Chapter 15

I Am Not a Regressor Chapter 15

The Black Star's Relic (2)

Whoosh!

A black object shot forward at high speed, accompanied by a sticky, slimy sound.

“Huh!”

I took a short breath and slid backward.

I extended the spear in my hand forward and confirmed the object that had shot out quickly between the stalactites.

‘Tentacle?’

A black tentacle oozing sticky slime.

Following the tentacle, I lowered my gaze to see a monster similar to a slime hidden between the stalactites.

The slime, which resembled a mass of tar, oozed and wriggled, emitting tentacles from its amorphous body.

“...What is that?”

It was a monster with a shape I had never seen or heard of before.

[An unpleasant creature, indeed.]

“It doesn’t seem particularly strong, though.”

Despite its terrifying appearance, its movements didn’t feel particularly threatening.

Crackle, crackle!

The scar on my left chest glowed, and blue lightning sparked.

I easily dodged the lashing tentacle and thrust the spear at the black slime.

Boom!

“Shit!”

The black slime's body exploded, splattering slime in all directions.

I quickly pulled back, but some slime still stuck to my collar.

Sizzle!!

Like acid had been poured, the slime on my collar began to smoke and burn.

‘It’s more troublesome when it’s dead than when it’s alive.’

Still, it wasn’t difficult to deal with as long as I paid a little attention.

Gurgle, gurgle!

“It’s not just one.”

The black slimes seemed to be gathering from all directions, wriggling closer.

I spun my spear and crouched.

‘If they explode when they die...’

The basic strategy is to maintain distance.

I reduced the number of black slimes one by one by shooting lightning at close range instead of directly stabbing them with the spear.

‘Should I try it this time?’

As I dodged the tentacles shot by the black slimes, stepping in a zigzag pattern, my eyes sparkled.

An attack that can be used from a distance with a wide range.

‘Spear Lightning.’

I wanted to try this skill, which I could only use when blessed by Vega, on my own.

“Sigh. Hoo.”

I took a deep, long breath.

I bent over and pulled the spear in my right hand as far back as possible.

Whirr!!!

The scar on my chest glowed blue.

I poured all the mana overflowing in my body into the scar.

[...What.]

Vega, who had been watching the battle, widened her eyes.

Crackle, crackle!!

Blue lightning enveloped my body like a flame.

The mana in the scar burned rapidly, like a fire in oil.

I ignored it.

‘Anyway.’

I have an abundance of mana.

‘Efficiency is not necessary.’

Efficiency is meaningless.

The lack of proficiency can be compensated for with brute force.

Boom!!!

I roughly rolled my foot and thrust my right arm forward with all my might.

[Activating 《Spear Lightning (蒼雷) Lv1》.]

Like releasing a beast from its leash, I simultaneously freed the lightning at the tip of the spear!

Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!!

Blue lightning swept forward in a fan shape.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Slime fragments exploded in all directions.

“Haa, haa!”

I planted the spear in the ground like a cane to steady my trembling legs.

‘Done.’

It was a clumsy and somewhat forced method, but I managed to use the skill that I could only use when blessed.

[Wow... It’s hard to believe even seeing it with my own eyes.]

Vega, who had been watching me fight, exclaimed.

[I knew you would learn quickly, but I didn’t expect this much.]

She knew best how difficult it was to handle the Lyra constellation's scar.

The reason no disciples had been created so far was that no one could handle the Lyra constellation's scar.

‘But in just a few days...’

I had managed to manifest a skill that I could only use with the blessing and constraints I had to endure.

No matter how much I had experienced it once, it was an unbelievable speed.

“Half of it was forced, though.”

[Hmm. Indeed. There are still many aspects that need refinement.]

I had successfully manifested 《Spear Lightning》, but in terms of completion, it was frankly poor.

It was like putting in 100 units of effort to achieve what could be done with 10 units.

It was highly inefficient, and its power did not match the original.

[But it’s enough that you managed to use Spear Lightning.]

《Spear Lightning》 was a skill of intermediate difficulty among those that could be used with the Lyra constellation's scar.

Even as a regressed individual, it was a difficult skill for someone who had just awakened.

“Haha. I’m glad you say that.”

[I will teach you other skills later. Oh, right, I realize you already know them.]

“No, I don’t.”

I shook my head and continued.

“Some of my memories are blurry from the regression. The skills of the Lyra constellation are one of them.”

[Blurry?]

“I don’t know. It’s like a part of the film is missing; I just can’t remember that part.”

I didn’t want to make such a clumsy excuse.

‘But I can’t just ask someone to use a skill they’ve never seen before.’

That’s not something you can brush off easily.

[Hmm. If the regression was due to the star’s pact, there shouldn’t be any memory loss. This is indeed strange.]

Vega looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Despite receiving a suspicious look, I continued naturally without any sign of panic.

“I think it might be some kind of constraint.”

[What kind of constraint?]

“The constellations also have the constraint of the law, don’t they? Perhaps some transcendent power has interfered with my memory in a similar way.”

If someone else heard this, they would probably frown and think, ‘What nonsense is this?’

But for her, who was actually constrained by transcendent power, it was a different story.

