Not A Regressor - Chapter 45

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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 45
Subjugation of Demonic Beasts (1)
After completing three months of closed-door training, the first place I headed was the Association.
“Huh? Isn’t that…?”
“Isn’t that Kwon O-jin?”
“What? Didn’t he die in a Gate?”
During my three-month absence, rumors had apparently spread that I’d perished in a Gate.
I passed through the cluster of Awakened Users gathered outside the Association and entered the headquarters building.
-Knock, knock.
“Yes, come in.”
I knocked on the office door and stepped inside.
A middle-aged man with such a massive frame that even the spacious desk seemed cramped greeted me.
“Oh, Kwon O-jin?!”
Thud!
Team Leader Han sprang to his feet.
“It’s been a while, Team Leader Han.”
After three months, even those gaudy muscles of his felt oddly welcoming to see.
“Ha ha. I’m not a team leader anymore.”
“Pardon?”
He grinned widely and handed me his business card.
Next to the name Han Jun-man was boldly printed the title “Director-General of the Disaster Management Headquarters.”
“Wow, when did you get promoted?”
“It’s all thanks to you, Kwon O-jin.”
Han Jun-man—no, the Director—flashed a grin and gave a thumbs up.
‘That makes sense. Han Jun-man was the one who recruited me to the Association.’
Such a meteoric rise was entirely understandable.
“Heh heh. Looks like you owe me a meal?”
“Absolutely. Oh, it’s lunchtime anyway—shall we grab a bite together?”
“Sounds good.”
There was no reason to turn down a free meal.
“Let’s go. I know a great place.”
With that, I left the Association with Director Han.
The restaurant he led me to was an elegant traditional Korean house.
A glance at the sign revealed it specialized in Korean beef.
‘Korean beef!’
My eyes gleamed with desire.
Though I’d grown financially comfortable by now, the habits ingrained over a lifetime were formidable things to shake.
My heart raced at the prospect of eating expensive food for free.
“Ha ha! Go ahead, order whatever you’d like, Kwon O-jin!”
Director Han laughed heartily and called out.
“Then I won’t hold back. I’ll order generously.”
Kwon O-jin called over a server.
“Yes~ What would you like to order?”
“Everything from here to here, please.”
He swept his finger across the menu from the left edge to the right edge as he spoke.
Flinch.
Han Jun-man’s shoulders twitched slightly.
“Um… all of this?”
“Yes.”
Grin.
Kwon O-jin nodded with a radiant smile.
“Ahem, well… isn’t that a bit much, even so?”
“Come now, considering your generosity, this is the least I should order.”
“Ugh.”
Han Jun-man swallowed hard, his expression growing pained.
Perhaps I went a bit overboard.
‘But he even got promoted thanks to me, so this much should be fine.’
Mm-hmm.
I nodded and waited for the food to arrive.
“How was your training? Did you make progress?”
“Yes. It went quite well.”
Over the past three months of training, I’d advanced to Four-Star, and I’d even pioneered a new realm called composite skills.
It wasn’t a hundred percent satisfying, but this level of progress was certainly sufficient.
“If it went well, then to what extent…?”
“I’ve reached Four-Star.”
“What?”
Han Jun-man’s eyes widened.
His mouth fell open as if he’d just seen a ghost.
“F-Four-Star? You reached Four-Star in just three months?”
“Yes.”
“Huh…”
He pressed his forehead in disbelief.
An Awakened User who hadn’t even been awakened for half a year reaching Four-Star—it was unthinkable.
“…Even Seven Stars didn’t advance that quickly.”
Considering that the stronger one’s stigma, the harder it becomes to raise one’s Star rank, this was truly an impossible speed.
“A rookie receiving worldwide attention should be capable of at least this much, or they’d fall behind elsewhere.”
“Haha! Recruiting you into the Association was truly a stroke of genius!”
“By the way, nothing unusual happened during these past three months?”
Sizzle!
He placed meat on the grill as he asked.
“Well, there was quite a significant matter.”
Han Jun-man’s expression stiffened slightly.
