Chapter 8: Hyenas (2)
“You bastard!” the man cursed, flushed red with anger. "My mom's still fucking alive!"
The shameless thief was trying to steal someone else's kill, yet he was seemingly affectionate toward his mom.
"It's almost a pity that she isn’t alive to see what you've become."
“Die!”
Woong!
The Stigma of Canes Venatici began to glow through the man's armor, enhancing his physical senses.
Whoosh!
He swung his sword straight at Kwon Oh-Jin’s head. It was fast, but its trajectory was too predictable.
He’s completely lost it.
Kwon Oh-Jin stepped back, easily dodging the attack.
The thief had accidentally split his comrade’s head in half, subjecting him to Kwon Oh-Jin's mockery. With his rage clouding his judgment, his strikes grew wilder, carving simple lines through the air.
This makes things easy.
Even though Kwon Oh-Jin was up against a three-star Awakener, the man wasn’t difficult to deal with in his current state. In truth, Kwon Oh-Jin likely would’ve had the upper hand even if the thief was thinking clearly. The Stigma of Canes Venatici was no match for the Stigma of a North Star, especially when there was only a single star difference.
The sword came down toward Kwon Oh-Jin’s head again, but he easily dodged it. He then thrust his spear toward the man’s right side.
Whoosh!
The precise strike cut into an opening, but the man managed to block it with his sword as if to prove that he was still a three-star Awakener.
Clang!
However, Kwon Oh-Jin wasn’t done yet.
“The Stigma of Canes Venatici amplifies physical senses, doesn't it?” he asked with a smirk.
If the man's physical senses were heightened, he would also feel more pain.
Crackle!
Blue lightning danced along Kwon Oh-Jin’s spear and surged into the man’s body.
He screamed in agony as the sparks coursed through him. “Aaaaghhh!”
"Hmph!”
This was too great an opportunity to pass up. Like a snake slithering up a pole, Kwon Oh-Jin moved his spear along the man’s arm and pierced it straight through his neck.
“Cough!”
Dark and thick blood gushed from the man’s mouth as his eyes rolled back.
It took Kwon Oh-Jin less than five minutes to bring down both the three-star Awakeners.
It would’ve been much harder if they’d fought properly, but there's no point mulling over that.
This was no sparring match that called for fairness and sportsmanship.
“Well then, time to loot the bodies.”
Kwon Oh-Jin stripped the men of their armor and searched their pockets while humming. He frowned as he checked their wallets.
“They’re broke as hell. How can three-star Awakeners be this poor?”
Combined, they had a measly 275 thousand won. They were practically penniless.
“Tsk.”
Sure, he could use their cards to get more, but using something so easily traceable was risky. The association generally overlooked fights to the death between Awakeners inside the gates, but an investigator would show up if he drew too much suspicion.
“Their armor is all trashed up too. Maybe I’ll just take their weapons.”
He tied their swords together and hung them on his waist. Using their cards would be dangerous, but selling their gear? No one would bat an eye. After all, this was a world where people died like insects on the road.
“And...”
Kwon Oh-Jin squinted at one of the men’s chests. It was hidden under his shirt, but he had the Stigma of Canes Venatici. Though it was a low-tier Stigma, it was still a Stigma nonetheless.
I can probably absorb it with the Black Heaven.
It was a risky move. If Vega noticed that he absorbed the Stigma, all hell would break loose.
The Black Heaven has the Black Curtain trait, though.
The Black Curtain was an ability that could completely conceal the Black Heaven’s energy. According to its description, it could also be applied to any of the Stigmas he possessed.
It's the reason Vega couldn’t sense the Black Heaven in the first place.
Hence, Kwon Oh-Jin found no reason to doubt the trait's effect. Even if he absorbed this man’s Stigma, he could use the Black Curtain to keep Vega from sensing it on him. “Alright,” he muttered with a grin. He placed his hands over the fallen men’s chests.
Shhh.
A black cloud flowed from his fingertips and swirled toward the Stigmas like a starving beast.
Ring!
[The Black Heaven is absorbing the Stigma of Canes Venatici.]
[All the conditions for the Black Heaven’s second enlightenment have been met!]
[The Black Heaven is undergoing its second enlightenment!]
The black cloud rumbled and wrapped itself around Kwon Oh-Jin.
"Ugh!"
Darkness surged from within and sent searing pain through him. It felt like a red-hot iron rod had been shoved into his head.
[Through the Black Heaven, Kwon Oh-Jin is reading the record contained within the Stigma of Lyra.]
[The Black Heaven’s enlightenment is too low. The records Kwon Oh-Jin can read are limited.]
Lee Shin-Hyuk’s memories flooded into his mind once again.
“… You’re awake?”
