Not A Regressor-Chapter 47: Demonic Beast Subjugation (3)

Kwon Oh-Jin narrowed his eyes at Choi Jong-Cheol and Park Jung-Woo.

What’s going on here?

Standing beside them was a bald man with a scorpion tattoo on his head. The three had clearly grouped up for this subjugation.

Choi Jong-Cheol had the same scorpion tattoo on his neck—a trademark of the Pandinus Guild.

So that’s how it is. Did he join them after being kicked out of the Starlight Lake Guild?

It was no coincidence that Park Jung-Woo and Choi Jong-Cheol were here together.

“Hmm? Why so quiet?" Choi Jong-Cheol smirked. "We haven’t seen each other in a while.”

Kwon Oh-Jin shrugged. Smiling, he replied, “I’m just surprised. What happened to the Starlight Lake Guild? Why’d you join Pandinus?”

“... Are you really asking me that?” Choi Jong-cheol's face flushed red. Clenching his fists tightly, he asked, “Didn’t you promise me back then that you wouldn’t say a word to the guild master?”

“Oh, that?” Kwon Oh-Jin calmly muttered. “I lied.”

“...”

Choi Jong-Cheol bit his lips hard and shook with rage.

“Hah. Haha. Thanks to you... I lost everything.”

He had been expelled from his guild for violating regulations and picking a fight with the apostle of Lyra, but it didn’t stop there—his savings, Astral Relics, and Starstones had all been confiscated as punishment.

“That’s really unfortunate," Kwon Oh-Jin remarked, nonchalantly smiling as if it had nothing to do with him.

“H-Haha! Not exactly,” Choi Jong-Cheol snapped back. He smiled slyly as he touched the scorpion tattoo on his neck. “Thanks to you, I found a much better home.”

“You managed to join them even without the Stigma of Scorpio.”

“Haha, well, the Stigma of Aquarius is in high demand.”

Known for its outstanding healing capabilities, the Stigma of Aquarius was openly welcomed by any guild.

“Although... Aquarius isn’t all I have now,” Choi Jong-Choel said, licking his lips.

“Really? Good for you.”

Kwon Oh-Jin was curious about what he meant but held back from asking. That man wouldn't answer easily anyway.

“Anyway, if you’re done here, why don’t you get lost?” Kwon Oh-Jin blurted out.

“Haha! Of course. We have our own business to take care of, too.” Choi Jong-Cheol stuck out his long tongue.

“What? You’re just gonna leave it at that?” Park Jung-Woo yelled. “Let me tear that bastard’s head off right—!”

Choi Jong-Cheol grabbed him by his shoulder.

“Haha. Calm down, Jung-Woo.”

Choi Jong-Cheol flashed his signature grin and glanced at Kwon Oh-Jin. “No need to get worked up... You’ll witness an amusing sight later anyway.”

Kwon Oh-Jin glared at him as he chuckled.

“Well then, I look forward to our next encounter,” Choi Jong-chul sneered before turning away. But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly walked toward Song Ha-Eun.

“Your name was Ha-Eun, right? Hehe. You look so good even with that eyepatch,” he remarked, scanning her from head to toe. The corners of his lips turned up lewdly.

Song Ha-Eun's face twisted in disgust as if she had found a cockroach in her half-eaten meal.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked. Without warning, she raised her leg in a perfect arc and kicked him right between his legs.

Wham!

Choi Jong-Cheol’s eyes widened and knees buckled inward.

“Aghhh!”

Kwon Oh-Jin flinched as a bystander.

Oof, that’s gotta hurt.

Song Ha-Eun spat on the ground. “You’re probably the size of an ant’s villi, so stop fucking around.”

Do ants even have that? Wait, what part of him is the size of an ant’s villi?

“Ugh...” Choi Jong-Cheol groaned. Trembling, he bit his lip as he glared at Song Ha-Eun. “Let’s see... Let’s see how long you can keep laughing like that for.”

Clenching his fist, he turned around and marched toward downtown Sokcho with his teammates.

Song Ha-Eun raised her middle finger at his back. “Ha!”

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled as he watched Choi Jong-Cheol walk away.

