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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: A Regressor's Request
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“Uh, um… It’s not a strange or difficult request, is it?”
Perhaps it was because she’d heard that the condition for his regression was death. Seora, her heart softened, asked cautiously, and Kang Sejun let out a light laugh.
“I told you, you can refuse. I’m just letting you know.”
“Well, if that’s all it is.”
If she could refuse without consequence, there was no loss on her part. It wasn’t like it cost money to think about it.
“Alright. Then I’ll handle half. I’ll give you all the Horn Ore, so calm down. Remember, you only came in here to gauge my skills.”
Her sharp glare softened once more.
“But you handle the other half. I want to see your skills.”
“I get it, so hurry up and go first. I’ll let it slide this one time, since my money’s on the line.”
“…How incredibly generous of you.”
Sejun scoffed in disbelief but stepped forward nonetheless.
His hand, covered in scars unlike his chiseled face, stretched out. A reddish light, imbued with flames, appeared in the air. As Sejun swiped his fingers downward, a crimson rain of fire poured down on the monsters.
“His firepower control is really good.”
Seora crouched down and began to watch the fire show.
It looked like it was pouring down indiscriminately, but it was actually piercing the rhinos’ bodies with precision. And it was avoiding all the Horn Ore, which would have incurred Seora’s wrath had it been even slightly damaged.
“Mages really are specialized in AoE damage.”
Not much time had passed, yet half of the Ore Rhinos were already dead, emitting a burnt smell.
“Hmm, if you kill them this quickly, there’s not much for me to properly assess about an L-Rank’s abilities.”
“I can’t make something easy difficult. You can just evaluate it as being that overwhelming.”
“So you’re saying you’re so strong it’s annoying? Fine. That’ll do for the evaluation.”
“Do you not know how to phrase things more pleasantly?”
“Oh, I don’t think I want to hear that from the regressor who started speaking informally to me the moment we met.”
“…”
What could he possibly say to that? Seora giggled as he furrowed his brow but ultimately kept his mouth shut.
“Now it’s my turn, right? To be honest, I don’t have much to show. It’s only been a few days since I reawakened as an S-Rank, so I haven’t fully grasped my own skills yet.”
“You mean the Werewolf Dungeon incident? I heard about it. Was it the contract with a Constellation that saved you back then?”
“A god bestowed a miracle upon me. Maybe the reason you never saw me in the past was because that miracle didn’t happen then.”
“You can talk about something like that so casually?”
“Why?”
Seora tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.
“It’s not like I remember it. What’s important is that the miracle happened now, and I’m living perfectly well. The present is always what matters most to me.”
Seora grinned and raised her gun.
There were many of them, she had only one gun, and she had to deal with them alone. And unlike with the werewolves, she had the handicap of not damaging the Horn Ore.
What should I do?
First, let’s increase the number of weapons.
“Heat, transform.”
Seora tapped the sniper rifle she was holding. The red-glowing Heat split in two. A pair of pistols now weighed down both of her hands.
“A transformation weapon?”
Sejun’s eyes widened.
“You have something that rare when you’ve only been an S-Rank for a few days? The Jacket of Revival, and now a transformation weapon. Did you hunt a Diamond Constellation or something?”
Oops. Seora’s eyes darted around. She had figured there was no need to hide anything since Kang Sejun already knew her capabilities, but she hadn’t considered how rare transformation weapons were.
And considering it wasn’t just any transformation weapon, but one that could change freely…
‘I’d better hide that part.’
【Administrator: (*ꈍ꒳ꈍ*)】
Oh, right. You gave me this precious thing. Giving the cute Administrator a small smile, Seora took a step toward the monsters.
“Field Deployment.”
【Activating skill ‘Field Control’!】
As the skill activated, a red cube materialized in the air. Her left eye, now tinged with red, pinpointed the coordinates.
【Area designated. Temporarily assuming control of the specified field!】
【‘Heat’ resonates with the skill ‘Field Control.’ Destructive power increases. Accuracy increases.】
【The bullets of the weapon ‘Heat’ will be transformed accordingly!】
It was the same skill, but it was different from when she fought the Harpoon Snakes. Dozens of smaller cubes had appeared, each aimed at a monster’s forehead. Unfortunately, there weren’t quite enough cubes.
“Is it because my skill proficiency is low?”
A pity, but for now, let’s focus on thinning their numbers. Seora leaped into the fray.
*Bang, bang!* Mana bullets poured from the dual pistols in her hands. It looked like she was firing randomly, but Heat, resonating with her skill, blew a hole in a monster’s forehead with just a graze from a cube. And it was done with enough precision to avoid damaging the Horn Ore.
With every swift movement Seora made, monsters with ruptured foreheads collapsed powerlessly.
“It seems she’s not just a sniper.”
Sejun, who had stayed behind, watched Seora’s movements closely.
Since she was holding a sniper rifle when she first killed the Harpoon Snake, he had naturally assumed her specialization was sniping. But for a simple combat-type shooter or sniper, her skills were remarkably unconventional.
To specify a space, not just enhance destructive power or accuracy—that could only mean one thing.
“A Unique Ability type.”
An Awakened’s specialization is broadly classified into four types.
Combat, Magic, Healer, and Unique Ability.
