Not A Regressor - Chapter 178

—————
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 178
Living Armor (3)
‘What in the world?’
Kwon O-jin’s eyes narrowed at the sudden massacre unfolding before him.
The black-armored beast that had rushed past Kwon O-jin was indiscriminately slaughtering Black Star Society members with a spear that blazed with an ominous blue-green light.
Yes, exactly.
As if killing awakeners of the Toad Faction was its very purpose.
“Kwon O-jin, what is this…?”
“I have no idea.”
Kwon O-jin shook his head, clearly bewildered.
When he’d heard that Lee Woo-hyuk had been attacked by the Black Star Society, he’d suspected there was some connection between the mysterious beast appearing in Yonghyun-dong and the Toad Faction.
But seeing this now, he could only conclude his speculation had been completely wrong.
‘So all that whimpering from those bastards earlier—like desperate dogs needing to relieve themselves—was because of this beast?’
The image of Black Star Society members shouting about needing to kill quickly and having no time came to mind.
They had clearly said “he’s here” when the black-armored beast appeared.
In other words.
They had known of this beast’s existence all along.
‘It wasn’t just knowledge, though.’
Kwon O-jin’s eyes narrowed.
The black-armored beast pursued the fleeing Black Star Society members like a predator stalking prey.
The Toad Faction had been hunted by this beast even before Kwon O-jin arrived.
That had to be the truth.
“Hmm.”
Kwon O-jin’s eyes gleamed as he slowly examined the black-armored beast.
Pitch-black armor covering its entire body. Between the gaps, ominous blue-green flames blazed.
Blue-green eyes that hunted its prey and a sharp spear.
Though I was seeing it for the first time in person, it was a monster I already knew well.
‘Living Armor.’
Not a monster wearing armor, but a monster whose very body was composed of armor itself.
It was a powerful monster with sighting records from Europe several times over.
But.
‘If it’s a Living Armor, it should definitely be an 8-Star-class monster.’
Even if it were a variant with greater power compared to ordinary specimens, could it really be this strong?
Kwon O-jin stared at the Living Armor wielding its spear savagely, his expression one of incomprehension.
It was impossible that Jegal So-young and Choi Yu-mi had died without even a single meaningful resistance against a mere 8-Star monster.
No matter how much it might be called a ‘demonic beast’ rather than a ‘monster.’
“Hm?”
Then.
Something caught Kwon O-jin’s eye.
Something was embedded in the chest of the Living Armor as it wielded its spear brutally.
A circular badge emblazoned with the ominous coiled pattern of The Snake.
“Ha.”
A short, hollow laugh escaped Kwon O-jin’s lips.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
“So that’s how it is.”
The moment I realized The Snake was involved in all of this.
I could finally understand why this insane situation had unfolded.
“What do you mean, sir?”
“The Toad Faction’s illegal entry into South Korea wasn’t for some other purpose.”
“Pardon? Then…”
“They were fleeing.”
From The Snake.
They had simply scrambled to South Korea in desperation.
‘The Snake Zodiac Queen was gathering the scattered Black Star Society factions under her banner, wasn’t she?’
The 6th-ranked Owl Faction bowed their heads beneath the Snake Zodiac Queen’s feet.
The 7th-ranked Seahorse was no different.
But.
‘Not all executives would have willingly obeyed the Snake Zodiac Queen’s will.’
It was only natural.
If all of the Black Star Society had followed the Snake Zodiac Queen’s will from the start, there would have been no factions to begin with.
In other words, the sight before my eyes was.
‘A purge.’
The Serpens Queen was personally punishing the audacious faction that dared defy her will.
“But if what you’re saying is true, why would she attack Jegal So-young and Choi Yu-mi…”
“That’s…”
Just as Isabella said.
If the beast’s objective was to purge the Toad Faction.
There would have been no reason to attack Jegal So-young and Choi Yu-mi.
She would have simply passed by, just as she had ignored me moments ago.
‘No, wait.’
There was one thing.
There was a difference between my party and Jegal So-young’s party.
I recalled the battle traces I had examined in the blood-soaked alley.