So, “an amusing sight", huh?

One thing Kwon Oh-Jin was sure of was that Choi Jong-Cheol was a complete fool.

“You really shouldn’t say things like that recklessly.”

Did that man think that Kwon Oh-Jin was some 90s comic-book hero who would patiently wait around after hearing something like that? If so, he was absolutely mistaken.

No need to wait for later. Let’s meet right away and see if he'll say the same thing

Kwon Oh-Jin smirked as he activated the Stigma of Canes Venatici. His sense of smell spiked, enabling him to track Choi Jong-Cheol’s scent.

I'm not going to lie, this worked out well for me.

Kwon Oh-Jin licked his bottom lip. Choi Jong-Cheol possessed the Stigma of Aquarius—something he had planned to obtain for himself.

“Ugh, what a freak. He just ruined my mood,” Song Ha-Eun muttered, scowling. “Oh-Jin! Let’s go kill some demonic beasts already so we can cash in that reward!”

She tugged at his sleeve.

“Okay,” he said with a smile before casually making his way toward the smoke-filled downtown ahead.

Looks like I have more to hunt than just demonic beasts.

Of course, he had no plans to stop with Choi Jong-Cheol—the bald guy and Park Jung-Woo were going to be taken care of, too. It was always best to eliminate potential problems before they had the chance to grow.

Guess this means I’ll be on bad terms with the Pandinus Guild.

Taking down those three meant messing with one of the top ten guilds, but Kwon Oh-Jin frankly couldn't care less. He stared at the monster-infested city and made a sinister smile.

“After all, a few casualties are only natural during a subjugation.”

***

Boom!

A terrifying demonic beast—a two-meter-tall humanoid with the lower half of a snake—leaped out from amidst the rubble of a collapsed building.

“Graaaahhh!”

The demonic beast slithered forward and unhinged its jaw, revealing four rows of sharp teeth.

“Hup!” Park Chang-Hyun raised his massive shield, intercepting the charging monster.

Thud!

“Ugh!" he groaned as the impact reverberated through his arm—even with the Stigma of Taurus, the beast's strength was overwhelming.

“Oh-Jin!” Song Ha-Eun shouted.

“On it!”

While Park Chang-Hyun held the demonic beast at bay, Kwon Oh-Jin jumped up and fired his wire shooter at a metal pole. As it swung around the pole, he poured mana into the shooter and flew high.

He took a short breath.

Lightning Strike.

Crackle!

He thrust his silver spear down with full force, piercing the monster’s shoulder. The beast convulsed as it screamed in agony.

“Kraaaa!”

Its serpent-like tail lashed out like a whip.

Whoosh!

“So it won't go down with just one hit, huh?” Kwon Oh-Jin muttered, clicking his tongue. He yanked his spear free and channeled his mana into his wire shooter.

Shhhhh!

With a sharp pull, he launched himself skyward.

Song Ha-Eun emerged from the rubble and snapped her fingers in the demonic beast's direction.

“Leave the finishing touches to me!”

Whoosh!

A spiral of red flames roared toward the demonic beast, surging like a dragon’s breath before engulfing it.

“Kraaaaa!”

The monster thrashed as it burned and then began to flee.

“Oh? It’s running again!” Song Ha-Eun shouted, pointing at the beast. “Oh-Jin!”

“I know.”

Kwon Oh-Jin stretched out his right arm while airborne and took aim.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three wires shot out and tangled around the demonic beast.

Explosive Lightning.

Blue lightning coursed through the wires.

Crackle!

“Kraaaaah!”

Finally, the demonic beast collapsed onto the ground.

Thud!

“Phew. These monsters are no joke,” Park Chang-Hyun expressed, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“It’s at least a five-star... or close to a six-star,” Kwon Oh-Jin remarked as he inspected the beast's corpse.

Given its traits, it would typically be classified as a four or five-star monster.

Mutated monsters like this one often possessed greater strength than regular monsters of the same rank. This one's official rank was likely lower than its actual threat level.

“Haha! Still, taking it down wasn't too hard with our party balance!” Park Chang-Hyun laughed warmly, raising his shield.

