I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 4

4. The Alteration Isn’t Over Yet

Shin Hwa waited for his body to recover after completing the initial alteration.

The alteration was a process that pushed not only considerable stamina but also the energy of the body’s cells to their limit in an instant.

Therefore, rushing excessively could lead to internal injuries.

‘My liver and lungs are done for now. At least fourteen more parts to go? There probably isn’t another Awakened one with as many ways to get stronger as I do,’ Shin Hwa mused.

Shin Hwa smiled, touching various parts of his body.

Giving such a big change to his ordinary body made him feel it more clearly than before.

Youth doesn’t lie.

The strengthened lungs explosively sucked in mana through breathing, and the liver was storing it up.

‘Actually, the most effective part is the brain, but I need to be careful, right? Once I alter it, it’s practically like having a supercomputer in my head.’

He clicked his tongue in regret.

Of course, it was a change he could attempt in the near future.

However, he was just pacing himself, worried that rushing the alteration like doing overdue homework might backfire.

‘Still, thanks to altering my brain almost to the limit in my past life and remembering everything, there’s no problem retracing things.’

Narrowing the scope to 2020.

Quite a lot of future knowledge popped up in his head like bamboo shoots after rain [a metaphor for something appearing rapidly and abundantly].

However, the only regrettable thing was the lottery, which was abolished after the Great Cataclysm?

The fact that there was no way to hit the jackpot at once with very little cost and risk was quite disappointing.

Of course, the lottery wasn’t the only way, so he could find other means if he looked for them.

‘Seriously… I guess this is the pleasure of regression. No wonder Nicholas always sang about how enjoyable life is.’

He remembered what Nicholas used to say like a mantra.

‘Life is beautiful!’ He couldn’t be happier.

He didn’t quite understand what was so happy back then, but now he felt like he knew.

Knowing the future, unlike others!

Nothing made him, a regressor, as happy as that.

He had to make the very happy decision of which future benefits to claim first.

* * *

Tap. Tap. Tap.

With an awkward expression, I tapped on the hard screen of my smartphone, searching for a word.

The hologram phone touch in 2052 was almost like not feeling anything.

A slight feeling of pressing the air?

In fact, touch wasn’t really necessary, and input was possible just by recognizing thoughts.

But 30 years ago, the world’s cutting-edge civilization was only at this level.

It was nice to have a retro feel, but the slight inconvenience was inevitable.

[Line 1, Jije Station]

The keyword I searched for was Jije Station, which was located further south down Line 1 [a subway line in South Korea].

It was far south of Byeongjeom Station, where my current studio apartment was located, and of course, this place was also in the Red Zone [areas with high monster activity].

As soon as I searched, I checked one of the articles that appeared at the top.

[Jije Station, Walking the Path of Ruin?]

[Superhuman Daily – Reporter Park Hyun]

[The Jije Station area is now too close to the ‘Mist of Instant Death’ zone, which has been designated as a Black Zone [areas with extremely high danger levels], and has become a land of death.

Land prices are plummeting every day, and people who have built shantytowns near Jije Station are worried every day because of the ever-expanding mist zone.

The Korea Awakened Association (KSA) is considering designating the entire Jije Station as a Black Zone if the mist zone expands by more than 30%.

If this happens, the area near Jije Station is likely to become a completely abandoned ghost land.

Before the Great Cataclysm [a world-altering event], Jije Station was spotlighted as a new development area in the metropolitan area…]

‘Now it’s a dangerous place to live, even if they grab your pants and beg you to live here,’ I thought.

The news made sense.

No matter how cheap it is to live there, no one would want to live in a place where they could become a cold corpse tomorrow.

The ‘Mist of Instant Death’ zone is a place where you die instantly without being able to do anything the moment you inhale the mist.

The problem is that this mist zone expands its range every day without any regularity, and Jije Station was taking the brunt of it.

