Chapter 158
Chapter 158
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: To Paradise (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
On the road crossing the Ganghwa Bridge.
The newly rebuilt bridge, established by the Cheonhye Guild, was as grand and magnificent as the Bifröst leading to Asgard in Norse mythology.
“Wow, damn. How much money did they pour into making that?”
Ha-eun, who had her head poked out the window, clicked her tongue in disbelief.
Just as she said, the bridge leading to the Ganghwa Island Special Autonomous Zone, colloquially known as ‘Paradise,’ left a powerful impression befitting its name.
“Well, they’re undeniably the best guild in our country. They must be loaded.”
“I wonder who’s richer, her or that Isabella girl?”
“Who knows?”
He didn’t know the exact figures, but one thing was certain: both possessed an unimaginable fortune that Oh-jin couldn’t even fathom.
“By the way, what’s Isabella been up to lately?”
“I’m not sure. We still message now and then, though.”
He and Isabella kept in touch periodically, but their conversations were mostly about how she was too busy to visit or how much she missed him.
So, he had no idea where she was or what she was doing.
‘The Black Star Organization must be in an uproar recently.’
With the 6th and 7th-ranked Executors dying in succession, their plans had undoubtedly hit a snag.
They would either go into hiding or, conversely, become even more active.
They would surely take some kind of action.
“…I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be in contact with her.”
Ha-eun said, her eyes narrowing.
It wasn’t a tone of jealousy toward Isabella, but one of genuine concern for Oh-jin.
Well, it made sense.
Now that she knew Isabella's true identity, it was only natural for her to be wary.
“I’m being as careful as I can, so don’t worry.”
That’s what he said, but…
Isabella was still an uncontrollable variable for Oh-jin.
‘If I could just win her over to my side, she’d be a great asset in taking down the Black Star Organization.’
But the greater the reward, the greater the risk.
Oh-jin continued to drive, his thoughts on Isabella lingering for a moment.
When they reached the end of the bridge.
“Please stop.”
Two people in security uniforms blocked the car.
Their sharp gazes and disciplined movements suggested they were formidable Awakened.
One of them approached the car.
“I need to see your entry permit.”
Oh-jin handed the guard the Paradise entry permit that Cheon Sang-gil had given him.
After meticulously checking the permit, the guard bowed politely and opened the firmly shut entrance.
“You may enter.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Oh-jin passed through the gate, which was so massive it resembled the entrance to a fortress, and entered Paradise.
Beyond the gate stretched a neatly arranged road.
The traditional Korean-style houses lining both sides of the road made it feel as if they had arrived at a folk village.
[So this is the place called Paradise?]
“Yep. I’ve only heard stories about it. This is my first time here.”
Paradise, a place you could only enter by paying the hefty sum of ten billion won.
There were many rumors about it, but very few people knew the details.
What kind of lives did the people living in Paradise lead?
Oh-jin drove slowly, taking in the sights.
The view of Paradise was…
“Uh… um. This is Paradise, right, Oh-jin?”
[For a place named Paradise, it is remarkably desolate.]
Just as Vega and Ha-eun said.
The scenery outside the window was nothing short of desolate.
He had imagined that a place called Paradise would be a pristine city where people dressed like celestial dragons laughed and strolled about.
Instead, the streets were so bleak it felt like a ghost town.
The few people they did see were all Awakened wearing the Cheonhye Guild uniform.
“This is a little different from what I expected.”
Oh-jin tilted his head in confusion as he headed toward the central house where Cheon Sang-gil was said to be.
Cheon Sang-gil’s residence was a modest house that didn’t at all match his title, ‘Alkaid.’
It was even smaller than the Kurōshi’s hideout.
There were even lettuce and green onions growing in the small yard, making it look for all the world like a typical house in the countryside.
“You’ve arrived.”
*Creak.*
The old door opened, and an old man in a finely pressed hanbok walked out.
His eyes were filled with a sagely air, like an enlightened master.
His solemn atmosphere was so profound it felt as if he were facing not a fellow human, but a Constellation.
Alkaid, Cheon Sang-gil.
A member of the Seven Stars, considered the world’s strongest Awakened, was welcoming him.
“Hmm?”
Cheon Sang-gil’s eyes fell on Vega, who was sitting on Oh-jin’s shoulder.
Before Oh-jin could make the excuse that she was his guardian spirit, Cheon Sang-gil bowed respectfully to Vega.
“I am honored to meet a great being.”
[Hoh. Do you recognize who I am?]
“Only the gods born from the stars possess a soul that emits such a pure ‘sound’.”
At Cheon Sang-gil’s courteous display, Vega crossed her arms and nodded.
“To think a Constellation can manifest in person… It seems there is a reason you are called the North Star.”
[This is merely a limited manifestation.]
Perhaps thinking it would be impolite to continue speaking only with Vega, Cheon Sang-gil, who had been bowing, turned his head toward Oh-jin.
“I heard about what happened in Japan from Sakaki. You went through a lot.”
“I only did what had to be done.”
“Haha. Hearing you say that puts this old man’s heart at ease.”
Cheon Sang-gil turned with a satisfied expression.
“Please, come inside. It isn’t proper to keep guests standing outside.”
“Yes.”
Oh-jin and Ha-eun followed Cheon Sang-gil’s lead into his home.
Like its modest exterior, the inside of the house was sparsely furnished, almost empty.
“So, how was the journey here?”
Cheon Sang-gil asked as he served tea.
