Not A Regressor - Chapter 20

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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 20
Unleash the Hunting Dog (1)
“….”
A silence as profound as death itself.
The elderly man with a grotesquely contorted expression stared intently at Yujin.
“Hehehehe. Yujin—what in the world are you doing right now?”
A terrifying murderous intent bloomed from the old man’s eerie, gleaming eyes.
“I, it’s not that… it’s….”
Yujin trembled violently, desperately channeling his mana into the black goblet he’d shoved into the center of the formation.
Yet no matter how much mana he poured in.
“Why… why isn’t there any response….”
“…sigh.”
Cheon Do-yoon, the white-haired elder, stroked his beard and released a deep sigh.
“If another executive had witnessed this spectacle, how they would have mocked us owls….”
“N-no! That is….”
“Yujin.”
Snap.
A finger flicked lightly.
-Whistle!!
“Ugh!!”
In the blink of an eye, a black feather shot forth, grazing past Yujin’s neck.
Crimson blood trickled down along his collarbone.
Yujin pressed his bleeding neck with his hand, looking up at Cheon Do-yoon with eyes full of terror.
“E-executive….”
“Do not disappoint me any further.”
“…Ugh. Yes.”
He bit his lips and bowed his head.
“Ah, my enthusiasm has waned. Yujin, I shall take my leave now.”
Cheon Do-yoon clicked his tongue in disapproval and turned away.
“The rest of you officials, return as well.”
“Kuk… kuk kuk.”
“Hohoho!”
The mysterious figures in black robes surrounding the area burst into mocking laughter as they gazed at Yujin.
-Whoosh!
Soon after, all the figures in black robes vanished.
“…Ah, ugh.”
Left alone, Yujin clenched his fists with violent intensity.
“Uuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!”
A scream filled with rage echoed through the darkened mountain.
“Damn it!!! Damn it!! Daaaamn iiiiiit!!!!!”
Rat-a-tat-tat!! Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!!!
With each convulsive thrash of his body, black feathers materialized from thin air and swept the surroundings like machine gun fire.
“Gasp! Gasp!”
Yujin turned his head, his eyes bloodshot and crimson.
Step, step.
He moved his feet into the Observatory building.
“Y-Yujin, sir.”
In the basement, nearly fifty of his subordinates trembled with fear in their eyes.
“…That bastard.”
A figure naturally surfaced in Yujin’s mind.
A young man with slightly drooping eyes and a gentle expression.
“Where’s the one who went to kill that bastard?”
“That is…”
“Contact has… been lost.”
“….”
Lost contact meant the mission had failed.
“…Find him.”
“Sir?”
“Find that son of a bitch, you useless worms!!!!!”
Yujin’s savage roar echoed through the basement.
* * *
A week had passed since I ventured through the newly emerged Gate in Mokdong.
During that time, I had stayed quietly confined at home without entering any other Gates.
There were two reasons.
One was naturally to hide from the Black Star Society, who would be hunting me with eyes blazing,
and the other was━
“Huff.”
To acclimate myself to the explosive growth of my magical power and body upon reaching 3-Star.
“Hah!”
The rooftop of the Residential House where I rented a room.
Beads of sweat flew across the shabby space, thick with mold and grime.
-Whoosh! Whoosh!
Spear strikes executed at dazzling speed.
Thrusting, slashing, and sweeping motions flowed through the empty air as naturally as water.
“Hup!!”
I kicked off lightly and soared nearly fifteen meters into the air, then grabbed my ankles with both arms and executed an aerial backflip.
An acrobatic maneuver that an ordinary human wouldn’t dare attempt.
In fact, launching nearly fifteen meters from a standing jump was no easy feat even for most Awakened Users.
━Of course.
For me, having reached 3-Star and further elevated my physical capabilities, it was nothing more than a simple warm-up.
“Phew.”
Thud!
Landing with fluid grace, I gazed down at my sweat-drenched body.
