I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 235

235

‘Everything, from the smallest detail, is so different that I truly feel like I’m dealing with someone from another world.’

Macardi scanned the entire Dark Altar with Shin-hwa, marveling incessantly.

Not only was the Invisible Ring’s unique stealth impressive, but Shin-hwa immediately recognized the Anti-Invisible barrier.

He didn’t use detection magic like others or go through any special verification process; he sensed it right away.

It was as if the barrier’s magic circle was plainly visible to him—something that should have been impossible.

Thanks to Shin-hwa, Macardi was able to thoroughly examine the altar’s interior, something he had only superficially checked before.

Judging by the altar’s exterior, one would assume it was merely a facility teeming with ordinary cult members and low-ranking soldiers.

However, the interior, shielded by layers of barriers and hidden from outside eyes, was entirely different from what he had imagined.

A large number of swordsmen and mages were secretly stationed there.

Furthermore, the ‘Rechnath Dark Knights’ were also present.

Notably, the Knights had a commander, a position only a Sword Master-level expert could hold.

Only then did Macardi realize that the Dark Altar was not just a structure for Leccero’s ritual that could be destroyed at any moment.

It was a crucial facility protected by top-tier security, which Leccero was risking his life to defend.

Without Shin-hwa, he would never have been able to grasp these internal affairs.

There were several close calls where they almost got caught by the enemies, all due to Macardi’s mistakes.

But each time, Shin-hwa cleverly dealt with the situation by either embracing Macardi and leaping away,

Or by quickly using Transcendental Acceleration to escape the scene.

To Shin-hwa, it was just a normal response, but to Macardi, everything was astonishing.

His combat talent, which had overwhelmed even his grandfather Oblan, defied simple categorization.

Shin-hwa’s capabilities could not be easily defined or judged with a few words or classifications.

“Whew!”

“Shall we take a breather now?”

“…You’re truly amazing. Until now, no one, including my grandfather, has ever seen the inside of the altar so thoroughly.”

“Well, it’s the power of the artifact. I just received a lot of assistance.”

“I’m so thrilled. It feels like I’ve seen the enemy’s heart, their hidden fears and flaws.”

“I feel the same way.”

Shin-hwa smiled.

Everything he saw and heard that day was digitized and stored in his modified brain.

Even the faces of people he glimpsed in passing were etched in his memory.

If he were to meet them again, he would recognize them instantly.

‘To destroy the altar, I’ll have to go for a blitzkrieg [a swift, overwhelming attack]. If I give them any time, they’ll likely establish a solid defense system.’

That was Shin-hwa’s overall assessment.

The internal structure, reflecting Leccero’s cautious nature, was secured with double, triple, or even more layers of protection.

If they tried to approach gradually from the outside,

There was a high chance that they would deploy all their elite forces around the altar’s hexagonal tower or hide the tower underground using a lowering mechanism before they could arrive.

Therefore, they needed to infiltrate deep inside secretly and finish the job like lightning.

“We definitely need Shin-hwa’s help! It will be a great asset to my grandfather’s ‘Radius Knights’!”

Macardi’s eyes sparkled with determination.

Radius Knights.

They were the sworn enemies of ‘Rechnath,’ the Great Demon and former Demon King whom Leccero served.

Radius was the being commonly known as the God of Light and Blessing.

The Radius Knights, the core of the Holy Order that served Radius, stood directly opposed to Leccero’s Dark Order.

“I can’t stay in the Nas Continent for long at a time. We’ll cooperate step by step.”

“What can I do to help?”

Having witnessed new experiences and possibilities through Shin-hwa, Macardi was highly motivated.

He was convinced that he could break the stalemate in the Radius Knights’ operations.

“If you know of any secretly constructed teleportation magic circles, let me know. Not just in this altar, let’s go to other places as well.”

“But we don’t have enough mana to activate them. My mana alone won’t be enough. We’ll need a high-output mana stone…”

“Don’t worry about mana.”

Shin-hwa replied with a smile.

He had more than enough mana.

Fortunately, facilities that used mana or magical power were universally compatible.

All they needed was a magic circle.

Shin-hwa could supply the mana needed for activation without any problem.

And after that,

Shin-hwa and Macardi visited altars all over the continent as much as time allowed.

It was a relentless forced march, not wasting a single minute or second.

But Macardi endured without a single complaint, dedicating himself to the investigation with unwavering spirit.

After filling 24 hours with fruitful investigation,

Shin-hwa returned to the Secret Dungeon. It was a safe return.

* * *

“Whew… There’s no place like home.”

-Eek! Shin-hwa! Put something on! Stop waving that thing around in front of me!

“Sorry. But ‘that thing’ is a bit much, don’t you think…”

-Get away! You pervert!

“Hey, this is my house. Where am I supposed to go? Fine, fine.”

-Pervert! Pervert Shin-hwa!

“If you call me a pervert one more time, I’ll bathe you in the tub instead of the beauty salon.”

-Ugh….

That was the most effective threat to Shami, who extremely disliked being bathed by her owner.

