Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Unleash the Hound (4)
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When we were young.
My brother was better than me at everything.
Academics, sports, even art and music.
Things I could never do, no matter how hard I tried, my brother always accomplished with ease.
In my young eyes, my brother, three years my senior, seemed like a superman, a being beyond human.
—But.
Once real superhumans called the Awakened appeared, not just the fantasies of a child, things changed.
A Constellation of the Zodiac.
Unlike me, who was chosen by the Leo Constellation, my brother wasn't chosen by any of them.
‘I can beat him.’
The inferiority complex that had been building since I was too young to remember became my driving force.
I worked harder than anyone, honing my power with desperation.
And so.
“Haha. 8-Star… you became an 8-Star? And a Leo at that?”
I reached a level so far beyond my brother’s reach that he could only look up in a daze.
I had no idea how he felt, how crushing his despair must have been.
“What’s wrong, hyung?”
My brother grew more haggard by the day.
He barely ate, sinking into a lethargy that kept him holed up in his room.
“It’s nothing. It’s… nothing.”
He said it was nothing, but it didn’t take long for me to realize I was the cause.
He couldn’t stand it.
In a world overrun by monsters.
The fact that in this brutal world of blood and gore, he was only being protected by his younger brother.
The self-loathing of being protected by someone he should have been protecting.
It was making my brother sick.
“Hyung… please.”
I could understand him.
After all, my own inferiority complex toward him was what had pushed me this far.
But.
Because I understood.
Because I empathized.
I also knew that such feelings couldn’t be easily erased.
“…I’m sorry.”
The distance between us grew.
The deep emotional rift between us festered, giving off a foul stench.
“Woo-hyeok!! I Awakened too!! I got the Stigma of Pyxis!”
Then, one day, my brother Awakened.
I was genuinely happy.
My heart pounded at the thought that we could go back to the way we were, back when we were close.
Of course, with the Stigma of Pyxis, it was a long shot for him to ever reach the same level as me, with my Zodiac Stigma.
But I was still happy.
I just wanted him to regain even a little bit of his confidence.
—I bought him an expensive spear and gear.
I couldn’t be with him often because of my busy guild work, but our relationship seemed to have improved a little.
I held onto that hope.
I dreamed of that future.
But,
but,
but.
[Lee Shin-hyeok is currently being held by us.]
…What nonsense are you spouting now?
[Nonsense? Hmm. I guess I’ll have to send you proof, then.]
*Ping.*
A photo arrived.
An ominous premonition spread down my spine.
“…This photo is.”
A spear with a faint blue light emanating from its blade.
The shaft was delicately engraved with the symbol of the Valhalla Guild—a roaring lion.
*Thump, thump.*
My heart pounded violently.
A searing heat crept up the back of my neck, scalding my brain.
‘This is.’
It was the spear I had gifted to Lee Shin-hyeok.
A custom-made weapon, the only one of its kind in the world.
My brother’s spear.
“—Who are you.”
A sensation like my mind was being burned white.
A torrential flood of emotions erupted, surging upwards.
“Who the hell are you, you bastard!!!!”
I screamed as if I were howling.
[My name is—Yujin.]
Yujin, Yujin, Yujin.
I seared the name into my mind.
Of course.
I knew it wasn’t his real name.
No kidnapper would brazenly reveal their true identity.
But one thing was certain.
—Lee Shin-hyeok, my brother, was captured by that bastard.
“What do you want?”
[By the 25th, prepare 3 billion in cash and come to the observatory near the summit of Baegun Mountain.]
3 billion.
Was that why they kidnapped my brother?
‘No.’
That couldn't be it.
While 3 billion was by no means a small sum, it was definitely not enough to warrant kidnapping the brother of ‘Black Lion’ Lee Woo-hyeok, a candidate for the Seven Stars.
‘Their target isn’t—my brother, but me.’
That’s why they were calling me.
To a ‘trap’ they had meticulously prepared.
[And of course, you must come alone, Woo-hyeok. If you call anyone else… you know what’ll happen, right?]
A clear laugh echoed from the other side of the phone.
*Gnash!*
I clenched my teeth, barely suppressing the urge to vomit.
“You… if you so much as touch a hair on my brother’s head, I won’t let you get away with it.”
[Ooh~! So scary, what should I do? Puhahahaha!!]
“……”
Lee Woo-hyeok slowly closed his eyes.
*Woooong!!*
The Leo Stigma engraved on his left chest emitted a blue light.
A ferocious, beast-like magic began to boil.
[Ah! I’ve been talking for too long! You remember what I said, right? 3 billion in cash by the 25th. The summit of Baegun Mountain. Hahaha! As for the time… let’s see, right. Since it’s an observatory, how about sometime in the evening to see some stars!]
“……”
[Well then. I’ll see you then.]
*Click.*
The call ended.
*CRACK!*
The table he was gripping shattered.
“Yu, jin.”
*Grind! Thump! Craaack!!!*
His rampaging magic shot out, shattering and toppling all the luxurious decorations in his office.
“Yujin, Yujin, Yujiiiiiiiin…!”
His eyes burned.
A rage that felt like his brain was boiling incinerated his reason.
*Knock, knock.*
“Guild Leader?”
Kim Seon-yeong cautiously opened the door and entered.
