Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Black-Haired Beast (1)
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The moment he opened his eyes, a thick, fishy metallic tang filled his mouth. Sa-yoon swept a hand over his fatigue-ridden face and blankly stared at his palm, which came away clean.
His mind was foggy. After racking his brain to piece together what had happened, he finally recalled the events just before he lost consciousness. With a flash of memory, Sa-yoon kicked off the bed and bolted upright.
That bastard!
The exhaustion that had been crashing over him vanished in an instant.
'Supreme Under Heaven.'
He'd made a habit of only skimming traits, so he hadn't checked the other details, but those eight characters were crystal clear in his memory. Unforgettable even after blacking out and waking up again. One of the two traits etched into his brain—he'd definitely spotted it on the last Awakener he'd seen.
His mind had been on the verge of collapse, but he'd forced himself to focus and confirm it, so he couldn't quite recall the guy's appearance. All he remembered was detecting a trait holder while on the brink of death. Stumbling to the bathroom, he checked the mirror. His face was a mess of exhaustion.
"Filmed another horror flick, huh."
The screams he'd heard before passing out, his current state—life had been straight-up horrific lately. He figured he could pass for staff at a haunted house. Sa-yoon washed his face with cold water to drive away the fatigue.
Every movement made his head throb sharply, furrowing the space between his brows. Thanks to that damn skill, walking around with anemia like a chronic illness had become routine.
Not that it'd be an issue anymore.
"Ah..."
His voice trembled faintly with emotion.
Sa-yoon flashed a perfectly villainous grin, wiped the dripping water from his face with the back of his hand, and checked his phone.
First things first: had Jong-sik caught the Awakener as ordered? After years by his side, the efficient Jong-sik had already texted him.
[Moved you to the bedroom since you passed out. Secured the target as instructed. Contact me when you wake up.]
Satisfaction swelled.
Nothing to nitpick; it was flawless. Sa-yoon pulled his hood low again, finished gearing up to head out, and called Jong-sik.
The ringtone barely chimed twice before Jong-sik's voice came through.
-You awake?
"Yeah. The guy I told you to grab."
-At the villa.
"...Where?"
-The villa on Geoje Island.
The torture villa.
Sa-yoon wondered if he'd misheard. He asked again, and Jong-sik calmly added the word "torture."
His precious one—the precious trait holder he'd scoured for over three months—taken not just anywhere, but to the torture villa. Sa-yoon clutched his pounding forehead, dizziness hitting him. He didn't even have the energy to yell.
"Why."
-Pardon?
"Why'd you take him there."
-You just said bring him, didn't specify where to put him, so I handled it like usual... Did I mess up?
Where to even start. Normally, they recruited captures as new guild members or shoved them into the villa, so Jong-sik's actions weren't incomprehensible. Sa-yoon had raised him that way, after all.
But of all people, that guy.
Jong-sik had watched him search day and night for three months, yet still this carelessness. Zero sense. No wonder he was thirty-two and still a virgin.
Sa-yoon sighed and told the flustered Jong-sik—asking what was wrong, if he'd screwed up—to prepare at the villa, then hung up.
Water under the bridge now; nothing to be done.
Look on the bright side. The System might tell him to interrogate the trait holder anyway.
Yeah, right. Still, Sa-yoon clung to optimism, checked his status one last time before leaving the room. He pulled sunglasses from his pocket to wear but grimaced at the bloodstains. After huffing on them and scraping with his nails a few times, they were passable.
The elevator dinged open to familiar buildings lining the street. He realized too late he'd half-expected Jong-sik to pick him up—Jong-sik was probably resting near the villa by now.
Time was of the essence; he couldn't call Jong-sik back here. This time, Sa-yoon would drive himself.
Hands in pockets, he headed to the parking lot and picked a reliable sedan from three or four options—one he wouldn't mind wrecking. He turned the key.
Gripping the wheel with practiced ease, he buckled up.
4 AM.
The black sedan's tires cut through the silence and sped away.
"You made it."
Jong-sik greeted Sa-yoon upon arrival at the villa. Sa-yoon handed over his sunglasses to the guy instinctively reaching for luggage he didn't have, then lightly scolded him for what he couldn't over the phone.
