Chapter 232: A Hero for the Downtrodden (2)

I'm Not a Regressor

Chapter 232: A Hero for the Downtrodden (2)

Schkkk, shhhhhhhhhhhhh!—

The unpleasant sound of nails on a chalkboard assaulted their ears, and a monster with its front legs bent at 90-degree angles flapped above them.

"Oh! Uncle! A-above!" NT urgently shouted.

Ohjin gave the monster a calm look and slowly lifted his spear.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" That's when the flying creature, which was about 30 meters above them, swung its front, sickle-like legs and shot a white sword aura toward them with enough strength to cut down an iron gate in a single slash.

"What, monsters can use sword aura now?" Ohjin wondered where the hell they'd gotten the monsters before smiling up at the sword aura headed toward him at terrifying speed.

'Stigma of Clepsydra.' The world slowed down, and he avoided the white sword aura with a relaxed motion by the hair of his skin, minimizing his movements.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhkkk?!" A glimmer of consternation appeared in the monster's ugly, fly-like eyes. Was it similar to how a person would react if they saw someone stroll down the street during a downpour without their collar even getting wet?

Instinctively feeling that something was wrong, the monster wildly flapped its wings and ascended. "Shhkk! Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhkkkk!"

It was confident that a wingless human would be unable to reach it and gave Ohjin a triumphant look.

"You might be able to use sword aura, but you're still stupid." Ohjin smirked, pointed his wire shooter at the monster, and fired.

Taa一ang!

Six wires shot toward the monster and wrapped themselves around it.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhkkk!" The winged creature struggled and swung its sickle-like legs around in an attempt to cut the wire, while Ohjin soared toward it.

"U-uncle! It's dangerous!" NT shouted, and her face paled as she watched.

"You're right..." He approached the monster with the help of Shadow Lightning Step and landed on its back. "But this bastard is the only one in danger."

Whiiiiinngg—!

The wires contracted at high speed, and Ohjin and the monster fell with terrifying velocity.

'Thunder Fall.'

Kzzzzzt—!

A streak of blue lightning pierced the monster's body, cutting it in half and sending the parts tumbling through the air before it could even scream.

"Fuuu." Ohjin took a breath and smiled at the 300 points he'd already accumulated from the monsters he'd hunted.

'Just dealing with the monsters I see on the way is getting me quite a bit of points.' Of course, he could've had more points if he'd focused solely on hunting monsters and not guiding NT to a safe zone.

"You're the best! That was awesome!" NT cheered.

His regret disappeared the instant he saw how excited she looked. "Aren't you hungry?" he asked. They'd been moving for two hours already. He wasn't sure how long she'd waited for rescue, but he judged that her stomach was probably running on empty.

"I'm hungry!" The thought of food was enough to make her drool.

"Eat some of this," he said.

"What's this?"

"A calorie bar." He liked them because one bite was enough to make you feel full.

"Do you always carry these around?" she asked.

"Two of these will last a day." Riak had scolded him, so he'd been trying to cut back, but they were just too efficient for the price.

"Huh. That's very unexpected," she said.

"What do you mean?"

NT bit into the calorie bar and said, "When you think of the Lightning Wolf, you think of a natural genius. Naturally, I thought you were an elite born into a good family."

"Like Namgung Hui?"

"Oh, yeah! That's right!"

He couldn't help but laugh at her vigorous nodding. He never imagined ordinary people would think of him that way. "I'm from an orphanage, too."

"Wow, really?" NT's eyes widened in surprise.

"What's up with that reaction? Are you disappointed because I'm not what you expected?"

"No! It's better!" She bashfully smiled and balled up her fists. "I can become a great hero like you if I Awaken in the future, right?"

He didn't know if he was worthy of being called a 'great hero,' but Ohjin smiled slightly and patted her head. "Yes, of course."

"Hehe. Meeting you here was fate!"

He turned away from her and said, "Let's get moving."

"Yes!".

She followed him closely, and about 10 minutes later...

Shwaaaaaa—!

They felt a cool mist wafting over the wind and the sound of a nearby waterfall.

'Ah... is this the underwater area?' It was the terrain he'd first been aiming for. As its name suggested, a wide river surged from the bottom of the towering waterfall.

"Wow, uncle! Look at the waterfall!" NT jumped up and down, clapping her hands like a seal.

