Not A Regressor - Chapter 138

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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 138
Extinguished Starlight (1)
“T-Tamrang Star?!”
Ha-eun’s eyes widened as her mouth fell open in shock.
Tamrang Star Cheon Sang-gil.
The ruler of the special administrative district on Ganghwa Island, commonly known as Paradise.
The undisputed strongest awakener in South Korea and one of the top ten awakeners in the world had come seeking Kwon O-jin.
And not through subordinate guild members or attendants, but in person.
“Why would Tamrang Star come to see O-jin…?”
While Ha-eun stared blankly, her gaze alternating between Cheon Sang-gil and Kwon O-jin’s faces.
Cheon Sang-gil approached Kwon O-jin with an unhurried gait.
“Even though I’m an old man nearing death, fortunately my ears haven’t failed me yet. I’ve heard quite a lot about Noe-rang.”
“It is an honor.”
Kwon O-jin bowed respectfully and grasped the hand Cheon Sang-gil extended.
Through the wrinkled palm, I felt a crystalline energy.
It was mana as pure and clean as distilled water with not a single impurity mixed in.
‘Is he becoming a true sage?’
Though I had encountered many awakeners until now, I had never felt mana this refined.
“I came looking for you because I wanted to have a word with you. Do you have time?”
“Of course.”
I couldn’t know what he wanted to discuss.
But with a member of the Seven Stars visiting in person, I couldn’t refuse by claiming to be busy.
‘Tamrang Star.’
The legendary figure whose name I’d heard so often had come seeking me out directly.
I realized that the influence of the name Noe-rang was greater than I had anticipated.
“Thank you. I’ve prepared a place, so follow me.”
Cheon Sang-gil turned with a faint smile.
“Hey O-jin, I can come along too, right?”
“Well, I don’t see why not. I didn’t say I wanted to see you alone.”
I followed Cheon Sang-gil’s footsteps alongside Ha-eun.
The place he led us to was a quiet tea house designed in the traditional Korean hanok style.
It was so luxurious and grand that one might mistake it for a Joseon dynasty palace standing in the heart of downtown Seoul.
‘What kind of tea house is this big?’
It was the sort of establishment where even if one brewed opium instead of tea leaves, the operating costs would still be covered.
“First, let’s have a cup of tea. Is there a particular tea you’d like to drink?”
“I don’t know much about tea.”
“Then I’ll order something appropriate.”
As Cheon Sang-gil gently rang the bell on the table, the sliding door opened and an attendant in elegant traditional hanbok entered.
“Three cups of Yuseong tea, please.”
“Yes.”
Starlight Tea?
Was there a tea by that name?
“It’s a tea made by steeping leaves grown in soil enriched with finely ground star stones. The flavor is exquisite, but it also helps circulate mana throughout the body.”
“….”
I had no idea what it was, but just hearing the description made my jaw drop at how expensive it must be.
-Click.
After a brief wait, the door opened and a server entered carrying a teacup with wisps of steam rising from it.
“I’ll enjoy it.”
Kwon O-jin brought the softly glowing blue tea to his lips and took a sip.
A crisp mint fragrance bloomed across my palate, and my mind felt suddenly clearer.
“Does the tea suit your taste?”
“Yes. It makes my mind feel remarkably clear.”
“I’m glad.”
Cheon Sang-gil smiled benevolently and took a sip of his own tea.
Ha-eun, sitting beside me, hesitated before following my lead and drinking, then her eyes widened in surprise as she downed the entire cup in one gulp.
Sister, that’s not beer.
“I came to find you primarily to express my gratitude.”
“Pardon?”
Gratitude?
I couldn’t recall doing anything that would warrant such words from Cheon Sang-gil.
“You stopped my wayward younger brother before he could commit even more heinous crimes. It’s only proper that I offer my thanks.”
“….”
“Pfft!!! What, what? Younger brother?”
Ha-eun, who had been sipping from my cup, suddenly spat out her tea in a spray and stared at Cheon Sang-gil.
There was no need to wonder who the “younger brother” Cheon Sang-gil spoke of was.
“…Were you and Cheon Do-yoon related as brothers?”
“We weren’t in regular contact, but yes.”
Cheon Sang-gil drank the starlight tea with a bitter expression.
“Truth be told, until recently I didn’t even know my younger brother was alive. Eight years… no, it’s been nine years now. My sense of time gets muddled with age, so forgive me.”
Clink.
He set down his teacup and continued.
“After the Gate to the Demon Realm opened at the North Pole, all contact with Do-yoon was severed. I naturally assumed he was dead….”
“So you only learned he was alive this time.”
“Indeed. And that he’d become an enforcer of the Black Star Society, committing terrible atrocities.”
Cheon Sang-gil’s eyes gleamed coldly.
‘So that’s why Cheonhye Guild moved during this owl extermination operation.’
They rarely ventured beyond Paradise, so the sudden mobilization had been for this reason.
“I intended to personally execute my wayward younger brother before he could commit further sins… but unfortunately, he managed to escape somewhere.”
Cheon Sang-gil released a deep sigh.
“Then I heard your story. So I came directly to express my gratitude.”
The fact that Kwon O-jin had defeated Cheon Do-yoon in combat was not publicly known.
However, it seemed the information network of Cheonhye Guild could not escape it.
“I’m grateful. You’ve done what this incompetent old man should have done.”
Cheon Sang-gil rose from his seat and bowed deeply.
I carefully observed his expression, wondering if he knew about Gaecheon that I had used during the fight with Cheon Do-yoon, but I detected no such indication.
“No, sir. I was simply doing what I had to do.”
