I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 218

218

“EX Rank. The pinnacle of the Awakened System. You could call it the ultimate.”

“Indeed.”

“Keep the publicly disclosed rank at SSS+. We don’t need an EX Rank title.”

“Understood. There’s no need to attract excessive attention.”

EX Rank.

The rank Elijah had reached a few days prior.

Of course, even within EX Rank, there were gradations of -, 0, and +.

But simply reaching EX Rank meant being among the Top 10 Awakened in the world.

It meant becoming a destructive being with terrifying power and might, nearly impossible to kill.

“No matter how much Kang Shin-hwa improves, he’s still just an Awakened around S Rank. He doesn’t even reach my toes.”

“Of course. My thoughts were short-sighted, Master.”

“It’s true that he’s a rapidly growing prospect, but don’t feel intimidated, Bellic.”

“Yes!”

Knock, knock.

Soon, with a knock, an important guest was led in by the aide. It was Shin-hwa.

“You’ve arrived! Kang Shin-hwa.”

“Yes. Elijah-nim, Bellic-nim. Thanks to your consideration, I arrived very comfortably. Thank you.”

Shin-hwa bowed deeply from the waist upon meeting them, showing a completely submissive attitude.

As soon as he finished his greetings, Shin-hwa took out mana-infused, enhanced potions from his subspace and placed them in front of them.

“Is this the promised delivery?”

“Yes. I scraped together every last bit, even the amount I made on the plane.”

“Wow, you put a lot of thought into this.”

Elijah and Bellic smiled as they checked the generously prepared potions.

In addition to the potions Shin-hwa had made, various essential dungeon items were also packaged together.

In other words, the gift included a clear meaning of ‘hospitality.’

It was natural for Elijah to be pleased, feeling the underlying intention.

Of course, Shin-hwa himself was several steps ahead in the art of deception.

“Bellic, store these directly in the warehouse. They are important items for the guild.”

“Yes, I will take them and store them immediately. Then, please continue your conversation.”

Bellic quickly moved the items Shin-hwa had brought, using a cart inside the reception room.

With Bellic gone, only Shin-hwa and Elijah remained in the soundproofed reception room.

“Kang Shin-hwa, how is your growth these days?”

“I’ve stalled at S-Rank, but… I’m satisfied as it’s still quite fast.”

Since ranks can’t be known until directly measured, Shin-hwa diligently laid the groundwork.

“About that U-1224 dungeon you requested a temporary license for. Are you confident?”

“Since there are several talents worth using, I wanted to try challenging it.”

“Since we’re on the topic, Kang Shin-hwa, about your precognitive ability. Can you see my future?”

“I can’t see everything in detail, but I can feel and sense it through intuitive and short images.”

“What kind of future do you see?”

“If you wisely overcome the concentrated checks from Australia’s Golden Sky Guild, I see the Elijah Group becoming a giant guild more than three times its current size in five years.”

“Really?”

“Why would I lie? Even if I’m not curious about others’ futures, I’m curious about Elijah-nim’s future.”

Shin-hwa’s acting was superb, telling lies without a flicker in his eyes.

Elijah’s future in five years?

If I recall my past life, nothing really happens.

‘I will definitely kill you. I will take your head and then retire or whatever, so just wait.’

But there was a future Shin-hwa wanted to create.

That was to have him follow in the footsteps of the VVIP who had tried to mess with Shin-hwa and then suddenly departed for the afterlife.

This was something he wanted to do today if he were to retire tomorrow.

“Precognitive ability… I’m envious. An Awakened’s talent is like a lottery at times.”

“I think so too. Conversely, I’m really envious of Elijah-nim’s fire ability.”

“It’s an ability that’s not easy to manifest.”

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh!

Flames erupted from all directions just by Elijah moving his fingertips and shifting his gaze.

It was hellfire that could burn a person alive at any time.

It was also the biggest variable in the battles with Elijah that Shin-hwa had imagined countless times in his head.

“Anyway, thanks to that precognition, you seem to have a vague idea of how to 攻略 [conquer/clear] the dungeon.”

“I could tell you if you want, but from the start…”

“You want to say that the liquefaction ability is a very significant factor, so there’s no alternative, right?”

“Haha, that’s right.”

“Once the 攻略 [conquest/clearance] is complete, I hope you share the know-how as promised in advance, regardless of whether it’s possible or not.”

“Of course.”

“My expectations are high, Kang Shin-hwa.”

“I also want to show Elijah-nim a good performance.”

“Work hard. I’ll make sure to back you up.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

On the surface, he was showing a servile attitude as if he would cut open his stomach and offer his internal organs.

‘That son of a bitch who isn’t even worth grinding his bones and drinking his marrow.’

Inwardly, he was grinding his teeth.

After all, stabbing someone in the back only needs to be done once. Until then, he intended to pass by quietly.

* * *

The 攻略 [conquest/clearance] schedule for the U-1224 dungeon, where the Flower of Transcendence was located, was set for 2 AM, six hours later.

