Chapter 17

I Am Not a Regressor Chapter 17

The Relic of the Black Star (4)

The soft sensation covering his lips.

Swallow.

The sweet liquid that seeped through his tongue slid down his throat.

“Ugh….”

Feeling the warm touch at the back of his head, Oh Jin slowly opened his eyes.

[Are you regaining consciousness?]

“…Lady Vega?”

The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was the beautiful goddess with radiant silver hair and golden eyes.

Not the size of 30 cm, but the form of an adult woman, just as he had first met her.

‘What is this?’

Oh Jin widened his eyes and looked around to grasp the situation.

He was lying on Vega’s thigh.

She was gently stroking his hair as if tending to a tired child who had collapsed.

‘What the hell!’

Oh Jin hurriedly sat up.

[Stay lying down a bit longer.]

“Huh? But….”

[Oh, you should lie down as I told you.]

Vega said in a feigned stern voice.

Following the hand pressing his forehead, he laid his head back on her thigh.

Rustle.

The touch of the dress against the back of his neck was ticklish.

“…What happened?”

[It seems you exerted too much energy. You fainted right after the battle ended.]

So Vega had been taking care of him after he fainted.

‘Lying on the thigh of a celestial being…’

This must be a crazy experience that no other awakened person has ever had.

[You…]

Vega gently placed her hand on Oh Jin’s forehead and continued.

[You are more aggressive than you look.]

Her tone was reproachful.

[Take better care of yourself. Even if you are a regressed person, you are still human.]

“……”

The biggest reason for his reckless act this time was her fault, but he couldn’t say that.

Here, he should just agree quietly.

“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”

[Hmm.]

Vega looked down at him with a somewhat displeased expression.

“Is there a problem?”

[…No.]

She shook her head, but her expression was far from convinced as she tightly pressed her lips together.

‘What is it?’

Could it be that she was suspicious because he confidently told her not to worry and then barely won with the blessing?

‘Damn. Then what does she want me to do?’

In that situation, there was no other way to deal with the slime giant except with the blessing.

[Cough.]

Vega, who had been lost in thought, cleared her throat and averted her gaze.

[Wh… What? Didn’t you call me without honorifics just now?]

“Oh.”

He had been hit by the giant and was in a state of confusion, and some unknown heat had spread through his body, so he had spoken informally.

“I’m sorry, I was just too distracted.”

The fact that he had been hit by the slime giant and was in a state of confusion seemed to be of no concern to her.

[It’s not that I’m scolding you. In fact, you’ve called me without honorifics a few times before, haven’t you?]

As she said, he had used informal speech a few times to act as if he had some story.

[…It’s fine.]

“Huh?”

[If you want, you can call me informally.]

What does that mean?

“No matter what, that’s a bit….”

[Is there a problem?]

“No, not really.”

[After all, in your past life, weren’t you and I… very close?]

No.

We weren’t that close.

[Or…]

Vega, who had been gently stroking his head, pinched his cheek.

It was quite a strong pinch.

[You could speak informally to me back then, but not now?]

Her voice carried a hint of anger.

‘Why is she suddenly like this?’

It was a bit bewildering, but he couldn’t refuse when she said it like that.

“Alright. I’ll speak informally then.”

[Hehe. Do that.]

She laughed with a satisfied and excited tone.

-Crack!

[Ouch…!]

At that moment, a sudden spark flew, and Vega frowned.

[It seems… the restriction has started in earnest.]

It was only natural, considering she had given him a blessing and fully manifested her true form.

“Are you okay?”

[Hmm… I will need a considerable amount of time to recover this time.]

“A considerable amount of time?”

[At least two weeks, maybe a month.]

It was twice as long as the last time she gave him a blessing.

That meant she had overexerted herself this time.

“…Sorry.”

[It’s nothing. It’s not your fault.]

Vega smiled gently and continued.

[The monster you faced was at least a 5-star level, and it was different from a regular monster.]

Indeed.

Compared to a regular monster, it felt alien.

[Even with my help, you wouldn’t have won without your skills.]

“Thanks for saying that.”

He had been worried that she might suspect him after he acted so confidently and then got caught, but fortunately, her reaction seemed to deepen her trust rather than raise suspicion.

“Then, I’ll get up… hmm?”

Thud.

When he tried to get up from her thigh, he noticed empty glass bottles rolling on the floor.

They were the three intermediate potions he had brought in case of an emergency.

[To help you regain consciousness faster, I used them myself.]

Vega crossed her arms proudly and stretched her shoulders.

Hmph!

She even blew a strong breeze through her nose, as if expecting praise.

“Y-You… did that?”

Oh Jin clenched his fists and forced a smile.

Shiver.

His clenched fists were trembling.

‘No.’

Three bottles.

Three bottles?!

‘What do I do if I use all three at once!!!’

Boil.

His anger boiled over.

He felt like he might tear his hair out and have a seizure right then and there.

‘How much… how much is this… damn it…’

Thinking about the cost of the potions, which each cost several million won, tears welled up in his eyes.

[Hehe. You’re so moved that you’re crying!]

Shut up, please.

“…Haha. Yeah. Thanks.”

He twisted his lips into a smile, exerting superhuman patience.

He wanted to grab her by the collar and shake her, but he couldn’t do such a crazy thing to the celestial being he revered.

‘Anyway.’

Oh Jin’s gaze fell on the empty potion bottles.

A sudden question came to mind.

“How did you make me drink them?”

[……!]

Vega’s eyes widened, and she shuddered.