"Be careful where you step." He didn't know what kind of artificial device was being used to create it, but the flow was incredibly strong. Even an Awakener could be swept away if they lost their balance and fell into the water, let alone a civilian.

'Should I catch some monsters since I'm already here?' Just as he'd initially hoped, there didn't seem to be any other Awakeners around.

"Huh?"

"Huh? There's a person flying over there, right?"

A strong wind blew over the surging river, and they saw a handsome, young man flying along like a noble god of the wind.

* * *

Translator - Rainypup

Proofreader - ilafy

* * *

It was none other than Namgung Hui, someone Ohjin had been seeing quite often.

Hui looked at Ohjin and smirked. "Hmm. I didn't expect to see the Lightning Wolf here." Then, he gave NT an interested gaze. "It looks like you're searching for a safe zone." He laughed and said, "It's disappointing that you haven't found a safe zone yet when the competition started so long ago."

"Does that mean you found one?"

Hui shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "Fufu. Of course. I just got back from taking someone there." Next, he approached NT and softly asked, "My sweet, little lady, why don't you follow me instead of him, and I'll take you to the safe zone right away?"

He sounded like a dangerous, old man peddling candy from a white van. "You'll be completely safe there, and I could take you there right away," he proposed in a gentle voice and gave her a big smile.

It would be a good opportunity for her to enter the safe zone sooner without having to be in danger while following Ohjin, but... "I don't want to!" She hugged Ohjin's arm and defiantly glared at Hui. "I like Big Brother more than you, Uncle!"

"Is... is that so?" Hui's smile cracked, and his fists began to shake.

Ohjin burst into laughter. "You got dumped twice now."

Hui's face reddened. "Sh-shut up!" he shouted. He'd been born to China's best family and lived like a prince, so such firm rejection was rare for him.

"Who doesn't know the location of the safe zone?" Ohjin asked.

"...Weren't you looking for it?"

"Yes, but now I've found it."

'Thanks to you...'

'Star of the Weaver Girl's Hunting Dogs.'

Kzzz, Kzzzzzzt—

A faint current extended in every direction, and his extremely sensitive sense of smell traced Hui's trail in a clear path through his head.

"It's three kilometers southeast from here..." Ohjin said. "That's not that far."

"...!" Hui's mouth dropped open in dismay. "H-how the hell did you...?"

"How did I find it? You led me there." Ohjin smiled.

"When did I...?!" Hui recalled the faint current from just a moment prior. "You have tracking skills." He began to chew his lips in frustration.

Ohjin shrugged. "Then thank you for letting me know~ I was having a hard time finding it anyway."

"..." Hui's face stiffened, and a faint bloodthirst suffused the air.

Ohjin looked at him and said, "It would be best if you didn't entertain such thoughts. You know you can't attack other candidates, right?"

"Of course I know." Hui's mouth twisted up. "Don't accidents happen in life, though?" He removed his fan from his sleeve and gave Ohjin a fierce look. "For example... What if I say you were caught in a torrent of sudden wind?"

Whoong—!

A gust of wind swept Ohjin into the raging river.

"U-uncle!" NT called out.

Hui continued speaking. "Or what if a sudden whirlwind caused a waterfall to collapse?"

Splaaaash—!

He swung his fan in the direction of the waterfall, forming a swirl of wind that struck the cliff until water poured down as if a dam had collapsed.

Boooom—!

"Fufu. Right, many underwater monsters were lurking at the top of the waterfall."

Dozens of monsters poured down with the surging water like rain and quickly swam toward Ohjin.

"What a shame; you never know what life might bring next." Hui brazenly flew up into the air. "Too bad I could only save one person in such a situation."

His wind lifted NT into the air. "Kyaaaak! Let go of me!"

Hui smiled down at Ohjin being swept away. "That's why you should be humble."

Contrary to what the other man was thinking, Ohjin leisurely let the river carry him and relaxed as if he were soaking in a spa.

-Ti-ring!

{The surroundings are filled with the energy of water.]

[ The effects of increase dramatically!]

[The power of the "Stigma of Hippocampus" increases, allowing you to move and breathe freely underwater!]

Ohjin looked up at Namgung Hui's flying form as he cleared the blue system messages from his vision. "You never know what life might bring next." Hui had given him the location of a safe zone and turned the whole area into a sea before driving the monsters to him so he could farm them for points.

"How could you give me so much without taking anything for yourself?"

Ohjin smiled as the monsters approached him from every direction.