Chapter 209
Chapter 209
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 209
Chapter Title: The Serpent's Head (2)
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“What kind of trace did you find, exactly?”
Oh-jin asked, narrowing his eyes.
-It'd be faster for you to see it for yourself.
“…But.”
-Ah, don't worry about the Serpent Queen. This old man spent about a week hiding out and watching the area, and thankfully, it seems she's already left.
“Hmm.”
Oh-jin let out a short hum and nodded.
If Cheon Sang-gil was this confident, it was probably safe to relax for now.
-You were the one who resolved the monster incident back then, weren't you? I'd like your help again this time.
“That’s true, but.”
Oh-jin narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
A crack leading to the Demon Realm, right in the middle of the city of all places. He couldn't just sit on his hands and do nothing.
It was right to act as quickly as possible before an irreversible disaster occurred, like what happened in San Fruttuoso, but…
‘What is this?’
He felt a disconcerting sense of dissonance, like gears not quite meshing.
“How are you feeling, Gramps?”
-Hmm? Is there someone else there with you?
“Ah, yes. I’m with my sister and Isabella.”
-That’s good. I was planning on contacting Miss Ha-eun and Miss Isabella anyway.
This certainly wasn't a problem Oh-jin could solve on his own.
“When should we head over?”
-The sooner, the better. It doesn't seem like any monsters have come out of the crack yet… but as long as it’s there, we don't know what could happen, do we?
“That’s true.”
Oh-jin nodded and stood up.
“We’ll head over as soon as we’re ready.”
-Understood. I need to contact the guild, so I'll hang up now.
*Click.*
The call ended.
“A crack leading to the Demon Realm… Why would that suddenly appear in Korea?”
Isabella asked, her expression stiff.
“It’s highly likely the serpent is involved.”
“…Then isn’t it too dangerous to go there now?”
“It’s not a problem we can just ignore because it’s dangerous.”
Having a crack to the Demon Realm under the city was like sitting on a time bomb.
Well, even if that bomb went off, it was unlikely Oh-jin himself would be harmed.
‘But I have to make a move to maintain my title as a hero.’
If word got out that he had stayed away to save his own skin, the reputation he had painstakingly built could be dragged through the mud in an instant.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
He had keenly felt how useful the name ‘Thunder Wolf’ was when he and Isabella had conspired to cover up the Damian incident.
If he and Isabella hadn't diligently built their reputations, they would never have been able to so easily deflect suspicion in a major incident where one of the Seven Stars had died.
“And besides, I have my own personal reasons to chase the serpent.”
“Because of… the Heavenly Demon?”
“Yeah.”
The true nature of the Heavenly Demon.
The only one who likely knew the truth was the ‘Serpent Queen.’
“Hearing Gramps’s voice, it really seems like a serious situation.”
“Why? Does he sound different from usual?”
“Yeah. Normally, no matter how busy he is, he doesn't just cut straight to the point like that.”
True.
Come to think of it, Cheon Sang-gil had a way of speaking that was flexible, to put it nicely, or a bit slick, to put it less nicely.
Ha-eun, who had trained intensively under him, would know that better than anyone.
“First, let’s get our preparations in order.”
“Okie-dokie. I’m gonna go home and wash up first, then.”
“Please let me know if you need anything, Mr. Oh-jin. I’ll have Roberto get it for you.”
“Okay. Looks like we’ll have to eat that lunch box later.”
“Hehe. Don’t worry, I can make you another one anytime.”
Oh-jin, Ha-eun, and Isabella each prepared the necessary supplies and checked their equipment before leaving for Sokcho.
After inspecting his wire shooter, Oh-jin took out his spear, currently in the form of a folding knife, and carefully wiped it with an oiled sword cloth. (Perhaps because it had a consciousness, the shaft shivered every time he wiped it.)
He also meticulously prepared his tricolor bracelet and gauntlet, which he hadn't used often recently, then meditated for a moment to replenish the mana he had expended during training.