Shami lowered her tail and went into her room.

“Whew, I’m finally starting to relax.”

Tossing his wet hair, I grabbed a can of beer from the fridge and headed to the window.

My body’s natural recovery ability was overwhelmingly better than other Awakened ones. It was pointless to even compare.

But the recovery after visiting the Nas Continent was slower than I had expected.

That had never happened in my past life.

Anyway, after sleeping all day, I finally felt like my body was responding.

‘First, I should go to Australia and take care of Ayla. If I use strategic disguise, approaching her won’t be too difficult.’

Ayla Blanchett, Elijah Rowe, and Livyane’s names were already clearly marked on my mental kill list.

Nicholas had given me a clear message: kill all the Apostles except for the Apostle Casron, Jang Dong-shik.

I planned to start with the easiest one.

Among the three, Elijah was the most difficult, followed by Livyane.

‘I met quite a few people from the Golden Sky Guild before, so there are plenty of faces to disguise myself with.’

Ayla was ostentatious.

She was the opposite of her past self when she joined Nine Road.

She was more active than even the Guild Master, so there would be plenty of opportunities to target her.

‘First… should I go check out Jije Station before things get too busy?’

I planned to visit Jije Station, which I hadn’t been able to pay attention to because I had been busy traveling around.

On March 1st, the Dungeon was created as the Fog of Instant Death cleared, and the Jije Station area became the new mecca for Awakened ones [people who have gained supernatural abilities].

New buildings were being built every day, and infrastructure was being improved, transforming it into an even more bustling area.

I had delegated all development projects to Jin Sung-tae’s Yanghwa Group, but I still wanted to check it out myself.

It was also a good place to go for a drive and get some fresh air just before midnight.

It was a night with nothing special going on.

I planned to enjoy the pleasant ‘silence’ of not receiving any calls from anyone and spend the night like that.

* * *

One hour later.

“Fucking hell…”

Jang Dong-shik cursed as he watched the red signals flashing on the special monitor installed in his studio.

Like all signals, a ‘red signal’ was never a good sign.

Intruder alert.

It was the worst-case scenario, indicating that the defense system he had built was unable to handle the intruders and areas were being neutralized.

Jang Dong-shik’s hands and eyes moved busily.

He tried to identify the intruders from the CCTV footage.

However, the CCTV cameras were being quickly neutralized by the intruders, and they were being smashed everywhere.

And then.

The face he didn’t want to see appeared on the screen.

The Apostle Valcadia.

The one known as ‘Livyane,’ the leader of the Revengers.

“Daddy…”

“So-hee!”

Jang Dong-shik’s heart raced as his daughter, who had just fallen asleep in the room next to the studio, woke up.

If Livyane had come himself, there were only two options: follow him and cooperate, or refuse and fight him.

He had no intention of choosing the former, so the only option was the latter, but the problem was his daughter’s safety.

“Daddy… what’s wrong?”

“Daddy has an important guest coming, so So-hee might have to be alone for a little while. Is that okay?”

“Yes! If it’s important to Daddy, it’s important to So-hee too!”

“Good girl. Let’s go to the toy room where you play with Daddy. Wait there until Daddy finishes work, okay?”

“Okay! Okay!”

Jang So-hee grabbed Jang Dong-shik’s hand and followed him.

“La la la.”

“…”

Unlike his daughter, who was in high spirits, cold sweat dripped down Jang Dong-shik’s forehead.

At this moment, he could only think of two people.

Aside from the relationship between client and creator, he had never formed any personal connections with anyone.

His only long-time acquaintance was Hwang Seok-cheol.

But Hwang Seok-cheol was a mysterious expert whose abilities Jang Dong-shik, who had known him for a long time, could not fathom.

‘Damn it….’

In the end, there was only one person he could contact: Kang Shin-hwa.

He had no intention of asking for his help, but he had no other choice at this point.

If it was just a matter of Jang Dong-shik dying, he wouldn’t have asked for help in the first place.

The problem was his daughter.

If he died, who would save his orphaned daughter, and how?

Fearing that his daughter might overhear the call and become anxious, Jang Dong-shik carefully began to write a message.

The recipient was Kang Shin-hwa.

It was an SOS request sent with a desperate heart, knowing it was a huge ‘inconvenience.’

* * *

At the same time.

“Hmm?”

I was looking around the Jije Station Dungeon area, which had been transformed into a bustling district, when I saw a message from Jang Dong-shik.

I didn’t think he would ever contact me first, so what could be happening in the middle of the night?

Wondering if he had a change of heart, I immediately checked the contents.

[Please take care of my daughter, So-hee. Go down three floors from the staircase in the studio you visited before, and you’ll find her there.

I know this is a sudden and shameless request. But I can’t think of any way to protect my daughter, so I’m taking the liberty of causing this trouble.

Kang Shin-hwa… please, I beg you.

To protect my daughter from Valcadia and his group without dying together, there seems to be no other option.

I’ll try to deal with him somehow.]

‘Livyane came himself?’

The Apostle Valcadia of Leccero.

He’s in Korea.