She turned her head to the side and said in a barely audible voice.

[Don’t worry about it.]

“Huh? Don’t worry about what?”

[That’s it, I’m going now!!!]

“No.”

Vega turned as if to run away.

Her body transformed into a brilliant silver light and was absorbed into the necklace.

“…What’s that?”

He looked down at the necklace with a bewildered expression, but there was no response.

━An awkward silence.

A gloomy atmosphere settled in the chamber where he was left alone.

“Ugh.”

Oh Jin scratched his head and turned his body.

There was something more important to deal with now than how Vega had made him drink the potions.

“Haha!”

A natural laugh escaped his lips.

Looking at the black chalice embedded in the center of the statue’s forehead, his mouth watered.

“Let’s see what kind of loot we have.”

With a light jump, Oh Jin reached the head of the statue, took the black chalice in his hand, and chuckled.

Crack.

With a dull sound, the black chalice was pulled out from the statue’s forehead.

‘What kind of ability does it have?’

Oh Jin’s eyes sparkled as he touched the black chalice.

A faint black light emanated from the chalice, carrying a sticky and ominous aura.

Despite the unpleasant feeling, he decided to take it with him.

‘I can’t just throw away a relic I worked so hard to obtain.’

There was no way to know the abilities of the relic right now, but he could easily find out by consulting an expert appraiser.

“It would be nice if it’s a 3-star or higher relic.”

A 3-star relic could fetch 100-200 million won.

A 4-star relic could be worth over 500 million won.

‘Damn.’

Just thinking about it was thrilling.

-Gurgle, gurgle.

“…Huh?”

At that moment, a strange sensation spread throughout his body.

━The same inexplicable excitement he had felt earlier.

A hot sensation, like drinking high-proof alcohol, spread through his body.

‘What the…’

A burning thirst.

Instinctively, Oh Jin clutched the black chalice with both hands.

And then.

[Black Heaven absorbs the power of the Black Star contained in the relic!]

A message appeared before his eyes.

“The power of the Black Star…?”

What does that mean?

-Gurgle!!

Before he could ask, a black cloud flowed from his fingertips and enveloped the relic.

“Gah!”

The black cloud brought a flow of mana.

It was different from ordinary mana, a sticky and unpleasant feeling that settled in his body.

[The power of the Black Star has been successfully absorbed!]

[Black Heaven’s characteristic has evolved!]

[The ‘Black Curtain’ characteristic now conceals not only Black Heaven’s aura but all traces. This effect can be adjusted at the user’s will.]

[One of the conditions for Black Heaven’s third blooming has been met.]

Gurgle.

The black cloud that had enveloped the relic wriggled as if satisfied and was reabsorbed into his body.

“Phew.”

Oh Jin looked down at the black chalice in his hand with a defeated expression.

‘What is this?’

Did Black Heaven have the ability to absorb the power contained in relics?

‘No, more importantly, is this really a relic?’

He had never heard of a relic containing the power of the Black Star.

“…Could this be the strange aura Vega mentioned earlier?”

It was just a guess, but he felt that this relic was different from a regular one.

“Wait a minute.”

Whether this relic was different or not,

Black Heaven had already devoured all the power inside it.

“Could this be… a dud?”

He frantically turned the black chalice in his hand, but the ominous and sticky aura he had felt when he first touched it was gone.

“No.”

What is this?

“My relic. Where is my relic?!”

Boiling anger.

“No, no, no!!”

A relic whose abilities and grade he hadn’t even had time to check.

The frustration of a lottery ticket being torn to shreds before he could scratch it off made him thrash.

“This damn… damn… damn….”

Frustration.

“No, it’s not a loss.”

He knew that.

He had absorbed the mana contained in the relic, and he had met one of the conditions for Black Heaven’s third blooming, even if only partially.

Most importantly, the ‘Black Curtain’ characteristic he had been using effectively had evolved.

In fact, he had received a reward far more valuable than any ordinary relic.

‘I know.’

I know.

‘But how am I supposed to deal with this overwhelming sense of injustice?’

This was a matter of emotion, not reason.

It was like a child who, upon opening a Christmas gift from their parents, found a thick wad of cash instead of a three-stage combining robot.

Even if the cash was enough to buy the robot and have money left over, the child would still feel a sense of disappointment.

“Damn it.”

Oh Jin touched the now empty black chalice with a defeated expression.

-Clomp, clomp.

“Huh?”

The sound of footsteps echoed in the wide chamber.

Oh Jin turned his head in the direction of the sound.

“Oh? We have a visitor?”

Walking through the densely packed stalactites were people in black robes covering their entire bodies.

‘Who are these guys?’

There were five of them.

A sticky and ominous aura flowed from the hooded figures.

It was the same kind of aura he had felt from the black chalice.

“Hmm… I didn’t expect anyone to enter the gate before us.”

A warm, soothing voice.

The person in the middle of the five stepped forward and pulled back their hood.

A young man with light brown hair and narrow eyes looked at the black chalice in Oh Jin’s hand and sighed regretfully.

“Were you looking for this?”

Oh Jin held up the black chalice and asked.

“Haha. Yes, but we’re too late.”

The young man with brown hair scratched his head with a simple expression.

“It’s something we really need… What are you going to do with it?”

He smiled brightly and slowly opened his narrow eyes.

The eyes that peeked through the narrow slits were eerily bright.

“Oh, really?”

Oh Jin spun the chalice in his hand.

He stepped closer to them and extended the black chalice.

“Are you going to buy this from me?”

He asked with the same bright smile as the young man.