Not A Regressor - Chapter 229

—————
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 229
Seven Star Council (5)
“Ha ha… so you two are in a relationship. My apologies for the intrusion.”
Namgoong Hui forced an awkward smile as he nervously scratched his neck.
The marks from his fingernails flushed red across his skin.
Namgoong Hui, who had been glaring at Kwon O-jin with blazing eyes, squeezed out his words.
“Then I hope you both enjoy the party at your leisure.”
Namgoong Hui spun around hastily and retreated as if fleeing.
Even as he returned to his seat, he kept glancing back at Ha-eun, who sat perched on Kwon O-jin’s thigh.
Grrr.
The sound of Namgoong Hui grinding his teeth reached us from across the room.
Kwon O-jin let out a soft chuckle and wrapped his arm around Ha-eun’s waist as she sat on his lap.
“Looks like he’s got a crush on you.”
“Hehe. Your older sister isn’t too shabby, is she?”
She tossed her ponytail with a boastful flourish.
“How delightful.”
“Indeed it is.”
Ha-eun giggled and tightened her grip around Kwon O-jin’s neck.
The party dress had considerable exposure, so the soft sensation of her skin was vividly transmitted to him.
“Do you like the dress?”
“…It’s showing too much.”
“Isn’t that why it’s better?”
“Only I should see it.”
Kwon O-jin removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
Ha-eun covered herself with his jacket and smiled bashfully.
She leaned her lips close to his ear and whispered softly.
“Right. I’ll only show it to my Ojini.”
“….”
I knew full well that this was the kind of cheesy dialogue that would make my toes curl, yet why did the corners of my mouth keep rising?
Ha-eun giggled and patted Kwon O-jin’s head, then frowned as she looked at the empty table.
“Did you really eat all of it?”
“Of course I saved some.”
Kwon O-jin presented the food he’d hidden with illusion magic to her.
Since he’d maintained the temperature through faint electromagnetic waves, it was still warm.
“When did you learn such a trick?”
Ha-eun exclaimed in amazement and descended from his lap to sit beside him.
“Cut it for me.”
“No, you should eat it yourself at this point.”
“What? Are you refusing your older sister?”
Ha-eun opened her mouth like a baby bird waiting to be fed.
Kwon O-jin chuckled softly as he cut a piece of steak and brought it to her lips.
“Hehe. Delicious.”
“Eat slowly.”
Ha-eun clung to his arm and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder like a cat seeking affection.
“….”
Han Manager, forced to witness such sickeningly sweet displays of affection right beside him, swallowed the tears that streamed down his face along with a deep sigh.
“How sorrowful… Yes, it’s a sin to reach this age without experiencing love even once, a true sin.”
Tonight felt particularly lonely.
* * *
The next day.
After breakfast, Kwon O-jin met with Han Manager to confirm today’s schedule.
“So I just need to head to the conference room on the 50th Floor by 12:30, correct?”
“Yes. That’s what we’ve been informed.”
Han Manager handed over the itinerary he’d received from the Council.
Since the contents were written in Chinese, I couldn’t make out what it said.
“Did you learn Chinese separately, Manager?”
“Yes. Sacred relics allow for interpretation, but not reading and writing. Besides Chinese, I can speak English, Japanese, and a bit of Russian as well.”
“Wow.”
Kwon O-jin looked at Han Manager with a surprised expression.
His shirt buttons strained against bulging muscles, his skin bronzed and healthy, his face resembling a gorilla.
His appearance was so far removed from anything intellectual that it seemed to exist in a different dimension entirely, yet he was fluent in five or more languages.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“Ahem, I’m quite the elite, you know! An elite!”
“Haha. I know.”
He’d secured his position as manager in his mid-thirties and enjoyed the full trust of Association President Han Tae-ho.
In truth, Han Manager was no ordinary elite—he was an elite among elites.
“Oh, and I’ve become a Seven Star this time.”
Han Manager thumped his left chest proudly as he announced this.
“Oh, congratulations, Manager.”
“…It feels strange to receive congratulations from you, Kwon O-jin.”
Han Manager sighed and recalled when they first met.
“You were a Two Star back then, and now you’re an Eight Star, yet I’ve only just become a Seven Star.”
“Well, that’s…”
“I understand. Your case defies all logic.”
It was a growth rate that seemed unbelievable even when witnessed firsthand.
Kwon O-jin nodded with a wry smile.
‘Now that I think about it, it really is absurd.’
I could understand why the other candidates looked at me with envious eyes.
“I suspect no one has grown as rapidly as you have, except perhaps the Green Star Awakener.”
Han Manager shook his head in disapproval and took back the schedule he’d given to Kwon O-jin.
Kwon O-jin turned his head to check the electronic clock hanging on the wall.
The time was 11:23.
There was still about an hour left until the assembly.
“Do you have any information about the other participants?”
“Well… I know of a few Awakeners who are being considered as strong candidates.”
Han Manager continued speaking while showing photos of the Awakeners participating as candidates on his smartphone.
“First, there’s Namgoong Hui, who represented yesterday. True to his title of Wind God, he’s famous for manipulating wind with complete freedom.”
