Regression Guidelines For the Supporting Character-Chapter 98

Cover slowly blinked, then raised her head. The chaos that once flickered in her black eyes was gone—replaced by the calm and clarity she always carried.

There was no time to zone out.

The rift had closed, but the Baphomets and the Leviathan were still here. Until they were dealt with, there was no room for any other thoughts.

“You’re right. Killing the Leviathan isn’t the hard part.”

She placed the flower into her inventory, gripped her sword tightly, and passed by Eun Woojeong.

“What matters more... is minimizing the damage.”

The Leviathan, being a demon-type, had toxic blood and bodily fluids. And with a body that massive, if they weren’t careful, the entire city could be leveled.

Sure, with four S-ranks on the field, they could take it down. But that didn’t mean it would be easy. It was likely none of them had ever even seen a Leviathan before, much less fought one.

...No choice.

Normally, Cover would’ve stepped back and let others handle it. But this wasn’t just anywhere—this was the center of the city, and outside the front gate, there were still countless civilians who hadn’t been evacuated.

If they wanted to protect them and kill the Leviathan, there was only one way.

“Follow me.”

Cover sprinted back toward the Bridge of Eternal Relief and shouted at Kwon Taehyuk and Ryu Sunghyun.

“We have to pin the Leviathan down before it can move elsewhere. I need your help!”

Kwon Taehyuk turned around, catching his breath after finishing off the last of the Baphomets. His icy gaze narrowed with confusion.

“You have a plan?”

“Yes. First—”

She didn’t get to finish.

Lightning struck from the sky, and a monstrous roar tore through the air.

KRRRRRNNK!

The Leviathan stirred, finally beginning to move.

Its massive body writhed, and then it lowered its head. All seven of the grotesque faces turned toward Cover and the S-ranks around her.

Kwon Taehyuk, seeing the Leviathan up close for the first time, swallowed hard and tightened his grip on his weapon. Each face was covered in eyes—countless black scleras and blood-red irises. The sight alone was enough to induce nausea.

“Ah... ugh!”

“Guhh...”

As the heads lowered, several Hunters collapsed in fear, gasping for breath, unable to move under the pressure and primal terror.

But Cover, Kwon Taehyuk, Ryu Sunghyun, and Eun Woojeong stood their ground.

“At least it’s paying attention to us,” Cover said. “While we keep it focused, we need to find something.”

“Find what?”

“Its weak point.”

As she answered Kwon Taehyuk, she pulled a new outfit from her inventory and slipped it on.

It was a white robe—one he recognized. The same kind Cha Seohu once wore.

“We call it the reverse scale,” she continued. “Among all those scales, there’s just one that grows in the opposite direction. The color’s a little different, too. We need to find it.”

“And once we do?”

“We strike it. If we can’t hit the reverse scale, we’ll have to cut up that entire massive body or take its head—but that would spill too much blood.”

That was the one thing they had to avoid. Cover’s face twisted in determination as she looked at Ryu Sunghyun and Eun Woojeong.

“Vice Guildmaster, help hold the Leviathan in place. Same to you.” fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

She assigned their roles effortlessly, then placed a hand briefly on Kwon Taehyuk’s shoulder.

“Guildmaster, you find the reverse scale.”

Kwon Taehyuk narrowed his eyes. The confidence in her orders was unsettling—especially since her hat and mask still concealed her face.

Leviathan-type S-rank demons were exceedingly rare. There was almost no research on them. So...

How the hell does she know this stuff?

GRRRRNNK!

“Now!”

Cover’s shout snapped Kwon Taehyuk to attention just in time to dodge. The Leviathan had lunged at them—and in that instant, golden light and silver chains wrapped around its massive body.

“Pull! Don’t let it move!”

Cover grabbed one of the chains Eun Woojeong had summoned and held it with both hands, bracing her legs.

The Leviathan thrashed like a fish out of water, its colossal form twisting violently. Cover, Ryu Sunghyun, and Eun Woojeong were dragged across the ground as they tried to restrain it.

“Urgh...!”

The pull was stronger than expected.

Chains burned against their hands as they were yanked forward. Even gripping with all her strength, the metal slipped from Cover’s fingers.

Unlike the others, she wasn’t wearing any gloves or equipment. Her bare hands were shredded, blood dripping freely from torn flesh.

While the three of them fought to restrain it, Kwon Taehyuk dashed in and scanned the Leviathan’s scales.

The creature’s hide was covered in thick, serpent-like armor. Searching for a single, inverted scale among thousands was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Time was short, and the tension was mounting.

He gritted his teeth and decided to climb the creature’s body—but before he could—

KIIIIIIIIII!

