Chapter 63

Everyone Else is a Regressor

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator/Editor: Ryuu

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◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (63)

Right after discovering the artificially formed rock tomb.

KiJun, suspecting something odd, lifted and threw the rocks aside with his Unique grade Strength, eventually uncovering a massive rock assumed to be part of a vein.

The moment the rock was exposed, KiJun felt a faint light emanating from within. He speculated that the Vrykolakas pack might have hastily thrown the rocks in a crude attempt to prevent the energy from leaking.

"I guess if we turn over this whole area, we'll come to some conclusion."

"Ugh―― I'm not too keen on getting dirty."

Although he expected such a reaction, Armillca still recoiled in horror.

"I won't touch any of the mined stuff if I don't work. I'll be content with my share of Moonlight stones from the wolves earlier. Leader, deal?"

"Do as you please."

It was obvious, but the werewolves from the previous fight each carried Moonlight stones, using them for weapons and armor. Dividing those among five would suffice for him, so KiJun chuckled at Armillca's cunning intention to avoid tedious and hard labor.

"I can handle this alone."

"Are you sure?"

"That was the plan from the start."

KiJun chuckled in response to Herbert's surprised query.

"I'd appreciate it if you kept watch while I'm mining."

"Haha... Certainly, a lookout is necessary. Alright, let's do that. Armillca, let's go."

"What?! But I was talking with our Lo――ra... Ah, wait a minute!"

As her overly attached noona being was dragged away by Herbert, Lora let out a sigh of relief.

In, who had been about to roll up his sleeves to help KiJun, blinked in confusion as Herbert and Armillca disappeared.

"I was... about to help."

"Just guard Lora properly. That's the most important task, isn't it?"

"Kuh. Indeed, leaving Lora's safety to that woman is unthinkable."

Lora blushed slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed as the men talked about protecting her.

KiJun, manifesting the Moonlight Blood Fang on the King of the Well, began smashing the rocks in earnest.

―Clang!

"I didn't know Lora was a priestess of such a powerful goddess."

―Clang!

"Ahaha... Surprised, right? Ishtar demands a lot from her followers and bestows complex divinity, so priests are rare these days."

―Clang!

"Indeed rare. The qualifications, they’re quite complicated."

―Clang!

Moonlight stones poured out, but the sought-after silver was elusive.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't that there was no silver, but the moonlight-imbued silver described by Gin's mother was rare.

Increasing the intensity of Adamant on the King of the Well, KiJun took a deep breath and started breaking the rocks faster.

―Clang!

"It's not for that reason."

―Clang!

"Hmm?"

―Clang!

Soon, KiJun was almost buried in the rock pile, becoming less visible.

As he fairly shattered the surrounding rocks, In's voice floated down from above.

―Clang!

"The goddess of the morning star, Ishtar, is undoubtedly a powerful deity, but she has been absent from this continent of Reta for a long time."

―Clang!

"A long time?"

―Clang!

"Yes. She hasn't issued oracles or blessed her followers for decades. Without her voice, who would believe in a god? Naturally, the number of devotees and priests dwindled."

―Clang!

Then how did Lora become a priestess of Ishtar?

In, of course, answered KiJun's unspoken question.

―Clang!

"Lora's awakening was therefore astonishing. It's been decades since someone prayed for years and received such a great miracle from a seemingly absent god."

―Clang!

"Talking like that makes me shy..."

―Clang!

"She's only known in Turris for now, but I'm sure with a bit more divine power, Lora will soon become a renowned priestess throughout the Gratia Kingdom."

―Clang!

Suddenly, KiJun felt something faintly vibrating and emitting blue light at his feet.

Although not visible to the naked eye yet, he was sure digging this way would lead to what he wanted.

Wetting his lips, KiJun put more strength into his hands, digging rapidly downward, and asked In.

―Clang! Clang!

"But how do you, know so, much?"

―Clang! Clang!

"Lora's Holy Blood awakening is no secret in the Turris Mercenary Guild. And... I'm also a devotee of Ishtar."

―Clang!

"Right, KiJun. You might have noticed, but I've known In for a while."

Goodness, In was a church brother!

