Not A Regressor - Chapter 233

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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 233
A Hero for the Small (3)
“What…?”
Namgoong Hui stared down at Kwon O-jin, who had plunged into the Rapid Current, his expression betraying utter incomprehension.
As far as he knew, the stigma ability of Lyra Constellation dealt with ‘lightning’—nothing more.
There was no way such an ability existed that would allow one to move so freely underwater like that.
“What on earth…?”
Yet there I was, swimming through the water with the leisure of someone soaking in a warm bath, moving with impossible ease.
“What are you…?”
It was like watching a fish caught on a line suddenly stand upright on its fins and casually stroll across land as if nothing were amiss.
Namgoong Hui gazed down at me swimming through the Rapid Current, his eyes clouded with confusion.
Of course, even he, possessing the superhuman physique of a high-tier awakener, could swim through such a current, but moving with the ease I displayed was impossible.
“Krrrrgh!”
A horde of monsters cut through the water, encircling me in a ring.
I dove deeper into the river and spread both arms wide.
‘Explosive Lightning.’
Crackling with fury!
Blue lightning erupted outward in a violent cascade, sweeping through the approaching horde of monsters.
There was no need to aim or target the monsters rushing toward me with precision.
This was water—the very medium where the power of lightning reached its zenith.
‘I can simply unleash a barrage of attacks.’
Zap! Crackle!
I detonated lightning indiscriminately.
“Krrgh. Kekh.”
The monsters, swept up in the torrent of blue lightning, rolled their eyes back white and bobbed to the surface like driftwood.
-Ding!
[You have defeated a Green-grade monster.]
[You have defeated a Blue-grade monster.]
[You have defeated a Blue-grade monster.]
[You have defeated a Green-grade monster.]
Points cascaded upward in a rapid stream.
‘Sweet, so sweet!’
I gazed up at Namgoong Hui, who was staring intently down at me from above, my face bright with a radiant smile as I glanced at the silver bracelet adorning my wrist.
Since I was submerged deep in the Rapid Current, he likely couldn’t see me clearly from where he stood.
‘It would be shameless to only receive gifts without giving anything in return.’
I seized one of the monsters, its body covered in blade-sharp scales.
‘Charge.’
Crackle, zap!
I forced lightning directly into the monster’s body.
The monster’s form began to swell like a balloon as it absorbed the electrical energy coursing through it.
A monster bloated like a pufferfish, its belly distended to bursting.
‘Now!’
The instant before the monster’s body detonated.
I hurled the creature with every ounce of my strength.
Whoosh!
The monster’s body rocketed skyward at a terrifying velocity, as if launched from a cannon.
“Krrk?!”
Namgoong Hui, who had been watching me dive into the water on the wind current, hastily raised his fan.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
The lightning condensed within the monster’s body erupted, and razor-sharp scales scattered in all directions like shrapnel from a claymore mine.
“Wind, heed me!”
As Namgoong Hui unfurled his fan, a gust of wind surged forth, deflecting the scattering scales.
While Namgoong Hui was preoccupied with deflecting the scales.
Whoooosh!
I burst from the water like a dolphin, closing the distance to Namgoong Hui in an instant.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
A crisp straight punch drove directly into Namgoong Hui’s philtrum.
With a dull thud like a club striking leather, his airborne body was slammed into the rapid current.
“Cough! Cough! Gah!”
Even caught off-guard by the sudden rapids, he was an awakener who had reached the early stages of the 10-Star rank.
He swiftly conjured wind again, escaped the current’s grasp, and rose back into the air.
“What—what are you doing right now?!”
“You said it yourself—unavoidable accidents happen when you’re living, didn’t you?”
I dusted off my knuckles with a smirk.
“For instance, a fist I happened to swing could accidentally clip the jaw of some buzzing fly. That sort of thing.”
“You….”
Namgoong Hui’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared at me.
A chilling killing intent emanated as he began to unfurl his fan.
-Beep! Beep!
An urgent voice crackled from the square radio at Namgoong Hui’s waist.
-Namgoong Hui! We found it! It’s a Black-rank monster!
Namgoong Hui quickly switched off the radio before the voice could continue.
“Unfortunately, I must take my leave.”
Whoooosh!
A powerful gust of wind enveloped Namgoong Hui’s body.
Wrapped in the wind, his form soared high into the air.
“Using a tracking skill like before won’t help you now.”
True to Namgoong Hui’s words.
With wind wrapped around him like a barrier, his scent was completely sealed off and unable to escape.
If he were moving through the air, he would leave no traces like footprints, making pursuit impossible.
“Once I become one of the Seven Stars… I will come find you again.”
Namgoong Hui shot Kwon O-jin a sharp glare before turning away and disappearing into the distance.
“What the hell did that bastard spout to reach 10 stars?”
I watched Namgoong Hui fade away with a wry smile.
“Big brother!”
Io came running and threw herself into my arms.
“A-are you hurt anywhere, big brother?”
“As you can see.”
I shrugged and gently stroked the sniffling Io’s hair.
Io glared at the spot where Namgoong Hui had flown away, her expression indignant.
“How did someone like that even get selected as a Seven Stars candidate?!”
“Right? Tell me about it.”
I’d met all sorts of people in my life, but it had been a long time since I’d encountered someone as pathetically drawn-to-type as Namgoong Hui.
