Not A Regressor - Chapter 27

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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 27
A Night Without a Perpetrator (4)
Gulp, gulp.
The cool, minty liquid slid down my throat and spread throughout my body.
A refreshing sensation filled my mouth, as if I’d just brushed my teeth.
After waiting a moment, the sharp pain that had been wracking my entire body began to diminish rapidly.
“Ugh.”
“Are you coming to, O-jin?!”
When I opened my eyes, what I saw was—
‘…A gorilla?’
A gorilla—no, Team Leader Han’s face.
“Team Leader Jun-man…?”
“Phew. Thank goodness you’re awake.”
“Where am I?”
“This is where you fought the perpetrator. I’ve called the emergency team, so they should be able to transport you to the hospital soon.”
“…No.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m fine.”
I pushed myself up unsteadily.
The wounds not completely healed by the potion throbbed painfully, but I couldn’t afford to lie here comfortably.
‘There’s still work to be done.’
The most important conclusion, at that.
“P-please rest a bit longer!”
“I’m really fine, Team Leader.”
“Hmm.”
Team Leader Han Jun-man let out a troubled sigh.
I passed him and headed toward where Yujin’s body lay.
“….”
There stood Lee Woo-hyuk, gazing down at Yujin with a cold, rigid expression.
As I stepped forward, Lee Woo-hyuk’s gaze shifted toward me.
“You’re O-jin, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Did this bastard say anything before he died… by any chance?”
Lee Woo-hyuk bit his lip with an anxious expression.
His clenched fists trembled visibly.
‘Of course.’
It was only natural he’d react that way—no matter how thoroughly he’d searched the Observatory’s surroundings, he couldn’t have found Lee Shin-hyuk.
His last remaining hope was my testimony about the one who’d ended Yujin’s life.
“No, he didn’t say anything.”
“…I see.”
Lee Woo-hyuk’s expression darkened with despair.
With this, every method of finding Lee Shin-hyuk’s whereabouts had vanished.
“But.”
Kwon O-jin headed toward a spot slightly removed from where the battle had taken place.
There lay the “final reversal” he’d prepared in advance, before fighting Yujin.
The climax of the play.
A twist that would resolve every mystery and loose thread at once.
“The perpetrator who fled was heading in that direction.”
He pointed to a small cave hidden among the undergrowth.
“Th-thank you!”
A rope of hope descended before Lee Woo-hyuk.
He spun around urgently and rushed into the cave.
What lay inside the cave was━
“━Ah.”
A corpse mangled beyond recognition.
The stench of decay assaulted the nostrils—decomposition had already begun.
“No, this can’t be.”
Lee Woo-hyuk collapsed to his knees on the spot.
“No, no, noooooooo!!!!”
He seized the mangled corpse and let out a wail of anguish.
“Brother, brother, broooother…!”
From the beginning.
Lee Shin-hyuk hadn’t been kidnapped—he’d been murdered by them.
Used as nothing more than bait to draw me in.
Pitiful.
Wretched.
Rotting away here in this place.
“Ah, ahhh. Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!”
The black lion’s howl echoed through the small cave.
‘…Damn it.’
Watching Lee Woo-hyuk’s anguished form, Kwon O-jin furrowed his brow.
It was certainly what I’d anticipated.
What I’d intended and orchestrated.
But.
‘Why does this feel so unsettling?’
A maddening sense of guilt.
Watching Lee Woo-hyuk’s cries, I felt a sharp pain, as though a blade were gouging at my chest.
‘If I think about it rationally, I’m the victim here.’
I had no connection to Lee Shin-hyuk’s death.
I’d regressed on my own terms, and dug into this on my own terms.
Before my regression, Lee Shin-hyuk had even pushed me toward the Anthon swarm and tried to escape alone.
‘Not that I’m planning to make pathetic excuses.’
Regardless of whether I was responsible for Lee Shin-hyuk’s death, I had exploited it to my advantage—that much was undeniable.
From a moral standpoint, I deserved condemnation.
But.
So what?
‘It’s absurd for a con artist like me to even concern myself with morality.’
