The Regressors are Trying to Kill Me

[Translator - Hestia]

[Proofreader - Kaya]

Chapter 30

The moment I decided to use Lee Eunwoo...

The Snow Ghost Cavalryman turned its horse towards me.

Creeeak!

The black horse pawed the ground, shaking icicles off from its frozen body.

I drew the 'Heavenly Lotus Sword' from my subspace ring and glared at it.

Even Lee Eunwoo couldn't hit a moving target in this blizzard.

Of course, he could fire buckshot or grenades to wipe out this entire area, but then I'd get caught in the crossfire too.

I had to fire the signal flare after pinning him down in one place.

"I could've had it easy!"

Notifications of countless traits and titles activating popped up on one side of my vision.

Clatter, clatter, clatter!

The Snow Ghost Cavalryman charged towards me, holding a flag in one hand and a frost-covered sword in the other.

It was a B+ rank monster.

It had been an A-rank before I weakened it by clearing the blizzard.

A head-on confrontation wouldn't be a wise choice.

It pointed its sword towards me.

Whoosh!

Just before the sword could cleave me in two from head to groin...

I skillfully shot a flame arrow into the air behind it.

【Descent from the Crimson Flame】

I transformed my body into flames and emerged from within the arrow.

I heard a 'bang!' and felt the dizzying sensation of my body being compressed and then returning to normal.

The disorientation characteristic of short-distance teleportation couldn't overcome my bloodlust towards the enemy in front of me.

A smile unconsciously formed on my lips.

I thrust my sword upwards in a reverse grip.

"Ha!"

【Radiant Light Sword】

Flare!

The red-hot sword slashed down at the Snow Ghost Cavalryman's neck.

Clang!

It bounced off with a sound that shouldn't have been possible.

Huh?

I was extremely flustered.

What's so hard?

I just used Radiant Light Sword.

That's an S-Rank skill!

I slipped in mid-air and fell towards its left side, where it held the flag.

"Ugh!"

I rolled on the snowy ground, breaking my fall.

Swoosh.

The Snow Ghost Cavalryman looked down at me with its blue-flaming eyes.

I felt cold sweat trickle down my back and freeze.

I used 'Insight' to check the armor it was wearing.

【??? (Legendary)】

Damn it.

I couldn't confirm it properly because the glimpse was too short, but it was a Legendary artifact.

No wonder even 'Radiant Light Sword' couldn't pierce it with my current skill level.

"---, ---!"

The cavalryman let out a roar of incomprehensible rage and raised its flag.

Saaaaah!

Mana surged, attempting to stir up another blizzard in the area.

A bone-chilling cold emanated from the flag, making my fingertips feel like they were about to fall off.

If it was deliberately raised, there must be an activation condition.

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It was clear that I couldn't let it touch the ground.

"Damn it!"

I once again poured mana into the Praetorian Guard's Articulated Ring in reverse.

I poured in all the mana I had accumulated from burning ghosts and ants, holding nothing back.

【Wide-Area Incineration】

Fwooosh—!

The range was narrowed down much more than before.

Instead of kilometers, I limited it to a 10-meter radius around me.

【Domain Expansion: Snowfield】

At the same time, it slammed the tip of the flag into the ground.

Thud!

A brutal chill swept in.

It was a coldness that seemed to steal and shatter all heat.

Saaaaah!

Tears froze on my eyes, making it difficult to see properly.

'Wide-Area Incineration' and 'Snowfield' clashed for dominance over the space.

The erasing flames and the stealing cold overlapped, creating the sound of shattering and twisting.

Crack, crackle!

Mana poured out like water into a bottomless pit.

My heart ached as if it were being torn apart.

"Star!"

【"I know!"】

【Your constellation 'Sunny' answers your call.】

【Bears 25% of the mana consumption.】

【Bears 30% of the mana consumption.】

【Bears 35% of the mana consumption.】

The halo above my head wailed like an overloaded machine.

A hot beam of light flowed into me from the top of my head to the tip of my tailbone.

【Your constellation 'Sunny' bears 40% of the mana consumption!】

My heart, which felt like it was about to burst out of my throat, settled back into my chest.

The flames and the cold continued to clash.

Crack!

