Not A Regressor - Chapter 14

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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 14
The Sacred Relic of the Black Star (1)
[Oh!!]
An exclamation brimming with excitement.
Beautiful golden eyes, as if forged from molten gold, gleamed brilliantly.
[Delicious! Truly an astounding flavor!]
Munch, munch.
The Silver-haired Goddess, now reduced to roughly thirty centimeters in height, devoured a hamburger nearly as large as her upper body, her voice trembling with delight.
Given her diminished size, she resembled a hamster gnawing away at a chestnut.
“…So Constellations can eat things too?”
Ha-eun asked with a wry chuckle.
Though I couldn’t see her, her voice alone was enough to paint the picture.
[We need not eat, yet we are perfectly capable of doing so.]
Wipe, wipe.
Vega dabbed her lips with a tissue fragment.
Even so simple a gesture as wiping her lips carried an air of nobility and grace, yet her diminutive form made her appear endearing rather than majestic.
“Is this your first time trying a hamburger?”
[Human food itself is entirely new to me.]
Sparkle.
Vega descended through the air, trailing some peculiar silvery dust, and perched delicately upon my shoulder.
[This is the first time I have even accepted an Apostle, after all.]
Her tiny hand reached out and tugged at my earlobe.
It tickled.
“…But no matter how I think about it, I can’t make sense of this.”
Ha-eun furrowed her brow as she continued.
“Why did you choose O-jin specifically? What’s so special about that guy?”
An Apostle of Polaris, no less.
No matter how I considered it, such a title seemed utterly unsuited to O-jin.
[What is special, you ask? There exists no being in this world more extraordinary than this child.]
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
[Hehehehe. You could not possibly understand.]
Vega straightened her posture, arms folded across her chest.
[One day, you too shall come to know. Nay, the entire world shall come to know.]
Her voice brimmed with absolute conviction.
[This child shall become a being far greater than any other.]
“…What?”
Ha-eun’s mouth fell open in utter bewilderment.
What on earth had Kwon O-jin done to earn such words from the Constellation of Polaris?
“Vega.”
[Hehehehe. I have spoken far too much. My apologies.]
Vega laughed gracefully and shrugged her shoulders.
[And…]
Her gleaming golden eyes turned toward Ha-eun.
[You are equally special, are you not?]
“…What are you talking about?”
Ha-eun tilted her head as if questioning the absurdity of the statement.
O-jin felt the same way.
He regarded Vega with eyes full of confusion.
[Hmm. You were unaware?]
“Unaware of what, exactly?”
[No, it is… of no consequence now. I spoke carelessly.]
Vega gazed at Ha-eun’s pupils, now devoid of light, and released a soft sigh.
[I wish I could aid you with my power…]
She shook her head with a look of regret.
“Heh. Help with what? I’m doing just fine without it, so don’t worry about it.”
[Hehe. I do appreciate that confident attitude of yours.]
Vega stretched languidly and turned her body.
[I should rest now. Even in this state, prolonged manifestation imposes severe restrictions upon me.]
“So you can only move for about three hours a day?”
[I could manage more if I pushed myself. But there is no need for such excess now, is there?]
“Well, that’s true.”
There was nothing I could accomplish even if Vega remained awake right now.
[Then, my child, I shall see you again tomorrow.]
Vega drifted lightly through the air, rising above my head, and gently stroked my hair.
Whoooosh!
Vega’s form dissolved into silver dust and was drawn into the pendant.
“…”
Silence settled over the room.
As if a tempest had swept through, desolation lingered in its wake.
“…Sigh.”
Ha-eun exhaled deeply.
“How in the world did things come to this…?”
“I didn’t expect this either.”
I had explained to Ha-eun that Vega was my sole apostle, and that she had manifested directly to follow me around.
It was only natural for her to be bewildered—a Constellation manifesting beside her apostle and trailing after them was something unheard of.
“…Hey, Kwon O-jin.”
“Huh?”
“Sit here.”
Tap, tap.
She patted the space beside the bed and spoke in a commanding tone.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Quit your yapping and sit down, you brat.”
Tilting my head in confusion, I settled onto the edge of the bed, and Ha-eun promptly rested her head on my thigh.
“…What are you doing?”
“Just stay still.”
“No, seriously—”
“Ugh. Are you really going to ignore your older sister?”
Ha-eun, using my thigh as a pillow, curled herself into a ball like a shrimp and gently closed her eyes.
Awkwardly, she stretched her arm and placed her hand on my thigh.
The warmth transmitted through her palm.
That familiar warmth she’d felt her entire life made her break into a soft smile.
“Hehe! Yeah, there’s nothing better than using our Ojini as a pillow. You like it too, don’t you, you punk?”
“You’re damn heavy.”
“What did you just say?”
“Just kidding. My mind feels so empty it’s damn light.”
“…What? That makes me feel even worse.”
Ha-eun frowned and pinched my thigh.
It hurt.
“Yeah, that’s more like our Ojini.”
Ha-eun burst into delighted giggles.
“I’m going to sleep now, sister.”
“No way.”
If you fall asleep like this, what am I supposed to do?
“If you’re upset about it, just age yourself up two more years.”
“That’s so unfair.”
“Hehehehe.”
Ha-eun’s shoulders trembled as she burrowed deeper into my body.
Before long, only the soft, rhythmic sound of her breathing filled the room.
“Sigh.”
So much for getting a peaceful night’s sleep.
* * *
Two days later.
Before heading to Mokdong, I conducted one final equipment check.
‘Signal flares and smoke grenades—two of each. Emergency rations and rope. And finally, three intermediate potions.’
Regardless of anything else, I’d invested considerable money in purchasing intermediate potions, but there was no way around it.
‘With a newly opened Gate, there’s no telling what rank of monsters might emerge.’
