Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: A Scammer's Path to Victory (2)
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"-The victims... how many were there?"
Cheon Woo-seong's grief-stricken face was visible through the orb.
Oh-jin, disguised as Park Geon-woo, answered in a low, somber voice.
"The exact numbers haven't been tallied yet... but at the very least, there have been hundreds of casualties."
"-...Hundreds."
Cheon Woo-seong bit his lip.
"-I was expecting it... but hearing it said aloud like this, it feels like my heart is being torn apart."
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
His contorted expression conveyed a devastating sorrow.
'Fucking bullshit.'
Oh-jin glared coldly at the weeping Cheon Woo-seong.
He killed them with his own hands, and now he was crying like he was the victim?
"It is a sacrifice for a better future."
"-I... know."
Cheon Woo-seong wiped the tears from his eyes and lifted his head.
"-There were reports that the Black Lion and Lightning Wolf were headed your way. What happened with them?"
"They were too busy dealing with the demonic beasts."
"-Hmm."
A satisfied smile.
"-I understand. Now, return carefully without being seen. You took care of destroying the evidence, right?"
"Of course."
He nodded with a grin.
"Those fools probably don't even know what's going on."
"-Hahaha. I knew I could count on you, Mr. Geon-woo."
"Then I'll return at once—Keuk!"
CRASH!!!
A sudden explosion rocked the area.
"D-Damn it!"
Park Geon-woo stared somewhere, his face pale.
The communication orb only showed Park Geon-woo's face, so it was impossible to tell what had startled him.
"-What's wrong?"
Cheon Woo-seong asked, his voice stiff.
"...Th-Things have gotten complicated."
"-Complicated how?"
"The Hunting Dog is heading this way."
The Hunting Dog, Choi Woo-jin.
An 8-Star Awakened of the Canes Venatici constellation and an Association Special Officer specializing in tracking and searching.
The Special Officers were essentially the Association President's personal unit.
If he caught his trail, it would be a major setback for the plan.
"-Get out of there, quickly!"
Cheon Woo-seong, realizing the gravity of the situation, shouted urgently.
"Y-Yes, I—Keuk!!!"
CRASH!!! BANG!!
Another explosion echoed out.
"-How on earth did you let him get on your—"
"I'll get out of here first and contact you later!!"
Click.
He cut off the communication with a desperate shout.
"Well then."
The clamorous explosions vanished in an instant.
Park Geon-woo's face melted away, returning to Oh-jin's.
"That should buy me some time."
Knowing the Hunting Dog was after Park Geon-woo, Cheon Woo-seong wouldn't be able to make a move.
'The moment Park Geon-woo exposes him, his entire meticulously crafted plan goes up in smoke.'
He must be panicking right now, desperately trying to figure something out.
"Pfft, haha!"
Oh-jin laughed, his shoulders shaking.
"Go ahead, rack that little brain of yours."
He looked down at Park Geon-woo's corpse with a vicious smile.
"Hnngh."
Fwoosh!
He used Lightning to start a fire and tossed Park Geon-woo's body into the inferno.
After neatly disposing of the body until it was nothing but white ash.
"Shall we move on to the next phase?"
Humming a tune, he spun the black chalice in his hand.
***
After dealing with all the demonic beasts that had attacked Guro-dong.
Oh-jin went to find Director Han.
"Hoo. Well, it seems the demonic beasts have all been taken care of."
Director Han sighed deeply, running a hand through his short hair.
He unbuttoned and rolled up his blood-soaked shirt sleeve, pouring a potion on a wound.
"There were many casualties, but... thanks to your swift initial response, Mr. Oh-jin, we were able to minimize the damage."
Director Han bowed to Oh-jin.
Oh-jin shook his head and waved his hands dismissively.
"I just happened to be nearby and got here first, that's all."
"Still, it's incredible that you faced such a massive horde of demonic beasts without backing down."
He had a point.
Not many Awakened would even think of fighting thousands of demonic beasts alone.
'Truth be told, I was thinking of bailing halfway through.'
Oh-jin let out a small chuckle.
'Well, if they want to misunderstand on their own, all the better for me.'
The title of 'Hero' is always a useful one to exploit.
"By the way... didn't the demonic beasts' movements seem a little strange?"
Director Han asked with a frown.
"For mindless beasts, their movements were quite organized... and they also stopped abruptly in the middle of it all."
As expected.
So our Director noticed too.
"Actually, there's something I need to discuss with you regarding that."
Oh-jin continued, his expression hardening.
"What is it...?"
"It's not something I can discuss here. Is it possible for me to meet the Association President in person?"
"The Association President?"
"Yes."
Association President Han Tae-ho.
He'd never met him before, but from what he'd heard from Director Han, the man was quite competent.
'The President himself needs to get involved in this.'
That's the only way to completely ruin Cheon Woo-seong's plans.
"I understand. I'll arrange a meeting, then."
"Thank you."
After making plans to meet the Association President.
Oh-jin turned and headed back to the battlefield where the fierce fight with the demonic beasts had taken place.
"Oh-jin!"
Ha-eun spotted him and rushed over.
Her reddish-brown hair swayed like flames.
Piles of charred demonic beast corpses surrounded her.