If it’s necessary, I use them.
Whether it’s the Constellation of Polaris or a sibling who lost their brother.
As long as I achieve my goal, I’ll place them on the tip of my tongue and extract every last drop of sweetness.
That’s how I’ve lived.
That’s how I’ve survived.
“…O-jin.”
Team Leader Han, who had been watching the sobbing Lee Woo-hyuk beside him, placed a hand on Kwon O-jin’s shoulder.
He shook his head and opened his mouth.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
There was nothing more I could do by staying here anyway.
“The emergency team should arrive soon.”
“No. I’ll walk down on my own.”
I shook my head and began descending the mountain.
My not-yet-fully-healed wounds throbbed, but for some reason, I felt like walking.
“But—”
“Haha. I’m fine.”
Leaving Team Leader Han Jun-man’s protests behind, I followed the mountain path downward.
I lifted my gaze toward the sky.
“Sigh.”
The dim dawn sky.
A night without a perpetrator was drawing to a close.
* * *
One week later.
“The Valhalla Guild called for me?”
[Yes, that’s correct.]
When Team Leader Han Jun-man’s call came through late in the morning, I brushed back my sweat-dampened hair.
‘Is it about the reward?’
If so, there’d be no reason to summon me to the guild itself.
I tilted my head in thought for a moment.
“Understood. I’ll go check it out.”
[I’ll send you the Valhalla Guild’s location via KakaoTalk.]
“Got it.”
After waiting a moment, a message arrived with the location of the Valhalla Guild pinned to it.
‘I should wash up first.’
My entire body was drenched in sweat from the training I’d been conducting since dawn.
—Click.
I descended from the rooftop and opened the front door.
“Hm?”
Song Ha-eun, earbuds in, was listening to something with an intensely serious expression.
The smartphone screen was dark, so I couldn’t tell what she was listening to.
“What are you listening to?”
“Kyaaaaaah!! Damn it!”
What was she so startled about?
“Y-you scared me, you bastard!!”
“Why were you listening with such a serious expression?”
“Uh? W-well…”
Song Ha-eun stammered with a flustered look.
“A… a song. I was listening to a song.”
“A song?”
What kind of song would she listen to with such a serious face?
“That’s such a lame excuse!”
“Yeah… fine.”
It was obvious she was lying, but I didn’t press the matter further.
‘My sister’s still in her prime, after all.’
Just because someone can’t see doesn’t mean their desires disappear.
I’d heard there were plenty of things to enjoy through sound these days.
“…I feel like I’m thinking something pretty X-rated right now.”
“I’m not.”
“Anyway, you’re done training already? You’ve been holed up on the rooftop until evening lately.”
“Something came up that I need to take care of.”
“Where?”
“The Valhalla Guild.”
Ha-eun’s mouth fell open.
“Huh? The Valhalla Guild? Isn’t that the super famous one these days?”
“You knew about it?”
“I hear the news like everyone else.”
Song Ha-eun waved the smartphone in her hand.
“You probably hear things other than the news too.”
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“Haha! Sorry. Let me get ready to head out then.”
I stopped teasing her and headed into the bathroom.
—Click.
“….”
Silence descended upon the room.
A melancholy emotion swirled in Ha-eun’s faded eyes.
Click.
As I pressed the button, the smartphone screen illuminated.
[Yongsan Auction House December Scheduled Sacred Relics.]
[Dragon Demon Eye Purchase.]
I closed the videos I’d searched for with awkward typing.
Hugging my knees, I buried my head.
“…Sigh.”
A deep sigh echoed through the silent room.
* * *
After showering, I headed toward the Valhalla Guild.
The Valhalla Guild was located near Seoul Station.
“You’re Kwon O-jin, correct?”
Standing before the building was a neat-looking woman wearing glasses.
A beautiful woman whose crisp black suit and shoes complemented each other perfectly.
‘Kim Sun-young, if I recall correctly.’
I didn’t know exactly when, but she was the woman the future Lee Woo-hyuk would give his heart to.
“Yes.”
“Please follow me.”
Following Kim Sun-young’s guidance, I entered the Valhalla Guild building.
