Chapter 5

I Am Not a Regressor Chapter 5

The Scar of the Lyra Constellation (2)

[Why?]

Bega tilted her head, looking at Oh Jin, whose expression had suddenly stiffened.

A mysterious voice seemed to resonate directly in his mind.

His confused mind regained a slight clarity.

‘Damn it.’

He swallowed hard.

He tried desperately to suppress the trembling in his fingertips.

‘Think.’

What could he do, how could he resolve this crazy situation?

‘Should I say I lied because I was afraid of being rejected?’

For a moment, he considered giving up and telling her the truth.

His contemplation was not long.

Oh Jin bit his lip and clenched his fist.

‘No.’

The water had already been spilled.

The fact that he had lied to the Constellation for some reason could not be changed.

A mere human had dared to deceive a god.

‘…I have to lie.’

There was no way to undo what had been done.

He was not a regressor like Lee Shinhyuk.

‘Once started, I have to see it through.’

Oh Jin's eyes gleamed sharply.

Lies are always like this.

You can't avoid them, but you can't tell just one.

Once you decide to deceive, you have to do it perfectly.

So that the Awakeners who fell for his lies wouldn't even realize they had been deceived.

‘Then.’

He organized his thoughts.

He devised a plan and a strategy.

It wasn't difficult.

It was something he had done as naturally as breathing for the past eight years, or rather, his entire life.

[Hmm?]

Looking up at the goddess, who was sending him a puzzled gaze—

“I missed you, Bega.”

He said in a trembling voice.

Drip.

A transparent tear rolled down his cheek.

[—What?]

Bega's eyes widened.

One step, two steps.

He approached her.

“I thought I would never… never see you again.”

Whoosh!

He grabbed Bega's wrist and pulled.

Of course, he didn't actually pull her.

A newly awakened chick couldn't possibly pull a Transcendent like a Constellation.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

The point was not to pull her.

“Gasp… Huh…!!”

He knelt in front of her and sobbed like an animal.

“It’s a relief. Really… a relief… Gasp!!”

[…What are you doing?]

The goddess, who had seemed emotionless, was now flustered and took a step back.

Her golden eyes, which shone like starlight, showed clear signs of disturbance.

‘Good.’

He had successfully flustered her.

‘Now it begins.’

When deceiving someone, making them ‘flustered’ is very important.

People don't easily fall for lies.

But someone who is momentarily confused can crumble much more easily.

In voice phishing, they start by saying something shocking like, “Your child has been kidnapped.”

‘I don’t know if a Constellation is the same as a human, but…’

He didn’t have the time to check that leisurely.

“Bega! It’s me, me! Oh Jin… Ah.”

He let out a short exclamation and lowered his head with a hopeless look.

“Yeah… Now you’ve lost all your memories of me….”

He trailed off with a bitter smile.

[…What kind of relationship did you have with me in the future?]

Bega asked, her voice still tinged with confusion.

“……”

Oh Jin firmly closed his mouth and shook his head.

“No, I’m sorry. Nothing… Yes, nothing. Please forget what I just said.”

He stepped back with an expression that clearly said it wasn’t nothing.

[It’s not nothing. Tell me. What did I have with a human…]

“Later.”

He cut off the goddess’s words with a bitter smile.

“Later… I will tell you.”

He shook his head with a sad smile.

The key here was to have an expression that suggested there was a story.

Careful eye movements and slightly trembling eyebrows.

Biting his lower lip with his tongue and scratching his palm with his fingernails.

‘There’s no way she can’t be deceived.’

He was confident in his ability to create a detailed expression and atmosphere.

[…I see. You seem to have a story. So, you thought you would never see me again… That means I will eventually be destroyed.]

Bega nodded with a rather calm expression.

‘Eventually, huh?’

Oh Jin’s eyes narrowed at her calm, almost indifferent reaction.

He had thrown out a plausible lie to make her believe he was a regressor, but her reaction suggested she knew something.

‘Is there even a being that can destroy a high-ranking Constellation?’

Even when he thought of the powerful monsters that had become notorious among Awakeners, it was hard to imagine.

Of course, it made sense.

