Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Unleash the Hounds (3)
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"..."
No.
What the hell is this crazy situation?
'Find Lee Shin-hyeok?'
How am I supposed to find a guy who's already dead?
"...Mr. Oh-jin?"
Team Leader Han Jun-man tilted his head, looking at him.
"Is something wrong?"
"Haha, no. It's nothing."
He shook his head with an awkward smile.
'Damn it.'
It felt like I'd been smashed in the back of the head with a hammer.
'Then the Guild Master of the Valhalla Guild is...'
I had a pretty good idea who it was.
'Lee Woo-hyeok.'
Lee Shin-hyeok's younger brother, and the object of his deep-seated inferiority complex.
'Right... so that's what happened.'
In the world before Lee Shin-hyeok's regression, he would have woken up in a hospital room around this time, making pathetic excuses like some lackey who failed to buy bread on time.
'But.'
With Lee Shin-hyeok's death, the future changed.
Into a future where Lee Woo-hyeok posts a huge bounty to find his missing brother.
"What would you like to do? Shall I contact the Valhalla Guild and tell them you'll take the request?"
"Just a moment."
Leaning back against the sofa, he organized his thoughts.
Lee Shin-hyeok and Lee Woo-hyeok.
The pathetic, worthless older brother, and the brilliant younger brother, talented enough to be considered a candidate for the Seven Stars.
A twisted fate and future.
And.
'...Wait a minute.'
The Black Star Cult.
"Ha."
A short, dry laugh escaped him.
The sensation of a lightning bolt striking inside his head.
An electrifying thrill ran down his spine.
'Right, there was that method.'
*Smirk.*
Having finished his long train of thought, the corners of Oh-jin's mouth lifted into a bright smile.
'I can use this.'
This crazy, spiraling situation.
The future that has begun to change, slowly but surely.
He was confident he could cook it up to his own liking.
"━No."
He pushed the documents on the table back toward Team Leader Han.
He shook his head firmly and continued.
"I won't be taking this request."
"You won't take it?"
As if it were an answer he hadn't expected, Team Leader Han's eyes widened.
Well, it made sense.
A request that simply required finding someone came with a 2 billion won reward; he probably never imagined I'd kick such a great opportunity to the curb.
"I don't have a knack for finding people."
"Hmm."
"Is there a problem?"
"No, it's not that, but."
Team Leader Han scratched the back of his head with an awkward expression.
"Actually, the Valhalla Guild and the Association have a rather close relationship. I was hoping you could build a connection with them through this opportunity, Mr. Oh-jin."
Did he want to show off to their allied guilds that the Association had an Apostle of Polaris?
Considering the Association's declining prestige, it was an understandable thought.
"Haha, there will be other chances."
Right.
Another opportunity to build a connection with the Valhalla Guild would come.
And very soon, at that.
"Then I'll mark this request down as declined."
"Yes."
He nodded and stood up.
"Well then, I'll be on my way."
"Yes. The Association will also conduct a separate investigation into the Black Star Cult."
"I'd appreciate that."
I wasn't expecting much.
I would make my move long before the Association did, anyway.
"Oh, right."
He turned back toward Team Leader Han.
"Could I possibly get the Valhalla Guild's contact information?"
"Contact info?"
"Yes. You said they're close with the Association, so I've become a little interested."
*Beaming.*
He continued with a smile.
"Even if it's in name only, I'm still part of the same Association, aren't I? It's right to maintain a good relationship with an allied guild if the opportunity arises."
"Hahaha! Of course."
At the mention of being part of the same Association, Team Leader Han Jun-man nodded with a pleased expression and wrote down the Valhalla Guild's contact information on a piece of paper.
"Here is the Valhalla Guild's contact information. Ah, the Valhalla Guild doesn't typically disclose its information, so please don't share this number with anyone else."
"Yes, I understand."
He put the paper with the contact information in his pocket and walked out of the office.
Humming a tune, he walked with a light step.
"Shall we start fishing, then?"
The bait is the vigorous, 27-year-old Kwon Oh-jin.
***
In front of the new gate in Mok-dong.
Awakened searching for parties to clear the newly formed gate could be seen.
"Damn, look at this crowd."
