Not A Regressor - Chapter 30
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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 30
Under World (3)
Before entering Seoul Station, I stopped by a nearby shop to pick up emergency supplies.
‘First, smoke grenades and flares—two of each.’
I loaded the smoke grenades and flares into the belt fastened around my waist.
These smoke grenades and flares were among the few tools that proved useful against monsters, whose hides were largely impervious to modern weaponry.
‘Next.’
I strapped knife holsters to both my left and right thighs, each loaded with three throwing knives.
“Oh, I need to grab this too.”
I picked up a headlamp from the corner of the display shelf.
It was an absolute necessity for exploring the Sewers.
“And finally….”
Tremor, tremor, tremor.
My hand shook pathologically as it reached toward the display.
Just looking at the price tag below made nausea rise in my throat, but there was no helping it.
‘Three intermediate potions.’
Regardless of anything else, I absolutely had to buy these.
“Two flares and two smoke grenades. Six holy-stone-coated knives. One LED headlamp and three intermediate potions.”
I brought everything to the counter, and the clerk began scanning barcodes and calculating the total.
“That comes to 7.32 million won in total~”
“You goddamn highway robbers.”
A price that made my stomach acid want to reverse course.
Out of the 7.32 million won, roughly 6 million was just for the potions.
‘Damn drug dealers.’
These potions were barely worth more than fast-acting wound ointment, yet they cost this much.
‘Shit.’
Still, I had no choice.
The difference between having them and not having them was too significant.
“Pardon? What did you just say?”
“Oh, I was just saying the blades on these knives are excellent quality and durability.”
-Ding!
[《Lame Excuse Lv2》 activates.]
Shut up.
“Haha! Our shop is famous for quality products~”
The clerk, apparently not hearing my quiet muttering, nodded with a bright smile.
“Will you be paying by card?”
“Cash, please. Oh, but… I only have exactly 6 million won….”
I fanned out the cash envelope I’d withdrawn beforehand with an exclamation.
Grin.
The clerk smiled.
“That’ll be 7.32 million won.”
“Still, paying in cash is a bit….”
“To be precise, that’s 7 million, 300 thousand, and 20 thousand won.”
“Treating a regular customer like this? I’ve been coming here for years!!!”
“Our shop opened a week ago.”
Damn it.
“I meant I’ll be a regular for years to come, something like that.”
“…Sigh.”
The clerk let out a deep sigh and nodded.
“I’ll do it for 7 million won.”
“6.5 million.”
“No, I really can’t go any lower.”
“Let’s meet in the middle at 6.6 million.”
“How is that the middle?”
After several rounds of haggling, I managed to purchase the equipment for 6.7 million won.
‘Damn, I could’ve knocked off more.’
But wasting time lingering here wasn’t worth it.
[…You’re truly relentless when it comes to money.]
“You have to save when you can.”
When it came to ‘Paradise’, I had no intention of cutting corners, but for trivial equipment like this, the more I saved, the better.
[Hmm. Had I known money was so important to you, I would’ve found a way to provide it somehow… I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.]
“Haha. I’ve already received plenty.”
It wasn’t mere flattery—ever since becoming her apostle, I’d been earning an astounding amount.
[Still….]
Vega frowned with lingering regret.
‘Our goddess really does love her apostle.’
O-jin chuckled and turned around.
“Let’s go.”
With preparations complete, I headed toward the Seoul Station underground, following the Sewers map provided by the Association.
[By the way, can you really handle that mass of flesh monster beneath Seoul Station?]
Vega asked with a worried tone.
Naturally, the image of the flesh monster from Lee Shin-hyuk’s memories surfaced in my mind.
Its body was a full 20 meters.
It had eight destructive arms, controlled hundreds of monsters, and had obliterated the entire Seoul Station.
‘Well, if I fought that thing right now, I’d definitely die.’
But.
“It’s sealed right now.”
[Sealed?]
No matter how threatening a monster was, if it was sealed, the situation was entirely different.
Sealed meant bound immovably somewhere, so what did strength matter for a monster that couldn’t resist at all?
‘Just a punching bag with a big body.’
I organized Lee Shin-hyuk’s memories in my mind once more.
‘Lee Shin-hyuk said he could have stopped it if he’d known beforehand that it was sealed.’
Then there was no reason I couldn’t do the same.
Based on fragmented information alone, I was overwhelmingly stronger than Lee Shin-hyuk during the first regression.
[Ho. I wondered why you were so confident… so you were planning to dispose of the sealed monster before it awakened!]
Vega nodded repeatedly, remarking that a regressor’s plans were indeed on a different level.
“Anyway, let’s search for it.”
[You don’t know the exact location?]
“During the first regression, the seal broke and the entire area collapsed.”
[I see. That would make it difficult to know.]
“In any case, it’s definitely somewhere beneath Seoul Station.”
If I searched diligently, I might at least find a clue.
“Then.”
Click.
I opened the manhole cover and descended into the Sewers.
“Ugh.”
The moment I entered the Sewers, a stench assaulted my nostrils.
[Truly an unpleasant odor.]
Vega also frowned and covered her nose.
“If it’s too difficult, you can stay inside.”
[No. I might be able to help. The restrictions aren’t too severe yet, so I’ll stay with you.]
That worked for me.
“Let’s head downward first.”
[Understood.]
I descended through the Sewers, which twisted like a complex maze.
I wanted to use the Hunting Dog Constellation’s stigma to track, but I couldn’t muster the courage to activate it in this overwhelming stench.
‘If I really can’t find it, I’ll use it then.’
For now, let’s go deeper.
-Squelch, squelch.
The sensation of filth touching my shoes felt unbearably unpleasant.
‘I should have bought boots for this.’
