Not A Regressor - Chapter 86

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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 86
The Saint of Rome (7)
“Yes…? Yes?!”
Isabella’s face flushed crimson like an apple as her eyes widened.
I felt her faintly trembling cheeks stiffen abruptly.
“Th-th-th-th-that is… wh-what do you mean?”
What do I mean, indeed.
‘I mean you’ll work yourself to the bone under me as a demon stone polisher from now on.’
Of course, I didn’t voice the thoughts swirling in my head.
The most important thing right now was earning her favor.
And then exploiting that favor thoroughly.
“Well, what do you think it means?”
I asked playfully with a slight chuckle.
“Ah…”
Isabella lowered her head, her cheeks burning bright red.
‘Direct hit.’
Well, that made sense.
I was her savior who had rescued her from a life-threatening situation.
Since our first meeting had ended on a pleasant note, it would be strange if she didn’t develop some fondness for me.
‘Though that fondness probably won’t develop into romantic feelings.’
Saving someone’s life and developing romantic feelings for them were entirely different matters.
She’d likely come to see me as ‘someone I can rely on.’
‘That’s exactly the right amount.’
If her fondness evolved into romantic feelings, it would actually be problematic.
Ha-eun would have a fit if she found out.
“You certainly speak boldly without hesitation, Kwon O-jin.”
“Isn’t Isabella the same way?”
Hadn’t she mentioned something about a date when we first met?
“Hehe. Perhaps you’re right.”
“Let’s set aside the small talk and focus on escaping this place safely.”
“Yes!”
I narrowed my eyes and activated the Hunting Dog constellation.
Thanks to sending the communication relic far away, I sensed no presence nearby.
‘Time to make a move.’
I pushed myself up.
“Are we leaving?”
“We can’t stay hidden here indefinitely.”
“…But I don’t mind staying.”
Isabella pouted slightly, as if reluctant to leave.
“Pardon?”
“Hehe. No, that’s not it.”
I shook my head lightly and got to my feet.
‘Despite appearances, she seems to have a remarkably resilient mind.’
Even while being pursued by hundreds of assassins, she maintained a composed expression.
“Which direction should we head?”
“Our first objective is to escape Rome.”
The assassins had established their base in Rome’s city center.
To shake off their pursuit, I had to get out of Rome entirely.
“Yes!”
I stepped outside with her cheerful affirmation.
We navigated through the tangled maze of alleyways toward the outskirts of Rome.
-Pad, pad.
I moved with careful, muffled footsteps.
Each step was so quiet that even my breathing was inaudible.
“Um… Kwon O-jin?”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t this direction actually taking us deeper into the city?”
“That’s right.”
As she said, the direction I was heading was toward the heart of Rome.
“Then when you said we’d escape the city…”
“If we try to leave on foot, there’s nothing but mountains surrounding the area, isn’t there?”
If we ventured into the mountains, the assassins would only follow us more openly.
“We’ll travel downstream along the Tiber River toward the coast.”
“Ah.”
The Tiber River was a wide waterway that cut through the entire city, much like the Han River in South Korea.
If we traveled upstream toward the sea, even the most skilled assassins wouldn’t be able to pursue us.
“But we don’t have a boat, do we?”
“We should be able to find one once we get there.”
That’s what I said, but—
Over the past six days of studying escape routes, I’d already secured a boat.
Once we passed the Colosseum and reached the river, I could board the prepared vessel and escape.
‘And once we reach the river—’
I could actively use my Hydro Affinity ability to fight the assassins.
“I understand. I’ll trust you, Kwon O-jin.”
Isabella nodded, apparently accepting that there were no other options.
-Pad, pad.
I resumed my careful steps once more.
After walking for about an hour—
“Found them!”
“There they are!!”
“Damn it! Grab them quickly! We don’t have much time!”
It seemed impossible to shake off the assassins with just a shallow trick.
The moment I emerged from the alley onto the main street, the assassins lurking nearby began to pursue.
“Tsk. So there’s no getting through this cleanly.”
There were over hundreds of assassins.
I’d never expected to lose them by simply discarding the communication relic far away.
“Oh, Kwon O-jin!”
Isabella looked at me with an urgent expression.
“From here on, we run.”
“Kyaaah!”
I hoisted her onto my back and secured her with wire.
Until now, I’d moved like a mouse—silent and careful. Now it was time for speed.
-Twang!
Using the wire, I leaped between buildings, moving at breakneck pace.
“Damn! Chase them!!!”
“What the hell! Is he Spider-Man or something?!!”
“Don’t let them escape!”
The assassins shouted frantically.
“Haaah!”
Crash!