“What kind of matter…?”
“A Gate runaway incident occurred near Sokcho.”
A Gate runaway.
It was a phenomenon where the monsters inhabiting the Gate spilled out into the world.
“What made it particularly problematic was that the monster that emerged wasn’t an ordinary one—it was a Demonic Beast.”
“A Demonic Beast?”
Demonic Beast.
It was a term I’d never heard before.
“Ah, since you’ve been inside the Star Palace, you wouldn’t know. Haven’t I mentioned before that mutant monsters are surging globally?”
“Yes, you did.”
I’d actually encountered quite a few mutant monsters myself.
“Because there are so many mutant monsters now, a new designation has been officially assigned to classify them.”
“Is that the Demonic Beast?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Demonic Beast.
Considering that mutant monsters were several times more ferocious and powerful than ordinary monsters, it was an apt designation.
“In any case, Demonic Beasts are currently rampaging even in urban areas around Sokcho, making it quite a serious situation.”
Monsters rampaging in urban areas wasn’t particularly unusual on a global scale, but for monsters specifically, South Korea was regarded as a relatively ‘safe nation’—and this was certainly rare for the country.
“How large is the scale?”
“Well, most of them are hiding in the mountains outside the urban areas, so it’s difficult to grasp the exact numbers. But we estimate there are at least over a thousand.”
“…That’s an enormous number.”
Over a thousand Demonic Beasts swarming together.
Just imagining it made me dizzy.
“A Subjugation Squad has already been organized for this.”
A Subjugation Squad.
‘Hmm… Should I participate once?’
If I had to go alone to a place teeming with over a thousand Demonic Beasts, I’d find any excuse to avoid it, but this wasn’t that kind of situation.
‘Not a bad opportunity.’
A Demonic Beast swarm powerful enough to warrant organizing a Subjugation Squad would be excellent for gaining real combat experience, and it was also a good chance to test the power of my Star Mark now that it had advanced to four stars.
“Is there separate compensation?”
“Of course. Depending on the grade, you receive between one million and three million won in bounty per Demonic Beast. Of course, any Star Essence Stones you harvest are separate.”
With such generous bounties, there was absolutely no reason to refuse.
‘I’ve already fixed my sister’s eyes, so now…’
Sizzle!
I picked up two perfectly cooked pieces of beef and placed them on a lettuce leaf.
One wrap, two pieces of meat.
It was an extravagance I couldn’t have dared imagine before.
‘I should eat delicious food to my heart’s content.’
Whether it was me or Ha-eun, we had both lived such grueling lives for so long.
Truly, we had endured hardship without respite.
“May I also participate in the Subjugation Squad?”
“Haha. I was about to suggest that myself, but it seems I’ve missed my timing.”
Han Jun-man nodded with a knowing smile, as if he had expected this.
“When will the Subjugation Squad depart?”
“Probably the day after tomorrow at the latest.”
“That’s perfect.”
That would give me enough time to prepare the necessary equipment.
“This will cause quite a stir when word gets out that you’re joining the Subjugation Squad.”
“The sooner, the better.”
Reputation translates to money.
Unless I couldn’t handle the fame, there was no reason to refuse it now.
“Well then.”
Kwon O-jin smiled brightly and picked up the now-empty bowl.
“Since we’re heading out on a subjugation mission, I should eat more heartily.”
“Ugh.”
Han Jun-man let out a deep sigh as he calculated the numbers on the bill.
“Ah, that’s right. The assembly point for this subjugation operation is in Sokcho. Do you have a car, Kwon O-jin?”
“I don’t.”
In a situation where I had to scrape together every penny, there was no way I could afford a car.
Besides, the assembly point was in Sokcho.
‘I suppose I’ll have to take the train.’
But would trains even be operating normally when demonic beasts were rampaging through the cities?
“You needn’t worry about that.”
Han Jun-man pulled a car key from his pocket and handed it to me.
“This is….”
“It’s a vehicle provided by the Association. It’s quite a high-end model, so you should have no trouble driving it.”
“Oh wow.”