The reason the Constellations couldn’t kill the monsters that had taken over about a third of the Earth wasn’t because they were weak, but because they were bound by restrictions and couldn’t kill them directly.

‘Well, anyway.’

It wasn’t bad that she was playing along.

“…Did you know?”

He feigned surprise and opened his eyes wide.

The goddess nodded with a dark expression.

[Yes, I knew. I… no, all the Constellations will eventually be swallowed by the darkness of the Black Heaven.]

“Yes. All by the…."

Huh?

Black Heaven?

‘Is that the one from earlier?’

A moment of life and death.

The power he had awakened.

The black cloud that had absorbed the scar of the power Lee Shinhyuk possessed.

‘Why is it showing up now?’

A chill ran down his spine.

A foreboding feeling swept through his mind.

‘She mentioned the end of the world earlier.’

When Bega first appeared, she called him the “only savior of a world with a predetermined end.”

End (終末).

Yes, Earth was a “world with a predetermined end.”

Whether it was a prophecy or a prediction, he didn’t know.

Bega had known from the beginning that Earth would face an end.

‘And Lee Shinhyuk returned to prevent that.’

That much was fine.

The problem was—

‘—Is the being causing that end me?’

Ha.

The story was so absurd that he couldn’t even manage a hollow laugh.

‘What kind of crazy talk is this?’

Regardless of whether he had the power to destroy the world, he had no reason to do so.

‘Shit.’

His mind felt like it was burning white.

He wanted to punch his mouth and cry.

[You’re spacing out again.]

Bega spoke, sounding worried.

His confused mind cleared as if doused with cold water.

‘This isn’t good.’

If he kept showing strange behavior, she would start to suspect him.

He had to prevent that.

“That memory… I was just thinking about it for a moment.”

Oh Jin spoke in a low, somber voice.

[What memory?]

“The memory of when Earth was destroyed.”

[…….]

Bega firmly closed her lips and remained silent.

“The sky… was filled with deep darkness. Many people, countless people, died.”

[…Is that so?]

I don’t really know.

I’m just making it up as I go.

“But, I came back.”

He took another step forward.

“I got a chance to change the future.”

He approached Bega and gently took her hand.

Her hand, which felt as soft as if she were not a divine being, was held firmly.

[Let go.]

“I won’t let go.”

He shook his head resolutely and tightened his grip.

“I won’t lose you again.”

[…….]

“This time, I will protect you.”

[Regressor…]

“My name is Oh Jin. Kwon Oh Jin.”

[…I have no memory of you.]

“I know.”

Actually, I don’t have any memories either.

“We can make new memories. What’s lost can be regained.”

He released her hand and smiled faintly.

“To make that happen.”

Since he had decided to deceive her, he wouldn’t be satisfied with just deceiving her.

No, he shouldn’t be satisfied.

‘I need power.’

To become a regressor, to prove that he was the “only savior,” he needed power.

And for that—

“—Can you lend me your power?”

He would use anything.

Even if it was a supreme being that even the Constellations bowed to.

[…….]

Bega closed her eyes tightly and then slowly nodded.

[Regressor… no, Awakener Kwon Oh Jin.]

She continued with a solemn expression.

[You are a star that defies the predetermined fate.]

The goddess slowly extended her hand.

[I will illuminate your perilous path with my starlight.]

Her white fingertips touched his forehead.

-Ding!

[The Weaver Star, Bega, wishes to appoint you as her apostle.]

[Do you accept?]

Feeling the cool sensation on his forehead, he slowly nodded.

-Woosh!!!

A brilliant light burst forth.

The silver light that extended from her hand surged into his body like a tidal wave.

And—

[‘Black Heaven’ absorbs the magic power of the scar.]

[One of the conditions for the second blooming of ‘Black Heaven’ has been achieved!]

A blue message appeared before his eyes.

A much stronger power than when he first awakened surged through his body.

“Thank you, Lady Bega.”

He moved the message window aside and gently held her hand again.

“I swear here.”

He continued in a low voice.

“To prevent being swallowed by the darkness of the Black Heaven— I will protect you.”

His vow was filled with firm resolve.

His burning eyes gazed at the goddess.

[Indeed, a trustworthy vow.]