An assassin who leaped high scattered needle-like iron shards.
-Clang! Clang!
I swung my spear to deflect the projectiles while sprinting toward the river.
“What’s happening? What is this?”
“Did… did a Gate open?”
As I ran onto the main avenue, civilians began to appear on the streets.
“Get out of the way, you bastards!”
-Whoosh!
“Ugh! Crack!”
“Kyaaaaaaah!!”
The assassins mercilessly swung their weapons at the panicked crowd, continuing their pursuit.
‘Insane bastards.’
I never expected them to be this reckless.
‘Wasn’t the Black Star Society in Italy supposed to maintain a good public image?’
If they’d simply killed everyone cleanly, I could’ve rationalized it as eliminating witnesses. But this wasn’t that.
‘It’s like they’re just sweeping away inconvenient obstacles.’
In fact, some people hit by their weapons didn’t die.
Which meant they never had the intention to eliminate witnesses in the first place.
Yet.
They indiscriminately swung their weapons at anyone blocking their path.
As if the carefully cultivated image of a ‘saint’ meant nothing to her.
“….”
An unsettling sensation crawled down the back of my neck.
Like misaligned gears, the causality of events twisted out of place.
‘What is this?’
What had gone wrong?
Where had my reasoning gone astray?
━Questions linked one after another in an endless chain.
But no clear answer surfaced in my mind.
“Kwon O-jin!”
“Tch!”
Boom!
A ferocious explosion swept through the surroundings.
I narrowly dodged the attack and planted my feet firmly.
‘Damn it.’
With dozens—no, hundreds of assassins pursuing me, I had no luxury for leisurely contemplation.
‘First, I need to shake them off and think.’
I surged forward, unleashing my spear with brutal force.
-Crackle crackle crack!!
A torrent of blue lightning repelled the assassins blocking my path.
“Ahhhhh!!”
“Block them!! Block them, damn it!!”
My overwhelming firepower pushed them back momentarily.
But they rushed toward me like a horde of ravenous demons.
“Tch!”
I swung my spear violently, repelling the assassins that surged forward.
“Die!!”
A sharp blade aimed at Isabella.
I raised my arm to block the blade.
-Squelch!
“Kyaaaah!!”
The blade bit into my forearm, and blood gushed forth.
A dizzying pain crashed over me.
“Thunderbolt.”
“Gyahahahahaha!!”
I ignored it.
Ignoring pain was something.
Not particularly difficult.
“Kwon O-jin… your arm!”
“I’m fine.”
I answered curtly while facing the flood of assassins.
The number of assassins surrounding me had already exceeded a hundred.
‘…Should I call Vega?’
No, not yet.
‘Let me paint a slightly more perfect picture.’
This level of ‘crisis’ alone wasn’t enough.
The picture still felt incomplete.
-Crack, crackle crackle crackle!!!
Feathers made of lightning swept savagely through the surroundings.
“Aaahhh!”
“Damn it!!”
Screams erupted.
I swung my spear to cut down the assassins and dashed toward the river.
-Whoosh!
“Ugh!”
One step, two steps.
With each footfall, my wounds multiplied.
Large and small gashes embroidered my body as blood drenched me from head to toe.
“…Kwon O-jin.”
Isabella subtly loosened her grip on the arm wrapped around my back.
“Leave me behind and go.”
Her voice trembled.
“We’re almost there.”
“It’s already too late! Even if we reach the river, we can’t escape….”
“It’s fine.”
Crack!
I twisted the neck of an assassin lunging at us and snapped it, continuing in a low voice.
“I’ll make sure it’s fine.”
“…Kwon O-jin.”
Isabella’s pupils trembled slightly.
‘Good.’
The climax of the performance was drawing near.
“W-we made it!”
After shaking off the assassins and running for another five minutes, we finally reached the riverbank I had targeted.
At the riverside bathed in crimson twilight, a single boat I had prepared in advance sat waiting.
“G-get on… that… boat… there.”
“O-Kwon O-jin?”
I deliberately gasped for breath and staggered forward.
With each step, blood spilled heavily onto the ground.
“H-hurry… get on… the boat. I’ll… b-buy… time.”
Like a protagonist willing to sacrifice his life to save the heroine.
I pushed her toward the boat and turned my body.
“B-but then what about you, Kwon O-jin!”
“…Go.”
“I can’t! I can’t leave you behind!”
“Go, now!”
I burst with passion and shoved her toward the boat.
“O-Kwon O-jin….”
Isabella stared at me with tears streaming down her face.
And then.
“Ah.”
I staggered.
My body swayed violently.
Thud!
I collapsed to the ground on my knees.
