Not A Regressor - Chapter 11

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

I Am Not a Regressor Chapter 11
Registration Assessment (3)
A sharp tingle.
My right arm, wreathed in azure lightning.
The forearm that had deflected the spear blade refused to obey my commands.
‘This makes no sense.’
Han Jun-man’s eyes trembled slightly.
The stigma he’d examined moments ago bore exactly two strokes.
How could an attack from a mere 2-star Awakened User leave his arm so compromised that it could barely move?
‘What in the world….’
Before I could fully comprehend the situation, another razor-sharp thrust came hurtling toward me.
“Ugh!”
Crash!
I drove my shoulder forward with a rough pivot of my stance.
The spear blade ricocheted violently, leaving my chest exposed.
I swung my gloved fist in a brutal arc.
-Crack!
“Gahhh!!”
Oh Jin’s body, struck squarely in the chest, flew backward like a baseball bat off a bat.
He tumbled helplessly across the floor and crashed into the Training Hall wall.
“Cough, cough!”
I couldn’t draw a proper breath.
The sensation was less like a human punch and more like being struck by a speeding automobile at full throttle.
‘This insane strength.’
What kind of monstrous power is this?
A dizzying chill raced down my spine.
“A-are you alright, sir?”
“…Yes.”
I pushed myself up, leaving the bewildered Han Jun-man behind.
My legs trembled and my spear arm quivered faintly, but—
‘Not yet.’
I can still fight.
I can still move.
-A resonant hum!!
The stigma on my left chest blazes with radiance.
The suffocating pressure crushing my chest eased slightly.
‘Thrusts alone won’t work.’
Linear attacks cannot pierce those iron-hard arms.
Then.
-A sharp whistle!!
I crouched low and swept the spear across the floor as if scraping it clean.
My target was the ankles.
The spear blade, crowned with azure lightning, skimmed low across the ground.
“Haaah!!”
Han Jun-man kicked toward the blade aimed at his ankles instead of evading.
A movement like striking a soccer ball.
‘Exactly as expected.’
A twisted smile spread across my lips.
I knew he wouldn’t dodge.
-Crack!!
Just before his foot could sweep the low-swinging spear away, I released my grip on the shaft.
The kicked blade spun wildly through the air.
I snatched the tumbling spear from the sky and,
“Hraaaaaaaah!!”
drove it downward toward his shoulder!
-Crash!!
“Ugh!!”
Han Jun-man recoiled, his body contracting as he retreated.
I pursued him, gripping the spear tightly.
“Hah, hah!”
A burning exhilaration coursed through me.
My head burned as if consumed by flames.
My lips curved upward as a tremor rippled down my spine.
‘Just a little more.’
I wanted to savor this sensation of my body igniting.
I wanted to feel this thrill scraping away at my very core.
-Whoooosh!!
My stigma blazed with radiant light.
Crackle crackle crackle!!!!
Azure lightning surged violently, just as it had when blessed by Vega.
[《Lightning Lv1》 skill has advanced to 《Lightning Lv2》.]
A blue window materialized before my eyes.
I ignored it.
“Inhale.”
I drew a deep breath.
━The sharp reek of sweat pierced my nostrils.
The scent of air, dust, and iron.
As if
I had activated the stigma of Canis Major,
my senses sharpened to a razor’s edge.
‘Just a little more.’
I thrust the spear forward.
I drive it deeper.
More relentlessly, more viciously, more brutally!
-Clang! Crash! Crash-crash-crash!!!
“Grraahhh!!”
Han Jun-man crossed both arms to shield his face, deflecting the rain of spear strikes.
‘What is this.’
Growing confusion.
The initial shock had faded into a distant, overwhelming dread that shook him to his core.
‘What is it.’
-Clang! Crash!
The ferociously blazing blue lightning, the savagely wielded spear—these were not what astounded him.
Something else.
Something far more than that.
‘Why—why is he growing stronger.’
Uncontrollably, unpredictably.
Like a single drop of black ink dispersing through clear water.
A viscous dread enveloped him.
-Whoooosh!!
The stigma inscribed on Han Jun-man’s left chest blazed with fierce intensity.
For a 6-Star Awakened User to invoke a stigma against a 2-Star Awakened User was absurd,
“Hyaaahhh!!”
but there was no time for such considerations now.
-Boom!!!
“Cough-hack-hack!!!”
The glove burst apart as a thick fist swung with ferocious force.
The shockwave of power born from the Taurus stigma tore through the air with terrifying momentum and exploded.
-Boom! Crash!
Oh Jin’s body, caught in the blast, bounced like a stone and skidded across the floor.
“Oh, Oh Jin!”
Han Jun-man rushed toward him in alarm.
“Medical team!! Get the medical team here now!!!”
At Han Jun-man’s urgent shout, an Awakened User waiting outside the Training Hall hurried in.
“Ah, um….”
“I’ll stop the bleeding first!”
The stigma inscribed on the Awakened User’s left chest blazed with light.
The stigma burned brightly.
Blue radiance poured from both arms and flowed into Oh Jin’s body.
“Hah, hah.”
My ragged breathing gradually returned to normal.
“Fortunately, it’s not a serious wound.”
“…Phew.”
Han Jun-man wiped his chest and exhaled in relief.
“Bring a potion too. The best one we have.”
“Yes, Team Lead.”
An Awakened User who rushed out hastily soon returned with a potion bottle in hand.
