Not A Regressor - Chapter 29

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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 29
Under World (2)
[How have you been all this time?]
Vega, who had shifted from my palm to my shoulder, asked.
“Oh, you know. This and that.”
I recounted the events of the past three weeks to her, embellishing them appropriately.
[Hmm. The Black Star Society… truly a despicable bunch.]
Upon hearing about the Black Star Society, Vega’s brow furrowed with evident displeasure.
“It’s not certain yet, but it’s possible that organization is connected to the Heavenly Demon.”
[What, what did you say?]
Vega’s eyes widened considerably.
[You’re saying the master of the Black Heaven is hiding there!]
She cried out in excitement.
“I told you. It’s not certain yet. The Heavenly Demon is so thorough in concealing their identity that there’s almost no information about their past.”
However.
“What is certain is that the Black Star Society is suspicious.”
Vega furrowed her delicate brow and asked.
[In your previous life, you never heard of the Black Star Society?]
“Not at all.”
I answered firmly.
It would be dangerous to pretend knowledge of the Black Star Society and slip up later.
‘Well, that said.’
It wouldn’t make sense to claim complete ignorance either.
“There was a faction led by the Heavenly Demon… but I’m not sure if it was the Black Star Society.”
I ended the conversation by leaving just enough bait.
After all, I lacked sufficient evidence to claim outright that the Heavenly Demon was actually a member of the Black Star Society.
[Hmm. They certainly go to great lengths to hide their identity.]
Vega swallowed hard and looked at me with a worried expression.
[Will you be alright? Getting entangled with such ominous beings already… I believe you need more time to build your strength.]
“I have ways to handle it all, so don’t worry.”
In truth, I had no such methods in mind.
How could I have any plan when I couldn’t even defeat a single low-ranking official demon in my current state?
‘What else can I do?’
I had to bluff and act confident regardless.
[Hehe, truly my child.]
Vega gazed at me with the most satisfied expression.
“But what exactly are these Constellations of the Black Star? And what about when all the stars are swallowed by darkness?”
[Constellations of the Black Star….]
Vega shook her head with an embarrassed expression.
[I apologize. I don’t know either.]
“You didn’t know?”
I had naturally assumed that as a fellow Constellation, you would know.
[Hmm.]
Vega brushed her hair back with an embarrassed expression.
[Just because I am a Constellation does not mean I know all the secrets entwined with a star’s birth.]
“Tch.”
At the unexpected answer, I swallowed hard.
‘I never thought Vega wouldn’t know.’
If even the Constellation known as Polaris didn’t know, there was no other way.
‘I’ll have to get this information from those Black Star Society bastards.’
I had already prepared the means.
Even now, my loyal hunting dog was gathering intelligence on the enemy.
[It may be related to the Heavenly Demon, so I should be careful about this.]
“That’s right.”
Well, that’s unlikely to happen anyway.
[By the way, I’m curious to see how much you’ve changed over the past three weeks.]
Vega’s eyes sparkled as she flew up into the air with a playful bounce.
“I haven’t changed much since then.”
I clicked my tongue regretfully as I answered.
In the meantime, my Black Heaven had undergone its third awakening, and I had obtained the stigma of the Owl Constellation, but the stigma of Lyra Constellation itself remained unchanged.
‘No new skills emerged, and the level of my Lightning skill didn’t increase either.’
Even after pouring most of my days into raising the proficiency of the Lyra Constellation stigma, this was the result.
[Show it to me once.]
“Okie.”
I nodded and lifted my spear.
“Shhh.”
Long and low.
I drew in a deep breath.
I concentrated my mana on the stigma carved into my left chest.
-Crackle! Crackle crackle!!
Lightning that now burned as naturally as breathing.
As I channeled the blue lightning into my spear, I simultaneously channeled it into my “legs.”
[…What?]
Vega’s voice came through, filled with astonishment.
I paid no mind and continued my movements.
-Crackle crackle crackle!!
One step. Two steps.