“Certainly… the Sacred Relic of Lyra Constellation is absurdly overpowered.”
For over three hours since the early dawn, I’ve been pushing my body relentlessly without respite, yet I feel no fatigue—only a light sheen of perspiration.
Among Awakened Users, no other 3-Star with mere physical abilities could match me unless they possessed a body-specialized Sacred Relic like Taurus.
‘Unless they were a higher grade.’
Regardless of the Sacred Relic type, an Awakened User’s physical capabilities improve as their Star grade increases.
Of course, body-specialized Sacred Relics show far greater physical enhancement compared to other types.
‘Conversely, healing-specialized Sacred Relics like Aquarius show minimal physical enhancement.’
To be more specific, even within body-specialized types, power-focused ones like Taurus enhance strength, while speed-focused ones like Scorpius enhance agility.
‘What makes Lyra Constellation absurdly broken is that despite not being body-specialized, it grants physical capabilities at that level.’
The ability of Lyra Constellation’s Sacred Relic is Lightning.
If I had to classify it, it was a supernatural-specialized type rather than body-specialized, yet its physical prowess was so formidable it could slap Taurus around like a joke.
It’s like a mage character in a game wielding a staff strong enough to pummel a warrior character—that’s the level of physical strength I possessed.
“If there was a balance team, they’d have a field day with this.”
I chuckled softly and leaned my spear against the wall.
I’d trained my body sufficiently; now it was time to practice skills using the Sacred Relic.
“Skill window.”
Whoosh.
A blue window materialized before my eyes in response to my quiet command.
【Sacred Relic of Lyra Constellation】
◆Possessed Skills List
① 《Lightning Lv3》
② 《Azure Lightning Lv2》
③ 《Falling Lightning Lv1》
I currently possessed three skills.
‘I need to focus most intensely on Lightning.’
That was the conclusion I’d reached after training each skill individually over the past week.
‘Lightning is the core skill of Lyra Constellation’s Sacred Relic.’
Azure Lightning and Falling Lightning were merely derivatives of Lightning; the foundation of the Sacred Relic was ultimately the 《Lightning》 skill itself.
‘If I just raise the Lightning skill’s level, the others will naturally increase.’
I closed my eyes and concentrated mana into my left chest.
-Crackle! Crackle-crackle-crackle!!!!
Brilliant blue lightning erupted with intense sparks.
The amount of lightning had visibly increased compared to when I was 2-Star.
I shaped the lightning into a spherical form.
The basketball-sized sphere of lightning flickered savagely.
“The difference is definitely significant like this.”
Ascending to 3-Star increased my total mana reserves, but more importantly, it expanded the amount of mana I could expend in a single use.
‘My magical power has been overflowing since I was a 2-star, and it still is now.’
If I only considered the total amount of magical power, I was no worse off than 6-star or 7-star Awakened Users.
‘Actually.’
I might even have more.
“…There were times when I spent magical power recklessly and it didn’t decrease.”
Did it merely fail to decrease? It actually increased.
During my battle with the gelatinous giant, when I unleashed dozens, hundreds of《Spear Lightning》strikes in succession, the magical power from the stigma exploded exponentially—I recalled that memory vividly.
‘I have no idea why that phenomenon occurred.’
A few days ago, I set aside time to test whether the same phenomenon would happen again, but then my magical power decreased normally, just as it always did.
That anomaly where my magical power actually increased the more I used it—it happened only that one time.
‘…I’ll think about that later.’
Even if I pondered it now, I couldn’t discover the cause, nor could I recreate the same phenomenon.
“For now.”
I concentrated the crackling lightning enveloping my entire body into my fists and feet, executing a crude hand-to-hand combat technique.
-Whoosh! Whoosh!
“Hgh!”
Since I hadn’t formally learned hand-to-hand combat or possessed a skill for it, my movements were clumsy at best.
‘Still, it’s better than not practicing.’