“O-Kwon O-jin!! Kwon O-jin!!!”
“R-run… escape… q.”
I squeezed out a faint, breaking voice.
━I closed my eyes.
“No, no, no, no, no!!!”
A scream that pierced the eardrums echoed across the space.
From far away, I heard the footsteps of assassins gathering.
The corners of my mouth lifted ever so slightly as my eyes remained shut.
‘Perfect.’
All preparations for the climactic moment of the performance were complete.
Now I just needed to lie here for a bit, and when she faced her moment of absolute crisis, I’d receive Vega’s blessing and sweep away the assassins.
‘Yes, the true path is the protagonist awakening in a moment of crisis!’
A heroine in danger.
The protagonist everyone thought was dead magnificently reviving and sweeping away all enemies in one fell swoop!
‘Kya-ha! This plan is absolutely exquisite!’
Since this was a scheme I’d put considerable effort into, I felt a thrilling sense of accomplishment.
“━You scurried away like a rat, Isabella.”
I felt the assassins surrounding the area.
“But that’s as far as you go.”
They glared at her with murderous eyes.
‘Well then, time to wake Vega.’
Just as I was about to channel mana into the necklace while observing the situation through slitted eyes.
-Crackle.
[A portion of Awakener Lee Shin-hyuk’s memories has been successfully recovered.]
My vision distorted.
Strange memories began flooding into my mind.
-What if I had met Isabella on that day back then… would things be different now?
-…brother.
Huh? What?
Wasn’t the transmission already finished?
-If I had met her back then…!!
Lee Shin-hyuk, gripping the rooftop railing, let out a desperate cry.
‘Ah. Now that I think about it, they said the transmissions would be divided and sent as the restoration progressed.’
Unbelievable.
I’ve already resolved everything, and now I’m getting the news too late.
-If I had met Isabella!!
Khkhkhk! You bastard.
That’s right. I saved you just as you wished, you son of a bitch.
No, I didn’t just save you either.
I practically filmed an entire drama for you, damn it.
-If I had killed that woman back then!!!
Yeah, yeah.
Two years ago, if I had killed Isabella…
‘Wait.’
Hold on.
What the hell did you just say?
-If I could have killed that insane woman when she was weakened by the Curse of Zamiwon!!
No.
Not save her.
I was supposed to kill her?
-I could have prevented this catastrophe!!
You goddamn bastard.
‘You should have explained this clearly from the start, you son of a bitch!!’
A sensation like being struck in the back of the head with a hammer.
Kwon O-jin’s mind became hopelessly tangled in confusion at the incomprehensible situation.
“You can’t die, Kwon O-jin!!! Kwon O-jin!!”
Isabella’s anguished scream pierced through the air.
“Ugh!! Sob!! Ahhhhh!!”
Sorrowful cries echoed out.
“There’s nowhere left to run now!”
The assassins, surrounding her without gaps, drew their weapons and approached.
“Hey, if you stay quiet, you won’t get hurt.”
Gulp.
Tension hung in the expressions of those carefully approaching Isabella.
“H-hic!”
Isabella’s shoulders trembled as tears streamed down her face.
A fragile figure, like a frightened puppy.
One of the assassins, gripping a weapon, shouted with a savage snarl.
“Drop the pathetic act!
Leech Queen!!!
”
“….”
“You tore our organization members to shreds, and now you dare show us that face….”
“━Oh my?”
A chilling murderous intent crystallized in Isabella’s blue eyes.
As if she had never been afraid, she slowly straightened her hunched body.
“Leech, you say.”
Click.
Sharp fangs grew as a suffocating aura overwhelmed the surroundings.
“Surely such a beautiful lady doesn’t deserve such a name, does she?”
“Kugh!”
The assassins’ faces turned deathly pale under the explosive killing intent.
“Hmm.”
Isabella swept her gaze across the assassins surrounding her, then looked down at Kwon O-jin collapsed on the ground.
“Let me see… he’s not actually dead, is he?”
She brought her finger to Kwon O-jin’s neck, tilting her head with an innocent expression.
“Oh? He’s still alive. Hehehehe. How fortunate.”
Confirming his pulse, Isabella displayed an alluring smile and licked her lips.
“I can’t possibly lose such premium prey after searching for so long in such a pathetic manner.”
Kyaruru!
Isabella let out a chilling laugh and slowly turned her body.
“Hehehehe. Quite the gathering. Really… being this popular is exhausting, you know?”
“S-shut up!”
The assassins trembled violently as they surrounded her.
“Now… I wonder what your blood tastes like?”
Black Star Society Executive, Rank 3.
Leech Queen Isabella Colgrande smiled coldly.

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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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