“Haha! Indeed, you are a young man worthy of the title ‘hero.'”
It seemed Cheon Sang-gil mistakenly believed I had been swept up in some burning sense of justice when I defeated Cheon Do-yoon.
In reality, I hadn’t fought out of justice—I had simply acted because Cheon Do-yoon had touched Ha-eun.
‘This works better, actually.’
There was nothing more useful than the title of hero.
Humans are naturally drawn to those they perceive as good.
Or more precisely.
‘They are drawn to those who seem good.’
Truth doesn’t matter.
Only what feels like truth matters.
“You deserve the title of one of the Seven Stars.”
“That’s far too great an honor for this old man.”
Cheon Sang-gil sat back down.
“No, sir. I’ve heard countless tales of the great deeds Tamrang Star has accomplished.”
In truth, I had little interest in the Seven Stars and knew little of what Tamrang Star had actually accomplished.
The only thing I knew was the origin of how he came to be called Tamrang Star.
I spoke out excitedly.
“A high-ranking awakener of Capella who freely commands sound! Six years ago, you subdued thousands of monsters that poured out of a Gate and indiscriminately attacked people with nothing but a single whistle—surely everyone in the world knows of this legend!”
“Ahem, ahem. Is that so?”
I had no idea.
But it was definitely a famous story.
If even I, who cared nothing for the Seven Stars, knew of it, it had to be famous.
“To the people of South Korea, Cheon Sang-gil is a hero they deeply admire.”
“Hehe. Please, stop. I’m too embarrassed to even lift my head.”
Yet I could see an unmistakable smile playing at the corners of Cheon Sang-gil’s mouth.
After all, whether one was a member of the Seven Stars or not, people remained fundamentally the same.
“So… you came to find me simply to express your gratitude?”
Surely a member of the Seven Stars wouldn’t just offer thanks and leave it at that?
“That’s the main reason, of course. And naturally, I have no intention of settling with mere words. I’ve prepared appropriate compensation.”
“Oh, no, sir!”
Yes! This is it!
“Just meeting a hero I admire is more than enough for me!”
I had no idea what he was about to produce, but I was eager to see it.
“Here it is.”
“There’s really no need for this….”
But this was exactly what I needed most.
“Sigh. I can’t ignore such thoughtfulness. I’ll accept it gratefully.”
Speaking words I didn’t mean, I opened the small box Cheon Sang-gil handed me.
Inside was a rectangular card that resembled a passport.
“It’s an admission ticket to Paradise.”
“Ah… yes.”
Kwon O-jin nodded with an expression that screamed his enthusiasm had completely deflated.
An admission ticket to Paradise—the kind that costs ten billion won to obtain.
Perhaps I would have been tempted in the past, but now it held little appeal for me.
“Well, in this case, it would be more accurate to call it an invitation.”
“An invitation?”
“I’d like to invite you to Paradise.”
Paradise.
The place was so shrouded in mystery that I had wanted to visit it once, but…
“I’m sorry, but I have other matters to attend to.”
Right now, releasing Vega’s seal took priority.
“There’s no rush. Come visit when you have time. It will surely be a worthwhile experience for you.”
“Yes, I understand. I’ll visit you later.”
With him saying this much, there was no reason to refuse the invitation.
“But may I ask what this matter you need to attend to is?”
“That would be….”
After a moment of contemplation, I answered with narrowed eyes.
“I have some business in Japan.”
“Japan… Are you going to hunt the Seahorse?”
As expected.
He knew about the Seahorse Faction as well.
“Then meet this person once.”
When Cheon Sang-gil lightly tapped the table, an attendant in a modernized hanbok appeared from somewhere and handed me paper and a pen.
Grasping the pen, I wrote a contact number on the paper as if wielding a brush.
“He’s an Awakener I have some connection with. His personality is somewhat… unique, but he’ll be of help to you.”
The name written on the contact was ‘Sakaki Ryo’.
“Thank you. I’ll contact him.”
To seriously hunt the Seahorse Faction, I would need to build connections with the locals there anyway.
If it was an Awakener connected to Seven Stars no less, he would be trustworthy.
“Well then, this old man shall take his leave. Ah, I’ll settle the bill beforehand, so enjoy a meal with your girlfriend. This restaurant is quite famous for that particular dish.”
“That dish?”
Cheon Sang-gil glanced back at Kwon O-jin and Ha-eun with a mischievous smile.
He puckered his lips slightly and whistled.
-Vitality, you see! Vitality!
A voice echoing through my mind.
It was a cry that seemed impossible to believe came from the mouth of Cheon Sang-gil, who bore the appearance of some enlightened sage or mountain spirit.
‘No.’
What was this old man suddenly spouting about?
-Hehehehe. Once you taste it, you’ll be amazed tonight. Absolutely a pillar of fire, boom!
Cheon Sang-gil clenched his fist and thrust his arm upward with sudden vigor.
‘Don’t do this, you bastard.’
I glanced urgently toward Ha-eun, but it seemed the voice was only audible to me—Ha-eun, sitting beside me, showed no particular reaction.
Kwon O-jin regarded him with an expression of disbelief.
“Hahahaha! This old fool’s gone senile!”
Cheon Sang-gil burst into hearty laughter and rose to his feet.
Creak.
Just before opening the sliding door to leave.
“Ah, one last thing….”
He turned back to Kwon O-jin, all mirth drained from his face.
-Beware of the serpent.
Along with a low voice resonating through my mind.
The sliding door closed.
“…A serpent.”
Muttering the ominous name that clung to me like something viscous, I rang the bell on the table.
“Yes, I’ll take your order.”
“The Korean set course, please.”
The full course it was.

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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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