Chapter 81

I am not a Regressor, Chapter 81

The Saint of Rome (2)

The city was ablaze.

On the desolate streets, monsters with sharp fangs indiscriminately attacked people, drinking their blood greedily and voraciously.

The vampires, reveling in their blood feast, chuckled and shrugged their shoulders.

—A scene reminiscent of hell.

Standing on the rooftop, Shinhyuk looked down at the widespread death and clenched his fist roughly.

—In the end... in the end, it came to this.

A voice filled with deep regret echoed softly.

Click.

At that moment, the rooftop door opened, and a young man approached Shinhyuk.

A young man with sharp eyes and a flawless appearance.

It was Woo-hyuk, the Black Lion.

—Brother, how's the situation?

—...It's too late.

Shinhyuk shook his head with a deeply troubled expression.

—The entire city has been completely taken over by the Pseudostar Sect.

He closed his eyes tightly and gripped the spear in his hand roughly.

The blue magic fiercely burned on the spear, which bore the emblem of a roaring lion.

—Brother, we don't have much time...

—I know.

Shinhyuk lowered his head, enveloped in deep frustration.

Rumble.

At that moment, Shinhyuk's smartphone rang.

He took the smartphone out of his pocket and answered a call.

—Yeah. I know, sis. I'll go there with Woo-hyuk.

After finishing the call with an unknown woman, Shinhyuk stared down at the smartphone in his hand.

The date displayed on the smartphone screen was June 29, 2023.

—...Woo-hyuk, the incident happened on June 30, two years ago, right?

—Right.

Shinhyuk, who had been staring at the screen, lifted his head.

The city engulfed in flames.

The streets seethed with vampires driven by madness, and he bit his lip.

—If.

Crunch.

He gnashed his teeth fiercely and spoke in a strained voice.

—If that day... if I had met Isabella that day... would things be different now?

—...Brother.

Woo-hyuk looked at Shinhyuk with a sympathetic gaze.

Bang!!

He bent the rooftop railing he was gripping and lowered his head.

A tear rolled down Shinhyuk's cheek.

—If I had met her then...!!

He shouted as if wailing—

—Crackle!!!

The view flickered as if static was interfering.

—Ding!

[The "Spear of the Compass Constellation Lv6" has been upgraded to "Spear of the Compass Constellation Lv7."]

“Phew!!!”

A rough breath escaped him, as if he had just emerged from deep water.

“Damn, my head feels like it's going to explode.”

Oh Jin clenched his throbbing forehead and frowned.

‘What the hell just happened?’

He recalled the streets of Rome engulfed in flames.

The horrific future where vampires greedily drank the blood of people, a scene straight out of a zombie movie.

“...Let's try to organize the information I've obtained.”

He went through the memories of Shinhyuk that had flooded his mind and began to organize the information one by one.

1. Italy will be destroyed by vampires two years from now.

2. The main culprit is a group called the "Pseudostar Sect."

3. Shinhyuk regretted that if he had met a woman named "Isabella" two years ago, he could have prevented Italy's destruction.

“Pseudostar Sect...”

Oh Jin narrowed his eyes, repeating the unfamiliar word.

‘Where is that again?’

Is there another group besides the Black Star Society?

“Damn.”

The Black Star Society is already a massive force that he can barely handle, and now there are some unknown guys getting involved.

‘Is it a group led by a demon?’

I don't know.

There's no way to know if a demon existed at that point two years from now.

‘I'll think about this later.’

He needed to focus on other information now.

“...Isabella?”

It sounded like a name he had heard somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.

‘I don't know what happened on June 30, but... meeting Isabella that day could prevent the disaster, right?’

Oh Jin checked the date on the calendar hanging on the wall.

June 24.

There was less than a week left before the incident.

“Ugh.”

With less than a week left and no idea who Isabella is.

‘Time is running out.’

He had to meet her on June 30 to prevent the disaster that would occur two years from now.

“Hmm.”

Honestly.

The disaster itself doesn't really concern him.

What does it matter if Italy falls or tens of thousands of people are massacred?

Living for some unknown person.

It's a world where it's hard to protect even the warmth in his own hand.

But.

“Since I'm playing the role of a Regressor... I have to stop it.”

As long as he was playing the role.

He had to exist as the "Star of Defiance" for Vega.

‘And.’

Even if it wasn't for the act.

“...Recently, the Black Star Society's influence has been rapidly spreading in Italy.”

If that is related to the Pseudostar Sect.

If the Black Star Society is behind the destruction of an entire city.

‘I have to stop it.’

If he doesn't.

The flames that engulfed Rome could spread to where he lives in the near future.

“Sigh.”

With a deep sigh, Oh Jin turned and stepped out of his house.

‘I need to find out who Isabella is first.’

Before that.

There was a place he needed to visit first.

* * *

“...This is the information on the Black Star Society.”

Woo-hyuk's eyes sharpened as he took the USB.

Not long ago, he was lying in a hospital bed, but now there was no trace of that.

A fierce, lion-like aura surrounded him.

“Guild Master.”

“Ah, sorry.”

The killing intent that had been suffocating the room disappeared at Kim Seon-young's call.

