Chapter 2

I Am Not a Regressor Chapter 2

Scoundrel (1)

'A Star of Heaven's Defiance? A Regressor?'

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

'If a Regressor is... someone who has returned from the future?'

If that's the case, I must have guessed wrong.

Not only did he not return from the future, but he might not even survive until tomorrow.

No, there might not even be a need to last until tomorrow.

If things continue like this, he would be torn to shreds by the monsters surrounding him in less than five minutes.

'Calm down. Don't panic.'

To survive in this terrifying world, where he wasn't even an Awakened, he needed to think, understand, and make decisions faster than anyone else.

Swallowing hard, he began to think.

The first thing to do is...

'Figure out what the hell is going on.'

Oh Jin stared sharply at the charred corpse of Lee Shinhyuk, who had died in front of him.

A few hours earlier.

He recalled the memory of their first meeting.

* * *

"Alright, let's see if we can find a suitable mark today."

It was an ordinary afternoon.

Oh Jin stretched his stiff body and started walking.

He headed towards the gate, a popular spot for novice Awakeneds, and looked around.

"Ah."

Awakeneds were milling around the gate, looking for a party.

One of them caught his eye.

'Perfect.'

A leather armor with unnecessary decorations and thigh guards.

The 2-meter-long spear in his hand emitted a faint blue glow, indicating it was a high-quality item.

He approached the young man, who seemed to be asserting that he was different from the 'novices' milling around.

'Is this my 8th year doing this?'

Eight years ago.

Right after he left the hellish orphanage and was looking for a job to survive.

The world turned into a hell, as if the sky was playing a cruel joke.

'What a messed-up world this has become.'

After the first crack was observed in the Arctic.

Gates connecting to the outside world began to appear all over the world, like dams breaking.

Monsters poured out from the gates, and humanity was swept away by them.

By the time more than half of the Earth was covered by monsters...

—The Transcendents, known as the Constellations, appeared.

They bestowed the Mark of the Stars upon humans, giving them the power to fight the monsters.

Thus, the 'Awakeneds' were born.

'Even though I couldn't become an Awakened.'

In the chaotic and tumultuous world.

There were few ways for an orphan who couldn't become an Awakened to survive.

'But.'

He survived.

"Hey, there's someone who clearly doesn't belong here!"

Struggling and fighting.

Surviving by leeching off others like a leech.

"Who are you...?"

"I am Gwon Jin-oh, a 1-star Apostle of the Aquarius constellation."

"Wh-What? Aquarius?!"

The young man's eyes widened.

Of course.

It's understandable that he would be surprised.

Aquarius is one of the top-tier constellations among the hundreds of constellations, part of the '12 Signs of the Zodiac.'

"An Apostle of the 12 Signs of the Zodiac... I've never seen one in person."

"Ah, even though I'm part of the 12 Signs of the Zodiac, I'm still just a 1-star. No need to be so formal."

He laughed and smiled warmly.

"But, your name...?"

"Ah! I am Lee Shinhyuk, a 2-star Apostle of the Compass constellation."

"The Apostle of the Compass constellation!"

He clapped his hands and exclaimed.

"Wow! Amazing! The Mark of the Stars that can freely control all directions and orientations! I've heard that Awakeneds of the Compass constellation can handle even the most difficult weapons as if they were their own limbs!"

"Haha. Not to that extent. Compared to the Marks of the 12 Signs of the Zodiac, mine is nothing."

Though he tried to act nonchalant, the corners of Lee Shinhyuk's mouth twitched upward.

'Yeah, I have a great eye for people.'

He smiled, seeing Lee Shinhyuk react exactly as he had expected.

'Good, then.'

Now that he had chosen his prey.

Should he start the real work?

"Haha! Since we've met by fate, why don't we form a party?"

"A party...?"

Lee Shinhyuk looked surprised, as if he never expected an Apostle of the 12 Signs of the Zodiac to suggest forming a party first.

"Of course, I would welcome it, but... Jin-oh?"

Jin-oh.

A simple alias, the reverse of his real name, Oh Jin.

It might seem like a poor disguise, but such a poor alias is often harder to detect.

'After all, who would think that a con artist would use such a simple alias, just the reverse of their real name?'

'And most importantly.'

Most of the Awakeneds he had conned never realized they had been conned.

'Always stay under the radar.'

To the Awakeneds, he was like a mosquito.

If they realized he was feeding on them, they could easily kill him.

'I need to lay some groundwork here.'

He opened his mouth to the puzzled Lee Shinhyuk.

"Well... to be honest, I'm not very good at handling the power of the Mark of the Stars."

He scratched his head and continued, sounding embarrassed.

"It's hard for me to join other parties... to be honest."

"Ah."

Lee Shinhyuk let out a short exclamation and nodded.

For Awakeneds, the strength of the constellation that bestowed their Mark was important, but so was how well they could handle the Mark itself.

"So, I've been stuck at 1-star for over a year since I awakened... "

Oh Jin sighed, as if complaining.

The ranks of Awakeneds, divided into 'Stars,' were similar to levels.

There were 12 ranks, from 1-star to 12-star, and the ability to handle the Mark of the Stars was a crucial factor in these ranks.

