I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 198

Episode 198

Elijah Lowe, Apostle.

Ayla Blanchett, Apostle.

Michelle Strayley, Apostle…?

Just in case, I used my artificial eye to check Michelle’s condition again, but there were no abnormalities.

The artificial eye was telling me accurately that Michelle was one of the five Apostles called the Pentanaz.

‘But there was only one woman among the Pentanaz. But considering that Ayla is already a woman… there’s a conflict with Michelle?’

There is a conflict between the information I had obtained in advance and the facts, but the fact remains that Michelle is an Apostle. That is solid evidence.

Meanwhile, upon closer inspection with my enhanced vision.

Michelle was not wearing her unique ring on her finger.

The fact that she was an Apostle but not wearing a ring had to be seen as deliberate.

It meant that she had blocked the possibility of her identity being exposed.

Of course, this happened because she didn’t know about Akero’s special identification tool, the artificial eye.

‘An Apostle is under the VVIP, doesn’t wear a ring, and doesn’t recognize me….’

I already know that the Apostles and their followers are not perfectly connected.

According to what Elijah and Bellic told me before, after each of them had settled into the Awakened world.

Some reveal their identities and make contact, but many just live quietly.

Then, they recognize each other through the rings, share information, and form a community.

So, it was highly possible that Elijah or Ayla didn’t know Michelle. The opposite was also true.

‘Why does every somewhat prominent organization have an Apostle?’

That’s the picture for now.

One in Elijah’s group.

One in the Golden Sky Guild.

And one in the World Awakened Association, WSA.

If it’s like this… it means there’s a high possibility that there’s an Apostle in the Revengers too.

No, with this structure, it’s almost certain.

Because it is one of the rapidly growing criminal organizations that quickly increased its power after the Great Cataclysm.

‘I won’t know until I look into it. Michelle, let’s keep an eye on you. What is your purpose?’

I simply organized my thoughts.

No matter how much I guess and deduce, I can’t find out anything unless I confront them directly.

“Shinwa, shall we get out?”

“Let’s do that. Since everyone is here, we can just do the final briefing and enter.”

“I’m so nervous, really! I’m even more excited thinking about being with Shinwa!”

Marina seemed to have great expectations.

She almost thought of me as a definite specialist for this secret dungeon raid.

Clatter. Clunk.

“Yo, nice to meet you!”

Getting out of the car, I waved vigorously at Toshio and Michelle, who were already waiting for us.

There were no porters.

Since I had a subspace artifact, they said there was no need to have porters waiting.

Besides, due to the nature of the secret dungeon, porters would only be a burden.

In a situation where internal information is close to zero, porters with insufficient combat abilities are just good bait.

“Kang Shinwa! We’ve been waiting for you. Thank you so much for making this difficult trip every time!”

While Toshio was politely greeting me, Michelle next to him also bowed to me.

“Hello, I’m Michelle.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kang Shinwa.”

I shook hands with Michelle, greeting her happily.

Of course, it wasn’t because I was glad to see her, but it was a ploy to sense her energy.

‘……?’

Something was strange.

This was a kind of intuition that I couldn’t explain in words.

The energy I felt from Michelle was clearly a strong yang energy, that is, a man’s.

The reason I said I couldn’t explain it in words was because this was a kind of Qigong [a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for health, spirituality, and martial-arts training] concept.

It was something I had practiced through Mukcheol in my past life, a device that allowed me to see through the hidden essence of the opponent.

‘Definitely a man. But he’s perfectly disguised as a woman. It’s not just a matter of makeup.’

To borrow the expression of the martial arts Mukcheol taught me, it was close to the highest level of disguise.

It wasn’t just about putting on a disguise or a mask, but it must have been changing the bone structure and even modulating the voice.

‘You son of a bitch, what the hell are you doing?’

It was disgusting.

What is the identity of the Apostle, Michelle, who is trying to participate in this event while disguising his appearance?

‘Could it be?’

In a fleeting moment.

I had an ominous premonition that flashed through my mind.

It may be too much of a leap, but could Michelle be….

‘Could he be the VVIP?’

That’s what I thought.

It was not just a far-fetched guess, but there were enough grounds to find it in my past life.

Among the various Awakened talents, there were also talents such as disguise, voice modulation, or gender transformation.

It would be no surprise if it was actually a talent that existed and became a reality.

“Hmph.”

Was that why?

I laughed without realizing it.

The situation was definitely flowing in a very complicated way, but paradoxically, it felt interesting.

Of course, this is separate from my retirement plan, which may become more difficult because of this problem.

“I’ve heard a lot about Kang Shinwa before. Especially the VVIP praised you a lot?”

The naturalness and confidence were felt simultaneously in Michelle’s bright voice.

Looking at the flow of her eyes.

It didn’t seem like she had heard from Elijah or Ayla that I was acting as a ‘follower’.

In other words, it seemed that there was no connection with the two Apostles yet. It is highly likely that they are acting separately.

“Oh, praise from someone I’ve never even met. Have you ever seen the VVIP’s face?”

“Hehe, I haven’t either.”

Really?

I’m sure she has.

