Not A Regressor - Chapter 402

—————
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 402
Interlude – Summons (2)
“Alright then, let’s go beat the stuffing out of that pale bastard right now!”
Ha-eun’s lips curled into a grin as she clenched her fists.
She looked ready to swim across the Sea to Italy on the spot.
“No, not right now.”
Kwon O-jin shook his head quietly.
Though the people gathered here were powerhouses formidable enough to erase an entire nation without raising eyebrows, he couldn’t simply charge into a City where Mobius had already established himself and prepared his full defenses.
“What do you intend to do?”
“I don’t need to do anything. They’ll contact us first.”
“They?”
Buzz.
As the saying goes, speak of the tiger and it appears.
My smartphone vibrated in my pocket.
The name displayed on the screen was, as expected, Han Manager.
“Yes.”
-Oh, Kwon O-jin! Italy is…!
“I’ve seen the news.”
Mobius hadn’t singled out Kwon O-jin alone—he’d issued a declaration of war against all those blessed by the “Star’s Blessing,” all Awakened Users. Others would have witnessed the same broadcast.
It was only natural that the Association would contact him immediately amidst the global chaos.
-The Seven Star Council has issued a summons regarding this incident.
A summons from the Seven Star Council.
Any Awakened User bearing the title of “Seven Star” must set aside their current duties and assemble without exception.
Of course, refusing the summons itself was technically free, but doing so would result in the stripping of the “Seven Star” title, making it effectively a mandatory order.
Though it was called a semi-mandatory order, in truth, since the actual “Seven Stars” were established, a formal summons had never been proclaimed before—only in name.
This was because the “Seven Stars” were not the kind of beings who would meekly obey someone else’s commands.
If even one of the Seven Stars were to refuse the summons and withdraw in protest (however unlikely), the Seven Star Council would face global condemnation. Who would dare issue such a summons recklessly?
‘That the summons has been issued.’
It meant this crisis had delivered a shock to the entire world.
‘Well, that’s only natural.’
Within mere hours of the attack, the capital of an entire nation had burned to ash.
If Italy were like the nations of the American continent, devastated catastrophically by the “First Rift” incident and half-crippled as a state, it would be one thing.
The United States, the Russia-China Alliance, the European Union.
Italy, along with the United Kingdom, served as a cornerstone of the European Union among the three powers that currently divided the world’s authority.
For such a nation’s capital to burn overnight, global chaos was inevitable.
“Where should we gather?”
-For now, the Star Palace… is the plan.
It was the optimal location for the scattered “Seven Stars” across various nations to assemble in one place.
Access to the Star Palace was readily available through Gates that opened like roots across the world.
-All the other Seven Stars have expressed their intention to participate… What will you do, Kwon O-jin?
“We have to go.”
I couldn’t solve this situation alone.
No matter how formidable each member of my group was individually, we couldn’t possibly enter a city occupied by hundreds of thousands of demonic beasts with just six people and expect to fight our way through.
‘Especially since Riak and Vega are bound by restrictions and can’t use their full power.’
The real combat force came down to me, Ha-eun, Isabella, and Cassia.
Of course, three of them were 11-Star Awakeners, and even the fourth possessed firepower equivalent to a high 10-Star monster, but even so, waging a ‘war’ with just four people was impossible.
‘Especially when the objective is rescuing hostages.’
Only after the power of the Seven Stars scattered across the world converged in one place could we execute a rescue operation.
-Understood. Then I’ll see you in front of the Star Palace by 3 PM.
“Will you be coming too, Han Manager?”
-Of course. Well… you don’t keep regular hours, but formally speaking, you are still a member of the Association, aren’t you?
“Ah.”
Right, now that I think about it, I was part of the Association.
Since I never showed up for work and just collected my paycheck every month, I’d completely forgotten I was even an Association member.
-Surely… you hadn’t forgotten, had you?
“Come on, how could I?”
-Let me see, how much salary has been accumulating in your account…
“How about we meet up early and grab lunch, Manager? My treat.”
-Ha ha. Let’s save that for after this situation is resolved.
“I know a really famous place. They have a great variety of menu items.”
You might have heard of Kimbap Heaven.
-Yes, I’m looking forward to it. Then I’ll see you at 3 PM in front of the Star Palace.
The call ended.
I checked the time on my smartphone screen.
The digital clock showed just past noon.
“…Three hours from now.”
It was certainly tight timing to gather such prominent figures as the Seven Stars.
But given the gravity of the situation, they would all rush toward the Star Palace.
“Let’s get ready and head out.”
As I said this and turned to leave.
Tug.
Isabella grabbed my collar and bowed her head deeply.
“…Thank you, Kwon O-jin.”
“Thank me for what?”
“For listening to my selfishness.”
Isabella, still reeling from the shock, forced a smile onto her weary face.
“I know this operation is a trap set by Mobius. But…”
“I know.”
I chuckled softly and gently stroked her hair.
The reason Isabella had asked me to ‘save’ the captured people, even knowing full well it was the enemy’s scheme.
I had a rough idea of the reason why.
After all, the Gypsy Settlement was where I first met Isabella.
“It’s because of the gypsies, isn’t it?”
“…!”
