Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: A Man Without a Mother (1)
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The incident at Paju Prison once again turned Korea upside down.
A shocking incident where over two thousand members of the Black Star Guild were reduced to vegetables in an instant.
According to the prison guards' testimonies, Warden Jeong Jae-cheol was identified as the main culprit, but since he had a solid alibi of being off-site at the time, the case fell back into mystery.
—Someone disguised as Warden Jeong Jae-cheol had entered and judged the criminals.
The culprit was not caught on CCTV or by security magic, and for some reason, all the attacked Black Star Guild members refused to speak, leaving the perpetrator's identity shrouded in mystery.
The incident led to a huge outcry against the Guild Union for failing to properly manage the captured criminals, and there was even a strange turn of events where public opinion of the Association, which had been uninvolved, suddenly improved.
For the Guild Union, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.
The case, which had initially been a huge issue, quickly faded from public interest.
*It makes sense.*
This was because the attacked Black Star Guild members were all vicious criminals from Cheorwon Prison, so the majority of the public actually found the incident satisfying.
The Guild Union, seemingly wanting the incident to be forgotten as quickly as possible, didn't even conduct a proper investigation to catch the culprit.
“It went exactly as I planned.”
Oh-jin watched the news, a smirk playing on his lips.
He had obtained immense mana, reached the Fifth Bloom of the Black Heaven, and as a bonus, slightly improved the Association's public image.
*The trouble was worth it.*
Infiltrating the Black Star Guild's headquarters all by himself had been a gamble worth taking.
“The mana… was a bit disappointing when I actually tried using it, though.”
Having absorbed the mana of over two thousand Awakeners, he thought he wouldn't have to worry about mana shortages anymore.
*So this is the problem with low-quality mana.*
There was no issue when using ordinary skills.
But when using high-tier skills like Lightning Flame, Exceed, or Charge, the consumption rate for low-quality mana was nearly ten or twenty times higher.
*In game terms, it's like having a huge health pool but no magic resistance.*
The quantity was large.
But the amount consumed also increased ridiculously, so it couldn't be called a cure-all.
*Absorbing large amounts of low-quality mana won't be very meaningful from now on.*
Considering the blooming stage of the Black Heaven and the increasing stars of the Lyra Stigma, the efficiency of low-quality mana drops excessively.
It was better than nothing, but not worth seeking out.
“Well, with this, I've handled all the major tasks for now.”
Before heading to find the holy relic said to be buried in Mount Baekdu, it seemed like a good idea to take a short break and focus on training.
*I also want to find out what changed with the Fifth Bloom.*
In particular, he needed time to learn about the mysterious trait called 'Gaecheon'.
*Alright then, before I start training... shall I call my goddess for the first time in a while?*
Lately, he'd been doing things like infiltrating the Black Star Guild's headquarters and absorbing the Stigmas of the captured Owls.
Because he was only doing things he couldn't possibly show Vega, he'd been operating with his pendant off, and thus hadn't seen her face in a while.
“Vega.”
Oh-jin called for Vega, channeling mana into the pendant.
*Whoooosh!*
Soon, a silver haze of light shimmered, and a 30-centimeter-tall figure floated in mid-air.
“Vega?”
[...]
Having manifested at Oh-jin's call, Vega stood with her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed as she stared intently at him.
“What's wrong, Vega?”
[...Hmph.]
Vega snorted and turned her body away completely.
*What the.*
Oh-jin's expression stiffened.
Could she have possibly realized what he had done?
*I don't think I made any mistakes...?*
Oh-jin watched her with anxious eyes.
“Um... Vega?”
[I refuse.]
“...What?”
[I said I do not wish to speak with you.]
“Huh?”
Why is my goddess suddenly acting like this?
[...Do you truly not know?]
“Uh, um.”
[Truly! You do not know!]
Vega's eyes shot open as she glared at Oh-jin.
Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed he had made some kind of mistake.
But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure out what it was.
[How long has it been since you last called for me! These past few days, you've even left the pendant behind as you pleased...!]
“Ah.”
So.
She was pouting because I hadn't called her in too long?
*And here I was worried.*
Oh-jin let out a chuckle, rubbing his chest in relief.
[This is no laughing matter!]
“Pfft. I'm sorry, Vega. You must have been lonely since I didn't contact you?”
[I-I was not lonely. It's just... well.]
Vega's face flushed as she fidgeted, pressing her index fingers together and twisting her body.
[The sanctum was just a bit... desolate with me all alone.]
So she was lonely.
*Man, how did my goddess get so cute?*
The stern and mysterious figure he first met was gone; lately, she had been showing a surprisingly honest and cute side, unbecoming of a goddess.
*Well, come to think of it, this must be Vega's true self.*
Hidden behind the mask of the Polaris Constellation.
The true face of a woman named Vega.
*Does this mean she's come to trust me enough to show this side of herself?*
A bitter smile spread across Oh-jin's lips.
But that was only for a moment.
He carefully reached out his hand toward her, who was pouting with her cheeks puffed out.
“What about Riak? Why were you alone?”
[Riak is... umm.]
Vega twisted a lock of her hair, a hesitant look on her face.
[He asked me to keep it a secret from you... but he has been focusing on his training to overcome the 'wall' recently.]
“A wall?”
Come to think of it, he had heard about it a few times.
*He said he's been stuck at a plateau for hundreds of years, right?*
When he first met him.
Riak was in despair about overcoming that plateau.
No, it was beyond despair; he had given up.
*I've never felt it myself, but.*
He had never stagnated long enough to feel like he'd hit a 'wall'.
