Not A Regressor-Chapter 278: Dogs And Wolves (3)

Song Ha-Eun, now wearing black cat ears and a matching tail, walked over to Kwon Oh-Jin. “Ahem. W-Will this do?”

The accessories matched her naturally cat-like appearance so well that Kwon Oh-Jin couldn’t help but gulp dryly.

“H-How do I look? Is it okay?” Blushing deeply, Song Ha-Eun struck a small pose, clearly embarrassed.

Her swaying cat tail, poking out from behind, tugged at his heartstrings.

Kwon Oh-Jin gave his honest opinion. “Feels like something a grown woman over thirty really shouldn’t be do—Guhk!”

With dazzling speed, Song Ha-Eun punched his chest.

“I-I’m not wearing this because I wanted to, okay?!” She huffed angrily and glared at him.

Even after becoming his girlfriend and growing bolder with her displays of affection, this kind of crazy cosplay still embarrassed her.

“But they’re surprisingly well-made. You can even channel mana into them and slightly move them.” Wearing brown puppy ears and a tail, Isabella wagged her tail enthusiastically like a dog greeting its owner.

Every time Kwon Oh-Jin looked at her, he couldn’t help but recall the whispering “Woof woof” in his ear, making his cheeks flush.

I’m definitely taking a few of these with me later.

He turned toward Isabella. “By the way, are you sure you don’t want to go with black?”

“Yes. If fur color signifies social rank, then I think it’s better to disguise myself as someone from a lower class like the Brown Mane Tribe.”

It made sense. Just like how the rich often didn’t understand the lives of commoners, being of a higher social class didn’t automatically mean one knew everything.

“And besides, isn’t brown cuter?” Isabella asked with a playful smile and scooted closer.

As a quick learner, she had already figured out how to manipulate the props, twitching her ears and wagging her tail realistically just like real beastkin.

Her fluffy dog tail brushed against Kwon Oh-Jin’s thigh.

“Ahem.” He cleared his throat and averted his gaze.

A high-pitched giggle rang out beside him.

“As for Vega...”

Vega pouted with a disappointed expression. “There’s nothing in my size.”

Being barely the size of a hand, of course, none of the accessories would fit her. Even if there were, she likely wouldn’t pass off as a beastkin anyway.

“Then, Vega, just hide inside my pocket.”

“Is it okay for me to do that?”

“If it gets too stuffy, you can hop back to the Sanctum for a bit.”

“Hmph! How could I abandon my child and go back alone?” Without hesitation, Vega dove into Kwon Oh-Jin’s inner jacket pocket.

Poking her head out slightly, she looked around with wide eyes, seemingly pleased with the spot.

“As for Riarc...” Kwon Oh-Jin trailed off and looked at Riarc, who had returned to his wolf form.

As a true beastkin, Riarc didn’t need a disguise. However, his radiant silver fur posed a problem.

“What will you do? Are you just going to go as-is?”

Riarc remained silent, deep in thought, before shaking his head. “No. If possible, I’ll dye it.”

“I’ve got dye.” Baek Mu-Kang rummaged through the cabinet again and pulled out a container of black dye. “But if you can’t change forms.

According to Riarc, beastkin could shift between three forms: a fully beast-like form like his current state, a human form with animal ears and tail, and a half-human, half-beast werewolf-like form.

Of those, the werewolf form consumed the most stamina and was generally reserved for battle since it temporarily granted explosive power. Normally, beastkin stayed in either their beast or human forms. Most preferred the human one for convenience.

“When beastkin change forms, their fur regrows and any dye disappears.”

“I know.” Riarc nodded.

Dyeing one’s fur seemed fairly common, perhaps because of the class system based on fur color.

So, someone could go from noble to commoner or even an outcast just by changing fur color?

It sounded like a flimsy system. Thinking about it, human society wasn’t much different. Why else would the term “car poor” exist? People who stretched their budget to drive luxury foreign cars only did so to appear higher status. Dyeing fur was way simpler than buying an expensive car, but it was also easier to get caught.

All it takes is one form shift, and it’s game over.

Anyway, it was better to dye it than wander around flashing silver fur.

“I’ll help with the dye. I’m good at it.”

Baek Mu-Kang approached Riarc with the black dye already mixed with water. Without hesitation, he tilted the container to pour it all at once. Just before the dye could drench Riarc’s head, Isabella quickly grabbed Baek Mu-Kang’s arm.

“W-Wait a second!”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“I-I’ll do it.” Isabella smiled awkwardly as she took the dye container from Baek Mu-Kang.

“I’m good at it though...” Baek Mu-Kang muttered with a sulky expression.

“Let’s go outside, Mr. Riarc. I’ll help you.”

“... I’m counting on you, leech woman.”

“Don’t call me a leech.”

