I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 252

252. Chapter 252

“Yeah, so that’s how it is. Anything else to say? Feels like there are a few more things left, though?”

“No! Really, nothing! Just kill me already. There’s nothing more to say. No, no! Don’t kill me. I’ll stay quiet as a mouse if you just leave me be. Please!”

“Cockroaches will lay eggs and create countless swarms if you don’t kill them thoroughly. I think you’re the same, Akeron.”

“What…?”

“Basically, I mean you should die.”

Stab!

“Ugh!”

I thrust my sword into the middle of Akeron’s mouth as he opened it to say something.

Before he could even finish a word, I pushed the sword straight up.

Then, as if a person’s head could be cut off so easily, his face was instantly split in half.

“Hmm…”

I questioned Akeron about various things, but for a henchman of Lecherous, he knew less than I thought.

It seemed he blindly followed Lecherous’s orders without ever asking about the reasons or processes.

First, among the things I didn’t know in my past life, I learned the following:

First, Lecherous is a descendant of the Umbra Order and the Kako Order, dark cults that were rampant on the Nas Continent a thousand years ago.

They had several hidden esoteric spell books.

Obtaining the forbidden spell book buried deep underground in their hideout, along with skeletons, was the reason why the ‘Black Magician Lecherous’ began to operate secretly.

Second, Lecherous’s ultimate goal is to revive the spirit of the Demon King Reknat, who was believed to have died a thousand years ago.

Reviving the spirit of the Demon King Reknat could cause the rift in the dimensional realm to reoccur,

allowing him to exert influence not only on Earth but also on other continents.

Third, if Lecherous’s currently prepared ritual proceeds smoothly, Reknat will be resurrected in 35 years, i.e., in 2055.

And the blessing that Reknat promised to give Lecherous as a gift through his resurrection was ‘immortality’.

He would become an eternal being that even the powers of gods and demon kings could not kill, an existence that humans could not dare to kill.

“So, if everything goes smoothly without interference until 2055, Lecherous’s dream will come true.”

I frowned.

The point at which the Great Disaster was prevented was 2052.

This meant that if Nicholas had failed to stop him for the next three years, Lecherous’s dream would have come true.

The time was shorter than I thought.

At the same time as preventing the Great Disaster, all the apostles would have revealed their hidden intentions.

Moreover, the ‘real Lecherous,’ who was thought to be dead, would have appeared, so how cornered would he be?

I didn’t want to imagine it.

“Thinking in reverse, now is the best time. I’ve regressed to the point where all the plans are just beginning.”

I decided to think about the present, not the future.

Nicholas sending me back to the past wasn’t just to change the past.

Clearly, the ‘present’ that I would change would also affect his future self, so he made such arrangements.

That guy calculates every gain and loss to the bone! In other words, everything was calculated.

“The weakest point for those guys is now. The situation is definitely turning that way too. Nicholas, that bastard, picked the perfect time to regress.”

I nodded.

It’s a time when the order of the Awakened hasn’t been completely established yet, and the balance is swaying erratically.

So, the apostles’ response to the sudden appearance of ‘me’ was slower than expected.

As a result, I easily dealt with VVIP, Livain, and Isla, so it was definitely the best timing.

Furthermore, Jang Dong-shik is still alive, and he has promised me his full cooperation.

“You won’t be able to close your eyes comfortably even in death. I’m planning to entrust the investigation to Jang Dong-shik. He said the corpse of a black magician is useful in many ways.”

Snap!

I flicked my fingers and stored Akeron’s corpse in the subspace.

I stored everything, including the robe he was wearing, so I’ll definitely have a use for it later.

He who tied the knot must untie it.

That’s how I ended the ill-fated relationship with Akeron that almost didn’t happen again. I felt relieved.

* * *

Six hours later.

After passing point A and going through small and large battles in between, we advanced to point B without much difficulty.

Point B was a safe zone located 5km south of the barrier where the boss monster ‘Limitless’ was.

It was a high ground with good visibility, making it easy to detect monster ambushes or stealth.

“Ugh…”

“Phew…”

Perhaps because of the intense battles that had been going on for the past six hours, the priest and Han So-joon fell asleep as soon as they spread out their simple sleeping bags.

It seemed like falling asleep in three seconds was a real thing, as they immediately passed out as soon as they got into their sleeping bags.

I sat on a rock, taking the moonlight as my companion, looking around as the entire dungeon was brightly visible.

I couldn’t sleep, and it was to revisit and ponder the words I had heard from Akeron earlier.

“It’s a world of difference.”

Not just for me, but my companions have grown so much.

They all wave their hands, saying they’re still weak, but that’s only because their comparison is me, so they feel relatively weak.

Just two months ago, the letter ‘S’ was a very burdensome word for the three of them, excluding me.

Whether it was their level or the level of the dungeon, there were many things they were afraid to step forward to.

But now, even when coming to an SSS+ rank dungeon, they are all enthusiastically participating in the dungeon raid.

Of course, if I’m not there, they’ll have to lower the difficulty level quite a bit to raid it.

If we find a suitable replacement, we can participate in high-level dungeon raids again.

Even if they can’t perfectly replace me, there are many capable Awakened, so I believe they will do well enough.