With each stride, footprints of blue lightning ignited on the ground.
I sprinted across the Building Rooftops at explosive speed.
“Phew!”
I exhaled the deep breath I’d drawn in one sharp burst and thrust the spear forward.
Crackle-crackle-crack!!
The lightning spear unfurled naturally, sweeping across the front in a fan-shaped arc.
‘Not yet.’
If I stopped here, the opening would be far too large.
-Snap! Crackle-crackle!!
With both legs bound in azure lightning, I stepped forward and instantly widened the distance.
Footprints of blue lightning stretched out in a long trail.
‘Concentrating the lightning in my legs definitely minimizes the opening after using the lightning spear.’
Originally, I had focused the azure lightning on only one location.
But after conducting various training sessions alone, I reached the conclusion that distributing the power simultaneously across multiple points was superior to concentrating it in a single area.
‘The areas where lightning concentrates experience a dramatic surge in physical ability.’
While the ability to leave blue lightning on the ground with each step and deal damage like floor traps was appealing, the prospect of moving at far greater speed was even more attractive.
‘I’d like to concentrate lightning in my arms and waist as well.’
But that remained impossible for now.
My current limit was concentrating lightning simultaneously in three locations.
“━Phew.”
After thrusting the spear into empty air several more times, I came to a halt.
Beads of sweat formed on my forehead and trickled down.
“How was that?”
[….]
Vega stared at me with trembling eyes.
[Y-you… how on earth, even for a regressor, could you already master the basics of Exceed…?]
Huh?
Did I do something wrong?
“Is there a problem?”
[Whether to call it a problem or not… how did you manage to concentrate lightning in three places simultaneously?]
“Hm?”
How did I do it.
“I just tried it and it worked? I struggled at first, though.”
[….]
Vega’s mouth fell open.
[My child… didn’t you say your memories of the Lyra Constellation stigma’s techniques were hazy?]
“That’s right.”
In truth, my memories weren’t hazy—I had no memories at all.
I’d planted this seed beforehand to avoid an awkward situation.
[But then how….]
Vega pressed her forehead with a bewildered expression, then suddenly snapped her fingers and nodded decisively.
[Ah, even though your memories are hazy, you must be unconsciously recalling the technique! Yes, yes, that must be it. Otherwise, there’s no way to explain how you’re mastering the stigma so rapidly.]
It seemed Vega had convinced herself that my rapid mastery of the stigma stemmed from memories of a first cycle that never existed.
‘Well, I’m grateful for the misunderstanding.’
Was I really that fast to provoke such a reaction?
‘Honestly, I’m not entirely sure myself.’
Even if I’d succeeded in concentrating my neural electricity on three points, the skill level of Neural Electricity hadn’t increased, nor had any new skill emerged—so I couldn’t quite understand why she was reacting with such astonishment.
“Is this really something to be shocked about?”
[What are you even saying!!]
“No, I mean… the skill level is still the same at 3.”
[Even if the level is the same, a 3 that’s close to 2 and a 3 that’s close to 4 are on entirely different planes!]
Now that she put it that way, it made sense.
[And why do you think I haven’t been able to create an Apostle until now? The Lyra Constellation’s Mark is a Mark that humans can barely handle.]
So she was shocked because I was mastering that Mark as quickly as if it were some common Constellation’s Mark that anyone could pick up.
‘But how am I even managing this?’
It seemed to be a realm that couldn’t be explained by mere “talent” alone.
‘Is it because of Lee Shin-hyuk’s memories?’
Who knows.
In the first regression, Lee Shin-hyuk had the Compass’s Mark, not the Lyra Constellation’s Mark.
Could those memories really be connected to how quickly I’m mastering the Lyra Constellation’s Mark?
‘I have no idea.’
No answer came even after thinking about it.
‘Well, at least learning quickly is better than learning slowly.’
Right now, the misunderstanding that “he’s a regressor, so of course he learns fast” works in my favor. But if my learning speed were as hopeless as teaching calculus to a humanities student two weeks before the college entrance exam—someone who’d avoided math throughout high school—then I’d have drawn suspicion: “Why is this regressor acting so strange?”