“Is everyone ready?”
Oh-jin, now fully equipped, came out into the living room.
Ha-eun, dressed in skinny jeans and a rider jacket, and Isabella, holding a staff with a large golden gem, were waiting for him.
“Yes. We’re all set.”
“I'm a bit tired from getting the crap beaten out of me earlier, but I guess it can't be helped.”
“Ah. Sis, that was…”
“I know you didn't do it knowing this would happen, so stop making that smug face.”
Ha-eun chuckled and gently pinched Isabella's cheek.
“…Ah.”
As if it were the first time someone had pinched her cheek, Isabella touched her face with one hand, her eyes wide.
After staring at Ha-eun with a bewildered expression, a gentle smile spread across Isabella's lips.
“Let’s get going.”
“Are you sure you don’t need to call Vega?”
“I’ll call her when we get there.”
Vega’s time manifested on Earth was limited, so it was more efficient to summon her upon arrival.
“Okie-dokie! Let's hurry up, go over there, and grab that snake—or whatever it is—right by the tail!”
Ha-eun headed for the door with a cheerful spring in her step.
***
“Hmm. So this is Sokcho?”
Getting out of the car, Isabella surveyed the city and frowned slightly.
The city of Sokcho, which had suffered devastating damage during the monster incident six months ago, had not yet fully recovered from its wounds, with construction underway in various places.
“This is… a city where people live, right?”
“It’s like this because of the monster attack Gramps mentioned.”
Ha-eun pulled a cigarette from her jacket and placed it in her mouth with a bitter expression.
Although there had been no casualties during the monster subjugation operation in Sokcho because people had been evacuated in advance…
it hadn’t been possible to prevent the destruction of their homes and livelihoods.
Fallen buildings couldn't be rebuilt overnight, so it would take more time to restore the lives of the people who originally lived in Sokcho.
“Sis, where was the spot where the black pillar shot up before?”
“Ah, it’s over there.”
Ha-eun, who had been watching the people walking listlessly along the street while smoking, stubbed out her cigarette in a portable ashtray.
Next to the Expo Tower, which was under heavy construction, was a large pit of earth, about 300 meters in diameter.
A pit of earth in the middle of the city, as if a sinkhole had opened up.
Around the pit, which was cordoned off with a "Keep Out" fence, an old man in a hanbok was waiting for Oh-jin's party.
“Thank you for coming so quickly.”
Cheon Sang-gil offered his hand to Oh-jin with a benevolent smile.
“Has the Cheonhye Guild arrived yet?”
“They just contacted me to say they’re almost here.”
Cheon Sang-gil turned and stepped inside the fenced-off area.
From the bottom of the pit, which was so deep its floor was invisible, an unpleasant, murky energy was flowing out.
“…Do we have to go in there?”
“Indeed.”
Cheon Sang-gil gave a slight nod.
Oh-jin sighed and waited for the Cheonhye Guild members to arrive.
“By the way, what are your plans for the Guardian Stars?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Three of the seven are dead, aren't they?”
“Ah, right.”
Cheon Sang-gil nodded as if recalling a forgotten fact.
“Well, casualties during an operation are unavoidable.”
“That’s… true.”
His reaction was more detached than expected.
“I’ll look into reinforcements once this is over. I can think about who to pick then.”
Cheon Sang-gil said, gazing down into the black pit.
Oh-jin nodded and looked around.
“By the way, did Mr. Lee Woo-hyeok not come?”
“I tried contacting him, but I was told he’s entered seclusion for training.”
“Seclusion?”
“Woo-hyeok is on the verge of reaching 9-Star, you see.”
True.
It was about time for Lee Woo-hyeok to ascend to the ranks of high-level Awakeners.
*Vrooooom!*
As they were making small talk while surveying the area around the pit…
several large vans arrived nearby.
Members of the Cheonhye Guild, dressed in modified hanboks, poured out.
“You’re all here.”
“Yes!”
