Not A Regressor - Chapter 135
—————
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 135
Extinguished Starlight (1)
“Gaecheon,” I muttered.
Kwon O-jin sat on the sofa and opened his status window.
The section describing Gaecheon remained cryptic, filled only with incomprehensible phrases that offered no clear explanation.
I narrowed my eyes, recalling the sensation of using Gaecheon.
‘Those who pass through me, to the Garden of Sighs, was it?’
The phrase felt less like a meaningful incantation and more like an arcane chant required to cast magic.
‘They said only a fragment of Gaecheon was released.’
In other words.
The ‘Gaecheon’ I had wielded this time was an incomplete technique.
And yet.
With a technique that perhaps didn’t even amount to half its true power.
Cheon Do-yoon, a 9-Star Awakener, couldn’t even properly use his hands before being consumed by the darkness of the Black Heaven.
‘Of course, Cheon Do-yoon wasn’t in perfect condition to begin with.’
Noctua, the source of his power, had been torn from his grasp and fallen into Vega’s hands, and he’d already been weakened from our previous battle.
But even accounting for that.
‘It’s undeniably an absurdly powerful technique.’
Truth be told, I’d never understood why the Constellations made such a fuss about the Black Heaven, spouting nonsense about world-ending power and such.
But now I understood perfectly.
I had witnessed it with my own eyes and grasped the truth.
━The Black Heaven harbors power capable of obliterating the world as easily as brushing away dust.
‘This isn’t a technique you can use while bracing yourself for bodily destruction like Exceed.’
I recalled the sensation of using Gaecheon.
A hazy consciousness as if my entire body were melting away.
Sensation fading from my fingertips, merging with the black clouds in a vertiginous drift.
‘I could endure pain instead.’
If it were simple, excruciating agony like Exceed, I could grit my teeth and bear it.
Enduring pain was one of my specialties, after all.
‘But this is different.’
A sensation like consciousness slowly dissolving into the Black Heaven, like ink diffusing through water.
That was a sensation no amount of willpower or stubbornness could overcome.
If I hadn’t discovered the stigma of the Lyra Constellation shining in that oppressive darkness, I might have lost consciousness entirely.
“…It’s right to think of Gaecheon as a measure of absolute last resort.”
Perhaps one day I’ll be able to wield Gaecheon without such side effects.
But for now, it was a technique I couldn’t afford to use recklessly.
‘Besides, it’s a technique I can’t use even if I wanted to.’
Perhaps because I hadn’t completely absorbed the Dragon Vein’s power.
The power I’d absorbed from Ha-eun back then had scattered and dissipated as time passed.
In other words, to mobilize the Dragon Vein’s mana again, I would need to absorb Ha-eun’s power once more, like recharging a depleted battery.
‘That’s impossible.’
I couldn’t use Black Heaven every time I bloomed the Heavenly Path, not when I didn’t even know what side effects it might cause.
‘Even if I use it as a last resort, I should only do so after I can handle it on my own without my sister’s help.’
As the bloom stage of Black Heaven increases, the amount of dragon veins I can manipulate grows, so eventually I’ll naturally be able to use the Heavenly Path with my own strength alone.
“Alright. Until then, the Heavenly Path is sealed.”
Well, if I ever get cornered to the point where everything falls apart without the Heavenly Path, then I have no choice.
But otherwise, it was right not to use it.
‘Now, let me organize the other information I got from Cheon Do-yoon.’
First, regarding the Black Star.
‘He said the Black Star Constellation’s true identity is a Constellation that was exiled from among the Constellations.’
In the past, they were called the ‘False Stars’ and were ostracized among the Constellations, he said.
“So that’s how the False Star Sect came to be later?”
Kwon O-jin tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
There was something that nagged at me, like a puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit.
“This… I’ll need more information.”
The information I obtained from Cheon Do-yoon was too limited to make an accurate judgment.
‘What matters is that I’ve found a clue.’
Now that I know the Black Star’s true identity is a Constellation that was exiled in the past.
If I investigate that point intensively, I’ll naturally be able to figure out how to deal with it.
“As for the rest…”
I was also able to obtain various information about the Black Star Society and the Demon Realm.
Particularly regarding the Seahorse Faction, which has been the most active recently, I managed to acquire quite detailed information.
“I’ll need to organize all of this.”
When I looked around for a pen.
Click.
The door opened and Ha-eun walked out with a disheveled face, as if she had just woken up.
“How’s your body feeling?”
I stopped organizing the information and approached her.
“Oh, yeah. I’m feeling better now.”
Ha-eun had collapsed and lost consciousness right after ascending to become a 9-Star Awakener.
It was probably due to the ‘reconstruction of the body’ that occurs when becoming a high-level Awakener.
‘After the body is reconstructed, aging no longer progresses, wasn’t that what they said?’
Literally speaking.
I was stepping into the realm of the post-human.
“Now that you’re a 9-Star, how is it? Much different from before?”
I asked with curious eyes.
Since the number of Awakeners who reach 9-Star is extremely rare, there wasn’t much information about what changes occur compared to before.
“Yeah. There’s definitely a big difference from when I became 8-Star.”
“In what way?”
“How do I put it… it feels like I’ve shed my skin, I guess?”
Ha-eun stroked her chin as she continued her explanation.
“My body feels amazing, but more importantly, my mana circuits have expanded tremendously. The mana flows exactly where I want it to, instantly.”
“Impressive.”
The difference from the ninth star onward was certainly substantial.
“Since I just awakened, I’m still getting used to it. But something feels incredibly different.”
“That’s good.”
“I can’t believe the day has come when I’d become a high-tier awakener.”
Ha-eun, as if unable to believe it herself, pulled down her clothing and stared intently at the nine marks etched across her left chest.