Bega nodded with a calm smile.

[By the way… who is that?]

Her gaze was directed at Lee Shinhyuk’s charred corpse.

“That person… no, now it’s the present. He was a fraudster who tricked me into being pushed into this gate.”

Oh Jin answered smoothly, as if he had been waiting for the question.

‘It would be strange if she didn’t ask with a charred corpse right next to her.’

Since he had expected it, there was no need to think about it.

[Fraudster?]

“Yes. Ha ha… I had a hard time because of this guy. He took all my money and equipment.”

[So you took revenge as soon as you regressed?]

“It’s not just that.”

He shook his head with a serious expression.

“He will become a member of a criminal organization made up of Awakeners a few years later, preying on innocent people.”

[Ah.]

Bega nodded with a short exclamation.

[Eliminating future evil in advance… truly, the actions of a regressor.]

She seemed to have no intention of pressing further, and her gaze moved away from Lee Shinhyuk.

-Crack!

[Hmm.]

At that moment, blue sparks flew from her body as she briefly surveyed the surroundings.

[I would like to talk more, but… it seems the constraints of the law are starting.]

“The constraints of the law…?”

[I blessed you just now, didn’t I? Even indirectly, it was a clear violation of the law.]

“I see.”

Basically, the Constellations are bound by the law and cannot directly intervene in the current world.

‘But I can’t be complacent.’

Like when she blessed him, the Constellations can intervene to a certain extent in the current world by accepting the ‘constraints.’

There have been a few times when the Constellations themselves intervened to deal with disasters or monsters that the Awakeners couldn’t handle.

In other words—

‘If they decide to, they can easily kill a fraudster who dared to deceive a god.’

The law cannot be a shield.

If it’s discovered that he’s not a regressor, the law’s constraints or anything else won’t save him from being crushed by an angry Constellation.

‘If I’m the only one to fall, it’s fine.’

Maybe.

If there’s even a chance.

If the repercussions affect his ‘surroundings.’

‘No.’

That must be prevented at all costs.

[Actually, even manifesting here is a violation of the law… I will now return to the Star Temple.]

Star Temple (星所).

A dimension where the Constellations usually reside, accessible through gates located around the Earth.

Of course, only Awakeners are allowed to enter, so he had never been there before.

[In a week. Come to the Star Temple. We will discuss the future plans then.]

“Yes, I understand.”

He bowed respectfully.

-Woosh!

Soon, the goddess’s body dispersed into silver stardust with a low hum.

“…Phew.”

Alone, Oh Jin let out a deep sigh and sat down.

‘Damn it.’

What the hell is going on?

“…I’ll go home for now.”

Too many things happened all at once, making his head throb.

‘But.’

He pulled his shirt to look at his left chest.

There, instead of the fake scar he had carved with a knife, a ‘real’ scar was clearly etched.

And it was the scar of a Constellation, one of the ‘Polar Stars.’

Heck.

Looking at the scar, the corners of his mouth naturally turned up.

“It’s not all bad.”

No, this was a good opportunity.

If he used this opportunity well, he could gain power that other Awakeners could hardly even imagine.

‘There are still many mountains to climb, though.’

Thinking about regression and the Black Heaven made his head throb again.

‘I’ll think about it when I get home.’

Sitting here and worrying wouldn’t solve anything immediately.

“Well, then.”

Before leaving the gate, he had one last thing to do.

“Let’s see how much the regressor had on him.”

He searched the charred corpse of Lee Shinhyuk.

The leather armor he was wearing had burned and was damaged, but fortunately, the wallet was still intact.

“Whoa, this guy was carrying 2 million won in cash?”

Seeing the thick stack of cash in the wallet, Oh Jin licked his lips and chuckled.

After the gate opened and the world went to hell, it had become more common for people to carry more cash, but it was rare for someone to carry several million won.

“He’s good with weapons, too.”

After thoroughly taking everything valuable from Lee Shinhyuk’s corpse, Oh Jin stood up with a grin.

“Huh?”

At that moment, something strange caught his eye.

Oh Jin carefully examined Lee Shinhyuk’s charred face.

“What? This guy is smiling?”

Is he having a good dream?