It was the sound of the Praetorian Guard's Articulated Ring cracking.

It was due to the excessive mana poured in reverse.

But in the end, I succeeded in withstanding its attack.

'Wide-Area Incineration' and 'Snowfield' dissipated simultaneously, leaving only a noisy vapor.

"Huff... huff."

I took a deep breath and raised my head.

Although my vision was blurred by the ice forming on my eyes, I could clearly see that the demonic energy in the Snow Ghost Cavalryman's eyes had weakened considerably.

I got up and reached out through the steam.

Grab!

I grabbed the flag the cavalryman was holding with my left hand.

At the same time, I swung my right hand and shot three flame arrows into the air.

These arrows, also derived from the Incineration Ray, should be able to pierce through the blizzard.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The three arrows exploded spectacularly.

Coordinate calculation using three axes.

Lee Eunwoo, a top-tier Gunner, should be able to understand it.

Of course, he might aim for me, so I made some adjustments for my safety.

"-----!"

The cavalryman roared again and raised the sword in its other hand.

Instead of taking a defensive stance, I held onto the flag it had planted in the ground and braced myself.

It also didn't let go of the flag in its left hand.

It sneered at me.

The frost-covered sword descended menacingly.

It was a sharp blade that could sever my neck in one strike.

But I was the one who wanted to sneer at it.

I had pinned it down in this spot.

And Lee Eunwoo had definitely seen the coordinates.

The moment its sword began to fall...

Bang—!

A tremendous burst of energy swept past my eyes.

The cavalryman's left arm and shoulder exploded.

Even the Legendary armor couldn't block the bullet from the Gunner with the Mythic title, 'God of Machinery.'

The Snow Ghost Cavalryman's arm and the side of its armor were shattered.

The Spirit Core inside its rib cage was clearly visible.

It staggered, almost falling off its horse.

I didn't miss that moment.

【Incineration Ray】

Ziiiing—!

A sharp ray of heat pierced through the Snow Ghost Cavalryman's side and penetrated its Spirit Core.

Crack!

The small sphere, shimmering with a blue flame, shattered as if pierced through.

Its Spirit Core was also the Core of this gate.

The moment it was destroyed, this space could no longer be maintained.

As expected, an Aitel notification popped up in front of me.

Ding.

【'Finale Story: The Winter Duke's Vanguard' has ended.】

【You have acquired the 'Winter Duke's Standard (Legendary ‣ Heroic)'. The Standard declares territory and encourages subordinate forces.】

【*Due to the difference in compatibility with the current owner, the artifact's performance is partially restricted. To restore the artifact's performance, purify the artifact or change your own attribute.】

Despite the mention of weakening, I didn't feel any displeasure.

The higher the grade of an artifact, the more specialized it is to an individual, so this was common when using monster drop items.

As the Aitel notification said, it was just a matter of attributes, so it wasn't a big deal.

From what I experienced earlier, it seemed to be an artifact related to territory control, and it even had a buff for subordinate forces.

I welcomed it wholeheartedly.

The first function was a great ability that could be useful to anyone, anywhere, anytime, and the second buff would definitely come in handy after I returned to my original strength.

A slight question also arose in my mind.

If I remember correctly, this was a Level 4 gate.

Level 4 isn't that high.

It's not a place where a monster like that, wearing Legendary armor and carrying a Legendary flag, should appear.

Maybe the fact that I, Ri Baejeong, and Lee Eunwoo entered affected the difficulty, or maybe we crossed a double gate without realizing it.

Tsssss!

Mana flowed in from the Snow Ghost Cavalryman's Spirit Core.

I felt a sense of fullness, as if I had finished a hearty meal.

"Wow..."

A sigh of admiration escaped my lips involuntarily.

It was such an ecstatic feeling of satisfaction that I wanted to lie down and fall asleep right there.

Unfortunately, I didn't immediately lose the ‘-’ and become a full B-Rank.

Well, from now on, I needed a more balanced growth for leveling up.

I don't know the exact numbers, but my mana stat is probably higher than all my other stats combined.

It seems that focusing too much on mana isn't good even for a Pyromancer who needs to grow into an all-rounder.

Of course, it's certain that my mana stat has increased significantly.

It's just frustrating that I don't have time to check my status window.