Isabella’s eyes widened in surprise, her expression caught off guard.
“H-how did you know that, Kwon O-jin?”
“Even after we started living together, you’d often go to Italy for volunteer work.”
The sprawling Gypsy Settlement nestled in Rome, Italy.
Isabella operated several protection facilities there under the Colgrand name.
Facilities that provided warm meals and shelter to the homeless and impoverished gypsies.
Isabella claimed these facilities were essentially factories where she obtained ‘blood’ from the gypsies under the guise of protection.
‘But if that were truly the case, there would be no reason for her to personally volunteer there even after she started drinking my blood.’
Though Isabella presented herself as a cold-blooded ‘queen’ devoid of any humanity on the surface.
I knew better than anyone that beneath that facade lay a heart far more tender and compassionate than most.
“Ah, you already knew?!”
“Of course I knew.”
“Who told you such a thing!”
“Roberto mentioned it.”
“R-Roberto, how could you…!”
Betrayed(?) by her most trusted subordinate, Isabella’s face flushed crimson as she stomped her feet in frustration.
A soft chuckle escaped my lips.
“Sigh… there’s no helping you, is there.”
Cassia shook her head as if exasperated, unable to do anything about it.
“To think the family head would be so attached to personal sentiments… doesn’t the Colgrand name feel wasted on you?”
She chided Isabella with her reproach.
Yet an unmistakable smile played at the corners of Cassia’s lips.
She leaned closer to me and asked.
“So you’re planning to unite the power of the Seven Stars?”
“More precisely, the forces they command.”
This had long surpassed what a handful of high-level Awakeners could handle with a small force.
What I needed now was a massive organization.
Specifically, a high-level ‘army’ capable of holding back the hundreds of thousands of demonic beasts occupying the city.
“Hmm. Which of the Seven Stars are you acquainted with?”
“Allen and Baek Moo-gang, and….”
A woman with green hair bearing the constellation mark of Gemini.
I hadn’t met her frequently enough to call us ‘close’, but at least I’d seen her face before, unlike the other three.
“Rebecca Bell. Those are the three I know.”
“The Mute Star, the Heavenly Authority, and the Green Star Awakener, then.”
Cassia traced her crimson lips with her index finger as she asked.
“You said what you need is ‘forces’, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm.”
Cassia’s brow furrowed as if something troubling had occurred to her.
“…That’s actually become rather problematic.”
“What do you mean?”
Problematic?
Even if I wasn’t acquainted with all of them, I had connections with three out of the six—so what could possibly be problematic about that?
“Mubok Star Awakener has some semblance of a faction, but Cheon Gwon-seong and Green Star Awakener have virtually no faction to speak of.”
“What?”
How could awakeners bearing the title of ‘Seven Stars’ have no faction whatsoever?
“My, my, speaking as if it’s someone else’s problem? You yourself don’t have much of a faction to call your own, do you, Kwon O-jin?”
“Ah.”
Her sharp observation struck at the heart of the matter, piercing through my defenses.
Cassia was right—I had no faction that could truly be called my own.
Though I was affiliated with the Association, it was merely an affiliation; I held no final decision-making authority.
“But I have you all, don’t I?”
“Oh my~ That sounds like something straight out of a boys’ manga. I used to sneak-read those when I was younger.”
“Quiet.”
A deep sigh escaped me.
My shoulders sagged as I exhaled heavily.
Of everyone here, Isabella was the only one with what could be called a faction, but with Rome—the very foundation of the Colgrand Family—reduced to ash, drawing upon the family’s power was now impossible.
‘So for now, I need to somehow gather the forces of the other Seven Stars.’
In truth, I knew almost nothing about the other three ‘Seven Stars’ aside from Allen, Baek Moo-gang, and Rebecca, with whom I already had connections.
Before awakening my stigma, I had considered them inhabitants of a completely different world and paid them no mind. After awakening, I had been too preoccupied with forging my own path to spare them any attention.
“Hmm. Since you seem unfamiliar with them, allow me to summarize for you.”
Cassia extended her index finger as she continued.
“First, there’s Bianca Bennett, the Jade Star Awakener from the United Kingdom. An awakener bearing the stigma of Gemini who enjoys wandering the world like a vagabond, so she has no faction either.”
Her middle finger unfurled next.
“Second is Edward Walton, the Radiant Star Awakener from the United States. An awakener of Sagittarius who also operates as a businessman commanding several major corporations within America. If we’re talking pure wealth, the Colgrand Family would have to concede.”
“Then he has some semblance of a faction.”
“That’s true, but… the problem lies in the nature of America itself.”
The nature of America?
“America possesses the world’s highest number of high-ranking awakeners, but because they all prize freedom so dearly, there’s no organized faction like the ‘military’ you’re envisioning. At best, there are only small-scale mercenary groups.”
“I see.”
A low murmur escaped between my lips.
“And finally, there’s Alina Vladimir, the Taeul Star Awakener from Russia. She’s the person you should prioritize recruiting above all others.”
“How much of a faction does she command?”
“….”
Cassia paused briefly at my question before exhaling a short sigh and opening her mouth.
“A nation.”
…What?
“She currently holds the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Russia-China Alliance.”

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