“He’s in the same Leo constellation as Lee Woo-hyuk, but their combat styles are quite different.”
I could have sworn Lee Woo-hyuk used a sword.
“Well, the essence of the Leo constellation isn’t the weapon but the ability to manipulate ‘wind’ itself.”
Even if Awakeners shared the same stigma, how each one utilized it varied dramatically.
“The next strong candidate is… Jason Hardy, who entered from the United States and is called ‘Iron Fist’ in the Asian region. Unlike Namgoong Hui, he hasn’t reached 10-star, but he’s quite skilled even among 9-star Awakeners.”
“Is Namgoong Hui the only 10-star participant?”
“Yes.”
Han Manager nodded and continued speaking.
“There are so few Awakeners of 10-star or higher… and even those who exist mostly avoid applying to the Seven Stars.”
“That makes sense. At that level, becoming one of the Seven Stars doesn’t offer much to gain.”
Becoming one of the Seven Stars granted immense fame and power, but in exchange came restrictions on one’s actions.
For an Awakener who disdained being revered as humanity’s hope or a hero, it was only natural to avoid applying to the Seven Stars in the first place.
‘I myself initially tried to refuse.’
If it hadn’t been for finding a way to develop Heukcheon, I wouldn’t have even considered becoming one of the Seven Stars.
‘So there are Awakeners of Seven Star caliber who aren’t actually among the Seven Stars.’
Awakeners of that type avoided drawing attention, so information about them was scarce.
“Besides Jason Hardy, Orlando Veil, who entered from the United Kingdom, is also known as an exceptionally skilled Awakener among those with the Sagittarius constellation.”
“So the strong candidates are concentrated in the United States, China, and the United Kingdom.”
“Well… that’s unavoidable.”
Han Manager smiled bitterly and nodded.
China, the nation with the most Awakeners; the United States, which has the most high-ranking Awakeners when counting only those; and the United Kingdom, which possesses the most Seven Stars including Allen Oskal of the Pisces constellation, Rebecca Bell of the Green Star constellation, and Bianca Bennett of the Jade constellation.
Of course, using the word “possess” to describe a nation was a stretch, as patriotic Awakeners were few and far between.
Still, many Awakeners wanted to prevent their homeland from being devastated by monsters, so national power naturally increased accordingly.
‘In a world where monsters rampage, safety is national strength.’
Anyway.
“We’ll only know their true abilities once the tournament begins.”
“I believe you have more than enough potential to become one of the Seven Stars.”
Seeing the genuine conviction in Han Manager’s eyes, I let out a small laugh.
“I have to.”
Without becoming one of the Seven Stars, there was no way to set foot in the Milky Way Spring.
“It’s about time.”
“Ah, yes. Please be careful out there.”
After chatting with Han Manager about this and that, it was already approaching 12:30.
Kwon O-jin exchanged greetings with Han Manager and headed up to the 50th Floor.
‘Is it over there?’
I was about to enter the conference room after checking the directory on the wall.
“You cannot enter at this time.”
Some hulking figure approached and blocked the entrance to the conference room.
“…Cannot enter?”
“The tournament rules and schedule meeting already began at 12 o’clock. We cannot allow entry during the meeting.”
What nonsense was this?
“I was informed the meeting starts at 12:30.”
“It seems there was some miscommunication. The meeting start time is 12 o’clock.”
The square-jawed man with a sturdy build shook his head with an unyielding expression.
“….”
As I pondered what kind of ridiculous situation this was, the Shanghai Tower emblem embroidered on the security guards’ suit jackets caught my eye.
“Are you working under Wei?”
“Wei is the primary sponsor who made this Seven Star Council possible. Naturally, we are supporting the council under Wei’s direction to ensure it proceeds smoothly.”
Ah.
So that’s how it is.
‘They gave me the wrong schedule from the start, didn’t they?’
A hollow laugh escaped my lips.
Yesterday he was openly disrespectful in front of everyone, but I never expected him to pull such a petty trick.
‘This must be Namgoong Hui’s doing.’
That Namgoong Hui and Wei, the sponsor of the Seven Star Council, were connected had been something I suspected since yesterday when Wei was acting shameless with his fan.
“So you won’t let me in now? Even though a candidate has arrived?”
“My apologies. I will send you the tournament schedule that comes out of the meeting separately later.”
The square-jawed man shook his head with a stiff, wooden expression.
“Sigh.”
I exhaled deeply and ran my hand through my hair.
“Let me count….”
I folded my fingers one by one.
One, two, three.
“Yeah.”
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed to exceed three times.
“What are you….”
“Exceed.”
Crackle, crackle, crackle!!
Lightning surged across my entire body as I kicked the man blocking the door in the stomach.
“Kuh-huh-ack!”
The man’s body shot backward like a cannonball, smashing through the door and tumbling into the conference room.
“Wh-what?!”
“Kyaaaah!”
“What on earth—”
The conference room erupted into chaos.
Kwon O-jin stepped through the shattered doorway and walked into the room with unhurried strides.
A long table with twenty-eight seats.
He walked toward an empty chair and pulled it out.
“This is my seat, isn’t it?”
A chilling silence descended upon the tumultuous conference room.

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