“We arrived without any problems.”
“That’s a relief.”
He took a sip of tea and continued with a faint smile.
“Were you surprised by how Paradise looked, so different from your expectations?”
“Yes. It’s quite different from what I’ve heard in the rumors.”
“I imagine so.”
Cheon Sang-gil nodded lightly.
“Is there another district where the residents of Paradise live?”
“No. What you saw is all there is. Besides our guild members, almost no one lives in Paradise… or rather, on Ganghwa Island.”
“……”
It was so different from the rumors.
Ha-eun, who had been quietly sipping her tea, cautiously raised her hand and asked.
“Um… then what about all those rumors that if you go to Paradise, you can live safely with three square meals a day?”
Even Ha-eun, who rarely used honorifics because she found them awkward, found it difficult to speak informally to Cheon Sang-gil, who exuded the air of an enlightened master, and asked in a rather polite tone.
Hearing her question, Cheon Sang-gil gently held the steaming teacup and spoke.
“Those are false rumors we deliberately created in our guild.”
False rumors.
In other words, everything people knew about ‘Paradise’ was a lie.
“Why would you spread such rumors?”
Oh-jin asked, tilting his head as if he found it hard to understand.
Cheon Sang-gil’s answer was concise.
“To give them hope.”
Hope? What kind of hope?
“Come to think of it, I heard you became an Awakened not too long ago. Is that true?”
“Yes. It’s been a little less than a year.”
“Haha. To become strong enough to kill two Black Star Organization Executors in just one year… It’s hard to believe even seeing it with my own eyes.”
Cheon Sang-gil continued with a wry smile.
“Forgive me for getting sidetracked. If you were awakened a year ago, you must know it well.”
“Know what, sir?”
“The lives of those who were not chosen by the Constellations.”
“……”
Those not chosen by the Constellations.
Oh-jin knew better than anyone how grueling the lives of the unawakened were.
He, too, was one of those who had clawed his way up from the bottom.
“Things are much better now, but just five years ago, their lives were nothing short of tragic.”
“Yes, I’m well aware.”
“Of course, among them were people like you who lived fiercely, but most simply gave up on life.”
Three years after the gate to the Demonic Realm opened at the North Pole.
That period, when Awakened were still few and had yet to grow strong, was truly an age of chaos.
The economy was shattered, and jobs were nonexistent.
Monsters roamed outside, yet people couldn't even earn enough to afford a single meal.
In such a situation, who could have avoided despair?
“So, in consultation with the government, we created this place called ‘Paradise’.”
“You were trying to instill hope in people by spreading false rumors?”
Oh-jin asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Cheon Sang-gil gave a low nod.
“If there is a heaven in the midst of hell, wouldn’t that give people the will to live, to get there?”
“……”
Hearing Cheon Sang-gil’s words, Oh-jin frowned.
He understood the intention.
However.
“How amateurish.”
If they were trying to save people with false ‘hope.’
“There were far better ways to do it.”
“……”
Cheon Sang-gil looked at Oh-jin with a surprised expression.
“…Haha. I didn’t expect to hear such a response.”
Whether it was criticism or reproach.
He had expected a sharp rebuke for the lie he had told.
He never imagined he would be called ‘amateurish.’
“As you say, it was an amateurish method. I still regret it deeply to this day.”
At the time, he thought it was a decent plan.
But just as Oh-jin said, the existence of ‘Paradise’ failed to give people much hope.
A failed lie.
The criticism of being amateurish cut him to the quick.
Cheon Sang-gil changed the subject with a bitter smile.
“Well… let’s talk about this later. Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“As a matter of fact, I came here because I have something to ask you.”
Oh-jin took out a round, palm-sized plaque from his pocket.
A plaque engraved with an eerie snake emblem.
Upon seeing the ominous symbol, Cheon Sang-gil’s expression hardened.
“This is…”
“You told me to be wary of the ‘snake’ before, didn’t you?”
Cheon Sang-gil took the plaque with a grave expression.
“Did you get this from the Executors?”
“Yes.”
“Huu… Her power within the Black Star Organization is already growing out of control.”
He rubbed his wrinkled forehead as if his head ached.
“I came to see you today because I wanted to hear the details about this ‘snake’.”
“Hmm.”
Cheon Sang-gil swallowed dryly and narrowed his eyes.
“The Queen of Ophiuchus… no, perhaps it would be more fitting to call her the Empress.”
He continued in a low, somber voice.
“Truthfully, I don’t know much about her myself. Only that she is an extremely dangerous being… and the de facto ruler of the Black Star Organization.”
The ruler of the Black Star Organization.
That meant…
“Executor Rank 1, you mean?”
“Indeed.”
Executor Rank 1.
For Oh-jin, who had been pushed to the brink of death by the 6th-ranked Cheon Do-yoon, the pressure that came with the title of Rank 1 was immense.
Even Isabella, at Rank 3, was an immeasurably powerful Awakened. Just how strong could Rank 1 possibly be?
“Are you aware that the Black Star Organization’s factions originally had their own separate goals and methods?”
“Yes, I am.”
“She is trying to unite them all. By any means necessary.”
By any means necessary.
In other words, she was forcing even her own allies into submission with brute force.
“Is that all you know about the Queen of Ophiuchus?”
“There is one more piece of information I’ve heard.”
*Slurp.*
He took a sip of his cooled tea and continued in a calm voice.
“They say she fanatically follows a being called the ‘Heavenly Demon’.”
“What?”
Me?