Chapter 178
Chapter 178
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: Living Armor (3)
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‘What is this?’
Oh-jin furrowed his brow at the sudden massacre unfolding before him.
The black-armored fiend that had rushed past Oh-jin was indiscriminately carving up the Black Star Guild members with a spear that emanated a sinister, dark blue light.
Yes, it was as if…
As if its sole mission was to kill the Awakened of the Toad Constellation.
“Oh-jin, what is…?”
“I don’t know either.”
Oh-jin shook his head, completely baffled.
When he'd first heard that Lee Woo-hyeok had been attacked by the Black Star Guild, he'd thought there must be some connection between the unidentified fiend appearing in Yonghyeon-dong and the Toad Faction.
But seeing this now, he could only conclude his assumption was completely wrong.
‘So were they whimpering like desperate dogs earlier all because of that fiend?’
He recalled the Black Star Guild members shouting about how they had to kill him quickly, that they didn't have much time.
When the black-armored fiend appeared, they had clearly said, "It's here."
Meaning.
They already knew of the fiend's existence.
‘It's not just that they knew about it.’
Oh-jin’s eyes narrowed.
The black-armored fiend hunted the fleeing Black Star Guild members as if they were prey.
The Toad Faction was being hunted by that fiend even before Oh-jin arrived.
That had to be it.
“Hmm.”
Oh-jin’s eyes glinted as he slowly examined the black-armored fiend.
Pitch-black armor covered its entire body, with sinister, dark blue flames burning in the gaps.
Dark blue eyes stared down its prey, a sharp spear in hand.
Though it was his first time seeing it in person, it was a monster Oh-jin knew well.
‘Living Armor.’
Not a monster wearing armor, but a monster whose very body was the armor itself.
It was a powerful monster with a few recorded sightings in Europe.
However.
‘A Living Armor should be an 8-star monster at most.’
Even for a variant stronger than a typical specimen, could it really be this powerful?
Oh-jin watched the Living Armor fiercely swing its spear with a look of disbelief.
It was impossible that Jegal So-yeong and Choi Yu-mi had been killed by a mere 8-star monster without putting up a decent fight.
Even if it wasn't a ‘monster’ but a ‘fiend’.
“Hm?”
Just then.
Something caught Oh-jin’s eye.
Something was embedded in the chest of the wildly swinging Living Armor.
A round medallion, engraved with the ominous symbol of a coiled ‘serpent’.
“Ha.”
A short, dry laugh escaped Oh-jin’s lips.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
“So that's what this was all about.”
The moment he realized the ‘Serpent’ was involved in all this.
Oh-jin understood why this insane situation was happening.
“What was all about?”
“The Toad Faction didn’t smuggle themselves into Korea for some other purpose.”
“What? Then…”
“They were running away.”
From the ‘Serpent’.
They had simply scrambled to Korea in a desperate attempt to escape.
‘The Queen of the Serpent was said to be gathering the scattered factions of the Black Star Guild.’
The 6th-ranked Owl had bowed its head at the feet of the Queen of the Serpent.
The same went for the 7th-ranked Seahorse.
But.
‘Not every Executor would have meekly followed the Queen of the Serpent’s will.’
It was only natural.
If the entirety of the Black Star Guild had followed the Queen of the Serpent’s will from the start, ‘factions’ would never have formed in the first place.
In other words, the scene before his eyes was…
‘A purge.’
The Queen of the Serpent was personally punishing an insolent faction that dared to defy her will.
“But if what you say is true, Oh-jin, then why would it kill Jegal So-yeong and Yu-mi…?”
“That’s because.”
Just as Isabella said.
If the fiend’s purpose was to purge the Toad Faction.
Then it had no reason to attack Jegal So-yeong and Choi Yu-mi.
It would have just left, just as it had ignored him a moment ago.
‘No, wait.’
There was one.
One difference between him and Jegal So-yeong’s party.
Oh-jin recalled the traces of battle he had examined in the blood-soaked alley.