“First, I want to thank you for taking on this dangerous mission on our behalf.”

Kim Seon-young bowed deeply to Oh Jin.

“It's fine. We're working together, after all.”

“I will continue to track the Black Star Society based on the information in this USB.”

“I appreciate it.”

Although they were helplessly swept away by Cheon Do-yun.

Still, the Valhalla Guild was a powerful organization, newly included among the top 10 guilds.

Their help was needed to fight the Black Star Society.

“So, the reward will be the holy stones as you mentioned, right?”

“Yes. If possible, I would like holy stones from 7-star or higher monsters.”

“That won't be a problem.”

Woo-hyuk replied with a confident voice.

‘That's refreshing.’

The last time he offered 30 billion won, he felt that Woo-hyuk, despite his appearance, had a rather straightforward personality.

‘Unlike his brother.’

He smiled and turned his gaze to Woo-hyuk.

“By the way, I have a few questions unrelated to the Black Star Society.”

“Go ahead. I'll answer what I can.”

“Have you heard of an organization called the Pseudostar Sect?”

“The Pseudostar Sect...?”

Woo-hyuk furrowed his brow and tilted his head.

He looked at Kim Seon-young and gave her a nod.

“No, I've never heard of that organization.”

Kim Seon-young shook her head and adjusted her glasses.

“Hmm... If Seon-young hasn't heard of it, it must be a very secretive organization. Is it related to the Black Star Society?”

“I don't know...”

There wasn't enough information yet to determine if the Pseudostar Sect was related to the Black Star Society.

“We'll investigate it on our side. Seon-young, look into the Pseudostar Sect.”

“Sure, I will.”

After giving a short instruction to Kim Seon-young, Woo-hyuk turned his head to Oh Jin.

“Seon-young has a wide network of information. You'll hear good news soon.”

“Ha-ha. Thank you.”

The Valhalla Guild, despite being a small, elite guild, was known for its information network.

Thanks to Kim Seon-young.

“Do you have any other questions?”

“One more... Have you heard of a name called Isabella? She's probably Italian.”

Since the incident took place in Rome.

It was likely that she was Italian.

“Isabella, an Italian... Are you talking about the Saint of Rome?”

The Saint of Rome?

“Isabella Colgrande. Although her name isn't well-known in the country, she's as famous internationally as you are, Oh Jin. She reached 6-star in just one year after her awakening.”

“Oh.”

Now that he thought about it, he had heard the name in the news once.

“Here's a picture... Ah, here it is.”

Kim Seon-young lightly operated the tablet in her hand.

A hologram appeared in the air, projected like a beam from a projector.

“Oh...”

An involuntary exclamation escaped him.

Was this what a princess in a fairy tale looked like?

With platinum blonde hair reaching her shoulders, snow-white skin, and clear, blue eyes.

Even Oh Jin, who had met Hae-eun and Vega and had become quite discerning about women's appearances, couldn't help but exclaim at her beauty.

“She's one of the world-famous super rookies, like you. She reached 6-star in just one year after her awakening.”

Reaching 6-star in just one year.

It was indeed a growth rate worthy of the title "super rookie."

“Well... Compared to you, it might not be much.”

Kim Seon-young shrugged and smiled wryly.

“Anyway, you want to know more about her, right?”

“Yes, as much as possible.”

“Just a moment.”

Kim Seon-young adjusted her glasses and tapped the tablet.

“First, her constellation is the Aries constellation, one of the 12 signs of the zodiac.”

That was expected.

If she hadn't been one of the 12 signs of the zodiac, she wouldn't have been called a "super rookie."

“Similar to Aquarius, it's a support constellation, but... she's not without combat abilities. In fact, she's quite powerful.”

Aries constellation.

He had only heard of it, never met anyone with it.

“Why is she called the Saint of Rome?”

“Of course. First, she's an incredible philanthropist. She runs dozens of centers that care for children and the elderly who lost their guardians due to the Gate incident.”

“Dozens?”

Even if she was a celebrated super rookie, could an individual run dozens of such centers?

He doubted he could do it even if he tried.

“The Colgrande family is very wealthy.”

Kim Seon-young made an O with her thumb and index finger.

“Besides, she provides free medical treatment to homeless people in areas where medical support has collapsed... And, to be honest, her appearance also contributed to her fame.”

“That's true.”

How could a beautiful appearance not significantly impact one's fame?

Add to that the 12 signs of the zodiac, reaching 6-star in just one year, and it was no wonder she was called a saint.

‘...It's no wonder she has such a grand title.’

He even wondered if she was more famous internationally than he, the Apostle of the North Star.

“And...”

Kim Seon-young's voice trailed off as she continued her explanation about Isabella.

“This is still unconfirmed, but...”

She sighed and continued.

“Recently, there have been several assassination attempts on Isabella.”

“Oh, I remember hearing about that in the news.”

The first time he heard the name Isabella Colgrande was in that news.

He had only heard it in passing, so he didn't remember it until just now.

“Yes, and...”

Her eyes behind the glasses glinted sharply.

“We suspect the Black Star Society is behind these attacks.”

“...What?”

You guys again, damn it?