Since it was around noon in Korean time, it wasn’t a big burden for our team members.

“Alright, everyone, fifteen of these each. Take responsibility and eat them.”

After neatly finishing the detailed briefing about the dungeon in the VIP room of the hotel that Elijah had booked for us,

I handed out Happy Colas to my colleagues.

I had no intention of selling Happy Colas for money; I only wanted to give them to people I wanted to invest in after seeing their future.

Just in case, even if it’s a million to one.

In the future, Father Kim, Han So-joon, Yoon-byeol, or Jin Bo-mi might walk a completely different path from me.

But even so, I thought they were worth investing in now.

Either there was a debt of gratitude from my past life, or I thought they had strategic value when looking at the distant future.

And even after giving Happy Colas to the four of them, there were still plenty left.

In terms of people, I could trigger ‘mana awakening’ in fifteen more people.

“What is that? Hyung-nim [term of endearment for older brother or male friend], at this rate, we’re all really going to become rabbits. Why is everything we eat…”

Han So-joon pouted.

“If you eat without asking, you’ll be happy later, but if you know everything and eat, it’ll be anticlimactic, right?”

“…Is it drugs?”

“Are you crazy?”

“Hahaha.”

Han So-joon is the only person on the team who jokes with me so freely.

Thanks to his ability to make funny jokes that fit the atmosphere, the team atmosphere is always kept upbeat.

He seems like a picky Awakened obsessed with cleanliness and compulsions at first glance,

But that’s only because they don’t know his true worth.

He’s a guy who displays a spirit of sacrifice that surpasses even Father Kim to colleagues he’s opened his heart to.

However, prejudices arise because of his unique ‘craziness’ and eccentricity when you first see him.

“I hope you’ll think of it as a gift from me to the four of you. I’ve already eaten it.”

“Me… do I eat it too?”

Jin Bo-mi raised her hand with an awkward expression. Her eyes seemed to ask if I was taking care of her even though she wasn’t a team member.

“Then should I exclude Bo-mi-ssi [honorific title] and feed the others? We should all eat together. If you eat without asking anything, you’ll be even happier later!”

“Then I’ll go first!”

As I enthusiastically stirred things up, Father Kim grabbed a Happy Cola and stuffed it into his mouth, as always.

It looks edible at first glance, like a sesame leaf, but the taste is still the worst.

Even I, who am trained in all sorts of bizarre foods, had to frown once and spit out the saliva that had pooled in my mouth.

Otherwise, the unique ‘rotten spinach’ taste will continue to linger inside for days. The taste is really the worst.

“If you feel like an unbearable taste is filling your mouth in the middle, then spit out your saliva coolly.”

I also added a suitable tip.

Everyone seemed to be on edge at the ‘secret’ warning, but they still started eating Happy Colas without complaint.

Because they had never suffered a loss when they obediently followed what I told them to do or eat.

One hour later.

Changes began to occur one by one in my colleagues, who were sitting comfortably in the room.

Immediate reactions occur in some cases, but it often takes about two weeks in many cases.

“Uh…?”

“Uh-oh?”

Whether it was good luck.

Or whether everyone was young and the effects of the drug(?) were working well, the reaction to Happy Colas happened quite quickly than expected!

I waited with my arms crossed.

This is because when changes occur quickly, awakening occurs as quickly as the total amount of Happy Colas eaten.

“Wow… Hyung-nim [term of endearment for older brother or male friend]. I think my heart is going to stop right now. Why is my rank S+? Not A?”

“How is it?”

“The total amount of circulating mana has increased explosively! How can I be so calm without any pain when such a upheaval has occurred?”

The first person to experience the change was Han So-joon.

Han So-joon, who was A-Rank before eating Happy Colas.

In my opinion, he was a guy with so much potential that I could have considered him S-Rank with his skills at that time.

But now that his rank has definitely risen, he will now show the power of a healer comparable to SS-Rank.

I could be sure.

This is because he exerts 200% or more power when there is an Awakened who matches his breathing perfectly like me.

I know the user manual for that guy for sure.

And the team’s colleagues and Jin Bo-mi are also gradually learning ‘how to use Han So-joon.’

“I told you to eat without saying anything, right?”

“Hyung-nim [term of endearment for older brother or male friend]… this is really crazy. No Awakened can easily obtain such an absurd plant. It really doesn’t make sense.”

“It doesn’t seem like you’re the only one surprised, so wait a little longer.”

I was proud to see him trembling and not knowing what to do with himself because he was so happy.

Right then.

“Wow!”

“Ah!”

“No way…!”

As if they had promised, Jin Bo-mi, Father Kim, and Yoon-byeol exclaimed almost simultaneously.

‘That person’ seems to have come.

No matter how low you set it, the change that has occurred to everyone will be dramatic as the rank increases by at least one level.

In other words, the 攻略 [conquest/clearance] of the Flower of Transcendence dungeon, which is classified as SSS+ Rank, becomes easier.

‘Finally.’

The time has come.