With a horrific screech, all ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) the chains and ropes snapped at once.

“Tch—!”

THUD!

Cover was thrown backward, tumbling to the ground. Freed, the Leviathan immediately lunged at her with its massive jaws wide open.

“Cover!”

Ryu Sunghyun’s light burst out, but the Leviathan was faster. Like a bird snatching prey, it devoured her in one bite—and took off into the sky.

“Haa... urgh...!”

Half her body was trapped inside its maw as it soared upward. The wind howled past her.

Looking up, she saw all seven heads staring down at her.

“Shit. I knew this would happen.”

Drawing her sword, Cover flipped it downward like a stake—then drove it into the Leviathan’s snout like a crucifix.

“I wore this for a reason!”

The blade sank deep, and black blood gushed forth as the monster screamed in agony.

KIIIIIIIII!

Its jaws flew open in pain, and Cover slipped free, barely avoiding being crushed.

If she hadn’t worn the protective robe, she’d be a mangled corpse.

Still dangling from the blade lodged in its snout, she looked down. The ground was impossibly far away.

If she let go now, she’d fall to her death.

Her body tensed in terror—but she moved anyway.

Gripping the Leviathan’s fur, she climbed upward toward its heads. The wind thrashed around her. The beast writhed wildly beneath her feet. It was almost impossible to stay balanced.

“What are you looking at? Eyes down!”

She growled and gave the dozens of staring eyes the middle finger as she surveyed the area.

Kwon Taehyuk already checked the midsection...

If the reverse scale wasn’t there, it had to be in one of two places—tail or head.

If it was the tail, she was screwed. But if it was the head...

Opening her eyes against the fierce wind, she advanced. One slip, and she’d be thrown into the sky or plummet to the streets below. Her hands and feet trembled in fear—but she kept moving.

She stabbed her sword into its skin like a walking stick.

Every time the blade pierced its flesh, black blood hissed and white smoke billowed up. Her legs and feet were burning, but she pressed on.

One minute felt like an hour.

For the next agonizing five minutes, she climbed through sweat and pain, past all seven faces, and finally reached the creature’s neck.

“Hah...”

And then—she saw it.

Just below one of the horns, between the black scales, glowed a faint red shimmer—one scale growing in the wrong direction.

“There you are.”

Smiling at the memory of Kwon Taehyuk’s confused expression, she grabbed the horn for balance and rammed her sword into the reverse scale.

GRRRNNK!

The Leviathan thrashed violently beneath her feet.

A grotesque rumble built in its chest as blood boiled beneath its skin. Scales popped off one by one starting from the impact point.

KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!

A scream like shattered glass ripped through the sky.

Its entire body froze—then began to plummet.

“Damn it—shit—!”

Cover clung to the horn and glanced downward.

If it keeps falling like this, it'll crash into a building!

Realizing the Leviathan was going to hit the city center, she gritted her teeth and yanked the blade free—then grabbed both horns.

“This way...!”

She pulled with all her strength, twisting the creature’s head to the left. The serpent-like body followed.

As the wind battered her from the front, she adjusted—then pulled hard to the right.

It was like steering the bow of a ship.

And her effort paid off.

The Leviathan veered away from the tall buildings, stumbled into the front gate of the Royal Palace—and crashed.

KRRRACK! THUUUUD!

The moment the reverse scale was struck, the Leviathan had died instantly. Its corpse skidded violently across the ground, dragging through the earth until it finally came to a stop near the Bridge of Eternal Relief.

“Hah... hah...”

Still clinging to its horn, Cover finally realized she had survived the crash—and collapsed where she stood.

She looked around, breathing hard. Thankfully, the Leviathan’s body had landed inside the Royal Palace—far from civilians.

But the aftermath wasn’t pretty.

Hunters lay scattered everywhere—injured or poisoned by the demon-types. Some had likely been caught in the Leviathan’s descent.

“...Hah...”

“Cover!”

She heard Ryu Sunghyun, Kwon Taehyuk, and Eun Woojeong rushing toward her. As she slowly opened her tired eyes, she watched them approach and thought:

I need divine power.

Her skill—divine energy—could heal both injuries and demonic toxins. It could even purify the demon blood splattered across the field.

These were police, soldiers, and Guild Hunters who had risked their lives to protect civilians from demon-types. She couldn’t just leave them like this.

The problem is...

Cover sighed as she looked at the three S-ranks heading her way.

How was she supposed to disappear and become Cha Seohu again without being seen?

[Main Quest: Capture the research facility member hiding somewhere at the event. (Time remaining: 4 hours 38 minutes)]