Chapter 18

I Am Not a Regressor Chapter 18

Black Star Society (1)

"…Huh?"

The young man tilted his head, as if the unexpected words had caught him off guard.

"You're going to sell it?"

It was rare for a sacred relic to be sold before it had even been appraised.

"Yes. It doesn't seem to have the performance I was hoping for. There's no real change even when I touch it. And…."

Oh Jin smiled warmly and scanned the five people in black robes.

They exuded a strange aura, the kind of menacing presence one might feel from professional assassins.

'What is this?'

It was like watching a video without even needing to see it.

Oh Jin shrugged lightly and continued in a nonchalant tone.

"Isn't your life more valuable than a sacred relic?"

"…What?"

The young man tilted his head, confused by Oh Jin's words.

Then,

"Haha!! Hahaha!! There must have been a misunderstanding!"

He burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

"A misunderstanding?"

"Haha, yes. That's right."

The young man, with tears in his eyes, wiped his face with the hem of his robe and nodded.

"Well… it's true that our guild's attire can be a bit eerie. It's just the guild master's mysterious sense of style, you know."

He took off the black robe that covered his entire body.

Underneath, he was wearing the light armor that most Awakeners preferred.

"Of course, it's common for Awakeners to turn into bandits inside the Gate, but at least we don't do that, so you don't need to be so wary."

"Oh, I see. I misunderstood."

Oh Jin bowed slightly, looking embarrassed.

'A misunderstanding?'

He chuckled inwardly.

'You're really pushing it.'

The clear killing intent he had felt when he first saw the sacred relic in his hand.

The suspicious appearance of the men in black robes.

And most importantly,

'The same aura that was emanating from the sacred relic.'

A sinister, sticky aura that clung like a viscous substance.

He was confident of this because he had just absorbed the 'Power of the Black Star' contained in the sacred relic through Heukcheon.

'These guys.'

They possess the same 'Power of the Black Star' that was embedded in the sacred relic.

"Haha. The world is so dangerous these days that I made a mistake."

"No, I've heard that in the Gate, other Awakeners are more to be wary of than monsters."

"Um, that's true, I guess."

Oh Jin extended the black chalice again and smiled.

"Here. Didn't you say you needed it?"

"Yes, I do need it, but—"

"I'll sell it to you right here for a fair price."

"Hmm. Is there a specific reason?"

"As I mentioned earlier, it doesn't seem to have much use. If it turns out to be a 1-star or 2-star sacred relic after appraisal, it might even have to be sold for a lower price."

He indirectly expressed his intention to receive at least the value of a 3-star or higher sacred relic.

"Haha, that's a good point. Alright, we'll buy it."

The young man laughed and searched the pocket of the robe he had taken off.

"How about this in exchange?"

He pulled out a sacred relic stone, slightly larger than a fist.

It was so pure that it didn't just glow blue; it emitted a gentle, blue light.

'Wow, damn.'

A sacred relic stone of that size and purity would easily fetch tens of millions, if not more.

At least 200-300 million, and on a good day, it could even reach 400 million.

'It's worth a luxury car.'

With that, he could get one step, or even several steps, closer to his goal.

"Hmm… Well, this seems fair enough."

He nodded calmly, trying to hide his excitement.

A bright smile appeared on the young man's face.

"Then the deal is done."

They exchanged the sacred relic stone for the black chalice.

"Hehe. Finally…."

The young man, holding the black chalice, chuckled and shrugged.

Of course, the black chalice he had given was just an empty shell, all its power absorbed by Heukcheon, but fortunately, he didn't notice.

"Then I'll be on my way."

"Yes, thank you for the good deal."

After a light bow, Oh Jin headed towards the cave entrance, where stalactites jutted out densely.

"Phew, phew."

He suppressed the laughter that threatened to burst out.

'Wow, to catch such a fool here, what a stroke of luck!!'

He had been so disappointed when the sacred relic he had worked so hard to obtain turned out to be an empty shell.

But then, a fool appeared and bought the empty shell for tens of millions. There couldn't be a better windfall.

'Hehehe!!'

He chuckled to himself and walked with a light step.

Of course,

—He had no intention of leaving just like that.

'Black Curtain.'

Using Black Curtain to completely erase his presence, he hid himself among the densely packed stalactites.

He crawled on the ground like a bug, returning to the cave where he had found the sacred relic.

'These guys. They look suspicious no matter how you look at them.'

He needed information on why they were searching for sacred relics and what the 'Power of the Black Star' was.

'And.'

Another question.

'…Why now, not six days later?'

Frowning, he recalled the memories from Lee Shin-hyuk.

According to Lee Shin-hyuk's memories from the first run,

'The sacred relic in this Gate will be discovered six days from now, on the 21st.'

But the men in black robes had come as soon as the Gate opened, as if they knew a sacred relic was hidden here.

'Well, they must have known and come here on purpose.'

He had no idea how they found out so quickly.

Since he wasn't a regressor, they likely had some ability or item to detect the 'Power of the Black Star.'

In any case,

'If I hadn't come, they would have taken the sacred relic.'

