The Regressor's Guide to Raising Constellations

Chapter 7. Swarm

“Ha… ha…”

I was panting, running through the forest with the goblin trio as fast as Henrietta’s frail body could manage.

‘Damn this useless body.’

Henrietta’s life in captivity had left her physique practically wasted. Running through the rugged forest terrain was taking its toll. My trembling legs, exhausted after only a short distance, fueled my frustration.

If I could’ve used or , I might’ve endured this better.

Boom! Boom!

The periodic, increasingly closer roars from behind sharpened my nerves. The goblin champion was smashing through obstacles like trees and rocks, the sound making my heart race with anxiety. He was probably making such a ruckus to drive us into a panic.

“Mother, at this rate, he’ll catch up soon.”

“We’ll hold him back. Brother, take care of Mother.”

Realizing we couldn’t keep up this pace, Gobtu and Gobsan fell back, likely to delay the goblin champion’s pursuit.

I couldn’t stop them. If we continued like this, all four of us would be caught and killed—it was clear as day.

“Don’t die. Hold on. I’ll come back for you.”

We were almost at the wolves’ territory, which is why I didn’t stop them. Besides, as an archer and assassin, Gobtu and Gobsan could hold out until I tamed the wolves. They wouldn’t last in a direct fight, but if Gobtu pinned the champion with his perfect aim from a distance and Gobsan used his agility for hit-and-run tactics, they could buy enough time.

‘I should be able to tame the wolves quickly… right?’

Doubt crept in. I had never used 《Monster Taming》 before. Would it work as planned?

I shook my head, pushing the unease away. There was no turning back now.

Boom! …Boom! ……Boom!

The sounds from the champion stopped getting closer, suggesting Gobtu and Gobsan were holding their ground.

Thanks to the time they bought, I finally reached the territory of the alpha dire wolf’s pack.

Swish!

Wolves moved like the wind, hidden among the foliage. Their numbers were considerable, forming a stealthy encirclement.

—Grrr.

Their low growls were menacing.

“Gob…?!”

Sensing the hostility, Gobhan drew his sword, his face filled with alarm.

“What now, Mother? They’re looking at us like prey.”

Unlike Gobhan, I didn’t feel the wolves’ hostility. Thanks to Henrietta’s innate affinity and , their aggression was directed solely at Gobhan, a rival in their territorial disputes.

The tense situation, where the wolves could pounce on Gobhan at any moment, was an opportunity.

‘This is my chance.’

With their focus on Gobhan, the wolves weren’t wary of me. Considering the stamina I’d burned getting here and the energy needed for an awakening skill, I could use 《Monster Taming》 maybe twice. With the fight against the goblin champion ahead, I had to tame the alpha in one shot.

‘Where’s the alpha?’

I scanned the area, but it wasn’t visible—just flashes of gray fur among the swaying bushes. I expected its larger size to stand out, but it was cleverly hiding.

As impatience grew, Henrietta’s body reacted.

Flash.

My gaze was drawn to one wolf, deliberately lowering itself to blend with the pack. Instinctively, I knew it was the alpha.

‘Found it!’

The moment I recognized it, my awakening skill activated.

《Monster Taming》.

Whack!

A starlight whip lashed out across the distance, striking the alpha dire wolf.

—Awoo…?

The alpha, about to give an attack command, hesitated mid-howl. I felt an intangible connection form between us.

I hadn’t expected to succeed in taming a two-star beast on the first try, but Henrietta’s talent was greater than I thought.

“Come here.”

Focusing on our connection, I called to it.

—Woof! Woof!

Barking like a dog greeting its master, the alpha ran toward me. Its sudden behavior disrupted the pack’s formation, and the hostility toward Gobhan eased, relaxing his expression.

Tap tap tap!

As the alpha closed the distance, Gobhan, still tense, forced his body to move, blocking my path.

I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Gobhan, it’s okay. Step aside.”

“Huh?”

While he hesitated, I timed the alpha’s approach, stretched out my arm, and activated .

Swish—Click.

With a fluid motion unbelievable for Henrietta’s frail body, I mounted the alpha.

“Mother! You really tamed a wolf?!”

Gobhan’s eyes widened in awe at the scene.

“Give my son a ride too.”

Pointing to Gobhan, I made my request. The alpha seemed reluctant but lowered itself for Gobhan at its master’s behest.

I reached out, pulling Gobhan up to sit in front.

Swish—Click.

“Now, let’s head that way. With your friends, if possible.”

—Awoooo!

Understanding me, the alpha raised its head and let out a long howl. It stopped and began running toward the goblin champion, the pack following us.

Swish swish swish!

The entire forest moved with the alpha’s motion.

***

When I faced the goblin champion with the alpha’s pack, Gobtu and Gobsan were already battered.

“Gobtu! Gobsan!”

Gobtu’s left arm was torn from the shoulder, and Gobsan’s legs were severed at the knees—a malicious intent to disable their archery and agility.

Anger surged within me—Henrietta’s emotions. A mother’s worry for her children and rage at the one responsible.

“How dare you harm my children!”

Responding to Henrietta’s fury, the alpha activated its awakening skill and charged at the goblin champion.

《Moonlit Dash》.

Radiant silver light, like moonlight, shimmered on the alpha’s fur as it shot forward like a meteor.