KiJun had suspected something seeing In's protective behavior towards Lora, and her discomfort around Armillca and Herbert, but not with In.

So, the subtle bond between them was due to their shared faith.

KiJun nodded in understanding as he picked up the glowing silver ore.

"If Ishtar has been absent for decades, how did you become her devotees? Oh, of course, if it's hard to answer, you don't have to..."

"There's nothing to hide. My father was a priest of Ishtar."

"…Me too."

Coincidentally, both their answers were the same.

Nodding, KiJun leaped out of the pit, holding the large, self-luminous silver ore.

"You've found it!"

"Even if we purify it to extract only the silver, there should be about 2 kilograms."

"That should be enough."

Gazing at the mysterious magical metal, different from both Moonlight stones and ordinary silver, the three of them marveled in unison. Suddenly, Lora peered into the pit and said,

"It seems that was the only one in this area."

Realizing that the light and warmth had faded, KiJun nodded.

Such miraculous items couldn't just spring up endlessly.

He shrugged and stored it in his inventory, along with the countless Moonlight stones unearthed during the excavation.

"Time to call the others and return."

"Hopefully, it's not too late."

"It will be fine. Definitely."

Lora clenched her fists with determination.

KiJun, recalling Herbert's words, felt a twinge of unease but shook his head to dismiss the thought.

Meanwhile, Herbert and Armillca, found halfway up the mountain, were surprisingly sharing chocolate in harmony!

―Huh... So, are they really dating?

'I won't trust Lucy's words anymore.'

Despite their vehement denials, the other party members' lukewarm glances towards Herbert and Armillca, who were suspected of 'actually getting along', couldn't be helped. Even while they raced down the mountain towards the village, they were busy trying to explain themselves to their respective companions.

"No, really! I just gave him a piece because he kept begging for it! Lora, you know my heart, right? You're the only one for me!"

"Um, sorry, but I actually prefer men..."

"Jun, please don't look at me like that. I have my own tastes, you know."

"My eyes are already ablaze, so it's impossible for me to manage subtle expressions. If you find it strange, that's just your misconception."

The party abandoned any attempt at stealth and sprinted onwards. Perhaps because of their rush, they encountered an enormous number of werewolves blocking their path. Rather than fighting each one, they decided to outrun them with full speed.

Lora, lacking physical strength due to her role as a priest, reluctantly climbed onto Armillca's back, while In, who was somewhat slow in movement, was carried by KiJun.

"Wait, hold on a moment!"

Herbert, who watched uneasily as Lora got on Armillca’s back, was astonished to see KiJun carrying In.

"Are you sure you can handle it? I don't mean to insult In, but can you maintain speed while carrying him?"

"Compared to my usual training, this is nothing. Let's go."

"Uh... sorry."

"It's fine."

And so, KiJun ran with a speed matching that of Herbert and Armillca, despite carrying the hefty half-orc In. Who could say anything when KiJun was outrunning werewolves while carrying over 100 kilograms?

"Really, you shatter my expectations every time..."

"It's a bit surprising. Oh, Lora. Want some chocolate?"

"No, thank you."

"Sigh, I wish you'd open up a bit more to your noona..."

Even while sprinting across the plains, the group maintained their composure. However, as they approached the village entrance, their expressions twisted in unison. The reason was simple: the mist surrounding the village area had vanished.

Moreover, the presence of werewolves swarming around the village made it apparent that a catastrophe was unfolding inside.

"As expected."

Grinding his teeth, Herbert surged forward, increasing his speed.

"I'll go ahead and check!"

"Is he for real...!"

Armillca, not wanting to be outdone by Herbert, also accelerated. KiJun gritted his teeth and sped up even more. Salutaris enveloped his being, intensifying the circulation of mana and spirit power.

"Don't overdo it!"

"This isn't the time to hold back!"

In such a critical situation, there was no time to worry about taking risks. KiJun's speed accelerated further. Adamant reinforced his legs with each step, and he unleashed his potential as a Light Man, spreading Lucy's spirit power throughout his body.

'I must chase the light faster...!'

―You're doing well, Contractor. It seems like Gin is still safe, hurry up a bit more!

―Kiiii!