【'Eternal Single Season Dagger (Rare)' drops as a clear reward for 'Finale Story: The Winter Duke's Vanguard'.】

[TL/N: Name is subjected to change.]

As expected, the clear reward was ordinary.

Of course, it was a good dagger, but it was still just a dagger.

【The Eternal Single Season Dagger is cool and sharp, and has strong resistance to heat-related debuffs.】

"Huh?"

That's what I thought until I saw the artifact's description.

Resistant to heat-related debuffs?

My 'Radiant Light Sword' is a skill that heats up the sword, giving it cutting power like a lightsaber from the movies, but it also drastically reduces the weapon's durability.

I could already feel the Heavenly Lotus Sword losing its luster and wearing down, but if even a dagger has resistance, that's a different story.

With a happy heart, I put the dagger into my inventory.

Flicker, flicker!

The dungeon was slowly disappearing.

The snowy field of the dungeon and the space of the residential support complex flickered in and out of view.

I had to run away as soon as I got out.

I had texted Ryu Haneul about the situation earlier, but I don't know if he saw it.

Tension crept back in, making my fingertips tingle.

Judging by his expression, that Ri Baejeong guy realized I was Baekya.

If I hadn't gained the people's support, he would have killed me earlier.

He's good at information warfare and psychological warfare.

He might have seemed a bit clueless inside the gate, but the moment he can use the power of public authority outside, he becomes a monster.

All of my and Wolha's cards will be frozen immediately, countless CCTVs will chase us, and we'll be framed with countless false charges.

My constellation spoke to me.

A relaxed voice echoed in my ears.

【"Didn't I tell you that you should have killed them all earlier?"】

I answered firmly.

"I won't do that."

【"What if your hesitation gets you killed?"】

"I am Baekya, the 'Sun'. If I abuse public authority in front of people and even resort to murder, that's when I truly die. And... at least for today, it seems like he's on our side."

It's not just danger that awaits me.

When I shot the flame arrows earlier, I transmitted my location instead of the Snow Ghost Cavalryman's.

If Lee Eunwoo had intended to kill me under the pretense of aiming for the Snow Ghost, he would have shot exactly at the coordinates. But if he still intended to keep me alive, he would have missed slightly.

Lee Eunwoo's bullet hit the Snow Ghost's shoulder, not me.

They said he's a moderate.

It seems it's not my day to die yet.

* * *

"He's alive! He's alive!"

"Ilha did it!"

"Not Ilha, it was Lee Eunwoo!"

"But Ilha went in and gave him the coordinates!"

The blizzard subsided.

The snowy field gradually disappeared.

People cheered at the top of their lungs.

The agents from the Awakened Support Agency breathed sighs of relief.

However, Lee Eunwoo and Ri Baejeong's faces were filled with the tension of what was to come.

Ri Baejeong, his bright yellow-green bobbed hair swaying, walked towards Lee Eunwoo.

Step.

By the time the ten-step distance had shrunk to two, they were both standing on the road, not on the snowy field.

In the afternoon, the sight of people hugging and cheering in the residential complex was heartwarming.

Ri Baejeong asked, like a lazy but flamboyant and deadly viper.

"Earlier. You could have killed him, couldn't you?"

Lee Eunwoo displayed an uncharacteristically human behavior.

He smirked.

"I guess the wind must have shaken the tip of my barrel."

Considering that he was a supreme marksman who also handled guidance techniques, it was a blatant lie.

Ri Baejeong shrugged as if to say it was ridiculous.

"Let's go with that. There's no point in fighting amongst ourselves now."

"Now?"

"That sun is about to rise again, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid of Baekya."

"Excuse me?"

Lee Eunwoo looked down at Ri Baejeong.

While putting a cigarette in his mouth.

"Why that look? He's a being to be feared, rationally speaking. If we act only on righteousness without fearing him, there will only be inefficient sacrifices."

"What are you trying to say?"

"But you don't seem to fear Baekya, you seem to hate him. Same as before."

"......"

Ri Baejeong didn't answer.

He turned around and picked up his smartphone.

He gave the order as it came to his mind.

"Hong Ilha has killed civilians. Execute him immediately according to the special law."

[Translator - Hestia

[Proofreader - Kaya]