Not A Regressor - Chapter 60

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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 60
Heavy Rain (2)
After leaving Valhalla Guild.
I sent a text to the whistleblower’s contact number that Lee Woo-hyuk had given me to arrange a meeting location.
Of course, I’d obtained a disposable phone through the Association beforehand as a precaution against any unforeseen circumstances before sending the message.
Since this was no time for hesitation, the meeting was arranged swiftly.
Three hours after receiving the request from Lee Woo-hyuk.
I summoned the whistleblower to a cafe near Banghak Station.
‘Is that him?’
The figure who appeared at the cafe was a middle-aged man wearing a pulled-down hat.
He looked to be around forty years old.
His appearance was haggard, his face etched with exhaustion.
Melancholy and sorrow bloomed across his weathered skin.
Upon arriving at the cafe, he glanced around, searching for Kwon O-jin.
Needless to say.
I had no intention of meeting him without proper preparation.
‘Veil of Shadows.’
I, Kwon O-jin, had arrived at the cafe thirty minutes earlier and sipped my coffee while suppressing my presence.
Veil of Shadows was a trait capable of deceiving even Vega’s eyes.
As long as I didn’t reveal myself, I could hide my body whether there were ambushes or surveillance in the vicinity.
“Um… the person who came earlier asked me to pass this to you.”
After waiting a moment, a cafe employee approached the middle-aged man and handed him a note.
Just handing over a single note—fifty thousand won.
It must have been a request the employee was delighted to accept.
“….”
The man gave a small nod without responding and left the cafe.
I activated the Hound’s Star constellation and followed him.
‘There doesn’t seem to be any surveillance.’
At least, no one registered within my senses.
However, I couldn’t entirely trust the effectiveness of the Hound’s Star constellation, which wasn’t even a representative constellation.
-Thud, thud.
The man walked according to the location written on the note.
When he entered a deserted, dimly lit alley.
“…Mmph!!”
I released Veil of Shadows and tackled him from behind.
I covered his mouth with my hand and bound his limbs with wire.
“Mmph!! Mmmph!!”
“Stay quiet.”
I whispered softly like a kidnapper issuing a death threat, then shoved him into the back seat of a car I’d parked nearby.
Vroom!!
I immediately started the engine and sped down the road.
“Pfft!!”
“Speak while you’re in that state.”
The middle-aged man with bound limbs narrowed his eyes.
“…Quite a violent greeting, I must say.”
“This isn’t exactly a situation where we can leisurely chat over iced americanos, is it?”
Kwon O-jin turned his head with a smirk.
In the back seat, the man who had been writhing like a caterpillar managed to sit up with difficulty.
“The name’s Jang Seok-ho. I handle sacred relic development for the Black Star Society.”
“Kwon O-jin. Well… you know who I am, don’t you?”
“How could I not know of the Brain Wave?”
Jang Seok-ho examined me with calm, calculating eyes.
“I never heard that the Brain Wave had connections with Valhalla Guild.”
“Since you hadn’t heard, that’s why I’m here.”
If it were common knowledge, Lee Woo-hyuk would never have made such a request of me, and I would never have accepted it.
“So then. What do you mean by saying you know something about the Black Star Society?”
“…I can’t speak of it right now.”
“What?”
Kwon O-jin’s expression darkened fiercely.
“Then why did you come out?”
“I came to propose a deal.”
“A deal?”
Jang Seok-ho nodded.
“If you grant my request, I’ll hand over information about the Black Star Society.”
Tch.
I thought he was just a simple whistleblower, but he was moving with a different agenda.
“If I refuse?”
There was no real need to grant his request.
Once I had him in my grasp, there were plenty of ways to make him talk.
“Then I’ll die.”
“I’m not the kind of person who dies so easily.”
“No. It’s me who will die.”
“What?”
I slowed the car’s speed and turned to look at him.
Jang Seok-ho was calmly biting his lip.
“I brought a sacred relic on my chest that automatically explodes when mana flows through it. The explosion isn’t particularly strong, but it’s certainly enough to kill me.”
