I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 67

Episode 67

Yoon-byeol had a dream.

She was always so exhausted that she fell asleep instantly, so she had never had a proper dream before.

Even if she did, they were mostly nightmares or meaningless dreams, so there was no reason to recall them.

But today’s dream was different.

Just like in a movie… a prince on a white horse appeared and saved her.

Holding her tightly in his arms, the prince protected her from the villains amidst a hail of arrows.

Countless arrows pierced the prince’s back, but he didn’t utter a single groan.

He simply held her tightly, urging the horse to run faster.

And after escaping to a safe enough place, he stroked her hair and said one thing.

“Are you okay?”

That was the beginning.

Intense emotions welled up from her heart, and she hugged the prince tightly, sharing a sweet kiss.

It was as if honey had been smeared all over their lips, a kiss that became sweeter and more electrifying the deeper it went.

Just as their breaths grew rough and they were about to become one.

“Ah.”

Yoon-byeol woke up from her dream.

Looking around, she saw a man who looked exactly like the prince in her dream, gazing at her intently.

It was Shin-hwa.

“…….”

Yoon-byeol ran her hands over her flushed face. Her blushing face didn’t easily subside.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Where is this?”

“Where else? It’s a villa. I came down to Jeju Island to rest, but you called me out, didn’t you?”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what? I got plenty of Dimensional Stones, and I got paid handsomely. I even ate a Flower of Acceleration. I didn’t help you for nothing.”

Shin-hwa said nonchalantly.

He meant it.

It was a troublesome task, but he had eaten the Flower of Acceleration thanks to her, hadn’t he?

Awakened ones often say that eating just one flower in their lifetime is a truly successful life.

From a probabilistic standpoint, eating one flower was like winning the lottery.

But Shin-hwa had eaten three flowers—the Flower of Steel, the Flower of Transcendence, and the Flower of Acceleration—so he was already beyond the realm of common probability.

You could say it was a monopolization that only a regressor could cleverly enjoy. Anyway, it was a good thing.

“All the wounds have disappeared.”

“I healed them. If you don’t remember the process, I’ll skip the detailed explanation.”

“I feel embarrassed that I showed you my unsightly body. Are you giving me this?”

Yoon-byeol pointed to a boxed T-shirt that Shin-hwa had neatly folded next to her.

“That’s right. I brought it to wear comfortably, but it’s better for you to wear it now.”

“Thank you.”

“I had no choice but to tear your suit and underwear for treatment. I’m sorry if you felt uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable? Not at all. I’m really grateful. If it weren’t for Shin-hwa…”

“What is it?”

“My physical condition feels so different compared to before.”

“You can feel it?”

“Yes. Mana circulation is smooth and fast. There were definitely some blockages that always bothered me, but I don’t feel that at all.”

“I cleared some of the blocked blood vessels.”

“Pardon?”

“Under the armpit, below the left chest, above the right side of the navel, in the groin. Mana must have been severely blocked there.”

“…How did you know?”

“I told you, I cleared them.”

“Can you artificially뚫어내다 [bore through] mana lines using external force?”

“To be precise, I think only I can do it. Anyway, I used my hands a bit.”

“This is utilizing mana emission ability…”

“Detailed explanations are trade secrets.”

Shin-hwa smiled.

He didn’t want to boast about clearing her mana lines and expect her to be grateful.

He didn’t use much strength, and it was just a few drops of sweat.

But Yoon-byeol was constantly amazed.

Lee Ha-seong and Na Mi-na had given her a lot of advice, but they couldn’t solve the chronic problem of mana circulation.

They said there was no way to do it in the first place.

It was like being born with a congenital ‘malformation,’ so treatment or correction was impossible.

“Thank you so much. Shin-hwa helped me stop the Outbreak, treated me, and even made this change.”

Yoon-byeol got up and bowed politely to Shin-hwa.

It was gratitude from the bottom of her heart.

In particular, the change in the mana line was so dramatic that she wanted to test it out in a fierce battle right away.

“If you’re really grateful, think about what you said before.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, think about whether KSA is really the right place for your capabilities and thoughts.”

“…….”

“Oh, are you hungry?”

Growl.

As soon as Shin-hwa changed the subject and asked, Yoon-byeol’s stomach growled.

But she shook her head.

“I’m okay.”

“I can hear you. Wait, I’ll make you a decent dish. Let’s just call it a mana-enhancing meal.”

Shin-hwa headed to the kitchen.

He was thinking of making ‘Madillo Meat Stew’ using the thigh meat of a baby Madillo [a fictional monster].

If you mix a little of the blood obtained from Tokra [another fictional monster] with the baby Madillo meat and cook it, a chemical reaction occurs.

It has the effect of slightly increasing the total amount of mana, so it’s a food that has a good effect if you eat it steadily.

“Oh, I’ve prepared towels and everything, so take a shower. You can’t wear new clothes on a body stained with blood and sweat.”

“Ah…”

She saw the towel and her underwear that Shin-hwa had taken out in front of the shower room and blushed.

Unlike Shin-hwa, who seemed to think nothing of it, Yoon-byeol was just embarrassed that she had shown her private parts.

But that was only for a moment.

Watching Shin-hwa cheerfully making food without showing any signs, her embarrassment quickly disappeared.

