The Regressors are Trying to Kill Me

[Translator - Hestia]

[Proofreader - Kaya]

Chapter 7

"That bastard paid off 850 million? Including all the interest?"

"Yes."

"It's not counterfeit money or anything, is it?"

"I went to the bank and checked. It's all clean."

"That's impossible! If he had that kind of money, why did he even take out a loan in the first place?"

"Maybe he earned it from his porter work? Porters don't make bad money, do they?"

In a decent location, occupying a compact but sturdy building, though not quite a skyscraper, was a loan shark company.

The CEO of Million Loan Sharks narrowed his eyes as he listened to Manager Oh's report.

"The porters' share is 5% these days, right?"

"Yes. The guild managing the Gate takes 60%, the government takes 30%, and the mining company subcontracted by the guild and the porters each take 5%."

"And only Gates that yield mana stones worth over 3 million won per piece are in operation, right?"

"Yes. Anything less than that is unprofitable and only increases the risk, so they shut them down."

The CEO pondered for a moment, then picked up his smartphone.

"Hyungnim." (Older brother - a term of respect)

[Yeah.]

His 'hyungnim' was a veteran Awakened who had been in the mining business for a long time and was also his partner in artifact scams.

"Are porters making that much these days?"

[They are. If they mine just three mana stones a day, their share is 500,000 won. Awakened with good stamina and intuition can dig up 10 a day and earn 1.5 million won per day.]

Of course, earning 1.5 million won a day didn't mean they could make a high income of nearly 400 million won a year.

It was a dangerous industry where surviving for three months earned you the title of a veteran.

As a result, most porters aimed to work in Gates for a short period, just enough to pay off their debts.

Thus, mining operators were divided into two types.

The first type aimed to extract as much money as possible in a short period.

If too many porters died, the government or the Association would intervene, closing the Gate or shutting down the mining company.

The intention was to encourage careful mining practices to reduce the mortality rate, but the operators interpreted it differently.

No matter how careful they were, those destined to die would die.

Since they would inevitably have to close down every few years due to unforeseen circumstances, it was better to select desperate individuals willing to work hard and extract as many mana stones as possible to accumulate wealth.

If there were too many casualties and the guild managing the Gate or the Awakened Association put pressure on them, they could simply close down, change their name, and reopen.

"Aren't we squeezing them too much?"

[Hey, in this day and age, if 10 people die a day like in the old days, the Gate Management Bureau will immediately shut us down.]

And then there was the other type.

Those who carefully selected only the most skilled porters and operated for a long time without pushing them too hard.

Of course, this wasn't something the operators could control entirely.

[Think about the kind of people who enter this line of work. They have nothing but debt.]

"That's right."

[Those guys, driven by the desire to pay off their debts quickly, go deeper into the Gate to mine more mana stones, even if I try to stop them. Then they get ambushed by low-level monsters lurking within the Gate and die. And I'm the one who gets fined, penalized, and shut down. How unfair is that?]

It was a hand-to-mouth industry where people aimed to pay off their debts and leave.

The more skilled the porter, the faster they left.

"Exactly. That's why I recently screwed over two more."

[Yeah, you're the best at this.]

That's how the CEO and his 'hyungnim' collaborated.

Either squeeze them dry and move on to a new company, or manage them gently for a long time.

Both scenarios could be resolved if the porter had debt.

Porters in debt either worked hard to pay off their debts quickly or worked steadily to ensure they could pay them off.

[Anyway, low-rank Awakened are all obsessed with artifacts. I don't know how they can be so naive. They think they can become Hunters just by having a weapon. Idiots. To become a Hunter, you need to be chosen by a Constellation.]

"That's right."

[So, what's the point of all this?]

"Remember the guy we worked on recently? Hong Ilha."

[Yeah.]

"He paid off his debt."

The voice on the other end of the phone wavered.

[What? I know their financial situation inside out. There's no way he could pay it off. That bastard spent everything he earned on potions for his younger brother. Where did he get 800 million won?]

"I don't know either."