“Aren’t you sleeping?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“What happened in the west earlier? No. Maybe it’s better not to ask?”

“That’s right. It’s better not to know. If you really needed to know, I would have told you already, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

“Sorry, I overstepped.”

“It’s not really overstepping. Let’s just keep it as a selective secret?”

Yoon-byeol naturally sat next to me.

I didn’t really notice it until coming to the dungeon, but her hair was shorter than before when I saw her from the side.

It used to be between a bob and long hair, but now it was a short cut.

I heard that a short cut is a hairstyle that’s hard for most women to pull off, but it was perfect for Yoon-byeol.

“Noona [term of endearment for an older sister or female friend], short hair definitely suits you. Is it because you have a small face?”

“Is that a compliment?”

“It would be an amazing talent if you could hear this as an insult?”

“Haha, thank you.”

“Your monster holding today was impressive. I could feel that you practiced with your life on the line, as So-joon said. It seems like you used it a lot in real combat too.”

“Yeah. I’ve been participating in a lot of random raids these days without being picky about the conditions. And there are often times when there are no tanks or main dealers, right?”

“That’s right.”

“It was a bit awkward at first, but after repeated mock training and practice, it turned out to be doable.”

“It’s thrilling but fun, right?”

“Fun is something that powerful masters with plenty of leeway like you, Shin-hwa, feel! I’m on thin ice every time.”

“Anyway, Noona, you were really cool today. I’m glad that the team seems to be doing well even without me.”

“What are you saying? Like someone who’s about to leave soon… Hearing those words makes me lose strength.”

“That’s right. It feels like we’ll be parting ways soon. In some form or another.”

“In some form or another…? What does that mean? You’re not about to say something weird like you’re going to die, are you?”

I must have revealed my inner thoughts without realizing it. Of course, I’ve never thought about dying even once.

But because the opponent is Lecherous, I keep thinking about ‘what if’.

Now that I’ve decided to kill Lecherous, I shouldn’t end things with him in a half-hearted way.

What I mean is, if I go to kill him, I have to see it through, whether he dies or I die.

If I let Lecherous live and I run away, or if Lecherous lives and runs away,

he will haunt me forever.

Then, far from retiring, I’ll have to worry about 2025, when I’ll be connected to the Nas Continent.

“No, I said I’m retiring. I think I’ll retire by the end of this year at the latest. Maybe as early as July?”

The reason I said July is one thing.

It’s after resolving the Russian cataclysm. The showdown with Lecherous may end before that.

“The island you’re retiring to… Can I come visit too?”

“Of course. Guests are always welcome. But only for a short 1-night, 2-day course. I don’t want anyone staying for too long.”

“Are you treating your team members so coldly too?”

“Um… I’ve set a rule. I won’t let anyone stay on the island for long unless they’re my spouse who I’ve decided to spend my life with.”

“So it’s a space only allowed for your wife?”

“That’s right. Simple, right?”

“…”

Yoon-byeol tried to say something, but then closed her mouth and only moistened her dry lips.

“Sorry, I’m always such an iron wall.”

“No. I need to clearly distinguish between public and private matters…”

“I’m clearly distinguishing them now. There’s no need to blame yourself.”

“Do you feel like I’m being too clingy?”

“Not at all. It’s just that I’m not ready yet. Noona is a really good person. As a colleague or as a lover.”

“…Thank you. Sorry for being clumsy.”

“I want to be alone until my heart is completely empty. Even if I have feelings, I don’t want to show them.”

“I see.”

“Don’t be discouraged. I’m the problem, not Noona.”

“I’ll work harder than I am now, hoping that one day my heart will reach you. So that I can proudly boast as an Awakened colleague.”

“Good. I really like that fighting spirit.”

“…”

Yoon-byeol’s shoulders, who only gave a faint smile, were already drooping.

She is a very honest person.

She can’t hide her inner thoughts.

Pretense? Of course, she can’t feign it.

Push and pull? She’s not someone who can do that.

So, she’s been diligently expressing her feelings and affections to me in a straightforward ‘head-on’ manner every time.

At one point, I even thought, should I just accept her heart?

But the trauma left by my past life’s bereavement hasn’t completely disappeared yet.

It was a life where I had been trying to ignore it and live busily, so I regressed without even being able to heal it.

“Cheer up.”

But a hot and warm feeling that slightly raised its head from somewhere in my heart filled my heart.

It was a very small crack that her purity and innocence had created in my heart.

So I hugged her tightly.

Yoon-byeol’s body temperature, which fit perfectly in my arms, was clearly felt in my heart.

It was really warm.

Now, once the raids of this dungeon and the Dungeon of Attributes are over, I will face a cold and ruthless reality.

The final battle is not far away.

Time with precious people.

So I, who was regretting every minute and every second, couldn’t easily fall asleep.

* * *

The next morning.

“Finally, I get to face this crazy bastard. Finally…”

We were exchanging glances with the boss monster, who was making an arrogant expression 500m ahead.

Limitless.

When the battle begins, his body grows infinitely, and the number of arms increases accordingly!

The battle with the most difficult boss monster was just about to begin.

‘Even if I take it long, 10 minutes.’

That was the maximum time given to us that I calculated. If we exceed this time, further fighting is meaningless.