[And your skill with the spear is also remarkably impressive. At this rate, you might even reach the pinnacle of spear mastery….]
“No, I have no intention of that.”
[What?]
“I’ll keep using the spear, but I’m planning to use other weapons as well.”
[What other weapon are you thinking of?]
“That would be…”
Just as I was about to explain the wire shooter.
—Ding!
A short alarm chimed from my smartphone.
When I turned on the screen, I saw a KakaoTalk message from Team Lead Han.
‘Ha, talk about perfect timing.’
After checking the message, Oh Jin chuckled and turned his head toward Vega.
“Let’s go.”
[Hm? Where are we going all of a sudden?]
“To show you the other weapon I mentioned. Directly.”
Oh Jin turned and headed toward the Awakened Users Association.
* * *
“First, let’s get your spear.”
Upon arriving at the Awakened Users Association, Han Jun-man was already waiting outside to greet me.
Oh Jin grasped the silver spear he offered.
-Whiiiing!!
“Hmm.”
The moment I gripped the spear, a subtle blue light emanated from it.
Clearly a premium grade weapon infused with high-quality Constellation Stone.
-Whoosh!
I swung the spear lightly through the air.
‘It’s slightly heavier than what I used before.’
But given that I possessed a monstrously powerful body, this weight was negligible.
‘No, once I get used to it, this will be far superior.’
After all, greater weight naturally translated to greater force.
-Crackle!! Crackle crackle!!
And indeed, the silver spear’s greatest advantage was its unparalleled electrical conductivity among all metals.
As I channeled the blue lightning through it, I felt the electricity flow as naturally as when I moved it within my own body.
“Excellent.”
A satisfied smile spread across my lips.
It was such a fine weapon that I felt guilty receiving it for free.
“And next is… this.”
Click.
Han Jun-man carefully extracted two bracelets from a square box.
Or rather, they resembled wrist guards with an ornate design more than bracelets.
“That kid was so excited making these… he went way over budget and even spent his own money to finish them.”
“A kid?”
“Ah, I’ll introduce you to him later. You could say he’s one of our rare talents… we have one kid who’s absolutely brilliant at crafting equipment.”
Interesting.
‘If we get close, he could prove useful.’
Talent in equipment crafting was difficult to find.
“Try them on.”
“Yes.”
Click.
I fastened the wire shooters to both wrists.
‘The fit is better than expected.’
Though they had considerable weight, they felt neither uncomfortable nor restrictive.
“How do I use them?”
“Extend your arm forward, and make a hand motion like this. Imagine grasping at empty air slightly.”
I assumed the stance as Han Jun-man instructed.
“Yes, from that position, snap your wrist with a flicking motion—like this—and it’ll fire. The recoil is considerable, so be careful.”
I nodded and flicked my wrist toward a nearby wall with a snapping motion.
And then.
Click!
-Twang!!!!!!!
With a powerful recoil, a spade-shaped weight connected to a wire shot forth.
Crack!
A silvery line formed between the spade-shaped weight embedded in the wall and the wire shooter.
“Wow… this is.”
A short exclamation escaped Oh Jin’s lips.
Wire shooter in name, but strip away the wire and it was no different from a gun.
‘Of course, an ordinary gun would be useless against monsters.’
What if I sent electricity directly through the wire?
And not ordinary electricity, but a powerful lightning born from the stigma of the Lyra Constellation.
“Hehehehe!”
Seeing the wire shooter come out with better quality than expected, laughter spilled out naturally.
“Haha. You seem pleased with it.”
“Yes. I’m very pleased.”
“This isn’t the end.”
“Pardon?”
“Try channeling magical power into the wire shooter.”
I channeled the stigma’s magical power into the wire shooter as Team Lead Han instructed.
Click.
-Whiiiiiing!!!!
“Huh, wha—?”
With an intense metallic sound, the weight connected to the wire returned to the wire shooter.
