I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 87

87. I’m a Max Level Returner

Thump, thump!

Soon, I began to charge into the Touger’s ranks.

Of course, I wasn’t going to die; I was just trying to create a better angle to maximize Wilson’s power.

Whoosh! Swish!

Since the Tougers were quite large, just swinging their arms nearby created fierce gusts of wind.

Moreover, some of them were uprooting nearby trees to use as weapons.

“Hoo-cha!”

It might sound harsh, but with my Acceleration Talent and the path prediction possible through my Transcendence Talent…

Those clumsy guys swinging their blind clubs were never going to hit me.

I easily dodged their attacks by slightly tilting my head or twisting my body.

Then.

I brazenly took my place right in the center of the Touger horde.

As if seeing prey cornered at the end of a hunt, the Touger horde drooled greedily and reached out towards me.

If I were caught there, I’d probably be torn into pieces like a pizza and meet a pathetic end.

But I was much faster.

Flash!

I immediately kicked off the ground and leaped.

Now I can say it with certainty.

Unless it’s a monster whose rank is more than one letter grade higher than my current B- rank.

I’m confident that I wouldn’t die even if a whole truckload of them came at me.

“Alright.”

Reaching the apex in the air, I gripped Wilson in my left hand in the way I wanted.

‘Four-seam fastball.’ [A type of baseball pitch known for its speed and straight trajectory.]

Believe it or not, I was in the baseball club until middle school.

I was both a pitcher and a cleanup hitter, so those memories are still in my body.

Anyway, along with the gravity pulling me down, I poured half of my magic power into Wilson.

Whirr!

Instantly, Wilson heated up.

Now, leaving only a little of the remaining half of my magic power, I poured it all into my gauntlet.

“Here I go……!”

With the ability of my left arm, enhanced by Modification, combined with its unique magic emission ability…

Bang!

Wilson himself became a bomb and fell straight down.

The sound of the air tearing apart was so tremendous that it momentarily made my ears ring.

At the same time, as I fell to the ground, I used my Steel Enhancement Talent to turn my entire body into solid steel.

And.

Kugugugung…

A massive mushroom cloud erupted.

* * *

“There’s no need to assist…….”

“It doesn’t seem like it.”

The moment the explosion occurred.

Marina and Han So-joon sensed it.

Not a single Touger caught in the explosion could have survived.

Bits of Touger flesh and blood rained down from the sky like fireworks.

There wasn’t a single one left with an intact corpse, let alone anything to salvage. They were all blown to bits.

“I hope Shin-hwa is okay.”

“If Kang Shin-hwa dies here, it would be quite the hidden camera prank, kekeke.”

Han So-joon was definitely different in his humor and everyday life.

Marina knew very well that even though Shin-hwa had a reckless side, he always had a plan.

Hadn’t she already experienced it in their brief sparring match?

Shin-hwa was one of the few Awakened who had discovered the extremely narrow blind spot created by Marina’s use of her Silver Threads.

Just then.

Thud. Thud.

A figure walked through the hazy dust. It was undoubtedly Shin-hwa.

“Hoo, I don’t like taking out small fries separately. Is everyone alright?”

Shin-hwa wiped the soot off his blackened face with his hand.

Unable to bear the sight, Han So-joon rushed over and handed him an entire pack of wet wipes.

Then, Marina pouted and said.

“If you clean them all up like this, Shin-hwa, what am I supposed to do?”

“You have to be active on the main stage later. These guys are just appetizers.”

“WS…… No, ordinary engineering teams usually find Tougers the most troublesome. They travel in groups and have high defense against physical attacks.”

“That’s why I solved it with magic. That attack was a kind of magic bomb using Wilson.”

“So, for Shin-hwa, Emission Talent isn’t just a sub-concept, but the main one?”

“None of the talents I have are used lightly. They all have their own worth.”

Shin-hwa said emphatically.

All the talents he had acquired so far were ones that Shin-hwa knew 100% how to use.

“You don’t need a healer, do you?”

Han So-joon scratched the back of his head awkwardly and asked.

When he saw the Touger horde, he was thinking about what kind of healing plan he should make.

But Shin-hwa’s one-hit-thirty-kills made all those worries meaningless.

“Area A is originally easy. The real problem is from now on.”

Shin-hwa pointed to the numerous colonies of man-eating plants at the edge of the hill in front of them.

“Poisonous plants, Grey Hogweed.”

“It might be better to go around…….”

The two people’s expressions darkened. A truly troublesome area was right in front of them.

* * *

Rustle, rustle. Rustle, rustle.

Before entering the Grey Hogweed colony area, I diligently dug up Katras that I saw nearby.

These guys are one of the important purposes I came here for.

As one of the three ingredients for potions that cost 500 million won per bottle, they are worth risking my life to dig up.

As I was digging up Katras with my hand, which I had transformed into the shape of a sickle, Marina asked curiously from the side.

“This is a poisonous plant. It doesn’t really have much effect as a poison, and at best it causes a stomachache, so why bother?”

That was the general perception.

Perhaps the research center that develops enhancement potions in the future will not even have Katra in its candidate group.

“I’m just taking some as souvenirs. It’s not an easy plant to see, is it?”

“That’s a pretty unusual souvenir, isn’t it?”

“Then, should I get you a few roots? So you can chew on them when you’re bored?”

