Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: The Summoning (4)
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A deathly silence hung in the air like a shroud.
The gazes of Jegal So-yeong and Isabella, seated on either side of Oh-jin, crossed in mid-air.
“You’re Ms. Jegal So-yeong, correct?”
A bright smile.
Isabella looked at Jegal So-yeong, her eyes crinkling prettily.
She gently tucked her curly platinum-blonde hair behind her ear and spoke in a calm voice.
“Yes. That’s right.”
“I’ve heard you’re an exceptionally skilled member of Sagittarius.”
“Oh, thank you. I’ve also heard a lot about the Saintess of Rome.”
Jegal So-yeong smiled back.
Judging by their expressions and the content of their conversation, one might think they were enjoying a friendly chat over coffee at a café.
‘Shit.’
But Oh-jin, stuck between them, could feel it keenly.
The fierce war of nerves raging between the two women.
‘One wrong move and this whole thing blows up.’
Jegal So-yeong wasn't the problem.
He didn't know her well, but she didn't seem the type to resort to violence if things went south.
‘But.’
Isabella was different.
The Leech Queen, the blood-crazed witch.
Recalling the madness she had displayed at the pier that day…
There was no telling what she would do if things didn't go her way.
‘In the original future, Isabella was the one who destroyed all of Italy.’
What was the population of Italy?
A million? Ten million?
Even if the population had decreased due to the monster outbreaks, at least tens of millions of people must have been living there.
Even if it happened in the first timeline, she was a witch who had massacred those tens of millions without a second thought.
‘Then again, I guess that makes me the guy who slaughtered billions.’
In any case.
The fact remained that if Isabella decided to, she could easily kill everyone in this room right now.
Tamrangseong? The Black Lion? The Apostle of Vega?
None of them mattered.
‘She’s a woman who killed a 9-Star Awakener in a single blow.’
Honestly, even if he used ‘Gaecheon’, he wasn't confident he could take on Isabella.
Oh-jin swallowed hard and looked at Isabella.
The most important thing here was to avoid getting on her bad side.
‘First, I’ll just watch how things play out.’
He cautiously assessed the situation, feeling as if he were walking on thin ice.
“In my opinion, Ms. Jegal So-yeong, it would be better for you to team up with Ms. Choi Yu-mi rather than Mr. Oh-jin.”
“Hmm. And why is that?”
“You could support Mr. Oh-jin from behind with your exceptional archery, but fundamentally, he doesn't just fight with a spear. He uses wires to freely change his position from close to long range.”
Her calm explanation continued.
“In that case, rather than trying to support his complex positional changes from behind with a bow, my Stigma, which can focus power onto Mr. Oh-jin, would be the most suitable.”
“I agree.”
Oh-jin quickly chimed in to support Isabella’s opinion.
“I actually had an experience partying with an Awakener from Sagittarius before.”
“Ah, you mean the stream with JerryKim? I saw that broadcast.”
Jegal So-yeong’s eyes sparkled as she nodded.
Hearing that she’d even watched the stream, Oh-jin let out a low groan.
He’d thought she was being a bit too forward, but it seemed she’d been quite interested in him for some time.
“Back then, just as Isabella said, I felt that my fighting style and Sagittarius didn’t mesh well.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes.”
“But couldn't that have been because your partner was JerryKim?”
Jegal So-yeong rested her elbow on the table, propped her chin in her hand, and smiled confidently.
“You shouldn’t compare me to him just because we’re both from Sagittarius.”
“That’s…”
“I’m confident I can keep up whether you’re flying through the sky on your wires or fighting up close with your spear, Mr. Oh-jin.”
It probably wasn't an empty boast.
Jegal So-yeong, the Black Rose.
You couldn't compare a world-renowned Awakener to a mere clownish streamer.
‘But that’s not what’s important right now, lady.’
It might not be me flying through the sky, but your head.
“Nevertheless, for this operation, I think it would be best to go with Isabella. We’ve worked together before.”
“Hmm. You seem to care for Isabella a great deal, Mr. Oh-jin.”
