I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 59

59

“Is something wrong?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“You don’t look so good.”

“Well…”

“Ah, sorry.”

Yoon Byeol-i seemed hesitant and unable to speak clearly, suggesting there was a reason. So, I didn’t ask further or even look at her.

I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

“Rest well. I’ve been rude.”

I returned to my seat.

And I thought about it carefully.

Could something be happening on Jeju Island?

Looking back, I realized… I didn’t actually have any memories of Jeju Island from this time.

In my past life, I had spent almost all of early February living in dungeons.

In other words, it wasn’t that nothing had happened on Jeju Island, but rather that I had no idea if anything had happened at all.

So, with a hopeful thought, I looked through Awakened Ones’ news and communities. But there were no particular issues.

Soon after, the plane took off.

Once we reached a stable altitude, an announcement was made that seatbelts could be unfastened, and I leisurely enjoyed a drink provided by the airline.

Click. Click.

Meanwhile, Yoon Byeol-i, despite not looking well, kept checking something.

‘That’s a dungeon detection device? It’s for detecting core energy levels.’

It’s a device that most Awakened Ones wouldn’t know, but I can tell what it is just by looking at its appearance.

That’s the advantage of a Regressor.

Having a lot of knowledge allows you to wisely see through the essence of things.

‘An Outbreak?’

The possibility seemed high.

Moreover, Yoon Byeol-i was wearing a reinforced suit under her skinny jeans and striped shirt.

The fact that she wasn’t wearing the suit openly suggested there was a good reason to hide it.

‘Okay. Let’s not be nosy.’

I leaned back comfortably in my seat.

Even if something is happening, it’s KSA’s [Korean Special Abilities Association] business, not mine.

And since I’m on vacation, I didn’t want to create even a small connection that could turn into work.

“Hoo…”

It was a short flight, but enough time to enjoy a brief nap.

I put on the eye mask I had prepared and immediately fell asleep.

I had been pushing myself to the limit in the dungeon since morning, so my body felt heavy.

* * *

Swaaa! Swaaaa!

Rumble, crash! Kwakwakwang!

“What’s this?”

When I opened my eyes upon landing.

What greeted me wasn’t the refreshing scenery of Jeju Airport, but a torrential downpour.

Not only that, but a strong wind beyond a reasonable level was blowing, and thunder and lightning were constant.

It was terrible weather.

“Like Murphy’s Law…”

My expression naturally frowned.

Of course, it was my fault for not checking the weather in advance, but I never imagined it would be so different from the sunny weather in Seoul.

At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to see the scenery of Jeju Island and would only experience the rain and wind.

“Excuse me.”

Yoon Byeol-i hurriedly headed out through the connecting passage as soon as the door opened.

Just in case, I kept looking behind me, but she had no companions.

Following her, I also came out of the gate with the other people.

Then, a driver holding a sign that read ‘Kang Shin-hwa’ was waiting for me.

He was the driver who would be my feet for the duration of my stay in Jeju Island.

“Hello.”

“Nice to meet you, Kang Shin-hwa. I received a call from the Chairman. I will put my 40 years of experience on the line to serve you as safely and kindly as possible.”

“Please take good care of me.”

“Where shall I take you?”

“With the weather like this, I think I should go straight to the villa. Please take me to the villa.”

“That’s a wise decision.”

“You don’t have to bow so deeply when you speak. Please speak comfortably. You can even use informal language.”

“I cannot do that. From now on, Kang Shin-hwa, you are the same as the Chairman to me.”

“Haha, then please do as you feel comfortable.”

Maybe it’s just my personality.

I’ve always been okay with moderate politeness, but extreme politeness has always been a burden.

Even when I became Nine Lords, the greatest hero of humanity, I got along with people without any barriers.

I used public transportation when necessary, and I freely frequented street restaurants and food stalls.

I enjoyed a friendly image, so extreme deference always felt burdensome.

“I will escort you. This way.”

“Thank you.”

I followed the driver to the limousine that would take me to the villa.

A total of 3 nights and 4 days.

My sweet, personal vacation in Jeju Island had finally begun!

* * *

“Ah, this is seriously so good…”

If there is a Shangri-La, a paradise on earth.

It must be this villa where I am staying right now.

I was soaking in a large bathtub filled with the scent of roses, indulging in a half-body bath.

As soon as I arrived at the villa, I was greeted with a beef steak dish that was so delicious it couldn’t be expressed with any words.

And the close attention of a dedicated attendant who was truly my hands and feet.

I felt like they would even take care of my business if I asked them to clean up after me.

And the bathroom was a continuous display of ultra-luxurious interiors, starting and ending with gold.

The glass in a place where the entire view of the forest comes into view was made of tempered glass with dimensional stone micro-engraving.

After touching and measuring it, I realized that it had enough durability to withstand an SS-rank monster for at least an hour.

“How much does this villa cost? Later, when I create ‘Shinhwa Land’ in the South Pacific, I want to build a villa that copies this exactly.”

Everything was satisfactory.

Not only was it magnificent and beautiful, but it was also excellent in terms of security.

Although not visible in sight, there were security guards constantly patrolling the outskirts of the forest.

Pour, pour.

I filled a whiskey on the rocks glass with plenty of ice and a little vodka, then drank it all in one go.

“Krah… This is it.”

I don’t usually drink vodka, but since this was the occasion, I ended up drinking a glass with elegance.

