Not A Regressor - Chapter 127

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I Am Not a Regressor Chapter 127
Night Falls at Noon (3)
“Since it’s made entirely from pure mana stone, it should be much more durable than before.”
“Hmm. Really?”
Ha-eun strapped the prosthetic leg that Han Manager had handed her onto her leg.
True to its expensive price, it felt both smooth and reassuringly stable.
“Wow.”
She let out an exclamation and jumped in place.
The prosthetic she’d used before was quite comfortable, but this one surpassed it.
“I specially requested Sifu to make it.”
“That kid who knows how to craft mana artifacts?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve heard about him from Kwon O-jin, and he certainly has impressive skills.”
“Well, he can be a bit moody… but his craftsmanship is beyond reproach.”
She shrugged her shoulders with a pleased expression.
Ha-eun giggled as she watched the fatherly smile bloom across Han Manager’s lips.
“Seems like you two get along well?”
“Ah, well… we’ve just ended up connected through various circumstances.”
“Hehe. Anyway, make sure to thank that kid for me.”
Ha-eun beamed as she moved her right leg this way and that.
Well, compared to a real leg it certainly had its limitations, but at this level, there would be no problem walking through the streets with Kwon O-jin.
“Hehehe.”
At the thought of meeting him soon, an unconscious smile naturally spread across Ha-eun’s face.
Where should we eat lunch?
Where should we go to play after eating?
After having fun, I should take him somewhere with a nice atmosphere.
‘That guy’s going to be so flustered—I can already see it coming.’
Kwon O-jin had a mischievous side, but he was surprisingly shy underneath.
If I took him somewhere with a nice atmosphere and gave just a little appeal, he’d be at a loss for what to do.
“Has something good happened today?”
Han Manager tilted his head as he watched Ha-eun grinning from ear to ear.
“Hehe. You could say that.”
“I see.”
Han Manager scratched his head.
“Well, I’m off! Thanks for the prosthetic, Gorilla Uncle!”
“G-Gorilla?!”
“Kyahahaha! Just kidding, just kidding.”
Ha-eun waved her hands enthusiastically as she turned around.
Her shoulders bouncing, she headed out of the Association.
“Let’s see… I already made a reservation at the restaurant yesterday.”
Roughly two hours remained until the appointment.
‘Should I buy Kwon O-jin a gift?’
I’d only ever received from him until now, so at least for today, I wanted to give him everything I could.
“A gift… what would he like?”
Ha-eun stroked her chin, lost in thought.
My wallet had become considerably fuller recently, but not enough to do something insane like Isabella—gifting an entire Apartment as a present.
‘I’ll give Kwon O-jin something he needs.’
Something he’d receive with joy.
Practical enough, yet something he could use for a long time.
“…Should I buy him training clothes?”
Since he’d been devoting himself to training every day lately, a good set of training clothes seemed perfect.
“That’s it.”
Ha-eun hummed cheerfully as she headed toward the nearby Department Store.
She entered a maker famous for expensive training clothes and, after browsing for a few minutes, discovered a design that seemed to suit Kwon O-jin perfectly.
“Is this one… okay?”
She asked in awkwardly formal speech.
“Ah, yes! This product is training clothes made exclusively for Awakened Users, boasting incredible durability and comfortable wear….”
Information about the training clothes poured out as if she’d pressed a button on some machine.
Ha-eun, who’d been listening intently, cut off the clerk’s explanation when she realized it showed no signs of ending, her expression growing slightly weary.
“Then I’ll take this in large size.”
“Thank you! But this product is quite… expensive. Are you sure?”
“It’s fine.”
This was a gift for Kwon O-jin, no one else.
No matter how expensive, the money wouldn’t feel wasted.
“Then that’ll be 7,820,000 won. Let me process that for you~!”
Damn, that’s expensive.
Ha-eun swallowed the words that nearly burst from her throat and handed over her card.
‘Well, there it is.’