He was clearly a year younger, but this man felt like she was dealing with an older brother.

Yoon-byeol’s curiosity about Shin-hwa was growing deeper and deeper.

* * *

Some time later.

“How is it?”

“It’s delicious. Is it beef?”

“It’s baby Madillo meat.”

“Can you get this savory taste with Madillo meat?”

“It becomes possible if you add natural seasonings. Are you curious about what’s in it?”

“I won’t ask about trade secrets.”

“Good thinking. You’ll probably gain a very small amount of mana after you eat it all.”

A late-night meal.

I usually like to eat and enjoy things alone, but eating face-to-face with someone wasn’t so bad.

It was still awkward, but the atmosphere itself was okay since it felt like we were almost lovers.

“Wow! It’s delicious.”

“I’ve been cooking for thirty… no, over three years.”

I cleverly changed my words because I almost said the time from my past life.

“It’s really delicious! I’ve eaten quite a bit of monster meat, but today is the first time I’ve had meat without a gamey smell.”

“It’s not easy to get rid of the gamey smell. But once you get rid of it, it’s good to make delicious dishes.”

“Kang Shin-hwa is really amazing. Combat, healing, cooking. There’s nothing you can’t do.”

“I gratefully accept the compliment.”

“Thank you again. Both I and the entire KSA [Korean Special Association] owe Shin-hwa a debt.”

“If KSA really appreciates it, I’ll look forward to some kind of reward.”

“The head of the headquarters or the branch manager will definitely have some thoughts.”

“Well, I’ll find out soon enough. Eat more. There’s plenty. I turned off my smartphone. You’ll have to turn it on if you need it.”

“Oh, really?”

“Na Mi-na was spouting nonsense, so I got annoyed and turned it off.”

“Then the saved names too…”

“The most annoying thing is a boss who has no tact. I understand. But it’s cheap.”

Yoon-byeol frowned and scratched her head.

She was probably embarrassed because she showed me everything without any secrets. I didn’t really care.

Anyway, as our late dinner progressed, the awkwardness gradually disappeared, and the atmosphere slowly ripened.

* * *

The next day at dawn.

It was still raining heavily outside with thunder and lightning.

Shin-hwa was lying on the sofa in the living room, asleep, and Yoon-byeol was sleeping in the bed in the master bedroom, thanks to Shin-hwa’s consideration.

She had heard Shin-hwa’s words to rest here as much as she needed, but she couldn’t do that.

It was already enough of a nuisance.

Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.

Yoon-byeol, who had only turned on a small light in the darkness, wrote on a makeshift letter made by tearing a memo pad.

It contained words of gratitude and praise for Shin-hwa, and thanks for the changes he had made to her body.

It was a handwritten letter that was so densely written that she would have to squeeze in letters in the margins later.

“…….”

The words she had heard from Shin-hwa throughout dinner still remained in her head.

‘Think about whether you want to live as a worker who only works hard, or as an Awakened who lives freely.’

‘I’m going to create my own team soon. There will be a variety that can’t even be compared to now.’

‘I’m honestly very interested in Yoon-byeol’s practical skills other than her stealth and assassination abilities.’

She used to think of them as trivial words, but after experiencing this Outbreak, she had a lot of thoughts.

KSA, where she had turned down all the scout offers from Yang-hwa Guild’s 친오빠 [older brother] Yoon Tae-ho and other places.

But KSA was less creative than she thought, and there were too many aspects that forced personal sacrifice.

It was a night of many thoughts.

So Yoon-byeol left a letter and quietly slipped out of Shin-hwa’s villa.

Just in case, Shin-hwa was still fast asleep on the sofa when she looked back.

At the same time.

“Hmm.”

As soon as Yoon-byeol left the villa, Shin-hwa got up from his seat.

He was just pretending to be asleep because he didn’t want to burden her.

Shin-hwa had already woken up when she started writing the letter.

When he went to the room where she had stayed, there was a carefully written letter.

This time, I’ve been thinking a lot while watching Shin-hwa.

I realized that there is nothing more important to an Awakened than power.

I also came to admire the ability to overwhelm monsters with overwhelming power and turn crises into opportunities.

It’s really a fresh stimulus.

Like Shin-hwa said, I wonder if I was just obsessed with the trivial honor and work as a national civil servant.

In fact, the life of an Awakened that I wanted was a life of sweating while roaming through countless dungeons.

Shin-hwa nodded and continued to read the contents of the letter.

She definitely seemed to have a lot of thoughts.

“The synergy between us was very good in this battle. If we add Father Choi’s debuff to this.”

He thought that a sufficiently powerful party could be formed.

He was thinking about the possibility of aiming for a dungeon one or two levels above what he could do solo.

“Let’s rest for a while… I suffered for a day, so I should add another day to rest.”

Exactly three days, no more, no less.

Shin-hwa extended his vacation period.

He had suffered unexpectedly, so he thought he needed to be even lazier as compensation.

February 6th, 7th, 8th… 9th.

The time spent in Jeju Island passed quickly.

And around the evening of the 9th.

What greeted Shin-hwa when he returned to his home in Junghwa Station.

“Kang Shin-hwa, how do you do?”

One of China’s three major corrupt organizations.

It was a man who had come from the Ohseonghui [Five Stars Association].