It didn't make sense.

According to Lee Shin-hyuk's memories, the sacred relic in this Gate would be discovered six days later.

There were two possible explanations:

'Either the future has changed for some reason, or the sacred relic discovered on the 21st is a different one.'

'Let's see what happens.'

He hid himself in the gaps between the stalactites and used the Hunter's Mark.

His senses were amplified, and he could hear the conversation between the men in black robes.

"Why didn't you kill him, Mr. Yoojin?"

Yoojin.

It seemed to be the name of the young man he had just traded with.

"Hehe. This is a newly opened Gate, isn't it?"

"…Yes."

"Other Awakeners will soon arrive, and it would be troublesome to leave unnecessary traces."

"The disposal of the body can be done perfectly…."

"Isn't it better to be cautious? Don't you think so?"

Yoojin's half-closed eyes opened slightly.

"Yes, sir! You are absolutely right!!"

"Haha. Thank you for understanding."

He smiled and looked at the black chalice in his hand with a sweet expression.

"The age of the stars is ending, and the day when the Black Stars will rule the sky is near."

He spread his arms as if performing a play and spun around once.

"The arrogant constellations will all pay for their sins."

"Glory to the Black Stars!"

"Glory to the Black Star Society!"

The four men in black robes bowed flat on the ground.

Yoojin smiled in satisfaction and lifted the robe he had taken off.

"The Black Stars will surely smile upon your loyalty."

"We will follow the guidance of the Black Stars!!"

"Hehe. Oh, by the way. Did you bring the sacred relic to replace it?"

"Of course."

One of the men in black robes, who had been bowing, stood up and took something out of his robes.

A chalice-shaped sacred relic emitting a gentle blue light.

He lightly kicked off and climbed onto the statue, replacing the black chalice with the new sacred relic.

"Then let's go back."

"Yes!"

As Yoojin turned, the men in black robes followed.

"Oh, by the way."

Clap.

He clapped his hands as if he had just remembered something.

He turned to one of the men in black robes and said,

"Do you remember the face of the person I traded with earlier?"

"Yes."

The man in the black robe, who had been addressed, bowed deeply.

Yoojin smiled and continued,

"Go and kill him."

Casually.

As if it were nothing.

"I will follow your orders."

"Of course, you must kill him outside the Gate, right?"

"Of course."

The man in the black robe, who had received the order, quickly headed towards the cave entrance.

"Haha. Then let's go report to the Executor."

Yoojin and the remaining three men in black robes also walked towards the cave entrance.

"……"

Five minutes after the men in black robes had completely disappeared,

Oh Jin, who had been crouched in the gaps between the stalactites, slowly stood up.

"…Black Star Society."

It was a name he had never heard before.

'They are definitely suspicious.'

Maybe they were an illegal guild operating in the shadows.

Their actions made them seem like a cult.

"This needs more investigation."

The way they talked about the Black Stars ruling the sky and the constellations paying for their sins made it clear they were not ordinary dangerous people.

"Anyway… so that's how it was."

Oh Jin looked at the sacred relic embedded in the statue's forehead and chuckled.

One of the questions in his mind was answered.

'The future didn't change.'

The sacred relic that Lee Woo-hyuk's guild members found six days later had been replaced by the Black Star Society.

'So that's why it felt strange.'

Just before Lee Shin-hyuk's memories cut off,

He recalled the last words he had heard.

The woman with glasses, reporting to Lee Woo-hyuk, had clearly said, "Something feels strange."

"Of course it would feel strange."

Oh Jin reached out to the sacred relic embedded in the statue's forehead.

Even though it was a similar size, it felt different from the original one embedded in the statue.

"Should I take this too?"

He removed the blue chalice from the statue's forehead and put it in his sling bag.

'This time, Heukcheon didn't react.'

It seemed that Heukcheon had reacted to the 'Power of the Black Star' inside the sacred relic, not the relic itself.

"Kyaha!!! So sweet~!"

He had sold the empty shell of a sacred relic for a valuable sacred relic stone and obtained another sacred relic used for the switch.

'Well, it's probably just a 1-star or 2-star sacred relic, but still.'

A 1-star sacred relic is worth about 10 million won.

"Alright, then."

He stretched and picked up the spear he had hidden between the stalactites.

"Let's go catch the guy who's digging hard."

The man in the black robe who had run ahead to chase him.

It was time to get the answer to the question that still puzzled him.

* * *

"…What?"

The man in the black robe frowned.

"Why is there no trace?"

He searched for the traces of the person he had encountered in the cave, but found no signs of him leaving the Gate.

He entered the Gate again and thoroughly searched the maze-like cave.

But,

"…What's going on?"

There were traces of him entering, but no signs of him leaving.

'Damn it.'

He bit his lip in frustration.

Yoojin's bright smile flashed in his mind.

"Ugh, ugh."

If he reported that he had lost the trail, Yoojin wouldn't let it go easily.

"Damn it! Where are you!"

Thud!

Unable to control his anger, he kicked the ground roughly.

Flap! The hem