The champion, raising its greatsword to finish off the incapacitated Gobtu and Gobsan, couldn’t react to the speed.

Boom—Crash!

Struck by the silver streak, the champion was flung back, snapping several trees before stopping, its body pierced by sharp wood fragments and drenched in blood.

—Gobrrr!

Such wounds would kill most, but the champion was a berserker. Its awakening skill 《Berserk》 activated automatically with injury, forcing it back to its feet. Its eyes, blood-red, saw nothing else.

‘That’s nearly 2.5-star level.’

In this state, the berserker’s actions were driven by its skill, fixated on Henrietta.

Crack—Boom!

The ground splintered under the champion’s feet as it launched toward me on the alpha’s back.

—Kaaak!

No matter how much 《Berserk》 enhanced its physicality, the alpha dire wolf, a two-star beast specialized in speed, was its match.

Swish swish swish!

The champion’s blood-red trail and the alpha’s silver streak danced through the forest like a game of tag.

Their speeds were equal, but this was dangerous. The champion could smash through trees with its greatsword, while the alpha had to weave around them, lengthening its path. If not for the pack’s wolves biting at the champion’s legs in critical moments, it would’ve caught us already.

‘I need to do something.’

Thanks to riding the alpha at full speed, my skill proficiency was rising rapidly. When it crossed the threshold—

Hwaaak!

The alpha’s emotions and senses flooded my mind.

[Conditions met. General skill blooms into .]

As if it had always been one skill, I linked to . The Overmind, once confined to my inner self, expanded outward through Empathy, starting with the alpha, then spreading to the entire pack via its skill, and even to the goblin trio through our blood bond.

With everyone connected by Overmind, my will became theirs.

Pa pa pa pa pa!

I sent two elite wolves to Gobtu and Gobsan, who were bleeding out. Overmind naturally adjusted the synchronization rate between wolves and goblins, forcibly implementing integration.

The same integration occurred between the alpha and Gobhan.

Flash!

The goblin trio’s awakening began, transforming into the higher-tier goblin riders.

Chiii—!

Sharing the dire wolves’ vitality through integration, white smoke rose from Gobtu and Gobsan’s wounds as they healed rapidly. The spark returned to their dulled eyes.

With a nod, they exchanged weapons. Gobtu gripped Gobsan’s dagger in his remaining right hand, while Gobsan took Gobtu’s bow and arrows.

Through the bond created by and , the general skill , gained from their rider transformation, connected them. As the center of Overmind, I could see the core of their massive information exchange.

‘Gobtu’s archery skills went to Gobsan, and Gobsan’s footwork and dagger skills went to Gobtu.’

More precisely, Gobsan’s footwork was transferred to Gobtu’s integrated wolf, but I was moved by how the two, crippled by their injuries, swapped roles to recover.

The greatest change, however, was in Gobhan, the eldest.

‘ connects not just them but also Gobhan.’

With intact limbs, Gobhan, the swordsman, fully absorbed the archer’s precision and the assassin’s agility, elevating his swordsmanship by drawing on their disparate experiences.

“Wait.”

Gobhan’s will halted the alpha.

Boom! Swoosh!

As the alpha stopped, the champion’s heavy greatsword fell like a guillotine. Gobhan’s heightened perception fragmented the sword’s motion, and his slender longsword slipped precisely into the gap.

Clang—Scrape!

Adjusting his strength moment by moment, he redirected the overwhelming force, narrowly deflecting the greatsword—a perfect parry overcoming raw power with skill.

Crack!

The greatsword plunged into the ground. In that moment, Gobsan’s arrow pierced the champion’s eye, and Gobtu’s dagger, sneaking from behind, slashed its throat.

—Graaah!

Blinded in one eye, the champion swung its greatsword blindly backward, but Gobtu, inheriting Gobsan’s footwork, had already retreated, the swing hitting empty air.

I didn’t just watch their performance.

‘More precision.’

While Gobhan parried the champion’s greatsword upfront, I adjusted their transmitted thoughts to ensure Gobtu’s ambushes and Gobsan’s distant arrows landed with perfect timing. Filtering their chaotic thoughts, I left only what was needed for battle.

Their movements—three goblins, their wolves, six in total—meshed like the gears of a precise machine.

‘That’s it!’

The organic coordination, moving as one, sent a thrill through me. I began integrating the remaining wolves, one by one.

Under one vast mind, goblins and wolves moved as a single entity, the barrier of species erased.

‘This is the power of Swarm!’

The synergy of my , Henrietta’s , the goblin riders’ , and the alpha’s created this state.

No berserker could withstand it.

Thud.

The tenacious goblin champion finally fell.

A system message celebrated the moment.

[Achievement ‘Hive Mind: Collective Consciousness’ accomplished.]

[The Yeto Constellation records your achievement and altered history.]

[Destiny Awakening Skill 《Swarm》 blooms.]

As if signaling the end, my eyes began to close.

[Henrietta’s promotion is complete.]

[History Alteration will end shortly.]

With the sensation of Henrietta’s body separating from my mind, History Alteration concluded.

In the record where I vanished, an unseen system message followed.

[Keyword ‘Great Mother of Monsters’ unlocked.]

[Spirit Henrietta’s growth limit expanded.]

A history that would lead to the calamity of the otherworld, later known as the Great Mother of Monsters, was born.