Not A Regressor - Chapter 236

—————
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 236
A Hero for the Small (6)
“Uncle…”
Io’s voice trembled as tears glistened in her eyes.
Kwon O-jin turned with a faint smile.
“Stay inside. Don’t come out.”
The protective barrier had weakened considerably from the monsters’ relentless assault, yet it still held firm.
‘It should withstand another attack or two.’
That would be enough.
“Screeeee! Screeeee!”
The creature—an owl’s head grafted onto a bear’s body—shrieked with a piercing cry, snapping its beak in fury.
The monsters that had survived the Lightning Rapid Current staggered to their feet, their movements unsteady.
‘About half of them made it through.’
Kwon O-jin gripped his spear, his gaze sweeping across the creatures with cold precision.
Every monster gathered here possessed such formidable power that one could believe they had burst forth from the Demon Realm itself.
Even with the element of surprise secured, I could not afford to lower my guard.
“Haaah.”
I drew my breath low and long.
The stigma’s mana, coiled within my heart, spread throughout my entire body.
I circulated the stigma’s mana through the mana circuits that crisscrossed my form like veins.
A tingling sensation as if every cell were awakening to life.
I compressed the mana circuits, detonating the concentrated mana like an explosion.
“Exceed.”
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
Azure lightning erupted, engulfing my body in brilliant arcs.
Spear in hand, I drove forward toward the monsters with brutal force.
“One at a time.”
Crack!
The spear, driven through the creature’s jaw, shattered its skull and pierced through the crown of its head.
With a fluid, dance-like motion, I wrenched the spear free and swept it in a vicious arc against another monster lunging from behind.
‘The Compass stigma.’
Even surrounded by monsters, my mind instinctively mapped where to plant my feet and how to swing my spear.
“Grrrraaagh!”
The creatures’ shrieks pierced my ears.
The sickening stench of blood and the clammy grip of sweat.
I swing the spear.
I swing the spear.
I swing the spear.
I no longer knew how many I had slain, nor which creature I was facing now.
The sensation of flesh pierced by the spear shaft, transmitted through my hands.
Clumps of viscera spilled forth, releasing a nauseating stench of blood.
“Haah, haah!”
The wounds multiplied across my body.
Flesh was shredded by the claws and fangs of the monsters surrounding me.
I had no time to conjure water from Seahorse’s stigma ability to heal myself.
I thrust my spear mechanically at the monsters charging from all directions.
“Ah, mister! More monsters keep gathering!”
Io cried out urgently, pointing toward one side.
“That monster! That one looks suspicious!”
I turned my head toward where her finger directed.
“Hoot! Hoot! Hoot!”
There, perched high in a tree without participating in the battle, was an owl-headed monster emitting an unpleasant shriek.
‘It gave orders to the other monsters earlier too.’
My eyes narrowed.
Though the necklace had vanished, it wasn’t difficult to discern what rank this owl-headed monster possessed.
‘Red rank.’
While searching for a Safety Zone with Io, I’d encountered Green and Blue rank monsters frequently, but never once had I seen a Red rank monster.
Which meant Red rank monsters were scarce within this Dungeon.
And just as the Black rank monster had demonstrated, scarcity within this Dungeon signified strength.
‘If the black one is the king… then this one must be a general of sorts.’
I examined the owl-headed monster from top to bottom.
Despite its bird-like head, below the neck rippled muscles as dense and solid as a steroid-abusing Hulk.
‘Owlbear.’
I had a faint recollection of it.
Owlbear was said to possess intelligence that ranked among the finest of non-Named monsters, and it was a formidable creature capable of wielding magical power freely.
‘Regardless, it’s still just a monster.’
I bared my teeth savagely and gripped my spear tightly.
“Grrrrgh!”
“Kwaang!”
Hearing the Owlbear’s roar, Green and Blue rank monsters gathered and charged from all sides.
“Hngh!”
I gripped the spear inverted and raised it high.
“Explosive Thunder!”
I brought the raised spear down violently, unleashing Explosive Thunder.
The earth’s surface flipped upward, and dust erupted explosively skyward.
The monsters hesitated momentarily and retreated as the dust obscured their vision.
“Hoot! Hooooot!”
The Owlbear, observing the battle from its perch, shrieked as if driving the monsters forward.
The retreating monsters threw themselves into the dust cloud.
“Krrgh?!”
I hadn’t anticipated the monsters would charge at me with such ferocious speed.
I gripped the spear I’d wrenched from the ground and steadied my stance, but a bewildered groan escaped my lips.
“Grrrrrowwwl!”
A leopard-like monster leaped high and tore into my neck.
Splurch!
Dark crimson blood erupted.
“Gack!”
I clutched my throat and collapsed.
The monsters swarmed over me, piling atop my body like a small hill.
“No, no, mister noooo!”
Io’s anguished scream pierced the air.
“Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!”
The Owlbear beat its chest triumphantly, looking down at me as I collapsed, blood pouring from my wounds.
Just as it was clicking its short beak in celebration of victory.
“So you really are a bird-brained idiot.”
Even as I lay there spraying blood from my neck, I twisted my lips into a sinister grin.
My body dissolved into the air like a mirage.
“Hoo?”
The Owlbear turned its head in confusion.
Whirrrrr!
