I'm not a Regressor

Bzzzzzzzzzzt!!!—

Currents of blue lightning assaulted Cheon Woosung.

The black wings that covered his body were easily ripped to shreds, leaving his body completely exposed.

"…Ah?"

Cheon Woosung, who was wrapped in rays of light, looked at Ohjin.

"…What?"

He stared at the blazing blue lightning in front of his eyes with an expression of disbelief.

"What does it look like?"

Ohjin threw the broken spear to the side and clenched his fist that was crushed from compressing mana over its limit.

Ignoring the intense pain that radiated from his arm, he punched with all his might.

"It's a one-way ticket to your mom."

Puuuk!!—

The fist with compressed blue lightning pierced through Woosung’s chest.

Red flesh pulsated inside Ohjin’s fist that emerged from Woosung’s back.

"C-Cough!"

Blood gushed out of Woosung’s mouth,  whose heart had been torn out.

"Why, why…?"

As if he still hadn't gotten a grasp of the situation, he helplessly lay on the ground with widened eyes.

"…Fuu."

Ohjin exhaled out a low breath.

“Mom… M-Mom…”

“…”

He looked down at Cheon Woosung, who was looking for his mother on the ground with sorrow.

Was it because he was an Awakener who was right in front of the 9-Star rank? Despite his heart being torn out whole, Cheon Woosung wasn’t letting go of his thread of life and was holding on desperately.

“Tch.”

It tasted bitter.

An unpleasant feeling like stepping on mud with bare feet encompassed his body.

‘What’s so great about a mom.’

Ohjin couldn’t understand why Cheon Woosung called out for his mom so pitifullym as he had been abandoned without even knowing his parents' faces from birth.

“Mo—”

“Shut up.”

After shutting up the weeping Cheon Woosung, he sighed and searched through his pockets.

‘Indeed.’

As expected of a mama boy, there was a photo of his mother inside a small diary deep within his pocket.

—A picture of a normal middle-aged Korean woman with permed hair.

The woman who looked so normal that you would see a lookalike every 30 seconds pass by in the streets was a being so important to Cheon Woosung that she had completely changed his life.

‘Transformation.’

Crunch, crack!—

His face changed.

“…Huh?”

Light appeared on Cheon Woosung’s eyes that had begun to fade.

“M-Mom?”

“…”

Was there a need to reply? Ohjin looked down at him in silence.

“Ha, haha! M-Mom!”

Tears ran down Cheon Woosung’s cheek.

“I-I wanted to see you… I… I really wanted…”

Tremble—

His shaking hands reached out to Ohjin affectionately.

“I’m sorry… mo…”

Flop—

The hand that was reaching out to Ohjin stopped mid-way and dropped onto the ground.

The light in Cheon Woosung’s eyes completely disappeared.

“…”

A serene silence settled down.

Ohjin clicked his tongue again and walked to Cheon Woosung.

‘Doing stuff like this really doesn’t suit me, but I guess I can at least send him off in peace.’

* * *

* * *

“Let’s see.”

Ohjin extended out his hand to the collapsed Cheon Woosung.

‘Black Heaven.’

Black clouds covered Cheon Woosung’s completely perforated chest. He was slightly worried that it wouldn’t be able to absorb with his heart torn out whole—

Rumble—

—but as if saying that his worries were unnecessary, a shocking amount of mana instantly flowed through the black clouds.

‘It’s tremendous.’

Rather than the amount, the mana itself was much denser compared to Park Gunwoo, who was also an 8-Star Awakener.

‘With mana this thick…’

It would be possible to exert much more powerful firepower despite using the same amount of mana. That kind of mana couldn’t be more welcoming to Ohjin, who was going through trouble because of his narrow mana circuits.

Black clouds gushed out more intensely and increased the speed of mana absorption.

Owooong!!—

The radiant rays of light that shot out of his stigma covered Ohjin’s body.

‘This is…'

It was a phenomenon close to what happened to Cheon Woosung.