However.
*I can tell it must be an indescribable torment.*
Just forgetting where you put something and spending an hour looking for it was an ordeal.
How painful must it be to silently continue training in search of an enlightenment that's always just out of reach?
Riak had endured that endless pain.
For a year.
For ten years.
He had repeated it for over a hundred years.
“...Tsk.”
Oh-jin clicked his tongue softly.
It bothered him a little, but this was something Riak had to overcome on his own.
“If Riak wasn't even there, it must have been really lonely.”
He nodded, recalling her empty sanctum.
[...It is not like that.]
“It's not?”
[There were many times in the past when I guarded the sanctum alone. But back then... I was never this lonely or desolate.]
“……”
[It started after I met you. That I began to feel this way.]
Her wavering gaze turned to Oh-jin.
[I, too... do not quite understand why I have come to feel these emotions.]
A faint smile formed on Vega's lips.
A gentle hand stroked Oh-jin's head.
[Hehe. Perhaps a miracle occurred, and a part of your past life's memories was passed on to me.]
“……”
No.
That could never happen.
The memories with her from a past life were lies spun from his own silver tongue.
[Anyway! From now on, call for me a little more often!]
“Ah, yeah. Okay.”
Oh-jin, who was looking at her with a complicated expression, nodded awkwardly.
[By the way.]
Vega spoke, looking at the news playing on the TV.
[Was this the war you spoke of?]
The fight between the Black Star Guild and the Guild Union.
It was too one-sided to be called a 'war'.
But in terms of scale, it was certainly a large enough incident to be called one.
“Originally, it didn't end this easily. There were far more casualties, too.”
[What did you do to make the war end so easily?]
“I leaked some information.”
[Ah... then the anonymous informant who leaked the locations of the Black Star Guild's headquarters and branches was you!]
“Yeah.”
Vega's eyes sparkled as she clapped her hands.
[But how did you find out that information? Didn't you say you didn't know much about the Black Star Guild either?]
“I didn't know the exact locations either, but I found a clue this time and was able to figure it out.”
[Hmm. Well, for you, who knows everything that will happen in the future, it must not have been difficult.]
Vega stroked her chin and nodded.
[But... does that mean you were also the one who turned those two thousand people into vegetables?]
Her eyes were filled with a hint of anxiety.
“No. That wasn't me.”
He shook his head naturally.
As long as she thought of him as a 'hero'.
He couldn't tell her he had turned over two thousand people into vegetables, no matter how heinous their crimes were.
[Then who in the world...]
“I don't know.”
[You don't know?]
“It didn't happen in the first timeline.”
[...]
Vega's eyes narrowed.
[The future must have changed because you leaked the information about the Black Star Guild.]
“That's right.”
Oh-jin nodded with a heavy expression.
“Well... I don't know who turned those guys into vegetables. But I succeeded in stopping the war.”
[So what is your next plan?]
“There's a holy relic hidden in Mount Baekdu.”
He recalled the memory he got from Lee Shin-hyeok.
[Oh, are you planning to claim that holy relic in advance this time as well?]
“That's the plan. But I don't know exactly where it's hidden.”
[Hmm. It will take some time to find it, then.]
“Well, it's not urgent. I'll take my time and look for it.”
[Hehe. You are so reliable.]
Vega patted his head as if he were praiseworthy.
[I am sure you can do anything you set your mind to.]
He could feel the goddess's infinite trust.
[Even with this incident alone, thanks to you, many lives that would have otherwise been lost were saved, were they not?]
“Well, though no one will recognize it.”
[I am here.]
Vega zipped up into the air.
[How desperately you strive to change the future, and how many lives have been saved thanks to your efforts.]
A brilliant haze of light enveloped her body, and Vega returned to her true form.
[I shall watch over you from your side, always.]
Vega reached out and gently pulled Oh-jin's head into an embrace.
“……”
The soft sensation pressing against his cheek.
He could keenly feel how much she trusted him through the warmth against his skin.
*I do feel a little guilty.*
To think I'm deceiving her when she trusts me this much.
*Well, it can't be helped.*
I've already come too far to turn back.
Since it has come to this.
I have no choice but to keep pretending to be a regressor until the end.
“Thanks, Vega.”
[Hmph! You should be a little more grateful!]
“Thaaaaanks!!! Vegaaaaaa!!”
[Wh-what?!]
He wrapped his arms around Vega's waist and rubbed his cheek against her chest.
[Hehe. You seem like a real child now.]
Vega accepted Oh-jin's childish antics with a soft smile.
[Hmm...]
Vega, who had been holding Oh-jin tightly in her embrace for a while, hummed with a thoughtful expression.
“Why?”
[...I have a proposal.]
“What kind of proposal?”
[W-Would you try... calling me 'Mama' just once?]
What?
What kind of crazy talk is that, my lady goddess?
[I-It is your fault! Haven't you been swaying my heart with your constant childishness!]
“No. When did I...”
[Eeei!! Be quiet! This is your punishment for leaving me alone in the sanctum for so long!]
Vega, her face flushed red, retorted angrily.
“……”
Oh-jin looked up at her, dumbfounded.
“Ma—”
He slowly opened his mouth.
*-CRASH!*
Just then.
The front door burst open.
“I was trying to listen quietly, but what the hell is this?! Mama? What Mama?!!”
Ha-eun stormed into the living room, panting heavily.
She roughly grabbed Oh-jin's arm and shouted.
“My Oh-jinnie doesn't have a mother!!”
“……”
Uh... um.
She wasn't wrong.
*Is... she?*
What is this unbelievably awkward feeling?