“Jegal So-yeong’s party was the one that attacked the fiend first.”
“Ah.”
In other words, if they hadn't attacked first.
The fiend would have had no reason to kill them.
‘Well, not that they could have known that.’
From their perspective, gaining the advantage with a surprise attack would have been the best possible move.
“So, now that we know the fiend isn’t after us… should we retreat for now?”
“Just a moment.”
A smirk twisted Oh-jin’s lips.
Slipping away while the Living Armor was preoccupied with chasing the Toad Faction was one option, but…
“I have a good idea.”
“What kind of…?”
“For now, take Woo-hyeok and evacuate to the city until I contact you.”
“A-Are you planning to go alone, Oh-jin?”
Isabella’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit’s.
Oh-jin gave a slight nod.
“No!”
“That’s too dangerous.”
Even Lee Woo-hyeok tried to stop him.
Oh-jin chuckled and turned around.
“It’s fine. Because ‘I’ won’t be the one getting hurt.”
“Pardon?”
“Woo-hyeok, where was the place you were ambushed by the Toad Constellation’s Executor?”
“It was near the docks over there…”
The direction Lee Woo-hyeok pointed to had a massive crane used for loading containers onto ships.
“Then please evacuate Hyun-bin to a safe place until I contact you.”
“I’ll request backup from my guild as well.”
“I’ll contact my bodyguards, too.”
“No.”
Oh-jin shook his head at their offers to call for backup.
More people would only get in the way of his plan.
And more importantly.
“I won’t need any backup.”
Oh-jin grinned and kicked off the ground.
*Fzzt!*
A platform of blue lightning formed at his feet.
He still couldn't create a platform solid enough to stomp on with his full strength, but…
“Hup!”
This was more than enough to launch himself high into the air.
*Fzzt! Fzzt!*
He sprinted through the air, stepping on platforms of blue lightning as if they were stairs.
As he neared the cargo crane that stood dozens of meters tall.
*Thwang!*
A wire shot out from his wrist and wrapped tightly around the crane.
Oh-jin stood atop the crane and looked down.
He had a clear view of the Toad Faction’s Black Star Guild members scurrying like rats through the maze of containers, and the Living Armor chasing after them.
‘Hounds of Lyra.’
*Wooooong!!*
The Stigma on his left chest blazed brightly, and a tidal wave of information flooded his mind.
“Kugh!!”
A splitting headache.
Oh-jin pressed a hand to his forehead and focused his mind.
‘Where are you hiding?’
The hiding place of the Black Star Guild's Executor who led the Toad Faction.
Amidst the flood of information, he searched for the Toad King, who would be lying low to avoid the ‘Serpent’.
—D-Damn it! That monster appeared?
—Yes! It's heading this way now!
—Q-Quickly, prepare to set sail!
Set sail.
The words ringing in his ears made Oh-jin’s gaze turn toward the port.
A massive cargo ship, hundreds of meters long.
The voices he had just heard were coming from that direction.
“Found you.”
Oh-jin smiled brightly.
He concealed his presence using the Black Curtain, then kicked off the cargo crane and leaped from a height of dozens of meters.
His body plummeted at high speed, as if skydiving without a parachute.
The sharp wind brushed past his cheeks.
He steadied his clothes, which were flapping wildly, and used Lightning Steps.
*Fzzt!*
Landing on the large cargo ship, Oh-jin calmly assessed his surroundings.
“Set sail!! Prepare to set sail right now!!”
“Move it, you bastards!!”
The deck was as noisy as a fish market.
The Toad Faction, composed of Southeast Asian members, had taken over the entire cargo ship and were rushing about.
Oh-jin used Transformation to change his face to that of the Black Star Guild member who had been chasing Lee Woo-hyeok earlier, then entered the ship's interior.
Inside was just as chaotic as the deck.
“Out of the way! I said, out of the way!”
“Wh-What about the men below?”
“Is this any time to worry about that? Lord Juan ordered us to set sail immediately!”
Juan.
So that was the Toad King's name.