Now that I think about it, he did say he was in charge of sacred relic development for the Black Star Society.
“Of course, if that happens, your chance to obtain information about the Black Star Society will disappear as well.”
I studied the light in Jang Seok-ho’s eyes.
There was no need to verify whether it was merely a threat or something more.
His eyes shone with unwavering resolve.
“Tsk.”
I’d been played.
“What’s the favor?”
“My son is being held by the Black Star Society. Save him, and I’ll hand over the information.”
His son was being held captive.
“So that’s why you were following the Black Star Society?”
The Black Star Society could grant Stigmas to ordinary people who hadn’t awakened them naturally.
I couldn’t fathom how they performed this miracle—something only Constellations should be capable of—but they were expanding their influence at a rapid pace through it.
After all, people desperate to become Awakened Users were as countless as grains of sand on a beach.
‘I naturally assumed he fell into that category.’
So he’d been forced to follow the Black Star Society against his will.
That explained why he harbored such hatred toward them.
“Yes.”
Jang Seok-ho nodded, his expression rigid and unyielding.
“It’s already been three years since then.”
Three years.
I couldn’t easily imagine the despair he must have felt during those long years, forced to obey the Black Star Society’s commands.
“…Did they really need to go that far to keep him under control?”
Holding his son hostage to force compliance was effective, but from an organization’s perspective, it consumed considerable resources.
They had to manage the hostage they’d taken and constantly watch Jang Seok-ho, never knowing when he might betray them.
Was he truly valuable enough to warrant such effort?
“Personnel capable of professionally developing Sacred Artifacts are precious. It’s awkward to say about myself, but I’m quite skilled in this field. Though perhaps not quite as much as that kid at the Association.”
That kid?
‘Wait, could that be the kid Han Jun-man mentioned before?’
I glanced down at the wire shooter on my wrist.
I’d been using this weapon created by a kid whose name I didn’t even know, and it performed exceptionally well.
So Jang Seok-ho was supplying the Black Star Society with Sacred Artifacts made with Sacred Stones as their base, like this wire shooter.
‘He’s definitely talent worth the effort.’
I nodded in understanding.
I understood why the Black Star Society had kidnapped Jang Seok-ho’s son.
But something didn’t sit right.
“Still, is it really okay for you to meet me like this?”
If they were holding his son for that reason, the Black Star Society would surely be monitoring Jang Seok-ho closely.
“It’s fine. Ever since the Valhalla Guild attack, things have been chaotic. And after three years, their surveillance has grown lax.”
“Hmm.”
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
It seemed suspicious, but since he said it was fine, I had no choice but to accept it for now.
‘He wouldn’t have come to meet me without careful consideration, not when his son’s life could be forfeit if discovered.’
He must have contacted me because he was confident it was safe.
“So. You’re saying you’ll give me information if I save your son?”
Jang Seok-ho gave a small nod.
“What kind of information?”
“I’ll tell you once you save my son first.”
“Are you joking?”
Kwon O-jin’s expression darkened menacingly.
How could he ask me to save his son without even knowing what information he possessed?
This wasn’t like buying some cheap gacha package—it was impossible to agree to such terms.
“I need to know what information you have before I can even consider making a deal.”
“….”
Jang Seok-ho bit his lip nervously.
His expression suggested he had no idea what to do if the information he possessed wasn’t valuable enough for a trade.
It was natural for him to be anxious—the value of that information was tied directly to his son’s life.
“The Black Star Society has seven factions in total. Each faction is divided by country and quietly expanding its power.”
Then the Black Star Society that had recently been expanding its influence in Italy must be a different faction from the one operating in South Korea.
Well.
I’d already considered the possibility that there wasn’t just one Constellation of the Black Star.
Factions splitting according to their Constellation wasn’t unique to the Black Star Society.
“The information I have concerns the apostles of the Owl’s Star among those seven factions.”
“That’s the Black Star Society operating in South Korea, right?”