It was, of course, delicious.

The sound of rain outside the window was literally music played by the sky.

Grrr. Grrr.

The sound of thunder that came in the middle like an interjection added grandeur to the music.

In addition, the classic music flowing from the avant-garde speakers, each costing well over 100 million won, was the perfect touch.

“This is definitely my constitution. It’s becoming clear now. I’m made for playing, made for playing… Keuh.”

I repeatedly dozed off and opened my eyes in the pleasant warmth of the hot water that enveloped my whole body.

Being able to be without any thoughts was so happy in itself.

“I should take breaks like this from time to time even before I retire. I should have done this sooner, I’ve been living too busy.”

I felt even better because I had turned off my smartphone early and thrown it away, so I felt completely disconnected from the world.

A hero, or a savior of the world.

I had no interest in these things at all.

It’s terribly hard, exhausting, and intense.

Looking back, it doesn’t seem like there’s much left.

In my past life, I didn’t enjoy any entertainment when I was young, and I just worked hard to build strength until I became middle-aged.

I didn’t want to lose my youth so easily in this life as well.

“Come to think of it, it’s my parents’ wedding anniversary soon.”

February 15th.

The day my deceased parents always told me was the most blessed day in the world.

They got married on this day, and I was the son born as a honeymoon baby.

“I’ll be sure to buy the baby’s breath that my mother liked and take it with me.”

My parents’ charnel house is in the place I remember. It still is, and it will continue to be in the future.

“Even if I had regressed 10 years further into the future than now, I would have saved both of you… I’m sorry. Your incompetent son couldn’t get closer.”

In a moment of melancholy, I submerged my head deep into the bathtub.

I didn’t want to bring back my parents, who were buried in one corner of my heart.

‘Shinhwa, you must live brightly even if we are not by your side. Don’t blame yourself for what happened today, and live with a firm and strong heart. Got it?’

‘This father will always be your guardian spirit behind you. So never be sad.’

These were the last words I heard from my parents before I was separated from them in the Outbreak caused by the Great Cataclysm. In other words, it was my parents’ will.

So, even at my parents’ funeral and crematorium, I clenched my fists so tightly that the blood was drawn from my fingernails, holding back my tears.

But if I shed tears now, I would become an immature child. I would hate that to death.

“Puha! It’s okay, it’s okay!”

I got out of the bathtub and headed to the pool right next to it.

Without any thought.

I just wanted to cut through the water with all my might.

* * *

An hour later.

“Haa, please, please…”

Tat! Tatatat! Tat!

Yoon Byeol-i was running with all her might with a pale face.

It was a hellish time of running with only the exit in sight, without a proper break for more than 10 long minutes.

“This is ridiculous…”

Yoon Byeol-i was half in a panic.

The reason she came here was, as Shinhwa roughly guessed, about the Outbreak.

However, the dungeon’s risk level was stage 1.

In other words, there was still room until stage 4, which is actually called an Outbreak.

There was only one reason she was dispatched.

There was no Awakened One as specialized in stealth and rapid exploration as Yoon Byeol-i.

They had to explore deep into the place where the boss monster was, but it was impossible with agents who didn’t have good mobility.

Meanwhile, at the same time, all the agents of the Jeju branch were being put into preventing the undisclosed Outbreak.

They were secretly proceeding with the work unofficially so that the residents of Jeju Island would not be uneasy.

Appropriate division of labor.

In fact, if things went as expected, there should have been no problems.

But a problem occurred.

While she was measuring the core energy with the ‘DS detection device,’ the value suddenly started to skyrocket.

The device suddenly jumped from stage 1 to stage 4, sounding an alarm and signaling the imminent Outbreak.

An absurd situation had occurred, skipping stages 2 and 3 in between!

“If the monsters all come out, it’s really over!”

Chakang. Chakang.

Yoon Byeol-i hurriedly took out a lump of unrefined dimensional stone from the bag she had brought.

It was a kind of defective dimensional stone, which was designed to act as a bomb when using a detonator.

Tatatatat!

Despite Yoon Byeol-i’s movements, which were running so fast that her legs were almost invisible.

Kwehehehe! Kweeee!

The monsters began to rampage and gradually continued to close the distance.

Kwakwakwang! Kwang! Kwakwang!

Still, it worked.

The dimensional stone that Yoon Byeol-i detonated shook the canyon located inside the dungeon, causing a large-scale rockfall.

The main road was blocked for now.

However, if the monsters went back the way they came and came out again, there was still a way to return through the side road.

30 minutes at most.

It can’t be delayed any longer than that.

Paat!

Yoon Byeol-i, who came out of the dimensional gate, urgently made a phone call.

Even in the heavy rain, she steadfastly called the Jeju branch to request help from the nearest place.

But no one could be reached.

Because the Outbreak risk level of this dungeon was stage 1, everyone prioritized attacking other dungeons with stage 3 or higher.

“30 minutes, 30 minutes, 30 minutes…”

A state close to panic.

Even if I called Namina or Lee Ha-sung in Seoul now, there was no way to fly here in 30 minutes.

An immediate solution was needed.

“Ah, is that really the only way…?”

Yoon Byeol-i’s expression darkened.

Just one person comes to mind.

If only that person was there, it seemed like they could somehow solve the current urgent situation.

‘Kang Shin-hwa.’

The Awakened One who got off the same plane at Jeju Airport today, Shinhwa.