[That's why those bastards didn't show up this week. Wow, after all we've done to let them work, they just pay off their debt and disappear like that?]

[PR/N: Bruh… tf they are supposed to do then?!]

The CEO, with his plump face, wore a greedy smile.

"So, let's work on him one more time."

[One more time?]

"Get a new replica. Let's aim for 1.4 billion won this time. We can say it's 1.4 billion won, but we'll deduct the 800 million won from the previous item as a discount, so it's effectively 600 million won. Then send him back to me."

[Are you a genius?]

An excited voice came from the other end of the smartphone.

"This time, we won't even charge upfront interest."

[But will someone who's suffered from debt once want to take on more debt?]

"Doesn't a gambler who's gambled once gamble again? Hyungnim, why are you like this with a fellow Awakened? We're people who can't help but desire to become Rankers."

The CEO concluded.

Bursting into a cackling laugh.

* * *

That evening.

"Manager Oh."

"Yes."

"Withdraw the cash we're lending to those brothers and put it in the safe before you leave."

"Brothers?"

"The younger one has recovered and is working as a porter with his brother. We need to double our profits, don't we?"

"Understood."

Manager Oh left CEO Dae's office.

CEO Dae remained in his office, gazing out the window.

The sun slowly descended below the mountain ridge.

The boundary between day and night, that poignant red hue, evoked a sentimental feeling.

As if an impossible miracle might occur...

"How strange."

"Who's there?"

"I was certain I had killed all of your kind, yet you still lurk in the shadows."

At that moment, an arrogant and indifferent voice shattered CEO Dae's reverie.

Swoosh

Still seated in his chair, CEO Dae turned to look at the man who had just entered.

Having managed money and people for many years, he scanned the man from head to toe with his characteristic discernment.

Thump!

Seeing the white halo floating above his head, it was clear that he was an Awakened.

Color: White, Shape: Ring.

A basic form, meaning it's unlikely he's a high-ranker chosen by a constellation.

Handsome face, but his overall impression was somehow unsettling.

The checkered suit, attempting a casual look, felt terribly awkward.

It was that slight feeling that you get when high-ranking Awakened go to the market and slurp down boiling hot soup without letting it cool, or crunch on chicken skewers, metal skewer and all...

As if a god or demon was wearing human skin, mimicking a person.

That kind of uncanny feeling.

He looked down at CEO Dae indifferently and said.

"You know."

"..."

"I think fraud is the worst crime people can commit against each other."

"Is that so?"

"Honorifics."

"What?"

"You should use honorifics when speaking to an elder, right?"

CEO Dae was taken aback.

'This young whippersnapper?'

The Awakened before him may have been called a man, but he still had a youthful air about him— like he wouldn't look out of place in a school uniform.

Yet, seeing him raise his chin slightly and make his demand so calmly, it somehow felt like he had to comply.

Trying to ignore the familiar feeling, CEO Dae put on a show of composure.

"Young man. For an Awakened without a constellation, I'll admit you've got some guts."

"Murder, assault, theft... Honestly, most crimes can be committed by mistake. Losing control of your emotions in the moment. But fraud isn't like that. It's always premeditated."

"Who sent you? No, actually, I'm not really curious, so you don't have to answer. There are plenty of people who might hold a grudge against me."

"They say it's a problem when superhumans like us get too involved in the world's affairs."

"Cooperate, and I'll let you go."

"But we can't just let things like this slide. Especially if it's something we tried to wipe out once before."

However, the Awakened before him didn't budge.

Instead, he looked down at CEO Dae with a gaze that was almost purely self-righteous.

He was trying to see through what CEO Dae was desperately trying to hide.

"It's insulting."

"...!"

The moment he saw that smile, too clear to be called a sneer.

CEO Dae's rationality snapped.

Click

He pressed the emergency button installed under his desk.

Press

Eeeeeeeeeng—

A loud siren blared throughout the building.

CEO Dae glared at the nameless Awakened and shouted.

"All my men in this building will be here soon! The police will arrive within 10 minutes."

"10 minutes is enough."