“Jegal So-young’s side attacked the beast first.”
“Ah.”
In other words, had they not attacked first.
The beast would never have killed them.
‘Though they had no way of knowing that.’
From their perspective, seizing the advantage of a preemptive strike through an ambush was the best decision they could have made.
“So now that we know the beast’s target isn’t us… should we retreat for now?”
“Hold on.”
The corners of Kwon O-jin’s mouth twisted upward.
While the Living Armor was preoccupied chasing after the Toad Faction, slipping away was certainly an option.
“But I have a better idea.”
“What kind of…?”
“Until I contact you, stay in downtown with Woo-hyuk and keep a low profile.”
“Oh, you’re planning to go alone, Kwon O-jin?”
Isabella’s eyes widened in shock, her gaze suddenly innocent and vulnerable.
Kwon O-jin gave a quiet nod.
“That’s not acceptable!”
“It’s far too dangerous.”
Even Lee Woo-hyuk tried to stop him.
Kwon O-jin turned with a soft chuckle.
“It’s fine. I won’t be the one getting hurt.”
“What?”
“Woo-hyuk, where exactly did that Toad Faction’s enforcer ambush you?”
“Near the harbor, but….”
In the direction Lee Woo-hyuk pointed stood a colossal crane built for loading containers onto vessels.
“Then please evacuate Hyun-bin to a safe location until I contact you.”
“I’ll send a support request to our Guild as well.”
“I’ll contact my security team too.”
“No.”
Kwon O-jin shook his head at their offers of support.
More numbers would only hinder the operation.
And more than that.
“I won’t need reinforcements anyway.”
Kwon O-jin smirked and kicked off the ground.
—Crackle!
A platform of blue lightning materialized beneath his feet.
He hadn’t yet mastered creating platforms sturdy enough to channel his full power, but.
“Huh!”
This much was more than sufficient to launch himself high into the air.
Crackle! Crackle!
He sprinted through the void, using the blue lightning platforms like stairs.
As the cargo crane—towering dozens of meters high—drew near.
—Twang!
A wire shot from his wrist, coiling tightly around the crane.
Kwon O-jin stood atop the crane, gazing down below.
At a glance, I could see the Black Star Society member of the Toad Faction scurrying like a rat through the maze of containers, with the Living Armor in pursuit.
‘The hunting dog of Lyra Constellation.’
Whooooosh!!
The stigma carved into my left chest blazed brilliantly, and a tidal wave of information flooded into my mind.
“Ugh!!”
A splitting headache.
I pressed my forehead with one hand and concentrated my focus.
‘Where are you hiding?’
The location where the Black Star Society’s executive officer leading the Toad Faction was concealed.
Among the surging information, I found the Toad King, who was lying flat to evade The Snake.
-Damn it! That monster appeared?
-Yes! It’s heading this way right now!
-Quick, start preparing to set sail!
Setting sail.
At the words reaching my ears, my gaze turned toward the harbor.
A massive cargo ship measuring hundreds of meters.
The voice I’d just heard was coming from that direction.
“Found you.”
I smiled brightly.
I concealed my presence using shadow veil, then kicked off a cargo crane and launched myself from dozens of meters high.
My body plummeted at high speed, like skydiving without a parachute.
Sharp wind grazing my cheeks.
I steadied my wildly fluttering clothes and used Cerebral Footprint.
-Crash!
Landing on the massive cargo ship, I calmly surveyed my surroundings.
“Set sail!! Prepare to set sail immediately!!”
“Move faster, you bastards!!”
The deck was as chaotic as a fish market.
The Toad Faction, composed of Southeast Asian races, had completely occupied the cargo ship and was bustling about frantically.
I used Transformation to change my face to that of the Black Star Society member who had been pursuing Lee Woo-hyuk earlier, then entered the ship’s interior.
Below deck was equally chaotic.
“Get out of the way! Move!!”
“Sir, what about the personnel below?”
“How can you worry about that now? Juan just ordered us to set sail immediately!!”
Juan.
So that was the Toad King’s name.