With the gift for Kwon O-jin purchased, Ha-eun headed toward the reserved restaurant with a light step.
Though there was still plenty of time before the appointment, I planned to wait for him while spending time at a nearby Cafe.
“Hmm, hmm~♪”
A hum that flowed naturally.
The smile spreading across my lips wouldn’t fade at the thought of finally enjoying a date with him after so long.
‘The preparation is perfect!’
For this day, I’d researched and memorized hundreds of “confession methods that work on younger men” online.
I’d even downloaded and cleared a 15,900-won women-oriented dating simulation app.
‘This time, I’m taking a step forward from this older sister-younger brother relationship.’
Then perhaps the anxiety that he’d suddenly leave my side would fade a little.
“But….”
My light footsteps suddenly stopped dead.
I fidgeted with the handles of the shopping bag containing my training clothes, muttering in a voice that grew increasingly anxious.
“Oh no… what if he rejects me…?”
It felt like plunging my overheated head into ice-cold water.
The worst-case scenario I hadn’t considered during my daydreaming suddenly crashed into my thoughts.
-I’m sorry. You don’t really look like a woman to me.
Kwon O-jin’s cold voice echoed in my mind.
Just imagining those words made my chest ache as if pierced by a needle.
‘No, this can’t happen!’
I didn’t have the strength to endure hearing something like that.
‘Now that I think about it, I remember hearing that siblings don’t develop romantic feelings because they’ve lived together since childhood.’
They say romantic feelings don’t develop precisely because you’ve been together for too long.
It might not apply to me, but it could be different for Kwon O-jin.
“Aaahhhhh!”
I tore at my hair and stamped my feet.
Just this morning I’d been brimming with anticipation, but as the appointed time drew closer, my mind filled with increasingly ominous thoughts.
“That bastard… if he dares reject me, I’ll grab him right there and tear it off.”
A dangerous glint hardened in my eyes as I spiraled.
Ever since Kwon O-jin gave me the Dragon’s Eye, or even long before that.
Whether my eyes were open or closed, my mind was filled only with him.
My entire life had become consumed by Kwon O-jin—nothing else mattered except being with him.
‘He made me like this and now he’s going to reject me?’
I couldn’t accept it.
Whether I had to throw a tantrum or pounce on him desperately.
I would bind myself to him by any means necessary.
“Phew.”
I steadied my trembling heart and continued walking.
As I made my way toward the restaurant I’d reserved.
“…Huh?”
I furrowed my brow and glanced around.
A chilling sense of wrongness washed over me.
‘Why is there no one here?’
It was 11 AM on a main street.
While it wasn’t peak hours, it was strange that I couldn’t see a single person.
“…”
I hardened my expression and clenched my fists.
As I scanned my surroundings sharply, I noticed something falling from above.
“Black… feathers?”
The moment I spotted black feathers drifting down like snow.
-Fwooooosh!
The black feathers that had been falling like snow transformed into a human shape and shot toward me.
“Krrgh!!”
I stumbled backward urgently, stretching my right arm forward.
Crack!
The moment I flicked my fingers, a torrent of fierce flames poured forth.
“Ugh!”
The grotesque beings caught in my inferno swallowed hard and retreated.
“What are you things?”
“….”
“Heh, not going to answer?”
I twisted my lips upward and clicked—unfastening my blindfold.
Savage, gleaming reptilian eyes fixed upon them.
“Let’s see if you’ll keep your mouths shut after I burn them off.”
I stomped my feet roughly and crossed both arms.
Two fire dragons coiled around my arms shot toward the grotesque beings.
“Krrgh!”
“It’s a mage-type! Don’t hesitate—close in and subdue her!”
There were about ten of them.
The grotesque beings surrounding me in a circle fired black feathers as they rushed forward rapidly.
‘Are these the Night Hunters that Kwon O-jin mentioned before?’
I glared at the grotesque beings, my eyes sharpening with intensity.