Oh-jin weaved through the Awakened, strolling around the area in front of the gate as if on a walk.
One hour, two hours.
He kept circling the area around the gate, his face in plain view.
"Haaah."
Letting out a long yawn, he loitered around the gate for several more hours.
The sun, which had been high in the sky, began to set behind the mountains, setting the sky ablaze in red.
"Damn it, why aren't these bastards showing up?"
Oh-jin scowled, voicing his complaint.
'Do I have to come back tomorrow?'
He'd thought at least one of them would take the bait quickly, but contrary to his expectations, there was no sign of them.
'I'd like to finish this before Vega wakes up, if possible.'
He sighed and walked the streets as darkness slowly began to fall.
Just as he was about to give up and head home.
━*Prickle.*
A sharp killing intent that pricked his spine.
His senses, heightened by the Stigma of Canes Venatici, pinpointed the exact direction the killing intent was coming from.
'Finally!'
Oh-jin's lips curled into a grin as he subtly turned his head in the direction of the killing intent.
Instead of a conspicuous robe, he saw a middle-aged man with a black hat pulled down low.
'Looks like the bastard's been running himself ragged for the past week.'
Seeing the dark circles under his hollow cheeks, visible beneath the hat, it seemed he'd gone through quite a lot of trouble trying to find him.
"I've been waiting forever, you punk."
After letting out a chuckle,
-*Th-th-thump!!!!*
he turned and sprinted with all his might.
"Wh-wh-what?"
The man, who had been making a phone call, hurriedly gave chase.
"St-stop!!"
the man chasing him shouted fiercely.
He reached a hand back, extended his middle finger, and waved it.
"Hey, old man~! Why are you so slow? Is it because you're losing your hair?"
"Grr!!"
The man's expression contorted in rage.
He was wearing a hat so I couldn't see his hair, but did I hit a nerve?
"You son of a bitch!!"
*Swoosh!*
Along with the harsh curse, several black feathers flew at him.
'Is that the ability of the Noctua Stigma?'
Last time, it was a surprise attack, and I killed him before I could even see his Stigma's ability, so this is the first time I'm actually seeing it.
'Now that I've seen the Stigma's ability.'
I guess I'll stop the taunting.
-*Screeech!*
After reaching a deserted lot, he braked sharply and came to a stop.
*Spin.*
As he spun around, he thrust his spear.
"Hup!"
*Clang!!*
The man chasing him hastily crossed his arms to block the spear.
The spearhead was deflected by the black feathers that had sprouted on his forearms.
"Oh, wow. Tougher than I thought."
To think the feathers could deflect my spear.
"You bastard...!"
"Pahaha! We've just met. Why are you looking at me with such passionate eyes?"
It's making me blush.
"Your insolence ends here!"
"Really?"
He shrugged and readjusted his grip on the spear.
Activating Canes Venatici, he scanned his surroundings.
He didn't sense the presence of any other Black Star Cult members.
"But hey, old man, you sure you're okay on your own?"
"Hmph, you're alone too, aren't you?"
The man, his forearms covered in black feathers, sneered mockingly and took a stance.
"Nope? I'm not alone."
"...What?"
"Now!! Attack!!!"
he yelled in a booming voice.
"Kuh! D-dammit!!"
The man spun around with a terrified look on his face.
What he saw behind him was,
"Huh?"
━an empty lot.
"What the?"
"Just kidding."
*Crackle-crackle-crackle!!!!*
Blue lightning flared to life.
'Lightning Spear.'
The lightning gathered at the tip of the spear spread out in a fan shape, sweeping across the area in front of him.
"Aaaaaaaargh!!!"
It seemed the black feathers covering his arms couldn't block the lightning, as a terrible scream erupted from the man's mouth.
*Stagger, stagger.*
Stumbling backward, the man's stance collapsed.
"Chahat!!"
He stabbed his spear through the gap in the man's arms.
"Keuk, ugh-aaaaah!!"
As if refusing to go down easily, the man quickly corrected his broken stance and grabbed the spearhead with his feather-covered hand.
"How dare you use such a cheap trick...!!"
Blue lightning flared at the tip of the spear, but the man ignored it and pulled on the weapon he'd seized.
He tried to twist the shaft to pull the spear free, but it wouldn't budge from the man's grasp.