She narrowed her eyes, sizing Isabella up from head to toe.
Skin as white as snow.
Beautiful platinum-blonde hair that looked as if it were spun from molten gold, sapphire-blue eyes, and despite her gentle features, sensual lips that shone a deep red.
She was beautiful enough to captivate even another woman.
‘I’m no slouch in the looks department, either.’
Of course, compared to Isabella, there was a slight… no, a microscopic difference.
Still, she had never felt inferior in terms of appearance.
After all, wasn't ‘Jegal So-yeong, the Black Rose’ famous worldwide not just for her skills but also for her looks?
Considering the line of men who were dying for a chance to even speak with her, she didn't have much to feel inferior about compared to Isabella—
“Huh?”
Just then.
As Jegal So-yeong meticulously examined Isabella's appearance, one part caught her eye.
It hadn't been noticeable before because of the loose, nun-like habit she was wearing.
‘Wh-what is that?’
A jaw-droppingly voluminous bust.
Her gaze was stolen by a chest of such destructive majesty that she couldn’t comprehend how it could be attached to such a slender waist.
“Is something wrong?”
“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”
Her head instinctively lowered.
She had never thought of herself as lacking in the figure department.
‘This is just cheating.’
It would be one thing if they were just absurdly large.
But seeing their beautifully shaped lines, which seemed to defy gravity as they swelled upwards, she felt her fortress-like self-esteem come crumbling down.
“Ahem. You asked if I care for Isabella earlier?”
Oh-jin continued in a calm voice.
“Yes. Of course, I do. She’s given me a lot.”
She did gift him an entire apartment building, so that was certainly a lot.
“Isabella is… a very important person to me.”
One wrong move and his head would be smashed to bits, so how could she not be important?
“M-Mr. Oh-jin?”
It was Isabella who was surprised by Oh-jin’s words.
Her eyes widened like a rabbit’s as she stared at him.
The corners of her wide eyes grew moist.
“I didn’t know… that you thought of me that way, Mr. Oh-jin.”
Isabella’s shoulders trembled, her face filled with elation.
‘Uh, shit?’
A look of bewilderment crossed Oh-jin’s face.
He hadn’t expected such an intense reaction to his words.
‘Don’t tell me… this is just going to make her obsession worse, right?’
No way.
If people fell in love that easily over a few words, why would there be anyone in the world who couldn’t find a date?
Right?
I’m right, aren’t I?
“I want to be in the same team as Mr. Oh-jin. If you say no, I’ll leave Suhoseong.”
No, goddammit.
Am I right or not?
“H-how can you be so unreasonable?”
“I don’t care if it’s unreasonable. I can’t be in Suhoseong without Mr. Oh-jin.”
“……”
Jegal So-yeong bit her lip.
She had her own personal reasons for joining Suhoseong, and she couldn't just stand by and watch it fall apart for such a flimsy reason.
“Hah. Fine, fine. So I just have to team up with Ms. Yu-mi, right?”
Jegal So-yeong sighed as if to say she couldn't be helped and took a step back.
The taut tension that had been pressing down on the room seemed to dissipate.
“Ho ho. It seems you’re quite popular, young Oh-jin.”
“Well, Mr. Oh-jin is a wonderful person.”
Cheon Sang-gil watched the unfolding situation with an amused, warm gaze, while Lee Woo-hyeok nodded and added a comment.
Oh-jin felt a strange mix of pride and indescribable shame, and he quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, Tamrangseong, are you not participating in this operation?”
“This old man has other business to attend to.”
“Business…?”
As Oh-jin tilted his head, Cheon Sang-gil answered in a low, heavy voice.
“I plan to hunt a snake.”
“…Pardon?”
A snake.
Did that mean the Queen of Ophiuchus was in Korea?
At the word ‘snake,’ Oh-jin saw Isabella, sitting next to him, flinch.
“Ho ho. Don’t look so serious, lad.”
Cheon Sang-gil lightly stroked his beard and continued.
“Weren’t both the Owl and the Seahorse connected to the snake?”