Unlike the other three, Unique Ability types possessed special, inherent abilities that were literally different from anyone else’s. For that reason, only a very small number of Awakened could manifest this specialization, and they were powerful in proportion.
The unofficial number one rank in the country, Song Hanna, and the number two, Ju-eun, had both manifested unique abilities.
“I really have to recruit her, no matter what.”
Considering how extremely rare space-manipulating Awakened were, targeting Yoon Seora would be more beneficial than going after Ju-eun or Song Hanna. He had tried and failed to recruit those two before.
The reason he had personally offered to sell the items to the Suhoryeong Guild was to maintain his connection with her.
‘Her movements are a bit rough since she just became an S-Rank, but time will solve that. In terms of potential, she’s at the top, at least within Korea.’
A way to hold on tight to his connection with Yoon Seora. It seemed he would have to properly fleece Suhoryeong.
Yoo Su-eun, the greedy Guild Master of Suhoryeong. Since she had a firm grip on healers and mages, she was naturally loaded with cash, so Sejun decided to forget about his conscience. Preparing for the future was what mattered.
“Ah, skill’s up.”
Unaware that Kang Sejun was plotting to secure funds for her sake, Seora clicked her tongue as her skill deactivated. The mana consumption was more severe than when she’d fought the Harpoon Snakes, making it difficult to activate again.
I see. Splitting it into multiple pieces drains mana much faster than making one big cube. Okay. Understood.
“Heat, transform.”
The dual pistols merged, once again taking the form of a sniper rifle. Seora shouted loudly toward Sejun.
“Hey, Mr. Mage over there! Stop watching and make a foothold for me on that wall up there!”
“Mr. Regressor, Mr. Mage. You just call me whatever you feel like, don’t you?”
Sejun scowled but pounded on the wall anyway. High up on the cave wall, the earth rumbled and clumped together, forming a small foothold just big enough for one person to stand on.
“Ooh. You really can use other elements. Is it because you’re an L-Rank?”
“It’s thanks to a title effect. I awakened it during my fourth regression.”
“What kind of title is it?”
“Mage of Omniscience. It’s an L-rank title.”
Seora, who had climbed onto the foothold and was aiming at the rhino monsters, stared blankly at Sejun. She checked his information once more.
【Awakened Information】
Name: Kang Sejun (L-Rank)
Title: Wheel of the Eternal Cycle (EX), Mage of Omniscience (L-Rank), He Who Holds the Flames of Hell (S-Rank), Indomitable Will (A-Rank), The Humiliated Loser (A-Rank)
Specialization: Combat-type Mage — Flame Element
Contracted Constellation: Hourglass of Destiny
Peculiarity: Regressor (5th time)
Before, she had been so surprised by the word “regressor” that she hadn’t noticed anything else, but looking at it now, there were many other strange things.
Wheel of the Eternal Cycle was obviously related to his regressions, and the only L-rank title, Mage of Omniscience, belatedly caught her eye.
‘Wow, *omniscient*. Does that mean he can use all specializations? That guy’s broken, too. But more importantly, what the hell is The Humiliated Loser?’
It was so out of place compared to his other titles.
Perhaps it was related to his regressions. After all, when she first encountered him in front of the 2nd-grade dungeon, he had looked extremely angry.
Seora glanced at Sejun. How on earth did he end up regressing? And what was it that he wanted to achieve so badly that he would go through regression?
‘I have a feeling, a feeling. A feeling that I shouldn’t know.’
The ominous premonition unique to an office worker, who could sniff out troublesome things that would interfere with getting off work on time and taking vacations, enveloped her.
‘Yep, okay. I get it. Getting deeply involved with Mr. Regressor is a definite no-go. But money is important, so I’ll turn a blind eye just this once.’
As she always said, Seora’s own well-being came first.
“For now, then, the Horn Ore.”
Seora aimed her rifle at the few remaining Ore Rhinos. Being on high ground certainly opened up her field of view; this was how a sniper was meant to fight.
She pulled the trigger, aiming for the rhino’s head visible through the scope. Once again, it was a one-shot, one-kill. The sound of the shots blasting from the muzzle couldn’t have been more satisfying.
* * *
“Alright, Mr. L-Rank. I’m counting on you for my money.”
Seora gathered up all the Horn Ore with a blissful expression. After carefully inspecting them for any scratches, she handed them all over to Kang Sejun.
Faced with her radiant expression, Kang Sejun silently stored the Horn Ore in his inventory.
“I’ll keep you updated on the negotiation process with Suhoryeong in real-time, so make sure you answer your phone.”
Before leaving the gate, the two even exchanged numbers perfectly. Of course, Seora planned to block Sejun the moment this deal was over.
“Too much time has passed. The Team Leader is going to find this strange.”
After putting her jacket, Heat, and gloves into her inventory, Seora put her formal suit back on. She tidied her hair and dusted herself off, and the image of a money-crazed miner vanished, replaced by that of a perfect civil servant.
Seora exited the gate and stood confidently before Do Junyeong.
“3rd-grade dungeon clear complete.”
Looking at Do Junyeong, Seora was panting as if exhausted. But her dark eyes sparkled with the joy of having endured and succeeded.
Sejun stared at her with a dumbfounded expression, as if he couldn’t believe it.
He had no idea where the person who had laughed like a madman at the sight of mana stones had gone.