She surveyed the wrecked office and flinched.
“…What happened?”
The usual cool-headed Lee Woo-hyeok who led the guild was nowhere to be seen.
In his place was a wounded beast.
*Tremble.*
The killing intent was so suffocating that Kim Seon-yeong’s legs began to shake.
“……”
Lee Woo-hyeok bit his lip, his mouth clamped shut.
*‘If you call anyone else… you know what’ll happen, right?’*
The kidnapper’s voice echoed in his mind.
“It’s noth…”
He was about to say ‘nothing,’ but he cut himself off and fell into thought.
He repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists, his eyes shut tight.
“Guild Leader? Are you alright?”
“……”
After a long moment of deliberation.
Lee Woo-hyeok slowly opened his eyes.
“Contact the Association right now.”
“The Association?”
“Yes.”
He nodded and continued.
“And.”
His narrowed eyes glinted sharply.
“Recall all the guild members currently out at Gates.”
He had no intention of walking into the bastard’s ‘trap’ as intended.
“—This is war.”
A voice as cold as ice echoed through the room.
***
“Now then.”
After finishing the call, Oh-jin’s lips curled into a smirk.
The bait had been cast.
Now, all that was left was to wait for the enraged hound to sink its teeth into the enemy’s neck.
‘How will he react?’
It wasn’t hard to predict.
“First, he’ll contact the Association.”
The Valhalla Guild and the Association were allies.
Even if not for direct support, he would have no choice but to contact them to utilize their excellent information network.
As a small, elite guild, they would be lacking in that department.
‘And once that happens.’
They would naturally find out.
About the Awakened named ‘Yujin.’
‘He’ll hear about the Black Star Guild, too.’
He would realize exactly who his enemy was, who he needed to tear apart.
“Well… he might wonder why a kidnapper would willingly give the name ‘Yujin’.”
It didn’t matter.
His suspicions wouldn't stop him from acting.
His brother’s life was on the line.
A cornered lion would have no choice but to grasp at straws.
‘He’ll probably contact me once, too.’
I was the one who gave the Association information about an Awakened named Yujin.
Whether the call came through the Association or from Lee Woo-hyeok himself, I didn’t know.
But a call was sure to come.
‘He’ll ask about a general description and appearance.’
If that happened, it was simple.
I would just describe the Yujin I saw at the Gate.
And.
“They will meet.”
On the evening of the 25th.
Lee Woo-hyeok and Yujin would have their first meeting on Baegun Mountain.
In the worst way imaginable.
‘And after that.’
*Pfft.*
He let out a chuckle.
“A war will begin.”
I told Lee Woo-hyeok to ‘come alone,’ but.
There was no way he would actually come by himself.
‘He’s not stupid enough to walk thoughtlessly into a trap set by the enemy.’
He would summon all his guild members and gather as much strength as he possibly could.
He wouldn’t be ignorant of the fact that it was the wisest way to save his brother.
“Now then, shall I do some cleanup?”
*Crackle! Fizz!!*
He ran an electric current through the smartphone he had used to call Lee Shin-hyeok, completely frying it.
‘Gotta be thorough about destroying evidence.’
*Crunch! Crunch!*
He threw the phone on the ground and stomped on it relentlessly until it was unrecognizable.
Finally, he scattered the remaining pieces into several different sewer drains.
Even a resurrected Steve Jobs wouldn’t be able to tell this had once been a smartphone.
“Now, what’s left is the spear and…”
He turned his head slightly and lifted the corpse of the Black Star Guild member he had carried back.
“Hmm… the build is similar enough.”
No distinguishing physical features, either.
“Good, I’ll take this too.”
This corpse had its use.
Grabbing the body and the spear, he turned to leave.
‘Tomorrow, I should go to a weapon shop and buy a decent spear.’
He had plans to custom-order several pieces of equipment soon, but he didn’t have the luxury of waiting for them now.
“So… when will the call come?”
With a dark smile on his face, he walked away.
***
—Late that evening.
*Trrrrr!*
“Ugh.”
The sound of his smartphone ringing woke him from his sleep.
He threw off the blanket and pushed himself up from the cramped floor of his room.
“…Ugh. Who’s calling at this hour?”
*Toss, toss.*
Song Ha-eun, who had been sleeping soundly in the bed, grumbled as she pulled the covers over herself.
“Don’t worry about it, just get some more sleep.”
*Click.*
He slipped on his slippers and went outside.
“Hello?”
[My apologies for calling at this hour, Mr. Oh-jin. I’m calling because there’s something urgent I need to discuss.]
Team Leader Han Jun-man’s voice was even more rigid than usual.
“What is it?”
[It’s difficult to explain over the phone….]
“I understand. I’ll head to the Association right now.”
He ended the call, went back inside, and got dressed.
“What…? Where are you going at this hour?”
Ha-eun asked, sitting up.
“To see if the hound I unleashed is hunting well.”
“…Huh? What nonsense is that?”
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Hey, what’s going on?”
*Click.*
He closed the door and stepped outside.
‘Didn’t even take a full day.’
*Grin.*
His lips curled upwards.
“Seems I’ve found a good hound.”
*Hehehe.*
Shaking his shoulders with laughter, he headed for the Association.