The first thing Kwon Oh-Jin saw was a tall young man coldly looking down at Lee Shin-Hyuk. Amidst the brain fog, Lee Shin-Hyuk slowly raised his head and glanced around. His blurry vision gradually cleared.
Is this a hospital?
Lee Shin-Hyuk was lying in a spacious private hospital room. A digital clock on the wall displayed the date: November 21, 2020. This memory was exactly two weeks into the future for Kwon Oh-Jin.
“Where…?”
“You’re at a hospital.”
“A hospital?”
“You’ve been unconscious for two weeks.”
Lee Shin-Hyuk's eyes widened in disbelief. “T-Two weeks?”
“Yeah.”
The young man, Lee Shin-Hyuk’s younger brother, nodded indifferently. A quiet, simmering anger filled his cold gaze as he peered down at Lee Shin-Hyuk.
“Why did you enter the gate on your own?”
“Th-That’s…”
“Didn’t I tell you to take at least one of our guild members with you?”
“Um… They all seemed busy.”
“So you went in alone?”
“Sorry, Woo-Hyuk. I thought it would be fine since it was just a one-star.”
Woo-Hyuk sighed deeply, making Lee Shin-Hyuk lower his head and look thoroughly chastened.
Knock, knock.
Lee Woo-Hyuk stood up and opened the door. A woman with glasses was standing in the doorway.
“Guildmaster, do you have a moment?”
“What is it?”
"You know the new gate in Mok-dong that opened on the fifteenth? Chang-Hyun found an Astral Relic there.”
“Chang-Hyun did?”
“Yes, but something about it seems strange…”
Crackle.
The scene flickered and blurred as if affected by static. Their voices gradually faded.
“Haah!”
The pain that had been tearing through Kwon Oh-Jin’s head suddenly subsided, and a blue message window appeared before him.
Ring!
[Some of Lee Shin-Hyuk’s records have been inherited.]
[Pyxis Spearmanship Lv4 has reached Lv5.]
[Kwon Oh-Jin has acquired the skill Lame Excuse Lv2.]
“So, the more I become enlightened, the more of Lee Shin-Hyuk’s memories I gain?”
Kwon Oh-Jin slowly recollected the memories that had just flashed through his mind.
Lee Woo-Hyuk, the newly formed gate in Mok-dong on the fifteenth, and an Astral Relic.
An Astral Relic was an artifact infused with the power of the stars. The abilities of these relics varied greatly, with some containing powers strong enough to bridge a one-star gap or two.
To summarize, a gate with an Astral Relic is going to open in Mok-dong in eight days?
Kwon Oh-Jin's eyes gleamed sharply. He had unexpectedly gotten valuable information. This was the perfect opportunity to obtain an Astral Relic—no, more importantly, this would help him keep his scam going.
Kwon Oh-Jin cocked his head as he looked down at the two corpses.
Can I read these guys' memories too?
Since he had absorbed their Stigma, their memories should have been transferred to him like Lee Shin-Hyuk’s, but he got nothing.
[The absorbed Stigma of Canes Venatici is too faint.]
[Attempts to read any records from it have failed.]
That made sense.
“Well, they don’t seem to be the brightest anyway. No wonder they don’t have a strong Stigma.”
Even though the Celestial of Canes Venatici was a lower-tier one, they still wouldn’t be foolish enough to grant a strong mark to guys like these.
Well, in any case…
It was still an incredible gain. He not only reached two-star status but also managed to enlighten the Black Heavens.
I’m not sure if the Black Heaven’s enlightenment is entirely a good thing, though.
He couldn’t be certain if letting the Black Heaven continue to grow was the right thing to do. After all, it was an unknown and mysterious power.
But I don’t have a choice.
Now that he knew that strengthening the Black Heaven would unlock more of Lee Shin-Hyuk’s memories, he could no longer stop. For someone wearing the mask of a Regressor, getting the real Regressor's memories was a boon.
Alright then.
Kwon Oh-Join slowly closed his eyes and focused. A blue light radiated from his left chest.
Let’s see what the Stigma of Canes Venatici can do.
Upon activation, the Stigma quickly strengthened his senses. His sense of smell in particular became overwhelmingly sensitive. Overwhelmed by the flood of various smells, he covered his mouth and bent over.
“Ugh!”
He shook his head in discomfort. It felt as if each individual scent, down to that of the rustling leaves around him, was invading his nose.
I’ll have to get used to this before I can make proper use of it.
He tried to activate the Stigma of Lyra as well, but it seemed he couldn’t use both marks simultaneously. Hence, he deactivated the Stigma of Canis Venaciti first and then let the Stigma of Lyra take over.
Crackle!
Blue lightning sparked around him as his enhanced senses faded back to normal, and Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes widened as he stared at its fierceness.