With a sharp mechanical sound, I burst upward from atop the trees.
Positioned behind the Owlbear’s back, I assumed a throwing stance.
“Nnnngh.”
I poured all my magical power into the spear.
The image I conjured was lightning.
I envisioned a brilliant blue bolt descending through thick black storm clouds.
-Rummmble.
Perhaps because I’d imagined the storm clouds.
Heukcheon responded unexpectedly, and magical power gathered at the spear’s tip, following my will.
‘What is this?’
I hadn’t anticipated Heukcheon would respond so suddenly.
But there was no time to dwell on such trivial matters now.
I refocused my mind and solidified the image in my thoughts.
Black storm clouds blanketing the sky.
A single brilliant blue bolt descending through their midst.
As if the heavens themselves punished a sinful mortal, the blue lightning would incinerate the world.
And so, the name most befitting this technique was.
“Divine Retribution.”
Cracklecracklecrackle!
The spear left my hand and became a brilliant blue bolt of lightning, piercing straight through the Owlbear’s body.
-Ding!
[Successfully combined Heukcheon’s power with Lyra Constellation’s stigma!]
[《Lightning Lv10》skill proficiency has increased significantly!]
[Acquired composite skill, 《Divine Retribution Lv Max》!]
A composite skill.
My elation at this unexpected windfall was short-lived.
“ROOOAAARRR!”
The Owlbear, impaled on my spear, unleashed a savage roar and lunged toward me.
I clicked my tongue and increased the distance between us.
‘It won’t die from a single strike.’
Had I aimed for the head, I could have killed it instantly, but since this was my first time using the technique, playing it safe by targeting the torso proved to be a mistake.
‘Still, with its belly pierced like that, it won’t last much longer.’
I steadied my stance calmly and prepared to continue the battle.
But it didn’t take long to realize there was no need for that at all.
“Roar… roar… ugh.”
The Owlbear’s movements, impaled on the spear, began to noticeably slow.
Kurrrrrr!
Along with the familiar sound, mana flowed into my body.
A sensation that had become more than familiar to me—now it felt intimate.
The sensation I felt when absorbing mana through Heukcheon.
‘Why is this…?’
I narrowed my eyes, observing the Owlbear.
At the point where it was impaled, I could see black storm clouds writhing.
“Ha.”
A dry laugh escaped me as I recalled the message that had appeared moments ago.
‘It definitely said the skill combined Heukcheon’s power with Lyra Constellation’s power.’
If the blue lightning is Lyra Constellation’s power, then this is Heukcheon’s power.
In other words, even if the target pierced by ‘Divine Retribution’ survived the initial attack, it would continuously have its mana drained by Heukcheon’s storm clouds.
“Roar… roaarrr…”
The Owlbear, its mana being siphoned by Heukcheon’s storm clouds, swayed unsteadily before tumbling from the tree.
‘This is way too good.’
Feeling the Owlbear’s mana flowing into me, I broke into a broad smile.
But I could only savor this for so long.
There was still work to be done.
“Grrrrrrr!”
The monsters, which had been happily mauling the illusions, finally realized they’d been deceived and snarled ferociously up at me standing on the tree.
“Let’s wrap this up.”
I kicked off from the tree and charged into the horde of monsters.
Without the Owlbear as their anchor point, the monsters thrashed about in chaotic disarray.
With hunter and prey reversed, I cut through their ranks, slaughtering them methodically.
“Kheugh, krrrgh.”
Thud.
The leopard-like monster that had remained until the end, snarling ferociously, collapsed to the ground.
Kwon O-jin leaned against the barrier, breathing heavily.
“Ah, mister…!”
Io rushed past the barrier and wrapped her arms around Kwon O-jin’s waist.
Sticky blood stained her clothes, but she didn’t care.
“Hic… hwaaaaang!”
Io clung to Kwon O-jin’s waist, tears streaming down her face.
Kwon O-jin raised his hand to stroke her head, but seeing his blood-soaked palm, he lowered it again.
“Sniff… hic! Hehe. I believed you would come.”
“For someone who believed that, you looked quite startled.”
Kwon O-jin chuckled softly and turned to look at the ordinary people inside the barrier.
They stared at him with terrified expressions, their eyes fixed on his blood-covered form.
“First, let’s get out of here.”
Moving with roughly ten people wouldn’t be easy, but I couldn’t stay here any longer.
The people huddled inside the barrier exchanged glances before hesitantly stepping outside.
“Mister, it looks like another candidate has come to help!”
“Hm?”
“Look over there!”
Io raised her hand with a bright smile.
In the direction she was pointing.
A dark silhouette could be seen approaching through the narrow gorge.
“…”
Upon spotting the approaching figure, Kwon O-jin’s expression hardened instantly.
“Ask them to come out with us!”
“Io, get back inside.”
“What?”
“Now.”
I pushed the bewildered Io back inside the barrier.
“Sigh.”
A deep sigh escaped from Kwon O-jin’s lips.
With my jaw clenched, I tightened my grip on the spear in my hand.
The dark silhouette approaching from the distance became increasingly clear.
Blue armor covering the entire body and a rusted sword hanging at the waist.
Between the helmet’s visor, ominous crimson eyes burned with an eerie glow.
“…This is really happening.”
The Blue Knight was walking toward me.

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