Right now, I was merely flailing my limbs through the air, but surely this would improve with repetition.
-Crack!! Crackle!!
The true essence of training wasn’t the hand-to-hand technique itself, but freely concentrating the lightning anywhere on my body.
Compared to my clumsy technique, my proficiency with the lightning was improving noticeably faster with each passing day.
“Hah!”
Finally, I picked up the spear I’d leaned against the wall and channeled lightning through it.
The spearhead, wreathed in blue lightning, sliced sharply through the air.
“…Hmm.”
After continuing my training for another thirty minutes or so.
Tap.
I lowered the spear to the ground, my brow furrowing in displeasure.
‘Something doesn’t sit right with me.’
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue while staring down at the spear in my grip.
“…This is a good weapon, I suppose.”
The spear Lee Shin-hyuk had used was light and sharp, but since the shaft was made of wood, it hindered me when channeling lightning through it.
‘And relying solely on the spear feels incomplete.’
To properly utilize my lightning skill, I kept feeling that a single spear wasn’t enough.
In my last battle, after embedding the spear in my back, I had no other weapon and ended up fighting the giant bare-handed.
‘It’s not like I’m going to become a master of spear techniques like some martial arts protagonist.’
The reason I could handle the spear reasonably well was because I inherited Lee Shin-hyuk’s skill.
‘I need to acquire new equipment soon.’
I don’t need new equipment right now.
Raising my skill proficiency was far more urgent than acquiring better gear.
“I should head back.”
I pulled my sweat-soaked shirt away from my skin and descended the stairs.
“Hm?”
Partway down, I spotted Song Ha-eun.
Leaning on crutches, she stood by an open window, smoking a cigarette.
“Again?”
“How many do you smoke a day, you bastard?”
“I told you to smoke inside the house. Don’t come all the way out here.”
“The smell bothers you.”
“Then don’t smoke at all.”
“That’s not an option either.”
“You’re a hopeless chain-smoker.”
I shook my head and passed her, continuing down the stairs.
The distance from here to home was barely twenty steps anyway—she could manage on her own.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.”
“Wait until your sister finishes smoking, damn it.”
“That’s a terrible thing to say to a non-smoker.”
“If it bothers you, smoke too. You’re an Awakened User now—your body will naturally purge the toxins.”
“That’s a waste of money.”
“Damn it.”
I should keep my mouth shut.
Song Ha-eun muttered something under her breath and shook her head.
“Finish up quickly.”
I stopped beside the stairs and waited for her to finish her cigarette.
A soft hiss.
Fumbling for the ashtray, Song Ha-eun stubbed out her cigarette.
“Done with your training?”
“Yeah.”
“Ugh, you reek of sweat. Go wash up, you punk.”
“But you’re the one who grabbed me.”
“Oh, right. Hehe! Sorry~”
This woman.
“Come on.”
Song Ha-eun fumbled to wrap her arm around mine, then rested her chin on my shoulder.
“Now help your sister down.”
“But you said I stink.”
“Yeah. Terribly. My nose is dying, you little brat.”
But why are you clinging to me like that?
“…Sigh.”
I exhaled a short breath and helped her into the house.
After laying Song Ha-eun on the bed, I stepped into the cramped bathroom and filled a basin with water.
-Splash!
Ice-cold water cooled my overheated body.
“Ahh, that’s good.”
I let out a groan like that of a middle-aged man after a grueling day, scrubbing every inch of my body with cheap soap.
-Click.
After washing up refreshingly, I saw Song Ha-eun sitting perched on the bed.
“You done washing?”
“Yep.”
“Come here. Let me check if you washed properly.”
“What? I’m not a kid.”
“Get over here, you brat.”
Song Ha-eun patted the spot beside her as she spoke.
I chuckled and sat down next to her.
-Sniff sniff.
Song Ha-eun leaned in close, her nose flaring as she caught my scent.
Soon, satisfied, she broke into a grin.