“Okay, then let’s do the final briefing again. You probably have a rough idea of the roles.”

At that time, Toshio appropriately changed the subject.

Michelle and I were looking at each other with a smile, but it was clear that our eyes lingered on each other for quite a while.

At Toshio’s words, I spoke first.

“I’ll take the tanking.”

“Thank you. That’s why it’s very important for Shinwa to keep the center.”

“I’ll use dummies to lure away self-destructing monsters or tricky monsters separately.”

Marina responded in succession.

“I’ll scout the areas where the clock hasn’t been secured. I’m going to go as deep as possible.”

Michelle also confirmed her role early on. Toshio would support magic from a distance.

“The problem is the entrance. Don’t come in first, and wait until I come back out.”

Stretching my slightly stiff body with preparatory movements, I naturally stood in front of the dimensional gate.

To borrow Toshio’s expression.

As soon as you enter, countless magic bullets pour out like crossfires into the entrance.

The experimental enhanced suit that maximized defense became a honeycomb in just one second, so you can roughly guess the power.

Perhaps most Awakened would die without even knowing why they died as soon as they entered.

I was even relieved that I had obtained some internal information.

“Then.”

Leaving behind the three people watching my back, I headed into the secret dungeon.

What on earth is hidden in this dungeon that was never known to the world in my past life?

I really wanted to know.

* * *

“Crazy.”

As soon as I crossed the dimensional gate, what greeted me was magic bullets that blackened the sky.

It felt like watching heavy raindrops mixed with wind and rain pouring down.

The problem is that even if you get hit by raindrops, it doesn’t hurt, but all of those are powerful magic bullets.

Srrr.

I immediately deployed the Liquefaction talent.

With that level of magic bullet scale, even steel reinforcement wouldn’t be enough.

If I made a mistake, my whole body could be crushed to death in the state of steel reinforcement.

This is because if you take damage beyond the limit that you can withstand, even a body as hard as steel will be deformed.

That’s why I carefully use steel reinforcement when facing Awakened who are skilled in actual combat.

If deformation occurs, when you return to your original body, it becomes an injury as it is.

Injuries such as fractures, ruptures, or amputations that greatly affect combat.

And then.

Koo-oong! Koo-oong! Koo-oong!

The magic bullets that flew in an arc began to strike my body.

‘It’s definitely strong.’

The pain was felt without exaggeration.

In my estimation, I wouldn’t be able to withstand it unless it was the top-grade dimensional stone suit that Hwang Seok-cheol is currently producing.

It was because of the Liquefaction talent that I was able to withstand it while being penetrated, but if it was a human body, it would have been torn apart long ago.

“……Amazing.”

Looking at my body with holes all over the place, I couldn’t help but laugh.

It was also amazing that I didn’t die even though my liquefied body was wriggling here and there.

That’s why flowers and buffs are so important to the Awakened. Because it makes the impossible possible.

‘It’s possible because it’s me. No one but me can safely pass this section.’

I was sure.

The fact that entrance exploration was possible was thanks to my overwhelmingly superior talent.

Even if an EX-rank Awakened came here, it was highly likely that it would be difficult to explore easily.

Perhaps ‘Zero’, who can use space movement talent on the spot, is the only alternative?

He was also a member of the Nine Lords, but I don’t know where he is now… His whereabouts are unknown.

Anyway, I steadily moved forward and scanned the surroundings.

The magic bullets didn’t seem like a technique used by monsters or people, but it felt like they were being fired by machines or equipment.

“As expected.”

I saw it.

The magic bullets were being emitted in a parabolic form as vibrations occurred in the bushes far away.

Seeing that the angle changed each time my position got closer, it seemed that it also had the ability to detect intruders.

‘Fortunately, it’s not as complicated a structure as I thought. Shall we deal with it quickly?’

Enduring the now familiar pain of penetration, I continued to move forward.

The curtain was finally rising on the exploration of the ‘Secret Dungeon’.

* * *

10 minutes later.

Toshio, Marina, and Michelle gathered together and waited for Shinwa to come out.

Among the three people gathered in front of the dimensional gate, the most anxious was Marina.

“I hope nothing happened……?”

Since she couldn’t check the inside, she was worried that Shinwa might have died.

This is because she knows better than Toshio or Marina that the inside is so poor that they gave up entering early on.

“By the way, Michelle!”

“Yes?”

“Which department of the WSA did you work in? I know quite a lot about the internal affairs, but you’re a complete stranger to me.”

Marina carefully brought up the topic.

It wasn’t that she suspected Michelle, but it was out of curiosity because she really didn’t know anything about her.

“I came from the Black Cross Society. You probably know it vaguely, but……”

“The Black Cross Society! I know it as one of the VVIP’s direct activity organizations?”

“That’s right. I don’t usually do external activities, but I’m curious about everything. Hehehe.”

Just as Marina and Michelle’s story was about to continue.

Suddenly, the dimensional gate flickered and a figure popped out, and a familiar voice was heard.

“Hoo-ah! Wow! Hoo-ah-ah! This damn body is not going to last!”

The Shinwa they had been waiting for finally appeared. With a tattered suit and a body with heat rising!