"Why'd you always drag 'em to the villa?"
"You didn't say otherwise, Hyungnim."
"You knew I'd been hunting this guy for three months. Use some intuition on where to stash him."
Jong-sik's brows drooped, expecting praise from the chiding tone. It might've looked pitiful on anyone else, but on his mountain of a frame, it fell flat.
Ignoring the sulking man, Sa-yoon opened the door to the basement and descended the stairs. A musty stench assaulted his nose—fishy and unpleasant, drilling into his sinuses. He waved it off and snapped at Jong-sik to clean up. After a few more pointless exchanges, they reached the basement. There sat a young-faced man bound to a chair.
Hands and feet tied, mouth gagged, head slumped—he'd lost consciousness. To the Night Rat Leader's eye, he looked primed for torture.
"...Jong-sik."
"Yes."
"You tie him up?"
"Pardon? Yeah. Figured he'd resist since we grabbed him out of nowhere, so I knocked him out and bound him."
Proud as punch, like begging recognition for months-honed rope skills.
Sa-yoon swallowed praise he couldn't give and activated Eye of the Prodigy to confirm.
Eye of the Prodigy (L)
Peeking at the designated target's status window. Beware of pain. (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b
Player Geon-ju's status window loaded.
Titles:'Watched by Gods(?)', 'I'm a Little Talented (A)', 'Acquirer of All Things (S)', 'Only One Genius Under Heaven (A)'
Skills:[Social Skills (A)], [Adaptation (S)], [Insight (B)], [Eloquent Speaker (A)], [Monologue (A)], [Weapon Mastery (S)], [Composure (B)]
Exclusive Skill:[Survival Instinct (SS+)]
Locked Skills:[Insight (SSS)], [Shadow Dominion (L)]
Perks:'Quite the Level Gap (A)', 'Unlucky, But One Week Since Awakening (S)', 'Innate Sense (A)'
Confirmed.
One of the two traits the System mentioned: 'Supreme Under Heaven' holder. Sa-yoon verified that first, then scanned the rest—only to gape at the unconscious man in disbelief.
The trait was extraordinary, and the status window matched. Compared to his own, it was cute, but considering his was forged from ten years of rolling in the dirt, Geon-ju's was impressive—no, exceptional. Like the gods had dumped every cheat code on this kid.
Perks suggested he'd awakened just over a week ago. That status was fraudulent. The rank alone hurt, but titles and perks full of obnoxious boasts made his gut twist.
Destined for greatness, huh.
Max stat potentials alone screamed elite. And above all:
'Watched by Gods(?)'.
A title Sa-yoon had too. The question mark blocking details matched his own. Conviction hit.
Geon-ju. He was the key to fixing Sa-yoon's cursed life.
Status verified, Sa-yoon sat across from the bound man on the torture chair, staring silently.
He'd met the trait holder as the System said, but now what? He needed orders to wake this obnoxious pretty boy or kill him.
Just in case, he asked Jong-sik for tools and opened his status. He lightly tapped the "Inactive" next to The Resistor.
Ding!
A formal chime sounded, but no blue window appeared. Sa-yoon blinked. First time for this.
While staring at the no-show window, Jong-sik handed over hefty pliers. As Sa-yoon absently stroked them:
Ding!
Second Step Toward Activation
'Maintain an intimate relationship with the trait holder.'
Note: Maintain relationship until trait holder's rank reaches S-Grade. Deterioration may hinder activation.
Reward: ?
Failure: The Resistor cannot be activated
Current Relationship: Hostile
"......"
No sooner had he cleared one goal than a new quest popped up. Sa-yoon clamped his mouth shut reading the window. His dark blue eyes flicked briefly as they turned to the now-awake Geon-ju.
'Maintain an intimate relationship with the trait holder.'
The System's second quest echoed in his ears via voice guide. Sa-yoon mulled the warning about deterioration hindering activation, trying to view his situation objectively.
Bound Geon-ju. Himself, needing to impress him, idly stroking pliers.
Did it scream intimacy?
No, obviously not.
Glared wide-eyed at the System window, curses bubbling up.
Be friends or whatever—why tell me now, you bastard.
Way too late.