“No thanks! Who would eat weeds, let alone poisonous ones?”

“It’ll be over soon. Just take a breather.”

In a short time, I swept up all the Katras I saw around me.

I dug up the roots thoroughly and put them in my subspace in the best possible condition.

30 roots secured for now!

I’ve secured enough to make 30 packs of enhancement potions.

In terms of expected value, it’s over 15 billion won. These guys are treated worse than weeds.

Anyway, as new relationships are constantly being formed, I feel that many things surrounding me are changing.

‘Somehow, I feel like I’m getting closer to Marina. Compared to my past life, we’re much closer than we were when we were always distant.’

If Nicholas were here, I would have heard his tiresome butterfly effect theory until my ears bled.

His theory was that you should always think about the future that will be derived from the process of making a relationship.

‘To be honest, he should give me an award when he returns. I’ve already eliminated the possibility of the Shindorim battle [Likely a reference to a specific event or location in the story’s world], and I’ve even caught Shami, the seed of disaster, for now, right?’

Thinking about it, I should receive a reward rather than be nagged.

I’m preparing for retirement and also preparing for his future at the same time.

How many future talented people’s lives have I saved?

As soon as I returned, I killed Magos.

As a result, I have made arrangements to save the lives of hundreds of top-level Awakened who were scheduled to be sacrificed in the future.

In addition to that, from Father Choi Ji-hyuk to Jin Bo-mi and Jung Hoon. There were many people who had a positive impact.

‘Nicholas, please return quickly! There are more than one or two incidents that will happen this year, and I don’t want to solve them with my own hands.’

I pressed my throbbing temples and got up.

This year, many talented Awakened people are dying in major global incidents and accidents.

Too many capable people are dying to just ignore it as if it’s not my business.

‘I’m already having a headache trying to figure out how to make money…….’

Tsk.

I smack my lips.

I wonder why I miss Nicholas’s face so much today.

I want to see him.

* * *

Some time later.

“Shin-hwa. As I said during the pre-briefing, how about ignoring the Grey Hogweed colony area?”

“I agree with Yoo-zha on that point. Unless you’re an Awakened with Fire-type talent, you won’t be able to handle those plants.”

Marina and Han So-joon simultaneously put the brakes on me as I headed towards the hill where the Grey Hogweed was.

I calmly replied.

“If we go the detour route anyway, we’ll meet the Genocider. Its whole body is a weapon, there’s no loot drop, it’s difficult to attack, and even its durability is good. It’s a complete waste of time.”

“But we don’t have an Awakened composed of fire, so do you have a way to break through? We’ve never made a second plan other than fire.”

Marina and Han So-joon’s judgment was extremely common sense.

Grey Hogweed is a notorious man-eating plant.

It has an appearance similar to a sunflower, but instead of a flower, it has teeth that look exactly like a human’s.

The Grey Hogweed is as tall as 3m.

Usually, its stems are yellow, but if you get bitten by the teeth of a plant with a red stem, you will be injected with paralyzing venom.

This is a poison for which there is no antidote even in the future, and once bitten, the paralysis will never be released.

In fact, there is no need to use the word ‘forever’ because if you become paralyzed, you will be bitten to death by the teeth of many of them in that state. There is no next time.

“Everyone, trust me. It would be a shame to give up the middle shortcut, which is only about 100m long, right? If we go around, it’s at least 5km or more. It’ll take more than a day.”

I pointed to a faint route in the middle of the colony.

If we only deal with the plants along this route, we don’t have to worry about the ones on the outskirts.

“Okay! Shin-hwa always has a plan. So, what do we have to do?”

“What you two have to do is…….”

I immediately started briefing.

Now that I’ve had a proper rest.

It would be better to get it over with quickly when my concentration is at its highest.

Kyahi! Kyai!

As I approached quite close, they all showed hostility, revealing their sharp teeth.

Right behind me was Kalaquil, controlled by Marina’s Silver Threads.

It had been somewhat damaged while fighting throughout the move, but it was still usable.

In the first place, it was already dead and was being controlled by Marina’s magic.

As long as the muscles were not malfunctioning, it could be used until the bones and flesh rotted.

“Strategically, I’m going to let the yellow ones bite me openly. So-joon, it’s going to be difficult because it’s long-range, but…….”

“Just show me the value for sure. Then I will assist you to the end without any complaints.”

“Good.”

I shook both hands diligently from side to side, which I will have to use diligently from now on.

From now on, it’s a blitzkrieg [A swift, sudden military attack].

My magic power is also fully charged.

I also had a plan for this ‘devil’s section’ that I would link non-stop from beginning to end in my head.

‘I have to make sure to take care of these guys to add the characteristic of 30% awakening effect to the magic potion.’

My goal was clear.

“…….”

The eyes of the two people watching me were shining with different meanings.

Marina, who is an S+ rank, seemed to be amazed by the various talents I showed throughout the attack.

Han So-joon was expecting how much he would have to move busily to put in healing this time.

Perhaps he is the only one who feels joy and enjoys trials, crises, and headaches.

‘I’m going to make a solid profit!’

I burned my fighting spirit with all my might.

Everything in this dungeon was a treasure trove of numerous materials that could not be thrown away.

More diverse products and my special talents that will become richer in the future.

I was dreaming of another growth spurt here!