Snap!
With the clear sound of gears meshing, it returned to its state before the first wire was fired.
An exclamation escaped Oh Jin’s lips.
“…I asked for a retrieval function, but I didn’t expect it to be this good.”
It had been half a joke, but now I thought that with this wire shooter, I might actually be able to soar through the air like a real omni-directional mobility device.
“The retrieval speed can be adjusted depending on the magical power you channel.”
“Excellent.”
It came out exactly as I’d envisioned, or even better.
“Oh, and one more thing—you can fire a total of six wires: three on the right and three on the left.”
“What?”
You’re telling me I can fire six of these things?
“Haha. Didn’t I tell you? The budget went over.”
Team Lead Han grinned widely and shrugged his shoulders.
‘Insane.’
If they held a contest for the most handsome gorilla in the world, surely Han Jun-man would take first place.
“Jun-man, you’re awe—!”
“There you go again.”
Team Lead Han laughed it off lightly, as if he’d grown accustomed to the reaction.
“In return, you’ll need to help us out if we have an urgent matter later, yes?”
“Of course.”
It was such a fine item that I would have gladly assisted without compensation.
“Well then, I have a meeting today, so I’ll be taking my leave.”
Han Jun-man bowed respectfully and entered the Awakened Users Association.
“Phew.”
I gazed at the wire shooter adorning my wrist and the beautifully gleaming silver spear, my entire being thrumming with exhilaration.
‘Joining the Association was truly the best decision I’ve ever made.’
Though I get pushed around here and there these days, it’s still a government-affiliated organization, so when it comes through, it really comes through.
‘From now on, anyone who disrespects the Association gets their head cracked.’
A sense of belonging that had never existed before burned fiercely within me.
-Beep beep.
[Is that the new weapon you spoke of?]
Vega appeared, her pendant glowing, tilting her head curiously.
“Yep.”
[Indeed. If you bind an enemy with that wire and channel electricity through it, it would make for a formidable weapon.]
“That’s not all.”
[Hmm?]
I raised my arm high, aiming at the fence of a nearby building’s rooftop.
“I can use it like this too.”
Twang!
The spade-shaped projectile fired toward the fence.
‘If I channel electricity at this moment…’
Click!
As I channeled electricity through the electromagnetically-composed wire, it took on a powerful magnetic force and clung firmly to the fence.
“Hold on tight, Vega.”
[Huh? What are you planning?]
Vega tilted her head in confusion as she climbed onto my head.
I grasped her hair as one would hold a horse’s reins.
“Here we go.”
I grinned wickedly and concentrated the Constellation mark’s mana into my wrist.
-Whiiiing!!
A metallic screech erupted from the wire shooter as my body catapulted into the air.
[Oh, oh my?]
“That’s it!”
I let out a triumphant cry, withdrawing the lightning I’d channeled through the wire.
The wire that had been clinging to the fence came loose and retracted back into the shooter.
-Twang! Twang!!
Repeating this process of firing and retrieving the wire in succession, I could soar between the city’s buildings like a true Spider-Man.
[Remarkable!! Since you cannot yet fly through the heavens, you’ve devised such a method!]
“Hahaha!! That’s right! Still….”
Still?
“I can fly using the Lyra Constellation stigma?”
[It is impossible now, but it shall become possible in time.]
Damn it.
‘Why didn’t you tell me that now.’
If I’d known, I wouldn’t have wasted all this effort.
[Hehehehe! After all, Thunder Step is still a technique thou art incapable of mastering!]
“Ugh.”
I felt like I’d done something pointless, but since Vega said it was still a technique I couldn’t master yet, I decided to accept it.
[Shall we return home now?]
“No.”
A thin smile spread across my face.
I shook my head, lips curling upward.
[Then?]
Vega had returned, and I’d acquired new equipment.
There was no reason to delay any longer.
“━Let’s head to Seoul Station.”
The mass of flesh sealed beneath Seoul Station.
It was time to hunt it down.

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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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