As far as I knew, there were no Awakened Users who wielded black feathers as weapons except for the Owl Constellation Faction.
‘Why is the Black Star Society targeting me?’
I couldn’t determine that yet.
“Looks like these bastards think I’m pretty and came charging in with their eyes rolled back.”
What was certain was that they weren’t approaching with good intentions.
-Crack!!
“Kuheheargh!!”
I stepped lightly and spun my body, then struck precisely between the legs of an Owl rushing from behind.
The Owl’s eyes bulged as if they might pop out, and it shrieked, rolling across the ground.
“Who said mage-types are weak in close combat?”
I wrapped flames around both fists and lowered my stance.
Boom!
As I swung my fists lightly, flames exploded with a sound like the air tearing apart.
-Whoooosh!
“Aaaaagh!”
“Kugh! Damn bitch!!”
“You can beg all you want, but you still won’t get eaten, you bastard.”
I struck the philtrum of one Owl rushing at me and swept my right arm wide.
Whoooosh!
Flames spread in a fan shape, sweeping across the Owls.
The Owls retreated hesitantly, overwhelmed by firepower so devastating that it was difficult to even keep their eyes open.
“Where do these pathetic birds think they are, acting out like this?”
Ha-eun pressed forward savagely, driving them back.
In truth, even with all the elixirs she’d consumed to grow stronger, she shouldn’t have been able to push the Owl Faction’s elite so completely one-sidedly.
‘These bastards… they’re not attacking properly?’
For some reason, the Owls were only throwing out passive restraining attacks, deliberately avoiding any serious assault.
‘Killing me isn’t their objective.’
They were trying to subdue me intact.
Ha.
A dry laugh escaped Ha-eun’s lips.
“Go ahead and try if you can, you bastards.”
She unleashed even fiercer attacks, driving the Night Hunters back further.
While they fumbled helplessly, unable to mount a proper defense.
“━Hehehehe.”
A laugh echoing from somewhere.
An ominous sound.
“Screech!!!”
Ha-eun’s instincts took over, and she dropped low, rolling across the ground.
A storm of black feathers tore through the space where she’d been standing.
“What, what is this?”
An attack too fast for her eyes to follow.
Ha-eun’s expression filled with panic as she whipped her head around.
But whether she looked right or left, the source of that eerie laughter remained invisible.
‘Could it be.’
Ha-eun’s head snapped upward urgently.
‘Above!’
Above her, an elderly man hovered leisurely in midair, standing upon a single black feather.
Skin wrinkled like ancient pine bark.
Though he wore a neatly pressed martial robe, his eyes gleamed with intense greed.
“You have quite impressive eyes.”
The old man’s lips curved upward in satisfaction.
“Hehehehe. It’s rare to find an Awakened User whose dragon eyes have bloomed so perfectly.”
“Who are you….”
“Does it matter who I am?”
….
Ha-eun bit down on her lip firmly.
The old man was right—who he was didn’t matter.
What mattered was what he intended to do.
‘I need to escape.’
A loud alarm blared through her mind, screaming that this old man was dangerous.
I was cautiously gauging the situation when I hurriedly tried to turn my body away.
“Hehehehe. Where do you think you’re going?”
“Ugh!”
An old man appeared right before my eyes in a blink.
A grotesque smile hung on his wrinkled lips.
“Now, stay still.”
The old man moved his hand slowly.
Tap.
He lightly touched Ha-eun’s forehead.
“━Ah.”
A short gasp escaped Ha-eun’s lips.
At the same moment, her consciousness flickered to black.
* * *
“Ugh….”
A throbbing headache.
Ha-eun opened her eyes with a frown.
“What… what is this?”
A vast Empty Field of unknown location.
The Owls who had attacked her moments ago were circling her in a wide formation.
“Screech!”
Clank! Clank!
I tried to scramble to my feet, but my body bound by chains inscribed with geometric patterns wouldn’t obey my will.
“Hehehehe. You’ve regained consciousness?”