“Kugh!”

The burning pain on his chest made Ohjin groan.

But soon after—

-Ring!

[Stigma of Lyra has been promoted to 6-Star!]

—strength boiled up all over his body as the sixth flick was engraved next to his stigma.

“Haa.”

—Growth of the body.

His bones hardened, and his muscles toughened.

Transcendental strength that made him feel like he would be able to tear rebar with his bare hands permeated into his body.

‘And…’

Ohjin’s lips curved up.

The growth of the body also signified the widening of the mana circuits that flowed internally in his body.

Bzzzzzzzzt!!—

“Alright.”

Blue lightning blazed fiercely in Ohjin’s hand.

The amount of mana he could use at once increased substantially once again as he became a 6-Star Awakener.

‘Well, it's still the same as using a garden hose to drain out water from a 100-tonne water tank.’

But that didn’t mean he was lacking compared to Awakeners of the same rank—it was only because his mana reserve was incomparably vast.

‘Looks like our goddess will swoon again once she sees this.’

Becoming a 6-Star without it having been even a year since awakening…

It was an unprecedented speed of growth that would make others suspect him of cheating.

However—

“There’s still a long way to go.”

—he was far from satisfied.

In order to act as the savior of humanity, the Heaven-defying Star, he needed even more overwhelming strength.

‘I need to get stronger.’

—So that no one would be able to look down on him.

—So that no one would dare to touch what was his.

“Hm?”

When he was in the middle of setting a firm resolution—

Bzz—

‘Is it a transmission?’

—his sight of view changed with a familiar sensation.

Ohjin focused his mind on Cheon Woosung’s memories that flowed into his head.

-…do you need that for?

-Holholhol. There’s no need for you to know.

The old man with wrinkly skin smiled gently at Cheon Woosung.

-Moreover, are the plans proceeding smoothly?

-Yes. We’ll be able to take over the Association if we succeed in the operation.

-Holholhol. You’re doing well.

-…

Contemplation clouded Cheon Woosung’s eyes.

-Father. I think this plan is…

-Woosung.

Like stroking a beloved treasure, the old man placed his hand on Cheon Woosung’s cheek.

-Have you forgotten what happened to your mother?

-…Th-That’s!

Cheon Woosung’s expression stiffened.

-Holholhol. Don’t think about useless things.

The old man stroked Cheon Woosung’s hair with a caring touch.

-The only thing you need to do… is follow the words of your father.

-…

Cheon Woosung’s eyes suddenly became blurry as if he was hypnotized.

-Yes… Father.

With Cheon Woosung bowing deeply at the end—

-Ring!

[Part of the records of Awakener ‘Cheon Woosung' have been successfully inherited!]

[The stigma of Noctua has been completely subordinated by the Black Heaven!]

[The Black Heaven’s new trait, ‘Domination’, has been acquired.]

[You can exert control over Awakeners who possess the stigma of Noctua.]

—the memories cut off.

“Ooh," exclaimed Ohjin shortly.

‘Did this happen because I kept absorbing the stigma of Noctua?'

He couldn’t be sure of its effects as he hadn't experimented yet, but dominating Awakeners seemed like it would be quite a useful ability.

‘Cheon Doyoon.'

The King of Owls.

‘Did that guy… instigate Cheon Woosung?'

Ohjin even started to think of the possibility that the reason Cheon Woosung remained as a ‘boy' and only grew on the outside was because of Cheon Doyoon.

‘What's he scheming?'

It seemed like, according to the conversation, Cheon Doyoon was looking for something, but he wasn't able to figure out what as the front part of the sentence was cut off.

"Hmm."

Ohjin frowned and kept thinking, but he didn't have enough clues to deduce what Cheon Doyoon was planning.

‘I guess I have no choice but to stay on maximum alert.'

Unlike Cheon Woosung, Cheon Doyoon was an opponent he couldn't face.

‘He's probably a high-rank Awakener like Isabella.'