It was a potion infused with power by an Aquarius Awakened User, mixed into finely ground essence stone.
“Here you go.”
“Gulp, gulp.”
I obediently accepted and drank the potion Han Jun-man offered.
The dizzying pain that had plagued my body soon vanished completely, leaving me fully restored.
‘Damn, how much is this worth?’
Staring at the empty potion bottle, my first thought was regret.
A potion crafted by an Aquarius Awakened User, no less.
A single bottle easily exceeded ten million won.
“I’m so sorry!!!!”
Han Jun-man bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
“No, it’s fine.”
I chuckled and shook my head.
Though I hadn’t won, the fact that I’d pushed a 6-Star Awakened User to the point of activating their stigma was more than satisfying enough.
“In any case, is your confirmation complete now?”
“…Of course.”
Han Jun-man nodded with a grave expression.
Vega’s apostle—the Weaver Star—was far more absurd an existence than he had ever imagined.
“It’s not my place to speak after making such a grave mistake, but…”
He hesitated, his lips trembling slightly, before carefully opening his mouth.
“Could you spare me some time?”
“Time?”
“Yes. I have a proposal for you.”
A proposal, he says.
‘Might as well hear what he has to say.’
I nodded and rose to my feet.
* * *
“Would you like coffee or tea?”
“Arirang water.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah. Coffee, please.”
My mouth had slipped—I drank nothing but that every day.
After sitting for a moment, Han Jun-man returned with two steaming cups of coffee in hand.
“What did you want to discuss?”
“First, does Mr. Oh Jin already have a Guild in mind that you’re planning to join?”
“No, I don’t.”
I shook my head firmly.
Though I’d undergone the registration examination, joining a Guild wasn’t my objective.
“Then…?”
“I’m planning to work as a mercenary.”
“Ah.”
A short exclamation escaped from Han Jun-man’s lips.
Mercenaries.
Awakened Users who accepted commissions to handle tasks too difficult for a Guild’s members alone.
It was a high-risk profession since they weren’t bound to any single organization, but for those with sufficient ability, it was a career that could generate income that would make even executives of major Guilds look trivial.
‘Simply put, it’s the difference between a salaried employee and a freelancer.’
With a high evaluation from the registration examination and the reputation of being an “Apostle of Polaris,” raising my market value wouldn’t be difficult.
“…Would you perhaps consider joining the Association?”
As expected, a recruitment proposal.
“Belonging to a single organization seems difficult for me.”
The moment I became affiliated with an organization, my actions would inevitably be constrained.
And right now, I was in a situation where I absolutely could not afford such constraints.
‘I don’t know what lengths I’ll need to go to in order to become a Regressor.’
I set down my empty coffee cup on the table and rose to my feet.
“Then I’ll be going—”
“You could maintain your affiliation with the Association without needing to come in as a formal employee. Of course, you’d still receive a monthly salary even if you don’t attend. It would be considerably lower than what major Guilds offer, though.”
What?
They’d pay me a salary without me coming in?
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly as I said. You’d simply keep the Association’s name on your affiliation while freely taking on mercenary work. If you’re amenable, we could even introduce you to appropriate commissions on our end.”
It was a tempting proposal.
If I accepted commissions through the Association, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about being cheated out of my payment like some dog.
‘It’s certainly favorable terms.’
But I couldn’t swallow the bait so eagerly.
“Hmm…”
I let out a contemplative sound while feigning deep thought, my expression troubled.
“Is there any particular condition you’d like?”
“Could you keep my information from spreading for… say, a month or two?”
I had no intention of living while hiding my strength.
But that didn’t mean I could recklessly exploit the title “Apostle of Polaris” without any preparation whatsoever.
‘The title “Apostle of Polaris” is undoubtedly immense power, but power always comes with responsibility.’
‘I need time.’
Time to accumulate the strength and accomplishments worthy of bearing Polaris’s name.
“Understood. We’ll do our best to prevent information from spreading through the media or internet.”
Good.
That alone would be enough to stop the information from spreading explosively.
‘So to summarize, if I just list the Association as my affiliation, they’ll prevent my information from spreading and recommend good requests on their own?’
And they’re even offering a salary without requiring me to commute.
‘Damn.’
Conditions insane enough to make my balls tremble.
Looking purely at the terms, it’s a one-sided deal that would put the Eulsa Protective Treaty to shame, but I could understand the Association’s position to some extent.
‘It’s an opportunity to have an Apostle of Virgo under the Association’s banner, after all.’
For an Association already losing authority by the day under pressure from major Guilds, an opportunity like this was invaluable.
“…What do you think?”
Gulp.
Han Jun-man, the team leader, swallowed hard and asked.
His expression brimming with tension.
Oh Jin leaned back leisurely against the sofa armrest and crossed his legs.
In his heart, he’d already decided to accept the Association’s offer.
‘But I need to come across as incredibly charismatic here.’
If I rushed at them like a horny dog, it would all be for nothing.
I’d end up as nothing more than the Association’s lapdog.
‘I can’t become a dog.’
I’d lived like a dog for the past eight years.
No.
I’d lived like a dog my entire life.
‘Not anymore.’
I would no longer live like a dog.
I would no longer submit or obey.
‘From today on, I am.’
━’The master.’
“Well, I think I need a bit more time to consider…”
“We’ll also provide complete tax exemption.”
“From today on, I’ll become the Association’s dog.”
“Pardon?”
“Grrrowwwl!! Woof!! Bark bark!!”
“No.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————