Oh-jin followed the bustling Black Star Guild members, his steps hurried and his expression urgent.
Along the corridor walls, at regular intervals, were posters of a man with a stylish mustache.
It was probably a picture of the Toad King, Juan.
Seeing the poster, Oh-jin let out a dry laugh.
‘Did he learn this from our friends up north?’
He was reminded of the dictators who had now vanished into history.
Well, it wasn't just North Korea; it was common for most dictatorships to plaster their leader's posters everywhere.
‘Works out for me.’
If he was emphasizing his authority to the point of putting up posters like this, it wasn't hard to guess how much power Juan's words held within the Toad Faction.
“Hurry! There’s no time!”
“It’ll be on the ship soon!!”
The Black Star Guild members shouted urgently.
Oh-jin walked past them and headed deeper into the ship.
He had thought someone might recognize the face he had taken with ‘Transformation’, but with the situation being so chaotic, no one paid him any mind.
The place Oh-jin headed for was the control room.
Or more accurately, the cargo hold directly beneath it.
“This distance should be about right, right?”
Once inside the cargo hold, Oh-jin stood on a container, getting as close to the ceiling as possible.
He reached up, placed his palm flat against the rusted ceiling, and slowly drew out the magic from his Stigma.
*Fzzt, fzzt!*
A minute electrical current flowed from Oh-jin and seeped into the ceiling.
It was an ability he had acquired after learning to control minute lightning.
*Chiiiiik!!*
It was the ability to control electronic devices by sending a minute electrical current through them.
“Wh-What?”
“The broadcast system is down!”
Urgent voices came from beyond the wall.
Oh-jin smirked and opened his mouth.
—This is an announcement to all personnel on board.
What came from Oh-jin's lips was the voice of the Toad King, ‘Juan’.
“Huh? Wh-What is this?”
The real Juan's voice came from directly above, likely from the control room.
Oh-jin’s words continued.
—Cease all preparations for departure immediately and prepare for battle with the monster.
Juan's voice echoed throughout the entire cargo ship.
“What? What the fuck are you talking about?!”
Juan’s panicked scream came from above.
Well, anyone would react that way if their own voice was being broadcast live throughout the ship while they were just standing there.
“E-Executor, what in the world is—!”
“Stop the broadcast!! I said, stop the broadcast!!”
“I-I can’t! Even with the power off, it keeps playing!”
Even if you turn off the button, there’s still electricity flowing to power it.
—I repeat. All hands, cease preparations for departure immediately and prepare for battle.
“Shut up! Battle? How the hell are we supposed to fight that monster?!”
*Crash!*
The sound of something breaking, followed by an acrid smell, drifted down to the cargo hold.
“Damn it!!”
Juan rushed up to the deck.
“The broadcast is fake!! Set sail right now!!”
“Pardon?”
“Wh-What does that mean?”
The Black Star Guild members, who had stopped their departure preparations as instructed by the broadcast, looked at Juan with confused expressions.
The voice from the speakers had unmistakably been Juan's, so why was he now calling it fake?
“I said, set sail right nowwwwww!!”
“Gah! Kgh!”
Juan grabbed a nearby subordinate by the collar, lifted him up, and shrieked.
But no matter how much he shrieked and screamed, his voice couldn't reach every corner of the massive, hundreds-of-meters-long cargo ship.
“Wh-What’s going on?”
“What are we supposed to do?”
One order said to halt departure preparations, another said to proceed. Confusion was inevitable.
In terms of a battle, it was like receiving the order to charge and retreat at the same time.
And in that worst-case scenario, where time was wasted in indecision and they were prepared for neither departure nor battle.
*Kuuuuuuung!*
“Shiiiiiiiieeeeek!!!”
The monster.
It climbed onto the deck.
“Aaaaaaaah!!”
“I-It’s here! It’s here!!”
Screams filled the cargo ship.
Listening to the screams that blended like a harmony, Oh-jin’s lips curled into a wide grin.
“Now, kill each other.”