The old man approached her with a grotesque laugh.
Ha-eun’s eyes sharpened as she glared at the old man.
“Cheon Do-yoon. You’re Cheon Do-yoon, right? That bastard who calls himself the King of the Owls or something.”
“Hehehehe. You know well.”
“Did you capture me to use as a hostage?”
Ha-eun asked with feigned composure, suppressing the fear trembling in her chest.
“A hostage? Hehehehe. No, that’s not it.”
“…Not it?”
Then what reason could the King of the Owls possibly have for moving personally to target her?
“Ah, no matter how many times I see them, what beautiful eyes you have.”
“What?”
The old man’s wrinkled hand traced the corner of Ha-eun’s left eye.
“…!!”
Chills spread down my spine.
“What the hell are you doing, you crazy bastard!!”
Ha-eun thrashed her body wildly and shouted.
“Hehehehe. Don’t struggle so.”
Tap.
The old man lightly tapped Ha-eun’s shoulder.
Crack! Crunch! Snap!
With a sickening sound of breaking bone, her left shoulder twisted in a grotesque, unnatural direction.
“Aaaahhhhh!!”
A scream of agony tore from Ha-eun’s lips.
“Haa! Haa!”
She gasped roughly, biting her lip until it bled.
A dizzying pain radiated through her left shoulder.
Suppressing the suffocating terror that threatened to consume her, she bared her teeth savagely at Cheon Do-yoon.
“You pervert, you decrepit bastard… how dare you touch anyone, let alone—?”
Only Kwon O-jin was permitted to lay hands upon her body.
“Hehehehe. It seems you’ve misunderstood something. True, even this withered old man trembles at the sight of such a beautiful girl.”
Avarice gleamed in the old man’s eyes.
“But it’s not your body I desire.”
“Then what exactly—”
“Dragon Eyes. Give me your eyes, and I shall release you unharmed.”
“…!”
Ha-eun’s body convulsed.
“W-what… what are you s-saying?”
“Precisely as I speak. Simply pluck out your eyeballs and surrender them to this old man.”
“Shut your mouth, you lunatic!!”
“Hehehehe. What a foolish child. Your eyes are worth more than your very life.”
The old man clicked his tongue disapprovingly and reached toward Ha-eun’s left eye.
“If you refuse, I shall extract them by force.”
“Ah…”
Ha-eun’s face drained of all color.
Unbearable terror spread through her like poison.
“I’ll start with the left. The right hasn’t fully awakened yet, but… just to be safe, I’ll take both.”
The old man gazed upon her eyes with eyes brimming with greed.
Ha-eun’s shoulders trembled violently.
‘He’s going to… pluck out my eyes?’
Again.
Would I be abandoned once more in that endless night?
“N-no. I don’t want this.”
She recalled Kwon O-jin’s face, the one she had seen when the darkness lifted.
She could not forget that joy, that unforgettable thrill.
She had only just regained the ability to see Kwon O-jin’s face.
And now it would be stolen away so meaninglessly.
So utterly, hopelessly lost.
I couldn’t let my eyes be taken from me.
“No…!!!”
“Hehehehe. Resistance is futile.”
The old man’s hand touched the area around her left eye.
That repugnant hand caressed her eye socket as if stroking a coveted treasure, its fingers brushing lightly against her eyeball.
“Ah, ah, ah.”
Terror.
Unbearable terror.
Insufferable terror.
Crashing over me like waves.
“No, no… Please, please. Please… don’t.”
More terrifying than the fear of being trapped in darkness again.
I’m afraid of imagining Kwon O-jin’s despair when he learns of this.
Tears streamed down Ha-eun’s cheeks.
“Hehehehe. Stay still now.”
“Please… please don’t do this….”
Her pitiful pleas echoed uselessly through the air.
Crack
–
–
–
–
crack
!
!
!
A single bolt of lightning.
Descended from a cloudless, brilliant sky.

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