The Cheonhye Guild members lined up in perfect formation, as if they'd received military drill training, and bowed to Cheon Sang-gil.
“Then let’s head in.”
After looking over the Cheonhye Guild members, Cheon Sang-gil slowly started walking.
Carved into the side of the massive, bottomless pit was a staircase, about a meter wide.
Oh-jin's party followed Cheon Sang-gil down the narrow steps.
After descending about a hundred meters…
“Do you feel it?”
Cheon Sang-gil asked, turning to look at Oh-jin.
He didn't specify what, but Oh-jin easily understood his question.
At the bottom of the pit where the black pillar had once risen…
an ominous mana was shimmering like a heat haze.
“Yes.”
Even without using the Stigma of Canes Venatici, he could tell that something extremely sinister lay below.
“That is the crack this old man discovered.”
After descending another thirty meters, a small crack, about a meter in size, came into view.
Unlike a typical gate, this crack shimmered with a murky, black light.
“What was this trace of the serpent you mentioned?”
“Come over here.”
Cheon Sang-gil pointed to the area around the black crack.
A magic circle with a bizarre pattern was drawn there, and in its center lay a palm-sized plaque bearing a serpent emblem.
‘This is…’
Oh-jin narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the serpent-emblemed plaque in the center of the magic circle.
Indeed.
It was identical to the ones Cheon Do-yoon and Sosuke had possessed.
‘Time to call Vega.’
Vega’s senses were sharper when it came to things like this.
Oh-jin touched the silver pendant around his neck.
With a brilliant silver light, Vega appeared.
[Hmm? Where is this?]
Vega frowned and asked, likely sensing the unpleasant mana in the surroundings.
Oh-jin briefly explained the day's events.
[A crack leading to the Demon Realm…]
Vega’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the black crack from which the ominous mana was rising.
[How did you find this place?]
“We found it while chasing the serpent’s tail. It seems to have been down here for quite some time.”
[That is not so.]
Vega shook her head firmly.
[This… is a newly formed crack.]
“Newly formed?”
[Indeed.]
“How recent?”
[I cannot say for sure… Ten days? It seems to be no older than that.]
Did that mean Elder Cheon Sang-gil had discovered this crack just three days after it was formed?
“……”
Oh-jin narrowed his eyes and examined the black crack.
“What’s its condition?”
[Hmm. It is maintaining a very stable state.]
“So there’s no chance of monsters or anything else popping out?”
[I cannot say for certain, but the possibility is low. Do monsters not usually emerge from unstable cracks?]
“That’s true.”
It had been the same in San Fruttuoso.
Typically, monsters emerged from a crack only when its state was unstable or when it was going berserk.
‘So it’s safe for now.’
Oh-jin approached the black crack and slowly reached out his hand.
And then.
The moment his fingertips touched the black crack.
*Grgrgrgrgrgrng!!*
The inside of the pit vibrated as if an earthquake had struck.
“Wh-what the?”
“Mr. Oh-jin!”
[My child!]
Ha-eun looked around with a horrified expression, while Vega and Isabella called out to Oh-jin urgently.
Oh-jin quickly pulled his hand back from the crack and spun around.
But.
*Kagagagagak!!!!*
Like a pane of cracked glass shattering, the black crack, which had been merely a meter in size, suddenly began to expand.
Five meters, ten meters, thirty meters.
The rapidly expanding black crack instantly swallowed everyone inside the pit.
“Dammit!”
*Twang!*
As the black crack engulfed his body, Oh-jin quickly fired his wire shooter, wrapping the wires around Ha-eun and Isabella.
His consciousness flickered as he felt himself being sucked somewhere.
In his fading consciousness…
-You’ve come.
Someone.
In a voice filled with elation.
In a voice filled with thrill.
Whispered.
-I've been waiting.
Before he could even recognize who the voice belonged to…
Oh-jin lost consciousness.
“Ugh…”
And the place where he opened his eyes…
was inside the Demon Realm.