‘The March 1st, Samiljeol Outbreak happens here. Several D-rank dungeons appeared here, right? The loot was also three times more abundant than in other places, probably because of the abundant dimensional energy.’

I easily recalled the memory.

Once a dungeon appears.

Convenience, base, and sales facilities will come into the area like a string of sausages [a Korean idiom for things appearing one after another].

What do I mean?

It means that land prices naturally skyrocket.

New dungeons of D-rank or higher are unconditionally vested in the Korea Awakened Association, so you cannot claim ownership.

However, for the land where the dungeon is located, you can demand compensation up to the maximum amount specified in the Awakened Special Act.

Of course, you can’t demand an insane amount, but you can certainly create a goose that lays golden eggs [a metaphor for a source of continuous wealth].

‘Besides, the black zone areas are incorporated into the red zone as the mist, which was a headache due to the mana explosion effect, clears up, right?’

The investment value was sufficient.

However, with a measly balance of only 4 million won [approximately $3,000 USD], it was impossible to even dream of it.

First, I need seed money to become capital.

Investments and whatnot are a headache, but I have to make money like this to retire quickly.

Until I retire, I have to use any means and methods.

The more power I gain, the more talent I monopolize, and the faster I get stronger, the more money I can rake in.

A well-being life is not achieved just by talking a good game.

In the capitalist world, all words must have ‘money’ to be given life.

‘Nicholas, that’s why the price of the land he lived on rose and dungeons were created in his past life!’

I remembered Nicholas, whom I always thought was lucky in my past life.

The land he invested in always skyrocketed in price after a while, and disasters occurred on the land he sold for no reason.

Looking at my actions now, it becomes clear that his actions were exactly like those of a ‘Regressor’.

‘Damn it, he was always talking about being blood brothers, but he didn’t share any real estate information?’

It was a thing of the past, but I felt annoyed when I thought of him enjoying the honey alone [a Korean idiom for enjoying something good by oneself].

Of course, I don’t resent him.

Thanks to him, my life as a dirt spoon [a Korean idiom for someone born into poverty] changed dramatically.

It’s just a guess, but I wonder if regression isn’t a retirement gift he gave me.

Of course, it’s just my hunch, and there’s no way to confirm it.

Squeak.

First, I got up from my seat.

My body was almost fully recovered.

The alteration I was about to attempt now required some testing, so I needed an open space.

Fortunately, the Sindorim Station area had well-maintained walking trails.

I decided to proceed with three more physical alterations there.

* * *

‘There are a lot of people.’

Shin Hwa exclaimed after seeing quite a crowd on the promenade despite the Lunar New Year holiday.

It’s a sad story, but Sindorim Station in 2052 was literally a ruin covered in death.

They succeeded in preventing the Great Cataclysm, but they couldn’t avoid massive casualties.

The returning Republic of Korea was all ruins, and Sindorim Station, in particular, was virtually erased from the map.

But seeing Sindorim Station in 2020, preserving its beautiful appearance, he couldn’t help but be immersed in emotion.

“Hoo.”

Shin Hwa sat down on a bench on the promenade and began to control all the mana in his body.

‘Eyes, teeth, and tongue.’

Shin Hwa preferentially chose three parts of the body with the lowest alteration difficulty.

They were the three parts corresponding to the lowest difficulty in the five-level classification from lowest to highest.

Perhaps because he had created the liver and lungs of mana earlier, the work of drawing up mana in an instant was as easy as breathing.

“Hoo…”

Deep breath and concentration.

Since the mana moved as he pleased, it was good to condense the mana in the necessary parts.

Before he knew it, the entire mana was divided into three strands centered on the eyes, teeth, and tongue, and each took its place.

The lungs and liver were somewhat difficult, so he proceeded separately, but these parts were less risky, so there was no problem doing them together.

‘Maximize change for potential enhancement.’

The purpose was clear.

Soon, increase the activity of mana and draw out the abilities of the change system.

Creak. Creak. Creak.

Various sounds were heard, and changes began to occur in his body.

