Not A Regressor - Chapter 172

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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 172
Summons (1)
After that embarrassing “punishment time” I couldn’t tell anyone about came to an end.
I began my proper recovery.
“Come now, open wide.”
Vega offered me a spoonful of abalone porridge with a bright smile.
I accepted it readily while lying in bed.
Munch, munch.
The savory taste of abalone porridge bloomed across my palate.
I turned my head toward Vega, who sat beside the bed and gazed at me with tender eyes.
“Where did you even get all this?”
“I asked Spica to bring it in from outside the Star Palace.”
“….”
So she was making a Zodiac Twelve Palaces constellation run errands like a delivery person.
Even if she was a constellation of Polaris, was that really acceptable?
“Spica is my only friend who understands my heart.”
“Yeah, that’s usually what people call friends, I guess.”
“Hmm? What do you mean by ‘usually’?”
“Nothing.”
I’m sorry, Spica, for not being able to protect you.
I recalled the constellation with her bright smile and fluffy pink hair like a poodle’s, then finished every last bit of the abalone porridge.
“Ugh…!”
When I tried to sit up after finishing the meal.
A sharp, tingling pain spread from my abdomen throughout my entire body.
It was where Xiaolin’s blade had pierced me.
“Didn’t I tell you to rest?”
Vega pressed firmly on my chest and spoke in a stern voice.
“But I can’t just lie here all day.”
“No. Don’t move.”
Vega stopped me as I tried to sit up again, clearly frustrated.
She touched my solar plexus lightly with a resolute expression, as if she wouldn’t entertain any objections.
Crackle!
Just as a small spark erupted.
“What?”
Thump.
My body collapsed back onto the bed.
If I had merely fallen, that would be one thing.
But my limbs hung limp, and I couldn’t move at all.
“What… what is this?”
“I’ve temporarily paralyzed your body. You absolutely must not move until you’re completely healed.”
At her resolute words, Kwon O-jin swallowed hard with a soft grunt.
“Fine. I promise I won’t move. Just undo this for me.”
[Absolutely not!]
Vega shook her head vigorously in absolute refusal.
Her shimmering silver hair tickled the tip of Kwon O-jin’s nose as it swayed.
“Sigh.”
As I exhaled a short breath and laid my head against the pillow.
—Click.
The door opened and a massive silver wolf walked inside.
Eyes gleaming with the keen awareness of a seasoned warrior fixed upon Kwon O-jin.
“Brat, someone’s come looking for you.”
“Huh? Me?”
Kwon O-jin tilted his head while lying in bed.
“Someone from a guild called Cheonhye Guild, he said.”
“I see.”
A messenger sent by Cheon Sang-gil, then.
Radio signals didn’t work inside the Star Palace, so the only way to send a message was to dispatch someone in person.
[Tell him my child cannot move right now and to return later.]
“I did tell him that, but he said there was something urgent regarding ‘Shou Xing’ that needed to be communicated, so I let him through for now. Shall I throw him out?”
[Do so then….]
“Wait.”
Stopping Vega, who was about to turn away the messenger sent by Cheon Sang-gil, I barely managed to turn my head toward her.
“If it’s about Shou Xing, it’s probably about the Black Star Society. Just release the paralysis first.”
[But….]
“Vega.”
[…Sigh. I truly cannot manage this.]
Vega shook her head and sighed like a mother dealing with a thoughtless child.
After a moment of deliberation, Vega lightly tapped my solar plexus.
Crackle!
Sparks erupted once more as the lightning binding my body dissipated.
“Ugh.”
I pushed myself up from the bed.
My entire body ached as though I’d been beaten with a baseball bat, but I couldn’t remain idle when someone had gone to the trouble of coming all the way to the Star Palace to deliver a message—I needed to hear what it was.
I left the Divine Temple with Riak and Vega.
Outside the Divine Temple, a man in a neat suit was waiting for me.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Kwon O-jin. I’m Baek Dong-il from the Cheonhye Guild.”
“Yes.”
I exchanged a light handshake while offering a businesslike greeting.
“I heard you were at the Star Palace to focus on your training, and I apologize for seeking you out like this.”
[Hmph. So he does understand what rudeness is.]
Vega crossed her arms with clear displeasure at the interruption to Kwon O-jin’s rest, her gaze piercing toward Baek Dong-il.
“Ah, I-I’m terribly sorry.”
Overwhelmed by the aura emanating from the Polaris constellation, Baek Dong-il stammered his words and bowed repeatedly.
“Vega.”
[Sigh. My apologies.]
When Kwon O-jin gently tugged Vega’s arm, she exhaled and withdrew her oppressive presence.
“I heard you had something urgent to contact me about regarding Shou Xing. Has something happened?”
“Yes. Recently, an incident suspected to be the work of the Black Star Society has occurred.”
“What sort of incident?”
I narrowed my eyes.
Baek Dong-il handed me a neatly organized folder of documents.
“Over the past month, rumors have circulated about unidentified demonic beasts appearing near Incheon Port.”
Demonic beasts.
Indeed, if they were “demonic beasts” rather than ordinary “monsters,” the likelihood of a connection to the Black Star Society was high.
“And not long ago, the vice-guild master of the Mirinai Guild, who was dispatched to investigate the incident, went missing.”
“The Mirinai Guild, you say.”
“Yes. A major guild operating in the Incheon region.”
I’d heard of them before.
While not among the highest-ranked, they were supposedly a major guild that placed within the top ten.
“Wouldn’t the vice-guild master of the Mirinai Guild be an 8-Star Awakened?”
“That’s correct.”
“Hmm.”
A monster beyond what an 8-Star Awakened could handle.
