Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: A Night Without an Assailant (3)
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"Ah... ugh, ah."
A breath that sounded like it was about to give out.
A faint groan escaped, as if he no longer had the energy to scream.
"Is that all you know?"
"..."
There was no reply.
Oh-jin looked down at the miserably broken Yujin and clicked his tongue.
'In this state, he wouldn't be able to talk even if he knew more.'
Unlike his subordinate, who had opened his mouth helplessly, Yujin hadn't said a word until he was literally a bloody mess.
'No, to be precise.'
He 'couldn't' open his mouth.
"Is there some kind of restriction placed on him?"
Whenever he was asked about key information regarding the Black Star Guild, he would convulse and foam at the mouth as if having a seizure.
In this condition, it was difficult to obtain any core information, no matter how much he was interrogated.
'The only things I managed to get were...'
That Yujin's position was a low-ranking official, and that he served a being called an 'Executor.'
And finally.
'Ashad Khan's contact information.'
He was able to get the contact info of his fellow official, who became an Apostle of the Black Star on the same day as him.
"I don't think I'll have a use for this right now."
He put the piece of paper with Ashad Khan's contact info into his pocket.
Unless they were chasing him like Yujin was, there was no need to get involved with the Black Star Guild first.
"...No, wait a minute."
Oh-jin's eyes sparkled as he continued to think.
The bastards who spout crazy talk about the Constellations of the Black Star ruling the world.
A secret organization operating in the shadows, quietly growing in size.
"This, this."
A bright smile spread across Oh-jin's face.
'I can use this, can't I?'
Yes.
It wouldn't be strange for the 'Heavenly Demon', who would destroy the world in the future, to emerge from such a suspicious group.
"Puhahaha!!"
Oh-jin's shoulders shook as he laughed.
If I don't want to get caught as the Master of the Black Heaven...
Isn't it just a matter of creating a separate Master of the Black Heaven and killing them?
"Looks like I've found a reason to get involved with these Black Star Guild guys."
It's the heinous organization from which the Heavenly Demon will be born.
As a 'Regressor', I can't just leave them be.
To prevent the end of the world—I must eliminate them.
"Well, that's impossible in my current state, though."
Oh-jin gave a bitter smile.
He couldn't take down the Black Star Guild right now.
Even with Yujin, he wouldn't have been able to face him alone if he hadn't used Lee Woo-hyeok.
"...I thought they'd be powerful."
This was far beyond his expectations.
'Yujin himself wasn't weak at all.'
It only looked like he was being pushed back one-sidedly because his opponent was Lee Woo-hyeok; he was skilled enough that most Awakeners wouldn't dare to challenge him.
And yet.
'If a low-ranking official like Yujin is at that level...'
It was hard to imagine what kind of monsters the mid-ranking and high-ranking officials, and the Executors above them, would be.
'Perhaps.'
Oh-jin narrowed his eyes.
He had never seen them in person, so it was difficult to accurately gauge their strength, but...
'The Executors... might be on the same level as the Seven Stars.'
If that were the case, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the Black Star Guild literally had enough power to overturn the world.
It meant that Awakeners on par with the seven strongest in the world were gathered in a single organization.
"Tsk."
Oh-jin clicked his tongue, looking down at Yujin, whose breathing was slowly stopping.
He wanted to get even a little more information, but it seemed difficult to get any more due to the restriction.
"Can't be helped."
I guess I'll finish this here.
*Clack.*
Oh-jin lifted the spear he had set on the ground.
Three days ago. It was a cheap spear he had bought at a weapon shop near the Association.
'I need to replace my gear after this is over.'
*Squish!*
"Gah... gurgle."
As he accurately pierced his neck, Yujin spewed bloody phlegm and his body shuddered.
*Bzzzzzt!!*
He even used an electric shock to make sure he was dead.
"Let's see."
Time to start looting the human.
*Rustle, rustle.*
He searched Yujin's pockets for anything valuable.
"Oh, oooh!!!"
An exclamation of awe burst from Oh-jin's mouth.
Inside a black pouch were the two high-grade Stigmata Stones he had received in exchange for the sacred relic.
"Jackpot!!!"
He tore at his hair and leaped 10 meters into the air on the spot.
'Back then, one of these was worth 500 million.'
One billion.
He had obtained a crazy sum of one billion won all at once.
"Hehehe! Nothing beats looting humans."
Oh-jin put the two Stigmata Stones, which emitted a faint blue light, into his sling bag.
Hoping to find more, he even stripped off his underwear and searched thoroughly, but found nothing else of value.
"Damn it, what a waste of my eyes."
He put Yujin's underwear back on and turned his head away.
'Now for the final step.'
He reached for the Stigma engraved on his left chest.
The Stigma had six strokes engraved on it.
'A 6-Star Awakener, huh.'
No wonder he was so strong.
*Gurgle, gurgle.*
He placed his hand on the Stigma and focused his mind, and a dark cloud of ink flowed from his fingertips.
The cloud of Black Heaven completely covered the Stigma and greedily devoured the power contained within.
*Ding!*
['Black Heaven' is absorbing the 'Stigma of Noctua'!]
[All conditions for the third blooming of 'Black Heaven' have been met!]
['Black Heaven' will now begin its third blooming!]
"......!"
Oh-jin's eyes widened as he read the blue message window.
The third blooming.
What that meant was—
"Keuk!"
*Rumble!!*
The dark cloud churned and wrapped around his entire body.
An intense headache pounded in his head.
[Reading the 'Record' contained within the Stigma of Lyra through Black Heaven.]