‘Why does this woman keep showing me her chest?’
I was truly grateful.
No, that wasn’t it.
“Ahem.”
Even though only the upper portion was visible, my eyes were inevitably drawn to the pristine, pale skin.
“You’re going to stare holes through my chest, you bastard.”
Noticing Kwon O-jin’s gaze, Ha-eun smiled mischievously and pinched his side.
“I can’t help it.”
How could I not look when my beloved was standing so defenseless before me like this?
“Are you just going to look?”
Ha-eun kept her clothing pulled down as she pressed herself against me gently.
“I… we’re… we’re dating now, aren’t we?”
Her face flushed like an apple as her fingertips fidgeted nervously.
She hesitated for a moment, averting her gaze, then swallowed hard before asking carefully.
“Would you… like to touch?”
“….”
This is driving me crazy, seriously.
Why has this woman become so forward?
“…Later.”
“Why not!!”
Ha-eun’s face flushed as she cried out indignantly.
“I barely managed to overcome my embarrassment to say that!!”
“We can’t afford to simply indulge ourselves right now.”
“What do you… oh.”
Ha-eun, who had been about to protest with a frown, closed her mouth firmly.
“…You’re right.”
We couldn’t afford to simply indulge ourselves.
As he said, even though a long-cherished wish had been fulfilled, this wasn’t a time to relax and be carefree.
“Has Vega… made contact?”
“No.”
Kwon O-jin nodded with a grim expression.
Vega.
She had been in a state of reverse summoning after ignoring the Divine Law’s restrictions and unleashing her power to protect both herself and Ha-eun.
I couldn’t simply enjoy intimate moments with Ha-eun without knowing what had become of her.
Though the feeling was somewhat different from what I shared with Ha-eun, Vega had also become one of my precious people.
“…But she won’t just disappear or anything, right?”
Ha-eun, despite her casual tone, asked with a worried expression—it seemed she had grown quite attached to Vega over time.
“She hasn’t been annihilated.”
The power of stigmas ultimately derives from Constellations.
As long as the stigma of Lyra Constellation remains, Vega’s existence couldn’t have vanished.
“But she’s definitely not in good condition.”
I touched the silver pendant hanging around my neck, my expression turning bitter.
Using just blessings imposed a restriction that kept me confined to the Star Palace for a month—I couldn’t easily imagine what kind of constraint would follow from completely unleashing my power like this.
“I was planning to visit the Star Palace anyway.”
I’d already roughly organized the urgent matters, so it was time to check on Vega’s condition.
“I’ll come with you.”
“Got it. Then let’s prepare right away and head to the Star Palace.”
Originally, I had planned to organize all the information I’d obtained from Cheon Do-yoon before going.
But given how things had turned out, it seemed better to check on Vega first.
“Hehe, I should brag all about it to Vega.”
Ha-eun laughed playfully, her eyes sparkling.
I wondered what kind of reaction she’d show when she found out that Ha-eun and I had become lovers.
Just imagining it made my shoulders quiver with anticipation.
“Oh, but you have to keep it a secret from Vega.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I told Vega something before.”
“Told her something? What did you say?”
Ha-eun tilted her head in confusion.
“I lied and told her that Vega and I were lovers in a past life.”
“What the hell?”
Ha-eun’s mouth fell open.
Now I recalled how Vega had been emphasizing her relationship with me with such a meaningful expression.
“So that’s why she was being so damn cocky!!”
Ha-eun shot me a fierce glare.
“Why would you pull such a crazy lie, you bastard!!”
“It was unavoidable to deceive Vega.”
“No matter what, this is… this is…!”
She clenched both fists and trembled with rage.
“NTR!!! This is NTR!!!”
What was this woman going on about?
“That silver-haired delinquent girl is after our O-jin!!”
“No, Vega does care about me, but it’s not romantic love.”
At most, it was no different from a mother watching her child grow—a natural affection born from witnessing development.
“…You really think that?”
“Just because we were lovers in a past life doesn’t mean those feelings automatically translate into romantic love in this one.”
Still, from Vega’s perspective, she was likely experiencing complex emotions as she overlapped her past self with her present self.
If word got out that I’d become Ha-eun’s lover in such circumstances, Vega might have sensed something suspicious.
“No matter how I look at it… ah, what’s the point of me saying anything anyway.”
Ha-eun, who had been about to say something, let out a deep sigh and shook her head.
“…Wait.”
Ha-eun, who had been shaking her head, suddenly looked at Kwon O-jin as if remembering something.
“Don’t tell me Isabella too…?”
“Yeah, I have to hide it from Isabella as well.”
She was displaying an odd obsession with me.
Of course, it was likely not romantic interest, but rather fascination with me as appetizing prey.
As long as I couldn’t discern what she was thinking, it was better to keep it hidden.
“Now even the blonde delinquent…”
Ha-eun looked at Kwon O-jin with an expression of despair.
‘Why is this bastard so popular?’
It wasn’t for me to say, but Kwon O-jin wasn’t the type to be popular.
Yet how could it be that two women besides me were captivated by him of all people?
One was a Constellation called a transcendent being, and the other was the daughter of one of Europe’s most prestigious families.
‘And on top of that, I heard she’s being called the Leech Queen or something.’
I’d also heard about Isabella’s true identity this time.
“O-jin.”
“Hm?”
“Can I punch you really hard just once?”
“Why would you?”
Ha-eun let out a deep sigh and clung tightly to Kwon O-jin’s arm.
‘I’m never letting you go.’
I’d marked my territory long ago—there was no way I was losing him now.
“Anyway, let’s head out soon.”
Kwon O-jin, with Ha-eun clinging to him, made his way toward the Star Palace.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————