Certainly, it was a level of mutation rarely found within South Korea.
“We suspect it may be one of the ‘Named’ creatures.”
Named.
When a monster itself possessed a name, like Cheon Joo-ryong’s Barbatos, it was called a “Named” creature.
While there were differences between individuals, monsters referred to as “Named” were typically known for possessing intelligence and command capabilities far beyond ordinary monsters, causing damage comparable to natural disasters.
“Did the Black Star Society create that Named creature?”
“No. That hasn’t been confirmed yet.”
Baek Dong-il shook his head.
“However, the timing of the Black Star Society’s smuggling near Incheon Port and when rumors about the unidentified demonic beast began circulating align to a considerable degree.”
“Smuggling?”
“Yes. It’s estimated they entered from Vietnam or the Philippines… and they’re Awakened with the ‘Toad Faction’ among the Black Star Society’s factions.”
The Toad Faction.
‘After the Owl Faction and the Seahorse, now it’s the Toad.’
Now that I thought about it, it was a name I’d heard in passing from Lee Shin-hyuk’s memories.
‘Back then, there was talk of them joining hands with the Owl Faction.’
But the Owl Faction they could have allied with had already been destroyed by my hand.
That meant they’d smuggled into South Korea with a different objective, not a factional alliance.
‘The Owl Faction disappearing from South Korea could mean they’re targeting the country.’
I didn’t have precise information about the Southeast Asian situation.
That region had suffered considerable damage from monsters in the past.
Given that the nations there had deteriorated to near-anarchic states, it was plausible they’d set their sights on South Korea, which remained relatively intact by comparison.
‘Well, I’ll need to verify that directly anyway.’
What mattered was that the Toad Faction had smuggled operatives into South Korea.
And the moment they appeared, a powerful named-class monster began its activities.
“You’ve come to ask me to investigate this matter, haven’t you?”
“That is correct, though naturally I don’t intend to entrust the investigation to Kwon O-jin alone.”
Earlier, he’d mentioned having something to tell me about Shou Xing.
So then.
“Currently, Shou Xing members are gathered on Ganghwa Island. Would you be willing to come and lend your strength?”
Baek Dong-il bowed respectfully at the waist.
Kwon O-jin closed his eyes tightly, lost in contemplation.
‘When it comes to Black Star Society matters, I should always go.’
The problem was my current physical condition.
Thanks to Albaile’s treatment, my external injuries had healed, but internal damage still remained.
With my magical power severely restricted, I couldn’t use my greatest advantage—my vast reserves of mana—nor could I employ powerful techniques like Divine Body.
“With just a bow and arrows here, I’d be no different from Hawkeye.”
“Pardon? Hawkeye?”
“Ah. Just thinking aloud.”
In any case.
Moving recklessly in my current state, unable to access my full power, was dangerous.
But.
‘If I miss this timing now, they’ll burrow deeper and deeper.’
Should I risk it and pursue the Toad Faction’s trail?
Or should I play it safe and wait until my body recovered?
As Kwon O-jin deliberated between the two options, he reached a decision and stepped forward.
“Understood. Let’s head to Ganghwa Island together.”
“Thank you for answering the summons!”
Baek Dong-il smiled brightly and bowed with respect.
[My child. Your body hasn’t even healed yet, and you’re pursuing the Black Star Society’s trail….]
“Well, it’s not so severe that I can’t move at all.”
[But!]
“And I’m not going alone, am I?”
Apart from Lee Woo-hyuk, I still didn’t know who the other Shou Xing members were.
But since Cheon Sang-gil of the Talons personally selected them, they were bound to be quite capable.
“And if things get really dangerous, I can use this.”
Kwon O-jin withdrew an elixir from his pocket.
He’d obtained it to treat Ha-eun’s legs, but if the worst came and his life was threatened, it was right that he consume it himself.
‘If I use an Elixir, it should heal all my internal injuries at once.’
Of course, I had no intention of using it unless I was on the verge of death.
Though I’d been fortunate enough to obtain one easily this time, there was no guarantee when I’d be able to acquire another Elixir.
[Sigh. You really do push yourself every single time.]
Vega exhaled deeply and followed behind Kwon O-jin.
[I shall accompany you as well….]
“Where are you planning to go, Vega?”
Riak called out to stop her.
Riak let out a deep sigh before speaking.
“Absorbing Deneb’s divine essence should be your priority, should it not?”
[That, well….]
Vega’s shoulders trembled as she flinched.
Her voice grew small and hesitant.
[I can do it later….]
“You’re well aware that divine essence deteriorates over time once exposed to the outside world, are you not? Or do you intend to squander the divine essence that the boy obtained while bleeding profusely?”
[Ugh.]
Vega clenched her lips tightly while gripping the hem of her dress in her hand.
She glared at Riak with resentful eyes, then let out a deep sigh and nodded.
[Very well. For now, I shall focus on absorbing the divine essence.]
Vega spoke thus and gently grasped Kwon O-jin’s arm.
[Still, should an urgent situation arise, summon me through the pendant. I shall manifest myself at once.]
“Understood.”
Judging from Riak’s expression, it seemed I shouldn’t call unless absolutely necessary.
Yet if a truly critical situation emerged, I would have no choice but to rely on Vega’s aid.
‘The best outcome is that such a situation never arises.’
I had already prepared several contingencies.
Each one was a painful card to play, but simply having backup options in case of emergency gave me considerable peace of mind.
“Then, shall we go?”
“Yes.”
Kwon O-jin stepped out of the Star Palace, following Baek Dong-il.
‘I wonder who the other members of Shou Xing are.’
Vroom.
The car carrying Kwon O-jin smoothly started its engine and crossed the road.

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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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