At first, it starts with a very unpleasant feeling, but it is also a change that makes you happy once it changes.

Shaaaaa.

It was a short time, but the blue light unique to mana was emitted from the eyes, teeth, and tongue.

The next moment.

“Ah… !”

A sound that was somewhere between an exclamation and a groan burst out, and Shin Hwa recognized his body after the alteration was completed.

The most obvious change was felt in the ‘eyes’.

‘I can see!’

The greatly increased eyesight created a completely different world than before.

The smartphone screen of a woman walking more than 500m away was clearly visible.

[Honey♥: Honey, where are you?]

[Me? I’m going to meet you! I’m almost home!]

[Honey♥: Come quickly! I want to hug you tight and sleep together!]

[Okay! I’ll be there soon! Wait a little bit♥♥]

“Ugh…”

He couldn’t calmly accept the couple’s affection, but he had enough resistance to endure it.

Anyway, the important thing was that it was possible to explore distances of more than 500m with certainty.

‘At this rate, I’d have eyesight of about 5.0. That’s about the same as an eagle’s eyesight.’

Shin Hwa stroked both eyes with a pleasant touch.

With eyesight of about 5.0, a completely different world unfolds from that of ordinary people.

You can see the stars in broad daylight!

Of course, there is a prerequisite that the sky must be clear without any fine dust.

‘Was it C-rank Jeong Hyeong-wook? There was a guy who specialized in reconnaissance, receiving the best treatment at any engineering college with 5.0 eyesight? If he meets me, he’ll become unemployed right away?’

For some, eyesight may be a means of survival that they have devoted everything to, but for Shin Hwa, it was just a part of it.

This was definitely his great strength.

If he altered one part of his body, he could quickly catch up with the level of those who were flying and crawling in that field.

Shaaaaaaa.

Then, the feeling that the entire eye was gradually cooling down.

It wasn’t as much as the lungs and liver, but it was evidence that mana was gradually filling both eyeballs.

‘Hallucination, distortion, dark immunity. There will be no problem with my vision in the future. Those guys who only have those three talents will have a lot of talent shows in front of me [a Korean idiom for showing off]’

Shin Hwa had a satisfied expression.

Now, even if he uses hallucination abilities, he can distinguish between real and fake.

Even if he uses distortion abilities, he can capture the pre-distortion, that is, the corrected form.

Even if pitch-black darkness comes, the changed eyes act as night vision goggles, making it possible to brighten the field of vision.

In addition, the eyes are also a part that can be additionally altered, so you can expect bigger changes later.

Clack. Clack.

Next, Shin Hwa’s attention turned to his teeth. A part commonly called ‘teeth’.

Through alteration, not only the teeth but also the surrounding gums and bite force were strengthened together. In addition, some of the jaw and masticatory muscles were also strengthened together.

‘Well… I’ll be able to chew iron bars now.’

Shin Hwa smiled and glanced at the steel pillar, that is, the sign on the steel bar, which was next to him.

To examine the changed body functions, there is no better way than to demonstrate it directly.

Squeeze.

Shin Hwa grabbed the steel bar.

A pillar that was quite heavy and undoubtedly full inside.

It was a steel bar with a strong skeleton, along with a heavy rock that held the weight below.

The next moment.

Without hesitation, Shin Hwa bit the center of the steel bar with all his might.

Crack!

There was a sound of something breaking.

If someone heard this sound, they would have thought that their teeth were shattered to pieces…

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Shin Hwa was smiling.

Shin Hwa’s neat and white teeth were fine.

Instead.

Creak. Creak.

The steel bar, with half of its center torn off, was shaking precariously from side to side.

He really tore off the steel with just one tooth.

“…Did you just tear off this steel bar? With your mouth?”

A passerby who happened to pass by and discovered Shin Hwa’s bizarre behavior had an expression full of astonishment.

Even if he was an Awakened, an absurd scene was unfolding before his eyes.