Not A Regressor - Chapter 33

—————
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 33
Under World (6)
“Kyaaahhh!!”
“P-please, save me!!”
People fled with ashen faces.
The ten-meter monster that had appeared in the middle of Seoul Station was itself a calamity worthy of the name.
And on top of that.
“Kuruaaaa!!”
Reptilians emerged from the Tunnel in swarms from wherever they’d been hiding, descending upon the crowds.
‘Damn it!’
Oh Jin bit his lip with an anxious expression.
‘This isn’t good.’
Whether the blob of flesh monster destroyed Seoul Station or the Reptilian swarm tore innocent citizens apart—it wasn’t his concern.
‘But I have to protect them now.’
If I ignored the casualties here, my trust with Vega would shatter.
After all, she still believed me to be a ‘hero’ capable of changing the fate of the world.
“Hup!”
I kicked off the giant’s shoulder and jumped.
Slash!
I cut the wire connected to the blob of flesh giant with my knife.
“Kyaak!”
Thud!
A child who appeared to be about elementary school age was knocked down by the fleeing crowd.
Textbooks spilled from the backpack on their back.
“KarrrRRaaa!!”
“H-hiiek!”
A Reptilian approached the child with heavy strides.
Its blood-red tongue flicked as it aimed sharp, fang-like bones at its weak prey.
“P-please… s-save… me.”
Trembling.
The child pleaded pitifully, tears streaming down their face.
But such pleas would never reach the ears of a non-human monster.
The Reptilian thrust its fang-like bone forward without hesitation.
And then.
-Twang!
“Kiiiiiii!!”
The wire’s weight pierced straight through the Reptilian’s brow.
“…Huh?”
The child, tears still streaming, lifted their head.
Crackle!
Wrapped in azure lightning, I landed in front of the child.
“Th-thank you….”
“Run. Now.”
There was no time to linger and accept their gratitude.
Tap!
I surged forward, aiming my wire shooter at the swarm of Reptilians.
Twang! Twang! Twang!
Five wires—split from a single strand—shot toward the thrashing Reptilian horde.
-Crackle crackle crackle!!
Azure lightning erupted skyward.
The Reptilians that had been charging at the people convulsed and collapsed.
‘The numbers aren’t that high.’
Perhaps because I’d killed so many on the way to find the flesh giant.
The Reptilian swarm that had emerged from Seoul Station wasn’t particularly large.
‘The real problem.’
I clicked my tongue and turned my gaze toward where the flesh giant stood.
“GaRara! Gruuuuu!”
Boom! Crack!
The giant clutched at the back of its neck where the explosive round had struck directly, slamming its body against the building walls.
But that was only temporary.
It released its grip on its neck and glared at me with savage intensity.
“Damn.”
I let out a short sigh of regret.
I should have finished it this time, but I’d missed my opportunity while saving the people.
‘Can’t be helped.’
Still, I couldn’t let the Reptilian swarm massacre the fleeing civilians.
‘Start over.’
Grip.
I adjusted my stance, tightening my hold on the spear.
Even if I was starting over, everything I’d done so far wasn’t wasted effort.
“Krrrrr….”
“Hurt a little, do you?”
I twisted my lips into a grin.
The explosive round had definitely left a wound that wouldn’t heal easily.
‘Now that I know the attack works.’
All that remained was to hammer it with explosive rounds until it was completely destroyed.
[My child. Surely you need a blessing, do you not?]
Whoosh.
Vega flew over from the side, her voice tinged with concern.
“I’m fine, really.”
This wasn’t some reckless impulse.
If I had truly believed a blessing was necessary for survival, I would have cast aside all pretense and begged for one myself.
But.
‘I can do this.’
That electric thrill I felt when I successfully executed the Explosive Thunder technique.
The exhilaration of commanding mana as I desired, of watching the flow align perfectly like interlocking gears—it set my entire body ablaze.
‘If I accept a blessing now.’
The temporary surge in power granted by a blessing would eventually fade like a mirage as time passed.