Jang Seok-ho nodded.
“Ranked 6th among the Executives. The faction led by Cheon Do-yoon, the Owl King.”
“…Ranked 6th?”
A powerhouse who single-handedly swept through the Valhalla Guild was ranked 6th.
‘Damn.’
Did that mean they possessed power equivalent to all of the Seven Stars combined?
“…Why has an organization of such scale remained unknown until now?”
“Most of them have been hiding in the Demon Realm. They’ve only recently begun operating openly after emerging from there.”
The Demon Realm.
The place called humanity’s final frontier.
A colossal Gate located at the North Pole with a diameter of fifty kilometers.
The ‘Land of Monsters’ that exists beyond it.
Even now, nine years after the Gates opened on Earth, the Demon Realm remained an unexplored mystery—less than five percent of it had been revealed.
‘If they were there… it makes perfect sense that their names wouldn’t be known.’
The Demon Realm was on an entirely different scale from ordinary Gates one could commonly encounter.
Current estimates suggested it possessed a size comparable to Earth itself, making “different scale” an understatement.
“So you’re thoroughly knowledgeable about that Owl faction?”
“I don’t know everything. Especially regarding the headquarters where Cheon Do-yoon is located—that’s classified as top secret, and someone like me, a mere foot soldier, can’t even dare approach it.”
“Then what do you know?”
“…I know the approximate locations of several branches and information about some high-ranking officials.”
“Hmm.”
That wasn’t bad at all.
Actually, given that my information had completely dried up, I couldn’t afford to overlook even the smallest clue.
‘It’s sufficient, but…’
Let me probe a bit deeper.
“Is there anything else?”
“….”
“Seems a bit meager as compensation for your son’s life.”
“…Ugh.”
Jang Seok-ho swallowed hard, his fists clenching.
“I do have… information about the Black Star Society’s plans. I don’t know the specifics, but I know why they emerged from the Demon Realm and began their activities.”
“Interesting.”
That was actually one of the things I’d been most curious about.
“Do you have a photo of your son or something like that?”
“…Could you loosen this a bit?”
“Ah, hold on.”
Jang Seok-ho glanced down at the wire binding his body as he spoke.
-Screech!
I parked the car on the nearby roadside and unwound the wire restraining him.
“It’s a video I took with my son three years ago.”
Jang Seok-ho held out his smartphone.
-Hehe! Daddy!! Hurry and come!!
A child who appeared to be in early elementary school beamed with innocent joy as he ran forward.
“Hic!”
Jang Seok-ho’s eyes reddened as he watched the video.
“P-please!!”
Perhaps the video had stirred his emotions.
Jang Seok-ho stepped out of the car and fell to his knees.
“Please… please save my son!! I’ll give you everything I know, just please!!!”
Thud!
His forehead struck the ground.
Desperate. Frantic.
Pleas poured from his lips.
“….”
I gazed quietly at the child smiling brightly in the video.
As if completely unaware of the world’s darkness.
Such a pure smile.
Could every child with parents smile like that?
‘I wonder.’
I’d never experienced it myself, so I wouldn’t know.
“Your son’s name.”
“Hm?”
“What’s your son’s name?”
“Jang Hyun-woo. That’s his name.”
“How old is he?”
“He’d be ten now.”
“When’s his birthday?”
“…Why are you asking me all this?”
“Just answer.”
“March 12th.”
“What’s his favorite food?”
“He used to love oranges.”
“Height and weight? Based on three years ago.”
“Well, I never measured his height exactly, so I’m not sure. His weight was around 25 kilograms.”
“Is that so?”
Then.
“Now answer the questions I asked you, but in reverse order. Weight, favorite food, birthday, age, name.”
“…?”
Jang Seok-ho opened his mouth with an expression asking what I was doing.
“Didn’t you just answer all of that? 25 kilograms, oranges, March 12th, ten years old, Jang Hyun-woo.”
I answered without hesitation.
Kwon O-jin grinned and nodded.
“Get in the car.”
The deal was sealed.

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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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