“Are you suggesting the Queen of Ophiuchus ordered the Toad Faction to illegally enter Korea?”
Cheon Sang-gil nodded.
“It may just be an old man’s foolish notion, but yes.”
“Hmm.”
The Queen of Ophiuchus might be in Korea.
‘Did I make a mistake agreeing to this?’
The thought briefly crossed his mind, but he slowly shook his head.
Since Cheon Sang-gil himself was going after the Queen of Ophiuchus, the chances of encountering her during this operation were low.
Besides, the idea that the Queen of Ophiuchus was involved with the Toad Faction was nothing more than a hunch.
“Then, shall we set the teams as Isabella and me, Ms. So-yeong and Ms. Yu-mi, and finally Mr. Woo-hyeok and Hyeon-bin?”
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
“I-I’m okay with that too.”
Lee Woo-hyeok and Oh Hyeon-bin also nodded, seemingly having no objections.
In fact, considering the balance of the parties, this was the best combination.
“Then let’s head out as soon as Ms. Yu-mi returns.”
Oh-jin said, taking a sip of his now-cold green tea.
Less than ten minutes seemed to have passed, but for some reason, he felt more exhausted than if he had trained for ten hours straight.
“B-but will it be okay? Just us… shouldn’t we requisition personnel from each guild?”
Oh Hyeon-bin trembled, his eyes welling up.
Lee Woo-hyeok looked at him and gave a faint smile.
“I’ll protect you, so don’t worry.”
Perhaps he saw a reflection of his past self in the terrified Oh Hyeon-bin.
Lee Woo-hyeok gazed at him with a somewhat wistful look in his eyes and placed a light hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“Besides, the Awakeners gathered here aren’t the type to worry about mere monsters, are they?”
At Lee Woo-hyeok’s words, Oh Hyeon-bin cautiously lifted his head.
His eyes fell upon the five Awakeners, including Cheon Sang-gil.
Suhoseong (Guardian Stars).
An organization created by Tamrangseong specializing in hunting the Black Star Organization.
They had only just met and didn’t know each other well, but…
One thing was certain.
“Yes! Th-that’s right! We’re Suhoseong!”
The Awakeners of Suhoseong were all composed of exceptionally skilled individuals.
Even Oh Hyeon-bin himself, though often underestimated due to his frail appearance and timid personality, possessed skills so remarkable that he was called the ‘Miracle Healer’ within his guild.
And what about Jegal So-yeong, the Black Rose?
Like Lee Woo-hyeok, she was an Awakener of the Zodiacs, considered to be among the top-tier of 8-Star Awakeners.
Choi Yu-mi, wielder of the Phoenix Constellation’s Stigma, might not have a Zodiac-level Stigma, but she was a high-ranking Awakener who had already reached 9-Star and completed her body's reconstruction.
Then there was the Black Lion, Lee Woo-hyeok, whose recognition in the country was matched by few, and the Saintess of Rome, Isabella Colagrande, who was famous not just in Korea but across the world.
And finally, there was Oh-jin, who possessed the Stigma of Polaris itself.
“Hehe. Maybe one day we’ll be called the second coming of the Seven Stars.”
Oh Hyeon-bin flashed an innocent smile and clenched his fists.
How much ridicule had he endured until now because of his timid nature and frail appearance?
‘Things will be different now.’
The boy who admired heroes looked at Lee Woo-hyeok, his eyes shining like stars.
Lee Woo-hyeok, as if proud of Oh Hyeon-bin, gently ruffled his shaggy brown hair.
“Shall we get going?”
A short while later, Choi Yu-mi returned after changing her clothes.
Oh-jin put down his teacup and stood up.
“Hmph. Who died and made you leader? It’s not like we decided on one.”
“Fufu. After this operation is over, would you like to have dinner with me?”
Choi Yu-mi and Jegal So-yeong each threw a comment as they headed outside.
There wasn't a trace of nervousness on the faces of those heading out to hunt the vicious monsters that had thrown the Incheon area into terror.
And so.
The first mission of Suhoseong, the organization that would soon shake not just Korea, but the world, had begun.