“Then should I call you a worm?”

“Oh my, should I hand it back to Mr. Baek Mu-Kang? He did seem confident.”

“Ahem. Let’s go outside quickly.” Riarc hastily turned and headed out.

Isabella followed him outside.

Kwon Oh-Jin walked over to Baek Mu-Kang, staring at the door with a disappointed look.

“Elder.”

“Hmm?”

“Would you be willing to help us meet Horus?”

At first, Kwon Oh-Jin was thrown off by how different Baek Mu-Kang was from what he imagined. However, after talking with him, it became clear that Baek Mu-Kang deeply understood the Demonic District. If he cooperated, contacting the Demonic District kings would be much easier.

“No.” Baek Mu-Kang quickly refused to help. He firmly shook his head with an innocent smile. “I have to go find my treasure.”

Just what kind of amazing item made Baek Mu-Kang so fixated?

“What exactly is this treasure you're searching for?”

“Treasure is treasure.” He gave the same vague answer as before. “It’s precious, so I have to find it.”

Baek Mu-Kang smiled brightly like a child.

“Do you have any leads?”

“A bad guy stole it. I need to find the bad guy.”

“The bad guy?”

“The bad guy is just the bad guy.”

The conversation went nowhere. Still, from their brief exchange, Kwon Oh-Jin learned one thing. Someone had stolen Baek Mu-Kang’s treasure, and he had chased after them all alone in this faraway land of the Demonic District for five long years.

Kwon Oh-Jin grew curious about this treasure, but he figured he wouldn’t get a clear answer due to Baek Mu-Kang’s state.

“Well then, thank you for your help, elder.”

Unfortunately, Baek Mu-Kang wouldn’t help them any further. However, thanks to him, they had gathered a good amount of information about the Khan Kingdom. From here on out, Kwon Oh-Jin would have to figure things out on his own.

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yes. We’ve lost quite a bit of time getting out of the forest.”

“Hehe. It was nice meeting you.” Baek Mu-Kang smiled kindly and extended his hand.

Kwon Oh-Jin shook his wrinkled hand. Though it felt bony like a skeleton’s, it still contained some kind of strength.

“Are you going to find that treasure or whatever, Gramps?” Song Ha-Eun asked.

“Yep! I’m going on a treasure hunt!”

“I hope you find it.” Song Ha-Eun sincerely encouraged him.

Maybe it was something in his star-bright smile.

“Thank you! I’ll definitely find it!” Baek Mu-Gang clenched his fists with determination. “Oh, you’ve got the compass, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

“If you follow that, you’ll be able to find me. Come find me if you have more questions.”

“Alright.” Kwon Oh-Jin exchanged a short farewell and stepped outside.

Riarc, his fur now dyed black, waited for them. “That strange human isn’t coming with us?”

“He said he has something else to do.” Kwon Oh-Jin glanced over at Riarc. “By the way, how far is it to the Khan Kingdom from here?”

“It’s half a day’s walk. Follow me.” Riarc turned around and trudged forward.

The group followed him.

“I wonder what kind of treasure Gramps is looking for.”

“Who knows?”

Song Ha-Eun narrowed her eyes and cocked her head in confusion. “Hmm.”

“Anyway, it’s kind of shocking. He’s nothing like what I had in mind...” Isabella said.

Who would have imagined that Baek Mu-Kang of Megrez was a senile old man?

“Now I can understand why Deneb never talked about him. That child cares far too much about how others see him.” Vega clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“Still, isn’t that a bit harsh? Gramps is still his apostle, and it’s not like Gramps did anything wrong.”

“Even if he doesn’t talk much about him, I’m sure he’s helping in his own ways. Didn’t he even send Allen into the Demonic District to deliver supplies?” Vega pointed out.

If Deneb truly wanted nothing to do with Baek Mu-Kang, he wouldn’t have bothered to send Allen to deliver supplies.

“That brat has a weird personality anyway. If he’s going to help, he might as well go all in.” Song Ha-Eun frowned, clearly feeling sympathy for Baek Mu-Kang, who lived alone in the Demonic District and wandered for years in search of his treasure. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled softly and gently patted Song Ha-Eun’s back. “Anyway, let’s focus on our own task for now.”

“Right. Let’s do that.”

The group followed Riarc as they stepped back into a dense forest. Unlike the last forest they had braved, no demonic beasts leaped out at them. In fact, it was eerily quiet. So much so that the silence itself made them tense up.

Kwon Oh-Jin activated the Stigma of Canes Venatici and slowly scouted ahead, keeping watch on their surroundings. As they quietly made their way through the woods, a piercing scream rang out.

“Oppaaaaa!”

The smell of blood tingled their noses. The group exchanged glances without saying a word. They all instinctively turned toward the source of the scream and sprinted into action.