I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 210

I rushed to Hwang Seok-cheol’s workshop as soon as I received the call.

Upgrading my stats as an Awakened and acquiring better equipment had become my top priorities.

Especially since the special suit being made this time was a super luxurious piece of equipment using top-grade dimension stones.

It was bound to be my top priority.

“Is it finally finished?”

“This is the first suit. And it’s not a prototype, but a finished product. We’ve been running pre-tests continuously!”

Hwang Seok-cheol’s face, whom I met at the workshop, was covered in beads of sweat and dirt.

He looked just like the sweating blacksmith often seen in movies.

“I should try it on right away.”

“Would you like to go to the workshop’s basement? Detailed testing is possible there.”

“Of course!”

I immediately changed into the special suit and headed to the basement, following Hwang Seok-cheol’s guidance.

The special suit was incomparably more durable than the high-end suit I had worn before.

In terms of monetary value alone, it used dimension stones that were ten times more expensive than the top-grade ones.

Afterward, we went through several tests.

First, the pressure test.

In the pre-test, the dummy withstood 30T [30 tons] of pressure.

However, in the test conducted with me wearing the suit directly, it remained intact even after reaching 40T [40 tons].

In other words, even if I were to face an overwhelmingly large monster in a dungeon and get crushed by it,

instead of being crushed to death on the spot like other ordinary suits, it would give me the strength to withstand it once or twice.

There was also one other distinctive feature.

It was facial protection.

The inability to protect inevitably exposed areas like the face was one of the challenges faced by all suits currently on the market.

Even when wearing a full-body suit, the safety of the exposed parts is zero.

For this reason, I had relentlessly targeted the faces of Awakened who wore suits.

This area was a common target for anyone wearing a suit.

Of course, Awakened are not fools.

Many Awakened take defensive actions or postures focused on their weaknesses to protect their faces.

However, this naturally leaves other parts of their defense vulnerable, creating a vicious cycle.

I perfectly solved this complex problem by developing the special suit.

Next, I began to evenly distribute the internal mana throughout the suit.

Shaaaaa…

A transparent barrier, covering from just below the neck to the forehead, was activated.

It was invisible to the eye.

But it was a facial protection barrier that could definitely be felt.

Whooooosh!

Following my signal, Hwang Seok-cheol generated a series of strong winds at considerable speed inside the lab.

Whoomph! Whoomph! Whoomph!

The wind, fiercely blowing towards my face, was blocked by the barrier and swirled past.

“Perfect.”

I was satisfied.

Because it was wind, not a solid object, the barrier was activated very thinly, yet it clearly performed its function.

At this level, even if a skilled Awakened were to unleash sword attacks or magical attacks targeting the face,

it would protect the face without any problems at least four or five times.

Being able to confidently respond no matter which part of the body the opponent targets in defense is a tremendous advantage.

Strategically, being able to focus solely on offense without defending at all is very threatening.

“How is it, Shin-hwa? Do you like the suit?”

“I love it. I can really feel how much you suffered to make it, from the finishing touches to the connecting parts.”

I wore a pleased expression.

It wasn’t just flattery; the surface was so smooth that I really couldn’t tell where any finishing touches had been applied.

Usually, when you look at entry-level suits, there are stitch marks here and there, and color changes occur frequently.

Of course, the performance isn’t affected, but it looks unsightly considering it’s a very expensive piece of equipment.

However, the special suit that Hwang Seok-cheol finished was so smooth that the word ‘best’ was fitting.

“It really seems like it will bring a new wave to the Awakened world. It’s amazing.”

Hwang Seok-cheol gave a thumbs up.

From his perspective, he would naturally be happy to receive a fee of 1 billion won [approximately $750,000 USD] for each suit he made.

Moreover, considering his pride and adventurous spirit as an artisan, always wanting to create the best products,

there would be no other product that would give him as much infinite satisfaction and accomplishment as the special suit.

But right then.

Oooooong! Oooooong! Oooooong!

“……?”

I was startled by the sudden and rapid resonance of the ring and looked around.

Usually, when going out, I always wear the ‘identification ring’ just in case.

This habit started after sensing the owner of an unidentified ring when I went to meet Jang Dong-shik before.

I wore it even more when I was sure that the person was not related to Lecerro, like Hwang Seok-cheol.

If the ring reacted when I was with this person, it meant that someone else was suspicious.

That was now.

Thanks to my enhanced hearing due to the altered ears, I was able to detect the presence of an uninvited guest early on.

“Do you have a visitor?”

“Ah! A close colleague of mine was planning to come to the workshop. He said he knows Shin-hwa too.”

If it’s someone close to Hwang Seok-cheol and knows me, the range becomes very narrow.

First of all, there’s Marina, but it wasn’t the right time for her to appear here. She would be very busy with WSA [World Superhuman Association] matters.

‘Could it be Jang Dong-shik……?’

The only remaining variable was Jang Dong-shik.

Along with Hwang Seok-cheol, Jang Dong-shik was a friendly rival and colleague in production.

Hwang Seok-cheol had told me that despite the age difference of over 20 years, he and Jang Dong-shik were like childhood friends.

‘Damn it.’

I gritted my teeth without realizing it.

