Not A Regressor - Chapter 306

—————
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 306
Interlude – The Goddess’s Escape (1)
“Ugh….”
Sharp pain flooded through my veins as if countless needles were coursing through my blood.
I groaned and forced my eyes open with great effort.
“Oh, Kwon O-jin!”
From somewhere distant, Ha-eun’s voice reached me, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps.
“A-are you okay? Huh? You’re okay, right?”
“Don’t… shake me.”
“Oh.”
A sigh of relief escaped Ha-eun’s lips.
I lifted my head and surveyed my surroundings.
The interior of a spacious tent came into view.
“…Where is this?”
“Still in the Sky Mountain Range.”
“How did you find where I was?”
I couldn’t determine exactly where in the Sky Mountain Range Behemoth’s Nest was embedded.
The thick mist should have made it difficult to locate.
“The mist here suddenly got sucked into something.”
“Ah.”
Now that I thought about it, Behemoth had absorbed the mist before its final charge.
“And Vega helped too.”
“Vega did?”
“Yeah. She kept firing something like signal flares up into the sky.”
“I see. How did things go on your end? There were plenty of demonic beasts there too.”
“Well… Isabella went absolutely berserk and slaughtered them all.”
For a moment, the image of Isabella, drenched in blood and radiating murderous intent in waves, flashed through my mind.
A chill ran down my spine.
I suspected that even Felis would have fled with her tail between her legs if she’d seen Isabella’s crazed expression.
“By the way, you defeated Behemoth all by yourself?”
“Of course.”
“…Did you use that technique?”
Ha-eun’s expression hardened, her shoulders trembling slightly.
I chuckled and unbuttoned my shirt, revealing the stigma engraved on my left chest for her to see.
“W-what? Why are you suddenly flashing your chest and acting crazy?!”
“No. Look at the stigma. The stigma.”
“Our Kwon O-jin’s nipple is pretty cute, isn’t it?”
Poke, poke.
“Stop poking me, you crazy Elder Sister.”
“Want me to lick it instead?”
“No.”
I feel like I’m losing my mind.
“I was only able to win because I lucked into reaching 9-Star.”
“So you didn’t use that technique?”
“Right.”
“…Phew.”
Ha-eun’s rigid expression softened as she brushed a hand across her chest in relief.
With all her worries seemingly resolved, Ha-eun’s face brightened considerably as she picked up a water-dampened cloth and carefully wiped down Kwon O-jin’s body with meticulous care.
“Really… didn’t I tell you not to worry your Elder Sister like this?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Well, this time it was unavoidable, so I’ll let it slide.”
How could anyone have predicted that Felis would use the Sacred Domain itself to kidnap Kwon O-jin to Behemoth’s Nest?
“Oh, and where did that arrogant little cat go?”
“She left.”
Though the place she returned to was likely somewhere other than the Sanctuary.
“Ugh! Next time I see that brat, I’m going to neuter her on the spot!”
Ha-eun’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent as she gnashed her teeth fiercely.
Kwon O-jin gazed at Ha-eun’s spirited anger and offered a faint smile.
There was something oddly comforting about having someone else care enough to be angry on his behalf.
“What about Isabella?”
“She went to scout the area for any remaining demonic beasts. She should be back soon.”
“How long have I been unconscious?”
“About a day?”
Given the severity of my injuries, it wasn’t an especially long time.
‘Is this thanks to Flesh Reconstruction?’
I could feel my physical abilities surging across the board—it was clear why Awakeners from 9-Star onward were classified separately as “High-Tier Awakeners.” My body had undergone a complete transformation.
And it wasn’t just physical ability.
My mana circuits, which had been relatively narrow compared to the enormous mana reserves I possessed, had been widened as if undergoing major reconstruction.
‘Though even now, they’re still quite narrow relative to my total mana capacity.’
That wasn’t because my mana circuits were narrow—it was because the sheer volume of mana I possessed was absurdly excessive compared to other Awakeners.
“Reaching 9-Star really does make a difference.”
“Right? Flesh Reconstruction is honestly kind of broken.”
Ha-eun, who had already reached 10-Star ahead of me, nodded in agreement.
“But wait, didn’t you beat up 10-Star Awakeners when you were still 8-Star?”
Just how much stronger had I become now that I’d reached 9-Star?
“I only beat the very beginning of the 10-Star tier. I couldn’t win against Isabella or Allen.”
“…Even so, the fact that you won against a 10-Star while being 8-Star doesn’t make sense.”
It was true—I had consistently fought and defeated Awakeners who were 1 to 2 Stars above me.
“So you’re stronger than Vega now, aren’t you?”
“I don’t think so… probably not?”
Even having reached the 9th Star, I was barely taking my first steps into that realm.
It was like buying the fastest sports car imaginable—if the driver lacked skill, the vehicle couldn’t unleash its true potential.
Though my body had grown stronger through reconstruction, I would need time to acclimate to this newfound power.
‘The problem is, I don’t have much of that time.’
I was sighing, wondering if I should increase my training hours, when—
Riiiiip!
“Oh, Kwon O-jin!”
Isabella burst through the tent entrance without bothering to unzip it, tearing the fabric open with her bare hands before throwing herself into my arms.
“Sob… Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”
I gently patted her back as she wept, tears streaming down her face like rain.
After some time had passed, she seemed to calm down, and her grip around me loosened.
“You’re alright, aren’t you? You didn’t actually use that technique… and where did that insufferable cat go?”
Isabella bombarded me with questions in rapid succession.
I chuckled softly and gave her the same answer I’d given Ha-eun.
“Phew.”
Isabella exhaled deeply, her hand sweeping across her chest.
The two peaks rising like the Sky Mountain Range heaved noticeably.
Ahem.
I cleared my throat and averted my gaze.
“…What are you doing the moment you wake up?”
Ha-eun narrowed her eyes and pinched my side.
I winced at the sharp pain and quickly changed the subject.
“Speaking of which, where’s Vega? Did she go back to the Sanctuary?”
“No. She’s outside.”
“Is that so?”
If she’d heard the commotion inside, she would have realized I’d awakened.
I’d expected Vega to rush in with tears streaming down her face like Isabella, but instead I felt an odd sense of disappointment as I lay back down on the mat.
“Are you very tired?”
“Yeah. A bit drowsy, actually.”
Since my wounds hadn’t fully healed yet, even a little commotion brought a sudden wave of exhaustion.
Isabella quickly draped a sleeping bag over me and sat by my head, gently stroking my forehead.
“I’ll stay by your side so you can rest comfortably.”
“It’s not like I’m a three-year-old child.”
“Would you like me to sing you a lullaby?”
That’s enough from you, young lady.
“Hehe. Just kidding. Ha-eun and I will head out, so rest easy. Oh, I’ll cover the torn entrance with a tarp for now.”
“Thanks.”
I waved lightly toward my companions as they left the tent, then closed my eyes.
Deep fatigue washed over me, and my consciousness gradually sank into darkness.