I followed the frantically moving Black Star Society member with an urgent expression.
Posters of a man with an impressive mustache were affixed at regular intervals along the corridor walls.
Likely photographs of the Toad King, Juan.
Seeing that poster, I let out a hollow laugh.
‘Did he learn this from our northern friends?’
I recalled the dictators now lost to history.
Well, it wasn’t just North Korea—most authoritarian regimes plastered their leaders’ posters everywhere, a common sight in dictatorships.
‘Fortunately for me.’
If Juan emphasized his power to such an extent that he had posters plastered throughout the ship, it wasn’t difficult to gauge just how much authority his words carried within the Toad Faction.
“Hurry! We’re running out of time!”
“He’ll arrive at the ship any moment now!!”
Black Star Society members shouting urgently.
Kwon O-jin walked past them and made his way deeper into the vessel’s interior.
He’d considered the possibility that someone might recognize his face, altered by ‘Transformation’, but the chaos of the situation meant no one gave him a second glance.
His destination: the bridge.
More precisely, the cargo hold directly beneath it.
“This distance should work.”
Once inside the cargo hold, Kwon O-jin climbed atop a container and positioned himself as close to the ceiling as possible.
He stretched his arm and pressed his palm flat against the rusted ceiling, then slowly drew upon the stigma’s mana.
-Crackle, crackle!
Minute electrical currents flowing from Kwon O-jin seeped into the ceiling.
An ability he’d gained after learning to manipulate fine-grained lightning.
-Whiiiiiine!!
The ability to send minute electrical currents through electronic devices to control them.
“What, what is this?”
“The broadcast system has gone dead!”
Urgent voices echoing from beyond the wall.
Kwon O-jin’s lips curved into a smirk as he opened his mouth.
-Attention all personnel aboard this vessel.
What emerged from Kwon O-jin’s lips was the voice of Juan, the Toad King.
“What? What, what is this?”
The real Juan’s voice came from directly above, from the bridge.
Kwon O-jin’s words continued.
-Cease all departure preparations immediately and prepare for combat with the monster.
Juan’s voice echoed throughout the entire cargo ship.
“What? What the hell are you talking about!!”
A panicked cry from Juan above.
Well.
If your own voice was being broadcast live across an entire cargo ship while you stood perfectly still, anyone would react the same way.
“Sir, sir Executive Director, what is this!!”
“Stop the broadcast!! Turn off the broadcast!!”
“No, we can’t! Even with the power button off, it keeps playing!”
Because electricity was flowing to substitute for the power source.
-I repeat. All personnel, cease departure preparations immediately and prepare for combat.
“Shut up! How the hell are we supposed to fight that monster!!”
-Crack!
The sound of something shattering mixed with an acrid stench that seeped into the cargo hold.
“Damn it!!”
Juan rushed up onto the deck.
“The broadcast is fake!! Set sail immediately!!”
“What?”
“That, what do you mean.”
The Black Star Society members, who had halted their departure preparations upon hearing the broadcast, stared at Juan with bewildered expressions.
The voice from the speaker was unmistakably Juan’s own, yet now he claimed it was a fake?
“Set sail right now, you hear meeeeee!!”
“Cough! Hack!”
Juan seized a nearby subordinate by the collar, lifting him off the ground as he shrieked desperately.
Yet no matter how much he screamed and shouted, his voice could not reach across the massive cargo ship that stretched hundreds of meters.
“What, what is this?”
“What are we supposed to do?”
With orders to halt departure preparations coming from one direction and orders to proceed from another, confusion was inevitable.
It was as if simultaneous commands for a charge and a retreat had been issued in the midst of battle.
As time dragged on in such disarray, with neither departure nor combat preparations complete, the situation descended into catastrophe.
-KUUUUUUNG!
“SHHHHRIEEEEEK!!!”
The monster.
Emerged onto the deck.
“Ahhhhhhh!!”
“It, it’s here! The thing’s here!!”
Screams that filled the entire cargo ship.
Kwon O-jin’s lips curled upward as he listened to the chorus of shrieks echoing like a symphony.
“Now then, kill each other.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————