True to its nature as an elite guild of select members, the building wasn’t large, but an air of sophistication emanated from the entrance.
-Knock knock.
“Come in.”
A cold voice came from beyond the door.
Creak.
A room filled with documents.
The sparse furnishings filling the space seemed incongruous with what one would expect from the master of a guild whose stock was rising rapidly.
“It’s good to see you, O-jin.”
“Yes.”
“I apologize for not greeting you properly before.”
“Well… it wasn’t really a situation for that.”
“….”
Lee Woo-hyuk clenched his fists with his lips pressed firmly shut.
A chilling murderous intent filled the room.
“Guild Master.”
Kim Sun-young called out to him urgently.
Lee Woo-hyuk’s body trembled slightly.
“…I apologize.”
“No, I understand perfectly.”
A week wasn’t enough time to sort through all these emotions.
*Sigh.*
Lee Woo-hyuk took a deep breath and lowered his head.
“The reason I called you here, Kwon O-jin, is… first, to express my gratitude.”
“Gratitude?”
“Yes. If it weren’t for you, I might have let my brother’s killer escape.”
As expected.
He called me here about compensation.
“I heard you were badly injured at the time… are you feeling alright?”
“I’m fine.”
The injuries had been nothing more than a performance to emphasize my suffering—there were no lasting aftereffects.
“That’s a relief. Then….”
Lee Woo-hyuk turned his gaze toward Kim Sun-young.
She pulled forward a large trunk.
“What is this?”
“It’s the three billion won the kidnappers demanded.”
“…!”
My eyes widened.
‘Surely not.’
Surely not, surely not, surely not.
Surely not, surely not, surely not, surely not, surely not, surely not!!!
“As compensation for capturing Yujin, I’m giving this to you, Kwon O-jin.”
“….”
*Trembling.*
I desperately suppressed my body from convulsing.
‘Insane.’
Three billion won.
A dizzying thrill coursed down my spine.
‘But this doesn’t make sense.’
No matter how much I helped by capturing an escaped kidnapper, three billion won as compensation seemed absurd.
I narrowed my eyes.
“That seems excessive as compensation.”
“I won’t deny it.”
“…There’s another reason, isn’t there?”
Lee Shin-hyuk nodded, his eyes gleaming coldly.
“I heard that Kwon O-jin is an apostle of Polaris… is that true?”
Did Team Leader Han mention it?
Well.
Since he said the Association had close ties, it was entirely possible he’d heard about it.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“And I heard that you were attacked by the Black Star Society not long ago.”
“Ah.”
So that’s how it was.
‘Right, I was wondering why he suddenly offered three billion won.’
The corners of O-jin’s mouth curved upward in a smile.
“So you were asking me about the Black Star Society for that reason.”
It seemed the starving hunting dog wasn’t satisfied with merely Yujin’s death.
“If I only wanted information, I wouldn’t have gone this far.”
“Then?”
“Going forward, the Valhalla Guild plans to find this organization called the Black Star Society and eradicate it from its roots. I was hoping that O-jin, an apostle of Polaris, would help us with this.”
“I’m in.”
I nodded without a moment’s hesitation.
‘This is jackpot.’
I’d been planning to deal with the Black Star Society eventually anyway, and if I could gain a reliable ally like Lee Woo-hyuk, there was no reason to refuse.
‘And I’m getting three billion won on top of it.’
No matter how I thought about it, I could only conclude that this was a windfall.
“So… do you happen to have any information about the Black Star Society?”
“I do.”
I smiled and rummaged through my pocket.
I pulled out a piece of paper.
‘I never thought I’d use it like this.’
But since he was offering to take the lead, there was no reason to hold back.
“I learned about it through my own personal investigation.”
I slid the paper across to him.
A chilling, icy killing intent radiated from Lee Woo-hyuk as he took the paper.
“It’s the contact information of one of the Black Star Society’s executives.”
Go, Lee Woo-hyuk.
“The name is… yes.”
Go and tear him apart.
Bite him to death.
“Ashad Khan.”
My faithful hunting dog.

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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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