“Hehe! You cleaned up real good!”
“You were acting like a total pervert just now, sis.”
“So what?”
Poke poke.
Song Ha-eun jabbed my ribs with her fingertips, pouting her lips.
“Now, turn your back this way.”
“Why my back?”
“Just do what I say, you punk.”
I tilted my head in confusion before turning around.
-Knead.
Soft hands touched my shoulders.
Fingers applied just the right amount of pressure, gently stimulating the muscles of my back.
“What? Are you giving me a massage?”
Laughter spilled from my lips without thinking.
“What, why? You don’t like it?”
“Haha! No, I like it.”
“Shut up, you bastard.”
Despite her rough tone, Song Ha-eun’s hands moved in slow circles across my back, and her touch felt absolutely wonderful.
“I’m dying, sis~!”
This feels too good.
“Feels good, doesn’t it, you brat?”
Crack.
A searing pain shot through my shoulder as if it were caught in a compression press.
“Sister, I’m dying!!!”
I’m seriously dying!!!!
“Hihihi!! You’re such a drama queen!”
Ha-eun burst into giggles at whatever she found so amusing.
“No, this isn’t drama at all!”
Though I was currently only half-strength without access to my stigma, as an Awakened who had once reached Seven-Star rank,
the power contained in her grip
was far from something to laugh off.
“Hehe, alright, alright, you brat. I’ll go easy on you.”
Ha-eun chuckled softly and began massaging my back again, this time with just the right amount of pressure to feel pleasant.
“All done.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard, you stubborn thing. Running around since dawn for hours on end?”
“I’m not really pushing myself.”
The Lyra Constellation stigma was so ridiculously overpowered that even hours of continuous training left me feeling fresh.
“There you go again, talking back to your sister.”
Ha-eun pinched my side lightly before carefully resting her forehead against my back.
“….”
An awkward silence descended suddenly.
“…Hey.”
Carefully.
A voice spreading through the broken silence.
“Hmm?”
“Since becoming an Awakened… have you made a lot of money?”
“I’ve made a fortune.”
Literally raking in money at this point.
‘I’ve been lucky.’
Being Vega’s one and only apostle, Lee Shin-hyuk’s memories, and the convenient appearance of the Black Star Society as a target.
I was earning money at a pace that made no sense compared to other Awakened.
“…Really?”
As if grinding through rough sand,
her voice came out parched.
“Then we won’t have many days left together like this.”
Like a power switch being flipped off.
A cold, rigid atmosphere spread through the cramped apartment.
“Yeah.”
I nodded quietly.
“Not much left.”
At this rate, I’d reach my target of ten billion won before long.
‘When that happens.’
Everything will come to an end.
Even this everyday life that seemed like it would stretch on forever.
“Hehe! Why’d you suddenly get all serious, you brat?”
Song Ha-eun burst into giggles and smacked my back.
Thwack! Thwack!
That hurt like hell.
-Bzzzzzzzz!!
Just then, my smartphone on the shelf vibrated.
“What’s that? A call?”
“Yeah. Hold on a sec.”
The screen displayed the name ‘Team Lead Han Jun-man’.
Click.
I opened the front door and stepped outside to answer.
-Ah, is this a good time to talk?
“Yes. Actually, I was planning to contact you anyway.”
I’d intended to call to gather information about the Black Star Society and dispose of the sacred relics I’d extracted from them, and the timing worked out perfectly.
-Good timing then. I also had something to tell you, Ohjin.
“What is it?”
-An urgent request has come in.
An external request.
The timing isn’t ideal since I haven’t prepared countermeasures against the Black Star Society yet.
It would be wise to lie low until Vega can manifest again at least.
“I apologize, but I’m not in a position to accept requests right now…”
-The compensation is two billion won.
“Woof!! Woof woof!! Grrrr! Arf!!!”
-Pardon?
“I’ll head to the Association right now. We can discuss the details there.”
My first outing in a week.

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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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