[The blooming stage of Black Heaven is low. Readable records are limited.]
Scenes he had never witnessed, fragments of memories he had never experienced, flowed into his mind.
-Damn it!!
The earth was shrouded in acrid smoke.
Lee Woo-hyeok's face contorted fiercely as he looked at the horde of hundreds, thousands of rampaging beasts.
The Seoul Station building, visible in the distance, had already been trampled by the beasts, damaged beyond recognition.
-Why... why is this happening?
Lee Woo-hyeok clenched his fists, his shoulders trembling slightly.
-Woo-hyeok.
-...Bro?
Just then, Lee Shin-hyeok placed a hand on Lee Woo-hyeok's shoulder and spoke softly.
-I'll buy some time. You go to Seon-yeong.
-What nonsense are you talking about? Why would you stay here?
Lee Woo-hyeok glared at him with sharp eyes.
-Haha. I've gotten a bit stronger, haven't I? I can definitely buy you enough time.
-That's not what's important....
-You like her, don't you?
-What?
-Seon-yeong, I mean.
-......
Lee Woo-hyeok's expression hardened.
*Pat.*
Lee Shin-hyeok patted his shoulder lightly and raised the spear in his hand.
-Go on, you brat. I'll bolt too if it looks like I can't win.
-But.
Lee Shin-hyeok gave a faint smile and walked toward Seoul Station, which was swarming with hundreds of beasts.
-Go on now.
The Stigma of Pyxis flared, emitting a brilliant light.
Lee Woo-hyeok squeezed his eyes shut, then turned and headed off somewhere.
-Alright, then.
Lee Shin-hyeok took a deep breath and pointed his spear toward the horde of beasts charging at him.
-KarAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
Just then, a terrifying roar that shook the very earth echoed out.
*RUMBLE!*
From the rubble of the collapsed Seoul Station, a grotesque monster made of flesh rose up.
A beast that was at least 20 meters tall.
The fleshy monster, aptly described as a calamity, was swinging its eight arms and destroying its surroundings.
Each time the mass of flesh moved, a black Stigmata Stone the size of a basketball embedded in its forehead emitted a powerful light.
-...Damn it.
Lee Shin-hyeok gulped, swallowing dryly, the hand holding his spear trembling slightly.
-If only I'd known such a horrifying thing was sealed beneath Seoul Station... I could have prevented this.
Along with Lee Shin-hyeok's regret-filled voice,
"Ugh!"
The memory flooding his mind was cut off.
"Hah, hah!"
Oh-jin gasped for breath, clutching his chest.
*Ding!*
Just as he was trying to process Lee Shin-hyeok's memories, the clear sound of a bell rang in his ears once more.
"What is it this time?"
Oh-jin shifted his gaze to the blue message window that had appeared before him.
[You have successfully inherited a portion of Awakener Lee Shin-hyeok's records.]
[《Spearmanship of Pyxis Lv5》 has risen to 《Spearmanship of Pyxis Lv6》.]
['Black Heaven' has reached 'Three-Star Blooming'.]
[You have acquired the new 'Black Heaven' trait 'All Streams Return to One'.]
"...All Streams Return to One?"
He tilted his head and clicked on the part that read 'All Streams Return to One'.
Soon, another window popped up with a description of the trait.
[All Streams Return to One: The proficiency of the primary Stigma affects other Stigmas.]
"Oh."
It was short and simple, but the effect was impressive enough to draw a gasp.
'Does this mean if I raise the proficiency of the Stigma of Lyra, the others will rise with it?'
To check immediately, he tried using the Stigma of Noctua he had just obtained.
*Swish-swish-swish!!*
"Whoa, this thing's performance is insane."
Despite it being his first time manifesting the Stigma, he could freely create and shoot a dozen black feathers.
'Still, it's not as familiar as the Stigma of Lyra.'
He didn't know how many more Stigmas he would obtain in the future, so being able to inherit a portion of proficiency without any conditions was an incredible effect.
"This way, I can just focus on the Stigma of Lyra without needing to train the others."
He could just use the other Stigmas as the situation required.
Oh-jin gave Yujin's corpse one last look before getting up.
'Alright, now.'
It was time to bring down the curtain on this play.
"Hoo."
He took a short, tense breath and used the Stigma of Noctua to create black feathers.
'I don't really want to do this, but...'
What choice did he have?
To get the sweetest possible reward money, he needed to make it look like he suffered for it.
For money.
This much trouble was nothing.
*Swish-swish-swish-swish!!!*
"Kuaaaargh!!"
The black feathers flew and mangled his body.
Black feathers even pierced vital spots that could have easily been fatal.
Blood spurted out as excruciating pain shot through his entire body.
"Shit, this hurts like hell!"
He spat out a curse and collapsed on the spot.
He took out the radio the Association had given him before they set up the perimeter.
*Ksshk!*
[Mr. Oh-jin? Where are you, Mr. Oh-jin?!]
Team Leader Han's urgent voice came from the radio.
[We just got a call from the Valhalla Guild! They said one of the culprits escaped....]
"Caught... him."
[What?]
He continued in a trembling voice.
"The culprit who was running... *cough!* I caught... *cough! cough!*"
[M-Mr. Oh-jin? Are you alright?]
"Ah, ugh."
[Mr. Oh-jin!!!]
Team Leader Han Jun-man's desperate cry.
"Team Leader...."
[Wh-where are you!! Damn it! Quick, contact the Valhalla Guild! Contact the Valhalla Guild!!]
"I... I don't feel so good."
The radio went dead.