There was no time to fear his identity being revealed. As KiJun's entire body burst into brilliant golden light, Ur urgently covered it with his flames to conceal his identity. However, In, carried on KiJun's back, seemed to sense his unusual aura and gasped.

Yet, he simply tightened his grip on KiJun's shoulder and said:

"Let's hurry."

"Right!"

A thunderous boom sounded as if lightning had struck. Followed by another, and another. KiJun realized these were the sounds of a triple-barrel shotgun.

―Kyaaah!

―Kill them all!

The werewolves' voices echoed across the plains. As the village drew closer, thousands of werewolves surrounding the village turned their eyes on them.

Armillca shouted in a strained voice:

"Leader――! What do we do about these guys!"

"In! Go protect Lora!"

"Understood, sorry!"

In jumped down from KiJun's back and ran desperately to catch up with Armillca.

"You bastards, come at me――!"

After confirming their departure, KiJun unleashed a Blinding Taunt, capturing the attention of the werewolves. However, Armillca, Lora, and In had already disappeared into the swarm.

Just moments ago, all five party members were together, but now they were scattered. KiJun gnashed his teeth, crushing, pulling out, and tearing through the heads of the werewolves that leaped at him.

"Did I underestimate them? Was I complacent?"

―You did your best, Contractor. No one can control everything unless they're a god. An unforeseen event occurred, and it just made things a bit more complicated.

Lucy calmly expanded the spirit power drawn from KiJun's spirit energy to scan the area.

―You know where to go now, right? Move on, Contractor.

―Kihiiit!

Abandoning any care about his identity being exposed, KiJun's entire body shone with a dazzling light. Ur, now materialized into a giant tiger, stomped the ground, cloaked in even more brilliant flames.

Despite the ongoing effects of KiJun's Blinding Taunt, werewolves swarmed from all directions. However, nothing could stop Ur's charge.

'Herbert... I'm counting on you.'

Ironically, the party member KiJun had been most skeptical about was now the one he trusted the most. Muttering Herbert’s name, KiJun and Ur charged against the tide of werewolves towards the heart of the village.

A night as long as the Overflow had begun.

Returning from the dungeon after defeating the vampire commander Nol and securing the loot, YeMin's party members were eager to report the discovery and engage in the resulting major quest. However, only JiHye remained calm, muttering, "This isn't enough."

YeMin, puzzled by her words, asked, "What do you mean, Jiji? We have solid evidence."

"We lack standing. And stop calling me Jiji."

Her sharp comment silenced YeMin. EunShin spoke up, "Because we're human?"

"Especially since we're newcomers. If we just report this vampire sighting, it won't end well."

EunShin's question and JiHye's response left the group in contemplation. MokSoo suggested, "What should we do then?"

JiHye confidently replied, "There must be more cases like this. These creatures haven't been hiding just for a day or two. Let's thoroughly search the area. We'll handle what we can and document what we can't."

"Collecting samples is a good idea. But ultimately, it's meaningless to those who refuse to believe us."

"That's right. So... EunShin."

"Yes?"

JiHye suddenly reached out and grabbed EunShin's shoulders, surprising him with her directness. She earnestly requested, "We need you to go undercover at the guild for a while. Find someone there who might listen to us."

"I can do surveillance, but finding such a person..."

After several days of observing JiHye's shortlisted guild members, EunShin found a perfect candidate: a strict and independent woman in the Ars Mercenary Guild. Despite her beauty, men hesitated to approach her due to her demanding nature. However, she had no prejudice against different races, which EunShin confirmed during her undercover work.

'This person will do... Huh?'

But the problem arose elsewhere. One of JiHye's flagged guild members exhibited suspicious behavior.

'What's going on? Where is that person going?'

Following this individual, EunShin stumbled upon a shocking scene.

"Damn, how long must we hide and feed on animal blood?"

"The higher-ups have high-quality human blood mixed in their portable rations."

"If you're envious, raise your rank. Damn, I'd personally..."

"Bella, I want to drink Bella's blood!"

"Fine, in a year. Now be quiet and eat."

EunShin discovered they were feeding on freshly drawn animal blood. The vampires were already operating in secret within human territories.

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