Perhaps even this very thrill and exhilaration I was experiencing now.
Everything could scatter like grains of sand.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
I focused my mind on the burning sensation coursing through my body and poured more strength into my tightened grip on the spear.
“KaRaaaaaaAA!!”
Boom! Boom!
The giant stamped its feet.
“Hnngh!”
I charged toward the approaching colossus.
Four massive arms swung down with enough force to pulverize me into oblivion.
-KUUUUNG!!!
“Gack!”
Even though it merely grazed me.
The impact shook my entire body as I tumbled across the ground.
‘Just a bit more.’
I pushed myself up.
Every fiber of my being screamed in agony, but I ignored it.
-KUUUNG! Boom! KWAAANG!
“Urrgh!”
The opponent was far too fast.
Attacks so swift I couldn’t even see the fists came pouring down like a tempest.
“Hah! Hah!”
I barely managed to evade the assault.
One misstep and my entire body would be crushed—a vertiginous nightmare.
Overwhelming dread consumed my mind.
-KUUUNG!
“Guh-HACK!! Cough! Cough! Cough!”
Once more.
My body was sent flying as the fist grazed me.
My vision spun.
“GuRaaaaarRRRR!!!”
Did it think it had seized victory?
The massive creature of flesh roared and charged at me with even greater ferocity.
“Haa, haa, haa!”
My breath came in ragged gasps, rising all the way to my throat.
My legs weakened, and my steps grew unsteady.
The worst possible situation.
I wouldn’t have been surprised if I’d started desperately begging Vega for her blessing right then and there.
“Haa, haa. Ha.”
Why was this happening?
“Ha, haa.”
━Why could I feel such joy?
“Ha, haha!”
How could exhilaration and thrill overflow through me like this?
-CRASH!!!
“Ugh!”
I rolled my body away from the vicious downward strike of its fist.
The giant pursued relentlessly without pause.
Its fists descended like meteors falling from the sky.
-BOOM! BANG! CRASH!
Dodging, dodging, dodging.
A stench assaulted my nostrils.
The mingled odors of iron, blood, and sweat stung my senses.
My entire body’s perception expanded as if I’d activated the stigma of Canis Major.
The giant’s movements, which had been impossible to follow, gradually came into focus.
My tangled legs regained their original rhythm.
‘Now then.’
Things that were invisible before began to reveal themselves.
“My turn.”
I stopped evading and swung my spear.
-CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE!!!
An explosive blast erupted from the spear’s tip.
“KaRaaaa!!!”
One of its four arms shattered into pieces.
“Now the real fight begins.”
Crackle! Crackle crackle!
I unleashed explosive blasts in rapid succession.
The giant staggered backward.
I pursued relentlessly, raining down continuous explosive attacks.
No matter how overflowing with mana it was, using such skills consecutively without regard for efficiency or conservation would inevitably strain its body.
‘Yet my mana isn’t decreasing.’
The same situation as before.
The more I expended my mana, the more fiercely it surged back, replenishing itself with violent intensity.
It was like bailing water from a ship with a hole in its hull—futile, endless.
‘If it won’t diminish no matter how much I use it…’
I twisted my lips into a fierce grin.
I poured every ounce of mana I could channel at once into a single Explosive Thunder strike.
-CRACKLECRACKLECRACKLE!!!
“KaaRaaaaaa!”
The colossal mass of flesh, unable to withstand the torrential cascade of lightning, convulsed and turned.
“Where do you think you’re running?”
I spread both arms wide open.
I fired wires toward the building debris that had scattered when the giant thrashed about in all directions.
-THANG! THANG!!
Five strands of wire latched onto the rubble.
“Hnnnngh!!!!”
I drew in a sharp breath and crossed my arms in an X formation.
The building debris clinging to the wires coiled around the fleeing giant.
‘Now!’
To the absolute limit.
No—beyond the limit, I unleashed my mana!
-BOOOOOOOM!!!
Five strikes in total.
Five Explosive Thunder detonations erupted simultaneously along the wire.