I hadn’t thought of that beforehand.
Following the beam of my headlight, I descended through the Sewers.
As I approached the lowest level.
[My child. I sense something ominous coming from that direction.]
“Hmm?”
Vega raised her hand and pointed in a direction.
I checked the map to confirm the path.
‘There’s no passage that way?’
According to the map, it was a dead end.
“Let’s check it out.”
Still, if Vega sensed something unsettling, I couldn’t help but investigate.
“Is it the same aura you felt in the Cave before?”
[I cannot say it is completely identical… but it feels similar.]
Vega nodded.
Then she crossed her arms with a sharp gesture and continued.
[If the aura I felt back then was an unpleasant, sticky sensation like something clinging to my body… then this aura feels like an unpleasant, piercing sensation, as if being stabbed by an awl.]
“Is that so?”
Either way, both were unpleasant auras.
‘…If that’s the case.’
It occurred to me that the power of Black Star might be entangled in this as well.
‘After all, the basketball-sized Constellation Stone embedded in that lump of flesh’s head was also black.’
Perhaps the reason why those rare mutant Constellation Stones had been discovered so frequently lately was also connected to the power of Black Star.
“Let’s go and check it out directly.”
I drew out my spear and gripped it tightly before moving forward.
That was when I reached the dead end.
-Grrrrgh.
“What is this….”
Where there should have been a wall blocking the dead end, a passage made of dark red flesh appeared.
My lips curled upward into a grin.
‘Bingo.’
It seemed I had found the right place after all.
That was when it happened.
-Krrrgh, krrrrrgh.
Along with a low growl, two dark red lizards emerged from the passage made of flesh.
Though called lizards, their heads alone resembled lizards while their bodies were similar to humans.
‘Reptilians.’
Three-star monsters that rarely appeared in Gates.
‘…Are these mutants too?’
While ordinary Reptilians were green, these creatures possessed skin as dark red as blood.
“Krrrrrrrrrr!!!”
Before my thoughts could fully form, the two Reptilians shrieked and flicked their long tongues.
Shwack!
Needle-like white bones protruded from the backs of the Reptilians’ hands.
“Well, this is perfect for a light warm-up.”
I smirked and gripped my silver spear.
The maiden voyage of my newly acquired weapon.
My heart raced with anticipation.
“GuRuuuuuu!!”
With a bizarre shriek, two Reptilians bolted up the wall.
Certainly faster than anything like an Anthon, but not by much.
‘But.’
They posed no real threat to me, who had grown at a speed that even the Constellation of Polaris found alarming.
-Whoosh!!
A silver trajectory shot forth, targeting the Reptilian’s neck.
Leap!
The Reptilian scaling the wall jumped, thrusting its pointed bone forward.
-Clang!!
“Krrrraaaaaaa!!”
It blocked the silver spear with its pointed bone and twisted its body to strike me with its long tail, but—
“Not happening.”
Crackle, crackle, crackle!!!!!
“Kaaaaaaa!!!!!”
Blue lightning wrapped around the silver spear, blazing fiercely.
Unlike the concentrated electricity on the blade when I wielded Lee Shin-hyuk’s spear, this lightning spread evenly across the entire shaft, burning the Reptilian’s body through its pointed bone.
With a horrible shriek, one Reptilian was hurled backward.
“Karu…!”
The other Reptilian that had been charging froze in place.
Its yellow eyes darted about as it slowly retreated.
“What, already scared?”
“karaaaa.”
I grinned and stepped forward, and the Reptilian spun around, fleeing beyond the corridor made of flesh.
[Aren’t you going after it?]
“No reason to chase it.”
[Hm?]
Vega tilted her head, looking at me curiously.
“Just wait a moment.”
Reptilians are fundamentally pack creatures.
They’re fairly organized and reasonably intelligent.
Those two lingering at the entrance were likely sentries.
‘If that’s the case.’
Once one dies, the rest will flee without looking back—and what comes next is predictable.
“This is the perfect setup for a trap.”
[A trap?]
“Well, less a trap and more like herding them into a net.”
I chuckled and aimed my wire shooter at the wall.
-Twang! Twang! Twang!
Three shots on the left, three on the right.
Six lines formed a web.
[Indeed. So that’s what you meant.]
Vega smiled softly, as if she understood what I was about to do.
After waiting roughly three minutes in silence.
-Thud thud thud thud thud thud thud!!!
“KAraaaaaaaaa!!!”
“GruAaaaaaa!!”
The corridor trembled with horrific shrieks.
From the end of the passage, dozens of Reptilians came charging down the walls with savage ferocity.
“So what if they have some intelligence? A monster is still a monster.”
I grinned wickedly as I watched the horde of Reptilians charge toward me.
I spread my arms wide and crossed them in an X, channeling the Constellation’s mana through them.
-Ssssshhiiing!!!
With a sharp metallic screech, the six wires I’d embedded in the walls unfurled across the passage.
“Kraaaa?”
One Reptilian sensed the danger and desperately tried to stop, but the dozens of Reptilians surging behind it pushed it forward relentlessly.
The six wires ensnared the horde like a net.
And then.
‘Spear Lightning.’
Crackle
crackle
crackle
crackle
crackle
crackle
crackle
crackle
crackle
crackle
crackle
crackle
!!
Brilliant blue lightning surged ferociously along the wires.
The acrid stench of burning flesh vibrated through the corridor.
“Kaaraaaaaaaa!!!”
“Grururururururu!!”
The Reptilians thrashed desperately to escape the wires, but the more they struggled, the more intricately the six strands entangled them.
I watched with satisfaction as the Reptilians burned and writhed in the wires.
‘Excellent!’
This thing’s performance is incredible!
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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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