Judging from the intensity of the resonance felt through the ring now, Jang Dong-shik must be an Apostle [a powerful follower of a specific entity or cause].

Even Bellic, who was a considerable powerhouse among the followers, caused a much lower resonance than this.

‘Then he must recognize me too.’

The opposite was also clear.

Just like when I met Elijah before, this time too, we recognized each other first with the ring.

However, something was strange.

After obtaining the black magician’s ring from the dungeon before, there was no reaction when I met Jang Dong-shik.

That meant that there was a reason to selectively wear or remove the ring for some reason.

“…….”

A sense of calm before the storm prevailed.

Hwang Seok-cheol, completely unaware of the situation, chuckled and prepared to go out to greet Jang Dong-shik.

I calmed myself down for now.

I couldn’t be sure of anything until I met him.

However, I thought that I should be prepared to engage in battle at any time.

I couldn’t guarantee that Jang Dong-shik would be friendly to me from the start, unlike Elijah or Isla.

* * *

The conversation at the workshop flowed amicably.

First of all, since the production of the special suit was still a secret externally,

Hwang Seok-cheol did not say or show anything at all about the basement or the special suit.

Instead, he talked about the official tips that Shin-hwa had given him and the difficulties in production.

The atmosphere was good.

There were occasional strange exchanges of glances between Shin-hwa and Jang Dong-shik, but they just laughed it off.

What Shin-hwa could feel anew was the strong friendship between Hwang Seok-cheol and Jang Dong-shik.

In his past life, he didn’t really know much about the relationship between the two. He didn’t even know they were this close.

But after listening to their conversation,

they not only called each other brothers, but Jang Dong-shik seemed to be asking for a lot of advice.

In particular, when Jang Dong-shik talked about his deceased wife, Hwang Seok-cheol’s eyes welled up.

Anyway, after a casual drinking session with a glass of beer and salty snacks,

when Shin-hwa got up to leave first,

“Ah, I have to go too. It would be perfect to leave with Shin-hwa. The sun hasn’t risen yet, and I need some protection from the young man. Hahaha!”

Jang Dong-shik also got up from his seat.

It seemed like quite a long time had passed, but it was still 5 a.m. There was still some time left before the sun rose.

It felt like what was coming was coming.

Even if no one tells you, you develop a sense of intuition after living for a long time.

You can’t explain it in words, but if a thought suddenly comes to mind, that premonition is 99.9% correct!

Shin-hwa had a feeling that Jang Dong-shik would ask him the truth in some form.

However, unlike Elijah or Isla, it didn’t seem like he would ‘nicely’ get over it.

It was because of the unique murderous intent he felt in the glances they exchanged lightly throughout the conversation.

The gaze was very light, but its depth was immeasurable and very cold.

Throughout the conversation, Shin-hwa could feel the dark energy that Jang Dong-shik was blatantly emitting.

After coming outside and walking quietly for about a minute,

Thud. Thud.

The spring rain continued to fall.

And Hwang Seok-cheol’s workshop, having confirmed that the guests had left, closed its doors with the sound of the shutters going down.

It meant that he would not be receiving any more guests.

In other words, it also meant that he would be focusing solely on the production of special suits from today onwards.

Right then.

“You slippery bastard!”

Jang Dong-shik, who had been walking silently two steps ahead in the darkness, suddenly launched an attack.

He was wearing knuckles that emitted a purple light on his right hand, and the amount of mana being released was considerable.

“……!”

Koo-oong!

Before Shin-hwa could say anything, he crossed his arms in an X shape to block Jang Dong-shik’s attack.

Cheeeee!

Shin-hwa’s body was pushed back.

‘At least SS-rank or higher [an extremely high power level].’

At the same time, the measurement of Jang Dong-shik’s power was completed.

Considering that this attack might not be Jang Dong-shik’s ‘maximum’ firepower, the expected value increases even further.

“Kang Shin-hwa, were you a follower?”

“That’s…….”

To explain it accurately, I would have to explain the process of obtaining the ring in detail.

‘Actually, there’s no need to do that.’

But I didn’t think I needed to tell Jang Dong-shik.

If Jang Dong-shik was an Apostle of Lecerro, then he was naturally my enemy.

‘But why is he attacking an ally?’

Shin-hwa was wondering about that.

Apostles and followers are foreigners who came from the Nas Continent, spies who have secretly infiltrated Earth.

So, I thought that there were many cases where they coexisted, like Elijah or Bellic.

Of course, there are also those who seem to cooperate but have other intentions behind their backs, like Isla.

Anyway, because they have a connection with the same hometown called ‘Nas Continent.’

The hostility he was showing to this extent was not very understandable.

Shin-hwa blocked the attack, but if it had been a clumsy Awakened, it would have been a powerful blow that would have fractured their ribs on the spot.

“Jang Dong-shik, wait.”

“A follower of the filthy Klizard Brigade! My beloved wife died because of the leader, Valcadia!”

“…….”

Shin-hwa also knew that the owner of this ring belonged to the Klizard Brigade.

It seemed that Jang Dong-shik had a bad relationship with this brigade.

One that led to the death of his beloved wife…….

The worst kind of relationship in his life.

‘Damn it.’

I thought I could rest when I returned.

It was as if I was cursed; as soon as I returned to my country, I was already in a fistfight!