-Ding!
[《Explosive Thunder Lv1》 skill has advanced to 《Explosive Thunder Lv2》!]
[《Explosive Thunder Lv2》 skill has advanced to 《Explosive Thunder Lv3》!]
Two levels rose at once—the message window confirmed it.
-Thud!
The giant’s body crashed to the ground.
“….”
“….”
A brief silence.
And then.
“Whoa, whoa!”
“WHOOOOOAA!!!”
“He killed that monster!!!”
“W-who is that Awakened User? What Guild are they from?!”
A thunderous roar erupted from the crowd.
[My, my child. Are you alright?]
Vega flew toward me urgently, her voice filled with concern.
I flashed her a grin and gave her a thumbs up.
“How about that? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me?”
[….]
Truth be told, my body wasn’t in the best condition.
But I put on a brave face regardless.
[Phew… really! Do you know how worried I was?]
“Heh. Still, we won.”
[Hmph! You said it would be over quickly, but it took quite a while, didn’t it!]
Vega crossed her arms and turned her head away in a huff.
‘Wait, when did our goddess become so adorable?’
Where had that aloof Vega gone—the one who resembled a flower blooming on a cliff when I first met her?
‘Anyway.’
I turned my head and surveyed the crowd that had gathered around us.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!!”
“Pictures! Take pictures quickly!!”
The crowd that had assembled in the commotion had already swelled to hundreds.
‘Well, so much for keeping my identity hidden.’
Having defeated the monster alone before this many people, information about me would spread like wildfire.
‘And that would naturally expose that I’m an apostle of Polaris.’
I didn’t particularly regret it.
I’d anticipated this would happen eventually anyway.
The timeline was just accelerated a bit.
“Um, excuse me.”
Just then, a man stepped forward from the crowd.
He was a middle-aged man in a rumpled suit.
He pulled a business card from his pocket and extended it as he spoke.
“I’m Go Gwang-hyun, a reporter from Cheonri Eye Daily. May I ask if you’re an Awakened User affiliated with a Guild?”
“I’m with the Association.”
I smiled.
A warm, friendly smile crossed my face.
‘Since it’s come to this, I might as well cultivate a good image.’
Projecting a likable image to others was incredibly important.
‘The better the image, the easier it is to gain trust.’
And that trust always made for excellent nourishment to exploit.
“Huh, there was an Awakened User like that in the Association?”
“Wow… the Association, I never would have guessed.”
“But he seems like such a good person, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah!”
Exclamations rippled through the crowd.
‘Perfect.’
I smiled with satisfaction.
“Thank you so much!”
“Wow! That was seriously amazing, oppa!!”
Thunderous applause erupted from all corners, accompanied by expressions of gratitude.
‘I need to show some humility here.’
There was nothing better than modesty when it came to making a good impression.
“No, I was simply doing what needed to be done—”
[Hehehehe! Did you all see that with your own eyes?!]
“Huh?”
Vega stepped forward, placing both hands proudly on her hips.
[The hero who saved you all is my precious child!!!]
Hrmph!!
She proclaimed it boastfully, her posture perfectly rigid.
She looked exactly like an overbearing mother bragging about her son.
[…Ah!]
Snap!
Just then, Vega’s face lit up as if she’d had a brilliant idea.
‘What is she doing.’
A sense of dread washed over me.
[Now then… you’re all expressing your gratitude with mere words.]
What?
[How can you stand before your savior and thank them with words alone!!!]
What is she getting at.
[My child is quite fond of money, you see!!]
No.
[━Now then, offer your money to my child!!!]
Stop it, for fuck’s sake.
‘I was supposed to maintain a humble image!!!’
My expression went blank as my jaw dropped.
“Wait… money?”
“Well, yes. After all, you saved our lives.”
The people reluctantly opened their wallets and handed their money to Vega.
[Hehehehe. What do you think?]
Vega puffed out her chest proudly and held out the bills she’d collected.
[I’ve gathered this money for you!]
“….”
I’m going to lose it.

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