Trying to pinch pennies at this stage could easily result in serious injury.
“Damn. These things are ridiculously expensive.”
I trembled as I held an intermediate potion in my hand—each one worth several million won.
No matter how much I told myself it was an investment in my future, the absurd price made my stomach churn.
‘Insane potion merchants.’
They just slapped some mana from a stigma into powdered stigma material and called it a day, yet charged an absurd price for it.
‘I’ll definitely acquire an Aquarius stigma eventually.’
Once I obtained an Aquarius stigma, I could make a fortune just by crafting and selling potions.
[Are preparations complete?]
“Yes.”
I shouldered the heavy backpack and opened the door.
A refreshing dawn breeze tickled the tip of my nose.
‘Stigma artifacts, huh.’
Each stigma artifact possessed vastly different abilities and varying grades, but they shared one common trait.
‘They’re absurdly expensive.’
Even 1-star stigma artifacts cost over ten million won.
3-star ones exceed one hundred million, and 5-star ones surpass one billion.
‘If it’s 6-star….’
Anywhere from tens of billions to a maximum of one hundred billion.
It wasn’t for nothing that Guilds searched for stigma artifacts with such fervor.
“Hehehehe!”
I shrugged my shoulders and licked my lips.
My footsteps toward the Gate grew lighter.
━An hour passed like that.
After arriving in Mokdong by the first train, I headed toward a location with tall buildings nearby.
“I’m Kwon O-jin, an Awakened User affiliated with the Association. I apologize for the early hour, but could you open the rooftop door for me?”
“Ah, yes. But what’s this about?”
“I have an investigation to conduct at this building.”
“Hmm… understood.”
The security guard, who had initially regarded me with cautious eyes, opened the rooftop door without further suspicion upon hearing I was affiliated with the Association.
Whoosh.
Stepping onto the rooftop, the entire panorama of Mokdong spread before my eyes as a cool breeze brushed against my cheek.
‘Being affiliated with the Association certainly has its conveniences.’
I leaned against the rooftop railing and pulled out a calorie bar from my pocket, crunching into it.
[Are you waiting here for the rift to open?]
“Yes. I know it opens today, but I didn’t hear the exact time or location.”
Just because I’m a regressor doesn’t mean I know everything about the future—not knowing this much was acceptable.
[Hmm. Then I should release my manifestation and enter within.]
“I’ll inform you once the Gate opens.”
[Understood.]
Vega transformed back into silver dust and entered the necklace.
“Sigh.”
I exhaled and shook my head.
‘Being together certainly creates many inconveniences.’
Every word I speak requires careful consideration, making it quite exhausting.
‘But then again.’
That doesn’t mean there are only drawbacks.
‘In emergencies, I can borrow her power.’
It was precisely why I could challenge a newly formed Gate without much concern, regardless of how powerful the monsters within might be.
‘If things look hopeless, I’ll accept her blessing and escape.’
I knew firsthand just how extraordinary the power Vega’s blessing granted truly was.
Even if unexpected complications arose, receiving her blessing would at least allow me to flee.
“Come on, hurry up and open.”
I muttered while leaning against the railing, gazing down at the panorama of Mokdong.
After waiting roughly three hours.
-Whoooooosh!!!
A brilliant azure luminescence erupted in the distance.
‘It’s here.’
The harbinger of a newly formed Gate.
I confirmed the location of the azure light surging upward, then descended rapidly from the building.
“Kyaaaaaaah!!”
“A, a Gate!! It’s a Gate!!”
“Q, quickly contact the Association!!”
“What good is the Association these days!! Call the Guild! Report it to the Guild!!”
As I approached the location where the azure light erupted, I saw people scattered about screaming and fleeing in panic.
‘What a mess.’
Eight years ago.
It felt like returning to when Gates first opened on Earth.
Back then, I was one of those people fleeing with that same terrified expression━
‘But now it’s different.’
I let out a faint chuckle and moved forward.
-Whoooosh!!
I threw myself into the newly formed Gate.
My vision twisted, and a wave of nausea swept through my body.
“Hah!”
My distorted vision cleared, and the interior of the Gate unfolded before my eyes.
A cavern so vast it left my mouth agape.
Stalactites like the fangs of a beast jutted upward like spikes, with gray streams of water flowing between them.
Though the interior was dark, an orange glow emanating from somewhere provided enough light to see ahead.
“Vega. I’ve arrived.”
I tapped the silver necklace, and the Silver-haired Goddess appeared in a burst of radiant light.
[Ho. So this is the rift you spoke of.]
Vega drifted about curiously, examining her surroundings with sparkling eyes and turning her head this way and that.
Though she seemed intrigued, she showed little surprise at the fact that the Gate had actually opened.
‘So they truly believed in my words to that extent.’
Since I, a ‘Regressor’, had spoken it, they naturally assumed the Gate would open on this day.
‘…Should I be pleased about this, or not?’
It was certainly gratifying that they already trusted me completely, yet simultaneously, I felt a hollow emptiness.
My plan to eliminate any lingering suspicions had become utterly pointless.
‘Well, regardless. A good outcome is a good outcome.’
I’d prepared Plan B as a contingency, so complaining that Plan A resolved things smoothly would be ungracious.
‘And I can’t let my guard down here.’
Trust, by nature, takes years to build but mere moments to shatter.
No matter how firmly they believed me to be a Regressor, each suspicious detail that surfaced would chip away at their faith.
“Then let’s venture deeper inside.”
[Very well.]
Kwon O-jin pressed forward into the depths of the Cave before the other Awakened Users could follow.
Following the soft amber glow, I advanced through the passage.
-Squelch.
A viscous, sticky sound reverberated through the air.
“That is….”
Kwon O-jin’s face hardened like stone as I turned toward the source of the noise.

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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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