'He's stronger, huh.'
It didn't matter.
Strength alone doesn't win a fight.
"For a cheap trick, you fell for it pretty easily, didn't you?"
*Chuckles.*
He chuckled and 'let go' of the spear shaft.
"Wha-?"
When he suddenly let go of the spear, the man's body lurched backward.
-*Thud!*
He kicked off the ground and jumped.
He brought his clenched fist down on the staggering man's head.
'Lightning Strike.'
*Crackle!!*
He slammed his fist down on the man's head with all his might, as if swinging a hammer.
"Keoheok! Kuck!"
*Thump.*
The man fell flat on his back, his body twitching.
He quickly grabbed the fallen spear and aimed it at the man's neck.
"Keuk!"
With the spear at his throat, the man bit his lip in frustration.
"Don't think... you've won with this."
"But I did win."
His resistance was stronger than expected, but in the end, he was the victor.
"Ha! Do you think killing me will allow you to escape the grasp of the Black Star Cult?"
The man snorted in derision.
"If you thought you could mess with Lord Yujin and get away with it, you were sorely mistaken!"
*Kekekeke!*
Suddenly, the man burst out laughing.
"You... can never defeat him."
"Yeah, I know."
I don't know how strong an Awakened Yujin is, but I know he's not someone I can beat right now.
But it doesn't matter.
"Because you're all going to die soon anyway."
"...What gives you the confidence to spout such nonsense?"
the man asked, his gaze filled with confusion.
*Pfft.*
He shrugged and answered.
"Because I'm going to unleash the hounds."
"...Hounds?"
"Something like that, punk."
No point wasting time with idle chatter.
Time to finish this.
-*Shunk!!*
"Keoheok! Krk... Gack."
He thrust the spear deep into the man's neck, and blood spurted out like a fountain.
"Now, then."
Oh-jin rummaged through the man's clothes and took out his smartphone.
It had an iris recognition lock, so he pried open the dead man's eyelid to unlock it.
'I'd like to absorb his Stigma, but...'
Someone might come after hearing the commotion, so I need to clean this up first.
"Heave-ho."
He hoisted the corpse over his shoulder and left the lot.
Using the Black Curtain to completely conceal his presence, he found a nearby mountain and started climbing.
When all signs of human presence had completely disappeared,
"Let's see... yeah, this spot looks good."
-*Click.*
He propped the blood-stained spear against a nearby tree and took a picture.
"Guess this is the last time I'll be using this spear."
He was planning to replace it soon anyway, so he didn't feel it was a waste.
"Ahem! Ah, ah, ah."
He tilted his chin up slightly and adjusted his voice.
He was quite confident in his ability to mimic other people's voices, so it wasn't difficult to change it.
-*Trrrring.*
He dialed the number he got from Team Leader Han Jun-man.
[This is Kim Seon-yeong of the Valhalla Guild.]
The woman's voice sounded utterly exhausted.
It was a voice he remembered.
'Is she that woman with the glasses from back then?'
He recalled the memories inherited from Lee Shin-hyeok.
"Could you put the Guild Master on the phone?"
[The Guild Master is currently unable to take your call... ]
"I've found Lee Shin-hyeok."
[...Huh?]
A brief silence.
[W-wait a moment!!]
*Clatter!*
A clamor of noise echoed through the phone.
And then.
[...You found my brother?]
A cold, sunken voice.
This was Lee Woo-hyeok's voice, heard for the first time in reality, not through Lee Shin-hyeok's memories.
'Alright, then.'
Let's unleash the hounds.
"To be precise, we have him."
[...What?]
"Hahaha. Do you not understand?"
The savage, violent hounds.
"Mr. Lee Shin-hyeok is currently being held by us."
[What kind of nonsense is this.]
"Nonsense? Hmm. In that case, I'll have to send you photographic evidence."
[...This picture.]
"Isn't that a spear you've seen somewhere before?"
Hounds that will, in my stead.
Tear out the enemy's throat and kill them.
[━Who are you.]
"Hahaha!! It seems you believe me now!"
[I asked who you are, you bastard!!!!]
The hound's name is... yes.
Simple.
"My name is━Yujin."
Let's call him Lee Woo-hyeok.