[Indeed... It’s not an impossible scenario.]

Vega touched her lips and nodded.

“Well, at least I haven’t forgotten the important things, so you don’t need to worry.”

[Important things...?]

“For example, my memories of you, Vega.”

I smiled at her.

[Uh!]

She shuddered.

[You, you’re saying such embarrassing things again!]

Her blushing face was cute.

[Cough. Anyway...]

Vega nodded and turned to fly toward the black slime corpses.

She narrowed her eyes and looked at the stalactites covered in sticky slime.

[Hmm... I feel a strange aura.]

“A strange aura?”

[I can’t express it precisely. It’s just a feeling.]

I narrowed my eyes and cautiously approached the shattered black slime corpses.

Since Vega felt a strange aura, there might be something more.

‘Hmm? This is...’

As I searched through the shattered black slime corpses, my brow furrowed.

Small black gems, about the size of a fingernail, were visible among the corpses.

‘A variant... relic stone?’

It was definitely the variant relic stone I had discovered not long ago.

And not just one, but several.

‘What is this?’

Another variant?

‘These aren’t supposed to be so common.’

Variant relic stones wouldn’t be so expensive if they were.

They are rare compared to ordinary specimens, making them worth several times or even dozens of times more.

“Vega, do you know anything about these black relic stones?”

[I don’t know.]

Vega shook her head and continued.

[Did the memory of these black relic stones also disappear?]

“Yes, I don’t know...”

Oops.

“...I have some idea, but it’s not certain yet.”

It was better to leave room for the possibility that I had some idea rather than completely denying knowledge.

‘If a regressed individual doesn’t know this and that, it doesn’t make sense.’

In any case, Vega didn’t know why so many variant monsters were suddenly appearing.

‘I’ll go deeper inside for now.’

I wiped the black slime off my spear and moved deeper into the cave.

The deeper I went, the more it felt like I was going in circles.

‘I have no choice.’

I didn’t want to use it in front of Vega, but there was no other way.

I activated the ‘Hound Constellation’s Scar’.

A flood of various smells rushed into my heightened sense of smell.

“Ugh!”

[Why are you doing this?]

“It’s nothing...”

I shook my head and focused.

‘The smell of the black slimes from earlier.’

I followed the trail of the unpleasant, sticky smell.

After passing through the maze-like cave, a wide, open cavern appeared.

“Phew.”

It seemed I had found the right place.

Deactivating the Hound Constellation’s Scar, the pungent smells disappeared.

[This place...]

Vega narrowed her eyes and surveyed the wide cavern.

[The strange aura from earlier is even stronger here.]

“There should be a relic around here.”

I walked into the cavern, looking around.

‘Where is it?’

My heart raced like a child who had arrived at the destination on a treasure map.

And then.

‘That is...’

A giant statue at the end of the cavern.

Something was sparkling in the center of the forehead of the statue, which seemed to be praying to a deity with its hands clasped.

━A black chalice with a sinister aura.

A black chalice, slightly larger than a fist, was embedded between the brows of the statue.

‘Found it!!!’

Although it was a bit different from the relics I had heard about, it was clearly a relic imbued with mysterious power.

‘Damn! How much is this thing worth!!’

Seeing the relic in front of me, I trembled as if struck by lightning.

‘A relic!’

A real relic!

━Chills.

The thrill made my heart race so much it felt like it would jump out of my mouth.

‘If it’s useful, I’ll use it; if not, I’ll sell it.’

Either way, it’s good.

“Hahaha!!!”

Damn.

I can’t stop laughing.

[Is that the relic?]

“Yes.”

I smiled brightly and walked toward the statue.

Gurgle. Gurgle.

At that moment, the sound of sticky slime echoed through the cavern.

[More unpleasant things are coming.]

Vega frowned and perched on my shoulder.

“Haha. I already knew. Don’t worry.”

I gripped my spear and walked toward the group of black slimes.

I had expected there would be a group of slimes here when I followed the smell.

‘Maybe they’re guardians of the relic.’

The thought of these X-faces being guardians made me laugh.

‘I’ll sweep them away quickly and take the relic.’

I smiled and walked toward the black slimes pouring in from all sides.

Crunch. Gurgle. Gurgle.

About 50 black slimes had gathered in the center of the cavern.

It was a terrifying number, but I didn’t think they were impossible to handle.

Honestly, each slime was weaker than an ant horn.

‘Just be careful of the explosions.’

That shouldn’t be difficult.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!!

“Hmm?”

But why aren’t these guys attacking?

“...What?”

My steps stopped as I walked toward the black slimes.

The 50 or so black slimes in the center of the cavern were entangled with each other, their tentacles intertwining.

Crunch!

With an unpleasant sound, a slime’s body burst and merged with the one it was attached to.

“Wait.”

My expression hardened.

A foreboding feeling crept into my mind.

And then.

Gurgle!! Gurgle!! Crunch! Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!!

Dozens of black slimes.

Fused into one.

“Hey, hey, hey. Wait a minute.”

The slimes had fused into a giant, about 5 meters tall.

The monster, made of black slime, pounded its chest.

“Raaaaaah!”

A terrifying roar echoed throughout