* * *
[Huh?!]
Vega caught sight of Ha-eun and Isabella emerging from the tent in the distance and hastily concealed herself.
Perched atop a nearby tree, I gazed down at Kwon O-jin’s tent below.
[Sigh.]
A sigh so deep it seemed the earth itself might collapse beneath it.
The Silver-haired Goddess trembled delicately as she traced her rosy lips with her fingertips.
The sensation lingered vividly still—the touch of his lips against mine.
I had pressed my lips to his before, when he lay unconscious and I needed to feed him a potion, but this was the first time I had done so of my own volition.
‘What a terrible thing I’ve done.’
Unable to resist the surging impulse, I had kissed the sleeping Kwon O-jin.
It was a shameful act I could scarcely confess—not only to him, but to his lovers, Ha-eun and Isabella.
[….]
Yet why was it…
…that my heart would not cease its frantic beating?
The spark of emotion had kindled into a roaring flame, consuming my entire being.
The guilt of having laid hands upon my own child.
As I watched Ha-eun and Isabella interact so intimately with Kwon O-jin, the resentment I had harbored in secret suddenly burst forth all at once.
‘This… this mustn’t happen.’
Yet emotions care nothing for rational thought.
Each time I recalled the lingering sensation upon my lips, my feelings swelled ever greater.
Bloated with emotion, my heart spun in circles, uncertain where to go.
How had I managed it before?
-Just give Elder Sister encouragement! Comfort! Reassurance! That’s all you need to do!
Spica’s voice suddenly echoed through my mind.
[Hmm.]
I paused in my deliberation, then shook my head.
Now was hardly the time for encouragement or reassurance.
What right had I to offer such things after committing such a transgression against the sleeping Kwon O-jin?
I deserved punishment instead.
[…Punishment?]
A memory suddenly flashed through my mind.
Like a child caught in wrongdoing, I recalled the time he had spanked me—the memory surfaced unbidden.
[Ahem, ahem!]
My face flushed crimson as I coughed repeatedly.
At the recollection, an indescribable shame welled up within me.
[No, no matter what… that’s not…]
My racing heart collided with the voice of reason insisting this was wrong.
A fierce battle between emotion and rationality.
I bit my lip hard, gazing down at the tent where Kwon O-jin slept.
‘Doesn’t the original goddess bear responsibility for her transgressions?’
Those who commit sins deserve punishment—such was the law.
‘Just… just one more time.’
Gulp.
I swallowed hard, my fists clenching.
In that moment, the faces of Ha-eun and Isabella flickered through my mind.
‘Yet they were bound to my child, were they not?’
I suppressed the emotions I harbored in my heart so as not to become his burden.
And yet those two constantly flaunted their affection before me.
[This transgression belongs to those two maidens.]
Vega nodded repeatedly, convincing herself.
The turbulent emotions swelling within her found an excellent escape route in “justification” and began to pour forth without restraint.
‘I am merely receiving punishment for my own wrongdoings.’
I harbored no intention of deepening my bond with Kwon O-jin through this, nor of conveying my suppressed feelings.
This was… yes, merely one night of ‘transgression’.
After this, I would cleanly resolve my feelings toward Kwon O-jin once and for all.
Whoooooosh!
Brilliant silver light enveloped my form, and my body—which had been no larger than a small doll—returned to its true size.
The goddess carefully took flight and lifted the waterproof tarp hung at the tent’s entrance, approaching the sleeping Kwon O-jin.
[Haaah…]
Why was it?
My buttocks already throbbed with a stinging sensation.

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