Not A Regressor - Chapter 158

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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 158
To Paradise (1)
The path across Ganghwa Bridge.
The newly reconstructed bridge, settled upon by Cheonhye Guild, was as grand and ornate as the legendary Bifrost connecting to Asgard from Norse mythology.
“Damn, how much money did they burn through to build that thing?”
Ha-eun poked her head out the window and clicked her tongue in disbelief.
True to her words, the bridge leading to Ganghwa Special Autonomous Zone—colloquially known as “Paradise”—left an impression befitting its name.
“Well, they’re literally the strongest guild in the country, so they must have absurd amounts of money.”
“I wonder who’s richer—Isabella or them?”
“Who knows?”
I couldn’t say for certain, but one thing was clear: both possessed wealth beyond my comprehension.
“By the way, what’s Isabella up to these days?”
“Not sure. We text occasionally, though.”
I maintained periodic contact with Isabella, but between being busy and not having time to meet, or her saying she missed me—
—I had no idea what she was actually doing or where she was.
‘The Black Star Society must be in chaos too.’
With the 6th-ranked Executor followed by the 7th-ranked Executor dying in succession, their plans had definitely been disrupted.
They’d either go completely underground or move even more actively.
They’d definitely take some kind of action.
“…I think it’s better not to contact her too much.”
Ha-eun spoke with narrowed eyes.
It wasn’t jealousy toward Isabella, but genuine concern for me.
True enough.
Since she’d learned Isabella’s true identity, she naturally had to be cautious.
“I’m being as careful as I can, so don’t worry.”
That’s what I said, at least.
But Isabella remained an uncontrollable variable to me.
‘If I could only bring her to my side, she’d be a tremendous asset in destroying the Black Star Society.’
The greater the reward, the greater the risk I’d have to bear.
I continued thinking about Isabella as I drove the car.
When we reached the end of the bridge.
“Please stop.”
Two people in security uniforms blocked the car.
Their sharp eyes and restrained movements suggested they were Awakeners of considerable skill.
One of them approached the car.
“I’ll need to verify your residence permit.”
I handed the Paradise residence permit Cheon Sang-gil had given me to the security guard.
After carefully checking the permit, the guard bowed respectfully and opened the firmly sealed entrance.
“You may enter.”
“Thank you.”
Kwon O-jin passed through a gate so massive it resembled the entrance to a fortress and stepped into Paradise.
Beyond the gate stretched a meticulously maintained road.
Traditional Korean-style houses lined both sides of the street, creating the illusion of visiting a folk village.
[So this is what Paradise looks like?]
“Yeah. I’ve only heard stories about it—this is my first time seeing it in person.”
Paradise, the place that required payment of a staggering 10 billion won just to enter.
While countless rumors circulated about it, few people actually possessed detailed knowledge of Paradise itself.
What kind of lives did those who dwelled here actually lead?
Kwon O-jin drove slowly through Paradise, taking in the sights.
The landscape visible before him was—
“Uh… hmm. This really is Paradise, right?”
[For a place called Paradise, it’s remarkably desolate.]
Vega and Ha-eun had spoken truly.
The streets visible through the windows were utterly barren.
I had imagined Paradise would be meticulously arranged like a city where celestial beings dwelled, with people laughing and strolling about carefree.
Instead, the streets felt like those of a ghost town.
The few people visible were nothing but awakened individuals in Cheonhye Guild uniforms.
“This is a bit different from what I expected.”
Kwon O-jin tilted his head in confusion as he headed toward the central residence where Cheon Sang-gil resided.
Cheon Sang-gil’s dwelling was a modest house that bore no resemblance whatsoever to the title “Tamrang Star.”
A residence far smaller than even Kuroushi’s hideout.
In the small courtyard, lettuce and green onions grew, making the place look like any ordinary rural home.
“You’ve arrived.”
Creak.
An elderly man in a neatly pressed traditional Korean robe emerged as the weathered door opened.
His eyes gleamed with the radiance of one who had attained enlightenment, brimming with sagely wisdom.
The reverent atmosphere he emanated created the illusion of facing not a human, but a Constellation itself.
Tamrang Star Cheon Sang-gil.
One of the Seven Stars, counted among the world’s strongest awakened ones, greeted Kwon O-jin.
“Hmm?”
Cheon Sang-gil’s gaze turned toward Vega, perched upon Kwon O-jin’s shoulder.
Before he could even offer the excuse that she was his guardian spirit, Cheon Sang-gil bowed respectfully toward Vega.
“I am honored to meet you, Great One.”
[Ho. You recognized who I am?]
“A soul that produces such pure ‘resonance’ can only be born from the stars—from the gods themselves.”
Vega nodded, arms crossed, as Cheon Sang-gil paid his respects with utmost courtesy.
“Moreover, for a Constellation to manifest directly in this realm… truly, there is reason you are called Polaris.”
[It is merely a limited manifestation, nothing more.]
Realizing it would be discourteous to continue conversing with Vega, Cheon Sang-gil turned his gaze toward Kwon O-jin.
“I heard from Sakaki about what transpired in Japan. You’ve endured much hardship.”
“I simply did what needed to be done.”
“Hehe. Hearing you say that puts this old man’s mind at ease.”
Cheon Sang-gil turned his body with a satisfied expression.
“Come inside now. It’s hardly proper to keep a guest standing outside.”
“Of course.”
Kwon O-jin and Ha-eun followed Cheon Sang-gil’s guidance into his home.
Much like the modest exterior, the interior was nearly devoid of furniture, almost completely empty.
“So, how was the journey here?”
Cheon Sang-gil asked as he brought out tea.
“We arrived without any issues.”
“That’s fortunate.”
After taking a sip of tea, he continued with a faint smile.
