal breakthrough with only ‘facts’ would be the most effective.

“What kind of support do you want?”

Lee Ha-sung broached the subject.

And.

“Let’s go with a dual response.”

Shinwha brought out the fastest solution he had thought of.

* * *

The discussion with Lee Ha-sung went well.

The response method was decided, and both he and I agreed to it.

We didn’t choose the method of rashly leaking it to the media because there was no physical evidence.

However, if we waited until the incident occurred, there was a high possibility that innocent lives would be sacrificed.

“Anyway, I’m glad this problem was resolved well.”

I was checking the special approval certificate I received from Lee Ha-sung before parting ways.

It was a certificate acknowledging the temporary ownership of the Dummy Dungeon, which I had learned about thanks to Shami and Chloe.

The renewal period was 3 years.

Perhaps by the time I renew it next time, the dungeon will no longer be important to me.

Because it will be after I retire.

“The real hell of April… I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

Looking at the schedule for April, which was piled up with things to do, I buried my face deep in the blanket.

With my current state of mind, if I saw Nicholas’s smiling face, I felt like I would punch him first.

“Ha, let’s calm down.”

I opened the gallery stored on my smartphone and rechecked the photos stored there.

It was the beautiful scenery of Krivia Island and the construction progress sent by local officials.

“I told them not to rush the construction and to build a solid foundation, and they’re doing a good job.”

The site where the villa will be built was undergoing thorough pre-construction work from the basement.

In addition, the landscaping work near the villa, which was being carried out at the same time, looked very good thanks to the touch of an expert.

I had requested a level above Jin Sung-tae’s villa, where I stayed in Jeju Island before, and it seemed like it would turn out well enough.

“I’m resting in my mind, I’m resting in my mind.”

I indirectly experienced it by putting the trees, flowers, clouds, and blue sky in the photos one by one into my eyes.

Since there are no ‘incidents’ in May of this year, I plan to go to Krivia Island for a long vacation at that time.

If I leave Korea altogether, I won’t get caught up in unnecessary calls.

But right then.

The phone rang.

The caller was Toshio.

Toshio, the leader of Team Osaka and Marina’s older brother.

“Hello?”

-Shinwha, I’m sorry for calling you late at night. This is Toshio. Is it okay to talk for a moment?

“Yes. It’s okay. If it’s a call from the Master, I have to get up even if I’m sleeping.”

-The gate to the Secret Dungeon has reopened. I don’t know why, but it’s normalized.

It seemed that the Secret Dungeon, which had closed the gate and teased me, had reopened.

“That’s good. But I have things to take care of, so around April 4th? It seems like it will be possible around that time or later.”

-It’s okay. It’s not a dungeon that needs to be captured urgently. The reason I contacted you in advance is that one more person seems to be joining us.”

“Is there a third person besides Toshio and Marina?”

-Yes. An expert from the WSA [World Special Ability Association], where Marina is double-affiliated, will be dispatched.

WSA. At that word, I felt uneasy rather than happy.

“Who is coming?”

-It’s a person named Michelle Straley. The VVIP is sending her to support this case directly.”

“Michelle Straley…? Could I also receive information about the person who will be joining us?”

-Of course. We can’t go into the dungeon together without knowing each other. I’ll send it to you by email right away.”

“Thank you.”

-Then I’ll schedule it for early April. I’m looking forward to it. I think I’ll be relying on you a lot.”

“You’re welcome. Everyone is just doing their part.”

-I saw your work in Korea as well. You are becoming a role model for many Awakened ones.”

“Thank you for the praise.”

I ended the call with Toshio like that. And as soon as I hung up, he sent me personal information by email.

Michelle Straley.

I didn’t remember who she was right away when I heard the name, but after thinking for a while, her face came to mind.

First of all, according to my memories of my past life, she is a person with no activity record at all in 2020.

She is an Awakened who has been active since 2030, and I remember that she became the person in charge of the Asian region instead of Marina, who joined Nine Road.

The reason why I don’t have much memory of her is one. It’s because I had no contact with her.

There was no reason for the members of Nine Road, who were busy traveling the world, and the regional manager of the WSA to meet.

‘I really know a lot. Still, I’m glad that each of these memories helps. You can’t regress if your memory is bad.’

It’s true.

If your memory is bad, isn’t it impossible to review important parts?

“Hmm…”

Meanwhile.

While looking at the personal information about Michelle that Toshio had organized and sent, I found something strange.

“That can’t be?”

Michelle’s specialty.

The information about Michelle Straley, who I know to use heavy weapons like Beonwooshin.

[Specialty Talent: Rapid Reconnaissance]