'Just how many are there?'
Nearly a thousand demonic beasts had been burned to death by her flames.
It was an incredible number, even considering the beasts had stopped moving halfway through.
'My sis fought hard.'
Oh-jin chuckled, looking at the black soot on her cheek.
He reached out, wiped the soot from her cheek, and asked.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Not really, but..."
"What about your eye?"
"Oh, this?"
Ha-eun felt around her left eye.
The hideous, root-like veins covering her eye socket were thicker than usual.
'A side effect from using the Dragon's Eye?'
Oh-jin frowned.
"It hurts a little, but I'm fine—"
"Come here."
"...Huh? Eek!"
He pulled Ha-eun by the arm, bringing her close.
Cupping her cheeks with both hands, he leaned in to examine her left eye.
"O-Oh-jin?"
Her trembling breath tickled his cheek.
"Y-Your face is too close."
"Stay still."
"Ugh."
He pulled her even closer as she tried to squirm away, gently stroking the area around her left eye.
'Her mana is a little unstable.'
Proof of how much power she'd used in this battle.
"It doesn't seem to be a major problem, though. It should stabilize with some rest."
Oh-jin took out her eyepatch and put it back on for her.
"Jeez, kid. You that worried about your big sis?"
Ha-eun blushed, poking him in the side.
"Of course. Who else would I worry about?"
"C-Cough! Th-This kid... saying such embarrassing things so casually."
She grumbled, but he could see the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile.
"By the way, where are Vega and Riak? I haven't seen them for a while."
"I think they returned to the Sanctuary."
They both pushed the limits of the Precepts to help chase Park Geon-woo, so they were probably reverse-summoned back to the Sanctuary.
"...Is that so?"
Ha-eun's eyes narrowed.
"Hmm. So that's how it is."
She glanced around.
"Oh, my leg's giving out."
She started to stumble with some incredibly clumsy acting.
"...What are you doing?"
"M-My leg suddenly gave out. Maybe because I only have one?"
She's playing the cheat card again.
Even knowing it's an act, what can I say to that?
"I don't think I can walk like this... Is there anyone who can help me~?"
Ha-eun looked at Oh-jin, her eyes sparkling.
Pfft.
A chuckle escaped Oh-jin's lips.
"You want me to help you?"
"No~ not necessarily. But it would be nice, you know."
"Here."
Oh-jin offered her his arm.
Ha-eun pressed herself against him, hugging his arm tightly.
Mmph.
A soft, firm sensation pressed against his arm.
"Hehe."
Ha-eun leaned her head on Oh-jin's shoulder and grinned.
"Alright! Escort your dear sister to the car!"
"Will just helping you be enough?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"My sister's leg is bothering her. I can't just help you walk."
Smirk.
Oh-jin grinned, slipped his other arm under the legs of the girl hugging his arm, and lifted her up.
"Kyaa?!"
The so-called princess carry.
Since Ha-eun was so tall, it didn't look particularly graceful.
But who cared? It wasn't for anyone else to see.
"O-Oh-jin!"
This, however, seemed to be a bit too embarrassing for her. She glared at Oh-jin, her face as red as an apple.
"This little brat, doing whatever he wants without his sister's permission..."
"What? Want me to put you down?"
"...you did. But since my leg hurts sooooo much this time, I'll forgive you just this once."
Hmph.
Ha-eun turned her head away.
Below her flushed cheeks, he could see her lips twitching into a smile.
"Pfft, haha! You're so cute."
"C-Cute, my ass!"
"Let's get going."
As he headed toward the car while carrying her.
"...Mr. Oh-jin?"
Lee Woo-hyeok appeared.
"Gyaaaaaah!"
Ha-eun let out an inhuman shriek and scrambled out of Oh-jin's arms.
She hid behind Oh-jin as if her shame had reached critical mass.
Of course, since Ha-eun was tall enough to be a model, she wasn't very well hidden.
"Uh... um. Did I interrupt something?"
"Pfft, haha. No, it's fine."
Oh-jin shook his head and approached Lee Woo-hyeok.
"Thank you for your help this time."
"I only did what had to be done."
Lee Woo-hyeok shook the hand Oh-jin offered and spoke.
"By the way."
The eyes of a savage beast.
"I believe... the Black Star Organization is involved in this incident."
"......"
Oh-jin stared intently at Lee Woo-hyeok, quickly running the calculations in his head.
'Bringing Lee Woo-hyeok into this will make the plan much easier.'
Once the calculation was done, there was no reason to hesitate.
"Actually, I have something to tell you about that."
"...Have you discovered something?"
"Yes."
Oh-jin nodded with a grave expression.
"What is it...?"
"I'm scheduled to meet the Association President soon. I'll explain in detail then. Would you be able to come with me, Mr. Woo-hyeok?"
"Of course."
It wasn't difficult to draw in the Black Lion.
"I'll be in touch, then."
"Understood."
Oh-jin walked past Lee Woo-hyeok.
'The Association President, Lee Woo-hyeok, and the chalice.'
All the pieces to corner Cheon Woo-seong were in place.
'Now all that's left is to teach that arrogant brat a lesson.'
A vicious smile formed on Oh-jin's lips.