First beef, now a car.
‘I was right—reputation really does turn into money.’
Without lifting a finger, things were handed to me.
Before awakening, this would have been beyond my wildest dreams.
“By the way, can you drive, Kwon O-jin?”
“I’ll have to learn starting now.”
Two days until the subjugation mission.
That was more than enough time to learn how to drive.
* * *
After parting ways with Han Jun-man.
Kwon O-jin returned home.
“It’s been a while, but this place hasn’t gotten any more welcoming.”
I clicked my tongue while gazing at the dilapidated exterior walls.
Creeeeak.
I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
“Hmm?”
I didn’t see Ha-eun anywhere.
“Where did she go?”
My older sister shouldn’t have any reason to leave the house.
Tilting my head in confusion, I climbed up to the Rooftop.
And there—
“—Hsssh.”
I saw Ha-eun with her right arm extended forward, her eyes tightly shut as she concentrated intently.
‘She was training.’
I stood quietly, watching her practice.
“Huuuh.”
She slowly exhaled the deep breath she’d drawn in.
Uuuuuung!
The Star Palace on her left chest blazed with light.
And then—
-Whoooosh!
Crimson flames erupted from her palm.
“Hah!”
With a sharp shout, Ha-eun swept her hand through the air.
Fierce flames burst forth like a nimble predator.
‘Wow.’
A short exclamation escaped my lips.
Back when I’d seen her before becoming an Awakened User, I’d only thought she looked “impressive,” but now that I’d reached a certain level myself, I could truly appreciate her strength.
‘My older sister is that powerful.’
Well, of course.
She was an Awakened User who’d reached Seven Stars rank.
And among all Seven Stars users, she was counted among the strongest.
There was no way someone like her could be weak.
-Whoosh! Whoosh!
The crimson flames spread like a net, dominating the surrounding space.
Even from this distance, the scorching heat prickled against my skin.
However—
‘…it’s not quite as intense as when I saw her before.’
I could definitely sense that her body hadn’t fully recovered yet.
“Huh? Oh, Kwon O-jin?”
While I was watching her training—
Upon spotting Kwon O-jin, Ha-eun startled and immediately withdrew the flames she’d been controlling around the space.
“You show up without a word and just stand there watching? What’s that about?”
Perhaps she felt embarrassed at being caught mid-training.
Ha-eun approached with her cheeks flushed slightly.
“You’ve improved quite a bit, it seems.”
“Well… I’m not fully recovered yet, but.”
Ha-eun shrugged her shoulders.
“Hehe. Since you’re done training, want to grab a meal with your sister for the first time in a while?”
“I just ate before coming here.”
“Huh?”
Ha-eun’s expression twisted.
“Hehe. I got some Korean beef and ate it.”
“Ugh! You sneaky bastard!”
Ha-eun grabbed my collar and shook me.
I burst into laughter.
“Once this job is done, let’s go eat together then.”
“Huh? A job?”
“You heard about Sokcho, right?”
“…A monster or something appeared?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded.
“I’ve decided to participate in the Subjugation Squad for this one. So I’ll be away from home for a few more days.”
…
Ha-eun’s eyes narrowed.
She stepped closer to me.
Her reddish-brown hair swayed like flames.
“I’m coming with you.”
“What?”
I narrowed my eyes.
“You haven’t fully recovered yet.”
“I’ve recovered enough to take down a few monsters.”
“Still.”
“Moving around, even a little, speeds up recovery better than just sitting idle, doesn’t it?”
“Hmm.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Just as the saying goes that real combat is the fastest way to raise a stigma’s proficiency, stigmas become far more active in urgent situations.
“Fine. Let’s go together then.”
For the first time.
Having become an Awakened User like her, I would now move alongside her.
“Hehehehe.”
Ha-eun twisted her body with unbridled delight.
She grabbed hold eagerly.
Grasping Kwon O-jin’s hand, she grinned widely.
“So I have to hold your hand tightly so I don’t get lost on the way?”
“How delightful.”
“How wonderful.”
This is making me dizzy.

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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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