“Someone like that will absolutely never be selected for the Seven Stars! I guarantee it!”
Io pounded her chest and shouted with fury.
I burst out laughing at her adorable display and nodded.
“No, I’m not just saying this! Even if that person came in first place in the competition, I’ll make sure they’re disqualified!”
“Sure, sure.”
I patted the back of the raging Io and lifted her into my arms.
I’d already farmed points sweetly enough—now it was time to safely escort her to the Safety Zone.
“Hold on tight.”
“Oof!”
Twang!
I fired my wire shooter at a rock on the opposite bank of the river and jumped high.
“Kyaaaaa!”
Io clung tightly to my neck and screamed.
After crossing to the opposite bank, I set Io down.
“Wow! Wow! That was so fun, big brother!”
Io’s eyes sparkled as she bounced up and down.
“One more time! Please do it one more time!”
“It’s too dangerous. Not happening.”
I walked toward the Safety Zone, leaving behind Io, who was making a fuss and tugging at my collar.
* * *
“Is that the Safety Zone?”
Following Namgoong Hui’s scent, I arrived at a place covered by a green protective barrier.
I tapped the barrier, which emitted a soft green glow, with the back of my hand.
‘Solid.’
It was a protective barrier so powerful that even I would have difficulty breaking it easily.
A barrier this sturdy would never shatter from the strength of one or two monsters.
“Phew. We’ve finally arrived.”
Io kicked at a small stone with the tip of her shoe, seeming reluctant to part ways with me.
“Once the competition ends, I’ll come visit you.”
“Really?! You promise, mister?! You swore to it!”
Io’s eyes gleamed as she extended her pinky finger toward me.
“Yes, I promise.”
I linked my pinky finger with hers.
Io grinned widely and pulled a small rectangular device from her pocket.
“So your score is… drum roll please!”
Io hummed exaggerated sound effects and suddenly threw both arms up into the air.
“Tada! Perfect score! A perfect score!”
-Ding!
[You have safely guided ‘Civilian 2’ to the Safety Zone.]
[You have earned 1000 points.]
A thousand points in a single action.
Considering that even a Blue-rank monster, which had been difficult for me to capture, was worth only 30 points, this was an enormous score.
‘Perhaps focusing on civilian rescues to accumulate points isn’t such a bad strategy after all.’
Of course, there was no guarantee that other civilians would award me perfect scores like Io had.
Still, the prospect of earning massive points in a single action was undeniably appealing.
“Hehe. Well then, I’ll head inside now.”
“Once you’re inside, don’t come back out. Just stay put until this is over.”
I pulled out another calorie bar and handed it to Io.
Io accepted it and nodded vigorously.
“Got it! But you have to promise to play with me after the competition ends, okay?”
“I promise.”
Io bounded away and disappeared into the Safety Zone.
Inside the Safety Zone, there were nine civilians—apparently rescued by other candidates.
‘They all have green ribbons in their hair.’
Perhaps it was some kind of color coordination.
The hair of the civilians sitting quietly in the Safety Zone was adorned with the same green ribbons as Io’s.
I swept my gaze across the civilians sitting in the Safety Zone with bored expressions, then turned away.
‘I can’t afford to waste time like this.’
The fact that nine civilians were already in the Safety Zone meant that at least nine candidates had successfully rescued civilians.
While they likely hadn’t all received perfect scores like I had, if even two or more candidates had rescued multiple civilians, catching up on points would be difficult.
“Maybe I should hunt for a Black-rank monster instead.”
I narrowed my eyes while crossing my arms.
But without knowing the exact location of a Black-rank monster, the situation was problematic.
‘The direction Namgoong Hui flew off in… it was definitely that way.’
According to the map, that was where the Glacier Terrain was located.
“Let me head over there.”
Kwon O-jin activated the Canis Major Constellation and rushed toward the Glacier Terrain at full speed.
Whiiiiiing!
As he drew closer to the Glacier Terrain, a biting wind that cut through his skin assailed him.
‘They really outdid themselves creating something like this.’
In mere minutes of running, the surroundings had transformed into a snow-covered Snowy Field.
“Hmm?”
Something caught on the senses of my Canis Major Constellation stigma.
Kwon O-jin sniffed the air and walked across the frigid glacier.
“…Blood?”
Droplets of blood dripped across the transparent ice.
Kwon O-jin turned his head toward where the blood trail led.
At the end of the blood trail stood a colossal Ice Cave towering nearly fifty meters high.
‘They didn’t enter the Ice Cave.’
It was the opposite.
The source of the blood had ‘fled’ from within the Ice Cave.
Escaping from something inside.
“….”
Kwon O-jin followed the blood trail into the Ice Cave.
A cavern formed entirely of crystal-clear ice.
At the entrance of that cavern.
“…Namgoong Hui?”
Namgoong Hui lay crumpled, his body ravaged.
“What the hell is this bastard?”
I poked at the collapsed Namgoong Hui tentatively.
“M-monster… inside… m-monster….”
Namgoong Hui, trembling violently, rolled his eyes back and lost consciousness.
Crimson blood seeped from wounds as if carved by a sharp blade, pooling across the floor.
“….”
Kwon O-jin swallowed hard, his gaze piercing into the depths of the cavern.
Namgoong Hui’s presence here meant one thing.
‘Inside this place.’
A Black-rank monster dwelled.

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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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