Kwon Oh-Jin nodded.

We've definitely got a solid balance.

Park Chang-Hyun unwaveringly held the front line, Kwon Oh-Jin shifted seamlessly between melee and ranged combat, and Song Ha-Eun unleashed devastating long-range attacks. Aside from the lack of a healer, their setup was nearly perfect.

Thanks to this, my stamina isn’t draining either.

Kwon Oh-Jin could have handled a few demonic beasts alone, but he would have gotten tired quickly.

“Though, this loot is a joke,” Song Ha-Eun observed, clicking her tongue. She pulled out a small, black Starstone from the demonic beast’s forehead, roughly the size of a bottle cap. Its size and quality certainly didn’t match how difficult the beast was to kill.

“Haha, well, at least we get a pretty hefty reward. Besides...” Park Chang-Hyun smiled, hitting his shield on the ground. “This isn’t just about money. It’s for the people of Sokcho, who must be terrified right now! Isn’t that right, Oh-Jin?”

“... Uh, yes, of course.”

“Haha! I was really impressed when you turned down that interview earlier! All Awakeners should be more like you!”

Kwon Oh-Jin nodded with a bitter smile. He honestly couldn’t care less if the Sokcho residents were anxious.

I guess it’s good for me to have him think that way.

Overall, the subjugation was going smoothly. However, Kwon Oh-Jin squinted at the demonic beast’s corpse.

There’s something off about them.

Every time he hunted one, the demonic beasts tried to run away at the end. They were still living beings, so it was only natural for them to run away from danger. But the problem was...

They’re all fleeing in the same direction.

“Hmm.”

Kwon Oh-Jin crossed his arms, lost in thought.

Does it make sense for every demonic beast to run in the same direction while on the brink of death?

He wanted to call Vega to discuss this, but he was hesitant to do so with Park Chang-Hyun present.

Just then, he heard a bloodcurdling scream from afar.

“Aaaaagh!”

Song Ha-Eun and Park Chang-Hyun turned their heads simultaneously.

“Huh?”

“That voice...?”

Before either of them could react, Kwon Oh-Jin bolted toward the source of the scream.

“Ugh!”

That voice...

“Agh! Kugh!”

Rounding a corner, Kwon Oh-Jin found Park Jung-Woo sprawled on the ground with a massive wound along his chest.

I knew it.

Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes gleamed sharply. He checked if Park Chang-Hyun was close by.

I don’t have time.

Kwon Oh-Jin ran toward Park Jung-Woo and asked, “Are you alright?!”

“Agh... Y-Yeah...”

Park Jung-Woo nodded weakly, pressing down on his wounded chest.

“Who did this?!” Kwon Oh-Jin yelled.

“A demonic beast... attacked me... Kugh!”

He spat out blood.

“Stay with me!” Kwon Oh-Jin shouted, grabbing Park Jung-Woo by the collar and shaking him roughly back and forth.

Park Jung-Woo's head swung like a hammer, hitting the wall behind him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Ugh! I-I’m okay now, so—”

“You’re losing so much blood!! What are you talking about?!”

He continued shaking him hard until blood dripped from his head.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Wait, did you injure your head too?!"

“Agh! Stop! W-Wait! Agghh!”

Park Jung-Woo continued to struggle. Park Chang-Hyun had rushed over in the meantime and asked, “Oh-Jin! What happened?!” frёewebηovel.cѳm

“Jung-Woo! Please, stay with us!” Kwon Oh-Jin screamed.

“Kugh! Agh! You fucker! Hey!” Park Jung-Woo grumbled.

“Ahhh! How could such a terrifying thing happen?!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Blood had poured down from Park Jung-Woo’s head and soaked his entire body—meaning the wound inflicted by the demonic beast had gotten worse.

“N-Noooo!” Kwon Oh-Jin cried out.

Crack.

“Oh-Jin, h-he’s...” Park Chang-Hyun trailed off, frozen in horror as he stared down at Park Jung-Woo’s cold, bloodied, and motionless body.

With a pale, shaken expression, Kwon Oh-Jin turned his head.

“H-He’s... dead.”