“Were you surprised that Paradise looked different from what you expected?”
“Yes. It was quite different from what I’d heard in the rumors.”
“I imagine so.”
Cheon Sang-gil nodded lightly.
“Is there another district where the residents of Paradise live?”
“No. What you saw is exactly as it is. Paradise… or rather, Ganghwa Island—hardly anyone lives here besides our guild members.”
“….”
It was far different from what the rumors had suggested.
Ha-eun, who had been quietly sipping her tea beside him, carefully raised her hand and asked.
“Then… what about all those rumors that say if you just go to Paradise, you can eat three meals a day and live safely?”
Even Ha-eun, who rarely used formal speech because she found it awkward, found it difficult to speak casually to Cheon Sang-gil, who emanated the aura of an enlightened sage, so she asked in quite a refined manner.
Upon hearing her question, Cheon Sang-gil gently grasped the teacup with rising steam and opened his mouth.
“Those are false rumors we deliberately spread.”
False rumors.
In other words, everything people knew about ‘Paradise’ was a lie.
“Why would you spread such rumors?”
Kwon O-jin asked, tilting his head as if unable to comprehend.
Cheon Sang-gil’s answer was concise.
“To give them hope.”
Hope? What kind of hope was he talking about?
“By the way, I heard you haven’t been an Awakener for very long. Is that true?”
“Yes. It’s been less than a year.”
“Hehe. To become strong enough to kill two Black Star Society executives in just a year… it’s hard to believe even seeing it with my own eyes.”
Cheon Sang-gil continued with a bitter smile.
“I apologize for letting the conversation drift. If you awakened a year ago, you must know well.”
“Know what, sir?”
“The lives of those who were not chosen by the Constellations.”
“….”
One who failed to receive the Constellation’s blessing.
Kwon O-jin understood better than anyone how fierce the lives of the unawakened truly were.
After all, he was one of those who had clawed his way to survival from the very bottom of existence.
“Conditions have improved considerably now, but just five years ago, their lives were utterly miserable.”
“Yes, I’m well aware.”
“Of course, among them there were those who lived as fiercely as you, but most simply abandoned life altogether.”
Three years after the Gate connecting to the Demon Realm opened at the North Pole.
Awakeners had barely begun to emerge, and their growth was still in its infancy—that era was truly an age of chaos.
The economy had collapsed entirely, and employment was nowhere to be found.
Monsters roamed outside, yet people couldn’t even earn enough to put a single meal on the table.
Could anyone have avoided despair in such circumstances?
“So in consultation with the government, we created a place called ‘Paradise.'”
“You were trying to spread false rumors to the people and plant hope in their hearts?”
Kwon O-jin asked, narrowing his eyes.
Cheon Sang-gil nodded quietly.
“If there exists a heaven within hell, people gain the will to live in order to reach it.”
…
Upon hearing Cheon Sang-gil’s words, Kwon O-jin frowned.
At least I can understand what he intended.
But.
“It was clumsy.”
If he had tried to save people with false ‘hope’.
“There were far better methods available.”
…
Cheon Sang-gil stared at Kwon O-jin with a look of surprise.
“…Heh. I never expected to hear such an answer.”
Whether criticism or rebuke.
He had anticipated a sharp condemnation regarding the lie he had told.
But to receive the response ‘clumsy’ instead—he never saw that coming.
“You’re right, it was a clumsy method. I’ve regretted it greatly even now.”
At the time, I thought it wasn’t a bad approach.
But as Kwon O-jin said, the existence of ‘Paradise’ had failed to give people great hope.
A failed lie.
The word ‘clumsy’ pierced his chest sharply.
Cheon Sang-gil offered a bitter smile and changed the subject.
“Well… let’s discuss that later. Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“Actually, I came here because I had something to ask.”
Kwon O-jin withdrew a round token the size of his palm from his pocket.
A token engraved with an ominous serpent pattern.
Upon confirming that inauspicious emblem, Cheon Sang-gil’s expression hardened rigidly.
“This is….”
“You mentioned before to be careful of the ‘Snake’, didn’t you?”
Cheon Sang-gil accepted the information with a grave expression.
“Did you obtain this from the Executors?”
“Yes.”
“Sigh… Her influence within the Black Star Society is already spiraling beyond control.”
He rubbed his furrowed brow as if his head ached.
“The reason I sought you out today, Cheon Sang-gil, is because I wanted to hear more detailed information about that ‘Snake’.”
“Hmm.”
Cheon Sang-gil swallowed hard and narrowed his eyes.
“The Serpens Queen… or perhaps it would be more fitting to call her the Serpens Empress.”
He continued in a voice heavy with gravity.
“Truth be told, I don’t know much about her either. All I know is that she’s an extraordinarily dangerous existence and the true ruler of the Black Star Society.”
The ruler of the Black Star Society.
Which meant.
“That means she holds the rank of First among the Executors?”
“Indeed.”
First among the Executors.
From Kwon O-jin’s perspective, having been driven to the brink of death by Cheon Do-yoon, who ranked sixth, the weight of the First rank was immense.
Isabella alone, ranking third, was an awakened being of incomprehensible power—how formidable must the First truly be?
“Are you aware that the Black Star Society originally operates with different objectives and methods depending on their factions?”
“Yes, I am.”
“She’s attempting to unite the Black Star Society into one cohesive force. By any means necessary.”
By any means necessary.
In other words, she was crushing even her own allies beneath her power and forcing them into submission.
“Is that all you know about the Serpens Queen?”
“There is one more piece of information I’ve heard.”
He took a sip of cold tea.
Then he continued in a measured tone.
“She apparently follows a being called the ‘Heavenly Demon’ with fanatical devotion.”
“What?”
Me?

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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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