"A year... that is quite a long time."

Lee Shinhyuk swallowed and nodded.

On average, it took about six months to advance from 1-star to 2-star.

"It's all my fault."

"No, Jin-oh. It's only been a year. I've heard that some people struggle at first but then advance quickly."

Lee Shinhyuk said, trying to comfort him.

"Haha. Thank you."

Oh Jin smiled and bowed.

His eyes, hidden by the bow, gleamed sharply.

'Well, that's enough groundwork.'

With this, he should be able to get some leniency, even if he doesn't provide much help in the party.

'Now, let's see.'

Should he lay a bit more groundwork?

"The moment I saw you, Shinhyuk, I had a feeling."

"Ahem. What kind of feeling?"

"You have... a talent that sets you apart from other Awakeneds."

"Talent, you say...?"

"Yes. I have a good eye for people."

"Haha. Well... I did advance to 2-star a bit, just a little bit, faster than other Awakeneds."

"Of course!! I knew it!!!"

He clapped his hands, and each time, the corners of Lee Shinhyuk's mouth lifted.

Even a superhuman with a Mark of the Stars is still human at heart.

They naturally feel good and excited when praised.

"So, what do you think? Will you form a party with me?"

"Hmm. Before that, there's something... "

Lee Shinhyuk turned his head, looking a bit awkward.

There was a customary action that Awakeneds usually did before forming a party with someone they just met.

A somewhat embarrassing ritual for grown men.

"Shall we check each other's Marks of the Stars?"

Oh Jin asked, taking off the armor he had worn over his chest.

When Awakeneds first met and formed a party, it was an unwritten rule to check the Mark of the Stars on the left side of the chest.

"Sure."

Lee Shinhyuk also took off his leather armor and pulled down his shirt.

On the left side of his collarbone, the Mark of the Compass constellation was visible.

"Checked."

Now it was his turn.

Oh Jin pulled down his shirt, like Lee Shinhyuk.

The Mark of the Aquarius constellation, clearly etched on his left chest, was revealed.

"Wow... that's the Mark of the 12 Signs of the Zodiac... "

A deep exclamation escaped Lee Shinhyuk's lips.

Oh Jin smiled, looking at him.

'Yeah, how could he know how much I suffered to etch it?'

When he first decided to do this.

A fake Mark of the Stars he had etched into his chest with a knife.

At least from the outside, there was no way to distinguish it from a real one.

"Haha, it's a bit funny to check the Marks of the Stars for a low-level gate like this."

Lee Shinhyuk, who had put his shirt back on, smiled wryly.

"Even a low-level gate can be dangerous if you let your guard down. This is just a precaution."

Oh Jin shrugged.

The gate they were about to enter was a low-level one, where mostly 1-star and occasionally 2-star monsters appeared, but it had one of the highest fatality rates.

'Mostly because newly awakened Awakeneds try to go solo and end up dying.'

Still, Lee Shinhyuk was not a complete novice.

"Let's go in."

"Sure."

Oh Jin, who had formed a party with Lee Shinhyuk, entered the gate.

The scenery changed, and a dark forest spread before them.

The forest, with an eerie atmosphere, was filled with alien trees that could not be found on Earth.

They entered deeper into the forest, avoiding other Awakeneds gathered at the entrance.

-Squish, squish.

The rustling of the bushes and the yellow eyes of a monster appeared between the grass.

Lee Shinhyuk gripped his spear and crouched.

"Wait a moment."

He grabbed Lee Shinhyuk's shoulder, who was about to charge at the monster.

Lee Shinhyuk looked back at him with a puzzled expression.

"I'll cast a buff before the battle."

Awakeneds with the Mark of Aquarius had almost no direct combat power but were specialized in support roles like healing and buffing.

Lee Shinhyuk nodded, looking relieved.

"Sure, I'll leave it to you!"

"O Aquarius, the Constellation—Albail."

Oh Jin closed his eyes and recited the incantation in a low voice, with a serious expression.

Woo!

A faint light emitted from his left chest.

'Just turned on a small LED hidden in my clothes.'

At least from the outside, it would look like the magic power of the Mark of the Stars was flowing out.

"Shine the light of the stars to illuminate the path of this humble Apostle."

He opened his hands, which he had clasped together, and spread his arms wide.

Shimmering particles of light flew towards Lee Shinhyuk.

"The Dawn of the Lake."

It looked like he was sprinkling glitter in the air.

No.

'Just sprinkling glitter mixed with fluorescent paint.'

In the dark forest, the blue fluorescent paint mixed with the glitter shone even more brightly.

"This is... "

"Hmm. It's the most basic buff. How does it feel?"

"Hmm."

"No."

Lee Shinhyuk looked down at his body seriously.

He opened and closed his fingers, gripping the spear, and continued in a low voice.

"I can feel... a change."

What?

Really?

"At first, my throat tingled, and then my body started to feel warm."

He must have swallowed the glitter.

That's not good for your health.

"I feel like each cell is coming to life, a mysterious sensation."

Are you feeling sick?

"This is... this is the power of the Mark of Aquarius I've only heard about!!"

No, it's not.

"Thank you for the buff, Jin-oh! Now it's my turn to show my strength!!"

Fighting!