"Don't even think about getting out of here alive. We can throw bastards like you into a secluded Gate and there won't be a trace left in an hour."

"Bold of you. Can you handle the consequences?"

"Nobody cares if low-rank Awakened like us fight amongst ourselves. Especially if we don't involve civilians."

"That's right."

The nameless Awakened replied calmly.

He took off his suit jacket and hung it on a hanger in CEO Dae's office.

For a moment, his profile caught CEO Dae's eye.

That nose, the one so many longed to have.

It brought to mind a name everyone knew.

"I wrote the law that way."

"What?"

"In a world like this, where administrative power is stretched thin, the government can't control everything."

* * *

Thugs from the loan shark company poured into the room.

"Who are you?!"

"Don't move!"

"How dare this punk come here!"

"Hey, grab that bastard and make him kneel!"

"Lord, I offer another soul."

Every single one of them was an Awakened, with a white ring above their heads.

He almost chuckled at the sight of those vicious brutes with halos above their heads— traditionally a symbol of angels.

But then, beyond the panoramic window of the CEO's office…

He saw the moon rising over the mountain ridge.

And somehow, he was overcome with emotion.

***

Siyeol.

The moon is bright.

In the past, on nights like this, we would go out to the terrace and feel the night breeze.

We'd gaze at the Han River reflecting the moon, talking about our future— and the future of our nation.

You fool.

Because of you, I'm dealing with these lowlifes.

I can't even imagine how sorry you'll be later.

But even then, I'll comfort you like I always have.

We'll go to a hotel bar, listen to jazz music, sip whiskey, and look down at the Han River bathed in moonlight, enjoying the night breeze.

"Status Window."

I lightly roll my tongue inside my mouth.

+

【Status Window

1. Name: Hong Baekya

2. Class: Pyromancer (D+)

3. Titles: Sun of Humanity, Bringer of Dawn, Master of Fire, The First and Greatest Climber...

4. Regional Server: Republic of Korea

5. Ascension Level: 7th Rank Angelus/Angel

6. Skills: Satellization (S+) Dragon's Breath (S+) Law of Light (EX) Radiant Light Sword (S+) Thermal Radiation (S+) Radiant Wave (S+) Wave of Fire (S+) Accretion Disk (S+) Elementalization (S+) Sunrise (S+) Veil of Light (S+)....

*Skills cannot be used due to a significant decrease in stats.

*Lower skill levels or increase stats.

7. Stats: [Strength 185] [Agility 205] [Health 220] [Mana 240]】

+

A series of sentences flashed before my eyes.

Thanks to the 'Fallen Dragon's Heart,' I've recovered quite a bit, but it's nothing compared to before.

However, stats aren't the only thing that matters in a battle between Awakened.

Ding

【Title 'Slayer of Humans' activated. Gain 50% Attack Power and 20% Defense Penetration against humans.】

【Skill 'Battle Healing' activated. Recover 5% of Health every 10 seconds.】

【Skill 'Hot Blood' activated. Increase Health and Agility by 25% during combat.】

【Trait 'Sun-like Laughter' activated. Enemies who hear your laughter have a certain chance of being inflicted with the 'Intimidated' status effect.】

【Skill...】

.

.

.

Countless notification windows covered one side of my vision.

Titles, skills, traits.

These are the true powers of a 'Chosen One' like me.

"They're all roughly in the 200s."

【Your constellation 'Sunny' sheds tears, pretending to be sad.】

"Don't cry, my star. Isn't it more fun when the weaklings struggle against each other?"

【"How did you know?"】

【Giggles】

I briefly smiled bitterly at the message echoing in my head.

"Is everyone here?"

I looked at the brutes filling the CEO's office.

The hatchets, baseball bats, and machetes in their hands are somewhat intimidating.

I saw some familiar faces.

Deputy Manager Lee, the giant who used to visit Hong Ilha's house, has drawn his katana.

Manager Oh is chanting a spell with a book open.

"Let's begin."

With a hearty laugh, I ignited the flames.

[Translator - Hestia

[Proofreader - Kaya]