“Huh?”
For some reason, the blue lightning surging around him had grown a bit thicker.
Crackle! Boom!
He shot the ground with lightning as a test, resulting in a heavy explosion that left the ground scorched.
My Stigma has definitely grown stronger.
This felt different from when he had advanced to two stars. While the star's advancement seemingly increased the amount of the Stigma's power he could control, this seemed to have enhanced its quality.
Kwon Oh-Jin frowned as he fell into thought, trying to make sense of the situation.
“Ah.”
It didn’t take long to find the answer.
It said that the power of the Stigma would be adjusted according to the enlightenment stage of the Black Heaven.
He had been too preoccupied earlier to remember.
“So all this time, the Stigma’s power was restrained?”
He couldn't believe it.
Just how goddamn strong is Vega?
A shiver ran down his spine. Kwon Oh-Jin was firmly reminded once more that he had to avoid being caught by her at all costs.
“I should head back.”
He approached the Anthorn mutant, leaving the other scattered corpses behind. From it, he pulled out a black Starstone about the size of a five-hundred-won coin.
It’s black?
Starstones typically had a blue glow to them, yet this one was black. His eyes sparkled as he pocketed it.
“Hmmm, I wonder how much this'll sell for?”
He felt the two swords at his waist and the weight of his pouch, which made him smile.
The swords alone should fetch at least half a million won.
The regular Anthorn Starstones were worth about eight hundred thousand won each. Together with the mutant’s Starstone, he figured he had already earned at least 3 million won today.
“That’s crazy.”
Long live Awakeners.
***
Creak.
The rusty door opened, and a familiar smell of mold tickled his nose.
Song Ha-Eun, who was pacing in front of the door with her crutches, hurried toward him.
“You're back?”
“How come you're not lying in bed for once?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked, wide-eyed.
“Shut up. You think I just lie around all day?” she responded with a smirk. She then slowly reached out her hand.
Her pale fingers tickled him as they touched his cheek and moved across his head, neck, and shoulders.
“What are you doing?”
Instead of answering, she continued to feel around his body before letting out a short sigh.
“Well, at least you’re not all beaten up like an idiot.”
So that’s what she was checking for.
Kwon Oh-Jin smirked. “Were you worried I might’ve gotten hurt?”
“Yeah. It’d be a real problem if my grub gofer broke down.”
“What did you just call me?”
“Hehe! You’ve been my gofer ever since the orphanage, haven’t you?” Song Ha-Eun chuckled, patting him on the head playfully.
“Now, now. What did my gofer bring me for dinner today~?”
“Oh, I forgot.”
“Huh?”
“Pfft! Just kidding. I got you a burger,” laughed Kwon Oh-Jin.
“A Woppah meal?”
“A Jiness Woppah meal.”
“Do you wanna marry me?” asked Song Ha-Eun.
What's her damn deal?
“Sure. Should we pick a date, honey?”
“What? R-Really?”
“No. I’m joking.”
“Y-You little punk!”
“That's enough nonsense. Let’s go inside.”
He picked Song Ha-Eun up, moved her to the bed, and handed her the burger. For some reason, though, she didn’t touch her food.
“What's wrong? Aren’t you eating?” asked Kwon Oh-Jin.
Silence fell between them.
With quivering lips, she warily asked, “You really are an apostle of the North Star now, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
After another moment of silence, she clenched her fist tightly. “Don’t go recklessly raiding high-level gates just because you're an apostle now, got it? Even if it’s tempting, make sure you always go with a party.”
“I always ensure my safety. Don’t worry.”
“Hmph. You always say that.”
Song Ha-Eun reached out and lightly pinched his cheek.
“Your Celestial is Vega, right?”
“That’s right.”
“… How was she?”
Kwon Oh-Jin cocked his head in confusion. “What?”
Song Ha-Eun's cheeks turned slightly red. “Well, it's just… you know, she's the famous Weaver.”
“…?”
“Ugh, geez! I'm asking if that damn woman is pretty!”
“Oh.”
So that’s what she wanted to know.
“Yeah, she’s pretty.”
Honestly, she was so stunning that it was hard to look away.
Song Ha-Eun suddenly pulled his cheeks, sharply stinging him.
“Ooooowwww! What was that for?”
“I just felt a little annoyed.”
“That’s so unfair.”
Song Ha-Eun pulled her blanket over her head and turned her back to him.
“Oh, by the way, I’m planning to go there tomorrow,” said Kwon Oh-Jin.
Peeking out from under the blanket, Song Ha-Eun looked over her shoulder.
“Where?”
He unwrapped the burger and held it close to her small lips as he replied, “The Awakeners Association.”
Munch.
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