As he was ranked 6th, he would likely be that much weaker than Isabella, who was ranked 3rd, but he would still be incredibly strong as an Executor who led one of the Black Star Organization’s seven factions.

‘If I use Isabella…'

Ohjin stopped his thoughts and shook his head.

It was too risky.

Isabella was too powerful of a being for him to control.

‘And with that being the case…'

Ohjin’s eyes shone keenly.

‘The only thing I can do right now is build up as much strength as I can before Cheon Doyoon makes his move.'

He had to become strong to the extent where he could face a high-rank Awakener and come out on top.

"Hmm."

Ohjin narrowed his eyes and kept thinking.

‘A method for rapid growth…'

There was one thing he had in mind.

‘I'm not sure if what I'm thinking will work."

It was still worth a try.

"Let's contact General Manager Han first."

Ohjin smiled as he got back on his feet.

‘The rewards will probably be hefty.'

Not only had he planned the operation to catch Cheon Woosung, but he had also taken him down during his escape. He had played such a big role that comparing contributions would make other people embarrassed.

With the Association chairman’s personality, he would prepare a reward fitting his contribution, even if he didn't bring it up.

‘I wonder how much he'll reward me with.'

Hehehe—

Just imagining it made Ohjin's lips curve up.

He wasn't in dire need of money, but there was nothing bad about amassing more money.

"Well, then."

When he moved his arm in order to take out his phone from his pocket—

Throb!—

"Argh!"

—an intense pain rode up his arm.

His complete mess of an arm came into sight as he frowned and looked down.

‘It's become completely wrecked.'

Ohjin had forgotten about it, as a lot of information had rushed in after the fight. Not only his arm but his entire body was in a complete wreck.

"Ugh."

It was like how injuries felt painless until you discovered them. Once he was aware of the state of his body, aches and fatigue weighed down his body.

‘Fuck.'

Flop—

Ohjin wasn't even able to balance his body and fell down onto the ground.

"I need to… contact him."

Owooong!—

He activated the stigma of Aquarius and tried to heal his body, but even that wasn't easy.

The blue light that built up at the tip of his finger kept falling apart.

‘I'm so sleepy.'

As the tension was released all of a sudden, intense fatigue and sleepiness rushed in at once.

"Just… five minutes…"

With his body leaning on the tunnel wall, Ohjin slowly closed his eyes.

* * *

"—Don't you think this is a bit much?"

Tap, tap, tap!—

She temperamentally hit the floor with the heel of her shoe.

"How could he not send me a message or call a single time?"

"Th-That is…"

The woman was chewing her lips with her legs crossed.

Dragging back her blond hair that shone beautifully as if it was melted gold, she quibbled to the old man who was bowing in front of her.

"Was there something I didn't do enough of? I kept staying by his side to nurse him and even personally cooked for him."

"I-I believe that your Majesty has done everything she could've."

"Then, by any chance, are my looks not to his liking?"

"That's impossible!!"

The old man's eyes widened like he thought the question was absurd.

"There is no man in the world who wouldn't fall for your Majesty's beautiful looks!!"

The old man shouted in a voice so loud that the veins on his neck popped out as his neatly organized white mustache shook.

"Then—"

The woman's eyes shone frighteningly.

A thick, red energy overflowed and spread out.

Rumble!!!—

The entire residence shook as if an earthquake had occurred.

"—just why isn't he contacting me?"

"Th-That’s…"

"Roberto, aren't you the one who said I shouldn't be the one to contact first in this situation?"

"F-Forgive me, Your Majesty!!"

Gulp—

Roberto, the old man bowing in front of the woman, gulped out of anxiety.

His neatly ironed butler outfit became drenched in sweat.

"Well, whatever."

The woman twisted her sleek legs while sitting on a luxurious chair.

Her pure white skin that was exposed through the gaps of her dress shone like gems.

"Since things have come to this, I'll just have to go visit him myself."

She stuck out her tongue and licked her red lips.